ONE

Six months later...

Dawn brought in the Summer's mail and leafed through it with no real enthusiasm. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, Tara and Spike were seated in the living room, discussing the latest big bad.

"Bill, bill, bill, ooh sweepstakes." She said, pocketing that particular piece of mail. "Bill, bill, invi...tation? Buffy!"

"Yeah?"

"You got something. Not a bill something, but something something." Buffy gave her younger sister a look.

"Weird. I understood that." She said, shaking her head. "What did I get?"

"Looks like an invitation." Dawn said, handing Buffy the fancy envelope. She opened it and read aloud.

"'The following are cordially invited to the matrimonial union of Conner O'Callaghan and Ysabelle Montallo: Buffy Summers and guest, Dawn Summers and guest, Willow Reosenburg and Tara Maclay, Alexander Harris and Anya Jenkins, William Breton and guest. Come celebrate,' blah, blah blah. Okay. So, we're invited to a wedding."

"Of who?" Xander asked

"Conner O'Callaghan and Ysabelle Montallo."

"Who's that?"

"I don't know."

"Didn't you say Peaches had a kid?" Spike asked Buffy. She glared at him.

"Yeah. And his name is Angel."

"If he don't mind me calling him that, you can't say nothing. Anyway, wasn't that kid's name Conner?"

"Yeah. But he'd only be, like, a year or two old."

"Maybe he's not. That's him."

"How do you know?" Buffy asked suspisciously.

"Angelus wasn't one to get all touchy feely about his past, but get a couple pints in him and the bloke would talk your ear off."

"Which has what to do with this?"

"Let me finish, Love. So, we got to talking and he told me that his human name was Liam O'Callaghan. So, Junior needed a last name. And let's face it, Conner Angel is pretty lame, even for a cream puff like Angel."

"It makes sense. But isn't that stretching it a little?" Willow asked.

"I just want to know who William Breton is." Anya said. "I mean, what kinda stupid name is that?"

"Better than Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins." Spike said, defensively.

"Hah! It's you? What a stupid name." Anya said, finding too much humor in Spike's name for the vampire's comfort.

"Your last name's Breton?" Dawn asked. "Is that how you really knew it was from Angel?"

"Bastard. He had to put that. Couldn't put Spike, could he? Oh no. Had to bring up the name."

"Okay." Buffy said, drawing the attention away from the side conversations. "Angel's one year old son, Conner, is obviously older now, and is getting married. We're all invited, and Spike has a funny last name."

"Says the woman with a name that rhymes with fluffy. Are you fluffy, Love?" He asked mischeviously. Buffy glared.

"So, we're going?" Willow asked, interrupting. Silence fell upon the group as they all thought about it.

"I guess. It'll be fun, right?" Buffy asked the group, waiting for their affirmating nods. "We haven't seen Angel or Cordelia for years. Wesley either. It could be interesting."

"Yeah. Plus, I mean, they sent us an invite. It'd be kind of rude to not go." Willow added.

"So, it's settled then. We're going to LA."

"Um, Slayer?" Buffy turned to Spike as everyone got back to their previous conversations. "Now, I may not know much about your relationship with Peaches, well, maybe I do, but-"

"What's your point, Spike?"

"Since when does Angel offer to let you bring a date to a party he's throwing?"

"I...um, he just, he wants me to know that it's okay that I've moved on."

"Uh-huh. You don't think it has anything to do with, maybe, him moving on?"

"Angel? Please. He loves me, always will. He told me so."

"That was over a year ago. I mean, he wasn't really one to wait around for a woman for a long time-"

"Spike! Stop. Angel is not with someone else, okay? Now, this conversation, it's over. I'm going upstairs to pack." She said, then walked up stairs. Spike glared. Damn Angel. He wasn't even around and he still had Buffy's heart.

* * * * * * * * * *

The Sunnydale crew stood in front of the hotel and stared, Spike under a thick blanket, shielding him from the sun barely peeking out of the clouds. It was December and the weather was definately proving it.

