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WITH THIS RING...


By Lilachigh

Following on from Something Blue, Willow has reversed all the spells - except one! Hey, don’t tell me we haven’t all dreamt about this at some time!


Chapter One 24 hours

‘Sorry, folks, couldn’t resist the chapter title. Don’t worry, I’m not going to write 24 episodes - although it‘s tempting’


‘Well all I can say, Willow, is that you’re obviously not trying hard enough!’ Giles rubbed his glasses with the end of his tie. Since his sight had been restored, he was greedy for every little detail to be absolutely clear. Being blind had been terrifying, but the situation he found when his sight came back was the most terrifying he’d ever experienced in his whole life.

‘Giles, I am!’ In the late evening gloom, Willow sat cross-legged in the back yard of Buffy’s house and stared in despair at 24 brightly flickering candles standing in a circle, linked with a trail of bright pink and green powder.

‘It’s the strongest breaking spell I know, but it just won’t work.’

Xander was pacing backwards and forwards, wearing a path through the grass. ‘Look, Will, in 24 hours time, Buffy is going to come out of that door wearing a floaty white dress, stand under that flower arch and- and - marry William the Bloody! You have got to stop it!’

Anya was sitting on a bench, filing her nails. ‘And then her name will be Mrs Buffy Bloody? It sounds very odd. And a flower arch in the garden in the dark! No one will be able to see. When I get married - ’ she cast a sideways glance at Xander, ‘Oh, my wedding will be very special. I’ll need far more room than there is in this yard.’

‘Yes, Anya, I’m sure we can hire St Paul’s Cathedral in London for you,’ said Giles in his most sarcastic tones.

Anya sniffed. Sarcasm, she knew sarcasm, but it rolled off her like water off a duck’s back. She glanced up Buffy’s bedroom window. ‘Well, if they’re doing what I think they’re doing up there at the moment, it is very silly of her spending all that money on a white dress, floaty or not! What? What?’

She saw the appalled stares directed at her and shrugged. ‘There’s no need to look at me like that, Xander Harris. You’re all thinking the same thing. I just have the courage to say it out loud.’

Anya was quite right. Upstairs you could cut the tension with a very blunt knife.

‘You are not wearing your leather duster when we get married, and that’s final!’ Buffy stood, hands on hips, glaring at her fiancé.

Spike was lying stretched out on her bed. He’d taken off his boots and she wondered vaguely if that was the first time she’d ever seen his bare feet. Obviously socks didn’t feature in his wardrobe.

He wiggled his toes at her and grinned. ‘What else do you want me to wear, sweetheart?’

Buffy pouted. ‘I don’t know. How about a tux? A nice pale blue one. ’

‘How about washing out your mouth with soap?’

Buffy sighed. ‘OK, a new shirt, then. And some smart pants. No jeans. No T-shirt.’

‘I could come in my birthday suit,’ Spike said suggestively and held out his hand to her.

Buffy launched herself onto the bed and wriggled up next to him. She was so looking forward to her wedding; she wanted it to be absolutely perfect. But at every turn she was facing problems. It wasn’t fair. Everyone was out to spoil it for her and her beloved vampire.

‘At least Mum isn’t causing any problems,’ she said, nibbling at Spike’s ear.

‘Ummm. Joyce has been sweet about it. Did you hear the row she had with your Watcher Wanker?’

Buffy frowned at the language and turned her attention to Spike’s mouth. She ran her finger round the outline of his lips, giggling as he kept trying to nip her finger with his teeth.

‘Giles seems so odd since Willow reversed his blindness spell. Don’t you think he’s odd? All condemny and doomy. Did you hear what he said to me? ‘It can never be. It goes against nature. It’s the end of the world as we know it.’ Why does he think we shouldn’t get married? He’s mean. A big old meanie. I think it’s because he‘s very, very old and doesn’t remember what it was like to....’

‘To do this!’ Spike whispered and ran his hand up her leg, under the skimpy cotton skirt she was wearing.

