~*Epilogue*~
 

Willow lay in between the two vampires. They were both still, their chests not moving. The only sound in the room was her own breathing. If someone had told her a few weeks ago that she would be in bed with Angel and Spike she would have laughed herself silly. Yet here she was. A witch in love with two vampires.

"What are you thinking about, darling?" Angel said, rolling onto his side and propping his head on his arm.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Not at all. I’m kind of keyed up."

"I was thinking about how much I love you."

"You were?"

"Absolutely." She placed a kiss on his lips. "What we have. . .it’s special isn’t it?"

"Yes, it is, my love. I’m willing to spend an eternity with Spike in order to be with you. That is love."

"I heard that, poof." Spike said as he spooned against Willow’s back side. "You ready for another go, pet?"

"How romantic, Spike." Angel said, rolling his eyes.

"I didn’t hear Red complaining."

Willow sighed. "Am I going to have to listen to you two sniping for the rest of my life?"

"Fraid so, luv."

"Unless you want me to silence him. Wesley knows of ritual that would make his tongue-"

"Don’t start with each other." Willow said. "Besides, I wanted to try out page 331."

"Is that the. . .?" Angel said, his eyes turning to smoke.

"Uh-huh." Willow said. Spike’s hold on her tightened.

********

"Willow? Willow are you still awake?" Buffy knocked gently on the door.

"Red, blondie’s calling for you." She heard Spike’s voice through the door, and blushed. Please, God, don’t let me have interrupted anything.

A moment later, Willow’s tousled head poked out from behind the door. She moved stiffly. I knew I wasn’t really that bendy. "Mmm, Buffy? What’s the matter?"

"I’m sorry, Willow. I didn’t mean to wake you up. But I’m hungry, and I thought—"

"Say no more." Willow giggled as she finished tying on her bathrobe and snuck out the door. "Let’s go see if there’s ice cream before Spike wants to come along!"

They ran down the hallway, suppressing their laughter. "Spike has a thing for ice cream?"

"He has a sweet tooth like you wouldn’t believe!"

*********

Giles rolled over and sat up, staring up at the moon streaming through his room. Joyce lay, curled up beside him. "Luv, are you awake? Luv?" He was feeling a bit peckish. He decided to head on down to the kitchen. Maybe he would bring her back a soda and a piece of fruit, just in case she woke up hungry. He flexed his hand and winced. He’d see about putting some ice on his knuckles, too.

*******

"Xander. Xander!" Anya shook him violently.

"Wha! Woah, what’s the matter?"

"Get up. I’m hungry."

"Oh, I’ll wait for you to–" He stopped at the look on her face. "I mean, I’ll walk with you–" He shook his head. "What do you want?"

"Fruit punch. And pate. With crackers. And some strawberries." She thought for a moment. "And cheese."

He nodded sleepily, making a mental list. I can’t even imagine what she’s going to be like pregnant. At least she doesn’t want pickles . . ."Anything else?"

"Cookies. Peanut butter if possible."

"An?" He grinned. "You don’t like cookies."

"No, but you do." She smiled. "Besides that way you won’t eat my food." He smiled back as he padded out the door in his slippers. For an ex-vengeance demon, she could be really thoughtful sometimes.

********

Buffy and Willow sat over two enormous buckets of gourmet ice cream, one was rocky road and laced with chocolatey goodness. The other was strawberry cream, with lots of bits of berry stirred in. "I’m having chocolate." Willow announced, putting her spoon into her desired flavor. Then, she picked up another spoon in the other hand and scooped up some strawberry and cream. "And now I’m having some strawberry."

Buffy smirked. "Knew you had to have both, Wills. Look, one is dark, the other is pale. They’re both cold. Hmmm. . .let me think. Who does that remind me of?"

"Buffy!" Willow shouted, smudge of chocolate around her mouth. Then she giggled. "It’s so much fun. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you."

"Please do." So, she was a vampire slayer. Big deal. She had to admit, that Spike looked fabulous in a pair of jeans. . .and the cheekbones. And she’d already been with Angel. And so, she read vampire romance novels too. "Is it anything like Dark Embrace?"

"Better. It’s just so-so–"

"Page 157?"

"Page 157 and 235."

"Knew you had to have both."

"Buffy!"

"Willow!"

"Slayer!"

"Witch!"

