John woke up with a smile on his face, but it disappeared when he realized he was alone in an unfamiliar bed. The smile reappeared, however, when he remembered why he was in this particular situation.

As per wedding tradition, he and Sherlock were not to see each other before the wedding, and because neither man wanted to let the other sleep in Baker Street without him, Sherlock and John had spent the night at the house of their best man. Sherlock had left with Lestrade after his stag night, much like John had gone home with Bill.

John stumbled out of the guest bedroom and down the hall, in search of the bathroom. He somehow ended up in the kitchen and blinked at the bright lights, still not fully awake. Mrs. Murray was making breakfast it seemed, and saw him when he came in.

"Hello John!" She said, her voice sounding extra cheery. "How are we this morning?" John couldn't have kept the smile off of his face if he'd tried.

"Great. Fantastic. Absolutely marvelous!" Mrs. Murray chuckled lightly and turned back around to tend to the sizzling eggs on the stove. Bill appeared from around the corner with a frown on his face. He had obviously just woken up as well, and was in much worse shape than John.

"Calm down with all that yelling," he said. "Some of us normal people aren't fully awake yet."

"Oh come on Bill, don't be like that," John said playfully nudging him with his elbow. "It's my wedding day! I'm allowed to be a bit chipper this morning." Though Bill's eyes were still tired and he only looked barely conscious, he smiled at John and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I suppose you are. Now come on, we'll eat breakfast and then we'll go and get you ready."

John found it hard to eat though, due to his anxious stomach. He was only able to get a piece of toast and some coffee down before he dashed off into his room to retrieve his things. He only had a suitcase to take with him; His tuxedo and everything else were already at the Ritz and he was to change there. He carried the suitcase into the bathroom with him and brushed his teeth in a hurry, and was back out in the living room a mere five minutes after he'd taken his last bite of breakfast. Bill hadn't even left the table yet, and Mrs. Murray was still washing the dishes. Bill appeared in the living room a few minutes later, and then the two of them were ushered into an awaiting car that was to take them to Picadilly.

Fortunately it was still rather early, and not many people were out and about. John would have hated to be seen in his pyjamas in public. His hair wasn't combed and he knew he looked rather unkempt, but that didn't matter because in a matter of hours he would be primped and polished and ready and waiting for Sherlock to walk down the aisle.

They'd discussed several ways of having a processional, but eventually had agreed that John would already be waiting at the front of the room when Sherlock entered. Sherlock had the more refined gait of the two of them, and so they decided that if anyone was going to take that long and momentous walk, it would be him.

After about thirty minutes John was starting to become restless thinking about Sherlock and the wedding. He had been hoping to at least get a peek at Sherlock beforehand but he'd been immediately whisked away to his dressing room and hadn't been able to leave since. He assumed Sherlock was in the same predicament as well.

However, he managed to escape from the confines of his dressing room while Bill and Ollie were busy trying to tie each other's bow ties. Once he was in the corridor John began wandering, not really sure where he was going or how he would get there. He caught sight of an unopened bottle of water sitting on an abandoned maid's cart, and took a quick look around before swiping it. He figured it would at least provide some sort of alibi as to why he'd left his dressing room, however flimsy an excuse it was. John unscrewed the cap and was raising the bottle to his lips when he heard a very familiar and startlingly loud voice shouting from not very far away.

"I need to see him!"

John almost dropped the bottle he was holding in a momentary stupour at hearing Sherlock's voice. He put the cap back on the bottle and returned it to the cart before venturing down the hall. He rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Sherlock standing at the end of the corridor, conversing with his parents and Lestrade. He was wearing his tuxedo trousers and a white robe was covering his bare torso, and his hair somehow looked even more perfect than usual. John wondered how much product had been put into it to get it like that. He laughed when he noticed one stray curl in the center of Sherlock's forehead; No matter how hard he tried, that errant curl would always find a way to defy proper hair etiquette.

Lestrade was the first to see John, and when their eyes met he smiled and looked up at Sherlock. Sherlock seemed oblivious to what had happened and continued to shout about whatever it was that was displeasing him, his robe flapping about as he waved his hands in the air. Lestrade held a hand out and tried to calm him down.

"Sherlock-" He was cut off by a fierce growl from Sherlock.

"I don't care about tradition. I need to see him!" John was about to step forward and intervene, but then Sherlock's mother glanced over Sherlock's shoulder and saw him. Her eyes lit up and she called out to him, smiling.

"Oh, John! Hi!"

Sherlock immediately spun around, and when he saw John he froze. John held his gaze with a smile on his face, and the silence stretched on. Eventually Sherlock began making his way towards John, and John started casually strolling towards Sherlock. A wide smile broke out on Sherlock's face as their walking paces increased and they were almost running by the time they collided, Sherlock wrapping his arms tightly around John. John held Sherlock equally as tight, and he lost track of how long they stood there embracing.

