A/N: Okay, I owe you guys a big apology. This chapter is soooooooooo much later than I'd originally planned, and I never meant for you to wait this long. I could blab with excuses all day, but I'll keep it short and sweet and say that the abhorrent tardiness of this chapter is due to my own selfish laziness and then my impending graduation (THAT CANNOT COME SOON ENOUGH). For some odd, and I think malicious reason, all my teachers have been bombarding me with work. So, school first, right? And then in my spare time I admittedly quickly read the Hunger Games series and then proceeded to devour HG Fanfiction, which has now resulted in me planning to rewrite the series.

Yes, I know what you're thinking? What is with this chick and rewrites? Honestly? I have no idea...

Anywho, moving on...

I'm no longer gonna make promises when I update, since the past month or two has obviously proven that I can't keep them. I can, however, with the upmost certainty, promise that this story will be done by sometime in the middle of August. Why? Because Mother Dearest has decreed that I should have no on-going fanfics by the time I begin college. For some reason she thinks they'll consume me and I'll forget about classes...which...admittedly...holds some truth...

I tend to get a little obessessive...so she says...

SO...BACK TO THE POINT!

Here is the next chapter. :D

And just so you can all squeal with me in excitement...the next chapter is when the baby drama begins and the rest of this story is a thrill ride, let me tell you. :D

Random Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy.

(crickets chirping in background)

Me: Guys?

Buffy: Who are you?

Me: What? Who am I? Who am I? Seriously?

Angel: She looks vaguely familiar...

Me: Oh, come on, guys! It's me! ArthursCamelot? Come on, that's gotta ring a bell.

(more crickets chirping)

Me: (facepalm)

Hell's Bells

Buffy stood next to Willow, staring at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe this.

"Buffy, it's hideous!" Willow pulled at the elbow-length ruffled sleeves of her green bridesmaid dress. "Oh my god, Buffy! Look at its arms!"

"You think you look bad?" Buffy asked her incredulously. "I look like a whale in a really ugly nightie!"

Willow smiled contritely as she took in her friend. While Buffy was truly the most beautiful friend she had, and could pull off some outfits that Willow would never have guessed…there was no way in hell Buffy could make the bridesmaid dress look good. Of course, with her thirty week pregnant belly, Buffy truly did look—odd.

"But it's our duty." Willow faced her reflection, figuring she'd have to the brave one. She absently fiddled with the large flower on the dress that rest just above her heart.

Buffy looked at her reflection again. All the pregnancy glow in the world wouldn't save this outfit. "I'm…Buffy the Bridesmaid."

A loud clap of thunder shook the window, and Buffy's eyes were drawn to the shuttering glass. It was pouring outside, ever since the early hours of the morning. Buffy knew this because she'd still been awake at the time, trying to find a comfortable position.

"Shouldn't I be in a tux?" Willow asked, wondering if her mouth would be perpetually set in a frown as long as she wore the dress. "I mean, I'm the best man. Shouldn't I be more…bestman-y?"

"No." If Buffy was going to wear this thing, Willow was going to suffer the fashion atrocity with her. "We must share equally in the cosmic joke that is bridesmaid-dom."

Buffy sat down on the bed, feeling the need to catch her breath. According to Cassie, little Connor was resting right under her rib cage and shortness of breath could be expected. Not a moment after she'd sat down, Anya came in clad in a purple bathrobe.

Anya gasped, her hands covering her mouth. Buffy and Willow weren't sure whether the bride was delighted or horrified. Personally, Buffy wanted Anya to realize the sacrifice she was making.

"Oh! You look so beautiful!" she exclaimed. "And Buffy, even though you're fat, you look amazing."

"Thanks, Anya," Buffy said dryly as Anya threw her arms around her and Willow, enveloping them in a huge hug.

"This is the happiest day of my whole life!"

Angel couldn't believe he was doing this. In all his two hundred and forty-eight years, never would he have thought he would be attending Xander Harris' wedding. On the bright side, if there really was a bright side, he wasn't actually participating in said wedding.

Angel shuddered at the thought.

