Strange Place to Live:
Holy Matrimony
by Cynamin

"When I rearrange the pieces of the puzzle of my past
I sigh at the heartaches, relive the laughs
And I think about the moments that have left their mark
And the too few faces that shine a little light in the dark"
~Babysitter
Harry Chapin

As the month progressed, encounters with demons and multiple vampires became routine. The no longer caused the same worries - now they were just one more obstacle to overcome. It was the wedding plans which caused much more stress, as Buffy and Angel rushed to book a church, a place for the reception, catering, flowers, invitations . . . plus manage to keep up with school and work, not to mention slaying.

The combined tensions of demons and planning mounted. Buffy had once remarked that when they got together it was always a "blood thing. To p"rovide a balance and a calming break, Buffy and Angel made sure they spent at least one evening a week together where both slaying and preparations were not the reason to gather, and they could just be a couple. It was a new experience for both of them, and for Angel at least it was a constant joy.

Angel smiled at the smell of cooking food permeating his kitchen. It was a far cry from his meals of the past. He was actually getting good at this - cooking, that is - he thought with a touch of pride. At least, the food was edible. The only other person he'd had around to tell him how it was was Buffy, and her opinions were probably a little biased. One thing Angel was doing for sure was enjoying himself.

An appreciative sigh in the door to the kitchen announced another presence in the mansion. A moment later arms wrapped around Angel's waist. "Mmm," said Buffy appreciatively, "smells good."

Angel stopped stirring for a moment to kiss her on the cheek. "Hey," he said softly. "How was your day?"

"Okay," she replied. "I mean, no weird occurrences, none of my teachers died mysteriously, and I only had to slay one vampire on the way over here." She sighed. "That's good, right? And you?"

"Pretty much the same."

For a moment they simply stood there together, Angel's arm around Buffy's shoulder, and he gave her a small hug. "I'm glad you're here," he said with a smile.

"Wouldn't miss it," Buffy replied with a grin, and kissed him in return.

They were interrupted by two things at once. One, Angel's phone began ringing. At the same time, the pot of water on the stove began to boil over. Breaking from what had been an easy, relaxed moment with each other, Buffy and Angel sprang to action, Angel taking care of the near food disaster while Buffy ran to get the phone.

Rescuing the meal quickly, Angel couldn't help but smile again as Buffy answered his phone. It felt so nice to love and be loved. He had spent so much time lonely, and not that long ago had resolved himself to continuing alone. But he wasn't alone. He had friends . . . he had Buffy. It was nothing less than amazing.

Buffy was speaking to whomever was on the other side of the phone. "Hello? . . . No, this is the right place." A pause. "This is Buffy." A longer pause this time. "Oh, hi! He's in the kitchen . . . . Cooking dinner. . . . Ravioli, why?" Buffy was standing in the doorway now, the cordless phone held to her ear. After a moment of silence, she laughed lightly. "Hold on, he's right here," she said into the phone, then handed it to Angel.

The meal now under control, Angel took the phone and propped it on his shoulder. He wondered who it was - not many people would call him. "Hello?" he said.

"Hey, Angel. This is Robin," came the female voice on the other

end.Angel was pleasantly surprised. Robin Cunningham-Baker was from L.A., a friend and amateur vampire hunter that he'd fought side by side with on occasion. They'd met when Angel had rescued her from a gang of vampires with a grudge. In the continued excitement, he had forgotten to give her a call and ask for her help. "Hey there!" he said with a smile. "How's it going?"

"Real good. The restaurant John and I bought is doing great. How about yourself? Everything going well? I haven't seen you in a

while.""Never better," Angel replied sincerely. "What's up?"

"Well," the voice came back cheerfully, "I went and checked the mail today and found this lovely invitation to a wedding in some town called 'Sunnydale.' Since someone I knew left for that town several months ago and this is the first I'd heard from him, I thought I'd better give him a call."

Angel laughed lightly, feeling a tad sheepish. "Sorry I haven't been in touch," he said. "will you forgive me and come to my wedding?" My wedding. Now that was something Angel thought he'd never say.

"Of course we'll be there!" replied Robin. Then, after a pause, "That is, if *you'll* be there?"

"Hmm?" Angel was confused. "I'm sorry, I don't follow. Why wouldn't I be there?"

Robin sighed. "Let's see," she said. "I have here an invitation to the wedding of Buffy and Angel . . . no last names given . . . at the Sunnydale Church of God. December 18th at noon." She paused again, then said, "I think it was the 'noon' part that really threw me for a loop. Awfully sunny, isn't it?"

Now Angel really felt sheepish. "Oh. I guess I *really* haven't been in touch."

"No, Angel, I'm guessing not," Robin replied with a laugh. "So," she continued, "I figure this is either the legendary underground church . . . which still requires you to have developed a tolerance for crosses, you've rejoined the land of the living, or a mistake was made on the invitation."

"Um, option number two, actually."

"Really?" Robin sounded genuinely pleased. "Well, in that case I suppose dual congratulations are in order, on your engagement and on your new found humanity. No strings attached, I assume?"