"It's huge." Dawn said in awe. "It's probably got a thousand rooms."

"Dawn, don't exaggerate. It's creepy looking." Buffy said. "Well, let's go in. It's cold out here." They walked inside and were amazed by the difference of the inside from the outside.

"Can I help you?" A young, thin brunette with a big smile walked out of one of the offices. She had on glasses and set a book down on the counter.

"Yeah, um, we're here for the wedding." Buffy said. She didn't know why, but seeing the young woman working here made her nervous.

"Oh. Well, it ain't for another four days."

"We know. We're here to visit."

"Okay. But, who are ya?"

"Buffy?" Everyone turned towards the voice and the Scoobies looked on with wonder as he entered the lobby.

"Wesley?" She asked incredulously.

"Oh my God." Willow said. "You're...hot."

"Hey!" Fred said defensively. "He's off limits. Wait, I've seen you before."

"Fred. This is Willow."

"Oh yeah. You came to tell Angel that Buffy was dead."

"Yeah. That's her. That's Buffy, Xander, Anya, Dawn, Tara, and Spike."

"Spike? William the Bloddy, Spike?"

"You've heard of me." Spike said, his ego flaming at the recognition.

"Yeah. You're Drusilla's pet?"

"What?"

"Well, not anymore. Since she dumped you. That's what Angel said-"

"I'll kill him."

"He's already dead so, kind of pointless."

"What's going on?" Gunn asked, coming up the stairs with Faith behind him. Buffy's mouth dropped and her eyes widened.

"How'd the case go."

"Great. We got to kick some serious demon ass. Then my baby took me out for a quick bite to eat." Faith said, grabbing Gunn's hand and giving him a smile. "You shoulda been there. Here we are, covered in demon blood, weapons on hand, and sitting there, eating like it's nothing."

"Can this girl be any more like me?" Gunn asked, then noticed the other people in the room. "What are they doin here? Did someone die again?" He asked, noticing Willow.

"No. They're here for the wedding."

"Oh. Hey."

"Um, this is Gunn. And I believe you all already know Faith."

"Yeah. We know her. What the hell are you doing out? I thought first degree murder sent you away for twenty five to life."

"Wesley broke me out." Buffy turned a surprised look to Wesley. "Besides. It wasn't first degree."

"It was."

"No, it wasn't. It wasn't premediataed. I didn't even know the guy. I stabbed him and took his money. So it wasn't first degree, go it?"

"What going on in here?" Cordelia asked, coming into the building.

"Cordelia?"

"Whoa. What'd I miss?" She asked, looking at the group. "You guys know the wedding isn't for-"

"Yeah, we know."

"So, um, where's Angel?" Buffy asked. Wesley glanced somewhat nervously towards the stairs and gave her a weird look.

"He should be down soon."

"He's still asleep?" Cordelia asked surprised. He usually had at least two cups of coffee and a mug of blood by this time.

"After you two left last night he met up with," Wesley glanced at Buffy. "I mean, he had, um, a case so, he got in late." Cordelia raised an eyebrow.

"In other words, don't go up there?"

"Precisely."

"Cordy, who's that?" Xander asked, eyes on the guy who was standing possessively close to Cordelia.

"Oh, guys. I'm sorry. This is Groo, my boyfriend. Groo, honey, that's Willow, Xander, Dawn, Anya, Spike, Tara and Buffy."

"Buffy? Angel's ex-girlfriend?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason." She eyes him suspisciously. There had been a lot of tension between Angel and Groo, most of which was triggered by Angel. She had to admit, he had been way less stand off-ish with her. He used every opportunity available to touch her, the training sessions became more frequent with way less clothes, she couldn't even remember the last time her and Angel trained when he actually kept his shirt on.

She couldn't say she didn't enjoy it. A part of her longed for their training sessions. In fact, she had been the one to suggest they make them daily. Cordelia knew it was wrong, but she got a secret pleasure out of being around a shirtless, sweaty Angel, his arms wrapped around her, showing her the techniques. Even though they both knew she could learn through just watching him.

