Here it is! Two more chapters to go!
Enjoy.
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"Hey."
Angel slept at Buffy's house that day. He had just the urge to see her earlier so he just popped up in her apartment at eight the night before. They ended up making love. When he woke up just moments before, he found the bed empty at four in the morning. He also found Buffy sat in an old large chair in the main room. When she heard his voice, she looked up. He realized she had been crying because her eyes and nose were red. She was looking at old albums with pictures of her young self and her family.
"Hey. Why are you out of bed so early?"
"Nothing. Just didn't want to sleep anymore."
Angel walked from his place to Buffy and crouched down in front of her to hold her hands.
"Buffy, what is happening? Did your ex…"
"No. No. It is not that. It's just…"
"Just what?"
"It was… it was today."
"What was today?"
"The day my parents and my grandmother died."
"Oh Buffy!"
Buffy stared at Angel, who caressed her face. Then, he got up, lifted Buffy up, sat in the couch and put her in his lap. He just embraced her and left her sob her pain away. When she calmed down, she got the photo albums again. Angel realized some of them he hadn't seen before. Buffy's mother was just an old version of Buffy, while her father seemed what people today would call a geek. He would have liked to meet them.
What he liked most was to see through the pictures how the woman he loved changed from a little girl in a Dorothy Hamill outfit to the incredible girl who was going to be his wife in a week.
"Where are you in your Dorothy Hamill outfit?"
Buffy smiled against Angel's chest. The last time he saw the pictures he just made so much fun of her. Everything went from a tickle battle to one of the hottest make out section they had before they made love for the first time.
"Oh no! You are going to start it."
"You know. I think you should wear something just like that… just a little more… how can I say… adult?"
Angel leaned in and kissed Buffy.
"You are impossible."
"Hey, can't a man make love to his bride to be? I mean… I'll have to stay away for a whole week. So, I want some prize before the torture begins."
"Hey, it was your idea the celibacy thing. So…"
"See. Sometimes men have such bad ideas."
He pouted. Buffy laughed, but became serious immediately.
"Thanks."
"What for?"
"For being you. For being here. For wanting me in your life."
Angel gave Buffy his lopsided smile she loved.
"Oh… I want you…"
Buffy could feel how much he wanted her.
"I… I… just wish they could be here you know. It is still too much painful to think they are not here. That my father won't walk me down the aisle and my mother won't cry her heart out in my wedding ceremony. She was… she was such a good person. When I got into that rebellious phase of my teenager years and caused my first trouble in school, she sat me in front of her and didn't say anything. She just gave me that look, you know. She was so disappointed. I never did anything wrong again."
"And what did you do?"
Buffy smiled furtively.
"They caught me smoking in the school restroom."
"You know. I think you should have their pictures around. You had a really beautiful family."
"Thanks… I… I was in my school when Sean came to tell me they had…"
Angel's embraced Buffy closely against his chest. He had never asked her about the accident because he didn't want her to remember such a bad moment in her life, although he liked to hear the tales of her family.
"I am sorry."
"No matter. The pain is here, but there is nothing I can do but move on. They would have liked it.
"Yeah… Do you still skate?"
"No. Not much anymore. My mother always thought I would be in an ice dance team or something, but after the accident I just could not… why?"
"Nothing. Just thinking we could go to skate along the week."
"Isn't the ring closed?"
"Yep. They are remodeling it or something. I know the owner. So, I could get us in for a night."
Angel started unconsciously to run his hand under Buffy's shirt to touch her skin.
"That…
Angel realized what he was doing when he looked at Buffy's eyes and saw her lust. His hand run higher and higher and touched her breast, which made Buffy whimper in pleasure.
"would…"
He caressed her nipple softly. The pleasure was too much and Buffy started to rotate her button against his hard member.
"be good…"
They kissed and the pain was forgotten.
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"Come on, Buffy! Show us!"
Buffy was inside a stool completely embarrassed with the experience of going out to buy lingerie for her honeymoon. She was wearing a short, a very short red nightgown and Cordelia, Anya, Fred and Willow wanted her to parade around in it. She breathed hard and decided to join the fun after all. It was only once she was going to do it anyway.
"Wow! Buffy. Angel will drool..."
Buffy laughed and pouted.
"I really hope he will want to do a lot more than just drool. This thing is a lot expensive…"
"... and he will tear it."
"Willow!"
The girls laughed again.
"So, how are you feeling? In two days you are going to be married."
"Well… nervous would not cover it. I am just afraid something will go wrong."
Fred smiled. She was the one responsible for the arrangements of her brother's marriage.
"Buffy, that is completely normal. I was a wreck the day before the wedding too."
Willow gave a mischievous chuckle.
"What? Fred was nervous, but she relaxed a loooooooooooot in that bar we went."
"Oh my! Do not make me remember that. Too much wine!"
"… and fewer clothes on the waiter there."
"Willow!"
The girls laughed. Buffy decided she liked the gown. That was the last piece of clothes. She paid for the things she chose and they all headed to a small café in the far corner of the mall to discuss what to do for Buffy's last single day.
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"What? No way man! It is your last single day. From the day after tomorrow you will be attached to the same woman forever."
"Am I looking unhappy because of that?"
