Wedding Bell Blues—Chapter 1

“Anya, what the heck are you so antsy about?”

Anya looked at Willow and Tara, and her face clearly showed her agitation and nervousness. “The wedding. It’s a week away, I have a lot left to do, and I can’t seem to get all these traditions straight. Wear white, carry or wear something blue, old, and new, and he can’t see me in my wedding dress. Getting married as a demon is just so much easier! I could have just gone to D’Hoffryn, asked him for a mate, and poof! You’re married, blood larvae and burlap all around, and a nice S’t’a’slk sacrifice for the reception. I’ve been so busy that Xander and I haven’t even had enough time to have many orgasms. All I’ve been able to squeeze into is just two in the last week.”

Tara and Willow looked at her, horrified. “You’re still sleeping with Xander?”

“Yes. We have been sleeping. Not having sex, I’ll have you know.”

Willow blurted, “You’re not supposed to have sex with the groom, Anya. Not until the wedding night. It…builds sexual tension between the couple.”

“What! Where did that stupid tradition come from?”

“It’s just the way it’s done, Anya. Before modern times, the bride and groom weren’t allowed to sleep together at all. It was considered bad luck,” Tara added.

“That’s barbaric. How are you supposed to know if you’re sexually compatible or not.”

“It was called waiting for the wedding night,” Willow sniped, bored with the conversation. “People used to do it all the time.”

“I don’t think that I can. I mean, my orgasms are sometimes the only thing that gets me through the day.”

“Anya!” both girls chorused. Willow moaned.

“Please, don’t be saying things like that. Hasn’t Xander talked to you about that?”

“Xander said that it wasn’t polite. But I thought that since we were all girls, and together, that is what girls talk about, isn’t it? At least, some of it, because I remember listening to the girls in high school…”

“Enough, Anya. Please.” Tara shook her head as she walked over to the conference table.

Anya looked at Willow, a calculating look that nearly gave Willow the shivers. “I don’t want any bad luck to ruin my wedding, but I can’t not have sex with Xander. Willow, you’ll have to cast a spell on us. To keep us from having sex before the wedding.”

Willow’s look turned to horror. “I—I can’t do that! Tara! Tell Anya that I can’t do that!”

Tara looked thoughtful. “Actually, you probably could. You know, give them something like an electric shock every time they...uh…touched each others’…er…you know, body parts. It wouldn’t have to be complicated, and if you added a time framework for it to end, like saying ‘I do’, then it could easily be done, given the permission of all parties.”

“Tara! You’re supposed to support me, not give her ideas.”

“I know, Will, but if she and Xander want it done, then maybe we should think about doing it for them. It could be a wedding gift.”

“Yes, it could be your wedding gift. To Xander and me. We would like it very much, especially for our honeymoon.”

“See, they want it. Let’s do it for them, Will. Or I just will. If they want it, then….”

“I can’t, Tara. I can’t let myself do it anymore.”

Tara looked at Willow, understanding in her eyes. “I know, Will. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suggested it.”

Willow looked at Tara, tears in her eyes, and grabbed her bag, rushing out of the Magic Box.

Tara turned to Anya. “I’ll do it, but only because I needed to get you something for your wedding. But, you can’t tell anyone. Especially Willow. Or Xander. Or Giles. Okay, so you can’t tell anyone. All right?”

“I solemnly promise.” Anya looked at Tara trustingly, her hand raised in the pose of a Girl Scout. “Is this the right way?” she asked, gesturing with her hand at her hand.

“Yes, fine. Okay, I need to gather some things. We’ll do the spell after the store closes tonight, so get rid of Xander, and everyone else, and I’ll set up the spell in the workout room.”

“Won’t the protection glyphs harm or interrupt the spell?”

Tara looked thoughtful, then shook her head. “I don’t think so. They might even enhance the spell.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tara looked critically at the circle she had laid. Its outer ring was composed of apple blossoms woven with cyclamen flowers, to draw love, friendship, and truth to their relationship. The inner rings, two of them entwined, were made of lavender for chastity for the couple. Ambergris, cinnamon, and powdered amber waited in a mortar, for the incantation. She listened at the door, waiting to hear the all clear from Anya.

Anya opened the door so suddenly, she hit Tara in the head. Tara backed away, moaning and holding her forehead. “I thought Xander and Giles would never leave. They just stayed, and stayed, and wanted to talk about all kinds of stupid things…Tara, do you have a headache? Why are you holding your head?”

“Anya, you hit me in the head with the door. It hurt. Okay, let’s do this anyway. I’ve got it all set up. All I have to do is light the candles and speak the incantation, and you’ll be all set.”

“Excellent. Let’s get it started. I want to test it.”

Tara rolled her eyes, and started crushing herbs with the pestle. “Okay. You kneel here,” she said, gesturing, “and light the candles. I’ll sprinkle the herbs and invoke the circle.”

Tara’s face grew solemn as she reached inside herself for her power. She kept it tightly wound and buried deep, fearful of its addictive attractions and the way it had overtaken Willow. She took a deep breath, and swayed, her brow furrowing in concentration as she chanted.

“Aradia and Hecate hear my words and heed
Goddesses of witches within pairs I plant this seed
Chastity and purity betwixt the two in need
Aphrodite and Erotes, those who guard the heart
Allow their love to blossom as they make a new start
Bind their hearts and hands and heads to never part
Virtue bind and hold them chaste as they await the day
When vows are spoken, this spell be broken
Upon the words ‘I do’ doth the binding fall away
So mote it be as I have spoken”

Tara was electric with her power. Her hair floated around her head in a ghostly wind, and a small purple ball of light was growing in the innermost section of the enjoined circles. It spun and grew with each word, drawing power from Tara and other unknown quarters, until it hovered a foot above the floor, the size of a softball and spinning dizzily, its light casting shadows on the girls’ faces and the walls of the room. As Tara ended the spell, it expanded into a ring, then thinned, exploding out of the circle and into the room, then through the walls.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Unbeknownst to Anya and Tara, Buffy and Spike were outside the Magic Box in the alley.