Absently, he looked up at the darkened sky from underneath his umbrella. Only Xander's wedding would be taking place during a storm—appropriate. Angel supposed he shouldn't be so spiteful. Harris wasn't such a bad kid. He was a good friend to Buffy when it counted, and Angel, much to his distaste, would always be in the boy's debt because he saved Buffy from the Master all those years ago. Had it really been five years?

Shaking his head, Angel stepped into the church, carrying the wedding gift that was from him and Buffy—mostly Buffy. Honestly, Angel didn't even know what the hell it was. All he knew was that it had a substantial weight and that he'd had to drive back across town to get it because Buffy had left it in her haste to get to the church.

He dropped the gift off by the present table. On his way out the door, he saw a demon teen with horns talking to Dawn, and he made sure to catch the boy's eye. When the boy looked up, Angel made sure that he'd leveled his most refined; 'I will kill you if you do anything I deem unjust' glare. Absently, Angel noted that it was probably a good thing Buffy was having a boy. He didn't know if his nerves could take raising a beautiful little girl.

Continuing on his way out into one of the halls, he almost ran smack into Buffy. "Hey, handsome," Buffy smiled at him as she gave him a once over, taking her time as she looked him from head to toe.

Angel took in her dress. "You're still beautiful."

Buffy smacked his arm, but nonetheless led him to his seat. Buffy had made sure that Angel sat right by Oz, considering that her vampire got along best with the werewolf. "Okay, you sit here. Oz will be here in a minute. I've gotta go check on Xander."

Buffy was gone, hurrying as fast as she could, before Angel could reply.

"Is it to small?" Xander asked panting, trying to suck in his stomach as much as he could.

Buffy gripped the edges of the cummerbund tightly, a furrow in her brow as she determinedly pulled them together so she could fasten the garment. It wasn't being too cooperative.

"Nah," she lied.

Xander tried not to shuffle his feet nervously. "I-It fit when I picked up the tux," he couldn't help but defend himself. "How could it not fit now?"

Buffy pulled on the fabric. "It will fit," she assured him.

Xander wasn't in the mood to be assured. He began to ramble worriedly. "Aw, man, what if it doesn't? What if I can't wear my cummerbund?" The groom began to panic. "And then the whole world will see the place where my pants meet my shirt! Buffy, that cannot happen! I have to wear the cummerbund!"

Buffy was determined that Xander would indeed wear his cummerbund. She pulled on the fabric harder, flinching internally when she heard the fabric stretch. "And…so…you…shall!" Adding just a touch of her Slayer strength, she finally got the damn thing fastened.

Buffy felt triumphant.

"Hey, you got it!" Xander exclaimed happily as he spun around to face her.

Buffy shrugged. "Slayer strength."

With a flip of her wrist, Buffy reached up and whipped Xander's untied bowtie from where it had been resting around her neck. She draped it over its appropriate wearer and began the task of trying to tie it.

Xander joked as Buffy tied the bowtie just a little too tight. "And I've been meaning to cut back on that habit forming oxygen!"

Buffy blushed slightly loosened the tie.

"Look at you," she joked back. "You look great, Mr. I'm-About-To-Get-Married. Glowing. Oh, maybe you're pregnant!"

Xander raised his eyebrows and looked down at her stomach pointedly. "I think you've got us mixed up there Buffster."

Buffy smiled, feeling tears beginning to form.

Xander immediately lost his teasing grin. Oh, no. "Teary," he said concerned. Angel will kill him.

"Oh!" Buffy shook her head, almost as if telling him not to worry about Angel. "Good. Good teary."

"Happy teary?" Xander had to make sure. His life depended on it. "Not frustrated with the bowtie teary?"

Buffy fiddled with his bowtie. "Yes. Happy. Happy for you, which makes me happy for me." Buffy finally huffed in frustration, her hands leaving Xander's collar. "And I cannot tie this bowtie!" she laughed. "Isn't this the job of the best man?" she asked. "Where's Will?"

Xander shrugged. "She said she had something important to do."

Buffy thought for a moment before she realized where Willow probably was. "She's probably helping Anya with her dress."

