Lily Evans took a deep breath, so what if she was going to go get married to the man of her dreams, no big deal. 'He's not the man of your dreams, Lily, stop lying to yourself. Brad Heliphenta is not the man of your dreams. That title is reserved for another man. I don't even have to think his name to know who he is. James Potter. Who would have known that we would have almost gotten married? If only he hadn't disappeared after I almost died after getting run over by that truck. Brad was there to comfort me. So what if he is my lawyer. Brad was there. James wasn't. The truth of the matter is, if James was at the end of the aisle instead of Brad, I wouldn't be getting cold feet.' The thought struck her like that truck had, 'I love James Potter, not Brad Heliphenta. Besides, if I became Lily Heliphenta, no one could spell my last name.'
She looked up to see Brad by the alter, waiting for her, she took another deep breath, deciding that she was going to marry Brad, even if she didn't love him, for his sake at least. As the wedding march played, Lily walked up the aisle, unaccompanied. Her mother and father had been killed by Lord Voldemort a few years previously. It was their deaths that had driven Lily to join the Order of the Phoenix to fight Voldemort. But as she drew near the alter, and looked into Brad's smiling face, she realized that she could be happy without James. It would take quite a bit of determination and perhaps a well-placed Memory Charm, but she would forget about James, she was getting married now. When she stood next to her fiancé, she took another deep breath and smiled, she could do this.
The pastor smiled at her and began the ceremony, "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here to day to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. If any object, speak now or forever hold your peace."
"I object!" The voice rang throughout the church. Lily started; she knew that voice; that was the voice that haunted her. She turned and saw a man. A man with untidy black hair and soul-piercing hazel eyes.
Only one word escaped her lips, "James."
"Lily."
Without one more word, she turned and ran to where James was walking up the aisle and they threw their arms around each other, "James, never let me go." She whispered.
"I never will, Lily." He answered at an equal volume.
She turned to the pastor, "The wedding is off. And Brad, I never loved you." She took off her engagement ring and tossed it to her ex-fiancé, who caught it as if he was in a daze. She put her arm around James and led him back out of the church, "Come on, James, let's go home."
"Home? Where is home?"
"My flat."
"Sounds like heaven, you should have seen some of the places I stayed at."
By now Lily and James had left the church and into the pouring rain as they were walking to the Leaky Cauldron where they could apparate to Lily's flat. "Tell me more about your experiences, James."
"After you got hit by that truck, I thought you were dead. Sirius and Remus thought so too. I began to get jobs that involved putting my life on the line. I didn't care though. Dying was preferable to living in Hell without you."
"Oh, James."
"What Lily, it's true. A few of those jobs involved running into burning buildings to save people. Anyway, I got wind that there was a redhead with green eyes who had gotten run over by a truck and was now going to marry a muggle. A muggle lawyer at that! Lily, Lily, I never knew you could sink so low as to marry a lawyer."
"James, I didn't have you. I didn't have a clue about what happened to you." She broke into a sob. "I thought you were dead. Gone. I was never going to see you again. It broke my heart, but I just couldn't keep the hope alive. What if I had kept you alive inside only to find that you had been dead for fifteen years? It would have broken my heart all over again. Before I walked up the aisle, I realized something. James, I-I love you." The last three words were whispered so quietly that James couldn't hear them.
"What did you say, Lily?"
"James Potter, I love you."
"Lily Evans, I love you. Do you remember where we had been going before you got hit by that truck?"
"We were going to a fancy, muggle, Italian restaurant."
"I believe that we don't have a reservation anymore, but I still remember what I was going to do that night. I still want to." He knelt.
"What are you doing James?"
He ignored her question and pulled out a little felt grey box. Ignoring the rain, he asked a question that would change her life forever, "Lily Evans, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife and Lily Potter?"
She didn't even have to think about her answer, "Of course, James. You don't know how long I have waited for you to ask that question."
He slipped the ring on the finger that had just been stripped of Brad's ring. James's ring was gold with a small band of diamonds on it. After he slipped it on he stood up.
"James, it's beautiful. I don't know what else to say."
"Say you will wear it forever." Before she could answer, he kissed her. She didn't bother trying to talk after that, she just lost herself in the sensation of his kiss. And finally, with James Potter, Lily found true contentment.