I believe apologies are in order.

It's been way too long since I've updated. Obnoxiously, ridiculously long. I promise, though, I am not abandoning this fic. It's gotten me some rough patches, and I'm not going to stop writing it until it's done. I'm terribly sorry; I have six honors classes (some are AP), wind symph, marching band, and about a thousand other clubs and individual responsibilities on my plate right now. I haven't had the time or the will to write. But I promise I won't leave you with this big of a hiatus again.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. It's been an unbelievable comfort to me knowing there are people who want me to keep writing. Please keep reviewing; it gives me steam. I want to write when I get reviews.

I would re-read last chapter if you've got time, it segues almost right from where I left off. This chapter is pretty short, it's just to hold you guys off until I can get to the rehearsal dinner. The wedding is quickly approaching, guys. Be prepared for some drama. It'll turn out alright, though. Probably.

Lots of love goes to my beta, honorary-marauder-1. Check her fic out, it's amazing. And she updates more frequently than I do.

Thank you all again for sticking with me. Enjoy.

Unfortunately for James, it was not the seventh birthday of Vernon and Petunia's love, a fact Petunia made abundantly clear.

Sitting in the counter of the spotless Evans family kitchen, Lily was enjoying watching James try to wriggle his way out of Petunia's wrath. The two adventurers had arrived in front of the cherry-colored door on Camden Street around six o'clock, tumbling through the entrance in the middle of Petunia's post-dinner wipedown of the kitchen. Her staunch disapproval of the two's missing dinner with Vernon quickly turned into full-blown argument after James had presented her with napkin selection. Lily was munching on an apple, amusedly watching Petunia chase James around the spotless kitchen as she berated him for his ridiculous napkin choice.

"Really, Potter? This is my wedding rehearsal dinner. How is anyone going to take it seriously if they feel like they're going to a child's birthday bash?"

"Oh, yes, James," Lily said with mock sincerity from her perch on the countertop. "You know that if there's no focus during the rehearsal dinner, absolutely nothing will go right during the real ceremony!"

"See, even she agrees with me!" Petunia said, wildly gesturing towards Lily, who snorted derisively.

"Tuney, it's not a big deal. People will think it's funny."

"No, they won't! Vernon's family will take everything very seriously! Nothing can go wrong- my wedding has to be absolutely normal and perfect."

"I mean, maybe they'll think it's a clever pun on how long you've been together," Lily said hopefully. "No one there will really know you well enough to know how long you've exactly been together."

"But Vernon's family will, we've only been engaged for a half a year and together for two."

James assumed a tone of voice appropriate for a lecture, or perhaps a funeral. "Then maybe it isn't time to get engaged, dearest Tuney! You know it's dangerous nowadays to rush into engagements- why, you barely know him! It's improprietous to get married without being engaged for no less than ten years, you know! What will the in-laws think? And your dowry! Do you even have any llamas? No man marries a woman without a sufficient amount of livestock to bring to the marriage nowadays, you know."

Lily was shocked to see a flicker of doubt cross her sister's face while James was talking. Could Petunia possibly be having second thoughts about marrying Vernon? However, Mr. Evan's entrance to the kitchen prevented Lily from asking Petunia anything about their upcoming marriage.

"Hello, children!" Mr. Evans said cheerily, skillfully parking his wheelchair at the kitchen table beside James. "Whatever is going on in here? I heard screeches that could have raised the dead through the walls of my study. Who's dying?"

James pointed an accusatory finger at Petunia. "She was assaulting me with her dishcloth."

Petunia sniffed disdainfully. "Look at the napkins they got for my rehearsal dinner and you'll understand why."

Mr. Evans leaned over to grab a stack of napkins from beside James and let out a hearty chuckle, much to Petunia's disapproval. "You chose poorly, laddie. What on earth prompted you to get these, knowing it would presage Petunia's eternal hatred?"

"Hey, why'd you assume it was me? Lily does dumb stuff, too."

"Was I incorrect assuming it was you?"

"Well… not technically."

Mr. Evans laughed again. "Lily does dumb stuff, yes, but at least she knows what will make Petunia wildly angry and what's within acceptable teasing limits."

"Well, she already eternally hates me, so that really wasn't a problem."

