Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own anything.

A/N: Hi. The "dum"'s and "dee"'s at the beginning here are the wedding march song. . .

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Chapter Eight

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Dum. . .dum. . .dee. . .dum. . .dum. . .dum. . .dee. . .dum. . .

The church was beautiful. It was the church Lily always dreamed of getting married in. She would daydream about the day she'd walk down the red carpeted aisle, pews on either side of her, her father at her side, soon-to-be husband waiting at the end of the aisle for her.

. . .Dum. . .dum. . .dee. . dum. . .dum. . .dum. . .dee. . .dum

Sunlight flooding in through the stain-glass windows, showing her beautiful, white wedding dress and her bouquet of roses. She was surrounded by her friends and family. Even her sister.

Dum. . .dum. . .dee. . .du-

"Wait, I didn't start with the music!" A young woman around the age of nineteen or twenty exclaimed anxiously at the end of the church aisle. Exasperated sighes where heard yet again.

It was two in the afternoon on Thursday. The wedding was tomorrow. The said people sighing in exasperation and the said nineteen/twenty year old women were at the wedding rehearsal. The young woman was Lily's maid of honor, Emily. She was a muggle. She knew nothing about magic or the magical world. James' best man was, not at all to Lily's surprise, Sirius. There was no ring bearer; Sirius was to give them the rings.

The funny thing about Lily's maid of honor was that, she had NO idea who this Emily was. She didn't know any Emily while she was fifteen. She didn't recall any childhood muggle friends by the name of Emily. Actually, Lily didn't recall any muggle friends, childhood or not, by the name of Emily.

All Lily knew, was that, Emily was a very on-edge, nervous sort of person. Lily wondered if she actually let this wedding go through and she didn't call it off within the next few hours or. . .er, sometime between now and four in the afternoon tomorrow, that if Emily wouldn't hyperventilate down the aisle during the wedding. She would bet anything that Emily would be more nervous than her, the bride, before the wedding. Which was not taking place-Lily really was going to call it off soon. She had too.

Even though she was going to call off the wedding, Lily felt bad, seeing as how James actually was a decent bloke after all. She had spent the past week with him, working out last minute wedding details (Carol joining in most of the time. Lily like that, since she really didn't want to mess with a wedding that wouldn't happen, the guilt was awful) or just spending time together.

"Emily, dear, you seemed to start with the music fine." Mrs. Potter said from the front of the front pews on the right, where the grooms family and friends traditionally sat.

The maid of honor shook her head dramatically,"No, I was just off. If that happened during the wedding-oh, no! That would be awful!"

Carol nodded in agreement thoughtfully from the front pew on the leftside, where the bride's family and friends would be sitting tomorrow. George rubbed his forehead between his hand, sneezing he came to close to the bouquet of roses that hung at the end of pew he had just impatiently plopped down onto. Sirius and James stood at the front of the church with the priest. They where hiding their smirks from a ever watchful Lily, who stood at the back of the church, next George. Remus and Peter sat in the pews near the middle, watching with amusement. . .

The two never went to the ice cream parlor though. No one had. It had been closed ever since the attack. Lily wondered if it would ever open again, the owner was fine, but she still wondered if he had the courage to open it up, risking another attack. Business would definitely lessen if it did. Many would be too afraid of another attack occuring.

James and Lily never spoke of the attack surprisingly. Lily had not slept much that night (not to mention any other night) after the attack. She was so afraid and shaken from the previous events. Angry and ashamed at herself for not being able to help more during the attack. Empty and lonely, strangely enough, images of James coming to her mind when she felt the loneliest. Confused at the loss of reasons for being so scared for James during the attack. Sure, she had a heart just like anyone; Lily would never want James Potter hurt or worse, dead, but still, she felt as though there was something more behind that reason.

When James' friends came over with him (rather reluctant with a Still Trying To Find Them Dates For the Wedding Carol prowling around the house), they seemed to want to talk about the horrible incident, but James had silenced them everytime with a Look. She was grateful that James understood that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Let's try it again, then." Lily said tiresomely, yet quickly. Her eyes were quite dull, drooping every so often from the lack of sleep she had gotten since the attack. Everyone around her had asked many times if she was alright. She said she was fine. Lily wondered why James didn't look as if he hadn't slept well in ages either. Maybe he had went through attacks like that before and had experience with things like that, so he didn't lose sleep over it. Yet, Lily couldn't see how anyone couldn't lose sleep after seeing such horrible things. . .Maybe James did lose sleep, but was just that good at concealing something like lack of sleep.

Dum. . .dum. . .dee. . .dum. . .dum. . .dee. . .dum. . .

