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Author's Notes: I lay no claim to Buffy and her friends, as they belong solely to Joss Whedon. I do, however, own Stefanie and Arnie and some of the background information. This story is a sequel to Alone, Together, so I would recommend you read that one first before concentrating on this. And now, on with the show...
Part 1
Other than walking down the aisle with a bouquet of daisies and exchanging a brief, loving look with Angel at the altar, Buffy Summers' mind was anywhere but on the ceremony at hand for the first five minutes.
She hardly noticed when the organ music ceased and the preacher began the wedding nuptials. She was too busy recalling the last time she had been in a church: the day of her mother's funeral.
It had been a little over two months ago, Buffy remembered sadly, but the pain was as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. One night, her mom had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and an unknown vampire had killed her.
Since then, Buffy had sworn she wouldn't rest until she found this vampire and destroyed him. But certain circumstances had forced her to back off from slaying for a while, mainly the fact that she was carrying Angel's child.
Once more, Buffy glanced sideways at Angel, who returned her look immediately. Despite her sadness, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him right now. He had always seemed to have that effect on her.
She took a moment to admire his handsome face: the dark shadowy eyes, the silky black hair, the soft pink lips made perfect for kissing. It conveyed his every mood perfectly, so she had no trouble at all telling what he was feeling. For the moment, he flashed her a loving smile, then looked forward, attentive once more.
Buffy followed his example a second later. It often surprised her that she could love someone, let alone a vampire, this much. But of all the changes wrought over her in the four years since her move to Sunnydale, Angel was the only constant, the one thing that remained the same.
At this, Buffy thought back to the first time they had met: she had knocked him to the ground in a dark alley after he had followed her a few blocks. After informing her he wasn't a threat ("Don't worry. I don't bite."), Angel had promptly given her a few veiled warnings and a cross necklace for protection.
From there on, Angel made several random appearances to inform her of vampire activity, their relationship growing stronger with each meeting. Then came the somewhat awful night she learned the truth about him; Angel was a 240-year-old vampire.
Nevertheless, Buffy still fell in love with him, for despite his "heritage", he proved his good intentions time and again and had saved her life on more than one occasion. Plus, he despised his kind almost as much as she did.
Although they had fought their feelings for each other, knowing their romance could never work, Angel and Buffy couldn't deny in the end that they'd never get over each other.
Ironically, it was her mother's death that brought them together for good. Once hearing what had happened, Angel came to pay his respects. And what had started as a courtesy call turned into a night of exquisite passion, the night their baby was conceived.
Upon learning she was pregnant, Buffy had had a few concerns: how it would affect her nightly vampire slaying, whether the child would be born good or evil, what her friends would think.
To problem number one, Angel had agreed to take over her "job" for a few months. For the second, he assured her that no child of a Slayer could be born evil, no matter who the father was. With those aside, the third seemed to solve itself. Or it would, as soon as she got around to actually telling her friends.
Just then, Buffy was pulled from her trance by the minister's final words. "I now pronounce you husband and wife," he said. "You may kiss the bride."
Smiling, Buffy turned her head slightly, watching as her two favorite teachers, Giles and Miss Calender, did just that, locked together for who knew how long. She just had to bite her lip to keep from laughing when Angel looked at his pocketwatch to time them.
The assembled guests began to leave shortly after this, heading to the Bronze (Sunnydale's only night club) for the reception. Only Buffy and Angel stayed behind the longest while she congratulated Giles.
Like Angel, Buffy had met Giles on her second day in Sunnydale. She had entered the library to get a history textbook and wound up with what she thought at the time was an annoying British librarian.
Giles wasn't just any librarian though; he was also Buffy's personal Watcher, the one who would advise and train her about any monster who hit town. Over the years, Sunnydale had attracted more than it's share of non-vampire creatures, such as zombies and some werewolves to name a few.
Despite a rough start, Buffy and Giles got along great now. He had even become a sort of father figure for her, which was good since she rarely saw her real dad nowadays.
As to Miss Calender, she was a computer teacher who, in her spare time, studied the occult over the Internet. To sum it up, she was a technopagan, as she so often referred to herself. Buffy personally thought it was cool.
Miss Calender was a good person to turn to for help sometimes. She had first proved her worth by assisting Buffy and Giles in casting a demon from the Internet. And, most recently, by joining in on the zombie fight.
Buffy had been surprised anyway when her two older friends had announced their engagement. For although Miss Calender had tried endlessly to convince Giles that computers were more informative than his dusty old library of books, he continued to shun technology. Other than that big difference, Buffy supposed they were compatible.