"I love you," he said, his voice muffled by Sherlock's shoulder.

"And I love you." Sherlock was holding John so tight he almost couldn't breathe, but he didn't mind. He began tracing along Sherlock's spine with his fingertip, and when Sherlock pulled away he leaned in and kissed John's forehead.

"You don't know how glad I am to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too." Sherlock took a step back and held John at arm's length.

"No, you don't understand. There's something I need to talk to you about." John kept a smile on his face, hoping to keep any traces of worry or uncertainty from his face.

"What is it?"

"I don't want to be Mister Holmes-Watson." Instantly John's face fell and he started to back away from Sherlock, a prominent frown on his face.

"What? Bad time to bring this up, don't you think?" Sherlock rolled his eyes and grabbed John's hands, pulling him closer.

"No, no, don't be absurd John. Of course I still want to marry you." John breathed a sigh of relief and willed his heart rate to slow down.

"Alright," he said, "So what's this about not being a Holmes-Watson then?"

"I want to be Sherlock Watson-Holmes."

"What?"

"I've changed my mind." John raised an eyebrow, not quite frowning at Sherlock, but not exactly smiling either.

"And I'm just supposed to go along with it?" Sherlock's eyes widened and his grip on John's hands tightened.

"No, no, not like that. I just ... it's just ... you always sacrifice so much for me. I want you to be put first for once." John couldn't help but smile then, as he thought that by going along with this notion he was actually putting Sherlock first. Sherlock brought John's hands up to his lips and kissed each and every knuckle before releasing them. John just smiled up at him before realizing that they still had to finish getting ready for their wedding, and he smiled even wider.

"Alright then," he said, "You go tell the officiant, then finish getting ready. I'll meet you at the altar," John added with a wink.

Sherlock's eyes crinkled and his smile now almost encompassed his entire face. He nodded his head, gave John a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, then turned and went in search of the officiant. John sucked in a breath, then turned and went back to his dressing room. Thirty minutes later he was in place behind Bill, who was standing behind Ollie. When he heard the music start up, and John's heart rate increased tenfold.

This is it, he thought to himself. It's actually happening. Stay calm John.

Ollie was the first to walk out, then Bill. John held his breath while he waited for the signal to go, and then he stepped out in front of all his and Sherlock's family and friends, minus those who were to come in with Sherlock, and smiled. He saw Molly sitting several rows back, already dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, and he saw Mrs. Hudson siting in the second row with a huge smile on her face. Victor had managed to grab a seat in the back row beside Anthea, who was busy typing away on her phone. He saw his parents seated in the front row beside Sherlock's mother and father, and his jaw dropped when he saw Harry sitting in between his father and Mycroft. She smiled shyly and waved, and John managed to smile back.

The music slowly died down, and just as the song was ending another one started up. John could feel the anticipation in the air as the doors opened and Mike Stamford walked up the aisle. He was followed by Greg Lestrade, and then everyone rose to their feet. John held his breath, and when he saw Sherlock walk through the doors he felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him.

He looked absolutely stunning in the tuxedo that was so perfectly tailored to fit him, and John began to feel incredibly inferior in comparison. Sherlock's eyes locked with John's and they both smiled, and John felt as if he were literally floating. He felt as if his feet no longer had contact with the ground and it was only Sherlock and himself floating on cloud nine.

Sherlock sauntered up the aisle, his eyes lever leaving John's and the smile never leaving his face. When he finally reached John he cupped his face in his hands and placed a soft kiss on his eager lips. John couldn't help but laugh when he pulled away.

"We're not married yet, you know." Sherlock shrugged, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his tuxedo trousers.

"I couldn't help myself. You just look so gorgeous." John glanced away, almost certain that we was blushing. A collective 'aww' rose from the audience before they all took their seats, and the officiant began speaking.

"We have gathered here to day to celebrate the joining together of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Though these two men came in here as two individuals, they will leave as one union, united in marriage." The officiant focused his attention on Sherlock and John, who reached out at the same time to join their hands together. "Sherlock, John, you understand that this decision you have made and this commitment is much more than having a ceremony and signing a document. You two have decided to commit your lives to each other, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, 'till death do you part. A vast, unknown future stretches out before you. That future, with its hopes and disappointments, its joys and sorrows, is hidden from your eyes. But it is a great tribute to your belief in each other that you are willing to face those uncertainties together. May the pure, passionate love with which you join your hearts and hands today never fail, but grow only deeper and surer with every moment you spend together."

