Buffy watched the man dressed like a holly bush drink from what looked like a salad bowl and smiled as Ethan and Giles seemed to find this delightful. She had missed all these odd traditions during her previous years. Hell, the whole concept of twelve actual days of Christmas was still shocking.
Oz slung an arm around her shoulders as they followed the crowd. She reached up and laced their fingers together. Dawn rolled her eyes at their easy affection and bumped Xander with her shoulder. It was peaceful to stroll with her family.
"So, do I have to fight a real Christmas greenery demon tonight?" Buffy smiled.
Giles sputtered, Ethan laughed, and Oz squeezed her arm. Xander and Dawn were up ahead, laughing as they went. The walk passed in a happy blur. Noise and good spirits abounded.
They watched Saint George defeat the Turkish Knight. Buffy saw Giles roll his eyes at the swordplay. He probably wanted to correct their form. Ethan was all smiles.
Buffy looked through the crowd. There wasn't a demon anywhere. She took a deep breath. The only thing missing was Willow. She would have enjoyed the explanations of every festooned character that Willow would have provided, but there would be next year. The coven thought she'd wake up in the next couple of days.
The warm hum of contentment that surrounded her kept brushing up against something. Oz wasn't enjoying this as much as she was. He was nervous. Probably his urge to protect her going in to overdrive because of all the strangers. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
When someone started passing out cakes, Ethan pulled the group back. Buffy frowned at him, but he just grinned.
"Best not to eat something when you have no idea what's in it." Giles touched her shoulder and smiled. "Ethan went to a great deal of trouble arranging all this. I have no idea how he does it."
"He's pretty amazing when he isn't trying to kill us." Buffy smiled and winked at Ethan.
"Get into the pub, Woman. Let's get warm." Ethan linked his arm through hers and smiled widely. "Our meal awaits."
"Welcome to The Wolf's Lady." A round faced waitress bustled toward them. "We have your table ready."
"Great." Buffy smiled and looked around. The place was warm, which was of the good, but it was more. It was perfect. There was a fair share of traditional pub, lots of warm wood and dark colors, but there was space. She smiled.
Their table was situated in an alcove. Buffy slid into a chair. She could see the space around them. Oz sat next to her. Her hand grabbed his naturally.
"Have a cake, everyone. It's tradition." Ethan passed a basket around and they each took a small cake. "Word of warning, two of the cakes contain a little something special. If you find the bean you are our king for the night. If you find the other you'll be his queen."
Oz found the bean and a waiter came forward with a ring of laurel leaves.
"Your crown." Ethan smiled and placed the thing on Oz's head.
Buffy hid her smile by breaking apart her cake. She felt something metal, and pulled a ring from the cake. It was beautiful and old. Her heart skipped when Oz coughed. He was on one knee.
He looked like something out of a painting her mom would have coveted, otherworldly and mythic. She felt her hands shaking.
"Yes." Buffy nodded.
"Can I ask first? Spent some time on this." Oz smiled and she nodded some more. "I was yours a long time before I admitted it. Our roads would have been smoother if I'd grabbed you in the school basement, but we would have had different trials then. You had your path to walk and I had mine. Those paths made us, carried us, here to each other. I want to be the strong arm at your back and the warm embrace that brings you home. I love you, Buffy. Would you marry me?"
"Yes, yes, gods, yes." Buffy sank to her knees and kissed him. He slid the ring onto her finger and it fit perfectly. She knew the others were milling about excitedly, but it didn't matter. He was hers. She was his.
"I love you, Oz." She wound her fingers in his hair and pressed her lips to his cheek.
"You're getting married!" Dawn squealed and dragged them both up to their feet. "That's so great."
"Congratulations." Xander clapped Oz on the shoulder.
Giles and Ethan smiled and nodded, waiting for Dawn to quit bouncing. Buffy grinned at them over Dawn's shoulder.
"So, this is gonna be a big thing, right?" Xander smiled. "I mean the first one of us to get married, and, technically, it's two of us."
"Wedding plans are usually made by the couple, Xander." Giles grinned. "But it will be as big a deal as Buffy and Oz want it to be."
"Family only, small." Buffy smiled. "I mean if that's okay with Oz."
"Soon." Oz blushed. "That's all I care about."
