Waiting on a Friend - Part Twelve - The Wedding
DISCLAIMER: Work by Sir Phillip Sidney and Edmund Spenser is quoted in this part.
Buffy didn't have anything to do. Giles and Anya earnestly conferred with the registrar guy, with Spike occasionally receiving instructions. Dawn was peeking into the box she had to use in the demon ceremony; Wesley was keeping her over-excited sister from floating out of the Chelsea Registry Office and onto the King's Road.
Not that this looked like Buffy's idea of a Registry Office wedding. When she'd heard about it, she'd had visions of Sunnydale municipal furnishings: sick-green walls, industrial carpet. Instead, Giles had led them up to the First Floor Marriage Room, all soft yellow walls and architectural details and ornate chairs and a desk instead of an altar.
Spike nodded at Giles, then moved back to sit by her in the front row with her. "We'll stand for the ceremony, love, since there's just the family," he told her, then started to fumble around in his suit pocket. He pulled out his glasses-- ah, the glasses, melt melt-- then got a couple of index cards out.
See, that was nice too, Buffy thought: just family, no duty guests or drama-inducing invitees. She also appreciated the whole skipping of the groom-couldn't-see-bride-beforehand goofiness; not only did it prevent disasters like some previous weddings she could mention, it just made sense. After all, Giles and Anya were already together in all the ways that counted. Might as well walk in together.
Buffy decided that this would be the way she'd go, if she ever-- Stop. Whistle-stop that train right there, she told herself. And she refused to look at Spike, she refused--
God, he was gorgeous, she thought as she cast a sidelong glance his way. His attention was fixed on those cards covered with his scrawl; still, she could feel him willing himself to stay cool, not to jump around in his vampire-Tigger way. That conscious containment of his energy and power made her every sense hum. He was gorgeous and he had remade himself for her and he was hers, all hers, Buffy thought.
The registrar up at the front of the room nodded, then said loudly enough for everybody to heard, "I'll give you fifteen minutes alone as a group, then I'll return so that we can do the ceremony and sign the papers."
As soon as he'd left, Spike pulled Buffy to her feet, and Wesley came over to stand behind them. Giles and Anya smiled at them all, then Anya said to Dawn, "Amulet, please."
Dawn fished it out of the box, then presented it to the bride. Anya touched Giles's fingers lightly with her free hand, then closed around the amulet with the other.
D'Hoffryn and Halfrek-- Buffy still didn't know why she disliked her so much, other than Hello Demon Bitch-- materialized in front of the group.
"Greetings, vengeance-daughter," D'Hoffryn said paternally, brushing his claws against Anya's forehead. She smiled and handed him her amulet.
"Anyanka dear, so happy to witness," Halfrek cooed. Then she cast an appraising eye at Giles. "So happy to see you actually have a groom, too. A little more-- mature?-- than your last one."
Anya snorted, but said formally, "I welcome you both to our wedding. You're here to witness that we are married with all proper Arashmaharr ritual." She and Giles smiled at each other, although Buffy did notice he looked a little wild-eyed. Anya then said, "First-maid, we're ready to begin."
D'Hoffryn made a hacking-up-his-lung sound, then nodded, "Let the larvae out."
Dawn swallowed so hard that Buffy could hear it clear across the room. But she walked up like a princess, so elegant that Buffy caught Spike's hand and squeezed. Dawn helped Giles and Anya link their forearms, one hand near the other's elbow, then overlaid a cloth of burlap and gold on them. Valiantly not making an ewww face, she proceeded to pick two squirmy, slug-type things out of the box and place them on the cloth.
D'Hoffryn sneezed, which apparently meant "Excellent, first-maid." Dawn stepped back next to Buffy, who could feel her trembling.
After an indescribable sound, D'Hoffryn said, "Let them find each other." The icky things started crawling together. Buffy could tell that they weren't normal creatures-- they started to shift, meld.
Anya and Giles gagged at each other, and Buffy jumped. From behind her, Wesley leaned up and whispered in her ear, "That's the state language of Arashmaharr. Giles memorized the lines specially. They've just said that they were unformed apart, but now they are as one."
