Chapter 1.07

The store was empty of customers so Buffy decided to try a small experiment.

"Hi. Spike’s in the alley out back with money and goods if you wanna open the door for him."

‘One elephant, two elephant, three elephant, four elephant, five elephant. Five seconds from dusting the front window display to opening the back door of the shop for Spike and his money. The power of commerce.’

"Hey, kitten, how’s married life treating you?" Spike was speaking to Anya, but his smile was all for Buffy. He deposited the carrier on the counter and swaggered up to stand behind her, draping his arms around her shoulders. Buffy’s hands came up to latch over his and Anya caught the gleam of diamond from twenty feet away as she followed Spike back into the main shop area.

Her treatise on the fun of being able to order a whole new set of cheque books, bank cards and credit cards with her new name on was forestalled indefinitely.

"Buffy, were you aware that you’re wearing that ring on a finger which would traditionally indicate that it was an engagement ring?"

"Well I guess I’m just an old-fashioned girl at heart," said Buffy.

"That’s you, conformist to the end," Spike added in a mildly sarcastic tone of voice.

"Well, honest to Pete, is it an engagement ring or not? Because if it isn’t, it’s just a touch showy for everyday wear."

"Anya, you should know by now that my fiancée would never accessorise inappropriately," Spike said in a staid voice, which was belied by the smile that adorned his face as Anya dashed across the room to hug them both.

Spike happily watched the pair of them poring over the ring. "Kitten, is there any chance that your husband might be able to make it over here for a late lunch come Scooby meeting, or will he already have had his lunch-hour?"

"He’s still on holiday. He took a week off for the wedding, but I didn’t want to close the store again so soon when it was already closed when I went away after Xander left me at the altar. He just popped out to get some snacks but he should be back soon. He said even if we couldn’t have a honeymoon he could still be with me.

You do know how to summon a vengeance demon if Spike leaves you at the altar on the day, don't you?"

"I’ll take that as my cue to ring Tara’s dorm and a pizza delivery company, and I’m not being funny here, but I think it might be better to hide the ring when Xander gets back. He might take it better if the others are here when he finds out.

And before I forget there’s the money for the flat. Tara said she put all the wrappings for the stuff we used back in the bag, so you should be able to tell from that what we owe and your scarf’s in there as well because we needed something personal to do the location spell. I wouldn’t have broken in except with the shop bein’ shut, we didn’t know if you’d been kidnapped or spelled or something."

"You’re always breaking in."

"Hey. Only to the shop, not to where you live, and I won’t be doing either again unless we have another magical emergency and while I think on you better gimme some burba weed and add that to the bill."

Spike wandered off to the far corner of the shop to make his call, whilst the girls took the ring over to admire it in the light by the front window. It wasn’t long before the witches were on their way as were a couple of large pizzas with Anya and Buffy’s favourite toppings.

As he wandered back over to Buffy, Spike’s attention was caught by the display of candles. "Hey, pet. I don’t suppose we could get away with buying some candles and keeping them in your room?"

"I don’t think so. We’re still keeping the whole house "magic" free. You’re going to have to get used to these newfangled ideas like electric lighting some day."

"Very funny, but surely Tara doesn’t strip-" Spike paused as the shop door opened, but after giving a brief nod by way of a greeting he continued again when he saw it was Xander coming in. "…her place bare of all that stuff when Willow stays there. So what’s the point of taking everything out of your place, if half the time she’s going to be at Tara’s."

Anya decided to add her view to the discussion. "I think Spike’s right. He should buy lots of candles for your bedroom. Candlelight is far more romantic for having sex than electric light. I think if you bought lots of candles it would improve your sex life. Hey, sweetie." She hugged Xander.

Spike’s face wore his patented smirk and Buffy snorted at the very idea of being able to fit in any more of a sex life.

Buffy and Xander exchanged greetings and Xander returned Spikes nod with an even smaller one.

"Hey, Ahn. I think we’re in the realms of images I don’t want to think about."

"I don’t see why. You yourself commented on how attractive Spike is, last year, when you thought he was having sex with Buffy, and Buffy is a very attractive woman. I would have thought that imagining them making love by candlelight would be at least as erotic as many of the pictures in your magazines."

Instead of making an arch comment, Spike just raised his eyebrow even more and leered at the carpenter over Buffy’s shoulder.

"I guess we better ask Red when she gets here whether it’s still a problem or not."

