rabidreject- Thanks for the review. And yes, here is Hell's Bells. I think it's kinda from here on out we get to see how much having Joyce amd Rupert around really has effected the storyline. And you'll find out the big bad soon (But the more important thing is how the big bad is stopped, me thinks), just as we will be seeing a return of the Troika in the next chapter.

g120- Thanks for the review and thank you for being so willing patient. Love ya for it. And thanks so much for your character development comment. Meant so much to me. It just makes me feel all satisfied in the writery-sense when you guys say things like that, like I've done something right (ah those remnants of high school teachings...haha). And yes, essays. Waste of time. They are just a teacher/tutor/professor's cheaty way to get out of actual tasks and assignments and just having a simple essay to read. Takes up way too much of my time though. haha

Zigpal- thanks for review, claps et al. And ah, well Joyce isn't completely convinced of the Just Friends deal and well...Spike's just confused. haha. Poor Spikey. Anyhoo, hope you like this chapteryness.

By the way- just wanted to thank you three for the reviewyness you've given me over the past...yee gods seven months (i've been writing this for seven months?!). Reviewers may come and go, but you three last a life time. Just wanted to say how much it's appreciated, I love your feedback.

Anyway, so on with the show.

A/N: The Giles-buying-wedding-flowers thing was something I added in because it was in the original script but got edited out. It was the reason why he wasn't there in the episode- like he was fighting some demon in england so couldn't make so, since Anya and Xander couldn't afford them, he sent them aaaaall the flowers you see. Course, in reality Tony was just spending some well-needed time with Sarah and the kids, bless 'im.
"I can't...I can't do this," Buffy said in horror, "After all...everything we've all been through, it's just too much"

"Buffy it's not that bad," Joyce said, but her daughter and Willow were thoroughly unconvinced.

"Not that bad?" Buffy asked, "Glory's minions had better taste"

"It's just so green...and frilly..." Willow said in disgust as she and Buffy looked in the mirror at the green atrocities they wore; their bridesmaid dresses.

"It's just for one day," Joyce told them, feeling unbelievably comfortable in her own wedding outfit. Willow had pulled through completely on the maternity wear front and had linked to a site that only sold the latest in fashionable, casual maternity wear but also evening wear- and it was that which Joyce was wearing now. Golds, whites and beiges abundant; there wasn't a pink or lemon pastel color to be seen anywhere and her sleek and trendy outfit was completely frill free. Which was more than could be said for the bridesmaids outfits.

"You're right," Buffy nodded in agreement, "It's just one day...and it's my duty. I'm Buffy the Bridesmaid"

"Duty schmooty," Willow scoffed, "I'm s'posed to be best man. Shouldn't I be all Marlene Dietrichy in a dashing tuxedo number?"

"Doesn't work that way I'm afraid," Joyce informed her as she took a seat on Buffy's bed. Yes, she'd got to that stage where standing for too long became a pain. A literal pain. She refused to personally acknowledge that that meant soon the accompanying back pain would also be starting. And at this very moment she was dealing with it all on her lonesome. As at her own wedding the two parties had been divided between her own house and Xander's with the women getting ready here and the men getting prepared at Giles' former flat. Which meant said Giles wasn't here. He was at Xander's and as loathe as she was to admit feeling needy, but she really wanted Rupert back. Here. With her. Doing the mollycoddling thing she usually complained about.

"Plus, it would be totally unfair," Buffy added, not taking her eyes away from her and Willow's ghastly reflection, "We all must participate equally in the cosmic joke that is bridesmaid-dom"

"Hey, I thought you liked being a bridesmaid," Joyce protested since both her daughters had been bridesmaids at her own wedding.

"Yeah, well we wore normal dresses at yours," Buffy retorted and Joyce couldn't argue that fact because, honestly, the dresses were just horrid. Dawn had yet, in fact, to put hers on and was remaining in her room looking at the dress as though it were a demon about to jump her. Tara was in there with her, trying to convince her to get dressed.

"What was Anya thinking?" Willow asked.

"I think she's a little preoccupied right now," Joyce reasoned as she thought back on the rehearsal dinner from the previous night.

"Oh my god, the rehearsal dinner," Willow said as she slipped on her shoes, reading Joyce's thoughts, "It was like a zoo...without the table manners. And I bet it got worse after we left..."

