The next time she was able to get Cordy, Willow and Tara all together she made sure to go shopping for the dress. The girls' had been so much easier to decide on and had been taken care of weeks ago. Hers, not so much. She had also invited Xander to come, not wanting to leave him out, but she wasn't surprised when he declined such an invitation. Surprisingly, he was opting to help Angel out today instead.
They stopped to eat, gossip and catch up with each other before making their way to the latest store. Everyone had been made aware of Darla but she'd only told Willow still about the baby. Everyone had promised to let her know if they happened to see or hear anything about the wretched blonde, but so far there hadn't been anything, and Buffy sure wasn't complaining that she hadn't seen her again.
As for the dress, well it was a little difficult finding exactly what you want when you're not really sure what that is. She'd been so in love with her first dress but it didn't feel right at all to wear it. Finding something that was stunning and was perfect for this second wedding was all she needed.
The dress handlers, as they called themselves, had set the girls up in their very own private viewing room. They were all seated on a circular couch, a tray of snacks placed before them. Soon after everyone was seated, Buffy herself was escorted to the back, into one of the many dressing rooms down the long hall.
They had all been offered Mimosas, which Buffy had refused, opting instead for water. Now that she'd been off her period for a few days, it was officially operation baby time. She wasn't willing to risk anything that might even have the slightest possible chance of hindering conception. She had even mentioned getting a box of those Ovulation test things, but Angel had assured her they would just go to waste.
He suggested instead they buy a few pregnancy tests, that after a couple weeks, they would know… one way or the other. Telling her, he thought it would be better to know, than be blindsided if she were to have another period. That he didn't want to see her go through that again.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her fitting assistant arrived with an array of selections for her to choose from. Buffy had spoken with her on the phone for nearly an hour when she scheduled the appointment for today, so she already had a good feel as to what she was looking for. She had told the overly enthusiastic person on the other end of the line, who insisted she only be referred to as either a dress handler, or dressing assistant that she was looking for something on the simpler side of things. Definitely no ball gowns, or even mermaid style dresses, and absolutely nothing that required a corset.
Her last wedding dress had been her ultimate fantasy, designed by Vera Wang, it was an off the shoulder Cinderella style gown, one that had cost them an absolute fortune. She still had it bagged in the back of her closet, another thing from their past she had been unable to part with.
The first few dresses that Buffy tried on, were nice, but something was lacking, they didn't have that wow factor. Cordelia ever the tactful one, had told her that she had an aunt who wore something similar... to her vow renewal, of 25 years.
By the third dress, Willow had once again suggested she reconsider her original. Though Buffy quickly shot her down, call her superstitious but as beautiful as it was, there was a distinct possibility that it was cursed. No, this was going to be a new wedding, which meant it required a new dress, even if she was sick of trying them on.
Buffy held her breath as her dressing assistant unzipped the last bag she had brought with her. As she pulled the gown from the bag, Buffy let out an audible gasp. It was absolutely breathtaking, she only hoped it would look as beautiful on her body as it did on the hanger.
The entire dress was made of silk, no lace, to tulle, it wasn't bright white, but it wasn't cream either. It was perfect. Allowing her assistant to help her step into the gown, she actually closed her eyes until she was instructed that it was safe to look.
Instantly her eyes flooded with tears, this dress fit as though it was designed especially for her. Thin straps, ran down into a plunging neckline, choosing to try it on without a bra had been a good decision. The silk did nothing to hide her nipples, which she just knew would drive Angel completely crazy. Turning to the side she couldn't believe it, the back of the dress looked even better than the front. Her entire back was bare all the way down to the curve of her ass, where the silk flowed down, as though it was a second skin, accentuating all of her curves.
When Buffy walked out into the viewing room, Willow and Tara immediately burst into tears. Cordy commented on her amazing breast, because of course she had, and told her that this dress would be perfect since they were foregoing a real reception and opting for a simple dinner.
