title: Marriage, Sunnydale-Style
author: Heather (heather@hella-good.org)
rating: R
spoilers: none...completely an au/fantasy fic except for things borrowed from the Buffyverse (season 1-7) that are twisted to fit in this universe.
disclaimer: If I actually owned anything, I probably wouldn't be doing this :)
summary: After almost 10 years of dating, Buffy and Spike finally find themselves in the midst of planning a wedding and remembering the long journey that got them there.

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Chapter 11

Buffy drove her Liberty into the parking lot of Sunnydale High. Seeing Willow getting out of her car, she honked her horn and waved. She climbed out, grabbing her bag and setting the alarm. She checked her face in the side mirror and grimaced. She didn't get much sleep the night before and it showed. Looking like a hag today totally makes up for it. She smiled brightly and pushed a piece of stray hair from her face.

"And what are you so happy about, Miss Summers?" Willow asked, instantly happy to see her friend looking like a grinning fool.

"Didn't get much sleep last night," Buffy answered, falling into step beside Willow.

"Why are you happy to be sleep depriv...oh never mind," Willow giggled. "I, too, love being sleep deprived."

"You are looking a little worn around the eyes this morning, Will. Late night for you, too?" Buffy asked, nudging Willow's arm playfully.

"Sure, but not in the fun sort of way. I was grading assignments. Some of these kids..." Willow trailed off.

"Anyone you want to send my way? I can give them a stern talking to...or not."

"Actually...Sean Meers is acting way out of character."

"Will, I know I'm supposed to be all open-minded and nurturing and what not when it comes to these kids...and most of the time, I am. But hearing the name Meers...it just gives me the chills," Buffy told her, shuddering visibly.

"You and me both, sweetie," Willow agreed, rubbing Buffy's shoulder lightly, trying to comfort her. "But we both need to remember that this is his brother. For all intents and purposes, we need to help him if he's having trouble."

"True, but would he even feel comfortable talking to us? I mean, Warren hurt us the most during the rampage..." They walked up the stairs to the front entrance of the school and headed straight to the teacher's lounge, waving and smiling to the kids as they walked past. "Hey, Marcus! No running in the halls."

"Sorry, Miss Summers," he said as he slowed down. Confident he was out of sight, he started to run off again. Buffy shook her head.

"I can't even get a kid to stop running in the damn hallway and you want me to sit down another who has been traumatized by his brother's actions, who is clearly rebelling, becoming a bad seed in an attempt to prove he is nothing like said brother, all the while becoming just like him? Yeah, that sounds like fun."

They put down their bags and headed to the coffee station, each grabbing their mugs. Willow poured coffee for the both of them and Buffy grabbed the sugar and cream. Willow was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice the coffee spilling over until the hot liquid splashed on her foot. She yelped out loud and Buffy instantly grabbed the paper towels.

"You alright?" Buffy asked, clearly concerned. Looking at her friends foot, she knew it was nothing serious, just a tad bit red.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Screaming more out of surprise than pain. This is why I'm not supposed to pour coffee, why I never worked at the Espresso Pump...I get too distracted and suddenly, badness," Willow said, placing the cool, wet towel on her foot.

"I have to agree, you and your busy little brain constantly thinking away. You know what? Send him in. Tell him he doesn't have a choice. That he has to come and speak with me. How'd he do on his last assignment?"

"You mean the one he didn't do? Buffy, this is a kid who just two years ago had a 4.0 average and now he's barely pulling a 2. And the thing that pisses me off is that I didn't notice. I didn't see him pulling away from class. He used to be one of the lab helpers and now he's barely awake. He was just so sneaky about his decline, made it so gradual, that it totally slipped right by me."

Buffy thought for a minute, taking in what Willow had said. "Okay, so should I have you come to my office and talk to me, as well?" She smiled at Willow, trying to reassure her. "We're not miracle workers, Will. We teach, we guide, we try our best. We are not here to save the world. All we can do is help keep it running so again I say, send him to me during class, okay? If he tries to protest, refuse, point at the door and give him your best resolve face. I will expect him at my office no later than 8:30. If he doesn't show, I'll send out the brat-sniffing dogs."

"Thanks, Buffy," Willow said, gratitude displayed clearly on her face. They heard the bell ring and instantly jumped to attention. "Well, now we're late and I have to run upstairs with my scolded foot. It's going to be a grreeeaattt day!" Buffy smiled at Willow's not often used sarcasm.

