+ The characters belong to WB (and/or UPN), Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon
with the exception of Smitty. He's my creation.
The Wedding of Giles and Joyce
by Scott R. Barnett
It was the second week of August and Xander was just finishing up his last final exam for the semester. After he turned it in he stopped and talked to the professor for a few minutes. When he was done he grabbed his backpack and walked to his jeep. It was three o'clock and he needed to get home and change. The guys were taking Giles out tonight for a bachelor party. The girls were also getting together tonight to give Joyce a wedding shower. Their wedding was on Saturday.
Xander pulled up in front of his house and noticed an older Cadillac convertible sitting in front of it. ' I guess Angel and Cordy have arrived.' he thought. He admired the car for a few seconds then walked into the house.
He was greeted at the door by Buffy. They kissed for a few minutes and then walked hand in hand into the living room. Angel and Cordy were sitting on the couch.
"Hey guys." said Xander
"Hey Xander. How did your finals go?" asked Cordy.
"They went well. I think I aced most of them. The calculus one gave me some problems, but I think I did okay."
"That's good" said Angel.
"Don't tell Willow that. She spent enough time tutoring you in it." said a smiling Buffy.
"Yeah. Math has always been the toughest subject for me." said Xander.
"And here I was thinking it was women that was your toughest subject." giggled Buffy.
Angel and Cordelia laughed at this too. Xander just grabbed Buffy, leaned her back and kissed her deeply. When they broke she actually had to catch her breath.
"Well I don't think that subject is a problem anymore." smirked Angel.
Buffy just blushed at this while Xander chuckled a little at her reaction. Cordy sighed at the sight of the kiss. In reaction to that Angel grabbed her and kissed her just as passionately. She sat there smiling after that. Now it was Buffy's turn to giggle. Both women knew what good kissers their counterpart's mates were. After all the pairing used to be the opposite of what it was now. Buffy used to be with Angel and Cordy used to be with Xander.
At that moment Oz walked in with Amy, Tara and Willow. "What is this, a kissing contest?" cracked Oz.
Everyone just laughed at that. Willow looked at her watch and then said, "We better get going over to your mom's house Buffy. We don't want to be late setting up for the shower."
They were having the wedding shower for Joyce at the Summers house. Dawn had arranged for Joyce to take her to the mall for some shopping so that the rest of the girls could set it up. They were all going to be staying over there that night as well. The girls got up and quickly left. They were driving over in Angel's car and Xander's jeep. The guys were going to use Oz's van for their trip. They were headed into L.A. Angel had found an old fashioned English pub that someone had opened up in the city. They figured that that would be a great place for the party. It appeared that a lot of English expatriates tend to visit it and it is owned by a couple that moved here from Liverpool.
At about six thirty the three guys drove the van over to the Magic Box and parked in the alleyway behind it. They waited until Giles came out the back after locking up the place and jumped him. They threw him into the van and sped off out of town.
"What the hell!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Giles.
"Hi." smiled the three guys.
"Ok. What is going on?" asked Giles.
"We're kidnapping you for your bachelor party." said Xander.
"What?!?" asked Giles.
"Your bachelor party. You are getting married and it is traditional to have a bachelor party for the groom." said Angel.
"Alright." laughed Giles. "I hope Joyce will understand. We were supposed to spend the night together."
"Don't worry. The girls will explain it to her when they surprise her with the wedding shower they have planned for tonight." said Oz.
"Where are we going?" asked Giles.
"You'll see." said Xander.
They arrived at the pub and Oz parked the van. They got out of the van and walked over to it.
"Welcome to the Rose & Crown." said Angel.
They walked into to the place and grabbed a table.
"My word! It looks just like a real English pub like the ones I used to frequent back in London." exclaimed Giles.
"Yep. The owners actually owned one in Liverpool before immigrating to the U.S. I found this place a couple of weeks ago and told the guys about it. We all agreed that this would be perfect for your bachelor party." said Angel
A barmaid came over and they all ordered some pints of beer. There was a guy up on stage playing the piano while another guy played the guitar and sang some English drinking songs. Pretty soon the whole bar was singing along, including Giles and Angel who knew the songs. Xander and Oz faked it. Oz was the better faker.
They were drinking for a while and generally having a great time. They had even gotten some food to snack on while they were drinking. Angel had produced some cigars, they all smoked them.
When the guys on stage took a break Oz walked over and asked if he could sit in for them. The guy with the guitar said ok and Oz went up and played some appropriate style music. Everyone there seemed to enjoy it. Angel urged Giles to go up and give it a shot. Buffy had told him a while ago that she had seen a picture once of Giles playing the guitar and he wanted to hear how good Giles was. After much needling Giles got up there. Oz introduced him as a groom-to-be and a proper Englishman. He played several songs and the whole bar applauded him. It turned out that he was quite good on the guitar and had a good voice, as well.
Dawn and Joyce arrived home and went inside. As soon as they closed the door the lights came on and all of the girls sprung up and yelled surprise. Dawn joined them. Joyce just stood there shocked.
"My god. I don't know what to say." said Joyce.
"Then don't say anything and sit down and enjoy Mom." said a smiling Buffy.
They escorted her into the dining room where there was a delicious looking dinner setup. They sat down and started eating.
"This is really good. Who cooked it?" asked Joyce.
"I did, with a little help from everyone." said Tara.
"Ah. Let me guess. That's why you asked me to take you to the mall Dawn. Eh?"
