Title: The Mature Plan
Author: Cat D
Email: cat_5555@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: The characters and situations from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel' depicted herein are the property of Twentieth Century Fox, and the creations of Joss Whedon et al. They ain't mine. 'Something Blue' was written by Tracey Forbes and directed by Nick Marck; I take no credit for the words and scenes of that episode that appear here.
Spoilers: The BtVS/AtS timeline through to and including 'Something Blue'.
Author's notes: I should warn you right now that this is a big piece of crap. I shouldn't even be posting it really, it's just that it's taken so bloody long to write that I have to do something with it. I know it's long, but I was trying to ... oh forget it, who cares. Continue at your own peril.
Part Two
"Buffy! Hey, Buffy!" The Slayer in question snapped out of her daze, and scanned the people in the student lounge, looking for the person who had interrupted her multi-tasking strolling-and-brooding session.
"Buffy, up here." Raising her gaze, Buffy caught sight of her psych TA perched high on a ladder. Next to him hung a banner proclaiming the 'UC Sunnydale Lesbian Alliance'.
"Thanks Riley," a girl nearby called as he hurried down the ladder to where Buffy was standing, an amused grin on her face.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" she joked.
"What?" At Riley's confused expression, Buffy looked back towards the banner, indicating the source of her amusement.
"Oh, yes," Riley finally caught on. "I am a lesbian."
"Well, it's good that you're so open about it." Buffy smiled, hoping that this polite, friendly interlude was at an end so that she could return to her angst-filled contemplation. Continuing her path through the lounge, she was a little annoyed to note Riley following her. Pausing, Buffy resigned herself to more inane chatter.
"Oh, hey, you know how we were talking about having a picnic? I was thinkin' ... do you ever hang out at Rhode's field? It's beautiful there. Usually not that crowded, either. I thought maybe we could have a little spread ... sandwiches, maybe some ants? It'll be fun."
"We were talking about having a picnic?" Buffy's brow creased as she struggled to remember a conversation on this topic. Her memory hadn't been at its peak the last few days - all of her brain's energy was focused on deciphering the puzzle of a certain reborn human.
"So, was that a conversation I actually had, or one I was just practicing?"
"Practicing?" Buffy's confusion grew as she took in Riley's embarrassed demeanour.
"Okay, yes ... I have been known to do a little prep work before our conversation. It's not easy, you know, talking to you sometimes. It's like an oral exam."
"Boy, that's just what every girl longs to hear." Buffy sighed. The one guy she did want to hear from hadn't called her despite his promise, and the guy who was actually showing some interest was far from Cary Grant in the smooth talking department. But at least he was talking. Despite her attempts to remain politely uninterested.
"Well, you're tricky!"
"Like an exam?" 'What a boost for the ego, huh?' she thought sarcastically. Life was grand, wasn't it?
"I never know how you're going to react to something. That's why I like you so much. You're a mystery. Probably every beautiful girl in the world has some jerk telling her she's a mystery, but ... I swear. You really are. There's a lot about you that needs puzzling out." Buffy gazed back at Riley, a wistful expression on her face.
"I lose you somewhere?" Riley had caught the faraway expression in her eyes.
"Right around ... beautiful." His words had reminded Buffy that he didn't know her, didn't know her slayer secret, more importantly didn't know what made her tick. She realised it was unfair of her to judge him on it, they hadn't known each other that long. Still, she couldn't help but compare him to someone who did know her, through and through. Better than anyone else, sometimes even better than herself. Riley was attracted to her looks, and Angel had been too, she supposed - but a long past conversation rang in her mind, drowning out other thoughts. 'Hey, I'll love you ... even if you're covered in slime.'
Not catching the sadness in Buffy's tone or eye, Riley smiled, thinking that he had successfully made his case.
"Hey ... don't you just love a picnic?"
********************
" It's just, different, you know?" Buffy glanced around the cemetery that she and Willow were patrolling. "A picnic. First of all, daylight ... kind of a new venue, Buffywise. He said he would bring all the food, so all I have to do was to show up and eat. Those are two things I'm really good at. But I just ..." Buffy trailed off, remembering the disappointment in Riley's eyes when she had turned his offer down, despite his best attempts to sell her on the outing.
"But, he's nice?" Willow reminded her.
"Very, very." 'Nice'. Buffy couldn't help but be aware of Riley's positive qualities. But no matter how perfect he seemed, he couldn't match up to a certain tall, dark and handsome someone.
"And there's sparkage?" Willow however was very angry at this certain someone, having seen Buffy crumble over the past week with still no word from LA. Because of this anger, Willow was firmly ensconced on the Riley bandwagon.
"Yeah. He's ..." Buffy was angry at Angel too, increasingly more so. She cast about for some way in which Riley could block out the pair of deep brown eyes that were constantly haunting her mind. "Have you seen his arms? Those are good arms to have." But that didn't help - it only called to mind another set of great arms. And those arms lead to thoughts of wonderful hair, a fabulous chest, a pair of amazing lips ... God that mouth ... "I really like him. I do." Buffy's attempt to sound enthusiastic and sincere did not fool Willow in the slightest.
"But?" she prompted, resigning herself to Angel's continuing presence in her friend's heart.
"I don't know. I really like being around him, you know? And I think he cares about me, but ..."
"Angel?" Willow voiced what until now Buffy hadn't admitted out loud.
"It's ... oh ... it's so frustrating. He left me, and now he's human, and he still doesn't want me. And Riley does want me - I'd be silly to turn him down. I just ... feel like something's missing."
"He's not making you miserable?"
"Exactly. Riley seems so solid. Like he wouldn't cause me heartache."
"Get out. Get out while there's still time." Willow joked.
"I know. I have to get away from that bad boy thing. There's no good there. Seeing Angel in LA ... hello to the pain."
"The pain is not a friend."
"But I can't help thinking ... isn't that where the fire comes from? Can a nice, safe relationship be that intense? Riley is good and kind and gives me happy feelings, but just thinking about Angel makes me feel so much more alive than talking to Riley. I know it's nuts, but ... part of me believes that real love and passion have to go hand in hand with pain and fighting." As these words left Buffy's mouth a vampire leapt towards her from the left - and was dusted with a quick stake to the heart a moment later.
"I wonder where I get that from?"
********************
"It's about time. Hope you got it warm enough" Spike snapped as Giles appeared with a mug full of blood. The vampire was in the watcher's bath, chained up and unable to move. Buffy sat on the edge of the bath, frustrated by Spike's deliberately obtuse answers to her questions about the people who had captured him.
Taking the mug from the equally frustrated Giles, Buffy sighed and held it close to Spike's mouth so he could drink the contents through a straw. Disgusted already by what she was doing, she became even more so as the vampire made a big production out of sucking the blood.
"I don't know why you're so dainty all of a sudden. You've done this for Angel ... you must have." Spike taunted. Immediately angered, Buffy pulled away, leaving only a bloody straw dangling from his mouth as she put the mug down on top of a TV resting on the sink. Already thinking about Angel because of her conversation with Willow, Spike's snide comment pushed Buffy to the edge.
"Okay, that's it. The invalid amnesiac routine is over. The kitchen is closed until you can tell me something useful about the commandos."
"I'm tryin' to remember" Spike protested, his sincere tone clearly fake as he continued, "It was very traumatic." Giles rolled his eyes at the ceiling, wondering at the stupidity of the vampire who deliberately angered an already incensed slayer.
"How long are you going to pull this crap?" Buffy demanded.
"How long am I going to live once I tell you?" he retorted.
"Look, look, Spike ..." Giles interrupted while removing his glasses. "We have no intention of killing a harmless ... uh, creature ... but we have to know what's been done to you. We can't let you go until we're sure that you're ... impotent ..."
"Hey!" The watcher's words were painful for Spike's already bruised ego.
"Sorry, poor choice of words. Until we're sure you're, you're ..."
"Flaccid?" Buffy interjected, delighted to get one back at their infuriating captive.
"You are one step away, missy," Spike warned, though his restrained position didn't lend much weight to the threat.
"Giles, help!" Buffy cried sarcastically. "He's going to scold me!"
The slayer's patently mocking tone set Spike off and he leapt forward, growling at the slayer as he struggled futilely against the chains. Giles turned away as Buffy leaned in, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to ridicule the vampire.
"You know what? I don't think you want us to let you go. Maybe we made it a little too comfy in here for ya."
"Comfy?" Spike snorted. "I'm chained in a bathtub drinkin' pig's blood from a novelty mug. Doesn't rank huge in the Zagut's Guide."
"You want something nicer? Buffy leaned in closer, tilting her head and exposing the side of her neck to Spike's suddenly fascinated gaze. "A look at my poor neck? All bare and tender and exposed ..." she ran her finger up and down the said area. "All that blood just ... pumping away ..."
"Oh, please." Giles sighed, as Spike licked his lips.
"Giles, make her stop." But Giles' answer was simply to turn on his heels and walk out of the bathroom. His entreaty unanswered, Spike turned his eyes back to the Slayer, to find her looking at him with a satisfied smirk on her face.
"So, luv ... missing Angel's love bite, eh?" Seeing Buffy's hurt expression, he pressed his advantage. "Now that the old boy has apparently lost his fangs, you've realised that it was the demon who did it for ya, yeah?" Leering suggestively, Spike grinned to see Buffy stand and back away from him, obviously disgusted by his insinuation. "I promise, I won't be gentle with you!" Laughing as she ran from the room, Spike revealed his true visage as he savoured his victory. His face soon fell, however, when he realised that his blood was out of reach, and going cold.
********************
"Devon said that he sent for his stuff. I guess that means he's planning on settling down somewhere ... else. Not here." Willow lay on her bed crying, devastated by her recent discovery that Oz's possessions had all disappeared from his room.
"I guess so." Buffy sat on her own bed, staring sadly across at her roommate. She knew that she should be in best friend mode, consoling and reassuring Willow that everything would be all right. But she was finding it hard to be strong for her friend when she was feeling just as much pain herself.
"I feel like I've been split down the centre and half of me is lost."
"I know. It feels like that now ..." Trying to be comforting, Buffy found that she couldn't lie. She couldn't say that even though at the moment Willow felt like she couldn't go on, one day everything would be fine. Because it wouldn't, not if Willow felt the same way about Oz as she felt about Angel. If she did, she would still be feeling as if her insides were twisted and knotted months from now; she would still feel short of air when the thought of him popped into her head; she would still feel the pain of separation when she woke up in the morning to the realisation that the wonderful dream she had just had was just that - a dream, not reality.
"Oz is gone."
'Angel's gone.'
********************
The next morning an answering machine clicked on in an empty dorm room.
"This is Buffy and Willow. We're not in right now, so please leave a message."
"Oh, uh, Willow ... It's Giles." From the tone of his voice, he was clearly frazzled. "Um ... I thought you were bringing the ingredients for that truth spell you suggested last night? I really have to ..."
"Passions" is on!" Spike's interruption gave a clear indication of the source of Giles' frustration. "Timmy's down the bloody well, and if you make me miss it, I'll ..."
"You'll do what? Lick me to death?" Gathering together the remains of his composure, Giles continued.
"Look, uh Willow, I think we ought to try the spell. Among other things, I'd like to shower sometime today. Alone."
********************
Unaware of her watcher's crisis, Buffy wandered aimlessly across the sunny campus grounds. Last night after her conversation with Willow, and still smarting from Spike's taunts, she had hit Sunnydale's cemeteries, and hit them hard. Any vampire foolish enough to cross the slayer's path quickly learnt the error of their ways, and soon were despatched. The anger and humiliation she had been feeling over Angel's continued silence had been fuelled by Spike's nasty comments, and after pummelling several demons to a bloody pulp, she still didn't feel any better. Crawling into bed in the early hours of the morning, she had suffered a fitful, uneasy sleep, only to awaken for class feeling tired and irritable.
Now even more cranky after an unbelievably dull lecture, she dropped down to sit under a tree on the campus lawn, drawing her knees up to her chest and preparing to wile away the minutes 'til her next lecture in serious contemplation of her toes. She really was not in the mood to talk to anybody.
"Hi Buffy, how are you?" Buffy dragged her eyes up from her left big toenail to look at the young man who had taken it upon himself to sit down beside her uninvited.
"Riley." Her tone was flat and uninterested, but he did not seem to notice. In fact, he seemed quite pleased with himself.
"Now, I know that you said no to the picnic offer, but I've just been at the store stocking up on some snacks for my dorm room, and I saw you here all on your lonesome, and I just couldn't resist." Reaching into his backpack, he started displaying the fruits of his shopping trip. As if sensing Buffy's reluctance, Riley steamrolled on with his chatter, not allowing her to get an objection in edgewise.