Things had just been weird between the three of them. Angel and Groo never really got along. Especially after the incident six months ago on the day Angel announced his permanent soul. She had drifted from Groo as well. She would use excuses to stay out later, making herself seem tired so she wouldn't go through having to explain why she didn't want to have sex with him. It was hard to make love to someone when you weren't even sure you loved them.

"Cordelia!" She blinked, thoughts disappearing. She looked up to the expecting faces of the Scoobies.

"Sorry, zoned out."

"So, how long have you two been dating?"

"Dating who?"

"You and Groo."

"A little over a year."

"You know, I can kind of see how you'd be attracted to him. He looks like me." Xander said teasingly.

"Oh please, Xander. Don't flatter yourself." She said, laughing.

"Really, just look at him. We're practically twins." The noise in the lobby grew with their amusement. "I'm serious!"

"I think he looks more like Angel." Dawn said, looking at Groo. "Except for his eyes are blue and kind of bigger than usual."

"Dawn!" Buffy scolded at Groo's glare.

"What the hell's going on down here?" Everyone looked up to the stair case as Angel came down. Buffy stared. He wore a white muscle tank and a pair of black sweat pants. She grinned slightly. She didn't know vampires could get more fit, but he did. His hair was longer, like when he first moved to LA. Even though it wasn't spiked yet because he just woke up, he still looked good. "Can't a guy sleep in around here?"

"Angel, it's noon." Faith said. He blinked a few times, not completely awake.

"Are you serious?"

"Yup. Me and Gunn already took out a nest while you were sleeping off last night's events." She said mischeviously. He glared. "Aw. What's wrong? Were there some malfunctions?"

"Yeah right. This is me we're talking about."

"Cocky, aren't we?"

"Interesting choice of words." The Sunnydale crew watched with confusion. What were they talking about?

"Well, considering that's the only thing you think with."

"Hey. Easy there. You can't talk to me like that, even if you are my favorite ex slayer."

"Oh, she is, is she?"

"Yeah, why?" He turned around and was shocked to see Buffy standing there, hands on her hips. "Buffy?"

"Um, yeah." A slow, lazy grin spread across his face as he walked to her and gave her a hug.

"It's good to see you." He said as he pulled away. "All of you. Willow." He said and extended her arms. She smiled and gave him the hug. "You look great. What happened to the teenaged Willow who blushed every time I gave her a compliment?"

"She finally got laid." Angel snorted in amusement and let her go. "You guys do know you're a few days early, right?"

"We've heard." Buffy said.

"So, you're visting? Cool. We've got plenty of rooms."

"I recommend the third floor so you don't hear-"

"Hush, puppy." Angel said, holding his hand up to shut Faith up.

"Don't make me kick your ass Angel." He smiled, then turned to the door as he sensed Conner and Ysabelle enter.

"You're awake." Conner said, surprised.

"Kind of. Buffy. This is my son, Conner. And that's his fiance, Ysabelle." Buffy stared at Conner.

"You guys have the same brow."

"Yeah. That's what everyone says. He has my hair too, his head's just too big to wear it spiked."

"I get it from you."

"No. You get your eyes and your big head from your mother."

"Darla." Buffy said. Angel looked at her and gave her a sad look.

"I know that this is probably weird for you."

"To say the least."

"But I can't apoligize for what happened. Not when I got a son as the outcome. It was the best mistake I ever made."

"I guess I can understand that." She turned to the engaged couple. "It's good to meet both of you." Angel introduced everyone else, then turned to the bags Conner held.

"I come bearing McDonalds. You weren't awake, but since we like the same things, I got you what I got me."

"Quarter Pounder?"

"With cheese, no mayonaise, no tomato, extra pickles."

"That's my burger." Angel took the burger, and turned back to Buffy.

"Why are you eating?" She asked.

"Just because I'm a vampire, doesn't mean I don't get a craving for McDonalds every now and then."

"That's not the only craving he gets." Gunn muttered. Angel rolled his eyes.

