Valentine's Day...2006...
PG-13
Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!
It's all yours and ME's...
Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...
Summary: My usual little bow to the day...
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February 14, 2006...6:00 pm...
A large, beautifully decorated church, all seats taken by the large crowd, including not a few reporters in the rear...At front, before a minister, a couple...The woman at left slightly trembling in bridal gown...Casting constant nervous glances at her partner on the right in his tux...He giving a warm smile and a steady series of reassuring hand squeezes...
On the bride's side, seated, Rupert Giles, Dawn beside him, looking somewhat anxious himself...Dawn for her part distinctly frowning...Xander, to her right, however looking quite content, eyeing several bridesmaids...Then the rather attractive maid of honor...Who, catching his glance, glared back...He hastily returned his attention to the bridal couple...
Just a couple more minutes...And it's done...Set...No more worries on that score...
"Where the devil's Angel?..." Giles hissed to Dawn...
"He told us he had an emergency, would try to make it..."
"When did he tell you that?..." "Just this morning..." Dawn eyed the couple, a rather fierce look in her eyes...
"But...He never said a word..."
"I don't know..." the bride whispered hastily to her partner... "Are you absolutely sure...?" A careful pat...
But no answer, she noted to herself...Rather sadly...
"Het-hmmn..." the minister glanced at her...She nervously quieted...
"If there be anyone present who knows of a reason this couple should not be joined in the bonds of Holy Matrimony...Let him or her speak now or..."
"Hey!..."
"Dawn, sit down!..." Giles and Xander held her back...As a crash was heard from the opposite end of the church...The rear door splintering...
"Wait!!!!...." a frantic cry...From a figure sliding down the main aisle towards the front of the church...Covered in some sort of foam, mud, and various bits of wood and other debris so as to be...Nearly...Unrecognizable...Catching and pulling the cloth of the aisle along...
Following hastily behind, a tall, solid figure, likewise foam-and-debris strewn, though not to the extent of the speaker who now slid on foam to just before the astonished bridal couple, flat on the ground, arms and legs spread like the points of a star...
"Angel?!..." Giles called to the tall figure now attempting to assist the rather stunned speaker...Who was attempting to rise...
"William!..." she called to the groom... "Oh, William, you can't!..." Angel helping her to her feet...
The packed crowd shocked to stillness...
Ah, crap...Xander sighed from his seat...Giles frowning...Dawn rather content, though anxious yet...Phew...
She made it...Thought I might really have to try and take a hostage to hold things up...Patting the stake in her pocket...
Ohhh...The wedding crasher groaned...Blood now quite visible from a large wound in her right thigh as a number in the crowd gasped...
"Buffy?..." Will stared at her...Resouled Drusilla beside him staring as well...A look mixing resignation and not a little relief breaking out on her face...
"Sorry...I'm late..." Buffy gasped... "Big...Decision, ya know...Oh, Will..."
Uh...She looked at him...And his intended, beside him... "Sorry, Dru...I guess this was a little...And I did dress..." Glance down at her ruined outfit... "We just had...A little...Trouble...His Benevolence, the as...jerk..." she hastily corrected, glancing at the intensely frowning Reverend...
"Buffy, what the hell are you doing?..."
"Putting it...All...On the line...Will, I love you...And Angel told me..."
"I'm marrying Drusilla today, girl...And you're bleeding all over our church..."
"Is this typical in a human mating ritual?..." Maid of Honor Illyria hissed to Usher/stand-in Best Man Connor...Puzzled, though rather pleased to see the female of the species was able to make challenge in such things...
"You love me...He said you did...Said you just wanted to..."
"A promise is..."
"Your soul said...You loved me, first...I said it to you...Before her soul coulda...That gives me...Dibs...Say?...Anybody got a bandage?...A big one...?" she looked round, dazedly... "My leg's hurtin' something...Awful..." Her eyes rolling up...
She passed out...Angel catching her...Several in the pews, including Dawn, Giles, Xander, hurriedly starting to make their way to her...The minister indicating to Angel to set her out on the floor as he came to them, calling for an usher to fetch his first aid kit and another to call a doctor...Will by her side, opposite from Angel...
"Angel, what the hell happened?..."
"I told her what you told me about this thing with...Uh, sorry Dru..." he sighed at the wan Drusilla in her gown..."...His B, the..." he hesitated, looking round the church... "...worthless creep, turned out to be the sole survivor of the Partners...He tried to stop me and her...And, as you can see...We had a little trouble but made it...This glop..." he grabbed off a little of the white foam from his suit... "Is all that's left of His Benevolence..."
So he really wasn't a vampire...Giles noted, eyeing the foam...Though not quite the human immortal he'd claimed to be...
Ohhh...Buffy moaned...Will taking her hand...Buffy...
She surreptiously opening one eye to glance at him, closing before he could see...
"Where's that damned first aid kit?!...Did anyone call an ambulance?!!..." William looked up, hollering as he struggled to find something to stop the bleeding...Pulling his tie off to use as a tourniquet...
Ummn...He looked to see Drusilla beside him...Uh...
"Dru...Sorry 'bout this love...Just give us a mo to get this straightened out..."
"It's quite all right William..." she smiled weakly... "Is she badly hurt?..."
"Her, no...She's faking..." he frowned at Buffy... "Open your eyes, you...I can feel your pulse and it's fine...Just don't move too much...Keep some pressure here, Angel..." he touched the tourniquet...
"Buffy!..." Dawn had reached them, the now-milling crowd out of their seats parting to let her through...Giles and Xander behind her...
"She's fine, Nibs...A deep wound, but nothing serious...Will you open your eyes and stop scaring your sister, Slayer?...That's better..."
A sheepish-looking Buffy staring at them now...Groaning a bit as Angel tried to better position his hands on the tourniquet...
"I'll take that, Angel..." Will put his hand on the tourniquet... "Hurts, eh girl?...Well, you deserve it...How's about explaining why you just disrupted my wedding day?...Hell, I sent you an invitation..."
"I tole ya...I love you...And Angel said..."
"Dru...Really sorry about this..." Angel turned to her as he rose... "It's quite all right, Angel..." Dru sighed, shaking her head... "I had a vague vision of this and I think I'm better off returning to my convent...Christ as bridegroom never lets one down...By the way, your wife Nina over there is going to be sleeping with Connor in a year..."
"God, girl..." William frowned at Buffy... "It's been nearly two years...And you knew I was around after the fight with the Partners if not long before..."
"I thought...You said, after you got the soul... 'No picket fence for us'..."
Curse that damned noble wuss of a soul...Dawn glared...
"And when I wanted to see where things were going with us...You and that miserable soul acted like..."
"For Christ-sakes...Uh, sorry Reverend..."
"Then you didn't even come to Rome after you came back...So what was I to think?...But Angel came and told me..." she looked at him... "You were just worried about Dru since you and he got her soul back for her...And figured since you were both alone...Alone, you bastard?!...And I realized I had one last chance to try and put it all on the line for you..."
"Slayer, there's a time and place..." he sighed...But a ghost of a smile in his look...
"And this was it..." she eyed him... "Happy Valentine's Day..."
"Say why is Angel strangling Connor?..." she looked over...
"I could've been wrong..." Dru sheepishly noted to Dawn as they struggled to restrain Angel..."Maybe it was a camping trip or something like that..."
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