Episode 422
 

Some Sort of Congratulations
Written by: Dallas Walsh | Originally Released: August 23, 2017

Episode Theme song: "Friends" City & Colour

Previously on One Day at a Time
- Guests arrived at the Santa Barbara winery for the double wedding of Vinny and Daisy and Jeff and Meggan. Paige and Meggan, however, both saw a dark figure lurking around the estate
- Jemma revealed to Daisy that she had been at the estate before after suffering from another nightmare
- Chris and Trenyce were reunited with Andrew, who is working at the estate for the summer. Andrew, however, was cold and blamed them for Savannah's death

Scene One - Riverbench Winery, The Richardson Estate; Santa Barbara

A huge crackle of thunder booms over the mansion as Daisy peers out the window of her bedroom with a grim look on her face. It's her wedding day and instead of being the hot, beautiful, sunny weather that she has experience since arriving in Santa Barbara, it has decided to have a huge thunder and lightning storm. She only hopes it's not a sign of things to come because she and Vinny have waited for this day for so long; she just wants everything to be perfect. She's trying to think of the positives, her love for Vinny and that they are getting married in this beautiful place. Of course, her mind is also on the fact that Jemma had another nightmare the other day after claiming she wasn't feeling well, and when Daisy woke her up, Jemma admitted she had been at the estate before. She has no idea how or when her Aunt would have been here before but she knows once the wedding is over, she will get to the bottom of it. This past secret of Jemma's has been a secret far too long.

"Knock, knock," Trenyce smiles as she opens the door to Daisy's room. She can't believe that it's finally Daisy's wedding day; it seems like this day has been coming forever. Trenyce is trying to be happy for Daisy and Vinny but her mind is racing about seeing Andrew the other day. "How are you feeling? Are you nervous at all?"

Daisy turns and looks at her niece, her mind coming back to reality. "I'm not actually," she admits to her. "I just wish it wasn't raining."

"I know," Trenyce says awkwardly. "The storm seems like it will be pretty intense."

Before Daisy can say anything else, another streak of lightening flashes across the sky, which illuminates the window behind her.

"On that note, I'm going to get dressed," Trenyce tells her Aunt. "I'll be back in a few minutes to help you get ready, okay?"

Daisy nods back to her. "Sure, I'd like that. Thank you, again, for being my maid of honor."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else, Daisy," Trenyce smiles back to her.

***

"I hope you're not going outside after the wedding," Paige tells Meggan as she looks at her soon to be step mother in her low cut, short white wedding dress. Paige does think that Meggan looks pretty in her dress, it's just not the traditional type of wedding dress that Paige thinks of for when she would get married. She prefers the big, puffy, princess style dresses, not one that looks like a cocktail dress. "This dress won't keep you very warm."

Meggan uneasily smiles back to her, trying to stay positive with Paige. "I know," she replies. "I can't believe that it's raining on my wedding day. I hope it's not a sign of things to come."

Paige turns around and grins to herself, secretly hoping that it is an omen of things to come for Meggan and Jeff because she still doesn't want her father to marry this woman. She is, after all, the woman who killed Noah. She can't wrap her head around that Leah would be happy with this wedding. That being said, she knows she can't say that to Meggan because Jeff would be livid if he found out she upset Meggan on her wedding day.

"As long as the ceremony goes off without a hitch, you'll be fine," Paige tells her. "And, Meggan," Paige continues to say to her. "I do think you look beautiful in your dress."

Meggan can't help but smile back to the young woman. "Thank you," she says as she comes closer to Paige. "I know we haven't always gotten along, but I hope you know that I want that to change. We both want the same thing and that's for Jeff to be happy. I want to make him happy."

Paige doesn't pull back when Meggan pulls her into her hug. "I hope you do make him happy," Paige finds herself telling Meggan, as another huge bolt of thunder booms in the sky outside, as her mind wonders to Leah as she thinks that her mother would still not be happy with the wedding that is about to take place.

***

As Jemma sits at her makeup table, a bolt of lightning caresses the sky causing her window to light up as the storm continues to rage outside. As she sits there, she can't help but remember the last time she was at the estate in a rain storm. It was the night that everything changed in her life. She closes her eyes for a moment and she recalls Frederick coming towards her slowly, the look of the devil was in his eyes. He kept coming closer and closer to her, despite her starting to whimper and tell him to stay away from her.

A loud thunder boom causes Jemma to open her eyes, still scared from her memories. She looks into the mirror and can see her hand trembling. "Lord have mercy on me," she whispers to herself. "I gotta get through this weddin', then I'll be able to leave this place and never ever come back. I just need the strength to make it through the ceremony. I just need to stop rememberin'."