"They were just a mess," Buffy added, putting on her own green shoes, "Yelling at each other, insulting one another...it was crazy"

"And they all kept touching my stomach," Joyce grumbled the addage, "demons and humans. Do you know how weird it feels to have tentacles placed on your stomach?" She asked them with a shiver at the memory, "My belly is not public property"

"And I'm sure D'Hoffryn got that message when you said if he touched it again he'd be left to pull back a bloody stump," Buffy told her, "He's a demon who can obliterate you with his thoughts. It was pure dumb luck that he has sympathy for pregnant women"

"Only because statistically they are the women most likely to call for vengeance," Willow said, but grinned, "It was funny though how Giles got all panicky when you said it. I thought he was going to have a heart attack or aneurysm...or both"

"Oh," The sound of Anya caused them all to look in the direction of the doorway where the bride stood in a bathrobe looking at Willow and Buffy in shock, "You two...look so beautiful" Beside herself with joy she pulled two of her bridesmaids into a warm hug, "This is the happiest day of my life"

The comment was punctuated by a flash of lightening, a loud crack thunder and then the sound of torrential downpour.

"So,it's about pain and loss?" Xander asked as his Aunt Carol ranted to him about the ways of marriage.

"It can be" She told him 'knowingly'.

"Well, that's just fine and I gotta be somewhere else..." Xander took a quick exit and went to wander away from his aunt, but apparently she wasn't done lecturing him yet and she followed on, continuing to talk.

"No, no, no, I'm saying it wrong," She told him "I'm not saying you guys shouldn't get hitched. I'm saying just don't built castles on the sand. Coz that's when life hits you with the big sack of crap and your heart breaks like a china doll"

"Mmm..." Xander tried to act like he was considering her words, when he was doing anything but, "Thanks, Carol,"

"Next thing you know you're trying to find a man who'll date a divorcée with a kid," She told him "Guess what? No such animal," She pointed out Giles across the room, who was presently trying to stop Xander's Uncle Rory from saying something to one of Anya's demons, "I asked him before, in a casual way of course, and he just said an outright 'no'. See? Divorcée with a kid- instant turn off"

"But, Carol, that's exactly what Giles did," Xander explained, really wanting to exit this conversation as quickly as possible and find his cuff links, "Except the woman had two kids. That's why he's saying no. He's already married"

"Oh," Carol flushed with embarrassment, "Whoops. I feel such an...he really did that?" She asked in keen interest and Xander nodded, and seemingly given a new perspective on things, Carol stopped lecturing Xander on the downfall of marriage. Thank god. Now free, Xander headed over to Giles and Rory.

"Any of you guys see my cuff links?" He asked, "Little metal deals, hold my sleeves together?"

"I believe your Aunt Carol is wearing them as earrings," Giles informed him and Xander just frowned in pure confusion.

"What? Really?" When Giles nodded in confirmation Xander sighed and rolled his eyes before walking back over to his aunt, "Carol, you're wearing my cuff links!"

"Scuse folks! Comin through," one of the wartier ones of Anya's demon acquaintances said as he headed towards the fridge, oblivious to the long hard suspicious looks the Harrises were giving him.

"If you're looking for a beverage I'm afraid you're left with either coffee or tap water," Giles informed him standing aside so the demon could look for himself.

"What? Really?" He asked, "Aw, man. I'm off to the corner store!" He informed everyone, "I'm getting me some OJ"

"You know her lot then?" Rory asked Giles, suspicion in his tone and expression.

"Pardon?"

"I mean, you seem pretty comfortable with a bunch of freaks," He said bluntly and when Giles didn't initially respond he merely murmured, "Circus folk my ass..."

Giles was saved ever having to reply by the sound of Xander's parents arriving. Soaked from the Californian downpour outside, the two squelched as they walked and they shook off their wet umbrellas, sending rain sprinkles everywhere.

"Damn it, aren't you ready yet?" Anthony Harris asked in impatient annoyance, "Should I go move the car?"

Jessica took out her compact from her purse and immediately started checking her reflection.

"Oh my, look at my hair. Of course I'm sure I won't be in any of the pictures." She added for Xander's benefit and her son rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"You'll be in the pictures Mom"

"I'm not so sure," She replied, "I mean we're not even in the correct seats at the table are we? Our place has been...usurped by him and his wife," Jessica nodded in the direction of Giles who, now put in an uncomfortable spot light, left the room without another word.

"Mom," Xander tried to explain his decision, but beyond saying 'you've been bad parents' there wasn't much to say, "just trust me. You'll be in the pictures"

"The flowers look beautiful," Joyce said in greeting as she and Giles saw each other for the first time in their nightmare morning. "you have good taste..." She looked around, "In fact you have a gay man's taste"

"Thank you," Giles told her satirically and she smiled.

"You know what I mean," She told him before kissing him briefly, "I'm just glad they got to actually have flowers"

"Me too," He agreed. Xander's parents had funded almost the entire event, with a little help from Xander and Anya. However even with collaborated funds there had been some things they still couldn't afford, including flowers which Anya had stated were vital to any wedding, and that's when Giles had stepped in and paid for all the flower arrangements much to Anya's glee.

"I look like an asparagus," Dawn said bluntly as she came up to them. She was looking down at her acid-green dress in hateful disbelief.

