“Okay…fine.” Buffy mumbled to herself as she walked towards the bedroom. Spike’s abrupt departure and behavior left her feeling slightly uneasy. One minute it felt as if the past two years apart had never happened, and the next it was back to being awkward and unsure. She was getting tired of the awkward and unsure bit, she realized as she unzipped the garment bag her dress was in. They were getting married in a matter of hours. It might not be conventional, it sure as hell wasn’t ideal, but she was certain that if Spike walked back through those doors, they were getting married. Over the past day she had come to terms with the situation and the reason behind it. What she still struggled with was Spike. She struggled with her desire to take things slow and see how things worked out between them, and the part of her that just wished they could skip the awkward stage and go back to where they had been before he left. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to come to a compromise between the two right then, she decided resolutely to at least leave the past in the past and take advantage of the current situation. She knew what she truly wanted, and she was going to do her best to get it. She just had to figure out how. She grabbed some necessities from her suitcase and headed to the bathroom for a shower. Perhaps a hot shower would melt away the sudden case of butterflies she seemed to have.
The bathroom was huge, much to Buffy’s delight. Not only did it have a fairly large shower, but a large vanity, and in one corner a hot tub just the right size for two people. Ignoring the spark of desire that coursed through her when she thought of her and Spike in the hot tub she headed for the shower. Nearly an hour later she was in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on her hair when she heard the door to the suite open and close. Panic filled her for a moment until she heard Spike call out a greeting to her. Relief coursed through her. She knew that it was highly unlikely that her stalker would have followed them to Vegas, but it still made her nervous. With the final touches on her hair and makeup done, she slipped into her dress. Holding it together at the back she went out to the main area of the suite in search of Spike. She found him out on the balcony looking out at the city below still dressed in his button down and jeans. He turned around when he heard the door slide further open.
“You look beautiful, love.” He told her, eyeing her from head to toe.
“Thank you,” Buffy replied shyly. She turned so her back was to him and looked over her shoulder. “Would you mind zipping this up the rest of the way for me?”
It only took him two steps to reach her and he carefully zipped up the final few inches she had been unable to reach. Before she could move away he grasped her shoulders and pulled her back so that her body was pressed against his. He let his hands glide down her bare arms and wrap around her middle effectively trapping her against him. Buffy took her own hands and covered his.
We fit perfectly together like this, Spike thought. Almost as if their bodies were made to mold together. He bent his head slightly and pressed a light kiss to her bare shoulder.
“You deserve better than this,” he whispered softly against her skin. It was his biggest regret. Of all the plans and situations they had considered this had been the best one. But it came at a price. He knew she deserved better for a husband, even if it was only temporary. She deserved a big wedding with all her friends and family in attendance; not some quick trip to Vegas. Yet here she was.
Buffy turned in his arms, but didn’t pull away. “But I’m choosing this.” she replied looking him in the eye.
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am.” She said emphatically. “Maybe not at first, maybe not completely, but I am choosing this now, Spike. I could have told you and Giles to figure something else out. I could have made him choose someone else, but I didn’t. I’m here now because I want to be. I trust you.”
Spike closed his eyes and leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. She trusted him. But could he keep that trust?
“I hope so, Buffy. God, I really hope so.” He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips and pulled away. “I had better go change. We should be downstairs in a half an hour.”
Buffy nodded and followed him back into the suite. She looked around for something to distract her while he changed when she heard him speaking.
“Buffy, there’s a surprise for you in the fridge,” he said then disappeared into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
Curious, Buffy went into the small kitchenette and opened the small refrigerator. Her breath caught when she saw the bouquet of pale pink hyacinths, pink roses and daisies sitting on the shelf. He remembered, she thought in awe. Pulling out the bouquet she put it up to her nose and drew in a deep breath. She loved the sweet smell of roses and hyacinths. He had even remembered her favorite color. Spike just continued to surprise her. She could only guess where he had to go to get a bouquet at the last minute. That he even thought of one surprised her. It hadn’t even crossed her mind once. She smiled as she walked out into the living room to wait for Spike. He didn’t keep her waiting long.
Buffy stood when she heard the bedroom door open and sucked in a breath when Spike walked out. He was gorgeous. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he walked towards her. He had changed into a black suit, with a white button down. She wasn’t sure why she reacted the way she did. She had seen him in suits a hundred times before at games, but for some reason today was different.
“You look amazing,” she told him once he was standing directly in front of her.
“Thanks, pet, but I’m sure I don’t look near as amazing as you.”
Buffy blushed and ducked her head.