"Yep. It was my job to get you out of the house so that the rest of them could set this up. Thanks for the clothes though." smirked Dawn.
Everyone laughed at that. They enjoyed the rest of the dinner and then retired to the living room.
After they were sitting down they started passing presents over to Joyce. She opened each of them and thanked the appropriate party for the gift.
Cordy handed Joyce a small box. "This one is from Angel. He wouldn't even tell me what it was."
Joyce opened it and it turned out to be a silver cross on a silver chain. She took it out of the box and held it up for everyone to see. Buffy looked down at the cross around her neck and realized the significance of it. Joyce then read the card that came with it.
"The card reads: To Joyce, enclosed in this box is a silver cross. It is a twin to the one that your daughter wears. I gave her that one the day that we first met. Even though we no longer are together in love I am happy to see that she still wears it. I wanted her beautiful mother to also have one. Though I now love another, she will always have a place in my heart and so will you, the women who gave birth to and raised her. It takes a lot to be the parent of a slayer. You should be proud of the excellent work that you have done in raising her and Dawn. I truly believe that you're soon to be husband is definitely getting the better part of the deal. Love, Angel."
All of the women had tears in their eyes after hearing what was written in the card. Joyce took the cross and put it around her neck. She then sat back for a moment to admire it. They then got back to the rest of the presents.
They spent the rest of the evening talking and just enjoying each other's company. They toasted a few times over some excellent wine that Cordy had brought from Angel's wine rack. He had picked out the selection. Around midnight they all retired for the evening. Buffy and Cordy shared Buffy's old room. Amy bunked in with Dawn and Willow and Tara got the guest room.
It was Saturday and everyone was getting prepared for the wedding. All of the girls were over at the Summers house putting on their dresses. They had all been up early and had already gone to the salon to get their hair and makeup done. Buffy was Joyce's maid of honor and the rest of the girls were bride's maids. Joyce had become very friendly with her daughter's friends over the last several years and had decided, along with Giles, to have them make up the wedding party. Giles's best man was Xander and his groomsman were Angel, Oz and three cousins of either Giles or Joyce's.
Giles's father had come over from England for the wedding. His mother had passed away a number of years ago. Since both of Joyce's parents were gone, Lord Giles had agreed to walk Joyce down the aisle. Lord Giles was a retired field Watcher and sat on the governing council. Unlike some other members of the council he was very proud of his son and his son's slayer. Unlike his fellow council members he had had field experience and knew how difficult it was to stick to the "orthodox" roles. He had also let his slayer have leeway and she had done very well. She had survived for six years as the slayer before falling to a powerful master vampire. He had been there that night and had been heart broken when it had happened. He had come to love her as a daughter, and he saw the same relationship between his son and his slayer. In fact his son's slayer, though not orthodox in her methods, was turning out to be one of the greatest slayers of all times. Now that he had met her, her friends and her mother he could understand why. He liked Joyce and was happy with his son's choice of brides.
The guys were all over at Giles's place getting dressed. Giles had just finished getting dressed and sat down for a moment to finish writing in a card. He then walked over to his father.
"Father, when you go over to pick up Joyce and the girls could you please give her this." said Giles handing him a card and a small box.
"I'd be happy to do it." said Lord Giles.
They heard a knocking on the front door and Giles went to open it. It was the limo driver there to pickup Lord Giles. He got up and after shaking hands with his son he left in the limo.
The limo arrived at the Summers house and Lord Giles got out and entered the home. He walked over to the bedroom and knocked on the door.
"Joyce, it's Edward." said Lord Giles.
"Come in." yelled Joyce.
Edward walked in and looked at Joyce and the girls.
"You look absolutely stunning my dear. You girls look just as beautiful."
"Thank you Edward." said Joyce. The girls giggled lightly.
"This is for you from your betrothed." said Edward and handed over the card and gift.
She opened up the card and read it. She sobbed a little in joy from what was written on the card. The others also had to wipe some tears away when they heard it.
The card read as follows: My Love, You will shortly make me one of the happiest men alive. I look forward to being your husband with much joyfulness. I remember the day that I first met you. It was a week after I first met Buffy. You had come to the high school library looking for her. At that time I had thought that you appeared to be a strong and beautiful women. Now I know how close I was to the truth. You have held up well under a lot of situations that would have made weaker people crumble. First you had to raise two daughters as a single parent in a new town and with a new job. You have done extremely well. Then you found out the truth about what your one daughter was. The fact that her destiny was that of the vampire slayer. Most mothers, I imagine, would have crumbled at this. Not you. You grew stronger from it and supported Buffy when she needed your support. I have always been secretly happy with this, as I have, for many years now, considered Buffy as a daughter. Being her watcher has been a joy. I see all of the children that are involved with Buffy as my children, but Buffy holds a special place in my heart being my slayer. I now look forward to being her stepfather, along with Dawn's, as well as her Watcher, and you are making all of this possible. Over the years you went from being merely Buffy's mother to someone that I could not live without. You became my one true love. With Love, Rupert.
She then opened the box. Inside was a pair of antique diamond earrings. She gasped at them.
"These earrings belonged to my wife. I gave them to her on our wedding day. I gave them to Rupert several years ago for him to give to his bride." said Edward.
Buffy helped her mother put them on. All of the girls then admired them.
"There beautiful." said Dawn.
"Yes they are. Just like their wearer. My son is a very lucky man." smiled Edward.
They then got all of their things together and left for the church.