"Lunch?" Willow nodded and they both headed to their destinations. As Buffy entered the front office, she smiled at the administrative assistants, noticing a vase filled with a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the counter. "Who's the lucky lady?" she asked, leaning over to smell the daisies and yellow roses.

"We don't know," Denise, the principal's assistant answered. "The card says Mrs. Young on it but we don't have anyone in the faculty by that name. We think it's a mistake."

Buffy blushed and couldn't help but smile. "Uh, that will be me in a few short months." She grabbed the flowers and waved goodbye to the ladies hearing one of them snidely say, "Well, isn't she just the fairy princess." Yes, I certainly am.

Entering her office, she instantly noticed Giles standing at the window, gazing out across the courtyard, absently cleaning his glasses. She cleared her throat and he whipped around, startled, and then a small smile came to his mouth. She put the flowers on one of the many filing cabinets she had and motioned for Giles to sit. She could clearly see that he was perplexed by something and she sighed inwardly. I don't want nor do I need a lecture right now. So help him if this is about Spike.

"Beautiful flowers, Buffy. Are they from William?" Buffy nodded. "Or should I say Mr. Young?"

"Maybe you shouldn't say anything," Buffy snapped. Instantly feeling guilty about her reaction, she said, "Giles, I know you're either going to lecture me straight out or talk around the subject but still get your point across. I don't want either. I have Sean Meers coming in here shortly and I want that to be the worst part of the day."

"Sean is coming to see you?" Giles asked, surprised to hear such a thing.

"Well, it's sort of my job. Will said he's been...apathetic would be an understatement, I think. I'm completely not looking forward to it. I mean, what can I possibly say to him? 'You shouldn't take this so hard. Your brother was a dick, but that doesn't mean you have to be'? I don't think that will work." Buffy saw Giles flinch at her use of the word dick and she snickered in her head. Ha, that's for attempting to make me feel bad for doing something nice for my man.

"Although, I do appreciate the uncomfortable nature of your upcoming meeting, I have to suggest that you try to refrain from calling his brother anything that is a body part." Despite her hardest attempts, Buffy laughed. "I'm not here to lecture you or whatever else you may be thinking. I suppose I started the conversation off a little harsher than I meant to." He paused, taking a breath. "I'm not angry. I am fully aware of what Angel was doing when he started asking off-handed questions about William's time at Davies."

"You knew? You never said anything..."

"I wasn't going to ruin your surprise for him. Also, I wanted to see the look of shock on your face when I say, job well done, Buffy."

"I'm sorry, my ears are apparently clogged..."

"I don't know why you would think I would be disappointed about this."

"Well...well, because you were all 'he shouldn't know, it will only hurt him' blah blah British blah blah."

"I think I should be taking offense to that," Giles said, chuckling softly. "I never said anything of the sort. I only wanted to protect the boy-"

"He's not a boy anymore, Giles," Buffy interrupted. "And if he wanted to know and you knew anything...I just don't understand why you wouldn't tell him."

"Buffy, I purposefully never knew anything about his parents. I never wanted to have to lie to him if he ever asked and I didn't want to be in the position of telling him."

"Why would you lie to him? That's not like you. You're usually very forthcoming with the all the knowledge...you kind of pride yourself on it," Buffy added, teasingly.

"Yes, well, despite that...People put their children in orphanages for a reason, Buffy. In my years there, I saw the children grow up and wonder where they came from. Some found out and it hardly ever ended with tears of happiness. I didn't want that for William."

"Okay, the protection thing I get. I really do, Giles. It was part of the reason I didn't tell him what I was doing. If we couldn't find anything, I wouldn't be able to handle the look of disappointment in his eyes. But I knew he needed it. And I would think that you being this constant in his life, the only father he's ever known...that you would have realized it, too. That you would see that need beyond the wall he puts up."

"You're right," Giles agreed quietly. "Perhaps I should talk to him. Fill in any holes, answer any questions he may have..."

"He's still trying to sort through it all. Give him a couple of days but I think that would be a really good idea. You knew him when he was child, he's more open to you about his time then. Even with me, he's still guarded, which I understand to some extent. But you were there with him, saw him become the man he is, helped him become the man he is." Buffy paused, breathing deeply. She was suddenly overcome with emotions. Thoughts flooding her mind about what might have been had Spike never known Giles. "If you never moved here, I wouldn't know him. I can't imagine that. I can't see my life without him. I don't want to see it...what he's done for me, Giles...I can't even begin to..."