"It's just a good thing the happiness thing isn't a problem anymore. Otherwise I'd have to stake you." Conner said, then saw Angel's head fall. "Oops. That's one of those things I'm not supposed to mention, isn't it? Sorry."

"What's he talking about?"

"Uh..."

"Angel." She said, giving him a hard look. He sighed. He didn't want to tell her like this. In fact, he never planned on telling her.

"Buffy, my soul's secured. Thanks to Wesley." She quickly embraced the vampire in a tight hug.

"Angel. That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you. For us." Spike held in the growl at Buffy's statement, then watched curiously as Angel pulled away from Buffy.

"Us?"

"Yeah. We can be together."

"Buffy, I..." He looked back to Cordelia for help. She raised and eyebrow and held her hands up in a, 'You're on your own,' way. "I've had my soul secured for over six months."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, I knew you'd want to get back together."

"Don't you? Angel? This is that miracle we've been waiting for."

"Buffy, I"m happy with how my life is right now. I've got the best friends that ever existed, I've got a son who I never thought I'd have and we're closer than I ever thought possible, he's marrying an amazing young woman. I don't want a relationship right now Buffy."

"Why not?"

"I want to have fun. I realize it sounds juvinielle, but it's been years since I could just go out and not have to worry about getting too close to someone."

"So, what? You just go around and be like the third wheel to all your friends relationships?"

"Not exactly."

"Angel?" Once again, everyone's attention was directed at the staircase as the pretty brunette descended the stairs. She was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt that made her look professional, but her beauty wasn't lost on any of the men in the room.

"Hey. I didn't want to wake you."

"You should have."

"But you looked so cute, just laying there..."

"Well, I have a client I have to meet. But maybe we can get together this weekend or something. You'll call me?" He smiled and walked to her, taking her hands in his.

"I'll call you." He promised.

"Okay. I have to go. We'll talk later." She leaned up and kissed him. He kissed her back for a few moments, then she pulled away. "Bye."

"Bye." With another peck, she turned around and left. Angel tilted his head and watched her go, as did every other guy. "All those curves, and me with no brakes. Cordy!"

"Yeah?"

"Don't erase her number. I'm gonna keep it on file for...future reference."

"Whatever."

"Peaches? Who was that?" Spike asked, speaking for the first time. Angel smiled.

"That, that was Lizette."

"What was she doing here?" Buffy asked, angrily.

"Angel's finally gettin' some. Good for you mate." Spike said, and Angel turned a sheepish smile to Buffy's glare.

"What happened to not wanting a relationship?"

"It's not a relationship. It's just a night."

"Are you insane? So, what? You're just sleeping around with a bunch of loose women."

"Hey! They are not loose. Trust me. That girl was harder to open than a cd. And, it's not a bunch. Just the select few."

"Why? What do you get out of that?"

"What are you blind, slayer?" Spike asked. "Hell, if I had a girl like that-"

"Shut up Spike. Angel, why?"

"Why not? Play the field because you can Buffy. There's no strings, no responsibilty. It's just a night of no regrets." She looked at him for a long time, trying to find a hint of the guy she used to know.

"I used to be what made you happiest Angel."

"Things change Buffy."

"No! They don't!"

"Why are you riding me!"

"She's not, that's the problem." Cordelia muttered, gaining a glare from Buffy. "Oooh. The big bad slayer's glaring at me. I'm soooo scared now."

"Listen, Buffy. What I do, it isn't your buisness anymore. We're through. You made that perfectly clear. And I am not one to stay in at night and play the five finger knuckle shuffle game, okay? I've been around for over two and a half centuries. Every other man does it. Why am I so bad?"

"Because...because you're Angel. Willow, help me out here."

"Nah-ah Buffy. This one's between you two. I'm neutral, I'm Switzerland, I have no opinion."

"Buffy. You don't have to agree with it and you don't have to like it. It's my life. And you're no longer a part of it. That's what you wanted. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a shower to take." He said, then walked up stairs, leaving an angry and hurt slayer behind