I started this story in April of 2019, and it's nearly 100,000 words, which is over novel length. It was a crossover story that I wanted to write when I first began writing my BTVS crossovers. I had, however, planned an unexpected ending for it—something, I have never really read in many BTVS stories, and certainly a first for me. I have also decided that this story needs to be over, so two more chapters should do it. I am excited to get it wrapped up and hope everyone who has stuck with this story or the new readers who come across it will be satisfied with the conclusion.

Chapter 28: A Wedding and a Murder

*****A Few Days Later*****

Valentine's Day was good for all of them. Everyone was able to connect with someone they cared about or loved. Xander felt optimistic about the future for the first time in a long time as his Valentine's dance at the hotel with Parker had been a blast. It was no drama but just an entirely fun time. Exactly what he wanted a date to be.

He saw Veronica sitting on a bench reading and decided to approach her.

"Hello," he said, sitting next to her.

Veronica looked up and saw Xander, the guy friend everyone talked so well about. However, she had not really spent any time with him. "Hi," she said. "Taking a break?"

He nodded. "Yes," he said. "Did you have a good Valentine's?"

"I really did. It was a nice change," she told him.

"This entire town is a nice change for me," he said with an easy smile.

Veronica debated on whether or not to make a breezy comment to end the conversation or not. Deciding she never was one to take the easy road, she said, "I find that really strange as this town as been hell for me."

"I know it has," he said, giving her a look of sympathy but not pity. "I admire you immensely. You've survived a lot and gotten through it with your wits. You'd definitely be the Velma in our group. But you're really too hot, so maybe a Velma-Daphne combo. We'll just have to go with the original Veronica because I'm definitely Jughead. Of course, you're blonde so that makes you the Betty."

Veronica grinned, amused. "Does that make Buffy, Archie?" she asked.

He nodded. "Of course," he said with a snicker. "Except she's never been torn between the two of us."

"Her loss," Veronica commented.

"Most definitely," Xander said.

Now Veronica laughed. "I see why everyone likes you," she said.

"Sometimes," he said. "I was not too popular in high school as I only had two friends. Then I dated the most popular girl in the school, which made me more notorious than popular."

"I don't know how you did it," Veronica said.

"Well, it's like a roller coaster ride," he said, "from hell. It's got its highs and lows, and you think about getting off, but it's such a rush, and you're caught up in the moment. You feel good, though, when you save a life or stop the world from ending."

Veronica grinned. "I get that," she said.

Xander looked at his watch. "Well, my break is over. It was nice talking to you, Veronica. I hope you won't hate Buffy forever," he said. "She really is the best person and will make you an awesome sister."

He didn't wait for her respond but left.

Veronica didn't get too much time to contemplate his remarks before Logan took his spot on the bench. "Hey," he said, giving her a quick kiss.

"Hi," she said, smiling. "How's your day been?"

"Good. Got an A on my math test thanks to Mac's notes from last year," he said. "Thank God that girl saves everything!"

"You could just take your own notes," she said.

"I do," he said. "But you've not seen Mac's. They're next level!"

Veronica laughed. "Well, you just missed Xander. He was on a break and chatted with me a bit," she shared.

"Oh, yeah? How did that go?" Logan asked.

"Very well," she said. "He's really a nice guy. I get why Weevil likes him so much, and everyone does really. He's self-deprecating and just really easy to talk to."

"Like Wallace?" Logan said.

"Yes, but not exactly," she said. "He babbles a lot more. He's a bit of a goof while Wallace is a total jock."

"You know his best friend got turned into a vampire the week Buffy came to town," Logan said. "She carries a lot of guilt over that. I guess all three of them got kidnapped or is it vamp-napped? Anyway, she only managed to save Willow and Xander. By the time she located Jesse the next day, he had been turned."

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, I heard that," she said. "I can't imagine. Weevil told me that Xander's first vampire he killed or slayed was wearing his best friend's face. I don't know I could do that if Lilly came alive and was a vampire."

Logan blanched at the thought. "God, I hadn't considered that," he said. "Now if it was dear ole Dad, I'd have no trouble driving a stake through his evil heart. Imagine how awful he'd be as a vampire?"

Veronica shuddered. "How about we not?" she suggested.

"Good point," he said, throwing his arm around her. "You hungry? Want to grab some lunch?" he asked.

"Sure," she said.

Just because she didn't really want to be a part of Buffy's insane world, didn't mean that a part of didn't admire who she and her friends were or what they did.

It just terrified the hell out of her because she did not want to lose anyone else she loved, especially not her father.

*****A Few Days Before Spring Break*****

Keith and Joyce had decided to get married the Saturday of Spring break and then honeymoon in Maui, a place that Keith had never been. Joyce had been once when the girls were too young to really remember the experience. Logan insisted that they have the wedding at their hotel's nicest room that had the connecting reception hall for dancing and dinner afterward. Since he refused to take Keith's money, how could the pragmatic man refuse? Flowers and catering were expensive enough in the state of California.

