Title: Power Play
Author: Edel
Summary: see other chapters…
Distribution: my update group: Beautiful Desire, my B/A group: Blinded by Passion . If you want it on your site, just ask!
Spoilers: Girl In Question, Power Play.
Disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately. Lyrics are From This Moment On by Shania Twain.
Author's Note: This takes place two weeks after chapter 5. It's the wedding day. Buffy and Angel had to wait a few days to be able contact Willow and another few days for her to arrive in LA. Also, about the big battle, all the members of The Circle of the Thorn were still killed like in "Not Fade Away", and Wes still died, Gunn didn't, and Illeryia disappeared after Wes died. Angel killed Hamilton, but W&H was NOT destroyed, and there was no morbid dramatic battle sequence like the one in "Not Fade Away". The Senior Partners were killed by the PTB. Angel kept the W&H building, and is going to reopen Angel Investigations. Also, Spike and Harmony turned human (Harmony helped in this version). I think that's all that needs to be said… oh! This is an alternate, fluffy ending, that I wrote for myself, because chapter 7, the real ending is… non-fluffy. That's all you'll get out of me!
A/N 2: This takes place the morning after Angel's stag night and Buffy's hen party…
Chapter 6 – The Alternate Ending
Angel's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he narrowed them at the harsh bright sun streaming through the windows of his Wolfram & Hart apartment. He tried to raise an arm to shield his eyes, but found both arms were being held down. He glanced down, and his eyes widened.
There was a blonde and a dark brunette in his bed! In his bed, the day he was getting married. Oh, Buffy was SO going to kick his ass for this. He roughly tugged both arms free from beneath their heads. His eyes narrowed as he realized that the person on his left had peroxide blonde hair…
"Aah!" he screamed as jumped out of the bed as fast as lighting, rousing the other two from sleep. He looked down at himself, and thankfully noticed he was wearing black silk boxers.
"Angel, what are you doing, mate?" Spike asked in a sleepy voice.
"Yeah, Deadboy," Xander said as he raised his head from the bed. Slowly, they both looked at the other speaking occupant of the bed. Their eyes widened, and they too screamed as they jumped out of the bed. Spike was also wearing boxers, Hawaiian ones at that, but Xander…
"Oh, god!" Angel groaned, looking away as Xander quickly took a pillow from the bed to hide himself from view.
"Do you normally sleep nude or was last night just for us?" Spike teased.
"Well, I used to sleep in boxers, but Anya used to like me to sleep nude, in case of emergency…" Xander trailed off, looking at the ground. There was a few moments silence, before Spike spoke again.
"You do know that's Peaches favourite pillow you've got to your crotch, right?"
…
Buffy suddenly awoke when she heard the door of her father's house close softly, and someone walk into the kitchen. She quietly got of her sleeping bag, and climbed over the other sleeping girls sprawled over the living room floor in their own sleeping bags, and tried not to laugh at Harmony's unicorn sleeping bag. She crept into the kitchen, and sighed in relief when she saw who was there.
"Morning, Will," she greeted, hugging her best friend. Willow smiled, returning the hug.
"Morning," she replied. "Oh, sorry if I woke you, but that was the guy who was delivering the bridesmaid dresses, and I didn't want to strut down the aisle nude, so…"
"I'm sure Oz wouldn't mind," Buffy teased. A soft smile appeared on the redhead's lips, as she thought of the ex that she had reunited with in Istanbul over a month ago.
"Well, yeah, but we've decided to take things slow, and I don't think that would count as slow, you know?"
"I know," Buffy smiled back.
"Anyways, I finally get to see the colour of the bridesmaid dresses!" Willow added enthusiastically, and Buffy chuckled.
She had kept the colour of the dresses a secret, and only told Willow the colour wouldn't clash with her hair. Willow lifted the lid off the box with her name on it, and gasped. She carefully lifted the dress out of the box and held it to her. The dress was a pale pink, so pale you would think it was white. The bodice had a simple, yet beautiful design on it, and the skirt was down to her ankle. It was all made of silk. It was simple, yet elegant.
