Chapter 6
(c) June 22, 2002
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Lots of planning goes into a wedding. Even one that's to take place one day after the proposal.
They rent dresses here by the hour. I can't believe I've taken to doing this.
And I can't believe the pain my head is in this morning.
Xander's in just as much pain as I am, and probably more so since he had more than I did. But he's really happy. He's been floating around like he's on cloud number nine, which is very strange to me. Wasn't he the one who ran out on Anya on their wedding day?
"Hey there, beautiful," he grins, coming up to me and kissing my neck. I try not to squirm and tell myself that it's only natural to feel this way. You have to ease back into the whole touchy-feely stuff with your ex. "You okay?" he asks me.
"I'm just a little jumpy today," I say apologetically. "First wedding jitters. The unexpectedness of it all."
"It's going to be okay. We're going to have the rest of our lives to get used to it." Xander soothes.
Yeah. The. Rest. Of. Our. Lives.
"Look, I gotta talk to the minister for a sec. And book a room," he says, winking at me. I smile back weakly, trying to muster the same enthusiasm he's feeling.
The minister... A room!
After watching Xander disappear into the chapel of love, I wander to the bar. I'm in no shape to drink again, but this is a dire circumstance.
And I'm desperate.
As I sip my martini quietly, I clear all thoughts from my mind. "Breathe, Cordy," I tell myself. "Do not think about what you're doing with your life with this life-altering split-decision which you made in a fit of drunkenness. Do not think about the reasons you made this said life-altering split-decision which you made in a fit of drunkenness even though it was because of a fit of inebriated jealous non-rage."
Okay, that's not helping. Focus on something else. Focus on the two women beside you.
"And so I don't know if I should just continue throwing myself at a man who won't see me past his blonde bimbos and their cheap floozying," one woman, a proud brunette, was saying.
"Honey, we've all been there," the other woman, a totally dyed redhead, replies. Yeah, I guess we have.
"It would be so easy if I could just get past him," woman number one says sounding extremely depressed. Yeah, been there too.
"If you want my advice, forget him. He's like an illness that needs to be cured. You have a great guy waiting for you, all ready to pamper and take care of you," dyed-redhead advises.
"I wish it were that easy. I just can't stop thinking about that jerk. He's so strong and masculine."
Sigh. That sounds so familiar.
"He's my angel." The brunette throws her head onto her hands and sobs, "I can't get over him. There's no cure for what I got."
I stand up, repeating that last sentence over in my head. There's no cure for what I got.
I march over to the phone determinedly, fish out some quarters and dial a very familiar number. When my perky voice starts talking, I realize it went straight to voicemail.
Damn that vampire and not learning to use a cell phone.
I dial another very familiar number. Come on, somebody pick up!
"Hello?" Fred's tinny southern drawl comes over the wire.
"Fred! I need to talk to Angel."
"Cordy, how are you?" she gushes. "How's Vegas? Are you winning at the casino? You know there's a mathematical way to increase your winnings --"
"Fred," I interrupt. "This is really important."
There's a pause as I wait impatiently.
"Uh, Cordy," Fred says hesitantly. She takes a deep breath as I bite my nails. Nasty habit, never picked it up before.
"Where is he?"
"Angel's not here." Fred says finally.
"What do you mean?" I ask. "He's gotta be there." He's my only hope.
"I'm sorry," she says sounding it, and of course, being Fred, she really is.
"It's okay," I tell her, wondering if it really is.
Not knowing what else to do, I make my way back to the chapel of love. It's empty and dark and silent, but that's what I need right now. As I sit down on one of the hard wooden benches and stare at the glitzy sign above the makeshift alter, I wonder if I can really go through with this.
Angel, where are you when I need you?
"I hear you're getting married today. Can I be the first to kiss the lucky bride?"
Ha ha. Real funny trickster, my own mind. And it sounds so like him.
I whirl around anyway and there he is. I note with great satisfaction that my mind has the sense to make sure he's not dressed for a wedding.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him. I can't help it. Even though I know he's a figment of my wildly bizarre imagination, this grin is practically plastered across my face.
"Came to see you," he replies. He casually leans against the side of one of the benches.
God, do I ever want to eat him up.
No, no. That won't do. Focus, Cordy. Breathe. This is supposed to be your wedding day.
Well, even so, I should be able to have some fun with this, shouldn't I? After all, I never got a bridal shower.
I breathe deeply again and get just a hint of cologne. Since when did dreams wear cologne?
Oh my. It is Angel, truly in the flesh here.
Wait, what is he doing, coming to see me? Does he expect to be able to do that, at the drop of the hat? Who is he, thinking that I'll just welcome him with open arms?
"Don't you have better things to do? Like saving the world?" I'm starting get irritated, staring at his smug smile. This is so typical of him. Thinking that I'm his beck-and-call girl.
The smile slides off his face for a second. Just a second. "This is the better thing I had to do," he answers confidently, advancing towards me.
What does he mean by that? I step back, heading towards the door and the exit. "So, how are things?" I ask casually.
"Never better," he says, moving ever closer. Does he know the reaction he can get from me?
"Great, glad to hear that." Good, good, I feel the smooth wooden door now. Okay, push.
Okay, push???
I'm turning around now, as my vampire is getting closer and closer to me. The door is there. The handle is there. I'm pushing... and it won't budge.
I'm trapped in a Vegas wedding chapel with a vampire that I'm in love with!
I whirl back around to see the smirk on Angel's face. "Going somewhere?" he drawls.
Apparently not.
