Note: Thanks to my beta t_geyer for her unending patience, perseverance and support.

SECTION 9 - TRUE COLORS

I see your true colours shining through
True colours and that's why I love you
So don't be afraid, to let them show
Your true colours (true colours) are beautiful, like a rainbow.

(Cyndi Lauper, Album - 12 Deadly Sins and Then Some)




Chapter 9.02
Saturday, July 20th, 2002


"Rummy," Spike pronounced, grinning broadly around the cigarette that seemed to be held in place by some invisible force, and spread his cards out on the candlelit coffee table for Clem and Ha Nath to see before he swept the multicoloured assortment of M&Ms that made up the pot to his corner of the table. It was the first hand he'd won in about an hour, which wasn't really all that surprising as he was fairly certain that Clem and his girlfriend were curled together too tightly to not be able to see each other's cards. It didn't really matter though as Clem tended to keep all three piles fairly even by snacking on both his own and Ha Nath's winnings, the latter occasionally earning him a playful slap on the wrist. As far as Spike was concerned Clem had earned every last bit of peanut-y chocolate goodness just by leaving the reception hall with its amenities to come back with the vampire to his apartment, where the only way they could even keep a beer remotely cool was to keep them in the sink and to keep refilling it with fresh cold water every so often.

Spike got up and fetched another three bottles from the kitchen, but Ha Nath demurred, reluctantly disentangling her limbs from Clem's and getting to her feet.

"I'm gonna head back to my place now. I don't know about you two, but I need my beauty sleep..."

Clem gave her a bashful smile and scratched at his ear, watching her through his near invisible eyelashes as he murmured that no she didn't.

"You can stay if you want," Spike found himself offering. "You an' Clem can have the bed. I'll take the sofa."

Ha Nath gave a silent snort that might have been her equivalent of a laugh. "I'll pass. I plan to have a nice long lie-in until mid-afternoon. Clem can baby-sit the tweaking vampire on his own."

"I'm not tweaking. Never touch the stuff."

"Maybe not, but I'll bet by noon you're doing a damn good impression of it," Ha Nath answered. She pulled Clem to his feet and, once she had shrugged her jacket back on, she led him to the apartment door and out onto the communal landing, out of sight if not out of earshot.

Spike reached for the ashtray, but his cigarette had burned down to nothing while he'd been getting the beers and he just stubbed it out. He hadn't contradicted Ha Nath, but the way he looked at it, he had nothing to worry about. The wedding was Buffy's big day. All he had to do was show up... and maybe ring Kate at her sister's in the morning to make sure she wasn't getting the flowers delivered to her florist's shop that wasn't there any more... and make sure the photographer knew it was more than his life was worth to skip out on them, check that the musicians were going to be at the church. Nothing major...

Their claim bound them together forever in ways deeper and more binding than any ceremony or certificate. The wedding was... well, maybe it was just a little for his mother, wherever she was... but mostly it was for Buffy, her 'Happy Day', and a way of demonstrating to her and to the human world what he had known for the longest time... He was never going to leave her.

He tipped another cigarette from his pack and wandered to the window as he lit it, trying not to hear the brush of flesh on flesh as the couple outside made their farewells. He pulled aside the curtains and noted that the indigo of midnight was already lightening to a clearer blue. His decision made, he picked up his car keys, wishing that Faith had brought his bike back, that they could have been on the East Coast rather than the West and just maybe that he had company other than Clem. All the same, he wasn't going to waste one of the very few sunrises he had left, not when he and Clem could breakfast on tacos and save the Mexican restaurant the trouble of sending out a delivery guy with the chocolate and chilli cheesecake at the same time. There was time enough to sleep later.

---

 

Clem tugged at the switch for the light in the windowless bathroom as he left the lightless room from sheer force of habit. He had slept for a few hours and would probably doze away a few more, but, unlike Spike, he wasn't nocturnal by nature and his stomach was more than convinced that it was lunchtime.

He checked the vampire's kitchen cupboards, happy to find a multipack of Jaffa Cakes and a tube of cream cheese and chive Pringles. He placed his booty on the coffee table and tiptoed to the bedroom door, peeking in to check on the groom-to-be before he began his makeshift lunch.

