A/N: I apologize profusely for my unintentionally prolonged absence. I hate to make the typical excuses of computer problems and a busy schedule, but that is exactly what happened. You can't do much about that, but I am sorry and am hopefully back to normal now.

It was a crisp, crystal day, the dawn of December 2nd, the day of the wedding, and clouds hung over everything like a milky veil. Her dress fell around her like fresh, clean snow falls on a glassy plain, and it was the same color, too. She looked like a princess, with her fair, unblemished skin and delicate rosy lips, and satin slippers that were fit for dancing. It was early in the morning, about two hours before noon, when the wedding took place. It was a small venue, at an old-fashioned but beautiful church where she'd attended services her whole life. She stood at the front door, arm in arm with her father, her stomach in knots.

"My heart is fluttering. It didn't know it was possible to be elated and nervous at the same time."

"It's perfectly normal," Mr. Evans told her softly. Inside they could hear the music change. "That's your cure. It's time."

And then the oak-paneled doors flew open, and all the guests seated in the pews stood. They walked to a fast and lively march, but it seemed to take forever. The stained-glass windows let in an almost heavenly light, and drowned all of the orchids and narcissus in its glory, but she had eyes only for the raven-haired, tuxedo-clad, hooked nosed man waiting for her, looking at her with love in his gaze. It was the same love the was in her heart, and it flooded her. When they made it to the end, her father squeezed her hand, and placed it in Severus'.

And then he took a step back.

"Please be seated," boomed the priest, and everyone obeyed. "Who gives this woman to this man?"

"Her mother and I do," Mr. Evans declared. Giving his wife a sorrowful look from where she sat. How exquisite she was with her blond her al done up, brown eyes twinkling- but there was heaviness in her expression. It was a gleeful occasion, but they were trying hard not to be somber at losing their baby girl. Petunia had married last summer, trying to outdo her sister, and so they were both going to be gone. That hurt. So Mr. Evans was seated.

"Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends, we are gathered here today in holy matrimony, in love, in peace, and unity." He turned his eyes on Lily. "Do you, Lily Evans, take this man to be you lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, to love, honor and cherish him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." She did not hesitate. She'd been waiting for this moment her whole life. The priest turned to Severus then.

"Do you, Severus Snape, take this woman to be you lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." She breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been having nightmares about a million things that would ruin this, and none of them had happened.

"If anyone should object to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." Her heart was pounding.

"I object!" screamed a voice, as Michael Mulciber burst through the doors, wand out. There was a collective gasp, and the groom's stomach dropped to the floor. "It is against our cause for him to marry someone of her vile race. The Dark Lord will not have it. And if the Dark Lord is to have him…"

Severus too had his wand out now, and the murmuring of the crowd grew deafening. "I do recall telling you to stay away, Mulciber," he sneered. "I have chosen my path."

Lily could not help herself. She wrapped her right arm around her husband-to-be's waist, mostly due to fright, but also because of her fiery sense of rebellion. She wanted to show him that they stood together as one.

"I'm afraid that is not sufficient grounds to terminate the union," interrupted the priest, trying his hardest not to stutter. "Let the ceremony commence."

"That isn't going to happen. You're going to have to do more than make Avery's toenails grow to make us quit. Death Eaters don't give up, Snape. Ever. The Dark Lord wants you. With your extensive knowledge of the dark arts and potion-brewing you would be quite useful. He needs a new potions brewer. He is not normally subtle in his method of attack, but imagine the terror we could evoke with a brew that acted like the Cruciatus but also decimated your bones from the insdie out, or one that could keep you in eternal sleep. And he can't have just anybody do it. He needs new, fresh potions that work an innovative torture devices, and someone to invent them. There in noen better than you are- you are revolutionary in your craft. The Dark Lord knows this. He appreciates our talent and analytical mind, which can help him bring about new methods of destruction. You would be rewarded greatly for performing such services for him. So what do you say? Leave the Mudblood filth and come down from there. Don't be such a coward."

As if enforcing the power of such a statement, at least five more Death Eaters entered at that exact moment to stand behind him, including Avery, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, and one other that Severus did not recognize. They looked as if they took grueling pleasure in their task, their work, and Lily said later that she now knew what pure evil looked like. They looked like bandits like hunters with their guns laded, wands pointed at the altar. She felt scared out of her wits, and squeezed Severus tighter.

"Don't call my husband a coward!" Even their laughter sounded dark. The brightness of the day was most definitely gone.

"Come on, Snape. What would you have with her? She's got dirt running throughout her veins. You don't want a rat of her lineage. She doesn't belong with wizards. You can do better than her. I'm sure the Dark Lord would be willing to oblige you with one of his pretty little sex slaves if you join our cause," said Lucius.

There was silence, but only for a moment. "You would have to kill me first," replied Snape. His bride had never heard him sound so vehement, never had he hated so much as he now hated them. She was nervous, unsure of what they might do.

"Oh, we can't do that. Don't you get it? You're too valuable. But her-" Without thinking Severus stepped in front of her, at the same time successfully repelling the stream for green light that came towards them with a very powerful red salvation hex that held firm.

"Secumsempra!" he cried, at the same time he heard someone should- he did not know who it was, but it sounded sickeningly like Mr. Evans-

"Get her out of her!" He was so out of it that the idea needed to be put in his brain, but he acted so quickly you could not tell. She squealed when he picked her up, his side of the family already attacking with devastating curses and deflecting others. They went out the back, moving forward away from the chaos in the pews to where the church offices were, and he placed her inside of one. She was crying, and he gave her one last, lingering look before he locked her in. Mulciber had been the one to get hit with the Secumsempra, and he lay on the floor half-dead. It wasn't long before Avery had dragged him away, however. There were a dozen Princes, and so they overpowered the Death Eaters. A few of them were dedicated solely to protecting the Evans family on the other side of the aisle who could not defend themselves. Itw as a quick fight, with Malfoy screaming,

"You can't keep us away this easily!" before he and the others retreated. It took Severus a moment to catch his breath and got his bearings. A window had been broken, but other than that the church and made it out okay.

"Is anybody hurt?" Eileen asked. A few had been Petrified or Stunned, but that was easily taken care of with Finite Incantatum. Someone had been lasted against the wall hard and probably had a broken bone, but there was no lasting damage. The priest's office door had been Charmed so that it could not be open with an unlocking spell except by the person who had locked it, because it was often a place of refuge for witches and wizards (as well as Muggles, truthfully)and so precautions had been taken.

"I think we did more damage to them then they did to us," he told Lily, when he let her out, and she flung her arms around him when he let her out, and she flug her arms around him.

"Are you alright?" she demanded.

"Yes, are you?"

"Yes, don't do that again!"

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to keep you away from them. They're dangerous and crazy. I only want you safe. That's it."

"I know it. It's alright. I just wanted to help. I love you, Sev. Let's go and help out."

She ran a pale and over his cheek and kissed him, taking his hand and leading him out to where everyone waited. It was decided that they should not commence with the ceremony given how shaken up everyone was- and they needed time to think things over.

Nothing else could have made Sev feel as bad as he did now.

A/N: To explain the Death Eaters seemingly unusual persistence, I figure that if they keep trying to recruit someone as openly against them as Horace Slughorn and he has to go in hiding ("You can only say no to these people so many times/ I never stay anywhere more than a week"), and these people have lived with Severus his entire Hogwarts career, that they wouldn't consider this going too far but rather a last-ditch effort to get him on their side. Hope that makes sense. Thank you for those who are still reading the story and stuck with me this long! I will update soon, no cliffies this time.