Chapter 23                                                         Of Blondemomo's

                                                                        MY OPAL

                                                        "The Last Chapter Standing"

Author's Note: Please, for best effects, read in a calm and quiet place. This has a lot of detail momentum, and some of it is hard to catch if you're like me and read all the stories with my music blasting out of my stereo. This is the last chapter…enjoy…

*

She turned and walked down the aisle, dying inside with every step.

The audience was the guests who marveled at her beauty, her wisdom, and strength, and her pure unadulterated innocence.

Lily would not let them see the fear in her eyes.

The guests cried for her happiness and out of jealousy. Some cried because she was getting married and they could no longer behold her without remembering she was married. Many cried because they knew no man would ever be good enough for her. Even a few cried for the fact that she was so perfect in every little way, and only angels could match her aura. And yet more wept for the fact they would not be able to love her like they wanted to.

But one man, who watched from afar cried for the most important reason of all.

He cried because he never got the chance to change what happened. Because he never got the chance to tell her. Because he never understood her reason for leaving. He never understood the perfection itself.

Love was his reason to cry.

~

She could feel her heart racing so fast it was humming in her chest. Her head swum, and eyes ached. She didn't know what to do. Her feet felt like they had bricks attached making every step tedious and an immense amount of work. Her dress suddenly weighed tons and tons, despite the lightweight silk. And even the bouquet ached in her arms, screaming to be put down or throw away.

Then she saw what she should do, so clearly in her head like a vision.

And she realized it. Reality slapped her across the face with a bucket of ice and glass of Scotch.

She couldn't marry Sven. Every single cell in her brain told her to, but every single heartstring in her heart told her to run.

So Lily tuned around and followed her heart. She threw her flowers on the ground and ran.

Lily ran for James and for Sven for her love and her independence and freedom. But mostly, Lily ran for her happiness. Lily ran for her undying love to someone that would never take her back.

Sven was a wonderful man. He truly was. But they didn't connect with each other like Lily and another man did. James.

She was nearly across the park when she saw a familiar looking man. But her eyes were blurred from her thoughts and tears and she could not clearly see his face. She almost passed him.

Then Lily saw the one she was running to or running from or maybe even for. She saw James and they ran to each other.

James picked up Lily and held her in his arms. He didn't let go or loosen his grip. He didn't even put her down, despite his newfound weakness.

"I couldn't do it," she cried loudly, "I just couldn't. You were it for me. I was just too blind to see it. He doesn't love me like you did."

"Do."

"What?"

"He doesn't love you like I do," James fixed.

She put her head down in his shoulders and sighed.

"I couldn't go on with out you. You were in my thoughts every second. Inevitability. You were like my breath. I can't get rid of you. And I don't want to," she finished.

James held her and told her, "You were my breath; the only thing keeping me alive. It was automatic to love you. I woke up to your face and fell asleep to your face. And I thought I could never have you again. I tried to kill myself. To cut the part of you out of me. And the entire time, the thing that brought me back was seeing your face. Just thinking that if I died I'd never see you again was…horrific. You brought me back."

They held each other for what seemed like an eternity. They cried for the years they lost together and they cried for the time they spent thinking of each other, thinking the other one wouldn't take the other one back in their arms. They cried for all lovers torn apart, for all soul mates taken away from each other, and they cried for the purest love the world had ever seen between any man and woman.

Lily and James cried for every moment of suffering they'd taken each other through.

The wedding crowd had found them and gathered in a circle around them. Jean-Luc was in hysterics crying on Alene's shoulder that it was better than any soap opera or movie. He cried, sobbing through his breaths telling Alene that he wanted to be a woman to be like Lily. Alene rolled her eyes as tears trickled down her cheeks for everyone who would get hurt at this.

Sven looked so angry, so hurt, and so confused. He looked like if you blew on him, he might fall over and die. It was like watching him see his whole life tumble before him…like seeing your house burn down before your very own two eyes.

Sven watched them from a distance, knowing what had happened. This was whom Lily had run from when she had come to Paris. This was her demon in her head. This is why Lily had spent so many nights staring catatonically out of the window. This man he had seen before at the café was the fiend of Lily's soul.

Sven watched as they held each other and wept. A tear slipped down his face without him feeling it.

'What do I do now?' he thought to himself. Sven walked over, standing amongst the semi circle of the wedding guests to where the pair was standing not knowing what to do.

Lily saw Sven over James's shoulder. She looked James in the eye and he set her down.

She trudged slowly over to Sven, looking him in the eye only once in the 20 seconds it took to get to him.

She took his hand and held it in her own. She put it to her face, and then looked up into his eyes.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Lily? Is this what you want? To be with him after running for so long? After building such a wonderful life here? IS THIS what you want?" he asked with a nod to James standing a few yards away.

"Yes," Lily whispered, still holding Sven's hand and looking to James who looked back at her.

"Okay. This is what will make you happy? Then you must," Sven turned and proceeded to walk to the reception hall, nearly 1/8 of a mile away.

Lily's face was filled with dripping tears. She took James's hand and whispered to him to apparate with her to the reception hall.

~

Alene was in hysterics about one half an hour later. Lily had decided to continue the celebration, even though Sven and her were not getting married. Alene was running around with her dress skirts in her hands, making sure everything would proceed in order.

