Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 12:27:02 -0700 (PDT) From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com> Subject: Trials of a Real Dark Knight 33 Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice. Star Wars and all related concepts created by or based on the universe created by George Lucas. Copyright 20th Century Fox, LucasFilms Ltd. and Lucas Books/Ballantine Books. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. This story has taken on a life of its own. From its inception a year ago, I had only thought it would last ten chapters maximum. As you can see, it has grown tremendously. Mostly due to readers emailing me and telling me they've enjoyed it or have received help due to certain issues addressed. I've enjoyed writing this story but it would not have been written without men and women reading it and telling me they've enjoyed it. I do hope that you continue to enjoy each new chapter as our hero lives and grows. I have received many emails from people who have enjoyed it and some from those who do not. I would enjoy hearing from you. Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks. authorjames2002@yahoo.com I also have several online messenger services, one of which is this yahoo email address. Some of you know them; however, in the recent weeks I've changed my screen name. If you want to chat with me in real time, email me and tell me the services you use and I will tell you my screen name. Chapter 33 I Do When morning came, Lance and I were greeted by his sister Stacy rushing in. "Are you two going to sleep the day away? You don't have much time!" Lance grabbed his pillow and threw it at her. The two laughed at a joke they must have done lots of times before. It is funny to see two adults acting like children when it is all in fun. "We're getting up, Stace. Thanks." Stacy closed the door and Lance rolled over to see me staring at him. "Today's the big day, the day we make our commitment to each other." "I made that commitment a while ago." "Me, too," Lance replied, and he kissed m on the lips. Soon we were heatedly making out in the bed until a thumping on the door distracted us followed by a "Stop it and get up!" Lance and I laughed and we got up. Lance took his shower first and came back with a towel wrapped around his waist. "It's a good thing we have an appointment at noon," I said to Lance. "Otherwise we'd have to stay in bed." "What makes you say that?" "Seeing you with your body glistening from the water and the only thing keeping me from you is a towel." Lance laughed. I headed into the bathroom and showered. As the water fell over me, I thought of what today was bringing. Today, two will be joined as one in the eyes of God, Lance and I will be made one. What a beautiful thought! After dressing in our tuxedos, we rode in the back of Lance's parents' car with his parents driving us to the church. Stacy had gone ahead of us to make sure everything was ready. The car pulled into the parking space and his parents got out. "Are you ready?" they asked us. "We'll be in in just a moment," Lance said. His parents nodded and went inside leaving Lance and I alone. "Are you ready?" Lance asked me. "I can't say I'm not nervous. This is a big step." "Too big?" Lance asked. "No," I answered immediately. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know what it would be like to be without you. The world was a very lonely place when I wasn't with you. I don't ever want to experience that again." Lance kissed me deeply. "Me, either," he replied when he withdrew. "Let's go get married." I smiled at him and we climbed out of the car. The church wasn't too big, a rather nice small southern church, and very beautiful. When we stepped inside, the minister was there waiting for us. He motioned for us to follow him through the door. There we found our wedding party dressed up for the occasion. Everyone rushed over to greet us. "Can you believe it?" Joey said to Lance. "You're actually getting married! This is so cool!" "I'm so happy for you guys," JC replied. "Thanks," I said with a smile. "Can I have your attention?" the minister said to everyone in the room. Once everyone was paying attention, the minister continued. "I'm going to go out. In a few minutes, the music will begin to play and each of you will walk out with your respective partners. Once they are all out, the wedding march will begin with Stacy carrying the rings and Lance and Eric will come down the aisle together." Everyone nodded. We had practiced this a few days ago, so we had it down pat. Of course, it always helps to have the extra reminder coming when one is rather nervous. The minister nodded and headed out of the room. Then, the wedding party paired off: Joey and Chris, JC and Justin, Jessica and Brian, and finally Lance and myself. We exited the room and the music began. I watched as Chris and Joey headed down first. Everyone looked back as the