It was now an hour later and time for the wedding. Giles and his best man and groomsmen were standing by the altar. All of the guests were there. The doors in the back opened and the first of the bridal party started walking down the aisle. The music began to play. Soon the maid of honor and the bride's maids were standing by the altar. Finally the bride stepped into the sanctuary escorted by Lord Edward Giles. They slowly made their way down the aisle. When they got to the altar Giles stepped forward and took Joyce's hand from his father's. After kissing Joyce, Edward walked over to the front pew and took his seat. Rupert and Joyce then turned to face the minister.
The minister started the ceremony. After several prayers and his benediction he led the couple through there vows. They exchanged the rings.
"You are now husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." said the minister.
Giles lifted Joyce's veil and kissed her deeply. After they broke apart the minister indicated that they should turn around and face the audience.
"I now present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Rupert Giles." said the minister. Everyone applauded while they walked back down the aisle and out of the church. The rest of the wedding party followed.
The bride and groom got into the limo and drove to the reception. It was being held at a hotel just outside of town.
The reception was going real well. Everyone was having a good time. There was plenty of dancing and food.
Giles turned to his new bride and said, "Please excuse me for a moment my love. I need to discuss something with my father and Willow."
"All right dear, but hurry back." said Joyce.
Giles walked over to Willow and asked her to join him for a moment outside on the patio. Lord Giles was already outside.
"Father, I'd like to introduce you to Willow Rosenberg." said Rupert.
"A pleasure to meet you Miss Rosenberg." said Edward. "Did I not meet you the other day with Miss Summers?"
"Yes you did." said Willow.
"Ah. So you have already met. I had not realized that. What she probably has not told you though, is that I have started training her." said Rupert.
"Yes, I know that you are training her in witchcraft, along with Miss Madison and Miss Maclay." said Edward.
"Yes that is true, but not what I was referring to. What I meant was that at her request and with my approval I have started training her as a Watcher. As you know, new Watchers usually come from families of previous Watchers. Joyce and I have talked about children, and considering our ages and the fact that Joyce already has two girls, we will probably not be having any children of our own. While I had originally wanted children, I have over the last several years come to see Buffy and her friends as my children. Thus I must look else where for my eventual replacement. As is tradition amongst Watchers I have chosen to find my own replacement. Willow here is very qualified to start training. She has a great knowledge of the mystical and mythical due to her friendship with the Slayer. She also has one of the most analytical minds I have ever met. And last but not least her Wicca powers will serve her well. She is also not too bad with the fighting, but as you know not all Watchers are excellent fighters. She knows enough to conduct training and is resourceful enough to get help from others in that regard."
"You do understand the duties and responsibilities that are part of the job of the Watcher, Miss Rosenberg? There are many sacrifices that must be made for this sacred duty. This is not just a club." asked Edward.
"Yes, Lord Giles. I understand what is required and feel that I am ready and able to undertake this responsibility." replied Willow.
"Very well. Rupert, why don't I stay in town while you are away on your honeymoon and evaluate and continue to train Miss Rosenberg? I trust your judgment and have read your reports to the council about the various people that associate with your slayer. I remember thinking myself at one time that Miss Rosenberg here would make a good Watcher. If I agree with your assessment when you come back I will bring your choice to the council. You do know that they will want to interview her?" said Edward.
"Yes I do. We will tackle that when the time comes. Thank you for your approval in this matter, father." said Rupert.
"I thank you as well Lord Giles." said Willow.
"You are both welcome. Just don't disappoint my son." said a smiling Edward.
"I won't." said an equally smiling Willow. She had realized that he was teasing her.
They all walked back inside after this. The rest of the gang knew about Willow learning the role of the Watcher and they supported her in this decision. She was also busy with starting her own computer company while she was preparing for her final year of college. She had wanted to start her own company and it was doing well in its first quarter of operation. So far she was the only employee, but as it grew she would look at hiring other people. She had a good nose for business and had added a second major in business to her current one in computers. She was on schedule to finish both of them in time to graduate this coming year. The rest of the group knew that if any of them could succeed at all of this it would be her.
The reception quickly came to an end and the guests were leaving. Joyce and Giles would be staying at the hotel tonight and would be leaving on their honeymoon tomorrow. They were going to Bermuda.
The gang approached the couple together.
"Have fun in Bermuda mom, Giles." said Buffy.
"Yeah. Have a great time." said Dawn.
The rest of the gang wished them happiness and fun as well.
"Thank you all." said Joyce and hugged them all.
"Yes, thank you all." said Giles and shook the men's hands and gave each of the girls a peck on the cheek.
"While I am gone Willow will be covering for me as your Watcher, Buffy. My father has agreed to stay in town to aide her. He will be staying at my apartment." said Rupert. Edward merely bowed his head slightly at this.
The couple then walked away to go to their room for the night. The rest of the gang waived to them and then started heading out to their vehicles.
"I'll give you a ride over to your son's apartment if you would like Lord Giles." said Buffy.
"Thank you. Since we will be working together for a little while at least, please call me Edward." said Edward.
"I will if you call me Buffy." smiled Buffy.
"Agreed." said Edward while smiling back at her.
Buffy drove Edward to Giles's apartment and then drove herself and Dawn back to her mom's house. While her mom and Giles were on their honeymoon she would be staying there with Dawn. Xander also agreed to stay there. He would be over after he dropped Willow and Tara at their house.
A couple of days later found Angel and Cordelia at her parents' house. They had been invited over for dinner. They walked up to the door and knocked on it. The butler let them in. He directed them into the living room where Mr. and Mrs. Chase were sitting.