Petunia cut in. "Dad, why are you supporting him? This is an absurd attempt to sabotage my wedding dinner, and I didn't think you would support them. This is my day, dad."

"Actually, it's the day before your day," Lily interjected helpfully.

"Dad," Petunia begged, widening her eyes and sticking out her bottom lip, to James' endless amusement.

Mr. Evans schooled his features into a solemn frown. Folding his hands in front of him, he assumed the air of a schoolteacher lecturing a mischievous student. "Tell me, James, why did you pick the birthday napkins? Was it to deliberately anger Petunia? To pull a good prank? Or another reason entirely?"
James also folded his hands in front of his body, sitting cross-legged on the table in front of Mr. Evans. "It was a happy mistake that came from other circumstances," he said simply, smiling winningly at Petunia as he did so, causing Lily's ridiculing snort.

"Care to elaborate?"

"We were on the way home and we stopped by Emmett's to pick up some napkins for the honorable Miss Evans," James said, nodding respectfully at Petunia, who was scrubbing at a microscopic speck of dust on the table. "Unfortunately, an unsavory young woman was manning the cash register, and I had to purchase the napkins unassisted. However, I just wanted to get the heck out of there, so I grabbed a stack of napkins without looking at them and skipped town."

Mr. Evans unfolded his hands and rapped his knuckle on the hardwood table. "I'd say that's a pretty good excuse, I don't frequent Emmett's now that Miss Ava operates the register, and I know that you don't either, Petunia. Thusly, I declare young Mr. Potter cleared of all charges." James smiled and jumped off the table cheerily, joining Lily on the counter and grabbing a muffin.

Petunia huffed and scrubbed irritably at the spot on the table where James had been sitting, but didn't contradict her father.

"My dearest Lily-flower, would you join me in the studio? I haven't seen you, and I'd like to catch up."

Lily hoisted herself off the counter, elbowing James on her way out. "Good luck with that one," she said, tilting her head towards Petunia, who was now compulsively scrubbing at a sticky spot on the refrigerator door. James chuckled, hazel eyes crinkling warmly as a devilish grin spread across his face. "Oh, don't you worry about me. Tuney and I will have a good time." He tossed her a muffin. "For the road. Come find me when you're done."

"Will do."

Lily walked slowly to the basement, munching on the muffin the whole way. Her head was full of James- her confusion atop Restormel Castle chiefly occupying her thoughts. How could she have been so stupid? James had clearly just been describing her to get a rise out of her, he only thought of her as a friend now, and she'd possibly ruined their budding friendship by accidentally marrying her medieval self to his paladin counterpart atop an ancient castle in Cornwall, of all places. It was as though she'ed used a metaphor to create a very real problem between the two of them.

And I thought I'd never use literary elements in real life, Lily thought, smiling cynically.

Lily needed to talk to Marlene- she'd know what to do. Warm eyes and tousled hair had never bothered her. Not, of course, that they were bothering Lily- just that she wanted a second opinion on her possible feelings.

Lily took a deep breath. It was time to face it- she was, somehow, in love with James Potter.

She didn't know how it had happened. She had spent most of their acquaintanceship hating him, and then suddenly- boom. Her feelings hit her in the face like a giant brick. And she had spent a little while pretending that the brick was actually just a gust of wind, ignoring the significant damage it had caused to her in hopes that it would just go away.

But just as her mother said when she was a little girl, injuries only get worse without proper attention.

And it was unlikely that she'd ever get that attention again.

But Lily put that all aside when she reached her dad's studio door. She gently turned the knob, letting her father's gentle performance of 'Autumn Leaves' wash over her. She sat down on the chair by the computer, propping her legs up on the side of the piano. "What's up, Dad? What do you want to talk about?"

He smiled softly at his youngest daughter. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay after your run-in with the insidious Miss Emmett today. Not to mention, I wanted to catch up on your trip. But that's less important. Are you alright? Should I contact Mad Alastor? Perhaps a late-night flyby is in order-"

Lily laughed gently. "No, dad, it's alright. I understand where she's coming from, at least-"

Mr. Evans scowled. "Lily Evans, I never want to hear that come from your mouth again. You know perfectly well that your mother was not your fault, and in respects to young Michael, she knows perfectly well that you were not yourself- in fact, she led you down the path that brought you to the breaking point when it came to him. She has no right to judge you for anything you have done."

