A/N: Welcome to the alternate universe where Sirius and Mary and their friends live happily ever after. I can't say how much I enjoyed writing this little piece and can only hope readers will enjoy reading it just as much. Feedback is always appreciated!

Dedication: All my faithful reviewers who never let me down and check out all these little stories because they trust me when I say they're worth it. I could be lying, of course. You never know...

Disclaimer: JK, if you're reading this, er... I hope you enjoy it, haha. But I definitely don't own any of the canon characters. Wish I did, though. That'd be cool.

Chapel of Love (Part One)

It was a sunny early morning at the end of May as a young woman quietly entered a distant and old, but idyllic and well restored 15th century chapel in a small village in Kent. It was the start of a big day for her and her family and she was feeling happy and excited, but also nervous. She hadn't been able to get any sleep last night; after all, there were so many things that could go wrong at a wedding. Which was why she had come down here early: to find out if all the bouquets had been delivered on time, if there were enough chairs for the guests… Her fiancé had teased her about this several times and Mary agreed she had the best Maid of Honor she could wish for in Lily Potter, but she had to be sure herself before she could really start enjoying her own wedding day.

This was one reason Mary wanted to be here early. For the other she was now walking towards a distant alcove in the chapel. She opened a heavy wooden door and paused in front of a large table where some small candles were flickering softly, shedding their weak light on the dark walls. She cast a few Muggle coins in the bowl next to it and picked up five candles: each of them resembling a friend they lost in the war which could not be with here them today. This was Mary's way of expressing that she never stopped caring and was still thinking about their friends a lot, even on this otherwise so joyful day. Fabian, Gideon, Brice, Marlene… She hesitated when she was about to pick up and light the fifth and final candle. Peter…

Mary sighed and lowered the candle as she stared at a blackened spot on the wall. She knew that Peter deserved to be remembered as much as the next person who died in the war. After all, he had redeemed and sacrificed himself for the Order in the end. But if Mary was truly honest with herself, there was still part of her that wondered what in Merlin's name could have happened to them if Peter hadn't crossed over to the right side in time (or at all). She feared things would have been very different and that a lot more Order-members would have lost their lives.

She was still lost in thought and didn't have a clue how she long she had been standing there, twirling the candle in her hands, when she heard a pair of footsteps coming her way. "There you are," Remus's voice interrupted cheerfully as he poked his head around the door.

Mary looked up, jerking her thoughts back to the present. "I'm sorry. Were you looking for me?"

He laughed. "Well, it is a little inconvenient when the bride goes missing on her wedding day. James has been joking around about you running off at the last minute. Drove Sirius mad- In fact, he got so annoyed at one point that he pulled out his wand and conjured another nose on James's left cheek. Oh, and that had Harry and Erin in stitches ever since. They simply refuse to calm down and-"

"But," she frowned. "I told him about going to the chapel before the wedding alone."

"Ah," Remus smiled wryly. "Let's just say that apparently Sirius is able to feel nervous after all, which I think is kind of a relief, actually. But are you finished in here? Lily and your mother are ready to help you get dressed and you said you wanted Cecilia to do your hair, right?"

Cecilia was Remus's girlfriend. They had been going out for a few months and it looked pretty serious, which was great because after Brice's death he had been unable to commit to girls for a long time. Cecilia was a Muggle girl, but her older brother was a wizard who had been to Hogwarts so she knew and understood quite a lot about the wizarding world. She cut and modelled people's hair for a living and was honored when Mary asked if she could do pin up her hair at the wedding. Mary smiled at Remus and nodded. "I'm almost done." She looked down at Peter's candle again and felt the smile diminishing slowly.

Remus noticed it too. "What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to her.

Mary sighed and looked down at her hands. "I know it sounds really childish, but lighting a candle for Peter… It's just…" She took a deep breath. "I just don't think he deserves it," she blurted out.

Her friend shot her a long look, biting his lip. "Do you really think that. Mary?"

"Yes… No! I don't know…"

"Look," he said calmly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Peter has made many mistakes in life, being partly responsible for what happened to Brice among them, but in the end… He did set things straight."

"How can you say that after what happened to Brice!"

Remus smiled sadly. "Her death is and always will be part of who I am, but… Well, the easiest thing to do is to blame Peter on all the bad things that happened. I admit I am still angry at him sometimes, but I always try to remember that his last deed saved hundreds of lives, including ours."