"Good evening Cordelia, Mr. O'Rourke." said Mr. Chase.
"Good evening mom, dad." said Cordelia.
"Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Chase." said Angel.
They talked for a few minutes. Then Mr. Chase asked Angel to come into his study with him. He told Mrs. Chase and Cordelia to let them know when dinner was ready. Angel followed Mr. Chase in to the room and sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk. He took a quick look around the study and liked what he saw. It was very tastefully decorated. Mr. Chase sat down and studied him for a few seconds before saying anything.
"So Mr. O'Rourke. I see that you are no longer a vampire. You are now human. Witchcraft?" asked Mr. Chase.
Angel looked stunned. As for as he knew the Chases were oblivious to what really went on at night in Sunnydale. Mr. Chase saw the look on Angel's face. He laughed a little.
"Ah. I see. Let me guess. Cordelia insists that her parents are oblivious to things such as that. That we are like most people in this town. Let me assure you that I did not get to where I am today by being ignorant. I am aware of the hellmouth and creatures such as demons and vampires. And yes I do know that my daughter and her friends have been fighting them for several years now, including Buffy Summers. I have tried to help them out, as I could while not letting them know that I knew. This included some anonymous financial contributions to the Watchers Council, specifically earmarked for the help of the current slayer and her watcher. I knew my daughter would not be comfortable with my direct help, so I did what I could behind the scenes."
Angel looked at him for a moment and then replied.
"Yes. I am now human. Mr. Giles, with the help of Miss Madison, Miss Rosenberg and Miss Maclay put a spell on me that drove out the demon. This only worked since I had my soul due to a gypsy curse. I retained my strength and stamina, but other than that the vampire is gone. Since you know what I was I must ask you this, are you comfortable with me being with your daughter?"
"Yes, I am comfortable with that. I have studied you some. I have seen the good that you have done while you have had your soul. I also know how protective you are of those that you love. You do love my daughter, don't you?"
"Yes I do. When I first came to this town I had fallen in love with Buffy Summers. We were both very much in love. I had hoped to spend her life with her. Since the time that I lost my soul and then regained it things have changed between us. We are now just good friends. Yes Buffy will always hold a special place in my heart, but it is now your daughter that holds the majority of it. Truthfully I did not think much of your daughter when I first met her. She seemed to me to be rather obnoxious and whiney and not good for much other than to use as bait to catch vampires. Over time though, as she hung out with Buffy and her friends, her true self started to emerge. I began to see that under that image that she used to portray was a very smart and strong young women. When she came to L.A., and we met again, I really saw the change in her. Here's a girl that was trying to get into acting, while at the same time was studying pre-law at UCLA. On top of that she tried to help people who needed it. I have done what could to help her in that regards. During this time I found that the love that I had originally had for Buffy was now clearly directed at your daughter. I also know that she was falling in love with me. To that end I wish to ask for your permission to marry your daughter."
"You have it. I know you well enough to know that you will give her the love and life that she deserves. Take good care of her. I would like to know what you plan to do for employment though. Now that you are human you will need to get a paying job."
"Well I have a fair amount of money that I have saved over the years. I am currently using some of that to enroll in college. I looked at this world and realized to make a decent living I would need a college degree. With some help from some friends I now have a birth certificate and social security number. That helped in the enrollment process. I was planning to go for a general business management degree."
"That sounds good. If she says yes to your proposal come talk to me. I would like to offer you a job with Chase Inc. You could intern while working towards your degree and then come on full-time after you have graduated."
"Thank you sir. That sounds great."
At that point there came a knock on the door.
"Come in." said Mr. Chase.
"Dinners ready." said Cordelia.
"We'll be out in a minute." said Mr. Chase.
Cordelia closed the door again.
"Before we go out there, do you want your daughter to know of your knowledge of things undead?" asked Angel.
"I'll leave that up to you if you wish to tell her." said Mr. Chase. "For now I will continue to pretend to be oblivious."
"Alright. I'll think about it." said Angel.
They walked out of the study and went into the dining room. Dinner was delicious. They talked about a lot of different things over dinner. Including where Angel was from and what he was currently doing. He said that he was from Ireland originally but had moved to the U.S. and he was enrolling in college.
They spent some time with her parents after dinner and then they left to head home to L.A. After they arrived back at Cordelia's apartment in town Angel walked her to the door. Cordy invited him up. They walked into her place and sat down on the couch.
"So, what did you and my father discuss?" asked Cordy.
"Many things. He was interested in what my plans were for the future. He also wanted to confirm that I was no longer a vampire."
"What???"
"It appears that your father is not as clueless as he has led you to believe. He told me that he knows all about the undead problem in Sunnydale and the hellmouth. He also knows about Buffy and the group. He left it up to me to tell you this. By the way, he has helped behind the scenes. He has contributed money to the watchers council, earmarked for the help of the current slayer and her watcher."
"Wow. I never knew. I'm not too surprised though. He has always had a keen mind when it came to business."
"That is basically how he put it to. Now, I have a question to ask you."
With that he got down on one knee in front of her and pulled out a ring from his pocket.
"Will you marry me?" He asked as he slid the ring onto her finger.
"YES!!!" screamed Cordy. She pulled him up and kissed him.
Afterwards they sat there on the couch and talked for a little while.
"Oh. Your father offered me a job with Chase Inc. I'll start as a part- timer learning the ropes while I'm in school and then go full-time after graduation."
"Cool."
