Fred bit her lip a bit to keep from laughing at Rupert's eagerness to get to the end of the ceremony. She squeezed his hands in hers as she looked around the room at everyone there - his parents, her parents, Willow, Charlotte, Andrew, Xander. The Registrar was standing to the side of the priest, holding the book with the marriage certificate and overseeing everything.
"Buffy and Dawn didn't make it?" she asked softly.
"Actually," a voice came from the hallway, "we--ow!"
Everyone turned to see Buffy and Dawn hurrying into the room, ducking and covering their heads as some of the decorations that had been in the dining room flew at them. But as soon as they passed through the door, it was as if there was an invisible force field that the flying objects bounced off of harmlessly. Molly ran over and barked a few times but didn't go out into the hall. Once they were safe, the two sisters straightened up and looked behind them before turning to everyone else.
"I take it that was the reason for the sudden change in plans to a night service?" Buffy asked.
Willow nodded as Molly trotted back over to her side and sat down again. "Jealous sisters. We'll explain later."
"Good thing we got Andrew's message; otherwise we were going to stop for dinner," Dawn stated as she sat down behind Fred's parents.
"Well, now that it appears everyone is here, now can we start the ceremony?" the priest asked.
"Yes!" the entire room chorused. Fred looked at Rupert again, glad that everyone had made it.
Clearing his throat, the priest began, "Friends and family, we welcome you here under these extraordinary circumstances to celebrate and witness the marriage of Rupert Giles and Winifred Burkle..."
Giles smiled when Buffy and Dawn showed up. He knew they had wanted to be there to witness his marriage to Fred. Once everyone was seated, the priest started the ceremony. Giles tried his best to listen but with Fred standing in front of him, looking so beautiful. He gave her a lopsided smile just as the priest cleared his throat again.
"Rupert?" he said. Giles blinked and looked over at him. "I asked you a question."
"Oh, uh, pardon me. My mind was elsewhere," Giles said as he heard a few of the guests giggle. Xander leaned forward and whispered in Giles' ear what he should say. "Oh, yes, I do. I really do. I was just looking at my beautiful wife-to-be and my mind wandered a bit to all the wonderful years we're going to spend together. I love you, Fred."
"Awww," Buffy, Dawn and Willow all said at the same time. Giles blushed and looked down at the floor.
The priest nodded and looked over at Fred. "Do you plan on adding anything extra or can I get one with the ceremony?" He asked with a warm smile.
A smile spread over Fred's face at Rupert's words, and she felt her cheeks warm. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to be standing there with this wonderful man. She was looking forward to spending many years together with him as well.
When the priest asked she was going to add anything extra, she grinned and looked over at Rupert. "You know that you probably shouldn't get me started because if you do then you're going to get me rambling and you know what I can be like when I do that. Actually...looks like it's too late." Her parents and Willow laughed softly. "But Rupert, I love you too, more than I can say. I'm so glad that we found each other, and we're going to be together for the rest of our lives."
She turned to look at the priest and bit her lip again. "Okay, I'm done.
He seemed relieved and continued on with the ceremony, asking his question and having Fred and Rupert repeat their vows. Once they were finished, they exchanged their rings, Fred putting Rupert's on his finger and Rupert placing hers on her.
The Registrar then had them sign the marriage certificate, followed by their fathers, acting as their witnesses. Once they were finished, the priest smiled.
"I now pronouce Rupert and Winifred married in the eyes of God and under the law of the United Kingdom. Rupert, now you may kiss your wife."
"About time," Giles said as he leaned forward. He deeply kissed her, his hands moving over her back. He would've done more if someone hadn't cleared their throat. Giles pulled back and looked down at Fred before he smiled, his eyes becoming wet with tears. "Thank you for everything. I love you."
Giles leaned forward to kiss Fred again but stop when Xander grabbed his arm. He looked up and over toward the door of the library where there was two ghosts. Buffy stood to take care of them but before she could get to them, they disappeared. "I think that's it. They're gone," Giles said before he looked down at Fred as everyone applauded.
"The hotel in town is holding the bridal suite for you, Mr. Giles, but you have to check in soon," Andrew said.
"Well…"
"Go!" Trish said as she stood. "There's no wedding cake for you to cut. We can have a reception tomorrow for y'all. Go and enjoy your wedding night!"
Giles looked down at Fred and smirked. "I do believe we're getting kicked out. How about we change and then meet down in the front foyer?" he asked before he leaned forward to kiss her again.
"If y'all don't stop doing that, you won't even make it to the hotel!" Trish cried.
Giles chuckled and pulled away. He took Fred's hand and walked her out of the library. "Ten minutes. Foyer. Be there," he said before kissing her and walking off to one of the guestrooms.