“You know what would do the trick?” she said looking back up and catching his eye. His eyebrow raised in response to her query. Tentatively she reached her free hand up and ruffled his hair so that instead of being slicked back it was a mess of curls. “That.”
“Probably, look like some nancy boy.” Spike grumbled but didn’t do anything to change it back.
“No, you look very handsome. I like your curls.” She admitted with a smile.
“C’mon,” Spike said grabbing her free hand and leading her towards the door. They quickly exited the suite and got into the elevator.
“Thank you for the bouquet,” Buffy said turning to face Spike in the elevator. “They’re beautiful.”
“Only the best for my girl.” He said with a wolfish grin and shrug of his shoulders. “’sides, every bride needs a bouquet.”
“Where did you find someplace that had something like this ready to go?”
“Didn’t.” Spike told her holding onto her hand a little more tightly. “Flower shop here in the hotel has just about everything. I told the lady what I was looking for and she conjured that up pretty quick. You really like it?”
Buffy looked up and was surprised to see the almost shy look on his face. “I love it.” She gave his hand a squeeze. The elevator dinged and the doors swooshed open just as she leaned up to give him a quick kiss. She quickly pulled away and moved to get off, but Spike held her back as a woman and her young daughter walked into the elevator. It was then that Buffy realized that they weren’t yet to the lobby. She gave Spike a quick smile then looked up to see how many floors they still had to go down. She didn’t notice the little girl staring at her with wide eyes. A few moments later she looked down when she felt a small tug on her dress. The little brunette was staring up at Buffy, her brown eyes twinkling.
“Are you a princess?” she asked whispering to Buffy.
Buffy grinned. The little girl couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 and she was adorable. She sort of reminded her of Dawn when she had been that age.
“No, I’m not a princess.” Buffy replied crouching down so she was eye level with the little girl. “I’m getting married.”
“Oh,” the little girl eyed Spike and then looked back at Buffy. “Is he a prince?” she asked hopefully.
Buffy giggled and the child’s mother looked down. “Katie, don’t bother the lady.” She said quietly then looked at Buffy. “I’m sorry. She’s always full of questions.”
“It’s not a problem,” Buffy assured her then turned her attention back to Katie. “No, he’s not a prince, Katie.”
“You look like a prince and princess,” Katie insisted.
“They’re getting married, Katie.” Her mother explained. “You remember the pictures I showed you of me and daddy getting married?”
The little girl nodded and looked back to Buffy. “You have pretty flowers.”
“Thank you, Sp—Will got them for me.” Buffy said, deciding she didn’t want to have to explain Spike’s nickname to the little girl.
Katie looked back up at Spike. Spike had been watching the interaction between the Buffy and the little girl carefully. His thoughts traveling down a path he was unprepared to go- wistfully thinking about someday in Buffy’s future when she would have a child of her own like Katie. A part of him wished that it would be his, but he was pretty sure that was just wishful thinking.
“He must love you lots and lots.” Katie told Buffy.
“Really?” Buffy said raising an eyebrow and looking up at Spike. He held her gaze until she looked away to face Katie again. Buffy wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn that there was some strong emotion showing in Spike’s eyes. He was looking at her so intently. She wondered what he thought of the conversation that was playing out between her and Katie.
“Yeah, my daddy loves my mommy lots and he brings her pretty flowers all the time.”
Katie’s mother and Buffy both grinned at the little girl’s logic. Spike was frozen; charmed by the simple insight that the young child displayed. He wondered what Buffy was thinking about what was being said. Did she believe it?
“And you’re getting married. Mommy said that’s what mommies and daddies do before they have babies. They get married cause they love each other. Then will you and Will have babies?”
Buffy’s face flushed pink at the thought of having a baby with Spike. Would their child have his blue eyes? Would it be blonde, or perhaps have honey brown hair like Spike would have if he didn’t bleach it?
“Katie!” her mother admonished.
“It’s okay.” Buffy assured her, pulled from her thoughts of what it would be like to have Spike’s child. “I don’t really know, Katie. I guess Will and I will just have to wait and see.”
Katie nodded as if that was just the perfect answer.
Buffy was completely enchanted by the little girl.
“You will.” She said astutely, and Buffy laughed. Katie seemed extremely smart for her age. “He loves you, so you will.”
“Can’t argue with that, pet.” Spike said speaking for the first time, and giving the little girl a wink. Buffy looked up at him in surprise. Could he mean that? Thankfully, the elevator dinged again and the doors opened revealing the noisy lobby.
“I still think you look like a princess!” Katie whispered loudly taking ahold of her mother’s hand as the older woman started out of the elevator car. Buffy looked down and pulled one of the daisies out of her bouquet.
