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Chapter 26: Scantily Clad Men...uh Demons

The day that Buffy had been planning had come at last. Demons around the world and across dimensions had been awaiting this day.

Anyanka’s bachelorette party was at hand.

The Bronze had been booked, the dancers hired, the boys had been told to bugger off.

Of course getting there was a task.

The covert operation was heavily orchestrated. It is after all hard to pull one over on someone who used to teleport for a living.

Tara placed a cloaking spell on Buffy, Willow, Tara and Dawn and snuck into Anya and Xander’s apartment waiting for the ex demon to get home from the Magic Box.

She guessed that it was them right away of course, when smoke filled the apartment and Dawn snuck forward to place a blindfold on Anya.

“Yay! Bachelorette party!” screamed Anya as they covered her eyes. “And here I thought the only thing I had to look forward to was orgasms with Xander tonight. “Wait!” she protested, “Xander! What is Xander going to do?”

“Monty Python marathon with Spike,” supplied Buffy.

“But he should come!” said Anya sadly.

“No Anya,” said Tara softly “I don’t think Xander would like what we are going to be doing tonight.”

“Oh,” said Anya, “In that case.”

“Great,” said Dawn, “let’s go.”

The teen was eager to get the night started; she was going to be at a party with naked men and booze. And she had her sister’s permission.

Once they got to the Bronze Anya was directed, still blindfolded to the middle of the room. She felt things placed in her hands, and something put on her head. The unmistaken whispers of a multitude of people in the room. The scene before her once the blindfold was removed brought a smile to the ex demon’s face.

Anya was keeping court dressed in a mini veil and holding her sceptre of power, a dildo, which Buffy had pain stakingly glued to a fairy wand she had found at a dollar store.

“Am I getting male strippers?” the ex demon asked.

Buffy gave a her friend a look. “Do you want to ruin the surprise?”

Buffy had booked the Bronze for a private party and had asked for specific bartenders to be on staff that night. Who knew that half of the bar tending staff were demons?

So, Anya was sitting smack dab in the middle of the Bronze’s dance floor, awaiting the fun. Around her were her friends and acquaintances. And the promise of male strippers. It was enough to make a former Vengeance Demon giddy.
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The problem was of course that Xander and Spike, and Giles, who were supposed to be enjoying a Monty Python marathon at Giles’ abode and thus occupied when the women were at the Bronze, were having second thoughts about their intended evening entertainment. As much as they enjoyed Python, to Spike at least it didn’t seem the least bit fair. He knew what Buffy had planned and he didn’t like it one bit that she would ogling some other man’s bits and pieces.

Giles and Xander were of the opinion that they should leave well enough alone. Spike had a hell of time trying to convince the Watcher and the carpenter that it was in their best interest to find out what was going on at the Bronze.

Security was tighter at the Bronze that Spike had ever seen it before. It was as if Buffy knew he was planning to crash.

The door man, a demon named Murray, whom Spike sometimes played poker with turned him, him, Spike, William the Bloody, The Slayer of Slayers away at the door of the Bronze.

“You aren’t on the guest list man,” said Murray. “And it’s the Slayer who’s hired us all tonight.”

“Who, is my bloody mate, mate.”

“Makes no difference, Spike,” said Murray. “She’s the freakin’ Slayer.”

At which point Xander piped up and said he’d much rather just watch the movies.

“That’s bollocks!” protested Spike. “I’m bloody going in there. They can’t keep me out.”

Xander shrugged his shoulders and Giles cleaned his glasses.

Spike motioned for Xander and Giles to follow him around to the back of the Bronze, that same alley where he had first glimpsed his slayer.

There was a door man there too.

“Bloody Hell,” Spike muttered under his breath.

He ducked behind some crates planning his next move. Fortunately for him, a van pulled up at the back entrance and out walked the entertainment for tonight's party. Five male dancers dressed in leather jackets, carrying what Spike assumed were their working clothes. Spike motioned for Giles and Xander to follow. The vampire snuck up close to the dancers noticing just a bit of an odd feeling from the gents. He didn’t really have an opinion on the fact that demon girl’s dancers were demons passing as humans.

Sneaking past the doorway and the doorman, put Spike, Giles and Xander near the women’s washrooms.
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Buffy Summers was the Slayer. Therefore when a large number of demons entered the already teeming bar Buffy’s senses were on alert. The thing that made her laugh though, was the fact that she could sense her mate with this large group of demons. She knew that the dancers were scheduled to arrive right now. Spike must have snuck in with them. And she was completely prepared to make him pay for crashing the party she had worked so hard on.

The music started and the dancers came out on stage. Buffy sat back in her chair and waited for the right moment. The ten or so dancers that walked out on the stage, clad in tear away pants and tight mesh t shirts. Buffy didn’t know how this look was attractive, but it was Anya’s party and it was Anya’s fantasy. Buffy closed her eyes and pictured her own personal sex demon. He was back stage still hiding. But not for long.

Buffy waved over the manager of the dancers.

“Ivor, are you sure that this is the whole group? Cause my slayer sense is doing the wacky, I really don’t want to have to check back stage during Anyanka’s party. It would really ruin the occasion if I had to slay any crashers,” said Buffy sweetly.

Buffy fluttered her eye lashes at the demon manager. He muttered something about stupid vampires and headed off in the direction of the back stage area. In the mean time, Buffy attention drifted back to the man who was shaking his ass in her direction. He was hot, yes, but he wasn’t Spike.
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Spike cursed his luck that not only was he now sticking to the shadows in the back of the Bronze, with Giles and Xander, but also that his mate was sending him signals that she was extremely turned on. And there was no way that he was going to let her get turned on by another man.

“Hey!” barked and man’s voice. “What are you guys doing back here.”

“Uh...” stammered Xander looking for an excuse.

“Bloodly hell,” muttered Spike.

“The Slayer knows that there are demons lurking back here. If you don’t leave, so help me...” said Ivor.

Spike rolled his eyes. He didn’t know the bloke in front of him, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him.

“Are you afraid that the Slayer won’t pay you if she has to get up off her hiney kick some demon ass? Is that it?” asked Spike.

Ivor nodded.

“Don’t worry mate,” said Spike patting the demon on the back. “You’ll get paid. I guarantee it.”

There was commotion behind Ivor as one of his assistants came running up behind him.

“The Slayer, *pant* she wants *pant*,” the assistant huffed and puffed. Finally regaining his breath the man continued. “She said that the dancers, they are all wrong. That the Bride is loving it, but she wanted something else. She wanted a blond. None of the guys have blond hair. She’s gonna slay us all.”

The assistant fretted for a moment ringing his hands.

“That’s just fabulous,” said Ivor.

Spike let a smirk cross his face. He knew just what was on Buffy’s mind.
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“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Xander were here?” asked Anya as she slurped down another margarita.

Buffy smiled at her friend. Buffy really didn’t think that it would be all that wonderful if Xander were here. Especially if he knew that the men Anya was currently ogling were demons. Xander was funny that way.

But the Slayer’s full attention was the stage, where she hoped any minute now, Ivor would grant her request. The lights dimmed and the dancers hastily gathered up the discarded clothing from the previous dance. Anya was nodding emphatically to a couple of her friends about the fabulousness of the evening and Dawn was gulping down a glass of water after having drunk something she really shouldn’t have. Willow and Tara were off in a corner of the club chatting with each other, neither one interested in the entertainment that evening.

The music started again. Anya clapped.

“Ooooh,” gushed Anya turning to look at her Maid of Honour. “This is so much fun!”

The beat of the music pulsed against Buffy’s brain, and unconsciously the slayer began to tap out the rhythm of the song with her foot. A smile lit up her face when she saw movement and the dancers came out on stage wearing jeans, a construction hat and tool belt.

