Wedding Bell Blues—Chapter 8

Buffy looked around the deserted Magic Box. “Where is everyone?”

“Xander looked like he was choking, said he had to go, and left. Giles cleaned his glasses, said he had some things to do at home, and left. Willow was trying not to get in our way, and doing very good at not looking at the magic books, but then she got sulky, and left.”

“Seems to be a pattern, don’t you think? So, any headway on the spell research?”

Tara looked embarrassed. “The only thing that we’ve really found out is that I’m really good about being really thorough in my spells. As far as the spell itself goes, there’s no breaking it.”

“But the added effects were from the markings on the walls and floor. Otherwise, the spell would have just affected Xander and me. How are you and Spike doing?” Anya added, trying to divert Buffy.

Buffy blushed, then looked on the verge of angry. “Not good, no thanks to you two. Well—if I was going to be honest…really good. This has made us actually sit down and talk. Not like we were big with the talking thing before. We actually had a conversation the other night, without mentioning sex, staking, patrol, or Scoobies!”

“What did you talk about?” Anya said, cramming her mouth full of potato chips Xander had left open on the table. “What is there to talk about?”

“Lots of things, Ahn—like books, movies, music, memories…there’s a whole world of things to talk about.”

“Xander and I don’t talk.”

Both girls turned together to look at her. “What do you mean, you don’t talk? I hear you talking all the time.”

“No, you don’t. What you hear is Xander trying to change me. Make me into another Buffy. I keep telling him, I’m not Buffy. But he keeps telling me, ‘Buffy wouldn’t ask that’, and ‘Buffy wouldn’t do that’. It’s getting really annoying.” Seeing the look on the Slayer’s face, she quickly amended, “Nothing that’s wrong with you, Buffy. Just—I’m not you. I’m me. Xander should love me because of me.”

“I agree with you, Ahn. I do.” Buffy turned slightly, and rolled her eyes at Willow. “Do you love him?”

“Oh, yes.” A dreamy smile crossed Anya’s face, and she rocked slowly back and forth. “I love him so much. He is everything to me.”

“But you have both been so tied in knots over this wedding.”

“Yes. All these stupid customs. Why I ever agreed to let Tara do that spell, I will never understand.”

“But you asked me to!” Tara said, protesting. “I wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t asked.

“But you said it was my gift. You didn’t say it would make me miserable.”

“I’ll say.” They turned to look at Buffy, and Anya stepped over to her, hugging her neck.

“I’m so sorry, Buffy. Now none of us are enjoying orgasms because of Tara’s spell.”

As she pried Anya’s arms out from around her neck, Buffy said, “I don’t think it was all Tara’s fault, Ahn. But there’s not all bad from it.”

“How can you say that? We have both missed out on many satisfying multiple orgasms this week, because of this spell. At least, I know that I have. How can there be any good in that?”

“Because, Anya. I know things now that I didn’t know before.” Like, how much I love Spike. How much I want to be with him. How I need him. “And I’ll bet you do too.”

“Yes. Xander’s grumpy in the mornings without sex. He’s grumpy at night without sex. He’s grumpy all the time without sex. He’s just grumpy. Maybe I won’t give him sex. Maybe I won’t marry him.”

“No! You have to!” Buffy and Tara both yelled.

“Why? Why do I have to marry him?”

Xander’s voice behind her made her stop and turn. “Because I love you Anya, more than I have ever loved anything or anyone in my life. I can’t imagine not waking up next to you every day. I can’t imagine life without you, and what’s more, I don’t want to. You make me the man I want to be. Will you marry me?”

Anya’s eyes filled with tears, and she melted into the arms held wide before her. “I already am, silly. Then come the orgasms.”

“I mean tonight. Right now. Forget the big formal wedding, we can still have the reception, but I want you to be Anya Harris tonight.”

“But Xander—the wedding—the deposits—“

“It’s okay, Ahn. It’s only money. And most of it was for the reception anyway. Don’t worry. Just run away with me, and make me the happiest man in the world.”

Biting her lip, Anya ran figures and dollar signs through her head. “Okay. But you’re paying me back, buster.” She turned to her friends that were there. “Where can we get married?”

“We can call the judge here in town. He’s my godfather.” At the girls’ surprised look, Xander shrugged. “Family custom. Anyway, we can go to city hall. That okay with you, Ahn?”

Anya clutched his arm, looking up at him dreamily. “Anything to be with you, sweetie.”

“Tara, take Anya to her apartment and get her dressed. Xander, you go get dressed yourself. I’ll call Giles and Willow.” Buffy went to the phone, and Xander stopped her.

“Call Spike too. He’s at my house. I want him to be there too.”

Buffy looked up at him, surprised. Xander gave her a sheepish look. “He kept me from doing the stupid thing.”

“Oh.” She went to the phone, and made the needed calls.

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

“And do you, Alexander Lavelle Harris, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day forward, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, till death you do part?”

“I do.”

The magic almost felt like a cord snapping as the spell lifted from the two couples standing in the judges’ chambers. Buffy looked at Spike, and saw he felt it too; he had his tongue firmly planted behind his teeth, and the ‘gonna get it’ look was in his eyes. Moisture flooded her panties, and she rocked on her feet impatiently for the bride and groom to kiss so they could get out of there.

As they left City Hall, Xander casually said, “You know? I’ve not been feeling the greatest since last week. Been feeling…stifled. Stifled. That’s what it was. Anyway, now that feeling’s all gone.”

Anya paled, Tara choked, and Buffy just looked at Spike. “Back to my house. Party time.”