Mary shrugged. "I was under the impression it was Dumbledore who killed off Voldemort, but whatever works for you…"

"And who was it showing Dumbledore where he could find the Horcruxes?"

She smiled, finally understanding what Remus was trying to make her see. "Peter."

He gently squeezed her shoulder. "There. Now, whether you want to light his candle or not: this is your wedding day, and I'm sure none of deceased friends, including Peter, wants you to think about them too much, not today."

Mary nodded and lighted Peter's candle on another stick that was already burning. She briskly put it down on the table and followed Remus out of the chapel without looking back. James was sitting on one of the steps, rubbing a rather large reddish spot on his cheek. He appeared to look annoyed, especially with Harry and Erin sitting on a nearby bench with Oliver, Lucy and Haley – still giggling madly -, but the twinkling eyes behind his glasses were giving him away. Ten to one he had been laughing the loudest when he noticed there was a second nose on his face. Sirius was standing next to him, looking so handsome in his smart suit that it made Mary gasp in admiration. Even after all those years, she still thought he was the hottest man she had ever seen (he probably knew it too). He grinned confidently when his eyes found hers. "It's bad luck to see the groom before the wedding, didn't you know that?"

Mary arched an eyebrow. "I thought it was the other way around, and I'm not in my wedding dress yet."

"No?" he sounded amused. "But I think those jeans suit you particularly well."

James sniggered and Mary rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha, very funny. Now if you'll excuse me, I should find Lily and my mother before either one of them starts having a fit."

She turned around to walk to the back building of the chapel when her eyes fell on Erin's dress. A previously baby-blue dress, to be exact. But it wasn't blue anymore. Instead, the dress looked like Erin had been rolling around in the mud like a pig. She also noticed there were several brownish smears on her daughter's arms. "Erin," Mary called as she walked over to her. "Come over here."

The little girl jumped off the bench and slowly approached her, keeping her head down, as if she knew perfectly well she had done something wrong. "What happened here?" Mary demanded.

"Nothing…" Erin said guiltily, fiddling with the hem of the filthy dress.

Mary said nothing, but lifted her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips. Erin seemed to shrink a few inches on the spot. "We were playing near the river, mum. Harry and me eh… We tried to beat each other getting back here first."

Mary sighed inwardly, drew her wand and crouched down so she could look her daughter in the eyes. "Listen to me: this is the last time I will clean your dress, understand?" she said sternly before continuing more kindly: "Erin love, you must realize that there are many people of the other world on this wedding. People who cannot clean their clothes that easily. So you must try and keep your dress as clean as possible from now on. That means no more playing around in muddy fields with Harry, alright?"

Erin nodded and Mary pointed her wand at the dress. "Scourgify." The dress went back to being impeccable blue again. "There you go," she smiled before kissing Erin on the cheek who flung her arms her neck in return. "I'm sorry, mummy."

"It's alright," she replied as she softly squeezed Erin's hands before letting go. "Just don't do it again."

She watched her daughter run back to the other kids and turned back, only to find Sirius standing a few feet behind her. "Hey," she said. "Just doing some damage control there."

He nodded. "I noticed. I'm sorry, we should have kept an eye on the kids, but with the appearance of James's second nose and everything…"

Mary shrugged, smiling. "It doesn't matter. Just make sure she'll behave herself from now on, or I'll get really angry."

"Point taken. You should really get dressed now, before the guests start arriving. Just…" He hesitated for a moment as if he wasn't too sure if he should continue with what he was about to say.

She shot him a weary look. "What is it, Sirius?"

"Well, father Roberts is suffering from food-poisoning at the moment, so obviously he cannot marry us."

Mary's face fell. "What?"

"Hey now listen," Sirius hurried to say as he reached for her hands. "James immediately started looking for someone else and a priest, father Michaels, from a nearby church agreed eh… a little reluctantly to do the job instead. I just wanted you to know this before you walked in there, expecting to see the friendly face of father Roberts and finding someone entirely different."

"Okay…" Mary said slowly. "So we're still getting married?"

Sirius laughed. "Well, being engaged for over seven years is long enough, isn't it?"

Mary snorted. "Good point." She leaned in closer for a quick kiss. "I'll see you in a bit," she said when they broke apart.

He grinned. "Can't wait."