"Apples, we have apples. And some muesli bars. Crackers too - of the spicy chicken variety, and last, but certainly not least, a Hershey's bar." As Buffy opened her mouth to protest, Riley continued his sales pitch. "I know, it's not your standard picnic menu, but you've got at least three of the food groups represented - what do you say?"
Looking into his open, pleading expression, Buffy didn't have the heart, or energy, to disappoint him. Mentally preparing herself for some mindless conversation, she forced a smile to her lips and accepted the apple held in Riley's outstretched hand. Seeing his enormous, relieved smile, she bit loudly into the green fruit and let her gaze wander over the busy campus. Chewing on the sweet flesh, Buffy realised that Riley was waiting for her answer to a question she hadn't heard him ask.
"Sorry?" she offered sheepishly.
"Do you drive?"
"Actually, no. I took the class, but cars and Buffy are, like ... un-mixy things. I'm an avid pedestrian." She shuddered as she remembered that one of her few experiences behind the wheel had involved the late Principal Snyder, when he was under the disturbing influence of Ethan Rayne's band candy.
"It's just because you haven't had a good experience yet. You can have the best time in a car. It's not about getting somewhere. You have to take your time. Forget about everything. Just ... relax. Let it wash over you. The air, motion. Just, let it roll."
Buffy stared at Riley, surprised and a little weirded out by his passion for the experience.
"We are talking about driving, right?
"Thought I was." Obviously mistaking the intent behind Buffy's question, Riley's face became a picture of confidence and determination.
"I'm taking you."
"Oh, no ..." Buffy tried to object, but was unsuccessful as Riley ploughed on.
"Some night when it's warm. Up past the vineyards ..."
"Look, Riley ..."
"It's going to change everything for you."
"Hey, Willow!" Appearing before her as if a heavenly saviour sent by the Powers That Be, Buffy spied her friend meandering past.
"Willow!" Hearing her name called in a very loud, very eager shout, Willow turned and then ambled over to the two picnickers. Smiling weakly in response to Riley's polite greeting, her gaze wandered over the assortment of food spread out on the grass.
"I interrupted. You've got apples. My mist..."
"Wait! Sit!" Buffy's urgent tone turned persuasive. "There's plenty to go around." As Willow reluctantly sat down, Buffy frowned at her friend's depressed appearance. "Did something happen? Is something wrong?"
"No. Everything's fine. Same."
"Oh."
"Your apples are turning brown, the way they do." Willow's lacklustre response helped to quickly return Buffy to her empty, deflated state of mind of a few minutes previous.
"Yeah."
Riley glanced from one girl to the other, suddenly feeling very, very lost.
*********************
"Geez, you mean Oz just sent for his stuff and didn't even call her? That's pretty harsh."
"I only wish I had my powers back. I'd liquify his entrails for her."
Buffy was sitting at a table in the Bronze with Xander and Anya, and sharing the reason for Willow's recent depression. She wholeheartedly agreed with Xander and Anya's sentiment (though perhaps not to the extent that the ex-demon expressed), because she knew only too well the pain that Willow was feeling - the departure of your lover, with little explanation and barely any closure. And now, with Oz sending for her things, Willow was left in the same state that Buffy had been in since Graduation ... hollow and with little hope for his return.
"Poor Will. No wonder she's ..." Xander paused in astonishment as he caught sight of the girl in question grooving enthusiastically on the dance floor "... having a wonderful time." Following his gaze, Buffy was surprised at her friend's seemingly happy mood.
"Wow. Way to re-bound." Despite being happy for Willow, Buffy couldn't help but be jealous of her apparently swift recovery from heartbreak. Still hurting months after the vampire Angel had dumped her, Buffy had descended to a new low when the newly human Angel had practically done the same thing. In the process he had destroyed all the secret hopes and fantasies that she had harboured for years - human Angel fantasies of sunlight and kisses and perfect happiness. Instead, she got "I'll call you". And no call.
"Listen guys, I'm gonna do a quick sweep and then hit the sack."
"Okay, see ya Buffy" Making her way through the annoyingly cheery crowd, the Slayer breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped outside into the relative calm of a Sunnydale night.
Relative calm broken only be a scream.
As she whipped her stake from its hiding place up her sleeve and took off in the direction of the cry for help, Buffy told herself that it was her sacred duty that she was running towards, not the thought of a pair of brown eyes that she was running from.
********************
Later that night a still tipsy Willow looked across at where Buffy lay sleeping in her bed, before slipping from under the covers and creeping silently through the dorm room to where her trunk lay at the end of the bed. The beer she had been drinking earlier, much to Xander's disappointment, had only briefly lifted her from her despair, before plunging her back into its depths even deeper than she had been before. Gathering various bits and pieces, she slipped from the room and then hurried into a nearby bathroom, empty at this very early hour. Surrounded by a circle of red candles, Willow sat on the cold tiles with an array of magical ingredients before her.
"Harken all ye elements, I summon thee now. Control the outside, control within. Land and sea, fire and wind. Out of my passions, a web be spun. From this eve forth, my will be done. So mote it be."
********************
"It is my will that my heart be healed." It was morning, and Willow sat cross-legged on her bed in the dorm, examining her face in a mirror. "Now." Sighing at the spell's obvious lack of success, she exchanged the mirror for a spell book. "I will that this book speak its words to me." When nothing happened Willow sighed again, and in desperation searched for something that would work. "I will that this Q-Tip gets ... unbendy?"
A knock at the door sounded, and at Willow's less than enthusiastic invitation it opened.
"Giles, what are you doing here?"
"I'm a bit concerned about you, actually" he confessed.
"Did Buffy tell you about the beer, 'cause ..."
"Uh, Buffy didn't tell me anything ..."
"Oh, well ... forget the beer part, then."
"Happily." Though Giles was delighted at the close bond that had developed between himself and Buffy's friends, he was more than happy to remain oblivious to their 'teenage' goings-on. "I came because we had an appointment the other day ..."
"Oh. Right, right. The truth spell."
"Yes, um ... Willow ..." Sitting next to her on the bed, Giles carefully phrased his words as he tried to avoid upsetting the sensitive witch. "I know that you're going through a very difficult time. But, shirking your responsibilities ..."
"But ... I didn't ... shirk." Willow leapt to her feet, as well as her own defence. "I ... did the research, and I picked up the mother wort, I just forgot the doing the spell part."
"Well, that isn't like you at all." Giles was surprised by her admission, and more than just a little concerned.
"I know," she admitted. "I-I've been off. I-I even tried to do a spell last night. To have my will done? I was hoping it would make me feel better. But it just went ka-blooey."
"A spell? I don't think it's wise for you to be doing that alone right now. Your energy's too unfocused."
"Well, that's not true!" Willow retorted, offended by Giles' comments. "I said I was off, not incompetent."
"I only meant that you're grieving, and it might be wise if you took a break from doing spells without supervision." Trying to placate her, Giles only managed to make things worse.
" So I get punished 'cause I'm in pain?"
" It's not punishment. I'm only saying this because I..."
" Oh, you care. Yeah." Willow dismissed Giles' attempts at peace. "Everybody cares. Nobody wants to be inconvenienced. You all want me to take the time and go through the pain, as long as you don't have to hear about it anymore."
"No, that's not fair."
"Isn't it?" she whined. " 'Cause I'm doing the best I can and it doesn't seem to be enough for you guys." she whined.
"And I see how you could feel that way, I do..." Again Giles tried to calm Willow, but she was on a roll and not listening to reason.
"No, you don't. You say that you do, but you don't see anything." Her emotions running high, Willow's eyes took on an eerie blue light as she spoke - but it went unnoticed by Giles, who immediately removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his fingers, blinking several times.
"Um ... Oh, sorry ... Um, sorry. P-perhaps I'd better be going. Let's um, let's talk about this later." In a daze Giles made his way out of the dorm room, leaving a still frustrated Willow behind him.
********************
"Elobe, enemy, be now quiet." Walking around Spike where he sat chained up on the floor, Giles waved a bundle of smoking herbs in the vampire's direction, while squinting at read from a spell book.
"You know, I'm not too keen about this spell stuff." Spike remarked. "Tends to be a bit unpredictable."
"Yes, well, you might have thought about that sooner." Giles retorted, deliberately waving the herbs towards Spike's face. "Um ... let your deceitful tongue be ... broken? Uh ... Let no ..." Removing his glasses he squinted even harder at the text. " ... Untruths ... be spoken." Putting the book down in disgust, Giles reached into his pocket for a handkerchief to clean his glasses with. Failing to notice the key that fell to the floor in the process, he also was unaware of the now very alert vampire's boot that was easing across the floor.
"Hey, what's that all about?" said vampire asked, trying to cover his actions.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing." Giles replied dismissively. "I just got ash in my eye."
"Well, I won't have you doin' mojo on me if you can't read properly." Spike was working quickly and quietly at releasing his restraints. "You might turn me into a stink beetle or what all."
"T'would be a generous ending for you, Spike." Giles was stunned when the now free vampire leapt to his feet, and shoved him aside as he dashed for the door.
********************
"Hello? Ugh ... I'll be right there." Buffy hung up her phone and turned to Willow. "Spike escaped," she explained, as she started gathering weapons from her bedside cabinet.
"A-And you're going?" Willow complained. "Now?"
"Sorry ... duty thing." In truth Buffy was a little glad to be getting out of their room, given the pitiful state Willow was in. She knew it was unfair of her to think that way, especially because she knew exactly how hurt Willow was feeling, especially after her fight with Giles. Which she had whined to Buffy about in great length. However Buffy was finding it very draining playing the comforter and reassurer role right now, because comfort and reassurance were things that she was desperately in need of herself. Hence her willingness to go find Spike - kicking some vampire ass was about the only thing she took pleasure in at the moment.
"Well, I mean, what's the rush? Spike can't hurt anyone, right? And I figured since I'm kinda grievey, we could, uh ... you know, have a girl's night. We could eat sundaes and watch Steel Magnolias and you can tell me how, at least I don't have diabetes."
"Will, I can't hang out with you until I get Spike back to Giles, you know that. Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." Buffy hurried out the door, leaving a very sulky Willow behind her.
"I don't see the big. He's probably just standing out there. You could find him in two seconds."
********************
Revelling in his newly regained freedom, Spike hurried across town away from Giles' apartment. Running through several scenarios involving the Scooby Gang, chainsaws and a whole lot of blood, it took him a moment to realize he was suddenly on the campus grounds. Disoriented and frustrated, his mood became even fouler as he turned and caught sight of a very confused looking slayer approaching him.
"Thought that was gonna take longer."
********************
Holding the small bottle high, Giles stood in front of his bathroom mirror preparing to drop some solution in his eye, when he heard his front door slam open followed by raised voices from his living room.
"Hey! Watch it!"
"One more word out of you, and I swear ..."
Trying to ignore the argument between Buffy and Spike, Giles refocused his attention on the eye drops. He had been up to the early hours reading a fascinating account of a demon anthropologist's work in the Urals - so that would explain his blurred vision. They were just a little strained - the drops should revitalize them immediately. As the cool liquid hit his eyeball, Buffy's insistent voice intruded on his concentration.
"Giles! I accidentally killed Spike. That's okay, right?" Blinking to manoeuvre the liquid around his whole eye, Giles lifted his gaze once more to his reflection in the mirror.
"Uh ... uh ... um ... just a minute ..." The drops had been useless. In fact his eyesight had only gotten worse.
********************
Willow paced across Xander's basement, having found in him another audience for her mantra. "I mean, I'm going through something. You'd think every once in a while Buffy would make best friends a priority."
"You know, Will, it's not like she could just let Spike go."
"Spike's more important than me. I get it."
"Buffy's gotta find out what's up with those commandos. Right now she needs Spike." Xander was quickly discovering that in Willow's present mood anything could be construed as an insult. However his attempt at calming her with logic and reason failed miserably.
"Well, fine. Why doesn't so just go marry him? And then Angel can show up looking for Buffy, begging for her to take him back. But she won't. That'll teach him, the lying, leaving ... all men - vampires and werewolves in particular - they're all bastards."
********************
Exiting his bathroom, Giles' strained eyes fell on one of the most horrifying things he had ever seen, a sight that would haunt his dreams for some months to come.
"It's just so sudden. I don't know what to say." Spike knelt before Buffy where she sat, clasping her hand and gazing at her beseechingly.
"Just say yes, and make me the happiest man on earth."
"Oh, Spike! Of course it's yes!"
