Epilogue
Two and a half years later
Buffy opened the door, and was immediately attacked by Anya who pulled her into a tight hug.
"Oh my God you're getting married!" She squeeled.
"Thank you for pointing that out to me, Anya, I might not have remembered it otherwise." Buffy said sarcastically, pulling away from her friend.
"You can't stop me from smiling, so don't even try." Anya replied, walking into the living room where Joyce, Dawn and Buffy's cousin Faith were already gathered, getting ready for the ceremony which would start in an hour and a half.
"You didn't happen to run in to Willow on the way, did you?" Buffy asked, walking into the room after Anya.
"No, but I talked to her a little while ago and she said she was gonna be here as soon as she could." Anya responded.
"OK, we need to start getting ready." Joyce announced. Anya helped Buffy get into her dress while the other women put their own dresses on. In the middle of everything, the doorbell rang, and since no one opened the door, Willow let herself in.
"Hey, sorry I'm late." She said, walking into the room with her ten-month-old son on her hip. "Someone wasn't co-operating this morning."
"Hey Wils." Buffy said, and Willow walked over to give her friend a hug. "Hey Aidan, how's my favorite god son?" Aidan was going to be the ring bearer in the ceremony, carried by Buffy's mother.
"I can't believe you're getting married." Willow said. "Of course I still can't believe that I'm married, so there you go." Buffy laughed.
"I know, I can't believe it myself." Buffy replied, trying to get a glimpse of herself in the hallway mirror.
"No looking until you're done!" Anya ordered, and Buffy obediently kept still.
"Aren't you done soon?" She asked, looking over her shoulder.
"Just... about." Anya said, buttoning the last couple of buttons. "There!"
Buffy carefully walked into the hallway and stopped in front of the full-figure mirror. The others followed her, standing behind her and looking at her reflection.
"Wow." Dawn said.
"Yeah, B, you look amazing." Faith added.
"My little girl is getting married." Joyce said in a tearful voice.
Buffy just stared at the image of herself in the mirror. Her dress was in a ivory white, silk material. It was strapless and had a train flowing about three feet behind her. Small roses were embroided on the bodice, and over thirty pearl buttons held it together in the back. She had found it after countless hours of searching, and immediately knew it was the one.
"I can't wait till he sees me." She said, smiling at her reflection.
"He'll totally freak." Anya said.
"We only have a little over an hour left, so we should get ready and head over to the church." Joyce said, and the women returned to their previous activities.
"Hey, you ready?" Willow asked, coming into the room where Buffy was waiting for the wedding to start.
"I'm getting kinda nervous." Buffy admitted to her best friend and maid of honor. "Why did I agree to have this huge wedding anyway?"
"Because you wanted to make your dad happy." Willow reminded her.
It was true. Not that Buffy hadn't wanted a big wedding, but she would have been fine with a small ceremony with only family and close friends. But her dad wanted to give her a fairytale wedding, so she let him. She was pretty sure that they had invited everyone they knew, plus everyone their parents knew as well.
"Is it starting soon?" She asked, and Willow nodded.
"We're only waiting for the last guests." She replied, sitting down on one of the chairs in the room, careful not to wrinkle her dress. "We've come pretty far in the last three years, haven't we?" She said, and Buffy smiled, reminiscing over the time that had passed since her visit to Sunnydale almost three years earlier.
After spending the three weeks she had intended to in Sunnydale (most of it in bed with Spike) Buffy had returned to Los Angeles to tell her boss that she was leaving town and couldn't keep working at the gallery in LA. Out of the blue, her boss had offered her to be in charge of a branch of the gallery in Sunnydale, saying that she had wanted to expand to the east coast for a while, and Buffy happily accepted.
A month later, Buffy was back in Sunnydale, and she moved in with Spike. They had discussed her getting an apartment of her own at first, but realized that it would only be a waste of money, since they would be spending most of their time together anyway.
Shortly after Buffy had returned to Sunnydale, Oz had proposed to Willow, and they had gotten married in July the next summer. Nine months later almost on the dot, Aidan had been born.
And then, on their two year anniversary that summer, Spike had popped the question too. They had decided to hade a Valentine's Day wedding, and now here they were.
When Anya had heard that Buffy and Spike were getting married too, she had given Xander a ultimatum. Get married or get gone. He had chosen the first option, and they had eloped to Las Vegas a week later, calling from the wedding chapel minutes after their wedding ceremony.
"Hey, Earth to Buffy!" Willow said, waving her hands in front of Buffy's face.
"Sorry, got a little carried away on the walk down memory lane." Buffy said, snapping out of her thoughts.
"I said it was time to get going." Willow said, helping Buffy to arrange the train on her dress behind her.