"It's not that bad," Joyce laughed and her daughter just gave her a look that said 'yeah right', "Okay, it's not perfect perhaps. But as I said to Buffy and Willow- I'm sure you can manage it one day. For Anya and Xander?"

"Fine," Dawn grumbled, "If you're gonna use guilt" She wandered off to do the task she had been designated to by Anya- meeting and greeting the guests

"So how was your morning?" Joyce asked Rupert as the two took a seat on one of of nearby chairs.

"Well, I met a wide variety of Xander's family, one of which asked me if I'd ever been a butler," Giles' smile was a tight one as he explained this, but Joyce's was genuine as she giggled slightly.

"Really? I don't-" Joyce said but Rupert nodded in confirmation, "Well, the majority of my morning was spent trying to convince Dawn that she should put on her bridesmaid dress. Also, trying to tell Anya that coffee would only make her more giddy and excited. Tara and Willow are in one of the back rooms with her right now, trying to get her to stand still for one moment so they can put her dress on"

"I don't remember our wedding being as hectic or complicated,"Rupert said, looking around at the potential carnage.

"That was a joke- right?" Joyce asked and when he said no, she laughed in disbelief, "Rupert, at our wedding Willow accidentally cast a spell that caused every couple in the wedding party to begin arguing constantly, then I called off the wedding and ran away"

"Oh, right," Giles nodded in realization, "Good point. But it all worked out great in the end" he added.

"Yes it did," Joyce agreed, before leaning in for another kiss.

"Hymen's greetings!" D'Hoffryn boomed as he arrived and Dawn smiled a tight, confused smile in reply.

"Hy- what?!"

"Hymen- the god of matrimony!" He explained enthusiastically, "His salutations upon you! May the love we celebrate today avoid an almost inevitable decline!"

"Cool," Dawn said simply and the vengeance demon immediately adopted a lot more casual tone as he held up a wedding present.

"I brought a gift. I suppose there's a table..." He said as Halfrek walked up beside him.

"Oh," Dawn said sourly, "Halfrek. Hi"

"Please! Call me Hallie now! We're practically family!"

"Neat," Dawn said, meaning anything but, as she turned her attention back to D'Hoffryn, "I can put that on the table for you-" she told him, taking the parcel.

"Be careful it's-"

"Fragile?" Dawn guessed and he shook his head.

"Squirmy," He corrected her just as a slithery tentacle poked out of one of the air holes.

"So Dawnie how is everything?" Hallie asked, putting an arm around Dawn, leading her back into the main reception area with D'Hoffryn close behind them, "Going good? Nothing you wish were different...?"

"Hallie, for Yekk's sake," D'Hoffryn said in exasperation, "take a day off. We're not here to do vengeance, we're here to mingle." At this he spotted Joyce on the opposite side of the room, sat with her husband and the demon headed over to the couple.

"...and she was wearing the cuff links as earrings," Giles was saying as D'Hoffryn reached the couple.

"Hymen's greetings," He smiled at them.

"D'Hoffryn," Joyce said evenly, too annoyed at the demon to consider the surreality of the fact she was giving the cold shoulder to a powerful demon just like he was a woman she disliked at work. Oh yes, their lives were so very different from other people's.

"Mrs Giles," D'Hoffryn said formally, "I'm afraid we got off onto rather a wrong foot yesterday," He attempted to laugh jovially and casually but since he had a pure demonic visage this made it hard to achieve without a subversive freak factor.

"You might say that." She agreed and Giles watched the two warily, deeply concerned that Joyce was going to set D'Hoffryn off. Sure, out of respect for Anya, he wasn't all evil-doing for the wedding but if a mere mortal woman pushed him too far there was no telling what he might do.

"I have to say your threat to me yesterday was quite an impressive use of imagery," D'Hoffryn informed her, "In fact I'm trying to get one of my friends to depict it in abstract form. Go lovely on my wall. But that's beside the point. What I mean to say is, I should have asked your permission before hand. Though to incur pregnancy wrath is quite something to behold, I'd rather channel it than be the one causing it," He told her, with a slight smile, "So now that that's settled, would you mind?" He gestured to put his hand upon her stomach and Joyce looked at the blue, gnarled, clawed hand with a grimace. She really didn't want that going anywhere near her skin, or anywhere near her at all, but what else was she supposed to say? She grimaced slightly before nodded in reluctant agreement, and D'Hoffryn reached out to put his demonic hand upon her womb. After a moment however he pulled away in his own disgust, "Argh, you didn't say you were carrying a Slayer"

"Didn't I?" Joyce asked innocently, ignoring the thought that she hadn't even known that D'Hoffryn could tell that Lily was a Slayer, or at least a potential at this point.