"Well, June is six months away, but we could swing it, right?" Dawn looked over at Ethan and Giles. "I'll be back from school. It should be perfect."
"I was thinking more like six weeks." Buffy smiled brightly. "Or sooner."
"Buffy, you aren't the only slayer anymore. You don't have to squeeze in your wedding before the new big bad does its thing." Dawn patted her shoulder.
"Not a slayer thing, Dawnie." Buffy blushed.
"Then why?" Dawn looked so frustrated. "Why not make the day amazing?"
"It will be because it's Oz." Buffy swallowed. "And I'd like to enjoy our honeymoon, too."
"She's pregnant, Dawn." Xander sat down and started picking at his cake. "Even I get that."
"I'm going to be an auntie?" The bouncing and squealing started again. "When? How?"
"I'm not answering those questions." Buffy blushed and pushed her sister away gently. "You're in college. You should know the answers by now."
"Before this conversation veers any further into the inappropriate, why don't we sit down and crown our queen for the night?" Giles said as he polished his glasses with vigor.
Ethan pulled out a delicate crown of white flowers and passed it to Oz.
Buffy sat down and let him arrange the flowered circlet on her head. His fingers slid along the back of her neck, soothing her nerves. Her fiancé was almost too perfect.
"You look quite lovely." Ethan smiled.
"Thank you." Buffy nodded her head regally and ruined the effect with a giggle.
"I wish you could wear Mom's dress." Dawn smiled. "I remember you trying it on when we were little. She would have loved to be here for this."
Buffy nodded and laced her fingers through Oz's.
"Anya would have loved to help out, too." Xander tilted his head and smiled. "She used to talk about that stuff all the time."
"Where is everyone? This place is great." Buffy shifted in her seat and looked around again.
"I arranged a private party for the night." Ethan flicked some lint from his sleeve.
"How did you find this place, Ethan?" Oz raised a brow.
"I owned it, actually." Ethan shrugged. "It used to be The Sorcerer's Lament. I decided to spruce the place up. It was time for a change. It's yours by the way."
"What do you mean?" Oz stilled.
"I'm giving the pub to you. Think of it as an engagement gift." Ethan smiled.
"It's too much. We can't accept something like this." Buffy shook her head.
"She's right." Oz squeezed her hand.
"I have no time to mind it, and I imagine you'll be needing a new venture soon enough. Can't be traipsing about the planet, finding people when you've a family of your own."
"Finding people?" Xander looked at Oz. "What does that mean?"
"I happened into a career as a retriever." Oz shrugged.
"You have quite the reputation." Ethan smiled. "You've never failed."
"My skill set comes in quite handy." Oz closed his eyes.
"What exactly have you been doing?" Buffy turned to look at her mate.
"He finds people that have been kidnapped and returns them to their families. He's the very best in the world." Ethan tilted his head. "Only takes money from corporate clients, a true white hat, and a wealthy one."
"I helped people get their loved ones back safely. It was good work." Oz closed his eyes. "It was important to me because I had left mine behind."
"You won't have to do that again." Buffy kissed his cheek. "I mean leave us. The job sounds good."
Oz nodded and kissed her gently. His fingers traced the planes of her cheeks. She felt the surge of devotion and love coming from him and moved closer. She loved knowing him this way. The intimacy of it formed a happy bubble around them.
She heard the clatter of plates being set on the table, and Oz pulled back. He smiled and ran a thumb along her bottom lip. The promise of the night ahead was there in his eyes.
"We need to eat." Buffy smiled. She looked over at Giles and the others and blushed.
"I have a gift for you as well. It's not quite as extravagant as Ethan's, but I hope you will appreciate it." Giles pushed a small package across the table toward them. Oz unwrapped it and smiled, a true beaming smile.
He turned the box and showed Buffy a picture of the two of them sitting on the stairs in the library. Oz was reading and she was asleep, resting her head against his legs.
"How?" Buffy looked up. "We lost everything."
"No. I have boxes of things I sent here when I left Sunnydale. I had forgotten about them, but I started going through them and found that." He smiled. "It seemed appropriate."
"When there are supposed to be gifts, you guys have to tell me." Xander groused. Everyone laughed.
Buffy leaned on Oz, taking in the warm laughter and silly expressions of her family. She was a normal girl in a normal world, celebrating a normal thing. It was extraordinary.