Emily began down the aisle, then stopped after a few seconds, mouth open to say that she wasn't with the music, Lily was certain that was what she was going to say. That was why she (Lily) stepped forward quickly, pushing Emily's back, making her keep walking and not stop. "Just go, Emily. Everything's fine. You're alright."

The maid of honor look hesitant for a few seconds before continuing down the aisle, still looking as if the ground would fall out beneath her any second. Everyone gave relieved sighes as they watched Emily finally reach the front of the church with James, Sirius and the priest. She had made it. Finally.

Of course, Carol had to put in a word of congratulations, nice and loud so the whole audience of people could hear,"Wonderful job, Emily!"

Lily only hoped her mum wouldn't do anything like that during the wedding tomorrow. Which wasn't really happening. She just hoped that when she actually would get married, Carol wouldn't do anything like that.

George stood up and linked arms with Lily, giving her a smile, started down the aisle together at the cue of the music for them. The walk was short and they were there in no time. James smiled at her the whole way. She gave him a smile or two before looking away. Would it be the same when-if, if she walked down the aisle tomorrow? Would it be a short and easy walk tomorrow? Would it take longer? Would the aisle be magically longer, by any chance? Would it take an hour instead of three minutes to walk down the aisle? Would Lily be able ignore James' smiles and looks?

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"Would you happen to have a date for the wedding tomorrow, Emily? Because if you don't, I know of some charming, young, last-minute dates for you!" Carol's voice trailed off softer as she and Emily left Lily standing alone in the chapel, seated in middle of the leftside of pews. Everyone had left and gone back to the Evans household for a dinner Carol had prepared that morning before the rehearsal.

She looked around the empty room. It was so much quieter now. Tomorrow it would be even more crowded and suffocating than it was during rehearsal since only Lily and James parents, the priest, Sirius, Emma, Remus, Peter, and the pianoist where actually at rehearsal.

Lily was going insane. She had to call it off tonight. She had to. If she didn't. . .-

"What are you still doing here?"

She looked up to see James standing next to her, with a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, just thinking." She replied absentmindly.

He sat down next to her,"Ah."

They sat in silence for a while, the only sounds coming from outside where the rest of the rehearsal party stood in the parking lot. The other three Marauders slightly edgy voices discussing how to get to the Evans household: By car or by apparation. They were rather reluctant about the car idea.

"Are you nervous, James?" Lily asked turning slightly to watch the expression on his face as she asked. James looked down at the back of the pew in front of them, a blank look on his face for a moment or two before a lopsided smirk appeared. Lily could see the answer to her question through that smirk. He was just as nervous as she was (yet, she was more nervous about calling off the wedding; not about the wedding itself). Lily looked away with a pang of sadness.

"Well, I doubt I'll ever be as nervous as Emily will be, but, ah, yes. I'm nervous. Terrified, in fact-just, ah, don't tell Sirius and them, I'll never hear the end of it." James said, letting out a laugh.

Lily gave a small laugh as well. A small giggle was more like it. She was nervous. The giggles came along with the nervousness, of course.

"Nervous as well, I see." James said noticing the giggle. Lily nudged him roughly in the shoulder, embarressed as the fact that her nervousness was that obvious. "Oh, don't worry, Lily. We'll get through; no matter if we or Emily, bless her, is sick and throws up our last meal. Even if your dress catches on fire or even if your bouquet catches on fire-"

Lily was getting greener and greener by the second as James brought up all the horrible things that could happen on a wedding day.

"-Even if Sirius somehow accidently swallows the rings or something. Even if the wedding cake falls apart. Even if your dress tears or you spill punch on it. Even if-"

"Okay, James, I think you can make me sick and throw up with those possible events tomorrow, more than nervousness can." Lily looked over at him. James shrugged, a pleasant smile on his face."I reckon it doesn't matter if we're nervous or not. Whatever happens tomorrow, whether it turns out perfectly or if my trousers fall down in the middle of the cermony, I figure we'll still be married by the end of the day, eh?"

He laughed and Lily tried to laugh along with him. They wouldn't be married by the end of the day. It wouldn't be happening. She bit her lip. This the perfect time to call off the wedding. Right now. She opened her mouth.

"All this walking down the aisle has made me hungry, what about you?" Lily was surprised at this words coming out her mouth, seeing as how they had nothing to do with calling off the wedding.

"You read my mind." James leaned over and kissed her cheek, standing up and waiting for her. He held out his hand for Lily. She swallowed, forcing a smile, and took it. "James. . ." She said hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

Lily opened her mouth again, ready to call off the wedding. Her throat closed up though. She couldn't say anything. James raised an eyebrow questionably. Lily's mouth closed quickly and she flushed. What was going to do? She couldn't call off the wedding! It was going to hurt James; yet, she couldn't marry James. That couldn't happen.

