Chapter 6
After her confrontation with Angelus, Buffy sat down on a bench in the garden. She was angry and confused. She stared at the ring in her hand which held so many memories of the good and the bad. Why won't he take it?! Buffy thought angrily, everything's such a messy now. She's resolved to not think of him anymore, Que sera, sera.
She went back to the house and woke Alex up for breakfast; later, the mother and child went into the city for a shopping trip and afterwards, they met Faith at her apartment for Lunch.
"Angelus came this morning." Lunch was over; the adults were enjoying a cup of coffee around the kitchen table as they clean up. Alex was in front of the television trying to keep up with the latest cartoon.
"No shit! How did he find out so soon?"
"Dunno, his ways?" Buffy rolled her eyes.
"So, what happened?"
"Had a huge blowout in the garden, scared all the pretty birds away…told him that I want the divorce."
"And…"
"He refused." Buffy silenced then turned frustrated, "G-d, I don't know why he's doing this! It's fun torturing Buffy isn't it? It's just so fun." Looking over at Faith's arched eyebrows, "Sorry, I'm just tired of this cat and mouse game with him, I really want the divorce."
"Well, you two haven't been together for eight years, isn't that mutual ground for divorce?"
"Yeah, but he said he'd contest it and make it drag out as long as it takes."
"And he can, with the money and all."
"Yeah," Buffy let out a deep sigh, "Anyway, how's the wedding preparation going?"
"It's alright, it's just a simple one you know. Never really thought I'd be this stupid, didn't waste any time dreaming about it." Faith laughed, "Here's a thought though, you've got to be my bridesmaid. And now there's Alex, he's got to be my ringbearer."
"What? Faith! But I don't have anything to wear." Buffy exasperated.
"That's why this afternoon; we've got an appointment with the boutique to fit for your gown and Alex's suit!" Faith grinned, "Don't worry, I've got excellent taste. You'll look gorgeous."
"Aw, Faith." Buffy started.
"No Buffy, you're family, I really want you to be a part of the wedding." Guilt was Faith's delivering blow, and it got her what she wants.
"I can't wait!" Buffy gave a sarcastic smile, then gave her best friend and almost sister a great big hug. At last she released her, "So, what is it that Lindsey does? Oh, yeah, he's a lawyer right?"
"Yeah, at Wolfram and Hart."
"Wolfram and Hart? Isn't that the really big law firm?" The name sent an alarm in Buffy's mind, the firm handles most of Angelus' legal work, she's sure. What's Lindsey's last name? Lindsey MacDonald. She might be mistaken, but MacDonald sounds like a familiar last name.
This haunted her thoughts throughout the entire afternoon.
The next day, Buffy was up with the dawn, she slept restlessly throughout the night, dreaming of distal memories and whispers. When she woke up, she was not a happy camper.
Something someone MacDonald was Angelus' new lawyer.
Alright, she might be jumping to conclusion, Faith's Lindsey might just happen to be another MacDonald. But another MacDonald working in W&H as a lawyer? Buffy wasn't too comfortable with the coincidence. A sudden fear seized her once she washed up and thought things through. Had this whole thing been a trap? She felt nauseous, that would explain how Angelus would know that she'd come back and where she's staying. Was Faith part of the trap? No, it's impossible, but what does it mean then if Faith didn't know a thing? At this, she felt her blood boiled, angered by the possibility that her best friend would be hurt. What should she do now?
After breakfast, Alex went with Giles to be entertained; Giles, only too happy to procure a pupil with an agile mind and thirst for different types of knowledge, promised to take good care of him while his mother goes into the city.
"She said that our marriage is a charade, a mistake."
Wesley wisely held his tongue. He should have known what an emergency at 12 o'clock midnight constitutes for Angelus. Buffy. So, she's back, he's seen her and now drinking himself into oblivion.
"Do you think I made a mistake too?"
Wesley sighed, "You were both too young, emotionally," he added with response to Angelus' glare, "She was too young and you, did you think you know what a marriage is?"
"Of course I do, why else would I ask her to marry me?" Angelus growled.
"Because you didn't want to lose her to anything or to anyone." Wesley sat down in front of his boss and best friend; maybe it's time to have a "talk" with Angelus. "Remember when you first met her? You just fell for her hard, anyone can see it and it was easy because she fell for you hard too."
Angelus was silent.
"You were obsessed, you wanted her and you needed her to be yours. But that's not how a marriage should be, that's not how a marriage with Buffy should be. You can't treat her like the others, she's not mercenary, and she's not trained to navigate the social water in LA like the others."
"So what are you saying? That it was a mistake? Why the hell didn't you say anything?"
Wesley replied calmly, "Would you have listened to me?" Angelus' jaws taunted. "Besides, she made you happy." Angelus looked up from his whiskey. "Yeah, she made my best friend happy, and for once I thought, who knows, it just might work out."
TBC...