"No strings," Angel replied with a happy sigh. Just Buffy standing in the doorway watching him with a smile was a delight. He'd been so caught up in the joys - and occasional frustrations - of being human again he'd forgotten to tell someone who'd really understand. "It's . . . it's amazing, Robin. I've never been happier."

"I can tell. I've never heard you sound so happy." Angel knew she understood better than anyone else could. When he had first met Robin she had been a bitter, sad young woman who had no desire in life but to take as many vampires with her as she could before she died. Not long after she had met her husband, John, and now they only fought to live. Perhaps she saw a similar change in Angel, a joy where there had been no hope. If nothing else, he knew she understood.

"Well," she said finally, "I don't want to keep you from your fiance any longer. Or your dinner, for that matter." She paused for a moment. "Anyway, congratulations, Angel. John and I will be at the wedding, even if we have to close the restaurant to get there."

As she made as to end their conversation, Angel remembered. "Robin, wait," he said urgently.

"What?"

Reluctantly Angel asked, "Um, do you think you could come to town a couple of days early?"

"For fun, or am I fighting vampires?"

"Vampires and assorted nasties, actually," Angel said, a touch sadly. "We're having a bit of trouble, and it's only going to get worse. It's going to be worst right near the wedding, and I don't know that we'll be able to handle it."

"Of course we’ll help," Robin assured him. "Don’t know how early we’ll be, but we’ll be there."

Angel smiled in relief. "Thanks," he said. Suddenly he remembered why Robin had come up in conversation in the first place. "Um, one more thing. Do you have a relative named Colleen?"

"Yeah. My sword wielding, occasionally vampire slaying cousin. You met her at my wedding."

"Oh, I remember her now. Do you think she'd help?" "If I can find her. She's a bit hard to track down, though, she's quite the wanderer." A muffled voice spoke in the background. "Listen, I have to go now. We'll try and get there early."

"Thanks, Robin," said Angel. "It was nice hearing from you. Goodnight."

"You too. Keep in touch this time, alright?"

Angel smiled. "Will do. Bye."

Buffy stood watching Angel from the doorway. She smiled at him, and he smiled back lovingly. "Well," said Buffy, "I'm guessing from what I heard that you forgot to include a 'by the way, I'm human' note to Robin."

"Yeah."

"Angel," Buffy said with a laugh, "I think we need to work on your communication skills."

Angel smiled in response. "How about I start with ‘dinner’s

ready?’""Sounds good to me."

The dinner was quiet, but that was the idea. They spoke about the newest show at the museum a bit, and how Buffy was doing in her psychology class, but mostly they were comfortable together in silence. As she finished her meal, Buffy looked at Angel still eating and chuckled.

"What is it?"

"You," replied Buffy in amusement. When he looked at her curiously, she explained. "You once thought you’d have trouble adjusting to being human, but once you decided to, you sure didn’t do anything

halfway."Angel laughed slightly, finishing his meal. True, he supposed. "What brought that on?"

Buffy shrugged, smiling. "Well, it could be that you seem to be doing your best to become a gourmet cook. You used to have the barest kitchen ever. Now, there’s a mirror hanging in your bathroom. This house in the daytime is filed with sunlight, and if you’re home I usually find you out in the garden. You don’t sneak around like you used to. You’ve got a job . . . ." her voice trailed off. When she continued her voice was no longer teasing. "Sometimes, it’s like you’re a different person. Not in a bad way . . . . You used to always look sad inside, and you very rarely talked about your feelings . . . or anything else, for that matter. You smiled more now, and even laugh on occasion. And talking isn’t *quite* as much of a problem." She laughed then, sounding a bit nervous. "Did I really just say all

that?"Smiling, Angel continued. "You forgot about being so completely in love with an incredible woman that I want nothing more than to have a family with her, to grow old with her. And now that that’s actually possible . . . . I hope she likes the new, happier, daytime me." Angel tried to make that a joke, but his voice showed that he really was concerned.

Buffy reassured him without even realizing he had been worried. She was grinning from ear to ear. Getting up from her seat, she said, "You were talking about me, there, right?"

"Could be," Angel replied with a small smile.

Buffy leaned over to kiss him, and for a moment there was nothing and no one else in the world. Angel held her tightly. When they broke the kiss, Buffy sat herself in his lap and grinned. "You know," she said, "I’ve decided I like destiny."

The man was angry enough to throw things. Deadly things. If he’d been able to act against them, his very anger would have killed the Slayer and her dark man. Unfortunately, he suffered under certain restrictions. Instead, his minions hid from his anger.

The darkness fumed as well. "You said she would wear down."

"I know."

"That she’d never see it coming."

"I know!"

"She knows what’s going on, now. She’s seen through your attacks."

"I KNOW!"

The darkness fell into an uneasy silence at his outburst. One did not raise his voice to his master.

"Not to worry," the man assured in a softer tome, "it’s not over yet."

Part Eight

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