A Bumpy Road to the Altar
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. The rest belongs to the genius, J.K. Rowling. "I Will Love You" belongs to the talented Fisher.
Note: First of all, thank you so much to all the five people who reviewed the last chapter, and to all who read this story! This is the last chapter of this story, and I'm so thankful for all the support you've shown. Oh yes, and I'd like to give a special shout-out to my friend, James's girl, for giving me the idea for the first part of this chapter. And the song/poem there is an original by me. This has got to be the strangest yet sweetest wedding I've written. Please read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter Fourteen
Together in Love
Till my body is dust
Till my soul is no more
I will love you
I Will Love You- Fisher
The wedding march played softly as Lily walked down the aisle, dressed in her beautiful wedding gown, her father and mother by her side. A big smile was on her face as she looked at James, who was grinning like he was the happiest man in the world—which he probably was right now. Their friends and family looked on as she finally reached the altar and took James's hand. "Are you ready to do this?" he whispered.
"Of course," she whispered back as she smiled at him and faced the priest. Father Morington smiled warmly at her before beginning the ceremony.
Finally, it was time for the vows to be said. "Lily and James, please face each other," Father Morington said. Smiling, the couple did as they were told, staring at each other intently.
James looked at Lily, all the love for her conveyed in his eyes, smiling warmly at her and, with slight happy tears in her eyes, she stared right back at him. It looked to be really the happiest day of their lives.
Then everything started to change.
The church started to darken, and one by one, their families and friends faded into the background, disappearing into dust. Father Morington disappeared as well. A cold rush entered the church, and thunder and lightning began, although their was no rain.
Heart thudding rapidly, Lily turned to James. "James, what's going on?" she asked, the wind blowing violently, whipping away her veil.
James's face looked troubled. "I don't know, Lily---" Then all of a sudden, his face contorted into a horrible grimace, twisting his features. Lily backed away in horror as she stared at the new face of her supposed fiancée.
"Hello, cousin. Miss me?" Katharine's voice rang clear, taunting as she took a knife out of James's trouser pocket.
"He never loved you enough, Lily….he'll make you miserable….in this time of war in your world, love won't ever be enough to survive…he'll return to me, Lily, he will….and you will die, alone!" And with that, Katharine plunged the knife into Lily's body, making her fall to the ground in pain, stabbing her repeatedly, a maniacal laugh resounding through the deserted church as she watched the life slowly ooze out of her cousin's body, the blood flowing out in a crimson pool.
..------..
"I can't do this."
A pale-faced Lily Evans announced this statement as she entered the apartment of Sirius Black without preamble, at twelve midnight, only hours before her wedding. After that horrifying nightmare, she needed to talk to someone, and when fear and sleepiness combined within her, Sirius seemed an ideal candidate. She didn't think straight about it; she just Apparated to Sirius's apartment building and, using a simple Alohomora, entered the building, not even thinking of the possibility of getting kicked out.
Of course, she didn't exactly think of the possibility of seeing Chelsea in bed with Sirius either.
"Oh my god," Lily said, now completely awake-and horrified to boot-at the sight she was met with when she barged into Sirius's bedroom. She clearly wasn't expecting to see them under the covers, doing only goodness knew what. "I'm so sorry," She said, hurriedly looking away.
The couple looked up and, upon seeing a very red-faced Lily, stared in shock, going red-faced as well. "Um, hi, Lils, fancy seeing you here," Chelsea said weakly, giving her friend a small smile that didn't hide her embarrassment.
"Uh, Lily, hi," Sirius said, for the first time looking genuinely embarrassed and….slightly irritated. "What exactly are you doing here?"
"Oh, I came to talk to you, Sirius, I didn't expect that you'd be…um…engaged in…ahem, business with one of my best friends and I…..right, this is awkward." Lily said, wishing that she hadn't been so impulsive.
Nightmares and seeing her two friends in bed together were something that did not mix well for Lily Evans, especially at 12 midnight.
"Quite awkward, yes," Chelsea agreed, sinking onto the pillows.
"Um, I uh….I'm sorry for er….interrupting you. God I can't believe I'm saying this," Lily muttered, embarrassment and horrification still as evident as ever. "Sirius, if you don't mind, could I speak to you for a moment? I'll just…give you time to…get decent and….right, well. I'll wait in the living room." And with that said, she practically bolted from the doorway and went back to the living room.