Lily lean up and gave him a peck on the mouth, surprising herself more than James. . .

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. . .Can't I see my fiancee every once and a while?. . .

She was always going to remember that sentence. Lily lay in bed that night thinking about the past few weeks, finding she couldn't sleep, yet again. That phrase was laughable- wasn't it?

. . .I love you, Lily. You know that, right?. . .

Lily lay in bed that night thinking about the past few weeks, finding she couldn't sleep yet again. She thought about the first day she had woken up here. She thought about James saying he loved her as they hugged on the bench.

. . .You two have something wonderful, Lily. Something not everyone has. . .

She remember her mother saying that as they sat in their car on the side of the road the day they went searching for a wedding dress. Did they have something not everyone had? Was it wonderful?

. . .Prats? I don't see any prats around here. . .

Lily shook her head thinking of James and his prickish comments. They had always, secretly amused her, even at Hogwarts. She would never have been caught saying that to anyone though.

. . .Alright there, Lily?. . .

James had said that phrase to her quite often at Hogwarts, without the "Lily" and instead it was "Evans". She wondered what had happened to change that phrase. She wondered what had happened between the two of them all together. What had happened to make her, Lily Evans, James Potter's fiancee?

. . .Thinking about James, eh?. . .

Lily clucked her tongue and rolled on her side. That wedding dress never left her alone. Well, maybe for a short time after the attack. She ignored it the best she could, though.

. . .I'm Mr.Unpredictable, what can I say?

Your Mr.Potter, not Mr.Unpredictable.

You'll be Mrs.Unpredictable with me. . .

She couldn't be Mrs."Unpredictable" with James. Lily just couldn't. . .could she?-No. No, that wasn't possible. Lily knew it wasn't. It would never work out. This was all for the best-call off the wedding, she meant. If she actually married him, it would be because she felt guilty, that she couldn't break James' heart.

. . .Well, I had to give you something as a wedding present, so what's better a present than a house?. . .

He was right; what better a wedding present, than a house? Lily knew her calling off the wedding was definitely not a great present. She was alway horrible at choosing presents-any kind of present.

. . .Where. . .Where are the rocks?. . .

Lily laughed softly as she stared at her ceiling. When the "attack of the rocks" actually took place, it was no laughing matter. It was chaos. But, as soon as it was over, it was a laughing matter. It was so funny. She'd never forget that moment.

. . .Ow! What in Merlin's Beard is going on-?

Ooh, er, sorry, Lily love!. . .

She fingered her forehead slowly. The knot from where James had accidently hit her with a rock that early morning last Saturday was gone. Lily remember his face gaping at her in horror. She shook her head and laughed again. She had also always secretly thought James had a sense of humor (even when he wasn't trying to), even at Hogwarts. And again, she wouldn't ever have been caught saying that to anyone.

. . .Your intoxicating. . .

Lily sighed. James Potter just about always, since the moment she had met him at Hogwarts, had a way with words. Even when he was nervous, James would babble non-stop. And the words wouldn't be a big jumble of nothing. They'd be really fast, but not incoherent. James Potter never seemed to be at loss for words. Would he be if-when she called off the wedding?

. . .Did you just flick ice cream at me?

I think I just did. . .

Lily doubted James would ever grow up entirely. It just wasn't in his nature to be. . .to be, well, mature. He would always be a child at heart, no matter how old he was. She admired him for that. So many adults forget what it's like to be young and carefree. Sometimes, she felt as if she was already starting to forget.

. . .Just can't get enough of my good looks, can you, Lily?. . .

He was so arrogant. That was also something he'd always be. Arrogant. Lily rolled her eyes.

. . .Woah, calm down, Lily. Calm down. . .everything's fine now. Everything's fine. . .

What Lily found strange when James said everything was fine after the attack, was that she believed him. She felt things was be better. That everything was fine. Even if not everything or everyone was fine. She trusted him, Lily realized.

. . .WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO DIFFICULT, EVANS? I'M NOT THAT BAD!. . .

Was she difficult? Was he not that bad? Yes and no. Even if James could be so very annoyingly arrogant, prickish and immature, he was only human. He had faults just like every other human being in the world.

Lily sighed and rolled over again restlessly, having no idea how she was going to get through tomorrow.

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A/N: All of the italized sentences in that last part there were phrases that Lily was remembering from the previous chapters in the story. Most were what James said, although a few had Lily, Carol or the wedding dress saying something. Hope no one was confused. The next chapter is the last! Won't tell what events take place, even though some events are very obvious, LoL! It's 12:40 AM here and I have to get up 7:00 AM tomorrow, so I'll try to get the review responses up later tomorrow.

Thanks,

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