Falling into a passionate embrace, Buffy and Spike kissed deeply before hugging each other tightly. Over Spike's shoulder Buffy caught sight of Giles, and her face lit up even further.
"Giles! You'll never believe what's happened!" As he stared at the hideous ring gracing Buffy's left hand, Giles wondered if he was losing his mind as well as his sight.
********************
"It's just not fair," Willow whined, as Xander scooted closer to her on his couch.
"Willow, I know it's hard to see it right now, but everything you're feeling is because of you and Oz. Not because of Buffy and me or anybody. But eventually you'll meet somebody else, and it'll be better."
"Yeah, 'cause most relationships are great and trouble-free. I don't think so. I think we're all doomed to badness."
"We're not doomed," Xander denied.
"Oh, yeah? Let's-let's look at your bio. Insect Lady, Mummy Girl, Anya. You're a demon magnet."
********************
"Here you go .. 98.6." Buffy sat in her new fiancé's lap, cuddling up against him as she handed him a mug of warm blood. She wasn't sure how it happened exactly, but somehow she was deliriously happy at the thought of marrying Spike. She had never really liked him, but oh how she loved him, she really did.
As their lips met in a passionate kiss, a shiver ran through Buffy at the touch of his mouth - there was something so familiar about that sensation of cool lips melting under her own warmth ... something that added to her feelings of love and happiness, something that felt so right ... but it wasn't quite right with Spike, was it? Yes, she loved Spike, she really loved him!"
"There's so much to decide. Ceremony, guests, reception."
"Well, first thing I'd say, we're not having a church wedding."
"How 'bout a daytime ceremony. In the park." Buffy had always dreamed of a wedding in the park.
"Fabulous," Spike retorted. "Enjoy your honeymoon with the big pile of dust."
"Under the trees. Indirect sunlight, only." Buffy was lost in her dream of a sunny day, a flowing white dress, and a tall, dark - wait ... no, not dark, blond ... a blond man reaching for her hand.
"Warm breeze tosses the leaves aside, and again ... you're registering as Mr and Mrs Big-Pile-of-Dust."
"Stop it!" Buffy cried, annoyed as her fantasy crumbled away. "This is our wedding and you're treating it like a big joke!"
"Oh, pouty! Look at that lip ..." Spike leaned in close " ... gonna get it ... gonna get it ..." Buffy giggled as they kissed once more, all frustration disappearing as she surrendered herself once more to his cool kiss.
"Oh ... stop ..."
"Yes, please stop." At Giles' earnest plea Buffy looked up to see him sitting on the couch, taking a large swig of his drink.
"Giles, did you see my ring?"
"Thankfully, not very well." Feeling very tired and very drained, Giles leaned back on the couch and rubbed at his eyes, as Buffy came to sit by him.
"I'm not crazy, and I know that you probably don't approve, and my father's not that far away, I mean, he could ... but this day is about family ... my real family - and I would like you to be the one to give me away."
"Oh, Buffy!" Giles was truly touched by her gesture. "That's ... that's so ..." His pleased pride was only momentary, however, as he recalled the ridiculous situation. "Oh! For God's sake! This is nonsense. Something is making you act this way. Don't you realize what you're doing?" Buffy turned her love struck gaze back to Spike, a sickening smile spreading across her face.
"Living a dream," she breathed.
"He's gonna have to take a bit of time to get used to it, pet." Spike said compassionately.
"They all will." Buffy agreed, before turning back to her father figure. "But you guys weren't crazy about Angel at first, either."
"You weren't gonna say that name." Spike's understanding mood was short lived.
"Sorry." Buffy instantly realized she had made a mistake, bringing up the name of her ex-lover. Who she was totally over. "Why don't we talk about where we're going to register?"
"Well, where would Angel like to register? And can we have the photographer Angel would've wanted?" Spike was hurt, and on a very sarcastic roll. "And flowers Angel would have liked?"
"Hey!" Buffy stood as she felt unbidden anger and jealous swirl inside her. "You think I don't live with the shadow of Drusilla over my head? That I'm not wondering if you're going to be thinking of her on our honeymoon when you're making ... sweet love to me?" Almost as if she was compelled Buffy felt herself drawn to sit in Spike's lap once more, reassuring the tiny voice in her mind that yelled this was all wrong as they kissed once more. As she was being swept away once more by the familiar cool lips a noise distracted the slayer, and she looked up to see Giles' frustrated face as his glass of scotch tumbled to the floor.
"Giles are you okay?"
"I rather think not. I seem to be rather ... rather ... blind. Completely, in fact."
"What?" Concerned, Buffy moved to stand in front of Giles, waving her hand in his face. "How could this happen?"
"A spell, I believe." Giles knew something magical had to be responsible, because all was certainly not right with the world - as evidenced by the distressing engagement between his slayer and the soulless vampire.
"Well, we'll fix it." Buffy said reassuringly. "Don't worry." At that moment Spike spoke up from where he now stood thumbing through a magic book.
"What you want is a general reversal spell. Gonna need supplies."
"Are you ... helping me?" Far from reassured, Giles was actually starting to feel quite alarmed.
"Well, it's almost like you're my father-in-law, init?"
"See?" Buffy smiled. "This is how it's gonna be. Spike'll even go to the magic shop while I take care of you." As she stood and walked into her fiancé's embrace, Buffy spoke words that lifted Giles' alarm to panic.
"From now on, we're a family." As the sound of kissing filled the room once more, Giles got to his feet, and clumsily made his way into the kitchen.
"That's alright. I have more scotch."
********************
Having just left the magic shop, Spike was walking down the street with a spring in his step when a shop window caught his eye. Mesmerized he walked closer, gazing up at the display with a dreamy look as he took a long satisfying drag on a cigarette.
"Spike! Spike! Where is she?" Turning, the blond vampire watched as Angel raced towards up the street, skidding to a halt in front of him. "Do you know where she is Spike? I've just got to find her!" Angel puffed, as his chest heaved due to his exertions.
"Ah, Peaches! I knew you wouldn't hold a grudge!" Spike caught Angel up in a manly hug. "It means so much that you, my grand-sire, have come to share in my happy day."
"Your what? Has Willie started selling specially imported London blood again?"
"Look at that, eh?" Spike said by way of reply, gesturing to the wedding gown in the shop window that had so caught his attention a moment ago. "The bitch is going to look like a bloody dream in one of those things, a bloody dream."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Angel was momentarily distracted from his urgent task by the vampire's decidedly confusing comment.
"Look, mate ..." Spike threw an arm around a now slightly worried Angel. "... I know there's been a bit of bad blood between us, oh hell I can't bleedin' stand you - I'll admit it. And there's that whole history between you and the little bint, but she assures me that's all behind you - so I'm hoping that you can be there on our big day?"
"The day when ..."
"The wedding!"
"The wedding." If it was possible, Angel was even more confused. "What wedding?"
"My wedding! I'm getting married ... can you believe it?"
"I don't think "no" is a strong enough word. Who on earth are you ..." Angel struggled to wrap his mind around the foreign concept of Spike getting married ... and gave up. "I don't have time for this - just tell me, do you know where she is?"
"Where who is?" Despite his dislike of his sire, Spike was feeling in a strangely generous mood.
"Buffy! Who else? I've got to find her, beg her to come back to me!" Angel wasn't quite sure how it happened - a lot of whisky must have been involved - because a short time ago he found himself roaming Sunnydale's streets, frantically searching for Buffy, desperate to fall on his knees at her feet and beg her forgiveness.
"Now look mate." Spike flicked away his still burning cigarette, and glared at Angel. " I've tried to be nice - the devil knows why - but that's it. I can't have you chasing after my Buffy."
"Your Buffy?" Angel was now sure that he had entered an alternate dimension, he couldn't really have heard what he had just heard.
"I know! It's crazy! I mean, we fought for all these years, and I still hate her, the bloody slayer ... but sometimes you just look at someone, and you know ... you know?"
"What the hell are you talking about Spike - she's not your Buffy, she's mine!" Angel had had enough of this conversation. "Well, at least she was ... but I've got to find her, beg her to take me back!" Almost feverish with compulsion Angel hurried past Spike down the street before being rudely restrained by a very biting hand on his arm.
"Look I told you mate, she's my Buffy! Me and Buffy are getting married, so just sod off!"
As the two former havoc-wreakers tussled with each other, neither noticed the fair young man across the street, staring at them in stunned amazement as they took off sprinting down the sidewalk, yelling and cursing at each other as they went. As they disappeared from view, Riley heard a very frustrated, very English cry ring through the night.
"You're ruining my freakin' happy day!"
********************
"Duh dum, da-da. Duh dum, da-da. Duh dum da da, dum da da dum dada." Walking bride and groom figurines up the arm of her chair, Buffy's melancholy mood didn't sit well with her. She was supposed to be bursting with joy, wasn't she? She was ecstatically happy to be marrying Spike ... especially after the phone call she had just made to Angel Investigations. She didn't have feelings for Angel anymore, not now that she had found her dream with Spike. But still, it couldn't hurt to talk about your feelings - that was supposed to be healthy, wasn't it?
So it was OK that she'd announced her engagement to Angel's answering machine, and proceeded to tell it how deliriously excited she was to be marrying Spike. And it was OK to tell it that she was completely OK with the fact that Angel hadn't called her like he said he would. And it was completely fine that her voice had taken on a bitter note when she wished Angel as much happiness and joy in his future as she was sure to have in hers with Spike.
One hundred percent healthy.
"So the plan is to cure my total, incapacitating blindness ... tomorrow?" Giles questioned from where he lay on the couch.
"We're just waiting on Spike to bring back some tagas root from the magic shop. Don't worry - I'm completely on top of it." Speaking her fiancé's name brought a smile back to Buffy's face, as she thought about how helpful he was. He had so many good qualities - he was helpful, and ... and ... well he really was helpful. Her good mood restored, she gazed dreamily at the figurines in her hand. "Aren't they a perfect little us?"
Buffy was shocked out of her reverie the next moment when Angel slammed open the front door and barrelled into the apartment, Spike not far behind him.
"Buffy!" Angel exclaimed with relief when he caught sight of her. "I finally found you." Rushing to stand in front of her, he then sank to his knees in front of the shocked slayer, grabbing at her hands and clasping them tightly in his.
"Buffy, I want you back. I know I don't deserve you, I know I'm not worthy. And I know I didn't call you like I promised. I was going to ... but every time I tried I just couldn't do it. I felt so weak, and helpless - I fought the Mohra demon again and I was useless. Doyle had to save me, and I'm ashamed of that. I want to be strong for you and protect you ... I shouldn't really be here. But ... I can't explain it ... all of a sudden I just had to find you, and beg you to come back to me. I love you Buffy, come back to me."
As Buffy gazed down at Angel in shock, Spike roared in anger and yanked Angel up and away from his fiancée.
"I thought I bloody well told you not to do that! She's getting married to me!" Spike then punched Angel in the face, sending the former vampire reeling back from the force of the blow. As they both clutched their head in pain - Angel from the punch and Spike from the chip - the front door slammed open once more.
"Board up the windows, and barricade the doors," Xander cried, as he strained to pull a bookshelf in front of the door he and Anya had just burst through.
"What's going on?" Giles asked.
"Demons," Anya explained. "They keep coming and coming."
"I think we lost them, but I couldn't see." Xander suddenly took in the extraordinary scene in front of him. "Spike! He's all untied! And Angel's here! ... Which you probably noticed."
"Xander, calm down, okay? If you lost them, that'll give us some time to figure this out." Walking over to Spike, Buffy slipped her arm through his, deliberately ignoring the pained look on Angel's face. "Maybe the demons have something to do with Giles being blind."
"Giles is blind?" Anya asked, as Xander walked over to the watcher and waved his fingers in front of him.
"Please stop whatever you're doing," Giles demanded, entirely exasperated with the whole situation. "You smell like fruit roll-ups."
"This is the crack team that foils my every plan?" Spike sniped. "I am deeply shamed."
"Spike's right," Buffy said. "We really should get organized." She then frowned at the strange expressions that had suddenly come over Xander and Anya's faces.
"Why are you holding hands?" Anya asked, obviously disturbed by the sight. Gazing lovingly at his fiancée, Spike smiled in resignation.
"They have to hear it sooner or later ..."
"Spike and I are getting married!"
"How? What? How?" As usual, Xander was a master of eloquence.
"Three excellent questions." Giles remarked.
"What are you lookin' at?" Spike teased Buffy affectionately.
"The man I love."
"Can I be blind too?" Anya nodded in vehement agreement of Xander's heartfelt question.
As Buffy leaned in to kiss Spike a firm hand on her shoulder suddenly whirled her around to face Angel, who was gazing at her with a pleading expression in his eyes.
