Buffy looked at herself in the full length hall mirror for the tenth time.
"You look fine, Sweetheart. Come sit down." Angel told her.
She sat by Angel and let out a huge breath. "All four of my grandparents will be here any minute to meet the man I'm marrying in three days and our baby for the first time. Excuse me for being a little nervous."
He smiled. "You have every reason to be apprehensive. I, well, let's just say that my heart has never beaten this fast."
Buffy put her hand over his heart. "Hmm. So the thought of my grandparents speeds your heart rate." She sighed. "What do I do to you?" She batted her eyes at him.
He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. "You make feel." He cupped her face and gave her a gentle kiss.
Their tender moment was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
"Moment of truth. Just remember, the Summers are ultra conservative." She reminded him.
"No sex talk, got it." He laughed.
"Go get your daughter!" Buffy got up and walked to the door. She took a deep breath and opened it.
"Gramma!" Buffy flew into her grandmother's arms.
"My precious girl." Hannah Richards stepped back to take a good look at her granddaughter. "My precious girl is all grown up. You look beautiful Buffy."
"Thank you Gramma." They stepped into the house and she looked out the door. "Where's everyone else?"
"Your grandfather's getting our luggage out of the car."
Buffy bit her bottom lip.
"Where are they Gramma?"
Hannah took her granddaughter's hand. "They decided not to come, dear."
Buffy's lip began to quiver. "They're ashamed of me, aren't they? It's because I got pregnant and had Meghan before I'm getting married."
Her grandmother's voice was stern. "Buffy Anne, you will not let those self-righteous, pompous, religious zealots ruin one of the most wonderful memories that you will ever have because they're too damn asinine! So you got pregnant first, big deal! Their son got my daughter pregnant before they got married."
Buffy looked at Hannah in shock. "You knew? Mom swore you didn't"
"Yes, well, Im not as naive as she thinks I am."
Jacob Richards walked through the door. "Where's that new great-granddaughter of mine?"
As Buffy hugged him, Angel came down the stairs with Meghan.
"Hello." Angel said.
Buffy turned at his voice. "Gramma, Granddad, this is Angel and our daughter, Meghan Kathleen Cleary. Angel, this is Hannah and Jacob Richards."
She took the baby and Angel reached his hand out to them. "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you."
Jacob shook his hand, but Hannah pulled him into a hug.
"It's nice to finally meet the man who's stolen my precious girl's heart." When she released him she took Meghan from Buffy. "She's gorgeous Buffy."
Buffy's heart filled with pride. "We did good, huh?"
Jacob had tears in his eyes. "Yeah babygirl, you did good."
"Why don't you and your grandparents go talk in the living room and I'll put their bags up in Megg's room." Angel suggested.
"I'll help ya there, Angel, there's something I need to get out of one of the suitcases."
Angel and Jacob were up in Meghan's room. "So Mr. Richards, was there something that you wanted to talk to me about?"
"You read people pretty well, Angel." He sat on the bed. "If you don't mind me asking son, how old are you? You look a little to old to be in high school."
He hated to lie, it wasn't in his nature, but this was for the best. "I'm twenty-four, sir."
"How'd ya meet my granddaughter?"
Lie number two. "I was her history tutor." Then he told the truth. "I fell in love with her the moment I saw her."
Jacob nodded his head. "It's easy to see why. Buffy looks like Joyce and Joyce looks like Hannah."
"And now there's another beautiful girl to carry on their legacy."
"Just remember to put them first son." The 'older' man advised him.
Angel smiled. "Always and forever."
That evening, Buffy, Angel, her grandparents and Joyce met at the Martin Road house to figure out exactly how to set it up.
"How about in the family room in front of the fireplace?" Angel suggested.
Buffy looked up at him with complete adoration. "That sounds perfect. We can move the furniture out and set chairs up to create an aisle. We can build a fire and have candles." Buffy was beaming.
"I have some beautiful antique candle stands at the gallery." Joyce chimed in.
Buffy hugged her. "Thank you, Mommy."
Jacob clapped his hands together. "Well, now that we've gotten that settled, what say we go get something to eat."
Angel was about to head to his apartment, but his daughter would have none of that. When he tried to hand her to Buffy, Meghan would begin to scream and cry.
He was trying to calm her down. "Babygirl, Daddy will be back in the morning. In just a few days you and Mommy and I will all be together all of the time." The baby was still screaming.
Hannah took the baby from her father. "Angel, go put your bag back upstairs. There's no need for you to leave your family."
"Mrs. Richards..."
"Angel, let me give you some advice." Jacob interjected. "Don't try to argue with Hannah. You'll lose every time."
Buffy stood beside Angel and laughed. "Looks like you're staying.
Two days before the wedding.
Buffy was walking through the halls of Sunnydale High not looking where she was going. Her mind was on Saturday, but it was only Thursday.