The vampire was spread across the bed on his stomach like a star fish, but his head was turned to the side, and his face bore a look of complete contentment, a gentle smile on his sleeping lips.

Clem crept into the room as silently as he could manage and when he reached the larger of the two suits, identical to the one Giles would wear, whose hangers were hooked over the top of the wardrobe, he lifted the plastic covering and checked one more time that both rings were still securely nestled inside the handkerchief that was tucked into the frock coat's top pocket.

He looked at them against the crimson silk, one hundreds of years old and reddish gold, its edges rubbed smooth by constant wear, the match for the diamond band that the slayer already wore. The other was newly crafted in white gold, narrower at one side than at the other where the gleaming metal seemed to twist under and over itself to form a complex knot. Clem had seen the vampire toying with it the previous night. Like a puzzle, it could be broken apart to give two separate twisted metal loops, but it was when the two pieces were linked together that it became a thing of symmetry and beauty.

Clem shook off his reverie and brought up the edges of the fabric square before tucking both rings and handkerchief back into the pocket from which he had taken them.

---

 

"Fucking bloody hell!" Spike bellowed, loud enough for his neighbours on the ground floor to hear, if, of course, he hadn't been the only occupant stupid enough to still be there, despite the lack of basic amenities like electricity or hot water. He washed, shampooed and shaved as quickly as he could manage under the frigid spray and used the last of the clean towels to dry his hair before wrapping it around his waist. He squeezed some gel into his hands and worked it into the wet strands and then combed them into their usual style and felt for stray curls.

Padding barefoot back into the living room, he told Clem, "Shower's all yours if you want it," but the wrinkly demon shook his head with a grin.

"I brought wipes. I thought the water would be a bit cold," he announced, indicating the empty packet of facial cleansing wipes for sensitive skin that now rested in Spike's waste paper bin.

The vampire rolled his eyes in a look that clearly said Clem could have got him some as well and rescued a blood bag from the midst of the beer bottles in the sink. "Don't know what The Watcher left in the cupboards but if you want anything that's there, help yourself, as long as you leave space for dinner later." He briefly changed visage and punctured the bag with his fangs before he tipped the liquid into a pint mug, sipping at it as he collected his cigarettes, lighter and an ashtray. Placing them all within easy reach, he pushed himself effortlessly up onto the counter that separated the kitchen and living room, and adopted his usual loose-limbed posture, making no allowance for his skimpy attire.

"I'm good... unless maybe you could get the guy to stop off at the drive-thru," Clem answered, averting his eyes and making a mental note not to have the chicken. "I guess if we want to get there early I better get changed."

Spike nodded and lit up a cigarette, his hands completely steady. "Well, can't see Glinda and the ex-demon getting there too much before Buffy. Suppose someone had better be there to tell people where they're meant to go. I'll just finish these. Give it a few minutes to make sure I'm not going to be dripping on the suit an' check my wrinklies haven't shrivelled up and dropped off, an' I'll be with you."

---

 

Spike smirked as the classic Rolls drew to a stop behind the big black convertible, which for once had its hood raised, imagining Angel curled in the back seat under a blanket, waiting for the verger to open up the church, while he basked in the evening sunshine.

It made sense that Angel and his pets had arrived early, as running into the church with smoke coming from your head was generally best accomplished with the smallest possible audience, but it looked as if not everyone appreciated getting here an hour before the ceremony was due to start. The cheerleader stood on the pavement, chatting with Connor, Faith and the rest of the hired help. While Cordelia seemed relaxed enough and Connor's distraction seemed mostly to take the form of constantly checking for new arrivals, the brains and the brawn of the LA operation looked as if they wanted to be talking to anyone but each other and if he was picking up on the vibes, they seemed to be making Lorne positively jumpy. The Dark Slayer, delicious as she looked in the Monroe-esque, figure-hugging, dark green calf-length dress and matching sandals that she wore, was pacing like a caged tiger, or as near an impression as she could manage without making the split at the back of the dress bigger, and she was drawing on her cigarette as if it were a life-line.