Buffy heard Anya clap again. Buffy sighed, well it was her party after all. And Anya deserved to be happy. Buffy turned in her seat at the bar and attempted to get the bar tender’s attention, to order another drink. Her brain immediately drifted to memories of watching Cocktail with Dawn last week and how they would have loved to be quoted verse by their respective lovers, not that Dawn had one.

Buffy had even divulged the fact that Spike was poetry capable, but didn’t as a rule, it conflicted with the Big Bad persona.

The bar tender tonight had not given Buffy much to think about, he was ok looking, but now that the Slayer observed just how fine his butt was...naughty thoughts were springing into Buffy’s head. Buffy leaned on the bar, her head in her hand, letting her imagination run away with her. The fact that the bar tender had magically transformed himself into Spike in her thoughts was just a happy effect of being that particular vampire’s mate.

“Buffy! are you watching this?” asked Anya.

Buffy snapped out of her daze and reverted her eyes to the stage, and the ten men who were causing all the women in the room to blush. Buffy reassured the bride that she was watching, but as she turned back to the bar tender’s fine bottom, she was distracted by the flash of platinum blond hair and a leather coat that she caught out of the corner of her eye.

Buffy smiled. There he was. Turning to the bar tender she finally ordered her drink.
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Spike whipped through the bar, a brief glimpse of his mate at the bar. The naughty thoughts that were being sent through the claim only meant one thing, that bar tender was going to get a piece of the Big Bad’s mind later on.

Ivor had led him to an office, to suit him up with appropriate attire for this favour he was doing the manager. Spike rolled his eyes as Ivor described the best way to remove clothing.

“Look mate, I’ve been wearing clothes and taking them off a lot longer than you’ve been alive, I think I can handle it.”

Ivor gave him a look. “Well when there are fifty screaming women reaching out to grab your goodies, don’t complain to me.”

“Fifty at once huh?” speculated Spike.

“Don’t even think about it Spike,” said Xander who appeared beside him. “Buffy would hang you by your toenails.”

Spike nodded. “But the idea isn’t unpleasant.”

Both Xander and Giles nodded.

Ivor thrust the clothes at Spike. “Get moving. Slayer only booked us for two hours, you have fifteen minutes to get on that stage.”
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“Dawn!” whispered a frantic Giles.

Dawn did a double take, Giles was in the Bronze. “Oh My God, Giles what the hell are you doing here? You know if you get caught, Buffy’s gonna be mad, and Anya will probably make you get up and dance.”

“I am frightfully aware of that. This has all been a horrible mistake. Please, I beg you, get me out of here.”

Dawn put her hands on her hips, in a very Buffy-eque manner. “And just how did you get in here to begin with?”

“Damn smug Vampires and their whims.”

Dawn nodded. “Spike, of course. Well I think the best way for you to sneak out of here would be to sneak out of here Giles.”

“Truly marvellous help you have turned out to be Dawn,” said the Watcher annoyed.

“Yeah, well I try,” said Dawn smartly, flouncing away.
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Xander had lost Giles. Suddenly feeling very self conscious and extremely paranoid that his intended bride was going to find him crashing her party, Xander made his way cautiously towards the back of the club, looking out for either Giles, who it seemed had disappeared, or Spike, who at this very moment was preparing to flaunt himself in front of the female population of the Bronze.

He had had a few close calls, but so far, Xander remained undetected.

“Come to see me off then?” asked Spike suddenly coming out of the bathroom.

“Not really, hiding in fear, really,” answered Xander.

Spike nodded. “Makes sense, not man enough to handle your own fiancée, never mind a room full of sexually charged women. Surprised your still standing upright and all.”

Xander glared at the vampire that he sometimes considered to have a passing acquaintance with. “I’m looking for Giles...”

Spike shook his head sadly. “The Watcher’s gotten himself into some trouble.” Spike pointed out into the main room.

Giles was currently surrounded by at least ten women, pulling at his clothes. He had been caught. They would be bringing him to Anya for judgement any second now. Xander cringed. Poor Giles.
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Buffy smiled as Giles was brought before Anya. A sickly sweet smile passed over the ex demon’s face. Another song started over the loud speakers. All eyes drifted over to the stage, but as no one came out from the back stage area, the assembled women began to voice their dissatisfaction.

Before their vengeful gazes could be turned in Giles’ direction though, Buffy felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Spike, clad in his regular attire, standing behind her.

Buffy opened her mouth to protest his intrusion and to make a comment about how he could have at least tried not to get caught, when Spike placed his index finger on her lips effectively shutting her up.

Spike’s hips began to move to the music, making Buffy sway long side him. Buffy licked her lips as she watched her lover, her mate, her vampire, seductively remove his clothing until he was clad only in his jeans. There were appreciative murmurs coming from the crowd, causing Buffy to glare back at them all.

At the end of the song, Spike picked up his coat, and tee, and headed off to the back stage area, like most of the other dancers.

“Oh no you don’t,” said Buffy holding him back. “You don’t tease the Slayer, Vampire,” she said with a smirk. “Closet, now.”
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Xander watched Buffy and Spike slink off into the shadows, knowing full well what exactly they were going to be doing. He looked hopefully at Anya, who was smiling from the show and talking with one of her demon friends. He moved closer to the pair, hoping to surprise Anya, so that they could go and have their own closet adventure.

“And to think that at one point in my life I gave that up?” said Hallie wistfully. “I don’t see how you can honestly think that your human male can compare to the lusciousness of the men we’ve seen here today, Anyanka.”

“Pfft, Hallie, Xander is fine, and he’s mine. Sure demons have more stamina, more endurance, more flexibility, but, then again, I’m not a demon anymore. Xander is perfect for me, he’s loving and he cares about me. I love him Hallie, and he loves me.”

Xander shrank back into the shadows. The carpenter was feeling just a little inadequate after that speech exalting the virtues of the demon man.
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tbc...

 

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Chapter 27: Wedding Jitters

It wasn’t raining. Buffy was wearing a beautifully well cut mint green coloured dress that accentuated her curves. It had been oh so very long since she’d been to a wedding, and even longer that she’d been an actual participant in one.

Despite her doubts about Xander and Anya were still planning to go through with it. The collected masses of relatives, demon and other wise were living at Xander’s house, Buffy’s house and even at Giles’ apartment.

She just prayed that this time the wedding wouldn’t end in heartbreak and vengeance. Buffy had been having nightmares for days now. She had woken up Spike in the middle of the night with her pointed toes, kicking.

All Spike could comprehend was that it was about the wedding. He had fears about how hard she would kick in dreams about her own wedding.

In the end Buffy enjoyed this wedding much more than the last Anya/Xander wedding she had attended. Possibly because Spike was her date, and skanky ho girl from the past wasn’t making a guest appearance.

The Harris family were still very much on the bigoted side, Anya’s demon relations were hard to deal with too, but some how they all made it to the ceremony without killing each other. A marvel that Buffy still did not quite understand. Mr Harris had still barfed in her pink purse, and one of Anya’s demon relations had inadvertently turned a rabbit fur coat worn by a distant Harris relation into a real rabbit, causing panic and a near fainting from Anya. And all this at the rehearsal dinner.

Buffy led Xander to the altar by the hand, as he expressed the need to keep his parents away from the bar. Buffy nodded with understanding, she had done this before, she was aware of the Harris’ propensity for liquor.

Buffy’s new cell phone rang. Buffy rolled her eyes as she listened to the song it sang to her, ‘I Wanna be Sedated’ Spike had obviously been playing with her phone again.

“Yes, my undead lover?” asked Buffy sweetly into the phone earning a grossed out look from the groom beside her.

In the lobby Spike, dressed in a tux, was holding his own phone to his ear while holding up an old man by the collar.

“We have a crasher, love,” responded Spike, “Smells demony.”

“Earlier than I expected really,” noted Buffy. “Well go ahead and do what you want with him, just don’t you dare get blood on your tux. Or goo! No goo on that tux!”