Buffy had looked forward to seeing him all day. The Doublemeat had been especially brutal that day, and the only bright spot had been the knowledge that she would be seeing Spike that evening.

She’d had her doubts about their relationship, but after a little research of her own, she’d discovered that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the way they made love. Although she wasn’t ready to admit it to him, she did love him. It thrilled every time he said he loved her, but the words just seemed to stick in her throat every time she tried to say them back.

There were times she tried to rationalize what she felt, repeating in her head that it was just the mind-blowing orgasms and imaginative sex that kept her going back for more, but if that was the case, she could find that elsewhere. No, he watched out for her, protected her, made her feel perfect. Nobody else had ever made her feel perfect.

When she got to the alley, she thought she was early. She saw no sign of Spike, or anyone else, which was a good. She wasn’t ready to share this with anyone yet. She sniffed, and smelled smoke, and then saw the glowing tip of a cigarette.

“Spike, come out to play.”

He stepped forward into the dim light from the streetlamp, a wide smile on his face. “Didn’t think you’d show, pet.”

“How come?”

“Making plans t’ see me now. Almost like a date.”

“When you go on a date, you go somewhere. We’re just meeting in the alley so we can go…somewhere. Okay, almost like a date.”

“So, date, do I get a kiss?”

Her lips curled in a smile. “Why, certainly, sir, you may have a kiss.” She stepped closer to him, gripped his lapels in her fists, and raised her face to his. She looked into the bottomless blue of his eyes, then slowly drew him to her by the coat. Her lips barely grazed his at first, then she pulled him closer and his arms encircled her for balance.

He drew her against him and trapped her arms between them, then deepened the kiss, sweeping her mouth with his tongue. She matched him gracefully, their tongues dancing as his hands roamed over her body. She moaned, deep in her throat, as he cupped her ass with both hands and pressed her against him, his bulge already growing, seeking her heat.

Her fingers flexed, wanting more, wanting to touch him, and he chuckled at her predicament. Instead, she raised her arms and wound them around his neck, teasing his ear and toying with his hair as he explored her lips thoroughly, curls springing loose everywhere she raked her fingers. He tore his mouth away from hers to gasp when she reached under his shirt and raked her nails across his back, then looked down to see the growing smile on her face.

“Little minx. You’ll pay for that later.”

“Can’t I pay now?” she asked, pouting, and he lowered his head to catch her lip between his teeth, nibbling softly. She moaned again, and ground her hips against him, her heart pounding and her clit pulsating with the tension he was building inside her.

“Oh, Buffy, you don’t know what you do to me.” He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. “God, I love you.”

She pulled back to look in his eyes for the reality, and saw it clearly, his feelings plainly written on his face. He saw a glimpse, a glance at her eyes and the feelings she was unable to hide before she dropped her lashes and kissed him again, distracting him from analyzing what he had seen there.

He leaned her against the back wall of the Magic Box, and they were kissing still when he felt the press of magic being performed close by. He stilled, in the process of pulling away from Buffy’s sweet lips, when he felt a pulse of magic pouring through him, through them both, filling their bodies with powerful longing and lust. He jerked backward, startled, eyes wide and staring at Buffy. She stared back at him, not understanding what she was feeling, but knowing that it wasn’t good.

“What the bloody fuck was that?!”


Buffy turned to look at the wall behind her. “I think it came from the training room.”

Spike grabbed the doorknob and found it locked. He drew back to kick it open, and Buffy stepped in front of him, raising her hand to stop him while she dragged keys out of her jacket pocket. She unlocked the door, and both of them stopped in the doorway, horrified by what they saw.

The remnants of the spell had scattered, consumed by the ball as it grew in power. The flowers were withered, some dead; the candles completely consumed, smoke swirling. Tara and Anya were slumped on their sides, eyes closed. The air vibrated with residual magick, and their hair stood on end at the energy contained in the room.

Spike looked around at the walls, and said, “What were they doing magick for in this room? Didn’t they see the glyphs on the wall? That’s magick too. Prolly amplified the whole thing. Made it bigger.”

Buffy knelt by Tara, checking her over. “Check on Anya. I need to call Giles.”

Thank God for speed dial, she thought, reaching for the phone. Moments later, Giles was on the other end of the line, and a quick rundown of what they found had him strangely silent. Buffy got worried, and said, “Giles, what are the markings on the walls for? I know they’re spells of some kind, but what kind?”

“Well, actually, they are part of a complex spell to draw strength to the Slayer, among other things. I cannot imagine the magickal ramifications of this, depending on what they were doing at the time. I have an idea—I overheard a snippet of conversation at the shop this morning between Willow, Tara, and Anya about wedding traditions. I suspect that Anya was having Tara cast a spell.”

“Are you coming?”

“I’ll be there shortly. Just try to wake them up, and give them some tea.”

Tea. Giles’ answer to all ills. Buffy cradled the receiver, and turned back to check on Spike’s progress rousing the pair.

They were both sitting up, at least. Tara was holding her forehead, Anya her shoulder where they’d hit when they fell. Buffy picked Tara up off the ground easily, helping her to her feet, and assisted her into the main shop and over to the table, with Spike and Anya close behind them.