Mary hurried to the back building, where Lily, Jenna (both of them wearing their soft lime-colored bridesmaid gowns) and her mother were arranging the flower bouquets. Her eyes briefly shot to her magnificent wedding dress on a hanger next to the door before she looked at the currently redheaded Cecilia (she changed her hair color so often she could easily have been a Metamorphmagus), who was drinking a cup of coffee as she leaned back against a large dressing table. "Hi there," she said, looking up. "Ready to get your hair and make up done?"

"Absolutely," Mary replied grinning as she sat down in front of the mirror. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, your hair is long and you have these beautiful wavy curls, so I was thinking to pin it up at the back with flowers and letting the rest of your hair cascade over your back. How does that sound?"

Mary agreed, nodding enthusiastically, and from the corner of the room, Jenna noted dryly: "It sounds like Sirius won't be able to keep his hands off you."

Lily and Cecilia laughed and chuckled Mrs. Woods, but quietly. "As long as you won't let you father hear that."

Mary shot her mother an incredulous look. "We have two children. How does dad think we managed to do that? By magic?"

Her mother smiled and shook her head. "Oh, he does know and adores Erin and Oliver. I just think he chooses to believe that in some ways, you'll always be his little girl." She fondly stroke Mary's hair. "Now Cecilia, let's find out how good you really are at this."

"Watch and learn," the redheaded girl grinned confidently and got to work.

When Cecilia had finished on her make up and hair, Mary could only stare at herself in awe at first. Never before had she looked so classy and refined but playful at the same time. She looked like a moviestar ready to go to the Oscars. And she wasn't even wearing her wedding gown yet. "Wow Cecilia…" Mary said, staring at her reflection. "This is amazing."

"It will look even better when you've got your wedding dress on," Lily said, an amused twinkle in her green eyes.

Mary grinned back and with the help of her mother and Lily, she finally put on the dress she had been dreaming of wearing ever since Sirius asked her to marry him so many years ago. After putting on her shoes, a pair white high-heeled sandals, she turned a few circles in front of the mirror. She usually wasn't all too bothered about how she looked but today, she loved gazing at her own reflection. She wasn't the only one. The other women in the room were also staring at her in awe. Mary noticed her mother was trying to inconspicuously dap the corner of her eyes, clearly moved by the sight of her eldest daughter in a wedding gown. They were still admiring Mary's dress when there was a soft knock on the door. "Pat?" her father's voice sounded from the other end.

"Yes John?" Mary's mother replied.

"The guests have arrived and everyone is good to go. Is Mary ready?"

Her mother looked at Mary, who nodded slowly, suddenly feeling nervous. "I'll be right there." She walked over to her daughter and gently cupped her face. "The next few moments will probably pass you in some sort of blur, but try not to feel too nervous. Just enjoy it."

Mary nodded. "I'll try."

Her mother nodded and looked at Cecilia. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, Remus would be waiting for me at the entrance of the church. Good luck, Mary," she said as she walked to the door.

"Thanks," Mary grinned back nervously before she turned around to the only two other girls in the room left. "So… No turning back now, huh?"

"Nope," Jenna said laughing as she handed over a beautiful wedding bouquet. "I think mum is right. Just try enjoying yourself a bit up there. Oh, and don't trip, cause that would be really embarrassing."

Mary groaned. "Thanks for reminding me, sis."

"Nah, you'll do fine. Look, I'll go right ahead and try to keep the kids in line. I see at you the entrance, alright?"

"Okay." She watched Jenna leaving the room before she looked back at Lily. Her best friend shot her a long look, which made Mary feel like she was being x-rayed, before she asked: "Scared?"

Mary thought for a moment. "Terrified, but it's a happy fear. At least I think so." She looked down at her hand before she slowly took off the engagement ring and looked at it. "I've gotten rather attached to this little thing over the years. It has accompanied me through many life-threatening situations. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about having to take it off for good."

"Hmm," Lily replied thoughtfully. "You know, there is still time to storm into the graveyard and freak out if you want."

Mary smiled, remembering how a tearful Lily had stormed off right before she was getting married to James. "Thanks Lil, but it's not marrying Sirius I'm worried about. It's surviving that bloody walk to the altar."

"Ah," Lily grinned as she hooked her arm through Mary's. "Then what are we still doing here? Just lean on your dad as you go along and keep your eyes on the man you're about to marry. There's nothing to it, you'll see."

But this was easier said than done. When Mary was standing in front of the doors of the chapel, surrounded by her father, Lily, Jenna, the kids and two photographers (one Muggle and one wizard, so that there would be enough still and moving pictures for everyone), her heart was beating so fast she could hear the blood rush through her ears. She hardly felt it when Oliver (who was very shy at this age) was tugging at her dress, telling her he was scared. It was Jenna who kneeled down in front of her godson and nephew, saying it would be fine.

