Here we are. The two-thirds way.
I am going to answer a few questions now.
One. Will this ever get less confusing?
Yes. The whole wedding thing is over in this Chapter and will take a backseat to the coming events. And most of them are going to end up being all about Willow. And Dawn, too, in retrospect. I do have a plan and everything will come together, I promise.
Two. Isn't Dawn's behavior irrational?
Yeah, it is. That scene from the last chapter was meant to look quite fake. What Irina said made sense though (can you see why I made her into a goddess?). Not only does she have to look at her own father and the men her sister dated, but Draco's family as well. She did what she needed to do to get her tortured self to be... well, less than tortured. You'll see her in this chapter take some of that into consideration. They WILL get potentially close again... but her act was more impulsive than anything. Don't forget, she's still only 19ish.
Three. Where are the characters?
Anya was kept away for a reason. Look for a resolution in this chapter. You'll see Buffy and Willow more in this Chapter. Warren makes his showdown as he and Anya decide to torture Willow. Why is Willow getting the torture? Because she's the most powerful one IN the group. Wesley will be making his comeback. Spike and Angel will get more airtime. And the plot will become more confusing. Satisfied? Heh. I just lost myself!
Four. Lilah McDonald. Explain, please?
Yeah, she had the eternal W&H contract... which makes it VERY interesting she's working for the American Ministry... right? Right? You'll see where I'm going with this...
I think that that is enough... please feel free to be more critical. I enjoyed reading these comments so I can improve this story. Thank you honest reviewers!
Once again, a much longer chapter to conclude the wedding or what becomes of the wedding... and the people within it. I think you'll find I spaced out the characters more. But it does center around Xander/Cho/Anya. Heh. Enjoy! And critique!
- - - - -
Chapter 21
Blessed Union of Souls, Part II
- - - - -
In the middle of the crowd, Buffy stood up and glanced behind her to see Cho running away from the school and toward the pond and fields. Beckoning to Willow, the two quickly swept after her.
They found her sitting on the grass near the pond, staring out over the water. She seemed to hear them coming up behind her, and looked up. "Some things never change."
"He didn't mean for any of this to happen," Buffy said gently as she and Willow sat on either side of her. "He looked as shocked as you did."
"Did you know her?" Cho asked. There was a hint of anger in her voice, one that Buffy could tell would set her off if she heard exactly what she wanted to hear.
"Yes," Willow replied honestly. "We knew her."
Cho turned to regard her silently before turning her gaze back to the water. "What is she like?"
"Dead," Buffy replied. "She died the year before I came to Hogwarts."
Cho's eyes were narrowed in confusion. "What?"
"She died when Sunnydale was destroyed," Willow replied softly. "We don't know why she's back. But what she said just now was probably the first words she's said since she returned."
"When?" Her voice was trembling again.
"Two days ago," Buffy replied.
"God," Cho whispered, closing her eyes, pain evident in every line of her face. "How did he know her?"
Buffy and Willow exchanged a worried glance. "Maybe we should let xander..."
"No!" Cho cried, turning to Buffy. "I want to know. I have the right to know!"
"They were engaged," Buffy said quickly. "They broke it off when Xander couldn't go through with the wedding."
Cho looked as though she were about to collapse before turning back to the water. "Oh."
- - - - -
Back at the gazebo, Xander was barely standing on wobbly knees, his eyes going from the wedding planner to Anya and back again. "What are you doing here?"
"Who the hell is she?" Anya demanded, talking over him. "Are you marrying her?"
"Yes," Xander said in a quiet voice. Anya's eyes grew loud and enraged.
"How dare you... spit on me like that!" she cried, her eyes even more wild as she glanced at the people sitting in the chairs. "Who the hell are all these people?"
"Anya, you were there when we explained everything," Xander said, reaching for her. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
"Don't touch me," she snapped, backing away. "I want to know what's going on here, Alexander Harris. And I want the truth."