"Oh, yeah, right," Xander laughed nervously, pulling at his collar, sudden feeling hot. "Right, dress. Wedding dress. Wow, I'm really doing this."

Buffy smiled. "Yep."

"So, um, how do I look?"

"Well, let's see." Buffy looked him up and down—taking in the tuxedo, the corsage, and the neatly combed hair. "Found your shoes…your fly's zipped. I'd say you're ready to get married."

"Great," Xander smiled nervously as he glanced quickly at his reflection.

Buffy's lips quirked up in a fond smirk as she noted Xander's nervousness. She walked up to him and wiped away some imaginary dirt from his tux. "You're one of the decent ones Xander," she told him. "Anya's a lucky girl."

"Yeah, but…marriage…what was I thinking?" Xander's nerves would not be calmed it seemed. "I mean, I'll have to live with her, be with her practically twenty-four seven for the rest of my life. That's a commitment."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Xander, do you love Anya?"

"Yes."

"Will you always try your best to be there for her?"

"Well, yeah."

Buffy smiled. "Xander, you'll be fine. When I moved in with Angel, it took a good month before things were sorta normal. I had to take over his dresser and at least half his closet. I had to totally redecorate without going overboard on the girly-ness. We argued over little things. Hell, I think we argued over the placement of the toaster, which, I totally won that argument because I'm the one that uses it." Buffy smiled when she saw Xander fight a smile. "The point is Xander, it'll be an adjustment, but it's worth it. If you love her enough, it'll all work out."

Xander felt his frayed nerves calming. He smiled, "look who's taking a walk in the mommy shoes."

"What, this?" Buffy laughed. "This is just the hormones talking. Trust me."

"Yeah, sure Buffster. Sure."

"Oh, will you go meet and greet?" Buffy shoved him playfully towards the door.

Xander walked out into the hall and gallantly offered Buffy his arm. "Will you accompany me, my lady?"

Buffy threaded her arm though his. "Of course my good sir," she said with a smile.

As they walked down the hall, Xander couldn't help but think of everything that could possibly go wrong with his parents in attendance. Of course, his entire family all thought that Anya's family were from the circus, but what could Xander really tell them? 'Hey, mom, dad! My future wife is actually a thousand year old ex vengeance demon and that guy over there? Yeah, his skin really is blue.'

Yes. That would work out great.

"Okay," he said as they neared the doors. "Let's go over the rules one more time. Rule number one?"

"Don't let your dad near the bar," Buffy replied firmly.

"Rule number two?"

"Don't let your mom near the bar."

"Perfect!"

Xander stopped in the entryway, gazing at all the people. "Well, here I go…"

Buffy smiled. "You'll be fine," she assured him. "I'm gonna go find Angel."

Angel was out of his seat the moment his eyes caught Buffy moving toward him, and Oz wasn't too far behind. Buffy frowned as she took in their faces. It was almost as though they didn't want to be there.

"Buffy, Muirnín," Angel smiled in relief. "Save me!"

"You!" Oz interrupted. "Us! Us! Save us!"

"What are you two talking about?" Buffy frowned.

"Okay, first of all, our wedding?" Angel looked around. "We're not inviting half as many people."

"Okay…"

"Seriously, Buffy, not even half."

"What is the matter with you?" Buffy asked confused. "What's gotten into you?"

"I'm going crazy!" Angel whispered, looking around them paranoid.

Oz nodded solemnly. "I think the centuries have caught up to him…"

"It's this place!" Angel defended himself. "I've got the best hearing here," he explained, pointing toward a pink woman with green hair in the far back corner of the room. "See her? I've been listening to her go on and on about her rash on her—"

"Whoa!" Buffy clamped her hand over his mouth. "Do not finish that sentence."

Angel mumbled something against her hand, and Buffy let her hand fall so she could understand him. "What?"

"And that guy over there, see him?" Angel surreptitiously pointed to a tentacle-clad person. "He's been talking to his suction cups—like they're people!"

Oz shuddered. "It is quite disturbing."

"Okay, so what do you want me to do about it?" Buffy huffed.

"Let's go home!"