"What’s he doing here in broad daylight anyway? Shouldn’t you be sleeping somewhere rather than hanging round here in the same clothes you were wearing last night?"

"I’ll survive until I can grab an hour or two while Buffy’s at work." Spike countered before Anya added her take on the situation.

"He’s returning some items of stolen stock and paying for others. He might also buy lots of candles. And we’re waiting for pizza and Willow and Tara so we can have a Scooby meeting."

As soon as she said it everyone in the room could see Xander fighting the urge to demand to know when Spike became a Scooby. He only succeeded because he knew the answer wouldn’t be something he wanted to hear.

"So what type of pizza we got? Inferno?" Xander asked hopefully.

"Hawaiian and pepperoni," replied Spike looking first at Buffy then at Anya.

Spike took Buffy’s left hand in his right, covering the ring before Xander had a chance to see it and led her over to get a seat at the research table. Xander looked on unhappily. Spike never sat at the research table before, either. Spike sat on the stairs to the loft or on the counter or anywhere that wasn’t at the table. The table was for people who belonged, not for Spike who was barely tolerated. It was his shop, well it was mostly Giles’s but partly Anya’s and he was married to Anya so that made it his, right? And he built the table, and okay it had been a bad idea to light the thing from underneath, so that it lit up the area around the books you wanted to read without casting any light on the pages themselves. But it looked pretty and now Evil Dead was going to eat pizza off it.

Since the pizza hadn’t arrived yet, this called for chips and dip, at the counter, where he wouldn’t get any dead fingers in his food. Maybe he didn’t really want any pizza after all.

The jangling of the shop’s bell interrupted his chain of thought, and the two witches entered. A round of ‘Hey’s and ‘Hi’s ensued, before Spike broached the candles question. Willow and Tara exchanged looks before Tara suggested, "Maybe plain unscented ones would be okay?" Willow smiled and nodded.

"You actually carry such a thing as unscented candles, kitten, or do they all have bits of plants and molluscs in?" Spike asked.

"We’ve got these." She indicated some boxes each holding a dozen tea-lights.

"Okay, stick half a dozen of those in with the burba weed and tell me the damage."

"Well, the burba weed would probably crumble a bit but you crumble it up before you. —"

"I meant tell me what the bill comes to," Spike forestalled her explanation.

"Oh, in that case," Anya rang up the last items on the till as she spoke, "it comes to seventy seven dollars and sixty three cents."

"I’ll give you an even hundred if you get the watcher on speaker phone for ten minutes now everybody’s here."

Buffy gave him a look that was now slightly panicked, and Anya carried the phone over to the research table after ringing up the sale, putting the change into petty cash and making an appropriate note in the petty cash book.

"Are you ready, pet?" Spike looked at Buffy, who now looked even more nervous.

"Me?"

"S’your mates… but if you want…" The mischievous tone he used for the second part convinced Buffy to forge ahead.

"I’m ready."

Anya dialled through to Giles’ home where it was ten o’clock at night and after some brief greetings including Giles comment that this was the first time Buffy had managed to phone without waking him up in the middle of the night Buffy began the build-up to her big news.

"Hey, Giles, I’ll bring you up to speed with the others. We managed to catch Warren and his gang last night and thanks to Anya they were arrested on various charges, so we shouldn’t have any more trouble with them for quite some time.

We took these artefacts off Warren called…" Buffy paused and Spike filled in.

"The Orbs of Nezzla Khan"

"… And anyway Xander has them now, but if you can see if you can find out any information about them, in case they’re cursed or anything but they seem to make whoever has them wicked strong as long as they keep them close together."

"Now you say they might be cursed?" Xander wailed.

"And because the bank got back more than half the money they stole and Xander got Jonathon and Dawn got thingy and me and Spike got Warren, then me and Dawn and Xander get to share the finder’s fee, which is a bit over nine thousand seven hundred bucks."

"That’s better news," said Xander approvingly.

"Yes, we can afford to have our marriage blessed now, and maybe a small honeymoon but not for several months as the shop has been closed far too many days this month anyway." Anya joined in.

"Yes, quite," came a slightly tinny voice from the phone. "I’m sure this will ease things financially for a while for you Buffy."

"Actually, I might let Dawn spend a little of hers but the bulk will go in her college fund and mine might help me with mine.

