The Night Remembers - Epilogue
By Jill
Three months later.
"Quiet, quiet everyone," Xander shouted over the chorus of voices as he
stood up. Buffy made a face at him, but then grinned and gave him her
attention. He grinned back, his eyes sweeping over his assembled friends.
"Well," he said finally, smiling at his new wife, who was sitting right by
his side, playing with the gold band on her ring finger. They had a church
wedding in the morning in Sunnydale, with Xander's mother weeping, and now
the couple was celebrating with all their friends in a club in L.A. It
belonged to a rich businessman whose cellar had been infested with nasty,
little, green demons a few weeks ago. Buffy and Angel had helped him and in
return, he let them use his club for the celebration.
"First of all I wanted to thank you for coming," Xander began, taking his
wife's hand he amended, "*We* want to thank you of course. And Buffy and Angel
especially for getting this for us," he gestured at the club. "And I wanted
to say sorry for the church wedding, so Angel couldn't be there, but my
mother insisted on it," he explained and rolled his eyes, which made the
others laugh. "I still think it's a little late for her to discover she's
got a son, but then better late than never."
"Does this have a point?" Spike asked from his spot beside Faith, for whom
Kate had managed to get a short time release to celebrate with her friends.
Two days after her surgery, the slayer had been transferred to the L.A. jail
hospital and it was the first time she had been able to see all her friends
together again. "Because the Guiness is getting warm, you know." He yelped
when Faith elbowed him in the ribs.
Spike had visited her regularly in prison during the last weeks. Of course,
it was just for fun. He didn't care for her, he told himself firmly. With
Buffy and Dawn moving to L.A. nothing was holding him in Sunnydale anymore
and two months ago he had moved into the Hyperion Hotel. Angel wasn't too
happy about it, but Dawn and Buffy had begged him to let the blond vampire
stay and who was he to deny them something - anything. Cordelia had
protested of course, but Spike had managed his best behavior so far and so
she wasn't complaining - much - anymore.
"We also have to say goodbye to our mentor," Xander continued, ignoring
Spike's interruption, "Giles, although we all know that the council will be
improving with you there, we will all miss you."
A chorus of voices agreed and everyone turned towards the watcher, who was
almost moved to tears, "I'm not out of the world," he said gruffly, "England
isn't that far away and you're always welcome there."
"And we know someone who will certainly come over regularely," Xander wiggled his
brows at Kate who was sitting at Giles' side and blushed.
"No thanks," Anya replied, "I spent almost three hundred years there. Enough
is enough."
Xander rolled his eyes at that, while the others chuckled. "We'll all come
visit you sooner or later," he said firmly, giving his wife the eye, "But
near or not, we'll miss you. You were a father for all of us when our own
weren't."
"Stop that, Xander, you're embarrassing him," Willow whispered, seeing the
watcher fight with tears and averting his gaze.
"Alright, then, let's get to the others," Xander said on a sigh, "There we
have Willow and Tara who just started their first business. Hopefully it
will be a success."
The two witches gave him a smile. They had taken over the Magic Shop from
Giles, and were turning it into a Wiccan center at the moment. With the
hellmouth energy gone and the demons and vampires disappearing from
Sunnydale, there wasn't much need anymore for spells, so it was slowly
developing into some sort of spiritual haven. But of course the two witches
still kept certain ingredients in the back room. More than once Angel and
Buffy would call and need help with something. Then they would rush to L.A.
- and love it. After all, they hadn't improved their skills for nothing.
"Then we have Spike and Faith," Xander continued, grinning at the brunette
slayer and the blond vampire.
"Why are you mentioning us together? We're not a couple," Spike retorted.
"We're just... acquaintances."
"Sure," Dawn said dryly and grinned.
The vampire narrowed his eyes at her, giving her his best bad vampire
expression. But she just laughed. Maybe he should plan his visits to the
jail more carefully, he mused. Otherwise, they would think he was getting
all fluffy over the slayer chick. Sure, she was nice to talk to and not bad
to look at and their one time sexual encounter was something to be
remembered, but that didn't mean he was already infatuated with her. Not at
all.
"And finally we come to our star-crossed lovers," Xander said on a chuckle,
grinning at Buffy and Angel, who were sitting at the other end of the table.
In Angel's eyes it was enough to live under the same roof with Spike, he
didn't need to sit close to him too. "I know nobody's going to believe I
said this later, but I'm glad to see you together. Our little slayer never
looked better and if I may say so, the not so broody look suits you Angel."