"Bitch!"

"Slut!"

"Who’s a slut? I only sleep with one person. And she’s not dead."

"Xander! God damn it! Announce yourself, we were having some ‘girl time.’" Buffy scolded.

"Buffy, Wills." He said by way of greeting. "I’m here! And I’m really not feelin’ the love in the room."

"Come over, Xand. We’ve got chocolatey ice cream." Willow pulled out the chair next to hers.

"So what were you gals talking about?"

"Page 157." Buffy announced.

"Buffy!"

"Well, we were." Buffy grinned. "I was going to ask her about page 331 until you walked in."

"Okay. Not getting it."

"The vampire romance novel, remember Xander?" Willow looked thoughtful. "Where did I get that thing?"

"I gave it to you." He held up his hands. "But I never read it."

"Do you forgive me?" Willow asked, grasping his arms. "I was just mad. Spike went all caveman on me, talking about how they made a decision for me."

"That’s a vamp personality trait, Wills." Buffy said knowingly.

"I know. I’ll learn to deal." She smiled wickedly. "Or learn to turn them into toads when they make me mad."

Xander looked at her carefully. "They wouldn’t vamp you, would they?"

"Course not." Willow said. "Angel told me about the Traquin Stone, it can make a mortal immortal, if I decide to stay with them forever. They promised to let me decide, we’re gonna take things as they go."

Buffy’s eyes widened. "Angel has this stone?"

"No, he knows a law firm though, they have big vault that contains it. He said he could persuade them to hand it over to me." She bit her lip. "Then he kind of cackled after he said that. I don’t know what that means." They all shrugged.

"What you doing in here?" Giles said, but he looked pleased to see them. He held a raw steak over his hand.

"Hey, G-Man. How’s the right hook?"

"Fine, but don’t call me that."

"Can I call you dad?" Buffy teased.

Giles flushed happily. "I’d be honored."

Buffy had meant it as a joke, but she felt tears trickle down her face. "I’d like that, too."

Giles put his arm around her, dropping the steak on the ground. "I love you, Buffy."

"I love you. . .Dad." It felt good to say.

Willow teared up, even Xander looked misty. But he didn’t want it to get too mushy in here. "Can I call you dad?"

"No."

Xander looked crestfallen. "But I would like you to be my best man."

Xander’s face lit up. "Cool."

"Yes, uh, it is cool." Giles looked at Buffy and Willow. "Actually, we’d like you two to be in the wedding as well. Buffy, would you be maid of honor?"

"Love to!"

"Willow, would you be a bridesmaid?"

"I’d love to."

Xander perked up. "What about Anya?"

"Of course." Giles smiled.

"Wait! Who would she walk with?" Xander asked. Then, he thought a moment."What about Spike? Can he be an usher?" He could just imagine a bachelor party with Spike in attendance. Willow looked at Giles eagerly.

Giles made a moue of disgust. He never fancied having a demon in his wedding party. Though, considering his past it was probably called for. "I guess that’s alright. But that prat is paying for his own tuxedo."

"What about Riley? And what about Angel?" Buffy asked.

"Well, we’d have a problem with the number of ushers and bridesmaids." Then the Watcher snapped his fingers. "I know! Willow can walk with two."

"Hey!" The witch cried.

"You brought that on yourself, my dear."

Willow lowered her eyes. "You disapprove?"

Giles was hardly the one to cast stones. He’d misspent most of his youth. "Maybe you’ll grow out of it." Willow doubted it, but merely smiled. "And, just so your beaus know, if they attempt to harm you, I’ll cut off their heads and scatter their dust in holy water."

"Nice to know you care, Rupert." Angel said with a dark smile. He wore his dark slacks and nothing else, his chest was glistening. Willow jumped up and into his arms. He placed a lingering kiss on her upturned mouth. "Woke up without you, darling and I missed you."

"Missed you, too. Wanna be in a wedding?"

"Rupert’s wedding?"Angel threw back his head and laughed. "Me in a Watcher’s wedding. I’d be honored. Congratulations, Rupert."

"Thank you, Angel."

Riley walked in, looking sleepy. "Just contacted base. They transported Wentworth to a holding facility. And what’s this about a wedding?" He looked worriedly at Willow who was standing dreamily in the circle of Angel’s arms. "You aren’t under a spell are you?"