"They'll have to move that or there won't be room for the other cars when we pick up everybody else," the chauffeur pointed out. "Want me to have a word with them?"

"Nah," Spike replied, knowing the car had been positioned so that Angel had the shortest possible dash to the walkway. "I know them. I'll make sure they move it before then." He and Clem climbed out of the car and wandered over to the others as the driver turned the car around to go to the hotel and wait until it was time to fetch Buffy and Giles.

"Hi, gorgeous! How's The Boy Watcher doing?" he asked Faith as he greeted both Connor and Lorne with a warm handshake and a pat on the shoulder that somehow in combination came close to being a hug without impugning anyone's manly sensibilities.

Clem loosened his double-handed grip on his half-eaten Big Mac for long enough to give everyone a wave.

"No permanent damage other than his abs looking like Freddy Kruger's leftovers," Faith managed with a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes, "but they're keeping him in a bit longer to make sure there's no sign of infection. Said he's sorry he couldn't make it, but I'm calling it a lucky escape."

"Huh?" It was Clem who asked the question but Spike's raised eyebrow was equally eloquent.

"I don't care what he says about traditional dress. I told him I draw the line at men in skirts."

Spike gave her an appreciative grin before he turned his attention to the car. Knocking loudly on the back window, he asked, "Having fun in there?", his amusement evident in his tone.

Angel's only response was a stream of muttered swear words, but Cordelia intervened. "I wouldn't laugh too hard at anyone else, William, until you've had a good look at the planters over there." She nodded in the direction of the covered walkway, and Spike's heart sank momentarily, but his embarrassment was soon replaced by amusement as he took in the riot of pink, white and red blooms that sprouted from dozens of planters. Now that it had been brought to his attention, it seemed that everywhere he looked the approach to the church had been decorated with Sweet William. Buffy, it seemed, was taking her revenge for his refusal a few months earlier to tell her the meaning of 'dianthus barbatus'.

---

 

Spike pretended a nonchalance he was far from feeling as he informed Angel that they were only using the front eight rows, a number they had decided would be enough to prevent people feeling cramped but few enough that there wouldn't be people scattered all over the church in twos and threes, making it look empty. "Bride's guests are on the right, groom's on the left. Seats by the aisle in the first couple of rows are for the wedding party. Help yourself." He gestured with either hand and then began to walk to the front of the church where the minister was checking the PA system. "Just going to check with his holiness an' find out how the mini-slayers in the hospital are getting on..." He didn't doubt for a second that Angel would sit on Buffy's side of the church, but that didn't mean that he was going to let his grandsire gloat over any disappointment that might show on his all too expressive features. Besides, he did want to find out how his girls were getting on.

He was pleasantly surprised when, having received updates and passed on messages for the slayers, he turned at the sound of further arrivals, only to discover that the LA contingent had actually spread itself over both sides of the aisle on the fourth row. Connor was the furthest from the centre, so it looked as if he had been the first to declare his allegiance, but Cordy sat between him and Angel and Lorne took the last seat on his side with Faith, Fred and Gunn on Buffy's side.

He tried not to grin as he made his way to the back of the church to greet Wes, Marie and Ha Nath and show them to their seats in the front row, where they would later be joined by Rosa and Clem.

Gradually, the church's front few rows filled up and when Amanda slipped into the pew at Connor's side, the teenager finally stopped twisting around in his seat.

Hank and his secretary made it with only minutes to spare, and Clem showed them to a seat near the back of the rows that were being used. Even from the front of the church Spike could hear them bickering over the fact that Marlene had told Hank to book a taxi from the airport and how it was his fault that they'd had to wait for hours and that they hadn't been able to get through to the house on Revello to get someone to come and pick them up. When Marlene began to harp on as to why they couldn't have had the wedding at the country club and Hank was pointing out that with the leper or whatever it was that William had chosen as best man, it was just as well that none of their friends were there to see, Spike was just about to go and convince the father of the bride to shut his mouth before Ha Nath decided to shut it for him, but with a growl, a glint of gold and a flash of fangs Angel beat him to it.

