After having a shower and grabbing dinner, Graham and Eris had separated to go hang out with their respected groups for the rest of night. Eris had lied and said she was hanging with Buffy and watching movies, but really it was because she promised her cousin to go on patrol with her, "It's just different, you know? A picnic. First of all, daylight. That's kind of a new venue, Buffy-wise. And the best part, he said that he would bring all the food, so all I have to do is show up and eat. Those are two things I'm really good at."
Eris squealed and hugged Buffy's arm, "I am so happy for you! Riley is a really great guy!"
Buffy nodded enthusiastically, "agreed, never had anyone want to take me on a pinic."
Willow was on the other side, not as enthusiastic as Eris but equally as happy, "and there's sparkage?"
"Yeah. He's…have you seen his arms?"
"Yes," was Eris' immediate response.
"Of course you have Eris," the Slayer said with a snort before remembering the arms and blushing a little, "those are good arms to have."
Eris settled a little and let a soft smile grace her face, "you are serious about this, aren't you?"
"I really like him. I do."
"But?"
The Slayer let her expression fall slightly, "I don't know. I really like being around him, you know? And I think he cares about me. But I just…feel like something's missing."
"Fangs," was all Eris said.
"As simple as Eris' response is she does have merit, Riley's not making you miserable, and you think that's weird."
Buffy sighed at Willow's words, "exactly. Riley seems so solid, like…he wouldn't cause me heartache."
"Get out. Get out while there's still time," Willow joked which earned her a laugh from both Summers.
"I know. I have to get away from that bad boy thing. There's no good there," the Slayer slowed her pace a little and frowned, "seeing Angel in LA, even for five minutes, hello to the pain."
"The pain is not a friend."
"But I can't help thinking, isn't that where the fire comes from? Can a nice, safe relationship be that intense? I know it's nuts, but part of me believes that real love and passion have to go hand in hand with pain and fighting," Buffy focused on her thoughts so intently, that even when a vampire appeared to attack, she just staked him and continued on unhindered, "I wonder where I get that from."
Eris stopped and looked between where the dusted vampire was and Buffy, confused about the whole situation that just transpired, "did…wha…oh I dunno, maybe the vampire fighting?!"
Buffy stopped and turned to her cousin, raising a brow, "you may be right, I have lived most of my life fighting vampires."
"Yea, and how on earth where you so casual about killing that vamp. You are insane Buff."
The Slayer shrugged, not really reading into her latest staking, "its not that serious Eris."
"Not that ser- you just staked a vamp and continued on as if nothing happened," she raised her hands in defeat, "I give up."
"Good idea," Buffy said before she smirked, "now tell me about what happened between you and Graham, the way you kissed him in class must have led to more."
Eris huffed, knowing Buffy wasn't going to focus on the staking, "we had sex."
"That was blunt," Willow replied, "no juicy details or romantic gestures explained?"
"I mean, yea it was romantic. He was sweet and focused on my needs, he didn't even want to have sex after getting me off."
"Oh wow, that's so sweet, its rare to find a guy who wants to do that," Willow looked to Eris with a sweet smile, remember Oz wanting to do the same.
"We still had sex after since I encouraged him to but still sweet all the same."
Buffy linked her arm back into Eris, "look at us, finally trying to settle down with good boys, we're finally maturing."
Eris snorted, "speak for yourself."
After a day of dealing with Spike withholding information, Buffy going on a wonderful date and Willow acting out because Oz had packed up all of his things from his apartment and breaking her heart once again, Eris really wanting the day to end.
"Hey Willow, do you know where Buffy ran off to? I was meant to meet her here," Eris asked as she arrived at Willow's dorm.
"No, she went to go and find Spike, he escaped," Willow said from her bed, a pouty look on her face, "you wanna stay here and wait for her? We could watch movies and talk about sad things? I want to be all Grievey and stuff."
Eris hurried in and grabbed a stake from one of Buffy's chests in her wardrobe, "sorry Will, but if Spike escaped who knows what he could do. I need to go out and help."
"But Buffy can handle it, I know you had sex with him and all but you don't have to be his watcher, stay here and chill a while."
"Weird thing to say Will, but I get it, though I should still go find them anyway so I can help get him back to Giles'. We can chill later, promise," she quickly waved goodbye and hurried out the door, hoping maybe Buffy had caught him already.
Buffy had indeed caught Spike and dragged him back to Giles, it was evident as Eris could hear both of them arguing from inside.
"I got a whole bunch of stones!" she heard the end of Buffy's sentence as she walked into the house.
"Yea? You're all talk!"
"Giiiiles! I accidently killed Spike! That's ok, right?"
"We still need him for information Buff," Eris said as she walked inside and closed the door behind her right as Buffy threw Spike into a chair.
"I get this spell reversed, they'll be finding your body for weeks."
