"Your
hair is sticking straight up, luv." Spike
reached up and roughly brushed her hair back into place.
"Well,
yours isn't much better." Her
hands went to comb through his hair but were stopped by his own. Spike held her sweaty palms in his while he stared intently into her
eyes.
"Thank
you."
Buffy
thought about his comment momentarily, unable to determine what he meant. "Thank me?"
A
small smile crossed his lips. "Thank
you for giving me a chance to love you the way I always wanted to." He took a deep breath, then continued while stroking her hair. "You didn't have to love me. You
could have just accepted me as a friend and I would have been able to die
happy…again. Not the happy part,
the dying part. Anyhow, the point
being, I couldn't be any more content than I am at this moment. So, thank you."
"Oh,
good. I thought you were thanking
me for the sex we just had."
"Well,
I'll do better than that once I get you alone." His expression then changed from one of lust to evilness. "Speaking of interruptions, can I eat the red head? Please?"
She
raised one eyebrow, mirroring his own look. "Only if I don't get to her first."
*****************************************************************
The
haphazard couple entered the Harris Wedding reception to see all eyes trained on
them. The moment Anya saw a smile
cross her husband's face, she dropped her thin veil of tact. "See, Xander. Were not the only ones who have sex in grossly inappropriate
places!"
Giles
shook his head slightly, then took another slug off his rum and coke. Buffy's face flushed violently, but she was determined to keep her
composure. Spike felt a pull from
two directions. On one hand, he
wanted to scream at the top of his lungs that the Slayer loved him and just
shagged him. On the other hand, he
wanted to say something incredibly witty and insightful, designed to put Buffy
at ease. In the end, he just smiled
like a boy who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Can
we please focus on the Bride and not her errant Bride's Maid?" Anya tapped her foot and scowled at her audience. Willow gently turned her away from the group, whispering in her ear. Anya's face glowed as she allowed herself to be manipulated by her Maid
of Honor. Then the witch backed up
and instructed the Bride to throw the bouquet.
Now,
there are some who say what happened next was a fluke. But those who know better call it destiny.
***
The
single women, that is, all the women of this evening's activities, gathered
expectantly behind the ivory clad ex-demon. Anticipation filled the air like a thick fog that not even headlights
could cut through. Meanwhile, the
men sat to the side, in a complete daze, unaware of the utmost importance of the
upcoming ritual. Spike, Xander and
Giles lounged together, drinking and offhandedly discussing…well, anything to
make them feel manlier.
"So,
this inane gesture means what exactly?" Giles
lifted his glass up to his lips.
Xander
looked at his Best Man with a look of comisery. "Anya throws her bouquet and whoever catches it is the next
of the group to marry, I guess." He
turned his head back to the women, trying to get another view of his lovely
Bride.
Spike
raised an eyebrow. "Sounds a bit
poncy to me, mates."
"Yeah,
well, Anya wanted to do it this way." Simultaneously,
their heads turned toward the ladies.
*****************
Anya
bent over and down with her flowers. Then,
the scene switched to slow motion as her body straightened, arms flying upward,
fingers slowly letting go. The
bouquet flung out of her hands, then tumbled through the air toward four waiting
sets of arms. Head over tail, again
and again. Little heads of baby's
breath flailed off at a tangent and leaves shot toward the gentlemen at the bar. One set of arms opened wider in anticipation of catching the mystical
bunch of flowers. It came closer
and closer and the woman's smile got larger and larger until…
"Oof!" Spike dove toward Dawn upon seeing the bouquet in her vicinity and shoved
both her and the offending buds off in separate directions. With its new trajectory, the bunch of flowers sailed toward the next set
of arms…two sets to be exact. Then,
it landed.
Anya
swung around, excited to see who the next Bride would be. She paused for a moment, regarding the scene before her. Dawn and Spike lay on the floor, each with their unique facial
expressions. Buffy stood over them with her hands on her hips and a scowl
on her face. Then, in the
background of it all stood Willow and Tara, complete with goofy, lovesick
smiles. The bouquet rested daintily
between their two sets of hands.
***
Dawn
shoved Spike away from her, then hastily stood, dusting off her tacky, blue
dress. "What was that for, you
undead jerk?!"
His gaze switched from Dawn's angry face to the interested one of Buffy. He thought carefully about his next words, then sighed. "Harris told me the meaning behind this soddin' thing," he said as he motioned toward the mess of flowers, "and it's bloody well not gonna be you, platelet."
And at that moment, Spike became a true member of the Summers family.
******
The End