“Oh, yeah, *that’s* going to make me want to get out of bed even more,” I snorted. She smacked my butt and frowned.

“Xander, this is our *wedding*!” she complained. “Show some enthusiasm.”

“I know what I’m enthusiastic for,” I commented with an insolent grin. “My bachelor’s party.”

She glared at me. “Fine. Then I get to pick out the boutonnieres. And you know I’m going to pick out lots of sissy posies and such if you don’t help me out with your manly advice,” she threatened sweetly. I pulled myself to a sitting position and glared back at her.

“All right, all right,” I grumbled. I got out of bed and headed for the door. “Just let me call Colin. The guys wanted to know what time they should meet us this morning. And I want to find out what time Bri is getting in tomorrow afternoon.”

“Buffy’s going with me to take care of some last-minute packing details, while Colin goes with you to pick out boutonnieres, right?” Willow affirmed, glancing at the clock.

“Yep. And then we’re picking up some stuff for my party tomorrow night,” I mentioned. She huffed.

“I don’t care that it’s tradition,” she whined. “Do you really have to have a bachelor’s party?”

“Are Buffy and Bri still throwing you that bachelorette party?” I shot back questioningly. She flushed guiltily. “I thought so. And yes, I really have to have the party. Whether I want it or not, Colin, Preston and Patrick are determined to throw it for me.”

“You know Cordy’s going to end up being the one jumping out of your cake,” she snipped nastily.

“And Oz’ll probably be the stripper who shows up tomorrow night,” I returned angrily. She stared at me as if I’d hit her.

“That’s not funny, Xander,” she said stiffly. I went to her and hugged her.

“I know, Wills, and I didn’t mean it. I don’t know why we’re fighting today,” I apologized.

“Nerves,” she guessed. I nodded and went about getting ready for the day and calling my friends while Willow cleaned up the room a little bit. We’d left it a mess the night before when we arrived from L.A. Soon we were ready to go our separate ways. I hugged Willow and headed for the flower shop. Colin was waiting for me.

“Hey, man, how’s the bridegroom-to-be?” he greeted me.

I smiled. “Wishing the whole thing was over already. I hate to burst Will’s bubble so I haven’t complained too much about all the prep work, but I hate all the fuss. I wish we could have just eloped, but she went and told Buffy and her mom before I could suggest it. Now they expect the wedding, and she wants it anyway, so I have to give it to her.”

“Man, you can’t be giving in to the little woman already!” Colin reprimanded me with a grin. “She’ll start expecting it.”

“Colin, you know Will,” I reminded him. “She’ll expect it anyway.”

“Good point. She’s a lot like Bri in that respect,” Colin observed. We started looking at flowers, and quickly decided on a combination that was manly enough for us, but extravagant enough for the girls. We gave our order to the shopmistress and left. “So, what now?”

“We go find Preston and Patrick,” I decided. “They should be out of bed by now.”

“So, what have you guys decided about where you’re going to live?” Colin asked as we walked to our friends’ hotel. “Please tell me you’re staying in L.A. Bri will never stop complaining if she finds out you’re leaving.”

“Actually, Willow and I have decided we want to raise the baby in Sunnydale,” I admitted. “The baby will already have been born by the time we return from Italy, and we want it to grow up where we did.”

Colin groaned. “Bri’s probably going to beg me to move to Sunnydale. You know how sick of L.A. she is. This’ll probably just be the perfect excuse to leave.”

“Well, I could think of worse things than my best friends moving to Sunnydale,” I chuckled. “Although, I know what you mean. We just think Sunnydale is the best place to raise the baby. Willow wants to come home, anyway. She was never really happy outside of California, and even though L.A. is an okay place, it’s just not Willow.” I looked up and spotted Preston and Patrick hanging out in front of the hotel. “Hey, guys!” I called. They ambled over and we did the traditional guy ritual of pounding backs as a greeting.

“So, when do we see the women?” Preston asked casually when we were done greeting each other.

“Willow and Buffy are doing some shopping, but we agreed to meet for lunch at twelve-thirty,” I replied.

“Then we have” a glance at the Rolex on his wrist “an hour and a half until we have to meet them. What do you say we stock up for the party tomorrow night?”

“That’s what I thought should happen,” Colin affirmed. So they proceeded to drag me around to all the stores in town that might have anything we could use the next night. About an hour and ten minutes later, they pronounced that we were done.

As we headed for the restaurant where we were to meet the girls, Patrick spoke up. “So, who all is going to be at the party?” he asked.

“You three, Giles, Buffy’s friend Angel, and some of the guys from HarrisWorks,” I said, thinking hard.

“Angel?” Preston smirked. “What kind of name is that for a guy?”

“Trust me, it’s a lot better than the nickname I used to have for him in high school,” I mentioned with a grin. Preston looked at me curiously and I declined to reveal exactly *what* the nickname was. “Just suffice it to say that it was *not* of the good,” I allowed.

“And Giles. Didn’t you tell me he was the librarian at your old school?” Colin asked.

“Yeah, but he was a cool librarian,” I defended him. “He was a good friend to the five of us.”

“Five?” Patrick asked. “I thought it was you, Will, and that girl Buffy.”

“There were also two others that were a part of our group,” I said quietly. “My ex-girlfriend, Cordelia, and Willow’s ex-boyfriend, Oz. When Cordelia and I split up she went back to being the High Queen Bitca of Sunnydale High, and Oz couldn’t tolerate being around me and Will after she broke up with him to go out with me. So after graduation, it was only the three of us that continued to hang out together. Sort of the Three Musketeers.”

“Man, you guys had a weird life here, didn’t you?” Preston mused out loud. I glanced at him, startled. “I mean, you were friends with a librarian and you actually got the popular girl. What is cosmically wrong with that?” he joked.

I elbowed him. “Yeah, ‘cause you are such the babe magnet,” I ribbed him kiddingly.

“Hey now! I have my fair share of girlfriends!” Preston protested.

“Yeah, like that psycho chick, Leigh, who wouldn’t leave you alone even after you told her to get lost,” Colin threw in with a grin.

“Isn’t that the restaurant we’re supposed to be at?” Patrick asked, interrupting us, pointing across the street. I glanced in the window and saw Willow and Buffy sitting in a corner booth and chatting.

“Yeah, we should probably get over there before they call out the search squad for us. Only, we need to find someplace to put the bags so Will doesn’t see them,” I realized with a sheepish smile. “She’s not exactly happy that I’m having a bachelor’s party.”

“Well, after the party Bri throws for her, she won’t have any room to talk,” Colin informed me with a knowing smile.

“What are they doing?” I asked suspiciously. Colin laughed.

“Let’s just say it’s a good thing Will isn’t a virgin,” he hinted. “This is *not* something virgin eyes could handle.”

“They’re making her watch pornos?” I guessed. Colin laughed again.

“Not exactly. But I’m sure she’ll tell you later.”

“All right, let’s go eat!” Preston inserted. “I’m hungry.”

“All right, let’s go eat,” I allowed. We headed inside the restaurant and sat with our women. Lunch was pleasant, and I didn’t even catch any crap from Will about the bags. Sometimes the people you know the best can still surprise you.