Everyone chuckled at that, and Xander continued, "And then Wesley, Cordelia
and Gunn, our singles. Still haven't managed to get one of the rich guys,
huh, Cordy?" he joked and ducked when she threw her napkin at him, but she
laughed good naturedly and then frowned when she saw Gunn watching her
intently. Oh no, she thought with upcoming panic, she wouldn't fall for
another loser. She'd sworn herself not to, but he sure had nice eyes. Funny that
she'd never noticed it before.
"Wes will continue working with us," the brunette said, eager to change the
very dangerous train of thoughts, "even as the council took him back and
he's now Buffy's watcher."
"I agreed only under the terms," Wesley raised his chin, "that I would never
leave my friends," he added, exchanging a look with Angel, who smiled at
him. There was nothing of the stiff wimp left in the new improved Wesley and
it was a good feeling that he might be partly responsible for that.
"So what I wanted to say," Xander lifted his glass of champagne and looked
around for one last time, "is thanks to the PTB or whatever they call
themselves for all we've got and let's hope it'll be even better in the
future. I can do with less demons and evil vampires."
"Hey," Spike protested from his spot.
"Not meaning the present ones of course," Xander amended with a grin. "So
let's drink. Geez, guys, do you realize I'm married? I'm not even 22 and
married. God, I need a drink." And with one gulp he emptied the glass he was
holding.
Anya looked at him oddly, and then sipped at her champagne.
"You know," Buffy leaned over to Angel, "I always thought there wasn't a
couple more uncommon than we are, but I think I'm wrong."
The vampire gave her a quick kiss on her inviting lips and let his gaze
wander to Xander and Anya, to Willow and Tara and finally with a little
inward shudder to Faith and Spike. "No," he said looking back at his lover,
"I think we're nothing out of the ordinary," he decided, "but then I'd like
to believe we still are."
"You do?" she raised a brow at him.
"Mmmm, yes, I do. I'd like to believe that there's nobody as much in love as
we are."
God, how did he do it, she wondered. Every time she thought it wasn't
possible, she loved him a little bit more. "Oh, Angel," she whispered, tears
threatening in her eyes. "I love you."
"Love you too," he replied and their lips met. Ordinary couple or not - in
each other they had found everything that was important. The other things -
Buffy would say - were just details.
END
By Jill
Three months later.
"Quiet, quiet everyone," Xander shouted over the chorus of voices as he
stood up. Buffy made a face at him, but then grinned and gave him her
attention. He grinned back, his eyes sweeping over his assembled friends.
"Well," he said finally, smiling at his new wife, who was sitting right by
his side, playing with the gold band on her ring finger. They had a church
wedding in the morning in Sunnydale, with Xander's mother weeping, and now
the couple was celebrating with all their friends in a club in L.A. It
belonged to a rich businessman whose cellar had been infested with nasty,
little, green demons a few weeks ago. Buffy and Angel had helped him and in
return, he let them use his club for the celebration.
"First of all I wanted to thank you for coming," Xander began, taking his
wife's hand he amended, "*We* want to thank you of course. And Buffy and Angel
especially for getting this for us," he gestured at the club. "And I wanted
to say sorry for the church wedding, so Angel couldn't be there, but my
mother insisted on it," he explained and rolled his eyes, which made the
others laugh. "I still think it's a little late for her to discover she's
got a son, but then better late than never."
"Does this have a point?" Spike asked from his spot beside Faith, for whom
Kate had managed to get a short time release to celebrate with her friends.
Two days after her surgery, the slayer had been transferred to the L.A. jail
hospital and it was the first time she had been able to see all her friends
together again. "Because the Guiness is getting warm, you know." He yelped
when Faith elbowed him in the ribs.
Spike had visited her regularly in prison during the last weeks. Of course,
it was just for fun. He didn't care for her, he told himself firmly. With
Buffy and Dawn moving to L.A. nothing was holding him in Sunnydale anymore
and two months ago he had moved into the Hyperion Hotel. Angel wasn't too
happy about it, but Dawn and Buffy had begged him to let the blond vampire
stay and who was he to deny them something - anything. Cordelia had
protested of course, but Spike had managed his best behavior so far and so
she wasn't complaining - much - anymore.
"We also have to say goodbye to our mentor," Xander continued, ignoring
Spike's interruption, "Giles, although we all know that the council will be
improving with you there, we will all miss you."
A chorus of voices agreed and everyone turned towards the watcher, who was
almost moved to tears, "I'm not out of the world," he said gruffly, "England
isn't that far away and you're always welcome there."