They talked for a little more and then Angel left and drove home.
END
The Wedding of Giles and Joyce
by Scott R. Barnett
It was the second week of August and Xander was just finishing up his last final exam for the semester. After he turned it in he stopped and talked to the professor for a few minutes. When he was done he grabbed his backpack and walked to his jeep. It was three o'clock and he needed to get home and change. The guys were taking Giles out tonight for a bachelor party. The girls were also getting together tonight to give Joyce a wedding shower. Their wedding was on Saturday.
Xander pulled up in front of his house and noticed an older Cadillac convertible sitting in front of it. ' I guess Angel and Cordy have arrived.' he thought. He admired the car for a few seconds then walked into the house.
He was greeted at the door by Buffy. They kissed for a few minutes and then walked hand in hand into the living room. Angel and Cordy were sitting on the couch.
"Hey guys." said Xander
"Hey Xander. How did your finals go?" asked Cordy.
"They went well. I think I aced most of them. The calculus one gave me some problems, but I think I did okay."
"That's good" said Angel.
"Don't tell Willow that. She spent enough time tutoring you in it." said a smiling Buffy.
"Yeah. Math has always been the toughest subject for me." said Xander.
"And here I was thinking it was women that was your toughest subject." giggled Buffy.
Angel and Cordelia laughed at this too. Xander just grabbed Buffy, leaned her back and kissed her deeply. When they broke she actually had to catch her breath.
"Well I don't think that subject is a problem anymore." smirked Angel.
Buffy just blushed at this while Xander chuckled a little at her reaction. Cordy sighed at the sight of the kiss. In reaction to that Angel grabbed her and kissed her just as passionately. She sat there smiling after that. Now it was Buffy's turn to giggle. Both women knew what good kissers their counterpart's mates were. After all the pairing used to be the opposite of what it was now. Buffy used to be with Angel and Cordy used to be with Xander.
At that moment Oz walked in with Amy, Tara and Willow. "What is this, a kissing contest?" cracked Oz.
Everyone just laughed at that. Willow looked at her watch and then said, "We better get going over to your mom's house Buffy. We don't want to be late setting up for the shower."
They were having the wedding shower for Joyce at the Summers house. Dawn had arranged for Joyce to take her to the mall for some shopping so that the rest of the girls could set it up. They were all going to be staying over there that night as well. The girls got up and quickly left. They were driving over in Angel's car and Xander's jeep. The guys were going to use Oz's van for their trip. They were headed into L.A. Angel had found an old fashioned English pub that someone had opened up in the city. They figured that that would be a great place for the party. It appeared that a lot of English expatriates tend to visit it and it is owned by a couple that moved here from Liverpool.
At about six thirty the three guys drove the van over to the Magic Box and parked in the alleyway behind it. They waited until Giles came out the back after locking up the place and jumped him. They threw him into the van and sped off out of town.
"What the hell!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Giles.
"Hi." smiled the three guys.
"Ok. What is going on?" asked Giles.
"We're kidnapping you for your bachelor party." said Xander.
"What?!?" asked Giles.
"Your bachelor party. You are getting married and it is traditional to have a bachelor party for the groom." said Angel.
"Alright." laughed Giles. "I hope Joyce will understand. We were supposed to spend the night together."
"Don't worry. The girls will explain it to her when they surprise her with the wedding shower they have planned for tonight." said Oz.
"Where are we going?" asked Giles.
"You'll see." said Xander.
They arrived at the pub and Oz parked the van. They got out of the van and walked over to it.
"Welcome to the Rose & Crown." said Angel.
They walked into to the place and grabbed a table.
"My word! It looks just like a real English pub like the ones I used to frequent back in London." exclaimed Giles.
"Yep. The owners actually owned one in Liverpool before immigrating to the U.S. I found this place a couple of weeks ago and told the guys about it. We all agreed that this would be perfect for your bachelor party." said Angel
A barmaid came over and they all ordered some pints of beer. There was a guy up on stage playing the piano while another guy played the guitar and sang some English drinking songs. Pretty soon the whole bar was singing along, including Giles and Angel who knew the songs. Xander and Oz faked it. Oz was the better faker.
They were drinking for a while and generally having a great time. They had even gotten some food to snack on while they were drinking. Angel had produced some cigars, they all smoked them.
When the guys on stage took a break Oz walked over and asked if he could sit in for them. The guy with the guitar said ok and Oz went up and played some appropriate style music. Everyone there seemed to enjoy it. Angel urged Giles to go up and give it a shot. Buffy had told him a while ago that she had seen a picture once of Giles playing the guitar and he wanted to hear how good Giles was. After much needling Giles got up there. Oz introduced him as a groom-to-be and a proper Englishman. He played several songs and the whole bar applauded him. It turned out that he was quite good on the guitar and had a good voice, as well.
Dawn and Joyce arrived home and went inside. As soon as they closed the door the lights came on and all of the girls sprung up and yelled surprise. Dawn joined them. Joyce just stood there shocked.
"My god. I don't know what to say." said Joyce.
"Then don't say anything and sit down and enjoy Mom." said a smiling Buffy.
They escorted her into the dining room where there was a delicious looking dinner setup. They sat down and started eating.
"This is really good. Who cooked it?" asked Joyce.
"I did, with a little help from everyone." said Tara.
"Ah. Let me guess. That's why you asked me to take you to the mall Dawn. Eh?"
"Yep. It was my job to get you out of the house so that the rest of them could set this up. Thanks for the clothes though." smirked Dawn.