The dress handler had suggested a veil, but Buffy had opted instead for Swarovski studded clip, this dress was too stunning, a veil could only take away from it.
OoOoO
By the time they had left the dress shop it was late afternoon, Buffy still needed to find shoes, but honestly right now she just wanted to go home, after being used to spending so much time together she was seriously missing her honey. When she suggested that perhaps they should save the shoe shopping for another day, shockingly even Cordelia sighed in relief.
On the way back to her house, Buffy sat in the back of Willow's car mindlessly flipping through apps on her phone. Angel may not have wanted her to buy ovulation tests, but he didn't say anything about using an ovulation app. Quickly she googled, looking for the one with the best reviews and downloaded it to her phone.
It asked her a few quick questions, such as her age, the average length of her periods, and the date of the first day of her last cycle. Inputting all of the information, she impatiently waited for her personalized fertility calendar to pop up.
When it finally loaded she said a silent prayer of thanks to the fates, she had always assumed that you should count from the last day of your period, not the first. They could have totally missed their opportunity!
According to the app, based on the first day of her last period, her best chances to conceive would be over the next five days starting tomorrow. She just wasn't sure if tomorrow meant midnight, or 8 AM. Sighing, she thought how these things should really be more specific. Regardless, she couldn't help but imagine all the fun ways they could practice until the clock struck twelve.
"Do you think the guys are back," Cordelia questioned from the seat next to her.
"I don't know, but I hope they have food," Willow chimed in from the front, glancing at them through the rearview mirror.
"If not, we can always order Pizza," Buffy couldn't help the scrunch of her nose, "again,".
The rest of the car ride was spent in relative silence, shopping, especially wedding dress shopping seemed to really take it out of you. Though she was relieved to be able to mark one more thing off their to-do list, she hoped Angel had been able to secure a restaurant today.
Some of the higher end ones he was looking at were supposed to be sending a representative over to speak with him about the details. Even though she had insisted they could just go somewhere local, he had simply kissed her temple and told her just because they weren't going for extravagance this time, didn't mean they should settle for ordinary.
When they turned on Buffy's street there was a strange car in the driveway next to Angel's, one she had simply assumed belonged to one of the restaurant people. However as they approached closer, she could see a woman, a blonde woman, walking towards the car, and peeling out of the driveway just as Willow pulled up to the house.
There was no doubt in her mind, that woman had been Darla.
Buffy felt her heart racing as she got out of the car and ran up to the house. The door was locked when she got to it, yet she found herself searching through the room to room for any signs of anyone.
"Xander's truck isn't here," Cordelia offered, calling after her as she headed up the stairs.
'That was true,' she thought. After looking around the upstairs, she grabbed her phone and dialed Angel's number. As soon as he answered, she felt her shoulders relax a little. "We just got back a minute ago," she told him.
"Yeah? Did you have a good time? Find anything you like?" he asked and she let out a deep breath, holding the phone away from her hoping he wouldn't hear her trying to calm herself down before telling him she'd finally found a dress. "Really? Mmm, you'll have to show me when we get back."
"Absolutely not. You can see it when we're getting ready to say our vows," she told him, then, "Where'd you and Xander get off to?"
"Ran up the road to get some supplies to make us all some tacos. I figured you all might be hungry when you got back and my latest appointment with one of the restaurant people got canceled, like, forty five minutes ago. We're waiting our turn in the checkout line now so it shouldn't be long."
Buffy was quiet for a moment then blurted out what'd happened. She admitted she didn't have the absolute best view of the woman but just knew it was her. "She was at our house," she whispered, feeling frustrated.
OoOoO
Xander climbed into the driver's seat and was about make some kind of joke but the look on Angel's face had him dropping that idea real fast. He had never been good in these type of moments and tended to make them more awkward than necessary. He didn't know all the details of what had apparently happened but he had told him Buffy came home to Darla at their house, that she'd left before anything could happen though. And now, his once friend looked plain awful.
