The Power of Love
Buffy Summers had a severe case of pre-wedding jitters.
The petite blond sat in front of the mirror in the spare bedroom of the mansion, staring at the image she presented. Her dress was immaculate, the embroidered white lace of the strapless bodice constrasting beautifully against her tanned skin. Her hair was done up in an elegant twist, little ringlets of gold framing her face. Her makeup was flawlessly done, thanks to Cordelia, and she had everything a bride needed to make sure her special day went off without a hitch; her grandmother’s garter from her own wedding nearly sixty years ago, a simple diamond pendant that Angel had presented to her the night before hanging from a thin gold chain around her neck, her mother’s pearl drop earrings dangling from her ears, and several blue flowers, presented to her by Kieran and Ciara (though purchased by their aunts Willow and Cordelia) tucked into the upsweep in her hair. But she couldn’t shake the nagging sense that something was missing.
She knew it wasn’t that she didn’t want to get married. No, marrying Angel was something she’d always wanted. In fact, she couldn’t remember a time when she did not want to marry the handsome ensouled vampire that owned her heart. And after ten long years, years during which they had suffered every hardship, endured overwhelming sadness and pain, experienced, in the birth of their children, indescribable joy and, in their love for one another, happiness they never knew existed, she was finally getting her fondest wish. There was nothing she wanted more than to claim Angel as her own for all of eternity. She had no doubts about that.
But something just didn’t feel right.
"All ready, honey?"
Buffy looked up to find her mother smiling a her. "I couldn’t be more ready," she replied, grabbing her veil as she stood up. She smiled at her mother then, pushing away the feeling inside her. "I’ve been waiting for this a very long time."
Joyce nodded knowingly, her smile widening even as tears welled up in her eyes. Unable to stop herself, she pulled Buffy into her arms, holding her tightly. "I love you, Buffy," she whispered, her tears falling in earnest.
When she pulled away, she wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled down at her daughter. "You know, you don’t have to do this."
Buffy looked up in surprise. "What?" she stammered uncomprehendingly.
"Not marry Angel? Are you crazy?"
As the look on Buffy’s face went from stunned to angry, Joyce couldn’t help but laugh. "I didn’t mean that," she answered, holding up a hand to stop Buffy from speaking. "I meant getting married in front of all these people."
As the reason for her apprehension was voiced, Buffy looked down at her feet, guiltily. "Mom, I..."
Joyce smiled, taking Buffy’s hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. "I know it wasn’t what you wanted," she told her. "It was what you thought your father and I wanted, what you thought every parent wants for their daughter, the big wedding with hundreds of guests to show you off to."
Buffy looked up, confusion clear in her gaze. "You don’t want this?"
Joyce shook her head. "Buffy, I want you to be happy," she told her, brushing the strands of her from her daughter’s eyes. "And all you need to be happy is Angel."
"Don’t forget those grandkids of yours," Buffy added, smiling as she thought of Kieran, with his mother’s golden mane of hair and his father’s pentrating chocolate brown eyes, and Ciara, with her dark curls and sparkling green eyes that changed with every emotion she felt. They were the miracle that had finally convinced her and Angel that their love was meant to be, that they would always be together.
As if on cue, those two little miracles stepped into the room, their eyes widening when they saw their mother, stunning in white.
"Mommy," Ciara whispered in awe, as she stepped up to her mother.
"You look beautiful."
Buffy smiled and she reached down to take her daughter into her arms. "And you, my darling, look like a little angel," she complimented the girl, fingering the flower girl’s lacy pink and white dress.
"What about me?"
Buffy glanced down to see Kieran looking up at her, a frown marring his perfect features. "And you are the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on," she told him seriously, smiling when his frown disappeared and was replaced with a pleased grin.
Ciara smiled, her eyes twinkling with merriment. "Next to Daddy, of course?"
Buffy nodded. "Of course," she replied with a wink. "We are very lucky, Ciara, to be surrounded by the two most handsome gentlemen that have ever graced the earth."