She walked straight into Principal Snyder. "Sorry."
"Miss Summers, my office, NOW!"
Buffy blew out a big breath. "Great."
She followed the little troll to his office.
"Have a seat Miss Summers."
Buffy sat across from him. "What did I do this time?"
He sat behind his desk and leaned back in his chair. "It's been brought to my attention that you're getting married soon."
"And that would be ANY of your business how?"
He sat forward and pointed at her. "You have done nothing but be a bad influence since you've been at MY school! I will not allow you to get married and disrupt MY school!"
Buffy was pissed. She stood and slammed her hands down on the desk, cracking it.
"That's it! I've had it! I understood why I was not to attend school on campus while I was pregnant. After my daughter was born, I agreed and have complied with every little thing that was asked of me! I haven't missed a single day, I'm pulling straight A's and haven't caused any trouble! Now, you will stay out of my business and out of my life or Liam Cleary's attorneys will be all over your scrawny, pathetic, white ass! ... Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be late for my English class."
Buffy turned and left the office, leaving a stunned Snyder sitting with his mouth hanging opened, staring at the crack in his desk.
Buffy told the tale to her mother.
"Well, you must have really shaken him up because he hasn't called."
The Slayer smiled. "Well, I did kind of throw Angel's attorneys in his face. ... God, I just turned into Cordelia."
Joyce laughed. "Don't worry, Honey. I'll warn you WAY before that happens. ... So what do you have planned for tomorrow?"
"Well, first I'm doing a happy dance because it's an in-service day and then I was going over to the house to decorate for the wedding. Why? What do you have planned for me?"
"You know me too well." Joyce grinned. "I was thinking that you and Meghan and your grandmother and I could spend the day being pampered at the spa."
Buffy looked at her mother like she was crazy. "Meggie's only two and a half months old, Mom. I don't think she's quite ready for a mud bath."
"Then she can spend the day with her great-grandfather. ... Do this for me, please? I just want to spend one last day with you before..."
Buffy hugged her mother. "I'd like that too, Mom." She took a deep breath. "In two days I'm marrying my Angel."
"Nervous?"
She shook her head. "Anxious. ... I can't wait to be Mrs. Liam Patrick Cleary and live in our house and raise our children."
Joyce smiled at her daughter.
Angel was sitting in his office staring at a picture of a old hotel when the phone rang. "Liam Cleary."
"Angel, Hank Summers.
His voice was stoic. "Will you be there?"
"I'm going to try." Hank told him.
"Not good enough, Hank! It's one thing that your parents are blowing her off, but you're her father!"
"I'm not blowing my daughter off!" He insisted. "You're a business man, Angel. You know how it is."
Angel was disgusted. "I'm a father first. Why is that so hard of a concept for you? BUFFY COMES FIRST!"
Buffy and Angel were cuddled up on the couch watching television with Meghan asleep on his chest.
He hadn't told her about his conversation with her father, but he had told Joyce.
Joyce sat in the kitchen with her parents and Giles.
"The only good thing that came out of my relationship with Hank Summers is our daughter. ... I admit that before Buffy got into so much trouble in LA, I was not a candidate for mother of the year. But in the last two years we've gotten so close." She began to sob. "Even with that whole incident where we thought Angel was dead and my baby ran away..."
Giles put his arm around her and she leaned into him.
Hannah nudged Jacob at the display before them.
"Don't tell me, Hank blamed you." Jacob said.
Joyce nodded. Giles brushed her hair from her eyes. "It was my fault, at least partly. We argued..."
Hannah interrupted her. "Stop it Joyce. You are a good mother. Okay, so it took a while for you to come around, you're here now. You're the one that Buffy looks to for the advice that only her mother can give her."
Joyce gave her mother a smile. "Thank you Mom."
Jacob couldn't stand it any longer. "So, how long have you two been seeing each other?"
Giles was flustered. "Ah, uh, well..."
Joyce saved him. "A few months Dad."
"Good." Her father said. "Now, Hank's an idiot. His parents are idiots and the whole lot of them can go to Hell!"
"Dad!"
"I'm sorry if that offends you Joycie, but dammit, I'm tired of those people!"
While watching TV, Angel looked down at the baby girl sleeping on his chest. Nothing could keep him away from HIS little girl, ever.
Buffy looked up at Angel. "What's wrong, Honey? You have that broody look in your eyes."
He breathed really hard. "Your dad called me today."
"Let me guess, he's not coming." There was contempt in his voice.
Angel shrugged. "He doesn't know yet. He said he'd know something by tomorrow."
Buffy shook her head. "I don't even care anymore. I have you and Meghan, Mom, Giles, my friends, Gramma and Granddad. That's all the family I need. I love him, Angel, but I don't want him in and out of Meghan's life whenever he feels like it." She rubbed her daughter's back. "I don't want him to disappoint her like he has me."