"Congratulations, Giles," Buffy said, giving her Watcher a big hug. "I never thought I would see the day when you got married, but... I guess miracles do happen."
He smiled down at her, adjusting the glasses on his face, then said, "Thank you... Now why don't you head for the reception? I'll meet you there later."
Buffy turned to leave, then stopped and looked back. "Are you sure we won't have any trouble tonight?" she asked for about the hundredth time, knowing she was being a pest but not caring. Despite the fact that none of Giles' books pointed to danger tonight, she still needed reassuring.
Giles gave her a venomous look, one that asked if she was going to spend the night worrying or simply have fun for a change. Buffy chose the latter. "Never mind," she said before turning to leave.
Angel and Buffy had previously opted to walk, deciding a stroll would be more romantic. And it gave them more time to talk in private.
The two of them made a striking sight as they walked down the street, one a vampire, the other a Vampire Slayer. Buffy often thought their relationship to be contradictory in itself, but it worked well anyway.
Angel took a few moments to tell her how beautiful she looked, with her cute-as-a- button face, soft fluffy blond hair in curls and green eyes sparkling, and wearing a simple lavender cotton dress. Then, they got down to slightly more serious stuff.
"You know, it was really nice of Giles to hold the ceremony after sundown so I could attend," Angel said. "You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?"
Buffy shrugged. "Giles is notorious for doing me favors. Although, in this case, it was like pulling teeth to get what I wanted." She turned to look at him. "It's hard being the only girl on the block with a nocturnal boyfriend," she joked.
Angel gave a brief laugh, reaching out to put his arm around her. "You're amazing," he commented in that deep, sexy voice of his. "I have never met another Slayer quite as brave or persistent or witty as you, Buffy."
She paused, giving this some thought. "You ever kill any?" she asked. "I mean, prior to when the gypsies restored your soul." Regaining his soul had been the one thing that had turned Angel into a good vampire; before that, he had been equally as evil and deadly as the rest.
Angel hesitated at this question. "Would it bother you greatly if I said I did?" he asked cautiously, his body tense as he awaited her answer.
Buffy immediately regretted having asked that question, seeing his discomfort. "Angel, it's okay. You don't have to..."
He cut in before she could finish the thought, lost in that long-ago memory. "It was a long time ago, shortly after I made Drusilla a vampire," he admitted. "Someone, a demon, pointed out this particular Slayer to me..." Angel paused, looking at Buffy and collecting himself before he went any further. "I'm sorry," he said, reaching out touch her face. "It's not a good idea to go into detail on this one."
"You're forgiven," Buffy replied. "But feel free to tell me someday. It won't make me think any less of you... I love you, Angel."
He responded by kissing her gently on the cheek. "I love you too," he said with a warm smile. "Always will, until the end of time."
Buffy nodded half distractedly, then stopped and looked at him. "By the way, did you find that vamp that did my mom in yet?"
Angel shook his head, a trace of regret in his eyes. "I haven't given up looking though. And you shouldn't either. We'll find him, Buffy." He paused, then put one hand against her face. "And when we do, I promise you can be the one to take care of him. I won't interfere in any way... In the meantime, why don't we continue our discussion of names for the baby?"
Buffy smirked, following him down the dark deserted street. "I still prefer the name Angel, Jr. for a boy," she said adamantly.
"And I still say you're begging for this kid to be picked on his entire life," Angel replied. The two of them playfully argued over it for the remainder of the walk to the Bronze, then she called an end to it.
Upon entering, Buffy was greeted by her best friend, the incredibly shy Willow I-can-usually-make-a-few-vowel-sounds-and-then-I-have-to-go-away Rosenberg. Of all the time Buffy had known her, Willow had spent the majority encased in her thick shell and pining away for Xander Harris, their mutual other friend.
Needless to say, Willow was too cowardly to tell the boy she loved how she felt, even after four years. And the fact that Xander had carried a torch for Buffy and not her for the same amount of time wasn't helping matters.
Excusing herself from Angel, Buffy escorted Willow to the bar for some sodas, and Buffy couldn't help noticing that Xander was eyeing her from across the room.
Willow caught on to this quickly. "Sometimes I wish he'd look at me the way he does you," she said softly.
Buffy looked at her. "He will if you just tell him. I'm sure," she said. "Be impulsive for once, Willow. Just walk right up and ask him to dance."
