Angel opened the door slowly. Neither Cordelia nor Wesley noticed his entrance, caught up as they were in their argument. Angel closed the door behind him, stood back, and watched.

"Well, sorry if I have something better to do with my time than chase after demons!" Cordelia was yelling.

"Better?" Wesley retorted, absolutely shocked. "Do you have any comprehension of how important your visions are? Without them…."

"Oh, please," Cordelia replied disdainfully. "No one had these visions back in Sunnydale, and we got along just fine." She calmed for a moment. "Besides, I haven’t had a vision in three days, since Angel left. It’s a new record. When…no, if he returns, I really don’t think…."

"Don’t think what?" Angel asked softly from the doorway.

Both of them stopped abruptly, identical guilty looks on their faces. "Umm, welcome back, Angel," Wesley said quickly.

Angel grinned and came the rest of the way into the office. "Thanks," he said, leaning against the file cabinet. "So, Cordelia, don’t think what?"

Cordelia looked uncharacteristically nervous, but she spoke strongly. "Well, I mean, with this whole ‘living vampire’ thing and the fact that you just came back from Sunnydale …and aren’t in full brooding mode, so I’d guess that everything’s going well…"

"For once, yes," Angel agreed. And it was, for once in his life, going perfectly. He smiled tolerantly at Cordelia, knowing there was something she was hesitant to bring up. "As a result, you don’t think…"

"That you’ll be needing me much anymore," she finally blurted. "For the visions and all."

Angel was speechless for a moment. He’d gotten so used to having Cordelia around that he didn’t know how to reply to that. It might just be a step towards one solution, though. "What’s going on?" Angel asked slowly.

"Cordelia got a new job," Wesley said, still rather angry.

Cordelia glared at him.

"Congratulations," Angel said brightly, much to both of their surprise. "So, what’s the job?"

Cordelia looked startled at his response but answered anyway. "It’s…I’ll be helping with wardrobe for a television studio…and you know that I’d stay here, but this is a real job and, well, if I’m going to be a star I should be closer to everything that’s going on. Not here on the edges with the demons. No offense."

"None taken," Angel said with a chuckle.

Wesley watched their exchange in shock. "But, Angel…" he began.

Angel shook his head. "I knew Cordelia wouldn’t be here forever," he explained. He smiled at Cordelia again. "This is a good opportunity for you," he said. "Just do one favor for me."

Cordelia hesitated. "It depends on the favor," she said at last.

"If you do have any visions, you’ll call me immediately and tell me what you saw?"

"I will," Cordelia said. "Well, as long as I’m not in the middle of something really important."

Angel knew that was the best he was going to get out of her and smiled at her reassuringly. "Thanks."

Suddenly Cordelia got an amused smile as she looked at Angel. "So, where am I going to be calling with these visions?" she asked.

Angel laughed outright at Cordelia perceptiveness. "That depends on how fast we find a new place," he said easily.

"I knew it! I told you!" Cordelia yelled at Wesley.

Wesley just looked confused. "I don’t understand. ‘We’?"

"Him and Buffy," Cordelia said in exasperation.

"Buffy asked me to marry her," Angel said at last and did not bother to hide his grin.

"My turn," Cordelia said enthusiastically. "Congratulations!" she said and, much to Angel’s surprise, gave him a brief hug.

Wesley wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, but he added his congratulations to hers. Angel could imagine some of what he was thinking and looked at him tolerantly. "If you’re willing to move," Angel said calmly to him, "I could really use your help moving the business to Sunnydale."

Wesley brightened considerably. "I would be happy to help," he said. "I have missed the Hellmouth," he admitted. "It would be good to see Mr. Giles again."

There was a comfortable pause in the conversation.

"Let me get this straight," Cordelia said at last. "Buffy asked you to marry her?"

Angel nodded.

Cordelia chuckled. "Good for her."

Angel looked startled at that.

"Hey!" Cordelia said, seeing his surprise. "Just because I haven’t been that supportive of you two in the past, doesn’t mean I’m not going to approve of her showing some guts." She paused then, taking a deep breath and continued in a softer tone. "I know you miss her, and it would have taken you forever to ask her yourself."

Angel nodded slightly at that. "You’re probably right."

"So," Wesley said, speaking up once again, "when’s the wedding?"

Angel grinned at the thought. "We didn’t come up with a specific time, but…as soon as possible." And then he continued telling his employees about his and Buffy’s busy weekend.

Cordelia couldn’t help but stare at Angel as they drove down the street that afternoon. Somehow – and she wasn’t quite sure how – she had been roped into accompanying him grocery shopping. Of course, he didn’t have much experience with needing real food, and most of his experience with eating as a choice had consisted of junk food. Wesley could hardly be counted on to help Angel get the sensible food he needed now. Plus, Cordelia was feeling rather guilty about leaving Angel Investigations, wherever it was located. So she really couldn’t complain.

That wasn’t why she was staring, though. Every couple of seconds it seemed Angel would take a moment to look up at the afternoon sunlight and smile. Angel had been half-human of sorts for nearly three days now, but this was the first time Cordelia had ever seen him in the sunlight. That was strange enough, but then there was that smile. She’d spent nearly a year working for Angel, and she’d never seen him smile this much. He looked ridiculous, and she was quick to tell him that.

"You’re grinning like a fool," she said in a rather disgusted tone.

Angel glanced over at Cordelia and chuckled. "Don’t I have reason to?" he asked, returning his attention to the road.

Cordelia rolled her eyes even though he wouldn’t see it. "I though I understood you after working for you for months. You brood, and I’m used to that. But when you’re…this giggling thing…I don’t know how to talk to you."

Angel laughed outright at that. "I don’t giggle," he disagreed.

"Whatever," Cordelia said noncommittally. "It’s close enough. You’re…bubbly."

"Bubbly?" Angel asked. Now he sounded highly amused. "I’ve never been called ‘bubbly’ before."

"You’ve never been bubbly before!" Cordelia pointed out.

Angel just turned and smiled at her again for a moment before returning his attention to the road. "It hasn’t sunken quite yet," Angel admitted. "I’m sure once it has I’ll be just as capable of brooding as ever, but right now…I’m on happiness overload."

"Which you don’t know how to deal with in any way other than being a bubbly, grinning…something-or-other," Cordelia finished.

"If you want to put it that way," Angel said amicably, his mouth twitching into a grin once again.

They rode a short ways farther in silence. Suddenly Angel began to pull over. Cordelia looked around in confusion. "What are you doing?" she stammered. "There’s no grocery store around here."

Angel stopped the car easily, pulling into a parking space. "I’m buying Buffy an engagement ring," he said calmly, climbing out of the car and pointing at the jewelry store a couple of stores down the street.

Cordelia did not move from the car. "Angel…" she whined.

Angel leaned over her door and looked at her with a hint of pleading. "Please, Cordelia?"

Cordelia still didn’t move.

"I could really use your help. I haven’t exactly spent that much time in jewelry stores," he added.

Finally Cordelia opened the door and got smoothly out of the convertible. "I’ll have you know I’m doing this under protest."

Angel stepped back from the door and chuckled. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Come on," Cordelia said easily. "The faster we do this the faster it will be done and I can go home."