"I am not missing Xander's wedding."

"Please?"

"Angel—"

"Pretty please?"

"Angel—"

"For the love of all that's holy—"

"Angel, stop acting like a child!" Buffy admonished. "You are two hundred and forty-eight years old, dammit! Act your age!"

Oz smirked. "And the Mother of the Year Award goes to. . ."

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Daniel Osborne. . ."

Oz's mouth snapped shut, and Angel chuckled.

Buffy eyebrows rose. "Something funny?"

Angel frowned. "No."

"That's what I thought." Buffy sighed and thought to herself. And in a little less than two months, I get to have two little boys to deal with. She looked at Angel. It's true…boys never grow up…even if they're two and half centuries old…

"Toast! Toast!"

Buffy looked up curiously to see Mr. Harris at the bar, holding a half-filled whiskey glass. "Oh, crap."

"A toast!" Mr. Harris continued. "To the Harris Clan!"

Angel, in complete seriousness now, leaned down to whisper in Buffy's ear. "I thought he wasn't supposed to go near the bar?"

"Oh, he wasn't." Buffy found Xander in the crowd, looking apprehensively at his father. "This is bad. Very, very bad."

"I know in the past we've had our problems," Mr. Harris continued.

Buffy turned to Angel, grabbing his hand. "Come on, we've got to do damage control!"

"What, it can't be that bad. . ." Angel replied.

". . .and to my wife Jessica. Where are you honey? There she is! To my wife! What would I do without you beautiful?"

"See?" Angel smiled. "It's not that bad."

"Well, for starters I probably wouldn't drink so much, would I?"

Angel's smile dropped. "Oh. Not good."

"Come on!" Buffy began to tow him towards the bar to keep Mr. Harris from making an even bigger fool of himself.

"On the brighter side, marriage probably saved me from a nasty dose of the clap," the elder Harris continued. "So here's to ya!"

"And a toast to the bride's dermatological-challenged family shrub!"

"Sit down!"

"Hey, I paid for this! You want me to sit down you cough up a couple grand, Squidly!"

"Not good, not good, not good," Buffy muttered under her breath as she and Angel weaved their way through the guests toward the bar.

"What'd you call me? You drunken piece of sh—"

"Mazel tov!" Buffy quickly stepped in between Mr. Harris and the tentacle demon, which prompted Angel to step in front of her and pull her slightly behind him.

"I've got Harris, you get Tentacles," Buffy murmured as she grabbed the elder Harris's arm and led him away from the fray. Behind her, she could hear Angel and Clem trying to talk down Tentacles.

"Hey, what's this?" Mr. Harris asked, his eyebrows raised as he looked down at her.

Buffy plastered on her best fake, super-cheerful smile. "You must be so happy for Xander on this very, very special, once-in-a-lifetime-day, huh, Mr. Harris?"

Mr. Harris responded by blatantly ogling her, causing Buffy's grip on his arm in increase, but the old man didn't seem to notice. "Nice chassis," he complimented, causing Buffy to scowl. "What's under the hood? Rwoar!"

Buffy ignored him. "You know what? I could use a strong cup of coffee," she lied. "Hey, let's get you one too, what do you say?"

"Did you use to own a little square, pinkish purse?" Mr. Harris asked, ignoring the coffee offer.

A vision of a very drunk Mr. Harris puking all over her favorite pink clutch flashed through her mind. "Yeah, I did," she replied, far less cheerful than before.

Mr. Harris nodded. "I thought so. Hey, what do you say we slip into the back room and I show you my—"

"You finish that sentence and I can guarantee there won't be anything for you to show," Angel threatened darkly.

Even in his drunken stupor, Mr. Harris' survival instincts were alive and kickin'. He knew Angel was serious.

Mr. Harris coughed, unnerved. "Uhm, you said something about coffee?"

"I got this, honey," Buffy told Angel as she took Mr. Harris' arm. "Make sure that Xander is ready, will you?"

Angel kept his glare, staring holes into Mr. Harris' head. "You sure?"

"Positive." Buffy patted his chest before she leaned up to whisper. "Leave now before you kill him. I hardly think that would go over well."

