Sophia hardly dared to breathe as she looked at herself in the mirror.

They almost hadn't made it. Through all of the therapy and counseling, nightmares and tears, there were points when both of them were almost ready to throw in the towel.

But they didn't. And once they got through the first year after Dean proposed, things became so much smoother, so much easier. Their relationship was stronger than ever, stronger than it had ever been before everything that happened.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart."

Sophia turned around to see Sandy with the biggest smile on her face walking toward her, tears already forming in her eyes.

Sandy had been with Sophia when she picked out the dress. And as much as Sophia had worried about Sandy's reaction to Sophia coming back into Dean's life, she really needn't have.

About a week after they got back from New York, Sophia and Dean went down to visit Dean's mom. For the first fifteen minutes of their trip, Sandy pulled Dean aside, Sophia waiting nervously in his old bedroom, wondering what she was saying, how her words could possibly throw their relationship into chaos.

But after those fifteen minutes, it wasn't Dean who came upstairs to see her, it was Sandy. And Sophia's future mother-in-law had just sat down beside her, wrapped her arms around Sophia, and held her tight.

There were a lot of tears, on both ends. But it set them up in a place where they could work together to find the best way to move forward instead of arguing about it.

"Are you nervous?" Sandy came up behind her and they looked at Sophia's reflection together.

"No." So many people had asked her that question, but the answer was always the same, and just as immediate. "Well, maybe of tripping and falling on my face," she joked. "But other than that? I'm just so, so excited."

Sandy gripped her hand. "Good," she said. "That's how it's supposed to be."

"Is he nervous?"

Sandy chuckled. "No," she said. "He's been acting like drank eight cups of coffee in ten minutes all morning, though. It's a good thing this is an earlier ceremony. I don't think he would have lasted until the afternoon."

Sophia laughed, picturing the entire scene clearly in her mind. "I guess I shouldn't keep him waiting too much longer, then, should I?"

As if on cue, the door opened and Raina and May filed in, dressed in light blue, floor-length dresses. Sandy gave Sophia one last hand squeeze. "I'll see you out there."

"Thanks, Sandy."

In the midst of all the wedding planning, Sandy had offered to walk Sophia down the aisle. Sophia had immediately burst into tears. Dean's mom had panicked, but Sophia could only grab her into a tight hug, touched and more than honored by the suggestion.

But ultimately, Sophia had turned her down. It was something she had always wanted her dad to do, and it didn't feel right to her to have someone else take his place. So now, a wooden comb her dad had made attached Sophia's waist-length veil into her hair, ensuring that he would be with her the entire day.

As soon as Dean's mom left, Raina and May engulfed Sophia in a hug, careful not to mess anything up but their love shone through.

"Ugh, Sophia, you look gorgeous," May gushed, feeling Sophia's chiffon skirt and tossing part of it into the air, letting it flutter around her.

"Of course, she's gorgeous," Raina said, her eyes skirting across the dress, a look of satisfaction as she took in the detailed beading on the fitted bodice. "I mean, we helped pick it out, didn't we?"

Raina had been the easiest person to make amends with, and was also the only other person Sophia told her entire story to. Raina would never say it out loud, but Sophia knew that her best friend probably wished that Graham was still alive, just so that she could kill him herself. But they had reunited two days after Sophia arrived back in L.A., and their bond was as strong as ever.

May, and Matteo, who was currently sitting on the bride's side of the aisle, came around just as fast, only a little later. Sophia didn't start back up at the hospital right away, giving herself a few months to take care of herself. But May and Matteo were behind that decision and apparently were the instigators of the quite extravagant 'Welcome Back' party Sophia received on her first day back in the E.R.

"Yeah, yeah, take all the credit," Sophia grumbled, but today wasn't even a day for false grumpiness. She was just too happy.

"Right, well, it is time," Raina said, her eyes shining. "You ready?"

"I've been ready for years."

The wedding was small, so their bridal party was, too. But with Raina as her maid of honor and May as her bridesmaid, Sophia couldn't think of any addition that could make things more perfect.

They were already at the venue, they had been able to rent out rooms to get read in, so all Sophia had to do was go downstairs and walk out the doors. They were at an event space just north of the city, the outdoor lawn overlooking the sparkling Pacific Ocean, a view that Sophia caught glimpses of as she moved through the house. Her thumb ran across the pearl on her ring finger. Even through her and Dean's worst days, she had never taken it off.

Raina gave her another hug before she stepped out to the aisle, wedding music already playing. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too."

Raina disappeared, leaving Sophia to her own thoughts. But she didn't have many. She just wanted to be married to the love of her life.

The doors opened, and Sophia's eyes locked with Dean's the moment she stepped through.

Never one to hide exactly what he was feeling, he almost doubled over at the sight of her, the dress, the waist-length veil that came down from her softly curled hair. Sophia's steps became steadier and steadier as she walked closer and closer to him. There were no tears, from either of them. They had both spent so much time crying, and had good reason to, but now was not the time for that.

Later, she would remember how everyone who she cared about, from Matteo to Blake and Carmen to all of Dean's firehouse was there to support her, to support them, to celebrate with them on this day. She would remember how Alicia and Carson stood beside Dean at the end of the aisle, neither able to contain their happiness on behalf of both of them at this moment.

But now, her eyes were only for Dean, his hair still not completely tamed, his dark eyes shining with joy, his lopsided smile bigger and brighter than she had ever seen it.

Right now, he was the only person who existed in her eyes. And the best part about it was that this was only the beginning.