Hey guys! :) There's going to be about four chapters after this one. 23 is only half written, so I'll do my best to get it finished before two weeks. Love you all! You're the best. :) Hope you like it.

~Ouaysis.

"You're what?" Brent exploded. There was a vein twitching near his temple.

"We're not getting married," Danielle repeated calmly. She gripped my hand harder, proof of how hard this truly was for her. Sally had yet to say anything, but Stan's mother was taking it about as easy as Brent.

"Stanley Michael Brookes!" She screeched. "I did not fly all the way down here, just to have you bail out at the last minute!"

The man who I assumed was Stan's father, who'd been off to the side until now, stepped forward. "Now Tess, if the boy doesn't want to get married he doesn't have to."

"Oh, shut up, Michael!" She spat at the man viciously.

"I think everyone needs to take in a deep breath and calm down." Sally said finally. Her voice was low, but everyone heard perfectly clear. "This doesn't have to be for nothing. What you both want is a business deal."

She shot her husband and Tess an acid-filled look. "So why don't we make it a business deal. Then you'll both get what you wanted in the first place and everyone will be happy!"

There was a moment of silence in which Tess and Brent exchanged glances.

"What about the guests?" Michael asked. His ex-wife rolled her eyes but he ignored her.

"I don't know yet….." Sally said, lost in thought.

An idea hit me like a ton of bludgers to the face. I nudged Danielle's arm with my own. She looked up at me curiously and I gestured with my hand to a spot away from the group. With her hand still in mine, I walked several meters away, enough that we couldn't be overheard.

"Sirius, what—?"

"Sorry," I cut her off. "Hold on."

Bending down, I feigned retying my shoe a moment. Then I reached up and took both of Danielle's hands in mine.

"Danielle Rosalind Wilson," I said slowly and quietly. "I've been a complete idiot, letting you slip away how I did. I'm sorry it's taken me so long, but—would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

A smile spread over her face and a tear leaked from her eye as she nodded. Standing, I smiled and wiped it away before wrapping her in my arms.

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry, Sirius, for being so stupid, and for not—"

I put a finger to her lips. "Shhh."

"It's okay," I said gently, kissing her forehead.

"What are you two up to over there?" Sally's suspicious voice broke through our moment. Dani and I shared a private smile before we joined the others once more.

For the first time they all seemed to become aware of mine and Danielle's joined hands. A smile started to form on Sally's lips. Brent narrowed his eyes at us.

"We may have found a solution to the guest predicament." Danielle said, grinning. Brent's face turned red as a beet.

"No." He said angrily. "Absolutely not. I will not have this hooligan as—"

"With all due respect, sir." Stan said, stepping forward. "Sirius loves you daughter in a way I would never be able to. And, quite frankly, you should be happy that she has someone willing to put up with you for her sake."

Brent looked stunned. So was I, for that matter. Sally practically beamed at us, clapping her hands together.

"This is wonderful!"

"No, it's not!" Brent said vehemently.

"Dad, I'm an adult. You can't stop me from doing this." Danielle said, looking up at me.

"I—"

"Just give it a rest, would you?" Sally asked exasperatedly. "If you don't approve, then leave. As for the rest of us, we have a wedding to attend."

Sally took hold of Danielle's hand and led her to the door. I followed behind them, unable to describe how I felt. This insane turn of event was so unexpected my brain had yet to process it all. I couldn't stop smiling, not that I wanted to. Nothing could ever go wrong again. As long as I had Danielle at my side, I could conquer anything. Jo advanced toward us.

"What the hell is going on?" She hissed at Danielle.

"She's marrying Sirius!" Sally said cheerfully. "I'll go tell the minister."

"She's serious?" Jo asked, bewildered. Danielle nodded and took her bouquet from Josephine.

"Do you think it's bad luck for you to see me?" Danielle asked, biting her bottom lip.

"If what happened upstairs is any indication, I'd say we'll be fine." I said with a grin and a wink. Jo looked from Dani to me, then rolled her eyes.