two young men headed down the aisle. Then went Justin and JC. I squeezed Lance's arm in nervousness. He looked at me and smiled and I knew things would be alright. I could see the nervousness in his eyes, but he also had his look of confidence. This was something he wanted to do and nothing would stand in his way. Brian and Jessica went down next and I looked at the friends and family that responded to our invitation. Garrett, Professor Xavier, Joshua, Logan, Jean, Scott, and Ororo were sitting together. Jayce Haverhill, Quentin Travers, and young Harry Potter were sitting behind them. The next row back sat Robert Lakewind and Ryan Brookdale. On Lance's side, his parents sat, with his grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles and cousins spread throughout. His sister stood in front of us carrying the pillow with our rings. We had asked her to be our ring bearer and she accepted with the utmost excitement. She stood proudly with the pillow in her hands and, as the music played, she marched down. Cameras went off while everyone went down taking pictures of this most momentous occasion. It was magical and seemed all too unreal for me. Once Stacy was at the end of the aisle, the wedding march began. Everyone stood and Lance and I began our journey down the aisle to the place we would unite ourselves before friends and family. The cameras went off even more so. I had to keep from crying from all the excitement. Lance leaned over and whispered, "I love you, Eric." In return, I gave his arm another squeeze. I couldn't trust myself to talk. It was going to be a major ordeal just to work through the vows. Finally, the march down the aisle ended with Lance and I standing before the altar and the wedding party on either side of us. The music ended and all went quiet. "You may be seated," the minister said. The sound of shuffling was heard and then stillness. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered together on this day at the invitation of Lance Bass and Eric McCoy to witness their union in holy matrimony. Their union is fraught with much controversy and difficulty but they have asked you here to support them in their declaration of love for one another. "Lance, Eric, as I stand before you, a man ordained of God to bless such ceremonies, I have some words of advice for you. On this day, you two will become one in the eyes of God. Each will complement the other in life's journey, strengthening when one is weak, supporting when one is overwhelmed and caring when one needs looked after. Times will come when one will need the other greatly and that love you have for one another, the oneness you share will carry you. "As important as it is for a couple to be one and to share that one life, do not lose site of whom each of you is on your own. That is what made the other fall in love with you, your charms, your quirks, and your faults. Those individual qualities make you a unique person. Don't lose that. "And now, for the exchange of vows. Lance." "I, Lance, stand before you, Eric, and declare my love for you between God and man. I don't know where I would be without you. Ever since I met you, I've wanted to grab you and hug you and take care of you. You are the sweetest man I have ever met, the way you take care of me, the way you concern yourself with other people's problems. You are an inspiration to me and the kind of man I want to be. You've made my life happy and complete. And I don't want to live my life without you." "The ring," the minister stated. Stacy stepped up between Lance and I with the pillow in her hand. Lance reached over and took the ring. He grasped my hand and held the ring at the tip. "With this ring, I thee wed. I promise to love you, cherish you, and honor you until death us do part." Lance slipped the ring on my finger and gave my hand a squeeze. "Eric," the minister said keying me to say mine. "I, Eric, stand before you, Lance, and declare my love for you between God and man. I know exactly where I would be without you. I would be alone struggling to find my place in this world. You've filled my life with hope and love. I've experienced what it is like without you, and in that short amount of time, I was terrified. That is an experience I do not want to repeat ever again. You make me complete, Lance, and I don't want to lose you, ever." "The ring," the minister directed. Stacy came up and handed me the ring. I took Lance's hand in mine and placed the ring at his fingertip. "This ring represents my love for you. It is a circle with no beginning or ending. It will go on for all eternity as my love for you will go on for all eternity." I slipped the ring on Lance's finger and looked into his eyes. His eyes were filled with tears, although I wasn't one hundred percent sure on that since my own eyes were blurred. "Then, by the power vested in me by God," the minister concluded, "I now pronounce you husband to one another." Lance