Anya couldn't help but feel a sense of pride to see her future husband at
work. Though he had never said anything to the rest of his friends, Xander
had always been a bit ashamed that Buffy and Willow had gone to college
while he hadn't. Anya recalled that he would often complain after having
sex with her that his life was going nowhere. He rotated from one job to
another until he finally came upon construction. From there, he had gotten
himself promoted to supervisor. All of his complaining had been for
naught; he had truly made something of himself without having gone to
college.
Anya couldn't help but notice how different she had become in the last several years. She was proud to see her husband succeed, but at one point in time she would have been disgusted at the thought. To see a man so happy would have driven her crazy. Amazing how a few years and the inability to grant wishes could change a woman.
She knew that Anyanka, her demon persona, would have been disgusted to learn that Anya had become a complete slave to sex. Not that she was exactly a slave, she realized; a slave was forced to do what it didn't want to. Anya was certainly no slave; she was closer to being a slave driver.
Reaching into her pocket, she drew out a magazine. She had been looking through the magazine, titled "Bridal Now," all morning, and had finally found the perfect dress for the wedding. She knew Xander didn't like to be distracted from work, but she couldn't contain her excitement any longer. Work would just have to wait; it was infinitely less important than her wedding.
Anya marched right towards Xander, who was up on a ladder hammering something into place. Anya was about to call his name when she got distracted by his rear end. God, he's got a great ass, Anya thought to herself. She became so distracted with Xander's backside that a bomb could have gone off four feet away and she would have never noticed.
"Awn, hon, you're embarrassing me," Xander said, his words snapping Anya out of her entrancement. She shook her head, regaining her senses, as her fiancé climbed down the ladder. She vaguely heard Xander's coworkers snickering, but she paid them no mind.
"I'm sorry, it's just that your ass is so distracting," Anya said, drawing even louder laughter from Xander's coworkers; Xander shot them a glare that silenced them, though the grins remained on their faces.
"Why don't you guys go ahead and take a break?" Xander instructed.
"Sure thing, boss," the heaviest of the three coworkers responded. "We'll leave you, the Mrs., and your distracting butt cheeks alone for a couple of minutes." Laughing to themselves, the three made their way to the truck. Xander's attention had already returned to his fiancé.
"So what are you doing here?" Xander asked. "Shouldn't you be at work?"
"No time for that," Anya explained, thrusting the bridal magazine in Xander's face. "Look at this. Wouldn't this just be perfect for our wedding? It's very very pretty, and it's easy to get out of so we can start having sex as soon as the wedding is over."
"It's pretty," Xander said, though he didn't seem to sound too sincere about it. "But you do know we won't have sex that night until the honeymoon, don't you?"
"Why can't we have it as soon as we say I do?" Anya asked.
"How about the fact that I don't want to have sex in front of all of my friends?"
"Don't be silly," Anya replied. "As soon as we say I do, we will simply explain to the guests that they must leave so we can have sex. I'm sure they'll all understand. So what do you think of the dress?"
"I told you I liked it."
"Well, you don't sound like you like it," Anya argued. "In fact, half the things I show you for the wedding you don't seem to care about. It's our wedding, Xander. I want everything to be perfect."
"It will be, Awn, I promise," Xander swore. "It's just, you're rushing things. I mean, you've already picked out a dress, but we haven't even set a date, we haven't told my friends." Xander was about to continue, but he was interrupted.
"And whose fault is that, Xander Harris?" Anya demanded. "I've wanted to tell the gang several times, but you keep insisting it's not the right time. When is the right time?"
Xander sighed. "It's too soon," Xander asked. "Giles has been distant lately, and Willow is driving all of us crazy with her obsession about fixing the Buffy-Bot. I just want to wait a little while before we tell them."
"But why?!" Anya shrieked. "Thinking about getting married makes me really really happy. Therefore, telling them should make them happy. Which will make me happier. Which will make you happier. Which will make me happier. It's a happy happy situation, Xander." Anya quit upon seeing Xander's reaction. Anya turned her head in curiosity, wondering what could have Xander so upset at a time like this. Then it hit her. "Is this about Buffy?" she asked.
Xander's eyes shot up at that moment, and if Anya didn't know better she would have been afraid. There was an intensity in Xander's eyes that she had never seen before. She couldn't help but wonder what Xander would have done if it had been anybody else that made the suggestion.
Xander's eyes returned to his feet. Along with Willow, Buffy was his best friend. He was about to get married, but he would never be able to tell one of those closest to him. What was supposed to be the happiest day of his life was approaching, and one of the dearest people in his heart would never have the chance to be there.
"She'd want us to be happy," Anya said in her best soothing voice. "I'm sure wherever she is, she's encouraging us to tell the gang about the big day." This last comment drew Xander's eyes once again; if they had been intense before, she had no idea what to call them now.
"Don't you talk like that!" Xander talked like that. "Don't use Buffy to pressure me into telling my friends!"
"That's not what I was doing!" Anya shot back. "I'm just saying you can't skirt the fact forever. Either way, if we're going to get married, we have to tell everybody. Better now than later."
Xander just shook his head. "I can't tell them now," Xander responded. "The timing just isn't right. But we'll tell them eventually. I promise."
"You know what, Xander, maybe we won't," Anya said, turning on her feet and storming off. Calling over her shoulder, she added, "If you don't want to tell them now, maybe we just shouldn't tell them at all. Maybe we just shouldn't get married!"