(c) June 22, 2002
~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~ ~~ * ~~
Lots of planning goes into a wedding. Even one that's to take place one day after the proposal.
They rent dresses here by the hour. I can't believe I've taken to doing this.
And I can't believe the pain my head is in this morning.
Xander's in just as much pain as I am, and probably more so since he had more than I did. But he's really happy. He's been floating around like he's on cloud number nine, which is very strange to me. Wasn't he the one who ran out on Anya on their wedding day?
"Hey there, beautiful," he grins, coming up to me and kissing my neck. I try not to squirm and tell myself that it's only natural to feel this way. You have to ease back into the whole touchy-feely stuff with your ex. "You okay?" he asks me.
"I'm just a little jumpy today," I say apologetically. "First wedding jitters. The unexpectedness of it all."
"It's going to be okay. We're going to have the rest of our lives to get used to it." Xander soothes.
Yeah. The. Rest. Of. Our. Lives.
"Look, I gotta talk to the minister for a sec. And book a room," he says, winking at me. I smile back weakly, trying to muster the same enthusiasm he's feeling.
The minister... A room!
After watching Xander disappear into the chapel of love, I wander to the bar. I'm in no shape to drink again, but this is a dire circumstance.
And I'm desperate.
As I sip my martini quietly, I clear all thoughts from my mind. "Breathe, Cordy," I tell myself. "Do not think about what you're doing with your life with this life-altering split-decision which you made in a fit of drunkenness. Do not think about the reasons you made this said life-altering split-decision which you made in a fit of drunkenness even though it was because of a fit of inebriated jealous non-rage."
Okay, that's not helping. Focus on something else. Focus on the two women beside you.
"And so I don't know if I should just continue throwing myself at a man who won't see me past his blonde bimbos and their cheap floozying," one woman, a proud brunette, was saying.
"Honey, we've all been there," the other woman, a totally dyed redhead, replies. Yeah, I guess we have.
"It would be so easy if I could just get past him," woman number one says sounding extremely depressed. Yeah, been there too.
"If you want my advice, forget him. He's like an illness that needs to be cured. You have a great guy waiting for you, all ready to pamper and take care of you," dyed-redhead advises.
"I wish it were that easy. I just can't stop thinking about that jerk. He's so strong and masculine."
Sigh. That sounds so familiar.
"He's my angel." The brunette throws her head onto her hands and sobs, "I can't get over him. There's no cure for what I got."
I stand up, repeating that last sentence over in my head. There's no cure for what I got.
I march over to the phone determinedly, fish out some quarters and dial a very familiar number. When my perky voice starts talking, I realize it went straight to voicemail.
Damn that vampire and not learning to use a cell phone.
I dial another very familiar number. Come on, somebody pick up!
"Hello?" Fred's tinny southern drawl comes over the wire.
"Fred! I need to talk to Angel."
"Cordy, how are you?" she gushes. "How's Vegas? Are you winning at the casino? You know there's a mathematical way to increase your winnings --"
"Fred," I interrupt. "This is really important."
There's a pause as I wait impatiently.
"Uh, Cordy," Fred says hesitantly. She takes a deep breath as I bite my nails. Nasty habit, never picked it up before.
"Where is he?"
"Angel's not here." Fred says finally.
"What do you mean?" I ask. "He's gotta be there." He's my only hope.
"I'm sorry," she says sounding it, and of course, being Fred, she really is.
"It's okay," I tell her, wondering if it really is.
Not knowing what else to do, I make my way back to the chapel of love. It's empty and dark and silent, but that's what I need right now. As I sit down on one of the hard wooden benches and stare at the glitzy sign above the makeshift alter, I wonder if I can really go through with this.
Angel, where are you when I need you?
"I hear you're getting married today. Can I be the first to kiss the lucky bride?"
Ha ha. Real funny trickster, my own mind. And it sounds so like him.
I whirl around anyway and there he is. I note with great satisfaction that my mind has the sense to make sure he's not dressed for a wedding.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him. I can't help it. Even though I know he's a figment of my wildly bizarre imagination, this grin is practically plastered across my face.
"Came to see you," he replies. He casually leans against the side of one of the benches.
God, do I ever want to eat him up.
No, no. That won't do. Focus, Cordy. Breathe. This is supposed to be your wedding day.
Well, even so, I should be able to have some fun with this, shouldn't I? After all, I never got a bridal shower.
I breathe deeply again and get just a hint of cologne. Since when did dreams wear cologne?
Oh my. It is Angel, truly in the flesh here.
Wait, what is he doing, coming to see me? Does he expect to be able to do that, at the drop of the hat? Who is he, thinking that I'll just welcome him with open arms?
"Don't you have better things to do? Like saving the world?" I'm starting get irritated, staring at his smug smile. This is so typical of him. Thinking that I'm his beck-and-call girl.
The smile slides off his face for a second. Just a second. "This is the better thing I had to do," he answers confidently, advancing towards me.
What does he mean by that? I step back, heading towards the door and the exit. "So, how are things?" I ask casually.
"Never better," he says, moving ever closer. Does he know the reaction he can get from me?
"Great, glad to hear that." Good, good, I feel the smooth wooden door now. Okay, push.
Okay, push???
I'm turning around now, as my vampire is getting closer and closer to me. The door is there. The handle is there. I'm pushing... and it won't budge.
I'm trapped in a Vegas wedding chapel with a vampire that I'm in love with!
I whirl back around to see the smirk on Angel's face. "Going somewhere?" he drawls.
Apparently not.