A/N: Yet another chapter for ya! This story is starting to wind down, maybe another 2 or 3 updates to go. Hope you like it!


The morning sun filtered in through Buffy’s window, bathing her face in its warmth. Did I switch again? Her eyes still closed, Buffy tried to get her bearings. Ok, I’m facing the window, so Spike should be behind me... oh please be there! She quietly rolled over, hoping that her husband would be next to her. Reluctantly, Buffy pried one eye open to get a peek. To her relief, a pair of blue eyes were staring back at her.

“Mornin’ luv,” Spike said with a yawn.

Buffy’s face lit up, “You’re here!”

Spike laughed, brushing a few strands of hair from her face, “Course I am. Where else would I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I just thought...” Buffy saw the smile starting to drift from Spike’s face and decided to abandon the topic, “I don’t know what I thought.”

Spike gave Buffy a reassuring smile, “You thought you’d be there again, yeah?”

Buffy nodded, raising her hand to trace Spike’s chiseled cheekbones, “I don’t want to leave you.”

“It’s goin’ to be all right,” said Spike as he pulled he up against him, “The Scoobies have got a fix all brewed up for you by now, I’d wager.”

Buffy nuzzled her head against his bare chest. She wanted to stay just like that for the rest of her days. “Spike?”

“Yes, pet?”

“What was our wedding like?” Spike did not answer right away, but the quickening beat of his heart spoke for him. Buffy pulled away to look into his eyes, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

When Spike finally did answer, his response was low and soft, “I’m all right... but it’s hard to hear that my own wife doesn’t remember our life together.”

Buffy’s heart broke a little as she responded, “I wish I could.”

“Well,” started Spike, attempting a lively tone, “I’m no vengeance demon, but I’d say your wish will come true soon.”

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Buffy hopped out of bed and started scrambling along the floor to pick up her clothes from last night.

Spike watched curiously as Buffy held up her shirt from last night, which was ripped up one side. She looked back at him, pouting. “Sorry, luv,” said Spike with a playful smile, “Guess I was a bit eager last night.”

Buffy threw the ruined shirt at him and rushed to her closet, yanking a white spaghetti strap top off its hanger. As she hurriedly pulled the shirt over her head, Spike asked, “What’s the hurry?”

Now fully clothed, Buffy replied, “I have to talk to Anya.” She gave Spike a quick kiss and headed out the door.

-----

On her way downstairs, Buffy could hear her friends’ excited chattering coming from the kitchen. Once downstairs, she detected a faint, unpleasant odor, which grew in intensity as she neared the kitchen.

Buffy stood in the doorway, peeking in at her friends. Willow and Tara were standing over a pot on the stove, tossing little bits of ingredients into the boiling concoction. Dawn was manning the back door, swinging it open and closed in an attempt to air out the room. Xander was on his hands and knees, his head shoved underneath the sink searching for something. She had to stifle her laughter as she listened in on the conversation:

“Why do these things always have to reek?” asked Dawn, obviously getting tired from all the door swaying, “I mean, there’s got to be a potion of some sort that comes out smelling like roses!”

Xander was pinching his nose shut with one hand and was using the other to pull random items out from under the sink. “Oh come on!” he exclaimed, his voice sounding nasal, “Don’t you people believe in air freshener?!”

Willow turned away from the stove and gagged, “Ugh! I have stink taste in my mouth!”

Tara remained quiet, but she and Willow took turns stirring so that Tara could fan the smell away from her nose.

Buffy was about to make her presence known when she heard the front door open. It was Anya, who had returned from an apparent doughnut run. “Hello Buffy,” she said, thrusting the pastry box in her hands, “Have some breakfast. I am sure you could use the energy after all those orgasms Spike gave you.”

Buffy almost dropped the box in surprise, “Anya!”

“What?” she replied, not seeing a problem with her statement.

“You can’t just... oh, forget it.” Buffy didn’t see the point in trying to explain how inappropriate Anya’s bluntness was. Instead, she tried to focus on the task at hand, “So, Anya. I have, um, this friend. And my friend truly and deeply loves this girl. And, well, my friend wants to commit to her someday, but isn’t quite ready yet.” Buffy paused as a knowing grin appeared on Anya’s face. “Why are you smiling?”

Anya awkwardly patted her hand on Buffy’s shoulder, “It is ok to be gay, Buffy.”

“You think I’m what?” Buffy wanted to yell, but feared that her friends would come running into the conversation. She did her best to keep her voice down, “No! I’m not gay. I’m very, very not gay!”

“Are you sure?” Anya shrugged when Buffy glared back at her, “So this ‘friend’ of yours is really a friend?”

“Yes, he is!”

“Ok then. Continue your story.”

Buffy took a breath, trying to regain her composure after Anya’s little revelation, “Anyway, my friend was suppose to get married not too long ago, but he kind of freaked and left her at the alter. She took off and he’s been looking for her ever since. So, um, what would you do if you were her?”

Anger flashed in Anya’s eyes, “I would make him feel the pain of a thousand searing pokers boiling his heart in its own juices! I would wish his intestines were tied in knots and ripped apart inside his lousy gut! He would –”

“Anya!” The images of Anya shoving hot pokers into Xander’s chest was already haunting Buffy, there was no way she could listen to any more! “That’s not what I meant. Let me put this differently. If Xander had left you at the alter –”

“That would never happen,” scoffed Anya.

Buffy rolled her eyes, “But if he did, and you had run off, where you go?”

Anya answered a little too quickly, “Easy. I would go to Arash Ma’har.”

“Huh?”

“Arash Ma’har,” Anya repeated, then explained, “It is D’Hoffryn’s home dimension. You remember him, right? From the wedding?”

Buffy’s heart sank. How am I going to tell Xander? Maybe it’s not what I think. Maybe this D’Hoffa guy is a father figure or something... Buffy decided to find out, “Uh, yeah, he seemed... nice. So, um, why would you go see him exactly?”

“To exact some vengeance, of course. Why else would a woman scorned go to D’Hoffryn?” A loud clang followed by a painful shout from Xander caused Anya to lose interest in the conversation and head into the kitchen.

Buffy stood there, stunned as she muttered to herself, “Xander is really not going to like this...”