Angel smiled and led the way into the jewelry shop. Cordelia was instantly caught up in looking around; here were the signs of wealth. She had to remind herself that she had neither the time nor the money to buy anything in here. For that matter, she wasn’t sure that Angel had the money a place like this required either.

"Angel…" she said reluctantly.

He didn’t hear her, for he had managed to attract the attention of a well-dressed sales woman. She gave him her best sales smile as she approached. "What can I help you with?" she asked Angel.

"I’m looking for an engagement ring," Angel explained. Cordelia thought he looked a little nervous, but she wasn’t sure.

The sales woman’s fake smile got even larger. "Right this way," she said, directing Angel to the appropriate row of display cases. She smiled at Cordelia once they stood still again. "Is this the lucky woman?" the sales lady asked Angel, still looking at Cordelia.

"God, no!" Cordelia protested with a shocked expression. She looked at Angel a touch apologetically. "No offense, Angel," she said for the second time that day.

Angel looked highly amused. "None taken," he assured her, then looked back at the sales woman.

"Alright, the rings," the woman said, reaching into the display case. "Do you see any in particular that you like?"

Cordelia felt that she had to speak up again as soon as Angel leaned intently over the jewelry. "Angel," she hissed in his ear, trying to draw his attention again.

Angel looked at her worriedly. "What’s wrong?"

Ignoring his concern, she asked what she’d wanted to ask all along. "Are you sure you can afford this? We’re not exactly rolling in cash."

"I can afford this," Angel said with certainty.

"Angel!" Cordelia protested.

Angel just smiled and went back to looking at the rings.

Buffy was staring into space. Tuesday afternoon wore on slowly, and she let her mind wander over long denied passionate kisses and the new freedom of sunny days. She’d been a million miles away from her teachers all week.

That thought made her snap back to reality, albeit somewhat reluctantly. All week. It was only Tuesday. Late afternoon Tuesday, and Buffy was sitting through her last class of the day. She still had three days of classes to go until the weekend. Sighing, she sank low in her chair. Three days until she would see Angel again.

It was strange. The usual routine of school had lent a dream like quality to the weekend just past. It was as if life in school was too real, almost making Buffy doubt that the weekend – that wonderful weekend – had happened at all.

Buffy shifted in her seat and her leg twinged. She smiled briefly. Any time she felt the weekend was too unreal, she had a very real broken leg to remind her. It probably had healed already, but she couldn’t take the cast off without a doctor. Besides, it got her sympathy from her teachers, which was always a good thing.

The class was over none too soon. Willow waited patiently as Buffy tried to get her things together. She’d never realized quite how hard it was to carry a backpack on crutches. She had to hop on one leg as she put her backpack on, then get herself balanced on the crutches. It was annoying.

"Do you wasn’t me to carry anything?" Willow offered helpfully.

"I’ve got it," Buffy said, happy to be heading back to the dorm. "I can’t wait to take this cast off."

"This weekend, right?" Willow asked, walking slowly beside her.

Buffy’s nodded. "I’m sure my leg is healed already, but it would be sort of giving away my Slayer-ness if I went to the hospital and said ‘take my cast off now.’"

Willow smiled slightly at Buffy’s annoyance. "Well, look on the bright side. You got a week off."

"Yeah, but nothing to do with it," Buffy replied grumpily.

Willow shook her head. "Come on, grouch. It’s back to the dorm with you. I am going to find some way to cheer you up."

Buffy frowned pointedly at her.

"Smile, or I’ll make you study," Willow teased.

"Yes Mother."

Willow grinned. They continued for several moments more, then Buffy’s crutch got stuck in an uneven section of pavement. She missed a step and hopped for a second before she regained her stride. "Are you sure you don’t want me to carry something?" Willow offered again.

"I can do it," Buffy said sourly. "I’m not helpless."

Willow wisely said nothing in response.

Buffy didn’t mean to be so grumpy. She just couldn’t help it. She’d never had this sort of forced inactivity before. Sure, she’d lost her strength once, but even then she kept fighting. Even when she’d been hospitalized with the flu she had ended up monster fighting.

She had yet to try and stake a vampire while on crutches. She was not looking forward to it.

So intent was Buffy on getting back to the dorm without any additional scrapes, bruises, or broken limbs that she wasn’t paying much attention to anything else around her anymore. It took several coughs and a pointed "Buffy!" before she turned her attention back to Willow.

"I’m sorry, what?" Buffy said distractedly, looking at Willow.

"Smile." Buffy sighed dramatically and glared at her, making Willow laugh outright. "You have a visitor," she said, nodding her head towards the building they were approaching.

Confused, Buffy directed her gaze towards Stevenson Hall. There, leaning against the building next to the door, was a very familiar figure. Suddenly proving just how agile a Slayer on crutches can be, Buffy forgot all about Willow and bolted towards the building.

"Angel!" she cried happily, her sour mood forgotten.

The not-quite-vampire grinned at her approach, meeting her half way. Not saying a word, he wrapped his arms around her and met her in a brief, gentle kiss.

Buffy would have none of that. Wrapping her arms around him, she deepened the kiss for a long, passionate moment. She didn’t care who was watching; she’d missed these sorts of moments…ever since they’d discovered the full reality of Angel’s curse. So, she was making up for lost time.

They released each other finally and pulled away breathless. Angel chuckled, holding Buffy until she regained her balance on the crutches. "It’s good to see you, too," he said, his eyes glowing with happiness.

Even when Buffy was stable again Angel did not remove his hands from around her immediately. Buffy did not protest – why would she? "What are you doing here?" she demanded, grinning from ear to ear. "Not that I mind…"

Angel laughed. "I wanted to see you."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it," Angel affirmed.

Buffy grinned. "That’s sweet," she said. "So, no problems in L.A.?"

"None," Angel said briefly. "Why don’t we talk about it inside?"

Willow came up next to them and Buffy suddenly remembered her roommate’s presence. "Oh! Uh…" she stuttered, taking a half hop back from Angel.

Willow just laughed at the awkwardness of the moment. "Hi, Angel," she said.

"Willow," Angel acknowledged.

"So, um, inside?" Buffy suggested.

Smiling easily, the three of them entered the dorm together. It was suddenly a much better day.

Buffy smiled, her uninjured foot covered with warm sand, her face turned towards the setting sun. Strong, warm arms held her comfortably from behind, the crutches discarded for the moment. She sighed. "Do you know how perfect this is?"

"I know," Angel whispered back, obviously happy.

Buffy leaned back into his embrace. "I still can’t believe you did this."

"Did what?"

"Came back so soon," she clarified. "I thought you had things you needed to take care of. You surprised me."

"I like surprising you," Angel explained.

Buffy turned her head to look at him better. He met her eyes and smiled. "I wanted to talk to you. We have things to work out. And then I realized I really wanted to see you and the telephone just wasn’t going to do."

"Plus, all of that modern technology," she teased him.

Angel laughed, and Buffy couldn’t help but join in. She felt deliriously happy. It was an unfamiliar feeling; not unpleasant, just unaccustomed. It was like a dream.

"I dreamt about this once," Buffy said after they had both stopped laughing.

"Oh?"