She moves to grab her pearl necklace and freezes when she thinks she sees Frederick in the mirror behind her, the same way he looked at her that night so many years ago. She turns around quickly and as a lightning flashes across the sky, she realizes that she is alone, relieved that Frederick isn't with her.

"This will prove to be more problematic than I first thought," she whispers to herself. "How am I gonna do this? How am I gonna stay believin' that I can make it?"

***

"It's a shame the wedding day is being hampered by this rain storm," Victoria tells Robbie as they walk slowly from their room to the ballroom where the ceremonies will be taking place. She can't imagine having her wedding day be ruined by the thought of a huge rain storm, especially since the weather has been amazing since they have been in Santa Barbara.

"To be fair, the day isn't ruined," Robbie replies to her. "The day is about the love Meggan and Jeff, Daisy and Vinny have for each other."

Victoria stops and smiles at him. "You're such a romantic," she winks at him as she leans in and kisses him.

Paige happens to be walking down the hallway at the very same moment and spots the two kissing. She rolls her eyes and looks across the hallway, and thinks she sees the black figure again. She recalls how the other day she saw the same figure after Meggan indicated that she thought she saw something. Paige remembers that the figure was seemingly heading into the west wing, which is supposed to be off limits to everyone due to a reno. What Paige is really curious about, is who could this figure be? Why would there be someone dressed in all black running around the estate trying to keep hidden? And why was it obviously watching Robbie and Victoria share a kiss?

"I'd love to get into the west wing and see what's going on," she whispers to herself. "But I don't want to get into any more trouble."

She realizes that she feels conflicted about what to do or if she should let it go. She looks across the hallway, towards the other large stair case heading up to the west wing, and thinks she sees the figure again. She shakes her head. "I have to know what it is," she tells herself, realizing she knows what she has to do. "As soon as the ceremony is over, I'll go up there and have a little look around."

***

"Andrew, wait," Trenyce says loudly as she leaves her bedroom, dressed for the wedding, as she happens to see the boy she believed to be her son for so many years walking by. She still can't believe that Andrew is at the estate; she had missed him so much but she remembers the previous day when they were first reunited, Andrew was rather cold to her and Chris and he accused them of killing Savannah. What Trenyce didn't realize is that Frederick could have been telling Andrew anything he wanted to all these years; just like he brainwashed Felicia. She is determined to get back in Andrew's good graces; after all, Savannah's death was an accident. She just has to make Andrew understand this. Getting him to listen, however, may be more difficult than she realized.

Andrew stops and looks back at Trenyce. He still doesn't want to be around her or Chris, but he knows that Frederick told him that they would try to be pleasant with him. This is, of course, all apart of Frederick's plan. "What is it?"

"How are you? Would you like to come to the wedding?" she asks him, as a loud clap of thunder booms outside in the storm. "Daisy would love to see you and she would be so pleased. You do remember Daisy, right?"

"What part of yesterday did you not understand?" he snaps at her. "You killed my mother! I don't want to pretend that everything is fine between us because it never will be."

Trenyce feels her eyes swell with water. "I wish you would let me explain," she whispers back to him.

"There's nothing to explain," he snarls at her. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Trenyce doesn't say anything back to him, instead she just watches him leave. She doesn't know if she will ever be able to get through to him, but she hopes that one day she will have a relationship with him again.

***

The guests are all seated in the ballroom as Jeff and Vinny both stand at the alter at the front of the room. The wedding march begins and the guests turn to see Paige and then Trenyce, both of whom are standing up for Meggan and Daisy, walk down the created aisle. Jeff watches his daughter and can't help but have a moment where he feels very proud of her; he knows that it would have been easy for Paige to turn Meggan down at the maid of honour but she did the right thing and agreed to the title. He smiles when she arrives at the altar, as he stops to think about Leah for a moment. He thinks that Leah would be just as proud of Paige as he is right now and that makes him feel at peace and at ease. He knows he wouldn't marry Meggan if Leah was still alive but he knows that she is never coming back, and she would want him to be happy. He does believe that.

Meggan then appears and walks down the aisle as the guests stand to watch her. She looks over at Lukas and smiles to her brother and then looks at Frederick, who nods in approval at her. There was a time she never thought that this would happen to her, and now, she is getting married in front of her family. She arrives at the alter and Jeff grabs her hands, mouthing the words, "You look beautiful," to her.

Daisy then appears at the back of the ballroom and she slowly walks down the aisle. Vinny can't take his eyes off of his fiancé as she moves closer to him. Jemma makes eye contact with Daisy for a moment before she puts her head down. Suddenly, there's another loud clap of thunder and Jemma feels herself being taken back to that night all those years ago. She opens her eyes and feels sweat beading down her forehead.