"Buffy I love you, you can't get married to Spike. Please come back to me," he begged.
"Wait!" Xander exclaimed. "Married ... I know something ... what is it? Everything's so familiar. Work, brain ... work! Oh! Oh oh! Willow!"
"Mmm?" Buffy reluctantly turned her attention away from Angel. "What about Will ... honey get off," she snapped, pushing away Spike's questing hands.
"Something about Willow and her griefy-poor-me mood swings ... so, so tired of it." Anya smiled at her boyfriend, immensely relieved.
"You mean I don't have to be nice about her anymore?"
"Well, we're all tired of it," Buffy remarked, "But what does it have to do with what's going on?"
"She told me I was a demon magnet, a-and you two should get married. And that Angel would come back begging for you."
"I don't need to be under some spell to beg Buffy to come back! I love her!" Angel was deeply offended by the suggestion that it was unlike him to be admitting and acting on his feelings.
"And ... she said that I didn't see anything." Everything was becoming dreadfully clear for Giles - well, everything except his eyesight.
"She did a spell." Buffy sighed.
"Yes ... to have her will done. Whatever she says is coming true."
"And you all were affected. I probably only escaped because I'm the Slayer. Some kind of natural immunity."
"Yeah. Right." Xander snorted in disbelief. "You're marrying Spike because you're so right for each other."
"Xander!" Buffy whined.
"You're not marrying Spike!" Angel said forcefully,
"That's it," Spike declared. "You're both off the usher list."
"People!" Giles had had just about as much off this wedding talk as he could stomach. "Willow is out there and she probably doesn't know what she's doing."
"We gotta find her." Xander said, Buffy nodding in agreement.
"Before somebody gets really hurt." Giles chose that moment to trip over his couch, falling headlong into the floor on the other side.
********************
Buffy strode purposefully through Stevenson Hall towards her room. Spike and Angel both hurried alongside her, jostling with each other to claim the position at her side. Her mind was in conflict as two different voices claimed their love for two very different men. She truly loved Spike ... but something inside her was saying those feelings were wrong, that she really was in love with Angel. Shaking her head to try and clear the confusion, Buffy focused on what was really important right now - finding Willow.
"Why did they have to come?" Xander groused, annoyed by the constant bickering between the two.
"Xander, Spike is going to be my husband," Buffy instructed, "I want him included. And Angel ..."
"I agree with Xander here," Spike said, uttering words he never thought he'd say. "Seems like a lot of work for people who hunt us."
"Spike, these are my friends. Besides, it's kinda my job."
"For now." Spike patted Buffy's hand patronizingly.
"What?" Buffy exclaimed. "You want me to stop working?" Reaching the dorm room, the motley group hurried inside while Spike paused in the hallway, a sarcastic expression on his face.
"Let's see ... do I want you to give up killing all my friends? Yeah, I've given it some thought."
"I don't want you to stop slaying," Angel said softly, as he hovered close to Buffy. "I think you're perfect just the way you are - please, you've got to take me back."
"This is burned," Xander interrupted, drawing Buffy's reluctant attention to a large circle burnt into the carpet.
"Ta'hoffren. Bastard," Anya swore, "He's opened a portal here."
"Who?"
"Oh, fluffy," Spike sneered, as he held up an orange skirt he had found in Buffy's closet. "Wear this to the rehearsal dinner, and the whole thing's off."
"The whole thing is off, Spike!" Angel declared.
"Shut-up, honey." Buffy snapped, though to whom she was talking was unclear, as she turned back to Anya's explanation.
"Ta'hoffren. He made me a demon 1120 years ago."
"Why would he attack Willow?"
Sighing wistfully, Anya replied.
"I don't believe he did."
********************
"I'd been dumped, I was miserable, doing a few vengeance spells ..." Anya continued her commentary on Ta'hoffren as the group hurried through one of Sunnydale's cemeteries. "Boils on the penis, nothing fancy."
"Please skip ahead." It was at times like this Xander had to think hard to remember why he was dating the former vengeance demon turned human nymphomaniac ... oh, that's right.
"Ta'hoffren got wind of me, he offered to elevate me."
"Meaning?" Buffy queried.
"He made me a demon."
"Oh God, Willow." Buffy put on an extra burst of speed. "But, you can summon this guy from this crypt, right? You can make him stop .. oh my God!" Her gaze was caught by a crypt covered in ivy. "Wouldn't this be a perfect place for pictures?"
"Buffy," Angel whined. "Please, you can't be serious about Spi..."
"I'm not posing for chattal." Spike interrupted.
"Hey!" Xander cried, catching sight of a demon heading their way. "Demon!" Looking to where he was pointing, Buffy approached the demon with a very serious expression on her face.
"Okay, listen," she said slowly, as if talking to a naughty child. "Now we're gonna do this without destroying the foliage." As unwise as its deceased brethren that had faced the slayer in the past, the demon ignored her warning and attacked. Immediately fighting back, Buffy kicked the demon several times, before a forceful punch sent her tumbling backwards over a headstone. Leaping up and to the offensive, Buffy returned the favour, kicking and punching the demon before tossing it aside just as another one appeared on the scene.
"Let's go!" she cried, leading the group as they ran into the crypt. Xander and Angel strained to hold the door shut against the demons, until Buffy and Spike manoeuvred the heavy stone lid of a sarcophagus into place as a barricade. Running as far from the entrance as she could, Anya crouched on her knees on the dirty floor, drawing a circle around herself as she began to speak.
"Blesséd be, the name of Ta'hoffren. Let this space be now a gateway to the world of Arash Ma'har, where demons are spawned."
"Buffy!" Angel and Spike shouted in unison, as a demon reached through a window and began to choke her. Running to her side, Angel tried to rip the demon's fingers away from Buffy's throat, but with no success. On the other side of the room Anya continued to chant.
"We come in supplication. We bend as the reed ... in the flow of the, uh ... no, wait ... we-we come in the flow of the, uh ... Ugh!" Breathing deeply, Anya tried to block the disturbance of this fight from her mind, so that she could properly remember the chant. "Blesséd be, the name of Ta'hoffren ..."
Jerking away from the demon's grip, Buffy leant against Angel for a moment, gulping lungfuls of air as she rubbed her throat.
"Not doin' well here." Xander cried worriedly, struggling with Spike to hold the barricade in place. Hurrying over, Buffy added her strength to the doors while Spike stepped back, looking on worriedly.
"They're strong, and I can't fight. If they get in, I don't know if I can protect you."
"You think you have to protect me?" Buffy turned away from the door, incensed by Spike's overly-protective tone.
"Oh," he moaned, "Not with the Girl-Power bit!"
With only Xander and Angel holding them back, the demons finally burst through the door into the crypt, knocking the two men aside in the process. One demon promptly kicked Spike to the floor, before Angel grappled weakly with it, trying to throw it off balance. Another pushed Xander backwards as Buffy leapt into the fray, striking out with her leg before being pushed away by yet another demon. Kicking furiously at it from where she lay, Buffy was for the moment too caught up in her own opponent to help her friends.
Angry and fearful, Anya threw herself across the room, flying at the demon that had Xander bent backwards over a sarcophagus. Leaping onto its back and tearing angrily at its face, she was promptly dislodged and knocked to the ground.
As Buffy exchanged punches with her demon, she was horrified to see Angel thrown violently against the wall. Enraged at the sight, she made quick work of her enemy before dashing to Angel's rescue. At that moment, however, the demon set upon another target, bashing Spike's head against the stone floor. Driven by an unknown force, Buffy cried in fury and lashed out, tossing the demon through the doors and shutting them behind it. Turning back to the battle Buffy was seized by Spike in a passionate embrace.
"Slayer," he breathed, before crushing her lips with his own. Swept away by the kiss, they didn't notice the sudden appearance of a very nervous, very upset Willow in the crypt.
"Let the healing power begin," she chanted. "Let my will be safe again. As these words of peace are spoken, let this harmful spell be broken." A storm of thunder and lightening crashed around them, before the demons abruptly disappeared and all was quiet. Immediately the spell was broken, Buffy wrenched herself away from Spike's arms, her expression horrified.
"Oh, ugh!"
"Oh, bloody hell!" was the vampire's reply, as they both wiped desperately at their mouths.
"Spike lips! Lips of Spike!" As she frantically uttered those words, Buffy stilled - a dreadful awareness washing over her - and then turned around to look across the room.
Angel eased himself upright, gingerly rubbing the back of his head where it had connected with the wall. Gazing at him, Buffy writhed in shame as he looked up and caught sight of her, his hand pausing in its movement. An array of emotions passed quickly across his face - shock, confusion and pain - before settling into a mixture of embarrassment and disgust. Without a word his eyes dropped away from hers, and he walked quickly up the stairs out into the night.
Now aware of Willow's presence in the crypt, the four remaining fighters turned to look at her, where she stood waving guiltily.
"Hi, guys."
********************
Long after the battle was over Willow began passing out home-made chocolate-chip cookies to the Scooby Gang, who were gathered in Giles' apartment. Making her way to where Buffy was keeping watch over the recaptured Spike, she held out the plate of biscuits as an offering.
"Eat a cookie, ease my pain?"
"Mmm." Buffy took a bite, still concerned about her best friend. "Better?"
"Well, baking lifts about 30% of my guilt, but only 7% of my inner turmoil. Guess that'll just take awhile."
"It'll happen." 'At least, it'll happen for you Willow', Buffy thought to herself. Her own pain seemed to be never ending, and she couldn't see the trend changing any time soon.
"Don't I get a cookie?" Spike whined. The slayer took no time in rejecting the vampire's request.
"Well, I gotta have something, he groused. "I still have Buffy taste in my mouth."
"You're a pig, Spike."
"Yeah?" Spike cast about for a stinging comeback. "Well I'm not the one who wanted, "Wind Beneath My Wings" for the first dance!" Satisfied with his work, he smirked as Xander, Anya and Giles all turned from their conversation to stare at a very embarrassed Buffy.
"That was the spell." Ducking away from their amused glances Buffy made her way into the kitchen, with Willow appearing a few moments later.
"Did I mention about the sorry part?"
"We may be into a forgetting spell later." Buffy's face conveyed both her astonishment and horror at her recent engagement. "I loved him. We were betrothed."
"Well, at-at least you were getting along," Willow offered weakly.
"But we weren't. I mean, I wasn't even nice." Buffy shook her head. "Oh God. Angel must hate me."
"What? Why?"
"Because I was all over Spike! Didn't you see his face before he left? He was disgusted with me. He finally comes and sees me - though not of his own free will, only because of the spell - and I'm engaged to Spike! What the hell am I going to say?!"
"He knows it was the spell Buffy," Willow reasoned. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you."
"Yeah," Buffy scoffed. "That's why he left without a word. He was so pleased to see me engaged and lip-locked to an annoying vampire, that he lost all forms of speech." She sighed. "He's never going to call me now."
********************
"Er, hey Buffy!" Grimacing as she heard her name being called, Buffy forced a pleasant expression to her face as Riley once again spied her walking across campus.
"Hey" he offered, as he caught up with her. Buffy said nothing in reply, just looked at him expectantly.
"So, I uh, I hear congratulations are in order," Riley offered.
"Huh?"
"Your engagement. Congratulations. Though I must admit I was a little shocked to hear about it ... and especially considering the guy you're marrying, but you kno..."
"What? Riley how did you hear about that?" Buffy winced at the thought of rumours about her and Spike flying around campus.
"I overheard this tall dark guy and some other guy called Spike fighting in the street about a Buffy that the Spike guy was marrying, and ..." Riley chuckled "... it's not like Buffy's a common name exactly ..." another chuckle "... so I just figured ..."
"What's wrong with the name Buffy?" she interrupted.
"What? No, nothing's wrong with it, I just meant that ..."
"My mother gave me that name."
"And it's a great name! Look, Buffy I just wanted to ..."
"Listen Riley, I'm not engaged. You must have heard wrong, or there must be some other girl called Buffy out there," Buffy lied. "But it's not me."
"It's not?" Riley brightened visibly.
"I'm most definitely not marrying anyone called 'Spike'."
"Really?" A smile was quickly spreading across Riley's face.
"I can guarantee that I won't change my mind on that subject. Ever."
"So you're still single."
"Yes" Buffy sighed, her thoughts drifting away to a time when she hadn't been, and had been happily ensconced in the arms of a tall dark guy.
"Okay, then." Not wanting to upset Buffy any further and jeopardise his chances with he, Riley smiled and walked away, leaving her gazing wistfully into space. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't even realise he had left.