Xander called after her, but Anya ignored him. She was too furious at the moment to stop and listen to any more of his excuses. She didn't think she could look at Xander at that particular moment and not scream. Not for the first time, she wished she could once again become a vengeance demon so she could just leave all the complications behind.
Anya couldn't help but notice how different she had become in the last several years. She was proud to see her husband succeed, but at one point in time she would have been disgusted at the thought. To see a man so happy would have driven her crazy. Amazing how a few years and the inability to grant wishes could change a woman.
She knew that Anyanka, her demon persona, would have been disgusted to learn that Anya had become a complete slave to sex. Not that she was exactly a slave, she realized; a slave was forced to do what it didn't want to. Anya was certainly no slave; she was closer to being a slave driver.
Reaching into her pocket, she drew out a magazine. She had been looking through the magazine, titled "Bridal Now," all morning, and had finally found the perfect dress for the wedding. She knew Xander didn't like to be distracted from work, but she couldn't contain her excitement any longer. Work would just have to wait; it was infinitely less important than her wedding.
Anya marched right towards Xander, who was up on a ladder hammering something into place. Anya was about to call his name when she got distracted by his rear end. God, he's got a great ass, Anya thought to herself. She became so distracted with Xander's backside that a bomb could have gone off four feet away and she would have never noticed.
"Awn, hon, you're embarrassing me," Xander said, his words snapping Anya out of her entrancement. She shook her head, regaining her senses, as her fiancé climbed down the ladder. She vaguely heard Xander's coworkers snickering, but she paid them no mind.
"I'm sorry, it's just that your ass is so distracting," Anya said, drawing even louder laughter from Xander's coworkers; Xander shot them a glare that silenced them, though the grins remained on their faces.
"Why don't you guys go ahead and take a break?" Xander instructed.
"Sure thing, boss," the heaviest of the three coworkers responded. "We'll leave you, the Mrs., and your distracting butt cheeks alone for a couple of minutes." Laughing to themselves, the three made their way to the truck. Xander's attention had already returned to his fiancé.
"So what are you doing here?" Xander asked. "Shouldn't you be at work?"
"No time for that," Anya explained, thrusting the bridal magazine in Xander's face. "Look at this. Wouldn't this just be perfect for our wedding? It's very very pretty, and it's easy to get out of so we can start having sex as soon as the wedding is over."
"It's pretty," Xander said, though he didn't seem to sound too sincere about it. "But you do know we won't have sex that night until the honeymoon, don't you?"
"Why can't we have it as soon as we say I do?" Anya asked.
"How about the fact that I don't want to have sex in front of all of my friends?"
"Don't be silly," Anya replied. "As soon as we say I do, we will simply explain to the guests that they must leave so we can have sex. I'm sure they'll all understand. So what do you think of the dress?"
"I told you I liked it."
"Well, you don't sound like you like it," Anya argued. "In fact, half the things I show you for the wedding you don't seem to care about. It's our wedding, Xander. I want everything to be perfect."
"It will be, Awn, I promise," Xander swore. "It's just, you're rushing things. I mean, you've already picked out a dress, but we haven't even set a date, we haven't told my friends." Xander was about to continue, but he was interrupted.
"And whose fault is that, Xander Harris?" Anya demanded. "I've wanted to tell the gang several times, but you keep insisting it's not the right time. When is the right time?"
Xander sighed. "It's too soon," Xander asked. "Giles has been distant lately, and Willow is driving all of us crazy with her obsession about fixing the Buffy-Bot. I just want to wait a little while before we tell them."
"But why?!" Anya shrieked. "Thinking about getting married makes me really really happy. Therefore, telling them should make them happy. Which will make me happier. Which will make you happier. Which will make me happier. It's a happy happy situation, Xander." Anya quit upon seeing Xander's reaction. Anya turned her head in curiosity, wondering what could have Xander so upset at a time like this. Then it hit her. "Is this about Buffy?" she asked.
Xander's eyes shot up at that moment, and if Anya didn't know better she would have been afraid. There was an intensity in Xander's eyes that she had never seen before. She couldn't help but wonder what Xander would have done if it had been anybody else that made the suggestion.
Xander's eyes returned to his feet. Along with Willow, Buffy was his best friend. He was about to get married, but he would never be able to tell one of those closest to him. What was supposed to be the happiest day of his life was approaching, and one of the dearest people in his heart would never have the chance to be there.
"She'd want us to be happy," Anya said in her best soothing voice. "I'm sure wherever she is, she's encouraging us to tell the gang about the big day." This last comment drew Xander's eyes once again; if they had been intense before, she had no idea what to call them now.
"Don't you talk like that!" Xander talked like that. "Don't use Buffy to pressure me into telling my friends!"
"That's not what I was doing!" Anya shot back. "I'm just saying you can't skirt the fact forever. Either way, if we're going to get married, we have to tell everybody. Better now than later."
Xander just shook his head. "I can't tell them now," Xander responded. "The timing just isn't right. But we'll tell them eventually. I promise."
"You know what, Xander, maybe we won't," Anya said, turning on her feet and storming off. Calling over her shoulder, she added, "If you don't want to tell them now, maybe we just shouldn't tell them at all. Maybe we just shouldn't get married!"
Xander called after her, but Anya ignored him. She was too furious at the moment to stop and listen to any more of his excuses. She didn't think she could look at Xander at that particular moment and not scream. Not for the first time, she wished she could once again become a vengeance demon so she could just leave all the complications behind.