"Probably not," Angel agreed aloud. Mr. Harris was beginning to sweat under the heat of Angel's unceasing glare. "Murder at a wedding would probably be considered rude."

The elder Harris' eyes popped out of his head.

"I think you've scared him enough, Angel," Buffy frowned disapprovingly, though Angel could tell that she was hiding her amusement. "Go find Xander."

Reluctantly Angel left, though not before giving her a quick, but heated kiss. After all, he was going to find Xander of all people. "You owe me," he whispered into her hair.

"I'll make it up to you."

Angel's smile was hidden by her hair. "I'll look forward to it."

"Go find Xander."

"Wow, way to kill the mood."

"Go!" Buffy playfully shoved him away, and Angel went to find the groom—though not without sending one last warning glare at one Mr. Harris.

Buffy retook Mr. Harris's arm and began to lead him toward the groomsmen's hall where she knew for sure there would be coffee. "So, that your, uh, husband?" he asked. "You know, for a pretty boy, he's kinda scary. . ."

Buffy hid her smile and made the most innocent face she could. "Really? You know, I don't get why some people think he's so scary. It's almost like they think he has an evil alternate personality!"

Mr. Harris chuckled uncomfortably before he took a big gulp of coffee. "I believe them."

Angel knew that he loved Buffy more than life itself. He loved her with his whole being. He knew this for sure because otherwise there was no way in hell he would be doing this—searching for Xander.

Of course, in all the irony that was his existence, it would be him to save the kid's wedding. In the background he heard the music begin to play and for a moment he was hopeful. Maybe he didn't have to talk to the kid?

And those hopes were promptly dashed when a frenzied Willow ran smack into his chest.

"Oh! Sorry!" Willow quickly apologized. "Bad! This is very bad! What am I going to do?"

Angel was confused. "What?"

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed. "He's gone!"

Angel fervently cursed in Gaelic.

"Oh, wow, you know I didn't understand a word of that, but well—I don't think I need to," Willow said, sounding almost dazed.

"Trust me, the translation is not pretty," Angel assured her quickly before getting to the matter at hand. "Okay, go find Buffy and you two stall. I'll get the kid."

"Are you sure?" Willow asked hesitantly. "I mean, you two don't exactly, um, get along."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," Angel replied quickly. "Look, I'm the only one who can, regrettably, track his scent. I'll find him quicker, so go and make up some excuse for the wedding starting late."

"Right." Willow took off down the hall, not looking back.

Angel inhaled deeply through his nose and instantly cringed. Maybe he was biased, but of all the human scents, Xander's wasn't appetizing at all. Nonetheless, he quickly followed it around the corner. After following Xander's trail for a few minutes, Angel quickly realized that the boy had gone out the front doors. Angel stepped out onto the front steps of the lodge, kept dry from the relentlessly pouring ran by an overhang.

Angel looked both ways down the street and in the distance he saw a faint figure walking, slumped forward, his hands thrust dejectedly in his pockets. The rain continued to pour unremittingly, and Angel briefly flashed back to another stormy night years ago on Buffy's seventeenth birthday. Shaking his head, Angel locked the memory away before he could feel the ghost of the soul-ripping pain in his chest.

Angel's eyes followed Xander's ever distant figure and then looked up at the stormy sky. Then he looked at his tux. "Dammit," he muttered before he stepped out into the downpour and began to jog after Xander.

It didn't take him long to catch up to the fleeing groom.

Without thinking about how his actions would be received (not that he really cared), Angel grabbed Xander by the arm and quickly drug him under the awning of an antiques shop. "Hey, what the hell?" Xander tore his arm away from Angel's grip and shoved him away.

Angel looked at him with a look that clearly said, 'Did you really just shove me?'

"Yeah, that's right! I shoved you, Deadboy! See? I'm not the coward you think I am!"

"Really?" Angel asked in feigned disbelief. "If you aren't a coward, then why in the hell are you not getting married right now?"

Xander's gaze dropped momentarily. "It's none of your business."