Buffy sensed her mate roll his eyes.

“Hey!” protested Buffy from the back of the hall. “No eye rolling, You are going to be wearing that thing for your own wedding in a few months. No goo!”

“Bloody Buggering Hell,” muttered the vampire as he flipped his phone closed.

Back next to Xander, Buffy apologized to her friend. She wasn’t going to let this wedding end the way the other one did.
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Buffy let Xander do the meet and greet thing for a few minutes, and headed to the bar, where she forcibly removed Xander’s father from the bar. Unfortunately she couldn’t do that without enduring a few comments from Mr Harris that she really didn’t want to hear.

“Nice chassis, what's under the hood? Rrowr!” slurred the inebriated man.

“You know, I could use a strong cup of coffee. Hey, let's get you one too, what do you say?” asked Buffy.

“Did you used to own a little square pinkish purse?” continued the father of the groom.

Buffy sighed sadly remembering the purse that this particular man had puked in the night before at the rehearsal dinner. “I did.”

Mr. Harris pinched her ass.

Buffy let out a squeak and slapped the man’s hand away. Sure she was flattered that a man so much younger than her was interested in her, but eww, he was Xander’s father.

On their way to the kitchen for that cup pf coffee, Buffy passed Spike, who was doing his duty as usher. Buffy smiled as she heard a small possessive growl in Mr Harris’ direction.

“I thought so. Hey, what do you say we slip in the back room and I show you my-” continued Mr. Harris.

“You finish that sentence and I guarantee you won't have anything to show,” threatened the Slayer.

Buffy and Mr. Harris continued on their way, this time passing Halfrek who was looking for Anya.

“I’m late, I know! But D’Hoffryn, you really can’t say no to that man can you?” said Halfrek.

“Willow did,” observed Buffy, quietly.

“Beg your pardon?” asked Hallie.

“Willow is with Anya I think, in the dressing room, you should go there, the wedding should start soon.”

With another pinch on her rear, Buffy finally managed to get the inebriated father of the groom into the kitchen and a cup of coffee into his hand. Leaving him in the capable hands of one of the caterers, Buffy headed back out into the fray.

Halfrek and Spike had met up. At the back of the hall, the two demons were exchanging thinly veiled insults.

“Why William, the tuxedo does so much more for you than the tweed you used to wear,” observed Hallie.

“Why thank you Cecily, I am sorry that I can’t say the same for your present attire.”

Buffy snickered. Hallie’s dress, while it was the same as Buffy’s looked like it had been made for someone else. It wasn’t the most flattering garment that the demon could have worn.

Hallie flashed Spike a sick smile then noticed Buffy.

“There you are Slayer, I seem to be a little turned around, could you possibly show me to Anya’s side, I’m sure she is waiting for her Maid of Honour to show up, so that the ceremony can start.”

Buffy and Spike shared a look.

“Halfrek, you do realise that I am the Maid of Honour right?” asked Buffy.

Halfrek put her hands on her hips. “Maybe that’s what Anyanka told you so that you would do all this planning for her, but really, I’ve known her longer than you’ve been alive sweetie. Why would she want you to be her Maid of Honour?”

“Perhaps, due to the fact that Buffy has actually spends time with demon girl..” noted Spike, standing up for his mate.

“Please, that Anyanka would enjoy hanging out with humans, much less the Slayer is laughable. She’s a demon through and through.”

Buffy’s fists clenched at her sides.

“Mind you it seems that you attract demons don’t you, Slayer?” continued the vengeance demon. “Does he recite his poetry to you? Is it just as awful as it ever was?”

Buffy took a deep breath and smiled up at Halfrek. She could feel the waves of anger coming off her mate. Buffy stepped between the two former acquaintances.

“Perhaps this isn’t the best place to....” started Buffy.

“You shut your demon trap, Cecily,” spouted Spike, his fangs and bumpies coming out.

Buffy knew that his poetry was the one thing that he didn’t tolerate teasing about.

“Isn’t it like you William, hiding in the skirts of your mommy.”

“EXCUSE ME?” yelled Buffy. “I am NOT his mommy.”

“Don’t have a bloody Oedipus complex,” Spike muttered.

By now the wedding guests had directed their attention away from the differences between them, and the commotion that the trio were causing.

“Oh no?” continued Halfrek. “Let’s look at the track record? Your mother? Drusilla?”

The fighting was interrupted at this point by Dawn coming from Anya’s dressing room.

“There you are!” said Dawn frantically. “Anya is looking for you, something about how she wants Matron of Honour time, or something like that. And Spike, one of the wedding gifts has gotten loose.”

“Loose?” asked Buffy.

Dawn nodded, “It has tentacles.”

“Matron of Honour?” asked Halfrek. “Did I miss something?”

Buffy smiled in Halfrek’s direction. “Oh did I forget to tell you? That’ s too bad then,” said Buffy with a smile. “Let’s go see Anya.”

Buffy turned Halfrek around and pushed her in the direction they needed to go.

The last thing Buffy heard from the assembled congregation as she passed through the doorway was Xander’s mom shouting, “You mean demons are real? They’re all demons?”

Buffy let out a groan.

“Buffy!” came Dawn’s eager voice from the corridor. “Isn’t it great, Andrew got a day pass for the wedding!”

Buffy felt like her head was going to explode. Well, at least she had her own teeth, and she had put on clean underwear this morning, small reassurances when her head really did explode. This was Sunnydale after all.
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Anya was ecstatic when Buffy arrived in the dressing room.

“Buffy! I need you, Tara is clearly bored of my vows by now. I need another opinion.” Anya was staring into the mirror in front of her, only catching the reflection of Buffy in the mirror, Halfrek was still out of view.

Buffy took a look at the blond witch on the floor by Anya’s feet, sitting on the edge of the platform. She was looking a little weary.

Buffy flashed a smile at Tara and sat down beside the witch.

“Ok, hit me with it Anya,” said Buffy indicating that she was ready for Anya’s vows.

Anya turned and gasped. “Hallie! When did you get here?” asked the bride.

“Just now, the Slayer led me here.”

“Excellent, I’ve got maybe ten minutes before the ceremony. Hallie, you need your bouquet. You didn’t come to the rehearsal, you are just going to have to wing it.”

“I’ll show you where we are keeping the bouquets,” said Tara, standing up and taking the vengeance demon by the hand.

Halfrek looked back towards the bride in time for her to hear Anya start in on her vows.
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Buffy wiped away a tear and smiled at her friend.

“Oh Anya, I’m so happy for you,” said Buffy adjusting the bride’s veil.

“I’m happy for me, I’d be happier if Xander’s family would realise that demons are people too. It has been most trying having them live with us.”

Buffy nodded. “I can only anticipate badness when I have Spike’s relatives in for our wedding.”

“Drusilla, Angel?” Anya laughed.

Buffy paused for a moment to consider what Drusilla would do to a room full of her ordinary human relatives and shuddered.

“Are you ready for this?” Buffy asked, meaning the ceremony.

Anya nodded. “Xander’s gonna be there, right at the altar, waiting to marry me?”

“I hope so,” said Buffy.

Buffy took her hand and helped her off the platform that she had been standing on.

“No matter what happens Anya, you are my friend too.”

“Oh,” said Anya, “I want to hug you, but I’d wreck the dress. Mental hug?”

Buffy smiled. “Mental hug.”

Buffy led Anya to the lobby, from which she was going to enter the main hall and take Xander as her husband. There was shouting coming from inside the hall. Buffy sincerely hoped that it wasn’t what she thought it was. The Slayer peaked inside the hall to find that it was humans on one side, and demons on the other, a stand off of sorts, with Xander and Spike trying to referee.

“Demons!” shouted Mrs. Harris. “You are marrying a demon?”

“She’s not a demon anymore!” retorted Xander.

“And what’s wrong with demons?” asked one of Anya’s guests.