Two weeks before, Veronica had graciously agreed to go to Los Angeles with Joyce, Buffy, and Dawn to shop for dresses. Buffy was her maid of honor and Dawn and Veronica were both bridesmaids. Cliff was Keith's best man, and he had asked Wallace and Logan to be groomsman. Logan had been shocked and deeply touched to be asked. It had meant a lot to Veronica that her dad had wanted to include the two men she loved so much, so she knew that she had to bend and be nice to his bride's family, especially Buffy.

The outing was fun for the group as Dawn's enthusiasm and excitement for the shopping trip helped them all navigate the tricky waters. No mention of the supernatural or how special Buffy was. She resisted any urges she had to follow after a demon or two she sensed and just focused on being with her family and her soon-to-be stepsister. Buffy wanted her mother to be happy; she deserved it. Keith was happy when the girls all returned with smiles and reports of a good time.

Two days before the wedding, Cliff and Veronica planned a combined bachelor/bachelorette party at the hotel. It wasn't too much different from the engagement party except there were fun games and gifts. The number of people was a bit smaller, too, which the couple appreciated.

Keith and Joyce felt very blessed.

"That was a lot of fun, sweetie," Keith told his daughter as the party wrapped up. He had already thanked Cliff, presenting him a bottle of his favorite liquor.

Joyce handed Veronica an envelope. "It was so lovely. Thank you, Veronica. When I get back from the honeymoon, I hope you and I can have a spa day, just the two of us," she said. "There's four passes in there, though, so you can go another time with Mac or another friend."

"Thanks," Veronica said, smiling. Joyce really was a nice woman, and she made her dad very happy. It wasn't her fault her oldest daughter was basically cursed.

*****Two Days Later*****

Buffy woke up early. There were so many last-minute details to see to. It was important to Buffy that her mother get the wedding she dreamed of because she had put up with so much from Buffy. Not to mention, her mother's own brush with death. This wedding was a celebration of her new health and life with the man she loved. Buffy wanted it to be perfect.

Since it was a spring wedding, her mother had chosen light blue and white for her colors, which was great since all of the girls looked fabulous in blue. They were going to hold blue Calla lilies in their hands while her mother's bouquet had various shades of blue to compliment them.

Keith had gotten tickets for Sunday morning to Maui, so they were staying the night at the hotel in the honeymoon suite. Their wedding was scheduled for five, which gave plenty of time for dinner and dancing afterward. They could get to bed at a decent time. It was a good plan. Buffy was going to run the gallery with Dawn helping out now that she was nearly fifteen. She didn't work at the hotel the weekend of the wedding as she had asked off. Her mother would be back on Friday, and she would be ready to take back over next Saturday when Buffy had to take her shift back at the hotel. Her teaching classes were so early that it didn't interfere with the art gallery hours.

Xander was coming over to cook a nice wedding breakfast for everyone around ten, which made it more like a brunch. Keith didn't believe in not seeing his bride before the wedding nonsense, so he was at the new house that the couple had bought and relocated in a month earlier. It had the four bedrooms he had wanted, so all the girls could have their own room. Buffy and Veronica tried to convince them to use one for an office as they could share a room since they would not be there much, especially Veronica. However, their parents insisted they get their own room.

Buffy really loved Keith and was so happy for her mother. This wedding was going to be perfect.

Xander cooked his famous breakfast quiche while Dawn made the coffee, excited that the day was finally here. She adored Keith, and she had never been in a real wedding. This was going to be the best day ever!

******Several Hours Later******

Buffy tried once again not to cry as her mother and Keith had their first dance as a married couple. The wedding ceremony had gone off perfectly. They had gone with mostly traditional vows as neither wanted the pressure of writing nor saying their own vows in front of an audience. Buffy nearly cried watching them say their vows. When she looked at Veronica during the ceremony, she could tell the girl was having the same struggle. It was a beautiful moment for their parents, and both were equally happy to see their perspective parent so happy.

The wedding singer invited everyone to join the couple onto the dance floor, and Weevil took her to the dance floor after she wiped the wetness from her eyes.

"You look amazing," he said, smiling at her.

"Nice of you to notice," she said. Her mother had them all wear their hair up to match hers. Weevil loved her neck but never kissed the side that Angel and the Master bit. "You clean up nice, too." He was in an actual suit.

"Thanks. My grandmother made sure I had at least one good suit when we graduated high school. Of course, I was physically removed during my graduation and arrested," he said.

"Well, at least your mayor didn't turn into a giant snake and eat your principal," Buffy pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Your high school was a bigger hell," Weevil said, shaking his head. "Only you'd make me appreciate the hellscape of Neptune High."

"That's what my new stepsister says," Buffy said, laughing. "Of course, I think being drugged and raped and having your best friend murdered is worse."

"Well, Xander's best friend was murdered, and he told me that his girlfriend and Willow walked in on a bloodbath of classmates once," he said.

