Better Late Than Never

"Where is she?!"

"Could you please stop asking me? I honestly have no idea."

"Well--she's going to be late if she doesn't show up soon."

"If she is it won't be my fault, so, could you please stop nagging me about it?"

Twinbrook didn't have many days quite like this one, but as if nature had decided to give the family a well deserved break, the gloom that normally hovered over the town was no where in sight today. Instead, real sunshine glittered through the cracks in the lattice above them, making everyone beneath feel, for a moment, they were somewhere far away from here.

Nature could not have picked a better day.

"Well, I just--" Alesha began again, but when she stopped to listen to herself, she quickly shut her mouth. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, Brad. I'm just worried about her--I know she said she was taking a little bit of a vacation, but I figured she'd at least be back in time for the ceremony!"

"Give her a break, will you? Lil's never really left town on her own before, and it's about time she started making use of her freedom. If she misses the wedding she misses the wedding--won't be the end of the world."

"Don't you say that, Brad!" Alesha shook her head violently, throwing up her hands in protest. "Amelia would be heartbroken!"

"Oh come on, she'd understand!" Brad sighed. "Lil's needed to get out and see the world for years--"

"No. She better be here. If she's not, you're taking full responsibility."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Brad groaned, leaning back into his seat.

Truth be told, Amelia and Naomi would probably survive if Lil didn't make it, but Alesha wanted everything to be perfect for her two best friends--and she had already gone to painstaking lengths to make sure of it.

Alesha remembered that Amelia had dreamed of a huge, decadent wedding since she was old enough to dress dolls in white dresses. But with how everything had gone recently, Naomi and Mia had decided to focus on a smaller, more intimate affair. They wanted it done quickly and quietly--no muss, no fuss. Alesha still felt like Amelia deserved more, though.

Alesha truly had nothing to worry about, though.

Amelia had done many shows in her life, and living happily in the spotlight all the while--but today, being the center of attention felt awkward. As much as it would have mortified her 10-year-old self, Amelia was starting to regret that she didn't just run away and elope.

She didn't care about the show, the ceremony, the cake, or the dress. She just wanted to be Mrs. Amelia Leman-Kane--the "how" didn't really matter to her anymore.

A sudden bump on her arm woke her from her thoughts.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?"

Amelia looked to her left and smiled. Though she and her father had had their fair share of disagreements in her lifetime, they had never been closer then after the ordeal Amelia went through. After everything that had happened, having Jebidiah by her side on her wedding day was certainly not something she took for granted.

"I think so," she responded with a weary smile, threading her arm through his.

Somewhere Amelia couldn't see, soft music began to play.

Taking it as her cue, Margo skipped into place and started trotting down the 'aisle', giving Meredith very little time to get in place for pictures. Both Amelia and her father chuckled at the sudden scurry of movement down the aisle.

"You know, if you want, I can call the driver and he'll whisk us away, and dodge you out of all this marriage nonsense--"

"Daddy," Amelia laughed. "You gotta give me up sometime."

"Well... I suppose, if you insist--now's as good a time as any," Jebidiah spoke with a sigh. "... As long as you're sure."


"Never been so sure as anything in my life."

As much as it pained Jeb--as it would any father--he squeezed Amelia's hand tight in his and began to walk, guiding her on the first steps towards her new life.

-> Music! Yes, MUSIC!! Engage! <-

A voice suddenly broke the trance of everyone in the garden.

"Hey guys," was heard coming from the end of the aisle, from a girl who waved her arms wildly in order to be noticed. It took Amelia a few moments and blinks to see what stood there, but once she did, her eyes grew wide. "Oh bother... Did I miss it?!"

Amelia stood and stared. She didn't recognize the girl at first, but there was something oddly familiar about her. The voice... the cheerful tone... the childish giggle that only came from one person--one robot--she knew.

"L... Lilobot? Is that you?"

A torrent of whispers flooded over the small crowd--but for the first time, having everyone's eyes trained onto her didn't frighten her. Lilobot was ready to shine!

"The one and only," she said, beaming so brightly that even in her shock, Amelia couldn't help smiling back.

"You're a little late," Alesha called from somewhere amidst the bobbing heads, causing everyone around her (especially those that had heard her previous nagging) to begin chuckling themselves.

"Better late than never, though, right?" she said with a girly laugh, bobbing up onto her toes.

A well of joy suddenly overflowed inside of Amelia.

Though everything about today made it the happiest day of her life, something about Lilobot's words struck her. All the hurt and regret she'd suffered from being removed from her life for so long had now flowed away, leaving behind only the peace she'd longed for--everything else no longer mattered. The words of a happy simbot reminded Amelia to cherish what she finally had.

"Yeah," she said with a smile, her hand entwined with Naomi's. "You're right, Lil. Better late than never."