Sirius entered a few minutes later, wearing a bathrobe and a pair of pajama bottoms. He still looked quite embarrassed about the whole affair, and frankly, Lily couldn't blame him.
Lily decided to start with an apology. "Listen, Sirius, I'm so sorry, I didn't really mean to…."
Sirius held out a hand to stop her. "How about we forget that that ever happened and move on as to why you're in my apartment at 12 in the morning."
"Right," Lily sighed and wringed her hands together, looking down. "Sirius, I don't think I can do this."
"Do what?" Confusion crossed his features.
"Get married to James," Lily said, all in a rush. "I don't know how, I don't know why I'm feeling this…but---"
"Wait just a second," Sirius interrupted her again. "You mean to tell me that you barge into my apartment in the dead of the night, interrupt me and Chelsea, to tell me that you're having second thoughts about marrying my best friend 15 hours before the wedding?" He stared at her for a moment before blowing out a huge sigh. "Woman, you are bloody insane."
"I was hoping you'd help me sort this out," Lily said. "I….Listen, I had a dream. James and I were getting married, everything was perfect, then all of a sudden it all grew dark and James turned into Katharine who told me that love wouldn't be enough to survive in our world, where we are at war. Then she killed me with a knife."
He was silent for a few moments as he looked at her strangely. "So, let me get this straight. You're getting cold feet because of a nightmare?"
"No, I'm getting cold feet because I saw my two friends getting it on earlier," Lily said sarcastically, then exclaimed, "Of course I'm getting cold feet because of the nightmare!"
"This is unbelievable," Sirius merely shook his head. When he and Chelsea had gone home they were expecting some time alone. They certainly weren't expecting to be bombarded by a frantic bride-to-be in the middle of the night.
"Sirius, you don't understand!" Lily said fiercely. "I know it was just a silly dream, but what if Katharine was right? What if love isn't enough for us to survive? We are at war, Sirius, and what if one day, James or I wake up to find the other gone? I don't think we can live with the heartbreak. What if, somewhere along the line, one of us hurts each other? I can't deal with any more pain, and I don't want to see him hurt because of me. I mean, I know we're in love, I know how I feel about him, but, what if, in the years to come, something happens to change all that? What if----"
"Lily, you've got to stop thinking about the what if's and just take the plunge," Sirius said, sighing. "It's natural for couples to get cold feet before the wedding, but you have to realize that it was only a nightmare. Nightmares aren't real, Lily. What's real is that, in a few hours you and James are going to be walking down that aisle, and you're going to start living a happy life, so you better get those thoughts out of your head and calm down."
Lily gave him a half-smile, her nerves disappearing a bit. "Sirius, I---"
She never got to finish her sentence because at that instant, the door burst open and James Potter walked into the room, looking slightly bleary-eyed yet fully awake all the same. "Sirius, I need to talk---" He fell silent the moment he saw Lily there with his friend.
Upon seeing James, Sirius blew out another huge sigh and flopped down to the couch, exclaiming, "You have got to be kidding me."
James looked from Lily to Sirius, then Lily again before saying, "Alright then. Could either of you tell me why my fiancée is in the house of my best friend 15 hours before our wedding is supposed to start?"
"I don't think I should tell you, James," Lily replied, somewhat awkwardly. She had a feeling that telling James that she had gotten cold feet would not bode well. "Not so close to the wedding."
"James, mate, what are you doing here?" Sirius said bluntly, giving him a pointed stare. "In case you haven't noticed, it's freaking twelve o'clock in the morning."
"Sirius, are you and Lily---" Chelsea, clad in a thick bathrobe, said as she appeared into the living room, pausing when she saw James there. She stared at each of them in turn before saying slowly, "Okay, what is going on here?"
James looked at Chelsea's appearance, then at Sirius, before breaking into a wide grin. "Mate…you….and Chelsea…."
"You were lucky not to have come a few minutes earlier. A scarring sight is not what you need to see hours before the most important event of your life," Lily said, giving them a wry grin. James cringed yet laughed at the same time, momentary purpose forgotten,
Sirius now had a darkly irritated look on his face. "Alright, that is it. You two are my friends, and I love you guys, but if you two ever so much as mention this event within any time tonight, so help me, I will hex you two so badly, you two will need to be carried to the altar in stretchers."