Buffy nodded and turned to watch the sunset once again. "It was…" she hesitated, "two years ago. When I had run away after you were…" She swallowed, unable to finish her sentence. Angel understood, though, and gave her a reassuring squeeze. Buffy sighed and continued. "I had this dream. You and me, on the beach, watching the sunset. It was so nice, but it wasn’t real." Buffy couldn’t help but frown in memory.

Angel turned her head slightly and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "This is real," he whispered.

Buffy smiled softly back. "It is," she agreed. "It’s beautiful, isn’t it?"

"Beautiful," Angel agreed, looking her in the eyes.

Buffy laughed and hit him lightly on the arm. "I was talking about the sunset, silly!"

Angel smiled easily back, then raised his gaze to the ocean. "Yes," he agreed easily, "it is beautiful." He let out a long, contented sigh. "Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For giving me this."

Buffy was confused. "Willow’s the one who cast the spell. I didn’t even know what she was planning."

Angel shook his head. "I don’t mean that," he explained, "though she never would have cast the spell if it wasn’t for you." He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "This…all of this…would mean so much less without you. You have given me love, a purpose… Thank you for giving me this moment."

Buffy was speechless in response. There was nothing she could really say to that. Instead, she leaned back and kissed him very softly. "No, Angel," she whispered back. "Thank you."

They stood for a while in silence, watching the sun continue to dip below the horizon. Before it was completely gone, Angel surprised Buffy by shifting away from her so that she was standing on her own for a moment.

"What…?" Buffy asked, startled, but Angel was holding her again in an instant.

"I’m not going anywhere," he said softly. "I just wanted to give you something."

Buffy leaned back in his arms and looked up to flash him a brilliant smile. "I love presents," she replied.

Angel chuckled, then grew more serious. Removing one arm from around her waist, he held in front of her a small, black box. Buffy’s breath caught in her throat.

"Angel," she whispered, taking the box from him tentatively. She was almost afraid to open it. "You didn’t need to…"

"Just open it," Angel whispered back.

With a shaking hand, Buffy opened the small box. She was not that surprised to see an engagement ring nestled inside, but still she found herself speechless. It wasn’t a very large diamond, but it was cut and set in such a way that it caught even the last bit of light in the sky and seemed to glow. "It’s beautiful," Buffy whispered.

Angel held her a little tighter for a moment. "We’ve never been exactly a traditional couple," he began, and Buffy let out a short chuckle. "But I thought, at least in this… I wanted to make it official."

"Even though I asked you?" Buffy teased.

"Even though you asked me."

Buffy grinned at him. "Shouldn’t I be giving you a ring then instead?"

Angel laughed out loud at that.

"Put it on me?" Buffy requested.

Taking her hand gently in his own, Angel slid the ring onto her finger. He took her hand and kissed the ring before releasing it and wrapping his arms around her again. Perfectly happy, they stood there in a long, comfortable silence.

There was only a light afterglow of sunlight when Buffy spoke again. "We should go," Buffy whispered, hesitant to leave Angel’s embrace.

"We should," Angel agreed, not releasing her.

"I really don’t want to encounter any vampires tonight," Buffy explained, looking at the sky. She rethought her statement quickly. "Any other…normal, evil vampires."

Angel laughed. "I knew what you meant," he said.

Still Angel did not release her. "Angel…" she said a little louder.

Suddenly Angel’s grip on her shifted and Buffy laughed in surprise as he lifted her into his arms. He smiled at her mischievously. "You were saying?"

Buffy couldn’t help but laugh hysterically. "Put me down!" she managed – somewhat half-heartedly – between giggles.

"Once we’re off the beach," Angel explained seriously.

Buffy wasn’t about to protest that. She nestled closely into his chest, listening to his heart beat within it. She stopped worrying about the possibility of vampires and let herself relax as they got to the edge of the beach. Angel smiled down at her and Buffy knew that they’d never been so happy together before. They’d never really been able to be together before.

"Well, isn’t this a touching sight," came a sarcastic – and unfortunately familiar – British accented voice.

Angel’s and Buffy’s smiles slipped at they exchanged similar resigned and annoyed looks. Angel put her down carefully, helping her get standing on her crutches again. He didn’t say anything until they were both standing on their own, then turned to face the newcomer reluctantly.

"Spike."

The bleached blond vampire was leaning against a tree, looking at the two of them in amusement. He exhaled cigarette smoke and smiled. "Look who just came crawling back to the Slayer’s side…and back into her bed, no doubt," he mocked. He looked Buffy up and down, his gaze lingering on her broken leg. "Nice cast," he said.

Buffy rolled her eyes at him. "I could still kick your ass," she taunted him.

Spike just laughed. "I’d just love to see you try. I could use a good laugh."

"Spike!" Angel said warningly. "If you start anything…"

"Oh, he can’t start anything," Buffy said in amusement. "Didn’t I tell you? Poor Spikey can’t hurt a fly."

Spike got mad at that. "Just ruin a vampire’s reputation why don’t you?" he protested. "Besides, I can still hurt demons." He looked at Angel rather pointedly.

Angel just laughed at that. "Don’t look at me like that," he said. "Besides, things are…"

"Spike!" a voice called from a ways off.

Buffy grinned at him, in far too good of a mood for anything to upset her. "You have a new lady friend you want to introduce us to?"

Spike just glared at her.

"Spike?" the female voice came again, and the person – vampire – emerged from the nearby trees. "What are you doing? I was waiting for you."

"Sorry, pet," he said back calmly, not looking at her. "I got a bit detained."

The female vampire lost her annoyed look and regarded Buffy and Angel with blatant hunger. "Dinner? For me? You shouldn’t have."

Angel scowled at her and fished a stake out of his pocket. Buffy wasn’t any more pleased to be considered a meal than he was.

"Oh, these two have spunk," the vampire said, pleased.

"As much as I’d love to see them dead, this isn’t the best way to go about it," Spike said reluctantly. At the dark haired vampire’s confused look, he said, "Layla, this would be Buffy. The Slayer."

Layla looked at Buffy in amusement. "Nice crutches," she said.

Buffy smirked at her. "You have to be pretty desperate to end up with a vampire that can’t bite."

The female vampire frowned at that. "Spike is still deliciously evil. And the moment he gets the chip out of his head…"

"You’ve got to be kidding," Buffy muttered.

Layla looked offended, but Spike ignored Buffy’s remark and regarded the female vampire happily, obviously pleased with her support. "Layla and I are old friends," he declared.

Angel looked at her oddly. "I don’t remember you," he said simply.

"You were missing for nearly a century, remember?" Spike pointed out.

There wasn’t much for Buffy or Angel to say to that, but Layla more than made up for it. "100 years?" she asked, looking slightly confused. "You look pretty good for your age." Both Buffy and Spike glared at her. "What?"

Spike spoke before Buffy could. "He’s my sire, pet," he muttered.

Angel and Layla looked at each other for a long moment. Buffy felt like she was watching a staring contest. "Interesting," Layla said after awhile, "considering he has a heartbeat and all. Is this a joke I’m just not getting?"

"Bloody hell!" Spike yelled in response, realizing just what she was talking about.

Angel just smirked at him.