"No, you didn't," He told her firmly, "Can't stand the damn things. Well, I must go mingle"

And on that note, the vengeance demon headed off into the crowd, leaving Joyce and Giles extremely bemused. Joyce looked down at her stomach with a grimace before turning to Rupert.

"Washroom now please," She pleaded referring to the slight blueness D'Hoffryn had left on her skin and until it was washed off she couldn't pull her top back down completely.

As Buffy had just finished with fitting Xander into his cummerbund she walked along the corridor back to the wedding parry and bumped right into a lonely Spike. She had known he had been invited by Anya, but to actually have him here in front of her was a lot more awkward than she thought it was going to be. Sure when she'd told him that she just wanted to be friends, that's all she could have from him, he had been accepting of the fact, but she knew he wasn't happy about it. And this awkward silence just proved it.

"Spike," She nodded in greeting with a small smile.

"Buffy," He replied, looking around at everything but her, "Some do eh?"

"Some do..." She nodded in awkward agreement, looking down at her green shoes.

"So what's the bet one of the Harrises are gonna lose a limb to one of Anya's demons by the end of the day?" He asked casually as a topic of conversation and Buffy smiled a little more, relieved by the fact a little of the tension had drifted away.

"I say it'll be Mr Harris,"

"Giles! Giles!" Dawn ran over to her Mom and Giles in a panic, "One of Xander and Anya's presents escaped!"

"Escaped?!" Giles exclaimed in horror, immediately getting up in panic.

"I tried to tell Xander but some old guy dragged him away," Dawn explained, "And now I can't find it. It was from D'Hoffryn"

"Oh lord..." Giles sighed, turning back to Joyce a moment, "I'll just be-"

"As long as it takes?" Joyce filled in and he nodded in agreement before letting Dawn lead the way.

Left to her own devices, Joyce looked around at the entire contents of the wedding- the majority being arguing guests. The Harrises and the demons really weren't getting along, worse still, weren't even trying to.

As she craned her neck to look over at the door, through which she could see pouring rain still persistently coming down, to see if any more guests were arriving she saw Xander run over to the door, panic in his eyes. He took one last glance at the entire wedding party and with the expression of a man resigned to an awful fate, ran out of the doors and away from his own wedding.

It took Joyce a moment to consider what to do next, before she forced herself to get up and follow Xander out.

Xander was so confused, he didn't know what he wanted to do. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't even feel the rain pouring down on him, flattening his dark hair to his scalp. Those visions his older self had shown him...they had been so horrifying. How could he have brought so much pain to Anya? The woman he loved? No, he knew how. His own Father had done it to his Mother hadn't he? So why shouldn't he be like Father like son? No, he couldn't do that to Anya. He couldn't. Wouldn't.

"Xander!"

His thoughts had been so much on his fiancée that for a moment he thought it was Anya calling his name, but more sensical thoughts informed him that it was Joyce shouting for him. He knew she was probably there to stop him walking away, but he couldn't let her, he had to keep on going. So he kept on walking.

"Xander! Stop!" Joyce pleaded but he remained resilient and carried on headed forward through the slowly deepening puddles, "Xander! I am getting wet through- no, I am wet through here- and my hair is starting to come out and I'm cold and pregnant and hormonal so just stop right now!"

Xander stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to face Joyce. She hadn't been lying- she was absolutely soaked. She'd obviously forgotten to grab a coat or umbrella in her rush to catch up with him and her outfit and herself were drenched and her hair which had been smoothly almost- straigtened this morning and swooped up in a modern French twist was now slowly coming out more and more through the weight of the rain and was returning back to it's original curl. She did not look happy.

"Joyce, go back inside," He told her, "You'll get a cold"

"So will you," She retorted, "I'm not going back inside till you agree to come with me"

"No, I can't," He replied, shaking his head to emphasize the point.

"Why not?"

"Cause I'll just make Anya unhappy," He told her sadly, "I'll make her life a misery"

"You don't know that," She said to him and he walked over to her with purpose.

"Yes. Yes I do." He told her firmly. "You just...you don't know what I'm thinking here. What's going on or-"

"Yes I do," She nodded, "I ran away from my wedding remember? I called it off. Why? Because I was afraid and this is exactly the same thing with you here."

"No, it's-"

"Yes it is," She cut him off, "You told me that bad things happen all the time, but you can't let 'em win- that Rupert and I had come too far to stop there. But isn't that exactly what you're doing now? You can't just run away because things might not go well. You have to take that chance...otherwise...what's the point?"

"It's more complicated than that," He told her sadly, but Joyce was unconvinced.

"How?"

"Today, I met someone who showed me the future Anya and I had ahead of us" He explained.

"Who?"

"Myself," He replied, "Myself from about fifty years in the future. And he showed me the awful things that I was going to do to Anya. I'm going to ruin her life"

"How do you know that?" She retorted and he frowned at her.