"Do you have any idea as to why she's hanging back around?" he asked after a moment, unsure of what else to do.
Angel sighed, shaking his head. He suddenly looked so tired, almost defeated by life around him. "I only sort of knew her through college, Xander. We had few classes together, we'd see each other around town, on campus or whatever. She flirted a number of times but hell, by the time she even graduated she had been engaged to someone. We had next to no contact until she was brought in for the job. I still don't even fucking know what any of that was about," he told him.
Angel rubbed a hand down his face. "It was literally just out of nowhere... so much out of fucking nowhere with her. I've never understood it. And then shit really hit the fan with Buffy that... that night... and she was gone. Just gone. I hadn't seen her once or heard from her in any way whatsoever. Nothing. Not one fucking thing until running into her in the store."
Xander thought about that while he finally turned the car on. "Maybe it's all more about Buffy than you?" he asked out loud. "The timing doesn't make sense, at least not to me. She chased after you, ruined your twos' lives and then gets what she seemingly wanted in you guys splitting up but doesn't show her face until you're back together. Just seems strange to me."
"As far as I know, she didn't even know Buffy until well after the fact of us being together."
Xander shrugged, pulling out of the parking lot. The rest of the ride was in silence but Xander couldn't help but realize for the first time probably what a toll everything that had happened when he and Buffy split up had taken on him.
Telling him to just take a moment when they reached the house, he carried everything inside. "You should go talk to him," he said in a low voice as he passed Buffy by.
OoOoO
Buffy hated not knowing what Darla's play was. She was back out of nowhere, hadn't made any move to actually contact them before, and then today happened. She searched all around the outside of the house for some sign of something she might have left but came up empty. It was too bold of a move coming to their house and she had to admit that it shook her a little.
Angel didn't look like he was fairing any better. She climbed into the truck and grabbed his hand in hers. "It's okay, Angel. It's not going to change anything. Although I have to admit it makes me worried... This is our home... she doesn't need to be here."
He didn't say anything, just brought her hand up to his lips for a moment. When he got out of the side door a few minutes later she waited for him to come around and help her out as well and lead her back to the house. Xander was already working on getting things going in the kitchen and Angel walked in to tell him not to worry over it. "You're our guest."
"I'm not a guest. I'm your friend, you guys are my family," Xander corrected and then told them both to get out of the kitchen and that he had it covered.
OoOoO
When everyone had finally gone home, Buffy climbed into Angel's lap on the couch. "You gonna tell me about this dress of yours now?" he asked.
"Nope. Not one little detail." He playfully groaned at her. She could tell he was still upset about the whole new Darla situation but he was doing his best to hide it. "I want you to have the full experience of seeing me in it the first time when I walk down the aisle." She kissed his neck, then again just below his ear.
Never one to miss an opportunity, Angel's large, very warm hands fondled her breasts after slipping under the thin material of her shirt. Her chest pressed more into his palms, her ass pressing into his lap... which was only growing more excited by the moment.
Darla easily slipped from her mind, from her worries and she thought about what the little app on her phone had said about the next several days and her so-called window of opportunity approaching. Of course, those things weren't fool proof but she sure didn't mind the practice if that's all it was, either.
She often thought it must have been a miracle - or perhaps the work of the devil - that she had gone as long as she had without this mans' touch.
OoOoO
Tucking a strand of loose blonde hair behind her ear, Buffy opened the cabinet doors under the sink and placed a new box of tampons next to a small towers' worth of pregnancy tests. Whatever the future held, she wanted to be prepared for when the time came for either item to be needed.
OoOoO
The closer the wedding got, the faster the days seemed to fly by. It had already been over two weeks since she had found her dress, and she felt like she'd barely had time to blink since. They were both running on nothing more than caffeine and orgasms, neither of them ever willing to deny the other. She honestly wasn't sure how Angel had found the energy to go into the office at all. The three hours a day she was putting in at the pre-school were plain torturous this last week, and she wasn't even going in every day.