"I swear he didn’t have a heartbeat the last time I tortured him," Spike defended himself. Then he did a double take and looked at Angel again. "I guess this means I can’t hit you now, either," he grumbled.

"You’re welcome to try," Angel said, at the same time that Buffy yelled, "You tortured him?"

"Relax, Slayer," Spike replied easily. "He’s still in one piece, isn’t he?"

Buffy glared at him. "You’re lucky you can’t bite, Spike, or I…"

"You’d what? On those crutches, it certainly would be amusing to see you try."

"Spike!"

Layla sighed dramatically. "Now now, children, that’s enough," she mocked. She looked at Spike with a bored expression. "If we’re not going to feed, and we’re not going to fight, could we leave? I’m hungry."

Spike smiled at her. "It’s no fun when she can’t fight back," he agreed. He looked at Buffy and Angel with a grin. "I’ll leave you two to that…mushy stuff I interrupted. Too much time around that and I’ll loose my appetite completely."

"Wouldn’t want that, would we?" Buffy muttered and Spike smirked at her as he started to leave with his lady vampire.

As the two vampires wandered off into the night, Buffy could clearly hear Layla speak again. "Why are you so friendly with those humans?"

Buffy scoffed at that, even though the vampires were already out of earshot. "I hate that guy," she muttered.

Angel laughed lightly and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "So do I," he agreed. He frowned after a moment. "You know we’re going to regret just letting them go," he pointed out.

"I always do," Buffy agreed. She looked at Angel in concern. "He tortured you?"

"He wanted the Gem of Amarra," Angel said flatly.

Even though Buffy knew that was well past, and that Angel was obviously alright, she was still struck by guilt and a sympathetic pain. "I’m sorry," she whispered.

"Hey," Angel said, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "It’s alright. I…was pleasantly surprised that you thought to send the gem to me at all…after I left you. What happened wasn’t your fault. It was Spike’s, for being to stubborn to give up."

"That’s the problem, isn’t it?" Buffy said after a moment.

"Hmm?"

"He doesn’t give up," Buffy explained. "Sooner or later he’s going to get that chip out of his head, and I’m going to seriously regret not killing him when I had the chance."

"I thought you didn’t want to deal with vampires tonight?" Angel reminded her.

"You’re right," Buffy agreed quickly. "Let’s go."

Angel smiled at her sudden enthusiasm. "Um, where exactly are we going?" he asked hesitantly.

Buffy looked at him oddly, then started to laugh. They obviously hadn’t been thinking about where Angel was going to stay when he visited. "You didn’t plan this visit very well, did you?" she asked amused.

Shaking his head slightly, Angel laughed as well. "No, I guess not. It was more like ‘Sunnydale, now.’"

"Come back to the dorm with me," Buffy said after a moment.

"What about Willow?"

Buffy made a dismissive gesture. "She’s studying late in the library tonight," she said. "She made a point of telling me before we left. And tomorrow I’ll ditch class and you and I will discuss…stuff. The future."

"Buffy…" Angel started to protest.

"Would you rather you come to classes with me?" she pointed out. "Besides, I’ve been good about going to my classes. I can skip once."

"I wouldn’t mind going to classes with you," Angel said easily.

Buffy looked at him like he’d grown a second head. "I’m trying to ditch classes, and you actually want to go?"

"I never got to be a part of your life before, at least not when the sun was up," he explained. "I want to see what you do each day."

Still Buffy was reluctant. "Well," she said at last, "at least I only have one class on Wednesdays." She started to hobble her way down the street. "But," she said forcefully, "you are going to look at apartments with me after class."

"Whatever you desire," Angel agreed.

Buffy smiled. Her week was definitely looking up.

For a second upon waking up, Angel was confused. There was an alarm clock going off nearby, and it wasn’t his. Half awake, he vaguely recognized that this wasn’t his bed, either. Oddest of all, he wasn’t alone.

"Mmph. Five more minutes," Buffy mumbled, then flailed for the alarm clock. Her hand connected with Angel’s chest instead. Now awake, she blinked at him in surprise. "Hey," she said with a grin.

Angel smiled back, then rolled away from her momentarily to turn off the alarm. "Good morning, morning glory," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her once again.

Buffy chuckled against his chest. "That’s a new one," she laughed.

"It felt appropriate."

Buffy shifted slightly so she could meet Angel’s gaze. She was smiling contentedly. "I missed this. Waking up with you."

Angel thought back to the last time she had woken up in his arms. It had been right before he’d announced he was leaving Sunnydale. "I’ve missed it, too," he agreed.

They were both silent for a long moment, content in each other’s company. Angel realized after several minutes that Buffy was on the verge of falling asleep again and shifted her slightly. "Buffy," he said gently, "don’t you have class?"

"Can’t I just stay here?" Buffy pleaded. "Right here?"

Angel chuckled slightly. "I thought you wanted to look for an apartment today?" he reminded her.

Buffy jumped out of her bed as quickly as she could with her leg in a cast. "I’m up, I’m up!" she declared.

"Shh," Angel whispered, sitting up in the bed. "Willow’s asleep." He gestured at the other bed in the room, where Buffy’s roommate was hunkered under her blankets. She had apparently returned to the room at some point after Buffy and Angel had fallen asleep.

"No, I’m not," came the muffled voice from under the covers. Willow rolled over and poked her head out. "Morning," she muttered.

"Sorry," Buffy said quickly. "I didn’t mean to wake you."

"S’okay," Willow replied sleepily. "I have things I need to do today anyway."

Buffy smiled a bit sheepishly. "I’m…gonna go get ready for class," she muttered, then hobbled out of the room.

Once she was gone, Willow crawled a little further out of the blankets and smiled slightly at Angel. "Did I hear that you’re going to look for apartments today?" she asked.

"Yes," Angel affirmed. "I don’t want to overstay my welcome in your dorm room."

"You’re always welcome," Willow said hastily.

Angel smiled. "Thanks. Buffy and I need our own place, though." He heard his own words a second later and sat up straighter in surprise. "Did I just say that?"

"Say what?"

"’Our own place.’"

Willow smiled back at him. "Yeah, you did."

Angel leaned back contentedly. Our own place. He liked the sound of that.

"See, that wasn’t so bad," Angel said easily.

Buffy scowled at him. "I have never been so embarrassed in my life," she muttered.

"I’m sorry," Angel said sincerely.

"No!" Buffy said quickly. "It’s not your fault. She was staring at you, that’s all. I mean, it’s sort of a compliment when other girls stare at you and get jealous because you’re mine…but she’s my teacher! That’s just wrong!"

Angel said nothing for a long moment. He simply carried Buffy’s books as they walked towards his car. It was, somewhat to Buffy’s surprise, a comfortable silence. She hadn’t realized how much she missed these sorts of moments with Angel. She smiled at him to show that everything was okay, and he smiled easily back.

"Will finding an apartment make your day better?" he suggested.

"Oh, definitely!" Buffy replied enthusiastically.

Buffy’s enthusiasm had waned by mid afternoon. Sitting on the steps in front of apartment complex number who-knows-what, she looked wearily at the piece of paper where they’d been writing down what they’d seen. Who would have thought it would be this hard to find an apartment? In a town with such a high mortality rate, there was an amazing lack of available real estate.

