{AN: This is going to slow down soon; I'm getting a bit slower on making this up as I go. Sorry, loves. Here's another chapter!}

Mycroft was their minister today. He smiled on them both, looking down at the small crowd behind them as well. "It is one of life's richest surprises when the accidental meeting of two life paths lead them to proceed together along the common path as husband and wife. It is one of life's finest experiences when a casual relationship grows into a permanent bond of love. This meeting and this growth bring us together today.

"John Watson and Sherlock Holmes, will you take vows here before all of us which symbolize the manifested vows you have already made and will continue to make to each other throughout your lives?"

"We will," they said together. Then John looked up at Sherlock.

"I, John Watson, take you, Sherlock Holmes, to be my lawfully wedded husband, secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love. On this special day, I give to you in the presence of God and these witnesses my pledge to stay by your side as your faithful husband in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad. I further promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

Now it was Sherlock's turn.

"I, Sherlock Holmes, take you, John Watson, to be my lawfully wedded husband, knowing in my heart and mind that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love. On this special day, I give to you in the presence of God and these witnesses my pledge to stay by your side as your faithful husband in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad. I further promise to love you without reservation, honor and respect you, provide for your needs as best I can, protect you from harm, comfort you in times of distress, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

Mycroft opened his arm, speaking to the crowd. "The circle is the symbol of the sun, earth, and universe. It is the symbol of peace. Let this ring be the symbol of unity and peace in which your two lives are joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever you go, return unto one another and to your togetherness."

Sherlock slipped the simple gold band onto John's finger. "I give you this ring to wear upon your hand as a symbol of our unity in steadfast love."

John, in turn, pushed Sherlock's ring onto his finger. "I give you this ring to wear upon your hand as a symbol of our unity in steadfast love."

It felt unreal to have the words he'd just recited to John be spoken back to him as they stood in the great room of a cosy little chapel lost somewhere in the Cotswolds, surrounded by the people he'd always held as arm's length, but through John's nurturing and zest for the more pleasant things in life, Sherlock had grown to love them as much as they had apparently loved him. The very idea that John asked for this, that John wanted to be his companion, his /wedded husband/, still astounded Sherlock. His mind had been buzzing the entire morning before the ceremony and he found himself unable to concentrate on the simplest of tasks. The only thing that successfully derailed Sherlock's train of thought and silenced the chatter was the cool silky feeling of the gold band sliding onto his ring finger. Sherlock looked down at it, at John's fingers holding his hand carefully, up the sleeve of his black jacket across the white waistcoat and into John's shining eyes. Sherlock smiled as the last missing piece of his puzzle fell perfectly into place.

Mycroft smiled down at them, putting down his arms at last. "You are mature people who have established individual patterns of living. Yet you have found not only a need for companionship, but the satisfaction of that need in each other's company. It is this love, based upon a responsible understanding, that will aid you in creating out of your two lives, a marriage and a happiness you will share together. Stand fast in hope and confidence, believing in yourself and believing in each other.

In as much as you two have come before your friends and family and have declared your love and devotion to each other, I now greet you with them as husbands."

"You may kiss," said their minister.