Somehow between all the bouts of love making, they had found the time to accomplish a lot of the last minute details in regards to their wedding. She swore Angel had toured, or at the very least spoken to every single restaurant manager between Sunnydale and San Francisco.
Yet you know which one he decided on?
The ever so casual Italian place down the street, "They have a private room we can use, plus the commute will be shorter for everyone..." sometimes she really questioned his logic.
Regardless, she was just happy there was one more thing she could check off their to do list. She still needed to find shoes, and so far she hadn't had any luck securing a photographer with so little notice.
On the bright side Lindsey had been able to take a few extra days off work last minute. He was flying into LAX on Friday to stay the weekend with them, so that he and Angel could be fitted for a new tux. He'd been planning on just getting a room at the lousy motel down the street, but Angel wouldn't hear of it. Telling him there was no reason to stay in that roach infested dump, when they had a perfectly vacant spare bedroom. Of course Lindsey had made some quib about the thickness of the walls. She loved Lindsey, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't just a little anxious about how this weekend would turn out.
OoOoO
Buffy sat in the oversized chair in Angel's office. She had just gotten off the phone with Giles, and was beyond ecstatic that he was going to be able to make the trip to California for her wedding. Again.
They would have dealt if he couldn't make it, London to California was no easy trip, especially when you reached his age. When she saw his name flash across the caller I.D., she automatically assumed the worst and prepared herself for bad news. Shutting herself in Angel's office, she curled up in his oversized chair as she waited for him to break it to her.
Only that moment never came, instead he told her that he was just calling to check in on her, and provide her with his flight information. Tears of relief instantly flooded her eyes, though she tried her hardest to keep her voice steady as she spoke. He wouldn't be able to stay long, less than a week, but he was going to make it, and that was all that mattered. She had missed him more than he would ever know.
He had made sure to ask her one final time if this was what she truly wanted, and of course she had tried her best to reassure him. He more than anyone else, didn't want to see her go through the heartbreak that nearly broke her the first time.
She did her best to assure him that things were different this time, she told him how much her and Angel's communication had improved since their previous marriage. She told him that there was no way she could go through that heartbreak again, because she wouldn't survive and neither would Angel.
She purposely left out everything about pregnancy possibilities, but she promised him that they were in this for the long haul this time. For better or worse, no matter what.
OoOoO
Angel was alone in his office, impatiently waiting for his last meeting of the day to arrive. Ever since Buffy had spotted Darla lurking about their home, he had tried his damndest not to come into the office. He'd been skyping into meetings, and utilizing conference calls for everything that he could. Unfortunately there were still some things that required his physical presence.
He had yet to ask anyone in the office if they had heard anything about Darla, he was honestly hoping he could use Lindsey to snoop around for him this weekend. Lindsey asking about Darla, would cause a whole hell of lot less heat, than if he were too. One way or another, they needed to find a way to banish that bitch from their lives for good.
Though the thought of Lindsey coming into town gave him more anxiety than he cared to admit. He just knew that mother fucker was going to grill him as soon as he stepped off the plane about the possibility of Buffy being pregnant. They hadn't discussed it per se, but everytime Lindsey hung up the phone he made sure to end their conversation with, "Wrap it up, brother,". Each of them knowing exactly what he was referring to, and damn if he didnt pick one hell of a time to travel out here.
Sometime in the next week they would find out if all of their sleepless nights had been worth it, not that he wouldn't trade every second of sleep if it meant he could be inside her. Still, he didn't want to witness the devastation if she were to start her period again, and he damn sure didn't want Lindsey around for that heartbreak.
On the other hand, if she were pregnant, he wasn't so sure he wanted Lindsey around for that news either. The mere idea of the possibility that his child was growing inside of her, made both his heart and his cock swell.