"What do we have left?" Angel asked, sounding just as tired. He leaned against the side of the building in partial shade, wearing dark sunglasses. The bright sunny day was obviously rather uncomfortable for the half vampire.

Buffy looked closer to the paper she held. "Well," she said slowly, "two of the leasing offices were closed for ‘meetings.’ Who in the world holds meetings on Wednesdays?" Her voice was thick with frustration. "That leaves…one more expensive place close to campus, and another that’s farther away." She paused. "I’d like to see the one right near campus, actually."

Angel nodded and pushed away from the wall. "Alright," he said easily. "Let’s hope we have better luck with this one."

Back in the car, Buffy began directing Angel to the next possible place. "Angel?" she said after a few moments. "What are we going to do if we don’t find an apartment in one of these places?"

Angel glanced over at her for a second. "Weren’t there a couple of places that had apartments that were going to be available eventually?"

"The earliest they’re available is at the end of July," Buffy said grumpily. "Baring unforeseen deaths, of course." She paused. "Turn left at this light."

Angel followed her directions. "We probably won’t manage to get everything – the wedding, the business – arranged until the semester is over," he pointed out. "You could stay in L.A. with me until we can move into an apartment together," he offered a bit hesitantly.

Buffy’s mood changed once again. "You mean that?" she asked with a grin.

"Of course. But with any luck it won’t be necessary." Angel turned once again, pulling the car into the parking lot.

They said little else as they exited the car and walked side by side into the leasing office. A young woman stood up from behind a desk at their entrance.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Yes," Angel said, beginning to recite the words that they had gotten very used to saying by now. "We’re looking for an apartment," he began, and continued to rattle off the specifics.

The woman smiled at them once he was done. "You’re very lucky," she said. "Someone just canceled yesterday…"

Both Buffy and Angel couldn’t help but smile back.

Spike was not happy. Confined by the daylight, he could do nothing but pace the crypt repeatedly. It was surprising that he hadn’t worn a spot in the floor with this constant pacing.

Sitting tiredly in one of the chairs, Layla had been watching him do this ever since they had returned to the crypt shortly before sunrise. She’d finally had enough of this. "Please sit," she said wearily. "You’re making me dizzy."

Spike didn’t sit, but he did stop pacing for the moment. He returned Layla’s weary expression as he looked at her. She was an exotic looking vampire, her dark hair, tan skin, and facial features revealing a different original nationality than her slight British accent would suggest. Spike wasn’t sure exactly where she’d come from before he’d met her. He could guess; her name was Egyptian for ‘born at night,’ most appropriate for a vampire. "Sorry," he said briefly, still frowning.

Layla lost her annoyed expression and looked a bit concerned. "What’s wrong?" she asked.

"What do you think?" Spike replied angrily.

Layla frowned at him. "I don’t know. There are so many possibilities," she replied sarcastically.

"He’s my sire. My bloody, walking in sunlight, has a heartbeat, human sire," Spike said in disgust. He’d never admit it, but he didn’t always mind so much that Angel had a soul. It kept him out of Spike’s way and made it so much fun to give him a hard time. But now he didn’t even have that small consolation – Angel was just another human Spike couldn’t kill. "Human," he muttered once again.

"Oh, is that all?" Layla asked. "And here I thought you were upset that the Slayer is sort of going to be your mother-in-law."

"What?!" Spike said in shock.

Layla leaned back in her chair. "You need to be more observant," she scolded. "The girl was wearing an engagement ring."

Spike finally took the remaining chair. "Priceless," he muttered. "Just kill me now."

"What exactly is your problem?" Layla asked. "I mean, not that the idea isn’t revolting…"

Spike sighed. "If there’s one thing I love about this town," he explained, "it’s the possibility of chaos. The Slayer and her friends are fun to tie into knots. But throw Angel into the mix," he said his name derisively, "this town is going to be a whole lot less fun. Especially since I can’t even hurt him any more."

The vampires were silent for a long moment. "Since when do you have to be torturing people to have fun?" Layla asked finally. "Not that it isn’t fun, but…there are more subtle ways of causing chaos that you’re perfectly capable of."

Spike brightened considerably at that. "You’re right. I can." He leaned forward eagerly. "And something tells me you have an idea."

Layla smiled. "I do. And it’s perfect."

Two days in Sunnydale, two days in L.A. seemed to be the pattern Angel was working on. After spending two days in Sunnydale finding an apartment and continuing his and Buffy’s wedding plans, Angel was back in L.A. trying to take care of whatever he could. The apartment was available for occupancy in one week and the wedding date still stood at ‘as soon as possible,’ so Angel had some big things to do – namely, packing.

As Angel stared at the contents of his apartment, he was interrupted by footsteps on the stairs. Turning, he was greeted by Cordelia’s impatient gaze. "Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "What did she think of the ring?" she asked in exasperation.

Angel smiled. "I’m still engaged, if that tells you anything."

"Angel!" Cordelia said, annoyed with him now. "I spent all that time helping you pick out that ring and you’re not even going to tell me Buffy’s reactions?"

"She was surprised," Angel began, thinking of that wonderful moment they had spent together on the beach watching the sunset. There really wasn’t much more that Angel had the words to say. "Why are you down here, Cordelia?"

To her credit, Cordelia dropped the subject of the engagement ring. "David Nabbit’s upstairs," she said briefly.

Angel stopped his packing and looked at her in surprise. "What’s he want?"

Cordelia shrugged. "I don’t know. I think it makes him feel special to hang around here."

"I’ll be upstairs in a minute," Angel replied. He listened to Cordelia go back up the stairs, then stood up straighter and looked around his apartment. There was so much here he had to consider taking with him. It was going to be hard to leave this place. But it would be even harder to not be with Buffy after the events of last weekend.

The boxes could wait for a moment. Angel smiled to himself and followed Cordelia up the stairs.

The office was bright and cheerful – almost painfully bright. It took Angel a moment for his eyes to adjust after the darkness of the apartment below. David Nabbit sat in one of the chairs, and stood quickly at Angel’s arrival. "Hey," he said by way of greeting.

Angel nodded at him with a small smile.

"So," David asked with barely concealed enthusiasm, "did I interrupt some demon hunting?"

"Nope, something much scarier," Cordelia teased.

David looked at her, then back at Angel expectantly.

"Packing," Angel explained.

David frowned. "You’re moving?" he asked, clearly disappointed.

Angel nodded briefly.

"Where are you going?"

"Sunnydale," Angel said. "It’s where I lived before I moved here."

"Oh," David said briefly, and seemed to be at a loss for anything else to say.

There was a moment of silence before Cordelia decided to explain for Angel. "He’s getting married," she declared.

"Oh!" David said again, but this time he was smiling slightly. "Well, then…"

"Yeah," Angel acknowledged, and smiled slightly as well. "You’re invited of course. Once we set the date for sure."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Buffy sat in the hospital, waiting for the doctor to see her. She sat with her cast propped up on another chair, her mother sitting next to her. She knew her leg was well healed by now. It was going to be horrible getting the stitches out – what she was actually here for. But with any luck the doctor would realize the bone was healed as well, and then it was back on the job for this Slayer.