Willow shook her head, eyes wide with terror. "Impulsive works for you, not me," she said, as if Buffy had just handed her a stake and pointed out a vampire in the crowd.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "What are you so afraid of?" She paused, then added, "Best case scenario, you and Xander could be the next ones walking down the aisle."
This idea appealed to Willow, but not enough to make her drop her inhibitions. She and Buffy got their preferred sodas quickly, and went to sit at a nearby table. Angel soon came to join them, then Xander.
The friction between the two men who loved her was so thick Buffy could clearly feel it. It had always been that way; Xander was immensely distrustful of this vampire, or rather any guy Buffy had chosen over him. But for her sake only, he tended to keep it to himself.
The four of them remained silent for a while, just staring at each other and waiting for someone to speak. During this, Buffy couldn't help thinking how different Willow and Xander looked from their usual day-to-day appearances.
Willow's generally straight auburn hair had also been curled and she had put on a deep red shade of lipstick and lightly-sequined crimson dress for the occasion. Xander, on the other hand, had smoothed his unruly brown hair back into a more suave look and had gotten all dressed up in a tuxedo. Both had looked so unlike themselves that Buffy hadn't recognized either one at first.
Buffy snapped alert when she saw Xander was about to break the silence, only to be rewarded with one of his frequent paranoid remarks. "Stop staring at my neck!" Xander said to Angel. "Didn't you bring something to eat with you?"
Angel had made a habit of stealing bags of blood to live on from the hospital, choosing them over taking the lives of humans, so Xander's concerns were totally unnecessary. Nevertheless, Angel leaned forward and said, "You worry too much."
Willow attempted to change the subject then by saying, "I still can't believe Giles really got married, and to Miss Calender, no less. Does anyone know if they'll be here soon?"
Buffy smiled slightly, grateful for the distraction. "I imagine that Giles is sick of having his picture taken by now, so they should arrive in the next twenty minutes... In the meantime, do you want to dance, Angel?"
He nodded, standing and escorting her to the dance floor, where a romantic slow song was playing. Xander looked after Buffy a moment with a lost puppy dog gaze, then turned to Willow. "I still don't understand what she sees in that guy," he complained.
Willow nodded sympathetically. "You're just mad because he's not you," she told him. "Xander, I think it's time you got over her. You shouldn't keep torturing yourself like this."
"I can't do it," Xander stated after a moment. "I can't accept it... Who knows, maybe she'll still come around."
"You're hopeless," Willow replied, leaning her head on one hand and not sure if she was addressing him or herself. Rather than decide which, she focused on Buffy and Angel, watching them dance.
Fortunately, there were no further problems for the next hour and a half. Buffy's only concern was to keep Angel from being photographed; he wouldn't show up on film. Willow caught the bride's bouquet, and Xander steered clear of Angel the entire time.
It was just two minutes before Giles and his new wife were to cut the cake when a bad feeling came over Buffy. Feeling dizzy, she half collapsed into Angel's arms, catching his attention. No one else had noticed or they surely would have hurried over.
Angel looked at her in concern. "Hey, are you alright?"
Buffy paused, then shook her head. "Something's wrong... Something doesn't feel right." She met his eyes, fear showing in hers. "Giles was wrong. There's a vampire headed this way!"
Angel gave this a moment's thought, then reached out with all his senses to see if she was right. Finding that she was, he discreetly removed a stake from underneath his sleeve and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll only be a minute," he said, heading for the exit.
Buffy tried to remain calm while he was gone, but found she couldn't. She was too afraid that something might happen to him. Finally, she started towards Willow and Xander when the main door to the Bronze crashed open like a loud thunderclap.
Willow and several other female guests screamed at the sudden noise, while Buffy turned towards it, her defenses going up. But all she saw was a distressed teenage girl limping towards her, one hand outstretched. "Help me," the strange girl rasped. She took another step, but then she collapsed, out cold before she hit the floor.
Angel re-entered only seconds after the girl, in time to see her plea for help and faint. He locked eyes with Buffy briefly, then stepped forward and gently eased the girl onto her back.
What he saw hit him like an electric shock, and he could only stare at her in silence. Before Angel knew it, Buffy had walked over and was looking down at him.
Reluctant to speak in front of the crowd (most didn't know her role as the Slayer), Buffy sent a thought-message to him. *Who is she, Angel?* Buffy asked mentally. *A vampire?*
He looked up at her in surprise and fear, then answered her question in
the same fashion. *She's a Slayer*...