He had always stories, hell everyone had, about the negative impacts pregnancy would have on your marriage. He was starting to think everyone was full of shit, that or they were married to the wrong person. Here recently, his most favorite fantasy was of Buffy, stomach swollen round with his child, breasts full and heavy, hips and thighs thickened, no he couldn't wait to see how beautiful she was seven, eight, nine months pregnant. He couldn't wait to make love to her knowing that the product of their souls grew inside her.
Snapping himself out of his fevered fantasy, he thought once again about how to bring the idea of testing up to her. On one hand, he wanted to say fuck it just go pee on the damn stick now. Though he knew how fragile she was regarding this, and he had read plenty of literature over the last few weeks detailing the possibilities of false negatives if she were to test too soon.
He definitely didn't want to put her through any unnecessary stress, but again planning this wedding made that impossible. Which was exactly the reason he'd originally wanted to wait, although the time for that was long passed. Loosening his tie, he sighed in frustration, and checked his watch one more time.
OoOoO
Buffy, not for the first time, sat down and pulled the top few pregnancy tests out from under the sink and looked them over. A very large part of her just wanted to grab one and try it out. She'd bought several that claimed you could use them quite some time before a missed period and they did seem rather tempting. The fear of it coming back as negative had her putting them back each time.
She knew that she had to pee on one of these damn things soon though. If she wasn't with child, she didn't want to find out the same way as last time. Something about the shock of blood being the messenger had felt more traumatic than necessary.
Sighing, she put them back in the order she had obsessed over and closed the door. Timing was another thing she worried over - beyond testing at the wrong time. Sure, she could literally just grab one and do it at any given time but doing so in the middle of the night with Angel passed out in the next room didn't seem right. She had probably obsessed over this act alone more than one person should, too. She thought of if she should when alone, with Angel here, ask Willow... do it with him waiting on pins and needles, surprise him with him downstairs, while he was at work...
She tried to imagine how she would tell him... if she wasn't... or if she were.
Buffy was pretty sure she had looked into every possible way to tell your partner that they were going to a father and still didn't know what seemed right. More than likely she wouldn't be able to control herself long and would just jump at him happily screaming that they were going to be parents but she'd let her mind run wild about other options. She daydreamed about little outfits she'd seen that she could use as props, those coffee cups with the announcement written on the bottom, leaving a test in the bathroom for him to find and absolutely every other idea that she'd come across.
The other issue relating to timing had been Lindsey. She wasn't sure if she should test before he came out, just so they would know one way or another and could try to get out all the emotions, or if they should wait until he had left to return home. Of course, she with how irregular her periods had been lately that was stressing her out.
OoOoO
Entering the house, Buffy was all smiles and Lindsey quickly grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. Lindsey wasted absolutely no time in jumping in to tell her he had been filled in about the baby situation and boast about how happy and excited he was for them.
Angel set his jaw and flung his bags carelessly into the floor which only made Lindsey's smile grow wider. The asshole had been on him all day since revealing he had been so far away from taking his advice about that particular subject. It had been an impossibly long day since picking him up, bringing him to the office, and the ride home had taken over an extra two hours so they could get everything out before being around Buffy. He'd even pulled over once to the side of the road so they could have it out without worrying he was going to swerve into someone with his wild hand gestures and being distracted by the conversation at hand.
Of course, he walks into the house and puts a whole new show on.
"It's going to be a little awkward when the baby comes out with Uncle Lindsey's striking blue eyes and handsome good looks, though."
"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Of. My. Wife, Lindsey," he growled.
Smart ass as always, he put his hands up in front of him and waved his fingers. Buffy's arm was wrapped around him still and she was laughing at their antics. "She is the one touching me, Angel. And I simply can't help that she can't keep her hands off of me. I can't help that! It's natural instinct when you have this much lust between two people. You wouldn't know anything about it."
Angel ground his teeth together for a moment then pointed a finger at his best friend. "I'm going to go get me a drink. When I come back you better have your head out of your ass. I'd hate to spend the entire weekend worrying about where to bury your body."