"I know you aren't always all-knowing on the supernatural front Joyce, but I thought you at least knew what 'visions of the future' meant"

"Yes," She said, giving him a look for the slight dig, "But what I mean is- how can you know that was you showing the visions? Or even that they were visions at all? Rupert's always saying about demons that-"

Realization dawned on Xander's face as he made a connection between what he had seen and Anya.

"Oh god- Anya!" He exclaimed in pain before running back in the direction of the wedding.

"What is going on?" Giles asked as he and Dawn returned from containing the wedding gift that had gotten loose. When they got back however they found the wedding party unsettled and anxious and there was no sign of the wedding ceremony starting.

"It's nothing, it's just-" Buffy replied, before Willow caught her attention from the other side of the room, apparently telling her something urgent, "Oh god, be right back"

With no one else to ask Dawn and Giles turned to Spike for answers who was watching the entire scene with minimal interest as though it were a mediocre episode of a mediocre soap opera.

"Spike- what's goin on?" Dawn asked and Spike sighed as though giving the information was going to cause him a ridiculous amount of effort.

"Well, see the groom's gone missing"

"What?" Dawn asked in disbelief, "Xander's-"

"Done a runner on the wedding," Spike filled in, just as Will came running over to the group with Buffy.

"Mom's gone," Buffy said, looking panicked herself now.

"Joyce is gone?" Giles checked in worry, "And Xander's missing?"

"Xander's missing?! What do you mean Xander's missing?"

The group turned to see that the bride had overheard everything. She was followed by an apologetic Tara.

The whole crowd fell terribly silent as they listened in to Anya's hysterical words.

"It's a joke!" Uncle Rory suddenly exclaimed into the deathly silence, "He's joking! Like this one time, at one of Carol's weddings, I had this ape suit-"

"Oh good," the demon with the tentacles rolled his eyes, "Another Harris Family Joke"

"Well, hey, buddy, I'm just kidding around," Rory defended himself, "Someone's gotta lighten the mood"

At that exact moment Carol and one of Anya's wartier demon friends stumbled out of the closet, straightening their clothes. Carol looked particularly winded. Anthony, upon seeing this from his permanent seat at the bar, began to laugh at the sight.

"Why not? Beauty and the beast!" He exclaimed, "Or beast and the beast anyway"

"I think you've had enough," The tentacle demon yet again had to play referee.

"Drinking," Anthony Harris replied drunkenly, "is the only way. I can dull the pain. Of looking. At your. Ugly. Face" As he said this he took a few almost-steady steps forward towards the demon, getting in his face.

"You better think about this real hard, Harris," Tentacle Demon told him.

"Don't you touch me with those nasty circus things" Harris retorted pushing the tentacles away, but the demon just poked him again. Anthony responded by punching the demon right in the jaw with a resounding thwack that was like a starting bell for the rest of the wedding party as everyone else broke into a fight.

"Hey break it up!" Buffy exclaimed, jumping into the fray to separate demon from human.

"Has anyone seen Xander?" Anya asked, wandering around and paying no attention to the fight going on, "When did you see Xander last?"

It was Aunt Carol who gave the helpful answer as she pointed out an old guy in a brown trench coat.

"Well, I saw him go into the trophy room with that guy!"

Hearing this, Giles assumed that the man in the trench coat, having seen Xander last, would also know where Joyce had gone also as he very much doubted that it was coincidence that the two of them were missing. However, just as he went to head over to the guy with Anya, one of the more violent Harrises went for Dawn with a off-center left hook and Giles' priorities changed as he grabbed Dawn out of the way and the drunken Harris, having nothing to resist against the punch, toppled over to the floor.

"Dawn, head that way!" He ordered, pushing the teenager to the door to the foyer where everything was very much fight free. Hearing this advice, Tara and Willow also started heading in that direction.

"Ow!" Tara yelped as a demon's tentacle whipped across her arm, leaving a squelch mark on her arm, "Also ewww..."

Spike rushed over and fighting off demons and humans alike helped Tara and Willow away from the brawl. Once everyone was safe, Giles headed over to find out what the old man knew about the disappearance of the groom and Joyce.

"Xander!" Anya was demanding of the man, "Where is he?! You tell me old man, you tell me why he left!"

"Why? He left because of you" The man replied calmly and Giles was thrown. For one, he had no idea what the man meant by the answer and two, if it were true then the fact Joyce was missing wasn't connected to Xander and so...he had no idea where his wife had gone or what had happened to her. Not exactly a comforting thought.

"I-I didn't do anything," Anya protested forlornly.

"Oh really?" The old man sounding thoroughly unconvinced, "What about this?"

Suddenly, the man became to ripple as his form changed and became a huge, tall, hideous, demonic creature.

