I have officially reached Redemption length and I still have a way to go. I am anticipating quite a few more chapters though hopefully this fic won't be more than fifty in total. It's still easily my longest fic!
Thanks to:
Sabia
Dreamer Child
Anne-Marie
Becks89 – hehe I have to breeze through months otherwise I'd be writing forever!
Kyra2
Lost angel92
Lolly6
Mika
lAcKlUsTrE
Chapter 35 – The Wedding
The next few months passed quickly, but emptily. They researched and they attended Order meetings, neither Buffy nor Sirius could leave the house but they were content to stay. Sirius spent the time tidying the house, with fervour that Buffy had never seen in him when cleaning before. He said he wanted to make it baby proof and Buffy helped as much as he would let her.
The pregnancy progressed and the baby
kicked for the first time at the end of January. Once she had started, she
didn't stop and Buffy could feel her moving around constantly.
They received their invitations to Xander and Anya's wedding in February, and
though he was initially wary, Dumbledore agreed to Buffy attending since
Kingsley would be present as Faith's date.
April came; the wedding was set for the 15th, exactly three weeks before the baby was due and Sirius, Buffy and Kingsley flooed out a few days before.
Once they arrived, Anya set up bride
central in Revello Drive; she was going to get ready there on the morning and
wanted everything perfect.
"This is my first marriage," she told
Buffy. "Everything needs to be perfect." Buffy eagerly assisted her with the
last minute arrangements, hoping that one day, in the not so distant future;
she would get to do the same thing with Sirius.
The day before the wedding Anya and Xander's relatives and friends arrived. No one could decide which side was worse, Anya's bizarre demon friends or Xander's loud, drunk, weird family.
Despite a few complications the day dawned,
bright and sunny and Buffy helped the bridesmaids get ready at Revello Drive,
while Sirius, Giles, Oz, Kingsley and Xander were at Xander and Anya's
apartment.
Buffy was privately glad she wasn't a bridesmaid anymore.
"It's green," she said helpfully to
Faith and Willow after helping them into their dresses. "Umm…very….green." They
scowled in unison at her and Buffy had to hide her smile.
"I look like a big green monster,"
Willow said bravely. "That's just what I look like."
"A dress," Faith said bitterly. "First
time I wear a dress in a whole lot of ages and it's green and frilly. Green and
frilly." She scowled at Buffy again. Buffy smirked, being pregnant had its
upsides, she was wearing a pale pink dress.
"You guys look great," she said,
stifling a chuckle. "Look, it doesn't matter anyway. You're doing the
bridesmaid thing. Anya looks beautiful so that's all that matters."
"I really do," Anya said, coming into the room. "You guys look so beautiful!" She sighed happily. "Oh, I can't wait to get married. Spending the rest of my life with my best friend, what could be happier? Go me!" Willow, Faith and Buffy surveyed her; she looked gorgeous in a strapless dress with a skirt that flared out into a train.
"You look stunning," Buffy said joyfully. Anya did a twirl for them and they all sighed in unison, even Faith. They all looked at her in surprise.
"What?" she said defensively. "I can embrace
my girl side every now and then if I want to!" Anya shuffled forward.
"Okay, group hug!" she announced
importantly. They all hugged in a group and Anya pulled away looking at them
happily.
"Oh you all look so lovely," she cried
joyfully. "Sorry Buffy, but this green just wouldn't have worked with the baby.
Maybe you can borrow Willow's sometime, I wouldn't want you to miss out." Buffy
smiled fixedly.
"Wouldn't want that," she agreed
tightly.
They got to the 'Sunnydale Bison's Lodge'
early, sneaking Anya into the back so she and Xander wouldn't see one another
before the wedding. Once Anya was well hidden, Buffy set off to find Xander and
the other guys.
People had begun to arrive and were milling around the lobby.
"Circus freaks my ass," Buffy muttered,
eyeing a man with tentacles. She saw Xander's father getting stuck in at the
bar, his mother not far behind and shook her head.
Across the hall, she went through a side door and found the guys, all tuxedoed
up.
"Hey guys," she said breezily. "Xand,
your dad's already started on the free bar." Xander sighed heavily.
"Just as long as we get through the
ceremony without him and mom having one of their rows I don't mind," he said.
"What are receptions for if the bride or groom doesn't get embarrassed by
family members?"
"What do you do with this?" Sirius said
frustratedly, holding up his cummerbund. Buffy giggled and came forward to help
him put it on.
"But what's it for?" Kingsley asked,
watching Buffy put on Sirius and then attempting to do his own.
"It stops people from seeing the place
where your pants meet your shirt, god forbid," Xander said gravely. "It's a
muggle thing." Buffy stood back to check the cummerbund was ready.