Lindsey only chuckled behind him as he turned. Angel could hear Buffy laughing harder and telling Lindsey to never change before barely making out a sound he was all too familiar with. "You hear that?," Lindsey yelled. "That was also HER kissing ME!"
Angel decided to walk away before he punched a whole in that smirk of his.
"So, darlin', how do you feel about naming this baby of ours Lindsey Junior?"
OoOoO
Hours later, when Angel dared to take a shower and leave his two favorite people alone together, Buffy found herself sitting next to Lindsey who wore the most serious expression she had ever seen him in. It actually made her throat want to close up when his eyes met hers. "Buffy," his voice was soft, but also took on that way too serious tone for this man. "I love you. You are one of my favorite people on this planet..." as he continued to go on, she could help but feel panic rise up with what he was saying.
"Lindsey," she finally cut him off in a harsh whisper. "What in the world are you going on about? You know he would kill you. And not in a joking manner."
"What? No! Noooo," he laughed a little. "No. I'm not that damn stupid nor do I have a death wish," he told her. "I'm just trying to say that I love you, I care about you... but I'm also letting you know that as the person who watched him fall apart the hardest, the one who was there when you weren't... I'm worrying for you guys right now. You didn't see that, you didn't see the worst of it. And I wouldn't be doing my job as the person who's supposed to look out for him if I didn't voice my concerns about the two of you rushing into all of this."
"He's a big boy, Linds."
"Who's also completely blind when it comes to you. And I don't mean that in a mean way, just... he doesn't always think clearly when it comes to you." Buffy fell silent. "I will be the happiest person on the planet for you two, for your marriage, for your kids, for your life together. You know that. I've also not really got a hand in this pot but I need you to be sure. Everyone has doubts but I swear to God I don't care if you find him in bed inside someone else, know that's not where he's wanting to be and something is very wrong type of sure about this."
"Thank you for that imagery..." Buffy sat her coffee mug down on the table in front of them. Shifting, so that she could face him head on she grabbed his hand, and held it between both of her own. This serious side of Lindsey definitely wasn't one that she was used too, but she appreciated that he cared so much for Angel. "I swear Linds, it's not going to be like last time. We may be repeating part of the past here, but that part, the bad part, it's long buried."
Lindsey still wasn't sure he fully believed her, he knew each of them held their fair share of the blame for the last time… but despite Darla, despite everything, when you pulled it all part, it all boiled down to her not trusting him.
"Gorgeous, I'm just saying, I've never seen a man more pussy whipped in my life," cracking a smile at the slight blush that formed on her cheeks, he continued. "But I need you to promise me that whatever comes, you will trust him. Y'all are taking a big leap here with this whole baby thing sweetheart, losing you almost killed him. If he were to lose the both of you," he paused trying to find the words, "Well, I don't even want to speak that into existence, but you get what I'm saying.".
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat she tried her hardest to will them away. The last thing she wanted was for Angel to come strolling in to find her crying, thinking Lindsey was the cause. No, she would much prefer to avoid them going to blows in her living room if at all possible.
"I know Linds, I've even told Angel that before Darla, before all the bullshit, all the stuff that started it was my own insecurities. Trust me, I am one hundred percent aware that what happened between us falls on me at the end of the day." Lindsey hadn't meant to upset her, hell he couldn't stand to see her cry either, pulling her towards him, he waited for her to rest her head on his shoulder before responding.
"It wasn't all your fault Buffy, and I know you know that. Both of you made some seriously dumb decisions, at the end of it all I just want both of you to be happy. But I gotta tell you beautiful, the possibility of there already being a junior squirming around in there… It scares me more than I'd like to admit."
Giggling Buffy looped her arm through his own, she was fairly certain he was more nervous than Angel with the concept of her having a baby. "You do realize, you're only going to be the Uncle right? I mean really you get the best parts, your only responsibilities include spoilage and returning to mom and dad totally hyped on sugar." Cutting his eyes down to her own, he shot her a wink.
"Well, when you put it like that …."
ButImBroken:
Cowritten with Scribes1015!