Then the music started out of nowhere, or so it seemed, and then there was another nervous pang in Mary's stomach. She watched in a daze how Jenna and then Lily walked into the chapel and didn't notice it immediately when her father was hooking his arm through hers. "You can still pull back if you want to," he said calmly, noticing she was trembling on her legs.

She looked up at him in shock. "Why does everybody keep asking me this? I want to marry him!"

He grinned and his blue eyes were twinkling, revealing he was only joking. "Okidoki. I was just checking."

Mary rolled her eyes, but noticed some of her nerves had disappeared because of her last outburst. At least she could smile again as she watched Harry, Erin, Haley and Lucy entering the chapel one by one, all carrying baskets with white and soft pink petals. Oliver was last, but he hesitated and shot an anxious look at his mother. "It's alright, Oliver," she said encouragingly.

He still seemed unsure whether or not to listen to her, but eventually he did step into the chapel, clasping his basket nervously. Mary was about to heave a relieved sigh when he suddenly reappeared, hurrying back out and burying himself in her skirt. There were some noises coming from the chapel now, there was some laughter and other voices sounded concerned, and Mary exchanged a look with her father before she crouched down in front of her son. "Oliver," she said softly as she put a hand under his chin so she forced him to look up at her. "What's wrong?"

Oliver sniffed, tears shimmering in those eyes that were just as blue as Mary's. "I'm scared."

"Oh sweetie, you don't have to be."

"Bu-hut all the people are… staring and… and-I-don't-know-where-to-go," he finished quickly.

Mary smiled and pulled him into her arms. "Listen, you can do this. All you have to do is walk straight ahead, okay? Daddy is there too. Only look at him when you walk inside and you'll be fine, okay?"

Oliver nodded as he rubbed his eyes and Mary tenderly kissed his forehead before getting up straight. She gently pushed him forward. "Go on."

She watched how her son walked into the chapel again and this time, he didn't reappear although even both of them could hear he was not walking, but running through the chapel towards the front. Then there was a sound of 'awwwww' booming through the chapel and Mary assumed Oliver had managed to find his dad among the crowd after all. She looked sideways at her father who smiled and said: "Off we go, then."

Mary merely nodded, unable to speak or even laugh. She was hardly aware of the moment the two of them rounded the doors and finally walked into the chapel themselves. The faces of the guests flew by in a blur as they passed them, because Mary only did exactly what her mother and Lily had told her earlier: to lean on her father and keep her eyes locked with Sirius and him alone. And what a sight that was. If his mouth would have been hanging open it would have reached his knees, Mary was sure of that. He was staring at her as if he could hardly believe his eyes, a dazed smile plastered on his handsome face that she had seen only twice before: on the days that Erin and Oliver were born. It seemed to take hours before she had reached him and he eagerly stepped down the steps to take her hand from her father. "I… You…" he said, eyeing her from head to toe.

Mary smiled, her nerves forgotten in an instant. "I suppose this is why the groom shouldn't see the bride before they are married."

"You're so beautiful," he finished quietly as if he hadn't even heard her at all.

"You too," she replied, fighting a blush that was creeping up her cheeks.

A dry cough interrupted their little moment. They turned around and for the first time Mary found herself staring at father Michaels, a short thin man with thick eyebrows, dark glinting brown eyes and hardly any hair left on his head. And he looked… Well, like someone who had forgotten to smile since the days of World War I. He ushered them to go and stand in front of him as if he couldn't wait to get out of here soon enough. It was far from father Roberts, who had been kind to them from the very beginning, but as Mary looked sideways at Sirius, she realized nothing could to spoil this day for them. They were finally getting married. She smiled to herself as Sirius took her hand and carefully guided her to the priest, who started talking as if he wasn't marrying, but lecturing them for having done something wrong. "Ladies and gentlemen, friends, family, we are here to witness and celebrate the union of these two people, Sirius Black and Mary Adrienne Woods. If there is anyone present who knows of any just cause why this couple should not…"

Mary kept glancing at Sirius every now and then during the ceremony. For one because she wanted to break away from Michaels' stern glare whenever she could and two, she couldn't get enough of staring at her soon to be husband. Sirius was mostly staring right ahead at the priest, outwardly poised as ever but Mary knew him well enough to know that deep down inside, he was just as excited as she was. One time he momentarily glanced at her and gave her a tiny wink, making her stomach lurch in a very pleasant way. Her mind got pulled back to the present when father Michaels called Sirius's name. "Do you, Sirius Black, solemnly swear you take this woman, Mary Adrienne Woods, as your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love, honor, cherish and keep her in sickness and health till death do you part? If so, please answer: I do."