I heard back from UC Sunnydale a while back and they turned down my re-application, but Spike’s talked me into looking at community college courses for next term. I’m going to hand in my notice at DMP today. As of next week I’ll be an official slacker."

Protests were voiced from various corners of the room and the globe but Willow’s intervention style comment was the most persistent.

"Buffy, I think it would be unwise to leave your job on the basis of one cheque which will barely cover one term’s tuition fees. It’s important to consider Dawn’s welfare and how you can support her."

"Well I thought about that, so I decided to raise your rent, since you’re not sharing a room or looking after Dawn any more." Buffy watched the surprised expressions on all their faces including Spike's. He’d come to the conclusion Willow’s mooching was something Buffy was too soft-hearted to bring up. "Kidding." Buffy continued, but Spike knew that at least the idea she was underpaying was now in both Willow’s and Buffy’s minds. Hopefully Red would volunteer to contribute more.

"I’m reliably assured that finances aren’t going to be a problem. Dawn and I will both be provided for. Which brings me to the last topic for today.

Giles, if you’re willing, I’d still like you to be the one who gives me away. Think you can make the time to come over say in two or three months time? And Olivia or whoever else if you’re not still. —"

Squeals of delight went up from the wiccas and Tara was the first to hug Spike whilst Willow concentrated on hugging Buffy and getting a look at the ring. Buffy could just hear Giles’ exasperated tones over the sounds of excitement.

"Buffy, it might assist me in coming to a decision if you were to provide the name of the prospective groom."

Spike was the one to answer however. "Buffy reckons that Peaches warned you when I first came to Sunnydale that once I started on something I didn’t stop until I got what I wanted. Does that answer your question."

"Actually, I think Buffy may have been euphemistic. Angel’s precise words were more along the lines of you would kill everyone who stood in your way, but the spirit of the message is still the same… Spike, this is all above board? You haven’t used any undue influence on her?"

"You mean have I put her in a thrall? Rupert, the witches could take her in the back room now and give her a strip search and they wouldn’t find a fang mark on her newer than Drac’s. After last summer, you can’t think I’m stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. Putting Buffy under a thrall and convincing her she loved me would be like having the ‘bot back, only worse. Couldn’t do it."

"Yes, well, quite. Buffy says you have the means to support her and Dawn."

"I do, and I can provide you with references to prove it if that’s what it takes.

Rupert, what I said about fang marks may not apply by the time you get here. If Buffy agrees to it, at some point in the not too distant future I mean for us to claim each other as mates. She’s probably going to want to get a viewpoint other than mine before she makes any decision so if you’ve got any reference material on matings with humans or if it’s ever happened before with a slayer then it may be in your best interest to look them up. All I can really tell her is what would happen with two vampires. I’m counting on you to find out the rest."

"Yes, well, I shall look into that. I’d be obliged if you were to hold off taking any action until I have some time to research the matter."

"I’ll give you time, watcher, but I won’t wait indefinitely. Then again— Watcher, got to go someone’s upsetting my girlfriend. Anya, why don’t you tell the watcher what you did on Saturday? And don’t let him hang up till he speaks to Buffy."

Spike moved across the room so fast that he practically flew.

Chapter 1.08

Buffy was in the middle of a four-way hug with all her best female friends. Spike seemed to be taking care of her shiftless absentee father figure for just now and she just gave herself up to enjoying the moment.

"You’re sure this is what you want?" Willow asked, pulling back slightly from the group hug, the others following suit shortly after.

Buffy looked over to where her leather-clad partner spoke on the phone. "Yeah, it took him a while to convince me, but I guess I’m hooked on the idea now."

"Can I see the ring?" asked Tara and Buffy obliged holding it out so that both the witches could get a good view.

"I think you need to get that appraised and insured if those stones are diamonds. Xander spent the equivalent of several months salary on my ring and my solitaire is only slightly larger than the centre stone, and it’s old, probably even older than him," Anya commented.

"It’s really nice. Is it a family thing or did he buy it?" asked Tara.

"It belonged to his great-grandmother and then to his mother, so yeah Anya even older than him," Buffy answered her friends. "And as far as valuing and insuring from what I’ve seen today he probably sorted that out before he broke up the set. Apparently there’s a wedding band to match."

"What’s your new name gonna be?" asked Willow.

"I haven’t actually worked my way round to finding out yet. I suppose it’ll depend what name he can get documents under."