Fred closed her eyes when Rupert kissed her, feeling her stomach fluttering with butterflies. They had done it - despite the two ghosts, they had gotten married. When everyone turned to look at the library door, she turned, watching as the two sisters stood there for a moment before fading away. The moment they did, it was as though a weight was lifted from the house. There would never be another cursed wedding there.
She was about to press closer to Rupert and kiss him again when everyone started telling them about the Bridal suite. She had thought that they would be spending the night at the house, but apparently, everyone else had other plans. Nodding when Rupert told her to meet him in the foyer in ten minutes, she hurried to the master bedroom. Her mother followed to help her, and once she had changed out of her wedding dress into a simple sundress and cardigan, Trish handed her a bag.
"Change of clothes for tomorrow. And a gift from the girls for tonight. They said that I wasn't allowed to see it although I can probably guess what it is." She pulled Fred into a tight embrace. "You looked so beautiful...and happy."
"I am, Mom. I really am."
"We'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night with your husband."
Fred smiled at the sound of that word. Rupert was her husband now, and she was his wife, and she felt as though she couldn't ask for more in the world. "Night, Mom."
Giving her one last hug, Fred hurried out of the master bedroom and downstairs to the foyer to meet Rupert.
Giles had quickly changed out of his tuxedo and into his street clothes, wanting to spend some time alone with his wife. His wife. He couldn’t believe it. Not only was he married but he married the woman of his dreams. Fred was his wife. It made his heart beat a little faster with joy knowing that there wouldn’t be a day in his life without her.
“Congrats,” Xander said when Giles stepped out of the room. “You did good.”
“I know,” Giles said. He told Xander goodbye and headed down the stairs. When Fred came down, he grinned and held his hand out for her. “Lets get out of here.” The wedding guests stood at the top of the stairs and applauded them as Giles led his wife outside. He took her to the car and opened the door for her. Once she was in, he went to the driver’s side and got in himself.
He had just pulled out onto the street when his mobile rang. “Probably Andrew reminding me of something,” he said, pressing the call button. “Hello? Angel? Pardon? A Slayer?” Giles glanced over at Fred and frowned. “No, I understand. I’ll fly out in the morning. Early morning.” He looked down at the clock in the car. Early morning was only a few hours away. “It’s the soonest I can. All right. I will. Bye.”
Giles ended the call just as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. “That was Angel,” he said as he parked the car. “They found a Slayer in Los Angeles and she’s not well. I have to go and get her. I’m sorry, love.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Would you like to come along? It won’t be much of a honeymoon though…”
With all the excitement of the night, it took a moment for it to register with Fred that Rupert had said Angel's name when he had answered the phone. Turning in the seat, she looked over at her husband - she still couldn't get over that she could call him that now - and listened, wondering what Angel could be calling him about. Something about a Slayer?
Then he promised to fly out early in the morning, and Fred realized that whatever Angel had called about, it sounded like it was an emergency of some sort. What sort of emergency could be going on with a Slayer? She looked at Rupert expectantly when he hung up the phone and parked the car, waiting while he told her what was going on.
"Yes, I want to come with you," she told him as they got out of the car to head into the hotel. She hadn't talked to Angel or Charles or Lorne since before she had come out to England the first time, but she felt that she should go with Rupert, partly because she knew them and partly because she and Rupert had just gotten married and she didn't really want to be away from him so soon after their wedding. "I guess maybe those two sisters did us a favor in getting us to move the wedding up to tonight."
While Rupert checked in for them, she stood off to the side a bit and thought about the whole situation. She knew that the others would be a bit disappointed that the reception was going to have to be postponed, but she knew they'd understand. Her parents were planning to stay in England for a couple of weeks, so maybe they could have it when they got back instead.
She sighed a bit about that - it figured that something would interrupt their wedding weekend. She just never expected it to be Angel of all people.
Once Giles had them checked in, he walked over to Fred with the room’s keycard. “I’m sorry,” he said with a frown. “I know this isn’t how you want our wedding weekend to turn out. I promise that once things settle and we get back from Los Angeles, we’ll do something special.” He leaned forward and softly kissed his wife and took her hand, leading her over to the lift.
The suite was on the third floor, and toward the end of the foyer. When they came upon, Giles sat Fred and his luggage down and slid the card into the slot. What was waiting for them on the other side was amazing. Giles’ mouth dropped open as he looked at everything. In the center of the main room was a rather large bed. Near to the bed there was a small table that was holding a bottle of chilled wine and a box of chocolates.