“Well they’re evil,” retorted Xander’s Uncle Rory.

“They are not! Not all of them!” shouted Dawn.

“She’s probably one of them too!” shouted Mrs. Harris.

“You leave the bit out of this!” challenged Spike.

“Silence!” screamed Willow, power sparking out from the tips of her fingers. “Everyone sit down!” A wave of power flashed out from the mint clad Best Person. The whole crowd of assembled guests and wedding party members were forced down into seats.

“Xander and Anya are getting married, regardless of your bickering! Yes Demons exist, yes Anya used to be one. Get over it! Xander is happy with her, shouldn't’ that be enough?”

The mutterings in the room ceased and they all looked the witch who had them confined in their seats.

“Willow? Are you a demon too?” asked Mrs Harris reluctantly.

“No!” shouted the witch.

“She’s a witch,” said Dawn proudly.

“Cool,” noted Andrew, who was confined in a chair on the bride’s side of the room.

From her safety on the other side of the doorway, Buffy giggled. Then she stopped. This was wrong. It was wrong to laugh at Willow’s over use of power.

“What’s going on in there?” asked the bride.

Buffy turned sheepishly to Anya.

“Slight seating argument,” said the slayer.

Willow’s voice cut through the wooden door. “Xander get you ass to the altar, Bride’s maids and Giles to the back. Let’s get this wedding going already.”

“I think there’s something wrong with Willow,” said Anya nervously.

Buffy agreed.
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tbc...
 

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Chapter 28: A Willow in the Land of Denial

Buffy poked her head back into the main hall. All the guests and bridal party were still stuck in the magically bound chairs that Willow had forced them into.

“Willow?“ asked Dawn with fear in her voice. “We need to get up to do the whole Bride’s Maid thing.“ Dawn tried to move from her magical restraints.

An embarrassed smile came over the witch’s face. “Sorry,“ she said, waving her hand in the direction of the various members of the wedding party.

Tara stood up with a grimace on her face, but followed Willow and the other Bride’s Maids to the back of the hall.
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“What did you do!” yelled Anya once the rest of her Bride’s Maids, and Giles were on the same side of the wooden door separating her from the guests at her wedding.

Willow shrunk back from the bride. “I...I made them stop.”

“By magic-ing them to their seats? Ya good move Willow. There are like twenty Vengeance Demons out there right now, do you really think that they are gonna be like this crowd when you muck up a spell. It’s all ‘La La La Willow screwed up a spell again, don’t worry Buffy’ll fix it’ Not with these guys Willow. Vengeance Demons!”

Hallie nodded. “It’s true! I mean, aside from the fact that D’Hoffryn once wanted to recruit you, you are screwed.”

Willow’s face had scared look on it.

“What have I done?” she whimpered.

“I’m sure everything will work out fine,” said Buffy, pushing people into place. “And afterwards, Willow and I are going to have a talk about how we don’t use magic on wedding guests.”

“Or your friends,” added Tara.

Willow gulped. With a sigh and a nod, Buffy let the musicians know it was time to start the ceremony.
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Standing at the makeshift altar, in front of the justice of the peace, Buffy couldn’t help but drift off into her own dream world as the ceremony droned on.

Of course Buffy’s dream world consisted of what exactly her own wedding to Spike was going to be like. It wasn’t something new that she had been fantasizing about. Literally every wedding she had had with whomever it was she was marrying, all six of them, she would think of some new thing that she wanted as part of her make believe fantasy wedding with Spike. But each of these details were between her and her then dead and dust lover, and not for her soon to be husband.

Now, a hundred years and a bit backwards in time, Buffy was going to get her wish. She had his ring on her finger, his bite marks on her neck. She was whole, complete, she only had to make sure he survived the First.

Buffy was so caught up in her own fantasies that she was completely surprised by the loud yell that was coming from the mouth of the Bride.

Buffy turned in shock, watching her friend crumple in pain. As only the wedding party were mobile at this point, there was a massive conglomeration of mint and black around the falling Bride in white. There was however one member of the wedding party that did nothing to aid her friend. Halfrek watched on impassively as Anya writhed in pain.

And Xander noticed.

“Make it stop!” he yelled at the Vengeance Demon.

Halfrek raised her hands in defence. “I’m not doing it.”

“Then who?” asked Buffy, kneeling beside Anya, her face contorted in pain.

“I’d raise my hand if I could,” said D’Hoffryn, still clamped down in his seat. “I honestly thought that the ceremony would be over by now. It’s been a while since the last human wedding I attended, I thought they were much shorter.”

“What are you doing to her?” asked Xander, his body language implying a threat, but really, it was Xander after all.

“It’s her wedding gift. Elevation is painful. She knows this. Happened to her a thousand years ago,” answered the bearded demon.

Anya’s screams stopped. Everyone turned to look at the Bride that was trying to raise herself up off the floor. Her dress was making that difficult. With the help of Tara and Dawn, Anya regained her feet and began fiddling with the new addition to her jewellery.

The pendant glittered all by itself, regardless of the light, the green stone reflecting off the golden setting.

“Oh D’Hoffryn, it’s beautiful,” said the new demon fingering her new pendant.

“Hey, hold on a minute. I thought wedding gifts were supposed to be for the Bride AND the Groom,” pointed out Xander.

Anya ignored him. “Thank you so much!” Anya gushed.

“Welcome back to the fold, Anyanka,” said Halfrek, giving her friend a hug.

“There will be no folding!” shouted Xander. “Don’t I get any say in this, you can’t just be a demon again.”

“It’s a gift Xander it’s not a job,” said Anya, then turned to D‘Hoffryn for clarification. “It isn’t is it?”

“No strings attached, consider yourself, freelance,” said D’Hoffryn.

“See?” Anya said smugly to her groom. “No strings attached. I can do vengeance if I want. Plus, I can teleport again. No more walking for me. The morning commute will be much less hassle.”

There were murmurings from both sides of the congregation, that grew louder as the seconds ticked by.

“So what you are telling us, is that you are now marrying a demon, a real demon?” came Mrs Harris’ voice.

There was silence from Xander. Anya took a long hard look at her fiancé.

Buffy watched with fascination as she saw Xander gulp and wipe his brow before speaking. The whole population of the hall focused on the next words he said.

“Of course I do, Anya,” he finally said.

There had been a lot of hesitation in his voice. They all had heard it.

Anya shook her head. “I don’t really think you do, Xander. I think you want to be married to a nice, normal human girl. I would have thought by now that you would have figured it out that I’m not. I’ve been a demon longer than your ancestors could claim they were literate, and I don’t want to have a husband that only marries me because after some hard thinking is what he knows is the right thing. It would have meant a lot more Xander, if you had answered right away. I can’t marry you today Xander.”

The crowd erupted into frantic talking.

“Ahn, please,” Xander begged reaching out for her.

“No Xander. I need to go somewhere to think. And I think maybe you do too. I love you Xander really I do, I just don’t think you are ready for this kind of change in me.”

Anya stepped off the carpet handed her bouquet to Buffy and in a flash of green light, was gone.
__________________________________________
In the week that followed, an outsider really couldn’t have seen that much had changed within the Scooby group as a whole. Anya still ran the Magic Box, while Giles put his energy into researching what ever it was that Buffy needed to research, demon wise. Buffy spent a good deal of her mornings there too, with her brand new lap top typing up her notes from her personal research.

The glaring changes was Xander Harris’ nervousness every time he stopped by. He didn’t know how to act around the woman/demon that professed to still love him, but didn’t want to marry him. He looked lost, not knowing what his life’s direction was now.

Anya had moved back into Arashamahar, and teleported to work each day. She stayed at the Magic Box because she enjoyed it, and Buffy was extremely proud of her friend for resisting the urge to do vengeance.

It was a nervous dance they were participating in, making Buffy extremely glad she was sure of her relationship with Spike.

The other relationship in Buffy’s house, Willow and Tara, wasn’t faring too well.