Amazingly enough, this didn't stop the wedding party from carrying on their brawl.

"You did this" The creature told Anya, "You brought this on"

It shrieked a blood-curdling yell (and this time the fighting guests nearest the scene did stop and look on in horror) and swiped at Anya with it's clawed hand but Giles, in a repeat performance of a moment ago, pulled her out of harm's way just in time.

"Uh-oh," Clem gulped as he took in the entire scene. Buffy, however, working her way through the people still fighting, remained unfortunately oblivious.

Anya was evidently terrified by the sight of the monstrous demon, but in her concern for Xander she refused to back down.

"Tell me what you did with Xander!" When he didn't answer she started beating her tiny fists against his chest in frustration, "What are you?"

"You don't recognize me?" The creature asked.

"No," She replied distractedly, "Now where's Xander?"

"I've waited a long time for this," the creature told her, leaning in close to her face, "Anyanka"

"What are you?" Giles asked, attempting to take control of an uncontrollable situation, "How do you know Anya? How-"

"Remember Chicago?" The demon asked Anya, ignoring Giles, "South side, 1914? Stewart Burns? Philanderer?"

Comprehension dawned on Anya's face as she began to realize what was going on.

"You'd think you'd remember," The demon said, "I remember you. But then again, you ruined my life"

"You...I punished you.." Anya said sadly.

"That's right," The once-man nodded in agreement, "Some hussie I'd been taking around summons you and next thing I know I look like this and I'm being tortured in another dimension"

"I...I forgot..."

"Well I didn't," The creature retorted, "Everyday I remembered and everyday I thought about how I would someday get back here and ruin your life the way you ruined mine"

Anya was on the verge of tears, her eyes watering and her voice breaking.

"But how-"

"Black magic," He told her before Anya could even finish her question, "And plenty of time. I practiced and practiced until today. It didn't take much either. I scared off your fiancée with a bunch of phony visions"

"Visions of what?" She asked.

"Your future," The demon replied, "Or his nightmare vision of your future"

"That's all..." Anya said, this alone seemingly causing all the fight to just sigh out of her. It was as though she had nothing left to keep her going. "That's all you did..."

"Oh look at that," The creature looked at the tears pouring down Anya's face and reveled in her misery, "you're crying. Oh I like that"

"S-stop it," She begged sadly, but the demon wouldn't relent.

"Oh cry, Anyanka, cry. I love to see you cry. Now I'd love to see you scream!"

He began to charge at her for the kill, when he was stopped by one of the chairs being thrown at him with enough force to knock him backwards. She went to charge at him, but he immediately grabbed Anya by the throat as a defense.

"Come any closer and I'll kill her!" He warned her, but just at that moment Xander burst through the door. The now bright sunshine burning down outside seemed to backlight him, giving him a dramatic heroic entrance that distracted the demon long enough for Buffy to be able to kick him in the groin.

"Anya!" Xander exclaimed, running over.

"Xander!"

As Buffy and Xander started to fight the demon, determined to have it as the deadest demon in deadonia, Giles glanced back at the door Xander had just walked through, just in time to see Joyce walk through it herself, looking drenched beyond all measure. He immediately ran over to her.

"Joyce where-"

"Cold," She shivered, "Very cold."

"You're wet through," He said sympathetically, pushing her now completely loose and curly wet hair behind her ears before pulling her closer trying to warm her up the quickest way possible. "Where did you go?"

"A-after X-Xander," She was still shivering and punctuated her reply with a completely comical sneeze.

"I'll kill him." He told her, and by his tone of voice she really didn't doubt it.

At that moment, the entire wedding crowd burst into cheers and applause and the couple turned to see what they were applauding at- the demon was dead and Xander and Buffy were stood beside it, clearly the ones behind said death.

"Anyone else waiting for it to go poof?" Willow asked with a frown before brightening as an idea came to her, "Ooh- maybe we can cover it with flowers!"

"I am not paying for this, you freaks," Anthony exclaimed as he surveyed the damage.

"Stop! Calling us! Freaks!" The demon who'd had the closet action with Carol shouted and the fight broke out again.

"STOP IT!!" Anya yelled out, bringing them all to a silent halt mid-brawl, "EVERYONE SIT DOWN! THIS WEDDING WILL GO ON! NOW GET IN YOUR SEATS!"

Without question, everybody did so and while they were waiting for everyone to settle down Anya and Xander, holding hands, stepped aside.

"You know it's bad luck for you to see in my dress," Anya said, attempting to smile her tears away, and Xander smiled weakly back, touching her cheek gently, almost wistfully.

"Hey it's okay," Anya told him, "It's all over. He's dead. You hit him with a chair. And it was all just smoke and mirrors"

"I know" Xander nodded slightly in agreement.