"I won't ask. C'mon, Dani, everyone's getting restless."

Danielle gasped suddenly and stopped. "The ring!"

"What about it?"

"It's Stan's! I can't take his ring and marry you!" Her voice was frantic, and I realized that she was right. Stanley approached us calmly.

"Don't worry about it, Danielle. Tell you what; you can keep the wedding bands as your gift. You can give me the engagement ring back after the ceremony."

Dani breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Stan for a brief moment.

"Thank you," she said, meeting his eyes. He nodded with a smile.

"My pleasure," he said. Jo started to drag Danielle away and I smiled at her before going down the aisle, standing faithfully at the minister's side. He sighed but otherwise remained noncommittal. Sally stood at the center of the platform and cleared her throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she caught their attention. "I apologize deeply for the delay. However, there has been a change of plans."

A murmur started through the crowd.

"There will still be a wedding, but….well, things are hard to explain. Danielle will be getting married; on the other hand, Stanley will not. If anyone from the former groom's side would like to leave, please feel free to do so." Sally paused for several moments. No one stood. "Okay then, let the ceremony resume."

I could imagine James shouting "Finally!" from the crowd. With a pang I realized James and the others would want to be here. Things had happened so fast I hadn't even had time to tell them. And I wasn't leaving here without Danielle as my wife. That way, she couldn't change her mind. My stomach fluttered with nerves as Danielle stepped to the edge of the aisle. She was about to start down it when Brent appeared.

"Wait!" He yelled, and my stomach dropped. Was he going to make a scene? Was he going to make this all difficult?

Brent stepped toward Dani and whispered something in her ear. I started to advance up the aisle, to confront Brent if he tried to stop the wedding. Danielle held up a hand and I stopped, curious. She leaned toward her father and then nodded, a smile forming on her face. Relief flooded me and I went back to the arch. Danielle beamed as she nodded at the musicians to start playing once more. I couldn't believe this was happening. Was I truly about to marry Danielle Wilson, the one and only woman I'd ever loved? My breath hitched in my throat, my heart racing in my chest. My eyes locked on Danielle's and suddenly there was no one else. We were the only ones that existed. As she glided down the aisle beside her father, I could think of nothing but her. It wasn't soon enough when she and Brent finally stopped in front of me.

I stepped forward and offered my arm; Danielle looped hers through it. Before I had time to move Brent grasped my free arm in a death grip. He leaned forward so that only I could hear him.

"You take care of her, alright? If I hear one word about you mistreating her—I swear to God there'll be consequences."

I looked him in the eye and nodded. "I will cherish your daughter like the gem she is. I give you my word."

He nodded solemnly. Then he stepped away, somewhat reluctantly, and joined Sally in the front row. I returned my eyes to Dani with a smile I couldn't take off my face. I led her carefully up the two steps, and stopped in front of the minister. Truth be told I barely heard a word the man said. It didn't matter to me. All that mattered was that I was here, about to be bound to Danielle in the most amazing way possible. Finally it was time for the vows. The minister looked at me expectantly; wasn't he supposed to have something for me to say? I looked at Danielle, giving her a look. She glanced around at the congregation before meeting my eyes. I leaned forward.

"Didn't you two write something?"

"No!" She whispered back urgently.

"What?" I demanded, as quietly as possible. Danielle looked as though she was about to laugh.

"Stan though it'd be more romantic if we wrote them down and said them ourselves, without the reverend."

"Romantic? Are you saying I have to come up with something off the top of my head?"

"Well I'm no different!" She said desperately. I nodded.

"It's okay, calm down. I'll think of something." I straightened and cleared my throat. I could imagine James' witty remark to get on with the ceremony, and couldn't help but grin.

"It seems there's been a slight miscommunication." I said with a small laugh. A few people chuckled, but most of them remained solemn. I took both of Danielle's hands in mine and looked into her mocha brown eyes. For a moment I froze, my mind going blank and my heart racing erratically. But then she smiled, and I knew everything would be okay; no matter what happened I would have Danielle, and nothing could change that. I returned her smile as words slowly started to form in my mind.

