Title: Odd Couples
Author: Gileswench

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Christmas Eve dawned bright and clear, but cold. Giles showered and shaved with care. When he went to get breakfast, he found he didn't really feel much like eating. Still, he brewed a pot of tea and toasted a couple slices of bread. It wouldn't do to pass out from hunger in the middle of the ceremony.

He'd barely sat down to his frugal repast, when there was a knock at the door. He stood, crossed the room, and opened said door.

"Hey," Xander said. "I just came by with another batch of Buffy's stuff. Where do you want it?"

"Why couldn't Buffy bring it herself?" Giles asked as he allowed Xander to pass.

"Oh, man, are you out of touch with the traditions." He dumped the suitcase and box he was carrying unceremoniously in the middle of the living room. "Don't you know it's bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding? And considering you and Buffy, don't you think you can use all the good luck you guys can get your hands on?"

"You're probably right, at that. Would you like a cup of tea? I don't imagine there's a great deal for you to do right now, and I'd appreciate the company."

"Nervous, Son?"

"If you wish to to stay, never call me that again."

"Sure thing, Giles," Xander grinned.

"I imagine there's a great deal going on at your house?" Giles asked as he sat back down to breakfast."

"Oh yeah. When I left, Buffy was trying to decide what pair of Joyce's earrings to borrow."

"That shouldn't have been a difficult decision, should it?"

Xander shook his head and poured himself a cup of tea.

"There speaks a man who hasn't lived with a woman in a very long time, if ever. First, they're not sure if the pearls match the white of the dress, then they think maybe the diamonds are too flashy. And of course, the sapphires will take care of the something blue bit, but will they look funny in the photographs? Then Buffy starts worrying about losing any of the valuable earrings and wonders if a pair of silver hoops isn't a better idea all the way around. This decision alone could take hours."

"I'd no idea it was so complex."

"Wait until the hairdresser shows up. I was glad to have an excuse to escape. Is this all you're having for breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Giles," Xander said in disgust, "this is your last bachelor breakfast. You can't just have toast and tea."

"I wasn't entirely certain I could eat anything else."

"See, this is where Joyce and I did it right. Going off to Vegas and picking the first wedding chapel we saw made it easy. We only had the drive to get nervous in. You and Buffy, you've had a month. You've got butterflies giving birth to more butterflies in your stomach about now. Am I right, or am I right?"

"I'm not nervous about marrying Buffy," Giles protested. "It's more the fact that there will be so many people watching me do it."

"You've got, what? Forty people coming, including the wedding party? Don't sweat it, man. You've staked vampires in front of more people than that. Just imagine them all as vamps in their underwear. You'll be fine. Now, how about a nice big plate of eggs and sausage?"

Giles chuckled a bit and leaned back in his chair.

"You're right, for once," he said. "All right, eggs and sausage it is. Scrambled will be fine."

He crossed his arms across his chest with a sly half-smile and watched Xander's mouth work helplessly.

"Uh...I don't know how to cook things," he said at last. "I've concentrated more on how to eat them."

"Come on, then," Giles grinned. "Let's go out for breakfast."

"I already ate. But that's okay. It can be second breakfast, like a Hobbit."

"You'll never get the ring to Mount Doom that way."

"Never make jokes about not getting the ring where it's going to the Best Man. You might give him ideas."

"Just remember that Buffy and I both know where you live, and have many sharp weapons at our disposal."

"Gotcha. Rings will be there. Now let's go eat."

The two men grabbed their jackets and headed out into the morning.

*****

As evening fell over the town, the wedding guests entered the church. The group was small, but happy. The only brooding face was explained to Buffy's relatives as an ex-boyfriend who had taken the news of the engagement unhappily, but wanted to be there to support her decision. Cordelia sat with Angel and held his hand. Wesley had brought his friend Gunn along again. Xander wasn't quite sure what was going on between those two, and thought he probably didn't want an answer.

With minutes to go before the ceremony, everything was in place. The church was awash in flowers, the guests had all assembled, the organist was playing, and the ring was safe in Xander's vest pocket. He headed off to see Buffy for a minute before going to Giles.

The sounds of feminine panic could be heard behind the door. Xander knocked anyway.

"Is everyone decent in there? If not, can I come in?"

The door opened and Joyce popped her head out.

"Hi, Honey." She gave him a small kiss. "We're just about ready in here."

"Any hope of a sneak peek?"

Joyce pulled her head in. Xander could hear muffled voices discussing the burning question. A moment later, Joyce's head appeared again.

"You can come in, but Buffy says you can't tell Rupert anything about the dress."

"My lips are sealed."

Joyce opened the door more fully and Xander entered the room. Buffy turned to face her stepfather.

"Okay," he said as soon as his vocal chords worked again. "Now I get why people do the church thing. You look incredible, Buff. I said it before and I'll say it again: I completely renounce spandex."

Buffy glared.

"Don't remind me of that night. The fairy princess thing wasn't so bad until I really was one. That sucked." Her expression softened. "At least you look very 007 in your tux."