"So we're ready now," Anya smiled, "Let's get married," She grabbed his hand to drag him over to the minister but he stayed stood there, pulling her back and she frowned in puzzlement. "Come on, you're just shaken up..." Her panic and worry was mounting as she could clearly read what was going on in Xander's mind, "Just calm down and we'll start over. Now come on"

Xander looked over at his own parents. His dad had a bloody scratch on his cheek and he was shouting obscenities at his wife while Jessica cried tragically. Xander didn't want to become like that. He didn't want to do that to Anya.

Right next to his parents however were Joyce and Giles who weren't do the shouting thing beyond the fact that Giles was clearly reprimanding Joyce for running out in the rain after Xander. He had taken off his own suit jacket and put it around Joyce in the hopes that it would get her warmer and dryer a little faster and she seemed eternally grateful for it as she looked, presently, completely frozen.

Two complete married couple opposites, side by side. If it hadn't been his own future in the balance Xander would have found time to find the visual amusing. But right now it seemed to mean a lot more to him than funny ironic imagery. Two married couples, both starting off in the same way couples do, but ending up in completely different places. Xander realized that the same went for him and Anya. Sure, he could end up like what he saw in the 'vision', but he could also go the complete opposite and he and Anya could have a happy life together. Forewarned, forearmed after all, right? Joyce was right- he'd never know if he didn't take the chance. But was he ready to take it?

"And now, you may kiss the bride" The minister announced, sounding intensely relieved that this particular wedding was finally over as Anya and Xander shared a swoon-worthy kiss. After they broke apart, Anya was breathlessly giddy.

"erm...food, let's get food," She giggled, pointing in the general direction of where the sit down dinner was to be held.

"You owe me twenty kittens D'Hoffryn," Tentacle demon said casually as they all got up, "You said she wouldn't go through with it"

"No, I said he wouldn't." D'Hoffryn replied, "I had no doubts about Anyanka"

"Either way, pay up"

"You bet my son wouldn't go through with it?" Anthony challenged, having overheard the exchange between the demons. "You little freaks, wagering my-"

"Stop calling us freaks!" The tentacled demon was at the end of his tether and he lashed out at Mr Harris.

"OKAY! STOP!" Buffy exclaimed, pushing both guys aside with one hand to each chest, but her Slayer strength caused them both to go propelling backwards away from one another, "Now, Anya said we're going to eat so we are going to eat. With no fighting." She gestured for them to walk ahead.

"It's going to be like this all night isn't it?" Joyce, now dry yet still wearing Rupert's jacket, said to Giles. There was the sound of something being smashed, followed by the yell of Mr Harris.

"Yes," Giles nodded, deadly serious, "Yes it is..."

The rest of the night seemed to go in a blur, as though it all melded into one. There had been issues with the table seatings of course, problems mostly for Anthony and Jessica Harris, who had still refused to completely forgive Xander for having Joyce and Rupert take their place at the table. The couple had initially made to swap seats to keep the peace, but both Xander and Anya had adamantly refused to let them and had ordered Ant and Jess to their assigned seats. It hadn't helped matters that Halfrek and D'Hoffryn also got seats at the head table.

Despite the initial bitterness there at the beginning, Dawn and Halfrek began to get along quite well, finding that the two of them had the same tastes and humor. However, the more relaxed Dawn became with her the more worried her parents and Buffy became that she was going to accidentally wish for something. So Joyce had asked D'Hoffryn to make Halfrek officially take the day off, so that even if Dawn did accidentally use the dreaded words 'I wish' there would be no awful consequences. D'Hoffryn had been reluctant at first, after all he may be pleasant for the day but he was still a vengeance demon, but out of respect for Anyanka he eventually agreed, much to everyone's relief.

The meal was like most wedding meals, pleasant at the time but almost immediately forgotten and the toasts were amusing and touching for the most part, and thankfully not at all long-winded. That done with, it was time for the dancing.

The tables were moved and cleared away, organized for a small buffet half way through the night at the very back and the rest were placed into small round tables for groups to sit at when they weren't dancing on the now clear dance floor.

The lights were cued to a romantic dance low and the singer of the big band Xander and Anya had hired introduced Mr and Mrs Xander Harris to the floor for the first dance as they cut into the romantic opening notes of 'It Could Happen to You'

Hide your heart from sight Lock your dreams at night It could happen to you

The newly weds seemed perfectly content with one another, beyond happy, even when Xander stumbled for a split second mid-dance, throwing them off completely for a moment.

Don't count stars or you might stumble Someone drops a sigh and down you tumble

Anya wrapped her arms around Xander warmly and rested her head on his chest as they danced as though doubly making sure he wasn't going anywhere. And he truly wasn't.

All I did was wonder how your arms could be And then it happened to me...