"Ms. Summers?" and official sounding voice came from nearby.

Buffy did not stand, but raised her hand to gain the attention of the inquiring young doctor. He nodded and walked over to her. "Good afternoon, Ms. Summers. If you’ll just come with me, I’ll take a look at your leg."

"Thank you," Buffy said in sincere relief. She climbed to her feet and her mom helped her get her crutches situated.

In a smaller examining room, Buffy hopped up on the bed so the doctor could take a good look at her leg. As he unfastened the soft cast, he smiled at her and spoke. "So, you’re the young woman who caused such a stir last weekend, getting engaged in the ambulance."

Joyce looked surprised, not having heard that part of the story, but Buffy just laughed. "Yeah, that would be me," she agreed. She fought to keep her leg still once the cast was removed. "How does it look?" she asked.

The doctor touched her leg gently. "Does this hurt?" he asked.

Buffy shook her head. At the doctor’s surprised look she explained, "I heal fast."

"Yes, well…I’ll have to take some x-rays, but it looks like you may be able to keep the cast off today." He smiled at her. "I’ll be right back."

Once he left, Buffy grinned at her mother. "See? All better."

Joyce frowned at her. "Buffy, maybe you should take it easy for a couple of days," she suggested.

Buffy shook her head firmly. "Angel’s coming to town tonight, and we have a wedding to plan," she said. She grinned at her mother. "Now is when the fun begins."

"My place!" Buffy declared happily, practically dancing.

Angel chuckled from his seat on the floor, leaning back on his hands. They had just gotten possession of the apartment today and were gathered with Buffy’s friends to celebrate that. The group of them were sitting around on the floor of the living room with soda, pizza, and a pile of bridal magazines Willow and Buffy had bought. The entire place was devoid of furniture or any of their belongings, except for the glowing spell crystal sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Our place," Angel corrected her with a small smile.

"Ooh, our place!" Buffy agreed, grinning from ear to ear. She pranced around her group of friends sitting on the floor before plopping herself down next to Angel. She leaned over him and reached for the pizza box. "Mmm, cheese."

Willow was lying down on her stomach, flipping through one of the bridal magazines. "Oh, Buffy, this would look beautiful on you!"

Buffy grinned around a mouthful of pizza and leaned across the circle to look. Swallowing her food, she shook her head. "Too fancy," she disagreed. "I can’t wear a dress with a train on the beach."

"Well, how are you planning to wear heals on the beach? Aren’t you going to put out a carpet or something?" Willow asked.

"Hmm. I didn’t think of that." Buffy looked at Angel questioningly. He shrugged. "Oh, you’re a big help."

"You know anything you want, I’ll do," he replied sincerely.

"Like I said, a big help," Buffy retorted, smiling despite herself.

Xander stopped eating long enough to put in his two cents. "Weddings are really a girl thing anyway."

Buffy sighed and grabbed one of the magazines from the pile as she continued to eat her pizza. "I had no idea it was going to be this complicated."

"Maybe you should hire a wedding planner," Anya suggested.

Buffy just looked at her. "And if I didn’t want to get married before the end of the semester I’d agree with you. As it is…I might as well ask my mother to plan the occasion. Then who knows when we’d actually get married."

"Plus, you’d loose the whole small wedding thing," Willow said. Buffy had already been telling her about the long argument she’d had with her mom about who to invite. She just didn’t seem to get that Buffy didn’t want to explain her entire life – and Angel’s – to random family members that she hadn’t seen since she was born. Buffy would much rather all the guests knew everything – the big secrets, as it were – in advance. The only exception was her father, and she was already wondering how she was going to go about introducing him and Angel.

She let out an exaggerated sigh at the thought and Angel wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"I don’t mean to bring in reality, you two," Xander said, breaking the silence. "But aren’t you forgetting a majorly important aspect of a wedding?"

Buffy looked at him in confusion.

"Umm, a priest? You know, someone to perform the wedding ceremony? Because I know religious ceremonies and Not-so-dead Boy don’t get along all that well."

"Plus, there are legal issues to consider," Willow piped up.

Buffy bit her lip and looked up at Angel. He was looking back at her in concern, and obviously had no ideas either. Of all the stupid things to forget…

Tara hesitated, but spoke for the first time all evening. "Uh…I might have an idea…"

"I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking," Diana said slowly, looking back and forth between Tara and Buffy.

Buffy bit her lip and let Tara speak. She was so nervous!

"Jillian…uh, the head of the U.C. Sunnydale Wicca group…said that you can perform legally binding marriages," Tara said hesitantly.

"Yes, I can," she replied uncertainly. "But so can a priest, or a minister of the peace. Why do you want me?" She turned her attention to Buffy. "You’re not Wiccan, are you? Or your fiancé?"

Buffy glanced at Tara, then looked at the woman sitting across from her. "I’m not particularly religious," she said.

"And your fiancé?" Diana pressed.

"He…has some issues with religion. Christianity in particular." Still the woman didn’t look convinced. Buffy sighed. "Do you want the truth?" she asked.

Tara looked at her in surprise.

"I would appreciate it, yes," Diana replied easily.

Buffy paused for a second, uncertain of how to begin. "How much do you know about this town? Its history?" she asked very slowly.

The woman raised her eyebrows at Buffy. "Do you mean the old Indian legends or the fact that the burned out high school sits on top of a portal to hell?"

That was definitely not the response Buffy was expecting. "Uh…the later."

Diana smiled. "I’ve lived in Sunnydale all my life," she said. "I know this isn’t a normal town." With that said she pulled aside the collar of her shirt to reveal a faded scar on her neck. A vampire bite.

Breaking the odd tension that admission created in the room, Buffy chuckled. "Oh look, we match!" she declared, moving her hair aside and reveling her own bite scar.

The woman’s knowing smile faded. "What does this have to do with you asking me to perform your wedding?"

Buffy was silent for a second, thinking about how she was going to say this. Well, straight out was always best. She somehow knew Diana would not repeat what she was told. "I’m a vampire slayer."

The woman did not react as Buffy expected. In fact, she remained very calm. Maybe it was shock… "And your fiancé?"

"He helps me," Buffy replied quickly. At the woman’s continued questioning look, Buffy braced herself for a reaction to her next statement. "He’s a vampire. Er, part vampire. He’s a good guy though!" she said quickly.

The woman said nothing for a long moment, just sat back in her chair. "So," she said at last, "you want to have a relatively quiet wedding ceremony – to keep out of the eye of the local demon population and the local government – and you want it to be devoid of any Christian symbology for your fiancé’s sake," she said slowly, putting the pieces together in her mind.

Buffy nodded, so nervous she couldn’t trust herself to speak.

"You know, this is the strangest request I have ever received," Diana said after a moment.

"Will you help them?" Tara asked at last.

The woman smiled. "I wouldn’t miss this event for the world."

They were close to having the last of the hurdles to their wedding removed. Still, Angel hadn’t been more nervous in the entire time since his heart had begun beating again. Not even when he faced Mrs. Summers – he at least knew a bit of what to expect from her. And that had worked out well, right?

Angel hadn’t even seen Hank Summers since he’d watched Buffy in L.A. years ago. He’d never actually met the man. He had never met the father of the girl he was going to marry.