"A guy's gotta be big with the suave when he's got the two best looking girls in the joint on his arm." Willow hove into view. "Or should I say, the three best looking girls?"

"Thanks, but I've got another arm to be on tonight," Willow grinned.

"Will's got this big new romance, but she won't tell me who it is," Buffy said wryly. "All she'll say is she thinks this is the one. And after I told her as soon as Rupert and I got together."

"Yeah Willow, and you knew about me and Joyce before Joyce knew about me and Joyce. Spill, Will."

"You'll see later on. It's a surprise."

Try as they would, Buffy and Xander couldn't get more out of Willow than a cryptic 'wait and see'. Joyce glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"Xander," she said, "maybe you should go to Rupert now. It's almost time to start."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'll see you later, Honey." He stopped and took a long look at Buffy. "You look amazing, Buff. Giles is a lucky guy."

"Thanks." Buffy's smile lit the room. "That means a lot coming from a guy who should recognize lucky."

"Hey, do I get a daddy/daughter dance at the reception?"

"How about a best guy friend/married Slayer dance?"

"I can live with that." He kissed Joyce on the cheek, waved to Willow and Buffy, and slipped out the door into the hallway. "Whew! Giles isn't gonna know what hit him."

*****

Giles paced the room nervously. Part of him wished he'd never agreed to this. A larger part of him wanted it over and done with. Yet another part of him wished he'd just whisked Buffy off to Las Vegas a month ago. He was sure he'd be fine with being married as soon as he didn't have to worry about getting married.

He looked up from his thoughts when the door opened and Xander entered the room.

"Okay, Big Guy. Looks like the women-folk are ready. Is your tie on straight? You're not gonna try to back out now, are you?"

"Of course I'm not backing out," Giles returned with asperity. "Let's get this over with."

"It's a wedding, not a firing squad. Breathe."

"I am breathing, and it bloody well feels like one."

"We checked everybody for weapons at the door. Nobody's packing. Not so much as an unauthorized stake."

Before Giles could come up with a suitable retort, the door opened slightly and the minister poked her head in.

"Are you ready?" she asked cheerfully.

"As I'll ever be," Giles responded dryly.

"Will you just get a load of this ray of sunshine?" Xander shook his head in disgust.

"I wouldn't worry," the minister assured him. "Once it's all over, he'll be fine. I see this every day. It's perfectly normal."

As she closed the door, Xander turned to Giles.

"Normal?"

"It's obvious the woman is mad. I only hope that won't affect the validity of the ceremony." He straightened his jacket and gestured to his Best Man. "Lead the way."

"Oh, no, Giles. Age before beauty."

The groom rolled his eyes, squared his shoulders, and stepped out to meet his fate.

The church was far from crowded, but the fact that all eyes were trained on him made Giles distinctly uncomfortable. He detested feeling as if he were on display. At least the crowd was fairly small. His mother smiled and nodded happily at him. He smiled back, albeit a bit nervously. His father sat looking impassive, but Giles knew from the set of his shoulders that it was merely a facade. In truth, his father was happy and quite possibly proud.

A moment later, Joyce took her seat and smiled in the direction of the altar. Giles was a little surprised to see her wink, but quickly realized that Xander was winking back at her. That simple gesture worried him more than anything else. Who knew what mayhem Xander's fertile mind might have designed for an event like this? And Giles was well aware that Joyce had a far more fiendish sense of humor than most would give her credit for.

Then the music changed and there was no more time to worry about what might happen. There was no turning back now.

Willow still carried herself shyly as she came down the aisle to take her place as Maid of Honor, but Giles was pleased to see that she looked far less uncomfortable than she had the day before. Her forest green crushed velvet gown brought out the beauty of her red hair and porcelain skin. She'd done something complicated with her hair that involved pearls and a few tendrils framing her face. He felt sure it required more actual hair than Willow had had since she'd cut it short a couple years before. Still, he was both astonished and pleased to see how lovely she'd become. He privately hoped some lucky young woman would make the girl happy.

When she grinned at him, Giles couldn't help grinning back.

Then the music changed again, and Buffy appeared through the double doors at the back of the church.

He'd known from the day they met that she was pretty. There was no escaping that fact. Over time, she'd matured which only made her lovlier to Giles. But this - this was a whole new definition of beautiful. And this vision was his.

She walked the aisle alone to her new life. Nobody had been able to contact Hank Summers, and she'd declared she wouldn't let him walk her down the aisle if he did show up. She'd gotten this far on her own, and she didn't need anyone to give her to Giles.

She would do it herself.

Before she'd quite reached the altar, Giles held out his hand to her. She took it gently, but firmly and smiled up at him. Suddenly it didn't matter to him whether there was one person watching or thousands. The event could be broadcast on television for all he cared. This was what mattered; the trust and love he and Buffy shared.

The ceremony passed in a bit of a haze, but Giles did hear the final pronouncement that he and Buffy were married clearly. He needed no prompting to take his bride in his arms and kiss her soundly.