Lily laughed through her continuous tears with James sitting beside her.  They had the hall set to about 30 people who were all there and eating and drinking, still looking very confused. People here were getting a bit tipsy, and wondering aloud "who the hell was marrying her."

Lily looked into James's eyes and felt the heat of his love. He never knew that she still cared. When he had come today to see her, he had no idea she would welcome him into her special embrace.

In the corner of his mind, James wondered where Sirius, who had come her with him, had wandered off to.

Lily picked up James's hand and led him to the kitchen. She told him she was going to get some champagne, and he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. They had lost out on too many months and years, and weren't going to lose another second.

Still having not seen Sven since he walked off, Lily figured he had gone somewhere far away. She knew she would never forgive herself for hurting him like this, but she had to screw her brain and follow her heart.

Lily and James swung open the kitchen door and continued to walk about 10 steps until they turned a corner.

What they saw was quite interesting…

Sven was holding another man, and kissing him really hard. The other man, Lily vaguely remembered as someone from her "past" but could match a name to the face. Maybe it was Sarah, Sid, no, it had to be…

"SIRIUS?!" James nearly screamed in surprise.

"Yes! That's it!" Lily said, thinking aloud.

James gave Lily a weird look.

Sirius and Sven immediately broke apart, and wiped their mouths and put their hands behind their own backs. They slightly hung their heads in shame of being caught.

Sirius looked up a gave a slight giggle, "O! Come on! James! O my God! HI! How are ya' mate? I see you got Miss Lily," he said with a nod to Lily who was on the very verge of passing out. All this information was processing to her head and she had turned a very pale white.

Lily leaned on James, who caught her just as her knees gave way.

"Meet, erm, Sven," Sirius said, gesturing to Sven.

"Yes, we've met," Lily voiced, still leaning on Mr. Right…she was very close to unconsciousness.

"O, right. Yes, um, I suppose you have…" Sirius said a little shocked.

Sven began to speak, "I'm sorry I never told you. Before I met you, I was bisexual."

James broke the needle pricking silence.

"O!" said James a little too interested.

Lily whacked him playfully in the shin with her now off shoes.

"So. Sirius Black. Infamous Ladies Man. Gay. I never would have though in my life, Sirius. How could you not tell me?" James sounded clearly hurt.

"I though you wouldn't like me. I'm sorry, mate." Sirius said looking him frightfully in the eye.

"That's shitty. I mean, seriously. We are best mates. You can tell me absolutely EVERYTHING. Even anything like that. Got it?" James said to Sirius very clearly.

Sirius hugged James tightly with one tear going down his right cheek.

"So, Sven? Did you want to tell me you had a boyfriend on the side?" Lily said.

"We met about one month ago, at the café. We, erm, had coffee once or twice…or three times. And, uh, when I saw him today, well, I thought, "Hey! Lily has just dumped me. Why not go snog a hott guy?" Sven said, with a tint of hateful revenge in his voice.

"I'm sorry," Lily said, "I guess we both have secrets. I loved you. I still do, I just can't love you in that way a wife loves her husband. We connected, but not the way we are supposed to." Lily said, talking only to Sven.

"Yeah, I guess," Sven said, as warm salty tears trickled over his high-rise cheekbones and French nose.

Lily, being herself as always, said to Sirius and Sven, "Well, don't let us interrupt Snogfest of the Year. 'Bye, guys," and turned with James, with one wistful glance over her shoulder to Sven.

James walked out of the kitchen, never letting go of Lily's hand and leaned again the wall. Lily leaned on it, too. They both slid down to sit on the marble floor.

Their eyes glazed over in thought of what had just happened. Secrets, years, even days, going misunderstood. Wow.

"What do you think we should do?" Lily said, leaning over to put her head in his lap.

James leaned down and whispered into her studded ears…

"Let's get out of here!"

He stood up and helped her stand. They walked to the stage where Alene was standing, with a glass of wine in hand, very drunk, and spotting Lily and James yelled into the microphone.

"Its so beautiful how true love comes into the most interesting parts of our lives," she said, slurring her words, "It happens at the worst moments and begins a new chapter in our lives. I just think that it's so nice and just fabulous how much they love each other. Enough to fuck up a beautiful wedding and still not care how much time it took for me to—"

Lily cut her off and grabbed the glass of wine and microphone from her, "ALL RIGHT PEOPLE! I DON'T GET THIS EITHER SO DON'T LET ME TRY TO EXPLAIN IT. GOODNIGHT. HAVE A GOOD LIFE!! I LOVE YOU!"

She walked off the stage, draining the half full glass of wine.

"Beautiful, dahhling!" James said sweetly laughing with his grin.

He held the door open for her, and they walked outside into the twilight.

She looked at him and he looked at her. The electricity between them was like electricity flying through wires, soft and soundlessly, but still there. The energy was the love. The love they looked at each other with was so undeniable and forgiving, it was like no other.

"So where do we go from here?" she inquired James.

"Wherever you want, Flower. Wherever you want," he whispered.

She threw her tiara off her head, and held his hand. They walked off into the twilight of the world. Side by side. As it would always be.

                                                        *THE END*

This is dedicated to everyone who read this, regardless of whether you liked it or not. It means more that words can express that you took part of your time to read this. My readers have been on an up and down roller coaster with this story, and now we're finally ending the ride. I sincerely hope you like it. Goodbye…

May your words of guidance never be forgotten, may you always do what you love, and may you never forget your dream.

All my love,

      Blondemomo