“I’ll have to give Andrew a raise,” Giles said, shutting the door behind them. He placed the key on the desk and shrugged off his jacket. Peeking into the bathroom, he grinned when he saw the side of the bathtub. “We might have to try that out later.” He closed the bathroom door and went over to Fred. “How does it feel being my wife? Personally, I quite like being your husband.”
"I know," she told him as they headed into the elevator. "You'd think I'd be used to it by now, though, since I don't think anything can happen without getting interrupted, considering the kind of life we lead, but at least we're in it together, no matter what happens."
Although the room almost made up for all that the moment she saw it. If nothing else, they were getting to spend their first night together as husband and wife in what was possibly one of the most beautiful rooms Fred had ever seen, including the suite Rupert had arranged for her in London.
Smiling, she reached out and wrapped her arms around him when he walked over to her after shutting the bathroom door. "I like being your wife very, very much," she told him. "It feels...right. Right and amazing and wonderful. Winifred Giles. Makes me sound all proper."
Rising up on her toes, she shifted her arms to wrap around his neck and kissed him on the lips for several moment before pulling away. "I'll be right back," she promised before picking up the small bag her mother had given her and taking it into the bathroom.
Once she had shut the door, she took her hair down, letting it fall around her shoulders, and then pulled out the box that her mother had said was a gift. She turned over the small card of the top, laughing when she saw what it said: Saw this while we were out shopping and thought it would be perfect for you. But since there was no hen night/bachlorette party, had to give it to you this way. Have fun tonight. Love, Charlotte and Willow.
Opening the box, she gasped softly when she saw the soft green negligee inside. Obviously Willow and Charlotte's relationship was going well if they were shopping for lingerie together. Taking a deep breath, she took the negligee out and changed into it, suddenly feeling a bit nervous and wondering what Rupert would think.
Well, there was only one way to find out.
Opening the door, she went back into the bedroom, smiling a bit bashfully at her husband as she walked over to him. "Wha--what do you think?"
While Fred was in the bathroom, Giles took out his mobile and called Andrew. He could hear the rest of them in the background, laughing and having a good time. Giles explained to the younger man that he and Fred had to go to Los Angeles on Council business. Andrew started to ask questions but Giles asked him to keep it quiet from Buffy and the others. He didn’t want them to think they had to go also. Plus, he didn’t want Buffy around Angel at all.
After the arrangements were made, Giles rang off and slipped his mobile back into his trousers. It was at that time when Fred stepped out of the bathroom. He turned to look at her and felt the breath leave his body. “Oh, Fred… you, uh…. I… where… uh,” he stammered out at the sight of his wife before him. He felt his trousers get tighter as he tried hard to find the right words. “Beautiful.”
It wasn’t overly romantic but it was the best he could do, considering all of the blood had rushed from his brain. Giles took a step forward and stood in front of her. Her cheeks were red with a blush, which made her even more beautiful. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered before leaning forward to softly kiss her. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer so he swooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.
Giles then placed her on the bed and hovered over her. His fingers trailed over her shoulders as he leaned down and captured her mouth with his. “You’re the best wife a bloke could have,” he whispered in wonderment before leaning down to kiss her again.
Fred let out a pleased gasp when Rupert picked her and took her over to the bed, knowing that he liked the negligee. The way he looked at her made her feel beautiful and loved and absolutely amazing. Smiling up at him as he leaned over her, she ran her hands up over his back to the nape of his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair there.
"I kept wondering tonight how I got so lucky to end up with a husband like you," she told him softly. He was so close, so warm, and she felt the need in her belly knotting up tightly.
Running her hands down from his hair to the front of his shirt, she unbuttoned it, pushing it open and running her fingertips down across his torso. As she kissed him again, she reached the waistband of his trousers and undid his belt and fly, pushing them and his boxers down over his hips.
"Want my husband...very badly," she said in between kisses, hooking a leg around his. "Need you so much. Never want to let you go."
"Buffy and Dawn didn't make it?" she asked softly.
"Actually," a voice came from the hallway, "we--ow!"
Everyone turned to see Buffy and Dawn hurrying into the room, ducking and covering their heads as some of the decorations that had been in the dining room flew at them. But as soon as they passed through the door, it was as if there was an invisible force field that the flying objects bounced off of harmlessly. Molly ran over and barked a few times but didn't go out into the hall. Once they were safe, the two sisters straightened up and looked behind them before turning to everyone else.
"I take it that was the reason for the sudden change in plans to a night service?" Buffy asked.
Willow nodded as Molly trotted back over to her side and sat down again. "Jealous sisters. We'll explain later."
"Good thing we got Andrew's message; otherwise we were going to stop for dinner," Dawn stated as she sat down behind Fred's parents.
