It's been a little longer than I planned, sorry about that (if people are reading, lol, I'll still be writing even if no one is) but work has been busy. There will be one more prologue type chapter and then we will go back in time to begin the journey and see how Cory and Angela got together. I'm still feeling rusty and I'm sure it shows, but I'm trying to write through it. I know I haven't really had Cory and Angela interacting with each other yet, but that will be changing in the next few chapters. The chapters will also be getting longer, I promise.

/

"It is now time for Angela and Cory to declare their love for one another with vows they've chosen to write themselves. Angela?"

Angela took a deep breath and locked eyes with Cory. The love she saw reflected back at her was almost overwhelming. "Cory, when we decided to write our own vows I thought it would be no problem. After all, how difficult is it to tell the person you love that you love them?" Angela and Cory both chuckled, knowing that expressing her feelings had never come easily to her. "We got within a few weeks of the wedding and I still had nothing, but I wasn't worried. I mean, I've had articles down to the last few minutes waiting to be written and I've always gotten them done. I've never missed a deadline," she stated proudly. "Let me correct that, I have now missed a deadline. I'm up here with no vows." She heard mumbles from the crowd. "Trust me, I know, it's crazy. I told no one because I knew they'd be freaking out. I wasn't though-not about that. And believe me, I've had a few mini freak outs about stupid little things today." He looked concerned. "Don't worry, I'm good now."

"I know I'm rambling," Angela continued nervously, "but what I mean to say is I knew that when I came out here and was staring into your eyes the right words would come to me. Cory, I love the way you've never given up on love. For a long time I thought love, especially love that lasts a lifetime was meant for other people. Before you, 'I love you' was something people would say right before they hurt me. Or they would use it to try to make it all better after having already hurt me. But not you, never you. You say 'I love you' because you mean it, you want me to know it, and you love saying it. As much as I tease you sometimes for sounding sappy, I hope you never get tired of saying it to me because I never get tired of hearing it." Her voice hitched as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I know I'm not very good at expressing myself or saying I love you, but please...please never doubt that I do. You've made me believe in a love that I didn't even think was possible for me and I only hope I can do the same for you for the rest of our lives."

Cory gazed at his soon-to-be wife in awe. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously, oblivious to the fact that she was ruining her lip gloss. She was awaiting his reaction. They may not have been the most eloquent vows, but they were more sincere than any he's ever heard and they meant the world to him. He kissed her hand and held it to his heart. "How do you expect me to follow that, huh," he chuckled.

"Angela, 8 years ago when I took you up on your offer to visit you in London, I never dreamed we'd end up here. Now I can't imagine my life any other way...I don't want to imagine my life any other way. Life without you is not worth living. Because of you I'm more adventurous, more considerate, more loving. I'm a better person than I would've been without you, I know that." Cory held her hand against his cheek. "And I will never get tired of telling you how much I love you. You don't have to worry about that. I love you more every day."

Cory was surprised to find himself getting a little teary. Angela wiped away the few stray tears that fell.

"Can I have the rings, please," the judge asked interrupting Cory and Angela's little moment. Eric and Rachel placed the rings in the judge's hand. "Cory and Angela have chosen rings as outward symbols of the commitment they make today. For as far back as we can trace, rings have been used as a symbol of wedded love. An unbroken and never-ending circle symbolizes a commitment to love that is also never ending.

"Angela, take this ring and place it on Cory's finger, repeating after me..."

"You don't have to say it," Angela jumped in, taking the ring, "I already have it memorized."

The judge, along with everyone in attendance, laughed. "This is a first, but all right. Go ahead."

"Cory, let this ring be a symbol of my promises to you and a reminder of my devotion to you." She slid the ring onto his finger. "I am honored to call you my husband."

The judge turned to Cory. "Cory, are you as prepared as your bride, or do you need to repeat after me?"

"I think I got it," he grinned.

"Well, then please take the ring and place it on Angela's finger, reciting your memorized lines," he added humorously.

"Angela, let this ring be a symbol of my promises to you and a reminder of my devotion to you. I am honored to call you my wife." He kissed her hand and they turned to the judge.

"Cory and Angela, having witnessed your vows of marriage with all who are assembled here, and by the authority vested in me by the state of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He smiled at the couple. "What? This part of the ceremony wasn't memorized," he chuckled, "Go on, you may now kiss each other."

To much applause and celebration, Angela was the one to close the gap between herself and Cory. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her lips to his, amazed by the fact that she was now kissing her husband. For as much as getting married didn't matter to her before, she was so happy to be Cory's wife now. She pulled away when he tried to deepen the kiss, after all, their parents were in the front row.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you for the first time as husband and wife, Angela Moore and Cory Matthews!"

Shawn watched as the smiling couple made their way back up the aisle, thankfully too wrapped up in each other to even have a chance to see him. He had waited until right after Angela walked down the aisle before he took his seat, sitting in the back, surrounded by people he had never met before. This certainly wasn't how he had imagined things. On Cory's wedding day, he was supposed to be standing up there beside him, the best man. And on Angela's wedding day, he was supposed to be the groom. Instead it was like he was in some alternate universe, like he was George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, being shown what would've happened had he never been born. But it wasn't an alternate universe or a movie, it was real. Cory and Angela were married now. Shawn had handled it very badly when they got together and had ignored all of Cory attempts to make contact since then. He wanted to make it better, to find some way to make it up to them. He wanted his friends back.

"Daddy, when do we get to eat cake?"

Shawn chuckled at his daughter, "Not until after dinner, Char."

The little girl stood up on her chair, wide eyed as Cory and Angela passed by the last few rows. "Wow, daddy, that lady looks like a princess. She's so pretty."

"Yeah, she is."