"Never mind, I'll end his life instead," Eris said as she stalked forward and stood before Spike, eyes looking into his, "go on, make a move, I dare you. My staking hand is twitching."
"Stake him and be done with it Eris," Buffy said tauntingly from behind her, enjoying her cousin being aggressive with the annoying vampire, "he is so annoying to deal with I-" she suddenly stopped, eyes widening in shock.
"If the two of you could remain civil, long enough to…" Giles also trailed to a stop as he walked in.
Before them both was Eris, sitting on a chair with a starstuck look as Spike knelt before her, holding her hands and looking at her like she was the most treasured thing in the world, "its just so sudden," Eris said softly, "I…I don't know what to say."
"Just say yes," Spike spoke just as softly, eyes never wavering from hers, "and make me the happiest man on earth."
Tears started gathering in Eris' eyes as she said, "oh, Spike, of course it's yes!" they laughed in joy and stood up to kiss passionately, which made Buffy and Giles remain frozen in place, even more bewildered. Once Eris finally took notice of the two, she hugged Spike to her who started kissing her neck and showed them her now ringed finger, "Giles, Buffy, you'll never believe what's happened!"
"What the fuck!?" Buffy shouted as she moved over to separate Spike and Eris and pull her cousin away from the vampire, "what are you doing!?"
"What does it look like I'm doing, I got engaged with Spike! Let me go!" Eris tried to get out of Buffy's hold but the Slayer strength wasn't letting it happen.
"Hey! Unhand my future wife!" Spike shouted and rushed to push Buffy away, though the chip in his head caused immediate pain and he fell back instead.
"No! Spike! My love!" Eris managed to wiggle herself out of Buffy's arm and rushed to her 'love's' side, "are you alright? Should I kiss it better?"
Spike huffed in pain for a few more seconds before smirking and pulling her into his lap, "I'll feel better if you kiss me right on the lips."
"yes sir, rawr," she giggle and began kissing him, neither of them stopping even as Buffy shouted for her cousin to stop.
"Giles! What do we do!?" Buffy asked the watcher, her tone desperate. She knew pulling Eris away from Spike wasn't going to work. "Why can't they pay attention to me!" she suddenly said in a whiney voice. Her legs collapsed under her and she started bawling her eyes out, "I should be the centre of attention, me!"
Giles could only squint at Buffy, having difficulty seeing her but knowing something wrong had happened to the Slayer, much like what was happening to the other two and himself. "I'll go and call Willow."
Giles had been dealing with Eris and Spike who had not stopped talking about the wedding and Buffy who kept acting like a little child. And he had gone completely blind, which wasn't helping at all. Though that wasn't as bad as Spike wanting to help him because he suddenly saw him as his future father-in-law.
"Its going to be a wonderful wedding, and Buffy can be our flower girl!" Eris said in a chipper voice as she played with a wedding topper on Spike's arm who had her still in his lap, caressing every bit he could touch.
"But I want to be the wife so I can wear the pretty dreeeesss!" Buffy whined on the ground, slamming her fist onto the floor.
"Now now, Buffy, the flower girl is the most beautiful girl in the entire wedding!" Eris tried to sooth her cousin, hoping to make her smile, she needed her cousin happy for her wedding.
It seemed to do the trick, because Buffy smiled and started swinging her legs back and forth as she lied on her stomach, "okay!"
Spike leaned in and muttered a soft, "no one is a beautiful as you, pet," before capturing her lips in another kiss.
"There is not enough scotch in the world to deal with this right now," Giles said from his spot on the couch, a cloth over his eyes.
Suddenly, the front door slammed open and Anya and Xander ran inside, "board up the windows! Barricade the doors!"
Everyone inside jumped up to look the pair who looked frantic, "what's going on?" Giles asked.
"Demons!" Anya replied, "they keep coming and coming!"
"I think we lost 'em, but I couldn't see- Spike! He's untied!" Xander looked at Eris and Spike, then noticed them holding hands. "Which you probably noticed, why are you holding hands?"
"Xander, calm down, if you lost them, that'll give us time to figure this out. Maybe the demons have something to do with Giles being blind and Buffy acting like a child."
"I am not a chiiiild!" Buffy once again plonked herself on the ground and slammed her fist.
"Giles is blind?" Anya asked as Xander started wiggling his fingers in front of Giles' face who was less than impressed.
"Stop whatever you're doing. You smell like fruit Roll-ups."
Spike raised an eyebrow as he watched them all, "this is the crack team that foils my every plan? I am deeply shamed."
"Not anymore, now you're going to be helping us," Eris turned to him and grabbed his chin so he would look at her.
"That I am, pet," he pulled her in for another kiss.
"Uhh! What! Why are you kissing him!?" Xander shouted.
"They're getting Maaaarriiiied," Buffy sung childishly, "Spike and Eris, sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G!"
