The Wedding Rehearsal
"Buffy! Are you ready yet?" Joyce said as she yelled into the dressing room. Buffy merely rolled her eyes as she looked in the mirror, then she grinned as she walked out.
"I'm ready, Mom! Here I come!"Buffy announced as she came out of the dressing room. She spun around slowly for her audience."Well? How does it look?"
Joyce Summers watched as she saw her little girl spin happily in her white wedding gown. It was a creamy white dress with a scooped neck, the dress tapered around her waist, then flared out. A mixture of soft silk and lace, the dress flowed around her daughter as she spun. A tear came to her eye. Her daughter was alive and she was getting married. Her throat choked a bit."You look beautiful, honey. Just beautiful. Does it fit properly?"
Buffy moved her arms, legs and torso in various fighting and non-fighting contortions and then grinned,"Yep. I bet I can even boogie in this dress. Just hand me a lucky stake and I'll be good."
Joyce rolled her eyes."Please no dusting vamps at *this* wedding!"
"What Mom? You mean that you hated them at your wedding?"Buffy joked. Joyce wrinkled her nose at Buffy and at the vampires that had come to hers and Rupert's wedding.
"Hey! It's a lot better than having a demon crash in on your wedding night, isn't it Willow?"said Faith as she looked at the other girl.
Cordelia merely rolled her eyes."Is the dress fine? And there won't be any vamps or demons at this wedding, right? I mean, my rep as a wedding dress designer is at stake here."
"There had better *not* be any vamps at my wedding,"Buffy said as she twisted to see herself in the mirror.
"So let's hurry and get to the church, it's almost time for the wedding rehearsal. I'll call your father from here, "Joyce ordered."It'll be sunset in just two hours. I hope that Rupert will remember to get the boys there on time."
*****
Inside the foyer of the church, Joyce stared at her husband and her future son-in-law."What happened to you two?"
Rupert Giles looked slightly abashed as he looked at his wife. Angel merely looked at his fiancée and grinned at her."Hey, Buffy. You're looking real pretty today!"
Buffy stared at Angel in astonishment...he looked drunk?
As Willow and Faith stayed silent, Buffy looked at her mother then at the other male Slayerettes. Xander was chasing one finger with the other Oz was strumming an invisible guitar while humming 'Amazing Grace' to a decidedly rocking twang. She stepped closer to her friends and smelled..."You smell like..."
"Whis~key!"Angel hiccuped happily as he grabbed her from behind. He twirled her around then gave her a lusty kiss."Best thing that an Irish man could make in his like. Better than an ale."
"*I'll* have you know, Angel that good English ale is like a fine wine or woman,"Giles intoned with his finger in the air. He grabbed his wife and pulled her very close to him and started to nuzzle her neck. Joyce nearly reeled at the reeking breath."Isn't that right, my lovely wife? Oh, you smell all good and womanly."
"Oh, she should Giles, 'cause Buffy's mom's a woman,"Xander quipped happily. "Isn't she, Oz?"
"Yep. She's a woman. If she wasn't she wouldn't have babies. And no babies would have meant no Buffy,"Oz agreed. Angel looked at him in shock, then held Buffy tighter.
"What no Buffy! No!"Angel said in drunken horror. Buffy gasped as she felt two ribs start to crack.
"Angel! You're hurting me!"Buffy gasped. Immediately he looked down and released his arms. Then a lusty gleam that Buffy knew all too well shone in his eyes."No! What happened? Why are you all so drunk? Angel? Giles?"
Giles lifted his head from Joyce's lips and smiled."Oh, we were talking about weddings, families, bachelor parties and your father called. I must say, I really don't like the chap, gave me an evil interrogation about your Mum here, then..."
"Hank interrogated you?" Joyce cried out in shock."About what?"
Giles looked his wife with drunken sobriety."I can't remember. Somethingabout weddings and purity and holy vows. It's all very vague."
Xander shook his head at the Watcher."No, no, no. He threatened Angel with the purity of daughters and holy vows and weddings. He threatened *you* about demons in the soul of your boot."
Oz stopped playing his imaginary guitar, and started banging on his imaginary drums. "Nope. It was Giles that he was threatening about-"
"GUYS! Let me repeat the question again: what did my father say to get you all so drunk?"Buffy shouted.
Angel looked at Buffy with sad eyes."Your da demanded to know how I would support you and all that. But, I was handling it. It wasn't until he *threatened*, your father *threatened* me that he would take you away. Yes, indeed he did. Your father *threatened* me!"
Buffy shook Angel."He threatened you? With what? Why?"
"He threatened that if I so much as touched you before our wedding night, he would lock you up and away from me. And then throw away the key until a worthier man would come along! *That's* what he did!"
Buffy stared at Angel."And *this* got you drunk?"
Angel nodded his head solomnly."And the worst of it was, he got me to say it to the priest too! So now it's a holy order!"
Faith looked at the drunken men."So you mean to say that you and Buffy here can't do the touchy-feely until the wedding night?"
Angel nodded sorrowfully at her."Yup. So Giles said to take lotsa cold showers and Xander said to get lotsa cold drinks. And Oz said the same: to get lotsa showers and drinks. Except only thing in the apartment was-"
"Whiskey,"Buffy finished. She eyed Xander and Oz balefully."So why are
these three drunk?"
Angel looked at her in shock."A man cannot drink alone! Not hospit-hospit...it's rude! My mother taught me better than that!"
"Quite so!"agreed Giles empathetically. "So we helped him drink every last bottle! Didn't we men?"
"Hear! Hear!"cheered Xander and Oz. Giles nodded so hard he almost fell over.
"Quite so! Now, on with the rehearsal!" Giles said as he started walking towards the doors. Except they were the doors that headed towards the basement. Joyce spun him around to the right doors."Oh, Joyce, I love you, but do stop spinning. My head is hurting."
Faith and Willow nobly swallowed a giggle as Joyce led a swaggering Giles towards the altar. Faith reached for Xander."Come on, Xander. Time to go. Willow, after we get these two settled, ask Cordy to get some black coffee. STAT."
"Can you stop the floor from moving?"he asked as leaned heavily against her. Willow reached for Oz.
"Come on, slugger,"Willow said as she stopped her husband from banging on the bulletin board."The drums are inside."
"Oh, Buffy..."Angel said as he leaned heavily into her arms.
"I got you, honey,"Buffy said as she led him towards the right doors.
"I don't feel so good..."Angel moaned as he clutched his stomach. Buffy took one look at his paler than normal face, and quickly led him out the church doors.
As she led Oz towards the altar, Willow heard an "Angel! Over here!" and then a loud retching sound. She sighed."At least there are no witches at this wedding rehearsal!"
~Fin?