Everyone laughed at that. They enjoyed the rest of the dinner and then retired to the living room.
After they were sitting down they started passing presents over to Joyce. She opened each of them and thanked the appropriate party for the gift.
Cordy handed Joyce a small box. "This one is from Angel. He wouldn't even tell me what it was."
Joyce opened it and it turned out to be a silver cross on a silver chain. She took it out of the box and held it up for everyone to see. Buffy looked down at the cross around her neck and realized the significance of it. Joyce then read the card that came with it.
"The card reads: To Joyce, enclosed in this box is a silver cross. It is a twin to the one that your daughter wears. I gave her that one the day that we first met. Even though we no longer are together in love I am happy to see that she still wears it. I wanted her beautiful mother to also have one. Though I now love another, she will always have a place in my heart and so will you, the women who gave birth to and raised her. It takes a lot to be the parent of a slayer. You should be proud of the excellent work that you have done in raising her and Dawn. I truly believe that you're soon to be husband is definitely getting the better part of the deal. Love, Angel."
All of the women had tears in their eyes after hearing what was written in the card. Joyce took the cross and put it around her neck. She then sat back for a moment to admire it. They then got back to the rest of the presents.
They spent the rest of the evening talking and just enjoying each other's company. They toasted a few times over some excellent wine that Cordy had brought from Angel's wine rack. He had picked out the selection. Around midnight they all retired for the evening. Buffy and Cordy shared Buffy's old room. Amy bunked in with Dawn and Willow and Tara got the guest room.
It was Saturday and everyone was getting prepared for the wedding. All of the girls were over at the Summers house putting on their dresses. They had all been up early and had already gone to the salon to get their hair and makeup done. Buffy was Joyce's maid of honor and the rest of the girls were bride's maids. Joyce had become very friendly with her daughter's friends over the last several years and had decided, along with Giles, to have them make up the wedding party. Giles's best man was Xander and his groomsman were Angel, Oz and three cousins of either Giles or Joyce's.
Giles's father had come over from England for the wedding. His mother had passed away a number of years ago. Since both of Joyce's parents were gone, Lord Giles had agreed to walk Joyce down the aisle. Lord Giles was a retired field Watcher and sat on the governing council. Unlike some other members of the council he was very proud of his son and his son's slayer. Unlike his fellow council members he had had field experience and knew how difficult it was to stick to the "orthodox" roles. He had also let his slayer have leeway and she had done very well. She had survived for six years as the slayer before falling to a powerful master vampire. He had been there that night and had been heart broken when it had happened. He had come to love her as a daughter, and he saw the same relationship between his son and his slayer. In fact his son's slayer, though not orthodox in her methods, was turning out to be one of the greatest slayers of all times. Now that he had met her, her friends and her mother he could understand why. He liked Joyce and was happy with his son's choice of brides.
The guys were all over at Giles's place getting dressed. Giles had just finished getting dressed and sat down for a moment to finish writing in a card. He then walked over to his father.
"Father, when you go over to pick up Joyce and the girls could you please give her this." said Giles handing him a card and a small box.
"I'd be happy to do it." said Lord Giles.
They heard a knocking on the front door and Giles went to open it. It was the limo driver there to pickup Lord Giles. He got up and after shaking hands with his son he left in the limo.
The limo arrived at the Summers house and Lord Giles got out and entered the home. He walked over to the bedroom and knocked on the door.
"Joyce, it's Edward." said Lord Giles.
"Come in." yelled Joyce.
Edward walked in and looked at Joyce and the girls.
"You look absolutely stunning my dear. You girls look just as beautiful."
"Thank you Edward." said Joyce. The girls giggled lightly.
"This is for you from your betrothed." said Edward and handed over the card and gift.
She opened up the card and read it. She sobbed a little in joy from what was written on the card. The others also had to wipe some tears away when they heard it.
The card read as follows: My Love, You will shortly make me one of the happiest men alive. I look forward to being your husband with much joyfulness. I remember the day that I first met you. It was a week after I first met Buffy. You had come to the high school library looking for her. At that time I had thought that you appeared to be a strong and beautiful women. Now I know how close I was to the truth. You have held up well under a lot of situations that would have made weaker people crumble. First you had to raise two daughters as a single parent in a new town and with a new job. You have done extremely well. Then you found out the truth about what your one daughter was. The fact that her destiny was that of the vampire slayer. Most mothers, I imagine, would have crumbled at this. Not you. You grew stronger from it and supported Buffy when she needed your support. I have always been secretly happy with this, as I have, for many years now, considered Buffy as a daughter. Being her watcher has been a joy. I see all of the children that are involved with Buffy as my children, but Buffy holds a special place in my heart being my slayer. I now look forward to being her stepfather, along with Dawn's, as well as her Watcher, and you are making all of this possible. Over the years you went from being merely Buffy's mother to someone that I could not live without. You became my one true love. With Love, Rupert.
She then opened the box. Inside was a pair of antique diamond earrings. She gasped at them.
"These earrings belonged to my wife. I gave them to her on our wedding day. I gave them to Rupert several years ago for him to give to his bride." said Edward.
Buffy helped her mother put them on. All of the girls then admired them.
"There beautiful." said Dawn.
"Yes they are. Just like their wearer. My son is a very lucky man." smiled Edward.
They then got all of their things together and left for the church.