"Maybe not, but Buffy is and I told her that I'd save the wedding, so here I am." Angel looked at Xander with barely concealed disgust. "Believe me, I'm not happy about it."

"Oh, don't pretend you're noble!" Xander retorted. "Like you've ever done what's best for the woman you love!"

Angel's eyes flashed yellow, and Xander took an instinctual step back. "Listen kid, let's get this out of the way. I don't like you. You don't like me. That's never gonna change."

"Damn right."

"I'm doing this for Buffy because for some reason that I will never be able to understand, she thinks that you're a friend and she cares about you." Angel shook his head. "So, get your ass back in that church and get married."

"I can't," Xander shook his head. "I won't hurt her."

Angel frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Xander couldn't really believe he was doing this, talking to Deadboy about his foreseeable martial problems, but the words tumbled out. "There was this guy at the wedding and he came up to me, right? He said that he was me and told me that I couldn't marry Anya. I thought he was a nutjob, but he showed me things! I saw my future and it's terrible! I'm just like my dad! A drunk, a nobody! Anya is miserable and the kids! The kids! Sarah has these freaky ears and Josh is always teasing her! They're crazy! My future is complete chaos if I marry Anya! I can't do that to her. I can't."

Angel had listened to Xander's ramble with as much patience as he could. When it appeared that the kid was done, Angel could only think of one appropriate response.

"Bullshit."

Xander stared at him dumbly. "Excuse me?"

"That's a bunch of crap and you know it." Angel couldn't believe he was doing this. How did it fall on him to save the day? Oh, right. Buffy. The things he did for her. "Look, although it pains me to admit it, you're a good guy—at least when it comes to Anya. You wouldn't do anything to hurt her. I don't think you're capable, so all those lies you just spilled to me are ridiculous."

"They're not lies! I saw it! I saw my future!" Xander looked away, staring out dejectedly at the rain. "Sometimes. . .two people. . .all they bring each other is pain."

"Now that sounds like something I would've said a few years ago," Angel muttered to himself before he took a deep breath. "Look, I'm gonna try one more time to convince you that you're wrong and I'm right, okay? So, just shut up and listen."

Since Xander didn't object, Angel assumed that he had the green light.

"I'm two hundred and forty-eight years old," Angel began. "I've been surrounded by myths, legends, every kind of 'fate' you can think of. I grew up in a time when magic and fate and destiny were a big deal, and for the longest time I believed in them. Some things are going to happen no matter what. No matter what you do, you're life is set. There's nothing you can do to change it. I believed all of that for the longest time. But now? I don't."

Xander looked at Angel out of the corner of his eye.

"I thought that I was doomed to walk this earth alone and laden with grief. I thought it was Fate's punishment, and who was I to question Fate? But here's the thing. Life isn't ruled by Fate. Life is ruled by decisions—choices."

For some reason, the word 'choices' stuck in Xander's mind, repeating over and over. Against his will, he turned more toward Angel, listening.

"I made the choice to help Buffy with her Calling. I made the choice to save her. I made the choice to accept her love." And it made all the difference, he couldn't help but think, a fond smile gracing his lips momentarily. "I made the choice to leave her for our own collective good, and then I made the choice to come back. I made the choice to fight for our love. My life is what I choose it to be."

Xander's eyes locked on Angel's, and for once Xander let himself see Angel without prejudice. What he saw surprised him.

A subtle, yet profound wisdom shone in the vampire's eyes. Begrudging compassion and mild contempt were there too, but Xander knew that was his own doing (and frankly didn't bother him in the least). Xander could see that Angel had lost the slump in his shoulders. He stood tall now, as though an invisible weight had been lifted. Xander knew that that was Buffy's doing.

Yet there was an air of mystery, of hidden danger surrounding Angel—something that he'd immediately seen all those years ago when the vampire had first caught Buffy's eye. That was what Xander didn't trust. There was an allure to Angel, something that always seemed to be just under the surface—danger, death, destruction.

Angelus.

But what surprised Xander most was that that air, that presence, had been softened. More than anything, Angel's most prominent aura was love. Compassion. Kindness.