John gave Sherlock's hands a quick squeeze, and they smiled at each other. The officiant smiled as well, before glancing down at the paper in his hand. "The couple has decided to recite their own vows, and will do so at this time." He nodded towards Sherlock. "You may go first."

Sherlock let out a slow breath and began speaking in a bored sounding, nearly monotonous voice.

"John, there's nothing I can say now that I haven't said already, but I'll try to string some words together in a different order in hopes that they will sound slightly more meaningful, given the occasion." He paused and waited for the laughter to die down, then sucked in a breath and stared down at their joined hands. "Out of all the people you could have chosen to share your life with, that you could have chosen to love, you chose me, and I cannot express in any amount of words in any language how grateful I am for that and how lucky I consider myself to be." By now the detachment had begun to fade from Sherlock's voice and John could hear the love he usually managed to keep hidden. Sherlock looked up and met John's eyes, and he could see the love as well. "You look past all my faults, and I'll be honest in saying there are quite a few, and you love me regardless. I would say I do the same for you but you have no faults for me to look past. I could not have personally created a more perfect human being than you John. I know I always said heroes don't exist ... but I was wrong. John, you are my hero. You saved me from myself, and you've saved me from a lifetime of lovelessness and solitude. I thought sentiment was simply a chemical defect found only on the losing side, but I can tell you right now that standing here, with you, knowing that I've won your love, I feel as if I've won the greatest prize in the world. Never before have I been so wrong, and never before have I been so glad to have been proven wrong. I know I don't say it often but I do love you John, and I vow to spend the rest of my life proving that to you, each and every day for the rest of eternity." John pulled a hand out of Sherlock's grasp to swipe a finger at the corner of his eye, and when his hands were once again joined with Sherlock's he have them a squeeze.

"I should have gone first." Laughter could be heard from the audience, but it soon quieted down and John was allowed to begin.

"Um, Sherlock, the day I met you is truly a day I'll never forget. On that day, my life was changed forever and I am happy to say the change has been for the better. Before you... Before I met you I wasn't really living. My life had no livelihood, but then you showed up and showed me a whole new world. A different battlefield. One I love being on because now I've got you by my side. The time I've spent with you has been the best time of my life, and I honestly don't know where I'd be without you. I hope I never have to find out. I cannot thank you enough for everything you've done for me, and I only hope I can bring you as much happiness to you as you've brought into my life. And you... You said that I've chosen to love you. I'm afraid to tell you that's not true. You see, I had no choice in the matter. Loving you isn't something I chose to do, loving you hasn't always been the easiest thing to do, but my god, I couldn't stop if I tried. You are truly my better half. In fact, you are all of me. Everything I've got is yours whether you like it or not. Whether I like it or not. Sherlock, you are the most amazing man I have ever met, and from this day on I am so incredibly happy, and so very proud to be able to call you my husband. I love you."

Sherlock had managed to keep a semi-neutral expression on his face for the duration of John's vows, but John could tell how much he was affected by how tightly he was holding John's hands. John had nearly lost all circulation in them, but he paid no mind to it. Each moment that passed brought them one moment closer to being married, and John couldn't wait any longer. Luckily, he didn't have to because the officiant soon started speaking.

"John, do you choose Sherlock to be your partner in life, promising to share in all that life offers, to be there for him in times of need, to soothe him in times of pain, and to support him in all endeavors, both big and small? "

"I do."

"Sherlock, do you choose John to be your partner in life, promising to share in all that life offers, to be there for him in times of need, to soothe him in times of pain, and to support him in all endeavors, both big and small?"

"Of course I do."

"Then let us have the rings please." John turned and took the ring from Bill's outstretched hand, took a moment to find the engraved 'S&J' on the band, and then slid it onto Sherlock's finger. Sherlock took John's ring from Greg and slid it on, and then moved his hands to rest on John's waist. John placed his hands against Sherlock's chest and they stared into each other's eyes while they waited for the only words they cared to hear that day.

"I now pronounce you husband and ... husband. You may now salute your groom."

"He doesn't mean that literally, John," Bill called out from behind him. Sherlock glared over John's shoulder at him, and John laughed as he moved his hands up to Sherlock's shoulders and pulled him down into a soft kiss. Their guests cheered, but the applause barely registered in John's mind as his lips slid against Sherlock's.

They pulled away slowly, and when John opened his eyes he saw that Sherlock's were bright and shining. He reached down and laced his fingers through Sherlock's, and hey turned and faced their guests, both men smiling broadly.

"I now present to you, Doctor and Mister Watson-Holmes!"

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I am taking a bit of creative liberty here. To my knowledge there is no side door through which John could have entered in any of the rooms the Ritz uses for weddings, but in this story there is.

As always, all mistakes are mine and I apologize for them. Thanks for reading!