I've been gone awhile… a long while.

Sorry? School and a new job= not a lot of writing time/inspiration, but here I am! Read and enjoy.

Lila POV:
She was getting married. Her wedding was in 12 hours, and she was currently sipping wine with Pepper while getting a manicure at 10 PM in Stark Tower, where the other members of the bridal party were also getting pampered. The beautician buffed Lila's finger nails on her left hand as she checked her email with the other, making sure her schedule was clear before her month long leave of absence, aka honeymoon.

"Lila, I will throw that phone out the window 127 stories down if you don't stop obsessing; everything will be fine! I've got this!" Pepper's confidence was justified, but every bride had the right to worry about her dream wedding. Lila felt safe, surrounded by women who loved her. Her college friends, Pepper, Natasha, Jane and Darcy (invited more as a courtesy because of their superhero connections but still awesome friends) and of course little Maria, who had crashed around 8 and was on a sofa somewhere in the expansive living area turned spa.

"Fine, Pep. It's going in my purse, promise."

Darcy sauntered over with a glass of wine, handing a small gift bag to Lila. "This is for you chica; edible underwear makes every night a fucking night to remember." Despite her memories of Darcy as the girl who had grinded on Steve while dancing, Lila couldn't help but love her infectious sense of humor which was literally teeming with sex jokes and the word fuck. Jane gave her a lovely bottle of perfume and Natasha promised that she would forever be under her protection. Lila wasn't sure if she was supposed to take that seriously but she gracefully smiled and hugged both women.

The beautician gave Lila a final checkup- eyebrows done, legs and underarms waxed, lady parts Brazilian-ed to the point of oblivion, and nails perfect. She was staying the night in a Stark Tower guest room so that she could give Lila a massage before leaving for the resort, and do her hair and makeup there.

After getting the okay, Lila stood from her spa chair and yawned, mindful of her newly pink toes, and leaned down to give Pepper a big kiss on the top of her head, waving at the rest of her friends. She needed her beauty sleep, and even though her mind was racing, Lila felt strangely at peace. By the time she got to her Stark Tower bedroom, something in her began to feel twitchy- typical of Lila, a last minute malfunction in her brain. Shutting her door, she asked Jarvis to play her soothing playlist- Sia, Florence and the Machine, and a heavy dose of Coldplay. Despite the calm melody filling the air, Lila sensed that something was disturbing her psyche, and she sighed. Sitting on the ground, she stretched her legs and leaned forward, arms before her in a simple yoga position. Breathing slowly, in and out, Lila emptied her mind.

What could it be though? What is making me jittery- now of all times?

Clearly emptying her mind was not working.

Suddenly her heart stopped- vows.

Somehow she had forgotten to write vows!

Scrambling for her notebook and pen in her purse, Lila furiously began to scribble- her vows had to be flawless for tomorrow to mean a thing to her.

Steve's POV:

Tony Stark had listened to Steve Rogers, and had not thrown him a bachelor party. It was worth of the New York Times' headlines, but he ignored the urge to gloat- he was getting married. Pre-serum Steve could never have imagined getting married; hell even going on a date would have been a feat for him. Now he was about to join his life with that of his true love. That night was not fun for Steve, despite the lack of strippers and pole dancers.

Tony had complained mightily, getting Thor and Hawkeye to agree with him that no marriage was complete without "one night of guilt free sexy ladies!"

Bruce sided with Steve though, and quietly started a game of chess with him so that the other men would get bored and watch wrestling. Quietly, when the game had faded and the others were looking for snacks, the scientist wryly smiled at Steve and asked, "You ready?"

The question took Steve off guard, but it was genuine, so he replied honestly. "I guess… I'm a little bit shaky but overall sure. It's not Lila that makes me uncertain- I'm just not sure about me? Making it work, that is."

"I almost got married. I had a ring and everything. It was before the accident, before the Other Guy was even a possibility. I'm glad now that I didn't ask her- it would have destroyed any woman to be married to me."

"I had no idea."

"No one does."

The silence descended upon them awkwardly, and Steve pretended to study the chessboard. Bruce visibly shut himself off, and quickly excused himself so he could go to bed- The Other Guy needed sleep.

Steve was finally left alone, and he took the moment to think- was he sure? He glanced at his watch, and saw it was 12 AM- definitely time for bed. He remembered to check his phone- a newly acquired habit- and saw he had a text from Lila. It read "I'm so ready for our wedding day to be over so that we can get to our wedding night. Love you lot ;)" The winky face and teasing tone was reassuring- his girl was right for him.