And suddenly, Buffy didn't seem so crazy to love Deadboy.

Xander felt something break within him—letting go a feeling he'd long harbored. He let go of the resentment, the wounded pride, the jealousy he'd held against Angel for so long. The long buried anger and frustration of how his best friend, and at the time, crush, could choose a dead guy over him. Xander didn't hate Angel anymore.

"I still don't like you," Xander finally spoke, both to Angel and himself. "Never will. But I think we've reached an understanding."

"As long as you get your ass back in that church, then yeah, we have an understanding."

Xander glared at Angel. "Can you lose the tough guy attitude?"

Angel smirked and clapped Xander on the back, much harder than necessary. "No."

Without looking back, Angel began walking back toward the lodge.

Buffy was breathing hard, clutching a broken chair leg when she felt a presence behind her, a presence she'd know anywhere. She turned and a tired smile appeared on her face. "Hey, honey!"

Angel stared at the dead demon on the floor and then he looked to Buffy. "Did you just slay a demon?"

Buffy knew she was in trouble. "I had help. Really, all I did was hit him with the chair."

And boy did it feel good to use all my strength! She thought to herself.

"Buffy," Angel began warningly. "We talked about this."

"What?" Buffy defended. "They did all the heavy lifting!" She pointed to all the wedding guests, the two families now mingling without problem. "Consider it a bonding moment that I helped facilitate."

Angel sighed, knowing that it was past. "Are you okay, though? Is the baby okay?"

"Yes they are." A soft pop sounded behind them and Buffy and Angel turned to see Cassie.

"Cassie!"

"Oh, don't you look so happy!" Cassie scolded as she put a glowing hand on Buffy's stomach. "Well, he's certainly happy and moving," she muttered herself. "Obviously he likes the excitement."

"So we're good?" Buffy asked. "I'm not in trouble?"

"Oh, you're in trouble all right!" Cassie frowned and Buffy felt like she was in the principal's office. "What did I tell you, Slayer? I said no strenuous activity! Not with little Connor already making you breathy! Strenuous activity involves slaying!"

"I only hit him with a chair!"

Cassie looked at the dead demon. "You knocked him dead with said chair. That, sweetie, is strenuous."

Buffy frowned, and folding her arms over her chest. "Sorry," she apologized.

"You should be," Cassie huffed before turning on Angel. "And you! You! You promised to make sure she followed the rules! Where was your gorgeous behind when all this took place?"

Buffy's eyes rose, "Hey, did you just—"

"What?" Cassie defended herself. "Just because I've been happily married for seven centuries does not mean I don't like to look occasionally."

"I was saving the wedding," Angel defended himself.

"Speaking of which, did you find Xander?" Buffy asked worriedly.

Suddenly, the doors to the hall were thrown open. "Hey, folks! Sorry I'm late! But I believe I'm getting married today!" Xander strolled down the aisle to where Anya was already waiting. Xander took his wife-to-be's hand, nervously. "If, um, she'll still have me?"

Anya smacked his chest, hard. "I can't believe you made me wait! And why is your tux all wet? You know everything that guy said wasn't true? He just wanted to—"

"I know, Anya, I know," Xander was quick to assure her with a small smile. He took her hand, and caught Angel's eye in the back. The vampire's arm was around Buffy, and the Slayer was curled into his side. "My life is what I choose it to be."

"So let's get married!"

Xander smiled. "Let's get married!"

In the back of the room, Buffy leaned up to whisper in Angel's ear. "Thank you."

Angel smiled. "Yeah, I don't know why I did it."

Buffy kissed his cheek. "You love me," she said by way of explanation.

Angel looked down at her and gently cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb grazing over her bottom lip. "Best choice I ever made."

They kissed.

Okay, everybody go "Aw..."

I figured we needed fluff. And I finally resolved the Angel/Xander grudge. It was about time. That, and I like writing a wise Angel that doesn't put up with Xander's B.S. :D

Always so much fun.

I know this is incredibly late and all, and that I have no idea when I'll update next, but, um, could you be so kind as to leave a little review? Even a smiley face will do. Pretty please?

Lots of love,

AC