Tara had been extremely not happy with Willow’s display of power at the wedding and binding her to a chair. There are had been words, uncharacteristically harsh words coming from Tara. The next strike would be strike three. Willow had to learn that people were not dolls to be played with.

And Buffy whole heartedly agreed.
__________________________________________
A week after the wedding, Buffy rolled over in bed, and gave her fiancé a kiss full on the mouth, waking him from his slumber. She felt like this would be a good day.

Batting away the arms of her lover, who was trying to draw her back into bed, Buffy pulled the covers over him, covering what one assumed was his naked glory. Sitting down at her mirror she began combing out her long blond hair and humming quietly to herself.

It was a tune that she hadn’t heard in a while, a love song that had been popular when she was younger, 40 or so. She had used to sing it to Eleanor.

“What’s with the humming pet?” asked a sleepy Spike.

Buffy turned back to him with a smile. “Just happy. It’s gonna be a good day.”

“How do you figure that then?”

“I’m big with the positive thinking today I guess. The sun is shining, birds are singing, it’s a beautiful day. And ooh, I have my own teeth, so bonus there,” she said with a smile and a laugh.

Dawn had a test, Willow was moping about Tara and Tara was grumpy about Willow, so Buffy made French toast.

“A full tummy makes everyone alert and prepared for the days events,” the Slayer said briskly, shovelling food onto her sister’s plate.

“You haven’t been switched with another you from the future have you?” asked Dawn poking at her French toast.

“Nope,” said Buffy, “it’s the same old switched from the future me.”

“Did Spike propose again?” asked Tara.

Buffy shook her head.

“You got smoochies last night,” observed Dawn.

The three other women gave her a look.

“What?” said Dawn shovelling more food into her mouth.

“For your information, Dawn Summers, I get smoochies every night, so why should it make a difference?” asked Buffy.

“Don’t know, you are just spectacularly happy this morning,” noted Dawn.

“And I can’t be happy?”

“You can be happy,” said Willow. “But it still freaks us out.”
__________________________________________
Buffy happy mood was contagious. When Spike properly woke up he had decided that today he was gonna be singing the entire Ramones song collection, with several lapses into ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ for good measure.

Dawn had arrived home her Math test in hand, proudly presenting to anyone who dared show any interest her fabulous 91% score.

Buffy went looking in the Magic Box broom closet for a broom only to find Anya and Xander making out in said closet.

They had all settled into what seemed to be their Tuesday night ritual of looking through spell books, attempting to find that elusive spell that Buffy was convinced existed somewhere. Giles had even broken out his hoard of imported shortbread for this occasion.

After a few hours of mindless flipping through books, Buffy was beginning to think that her happy feeling this morning was all for nothing. Sure it was nice to be happy, but Spike singing ‘Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment’ was starting to get on her nerves. Several times she had just wanted to scream that she needed something new.

In fact, she was on her way across the room to ask him politely to stop singing when Spike looked up from the musty book he was holding.

“This what you are looking for then, love?” he asked the silent room.

Buffy peered over his shoulder and broke into a huge smile.

“That would be it,” she confirmed, after having read the spell over. “Boy are you gonna get some serious smoochies tonight.” Buffy took the book from her fiancé, taking a moment to bite down on her marks that adorned his neck.

Spike let out a small moan of pleasure, capturing her lips as she pulled away from his neck.

“Ug, get a room,” said Dawn. “No kid wants to see her parents get it on, biological or adoptive. And if I didn’t want to see Mom and Dad go at it once upon a time, I certainly don’t want to see you two.”

Buffy rolled her eyes at her sister/daughter/mystical key and promptly sat down in Spike’s lap.

“This is a pretty complicated spell, it calls for three witches or warlocks and a whole slew of ingredients for the potion that we bathe the ‘item of mystical power whose essence is to be transformed.’” Buffy stared at the spell, committing the list of ingredients to memory. “There is even some things that we need that the Magic Box doesn’t carry. Anya you might have to do some Ebay shopping for us.”

“Goody,” said the demon.

“So these three witches or warlocks...” said Willow hesitantly.

Buffy noticed from the moment the spell had been found that Willow was itching to hold the book in her hands. Buffy took a deep breath, she didn’t really want to deal with this issue right now, but then she’d been putting off the whole Willow thing for such a long time.

“Willow this spell, it’s a lot of power. It needs people who know how to control their own power and I don’t think that’s you,” said Buffy seriously.

“The thing at the wedding that wasn’t, I didn’t mean to be scary Willow. I just got angry,” explained Willow.

“That’s what she means Willow. You get angry and your power takes you over,” added Tara.

Willow slid further into her chair. “Who else are you going to get? I’m powerful. I can help.”

“I know you can,” said Buffy soothingly. “I just don’t want to have to deal with black eyed Willow after the spell.”

“I didn’t go black eyed Willow when I brought you here,” Willow muttered so low that only Vampire ears could have picked it up.

Unfortunately for Willow, there was a Vampire in the room.

“Say that again,” ordered Spike.

“Nothing...I said nothing,” defended Willow.

“You said something, something that I know the rest will want to hear.”

Willow cringed and shook her head.

Dawn stood up in front of her and crossed her arms. “We’re just gonna hound you until you tell. We’re really good at that kind of thing.”

“Ok,” gulped Willow. “I did it. The spell that put future Buffy into our Buffy’s body. I did it. It wasn’t supposed to end up the way that it did. But hey everything worked out right? Everyone’s happy?”

“You did it?” asked Tara, “All this time and you didn’t tell anyone?”

“I was afraid of all the ‘grr faces’ looks like I was right too, cause, you all, grr.”

Buffy jumped off Spike’s lap and walked towards her friend. “I’m not grr Willow. In fact, thank you. Thank you for mucking up a spell so that I could relive my life. The thing is though, the spell that needs being done now, it can’t go wrong. One wrong thing and it could go kerblewy. I’m talking end of the Slayers, end of the world. That’s not something that we can forgive and forget, cause we won’t be alive to do so. I really hope you understand. Until you learn to control your power, you are very much in danger of letting it control you.”

Willow stood up from her seat. “You don’t know that that’s going to happen! It’s just a guess.”

“It’s not a guess Willow. In my world, the first time, a couple of weeks from now, you try to end the world. Magic takes you over. And not good fluffy puppy magic either.”

“I wouldn’t do that...”

“But you did, and I’m afraid, Willow, so desperately afraid that it’ll happen again.”
__________________________________________
tbc...
 

__________________________________________
Chapter 29: Monsters in the Closet

Willow stormed back into 1630 Revello drive livid. She was the Scooby witch, not Tara. Why wouldn’t Buffy let her help? Stupid knowing things from the future. She had to make them see, see how she was in control of her magic, not the other way around. But what to do?

As it usually was with Willow, lately anyway, her eyes lighted upon one of her spell books. With a flick of her fingers the book shot out at her, and nimbly she caught the heavy volume opening it to a spell she had been looking at for some time.

Tapping into hidden power. She had been wanting to do the spell for herself, but now was not the time to think selfishly.

Willow picked up the phone and dialled.

“Amy?” Willow asked. “I need help with a spell.”
__________________________________________
“Do you really think that this is the right thing to do Willow?” asked Amy looking over the spell that the red headed witch had placed in front of her.

“It’s not a matter of right or wrong, it’s a matter of need. Dawnie just can’t go around without knowing how powerful she is. Power like that can’t be ignored. She could be very useful to the Scooby gang.”

“It looks dangerous though, Willow, this is like nothing I’ve ever done before.”

Willow stood up from Amy’s kitchen table. “Are you scared? Is that it? Scared of power?”

“Little bit, ya. Isn’t that a healthy fear though?”

Willow sent a confused look at her fellow witch friend. “You are starting to sound like Buffy.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” retorted the witch. “I can’t help you with this Willow, I’m not that kind of witch anymore.”