Xander turned and gestured toward an empty chair. "Can I sit down? Because my legs are about to topple."
Anya stepped away from him as he sat before crossing her arms and glaring around them.
"I'm getting married... she's a good woman, and she comes from a good family. Her family just happens to be sitting over your right shoulder throwing looks of daggers in my direction," xander began. "We live here now because Sunnydale was destroyed and I am a Watcher currently helping to train the hundreds of Slayers that now live here. Is that what you wanted to know?"
Anya didn't speak for a moment. Her gaze was unwavering as she glanced at the school. "I'm sorry," she apologized finally. "It's just that... I've been dead for so long... I kind of forgot how it feels to go on living."
"I know," Xander said, sighing. "When I saw you for the first time again... it took my breath away. It reminded me that... we live in a really odd time. How in the hell did you come back to life anyway?"
Anya glanced at him for a long moment before replying. "I'll tell you once you're married," she finally said.
"You don't mind it?" he asked in surprise.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I thought that I would, considering you and I used to have that love... and that sex... but now, I'm okay with it. I have my things to do, and you have yours. You need to go after her."
Xander stood up and took Anya's arm. She didn't object. "I'm sorry I was so cold toward you," he apologized. "Seeing you alive again was like throwing my entire past back into my face... and some things I'm not particularly fond of."
Anya gave him a tense smile before cocking her head. "Go. She needs you."
He let go and left Anya and the others behind. He spied Cho sitting between Willow and Buffy and made a beeline straight towards them.
- - - - -
Faith watched as Xander left the area before turning to the other Slayers sitting around her. Tara was still sitting behind her, although her eyes were clouded with concern.
"Isn't this just insane?" one of the Slayers asked. "I can't believe this happened."
Tara scooted closer to Faith. "Maybe we sh-should both take Anya duty. We can use your int-interrogation skills on her."
Faith regarded Tara for a moment before glancing back at Anya. "What do you think happened to her?"
"I-I don't know for c-certain," Tara replied, "but I think it h-has something to do with the A-American Ministry."
This surprised Faith. "What?"
"Just a s-suspicion."
Faith glanced at Anya more closely. "We'll talk to her Sunday, after the wedding, all right?"
"Right," said Tara, but she was no longer looking at Anya. She was glancing at Cho's parents, who had risen and were walking after Xander, looking angrier than anything Tara had ever seen. Her gaze then fell to Dawn who was sitting next to Draco with a stricken look on her face.
"Uh oh," Faith muttered under her breath, following Tara's gaze.
- - - - -
"Draco?"
"Yes, Dawnie?"
"What are we doing?"
"Waiting..."
"Not this... but... us... what are we doing?"
"We're..."
"Draco, this in insanity. I can't do this."
"Do what?"
"I'm scared."
"Dawn, you're scaring me."
"This is Xander, Draco... if you had any idea how much he means to me... if he's this scared to tell Cho the truth about Anya... then... how can I do this? How can we do this?"
"What are you going on about?"
"I was just fooling myself into thinking this could work between us..."
"Dawn? What is this?"
"Look at us! Look at our parents! My father and mother split up when I was so young... even though they were faked memories, they still count! Look at your dad! He's as evil as they come? I don't even know if my own Dad exists! I'm an idiot! That's all I am! An idiot!"
"Dawnie?"
"We're not going to be good parents, Draco. I mean... look at me! I left my daughter in that hellhole..."
"Dawnie?"
"Look at you! Look at your family history... all dark wizards and bad guys... oh, great! I'll be raising my daughter to be a sorceress!"
"Dawn... what? What did you say?"
"I feel like I've made the biggest mistake of my life!"
Draco looked as though he'd been slapped across the face. "You can't mean that..."
"I'm scared, Draco," Dawn said, finally taking a huge, shuddering breath. "I'm really, really scared. Watching the one man I can trust with my life fall apart... it's scaring the hell out of me."
"We'll get through this, Dawn... we did before."
"I just don't know..."