It was now an hour later and time for the wedding. Giles and his best man and groomsmen were standing by the altar. All of the guests were there. The doors in the back opened and the first of the bridal party started walking down the aisle. The music began to play. Soon the maid of honor and the bride's maids were standing by the altar. Finally the bride stepped into the sanctuary escorted by Lord Edward Giles. They slowly made their way down the aisle. When they got to the altar Giles stepped forward and took Joyce's hand from his father's. After kissing Joyce, Edward walked over to the front pew and took his seat. Rupert and Joyce then turned to face the minister.
The minister started the ceremony. After several prayers and his benediction he led the couple through there vows. They exchanged the rings.
"You are now husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." said the minister.
Giles lifted Joyce's veil and kissed her deeply. After they broke apart the minister indicated that they should turn around and face the audience.
"I now present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Rupert Giles." said the minister. Everyone applauded while they walked back down the aisle and out of the church. The rest of the wedding party followed.
The bride and groom got into the limo and drove to the reception. It was being held at a hotel just outside of town.
The reception was going real well. Everyone was having a good time. There was plenty of dancing and food.
Giles turned to his new bride and said, "Please excuse me for a moment my love. I need to discuss something with my father and Willow."
"All right dear, but hurry back." said Joyce.
Giles walked over to Willow and asked her to join him for a moment outside on the patio. Lord Giles was already outside.
"Father, I'd like to introduce you to Willow Rosenberg." said Rupert.
"A pleasure to meet you Miss Rosenberg." said Edward. "Did I not meet you the other day with Miss Summers?"
"Yes you did." said Willow.
"Ah. So you have already met. I had not realized that. What she probably has not told you though, is that I have started training her." said Rupert.
"Yes, I know that you are training her in witchcraft, along with Miss Madison and Miss Maclay." said Edward.
"Yes that is true, but not what I was referring to. What I meant was that at her request and with my approval I have started training her as a Watcher. As you know, new Watchers usually come from families of previous Watchers. Joyce and I have talked about children, and considering our ages and the fact that Joyce already has two girls, we will probably not be having any children of our own. While I had originally wanted children, I have over the last several years come to see Buffy and her friends as my children. Thus I must look else where for my eventual replacement. As is tradition amongst Watchers I have chosen to find my own replacement. Willow here is very qualified to start training. She has a great knowledge of the mystical and mythical due to her friendship with the Slayer. She also has one of the most analytical minds I have ever met. And last but not least her Wicca powers will serve her well. She is also not too bad with the fighting, but as you know not all Watchers are excellent fighters. She knows enough to conduct training and is resourceful enough to get help from others in that regard."
"You do understand the duties and responsibilities that are part of the job of the Watcher, Miss Rosenberg? There are many sacrifices that must be made for this sacred duty. This is not just a club." asked Edward.
"Yes, Lord Giles. I understand what is required and feel that I am ready and able to undertake this responsibility." replied Willow.
"Very well. Rupert, why don't I stay in town while you are away on your honeymoon and evaluate and continue to train Miss Rosenberg? I trust your judgment and have read your reports to the council about the various people that associate with your slayer. I remember thinking myself at one time that Miss Rosenberg here would make a good Watcher. If I agree with your assessment when you come back I will bring your choice to the council. You do know that they will want to interview her?" said Edward.
"Yes I do. We will tackle that when the time comes. Thank you for your approval in this matter, father." said Rupert.
"I thank you as well Lord Giles." said Willow.
"You are both welcome. Just don't disappoint my son." said a smiling Edward.
"I won't." said an equally smiling Willow. She had realized that he was teasing her.
They all walked back inside after this. The rest of the gang knew about Willow learning the role of the Watcher and they supported her in this decision. She was also busy with starting her own computer company while she was preparing for her final year of college. She had wanted to start her own company and it was doing well in its first quarter of operation. So far she was the only employee, but as it grew she would look at hiring other people. She had a good nose for business and had added a second major in business to her current one in computers. She was on schedule to finish both of them in time to graduate this coming year. The rest of the group knew that if any of them could succeed at all of this it would be her.
The reception quickly came to an end and the guests were leaving. Joyce and Giles would be staying at the hotel tonight and would be leaving on their honeymoon tomorrow. They were going to Bermuda.
The gang approached the couple together.
"Have fun in Bermuda mom, Giles." said Buffy.
"Yeah. Have a great time." said Dawn.
The rest of the gang wished them happiness and fun as well.
"Thank you all." said Joyce and hugged them all.
"Yes, thank you all." said Giles and shook the men's hands and gave each of the girls a peck on the cheek.
"While I am gone Willow will be covering for me as your Watcher, Buffy. My father has agreed to stay in town to aide her. He will be staying at my apartment." said Rupert. Edward merely bowed his head slightly at this.
The couple then walked away to go to their room for the night. The rest of the gang waived to them and then started heading out to their vehicles.
"I'll give you a ride over to your son's apartment if you would like Lord Giles." said Buffy.
"Thank you. Since we will be working together for a little while at least, please call me Edward." said Edward.
"I will if you call me Buffy." smiled Buffy.
"Agreed." said Edward while smiling back at her.
Buffy drove Edward to Giles's apartment and then drove herself and Dawn back to her mom's house. While her mom and Giles were on their honeymoon she would be staying there with Dawn. Xander also agreed to stay there. He would be over after he dropped Willow and Tara at their house.
A couple of days later found Angel and Cordelia at her parents' house. They had been invited over for dinner. They walked up to the door and knocked on it. The butler let them in. He directed them into the living room where Mr. and Mrs. Chase were sitting.