lightly touched my cheeks and placed my hand on the side of his head. We leaned into each other and kissed. My body felt charged with love and passion. In that moment, I felt our spirits one. I felt God's blessing upon it. It was a familiar feeling, but one that I hadn't felt in a long time. The pews lit up with camera flashes going. We broke our kiss and looked to the minister. He motioned for us to turn around. The cameras went off some more and the music began. Lance and I both chose the song for after the ceremony, NSYNC's "That's When I'll Stop Loving You" since it was a song that kept us both going when we were apart. We interlocked our arms and headed up the aisle as a married couple. I leaned my head on Lance's shoulder and, once outside the auditorium, I took him into my arms and kissed him again. We lined up with the wedding party on either side of us to greet the guests of the reception as they came out of the auditorium. Lance's family came up, hugged him and congratulated him, and hugged me welcoming me into the family. Joshua came up and gave me a big hug. "You got married, Eric!" he said. "Isn't it wonderful?" "It's fantastic! I'm so happy for you! I hope one day I get married!" "I'm sure when you find the right one, it will happen." Logan came up right behind Joshua and shook my hand. "Congratulations," he said. "Thank you," I responded. Scott and Jean came up. "That was such a beautiful ceremony," Jean commented. "Thanks for inviting us." "Thanks for coming," I replied. Once everyone was outside, two-by-two the bridle party went out. Then, Lance and I exited and the bubbles were blown surrounding us. We climbed into the limousine and off we went. As soon as the doors had closed Lance and I were all over each other kissing and touching. "We did it," he said. "We actually got married." "I know. It is overwhelming to think about it. It seems so unreal, like a wonderful dream you wait to wake up from." "But it isn't a dream. It's real. Can life get any better?!" Lance and I laughed and kissed some more. In about an hour, we pulled up to the reception hall. The bridle party was waiting for us outside. Again, they had to pair up and enter the hall and finally Lance and I. Everyone cheered and the cameras flashed once more. Kodak was definitely getting their money's worth today, that's for sure. We went up to the head table and sat. The food was served, we ate, and time came for a toast. Jessica stood up to make the toast. "Can I have everyone's attention, please?" The hall quieted down and everyone took their glasses filled with champagne. "To Lance," Jessica began, "we dated, had lots of good times. You and I are best friends. Even when you came out to me, I didn't have any anger toward you. I knew, regardless of your sexual orientation, that I loved you and wanted you to be happy. And I've never see you as happy as you are when you are with Eric. I wish you this joy and happiness for all eternity. "To Eric, you and I had an interesting friendship for the past year full of ups and downs. But one thing has remained constant; I never doubted your caring for Lance or his caring for you. I'm glad to call you friend, and I wish you love and happiness all the days of your life." "Here here," was muttered throughout the hall. Glasses clinked and everyone drank. "Now is time for the dancing!" someone shouted. The song Lance and I picked out began. It was Madonna's "Crazy For You", the song he and I first danced to. We grasped each other's hand and headed to the dance floor as the music began. The lights dimmed and only one light remained shining down on the dance floor. Lance took me in his arms and we danced. Swaying room as the music starts Strangers making the most of the dark Two by two their bodies become one I see you through the smoky air Can't you feel the weight of my stare? You're so close but still a world away What I'm dying to say is that I'm crazy for you Touch me once and you'll know it's true I never wanted anyone like this It's all brand new You'll feel it in my kiss I'm crazy for you I leaned my head against Lance's shoulder. He held my hand close to his chest and I could feel his heart beating. Trying hard to control my heart I walk over to where you are Eye to eye we need no words at all Slowly now we begin to move Every breath I'm deeper into you Soon we, too, are standing still in time If you'll read my mind you'll see I'm crazy for you Touch me once and you'll know it's true I never wanted anyone like this It's all brand new You'll feel it in my kiss You'll feel it in my kiss because I'm crazy for you Touch me once and you'll know it's true I never wanted anyone like this It's all brand new You'll feel it in my kiss I'm crazy for you I lifted my head off his shoulder and kissed him. "I'm crazy for you," I whispered. "Me, too," Lance replied. To Be Continued... What do you think of the wedding and reception? I'd love to hear your comments.