Another loud clap of thunder booms outside and Jemma feels herself getting caught up in the memories of that night years ago. It's late and the rain is coming down heavily, she again sees Frederick's eyes coming towards her. She starts to tell him to stay away from her but he keeps coming closer to her.

She opens her eyes quickly and looks forward after a loud clap of thunder hits due to the storm, quickly realizing that she will miss most of the ceremony for the double wedding if she doesn't get it together. She scolds herself, realizing that she is missing Daisy's wedding and she wants to remember the day for the event, not for her past with Frederick.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the minster begins to say to everyone, as lightning flashes and creates glow in the room. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two couples. It's an honour to marry one couple, yet alone two couples. Seeing their love and their support of one another, and we will support them going forward as their love and union will bind them together forever."

"We'll start with Meggan and Jeff," he continues to tell everyone. "Before we get the official vows, each couple has agreed to write their own vows. Meggan, you may go first."

Meggan looks at Jeff lovingly. "I almost can't believe this day is here," she starts to say to everyone. "If you would have asked me that I would be marrying Jeff Claus, I don't think I would have believed you. But, here we are. This all started after a very tragic event in your life," Meggan continues to say, as Paige looks at Dominick and then Robbie as they all think of Leah. "But, together we were able to get through that and turn it into a love story. I'm so glad that I was able to help you get back on your feet and you have turned me into a woman I am proud of. I love you so much Jeff, and I'm so glad to be your wife."

"And now Jeff, you may say your vows."

"You were right about one thing," Jeff starts to say to his fiancé. "And that is, we started this after a very tragic time in my life. I never thought I would love again, yet alone get married again. But there you were, coming into my life and saving myself from me. You helped me up when I never thought I would get up again. You gave me light when my whole world was dark," he continues to tell her as Meggan's eyes get misty with water. "You gave me this new outlook on life. How could I not want to marry you? You make me a better person each and every day. I'm so honoured to be your husband today."

"Do you Meggan take Jeff to be your husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?" the minister asks Meggan, as some lightening strikes the sky, as Jemma turns her attention to the wedding.

"I do," she smiles up to Jeff, excited that her marriage is almost legal.

"And Jeff, do you take Meggan to be your wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as both shall live?"

Jeff can't erase the grin from his face. "I most certainly do!"

"And now, we'll move to Vinny and Daisy," the minister announces to everyone. "Daisy, let's start with you."

Daisy sighs and looks out at Jemma, who is clearly trying to keep it together. Daisy turns her head back to Vinny and shakes her head. "We've been engaged for so long," she giggles. "I almost can't believe this day is here. Vinny, for so long, you've given me the strength to be the woman I know I am meant to be. You've been the kindest, sweetest man when I had lost faith in what I believed the definition of a man is. I am so blessed to have you in my life and I'm so honoured to move forward in this life with you."

Vinny leans in and kisses Daisy on the cheek. "That means that you're up," the minister nods to Vinny.

"I don't know how to follow that," he smiles back at Daisy. "But I'll try. Daisy, you are the most magnificent woman I've ever known. You're brave, soulful, courageous, generous, honest and, of course, beautiful. I feel like the luckiest man in the world, even though I know Jeff would probably argue otherwise," he smirks over at the other groom. "Finally making this step a reality seems like it has taken way too long but, I wouldn't trade this moment for anything. I love you so much and we are on this adventure called life together, babe. Now, and for always."

"Daisy, do you take Vinny to be your husband?" the minster asks her.. "To have and to hold, in sickness and in health as long as both shall live?"

Daisy squeezes Vinny's hand. "I most certainly do."

"And Vinny, do you take Daisy to be your wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as both shall live?"

"I've waited so long to say these words, but I do!" Vinny chuckles to everyone.

"By the power invested in me," the minister announces. "I now pronounce both couples husband and wife!"

The guests cheer as Vinny kisses Daisy and Jeff kisses Meggan. Jemma, meanwhile, is clapping along with everyone else, and then she looks at Frederick. Their eyes lock and for a moment, Jemma is taken back to that night years ago. Lightning flashes across the sky and thunder booms, just like the night Jemma is thinking about. She feels sweat start to form on her forehead. She shuts her eyes for a moment and she remembers screaming out loud, "No Frederick!"

The next thing you know, Daisy looks over at Jemma as she crumbles to the floor. "Jemma!" Daisy cries out in worry as everyone turns their attention to the woman on the floor.

Next on One Day at a Time
- Jemma spills the beans!
- Paige goes somewhere she shouldn't
- Donovan finds himself sticking up for Lukas

 
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