THE WEDDING: FINALLY, RIGHT?

It was 9:57 AM and Lila was ready. Her vows were complete and perfect, her hair was gently pulled into a curling chignon, and her face was glowing- naturally and from the amazing make over from her beautician. The bridesmaids were looking beautiful and Maria was being re-re-coached on her dual duties as flower girl and ring bearer. Organ music could be heard from the resort's courtyard where the wedding was taking place, and Pepper was on the phone finalizing with catering and the live band simultaneously.

Similarly, Steve stood before the guests at the altar, with Tony beside him and a Justice of the Peace behind him. Because of the very diverse spiritual backgrounds of their guests, Lila and Steve had chosen to select a non-denominational ordained official to wed them. The rest of the wedding was very traditional though- flowers everywhere, with satin drapes in white and cream, coordinated with yellow daffodils dripping out of hanging baskets. Steve wore the classic black and white tuxedo with the cummerbund, feeling more like himself than ever in a formal suit. The music changed to the wedding march then, and Steve's back straightened involuntarily- it was time.

Lila also straightened, taking her bouquet from Pepper and gently positioned her veil before her face, the white gauzy lace barely distorting her vision. Maria was jumping and ready, but Pepper had a hold on her. The bridesmaids took the arms of the groomsmen, and began the walk down the aisle. Since Lila had no father to speak of, she had to walk the aisle alone. Pepper however had decided that she would hold Lila's train just as Pippa held her sister Kate Middleton's. It was her complicated way of showing that she was Lila's sister, so she agreed. Then her cue came, and all memories of the royal wedding flew out of Lila's mind as she stepped out of the room into the courtyard and the ceremony.

She smiled unconsciously- just seeing all these people celebrating her and Steve's love was enough to make her giddy. That she was actually marrying Steve had yet to sink in, but when her eyes finally met Steve's midway down the aisle, Lila's smile melted into something more meaningful and deep. Steve's expression was raw- his grin was lopsided, his eyes crinkled with emotion. They felt each other's happiness and it was infectious- Tony surreptitiously had to wipe his eye and pretend it was lint, while Maria was uncharacteristically docile and quiet.

The ceremony commenced, with a flowery opening prayer neither of them heard. Their eyes were latched, hands tightly clutching the others. Then the moment for vows arrived, and Lila was first. She knew it was odd for her to go first but she insisted- she wanted to say hers so that Steve would know how endlessly she loved him.

She let go of Steve's left hand and laid it against his cheek, which he nuzzled into. The contact was searing, but she continued, ignoring the urge to kiss him and make senseless love to him right there in the altar.

"When I first met you I was in love with you. Mind you, I was 18, addicted to the internet, and had no idea who you actually were besides a hunk in red white and blue. Then I got to know you, and I still loved you except more. Actually, by then my fangirlish infatuation had become real crush material, based on actual conversations and the like. And then that was demolished by intense longing and desire, because you were gone. And then the love turned into something deeper, and then you returned, and it was finally realized into something solid. What I'm trying to say is that I've always loved you in a way, for all of my adult life. You've saved me and grounded me and made me into a mature young woman, just by being you. I adore the way you make me feel obligated to be honest, and I hate the way you inspire me to work out regularly. I despise your ability to win arguments, and I love the way you smile in the morning. I'll protect you and cherish you, hold you and guide you. I promise to avoid constant sarcasm and staying up too late at night. I promise to bake cookies on Sundays, and to let you listen to the ball game in the car. I love you, till the end of time. You're the sun, and I'm the moon- I only shine when I'm with you."

The crowd sighed and Pepper audibly sniffed, but nothing prepared Lila for Steve's reaction- to press his lips to her hand, head bowed, not ending the kiss for 3, 4, 5 seconds. Only when the justice cleared his throat did Steve look up, unabashed.

"I'm used to the idea of being alone. At first it was because I was too skinny and weak, but then it was because I was bizarrely big and strong. I had to resign myself to adoration from afar because I was so shy, but then when I did think things would change, I crashed. When I was awake, I thought I'd be alone because of the change, but then you came along and I began to feel like things might be okay. Then I was out for a while, again, and you were what kept me from drowning. When I resurfaced once more, you were the rescue boat waiting for me, and you've been there for me from the start, really. What I'm trying to say is that- well, without you I'd probably have killed myself- one way or the other. Now I'm just glad to see my future will be with you by my side, to fight my battles and guide my life. I promise to protect you and reassure you; I promise fresh coffee and endless clementine oranges in the winter. I promise to close the toothpaste tube and not refer to mirrors as looking glasses. I also promise to love you, fiercely and thoroughly, till the day I die."