"And we know someone who will certainly come over regularely," Xander wiggled his
brows at Kate who was sitting at Giles' side and blushed.
"No thanks," Anya replied, "I spent almost three hundred years there. Enough
is enough."
Xander rolled his eyes at that, while the others chuckled. "We'll all come
visit you sooner or later," he said firmly, giving his wife the eye, "But
near or not, we'll miss you. You were a father for all of us when our own
weren't."
"Stop that, Xander, you're embarrassing him," Willow whispered, seeing the
watcher fight with tears and averting his gaze.
"Alright, then, let's get to the others," Xander said on a sigh, "There we
have Willow and Tara who just started their first business. Hopefully it
will be a success."
The two witches gave him a smile. They had taken over the Magic Shop from
Giles, and were turning it into a Wiccan center at the moment. With the
hellmouth energy gone and the demons and vampires disappearing from
Sunnydale, there wasn't much need anymore for spells, so it was slowly
developing into some sort of spiritual haven. But of course the two witches
still kept certain ingredients in the back room. More than once Angel and
Buffy would call and need help with something. Then they would rush to L.A.
- and love it. After all, they hadn't improved their skills for nothing.
"Then we have Spike and Faith," Xander continued, grinning at the brunette
slayer and the blond vampire.
"Why are you mentioning us together? We're not a couple," Spike retorted.
"We're just... acquaintances."
"Sure," Dawn said dryly and grinned.
The vampire narrowed his eyes at her, giving her his best bad vampire
expression. But she just laughed. Maybe he should plan his visits to the
jail more carefully, he mused. Otherwise, they would think he was getting
all fluffy over the slayer chick. Sure, she was nice to talk to and not bad
to look at and their one time sexual encounter was something to be
remembered, but that didn't mean he was already infatuated with her. Not at
all.
"And finally we come to our star-crossed lovers," Xander said on a chuckle,
grinning at Buffy and Angel, who were sitting at the other end of the table.
In Angel's eyes it was enough to live under the same roof with Spike, he
didn't need to sit close to him too. "I know nobody's going to believe I
said this later, but I'm glad to see you together. Our little slayer never
looked better and if I may say so, the not so broody look suits you Angel."
Everyone chuckled at that, and Xander continued, "And then Wesley, Cordelia
and Gunn, our singles. Still haven't managed to get one of the rich guys,
huh, Cordy?" he joked and ducked when she threw her napkin at him, but she
laughed good naturedly and then frowned when she saw Gunn watching her
intently. Oh no, she thought with upcoming panic, she wouldn't fall for
another loser. She'd sworn herself not to, but he sure had nice eyes. Funny that
she'd never noticed it before.
"Wes will continue working with us," the brunette said, eager to change the
very dangerous train of thoughts, "even as the council took him back and
he's now Buffy's watcher."
"I agreed only under the terms," Wesley raised his chin, "that I would never
leave my friends," he added, exchanging a look with Angel, who smiled at
him. There was nothing of the stiff wimp left in the new improved Wesley and
it was a good feeling that he might be partly responsible for that.
"So what I wanted to say," Xander lifted his glass of champagne and looked
around for one last time, "is thanks to the PTB or whatever they call
themselves for all we've got and let's hope it'll be even better in the
future. I can do with less demons and evil vampires."
"Hey," Spike protested from his spot.
"Not meaning the present ones of course," Xander amended with a grin. "So
let's drink. Geez, guys, do you realize I'm married? I'm not even 22 and
married. God, I need a drink." And with one gulp he emptied the glass he was
holding.
Anya looked at him oddly, and then sipped at her champagne.
"You know," Buffy leaned over to Angel, "I always thought there wasn't a
couple more uncommon than we are, but I think I'm wrong."
The vampire gave her a quick kiss on her inviting lips and let his gaze
wander to Xander and Anya, to Willow and Tara and finally with a little
inward shudder to Faith and Spike. "No," he said looking back at his lover,
"I think we're nothing out of the ordinary," he decided, "but then I'd like
to believe we still are."
"You do?" she raised a brow at him.
"Mmmm, yes, I do. I'd like to believe that there's nobody as much in love as
we are."
God, how did he do it, she wondered. Every time she thought it wasn't
possible, she loved him a little bit more. "Oh, Angel," she whispered, tears
threatening in her eyes. "I love you."
"Love you too," he replied and their lips met. Ordinary couple or not - in
each other they had found everything that was important. The other things -
Buffy would say - were just details.
END