Buffy's 21st: Buffy's 21st
by CC
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the plot, so don't sue, OK?
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The party was in full flow. Buffy mingled with her guests.
Xander watched her as his blonde princess laughed, talked, smiled. After five years of knowing her, he still had feelings for her. But he had realised that he could never date Buffy. She was too good a friend to lose.
Wow, he thought, astonished. I am, like, getting SO mature!
"Whatcha thinkin'?" Willow grinned. She stood beside him, following his gaze.
"I can't believe she's made it to her 21st birthday," Willow said softly.
Xander nodded. "She's been lucky." Typically, Slayers led short, violent lives. It was unheard of for a slayer to live past the age of eighteen, never mind to twenty-one.
"Do you still...you know...love her?" Willow asked.
"How could I when I've got you?" he smiled, slipping his arm around her waist.
Willow sighed with delight. Finally, finally, she and Xander were together, seriously involved. She admired the slim engagement ring on her finger. She thought about how long it had taken for the two of them to get together. There had been Xander's love for Buffy, then his involvement with a whole string of unsuitables including a giant preying mantis and an Egyptian mummy. Then there had been the whole Xander and Cordelia deal, then Willow and Oz, and then Xander and Anya. But Cordelia was in LA, and Oz had left, and Anya had fallen in love with - dear God, Willow still found it hard to believe - Spike. Then again, maybe they were a match made in heaven - or rather, hell. Anya was an ex-vengeance demon and Spike was a non-biting vampire. Well, whatever reasons had caused Willow and Xander to not become involved, she was just glad that they were all behind them.
Anya and Spike were at the party, too. Buffy wasn't sure exactly why she had invited them, but she did know that Spike had become almost bearable over the last few years.
I'm going insane, she thought. Flashbacks of the time when she and Spike had been planning to get married planted themselves firmly in her mind.
Giles had been invited too, naturally. He was talking to Buffy's mother. Buffy found herself glancing over in their direction from time to time to make sure that they didn't get, well, too friendly. After all, they had slept together before. Twice. Buffy shuddered at the thought of it and then forced it out of her mind.
The other guests consisted of other students at the college. Buffy said hi to some of them, and then went to talk to Willow and Xander.
"Great party, Buff," Xander said.
She noticed the togetherness of him and Willow. You couldn't miss it. Everyone at this party seemed to be paired off, in couples. Like Noah's Ark. Two of everything. Two of Buffy's best friends, two demonic beings, two oldies.
And, she Buffy, was alone.
There seemed to be some more people arriving. She went to greet them but when she saw them, her heart skipped a beat. Or rather, one of them.
He walked towards her. She walked towards him.
"Angel," she said.
"Buffy," he said.
She hadn't seen him in, well, ages. Not since she'd gone to LA after she'd found out he'd been in Sunnydale. And that had only been for, like, five minutes.
She wanted to kiss him. Did he want to kiss her? This was driving her crazy. She loved him like crazy, but they could never be together. She knew that logically, and yet her heart . . . well, her stupid heart was never going be happy unless Angel and she were together.
Xander and Willow had noticed Angel, but also the other newcomers.
Xander gulped as she made her way towards him. "Cordelia," he said.
"Hi, Xander," she said warmly.
Hold on, Xander thought. Warmly? That's it. She's some kind of demon pretending to be Cordy.
"Hi, Wesley," Willow said to put the guy at ease. He looked awkward, standing beside Cordelia and looking around him uneasily.
"Hello, Willow," he said.
"So, what've you been up to?" she asked him politely.
Meanwhile, Xander was staring at Cordelia's low-cut dress, or rather, what the dress revealed.
"Xander," Cordy reminded him, "I'm up here."
"Right. Sorry."
She laughed. "So, you and Willow . . ."
"Oh. Right. Yes. Engaged."
"Wow! Engaged," she said. "So when's the wedding?"
"We haven't decided yet," Xander said.
Willow, whose conversation with Wesley had trailed off somewhat after she'd been informed exactly what a Rogue Demon Hunter did, joined in.
"We're thinking about the summer, though," she said. "Do you two want to come?" She spoke to both Cordy and Wesley.
"That'd be great," Cordy said sincerely.
Wesley nodded.
"Are you two going out?" Willow asked with curiousity. OK, so she and Xander were engaged and living together, but she'd feel a lot better if Cordy was already involved.
Cordelia, to her credit, simply said, "No" instead of the, "No? God, ME, going out with HIM? Get real!" which she would have responded with a few years ago.
"We're just friends," Wesley added.
"Good friends," Cordy said. Wesley looked pleased at this description.
Willow was surprised at how Cordelia had changed. So less bitchy than she had been. Willow was actually starting to like her.
"Hey, look at Buffy and Angel," Xander said. Four heads turned towards them.
Apparently Buffy and Angel had made up their minds. They were kissing, their arms around each other.
"Wow, they look so perfect together," Willow said. "Buffy's missed him, you know."
"And Angel's missed her," Cordy said. She wondered whether she should tell them about that day when Angel had become mortal and he and Buffy had shared the best day of their lives, but which had been swallowed up and forgotten by all, except Angel. But no, she wouldn't tell them. It wouldn't be fair to.
Another new guest arrived. Buffy was too engrossed in Angel to notice the blonde-haired guy heading towards the group consisting of Xander, Willow, Cordelia and Wesley.
"Oh my God!" Willow gasped. The amount of old flames returning was unbelievable. Her eyes met his. "So, Oz, how've you been?" She attempted to sound casual.
"OK."
"Still a werewolf, huh?" She tried to make small talk.
"Yeah. But I can handle it now," he answered.
"Oh. Well, that's good."
They stood around awkwardly.
"Oz, it's great to see you again," Cordelia said, breaking the silence.
"You too, Cordy," he said. "Did Angel come, too?"
"Yeah, he's with Buffy. So where are you living now?"
"I've moved back here," he said. "Just a few days ago."
"You have to come stay with us in LA again, though," she smiled.
"Again?" Willow asked, breaking into their conversation. "You mean after he came to give you that invincible gem-thingy?"
"Actually, I've been in LA a few times these last few years," Oz told her. "I went to see Angel and Cordy to help them if they needed it - you know, my werewolf instincts."
"Oh. Right," Willow said. She could sense that something was going on between Oz and Cordy. She couldn't help being a little jealous.
Xander felt the same way. OK, so he and Cordelia had parted ways years ago, but he still felt a bit envious.
"Oh dear God," they could hear Spike say.
"What is it?" Anya asked him.
"Hi, darling," Druscilla said.
"Druscilla, right?" Anya checked.
"Who are you?" Druscilla looked at her with distaste.
"The love of his life," Anya responded, punching Druscilla in the face. A fight began.
Spike watched with amusement. Buffy looked over at him in disgust.
"Great party, huh?" Angel smiled.
Buffy looked around the crowded room. Her mother and Giles were - oh God, kissing. There was extreme awkwardness between Oz, Willow, Xander, Cordy and Wesley. Anya and Dru were fighting while Spike simply let them.
And then Faith arrived.
Buffy groaned. "Yeah, great party, all right."
Angel pretended to look hurt. "What about me?"
She smiled. "OK, you're the best part. I'm not arguing with that!"
He put his arm around her as they went to get a drink.
"But next time, I am SO sending out invitations."
The End
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