Disclaimer: Wow, it would be great to own Harry Potter and all other related characters, but sadly, I don't.

Rating: This story is rated T for some mild adult content in later chapters and some mild language. It might go up in later chapters depending on how the story writes itself.

modrocker423: Thanks again to piggy396! Your continued support means a lot to me and has kept me posting this story. Sorry for such the delay in posting. Hopefully the chapter will be worth the wait.

Enjoy!

Chapter Three: Wedding Vows

The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. Music was playing. The mumbles of conversation increased as more guests arrived and sat in the seats lined up in the church courtyard. But James noticed none of this. His mind was still reeling with the aspect that he would be married to Lily Evans in the next half hour. Horrible thoughts of Lily rejecting his vow of marriage and walking out of the wedding in front of all their friends and family flooded his already crammed mind. An impulse to start pacing again rose up, but James subdued it by clenching and unclenching his sweaty fists.

"You ok, mate? You're looking pale again," Sirius' voice said to the left of James. James jumped slightly. He had forgotten the fact that Sirius was his best man for the wedding, which meant he would be standing by his side until Lily walked down the aisle.

"Yeah, I'm fine," James replied with no real conviction.

"No you're not. You're nervous...I can tell," Sirius responded. James looked at him.

"If you knew I was nervous, then why did you ask how I was feeling?" he asked.

"To see if I was right," Sirius replied, grinning.

James chuckled and felt his spirits lift slightly. He shifted his gaze to the scene in front of him. Eight rows of white chairs with five seats per row lined each side of the aisle. A small band consisting of a violin, viola, cello, bass, harp, and piano player sat to the left, playing a casual song to entertain the guests until the reception started. Several cherry blossom trees grew in various places around the church courtyard that Lily and James had decided to get married in.

James grinned to himself when he remembered the fight he and Lily had over choosing the spot where they wanted to get married. James wanted to get married in a church courtyard since he was not overly religious and wanted to be outdoors. Lily, on the other hand, wanted to get married in the church her parents got married in. The argument lasted for quite some time until James drove Lily out to the church courtyard he was thinking of and showed it to her, where she immediately fell in love with it.

While the memory of picking the wedding spot faded, a new memory came to James' mind. He remembered the night when he and Lily were sitting on the couch together by the fire, snuggled close in each other's embrace. As he was drifting in and out of sleep, the perfect wedding vow came to his mind. It fit everything he wanted to say to Lily about his love for her. When James told her this, the two decided to keep the vows they were going to say to each other a secret until they got married.

A slightly painful nudge in his ribs made James snap out of his daydreaming. He looked around and saw Sirius leaning closer to him so he could whisper, "Get ready, mate. The reception is starting." James felt a weight drop in his stomach and he gulped. This was it. He was getting married.

Music sprang to life from the band as the bridesmaids made their slow way down the aisle, followed by the flower girls and ring bearers. For James, it seemed like an eternity for the two flower girls to toss the pink and white lily petals they were throwing with the two ring bearers walking close behind. As he watched the last white lily petal drift slowly to the ground, he heard the start to the traditional "Here Comes the Bride" and felt his heart jolt. He looked up quickly and felt the air leave his chest as his heart skipped a beat at the sight of Lily. James thought that Lily could never look more beautiful than she always did, but one look at her standing at the beginning of the aisle with her father proved him wrong.

James didn't notice all the guests standing up, the music playing louder, or the last clasp on his shoulder from Sirius. His attention was fully on Lily as everything else faded away from around him. He only saw her beautiful face with her gorgeous emerald eyes, brought out by her magnificent green dress, and the tendrils of fiery red hair that framed her face. He watched as she walked gracefully towards him, the one enchanting smile he loved stretched across her face. All of James' worries and doubts vanished from his thoughts as he continued to admire Lily.

Suddenly James came back to reality. The music had stopped playing and Lily was standing right in front of him, beaming up at him. He felt his mouth lift into a full smile as he took her hand and led her to the altar, where the priest was waiting. The two stood facing each other, still smiling, as the priest started talking. But James wasn't listening. He was losing himself in Lily's beautiful eyes. He gave her hands a quick squeeze of reassurance, which he received back, making his heart skip yet another beat.

The priest talked for quite an unnecessary long time, or so James thought, until he turned his attention back to James and Lily and announced it was time for them to exchange vows. The ring bearer carrying Lily's ring came up to James and held out the ring to him, who took it.

James took a deep breath and looked fully into Lily's eyes before saying, "I, James, take you, Lily, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward as long as we both shall live." James then slipped the ring onto Lily's finger and grinned at her. She beamed back, her eyes slightly brighter than usual.

After James finished his vow, the other ring bearer came up to Lily and held out the ring for her to take, which she did. She turned back to James and looked into his loving hazel eyes and said, "I, Lily, take you, James, to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the man you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us." With that, Lily slipped the ring onto James' finger. She continued to beam up at him as she felt a single tear of joy trickle down her cheek.

"You may now kiss the bride," the priest announced, smiling as he watched James and Lily.

James moved closer to Lily and brought his hand to her face. He wiped away her tear with his thumb before pressing his lips against hers and kissing her passionately. Lily wrapped her arms around James' neck and kissed him back just as hard. To end the kiss, James led Lily into a dip, which made her break the kiss and laugh.

"I love you, Lily," James whispered to Lily as the guests started clapping for them.

"I love you too, James," Lily whispered back, smiling at him.

They both linked arms and headed back down the aisle to the limo waiting outside to take the new married couple to the airport for their honeymoon. As James walked with Lily, his heart skipped a beat at the thought that he was now married...to Lily Potter.