“Here, Katie,” she said handing the little girl the flower. “You’re very own princess flower.”
“Thank you!” the little girl squealed in delight. Her mother gave Buffy a grateful smile and ushered her off of the elevator.
Spike placed a hand at the small of Buffy’s back and guided her out of the elevator and into the lobby. He led her down a hallway, past the entrance of the casino and a few small specialty stores to the entrance of the hotels chapel. There was a man standing at the doorway and he held it open for them as they approached.
“Ah! Another happy couple. You two look ready to tie the knot.” He was tall and thin, balding just a little and had flecks of grey in his dark hair. He sort of reminded Buffy of Giles’ father, whom she had met once a few years ago.
“We are,” Spike said reaching out to shake the man’s hand. “Names Spike Pratt. I called the other day about reserving a time for me and my girl here.”
“Yes, Mr. Pratt. You are right on time! I am Ryan Landview and I will be performing your ceremony.”
“Wonderful. This is my fiancée Buffy Summers.” Spike said introducing Buffy.
“Congratulations, Ms. Summers.” Ryan said taking her hand placing a kiss a light kiss on the back of her hand. “Are you two ready to begin?”
“Yes, please.” Spike said, and Buffy nodded in agreement. They followed Ryan into the chapel. Buffy noticed three people standing near the front speaking, two women and one man who was holding a camera.
“I’d like to introduce you to our temporary photographer, John, our accompanist, Sara and my wife Mary who does a little bit of everything.” Ryan gave the older of the two women an affectionate smile. Each of them gave Buffy and Spike a smile as they were introduced. “They will also serve as your witnesses since I believe I recall that you said it was going to be just the two of you.”
Spike nodded in response and glanced over at the photographer.
“You mentioned you wanted a traditional ceremony which won’t be a problem. Spike, why don’t you take a few moments to speak with John about photographs, while Buffy here goes with Mary.”
“Come with me, dear,” Mary said gently pulling Buffy away from Spike. With one last quick glance at Spike Buffy followed the older woman to the back of the chapel. They stepped out into the small foyer and Mary started fussing over a few errant strands of Buffy’s hair.
“How are you holding up?” Mary asked watching Buffy carefully. She had seen a lot of brides in her time, some nervous, some extremely calm. Buffy seemed to be right in the middle.
“I’m fine,” Buffy replied, and she realized with a start that she really was. For all the worrying that she had been doing, now that the moment was almost there she found herself to be completely at ease with the idea of marrying Spike. It was as if she had suddenly been hit by a moment of clarity. This was where she had wanted to end up with him two years ago. She had dreamed of marrying him, although she had never voiced that dream out loud. Now she was, and she was suddenly determined that nothing, absolutely nothing was going to stop her from taking this opportunity and making the best of it. It might not work out. He might leave again and completely break her heart. But no matter what she would at least have these memories. As much as she hated the idea of having a stalker, she was almost grateful for the opportunity she was getting because of it.
“Wonderful!” Mary said practically beaming at her. “Now, I’m sure you’ve seen wedding ceremonies before. When the music starts you will walk down the aisle. Ryan will go through a short little speech, and then you will say your vows. After that you will exchange rings…”
“Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary, we didn’t…” Buffy said, mentally slapping herself over the thought of rings. Spike had gotten her an engagement ring, but she was pretty sure he hadn’t thought of wedding rings. She couldn’t imagine that Spike would want to wear one anyway. This might be a dream come true for her, but for him…probably not so much.
“Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure your fiancée will have thought about that. Now after all that the ceremony will be done. It will take a matter of minutes really. Never really understood myself why young people insist on fancy weddings. Takes longer to plan and prepare than it does to get married.”
Buffy stared at the other woman surprised. She had to admit she had a point. A large wedding though would have meant friends and family. While Buffy didn’t wish for a big ceremony, she did kind of wish that she could have had at least Dawn and Willow there with her. Buffy shook her head when she realized that Mary was still talking.
“Before you know it everything will be done and you and that hunky new husband of yours will be able to go on back to your suite.”
Buffy blushed at the implication in Mary’s statement and she quickly looked away. Her gaze went to the open door where she could see Spike standing at the front of the chapel deep in conversation with the photographer.
“How’s she holding up?” John asked quietly, looking around to make sure that Ryan and Sara were out of hearing range. They were both over at the small piano quietly discussing something which gave the two men a few minutes to talk.
“Exceptionally well, she’s been amazing about this whole thing.” Spike told him, proud of how Buffy had been handling things so far. “How’d you manage to get on to do this?”