"As are Kieran and I, to have the love of two such beautiful ladies."
The four occupants of the room looked up to see Angel, more handsome than ever in his black tuxedo, standing in the doorway, his smile wide as he watched his bride and their children.
"Daddy!" Ciara exclaimed, escaping her mother’s embrace. "It’s bad luck to see the bride before the cer’mony!"
Angel liftred the child easily into his arms, kissing her lightly on the forehead. "Mommy and I don’t have bad luck," he informed the girl as he entered the room. "All our bad luck ended the day we had you and your brother."
"So, why are you here, Daddy," Kieran inquired softly.
Angel turned to look at Buffy. "Well, the wedding starts in ten minutes and I wanted to make sure your mom hadn’t jumped out the window to get in one last patrol," he teased his love.
Ciara frowned as she thought about this. "Vampire dust wouldn’t look good on that dress."
Joyce laughed at this, taking the girl into her arms. "You’re right, honey.
It wouldn’t."
"The vampires will just have to wait until after the honeymoon," she informed the group. "Nothing is standing in the way of my wedding."
Angel studied his bride to be with worried eyes. "Are you sure there isn’t anything bothering you," he asked, his fingers caressing her cheek. "I was downstairs and I got the feeling something was wrong."
"Perceptive man," Joyce murmurred to her daughter, who just smiled. "Why don’t Kieran, Ciara and I go out in the hall and practice our parts," she suggested, taking the boy by his hand. "That way you two can talk."
Buffy watched as her mother walked to the door. "Thanks, Mom," she called out just before the three left the room.
Joyce turned back to smile at her daughter. "Just think about what I said," she remided her daughter. "Do whatever makes you happy. Don’t worry about the rest of us."
As soon as the door closed behind Joyce, Angel turned to Buffy, taking her into his arms. "Want to tell me what’s wrong?"
Buffy ignored his question, smiling up at him instead. "I love you," she told him, kissing his lips lightly. "And there’s nothing I want more than to marry you."
Angel smiled, his lips brushing against hers once again. "And I love you," he replied. "And I can’t wait to let everyone know just how much."
"That’s important to you," she stated as she looked into his eyes.
"Having all those people down there."
"Well, yes," he responded with a smile. "Our relationship has been anything but easy, Buffy. We’ve been through a hell of a lot and there were times when I wasn’t sure we were ever going to make it. And I’m sure there are some people out there who still doubt we’ll make this work. But I want them to know that the love we share is special and it’s real and it’s everlasting. I want them to know that, even after all we’ve been through, we’re still together, loving each other more than ever and nothing is ever going to change that.
"I love you, Buffy Summers, and I want each and every one of them to know it. I want to stand in front of all those people and pledge our love to each other in our own words. I want them to know what we’ve gone through to get where we are, and I want them to know that we never gave up because we loved each other enough, that we believed in the love we shared." He paused to brush the tears from her eyes. "I want them to know that, although we did things a little backwards, that doesn’t change the fact that we love each other, that we’ll always love each other. That’s all that matters."
Buffy took Angel’s face in her hands, their lips meeting in the sweetest of kisses. When she pulled away, he wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and smiled down at her. "Feel better now?"
She nodded, pulling out of his arms. "I love you."
He smiled. "I love you."
"Now, get down there and get ready to marry me," she commanded, pushing him towards the door.
With one last smile at his bride, Angel exited the room, closing the door softly behind him. A second later the door opened and Joyce stepped inside. "Everything okay now," she asked, coming to her daughter’s side.
Buffy picked the veil up off the bed and put it on, smiling at her mother.
"As long as I’ve got Angel, everything’s perfect."
Joyce smiled, hugging her daughter one last time. From downstairs, the opening notes of the Wedding March could be heard. "Well, then let’s go get you married," she announced as she ushered them out the door.
And thirty minutes later, in front of one hundred witnesses, Buffy and Angel plegded their everlasting love to one another and not one guest doubted the truth in their vows.
The End