Angel figured he had the right to be nervous.

He and Buffy were standing outside one of the nicer restaurants in L.A. He glanced at Buffy, and she looked up at him almost immediately. She squeezed his hand and gave him a nervous smile. Angel wanted to reassure her, but he didn’t know what was going to happen any more than she did. Any reassurances from him, as nervous as he was, would have fallen horribly flat.

They continued to walk into the restaurant hand in hand, only letting go when they reached the maitre de. "We have reservations…" Angel began to say when Buffy spotted her father in the depths of the restaurant. She flashed the maître d' a smile and then began weaving her way in between the tables, Angel following right behind her.

"Dad," Buffy said pleasantly and gave him a brief hug.

"It’s good to see you, Buffy," he said as they all took their seats. "It’s been a while."

"Yes, it has," Buffy replied a bit sharply.

Angel grasped her hand under the table, trying to will her some calm. She sighed, and then smiled at Angel. "Dad," she said at last, "this is Angel, obviously. Angel, this is my dad."

"It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Summers," Angel said, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Same here," Buffy’s father replied easily. He looked at Buffy. "You know, I was quite surprised when you called and said you were getting married."

Buffy sighed. "You’re my father, I owed you that much. Even if I don’t want you walking me down the aisle."

"Buffy…" her father protested, even though they’d obviously already discussed this over the phone.

"Listen," Buffy said slowly, "I love you, because you’re my father. But quite honestly I didn’t even know if you’d be in the country for my wedding – or if you were, if you’d be able to make it. In the last couple of years Giles has been there for me in every way that a father is supposed to. He’s helped me through some very hard times that you couldn’t even begin to understand."

"I’m your father," Mr. Summers protested. "Of course I’d understand."

"No, Dad, you really wouldn’t," Buffy replied, actually seeming more amused than disappointed at the idea. "My life…isn’t normal. Very few people understand everything that means."

Mr. Summers glanced at Angel at that comment. Buffy couldn’t help but notice. "Yes, Angel understands. He’s in this with me in every way."

Buffy’s father leaned back in his chair. "Well," he said at last, "I guess recent weeks have proven how out of touch with your life I’ve been."

There really wasn’t much Buffy could say to that.

"I…would like to catch up, if it’s possible," he said, a bit uncertainly. "If not tonight, then at the reception?" he asked. "I would like to know more about your unusual life."

Buffy smiled. "I’d like that. So you will be at the wedding, then."

"I wouldn’t miss it."

Outside, two vampires watched the threesome from a distance.

"Are you ready for a party, love?"

Layla grinned back at Spike. "Oh, I wouldn’t miss this party for the world."

It was the day before the wedding, and the later in the afternoon it got, the sillier the gathering became. And the more confused Hank Summers got.

"How about that time," Xander was saying, grinning from ear to ear, "that Angel went with us to that vampire wannabe club?"

Buffy’s red-haired friend – Willow – laughed out loud. "You were so rude, Angel!" she said, quite amused.

"Yeah, well…" Angel looked slightly embarrassed. "Come on!" he said at last. "Could you blame me? They were ridiculous."

Several of the kids laughed at that, and Hank was under the impression that there was a key element of the joke he was missing.

Angel smiled then. "Alright, Xander, turn about being fair play and all…"

Xander looked at him warily. "What?"

"How about the time you made every woman in Sunnydale fall in love with you?" Angel suggested. "Does anyone else know that ‘every woman’ included Drusilla?"

Buffy and Willow were quite amused, and Angel was grinning. Xander’s strange girlfriend wasn’t nearly as happy. "What do you mean you made every woman in Sunnydale fall in love with you?"

Hank was wondering the same thing.

Xander didn’t answer except to defend himself. "It’s a good thing, too!" he said back at Angel. "Considering that you-"

"Hey!" Buffy interrupted.

Hank Summers was beyond confused. Now he had a headache. He stood, and the young people went silent. "Go on," he said easily. "I’m just going outside to get some fresh air."

Buffy looked suddenly, inexplicably worried. "Um, that’s really not a good idea," she said weakly.

"I’ll be okay," Mr. Summers said, slightly amused. "It can’t be more dangerous than L.A."

"Sunnydale’s more dangerous than it looks," Buffy tried again.

"Buffy," Giles interrupted, "as long as he stays close to the house, there should be no problem. The sun only just set and we’ll all be going our various ways soon anyway."

"Yeah, to party!" Xander agreed.

Buffy still looked unhappy, but made no more protests as her father went towards the front door. Behind him, conversation started up again.

"While we’re on embarrassing stories, I could always tell people about the ‘talking stick’…"

"Cordelia, no. Please."

"Oh, now I want to know!"

"Really? Well then, how about I tell about the time you got engaged to…"

The rest was cut off as Hank closed the front door behind him. He’d realized he was out of touch when he’d found out that Buffy was engaged. He hadn’t realized quite how out of touch he was, though, until today. Buffy had a close-knit group of friends, all of whom were helping her with this rushed wedding. Even the outliers of the group, like Xander or Willow’s girlfriends or Angel’s coworkers, were closer to Buffy than he felt right now. Buffy had quite a nice life for herself in Sunnydale, and her father just wasn’t a part of it.

Hank sighed and leaned against the wall outside the door to the new apartment. He and Buffy still hadn’t gotten to talk about her self-admitted strange life of the last couple of years. With her wedding party starting tomorrow night, he was beginning to doubt they’d ever have that conversation.

It was very quiet outside the apartment building. With the contrast between the jovial interior, it was too quiet. That, combined with Buffy’s concern when he’d gone outside, suddenly made Mr. Summers very nervous.

He turned to go back into the apartment, and froze when he thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. "Hello?" he asked warily.

A figure came around the stairwell from the upper story, and Hank jumped despite suspecting someone’s presence. "Sorry," the bleached blond man said in a clear British accent, "I didn’t mean to startle you." He smiled.

"It’s okay," Hank said. "I’m just jumpy."

"Yeah, the night around here will do that to you," the man agreed. He pulled out a cigarette and leaned against the railing across from Mr. Summers. "You look familiar," he said at last, then paused as he inhaled cigarette smoke. "You’re Buffy Summers’ dad, aren’t you?"

Hank smiled and nodded. "How did you know?"

The man shrugged. "Family resemblance," he said. "Plus, didn’t I see her go into that apartment earlier?"

Hank chuckled, a bit sheepish. "That would do it, I guess."

"Still…I don’t think I’ve seen you around before," the man said. At Mr. Summers’ questioning look, he added, "I met Buffy when she was in high school."

Hank nodded. "Buffy’s mom and I are divorced," he explained. "I’m in town for Buffy’s wedding."

"Wedding!" the man said in surprise. "Good for her. I had no idea."

"Yeah," Mr. Summers said, happy for the chance to show off his daughter, "tomorrow night."

"Really?" the man said. "You know, I’d really like to congratulate her. Maybe I’ll see her around."

Hank jumped at the chance to reconnect someone with Buffy’s life, just like he was trying to do. "Why don’t you stop by the party tomorrow night?" he suggested.

"Well, I wouldn’t want to intrude…"

"Nonsense!" Hank protested. "If anyone asks, just say I invited you."