"I love it!" Willow told Buffy. Buffy grinned.
"Great! Now, you start the breakfast and I'll wake the others." She walked into the living room. She tore open the curtains.
"Are you trying to kill me Buffy?!" Harmony screamed, as she woke and tried to scoot into the darkest corner of the room. Buffy rolled her eyes.
"You're human now, remember?" she said.
"Oh yeah," Harmony said slowly. Buffy smiled, shaking her head.
"Five more minutes, B." Faith grumbled, turning on her side and snuggling into her sleeping bag. Buffy shook her head.
"In five minutes, you're all to be at that breakfast table, and we're leaving in two hours. For once, I am going to be early." With that said, she went upstairs.
"Figures the day she decides to be early is the day she can actually be late," Dawn muttered.
…
"My head!" Angel groaned. "Why did I let you make me drink so much last night?"
"Well, if it was up to me, you would have woken up with two strippers in your bed," Spike said. "And it's not as if we forced the drink down your throat!" He paused for a moment. "It's a good thing we didn't have any strippers, because Buffy would have cut off your-"
"There was one time you tried to pour the drink down my throat," Angel shot back. Suddenly, Xander stopped rooting around in the kitchen and placed a cup on the table in front of Angel.
"Don't ask what's in it, just drink it," Xander told him, and proceeded to make breakfast. Half an hour later, when breakfast was ready, Angel walked into the kitchen.
"Whatever that was Xander, it worked," he said as he sat down at the kitchen table.
"It's a cure for hangovers I learned when I was a bartender," he told Angel. They soon finished their breakfast, and Angel noticed the time.
"We'd better be leaving soon, because I'm getting married in an hour," he warned.
…
"Buffy!" Dawn screeched. "C'mon, we haven't got all day!"
"I'm coming!" Buffy yelled from upstairs.
"She said that five minutes ago," Giles muttered.
"I'm ready," said a voice, and Dawn, Willow and Giles were drawn to the figure slowly descending the stairs.
Buffy wore a sleeveless Vera Wang wedding dress. The bodice was covered with tiny diamonds that sparkled when she moved. The skirt was big and had several silk layers and a long train that trailed behind her.
"So… what do you think?" she asked, a nervous smile on her lips.
"You look radiant," Giles said, planting a kiss on her cheek.
She smiled warmly at her former Watcher. She had missed Giles when he moved back to England, and had not got a chance to see him until now as he had arrived late last night and had stayed in a nearby hotel.
"Wow," Willow commented. "Good thing Angel can't lose his soul anymore or we'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble, and I'll go wait in the car now."
"I hope Angel knows how lucky he is," Dawn said to her, and followed Willow outside.
"Where is everyone else?" Buffy questioned.
"They left a while ago to go to the church," Giles replied. He looked at her for a moment. "How are you?"
"Truthfully, I'm so nervous I think I might throw up. I know I've no reason to be nervous, at least I hope I've no reason to be nervous, and I'm rambling, aren't I?"
Giles nodded, and guided her out of the house and down the path to where the white stretch limo was parked.
"You have no reason to be nervous, Buffy. You have the love of a man, a man you're going to marry. And you're going to be happier than you've ever been." She stopped outside the limo.
"How do you know?" she asked.
"How do I know what?"
"How do you always know the right words to say?" she answered with a smile. "Thank you."
She hugged him tightly for a few moments, and whispered "I love you" in his ear before stepping into the limo. Giles wiped his eyes for a moment, and then got into the limo also.
…
"Man, you gotta stop fidgeting," Gunn told the groom. "She's gonna be here."
"How do you know?" Angel asked, as he glanced around the crowded church.
"Because it's my duty as best man," he answered.
Angel sighed. He was so nervous. Everyone around him was talking quietly, including his other groomsmen, Oz, Xander, and after much begging from Spike and some from Buffy, Spike also. To his delight, Connor was also one of the groomsmen. Suddenly, the music started up, and his eyes flew to the now open doors.