"Right, are you all set?" she asked,
looking particularly at Xander.
"I
guess so," he said doubtfully. Then he straightened up. "No, I really am. I'm
gonna get married. Woohoo married! Let's go before I lose it again." He marched
towards the door way and they all trooped after him.
Everyone was in their seats, seated by Xander's weird cousins who were acting
as ushers. Xander took his place at the front, Oz next to him as best man.
Buffy and Sirius sat in the front seats and turned in their seats as the music
started.
Giles and Willow walked up the aisle arm
in arm, followed by Kingsley and Faith who then stood to the side of the
Minister. Everyone stood up to see Anya standing at the end of the aisle, glowing
with happiness.
She walked the aisle slowly, and Buffy
watched Xander who looked happier than she'd ever seen him. Finally he'd found
the perfect woman for him and they were getting married and it was perfect. She
wiped away a few stray tears as they sat down and Sirius took her hand and
squeezed it.
"Damn hormones," she murmured. Even the
demons and the Harris's stopped fighting and throwing one another death stares
as the couple exchanged their vows.
The ceremony was beautiful, each exchanging their own vows; Anya's being typical to her. And then it was over and they all trooped into the next room, weird relatives and all, where ten round tables had been set up for the reception.
"So you're a married man now, looks like it's off the cards for us," Buffy teased Xander who grinned back. "What's it like?"
"Weird," Xander replied, his eyes finding
Anya. "But also of the good. It's comfortable, no more worried that this whole
relationship thing is a fluke and that really I'm destined to be alone." Buffy
watched as Xander made his way to Anya and took her hand tenderly. She sighed
with happiness and then felt Sirius nuzzling her neck.
"Getting broody for weddings?" he asked
and she nodded.
"Also wanting this baby to hurry up and
come out," she said, holding her stomach gently. "I'm ready for the real deal
now." Sirius put his arms round her, resting his hands with hers on her
stomach.
"Not long," he said softly and she
smiled.
"Not long til all hell breaks loose," she
said with a wistful smile. "Ah well, we've had it quiet for too long now." She
and Sirius walked over to the circular table which was the top table and full
of the Scoobies. The all sat down and Giles lifted his glass.
"To the Bride and Groom," he said
shortly and they all lifted their glasses and toasted Xander and Anya before
beginning to eat.
"You all ready for you best man speech
sweetie?" Willow asked Oz who nodded, patting his jacket pocket.
"I'm all ready with the funny jokes and
stories," he replied. Xander grimaced.
"Funny stories," he said blankly.
"Funny. Huh." Oz smiled succinctly.
They ate their way through three courses in
the large hall in the Bison's Lodge. It was warm and wood panelled, thankfully
without the animal heads of the wedding room. Large windows were down one wall
spilling the Sunnydale bright sunlight into the room and warming them. It was a
beautiful day, fitting for the wedding.
"Dumbledore wasn't particularly happy
about me coming was he?" Buffy asked Kingsley who shook his head hesitantly.
"He was worried." Buffy shook her head.
"I know," she said uncertainly. "But its
Xander's wedding, I had to be here."
"Dumbledore's more worried than I've ever seen him," Kingsley said shortly. "Probably because of Harry and now the baby. But Dumbledore always knows more than he lets on, more than all of us. Even Moody doesn't know the things Dumbledore knows. I hope his fears are unfounded in this instance." Buffy swallowed hard, it was the first time she'd left Grimmauld Place since Christmas. Suddenly, things didn't seem so sunny and she was a little afraid.
Still she quashed their fear as she listened peaceably to Oz's best man speech that successfully embarrassed Xander. Day turned into evening, the tables were cleared away and a DJ set up so they could dance. Buffy recognised many tunes from her high school days and danced with her friends, all the while glancing around her furtively.
"You're tense," Willow said simply to Buffy and she nodded, taking another look over her shoulder.
"Something Kingsley said," Buffy said vaguely.
"Dumbledore was worried and that makes me worried. I mean so many demons here
and how do we know that they're all with Anya?"
"But Kingsley's here," Willow said
helpfully. "And Sirius and I can get with the magic too. And
Faith. I know you've got to worry but maybe try not to? If anything
happens, we can fight it."
"I
know, it's just-" Buffy was cut off by a loud crash. She whirled around
frantically to see Xander's Uncle Rory looking guilty.
"Sorry," he called drunkenly. ""Glass
got away from me." Buffy sighed and turned back to Willow.
"I know," she sighed guiltily. "I'm
freaking. It's just hard, you know to-" A series of three crashes made her jump
and turned again and her heart stopped in her chest. It felt like the world
just stopped turning for that one moment and when it started again it was
slower and everything was so clear.
