"Do you, Cora Mae Davidson take Daniel to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in indigence and in wealth, until death do you part?" The minister addressed the bride, who had a large and loving beam from ear to ear etched on her face. Buffy wanted to storm up here, slap it off her and take Ang-Daniel from her grasp.
"I do."
"And do you," the old reverend appealed to the groom, "Daniel Aaron Cooper take Cora to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in indigence and in wealth, until death do you part?" The words were on the tip of his tongue, the two little words that would forever bind him and his fiancée together, but they just simply wouldn't come out. Daniel cleared his throat and gave a nervous chuckle, glancing out at the audience; members of the press and Cora's family, the Davidson's friends, Lance and the bridesmaids, the ring barer and flower girls whom were his two twins. Then out to the stands of the grooms' side where the girls' doctor and his secretary sat along with his wife and two other young people. Daniel latched eyes with the secretary and his heart both fluttered and sank.
"What's he doing? Just say the damn words, crushing Buffy's heart ruthlessly in the act, and we can get outta here!" Xander whispered impatiently. Cordelia smacked him in the leg and glared. Buffy stared at the groom a little longer then cast her eyes down at her peach summer dress she'd chosen.
"Mr. Cooper?" the elderly minister asked, bringing Daniel back.
"I…" he finally pushed out, gazing down to Cora, who had worry in her eyes.
"Daniel, come on. It's not that hard. 'I-do'," she said softly.
"I…" Daniel heard Cora's father sigh loudly and the crowd starting to get restless. He glanced back out and found his gaze on Buffy once more. He bit his lip, closed his eyes softly and dropped Cora's hand along with the ring he was holding. It clattered to the stairs with no more than a dull clunk. "I can't. I'm sorry." He finally said gently. He kissed Cora's cheek and once more let his gaze traveled over the assembled crowd, to the three confused children in the front row, and walked off the altar to the back room. The guests gasped and began whispering amongst themselves. Cora stood in her spot, making small whimpering sounds. Mr. and Mrs. Davidson ran to console their daughter, then Mr. Davidson stormed away to deal with Daniel.
"What did I tell you? And I thought Buffy would be the one left standing," Xander sighed, straightening his slightly wrinkled tux. Cordy slapped him again and the Rosenbergs and the Harrises walked out of their pew to join the milling mass exiting from the church, leaving Cora and her mother at the front and Buffy to get Sage.
* * *
'Why am I lonely
You're sitting right here
Why am I talking
It's like I'm talking to the air
What am I looking for
That just isn't there
Why am I angry
How'd it get so bad
And why I missing
What we never really had
And why don't you love me
The way I love you
And why don't you feel things
As deep as I do
We've got a fundamental difference
In matters of emotion
But I need to feel you need me
Like a river needs an ocean
Baby why don't you love me
Who am I kiddingb
It wasn't meant to be
But you wanted a believer
And I needed to believe
For every wall you build around you
I learned a brand new way to climb
And if I could've been your Angel
I would've found a way to fly
I don't understand you
What's it take to make you cry
And if leaving you won't break you
Then baby what's it matter why'
Daniel sat, alone, in the shadowed garden behind his house and pool deck. This was where he often ventured to think, and he needed to do that right now. Something was so soothing about the dimly lit space, the dark called out to him like a mother to a child. It was awkward but at the same time comforting. *I've finally gone nuts.*
Inside the house the lights were from the strobes and lasers that the DJ, a very intoxicated Lance, had set up. Lance's voice was slurring through the microphone, talking over the blaring music. Daniel shook his head sadly and pulled his eyes up to the star dotted sky.
'So dear to me
Always keep me company
Who needs to go outside
I will be your silent bride
I can't take my eyes off you'
Daniel mentally went over everything that had happened in the past few weeks. The dreams had stopped since he'd proposed to Cora. But now, he wished they would come back to take him away from the Hell that was the present. He was so deep in thought brooding about his life that he didn't see or hear the five people approaching him from all sides. He brought his head back to eye level and watched them stop. The two doctors, the secretary and their friends trapped him on the bench, all with questions in their eyes. Daniel gave a small smile and stood up.
"Hi," he greeted. They nodded and gave their greetings.
"Hey. You look pretty out of it. Why are you out here?" The twins' doctor, Oz, asked.