Xander stepped forward from where he had been quietly munching his way through a family sized bag of Doritos and accompanying jar of dip.

"That does it! Buffy, listen to yourself! You’re talking about getting married to someone and you don’t even know his name. You say he has enough money to live off of and send you back to college, but it’s not that long ago he was stealing the change from a round of drinks and now he’s giving you antique jewellery. You know where his money comes from. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself. I hope you can live with your conscience when you’re Mrs Doctor."

"Xander, I know—" Buffy stopped mid-sentence and dropping low swept her right leg in a low semi-circle, the move being one more typically used by the unsuspecting vampire on whom she used it. Spike’s previous speed worked against him as his momentum carried him face first toward the floor. In an instant he was back on his feet, but Buffy blocked his path to the male Scooby. "Stay put. I can handle this. If you’d hit him at the speed you were going you would have cracked his skull open and given yourself a migraine that would last a week."

"It would have been worth it. Human or not I’m not going to just stand by when some wanker deliberately tries to make you feel bad about being with me especially when he starts on the Doctor bullshit."

"I’ve got it under control, Will. He’ll at least hear me out. You two would just end up in a shouting match at best,

Xander, Spike isn’t the Doctor, in fact looking back, I’m pretty certain he’d never even heard of the name until Riley called him it. Whatever we killed in Spike’s crypt they had chitinous armour, a segmented body, crab type legs and they were quadrupeds. Suvolte don’t have chitin they have hide, they’re bipeds and they have hands and feet, so unless they have a very, very strange development pattern, those things were not suvolte eggs.

I saw all this with my own eyes, but until I had a reason to doubt what Riley told me I never even gave a thought to reviewing what I’d seen, to work out whether it made sense. I just took everything he said at face value

It’s no secret that Riley and Spike have never been the best of friends. At best Riley was fed some misinformation which he wanted to believe. At worst he set Spike and me up. Hell, for all I know Sam said she worked in an infirmary in the Peace Corp. Maybe Mrs Riley Finn’s the Doctor and the whole thing was just a cover for them to pick up the damn eggs so they could sell them themselves.

Spike wasn’t being entirely honest, but he wouldn’t have ended up in that situation in the first place if it wasn’t for something I did wrong. Maybe if he’d confided in me about the mess I landed him in at the time, this whole thing could have been avoided."

"You had enough on your plate, pet. I thought I could take care of it without you ever having to know."

"Yeah, well, that didn’t turn out to be your best idea, but then I’m in no position to complain.

Anyway, Xander, you already know where a bit of Spike’s money comes from or did you forget all the gold and gems that were in that crypt along with the gem of Amara. And as to the rest it’s none of your business as long as I know and it doesn’t bother me, which it doesn’t."

"Good Godfrey Cambridge!" Xander tried a mental calculation of the value of the horde and tried to remember the way back.

Buffy gave Xander a look which clearly indicated she wasn’t finished yet. "And as for his name, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" or however that goes, not that Spike’s a rose more like one of those persistent creeping vines that gradually takes over the entire garden when you’re not looking."

The couple exchanged a look and a smile, each reaching for the other’s hand. "Thanks, pet. I’m going to take that as a compliment."

"His name isn’t what’s important, nor is what he’s done in the past. All that matters is who he is today, and what he does from now on.

If you think that’s morally reprehensible then let me know now before we start trying to work out the seating plan. This is the man I intend to marry and anyone who feels it’s their right or their duty to undermine our relationship or him is no true friend of mine. And Xander there’s a limit to how often we can have these conversations."

"Buffy," Anya called. "Giles wants to speak to you."

Spike walked back over to the table with Buffy, pulling her down to sit on his lap.

"Hey, Giles. Wanna play dad for a day, huh? Spike’s willing to spring for a couple of return tickets. I don’t know when it’ll be yet. I have to find a clergyman who’ll agree to do the ceremony first. I kinda thought I might try that church where I had the fight with Faith. That big long shady entryway was cool. Might look good in the photos.

If you came over early you could help me spend Spike’s money. He says I can have anything I want, no expense spared for my special day. So, will ya, pleeeease? Say you’ll do it?"

"And to think I was worried that Spike might be taking advantage of you." Giles commented dryly. "If you’re sure that this is what you want, then I’ll be proud to give you away. I can’t say that I’m totally surprised.

Did you say you were planning a church wedding?"