"You don't know what, Dawn?"
"I don't think I can... I don't think we can... I'm just... lost."
- - - - -
"Cho? Cho?"
"Go away, Xander... get the hell away from me..."
"I know you're angry."
It was obviously the wrong thing to say. She jumped up, glaring at him, looking at him with a fire he never knew she had. "Could you two," he started, gesturing at Willow and Buffy, "excuse us?"
"Why? Are you afraid your best friends are going to hear us fighting?"
"Oh, no, not at all," Xander retorted. "I just want to explain things to you."
"You don't have to explain anything to me, Xander Harris. I don't want to have anything to do with you," she replied, trying to step past him.
Buffy stood up and pulled on Cho's arm to hold her back. "You should listen to him, Cho..."
Willow stood up, too, brushing the grass from her skirt. "He owes you as much as an explanation."
"Maybe he does," Cho said angrily, trying to pull away from Buffy. "But I don't need to hear it. He's a fake... and a liar... and he's awfully good at ruining perfectly good weddings!"
As she spun away, she could feel Xander's hand on her shoulder. As much as she wanted to stop and respond to the feel of his touch, she could feel her anger taking over.
"Yes, I am."
These three words stopped her cold. "What?" she asked, turning back to look at him.
"I lied to you, yes. And I didn't marry Anya... not that I didn't want to... but because I wasn't ready. But I am now, I really am. Seeing Anya again was like being nit by a blast from the past. That's where I'm leaving her. In my memories. I didn't tell you about her because I didn't know how. I loved her, yes... but she was dead for so long that I felt it would open too many wounds to even think about it again. I realize it was a bad choice and I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry for not telling you about it. And I'm sorry for ruining the rehearsal because I know that tomorrow starts the rest of our lives together. I don't want to lose that. I love you."
Cho tried to force the impact of his words out of her head, but she found herself willing, hoping, daring to believe his words were true. "I... I..."
"Please," Xander said, taking her hands. "I know that I should have been honest with you, and I apologized for that already. I also know that I want to marry you tomorrow, Anya or no Anya. She's in my past. You're my tomorrow and my always."
Next to Cho, Willow sniffled, remembering words spoken so true in her own past. She turned her sad eyes to Cho and was pleased to see her face soften.
"God, Xander... when I found out about all of this... a part of me just wanted to run away. You were my rock in this country... you've been my rock ever since I stepped foot off of this plane! Now that you told me the truth... I still want to run. But my better part wants me to stay. I want to know if this'll work between us, because this is my life now. I like my life. I love the way things are... and I want you there. But I don't know if I can marry you tomorrow."
He looked stunned and turned away blinking. Over his shoulder, Cho could see her parents standing off to the side, looking furious. She turned back to Xander. "Excuse me."
Xander didn't move as Cho strode past him toward her parents. He couldn't even breathe, much less move. It was only Willow's gentle hand on his arm that shocked him into breathing again. "Are you all right?"
"I'll be okay," he said, although his voice convinced them otherwise. "I just need--"
"Xander!"
"Oh my God," he said, turning around to see Cho walking back toward him. He was surprised to see she was crying.
"I got about three steps away before I realized something," she said, her voice trembling. "It isn't the forever part I'm worried about, because we'll get through that... it's tomorrow. I'm scared to death about tomorrow!"
"I am, too," he admitted. "I went through so much with my first wedding... so tomorrow is going to seem easy for me."
"Do you want to get married tomorrow?"
"Do you?"
"I do... at least... I think I do. Two very wise people told me that I needed to trust my heart more than my mind sometimes because I tend to overanalyze everything."
Xander sighed as he reached for her hands. "It's what makes you so endearing to me, love."
"Really?" she asked, her face brightening.
"Cross my heart."
- - - - -
Thousands of stars twinkled overhead on a van settled nearly two miles from the Slayer's Academy.
Warren sat in the backseat, staring at the video monitors the Ministry had installed for them. He was waiting for Anya to deliver the information she was told to get. He knew that she'd been uncovered that day and was being very careful not to get even more involved than necessary.