Lily smiled sadly. "Yeah, I know, it's just hard to see her. All the time."

"I know, mon chou. How did young James handle it?"

:From what I could tell, he shut her down pretty well. However, I was cowering on an alleyway trash can, so I actually have very little information."

Mr. Evans smiled. "I knew I liked that boy. And how is my favorite young ragamuffin and his young friend? Are they well settled in St. Ives?"

"Yes, Remus arrived safely from Australia day before yesterday, and Sirius and he were building one hell of a sand castle when I left, so I'd say they're going to have a fine time entertaining themselves."

"I seriously doubt anyone could be bored around Sirius, and if he picks friends like himself, I daresay Remus is quite interesting as well."

"Yeah, they're a good bunch."

"Which leads me to my next question: Lily, does James treat you right?"

Lily almost choked on her muffin. Coughing violently, Lily managed to stammer out a "What?" before reaching for her father's teacup in an attempt to clear her throat of chocolate and cranberry.

"I've never been one to regulate you or Petunia's personal lives- if you ask for a source, I will direct you to the walrus of a man Petunia is marrying. That being said, I do need to know that you are in a good relationship with a good person. I could not part with you to anyone less worthy, dearest Lily."

"Don't you quote Pride and Prejudice to me, Dad."

"Excuse me, who read it to you in the first place?"
"Touché, father."

"I know I've never asked you before, but I can see that this boy is different. You love him, I can see that, and it's my duty as a father to make sure you're in a good place."

Lily smiled gently at him. "He's a good person, Dad. He'd never hurt me. You don't need to be worried about me, and certainly not if I'm with James."

Mr. Evans smiled softly down at the piano, quietly picking out the notes to 'Here Comes The Bride'. "Who'd have thought that busy Petunia would be getting married and that my wild-spirited Lily-flower would be in love, so soon? Only a little while ago you were chubby little toddlers sitting on my lap and slamming your fists onto this old piano."

"I mean, I can still do it if you want."

Mr. Evans let out a hearty chuckle. "No, it's just your sentimental old man bemoaning the days gone quietly by."

"Actually, Dad, I want to talk to you about something."

"And what would that be, mon chou?"

"Today when I was talking to Petunia, I noticed that she seemed like she was, well, second-guessing her decision to marry Vermin. I don't know, it was just for a second- but she looked like, just for a moment, she was rethinking her engagement. Have you noticed anything?"

Mr. Evans sighed, relaxing in his wheelchair. "As much as you and I wish that was true, I've talked to Petunia. The same one we just had. And she's set in her decision. She says she loves him and wants to be with him for the rest of her life- and while I don't understand why, I have to respect her decision as an adult. SO if she's second-guessing herself, it's something she needs to figure out on her own- if we get involved, she'll stick to her first decision." Mr. Evans turned back to his piano. "Now, run along, mon fleur, go find your boyfriend and let your old man play in peace."

Lily smiled sadly and shut the door behind her. Walking up the stairs, she began to consider what the chances were of convincing Petunia to fake her own death to avoid marrying Vernon.

When she came to the kitchen, she found a disaster. Standing guiltily in the middle of the floor was James, with a shifty smile on his face and what appeared to be a smashed cantaloupe on the floor beside him. Petunia was collapsed in a chair by the table, her head in her hands, lamenting the death of her spotless kitchen. Lily locked eyes with James.

"Do I want to know?"

"Maybe sometime, but not near her."

Lily nodded. "Good choice." She took James' hand in one of hers and a muffin in the other, trying to ignore the way her heartbeat quickened its pace slightly at the feel of his fingers on hers and the scent of his laundry detergent subtly wafting towards her. Nothing is happening, she tried to reassure herself, but she knew the cause of her elevated sense of awareness was coming from what was in her hand- and it wasn't the muffin.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she pulled James towards the door. "Come on, James, let's go."

"Hold on, where do you two think you're going?" Petunia said severely. "It's almost eight o'clock."

Lily looked at James and shrugged. "Who knows, she said vaguely. "But it's better than being here."