Happy Valentine's Day! Or Singles Awareness, depending on which side of the fence you're sitting on. Enjoy this post, it's kind of relevant to today. The next chapter is also reminiscent of what this day may bring ... and maybe you'll all get another post. -gasp-

Lily had dried her tears by the time they reached the hotel room, and was all business again.

"I made a list before you came in," she said, sitting back on the bed and brandishing the paper. "And I want everything checked off before I put on my dress."

"Alright, let's see it," Remus said, holding out his hand, but Lily ignored it.

"Number one," she read aloud, "church and flowers."

"Check," Remus smiled, and Lily checked it off with a flourish.

"Number two," she continued, "reception area."

"Check."

"Number three," she grinned, "cake and food."

"Check and check."

"Number four: ministers and photographer."

They looked at each other across the room.

"I told them both to notify the front desk when they arrived," Remus offered.

"And the photographer?" she asked anxiously.

"The photographer is some guy from the Daily Prophet who does this sort of thing all the time. He just flooed me and is on his way as we speak. Nothing to worry about," Sirius interrupted, his head in the fire.

"For sure?" Remus asked.

"Absolutely positively."

Lily gave a sigh of relief.

"And why are you here?" he asked, a line of worry crossing his forehead.

"I'm supposed to be checking on the bride and Vera Wang."

"We're both wonderful," Lily smiled. "How is James?"

"He's great," Sirius lied enthusiastically. Fortunately, Remus was the only one that caught it.

As Lily went into the bathroom smiling, Sirius left the fire and Remus entered it.

"What is going on?" he demanded.

Sirius was sat in front of the fireplace, but Remus could still see past him to the couch where James was curled in the fetal position.

"It's actually quite ridiculous," Sirius said quietly. "He's been obsessed with her for how long and now he has cold feet."

"It's not cold feet," James moaned from the couch. "I'm just not sure if today –"

"That's cold feet, mate," Sirius cut him off.

"You don't understand," James whined, rolling off the couch and crawling to sit next to Sirius. "What if she feels forced? Like in sixth year, in MONTH, she agreed to go on that date just to shut me up? What if this is just her trying to shut me up? Everyone says that the romance wears off. What if she's just marrying me so that the romance wears off?"

Remus sighed as Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I love her! I don't want to ever not love her!"

"Number five," Lily said behind him, "boys in tuxes."

"Listen,' Remus said sharply and quietly, "she loves you, prongs. If she didn't, she would not have bought the perfect Vera Wang dress, cried when she saw the church, or have a list made of thinks she wants done before she puts on her dress. If she didn't love you, if she didn't want to marry you, she would not have bragged about you at the spa for four hours this morning. So you better smarten up and get dressed for her because she is ridiculously beautiful today."

James looked at Sirius. "Where's you hang my tux?"

Remus left the fire and stood up to find Lily smiling with his tux in her hand.

"Shower first, please," she said.

---

"Oh, wow, Remus," Lily gasped as he stepped out of the bathroom. "You look amazing in a tux."

Remus grinned. "Imagine what James will look like."

"I'm swooning with the very thought."

She stepped forward as they laughed and straightened his tie. He could see the anxiousness in her emerald eyes. He felt it too, and as the phone rang, she saw her eyes fill with tears.

"Both ministers and the prophet are here," he said quietly as he hung up. Lily dabbed at her eyes and smiled. "Are you ready?" he asked softly.

She shrugged and looked at her list.

"Anything left?"

She shook her head.

"It's after two now."

She nodded.

"Do you need help getting it on?"

She nodded again.

"Mine?"

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Yes please. If you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all," she whispered, and she smiled gratefully.

He took the dress off its hanger as Lily nervously slipped off her robe.

"I'm gay, Lily, I won't jump you," he smiled, and she laughed, allowing him to hold the dress as she stepped into it. They put it on slowly, both silent as Remus laced up the back and Lily held her hair out of the way and wanted the entire process in the mirror. Remus looked up as he finished and they smiled at each other in the mirror.

"You look gorgeous," he whispered.

"Thank you," she breathed, and turning around, added, "for everything."

"It's been my pleasure, Mrs Potter," he grinned, and she smiled widely.

"What do we do now?" she asked after a pause, and Remus shrugged.

"We could go to the church and hide you from James," he offered.

Lily laughed. "We could. And not meet the ministers and photographer –"

"And press."

They looked at each other with their eyes narrowed.

"Let's stay here," she said.

"We can't stay here," Remus pressed. "They know you're here and they want to see you as you leave for the church."

Lily looked at him, her eyes wide. "How are we going to get out? I don't want –"

"I'm a marauder," Remus cut her off simply, and she smiled as he picked up the phone to call down to the spa.

---

"What's the password?" Remus asked when the knock echoed at the door.

"Summer of '76," came Melindi's sigh. "But I still think that cotton candy incident the summer before should play a part in it," she added with a grin as Remus opened the door to her.

"That might have been my worst summer memory with you," he said.

"I thought it was pretty funny, actually," she retorted.

"Let's get on with this all," Lily interrupted impatiently, looking at the clock.

"What are we doing anyways?" Melindi asked, eyeing Lily's dress and grinning at her as Lily smiled back.

"Sirius is going to ring when he gets here," Remus answered. "I'll go down to meet him, we'll, uh, stage it as though we're a gay couple," he said, glancing at Melindi. "The press will be all over us, and then you two can slip out with minimal detection."

"And you're sure this will work?" Melindi asked warily.

Lily laughed. "It always works. If Sirius is involved – and in a tux –" she added, grinning, "the cameras will be glued to them. Once you see Sirius you'll understand."

Melindi shook her head, smiling. "No one can hold a candle to Remus."

Remus laughed outright as the phone rang, and Lily picked it up.

"But where is James?" she asked, and smiled at the answer. "All systems are go," she said, and hung up.

"Count to twenty before you leave," Remus said as he reached the door.

Sirius was standing against the front desk decked out in his own tux and chatting nonchalantly to a member of the press as Remus stepped out of the elevator. It may have looked like acting to Melindi, butt he looks that Remus and Sirius exchanged in front of their audience was anything but fake. Sirius broke off his conversation with the reporter as Remus neared him, and his jaw dropped. Remus grinned and spun around for Sirius as the press watched on with a buzz.

"Wow," Sirius breathed, grinning, and the reporter looked at him.

"It's about time you got here," Remus said quietly, standing next to Sirius. "You look good, by the way."

"So do you," Sirius shot back, eyeing him as Remus blushed and the reported shifted uncomfortably.

The two men looked at each other, and every member of the press watched on. But as Sirius leaned closer and the photographers raised their cameras, Remus pulled back.

"Not here," he hissed," and the fake-hurt in Sirius' eyes was evident. "Not in front of all these people," Remus added, casting a nervous eye over the flock of people.

"Why does it matter anymore?" Sirius asked in a stage whisper, and the press surged forward. Remus and Sirius seemed not to notice and the elevator opened. "Why can't we be public about this, Remus? I love you –"

"And I love you, too," Remus said, Turning his back to the elevator and facing Sirius.

Then what the hell," Sirius said, grabbing Remus' lapels and bringing him down for a kiss. And as they kissed the cameras went off and both began shaking with laughter.

As Lily crossed the street with Melindi, as scripted, she looked behind and shot a winning smile at the two photographers who noticed her escape.

"You really are quite the actor, Remus," Melindi commented flirtatiously later.

Remus could only smile.