Title: The Final Veil Before Joy
Author: meagan <nutmeg@serv.net>
Summary: The night after "The Big Day."
Spoilers: "The Zeppo," _Angel_ (well, that's the thing that got this whole thing going) and the stories "A Return," "Getting to Know You," and "The Big Day."
Disclaimer: Of *course* they belong to someone else. If they were mine, things would be different. Specifically, they belong to Mutant Enemy, Fox, WB (even though they *really* don't deserve these guys after what they did to us in May), and anyone else I forgot.
Rating: I'm going to guess PG-13/light R for naked newlyweds.
Distribution: Bucky's or OfD if Melissa or Niccy wants it. Otherwise, please ask.
Feedback: Um, sure, I think. But meanness makes me cry. My kitties
don't like it when I cry. Keep them happy, please?
Note: The title is a comment a friend made about panties. It amuses me. This thing was written expressly to use this line. And I wanted this to be smut, but it just wouldn't cooperate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was all over.
The preparation, the ceremony, the reception.
Now there was only one thing left to do.
And so Cordelia had locked herself in the bathroom.
Face and hair repaired, she stared in the mirror, waiting for it to shatter and reveal a face laughing at her, just as it had in countless dreams over the previous ten years. But it remained intact. She gently ran her fingers over its smooth surface, giving it one more chance to reach out and pull her into its depths.
"Cordy? Are you okay in there?"
His voice at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Yeah, just a second!" Quickly, she maneuvered into the bits of satin and silk that Willow had helped her select for this very purpose. After a final glance in the mirror, she squared her shoulders and opened the bathroom door.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on knees, eyes glued to the floor. One knee bouncing up and down at a frantic rate.
It was that motion that did it. That made her realize he was just as nervous about everything as she was. She sat down on the bed next to him, taking his hands in hers. "Are you okay?"
At her words, his head shot up. "Yes. No." Now he sighed. "I don't know. Cordy, this is something I've dreamed of for years. It's always been a fantasy. Now that you're really here, I'm not sure what to do. Where to start."
She smiled. "Well, for starters, you could kiss me."
"I might be able to handle that." Timidly, he pressed his lips to hers, hands cradling her face.
Suddenly, a light dawned. "Xander, have you... done this before?"
Indignantly, he sputtered, "Of course."
"When?"
He sighed, dropping one hand to stroke her back. "Faith."
"I see." She giggled. "Did you notice how we managed to sidestep all of this? Never mentioned our history or lack thereof?" He nodded. "Xander, I haven't even gone out with anyone since you."
His head snapped up at that. "*What*? Cordy, it's been ten years!"
"Yeah, I know. It's just that... Well, at first, when I left Sunnydale after high school, I was just so busy that I didn't have the time or energy to meet people or date. Then after a while, I just got so used to flying solo that once I *did* have time, it just didn't occur to me." She leaned to whisper in his ear. "So do you know what happens when a girl has all that free time?" He shook his head. "She reads. A lot. Wanna know what I learned?" He went back to nodding, clearly unsure whether to trust his voice. She moved off the bed. "Okay, then. First, off with the shirt." Buttons flew, and she laughed. At his glare, she pointed out, "Hey, now I know you want to do this. You're ruining clothing for me."
"You're worth it." Now he reached for the satin ribbon holding what passed for her robe closed.
She leaned back, letting it slip to the floor. Since it was her turn, she undid his pants and pulled them over his hips. "Oh, Xander. Neither boxers nor briefs, huh?"
"Nope. I've been freeballing today."
"Oh?"
"Color me hopeful." He undid the clasp on her bra. Once again, she dropped it to the floor.
"Oh, Xander. Look what you did. You're all naked now. I'm all naked except for my panties. What are you going to do to fix that?"
Slowly, carefully, he curled his fingers around the straps holding the fabric to her hips and gently pulled the scrap of silk to the floor.
The final veil before joy.
~~~ the end ~~~