Two Weddings and a Funeral
By Dramaqueen
Part 1
"You know it's strange. We went to high school with the guy, but we were never actually friends with him till we left." Willow said to her friends.
"And now he's gone." Buffy added quietly.
After they, along with the others, had gotten back from Jonathon's funeral, they had spent the best part of an hour talking about their memories of him. Admittedly, they didn't have that many, and it was the pauses in between that had taken up so much time. Still, it seemed somehow right to discuss their fond memories of him so soon after his funeral.
Just then the front door opened. Everyone turned to see a tall, thin man with pale skin and peroxide blonde hair.
"What are you doing here?" Giles asked the new arrival.
"Isn't a man allowed to visit friends when they come back from a funeral?" The man asked in an English accent.
"They are. But firstly, we're not your friends. And secondly, you're not, in the strictest sense, a man." Giles pointed out.
"Firstly, we're not exactly enemies since I got this chip in my head are we? And secondly, I may be a vampire, but I'm not a woman." The 'man' said as he went and perched on the edge of the couch.
"What are you really doing here Spike?" Xander asked huffily.
"Honestly? I'm bored as hell." Spike admitted.
"You're bored?" Buffy queried suspiciously.
"Well I'm not exactly gonna come see you lot when I've got something better to do am I?"
"Well seeing as this is the fifth time you've come over in two weeks, you mustn't have much to do lately." Giles said as he cleaned his glasses.
"As it happens, I don't. You see since I got this chip in my head and started hurting demons, I haven't been too popular amongst my old crowd." Spike told them.
"That's nice. Are you still taking me out tomorrow?" Anya asked, turning to Xander.
"Er…honey. Do you really think this is the time?" Xander asked his girlfriend.
"Well I was going to ask you earlier, but I remembered that when you first mentioned you were going to take me out, you said not to bring it up at the funeral." Anya reminded him.
"I think he probably meant don't mention it at all today." Willow guessed.
"Yes. But I'm excited. He's going to ask me to marry him!" Anya announced happily.
"What?!" Everyone asked, looking directly at Xander.
"No I'm not!" He exclaimed nervously.
"Yes you are. I saw the ring." Anya told him.
Xander covered his face with his hands, and sank down in the couch, while Anya crossed her arms triumphantly as she realised that she had been right in her presumption about the ring.
"You know, I think that we should all go for a walk. Go to the park where Jonathon died and pay our respects." Giles suggested, knowing that Xander and Anya needed some alone time.
"Good idea. I'll just get mine and Buffy's jacket." Said Riley, getting the hint.
"Stuff that. I barely knew the late John boy. I think I'll stay here and see how pizza boy gets out of this one." Said Spike, also getting Giles's hint. Just not going along with it.
"You know I think I might have a stake in bag." Said Buffy, looking pointedly at Spike.
"You wouldn't!" Spike stated, fear apparent in his voice.
"Oh I would." Buffy said, reaching for her purse.
This time Spike went along with the hint, and a few minutes later Xander and Anya were alone in Giles's apartment.
"So…where do you think you saw this ring?" Xander asked.
""I know that I saw it in a box when I was helping you move into your knew apartment." Informed Anya.
"You mean you saw a jewellery box."
"No. Well, yes. I saw a jewellery box in one of the packing boxes."
"But you didn't see an actual ring. I mean you couldn't have." Xander panicked.
"Yes I could. I opened the box. And before you ask how I knew it was for me, the answer is, as a vengeance demon I granted quite a few wishes to heartbroken women, dumped by their fiancées. And they had rings. "
"But…but…okay! The ring you saw is an engagement ring for you. There's no point pretending it's not. It's just, I wanted my proposal to be special, you know?" He asked her, leaning closer to Anya.
"I get that. But surely what matters is that I say yes? Well, that and the ring." Anya smiled as she too leaned in closer.
"Is that your way of seeing yes?" Xander asked cautiously.
"Is that your way of proposing?" Anya returned.
"You do know I don't have the ring with me don't you?'
"I know. I have it." Anya reached into her back pocket and produced a midnight blue velvet box. "I found it in your draw when you were in the bathroom this morning. I thought, you never know, we might need it."
"You planned this whole thing didn't you?" Xander asked, trying to sound annoyed but unable to help himself from smiling.
"Kind of. I knew I was gonna mention it, Giles getting everyone to leave was just an expected bonus." Anya smiled and handed Xander the box.
"Oh God. Right. Here goes." Xander got of the couch and knelt in front of Anya on one knee. There was a brief pause.
"Anya." He said, opening the box to reveal a thin gold band with a small, circular diamond in the centre.
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes!" Anya declared sincerely.
Xander took the ring from the box (which he put on the floor,) and put it on Anya's finger. They then stood up and embraced.