~ Part 9 ~
"I call the last piece."
"No way. No one calls the last piece."
"Willow, that's your second piece already, why don't you just let Dawnie have it?" Tara asked, picking up cream encrusted plates and silverware.
"She can't. The last piece is for the bride and groom to eat on their one-year anniversary. It's good luck and means sweetness will stay in the marriage."
"God Wil, just let her have the cake." There wasn't going to be any sweetness, or good luck and there was no way she was going to look at that sliver of dessert every time she went to get an ice cube so she could be reminded about how nothing ever works out for Buffy.
She pushed herself back from the table, perhaps a little too violently, and Spike grabbed her wrist. His grip loosened a little when she turned to look at him. "I think Red has the right idea. We can use whatever luck we can get." His fingers drifted from her arm, but she was sure he felt her heart speed up right before they did.
"Buffy, I don't want the cake, put it away. Please." She looked at her sister, and she saw it there, the guilt. "Dawnie this is not your fault" she wanted to scream. "There is no fault because this is something good." But she couldn't do it, and so she just focussed on the pleading face.
"Alright, fine. We'll keep the cake." She picked up the dish and decided against just flinging it onto the abyss of freezer burned chicken and half-eaten tubs of Chocoholics Delight. Very gently she wrapped a layer of tinfoil from the roll around the slice and laid it down next to a container of concentrated orange juice. She turned to see the girls putting on their coats. "Where do you think you're all going?"
"It's your wedding night, and you deserve a little privacy." Dawn said grabbing her purse from the counter. "So I'm staying with Tara and Willow tonight."
"Oh no. You've got to be kidding me." Spike appeared to have the same expression on his face, the look of terror and disbelief. "You guys know we're not going to do anything like that."
"Good-bye Buffy. Have fun Spike." The door slammed behind the two wiccas and Dawn.
"Well what are we supposed to do now?" Buffy said, closing the freezer at last.
"I'll leave you alone." He got up from the table and grabbed his duster from the back of the chair.
"You don't have to." But he didn't hear her, as he'd already headed out into the night. "Nice Buffy. Real nice." She reopened the door and took out one of the ice cream tubs, sinking a nearby spoon into the half-carved block.
"I call the last piece."
"No way. No one calls the last piece."
"Willow, that's your second piece already, why don't you just let Dawnie have it?" Tara asked, picking up cream encrusted plates and silverware.
"She can't. The last piece is for the bride and groom to eat on their one-year anniversary. It's good luck and means sweetness will stay in the marriage."
"God Wil, just let her have the cake." There wasn't going to be any sweetness, or good luck and there was no way she was going to look at that sliver of dessert every time she went to get an ice cube so she could be reminded about how nothing ever works out for Buffy.
She pushed herself back from the table, perhaps a little too violently, and Spike grabbed her wrist. His grip loosened a little when she turned to look at him. "I think Red has the right idea. We can use whatever luck we can get." His fingers drifted from her arm, but she was sure he felt her heart speed up right before they did.
"Buffy, I don't want the cake, put it away. Please." She looked at her sister, and she saw it there, the guilt. "Dawnie this is not your fault" she wanted to scream. "There is no fault because this is something good." But she couldn't do it, and so she just focussed on the pleading face.
"Alright, fine. We'll keep the cake." She picked up the dish and decided against just flinging it onto the abyss of freezer burned chicken and half-eaten tubs of Chocoholics Delight. Very gently she wrapped a layer of tinfoil from the roll around the slice and laid it down next to a container of concentrated orange juice. She turned to see the girls putting on their coats. "Where do you think you're all going?"
"It's your wedding night, and you deserve a little privacy." Dawn said grabbing her purse from the counter. "So I'm staying with Tara and Willow tonight."
"Oh no. You've got to be kidding me." Spike appeared to have the same expression on his face, the look of terror and disbelief. "You guys know we're not going to do anything like that."
"Good-bye Buffy. Have fun Spike." The door slammed behind the two wiccas and Dawn.
"Well what are we supposed to do now?" Buffy said, closing the freezer at last.
"I'll leave you alone." He got up from the table and grabbed his duster from the back of the chair.
"You don't have to." But he didn't hear her, as he'd already headed out into the night. "Nice Buffy. Real nice." She reopened the door and took out one of the ice cream tubs, sinking a nearby spoon into the half-carved block.