And then he ignored the Justice's words- "With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Man and Wife"- and took the rings from Maria's pillow, fumblingly jamming hers onto her finger, allowing her only a second to the same with his before he carefully lifted the veil to kiss her passionately. The moment seemed suspended in time, and they couldn't hear the applause or music swelling around them.

The kiss ended and then the hugs began- they descended from the altar and embrace after embrace swarmed them. First was Pepper who crushed Lila to her chest, whispering "Enjoy this forever honey", and then Tony squeezed her arm and the hordes swarmed over them.

After that, the wedding was a haze- short segment of dancing punctuated with chilled champagne and giggles with her guests. Nick Fury made a short appearance to hand her a tiny box which she later discovered held keys to a home in upstate New York. Steve finally found her for the cake cutting, which resulted in both smearing frosting on the other and laughing hysterically, kissing the sweet smears off their respective cheeks. Lila danced with Tony while Steve danced with Maria, and their eyes locked- something in Lila clicked and all the bubbles flew away.

Their hotel:

The ceremony had finally concluded at four, which had left them an hour to change and get on their flight to an island somewhere uncharted to all but SHIELD- safety first. Lila wore a simple linen dress and Steve was in his usual old-man uniform, and the flight mainly consisted of them holding hands quietly and looking at pictures Pepper had taken on her phone of the wedding. Lila dozed off around 9 PM, and she was awakened at 11:30 when they landed. Amazed by the speed of SHIELD jets, Lila was excited to reach their tropical home. It was dark though, and the foliage was obscured by the blackness surrounding them. Besides, the real entertainment was about to begin- their wedding night.

The hotel was beautifully decorated, but Lila wouldn't have noticed if it was a Motel 8. Immediately entering their suite, she had taken her overnight bag to the bathroom and undid her hair, brushing it loose, and then wiped away her makeup, applying a small amount of lipgloss after doing her teeth. She then stripped, applying scented lotion and shimmer powder to her entire body. Lila had to man up for the next step- the lingerie. She was actually going to wear the set she had found at Target- the red, white, and blue sheer top with the matching thong. It was scary to even look at herself in the mirror when she put it on, but she forced herself to do it, looking for any problems or flaws. She was happy to see that she actually looked sexy- top sheer enough to tease but still not see-through fully. Her fears were slightly allayed when she spritzed her favorite body spray on- Japanese Cherry Blossom. Feeling confident and excited, Lila unlocked the bathroom door and walked out.

Steve POV:

He was already in his pajamas and nervously sitting on the bed. Steve had decided to be normal, and wore blue pajama bottoms only. He knew Lila was probably feeling scared, it being her first time, and he was basically in the same boat. They were both going into the marital bed blind, and he was worried sick that he would be done too quickly, and that Lila would get no enjoyment from him.

His fears flew from his mind when the bathroom door opened and Lila emerged, clad in what could only be called- perfection? His first instinct was to laugh, and when Lila saw his incredulous, overjoyed face, she giggled shyly, standing before his perch on the bed. She laid a tentative hand on his bare chest, feeling the chest hair and leaning closer to kiss him softly. Steve could hardly bear to be this close to her- she was soft, and her hair swung about her face and she smelled like heaven and then the fabric of the top shifted and he saw her breasts- without a thought he rose from the bed and lifted her to straddle him, carrying her to the bed where he laid her down.

Lila was clearly aroused as well, as Steve carefully positioned himself above her on the bed. She put a hand up, gesturing for him to sit up. She also sat up, and carefully lifted the sheer top off, smiling seductively and then laughing. Steve couldn't wait any longer, and began to lavish Lila and her body with kisses which began at her lips and lowered slowly….

Later, when they were sated and yet still endlessly wanting more, they lay in one another's arms, Lila's bare legs entwined with Steve's hairy ones. Face to face, eye to eye, they rested, feeling more secure and safe than ever before in their life.

Steve was about to drift off to sleep when Lila stirred; she was playing with his hair and massaging his neck, occasionally placing a kiss upon his chest. She then carefully lowered herself onto him, (already hard and ready for action) only pausing when Steve grabbed her by the arm and asked "I don't have protection on!" She smiled and shook her head no. "I want a baby from you Steve Rogers- I want one tonight."

That was enough for Steve- and so the night went…..

Okay, that's one thing off my to-do list. There's more to come, promise :D