“Phone call to the photographer. I explained the situation to him, assured him that I was quite capable of taking professional quality photographs, and he called Ryan to let him know I would be covering for him today and tomorrow.” John was an agent with Jackson’s security agency and had worked with Spike on a number of cases. They had become pretty close friends over the two years that they had worked together and shared a mutual respect for the others capabilities.
“Tomorrow too?” Spike asked intrigued as to why the other man felt the need to stay on for another day at the chapel.
John smirked at Spike, “Well, I know you said you planned on doing it this evening, but I figured I ought to be safe and make sure I was here tomorrow in case you and your girl decided not to leave the suite for the evening.”
Spike glared at him. “Have you got any new leads at all? Jackson say anything about that garter yet?”
John quickly went back to being serious. “No. Joe thinks he may have a few possible ideas but nothing concrete. I haven’t heard anything from Jackson or Giles about the garter. Doubt the labs have had a chance to go over anything yet. We’ll keep at it though. We will get this guy, Spike.”
Spike nodded. The team he had working on it was some of the best at Jackson’s agency. He knew that they would stop at nothing short of success. “I know. It’s just hard to put her through this.”
“So what kind of photographs would you like, Mr. Pratt?” John asked quickly changing the subject and raising his voice slightly when he saw Ryan approaching them.
“My girl is pretty traditional so let’s just keep it simple. Use your best judgment.” Spike replied slightly confused until he noticed Ryan.
“Are we ready gentlemen?” Ryan asked. “I do believe the ladies are.”
“Let’s get this show on the road.” Spike said clapping his hands together.
They took their places, the music started and Buffy started down the aisle towards Spike. Mary had been right, Buffy decided. The ceremony did go quickly. She shouldn’t have been so surprised to find that Spike had indeed thought of wedding bands; and he even had one for himself. Buffy fought back tears when she felt the slight tremble in Spikes hand as he slipped her ring on her finger. Her own hands trembled too when it was her turn to slide Spike’s ring into place.
“You can stop down and view proofs of the photographs tomorrow morning, or we can send them up to your room.” Ryan told them as they were signing the marriage license.
“We can come down to take a look at them,” Spike said as he moved over to allow Buffy room to sign her name to the certificate.
“Wonderful. I will have a copy of your certificate ready for you as well. I’m sure you don’t want to wait around for it now.” Ryan said with a knowing smile.
“Thank you,” Buffy said, genuinely grateful for how friendly he and Mary had been.
“You’re very welcome, my dear. I wish you both the best of luck and happiness.”
“Thanks,” Spike took a hold of Buffy’s hand and led her out of the chapel. Buffy gave Mary a slight wave on her way out then turned her attention back to her husband. Husband! Spike was officially her husband! If not for the rings on her finger she almost wouldn’t believe it. For a brief moment both Spike and Buffy, although unknown to the other, allowed themselves to truly believe that everything was real.
“We have reservations in about 10 minutes at the restaurant, love.” Spike told her leading her in that direction.
“You’ve thought of everything, Spike.” Buffy acknowledged. “Thank you for making this such a wonderful experience. I don’t think I could have asked for anything better.”
“You deserve the best, Buffy.” Spike said his voice gruff. He was rewarded with a smile and he squeezed her hand tightly. Things were turning out so much better than he had hoped.
Dinner turned out to be quite pleasant. They talked like they were old friends, and teased each other like newlyweds, much to each other’s delight. Buffy was surprised at how long they spent talking in the restaurant, noticing when they left that it was almost 9 o’clock. They returned to the suite, exhausted from the long, eventful day.
Buffy stopped just inside the door when she spotted an elegantly wrapped present on the coffee table. Her heart pounding; fear that perhaps her stalker had found them and left yet another ‘gift’ filled her. Spike sensed the change in her and looked at her questioningly, having not noticed the package.
“What’s wrong, pet?” he asked, his eyes filled with concern.
“What’s that?” she asked quietly, pointing to the package. Spike frowned when he noticed it. Keeping her hand in his he led her over to the table. It only took a moment for him to find the note attached to the cream colored ribbon.
“It’s just a gift from the hotel, pet.” He said handing her the gift. “Nothing to worry about; go ahead and open it.”
Spike gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and released her as she took the package from him. She sat down on the couch and carefully began to tear away the beautiful paper. Opening the box she pushed aside the flimsy tissue paper and gasped when she saw the white satin nightgown nestled in the box.
“Oh,” her voice was barely above a whisper. She carefully lifted it out of the box to get a better look. It wasn’t the most revealing piece of lingerie she had seen, but it wasn’t modest either. On her it would probably come to mid-thigh. She wondered how the hotel would have known the right size, and then decided it didn’t really matter. She blushed as her thoughts suddenly went in a different direction and wandered to wondering what Spike’s reaction would be to her wearing it.