Buffy giggled and pushed his hand away. ‘Stop that! They’ll hear!’

Spike pulled her closer. ‘Not my fault if you scream, Slayer. I bet you can’t keep quiet for the whole time while I make love to you.’

Buffy sat up. ‘Could too. Bet you couldn’t!’

‘Try me!’

She grinned. ‘Later. Do you realise how much I’ve got to do before tomorrow evening? I still haven’t persuaded Willow to be my maid of honour. Every time I ask her, she splutters at me and runs off to hide in the garden to play with her candles. So, who’s going to be your best man?’

Spike frowned. Male friends of the acceptable variety were a little sparse on the ground. ‘I’ve got a mate called Clem,’ he said slowly. ’He’s OK. Good-hearted. A demon, not a vampire, but we get on. I’ll ask him,’ he decided.

‘Well, don’t leave it too late.’ She glanced at the clock on her dressing-table. ‘This time tomorrow, we’ll be out in the garden, the moon will be shining, there will be flowers everywhere, soft music playing and everyone - ’

‘Everyone will probably be attacking me with pointed wooden objects to stop me putting the ring on your finger.’

Buffy swung herself off the bed and looked out of the window at the little group huddled together in the back yard.

‘They‘re still there,‘ she sighed. ‘Why won’t they go away? They could be helping with the arrangements. Xander could go and collect the cake. Anya could cut the grass. Giles could just go and sulk. I’ve got to patrol in a minute and I want to have a happy killing evening. They’re spoiling everything.’

Spike got up and stood behind her, wrapping his arms round her and holding her tightly against his chest. He buried his chin in the nape of her neck and kissed her.

‘Don’t get upset, Goldilocks. Giles will come round. I’ll try talking to him again, man to man. After all, we’re both English. You’d think he’d be pleased that a fellow compatriot was marrying his Slayer.’

Buffy leant against him, loving the strength that supported her so effortlessly. This was what she needed, what the others didn’t realise. With Spike she felt secure - for the first time in her life she felt safe. And of course she loved him to bits and fancied him like mad...but then who wouldn’t.

Well, to be fair, she thought as she gazed out of the window, my friends aren’t keen. My friends really don’t like him.

‘They’re prejudiced, that’s what it is,’ she said. ‘It’s because you’re a vampire. They should be ashamed. If you were black or disabled or impotent...’

‘Watch it, missy!’

‘Sorry, I meant an immigrant, then they’d be all, ‘Oh yes, that‘s a really good thing you’re doing Buffy,’ but no, they just stand around looking miserable and saying ‘Why, Why, Why,’

Down in the back yard, the Scoobies were in despair. ‘Why is this happening? I don’t understand why Mrs Summers won’t stop it?’ Xander said.

‘God knows, I’ve tried to talk to her,’ Giles replied. ‘She just keeps telling me that it’s all for the best and in the long run will be the right thing to do. I don’t understand what she means and she can’t tell me. Are you sure you didn’t put a spell on her as well, Willow.’

‘Yes! I mean, no! Of course I didn’t. And anyway, all the spells have been reversed, except for - ’

‘And Anya, you tried to speak to D’Hoffryn again?’

Anya nodded brightly. ‘I tried calling him, but he‘s refusing to answer. I think he’s in a snit because Willow refused to become a vengeance demon. He’s very sensitive, you know. He may not look it to you, but he has feelings, too.’

Giles buried his head in his hands, then, ‘And you spoke to Riley, Willow?’

‘He‘s not around. Apparently after Buffy told him she was engaged, he went off on leave. By the time he gets back it will be too late.’

‘So we’re back to square one,’ Xander groaned. ‘Tomorrow evening, Buffy and Spike are getting married.’

Giles looked round at the Scoobies. ‘And we can’t allow that to happen,’ he said firmly. ‘Right, from now on it’s war. This is a Big Bad that must not take place. Whatever happens, we have to stop this wedding!’

to be continued










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