AHHH, well, for one, yeah, I'm a slow updater, sorry about that :D. And thanks to all of you who reviewed, I'm also a terrible review answerer, but I think I've got that fixed (the alerts weren't coming to my email). I've got at least two more chapters planned, likely at least three. I hope you like it. Please review when you're done, even if you just want to tell me you liked it (if you didn't I'd rather not her about it :D). thanks, and, please enjoy…

A month before their wedding Lily was sure she was never going to make it to the ceremony. James, as Lily's intended, didn't think he'd make it either. Somehow he was so often her figurative punching bag when the stress got to be too much. James wasn't sure why, though Sirius suggested without a shred of sympathy that it might have something to do with how James had been late to the engagement pictures, ruined his new dress robes playing quiddich when he should have been overseeing the clothing of the groomsmen (his ONE SINGULAR RESPONCIBILITY according to Lily) and was frequently caught starting at his fiancé when he was supposed to be helping her make an apparently important decision about flowers or china or something silly like that.

It was after a particularly stressful lunch with Lily's mother (really, if they insisted on meeting to discuss wedding details they could at least leave him out of it). James had pulled Lily aside afterward and suggested in a half-joking manner that they elope in Mexico and seen her actually consider it. It was then that he knew for certain she needed a break and fully intended to give it to her. He'd worked much too long to make her his to see her loose her mind right before they made it official, aside from the fact that he'd probably loose his mind if he lost her. Yes, that'd probably be slightly problematic as well.

"Lily" he announced that evening, she was currently pouring over a seating chart, her biggest issue, though he couldn't understand why (she'd balked when he'd suggested that they just use house tables. EVERYBODY was in GRYFFINDOOR JAMES).

Grunt.

"You and I are going out tonight"

"Oh really?" she said a little testily.

"Yep" and with that he blindfolded her, picked her up and apparated to a beach in Cancun. "I think you need a break"

He held her in a hammock, after magically changing them both into more appropriate clothing, and rocked her back and forth like he had when her best friend had been kidnapped by deatheaters and on the night before N.E.W.T.s when she'd been nearly as stressed as she was now.

"This is lovely James, but –"

"But what?"

"It's not the I don't appreciate what you're doing, but, I just don't have time for enjoying myself when there's a wedding to plan"

This woman has got to get her views on life back in order, and I am just the man to do that for her. "Lily, this wedding is about celebrating us, about spending our lives together and having our own family. All this other stuff is just stupid traditions, you don't have to plan anything you don't want to."

"If only, what would people say…"

"Personally I don't think anybody will notice anything except how ravishing you look."

"Right, most people see better than you do James"

He scoffed at that but decided to change his tactics. "Tell you what, how about I help out more? Give me whatever it is that is giving you the most trouble"

"James, that's very sweet of you, but I know you don't like this kind of thing"

Shifting her around to look into her eyes, he rested his forehead on hers. "No Lily I don't, but I like you" he smirked "really I more than like you" he finished in an offhand voice.

"Thank you so much James" she laid her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Now do you have time to relax?"

She nodded against his chest and they watched the sun go down and ate slices of chilled pineapple.

The next morning found James trying to find everybody a seat. Where on earth was he supposed to put Mad Eye Moody? Could he put Andromeda and her husband anywhere near Arthur Weasley without him driving them crazy with questions about muggles? Exactly who should be at the head table? Padfoot, much to James' chagrin, was having a fine time laughing uproariously at these seemingly unimportant decisions that James was struggling to make (of course, as best man his seat was already set). At least he had some good points. Just when James was ready to give up he chimed in. "She's really worth all this?" he asked while his right arm flung out to take in the stakes of invitations, red and gold centerpieces and miniature reception layout with tiny flags all over it representing people James was trying to seat. Of course they both knew that this was a rhetorical question, James had proved that already. And, though unsympathetic, Sirius did have one good idea, Mad Eye ended up next to Lily's sister Petunia.