"Where're my other bridesmaids?" Buffy asked, and as if on cue, Anya, Dawn and Faith walked into the room, followed by Xander, who was best man, and the groomsmen, Oz and Spike's cousins Andrew and Jonathan.
"Let's go, people, we have a wedding to attend." Xander said, ushering everyone out of the room and into the foyer of the church, where Buffy's parents were waiting with Aidan and the rings.
"Are we ready to go?" Her mother asked and Buffy nodded. Joyce opened the doors that lead into the main part of the church and started walking down the aisle with Aidan in her arms. Buffy heard music playing softly, and looked up at her father with tears in her eyes.
Willow and Xander were next, and Anya and Oz, Dawn and Andrew, and Faith and Jonathan followed shortly, leaving Buffy and her father alone for a moment.
"I'm so proud of you, sweetie." Hank said, taking Buffy's arm and looping it with his. "You ready?" Buffy nodded, and they started walking. When they walked through the doors, the wedding march started, and suddenly all eyes were on Buffy.
Spike watched as she walked down the aisle, his angel, the love of his life. He couldn't believe that he was so lucky that he would get to spend the rest of his life with her.
Buffy and Hank reached the end of the aisle, and Hank kissed her on the cheek before joining his wife in the first bench.
Buffy turned to face her soon-to-be-husband, and their eyes met, effectively closing everyone else out.
"Dearly beloved..."
Buffy used her glass and a knife to get the attention of the people at the wedding reception. It was time for the speeches, and she had insisted on starting.
"Hi everyone." She started when the room was quiet. "I want to thank you all for coming here to share this day with us, we're happy you're here. I would like to say a few words, promise I won't be long." She turned to look at her husband. "I have waited for this day for what seems like forever. We've had some hard times, but we've gotten through them, just like I know we'll get through the rest of them. We can handle anything life throws at us as long as we're together. I love you more and more for every day that passes, even if I think that I can't possibly love you any more than I already do. You have made my life so special by just being in it, and when I think of ever being without you, everything is dark. To borrow the words from a very famous thinker, if you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." She sat back down and she and Spike kissed, cheered on by applause from the guests. After a moment, Spike pulled back and stood up.
"Guess that means it's my turn." He joked. "I'm not really much of a public speaker, in fact, the very thought of it fills me with dread." The guests laughed and he turned to Buffy. "I have loved you for over a decade, and I know I will love you with my last breath. You have changed me in so many ways I never thought possible, made me a better man. And, to keep up the tradition of borrowing the words; remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always."
"Congratulations Buffy, and welcome to the family William." Buffy returned the hug from her Uncle Richard and then embraced her Aunt.
"Thank you so much for coming." She said, and her Aunt waved it off.
"Nonsense, sweatheart, of course we'd come. It's your wedding."
"Thank you both for coming." Spike said, and the Wilkins' moved on.
"I don't think I've ever met this many people at once before." Buffy whispered, giggling.
"I know. Are you sure we know everyone?" Spike asked.
"I'm actually starting to think that my mother just sent random invitations to strangers." Buffy joked.
"I hope you don't think of me as a stranger." Buffy and Spike both turned at the voice, discovering Angel behind them. "My congratulations to the happy couple."
"You have some nerve coming here." Spike said, fisting his hands. "We know what you did."
"Oh, listen, about that." Angel said. "I've meant to tell you that I was sorry, it was just a stupid whim."
"Your 'whim' cost us seven years." Buffy said, not understanding why she had thought he was a good guy in high school.
"I was young, and Dru came up with the idea anyway, it wasn't just me." Angel defended himself.
"Dru was in on it?" Spike asked.
"Sure, she was the one who approached me to begin with, saying we should work together to break you guys up. You didn't know?"
"I haven't seen or heard from Dru since high school." Spike replied.
"Oh." Angel said. "Guess her plan didn't work very well."
"No, it didn't." Buffy said, fastening her eyes on Angel. "I want you to leave, and I never want to see you again, is that clear?"
"I was invited, you know." Angel tried, but Buffy wouldn't have it.
"And now I'm disinviting you. Please leave."
"Oh, fine." Angel surrendered. "Wasn't that much fun anyway." He mumbled, walking toward the exit.
"I can't believe those two!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Let's just forget it, for now at least." Spike suggested. "It is our wedding day, after all."
"Yes it is." Buffy replied, smiling. The band started up the first song of the reception, and Buffy reached for Spike's hand. "I believe this is our dance, Mr. Giles."
"I believe you're right, Mrs. Giles."
Spike took Buffy's hand and lead her onto the dance floor, the guests gathering around it to watch the bride and groom. When the singer started the song, Buffy leaned her head against Spike's shoulder.
This Romeo is bleeding
But you can't see his blood...
Buffy's quote is from Winnie the Pooh, and Spike's is from Dante (I used it in a previous chapter too)