"Why does everyone ask me that? For the last time, NO!"

"Okay!" Riley spread his hands. "I only came here to see Buffy."

Just then, Spike sauntered in the room. His jeans were only halfway buttoned, he was shirtless, his hair was tousled form Willow’s fingers, and a smoke drooped from his lips. "Well, isn’t this cozy."

Riley moved behind the Slayer and kissed her cheek. "Missed you." Then he hauled her in his arms and sat down on the chair, placing her in his lap.

Spike glared at the two. "Oh, yuck! Get a room!"

"Spike!" Willow flew into his arms. The two vampires then closed in around her.

"Spike, wanna be in a wedding?" Xander said, hoping to avoid one, a demonstration of the trio’s newfound sweaty fun activities and two, a reminder that the two vamps were angry with him.

The blond vampire pulled away from them and then smirked. Then he replied in a falsetto,"Why, ‘Smiley’, this is a bit unexpected." Spike was in the mood to play and Xander had given him the perfect opening, his eyes held a wicked gleam. "So, sudden."

Buffy and Willow watched wide-eyed as Spike pranced over to Xander and sat on his lap. Xander tried to control his mirth, this was the vampire’s way of saying he was sorry. Evidently he had forgotten the ‘magically-appearing-underwear event.’ It was a challenge, too and he wasn’t backing down. "Oh, ‘Fluffy’, I thought you knew how I felt about you." He used a new voice this time. Riley’s voice. Very manly and heroic.

"Why do you always look confused?"

"I didn’t grow up on the Hellmouth, no hostiles in Iowa. Anyway, I don’t have to know what’s going on. I have a neat walky-talky, lots of useful gadgets."

"And government funding so you can catch and chip bad ass vampires. You’re my hero, ‘Smiley!’"

"No, you’re my hero, you are the Chosen One, after all."

"Shut up, Spike, or I’ll introduce you to Mr. Pointy."

Spike raised a knowing eyebrow at Riley. "Is that what you call him?"

"Spike!" Buffy’s voice was shrill.

"Sod off, Slayer! Eat your ice cream. And lay off the chocolate kind, I want some." Willow and Buffy burst out into naughty laughter at that.

Xander summoned up a teary expression . There was only one way to end this. He placed a hand over his heart. "I told you, you complete me."

"Hey, I thought I completed you!" Anya piped up as she walked into the room, a spoon in her hand. She dipped it into the strawberry and cream bucket. "You were taking a long time to get my fruit punch." Then she became aware of the situation. Spike looked at the ex-demon. Anya stared at him. "Are you trying to tell me something, Xander? First Angel and now Spike?"

Xander shook his head, starting to laugh. Spike smacked the young man’s face lightly. "You told me I was the only one! Womanizer! Least you didn’t try to kill anyone or suck the world into hell." He jumped off his lap and joined Willow and Angel.

Angel smacked Spike on the back hard.

"What the bloody hell was that for?"

"Bug." Willow looked at him in askance. "Big bug. Really big. . .bug." Then he smiled sardonically. "Well, he does bug me, does that count?"

Anya took his place on Xander’s lap. She kissed him and leaned against his chest. Joyce walked in, looking lovingly at her bizarre but warm family. She walked to Rupert. She reached down to smooth his hair."How’s the hand, slugger?"

"Just fine, luv." He took her hand in his own and kissed her knuckle above his ring. "I asked them all to be in the wedding and they accepted."

"Oh, good." She ran a hand through Buffy’s hair and reached down to kiss her cheek. "So glad you’re okay with this, honey."

"I am. Be happy, mom. You deserve it."

Joyce straightened. "Anyone for hot chocolate?"

Spike smiled widened. "With marshmallows?"

"Come on, Spike. Let’s make some. Be my kitchen buddy again?"

"Of course." Spike walked behind her to help make the chocolate drink.

The three couples and one threesome talked until dawn over continual cups of hot chocolate and melting buckets of ice cream. They were a motley group, an ex-demon, two vampires, a Slayer, a Watcher, a witch, a mother, a soldier, and a pizza boy. And when they finally went to turn in at daybreak, they decided to sleep in the next day. . .figuring Wentworth owed them one. . .he did try to kill them after all. Yep, it was a typical Hellmouth family weekend getaway.

~*The End*~


 

back