There would be ample time for that later.
Knock.
Warren nearly jumped out of his seat but released the locks on the back as Anya climbed inside, looking bitter. "Here," she snapped, handing him the folder.
"Thanks," he said, opening it and grinning at the contents. "Are we set for tomorrow?"
"Count me out," was her sarcastic reply.
"You did get the cameras in place, right?"
"Oh, right!" Anya said. "I've been hidden in that stupid place for two days now... so I've had plenty of time to go around and plant hidden cameras! For someone who's supposed to be intelligent, you're not."
"All right, so we have some work to do," Warren replied, setting the file aside. "You should get back. They might miss you."
"I need to wait for Queen Lilah's call."
"Oh, yeah. That."
"There goes your intelligence again, I tell you."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
- - - - -
Thousands of stars twinkled overhead, sparkling and shining. Below, hundreds of people were gathered in three large tents, dancing and partying the night.
Xander and Cho were lost in each other, arms wrapped around one another, swaying gently to the soft music playfully adding to the magical atmosphere.
Across the room, Buffy and Willow sat, laughing. Dawn sat on Buffy's right, arms crossed, not speaking. She looked very pale and nearly sick and when Buffy had asked her about it before the wedding that morning, Dawn had merely shrugged it off. She had a feeling it was something dealing with Draco though, as he appeared to be in a very bad mood and had cursed off the entire wedding staff that morning.
Faith made her way through the crowd absolutely glowing in her crimson dress. "Why aren't you all up on the having fun?" she asked.
"I haven't seen Kennedy all night," Willow admitted, reaching for the champagne. "Have you?"
"I've been busy with other things, sadly," Faith chuckled, waving at Robin from across the busy pavilion. "Catch you guys later."
"Bye," Buffy echoed as Faith disappeared back into the crowd. "Lucky her."
"She's so loved," Willow replied, glancing around for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I wonder where--" Her voice cut off as she saw Tara.
Tara wasn't alone; she was surrounded by the other Watchers. She was dressed in something floaty and blue, looking fantastic beyond all words. Willow found herself wishing she was standing there with her, in her own green sundress, her hand on her arm, laughing, joking...
She shook herself out of the thought when a shadow appeared over the table.
"Hi," Willow heard Buffy's voice say. "I'm glad you came."
Willow turned to see the two vampires standing away from the candles adorning the head table. Buffy stood up, wearing a dress of a soft shade of lilac. She gestured for Willow to do the same. She found herself getting clumsily to her feet, her eyes moving slowly back towards Tara.
Tara was gazing at her too. There was a slight smile on her face, but the look in her eyes was unmistakeable. There was a definite longing in them. Perhaps she, too, wished Willow was there.
Instead, Willow tore her gaze from Tara's and forced a smile back on her face as Buffy dragged her to the corner of the tent where Spike and Angel were waiting to talk to them.
"You look incredible," Angel was complimenting her. Buffy smiled her thanks before Spike quickly agreed, adding a few extra adjectives for flair. "Anyway," Angel continued, "we have some stuff to go over. It can wait until tomorrow since this is the reception of your best friend's wedding."
Buffy grinned. "Of course. Why don't you come and actually enjoy the festivities. You two have known Xander as long as I have."
Tara caught her opportunity then and quickly intercepted Willow on the way back to the head table. "W-Willow!"
She turned, trying not to appear too anxious. "Tara."
"W-Would you like to d-dance?" Tara asked, her voice soft and melodic, just like the music surrounding them.
"I'd like that," Willow said, taking Tara's hand as the two came together at the edge of the dance floor. "It's been so long."
"It's been forever," Tara agreed as the two quietly shared the dance.
Back at the table, Buffy was watching them. "Do you think that two people who are so obviously in love would ever finally realize it?" she asked ironically.
Next to her, Dawn moved slightly. "Maybe. Or else they're just idiots."