"Point taken," James said, turning to Sirius. "Look, mate, can I talk to you in private?"
Knowing that it was powerless to argue, Sirius nodded tiredly and the pair walked through the hallway, so they wouldn't be overheard. "What is it, James?" Sirius asked.
James sighed, and spoke in a very low voice, "Sirius, I'm not so sure I can go through with this."
Sirius looked at James for a few long seconds before saying, "Unbelievable."
"Look, I had a dream---"
"Let me guess, in your dream, you were getting married to Lily and everything was great then suddenly everyone disappeared and Lily was replaced by Katharine who told you that you were only going to hurt Lily, that love wont be enough to survive, yadayadayada, before killing herself…or was it you she killed?"
James could only stare at his best friend in dumbfounded amazement before saying, "Okay, that's really creepy. How did you---"
Sirius sighed tiredly. This evening was not turning out the way he had hoped. "Mate, why do you think Lily's here in the first place?"
It took a second for James to realize that Lily was there for the same reason that he was. "You mean she had the same dream too?"
"Yes! Finally you get it!" Sirius said. He shook his head in disbelief. "No wonder you two are perfect for each other, you're both insane!" He gave another loud sigh before adding, "Look, I'm honored, really, that you two came to me for advice…no, actually, I'm kind of pissed off, but you get the point. But this is something you two need to talk about by yourselves. The wedding is in 15 hours, so you two better talk now." He paused. "Preferably outside of my apartment," he added as an afterthought.
Without another word, James went back to the living room, where Lily and Chelsea were talking. "Lily, can we talk?" he said.
Lily stood up and said, "Sure. Where?"
"There's a park across the street that's still pretty well-lit. We can go there," He said. The couple said goodbye to Chelsea and Sirius, who looked finally thankful to be alone, and walked out. They walked to the park in silence, but once they got there and sat on the swings, began talking.
"You know," Lily said softly. "It's bad luck to see the bride hours before the wedding."
"Well, these past few months haven't been all good luck too, so I'm guessing that nothing bad can still happen to us," James replied wryly. Silence ensued for awhile before he spoke again. "Sirius told me about your dream."
Lily looked up fearfully. She didn't want James to know about it, but now that it was out, there was nothing else she could do. "Oh? I see," was all she said, looking down.
James frowned at her downcast expression. He leaned towards Lily and pulled her head up to face him. "Hey, look, it's nothing to be worried about. I'm not mad. Frankly, if I told you I was, I'd be a hypocrite since….I had the same dream too. More or less."
Lily's green eyes sparkled in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"James, it's not as if I don't want to marry you. I've never wanted anything so much in my life. I just…I don't know, we can pretend that it's a silly nightmare, but, our future…it's not the most certain. I mean, we're involved in a war, you fight every day, I don't think I can bear to wake up one morning to find that you're already gone. We've been through so much already, so many fights, so many arguments, what if one day you suddenly decide that you've had enough? Or what if I hurt you? There's been so much heartbreak between us I….I don't think I'll be able to handle any more."
"Lily, listen to me," James said, softly and seriously. "Don't you think that I'm afraid of the same thing? I don't want to hurt you anymore. I've hurt you so much in the past months, and I don't want to add to that. What if I don't love you the way you deserve? I'm afraid that, one day you'll decide that you could've done so much better without me. Hell, I was even afraid you wouldn't show up tomorrow." He gave a slight laugh. "But the moment I knew that you felt the same way, that you were uncertain about all this, made me realize something."
He smiled at her. "We don't know what the future is going to hold for us. We don't even know if we'll be able to live past our wedding day. But I do know one thing: Love is definitely enough for us. It's all we're ever going to need. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, that we won't get hurt from time to time----"
"But as long as we're together, it won't really matter, will it?" Lily continued for him. By this time, the couple had already stood up and James held Lily in a tight embrace. "As long as we face everything together, fights and joys and happiness and pain, everything will be alright."
"You know, Lily, we don't have to get married tomorrow," James said. "If you're really feeling that we should wait a little longer, then I don't mind. As long as you're mine."
Lily shook her head. "No, James," She said. True, she had had doubts before but now, looking into his warm hazel eyes, she knew. "I love you, and I'm going to marry you tomorrow, and to hell with the rest of the world."