********************
Author: Cat D
Email: cat_5555@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: The characters and situations from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel' depicted herein are the property of Twentieth Century Fox, and the creations of Joss Whedon et al. They ain't mine. 'Something Blue' was written by Tracey Forbes and directed by Nick Marck; I take no credit for the words and scenes of that episode that appear here.
Spoilers: The BtVS/AtS timeline through to and including 'Something Blue'.
Author's notes: I should warn you right now that this is a big piece of crap. I shouldn't even be posting it really, it's just that it's taken so bloody long to write that I have to do something with it. I know it's long, but I was trying to ... oh forget it, who cares. Continue at your own peril.
Part Two
"Buffy! Hey, Buffy!" The Slayer in question snapped out of her daze, and scanned the people in the student lounge, looking for the person who had interrupted her multi-tasking strolling-and-brooding session.
"Buffy, up here." Raising her gaze, Buffy caught sight of her psych TA perched high on a ladder. Next to him hung a banner proclaiming the 'UC Sunnydale Lesbian Alliance'.
"Thanks Riley," a girl nearby called as he hurried down the ladder to where Buffy was standing, an amused grin on her face.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" she joked.
"What?" At Riley's confused expression, Buffy looked back towards the banner, indicating the source of her amusement.
"Oh, yes," Riley finally caught on. "I am a lesbian."
"Well, it's good that you're so open about it." Buffy smiled, hoping that this polite, friendly interlude was at an end so that she could return to her angst-filled contemplation. Continuing her path through the lounge, she was a little annoyed to note Riley following her. Pausing, Buffy resigned herself to more inane chatter.
"Oh, hey, you know how we were talking about having a picnic? I was thinkin' ... do you ever hang out at Rhode's field? It's beautiful there. Usually not that crowded, either. I thought maybe we could have a little spread ... sandwiches, maybe some ants? It'll be fun."
"We were talking about having a picnic?" Buffy's brow creased as she struggled to remember a conversation on this topic. Her memory hadn't been at its peak the last few days - all of her brain's energy was focused on deciphering the puzzle of a certain reborn human.
"So, was that a conversation I actually had, or one I was just practicing?"
"Practicing?" Buffy's confusion grew as she took in Riley's embarrassed demeanour.
"Okay, yes ... I have been known to do a little prep work before our conversation. It's not easy, you know, talking to you sometimes. It's like an oral exam."
"Boy, that's just what every girl longs to hear." Buffy sighed. The one guy she did want to hear from hadn't called her despite his promise, and the guy who was actually showing some interest was far from Cary Grant in the smooth talking department. But at least he was talking. Despite her attempts to remain politely uninterested.
"Well, you're tricky!"
"Like an exam?" 'What a boost for the ego, huh?' she thought sarcastically. Life was grand, wasn't it?
"I never know how you're going to react to something. That's why I like you so much. You're a mystery. Probably every beautiful girl in the world has some jerk telling her she's a mystery, but ... I swear. You really are. There's a lot about you that needs puzzling out." Buffy gazed back at Riley, a wistful expression on her face.
"I lose you somewhere?" Riley had caught the faraway expression in her eyes.
"Right around ... beautiful." His words had reminded Buffy that he didn't know her, didn't know her slayer secret, more importantly didn't know what made her tick. She realised it was unfair of her to judge him on it, they hadn't known each other that long. Still, she couldn't help but compare him to someone who did know her, through and through. Better than anyone else, sometimes even better than herself. Riley was attracted to her looks, and Angel had been too, she supposed - but a long past conversation rang in her mind, drowning out other thoughts. 'Hey, I'll love you ... even if you're covered in slime.'
Not catching the sadness in Buffy's tone or eye, Riley smiled, thinking that he had successfully made his case.
"Hey ... don't you just love a picnic?"
********************
" It's just, different, you know?" Buffy glanced around the cemetery that she and Willow were patrolling. "A picnic. First of all, daylight ... kind of a new venue, Buffywise. He said he would bring all the food, so all I have to do was to show up and eat. Those are two things I'm really good at. But I just ..." Buffy trailed off, remembering the disappointment in Riley's eyes when she had turned his offer down, despite his best attempts to sell her on the outing.
"But, he's nice?" Willow reminded her.
"Very, very." 'Nice'. Buffy couldn't help but be aware of Riley's positive qualities. But no matter how perfect he seemed, he couldn't match up to a certain tall, dark and handsome someone.
"And there's sparkage?" Willow however was very angry at this certain someone, having seen Buffy crumble over the past week with still no word from LA. Because of this anger, Willow was firmly ensconced on the Riley bandwagon.
"Yeah. He's ..." Buffy was angry at Angel too, increasingly more so. She cast about for some way in which Riley could block out the pair of deep brown eyes that were constantly haunting her mind. "Have you seen his arms? Those are good arms to have." But that didn't help - it only called to mind another set of great arms. And those arms lead to thoughts of wonderful hair, a fabulous chest, a pair of amazing lips ... God that mouth ... "I really like him. I do." Buffy's attempt to sound enthusiastic and sincere did not fool Willow in the slightest.
"But?" she prompted, resigning herself to Angel's continuing presence in her friend's heart.
"I don't know. I really like being around him, you know? And I think he cares about me, but ..."
"Angel?" Willow voiced what until now Buffy hadn't admitted out loud.
"It's ... oh ... it's so frustrating. He left me, and now he's human, and he still doesn't want me. And Riley does want me - I'd be silly to turn him down. I just ... feel like something's missing."
"He's not making you miserable?"
"Exactly. Riley seems so solid. Like he wouldn't cause me heartache."
"Get out. Get out while there's still time." Willow joked.
"I know. I have to get away from that bad boy thing. There's no good there. Seeing Angel in LA ... hello to the pain."
"The pain is not a friend."
"But I can't help thinking ... isn't that where the fire comes from? Can a nice, safe relationship be that intense? Riley is good and kind and gives me happy feelings, but just thinking about Angel makes me feel so much more alive than talking to Riley. I know it's nuts, but ... part of me believes that real love and passion have to go hand in hand with pain and fighting." As these words left Buffy's mouth a vampire leapt towards her from the left - and was dusted with a quick stake to the heart a moment later.
"I wonder where I get that from?"
********************
"It's about time. Hope you got it warm enough" Spike snapped as Giles appeared with a mug full of blood. The vampire was in the watcher's bath, chained up and unable to move. Buffy sat on the edge of the bath, frustrated by Spike's deliberately obtuse answers to her questions about the people who had captured him.
Taking the mug from the equally frustrated Giles, Buffy sighed and held it close to Spike's mouth so he could drink the contents through a straw. Disgusted already by what she was doing, she became even more so as the vampire made a big production out of sucking the blood.
"I don't know why you're so dainty all of a sudden. You've done this for Angel ... you must have." Spike taunted. Immediately angered, Buffy pulled away, leaving only a bloody straw dangling from his mouth as she put the mug down on top of a TV resting on the sink. Already thinking about Angel because of her conversation with Willow, Spike's snide comment pushed Buffy to the edge.
"Okay, that's it. The invalid amnesiac routine is over. The kitchen is closed until you can tell me something useful about the commandos."
"I'm tryin' to remember" Spike protested, his sincere tone clearly fake as he continued, "It was very traumatic." Giles rolled his eyes at the ceiling, wondering at the stupidity of the vampire who deliberately angered an already incensed slayer.
"How long are you going to pull this crap?" Buffy demanded.
"How long am I going to live once I tell you?" he retorted.
"Look, look, Spike ..." Giles interrupted while removing his glasses. "We have no intention of killing a harmless ... uh, creature ... but we have to know what's been done to you. We can't let you go until we're sure that you're ... impotent ..."
"Hey!" The watcher's words were painful for Spike's already bruised ego.
"Sorry, poor choice of words. Until we're sure you're, you're ..."
"Flaccid?" Buffy interjected, delighted to get one back at their infuriating captive.
"You are one step away, missy," Spike warned, though his restrained position didn't lend much weight to the threat.
"Giles, help!" Buffy cried sarcastically. "He's going to scold me!"
The slayer's patently mocking tone set Spike off and he leapt forward, growling at the slayer as he struggled futilely against the chains. Giles turned away as Buffy leaned in, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to ridicule the vampire.
"You know what? I don't think you want us to let you go. Maybe we made it a little too comfy in here for ya."
"Comfy?" Spike snorted. "I'm chained in a bathtub drinkin' pig's blood from a novelty mug. Doesn't rank huge in the Zagut's Guide."
"You want something nicer? Buffy leaned in closer, tilting her head and exposing the side of her neck to Spike's suddenly fascinated gaze. "A look at my poor neck? All bare and tender and exposed ..." she ran her finger up and down the said area. "All that blood just ... pumping away ..."
"Oh, please." Giles sighed, as Spike licked his lips.
"Giles, make her stop." But Giles' answer was simply to turn on his heels and walk out of the bathroom. His entreaty unanswered, Spike turned his eyes back to the Slayer, to find her looking at him with a satisfied smirk on her face.
"So, luv ... missing Angel's love bite, eh?" Seeing Buffy's hurt expression, he pressed his advantage. "Now that the old boy has apparently lost his fangs, you've realised that it was the demon who did it for ya, yeah?" Leering suggestively, Spike grinned to see Buffy stand and back away from him, obviously disgusted by his insinuation. "I promise, I won't be gentle with you!" Laughing as she ran from the room, Spike revealed his true visage as he savoured his victory. His face soon fell, however, when he realised that his blood was out of reach, and going cold.
********************
"Devon said that he sent for his stuff. I guess that means he's planning on settling down somewhere ... else. Not here." Willow lay on her bed crying, devastated by her recent discovery that Oz's possessions had all disappeared from his room.
"I guess so." Buffy sat on her own bed, staring sadly across at her roommate. She knew that she should be in best friend mode, consoling and reassuring Willow that everything would be all right. But she was finding it hard to be strong for her friend when she was feeling just as much pain herself.
"I feel like I've been split down the centre and half of me is lost."
"I know. It feels like that now ..." Trying to be comforting, Buffy found that she couldn't lie. She couldn't say that even though at the moment Willow felt like she couldn't go on, one day everything would be fine. Because it wouldn't, not if Willow felt the same way about Oz as she felt about Angel. If she did, she would still be feeling as if her insides were twisted and knotted months from now; she would still feel short of air when the thought of him popped into her head; she would still feel the pain of separation when she woke up in the morning to the realisation that the wonderful dream she had just had was just that - a dream, not reality.
"Oz is gone."
'Angel's gone.'
********************
The next morning an answering machine clicked on in an empty dorm room.
"This is Buffy and Willow. We're not in right now, so please leave a message."
"Oh, uh, Willow ... It's Giles." From the tone of his voice, he was clearly frazzled. "Um ... I thought you were bringing the ingredients for that truth spell you suggested last night? I really have to ..."
"Passions" is on!" Spike's interruption gave a clear indication of the source of Giles' frustration. "Timmy's down the bloody well, and if you make me miss it, I'll ..."
"You'll do what? Lick me to death?" Gathering together the remains of his composure, Giles continued.
"Look, uh Willow, I think we ought to try the spell. Among other things, I'd like to shower sometime today. Alone."
********************
Unaware of her watcher's crisis, Buffy wandered aimlessly across the sunny campus grounds. Last night after her conversation with Willow, and still smarting from Spike's taunts, she had hit Sunnydale's cemeteries, and hit them hard. Any vampire foolish enough to cross the slayer's path quickly learnt the error of their ways, and soon were despatched. The anger and humiliation she had been feeling over Angel's continued silence had been fuelled by Spike's nasty comments, and after pummelling several demons to a bloody pulp, she still didn't feel any better. Crawling into bed in the early hours of the morning, she had suffered a fitful, uneasy sleep, only to awaken for class feeling tired and irritable.
Now even more cranky after an unbelievably dull lecture, she dropped down to sit under a tree on the campus lawn, drawing her knees up to her chest and preparing to wile away the minutes 'til her next lecture in serious contemplation of her toes. She really was not in the mood to talk to anybody.
"Hi Buffy, how are you?" Buffy dragged her eyes up from her left big toenail to look at the young man who had taken it upon himself to sit down beside her uninvited.
"Riley." Her tone was flat and uninterested, but he did not seem to notice. In fact, he seemed quite pleased with himself.
"Now, I know that you said no to the picnic offer, but I've just been at the store stocking up on some snacks for my dorm room, and I saw you here all on your lonesome, and I just couldn't resist." Reaching into his backpack, he started displaying the fruits of his shopping trip. As if sensing Buffy's reluctance, Riley steamrolled on with his chatter, not allowing her to get an objection in edgewise.