“And what kind of witch is that Amy?” asked an angry Willow.

“Your kind of witch Willow.”
__________________________________________
Willow sat in the dank darkness of an abandoned crypt, the spiders had long scampered away from the witch and her magic potion ingredients. The vials of strange liquids, baggies of herbs and the dozen or so candles had all been laid out for ease of use. Before her sat a small cauldron, bubbling away over a candle.

The witch was muttering to herself. “This will show them, show them that my ideas and my magic are useful. After I do this spell they will be so grateful. Dawnie will like me above anyone else. They will wonder how they ever got along before.”

Willow changed her muttering to chanting and slowly the cauldron and it’s contents began to glow.
__________________________________________
Buffy woke up to a vampire purring next to her. A naked vampire. With a smile and a playful push, she woke him up.

“When did you get in last night?” she asked, her voice sounding like she just woke up, cause, well, she did.

Spike groaned and rolled onto his back, putting his left forearm across his forehead. “I could ask you the same thing pet,” he said with difficulty.

Last night, after Spike had found the spell, and Willow had stormed out of the Magic Box, they had gone out to the Bronze for some ‘We just found the spell that’s gonna save the world’ partying. Somewhere in the course of the evening, Buffy and Spike had gotten separated, Buffy sticking with Dawn and Spike finding himself completely sloshed and making Xander and Giles join him in finding some demons to play poker with.

Buffy knew that he hadn’t come home by the time she had, or at least he hadn’t been in their bed.

“What do you mean, you could ask me the same thing?” she asked.

“You weren’t in bed when I came up here, Buffy, that’s what I mean.”

“I was too, you were just too drunk to notice.”

“Oh?” His eye brows raised. “Maybe it’s the other way around then?”

Buffy rolled her eyes just as a scream came from Dawn’s room. Instantly, Buffy was up, robed and in the teen’s bedroom. The sleepy vampire only milliseconds behind, having managed to find his pants. Looking into Dawn’s room, Buffy noticed nothing amiss at first. There were clothes and papers all over the place, a normal occurrence for Dawn’s bedroom. There were a few broken pieces of furniture too, which weren’t normal for Dawn’s room.

“Buffy!” shouted Dawn, “It’s in the closet. Big furry, with tusks and a bill, there’s a demon in my closet.” Dawn was pressed her back against the far wall of her room, clad in Care bear PJ’s.

“Nibblet, aren’t you a bit old for being scared by monsters in the closet?” asked Spike.

“Not kidding Spike! Buffy, do something!”

Nodding, Buffy turned and went back into her room, grabbing the sword she kept under her bed, and returned to Dawn’s room.

“Spike? Open the closet door,” ordered Buffy, stepping into a defensive posture.

Spike shrugged and did as he was told to.

There was nothing in the closet.

“Dawn...” said Buffy with a hint of disapproval.

“I swear Buffy, it was there, big, furry, tusks and a duck bill. I’m not lying.”

Buffy sighed and laid the sword down, before sitting on Dawn’s bed. Patting the bed spread next to her inviting Dawn to sit with her.

“What were you doing before you saw the demon?” the slayer asked.

“I...I was getting dressed, I went to my closet and opened the door,” explained Dawn.

“The closet door was closed?” clarified Buffy.

Dawn nodded. “Why? What’s important about the door?”

Buffy exhaled forcefully.

“What is it Buffy?” asked Dawn. “You know something!”

Buffy stood up from the bed, and picked her sword. “I do know something Dawn. Get dressed and I’ll tell you about it when you come down stairs for breakfast.”

Dawn nodded again and turned towards her now open closet. “Spike!” she screeched.

“Bloody Hell nibblet you’ve got just as many shoes as the Slayer does!”
__________________________________________
Half an hour later the Summers family and Tara were sitting down at the breakfast table. Willow had failed to come home at all the night before. Tara suspected that she had gone to her parents until her rage quieted down.

“So are you going to tell me?” asked Dawn, pouring herself a bowl of Rice Krispies.

“I am,” said the Slayer gulping down her orange/grapefruit juice. “I think what’s happened is what’s supposed to happen in ten years Dawn. You’ve tapped into your ability to use your key powers.”

“Very cool,” said the teen munching on her cereal.

“Right now it’s unfocused. So every time you open a door, no matter what do you are trying to open, you open a portal to a different dimension. Obviously when you tried to open your closet this morning you opened a demon dimension where big furry things with tusks and duck bills live.”

Dawn nodded, taking in the information.

“When you closed the closet door, you closed the portal. Simple as that.”

“So, every time she opens any door this is going to happen?” asked Tara.

“Until she learns to control it, until she explores her power more. When this happened before, for me anyway you were already a Watcher and had the resources of the Watcher’s Council to help you develop your powers. I don’t know why this has happened now.” Buffy got up from the table clearing away dirty dishes.

“This is so cool, I have key powers,” said Dawn with a huge smile on her face.

“You might not think it’s so bloody cool when you open a door to a dimension with demony creatures in it that come out of that doorway nibblet,” observed Spike.

“I’ll just have to be really careful what doors I open,” said Dawn.

“And makes sure that you don’t go into any of those dimensions, we won’t know where to look for you and you might be stuck there for a very long time,” continued Buffy.

Dawn nodded again. “Right, so I get boys to open doors for me for the rest of my life, I’m good with that. Bring on the return of chivalry.”
__________________________________________
Buffy was vacuuming in the afternoon when Willow arrived home.

Before Buffy could even greet the red headed witch, Tara was at the top of the stairs.

“Where have you been?“ asked Tara loudly, shocking both Willow and Buffy.

“I needed some me time,“ Willow tried to explain. “To cool down. I get what Buffy was saying last night. I need to work on control.“

“You did a spell,“ said Tara her arms crossed. “I can see it in your aura.“

“A little one?“

“Doesn’t look little Willow... What did you do?” asked Tara in a scared voice.

“Just a spell, it’s not a big deal,” said Willow, walking up the stairs trying to get past Tara.

Buffy peered around the corner of the living room and looked at Tara. She wasn’t a happy camper.

“You are doing to many spells Willow!You are using too much magic. What do you want me to do, just, just sit back and keep my mouth shut?” said Tara following up after Willow.

“Well, that'd be a good start.”

“If I didn't love you so damn much I would!”

“I, I'm sorry, okay?”

“It's not that easy.”

“Well, what do you want me to do? Reverse time and take it back?” Willow laughed. “'Cause I could probably...”

The door to the witches’ room closed and Buffy could no longer hear what was going on. As much as she wanted to hear the outcome of this fight, Buffy decided to give the couple some privacy. Buffy had a hunch, that is was Willow who had done a spell on Dawn, though she had no proof. It didn’t do to go about accusing friends of casting spells.

Buffy sincerely hoped that Tara would finally be able to talk some sense into her friend.
__________________________________________
“Crone,” greeted Dawn coming home from school.

“I’m not a crone!” protested Buffy. “How did school go today? Any weirdness?”

“Well duh, there is always weirdness, Janice is experimenting with orange, so not her colour and Martine Savant, a girl in my art class, bumped into Brian Collins, the hottest boy in the school, and spilt red paint all over her new white blouse and all over Brian’s new shoes. They were screaming at each other for like a half an hour before the teacher sent them to get cleaned up.”

“Dawn? The portals?”

“Oh, right, no I had other people open doors for me the entire day, it’s all good, no wacky dimension hoppers.”

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh and, when Andrew makes parole in a couple of months, he wants to know if he can stay here. His parents have been less than supportive of his rehabilitation from criminal master mind,” said Dawn hopefully.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “His parents won’t take him back now that he’s been to jail...”

“Basically,” admitted Dawn.

“I suppose,” said Buffy with a sigh. “It wouldn’t be the same without the guestage.”