“Want some champagne or something, pet?” Spike asked, quickly looking away as Buffy pulled the nightgown from the box. Images of Buffy in the gown assaulted his mind and he tried to ignore them, praying that she wouldn’t notice the sudden bulge in his pants. Damn this suit, he thought. Bet she’ll go lock herself in the bedroom if she notices. It wasn’t exactly how he had hoped the evening would end.
“Sure,” Buffy replied carefully placing the nightgown back in the box, but keeping her gaze averted from him. Spike returned a few moments later and handed her a flute of champagne. He said nothing, but turned almost immediately and headed out onto the balcony. Suddenly unsure, Buffy thought back over the last few minutes, wondering what could make Spike suddenly be so quiet. He had been open and talkative during dinner and now he seemed to be closing himself off again. With a shrug she took a sip of champagne and went into the bedroom. Slipping off her shoes she walked into the bathroom to let her hair down completely. She had pulled a part of it up to keep it out of her face for the wedding. Walking back out into the living room she noticed that Spike was still out on the balcony. She decided that the best option was to join him and see if he would tell her what seemed to be bugging him. And they still had sleeping arrangements to work out.
“It’s getting late.” She said softly closing the door behind her. Spike stood with his back to her, looking out at the city lights. She saw him stand taller when he heard her voice. After a few moments he finally turned around to face her.
“It is. You must be tired.” Spike said looking at her carefully. Her face and body language seemed to confirm his statement; however, her eyes were still sparkling. It was one of the many things he loved about her. Her eyes seemed to always sparkle, so much so that at times it didn’t seem natural.
“A little,” she replied with a shrug, moving closer to him. “Thank you for the wedding band, Spike. I wasn’t expecting you to think of it. It probably wasn’t really necessary, but…”her voice trailed off.
“Only the best for you, pet.”
Buffy ducked her head shyly, after a few moments she looked back up at him. “Truth is I didn’t really expect all of this. It seems so real, so perfect. Thank you for doing that for me.”
Spike moved so that he was standing directly in front of her. Reaching out he grasped her left hand and traced the rings with his thumb. He brought their hands to his lips and placed a quick kiss to the rings on her finger before letting them fall back down between them still joined. “You’re welcome. I wanted to make this as perfect as possible for you. I thought the wedding bands….” He paused for a moment, looking away from Buffy. “I wanted us to have them.”
“Thank you,” she repeated.
“I’ll go change and get out of your hair so you can go to bed.” Spike said quickly letting go of her hand and moving to go back inside.
“Spike, wait.” Buffy quickly reached out and grabbed his arm, desperately not wanting the evening to end just yet.
“Yeah, pet?” Spiked looked down at Buffy, and she quickly let go of his arm.
“We’re both adults, and it is a big bed. There’s no reason we couldn’t share. ” She suggested. Her cheeks immediately turned a bright shade of pink. She peeked up at Spike and found that his eyes were squeezed shut, his jaw appeared clenched, and she wasn’t sure if the look on his face was good or bad.
“Buffy.” Spike groaned as the thought of sharing a bed with Buffy branched out into other things. “I’m not a saint, Buffy. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” In fact Spike was pretty damn sure it wasn’t a good idea. Her suggestion was tempting, but given his feelings for her, sharing a bed with her and not acting on his desire for her was simply not in the cards.
“What if…”Buffy started to speak but quickly stopped. She knew what she wanted to say, but she wasn’t sure of his reaction. What if he felt differently? What if she was wrong about where they seemed to be heading? She tried to focus her gaze on something other than him, finally settling on a spot on one of the balcony tiles.
“What if what, Buffy?” Spike said his voice a low growl as he took a step closer to her. Hope flared in him that perhaps he knew where this conversation could lead. A part of him didn’t want to hear her say it. He wanted to stay in the comfort of the safe boundaries they currently had. But a bigger part of him wanted, no, needed her, and wanted to hear her say that she needed him too. He needed to hear her say it. He had loved her for so long, if this was going to be his only chance... He stood staring at her, his blue eyes shining with a mixture of desire and hope.
Buffy took a deep breath and looked up from where she had been staring at the floor. Green eyes met sparkling blue and her breath caught when she saw the desire and hope shining back at her. Closing her eyes for a moment she decided to take that leap and see where she might land.
“What if I want a wedding night?” she asked, opening her eyes and staring back up at him, her voice barely above a whisper.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
2nd update of the day...