"Danielle, this day has been a long time coming. For reasons unknown to us, fate has kept us apart until now. But everything happens for a reason. My life before, without you, was always incomplete….empty, in a way. Now that I finally have you I feel like I'm completing a journey. Like this is what I was always meant to do—to love you, and to be there for you. I promise to be the best man that I can be, for both you and our daughter. I choose you, Dani, to be my wife for now and forever." I stared into her beautiful eyes as I spoke, mesmerized by them. I felt Danielle's hand shake through her glove as she smiled up at me. For a moment there was silence.

Then she began. "Sirius, you bring out the best of me when I'm with you. And, also the worst." A chuckle went through the crowd at that. "But now that I'm here, with you, I can't imagine how I ever felt anything else could be right. Though sometimes I just want to strangle you, I pray that I'll never have to leave your side. I promise to love you in all of your forms, both good and bad, and to always try my best to be the person you and Emilia need me to be. I love you, and I want you for my husband until death breaks us apart."

The rest of the ceremony was lost to my ears as I started at the woman I loved—the woman I would spend the rest of my life with, loving and cherishing. I tightened my fingers around hers when her smile grew at the minister's words. I glanced distractedly at the minister, absently wondering when he'd get to the most important part. Finally, an unbearable ten minutes later, I was handed Danielle's ring, and she mine. We both repeated our lines perfectly after the minister, and slid the band of cool metal onto each other's left middle finger. And then, at long last, I pulled her to my chest, slipping an arm around her back, and kissed her softly. One of Danielle's gloved hands rested on my shoulder and the other on my cheek. The kiss was very chaste in light of our actions up in the hotel room, but it was perfect.

"I present to you, the new Mr. and Mrs.—"

"—Black." I whispered quickly as the minister glanced at me.

He looked slightly exasperated as he said, "Sirius Black."

Everyone clapped politely, but it was obvious the bizarre turn of events had affected the crowd. The guests who had come for Stanley, family and friends, all bore expressions of confusion or resentment. I couldn't blame them; I'd be pretty narked myself if I'd come for a wedding that didn't happen. Danielle glowed beside me and our joy radiated around us. I could hardly believe this was real. For a moment I closed my eyes tightly, imagining that perhaps this was all a wistful dream. When I opened them Emilia was running toward me with excitement. I bent to sweep her into my arms and spun in a circle. Emmy giggled, throwing her arms around my neck.

"Daddy! You married Mummy!" She laughed again, but then turned more serious. "Why didn't Stan marry Mum?"

"Because," Danielle interjected, reaching over to tickle Emilia's stomach. "Mummy and Stan realized that they didn't love each other. Not nearly as much as I love your father."

Emilia beamed at the both of us before wriggling out of my arms and racing off to find Sally. As everyone filed into the hotel for the reception, I pulled Danielle to the side for a moment alone. I encircled my arms around her and linked my fingers together at the small of her back. She smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I can't believe this is real," I whispered, resting my forehead against hers. "An hour ago I was leaving because I couldn't watch you marry someone else, and now you're my wife."

"You'd better believe it, because now you're stuck with me."

I smiled and pulled her closer, pressing her to my chest for a moment.

"I love you." I said, grinning. "And this time I'll say those words as many times as you need to hear them."

"Can I let you in on a little secret?" She asked me in a whisper.

"As your husband, I'm now entitled to know all of your secrets."

Danielle chuckled as she met my eyes. "A wise man once told me that words are deceiving, but actions aren't. I will never doubt your love for me, Sirius."

A smile of surprise sprang to my lips. Those were words I had spoke before she broke up with me in seventh year. Leaning down, I put my lips tenderly to hers. I felt Dani's smile through the kiss.

"We should get inside," she whispered in my ear. I nodded and pulled away before leading her toward the entrance.

Annnddd, cue the hate reviews! ;) Hahah I love you guys regardless, even if I never meant for Dani for be hated. :)