He kissed her temple. "You're an incredible mother, Buffy. You put Meghan first and that's what's important."
Buffy sat up, pulled her feet underneath her and turned to face him. "Angel, you're the incredible one." She placed her hand on his cheek. "You do everything for us. Watching you with our daughter ... the way you look at her with absolute devotion, it makes me fall in love with you over and over again."
She leaned forward and kissed him.
"In less than two days you're going to be my wife." He looked into her beautiful eyes.
"Actually, if everything stays on schedule, you will be my husband in..." She looked at his watch. "Forty-two hours, thirty-two minutes and twenty ... seven seconds." She took a breath. "Oh, I can't wait!" She said loudly.
Meghan started to wake. "Uh oh, someone's not going to be happy. ... Yep, there goes the lip." Angel observed.
She let out a wail.
"Oh baby." Buffy took her from Angel. "Mommy's sorry. I'm being too loud, huh?"
"Why don't we take her back upstairs and see if we can get her back to sleep?" Angel yawned.
Buffy laughed. "I think we need to put Daddy to bed too. We've got a busy couple of days ahead of us."
They got up and went upstairs.
One day before the wedding.
Buffy was making sure that her grandfather was well prepared to take care of Meghan.
"There are plenty of bottles in the fridge, diapers and wipes are on the changing table upstairs, my cell phone number, Angel's and his office number are on the pad by the phone in the kitchen, um, Angel will be home around noon." She put her hand to her head. "Am I forgetting anything?"
"We'll be fine, Buffy. Taking care of a baby is like riding a bike. I helped raise your mother and your aunt and they're still alive."
Buffy laughed. "You're making fun of me."
Jacob nodded. "Yes, I am. Seriously sweet girl, we'll be just fine." He winked at her.
Joyce and Hannah entered the kitchen.
"Ready to go?" Joyce asked.
Buffy sighed. "I guess." She kissed Meghan and handed her to Jacob. "I love you Sweetheart. Be good for Granddad."
Hannah kissed her husband. "Do not teach her to play poker." She laughed.
Jacob looked shocked. "Never! Besides, I didn't teach Buffy until she was three."
Buffy laughed.
Angel walked in the front door of the Revello house at noon. He heard Jacob's voice coming from the living room.
He was sitting on the couch holding Meghan in one hand and a deck of cards in the other.
"Now a four of a kind beats a full house."
Angel shook his head. "What are you teaching my daughter?" He smiled.
Jacob looked back at his future grandson-in-law. "Just showing her the finer points of poker."
"Don't let Buffy know about that."
Jacob laughed. "Yeah, you're right. She might not like the competition."
Angel looked at him strangely. "Excuse me?"
"You've never played cards with Buffy?"
Angel shook his head.
"She's a shark. I taught her when she was three."
"I'll have to take her on sometime." A smile went across his face and he took Meghan. "We're you a good girl?" He kissed her cheek.
Jacob tweaked her nose. "She's a very happy child, Angel. You and Buffy are doing a great job with her."
"Thank you, sir."
Angel's briefcase started ringing. He looked at Meghan. "Looks like Daddy forgot to turn off his phone." He handed her back to Jacob, opened his briefcase and answered his phone. "Liam Cleary."
Jacob kept showing the two and a half month old the cards while eavesdropping on Angel's conversation.
"Dammit Hank! ... You see, this is why Buffy asked someone else to give her away. ... Yeah, well, I shouldn't have to be the one to tell her. It should be you. ... Let me tell you this Hank, if you're not here tomorrow, Buffy's not going to want anything to do with you, ever again. ... No, those are her words not mine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend time with my daughter." He turned his phone off and put it back in his briefcase.
"You know the day my daughter divorced that son of a ... well, it was one of the best days of my life."
Angel took Meghan back from her great-grandfather. "Daddy will always be here for you, my heart."
Jacob held back the tears that were threatening to spill. "You're a good man, Angel. I'm proud to have you as a member of my family."
"Thank you, sir." He kissed his daughter's head.
Friday night, everyone met at Buffy and Angel's house for rehearsal.
Angel had told Buffy about her father not coming and she told him that it was his loss. She had Giles.
Giles was doing double duty. Not only was he giving Buffy away, he was also Angel's best man.
Father David stood in front of the fireplace. "Alright, so after you walk Buffy up the aisle, you give her a kiss, shake her hand or whatever you're comfortable with, place her hand in Angel's and take your place to his right."
Giles took his place next to Angel.
"Okay, then I say a prayer and begin the ceremony. After I pronounce you husband and wife you will kiss and I will introduce you for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. so and so and then it's party time. Any questions?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Now, the two of you have your own vows, correct?"
They nodded.
"Well, it sounds like you're all prepared."
Angel smiled at Buffy. "We're getting married tomorrow."
She put her arms around his waist. "And then we'll be together for the rest of our lives."
The End