"Well, now that it appears everyone is here, now can we start the ceremony?" the priest asked.
"Yes!" the entire room chorused. Fred looked at Rupert again, glad that everyone had made it.
Clearing his throat, the priest began, "Friends and family, we welcome you here under these extraordinary circumstances to celebrate and witness the marriage of Rupert Giles and Winifred Burkle..."
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"Rupert?" he said. Giles blinked and looked over at him. "I asked you a question."
"Oh, uh, pardon me. My mind was elsewhere," Giles said as he heard a few of the guests giggle. Xander leaned forward and whispered in Giles' ear what he should say. "Oh, yes, I do. I really do. I was just looking at my beautiful wife-to-be and my mind wandered a bit to all the wonderful years we're going to spend together. I love you, Fred."
"Awww," Buffy, Dawn and Willow all said at the same time. Giles blushed and looked down at the floor.
The priest nodded and looked over at Fred. "Do you plan on adding anything extra or can I get one with the ceremony?" He asked with a warm smile.
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When the priest asked she was going to add anything extra, she grinned and looked over at Rupert. "You know that you probably shouldn't get me started because if you do then you're going to get me rambling and you know what I can be like when I do that. Actually...looks like it's too late." Her parents and Willow laughed softly. "But Rupert, I love you too, more than I can say. I'm so glad that we found each other, and we're going to be together for the rest of our lives."
She turned to look at the priest and bit her lip again. "Okay, I'm done.
He seemed relieved and continued on with the ceremony, asking his question and having Fred and Rupert repeat their vows. Once they were finished, they exchanged their rings, Fred putting Rupert's on his finger and Rupert placing hers on her.
The Registrar then had them sign the marriage certificate, followed by their fathers, acting as their witnesses. Once they were finished, the priest smiled.
"I now pronouce Rupert and Winifred married in the eyes of God and under the law of the United Kingdom. Rupert, now you may kiss your wife."
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Giles leaned forward to kiss Fred again but stop when Xander grabbed his arm. He looked up and over toward the door of the library where there was two ghosts. Buffy stood to take care of them but before she could get to them, they disappeared. "I think that's it. They're gone," Giles said before he looked down at Fred as everyone applauded.
"The hotel in town is holding the bridal suite for you, Mr. Giles, but you have to check in soon," Andrew said.
"Well…"
"Go!" Trish said as she stood. "There's no wedding cake for you to cut. We can have a reception tomorrow for y'all. Go and enjoy your wedding night!"
Giles looked down at Fred and smirked. "I do believe we're getting kicked out. How about we change and then meet down in the front foyer?" he asked before he leaned forward to kiss her again.
"If y'all don't stop doing that, you won't even make it to the hotel!" Trish cried.
Giles chuckled and pulled away. He took Fred's hand and walked her out of the library. "Ten minutes. Foyer. Be there," he said before kissing her and walking off to one of the guestrooms.
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She was about to press closer to Rupert and kiss him again when everyone started telling them about the Bridal suite. She had thought that they would be spending the night at the house, but apparently, everyone else had other plans. Nodding when Rupert told her to meet him in the foyer in ten minutes, she hurried to the master bedroom. Her mother followed to help her, and once she had changed out of her wedding dress into a simple sundress and cardigan, Trish handed her a bag.
"Change of clothes for tomorrow. And a gift from the girls for tonight. They said that I wasn't allowed to see it although I can probably guess what it is." She pulled Fred into a tight embrace. "You looked so beautiful...and happy."
"I am, Mom. I really am."
"We'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night with your husband."
Fred smiled at the sound of that word. Rupert was her husband now, and she was his wife, and she felt as though she couldn't ask for more in the world. "Night, Mom."
Giving her one last hug, Fred hurried out of the master bedroom and downstairs to the foyer to meet Rupert.
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“Congrats,” Xander said when Giles stepped out of the room. “You did good.”
“I know,” Giles said. He told Xander goodbye and headed down the stairs. When Fred came down, he grinned and held his hand out for her. “Lets get out of here.” The wedding guests stood at the top of the stairs and applauded them as Giles led his wife outside. He took her to the car and opened the door for her. Once she was in, he went to the driver’s side and got in himself.
He had just pulled out onto the street when his mobile rang. “Probably Andrew reminding me of something,” he said, pressing the call button. “Hello? Angel? Pardon? A Slayer?” Giles glanced over at Fred and frowned. “No, I understand. I’ll fly out in the morning. Early morning.” He looked down at the clock in the car. Early morning was only a few hours away. “It’s the soonest I can. All right. I will. Bye.”