"I know, Buffy. Believe me, I know. William, and he would probably throttle me for saying such a thing, has an uncanny ability to make a person feel whole."

"I don't know if he'd throttle you, Giles...He might call you a 'bloody poof' but..." They laughed together and any remaining tension about Spike vanished. "You know...after a heart to heart, I like to ask a serious question."

"And what would that be?"

"Okay," Buffy took a deep breath, unconsciously tapping the desk with her hands. "Now you're under no obligation here but we've known each other for quite some time and with the wedding coming up-"

A knocking on the door interrupted Buffy. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 8:25. Shaking her head in frustration, she told the person to enter. Buffy knew this was something she was not prepared to do. She had made it a silent mission to keep as far away from Sean Meers as she could. She didn't know how Willow could have a class with him every day and not be thoroughly creeped out. When he entered, her breath caught in her throat. He was skinnier than Warren had been but other than that, he was a spitting image. She quickly took a drink of her coffee, trying to wet her throat so that she could speak. She could feel her heart speed up and her brow break out with sheen of sweat. She hadn't been this nervous to talk to a student since her first day on the job.

"Sean, please come in," Buffy managed to get out. "Mr. Giles was just leaving. We'll talk later, okay?" Giles nodded and left the office. "Do you want to sit?"

"Do I have to?"

"No, you don't have to. Feel free to stand but I suspect we'll be here for a bit..." With an audible sigh, Sean plopped down on the chair and propped his feet on Buffy's desk. Her eyes bulged out in bewilderment. That little shit...he has no idea what he's getting into. "Please remove these." She pushed his feet off and they landed on the floor heavily. "Should we just do this straight? No pussy footing around the issue at hand?"

"What issue? I have no issues," Sean said, staring her hard in the eye.

"Oh, so then you're not the Sean Meers who was going to be valedictorian of his class this year and who may now not even graduate?" She saw him roll his shoulders back, attempting to dismiss it but Buffy saw what she was looking for. That flicker across his face of knowing what he has become. That flicker of shame. "Look, I don't want to sit here and give you a list of everything you have done wrong in the last two years. It's not really my way and having gone through the worst of times in high school and dealing with horrible counselors who thought I wouldn't make it past Hot Dog on a Stick, well, I know what it feels like."

"So this is the part where you act like you know what I've gone through? Let me save you some time, Miss Summers. I don't give a shit. And I don't have to sit here-"

"Actually, you do have to. It's either Snyder or me. Take your pick. Believe me, I'm a lot better than him. I try my hardest to be the exact opposite, come to think of it." Buffy gave him a small smile. "Here's an idea. Tell me something. I don't care what it is. I don't care what it's about. It can be anything." She saw him roll his eyes. "Just give it a shot, okay? Sometimes when you start on one thing, it can gradually roll into others."

"You're not my shrink. I have one. He doesn't work."

"Is that the thing you're telling me?" Buffy instantly saw his lips turn up in a smile and then saw that not even a second later, it went back to a scowl. "No, I'm not your shrink. I'm something better. I'm not here to nod at you, give you some drugs and send you on your way. I'm actually here to help you. To listen, to try and understand and get you to try and understand what it is that you're feeling. I'm not the best counselor ever, I am well aware of that. But, Sean, I do try my hardest. I can tell you that for certain."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you want to help me after what that dick did to you?" Buffy smiled at Sean's reference to his brother. "What? It's funny?"

"No, no, sorry. It's nothing."

"So you expect me to spill but you can get away with 'nothing'? What a crock of shit, man."

"Fine. You want me to tell you?" Sean nodded. "I was talking to Mr. Giles about my apprehension in regards to our meeting and had said something along the lines of 'what am I going to say to him? Sorry your brother is a dick'. Gi...uh, Mr. Giles said I shouldn't say that." Buffy smiled again and was pleased when she saw Sean return it. "Okay, so striking while the iron is hot...tell me something."

"Anything and you won't get mad? Or send me to Snyder?" Sean asked, a little bit of hope coming into his voice.

"Nope, no grr and no, well, grr." A small laugh escaped Sean and Buffy suddenly forgot who he was. She let go that he was Warren's little brother and she saw Sean as himself. As a boy in serious need of something other than what he had. "This is an open room. You wouldn't believe some of the things I've been told. And everything stays between you and me."

"I'm glad he's dead," Sean said, quietly, staring at the floor.

Buffy felt her throat go dry again and she just as quietly said, "Me, too, Sean. Me, too."

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