"Apples, we have apples. And some muesli bars. Crackers too - of the spicy chicken variety, and last, but certainly not least, a Hershey's bar." As Buffy opened her mouth to protest, Riley continued his sales pitch. "I know, it's not your standard picnic menu, but you've got at least three of the food groups represented - what do you say?"
Looking into his open, pleading expression, Buffy didn't have the heart, or energy, to disappoint him. Mentally preparing herself for some mindless conversation, she forced a smile to her lips and accepted the apple held in Riley's outstretched hand. Seeing his enormous, relieved smile, she bit loudly into the green fruit and let her gaze wander over the busy campus. Chewing on the sweet flesh, Buffy realised that Riley was waiting for her answer to a question she hadn't heard him ask.
"Sorry?" she offered sheepishly.
"Do you drive?"
"Actually, no. I took the class, but cars and Buffy are, like ... un-mixy things. I'm an avid pedestrian." She shuddered as she remembered that one of her few experiences behind the wheel had involved the late Principal Snyder, when he was under the disturbing influence of Ethan Rayne's band candy.
"It's just because you haven't had a good experience yet. You can have the best time in a car. It's not about getting somewhere. You have to take your time. Forget about everything. Just ... relax. Let it wash over you. The air, motion. Just, let it roll."
Buffy stared at Riley, surprised and a little weirded out by his passion for the experience.
"We are talking about driving, right?
"Thought I was." Obviously mistaking the intent behind Buffy's question, Riley's face became a picture of confidence and determination.
"I'm taking you."
"Oh, no ..." Buffy tried to object, but was unsuccessful as Riley ploughed on.
"Some night when it's warm. Up past the vineyards ..."
"Look, Riley ..."
"It's going to change everything for you."
"Hey, Willow!" Appearing before her as if a heavenly saviour sent by the Powers That Be, Buffy spied her friend meandering past.
"Willow!" Hearing her name called in a very loud, very eager shout, Willow turned and then ambled over to the two picnickers. Smiling weakly in response to Riley's polite greeting, her gaze wandered over the assortment of food spread out on the grass.
"I interrupted. You've got apples. My mist..."
"Wait! Sit!" Buffy's urgent tone turned persuasive. "There's plenty to go around." As Willow reluctantly sat down, Buffy frowned at her friend's depressed appearance. "Did something happen? Is something wrong?"
"No. Everything's fine. Same."
"Oh."
"Your apples are turning brown, the way they do." Willow's lacklustre response helped to quickly return Buffy to her empty, deflated state of mind of a few minutes previous.
"Yeah."
Riley glanced from one girl to the other, suddenly feeling very, very lost.
*********************
"Geez, you mean Oz just sent for his stuff and didn't even call her? That's pretty harsh."
"I only wish I had my powers back. I'd liquify his entrails for her."
Buffy was sitting at a table in the Bronze with Xander and Anya, and sharing the reason for Willow's recent depression. She wholeheartedly agreed with Xander and Anya's sentiment (though perhaps not to the extent that the ex-demon expressed), because she knew only too well the pain that Willow was feeling - the departure of your lover, with little explanation and barely any closure. And now, with Oz sending for her things, Willow was left in the same state that Buffy had been in since Graduation ... hollow and with little hope for his return.
"Poor Will. No wonder she's ..." Xander paused in astonishment as he caught sight of the girl in question grooving enthusiastically on the dance floor "... having a wonderful time." Following his gaze, Buffy was surprised at her friend's seemingly happy mood.
"Wow. Way to re-bound." Despite being happy for Willow, Buffy couldn't help but be jealous of her apparently swift recovery from heartbreak. Still hurting months after the vampire Angel had dumped her, Buffy had descended to a new low when the newly human Angel had practically done the same thing. In the process he had destroyed all the secret hopes and fantasies that she had harboured for years - human Angel fantasies of sunlight and kisses and perfect happiness. Instead, she got "I'll call you". And no call.
"Listen guys, I'm gonna do a quick sweep and then hit the sack."
"Okay, see ya Buffy" Making her way through the annoyingly cheery crowd, the Slayer breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped outside into the relative calm of a Sunnydale night.
Relative calm broken only be a scream.
As she whipped her stake from its hiding place up her sleeve and took off in the direction of the cry for help, Buffy told herself that it was her sacred duty that she was running towards, not the thought of a pair of brown eyes that she was running from.
********************
Later that night a still tipsy Willow looked across at where Buffy lay sleeping in her bed, before slipping from under the covers and creeping silently through the dorm room to where her trunk lay at the end of the bed. The beer she had been drinking earlier, much to Xander's disappointment, had only briefly lifted her from her despair, before plunging her back into its depths even deeper than she had been before. Gathering various bits and pieces, she slipped from the room and then hurried into a nearby bathroom, empty at this very early hour. Surrounded by a circle of red candles, Willow sat on the cold tiles with an array of magical ingredients before her.
"Harken all ye elements, I summon thee now. Control the outside, control within. Land and sea, fire and wind. Out of my passions, a web be spun. From this eve forth, my will be done. So mote it be."
********************
"It is my will that my heart be healed." It was morning, and Willow sat cross-legged on her bed in the dorm, examining her face in a mirror. "Now." Sighing at the spell's obvious lack of success, she exchanged the mirror for a spell book. "I will that this book speak its words to me." When nothing happened Willow sighed again, and in desperation searched for something that would work. "I will that this Q-Tip gets ... unbendy?"
A knock at the door sounded, and at Willow's less than enthusiastic invitation it opened.
"Giles, what are you doing here?"
"I'm a bit concerned about you, actually" he confessed.
"Did Buffy tell you about the beer, 'cause ..."
"Uh, Buffy didn't tell me anything ..."
"Oh, well ... forget the beer part, then."
"Happily." Though Giles was delighted at the close bond that had developed between himself and Buffy's friends, he was more than happy to remain oblivious to their 'teenage' goings-on. "I came because we had an appointment the other day ..."
"Oh. Right, right. The truth spell."
"Yes, um ... Willow ..." Sitting next to her on the bed, Giles carefully phrased his words as he tried to avoid upsetting the sensitive witch. "I know that you're going through a very difficult time. But, shirking your responsibilities ..."
"But ... I didn't ... shirk." Willow leapt to her feet, as well as her own defence. "I ... did the research, and I picked up the mother wort, I just forgot the doing the spell part."
"Well, that isn't like you at all." Giles was surprised by her admission, and more than just a little concerned.
"I know," she admitted. "I-I've been off. I-I even tried to do a spell last night. To have my will done? I was hoping it would make me feel better. But it just went ka-blooey."
"A spell? I don't think it's wise for you to be doing that alone right now. Your energy's too unfocused."
"Well, that's not true!" Willow retorted, offended by Giles' comments. "I said I was off, not incompetent."
"I only meant that you're grieving, and it might be wise if you took a break from doing spells without supervision." Trying to placate her, Giles only managed to make things worse.
" So I get punished 'cause I'm in pain?"
" It's not punishment. I'm only saying this because I..."
" Oh, you care. Yeah." Willow dismissed Giles' attempts at peace. "Everybody cares. Nobody wants to be inconvenienced. You all want me to take the time and go through the pain, as long as you don't have to hear about it anymore."
"No, that's not fair."
"Isn't it?" she whined. " 'Cause I'm doing the best I can and it doesn't seem to be enough for you guys." she whined.
"And I see how you could feel that way, I do..." Again Giles tried to calm Willow, but she was on a roll and not listening to reason.
"No, you don't. You say that you do, but you don't see anything." Her emotions running high, Willow's eyes took on an eerie blue light as she spoke - but it went unnoticed by Giles, who immediately removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his fingers, blinking several times.
"Um ... Oh, sorry ... Um, sorry. P-perhaps I'd better be going. Let's um, let's talk about this later." In a daze Giles made his way out of the dorm room, leaving a still frustrated Willow behind him.
********************
"Elobe, enemy, be now quiet." Walking around Spike where he sat chained up on the floor, Giles waved a bundle of smoking herbs in the vampire's direction, while squinting at read from a spell book.
"You know, I'm not too keen about this spell stuff." Spike remarked. "Tends to be a bit unpredictable."
"Yes, well, you might have thought about that sooner." Giles retorted, deliberately waving the herbs towards Spike's face. "Um ... let your deceitful tongue be ... broken? Uh ... Let no ..." Removing his glasses he squinted even harder at the text. " ... Untruths ... be spoken." Putting the book down in disgust, Giles reached into his pocket for a handkerchief to clean his glasses with. Failing to notice the key that fell to the floor in the process, he also was unaware of the now very alert vampire's boot that was easing across the floor.
"Hey, what's that all about?" said vampire asked, trying to cover his actions.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing." Giles replied dismissively. "I just got ash in my eye."
"Well, I won't have you doin' mojo on me if you can't read properly." Spike was working quickly and quietly at releasing his restraints. "You might turn me into a stink beetle or what all."
"T'would be a generous ending for you, Spike." Giles was stunned when the now free vampire leapt to his feet, and shoved him aside as he dashed for the door.
********************
"Hello? Ugh ... I'll be right there." Buffy hung up her phone and turned to Willow. "Spike escaped," she explained, as she started gathering weapons from her bedside cabinet.
"A-And you're going?" Willow complained. "Now?"
"Sorry ... duty thing." In truth Buffy was a little glad to be getting out of their room, given the pitiful state Willow was in. She knew it was unfair of her to think that way, especially because she knew exactly how hurt Willow was feeling, especially after her fight with Giles. Which she had whined to Buffy about in great length. However Buffy was finding it very draining playing the comforter and reassurer role right now, because comfort and reassurance were things that she was desperately in need of herself. Hence her willingness to go find Spike - kicking some vampire ass was about the only thing she took pleasure in at the moment.
"Well, I mean, what's the rush? Spike can't hurt anyone, right? And I figured since I'm kinda grievey, we could, uh ... you know, have a girl's night. We could eat sundaes and watch Steel Magnolias and you can tell me how, at least I don't have diabetes."
"Will, I can't hang out with you until I get Spike back to Giles, you know that. Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." Buffy hurried out the door, leaving a very sulky Willow behind her.
"I don't see the big. He's probably just standing out there. You could find him in two seconds."
********************
Revelling in his newly regained freedom, Spike hurried across town away from Giles' apartment. Running through several scenarios involving the Scooby Gang, chainsaws and a whole lot of blood, it took him a moment to realize he was suddenly on the campus grounds. Disoriented and frustrated, his mood became even fouler as he turned and caught sight of a very confused looking slayer approaching him.
"Thought that was gonna take longer."
********************
Holding the small bottle high, Giles stood in front of his bathroom mirror preparing to drop some solution in his eye, when he heard his front door slam open followed by raised voices from his living room.
"Hey! Watch it!"
"One more word out of you, and I swear ..."
Trying to ignore the argument between Buffy and Spike, Giles refocused his attention on the eye drops. He had been up to the early hours reading a fascinating account of a demon anthropologist's work in the Urals - so that would explain his blurred vision. They were just a little strained - the drops should revitalize them immediately. As the cool liquid hit his eyeball, Buffy's insistent voice intruded on his concentration.
"Giles! I accidentally killed Spike. That's okay, right?" Blinking to manoeuvre the liquid around his whole eye, Giles lifted his gaze once more to his reflection in the mirror.
"Uh ... uh ... um ... just a minute ..." The drops had been useless. In fact his eyesight had only gotten worse.
********************
Willow paced across Xander's basement, having found in him another audience for her mantra. "I mean, I'm going through something. You'd think every once in a while Buffy would make best friends a priority."
"You know, Will, it's not like she could just let Spike go."
"Spike's more important than me. I get it."
"Buffy's gotta find out what's up with those commandos. Right now she needs Spike." Xander was quickly discovering that in Willow's present mood anything could be construed as an insult. However his attempt at calming her with logic and reason failed miserably.
"Well, fine. Why doesn't so just go marry him? And then Angel can show up looking for Buffy, begging for her to take him back. But she won't. That'll teach him, the lying, leaving ... all men - vampires and werewolves in particular - they're all bastards."
********************
Exiting his bathroom, Giles' strained eyes fell on one of the most horrifying things he had ever seen, a sight that would haunt his dreams for some months to come.
"It's just so sudden. I don't know what to say." Spike knelt before Buffy where she sat, clasping her hand and gazing at her beseechingly.
"Just say yes, and make me the happiest man on earth."
"Oh, Spike! Of course it's yes!"