Giles ended the call just as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. “That was Angel,” he said as he parked the car. “They found a Slayer in Los Angeles and she’s not well. I have to go and get her. I’m sorry, love.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Would you like to come along? It won’t be much of a honeymoon though…”
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Then he promised to fly out early in the morning, and Fred realized that whatever Angel had called about, it sounded like it was an emergency of some sort. What sort of emergency could be going on with a Slayer? She looked at Rupert expectantly when he hung up the phone and parked the car, waiting while he told her what was going on.
"Yes, I want to come with you," she told him as they got out of the car to head into the hotel. She hadn't talked to Angel or Charles or Lorne since before she had come out to England the first time, but she felt that she should go with Rupert, partly because she knew them and partly because she and Rupert had just gotten married and she didn't really want to be away from him so soon after their wedding. "I guess maybe those two sisters did us a favor in getting us to move the wedding up to tonight."
While Rupert checked in for them, she stood off to the side a bit and thought about the whole situation. She knew that the others would be a bit disappointed that the reception was going to have to be postponed, but she knew they'd understand. Her parents were planning to stay in England for a couple of weeks, so maybe they could have it when they got back instead.
She sighed a bit about that - it figured that something would interrupt their wedding weekend. She just never expected it to be Angel of all people.
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The suite was on the third floor, and toward the end of the foyer. When they came upon, Giles sat Fred and his luggage down and slid the card into the slot. What was waiting for them on the other side was amazing. Giles’ mouth dropped open as he looked at everything. In the center of the main room was a rather large bed. Near to the bed there was a small table that was holding a bottle of chilled wine and a box of chocolates.
“I’ll have to give Andrew a raise,” Giles said, shutting the door behind them. He placed the key on the desk and shrugged off his jacket. Peeking into the bathroom, he grinned when he saw the side of the bathtub. “We might have to try that out later.” He closed the bathroom door and went over to Fred. “How does it feel being my wife? Personally, I quite like being your husband.”
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Although the room almost made up for all that the moment she saw it. If nothing else, they were getting to spend their first night together as husband and wife in what was possibly one of the most beautiful rooms Fred had ever seen, including the suite Rupert had arranged for her in London.
Smiling, she reached out and wrapped her arms around him when he walked over to her after shutting the bathroom door. "I like being your wife very, very much," she told him. "It feels...right. Right and amazing and wonderful. Winifred Giles. Makes me sound all proper."
Rising up on her toes, she shifted her arms to wrap around his neck and kissed him on the lips for several moment before pulling away. "I'll be right back," she promised before picking up the small bag her mother had given her and taking it into the bathroom.
Once she had shut the door, she took her hair down, letting it fall around her shoulders, and then pulled out the box that her mother had said was a gift. She turned over the small card of the top, laughing when she saw what it said: Saw this while we were out shopping and thought it would be perfect for you. But since there was no hen night/bachlorette party, had to give it to you this way. Have fun tonight. Love, Charlotte and Willow.
Opening the box, she gasped softly when she saw the soft green negligee inside. Obviously Willow and Charlotte's relationship was going well if they were shopping for lingerie together. Taking a deep breath, she took the negligee out and changed into it, suddenly feeling a bit nervous and wondering what Rupert would think.
Well, there was only one way to find out.
Opening the door, she went back into the bedroom, smiling a bit bashfully at her husband as she walked over to him. "Wha--what do you think?"
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After the arrangements were made, Giles rang off and slipped his mobile back into his trousers. It was at that time when Fred stepped out of the bathroom. He turned to look at her and felt the breath leave his body. “Oh, Fred… you, uh…. I… where… uh,” he stammered out at the sight of his wife before him. He felt his trousers get tighter as he tried hard to find the right words. “Beautiful.”
It wasn’t overly romantic but it was the best he could do, considering all of the blood had rushed from his brain. Giles took a step forward and stood in front of her. Her cheeks were red with a blush, which made her even more beautiful. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered before leaning forward to softly kiss her. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer so he swooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.
Giles then placed her on the bed and hovered over her. His fingers trailed over her shoulders as he leaned down and captured her mouth with his. “You’re the best wife a bloke could have,” he whispered in wonderment before leaning down to kiss her again.
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"I kept wondering tonight how I got so lucky to end up with a husband like you," she told him softly. He was so close, so warm, and she felt the need in her belly knotting up tightly.
Running her hands down from his hair to the front of his shirt, she unbuttoned it, pushing it open and running her fingertips down across his torso. As she kissed him again, she reached the waistband of his trousers and undid his belt and fly, pushing them and his boxers down over his hips.
"Want my husband...very badly," she said in between kisses, hooking a leg around his. "Need you so much. Never want to let you go."
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