"True," Buffy said. "Once, Xander saved Cordy and I when we were nearly sacrificed to a snake demon these frat boys worshipped. That was before Xander dated her, and I let her talk me into double dating with her. The very last time."

Weevil snickered. "Talk about a date from hell," he commented.

"I told you that I had bad luck with men before you," she pointed out.

"I don't think bad luck covers what you had," he said, shaking his head. "I'm glad that your curse is broken." He pulled her in for a kiss.

Buffy sighed, happy and in love.

When her mother threw the bouquet before she called it quits for the night, it was Faith and not Buffy, however, who caught the bouquet.

Dick looked at Faith and grinned. "Let me know when you want to get married. The answer will be yes," he informed her.

Faith laughed, amused as always by him. She could tell him meant it; she did love the big goofball. "If I'm still alive when I'm twenty-five, that's a good age to get married," she said with a wink. "I do love you."

Dick grinned in excitement and pulled out his phone to mark the date. Then he pulled her in for a long kiss. Afterwards, he told her, "I have loved you from the very moment I saw you."

Faith nodded. "Yeah, I kind of thought you might," she admitted. He made her feel treasured, and it was a feeling that she had never had until meeting him.

She was so happy that it scared her; Faith knew it couldn't possibly last.

That's how it worked in her world.

*****The Next Day*****

Buffy and Weevil spent the night at the hotel with a connecting room with Dawn, who invited her best friend, Mac's bio sister to join her. After locking the connecting door, Weevil just turned on the music channel and made love to his woman all night. Naturally, he was tired before she was. It was a great night.

Now they were all downstairs—the wedding party—to send off the bride and groom with the limo Logan had prepared for them. Each of them had a small bag of rose petals that Tara and Willow had passed out. It was the one detail that Buffy had actually let them do as she had been determined to oversee nearly every aspect of it. Of course, Joyce was there with her, making the decisions. It was just Buffy made sure that everything was done according to her mother's wishes.

As the happy couple drove off, Veronica and Buffy looked at each other and smiled.

"It was perfect," Buffy told her.

"It really was," Veronica agreed.

"I am really happy for them," Buffy said.

"I am, too," Veronica added.

"I hope we can be friends," Buffy offered, holding out her hand to her new stepsister.

Veronica stared at her a long moment. "How about sisters? They fight and make up," she pointed out as she took Buffy's hand.

Buffy laughed and pulled her in for a hug. "As long as you understand that sisters hug," she said, hugging her and letting her go.

Dawn squealed in happiness and then hugged Veronica. "I'm so happy," she said. "You're so much cooler than Buffy!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You are very welcome to my bratty younger sister," she said.

Logan and Weevil shared their own relieved smiles.

Finally, there was real peace.

*****A Week Later*****

Kennedy faced Glory, feeling real fear for the first time since she had been called. The woman was just too strong. She was fighting a vampire in a graveyard, a typical Sunday night of slaying when she appeared.

"Okay, I'm getting sick of this," Glory said. "I want my Key. I know you and the other slayer know where it is."

"I thought we had until May to get it for you," Kennedy said.

"I just don't think I can trust you," Glory said. "In fact, I know I can't. Tell me where it is, and I won't kill you."

"I don't have it," Kennedy said honestly.

Glory punched her, and Kennedy went airborne. Then before Kennedy could get up, Glory was on her. She held her throat while punching her in the face several times, crushing her jaw.

"Tell me!" Glory screamed.

Kennedy wanted to tell her. The pain was so intense, but she couldn't move her mouth.

When Glory realized that she'd made it to where the slayer couldn't talk, she put her hands through her head. "At least you're good for something," she said, feeling the power of the slayer course through her. "God, what a rush!" Then she snapped her neck. "That was an act of mercy. She looked really ugly with her face like that anyway."

"Now, my minions will have to find the other slayer, so I will make her tell me where my Key is!" she said, looking at the dead slayer.

*****Chicago******

A fourteen-year-old girl living in Chicago's Southside was eating dinner with her mother when suddenly she felt a wave of energy hit her, and she jumped up from the dinner table.

"What's wrong, Rona?" her mother asked her.

"I don't know," Rona said. "I suddenly have all this energy. I feel like I could run a marathon or something."

"Well, finish eating and go ask your brother if he'll go to the park with you," she suggested. "I want you home in an hour."

"Thanks, Mom," Rona said, shoveling in the rest of her food. Her brother had taken his plate into his room to play video games. She knew he could be bribed into going. She just had to go for a run.

Predictably, Lucious was willing to go if she gave him her dessert.

"I'll race you," Rona said.

"Man, that's not even fair. I've been beating you since you were five," he said, scoffing.

"Not tonight," Rona said, taking off. She wasn't surprised when she made it to the park before he did.

Rona knew that something was different; she was not the same.

*****Chapter End*****

I hope you enjoyed the update. Reviews and comments are so appreciated. Thanks for reading!