Then it was the parent dance with the newly weds, which Xander immediately saw as the provoker for another potential fight. Anya danced with Giles, since he was the one to have given her away at the beginning of the ceremony, but Xander split his own dance time between his Mom and Joyce. His Father was too drunk to notice that Anya hadn't danced with him.

"Thanks for the pep talk earlier," Xander thanked Joyce as they danced, "And erm, sorry, for you like getting soaked," He grinned sheepishly.

"Not a problem." She assured him, "As long as you and Anya are okay now. And you are?"

"Yes," He looked over at his wife who right now was reprimanding Giles, firmly telling him he wasn't dancing right. Giles in response was giving as good as he got and arguing back. The two looked ridiculously childish. "Yes we are," Xander told her, complete smitten-y love in his voice and Joyce smiled, job accomplished.

"Good, then it was all worth it," She told him, "After all, what are Moms for?"

The Freudian slip caused the two of them to fall into awkward silence for a moment, but thankfully a moment later the song ended and the floor was open to everyone.

They all seemed to develop a dance exchange as Willow and Tara danced together, but Willow was stolen by Xander as Tara was taken for a spin by Clem. Rupert and Joyce obviously had a lot of dances together but were each shared, sometimes involuntarily, between Willow, Buffy, Halfrek, Anya and Tara on Giles' part- with one singular dance for Carol- and Xander, Clem, Rory and Spike for Joyce. Spike also danced with both Mrs Jessica Harris and Mrs Anya Harris and also took Willow and Tara for a dance at the same time just to show he could do a three way waltz. In fact, most of his dancing seemed to be just to prove that he could. However, when it seemed the turn for he and Hallie to share a dance the two immediately panicked and bailed, heading in opposite directions. Buffy watched this 'exchange' with interest before walking over to the vampire after having a surprising dance with D'Hoffryn.

"What was that all about?" Buffy asked,walking up to Spike in time to hear him finish murmuring '...if Cecily thinks I'm gonna dance with her now...'. "Cecily?" She asked incredulously and Spike jumped in Giles-esque shock.

"What? No, what?"

"Cecily," Buffy repeated, nodding in the direction of Halfrek who was presently gossiping with Anya. "I'm guessing you knew her before she was a vengeance demon then"

"You could say that," He agreed non-commitedly.

"Wanna dance?" Buffy asked suddenly, throwing Spike even more.

"You what?"

"Dancing. In which our feet move in time to the beat," Buffy explained, "Wanna take a shot?"

"You are one strange girl, pet," Spike told her with a frown, "I thought you just wanted 'to be friends'"

"I've been dancing with Xander all night," She countered, "Friends can dance"

Leaving no room for protests she took his hand and led the stunned Spike onto the dance floor.

"Everything seems to be in full swing doesn't it?" Giles asked as he walked back over to Joyce who presently, having shed his coat a while ago, was fanning herself with a improvised fan made of a folded up napkin. She was also popping one of the chocolate bites in her mouth.

"Yes, it does," She agreed as he took a seat beside her. She wasn't looking at him though, she was looking over at her daughter and Spike who were presently trying to dance to a song that kept changing it's style every verse. They were finding it a difficulty to keep up. "Where do you think they're going?" She asked suddenly and Giles had to look around a bit until he understood what she was talking about.

"I don't know," He answered honestly.

"She says they're just friends," She told him, "But I'm not sure they are- i mean I'm not sure they ever can be"

Giles considered her words deeply, thinking over what things meant for Spike and Buffy.

"Well..." He eventually said, "They don't seem to be worrying about it today...so, why should we?"

Joyce looked at him with a kindly frown.

"You're very complacent today," She acknowledged, "What happened to your complete and utter untrust and hate of Spike?"

"Well, he's saved your life on more than one occasion," He admitted, "Which, I'll admit, makes me lenient towards him. Besides, I think we've had enough conflicts for one wedding don't you think?"

"Yes," Joyce nodded in agreement, "Definitely. Despite the fact that Anthony has come onto me and both my daughters tonight"

"What?!"

"Don't worry. Clem dealt with him," Joyce assured him, "He's now passed out on one of the sofa seats in the corner. Tony I mean, not Clem. Besides," She said, leaning over for a kiss, "I thought you said no worrying"

"I did say that didn't I?" He agreed and she nodded briefly before the two engaged in a kiss, that while didn't have the passion they usually exchanged when alone, it was filled with a love and tenderness that could only come from a couple sharing an anniversary of one very happy year together married. The two had previously decided not to inform Anya and Xander that they shared a wedding anniversary now.

"Right so we're married, we have a car, a house..." Anya listed off as she and Xander walked past Joyce and Giles who were just ending their kiss, "Now what next? When do we get a boat? Or a child? You've seen the list. What was on it next?"

Xander just sighed in happy resignation as he walked alongside his bride and let her ramble.