Falling into a passionate embrace, Buffy and Spike kissed deeply before hugging each other tightly. Over Spike's shoulder Buffy caught sight of Giles, and her face lit up even further.
"Giles! You'll never believe what's happened!" As he stared at the hideous ring gracing Buffy's left hand, Giles wondered if he was losing his mind as well as his sight.
********************
"It's just not fair," Willow whined, as Xander scooted closer to her on his couch.
"Willow, I know it's hard to see it right now, but everything you're feeling is because of you and Oz. Not because of Buffy and me or anybody. But eventually you'll meet somebody else, and it'll be better."
"Yeah, 'cause most relationships are great and trouble-free. I don't think so. I think we're all doomed to badness."
"We're not doomed," Xander denied.
"Oh, yeah? Let's-let's look at your bio. Insect Lady, Mummy Girl, Anya. You're a demon magnet."
********************
"Here you go .. 98.6." Buffy sat in her new fiancé's lap, cuddling up against him as she handed him a mug of warm blood. She wasn't sure how it happened exactly, but somehow she was deliriously happy at the thought of marrying Spike. She had never really liked him, but oh how she loved him, she really did.
As their lips met in a passionate kiss, a shiver ran through Buffy at the touch of his mouth - there was something so familiar about that sensation of cool lips melting under her own warmth ... something that added to her feelings of love and happiness, something that felt so right ... but it wasn't quite right with Spike, was it? Yes, she loved Spike, she really loved him!"
"There's so much to decide. Ceremony, guests, reception."
"Well, first thing I'd say, we're not having a church wedding."
"How 'bout a daytime ceremony. In the park." Buffy had always dreamed of a wedding in the park.
"Fabulous," Spike retorted. "Enjoy your honeymoon with the big pile of dust."
"Under the trees. Indirect sunlight, only." Buffy was lost in her dream of a sunny day, a flowing white dress, and a tall, dark - wait ... no, not dark, blond ... a blond man reaching for her hand.
"Warm breeze tosses the leaves aside, and again ... you're registering as Mr and Mrs Big-Pile-of-Dust."
"Stop it!" Buffy cried, annoyed as her fantasy crumbled away. "This is our wedding and you're treating it like a big joke!"
"Oh, pouty! Look at that lip ..." Spike leaned in close " ... gonna get it ... gonna get it ..." Buffy giggled as they kissed once more, all frustration disappearing as she surrendered herself once more to his cool kiss.
"Oh ... stop ..."
"Yes, please stop." At Giles' earnest plea Buffy looked up to see him sitting on the couch, taking a large swig of his drink.
"Giles, did you see my ring?"
"Thankfully, not very well." Feeling very tired and very drained, Giles leaned back on the couch and rubbed at his eyes, as Buffy came to sit by him.
"I'm not crazy, and I know that you probably don't approve, and my father's not that far away, I mean, he could ... but this day is about family ... my real family - and I would like you to be the one to give me away."
"Oh, Buffy!" Giles was truly touched by her gesture. "That's ... that's so ..." His pleased pride was only momentary, however, as he recalled the ridiculous situation. "Oh! For God's sake! This is nonsense. Something is making you act this way. Don't you realize what you're doing?" Buffy turned her love struck gaze back to Spike, a sickening smile spreading across her face.
"Living a dream," she breathed.
"He's gonna have to take a bit of time to get used to it, pet." Spike said compassionately.
"They all will." Buffy agreed, before turning back to her father figure. "But you guys weren't crazy about Angel at first, either."
"You weren't gonna say that name." Spike's understanding mood was short lived.
"Sorry." Buffy instantly realized she had made a mistake, bringing up the name of her ex-lover. Who she was totally over. "Why don't we talk about where we're going to register?"
"Well, where would Angel like to register? And can we have the photographer Angel would've wanted?" Spike was hurt, and on a very sarcastic roll. "And flowers Angel would have liked?"
"Hey!" Buffy stood as she felt unbidden anger and jealous swirl inside her. "You think I don't live with the shadow of Drusilla over my head? That I'm not wondering if you're going to be thinking of her on our honeymoon when you're making ... sweet love to me?" Almost as if she was compelled Buffy felt herself drawn to sit in Spike's lap once more, reassuring the tiny voice in her mind that yelled this was all wrong as they kissed once more. As she was being swept away once more by the familiar cool lips a noise distracted the slayer, and she looked up to see Giles' frustrated face as his glass of scotch tumbled to the floor.
"Giles are you okay?"
"I rather think not. I seem to be rather ... rather ... blind. Completely, in fact."
"What?" Concerned, Buffy moved to stand in front of Giles, waving her hand in his face. "How could this happen?"
"A spell, I believe." Giles knew something magical had to be responsible, because all was certainly not right with the world - as evidenced by the distressing engagement between his slayer and the soulless vampire.
"Well, we'll fix it." Buffy said reassuringly. "Don't worry." At that moment Spike spoke up from where he now stood thumbing through a magic book.
"What you want is a general reversal spell. Gonna need supplies."
"Are you ... helping me?" Far from reassured, Giles was actually starting to feel quite alarmed.
"Well, it's almost like you're my father-in-law, init?"
"See?" Buffy smiled. "This is how it's gonna be. Spike'll even go to the magic shop while I take care of you." As she stood and walked into her fiancé's embrace, Buffy spoke words that lifted Giles' alarm to panic.
"From now on, we're a family." As the sound of kissing filled the room once more, Giles got to his feet, and clumsily made his way into the kitchen.
"That's alright. I have more scotch."
********************
Having just left the magic shop, Spike was walking down the street with a spring in his step when a shop window caught his eye. Mesmerized he walked closer, gazing up at the display with a dreamy look as he took a long satisfying drag on a cigarette.
"Spike! Spike! Where is she?" Turning, the blond vampire watched as Angel raced towards up the street, skidding to a halt in front of him. "Do you know where she is Spike? I've just got to find her!" Angel puffed, as his chest heaved due to his exertions.
"Ah, Peaches! I knew you wouldn't hold a grudge!" Spike caught Angel up in a manly hug. "It means so much that you, my grand-sire, have come to share in my happy day."
"Your what? Has Willie started selling specially imported London blood again?"
"Look at that, eh?" Spike said by way of reply, gesturing to the wedding gown in the shop window that had so caught his attention a moment ago. "The bitch is going to look like a bloody dream in one of those things, a bloody dream."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Angel was momentarily distracted from his urgent task by the vampire's decidedly confusing comment.
"Look, mate ..." Spike threw an arm around a now slightly worried Angel. "... I know there's been a bit of bad blood between us, oh hell I can't bleedin' stand you - I'll admit it. And there's that whole history between you and the little bint, but she assures me that's all behind you - so I'm hoping that you can be there on our big day?"
"The day when ..."
"The wedding!"
"The wedding." If it was possible, Angel was even more confused. "What wedding?"
"My wedding! I'm getting married ... can you believe it?"
"I don't think "no" is a strong enough word. Who on earth are you ..." Angel struggled to wrap his mind around the foreign concept of Spike getting married ... and gave up. "I don't have time for this - just tell me, do you know where she is?"
"Where who is?" Despite his dislike of his sire, Spike was feeling in a strangely generous mood.
"Buffy! Who else? I've got to find her, beg her to come back to me!" Angel wasn't quite sure how it happened - a lot of whisky must have been involved - because a short time ago he found himself roaming Sunnydale's streets, frantically searching for Buffy, desperate to fall on his knees at her feet and beg her forgiveness.
"Now look mate." Spike flicked away his still burning cigarette, and glared at Angel. " I've tried to be nice - the devil knows why - but that's it. I can't have you chasing after my Buffy."
"Your Buffy?" Angel was now sure that he had entered an alternate dimension, he couldn't really have heard what he had just heard.
"I know! It's crazy! I mean, we fought for all these years, and I still hate her, the bloody slayer ... but sometimes you just look at someone, and you know ... you know?"
"What the hell are you talking about Spike - she's not your Buffy, she's mine!" Angel had had enough of this conversation. "Well, at least she was ... but I've got to find her, beg her to take me back!" Almost feverish with compulsion Angel hurried past Spike down the street before being rudely restrained by a very biting hand on his arm.
"Look I told you mate, she's my Buffy! Me and Buffy are getting married, so just sod off!"
As the two former havoc-wreakers tussled with each other, neither noticed the fair young man across the street, staring at them in stunned amazement as they took off sprinting down the sidewalk, yelling and cursing at each other as they went. As they disappeared from view, Riley heard a very frustrated, very English cry ring through the night.
"You're ruining my freakin' happy day!"
********************
"Duh dum, da-da. Duh dum, da-da. Duh dum da da, dum da da dum dada." Walking bride and groom figurines up the arm of her chair, Buffy's melancholy mood didn't sit well with her. She was supposed to be bursting with joy, wasn't she? She was ecstatically happy to be marrying Spike ... especially after the phone call she had just made to Angel Investigations. She didn't have feelings for Angel anymore, not now that she had found her dream with Spike. But still, it couldn't hurt to talk about your feelings - that was supposed to be healthy, wasn't it?
So it was OK that she'd announced her engagement to Angel's answering machine, and proceeded to tell it how deliriously excited she was to be marrying Spike. And it was OK to tell it that she was completely OK with the fact that Angel hadn't called her like he said he would. And it was completely fine that her voice had taken on a bitter note when she wished Angel as much happiness and joy in his future as she was sure to have in hers with Spike.
One hundred percent healthy.
"So the plan is to cure my total, incapacitating blindness ... tomorrow?" Giles questioned from where he lay on the couch.
"We're just waiting on Spike to bring back some tagas root from the magic shop. Don't worry - I'm completely on top of it." Speaking her fiancé's name brought a smile back to Buffy's face, as she thought about how helpful he was. He had so many good qualities - he was helpful, and ... and ... well he really was helpful. Her good mood restored, she gazed dreamily at the figurines in her hand. "Aren't they a perfect little us?"
Buffy was shocked out of her reverie the next moment when Angel slammed open the front door and barrelled into the apartment, Spike not far behind him.
"Buffy!" Angel exclaimed with relief when he caught sight of her. "I finally found you." Rushing to stand in front of her, he then sank to his knees in front of the shocked slayer, grabbing at her hands and clasping them tightly in his.
"Buffy, I want you back. I know I don't deserve you, I know I'm not worthy. And I know I didn't call you like I promised. I was going to ... but every time I tried I just couldn't do it. I felt so weak, and helpless - I fought the Mohra demon again and I was useless. Doyle had to save me, and I'm ashamed of that. I want to be strong for you and protect you ... I shouldn't really be here. But ... I can't explain it ... all of a sudden I just had to find you, and beg you to come back to me. I love you Buffy, come back to me."
As Buffy gazed down at Angel in shock, Spike roared in anger and yanked Angel up and away from his fiancée.
"I thought I bloody well told you not to do that! She's getting married to me!" Spike then punched Angel in the face, sending the former vampire reeling back from the force of the blow. As they both clutched their head in pain - Angel from the punch and Spike from the chip - the front door slammed open once more.
"Board up the windows, and barricade the doors," Xander cried, as he strained to pull a bookshelf in front of the door he and Anya had just burst through.
"What's going on?" Giles asked.
"Demons," Anya explained. "They keep coming and coming."
"I think we lost them, but I couldn't see." Xander suddenly took in the extraordinary scene in front of him. "Spike! He's all untied! And Angel's here! ... Which you probably noticed."
"Xander, calm down, okay? If you lost them, that'll give us some time to figure this out." Walking over to Spike, Buffy slipped her arm through his, deliberately ignoring the pained look on Angel's face. "Maybe the demons have something to do with Giles being blind."
"Giles is blind?" Anya asked, as Xander walked over to the watcher and waved his fingers in front of him.
"Please stop whatever you're doing," Giles demanded, entirely exasperated with the whole situation. "You smell like fruit roll-ups."
"This is the crack team that foils my every plan?" Spike sniped. "I am deeply shamed."
"Spike's right," Buffy said. "We really should get organized." She then frowned at the strange expressions that had suddenly come over Xander and Anya's faces.
"Why are you holding hands?" Anya asked, obviously disturbed by the sight. Gazing lovingly at his fiancée, Spike smiled in resignation.
"They have to hear it sooner or later ..."
"Spike and I are getting married!"
"How? What? How?" As usual, Xander was a master of eloquence.
"Three excellent questions." Giles remarked.
"What are you lookin' at?" Spike teased Buffy affectionately.
"The man I love."
"Can I be blind too?" Anya nodded in vehement agreement of Xander's heartfelt question.
As Buffy leaned in to kiss Spike a firm hand on her shoulder suddenly whirled her around to face Angel, who was gazing at her with a pleading expression in his eyes.
