Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and review - and MOSTLY for being so very patient with me!
...three months later
He couldn't keep his eyes off her as she glided toward him down the aisle. He had never seen a more beautiful woman in all of his life. And he honestly couldn't remember a second of his life without her. She looked like a wingless angel in cream silk, her golden hair cascading in a tumble of curls around her face and shoulders. She stopped in front of him and smiled before turning to the left to stand beside her sister.
The pipe organ heralded Anya's walk down the aisle, but he couldn't keep his eyes off the most beautiful woman in the room, his Buffy. He still couldn't believe how they'd been brought together. The memories of her William Grieves' time with her came to him in bits and pieces. He once told her that he could feel the sexual tension coarse through his body when he remembered their first meeting. She giggled and told him that after getting past being scared to death, she fought tooth and nail against her strong attraction to him.
Buffy's relationships were repaired. Her heart was repaired. She had forgotten how much fun it was to go to the Bronze with Willow and Tara. She loved the feeling of double-dating with her sister and Xander, the light-heartedness and the memories of Dawn's childhood crush on her old friend. She especially loved helping Giles and Anya wrap up the final details for their wedding, and delighted in Anya's detailed accounts of every OB/GYN visit.
Anya stood before the priestess with her hand resting on her expanding belly. She had chosen to wear black against Buffy's suggestion of cream or rose. "I've sullied myself, Buffy. I'm impure. And I'm wearing black," she'd insisted. Later, she'd told Dawn that she'd chosen black because black didn't make her look like a beached whale. "Shamu's black and white," Xander had pointed out, jokingly. Her blank stare shut him down.
The priestess welcomed the small gathering of friends and family. Buffy looked around her, grateful for her renewed life. Willow and Tara were sitting in front of them holding hands and smiling peacefully. Her sister was beside her, newly engaged to a beaming Xander who stood on the other side of Spike. Giles was reciting his vows softly as he looked into the eyes of his pregnant bride. Anya was a beautiful bride, glowing with love. And Spike. William. He wasn't anything like Angel had been. And that was surprisingly okay with her. He loved her with his heart and his soul. He believed in her more than anyone else ever had. He was her partner in every way - at home and at the book store. And he never expected her to hold her feelings inside, to hide her pain or her happiness. He wasn't sure how he got so lucky, but he thanked the Powers That Be, wherever they were, for giving him the chance to really live and to truly love.
He watched as Giles and Anya completed their vows and the priestess pronounced them man and wife. Giles kissed his bride tenderly before holding out his arms to the girls he called his daughters. As Buffy and Dawn hugged him tightly, Spike saw a slight glow illuminate Anya's belly.
I'm exactly what you could be...
Spike heard the woman's voice as if she were inside his head. He caught a glimpse of the Magic Box in his mind's eye and Buffy's mother was there. She was talking to him. And then she disappeared into Anya's stomach.
"Joyce," he whispered.
"What's that honey?" Buffy asked, coming beside him and taking his hand.
"It's a... joy. A joyous occasion," he said smoothly, knowing that this was not something for Buffy to know.
"It is," she agreed. "And it's all because of you."
Spike smiled and hugged her to him, but didn't say a word. He knew better.