"How? What? How?" Xander was flabbergasted, unable to comprehend what he was hearing, or seeing.
"Three excellent questions."
"Can I be blind too?" Xander said as he looked away from the two passionately kissing, "wait. Demons. Married. Child. I know something. What is it. Everything's so familiar. Work, brain, work." His brain snapped into work mode right as Spike pulled Eris' top off, "oh! Oh, Willow! God put the shirt back on there is a child Buffy in here!"
"Oh you're just jealous," Spike said teasingly but helped Eris put her top back on, "what were you going to say about Willow?"
"Something about Willow and her griefy poor me mood swings. So, so tired of it."
"You mean I don't have to be nice about her anymore?" Anya asked hopefully.
"Its so annoying!" Buffy yelled from the floor, "why is Willow the centre of attention now, I should be!"
"You can be later child Buffy," Xander said placatingly before going back into his brain work, "she told me I was a demon magnet, Buffy was acting childish, and you two should get married."
Giles soon started catching on as well, "And that I didn't see anything."
"I can't believe she did a spell on our friends!" Eris said in shock as she clutched her 'fiance'.
"Yes, she did a spell. Whatever she says is coming true."
"And you were all affected! They can't come to our wedding like this!" Spike said with a slight glare at everyone.
"We must be immune from the spell."
Xander shook his head and Eris' words, "yea, right, you're marrying Spike because you're so right for each other."
"That's it, you're off the Usher list," Spike replied before Eris pulled him back to her in comfort.
"People, Willow is out there and she probably doesn't know what she's doing."
"We gotta find her," Xander said to Giles.
"Don't want anyone getting hurt because of mean old Willow!" Buffy shouted, hoping it would get attention on her, though Giles falling over the couch and slamming into the ground stopped that from happening.
"Oh no!" Eris shouted as she rushed to help him up, "we can't have you injured, who else is going to walk me down the isle!"
After calming down Buffy and having to bring her along because she didn't want to be left behind, they all rushed to hopefully find the witch in her dorm. "Why does he have to come?" Xander asked as they walked into the hallway of the dorm.
"Xander, Spike is gonna be my husband. I want him included," Eris shot back at the dorky man, glaring at him.
"I agree with Xander here. Seems like a lot of work for people who aren't us."
"You help us and I'll put you in my mouth," Eris said so blunty that it made Xander trip over his own feet.
"Eris! Child Buffy is still here!" He covered Buffy's ears as they walked into their dorm room.
Once inside, they saw a blackened circle in the carpet, "this was burned," Eris commented idly.
Anya scoffed, "D'Hoffryn. Bastard. He opened a portal here."
"Who?"
"D'Hoffryn. He made me a demon 1,120 years ago."
"Why did he hurt my best friend!?" Buffy shouted as she plonked onto her bed and held a pillow to her chest.
"I don't believe he did, follow me I think I can find them," they nodded and hurried after him.
"Why do you think he didn't hurt her?" Xander asked from beside her when they arrived at the graveyard.
"I'd been dumped. I was miserable, doing a few vengeance spells. Boils on the penis, nothing fancy."
"Please skip ahead."
"Well, D'Hoffryn got wind of me. He offered to elevate me."
"Meaning?"
"They made me a demon."
"Are they gonna make my best friend a demon!" Buffy cried out in panic, but was quickly calmed down by Eris.
"You can summon him from this crypt, right?" Eris asked but was quickly distracted, "oh wouldn't this crypt be perfect for pictures!"
"I ain't taking chuff all," Spike shot back, "unless you're naked."
"Ooh I like you're thinking," Eris said back seductively.
Xander wanted to vomit at the pait but shouted, "Oh thank god, a demon!" in relief before they all started running to the crypt once more demons showed up.
As Anya did the spell, the others tried their best to block the door. Though the demons were trying their hardest to break through any gap they could to get to Xander.
"They're strong, and I can't fight. If they get in, I don't know If I can protect you."
"Then we'll die together!" Eris said back to Spike just as the door was pushed open by demon.
The fight ensued and each of them were hounded by many different demons, except for Buffy who was crying in the corner. Eris was flung to the ground violently which made Spike panic and run over to her. "Are you ok!?" he shouted over the fighting as he looked over all her wounds.
"Better now that you are here," she replied with a smirk and pulled him into a kiss.
As the chaos continued, Willow had suddenly teleported into the crypt and started chanting, "let the healing power begin. Let my will be safe again. As these words of peace are spoken, let his harmful spell be broken," lightening crashed around them as the spell worked and removed everything she created.
The demons had disappeared, and Eris and Spike came back to their senses. They immediately stopped kissing and pulled away to look at each other in shock. Eris had tears well up in her eyes as she pushed him off and ran out of the crypt, leaving him sitting on the ground still in shock and confusion.