Laughing, James leant in to kiss her, all doubt and uncertainty erased in one moment of sweet sensation. When they finally broke apart, Lily laughed and leant against his chest. "Aren't we a funny pair?" she murmured. "Having the same dream and doubts, barging into our friend's house for advice at midnight, then kissing in a playground."
"Hilarious, yes," James agreed, moving in to kiss Lily again, smiling at each other as one thought crossed their heads at the same time.
They were finally ready to get married.
..------..
The day dawned bright and clear as Lily finally woke up to the ring of her alarm clock. She smiled broadly as she whispered to herself, "I'm getting married today." Still slightly giddy, she headed to the bathroom and after bathing and changing, went downstairs to be greeted by applause.
"Ah, here is the bride to be!" Her mother said, slight tears in her eyes as she hugged her daughter. Lily's whole family was here, and she felt like her heart was about to burst at the sight of all her loved ones.
"My baby girl's finally grown up," Her dad whispered as he hugged Lily as well.
The whole morning was dedicated to last minute preparations. Finally, after lunch, they all began to get ready. Chelsea, Sarah, and Kelsey, all dressed in resplendent lavender gowns, arrived to help Lily and see her before the wedding.
"Wow," Sarah whispered, grinning broadly once they all saw Lily. Dressed in her beautiful white gown, her hair gathered into a stylish knot held by pearls from which the veil flowed, Lily looked absolutely marvelous.
"You look fabulous," Kelsey and Chelsea exclaimed as the three girls gave Lily a hug each. Lily laughed.
"How are you feeling?" Chelsea asked.
"Like someone who's about to get married," Lily said very truthfully.
Lily's mother entered the room and hugged Lily as well. "You look absolutely gorgeous, darling," she said, smiling tearfully.
Finally, it was time to head off to the church. As part of the whole Muggle-style wedding Lily had insisted that they use a bridal car. James had never tried riding in a car before, and she could only smile at the thought of his delighted and confused reaction once they would head off to the reception.
In a few moments Lily would be Mrs. James Potter. She couldn't wait.
Meanwhile, as Lily was heading to church, James himself was already there by the altar, Sirius, as his best man, by his side, Remus and Peter there as well.
A thousand thoughts ran through his head as he waited."I just hope that---" His train of thought broke off as the wedding march started to play, and he turned his eyes to see their entourage walk down the aisle, then finally, Lily.
Her beauty and radiant smile illuminated the church. He willed himself not to gape as he saw the love of his life walking slowly towards him, her mother and father by her side. Finally, they reached the altar, where they exchanged smiles. Lily hugged her parents one last time. James hugged Lily's mother and shook Lily's father's hand.
"Take care of her, James," Her father said as he joined Lily's and James's hands together. Hand in hand they faced the altar, a thousand happy butterflies flying through their stomachs. Their past, what happened before...It didn't matter now. All that mattered was that they would love and stand by each other no matter what. They wanted this. And now, their wish was finally coming true.
Father Christopher Morington smiled warmly at the pair before beginning the ceremony. "Dearly beloved," he said. "We are all gathered here today, in the presence of Church and God, to join in James Michael Potter and Lily Elizabeth Evans in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony."
"Marriage is a sacred and blessed union, an institution that should be honored and loved by the two people who partake in it. Today, we see James and Lily partake in this sacrament, in front of friends, family, and loved ones, all of them bearing witness as they say, 'You are the one I love now and forever."
"James, Lily," he looked at them each in turn. "I ask you now, in the midst of God and this congregation, to state your intentions. Please respond ,'I do'."
"Have you come here freely without reservations, to give yourselves to each other in Holy Matrimony? Will you love and honor each other as husband and wife for the rest of your lives? Will you accept the gift of children, and bring them up in the ways of the church, as Christ commands?"
James and Lily each answered I Do in turn, the pair smiling widely. Father Morington smiled as well and said, "Since it is your intention to partake in this holy sacrament of marriage, join your right hands and declare your vows before God and before the church."
Still smiling, James and Lily intertwined their right hands, moving closer to each other, staring into each other's eyes. The rest of the world seemed to have disappeared; they saw only each other.
"I, James, take you, Lily, to be my wife." His smile turned into a grin. "You know, eleven years ago, when I first laid eyes on you and fell in love with you, I never expected it all to come to this. Our life, our relationship has never been what anyone would call easy; far from it. We've had our share of ups and downs over the years, but one thing's for sure: I'm glad you chose me over the Giant Squid." A ripple of laughter rang through the ground before James squeezed Lily's hand and continued.