"Good evening Cordelia, Mr. O'Rourke." said Mr. Chase.
"Good evening mom, dad." said Cordelia.
"Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Chase." said Angel.
They talked for a few minutes. Then Mr. Chase asked Angel to come into his study with him. He told Mrs. Chase and Cordelia to let them know when dinner was ready. Angel followed Mr. Chase in to the room and sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk. He took a quick look around the study and liked what he saw. It was very tastefully decorated. Mr. Chase sat down and studied him for a few seconds before saying anything.
"So Mr. O'Rourke. I see that you are no longer a vampire. You are now human. Witchcraft?" asked Mr. Chase.
Angel looked stunned. As for as he knew the Chases were oblivious to what really went on at night in Sunnydale. Mr. Chase saw the look on Angel's face. He laughed a little.
"Ah. I see. Let me guess. Cordelia insists that her parents are oblivious to things such as that. That we are like most people in this town. Let me assure you that I did not get to where I am today by being ignorant. I am aware of the hellmouth and creatures such as demons and vampires. And yes I do know that my daughter and her friends have been fighting them for several years now, including Buffy Summers. I have tried to help them out, as I could while not letting them know that I knew. This included some anonymous financial contributions to the Watchers Council, specifically earmarked for the help of the current slayer and her watcher. I knew my daughter would not be comfortable with my direct help, so I did what I could behind the scenes."
Angel looked at him for a moment and then replied.
"Yes. I am now human. Mr. Giles, with the help of Miss Madison, Miss Rosenberg and Miss Maclay put a spell on me that drove out the demon. This only worked since I had my soul due to a gypsy curse. I retained my strength and stamina, but other than that the vampire is gone. Since you know what I was I must ask you this, are you comfortable with me being with your daughter?"
"Yes, I am comfortable with that. I have studied you some. I have seen the good that you have done while you have had your soul. I also know how protective you are of those that you love. You do love my daughter, don't you?"
"Yes I do. When I first came to this town I had fallen in love with Buffy Summers. We were both very much in love. I had hoped to spend her life with her. Since the time that I lost my soul and then regained it things have changed between us. We are now just good friends. Yes Buffy will always hold a special place in my heart, but it is now your daughter that holds the majority of it. Truthfully I did not think much of your daughter when I first met her. She seemed to me to be rather obnoxious and whiney and not good for much other than to use as bait to catch vampires. Over time though, as she hung out with Buffy and her friends, her true self started to emerge. I began to see that under that image that she used to portray was a very smart and strong young women. When she came to L.A., and we met again, I really saw the change in her. Here's a girl that was trying to get into acting, while at the same time was studying pre-law at UCLA. On top of that she tried to help people who needed it. I have done what could to help her in that regards. During this time I found that the love that I had originally had for Buffy was now clearly directed at your daughter. I also know that she was falling in love with me. To that end I wish to ask for your permission to marry your daughter."
"You have it. I know you well enough to know that you will give her the love and life that she deserves. Take good care of her. I would like to know what you plan to do for employment though. Now that you are human you will need to get a paying job."
"Well I have a fair amount of money that I have saved over the years. I am currently using some of that to enroll in college. I looked at this world and realized to make a decent living I would need a college degree. With some help from some friends I now have a birth certificate and social security number. That helped in the enrollment process. I was planning to go for a general business management degree."
"That sounds good. If she says yes to your proposal come talk to me. I would like to offer you a job with Chase Inc. You could intern while working towards your degree and then come on full-time after you have graduated."
"Thank you sir. That sounds great."
At that point there came a knock on the door.
"Come in." said Mr. Chase.
"Dinners ready." said Cordelia.
"We'll be out in a minute." said Mr. Chase.
Cordelia closed the door again.
"Before we go out there, do you want your daughter to know of your knowledge of things undead?" asked Angel.
"I'll leave that up to you if you wish to tell her." said Mr. Chase. "For now I will continue to pretend to be oblivious."
"Alright. I'll think about it." said Angel.
They walked out of the study and went into the dining room. Dinner was delicious. They talked about a lot of different things over dinner. Including where Angel was from and what he was currently doing. He said that he was from Ireland originally but had moved to the U.S. and he was enrolling in college.
They spent some time with her parents after dinner and then they left to head home to L.A. After they arrived back at Cordelia's apartment in town Angel walked her to the door. Cordy invited him up. They walked into her place and sat down on the couch.
"So, what did you and my father discuss?" asked Cordy.
"Many things. He was interested in what my plans were for the future. He also wanted to confirm that I was no longer a vampire."
"What???"
"It appears that your father is not as clueless as he has led you to believe. He told me that he knows all about the undead problem in Sunnydale and the hellmouth. He also knows about Buffy and the group. He left it up to me to tell you this. By the way, he has helped behind the scenes. He has contributed money to the watchers council, earmarked for the help of the current slayer and her watcher."
"Wow. I never knew. I'm not too surprised though. He has always had a keen mind when it came to business."
"That is basically how he put it to. Now, I have a question to ask you."
With that he got down on one knee in front of her and pulled out a ring from his pocket.
"Will you marry me?" He asked as he slid the ring onto her finger.
"YES!!!" screamed Cordy. She pulled him up and kissed him.
Afterwards they sat there on the couch and talked for a little while.
"Oh. Your father offered me a job with Chase Inc. I'll start as a part- timer learning the ropes while I'm in school and then go full-time after graduation."
"Cool."
They talked for a little more and then Angel left and drove home.
END