|
|
Another day seemed to drag by slowly, but, less than twenty-four after Stefanie's suggestion, the group was gathered in the hospital's chapel to do just that. Giles had set things up ahead of time, so, when he entered, Angel was slightly pleased to find several lit candles and a framed 8x10 glossy of his lost wife placed on a table to one side of the altar.
Angel walked in slowly, sitting in the first row and feeling sick as he reflected on the unfairness of it all. Just three days ago, about this exact same time, he and Buffy had been married. And now, just seventy-two hours later, he was preparing to lay her to rest.
Before Angel knew it, Stefanie had seated herself next to him and laid one hand on his shoulder. After a moment, he turned to look at her, seeing in her eyes the same amount of grief he felt. Clearing his throat, Angel said, quite suddenly, "I can still see her on the day we first met. I knew even then that I loved her. She just seemed to have this light around her that attracted anyone who bothered to look." He paused, and when he spoke next, Stefanie sensed that he was on the verge of tears. "I never imagined that I would lose her like this. It's not fair. Buffy and I were supposed to have a lifetime more ahead of us!"
Stefanie bit her lip, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Cordelia was the next to enter. "Yeah, I know the feeling," Steffi whispered. "It hurts like hell." She paused, then added, "I remember how it was when I first met her too. I had spent so long detached from a world that didn't know or care that I existed. And when Buffy first lay eyes on me, I somehow knew that my life would never be the same, that I'd never have to be alone again." Stefanie sobbed, looking skyward. "God, I miss her so much!"
After that brief exchange, a period of silence followed until everyone had arrived. Giles seated Ivory next to her father, then stepped closer to the altar to deliver a short speech.
Looking slightly uncomfortable, Giles said, in a tone loud enough for all present to hear, "We're gathered her today to celebrate the life of a girl we all knew and loved... For starters, I think all of us could each what we remember most about Buffy Summers or what our favorite memory of her is." He paused, looking around the silent group. "Would anyone like to go first?"
When no one answered, Giles shifted his weight. "Very well then," he continued in perfect stride. "I suppose I will." He looked skyward a moment, as if trying to pick the most appropriate memory, then continued, "I have to admit this is rather difficult because I have so many years to pick from... But, I'd say that the thing I remember most is... Well, it was around the time she was sixteen and I had just deciphered a prophecy that stated that she was going to die. Out of desperation to prevent it, I was prepared to go into battle in her place, but Buffy arrived in time to stop me. She was all ready to face her fate, even though it might have cost her her life. I thank God that she wasn't taken from us then, but... the point is, she always made many sacrifices to ensure that the world would go on even if she didn't."
Giles hesitated a moment, letting his words linger in the air, then returned to his seat. There was a slight uncomfortable pause, then Cordelia abruptly stood, heading to the spot where the Watcher had just been. Her speech was considerably shorter.
"It was, um, perhaps three years ago that my parents moved out of state and I chose to remain in Sunnydale. I had started out renting an apartment, but struggling to make ends meet. In short, I was failing miserably. Then, Buffy surprised me by inviting me to move in with her." Cordelia paused, then added, "She was always thinking of others before herself, unlike me most of the time. And now, I bid her farewell..."
Jenny declined to speak, saying uncomfortably that she and Buffy hadn't known each other that well. Xander and Willow elected to go next instead, but it was Willow who did most of the speaking.
"When I first met Buffy, I was one of the shiest girls in school. She recognized this right off, and she was always after me to open up more. My confidence in myself grew the more time I spent around her... To me, her life was nothing short of a miracle. She had a way of changing things for the better, and I'll forever thank her for it."
After that short speech, Xander escorted Willow back to their seat. There was another slight pause, then Stefanie got up to deliver her own dialogue.
Throwing a glance at the photo on the table, Stefanie said, "One of my best memories would be the aftermath of my relationship with Rhys. After he left my life, I was feeling so much hurt. Buffy was there to help pick up the pieces. She made me see that it was better to cherish the brief time we had together rather than long for more... She was always like that, giving me the advice and encouragement that I couldn't muster for myself." Stefanie bit her lip, tears running down her face. "And now, I'm going to use that exact same advice in a different way. Buffy can rest knowing that I'll cherish every day in which I knew her."
Stefanie returned to her seat a second later, settling down to Ivory's left and holding the young girl while Angel got up reluctantly to add his own words. His speech came after a moment of silence and definitely lasted the longest.
Angel looked down at his gold wedding band, fingering it a moment and lost in thought. For a few seconds, he was unsure as to which memory of Buffy to choose, then settled on the perfect one.
Looking up, Angel said, "I remember how our relationship was for the first four years we knew each other. Buffy and I had tried several times to make it work, but failed at every turn for some reason or other... That all changed the day she buried her mother. I came to her and we spent one very precious night together. It was the night that would eventually give us our daughter, Ivory." He paused, looking around at his friends' faces with tears in his eyes. "Neither she nor I gave up this time around. We both simply refused to, and Buffy made it adamantly clear that she wanted me in her life. And I loved her too much to refuse her that."
Angel cleared his throat, then continued. "It still surprises me that Buffy loved me enough to look past what I was. But she did, and she saw all the good qualities that were hidden inside. She persevered, and she succeeded in waking me up and providing me a place in her world and her heart... I would gladly join her where she is now provided I still didn't have a little girl who needed me," he said, focusing on Ivory with that last statement. "Buffy lives on in her, in all of us. As long as we all go on remembering her, the Slayer--the confidant and friend--we all knew will never leave us." Angel turned slightly to look at the picture of his smiling love. "Always, Buffy," he whispered. "I'll always remember you."
Angel remained silent a moment, then erupted into tears, somehow making his way back to his seat. Stefanie watched him for a moment, then looked down at Ivory, swearing that she saw so much of Buffy (in terms of looks) in this little girl. After a moment, Jenny came to get Ivory, allowing Stefanie to scoot across the seat and provide what little comfort she could to Angel, even though her own heart was breaking.
In essence, it seemed like this would be a fitting end to the story, but there were several more notable events yet to occur. The first came about some two weeks later, when, in a late night gathering at a restaurant, Cordelia made a rather startling admission...