“Oooh! Thank you Buffy!” gushed Dawn, enveloping her sister in a hug. “He’ll be good! I promise!”
__________________________________________
tbc...

__________________________________________
Chapter 30: Squish

Buffy helped Tara and Willow pack. Their flight to England left the next day, the day after Tara helped to perform the spell, and they were going to spend their summer vacation at a Coven in Cornwall. It had been suggested by Giles and Buffy had been ever so grateful that she hadn’t been the one to say it.

This had been the compromise. Willow and Tara would stay together if they went to England. Buffy just hoped that they made it to England. Buffy had a horrible feeling that despite Warren being safely in jail, and no matter what she did, Tara was still in danger from the bot maker.

Willow was slipping away. Even with all her added memories of Dark Willow round one, Buffy didn’t recognize what was happening to her friend. Willow didn’t care anymore. The magic was controlling her. She had expressed no remorse for casting the spell on Dawn. That in itself was unlike Willow. There should be guilt cookies by now or something.

The whole house was sad. Dawn didn’t like the fact that Tara was leaving, if only for the summer. It didn’t help that Dawn was just a tad bit afraid to open doors now, thanks to Willow. This time Dawn wasn’t hurt by Willow’s over use of magic, but Dawn seemed just a little bit more afraid of what Willow would do next. Buffy drew her attention away from the packing going on in Tara and Willow’s room, to the portal opening lesson, Anya was having with Dawn in the down stairs hallway.

“Of course, Vengeance Demons can only open portals to their own dimension, Arashamahar, but that’s a place to start. I know that nothing scary is going to pop out at you,” said Anya.

Dawn and Anya were standing in front of the hall closet, Spike hanging back in the living room, just in case his nibblet got into anything that needed fists and fangs.

“So, I think, Arashamahar and open the door?” asked Dawn hesitantly.

“Yep,” said a happy Anya.

Dawn gulped and nodded. Her hand reached out for the door knob and she flung open the door, closing her eyes. Anya clapped. Dawn opened an eye. Before her lay a dark misty place.

“You did it!” exclaimed Anya.

“That’s Arashamahar?” asked Dawn, peering into the closet.

“Yep,” said Anya. “And look there’s Krevlin! Krevlin! Hi!” Anya greeted one of her friends through the closet door.

“Anyanka! I haven’t seen you since, well your wedding. How’s everything?” asked the demon from the misty darkness.

“Oh just great! I’m teaching the key here to open portals!”

Krevlin nodded. “When you are free, you have to talk to Halfrek, she’s been doing some vengeance spells that are so revolutionary, soon everything else you’ve been doing are going to be mundane.”

Anya nodded. “I’ll do that! Talk to you later Krevlin!” Anya turned to Dawn. “You can close the door now.”

Dawn closed the door.

“You lived there? With all the mist and the darkness?” asked the teen.

“Oh yes, it’s quite pretty actually. You only saw it when it’s dark. Ok, you are going to open the door again, this time think, closet.”

“Closet?”

“So that it’s just the closet. There aren’t any dimensions I know of that are named ‘Closet’ I think you are safe.”

Dawn nodded and opened the door again, to reveal a bunch of coats.

“I did it!” said a gleeful Dawn. “So when I go to school and have to open a door, I just have to think, ‘Mrs Morgan’s class‘ or ’Cafeteria’?”

Anya nodded. “As long as what you think isn’t the name of another dimension...”

“How many other dimensions are there?” asked Dawn.

“Oh thousands.”
__________________________________________
“Buffy?” asked Tara. “I wanna say I’m sorry for what Willow has done. I know she’s got problems, I just hope that Dawn’s not hurt by the spell.

Tara and Buffy had been bringing some of Willow and Tara’s old stuff out to the garbage in the back yard.

“You don’t have to apologise for her Tara. I know she’s going through some stuff. What she did to Dawn, it happens eventually on it’s own anyway. In some twisted way I think Willow believed she was doing us a favour. I’m the one that should apologise, I’m the one that knew this was going to happen and I didn’t stop it.”

“It’s not up to you to fix the past Buffy, there is nothing wrong with living your life. I’m sure no one expects you to single handedly fix the world.”

Buffy laughed. “You know, sometimes I wonder about that.”

“She’s been good, since our last talk. She hasn’t done a single spell. I just hope that she can last long enough to get to the coven.”

Buffy leaned in to give Tara a hug. “I know everything will work out ok, Tara. It will be all rainbows and puppies before you know it.”

“Hey guys! I’ve made Chocolate chip cookies and Portanus!” came a cheery Willow voice from the back porch. “Oh my goddess, Warren!”

Buffy and Tara turned to see Warren, toting a gun. Buffy flicked her wrist.

“You think you can just do that to me? That I'd let you get away with it? Think again...” shouted Warren, raising the gun on opening fire.

Tara and Willow hit the ground, hoping to be unharmed by the bullets.

“What the...” said the startled gun man. Willow and Tara looked up to see that Warren was encased in a bubble, the bullets he had shot, floating harmlessly inside with him.

“But I can do it to you Warren. You've hurt my friends, you’ve tried to screw up my life. You belong just where I put you. It’s not really my fault that the police just can’t keep you there. Maybe it’s time to take more drastic measures,” said Buffy, her voice harsh.

“Buffy? What’s going on?” asked Willow, standing up on the porch.

Buffy turned and smiled at her friend. “Something I should have done a long time ago.”

Buffy reached into the bubble and took Warren’s gun from him. Stepping back from the bubble, Buffy held the gun flat in her hand. Suddenly, the gun started to float and spin in place, faster and faster, until there was a popping sound and the gun disappeared.

“Oh my goddess!” observed Willow. “Buffy! When did you get all witchy?”

“A couple of decades from now,” said Buffy. “It’s not something I like to brag about. Now what to do about Mr Meers.” Buffy thought for a moment. “You are going back to jail, you realise that, right? But I think that I’ll add something to the fun prison experience.”

With a smile and a giggle, Buffy clapped her hands once, very hard. Warren fell to the bottom of the bubble and clutched his head.

“What did you do to me?” asked the wretched man.

“I know that not long ago, Spike asked you to check out his chip for him, make sure it was still working. You must know exactly what it does. That’s good, cause now it’s all yours.”

“You put Spike’s chip in his head?” asked Tara.

Buffy nodded. “I think Warren needs it much more than my Big Bad, don’t you agree?”

“Spike’s chipless?” asked Willow.

Buffy nodded. “It’s his birthday present.”
__________________________________________
If Buffy hadn’t known better she would have thought that the Magic Box had never looked more romantic. Red pillar candles were decorating the floor and the walls. Special black sand had been poured in an intricate pentagram on the floor.

“Are you sure you want to do this love?” asked her mate, coming up from behind her, his arms wrapping themselves around her waist.

“I have to do this Spike, to keep you safe,” she said with certainty.

Spike exhaled near her ear. “Seems like a right bother for someone who’s dead already...” he said softly.

Buffy turned to face him.

“You aren’t dead to me Spike! If it makes you feel better I’m doing this more for me than you...So I don’t have to be a lonely old crone and marry men I don’t love. I’ll have you all undead and snarky, just how I like you.”

Spike captured her lips with his own.

Giles cleared his throat from across the room. Beside him Xander looked like he was going to throw up.

“I guess this means the G Man isn’t in the mood for Vampire/Slayer smoochies today,” said Xander. “Tragic.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Just cause you aren’t getting any Xander doesn’t mean you have to be all blah about the rest of us making with the smoochies,” said Buffy defensively.

“Would it be possible to get on with the highly dangerous spell that could effect the very nature of Slayers sometime before the sun sets?” asked Giles.

Distributed around the room were all the Scoobies, even Amy was present for the event. Buffy felt that perhaps if something went wrong, another witch would be helpful. They hadn’t been thrilled to find out that Buffy had put Spike’s chip into Warren’s head, but then they were glad that Warren could no longer hurt any of them. Spike himself didn’t know what to think about it. Buffy had been relieved that the fallout was minimal.