Buffy turned her gaze to her sister. "What's up with you?"
"Nothing," Dawn shrugged.
"Dawn!" a voice called from the crowd. Ron suddenly stepped through, with Harry and Ginny right behind him. Draco had wisely passed up the reception. "Come on out with us!"
Dawn couldn't help but smile as the three beckoned her to join them. Glancing at Buffy, she finally stood up.
Buffy watched her sister hesitantly get suckered into the middle of the floor. "She asked for it."
"Where's the paramour?" Spike asked, glancing around. "I didn't see his wicked godliness around here at all."
"He didn't come," Buffy replied, moving over so Spike could sit down. While she found it slightly awkward that she was sitting between the two vampires, it felt better with champagne in the picture.
In the middle of it all, Xander and Cho were still moving to a melody only they could hear, barely moving at all. Her head was on his shoulder and her eyes were closed. "Do you think... given everything that's happened these past few years... that today couldn't have been more perfect?" she purred into his shoulder.
His arms tightened around her slightly. "Not a chance... I think. I hope you liked it."
"It was perfect," she said, opening her eyes, her gaze on the ground. "I guess never realized how lucky I am."
"You lucky one," he teased, spinning her quickly before settling back into their rhythmic pace.
"You tease," she laughed, stepping back and gazing into his face. "I love you."
"And I love you," he said in his teasing sing-song voice. "Remember that when the end comes... when you're old and grey..."
"Xander, stop singing!" Cho begged, trying desperately not to laugh.
His face crumpled into silent laughter as he pulled her close again. "I'm starting to think we should bid a fond farewell."
"Ooooh," she said, closing her eyes again. "And what comes next?"
"One little trip to South Padre," Xander said, as they began moving slowly again, "after tomorrow's lovely debriefing."
"All work and no play," Cho pouted.
"That's for tonight," xander teased again.
She stepped back, slapping him playfully on his tuxedo jacket. "Don't mock me!" she said, her eyes shining.
"Just think," he said, taking her hand and leading her off the dance floor. "I can do this every morning when you open your eyes... every night when you come in from patrol... oh, just imagine the possibilities..."
Just a few people away from them, Tara and Willow were still dancing, although the song they'd started to ended several songs before. But for some odd reason, Willow couldn't pull away.
She didn't want to pull away.
Even though she could see Kennedy standing at the edge of the floor after she'd finally arrived. And the look on her face spoke enough.
Buffy was still sitting at the table with Spike and Angel, listening to them both tease her, yet lost in her own thoughts. She imagined herself in Cho's place. And she could see herself with one of the two men sitting on either side of her. The question was, which one would she finally choose.
Dawn was still in the middle of the dance floor, laughing and joking with her Hogwarts friends, yesterday's worries in the back of her mind.
Faith and Robin had stepped out of the pavilion and onto the driveway, heading due south. The cool air was refreshing and the silence gave them a chance to catch up.
It was then that Faith noticed a large van parked facing the opposite direction. It was also then that she noticed a figure climbing inside of it.
It was Anya.
"That was interesting," Faith commented, wanting to investigate further, but Robin held her back.
"Patience has its merits," he told her, taking her hand and pulling her away.
"Patience may have its merits," Faith said, turning them around again, "but I'm a Slayer. We have too many enemies to have that sort of patience."
"All right," he said with a heavy sigh, "we'll do it your way. Again."
"I thought you liked my way," she said as they crossed the road to walk in the grass so as not to be heard by the inhabitants inside.
"I could do with a few surprises," he said as they both stretched up to look into the windows of the van. Although there were blinds, Faith could see two people inside. One she recognized as Anya. The other she didn't recognize until he moved his head. And then she did. From all of the newspapers she'd saved in her prison cell.
She fell back down onto the heels of her shoes. "You surprised yet?"
Silence.
- - - - -
To be continued...
Chapter 22... Faith knows who Anya's working with... but will the others believe her before it's too late?