The bridesmaids entered first, each carrying a small bouquet of pink roses. Harmony entered first, and smiled at Spike as she passed him, but his attention was on the next bridesmaid that was walking up the aisle. Faith smiled at Spike, and stood beside Harmony. Next was one of Buffy's friends from Hemery, Jennifer? He wasn't really sure on her name.
Dawn followed, who noticed Connor the same time Connor noticed her. Then Willow, the maid of honour, followed and she waved at Oz. He waved back. A gasp escaped from Angel's lips as he saw his bride. She was beautiful. When she saw him, a smile lit up her face. Suddenly, she was standing before him, and Giles was placing her small hand in his. The ceremony itself was a blur to him until he registered the priest saying,
"You may now kiss the bride." He slowly lifted her veil, and laid a feather-light kiss on her glossy lips. She smiled and passionately kissed him as the congregation burst into applause.
…
As they entered the Four Seasons hotel, Buffy noticed Oz chatting with Willow.
"Um, not to be rude, but shouldn't you be setting up with the Dingoes?" she asked Oz. He smiled.
"We got fired, but paid fully," he told her as Angel came up behind her and wrapped an around her waist.
"Did you have anything to do with this?" Buffy asked him.
Before Angel could answer, Oz continued.
"No, he didn't. Here," he said, handing her a note, and walked away with Willow.
She opened it and read it aloud to Angel, as they slowly walked towards the banquet hall where their reception was being held.
"First of all, congratulations. I knew you two would make it. Second, as my wedding gift to you, I fired the Dingoes, but paid them with the PTB's money, and asked someone more… suitable to fill in. She'll only have time to perform a few songs, so I asked her to perform From This Moment On, You're Still The One, and You've Got A Way." As they opened the doors, they stopped when they saw who was onstage.
"In case you can't tell, it's Shania Twain," Buffy continued to read. "Have a great day, from your friendly neighbourhood link." Buffy looked up at Angel in confusion. "All I can say is huh?"
He smiled.
"She brought me before the Powers That Be," he explained.
A while later, everyone had eaten and witnessed Gunn as well as Xander make the best man's speech, and laughed at how Xander broke his glass from hitting it too hard with a knife. He then went on to say how he had been jealous of them at the start, but he always knew they'd end up together in the end. Then, the first few notes of the first song of the evening sounded softly in the air, and Angel stood.
"Dance with me?" he asked softly, holding out his hand to his wife. Buffy smiled, placing her hand in his, as he led them to the empty dance floor.
(I do swear that I'll always be there. I'd give anything
and everything and I will always care. Through weakness
and strength, happiness and sorrow, for better, for worse,
I will love you with every beat of my heart.)
From this moment life has begun
From this moment you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on
From this moment I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love I'd give my last breath
From this moment on
I give my hand to you with all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true because of you
From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on
You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you
From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment
I will love you as long as I live
From this moment on
…
The limo stopped outside a darkened house at sunset, and Buffy raised her head from Angel's chest.
"Where are we?" she murmured, as they stepped out of the vehicle.
"Oh… about ten minutes outside of LA," he answered, as they walked up the concrete path. "We're pretty near the beach in Santa Monica too."
"Okay, why are we here?" she asked, as he removed a small set of keys from his pocket.
"Well, I just wanted you to see our new home…" he answered, as he opened the front door and switched on the light. She gasped.
"Oh Angel," she murmured, looking around the spacious foyer. She turned around and buried her head in his chest, hugging him tightly.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked. "If you don't like it, we can sell it, or-"
"Oh no, I love it," she assured him, pulling back.
"Then why the tears?" he asked. She wiped her eyes, and smiled.
"They're happy tears," she told him. "This has just been the happiest day of my life, and I owe it all to you." He smiled, and suddenly grabbed her in his arms. She gasped.
"What are you doing?" she murmured.
"Going to test out that bed in the master bedroom," he told her as he ascended the stairs.
The End… (Remember, this is only an alternate ending! Real ending will be posted shortly.)