Anya and Tara bustled into the church, both now wearing short black silk jackets over their crimson waistcoats. Like the hems of their skirts, the outer edges and lapels of the jackets were embroidered with flowers, each bloom white at the center and the outer edge but with a band of red, just a few shades too dark to be raspberry, in between. Sweet William, it seemed was going to be a recurring theme. Anya headed straight for Clem, getting the rings from him, but Tara seemed to be headed in Spike's direction.

"How're you?" she asked, smoothing down the shoulders of Spike's coat, even though it was tailored so perfectly that it was unnecessary and checking him over from top to toe for any adjustments that might be desirable. "You look pretty calm."

"Thought you could read the old aura," the vampire teased softly, "or are you losing your touch?"

"It's not automatic. It takes a shift in perception. Figured it would be easier just to ask."

"Then I'm good." Spike treated her to a winning grin.

"The photographer wants to get a couple of shots with me, Anya and you guys before Buffy and the bridesmaids arrive," Tara hinted, looking back at Clem and taking a step toward the doors. "We better hurry. I don't think they'll be too far behind."

Spike caught up with her in a couple of strides and held out his arm for her to take as they walked down the remainder of the aisle. "Anything to give her her perfect day, pigeon. You know that."

---

 

As it turned out, when the photographer said he wanted a couple of shots, he really did only mean half a dozen, or at least if he wanted more his time was cut short, Spike and Clem having to be ushered back inside as the car with Rosa, Xander and Dawn was approaching... all to make sure that Spike's first glimpse of the bride would be as she walked down the aisle.

As he waited inside, time seemed to slow to a crawl. The calm that had buoyed him through the day seemed to ebb away from him. His head was telling him that if there were half a dozen pictures of him, Clem and the ushers, then surely they would want at least twenty of Buffy, Dawn and Giles... and for politeness sake, the photographer would probably have to have a few with Harris in as well. His heart kept insisting that it was taking too long. Anya should have given the rings to her dolt of a husband by now, but she hadn't come back inside. Surely they should be signalling for the string quartet to change over to the piece they had chosen for the processional.

Buffy couldn't be getting cold feet at the last minute, could she? She loved him. He knew she loved him, but she'd been working so hard to make everything perfect, concentrating on the wedding and all the attendant ceremony so much that maybe she'd lost sight of the fact that today's events were only about making things official. His fingers rubbed absently at the join between his neck and shoulder, unconsciously seeking the reassurance of Buffy's claim.

Tara gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she stepped to the side, taking her position on Clem's other side and leaving a gap for Anya who was now escorting Buffy's aunt toward the front of the church, followed by the photographer who quickly set up his tripod so that he could get a shot of the bride's arrival.

Instinctively Spike turned toward the rear of the building and saw Dawn's head peeking around the door. The bridesmaid gave Spike an encouraging smile as she waited for Anya to reach her designated spot before catching the eye of the leader of the mini orchestra.

"One minute," the teen mouthed before she closed the door again and was rewarded by the music coming to a stop as the musicians all shuffled their sheet music to find the designated processional. They had decided to forego the usual wedding march in favour of the more sedate Pachelbel's canon and at the first note Xander opened wide the doors and stepped back to give the church its first view of the bride.

Spike was transfixed. He was aware of Giles in only the most peripheral of ways and even less aware of the attendants who followed in their wake, his attention almost entirely fixed on his bride as she made her way toward him. Her fine veil couldn't hide the sheen of her hair as it bounced slightly with each perfectly measured step, nor her smile, at first slightly nervous but seeming to blossom under his gaze. The dress was an elegant sleeveless ivory sheath with a heart shaped neckline, its skirt again embroidered with blooms of white and red, and as Buffy drew closer he caught an occasional glimpse of a short train in the same bright hue. With every step an ivory silk toe peeked from under the hem and then disappeared again.

Flash after flash went off, but Buffy barely seemed to notice as she traversed the distance between them. On cue, as the music faded into silence, she drew level with the spot where Spike waited.

He forced himself to resist the urge to take her hand in his, as she stood at his side, so beautiful and radiant, knowing that that should come later when Giles formally passed her into his keeping.

The minister never had got the PA system to work, but his voice rang out clearly for all to hear. "Let us pray."