"I usually come out here to be alone…it gets really dark and I guess it kind of helps me. Just looking at the stars. And such…" They nodded in silent understanding.
"Now I do believe the next question is," the man holding the chestnut haired beauty to Buffy's right hurried on before they could stop him, "why didn't you do it?"
"Do what?" he asked instantly. They stared back and forth, a queer intensity rising within their eyes at the other.
"Xander," Oz's wife, Willow, chided. "Don't be doing that."
"What? It's on everyone's minds. The richest guy in California so hastily proposes to his girlfriend after eight years and ends up dumping her. The question is, why?" he turned back to Daniel. "I mean, you had a pair of twins. Why get rid of her, and in front of who knows how many members of the press and her family. She's inside, and damn is she not looking good. This exact same thing happened when-"
"Xander. Shut up," the others shouted at him.
"On second thought…Buffy, where's Sage? Wanna show him this new move I learned. With a few easy twists you can make a guy a human pretzel and pin 'em. Sage should know it, should he ever find himself in the position where he'd have to defend himself."
"You're not teaching him that. You already got karate lessons in his head," Buffy shot, then looked to Daniel. "Sorry, it's just my friend gets a little carried away with his mouth sometimes."
"Still, after a decade?" Daniel chuckled, then furrowed his brows. "What the-"
"How would you know?" The woman in Xander's arms asked.
"It just slipped out. Uh, sorry."
"Right…" Oz trailed off.
"C-could you guys go? I mean, like find Sage or something? I'm going to go soon." Buffy asked over her shoulder. Xander gave her a salute and the lady beside him pushed him away. Willow and Oz laughed at them silently and accompanied them.
"So," Daniel started with an uneasiness. They remained locked in each other's eyes. "Beautiful night, isn't it."
Buffy nodded in agreement. "It is." Daniel gestured back to the bench. She sat down and smoothed out her peach summer dress. They averted their attention from each other, trying to avoid the unpleasantness of the situation. Buffy gave a small sigh and turned to Daniel, who was trying to pretend he wasn't looking at her. They're eyes locked and she felt a shot of warmth go through her. She was sure her cheeks were bright red. "So…"
Daniel suddenly had an interest in his polished shoes and he broke the gaze. This was not the time or place to be having these thoughts. He didn't want them, but they had crept up out of no where and caused him to not marry Cora. Something kept whispering inside his brain for him to pull the young lady into his embrace and kiss her until the end of time. But his common sense, and manners, prevented him from doing so. He hadn't seen his fiancée at the reception that he'd thrown just to cheer him up, but he was sure her parents and all their friends were there looking for him. Hunting him like a wild animal, waiting to rip him open from inside…
He groaned loudly at the thought that had sprung up from no where. Not only did visions of Mr. and Mrs. Davidson yelling at him flash before his eyes, but also visions of and blood and gore and swords and whips. And fire, lots of it. They were there too, mixed in with the glowing scene inside his mind, or what was left of it.
"Daniel?" Buffy's beautiful voice brought him back down. Her golden hair framed her sloping face as if it were a picture. Her peach dress hung over her small frame in a flowing wisp like the white gown she wore in his dreams. Her eyes sparkled with worry like a pair of emeralds. It hurt him to see her in so much pain, much of which he'd afflicted. He still fought the urge to wrap her in his arms and kiss her like there were no tomorrow. "Daniel, are you all right?"
"Sorry, I'm just…really been loosing it lately," Daniel rubbed his hand through his hair and threw his head back to look at the stars.
"Me too," Buffy said quietly, almost a whisper. He brought his gaze down to her and their eyes locked once more. She saw tremendous chaos behind the brown swirling depths. And what did he see through the windows to her soul? He saw a deep love rooted somewhere for whoever the Angel in her life was. And all through this soul searching neither noticed how close they'd gotten.
'Nothing ever needs to be said
Send me your message
Right into my head
You fill me up when I'm alone
So soothing is your monotone
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off you
So maybe you're not as real as the others
But I choose you over all my past lovers
For they have come and they have gone but I can always turn you on
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off you'
The distance of the stone bench had been covered by both and they met in the middle. Hand on hand, not only did they meet but their lips met as well. It was everything she'd always imagined in a kiss that would reunite her with her long lost lover. It was almost perfect, he hadn't lost anything except his vampirism.
…Or, it was almost perfect until the others came back and Xander started clearing his throat out like a madman.
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