Lindsey smiled at his friend. He knew Angel for a longtime. The man was a sucker for the whole romantic thing. He also realized Angel had come out of his own shell after he started to date Buffy. Before her, Angel was taciturn sometimes. He was too responsible and brooded frequently. Now, that man was dividing space with his alter ego. It was just like two different people inside the same body. Angel was more talkative, he smiled more, sometimes even cracked a joke or two. Buffy was good for him. So good, he, Lindsey "I love my bachelor life", was questioning that. Maybe marriage was not that bad after all.
"Come on! Angel. Just one striper."
"Nope. Just drinks and that's all. I am a wedding planner, you know? I know how the day of a marriage can be draining and I am not going to spend the night before it in a big part."
"Yeah… so, you can have stamina for the wedding night huh?"
Angel blushed. Lindsey and the others guys laughed while Angel made a face.
"No striper!"
Everyone groaned.
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"Hello."
"Hello. Mr. William. The house renovation is finished. You can move there when you please."
"Thanks, Armand."
Spike looked up to the sky and breathed hard. Finally he was ready to leave the city behind for a while. He didn't want to see his woman getting married.
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"Oh my God! Buffy, you look beautiful!"
Cordelia was wearing a beautiful navy blue dress that just accentuated her nine months belly, but was elegant.
"Thanks, Cordy."
Buffy looked at herself in front of the mirror to admire her wedding dress, which was an Organza A-line type with high neck. It was sleeveless and had floor-length. At that exact moment, Mary came in. When she saw the girl she took as hers all that many years before she gasped and her years watered. Buffy saw her through the mirror.
"Don't do this! If you cry I am going to cry too."
"Buffy, my dear. You look nothing out of amazing."
Mary walked to stay in front of her.
"I know you found your perfect match in that young man who will be your husband in a while. I just want to say that I am happy you found him as much as I am my Cordelia found Doyle. I wish you all the happiness in the world."
Buffy's eyes were full of tears she was valiantly trying to hold when the old woman embraced her. Cordelia was the one to save to break the emotional moment before both woman and herself dissolved into tears.
"Come on. Enough of this nonsense. You can't cry… Listen. To. Me. No crying!"
Cordelia was just helping Buffy with her veil when her father appeared at the door.
"We are ready to go. How is my girl?"
Buffy smiled nervously. Sean held her veil to reveal her face and kissed her cheeks.
"You look beautiful. I just want to say that I am honored to give you away. Ready to go."
"Yes."
Buffy took Sean's arm.
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"Angelus, my son, quit with the passing around."
"Dad…"
"No Dad. Why are you so nervous? You are going to be married to a wonderful young woman who cares about you a lot."
Liam, Angel's father, got out of his chair in the groom's room they were and put his hand on each of his son shoulders, looking him directly. Angel glared at the man who stood only inches from him.
"I'm not nervous. Just impatient."
Truth was Angel couldn't remember a time in recent years when he'd been as tense, but he wasn't about to admit it, even to his own father, who looked at him with laughter in his eyes.
"I am your father. I know you… boy. When you look like you want to beat something, you're nervous."
Angel smiled. His father knew him too well.
"I am just… what if she decides she didn't want to marry me."
Liam couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. When his fit stopped he looked at his son, who was directing him daggers.
"I don't think my situation is funny."
"No. My son, it isn't. It is that when I married your mother I thought the same thing. Angelus, that girl won't leave you alone. Believe me. She is too much of a caring person to do this to you… or any man she would marry. If she didn't want to marry she wouldn't have accept your proposal and…"
Angel gave a grateful smile to his father and turned around to see Lindsey standing at the door.
"Well. You better go to your place. Sean called to tell Buffy is on her way."
Liam patted his son's back when his friend just left.
"See. I told you so."
"Don't you have anything else better to worry about, old man? Like taking care of your wife, who by the way happens to be my mother?"
Liam chuckled when he saw Angel's fierce expression.
"Come on… young man."
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The wedding started with the Wild Horses instrumental song playing while the parents came in and sat at their places, Mary being conducted by Doyle. Then, the maid of honor, Willow, who was wearing a beige dress, came in. She was followed by the best man, Lindsey, who was wearing a black tuxedo. The bridesmaid's dresses were a beige color. Angel's nice, Kathrin, the four years old daughter of Xander and Anya, then came in throwing rose petals along the aisle.
Angel felt like air was missing, but every thought left his mind when Buffy appeared at the door of the church. She was gorgeous. He just lit up. He had a huge smile on his face, and his dimples were two inches in. He was trembling from head to feet when Sean gave Buffy to him with a look that said hurt her and I kill you. Buffy and Angel turned to the presiding minister holding hands and Buffy smiled at Angel's when she realized he was in fact trembling.
"You are making me today the happiest man on earth. I love you."
Buffy could almost touch their love. She could see deep into Angel's eyes how much he loved her. At that moment, she realized he probably was seeing the same thing all over her face. She squeezed his hand and gave him a mischievous grin because she thought it should be the other way around.
"I love you so much. And I am the happiest woman on earth today too. Thank you."
Donald Brewer, the presiding minister, gave a few thoughts on love and what marriage should be. Then, the more emotional moments came. First, the vows were exchanged. Then, rings were exchanged, with Angel and Buffy kissing each other's ring. After it, a crying Angel and Buffy were pronounced husband and wife and Angel kissed her. Finally, the new couple proceeded down the aisle to the instrumental sound of Fool of Grace. Now, they were Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor.
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AN: Fanfiction didn't allow me to put the dress link here. So, if you want to see it you can go to my profile.