The man grinned. "Thanks, I’ll do that." He started to walk away, then looked at Hank again. "Say, is it alright if I bring someone with me? She’s an old friend, too."

Hank smiled. "Sure, why not?"

The man dropped his cigarette to the ground and put it out with his foot. "I’m not sure I can make it, so why don’t you keep this a surprise?"

Before Hank could reply, the apartment door opened. "Hey!" Buffy’s friend Xander said by way of introduction. "We’re taking Angel out on the town for his last night as a bachelor. Want to join us?"

"In a second. Just let me-" Hank turned, and was faced with only the cigarette butt as a sign that anyone had been there. He had never even gotten his companion’s name, or given him directions for the party. "I’m coming," he said to Xander at last.

Xander grinned. "Great! Let’s see if we can’t get Angel to loosen up a bit."

Mr. Summers grinned, and his conversation in the stairwell was quickly forgotten.

The party was cheerful, light-hearted, and generally festive. Buffy took a moment to pause, to watch everyone interact, and grinned. She’d heard brides were supposed to be nervous on their wedding day. Standing here, right now, looking at her gathered friends, immediate family, and the one or two people she had never met before…she wasn’t nervous at all.

Anya broke away from the majority of the gathering and walked over to Buffy. She grinned. "Great idea, having the party before the ceremony," she said. "More people should get married like this."

"Oh?" Buffy replied, startled by Anya’s out-of-nowhere comment.

Anya nodded. "Sure. After the ceremony, you get to go straight to the sex."

Buffy had one hell of a time keeping a straight face. "Now why didn’t I think of that?" she replied.

Someone approached Buffy from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder. She grinned even wider and looked up at Angel. He looked absolutely stunning in the fine suit he’d decided to wear for the beach wedding instead of the traditional tuxedo. Of course, Buffy wasn’t wearing a very traditional wedding dress either; just a long white dress with a bit of lace at the shoulders. But nothing, nothing at all, had been traditional about this wedding – or this relationship – from the beginning.

"What are you two up to?" Angel asked, meeting Buffy’s smile.

"Anya was just telling me how much she’s enjoying the party."

If Angel doubted that was what they were talking about, he didn’t say anything. "There’s someone I want you to meet," he said gently.

Buffy happily let Angel steer her away from Anya and into a little cluster of ‘L.A. people’ – Wesley, Cordelia, and some guy Buffy didn’t know.

"Buffy," he said introducing the new person, "this is David Nabbit. David, Buffy."

"It’s very nice to…" Buffy froze mid-greeting. She could not be seeing who she thought she was.

"Buffy?" Angel looked at her in concern.

Buffy frowned. "Hold on a second. I have some uninvited guests to take care of." She gave her best hostess smile to Mr. Nabbit. "Nice meeting you," she said.

Angel followed her quickly across the room. Buffy’s entire attention was focused on the blond man whose back was to her. She didn’t have any doubt who it was. She stopped barely a foot away from his back.

"Spike," she said in a quiet, angry tone. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Spike turned, grinning. "Hey, Slayer. Just enjoying the party."

Buffy glared at him and sincerely wished she had hidden a stake in her wedding dress. "You’re not invited," she insisted through clenched teeth.

"Oh?" Spike insisted. "Your father invited us."

For a second Buffy didn’t know who to be angry with more: herself, for putting off telling her father about vampires, her father for inviting Spike, or Spike for having the audacity to show up. Then Angel’s hand was on her shoulder, supporting, and Buffy calmed until the only anger left was directed at Spike. "What do you mean, ‘us?’" she asked, dreading the answer.

Spike didn’t need to reply, because at that moment Layla came over, a plate of hors d’oeuvres in her hand. Buffy’s eyes went even wider, and Layla laughed. "Don’t worry," she said easily, "I’m only here for the food."

Buffy frowned. "If Spike said that I wouldn’t worry as much."

Layla just grinned a little wider.

"No," Buffy declared, still quiet to avoid drawing unwanted attention. "Absolutely not. You even try it and I’ll stake you before you can move."

"Not even a taste?" Layla teased.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "If I had invited some ex-boyfriends, I might be faintly tempted to agree, but as it is…you should be leaving now."

Layla got visibly angry at that, and behind her Buffy could feel Angel preparing for violence. To her surprise though it was Spike who stopped the staring contest before it could go further. He stepped between Layla and Buffy. "No need for that," he said quickly. "We should be leaving anyway. Home before dawn and all."

Buffy nodded. "You do that," she said tightly. Still Spike didn’t seem to be leaving. "Well?"

"You don’t make this easy," Spike defended himself.

"I’m the Slayer. I’m not supposed to make things easy for you."

Spike looked a bit amused, and a bit embarrassed. "I just…hell, I wanted to congratulate the two of you."

"What?" Buffy asked, completely floored. "I mean…what?"

Spike pulled a large, wrapped box from under his coat and passed it to Buffy. It was heavier than she expected, and there was another smaller package tied on top. "As much as I hate to admit it," Spike said, glancing at Angel, "you are still family. Blood, you know?"

"I know," Angel replied.

Buffy held the package gingerly. "It’s not cursed or something, is it?"

"Nothing cursed, Slayer," Spike replied with a chuckle. "Though I wouldn’t open the smaller package until the two of you are alone. For the honeymoon."

Buffy could feel her face growing hot. "I think I’m scared now," she muttered.

Spike just grinned at her.

Keeping a cautious eye on the two vampires, Buffy put the gift down and began to unwrap the larger package. She was surprised once again, and pleasantly so at that. Inside the box was a pair of matched swords, very nice and probably quite expensive. Though Buffy somehow doubted Spike had paid for them. "I never thought I’d say this," Buffy said ruefully, "but…thank you, Spike." She put the top back on the box. "I’m not going to hug you though."

Spike grinned. "Not using them on me is thanks enough."

Buffy couldn’t help but smile back.

"You two are leaving now, yes?" Angel said at last.

"Sure," Spike said easily. "Have fun on your honeymoon," he said with a suggestive leer. "We’ll keep the demon population down while you’re gone." With that he and Layla left the party.

Buffy stared after them for a moment, completely flabbergasted. Angel wrapped his arms around her from behind and she leaned back into his chest. "Should I be really worried now?" she asked.

She felt Angel laugh more than she heard it. "For the demons, sure," he said, amused. He paused, then continued more seriously. "For us…I have no idea."

The sky slowly lightened, a pale rose color gracing the horizon at dawn. There was a hush over the gathering on the beach. It was not the silence of sleep that had fallen over the town in other places, where the monsters had hidden from the light and the humans had not yet risen to greet the day. Here on the beach, the quiet was expectant, waiting for things to come.

As the sun rose and cast the gathering in its golden early morning light, they watched as the bride and groom stood before the priestess with eyes only for each other. In a moment that stood along that fine line between night and day, two souls that walked the line between darkness and light recited their vows as they were joined in marriage. For a moment, it didn’t matter what it had taken them to get to this point. They were here, they were together, and they were happy.

They kissed, sealing their vows, just as the sun at last rose fully over the horizon, ushering in a new day and a new beginning for them all.

The End