So clear, like the eight Death Eaters that had come crashing through the
windows and stood before them, all wearing black masks and pointing their wands
at Buffy.
Buffy stumbled backwards, away from them,
back until she felt the cold wooden panelling against her fingers, knowing her
back was to the wall. People began to scream, she registered dimly, Xander's family,
running, through the double doors into the other room and no one tried to stop
them. That wasn't what they were here for.
But Sirius was here, standing in front on Buffy, wand out and a snarl on his
face.
"How many times do I have to kill you
before you die?" a woman hissed at Sirius from behind her mask. Bellatrix
Lestrange, Buffy realised blankly.
"Get away from her," Sirius growled through gritted teeth. She laughed harshly. More people now, Xander, Willow, Kingsley, Oz, Faith, Giles, all coming to stand with them.
"Got your little friends slayer?" a man
chuckled coldly. "They won't save you. The Dark Lord requests your company. You
have something of his." Willow backed up so she was next to Buffy. She clasped
her hand.
"Caerimonia Minerva, saepio, saepire,
saepsi," she murmured, concentrating hard and her pupils blackening and filling
her eyes. "Saepio impedimentum!" A barrier flew up around them, encircling
Buffy and the Scoobies and leaving the Death Eaters outside.
"Buffy you have to run," Sirius said
urgently, turning to her. Buffy shook her head.
"I – I can't," she murmured. "I can't
leave you guys, they'll kill you."
"Just run," Sirius instructed
desperately. "Go!"
"No," Kingsley said sharply. "Wait, stay
with us. There might be more and Dumbledore's coming."
"Dumbledore?"
Buffy said, mystified. Kingsley nodded swiftly, looking around them. The Death
Eaters were firing spells at the shield.
"We had a signal," he explained quickly.
"He, and others, they're coming soon. Will the shield hold?" Buffy looked at
Willow who was scrunching up her face in pain.
"I hop- I don't," she muttered
painfully. "The magic, it's strong. I don't know how much longer…."
They moved into defensive positions, encircling Buffy, pulling out weapons.
Buffy was glad to have seen Anya leave with the rest of the guests, it was her
wedding day and she wasn't a fighter. Faith was busily ripping the skirt of her
dress so she could move properly and the others were removing weapons from
their clothes. Buffy reached down to her thigh, she had a long handled knife strapped
to her leg which she pulled out.
"It's fading," Willow groaned
frustratedly. The shield flickered out and a stunner shot towards Buffy which
Sirius deflected before the shield flickered back on.
"I can't," Willow gasped and the shield
fell around them. They sprung into action quickly, Sirius and Kingsley at the
fore, deflecting curses and firing their own. Willow moved forwards too, her
eyes blackening as she shot green bolts of energy at the Death Eaters. Faith
yelled and leapt into the foray, slashing with her axe at a man and knocking
another over with a blow with the handle. More Death Eaters came through the
shattered windows and the fight was on.
Buffy ducked a bolt of red light fired at her by an unknown death eater. She couldn't move from the spot where they'd left her, she clutched her knife weakly. It was the first time she'd been useless and she hated it so much but she couldn't move. She couldn't let any of them touch her, it would be too dangerous so she just had to watch, however frustrated it made her.
"Buffy!" she heard a yell and her head snapped
over to see the double doors fly open to let Dumbledore stride into the room,
followed by moody, Tonks and countless others.
"Get out of here!" Moody growled
furiously. Buffy opened her mouth but Sirius ran up to her and grabbed her wrist,
pulling her after him. They ran through a side door, leaving the battle behind
them.
"Quick!" he said urgently. "We have to get the
hell out of here." They ran down a narrow corridor, out into the starlight of
the garden of the Lodge.
"Where?" Buffy
asked frantically and Sirius pulled her after him towards a large oak tree.
They passed it, passed bushes and flowerbeds, having no idea where they were or
where they were going.
Buffy threw herself at Sirius, flattening them both to the ground as a bolt of
green light whizzed over their heads. He leapt up and began to fire curses at
the group of death eaters. Buffy could do nothing but she clutched her knife,
and suddenly threw it, right into the chest of one of the robed figures.
Her first human death and she felt
nothing. She had to protect her child.
But this was all wrong, a hand grabbing her
arm, pulling her away from Sirius. She punched the face and it fell but there
was another masked face and he grabbed her hair and dragged her.
"Sirius!" she screamed and he turned,
narrowly missing a curse.
"Buffy!" he hollered, running towards
her and the death eater that dragged her with him. She clawed furiously at his
hand but the death eater merely looked at her with cold slanted eyes through
the slits in his mask.
She stared back at Sirius, eyes begging him to do something, her arm reaching
for him but all he could do was shout as she was whirled away from Sunnydale in
a flash of colour and light.