"Buffy I love you, you can't get married to Spike. Please come back to me," he begged.
"Wait!" Xander exclaimed. "Married ... I know something ... what is it? Everything's so familiar. Work, brain ... work! Oh! Oh oh! Willow!"
"Mmm?" Buffy reluctantly turned her attention away from Angel. "What about Will ... honey get off," she snapped, pushing away Spike's questing hands.
"Something about Willow and her griefy-poor-me mood swings ... so, so tired of it." Anya smiled at her boyfriend, immensely relieved.
"You mean I don't have to be nice about her anymore?"
"Well, we're all tired of it," Buffy remarked, "But what does it have to do with what's going on?"
"She told me I was a demon magnet, a-and you two should get married. And that Angel would come back begging for you."
"I don't need to be under some spell to beg Buffy to come back! I love her!" Angel was deeply offended by the suggestion that it was unlike him to be admitting and acting on his feelings.
"And ... she said that I didn't see anything." Everything was becoming dreadfully clear for Giles - well, everything except his eyesight.
"She did a spell." Buffy sighed.
"Yes ... to have her will done. Whatever she says is coming true."
"And you all were affected. I probably only escaped because I'm the Slayer. Some kind of natural immunity."
"Yeah. Right." Xander snorted in disbelief. "You're marrying Spike because you're so right for each other."
"Xander!" Buffy whined.
"You're not marrying Spike!" Angel said forcefully,
"That's it," Spike declared. "You're both off the usher list."
"People!" Giles had had just about as much off this wedding talk as he could stomach. "Willow is out there and she probably doesn't know what she's doing."
"We gotta find her." Xander said, Buffy nodding in agreement.
"Before somebody gets really hurt." Giles chose that moment to trip over his couch, falling headlong into the floor on the other side.
********************
Buffy strode purposefully through Stevenson Hall towards her room. Spike and Angel both hurried alongside her, jostling with each other to claim the position at her side. Her mind was in conflict as two different voices claimed their love for two very different men. She truly loved Spike ... but something inside her was saying those feelings were wrong, that she really was in love with Angel. Shaking her head to try and clear the confusion, Buffy focused on what was really important right now - finding Willow.
"Why did they have to come?" Xander groused, annoyed by the constant bickering between the two.
"Xander, Spike is going to be my husband," Buffy instructed, "I want him included. And Angel ..."
"I agree with Xander here," Spike said, uttering words he never thought he'd say. "Seems like a lot of work for people who hunt us."
"Spike, these are my friends. Besides, it's kinda my job."
"For now." Spike patted Buffy's hand patronizingly.
"What?" Buffy exclaimed. "You want me to stop working?" Reaching the dorm room, the motley group hurried inside while Spike paused in the hallway, a sarcastic expression on his face.
"Let's see ... do I want you to give up killing all my friends? Yeah, I've given it some thought."
"I don't want you to stop slaying," Angel said softly, as he hovered close to Buffy. "I think you're perfect just the way you are - please, you've got to take me back."
"This is burned," Xander interrupted, drawing Buffy's reluctant attention to a large circle burnt into the carpet.
"Ta'hoffren. Bastard," Anya swore, "He's opened a portal here."
"Who?"
"Oh, fluffy," Spike sneered, as he held up an orange skirt he had found in Buffy's closet. "Wear this to the rehearsal dinner, and the whole thing's off."
"The whole thing is off, Spike!" Angel declared.
"Shut-up, honey." Buffy snapped, though to whom she was talking was unclear, as she turned back to Anya's explanation.
"Ta'hoffren. He made me a demon 1120 years ago."
"Why would he attack Willow?"
Sighing wistfully, Anya replied.
"I don't believe he did."
********************
"I'd been dumped, I was miserable, doing a few vengeance spells ..." Anya continued her commentary on Ta'hoffren as the group hurried through one of Sunnydale's cemeteries. "Boils on the penis, nothing fancy."
"Please skip ahead." It was at times like this Xander had to think hard to remember why he was dating the former vengeance demon turned human nymphomaniac ... oh, that's right.
"Ta'hoffren got wind of me, he offered to elevate me."
"Meaning?" Buffy queried.
"He made me a demon."
"Oh God, Willow." Buffy put on an extra burst of speed. "But, you can summon this guy from this crypt, right? You can make him stop .. oh my God!" Her gaze was caught by a crypt covered in ivy. "Wouldn't this be a perfect place for pictures?"
"Buffy," Angel whined. "Please, you can't be serious about Spi..."
"I'm not posing for chattal." Spike interrupted.
"Hey!" Xander cried, catching sight of a demon heading their way. "Demon!" Looking to where he was pointing, Buffy approached the demon with a very serious expression on her face.
"Okay, listen," she said slowly, as if talking to a naughty child. "Now we're gonna do this without destroying the foliage." As unwise as its deceased brethren that had faced the slayer in the past, the demon ignored her warning and attacked. Immediately fighting back, Buffy kicked the demon several times, before a forceful punch sent her tumbling backwards over a headstone. Leaping up and to the offensive, Buffy returned the favour, kicking and punching the demon before tossing it aside just as another one appeared on the scene.
"Let's go!" she cried, leading the group as they ran into the crypt. Xander and Angel strained to hold the door shut against the demons, until Buffy and Spike manoeuvred the heavy stone lid of a sarcophagus into place as a barricade. Running as far from the entrance as she could, Anya crouched on her knees on the dirty floor, drawing a circle around herself as she began to speak.
"Blesséd be, the name of Ta'hoffren. Let this space be now a gateway to the world of Arash Ma'har, where demons are spawned."
"Buffy!" Angel and Spike shouted in unison, as a demon reached through a window and began to choke her. Running to her side, Angel tried to rip the demon's fingers away from Buffy's throat, but with no success. On the other side of the room Anya continued to chant.
"We come in supplication. We bend as the reed ... in the flow of the, uh ... no, wait ... we-we come in the flow of the, uh ... Ugh!" Breathing deeply, Anya tried to block the disturbance of this fight from her mind, so that she could properly remember the chant. "Blesséd be, the name of Ta'hoffren ..."
Jerking away from the demon's grip, Buffy leant against Angel for a moment, gulping lungfuls of air as she rubbed her throat.
"Not doin' well here." Xander cried worriedly, struggling with Spike to hold the barricade in place. Hurrying over, Buffy added her strength to the doors while Spike stepped back, looking on worriedly.
"They're strong, and I can't fight. If they get in, I don't know if I can protect you."
"You think you have to protect me?" Buffy turned away from the door, incensed by Spike's overly-protective tone.
"Oh," he moaned, "Not with the Girl-Power bit!"
With only Xander and Angel holding them back, the demons finally burst through the door into the crypt, knocking the two men aside in the process. One demon promptly kicked Spike to the floor, before Angel grappled weakly with it, trying to throw it off balance. Another pushed Xander backwards as Buffy leapt into the fray, striking out with her leg before being pushed away by yet another demon. Kicking furiously at it from where she lay, Buffy was for the moment too caught up in her own opponent to help her friends.
Angry and fearful, Anya threw herself across the room, flying at the demon that had Xander bent backwards over a sarcophagus. Leaping onto its back and tearing angrily at its face, she was promptly dislodged and knocked to the ground.
As Buffy exchanged punches with her demon, she was horrified to see Angel thrown violently against the wall. Enraged at the sight, she made quick work of her enemy before dashing to Angel's rescue. At that moment, however, the demon set upon another target, bashing Spike's head against the stone floor. Driven by an unknown force, Buffy cried in fury and lashed out, tossing the demon through the doors and shutting them behind it. Turning back to the battle Buffy was seized by Spike in a passionate embrace.
"Slayer," he breathed, before crushing her lips with his own. Swept away by the kiss, they didn't notice the sudden appearance of a very nervous, very upset Willow in the crypt.
"Let the healing power begin," she chanted. "Let my will be safe again. As these words of peace are spoken, let this harmful spell be broken." A storm of thunder and lightening crashed around them, before the demons abruptly disappeared and all was quiet. Immediately the spell was broken, Buffy wrenched herself away from Spike's arms, her expression horrified.
"Oh, ugh!"
"Oh, bloody hell!" was the vampire's reply, as they both wiped desperately at their mouths.
"Spike lips! Lips of Spike!" As she frantically uttered those words, Buffy stilled - a dreadful awareness washing over her - and then turned around to look across the room.
Angel eased himself upright, gingerly rubbing the back of his head where it had connected with the wall. Gazing at him, Buffy writhed in shame as he looked up and caught sight of her, his hand pausing in its movement. An array of emotions passed quickly across his face - shock, confusion and pain - before settling into a mixture of embarrassment and disgust. Without a word his eyes dropped away from hers, and he walked quickly up the stairs out into the night.
Now aware of Willow's presence in the crypt, the four remaining fighters turned to look at her, where she stood waving guiltily.
"Hi, guys."
********************
Long after the battle was over Willow began passing out home-made chocolate-chip cookies to the Scooby Gang, who were gathered in Giles' apartment. Making her way to where Buffy was keeping watch over the recaptured Spike, she held out the plate of biscuits as an offering.
"Eat a cookie, ease my pain?"
"Mmm." Buffy took a bite, still concerned about her best friend. "Better?"
"Well, baking lifts about 30% of my guilt, but only 7% of my inner turmoil. Guess that'll just take awhile."
"It'll happen." 'At least, it'll happen for you Willow', Buffy thought to herself. Her own pain seemed to be never ending, and she couldn't see the trend changing any time soon.
"Don't I get a cookie?" Spike whined. The slayer took no time in rejecting the vampire's request.
"Well, I gotta have something, he groused. "I still have Buffy taste in my mouth."
"You're a pig, Spike."
"Yeah?" Spike cast about for a stinging comeback. "Well I'm not the one who wanted, "Wind Beneath My Wings" for the first dance!" Satisfied with his work, he smirked as Xander, Anya and Giles all turned from their conversation to stare at a very embarrassed Buffy.
"That was the spell." Ducking away from their amused glances Buffy made her way into the kitchen, with Willow appearing a few moments later.
"Did I mention about the sorry part?"
"We may be into a forgetting spell later." Buffy's face conveyed both her astonishment and horror at her recent engagement. "I loved him. We were betrothed."
"Well, at-at least you were getting along," Willow offered weakly.
"But we weren't. I mean, I wasn't even nice." Buffy shook her head. "Oh God. Angel must hate me."
"What? Why?"
"Because I was all over Spike! Didn't you see his face before he left? He was disgusted with me. He finally comes and sees me - though not of his own free will, only because of the spell - and I'm engaged to Spike! What the hell am I going to say?!"
"He knows it was the spell Buffy," Willow reasoned. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you."
"Yeah," Buffy scoffed. "That's why he left without a word. He was so pleased to see me engaged and lip-locked to an annoying vampire, that he lost all forms of speech." She sighed. "He's never going to call me now."
********************
"Er, hey Buffy!" Grimacing as she heard her name being called, Buffy forced a pleasant expression to her face as Riley once again spied her walking across campus.
"Hey" he offered, as he caught up with her. Buffy said nothing in reply, just looked at him expectantly.
"So, I uh, I hear congratulations are in order," Riley offered.
"Huh?"
"Your engagement. Congratulations. Though I must admit I was a little shocked to hear about it ... and especially considering the guy you're marrying, but you kno..."
"What? Riley how did you hear about that?" Buffy winced at the thought of rumours about her and Spike flying around campus.
"I overheard this tall dark guy and some other guy called Spike fighting in the street about a Buffy that the Spike guy was marrying, and ..." Riley chuckled "... it's not like Buffy's a common name exactly ..." another chuckle "... so I just figured ..."
"What's wrong with the name Buffy?" she interrupted.
"What? No, nothing's wrong with it, I just meant that ..."
"My mother gave me that name."
"And it's a great name! Look, Buffy I just wanted to ..."
"Listen Riley, I'm not engaged. You must have heard wrong, or there must be some other girl called Buffy out there," Buffy lied. "But it's not me."
"It's not?" Riley brightened visibly.
"I'm most definitely not marrying anyone called 'Spike'."
"Really?" A smile was quickly spreading across Riley's face.
"I can guarantee that I won't change my mind on that subject. Ever."
"So you're still single."
"Yes" Buffy sighed, her thoughts drifting away to a time when she hadn't been, and had been happily ensconced in the arms of a tall dark guy.
"Okay, then." Not wanting to upset Buffy any further and jeopardise his chances with he, Riley smiled and walked away, leaving her gazing wistfully into space. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't even realise he had left.
********************