“Does everyone know what they have to do?” asked Buffy.

The group nodded. Planting a kiss on Spike’s cheek, Buffy stepped into the middle of the circle and sat down in front of the scythe, recently placed there by Giles. Tara stepped into the circle too, and sat across from Buffy on the other side of the scythe, carrying a pot of already mixed potion. Next Anya, Giles and Amy stood out side the circle, their arms extended.

The chanting began. Buffy cast a look at her mate, standing in a corner of the shop, his arm around his precious nibblet. They were her family and this spell would make certain that her family stayed in one piece.

“We are ready for the last ingredients, Buffy,” said Tara softly over the chanting the others were intoning.

Buffy nodded and motioned for Spike to come closer. She extended her arm out of the circle and thrust her wrist at Spike. With only momentary hesitation, Spike bit down on her wrist.

“Blood of a Slayer bitten by a Vampire,” said Buffy, as she let her wrist drip blood into the pot.

Then taking a small knife, Buffy reached out of the circle once more and cut into Spike’s arm, catching the drops of blood that leaked out of the cut in her hand.

“Blood of a Slayer of Slayers,” continued the Slayer, continuing with the spell.

Spike returned to his position on the wall to be fussed over by Dawn. There was a collective gasp from the onlookers when the circle began to glow a peachy pink colour.

“Is it supposed to do that?” asked Dawn cautiously.

“I don’t know,” said Willow. “It’s pretty though.”

The three out side the circle stopped chanting and stepped back from the two women in the circle of sand. Inside the circle Tara pulled a paint brush out of her pocket and started to paint the Scythe with the potion. It looked like an ordinary paintbrush, but Buffy knew better; it had taken Anya a week just to find this particular paint brush, made from the hairs of a unicorn.

At last the scythe’s blade was covered in the brown goopy stuff and Tara handed the weapon to Buffy. Standing the Slayer stepped out of the circle, breaking the spell and ending the glowy pink weirdness.

“Is that it?” asked Dawn.

“You should never say those words in Sunnydale, Dawn, you know that,” said Giles, as the ground started to shake.

Buffy turned to look out the shop’s window. The people walking in the street outside were completely oblivious to the earthquake happening inside the Magic Box. Suddenly there was a flash of light, from the scythe, and Buffy felt a burning sensation in her tummy.

“Oooh, head rush!” she said just before she blacked out.
__________________________________________
When Buffy woke up she had the added bonus of finding her naked vampire lover sleeping beside her. She looked at her bedroom clock to see that it was six am, of course she had no idea what day it was. She really hoped that it was the next day, and that weeks hadn’t passed while she was unconscious.

Buffy lifted the covers of her bed to find that she wasn’t naked. So Spike hadn’t decided on defiling her whilst she was unconscious, good for him. With a smile, Buffy rolled over top of him, the covers covering up his vampire goodness.

“Wakey wakey Spikey,” she purred licking his neck and her marks that she had put there.

Spike smiled and wrapped his arms around her. “You are awake.”

Buffy nodded. “Awake Buffy! Here and ready for action. How long was I out?” she asked.

“Little over 12 hours. What kind of action are you proposing, love?”

Buffy giggled. “What kind of action were you thinking of on your birthday?”

Spike growled pleasantly and started to lick the marks on her neck. Bringing his game face out, Spike sensuously slid his fangs into her neck and drank.

“Happy birthday,” she murmured, stroking the back of his head.
__________________________________________
Buffy refused to answer any Slayer related questions until she got back to the magic shop that afternoon. She had to talk to Faith.

She suspected that Faith didn’t get a lot of phone calls in Prison.

“Are you calling to tell me that I’m not the Slayer anymore?” asked the jailbird.

Buffy laughed. “You felt it too?”

“Oh yeah, it was like, whoosh, power being sucked out of me. Then I felt all tingly, like I was burning from the inside out.”

Buffy nodded even though Faith couldn’t see her. “I felt it too, the whoosh and the burning.”

“What were you trying to do? Take my powers away from me? Well it worked! Happy now?”

“Not exactly. I wanted to make it so that there is only one Slayer, I didn’t care which of us it picked. It seemed that it didn’t pick either of us. I guess we are too old.”

“Maybe you are feeling old and decrepit B but I’m right spry.”

“Sure you are Faith.”

“So who’s the Slayer now?”

“I wish I knew.”
__________________________________________
The truth was that Buffy didn’t really feel much different anymore. She knew that she didn’t have vamp sense anymore, but the only vampire she really wanted to have tinglies for had his own Mate signature going for him. Spike forbade her to patrol.

“I’m fine Spike. I don’t know how this has effected me, shouldn’t we test it out?” she begged.

“Fine, in the bloody training room with the Watcher, not with a bunch of Vamps that want to munch on your neck.”

“Like you do?” she asked coyly.

They headed to the Magic Box without much more banter, Spike wanting to know how Buffy had changed. Once they entered though, they came face to face with a dire Giles.

“There’s been a new Slayer called Buffy.”

“What’s her name?” asked Buffy.

“Why is it important what her name is?” asked the Watcher.

“Cause I’ve met pretty much all the potentials, I want to know which one got chosen,” said Buffy her calm exterior belying the butterfly convention that was happening in her tummy.

“I believe they said her name was Molly...” said Giles.

Relief washed over Buffy’s face and a smile appeared. And much to the surprise of Giles and Spike, she did a little happy dance.

“What’s the party for pet?” asked Spike, his eye brow raised.

“Kennedy didn’t get called! Wooo Hooo!”

“Who?”

Buffy calmed down. “A potential. A bitch, no one liked her. And now we never have to meet her! I think this calls for a party!”

Spike reached out and grabbed her arm.

“No, pet, no parties before we test you out, make sure that you are all there.”

Buffy glared at her mate. “All there?”

“Poor choice of words,” he said.

“Very,” agreed Giles.
__________________________________________
Three hours later, Spike came to the conclusion that she was still the Slayer, or as strong as one. Buffy freely admitted that she didn’t have vamp sense anymore, but then she had never been spectacularly good at that anyway. Giles was lying on the mats in the training room, panting from exertion, Spike was lighting up in the alley doorway.

“I told you I was fine Spike, Giles,” said Buffy, as she pounded the heavy bag without a care.

The phone rang.

“Phone!” squealed Buffy, running to get it. There was no competition from either of the men in the room for it, Giles was still prostrate on the ground, and Spike didn’t care.

“Hello! Mr Travers, how lovely to talk to you! Yes, of course I knew what I was doing when I did the spell....Who am I to decide? I was the Slayer, Mr Travers. Don’t you get uppity with me, you whippersnapper! I know exactly how old I am, I also know all your dirty little secrets. Well I hope you don’t kiss your wife with that mouth! No, Giles is unavailable, he’s all tired from our workout. Oh, well maybe you could tell me what you are going to tell him... Well isn’t that interesting now. Faith and I are Honored Slayers, and you want to send your Slayer to be trained by me? Imagine that. Of course I’m up to the challenge, not that it’s a challenge, I’ve been doing this now, for god knows how long. Well I look forward to meeting Molly, again. Yes I said again. Oh Mr Travers, I’m from the future and in 50 years I’ll be the head of the Watcher’s Council. Good day.”

Buffy hung up the phone and turned to her lover and Watcher looking a little shocked.

“Guess what guys, Molly’s coming here. I think you will like her. I just have to warn you, she’s not good with squishy.”
__________________________________________
The end.

Author’s note: Will there be a sequel? Don’t know I have a few ideas, certainly the idea of a happy Season Seven with Molly, Squishy girl (who was my fav potential, so sad when she was horribly killed by Caleb) , Andrew, an alive Tara and no Kennedy (happy dance) has possibilities. Maybe some reviews will convince me???