"Uh-huh, and I’ve got to wait till I can see your face to tell you the rest of what I got him to agree to. Do you think you’ll bring Olivia?"

"I think she might be persuaded especially since flying coach would seem inappropriate when the theme of the wedding is no expense spared."

"Definitely inappropriate," confirmed Buffy. "The pseudo father of the bride is far too dignified a position to travel coach."

"Wouldn’t have wished a flight that long in coach on my worst enemy even if you hadn’t said anything. Besides I have to keep in your good books in case I have to ask you to be best man as well," added Spike.

"What?"

Buffy sighed. "Spike doesn’t know if the clergyman will let him have Clem. I mean Spike at least looks human, but people just don’t go for the skin condition line."

"Pardon?" said Giles.

"Ooh! You haven’t met Clem, have you? Imagine Tara had a sex change and got turned into a demon whose skin was three times her size, now make her bald and a bit more naïve, even if he does cheat at kitten poker and you sort of have Clem. He’s a sweetie, but as I say Spike doesn’t know if the minister or whatever will agree. I say it would be too squicky for him to have Angel. I mean he’s family but even so… It’s awkward enough that we have to invite him, and if Dawn’s chief bridesmaid then she would refuse to dance with him. So you were the only other guy he would even consider, but we’ll get back to you on that. If someone’s prepared to marry a vampire why should they bother if the best man’s a demon, but I think you might have to sign the register anyway because I don’t think Clem’s a legal person."

"Speaking of Dawn how is she taking the news. I assume she knows."

"She volunteered to help with the planning but it’s just so she can pick her own bridesmaid dress, I think. As far as Spike moving in with us, she’s keen. She’s probably loved him longer than I have. It’ll be good."

The bell over the shop door sounded again and a confused looking delivery boy asked, "anybody here order pizza?"

"That’d be me," Spike pulled some crumpled notes from his duster pocket, checking the denominations before passing a suitable amount to the delivery boy, who continued to gaze transfixed at the shelves of merchandise.

Giles voice sounded from the speaker. "One assumes that the arrival of food will mean the end of any credible conversation. Anya, Xander, once again congratulations. Spike, I’ll get back to you or Buffy regarding the matter we discussed. Both of you, take care of each other and tell Dawn I said hello and good bye to you all."

There was a veritable chorus of goodbyes before the connection was cut and the group crowded round the table for pizza, except for Xander who remained at the counter with his tortilla chips, away from food potentially touched by dead hands.

"Oops," said Buffy, "did we forget to tell Giles you guys were back together?" She waved a pizza slice in the general direction of Willow and Tara.

"Sent him an e-mail Saturday afternoon," the redhead smiled. "Of course he probably hasn’t managed to wrest it from the infernal dread machine yet."

"Speaking of dread machines, I could use some help picking one. I know those black ones look nice and I know what I want it to be able to do but I’ve no real idea what specs that means I need. Are you up for taking on the challenge, Red?"

"Sure, the chance to spend someone else’s money on electronics and software, fine by me. But have you got a stable power supply in the crypt?"

"Right, the power supply shouldn’t be a problem, I’ll explain why tonight when Bit’s there. I’ve got to go home and get changed and then do some shopping once I drop Buffy off at work but I’ll be over at the house later to cook for Dawn and Buffy. So, if you guys don’t mind eating the same stuff I may as well cook for everybody and we can talk about it then."

"Anya, you’re good at identifying demons," Buffy returned to her earlier subject. "What sort of demon has…"

Anya listened to Buffy’s demon description. "That’s easy, those are baby Nevlon demons."

Buffy turned between Spike and Anya, "But I thought you said— thought that Nevlons were basically harmless."

"They are," supplied Anya. "They’ll eat carrion, but as far as live prey goes even a full grown one will only go for say something like a large rat or small dog at best or worst if you happen to be a small dog."

"But they swarmed all over me and Riley as soon as they hatched," Buffy argued. "It was all we could do to get the little bug… bug-like things off of us and get out in one piece."

"Were either of you actually bitten?"

"No."

"Hmm. It’s normal for the mother to carry the babies round on her back, sort of like the way baby swans sit on their mother or father or whatever. But they should only do that if you were producing the right pheromones. If you didn’t know what they were doing you might have thought it was an attack."

"Didn’t I tell you you used to have terrible taste in men?" Spike smirked.