"I look into your eyes, and do you know what I see?" James said softly. "I see a house with a white picket fence, kids running around with a dog on a clear sunny day. But most of all, I see us, me in love with you, and you in love with me. And that's how it always will be, that's how it always should be. Till the day I draw my last breath, I promise to honor you, Lily, to be faithful, and most importantly, to love you with all my heart. "
Lily now had full tears in her eyes, happy tears, as she drew a big breath and, began."I, Lily, take you, James, to be my husband. I promise to love and honor you, to be faithful, till the day I draw my last breath. And I…." Lily's voice broke as a few tears escaped. She smiled and continued. "I think this will be able to explain my feelings further."
In this life of turning changes
In this world of lost and found
Life has blest me with a miracle
You whose love has made me whole
Now here we are
This moment in time so dear
With two hearts, with two spirits
Turned into one voice
With no regret, no fear
Here we are today
The start of our new forever
Though there were tears and pains
We made it though together
I am yours and you are mine for all time
We'll share the rest of our lives and now…
Here I stand before you today
Ready to give my all in a vow of love and fidelity
I will stand by you through the pain and rain
I will see you through
This I promise you
And today when I give my heart and soul
To you
Our journey to forever
Starts with two words
I do
With a heart so full today
Without doubt I would say
Our journey starts with two words so true
I do
Lily and James stared each other, love and happiness shining in their eyes. Father Morington spoke once more. "Lily and James have declared their love for each other before Church and God. So, should anyone have any reason as to why this couple should not be joined in matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace." After a moment of silence, Father Morington gestured to Jason, who was their ring bearer, to give them their rings.
James slipped the ring on Lily's finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."
Lily did the same. "With this ring, I thee wed." James suddenly drew Lily close and smiling, the two leant in for a kiss….
….which was politely stopped by Father Morington.
"I haven't quite gotten to that part yet," He said wryly. James released Lily and, slightly red-faced, mumbled a sorry. Father Morington looked at the happy faces to everyone present before speaking again. "Lily and James, you have promised to love and honor each other for the rest of your lives in marriage. May God's blessing go with you. And I now pronounce you, man and wife." The priest gave James a smile. "Now, you may kiss the bride."
Laughter and applause rang out as James drew Lily close once more and kissed her. Fireworks exploded in that kiss full of love and promise of only good things to come. It was a kiss of magic, of passion, trust, and love….the kiss of two people who had just been joined in marriage. They finally broke apart and smiled at each other as they faced their loved ones, the priest announcing, "I give you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. James Potter!"
The applause grew even louder and all Lily and James could do was smile. That was it, they were finally married! Everything that had happened in the past years….it was now culminating in one happy day, in a day where nothing could go wrong. Lily and James's eyes met, and in that one moment, all that needed to be said was understood by each other without needing to say a word.
It was done, they were now married. Lily and James realized that, in this one perfect day, they had become one, two hearts, two spirits linked into one voice, one soul. They were together now, in every sense of the word, ready to face whatever life would throw at them. They knew it wouldn't be easy, never would be, but somehow, here, surrounded by the people who loved them, Lily and James side by side, very much in love, they knew that whatever trial they would face, as long as they faced it together, they would come out as stronger persons because of it.
They would always be together; no matter how uncertain their future was, they knew that they would live it as one, with only death to separate them. No matter what might happen, they would honor their vows until they breathed their last.
Together in sadness, together in joy. Together in love.
And that was more than enough.
A Bumpy Road to the Altar is done, done, done! Once again, thank you all who've been so incredibly patient with me throughout my writing of this fic, for being so supportive and for never failing to review! You're the reason I keep on writing, and have made it even more enjoyable for me.
Now, class is going to start in two days, which means that I'll be a little quieter around that time. I will continue From Hate to Love and Affectionate Obsessions, but at a very gradual pace; but there will be an update! And I might (emphasis on might) write a sequel to this story, make it a trilogy until the time Lily and James die, but if I decide to do that, then expect that it will come out in a year or so. I'll concentrate on finishing my other fics first before I start a new one.
Once again, thank you to all of you; I really appreciate it. Now, this is angelstarshine, signing off for the third time….