Sirius grinned mischievously. "It's too late to back out now, isn't it?"

A wave of laughter went through the chapel, James, Sirius's Best Man, snorted loudly and everybody else (including Mary) smiled, with the exception of Michaels, who stared Sirius down with admirable sternness. "Son, if this is really what you want, then we should make"-

"-What?" Sirius interrupted quickly. "No, of course! I love Mary, I was only kidding."

Michaels stared at him, his thick dark eyebrows furrowing together at alarming speed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Of course I want to marry Mary," Sirius repeated hastily, reaching for her hand to emphasize his words. "It was only a joke."

Michael's eyebrows were now so close together that they had become a very thick unibrow. "Things like this are not to be joked about, son."

The corners of Sirius's mouth twitched and considering the muffled sounds behind them, the rest of the guests were also holding back a laugh. James coughed modestly and leaned towards the priest. "Father, as Sirius's Best Man I can assure you Mary is the only woman he will ever marry. So by all means, please continue."

Michaels turned his penetrating eyes on her. "Miss…?"

Mary tried to force back a laugh as she said casually: "Oh, I am fine, father. Please continue, before... Please, go on." She had wanted to add "or he might change his mind for good" but for the sake of everyone, she thought it would be wise to keep her mouth shut for once.

After staring at her for another moment, right when Mary started to get nervous, he turned back to Sirius. "Where was I? Ah. Do you, Sirius Black, solemnly swear you take this woman, Mary Adrienne Woods, as your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love, honour, cherish and keep her in sickness and health till death do you part? If so, please answer: I do."

Sirius wasted no time in replying and kept his eyes on Michaels as he said: "I do."

The priest shot him another, rather reproachful look before turning back to Mary. "And you, Mary Adrienne Woods, do you solemnly swear you take this man, Sirius Black, as your lawfully wedded husband? Will you love, honour, cherish and keep him in sickness and health till death do you part? If so, please answer: I do."

Mary smiled at Michaels before turning to Sirius, so she would look at him as she solemnly said: "I do."

The priest turned to James. "Do you have the rings?"

James pulled the box out of his pocket as soon as possible, almost afraid to piss off Michaels again, who took the rings and said: "Sirius and Mary, please take these rings and place them on the ring finger of each other's left hand and by doing so, seal the eternal love that will bond your souls in this life and the next."

They did so in silence as they looked and smiled at each other, completely oblivious to any sounds in the chapel or the two photographers around them. When they had finished putting the rings they kept their hands linked and looked up at Michaels, who continued: "May these rings stand as a sign to you of your desire to love and cherish each other. I now declare you husband and wife." He shot Sirius a last pointed look. "You may now kiss your bride."

Sirius couldn't be more happy to take his eyes off Michaels and look at Mary instead. He was grinning as he gently cupped her face and leaned forward to give her a tender kiss. The chapel broke out in applause and Mary could hear the camera's around her clicking away at full speed, but all she focused on for the moment was Sirius and his lips touching hers. When they finally broke apart and stepped down the altar to walk out of the chapel together, closely followed by Erin and Oliver, he grinned at her. "I thought that man was gonna kill me," he muttered darkly, rolling his eyes.

Mary laughed. "If you would have made another joke, I think he just might have done."

"Seriously, those eyebrows are going to give me nightmares for weeks!"

They had walked out of the chapel and turned around in the little hall. Bright rays of sunlight were shining on their faces through the small leaded windows above them as both of them crouched down. Sirius picked up Oliver and Mary reached for Erin, who automatically grabbed a lock of her long hair. The four of them stood there silently for a moment, enjoying the calm before the storm as the guests would soon exit the chapel as well, and Mary shot Sirius a look over Erin's head. Her husband. No longer boyfriend or even fiancé, but husband. "It's a whole new chapter of our lives," she said quietly, having trouble hiding the obvious emotion in her voice.

Sirius smiled as he reached for her hand and squeezed it softly, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "Love, we're only getting started."

-End of Part One-

A/N: Part Two will be posted in a few days, so stay tuned! -Mara