"How do you get from what Anya just said to me having terrible taste in men?"

"Pet, if you smelled like mommy to those demons it wasn’t from the underwear you’d been wearing at DMP, that just had the funky burger smell. So, it had to be on that nice black outfit and I don’t think you bought your kevlar breastplate at K-Mart, did you? He set you up, love. Guess he didn’t take the break-up as well as you thought," Spike reasoned.

"You don’t know the half of it. He offered to kill you. Stood there as if he was doing me a favour. Something about having completed his mission parameters, but having authorisation to take the Doctor out and did I want him to do it, implying it would save me from having to do it myself. The bastard knew you had nothing to do with it. He knocked you round when you couldn’t defend yourself and then offered to kill you for me, all just to get his own back at the pair of us."

"Or to cover his own arse if you’re right about him and as I recall he wasn’t the only one knockin’ me around."

"Shit. I am such an idiot. You were right. I just assumed you were lying because it was a human telling me you were."

"That’s not true, pet. It’s not like I haven’t misled you lot in the past, and if he fooled you it’s because he’s trained to be able to fool people. It’s not just about human or demon. I mean you’d take my word over say, Willy’s, wouldn’t you? Or Clem’s word over almost anybody’s provided we’re not talking poker?"

"But I should have been able to tell at the time you didn’t have a clue about the Doctor thing? You didn’t, did you?"

"Not the faintest idea what he was going on about at all."

"W-Wait you’re saying Riley tried to kill Buffy," came an almost forlorn voice from the counter as Xander was on the way to realising that yet another of his heroes had feet of clay.

"No-o." explained Spike slowly and clearly. "Riley set it up so that Buffy and him presumably would be swarmed by a bunch of basically harmless demons. Since she was expecting something different, something that was lethal the minute they hatched, panicking and blowing up my home or watching while he did it isn’t really a reaction I can blame her for. At the least my home was wrecked and Buffy didn’t trust me any more so it basically ended what we had going at the time. At best for him Buffy might have killed me herself, failing that she might have taken him up on his offer which no doubt would have given him great personal satisfaction.

They’re free and clear to do whatever they want because anyone mentions the Doctor and you’re all going to blame me. Sooner or later I wind up dead because the Doctor does something that pushes the boundary just too far.

Buffy thinks him and his bitch are her bestest mates so next time there’s some nasty whose bit’s’ll raise a few bob on the black market running loose in Sunnydale, he can still get her to go find it and kill it for him. Not a bad little plan. Bint must have come up with it. Bit too advanced for the tin soldier."

"Just one thing," said Willow. "Why did you have a bunch of these Nevlon eggs?"

"Nah, wait, before you answer that. Are you saying Riley’s a bad guy?" Xander asked, clearly shaken.

Spike groaned loudly. "Will someone either stake me, or explain to Special Ed in words he can understand?

Him and his wife are quite possibly the people who are trading in demons and demon parts.

They set me up to take the blame; incidentally breaking up my relationship with Buffy and at some point sooner or later no doubt I would end up dead. In your book that probably does make them the good guys.

But they were also setting Buffy up to do their work for them as long as she was useful and when it suited them they would probably have framed her too. The next slayer might not have the same personal history with them but hey, if you guys were still helping out, you’d vouch for him. Tell the new kid he was a stand-up guy.

I ended up looking after the eggs because the father, who I happened to know, was supposedly going out of town for a few days. Buffy sort of killed the mother when she tried to defend her nest. So I got stuck holding baby.

Notice how the possible outcomes of the little plot would also appeal to a demon whose mate of seventy years has just been killed by my girlfriend.

By the way, pet, did you ever remotely consider telling me Captain Cardboard was married, let alone to someone who worked in an infirmary."

"Mmm, Nope." Buffy did her I’m cute, don’t hurt me grin, the one that becomes less effective for every year over the age of five, but still works when used on a totally besotted male of any species.

"So Riley and his wife are bad guys." Spike resisted the urge to stand up throwing Buffy off his lap and cheer at Xander’s grasp of the situation.

"I knew that woman was too good to be true," said Willow. "Remind me to buy a shovel for the next time Riley comes to town. Which reminds me, Spike consider yourself hugged. Congratulations. I hope you’ll both be very happy. If you hurt her, you, can of gasoline and your own Zippo."

"Hey, thanks, Red. At least you’re more creative than most of the people who threaten me."

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