The slug-creatures rolled together, blurring lines of identification (not that slug-type things were exactly easy to distinguish anyway). Giles made several hairball noises, and Spike whispered, "He vows to love and cherish her as himself. Oh, nice use of the soft palate on the final 'ng', old boy!" Off Buffy's eye-roll, "Look, he had trouble with that all morning."
Anya repeated the horrible dissonance, and Spike nodded in satisfaction. "Now there. Always can tell the fluent ones."
"Beautifully voiced," Wesley agreed in a hushed tone. And Buffy thought: Watchers can be such nerds.
Giles and Anya joined their other hands above the intertwined thingies. D'Hoffryn placed his claws on their clasped hands. And in a moment of shocking beauty (considering it involved slugs), the creatures grew together and burst, shining out in a burst of rainbow colour.
When the new iridescent moth fluttered, then soared around Giles's and Anya's hands, D'Hoffryn swallowed his tongue (Buffy feared) then said, "They are indeed as one. The union will prosper. The unification has taken wing."
"Oh, that's my cue," Dawn cried, and she rushed back to pluck off the cloth and put it back into the box. Both D'Hoffryn and Halfrek clapped-- one, two, double-clap-- as Giles and Anya kissed. Wesley and Spike also did the clapping, so Buffy thought, 'kay, guess it's a thing. Her attempt was a couple of beats off, however, and everyone turned to look at her. She forced a smile. Stupid vengeance-demon ceremony. Didn't even have programs.
Halfrek suddenly went all veiny, reaching up a hand. She caught the fluttering moth, then popped it into her mouth. "Delicious, perfectly blended," she said indistinctly. After swallowing and daintily checking the edges of her lips for wing debris, she added, "That means I'm next, doesn't it?"
Bitch had the audacity to smile at Spike. Buffy felt a growl coming on, but beating up a guest at the wedding would be wrong and a misuse of Slayer-strength. Wrapping her arms around Spike and making a very public claim of ownership was, on the other hand, simply good policy. Halfrek raised her eyebrows and cackled. Well, laughed, but Buffy thought it was more like a cackle.
Giles blew out a breath, then said, "Right then, that's the Arashmaharr ceremony done."
D'Hoffryn carefully shook Giles's hand. "Yes. Completely married in all your finer demon dimensions." He leaned forward and said in a stage-whisper, "The ritual union? They generally don't fly, you know. You and Anyanka are clearly meant to be."
"I could have told you that," Anya said smugly. She hugged D'Hoffryn, then air-kissed Halfrek. Buffy wished she could stake as smoothly as Anya accepted back her amulet as well as two gifts that D'Hoffryn wafted out of his robes. "Thank you for witnessing, both of you. I'll pop by tomorrow to make sure the right documents have been filed."
"Oh they will be," D'Hoffryn answered. He took the box from Dawn, then said sternly, "Stop making googly eyes at the gentleman in the back, Halfrek." Buffy felt Wesley stumble a few alarmed steps away. "Time for us to go. Enjoy the rest of the festivities, all." With that, the chief vengeance officer took Hallie's hand, and they disapparated.
Giles and Anya hugged each other, holding on with eyes closed. Spike leapt up and cleverly pulled them apart before embarrassing lip-and- tongue exchanges could begin. "Hang on, you two, one more round," he said. "Wesley? The registrar?"
As Wes went to the door, Dawn set the ritual box down, then moved over to stand behind Anya. Now that her part was done, Buffy could see that she was about to explode with happiness, which generally meant a shriek of some kind. But Dawnie held it together, with merely a bounce and a "Wesley! Come stand by me!"
He called back a calming answer, then ushered the registrar in. Spike brought Buffy up beside him. "You're with me, love. We're the official witnesses, so watch closely. I'll quiz you later." He put away his index cards and his glasses, but pulled out the rings. She rested her head against his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her hair. She felt calmer suddenly too.
The registrar stood just where D'Hoffryn had. "Welcome to you all. Rupert and Anyanka would like us to 'get to the contract,' as the bride has put it, so without further ado--" He joined their hands together again, although in a normal way. "Rupert, if you will make your declaration."
Giles squeezed Anya's hand and said, "I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I, Rupert, may not be joined in marriage to Anyanka." Anya smiled gloriously and repeated the formula.
"Excellent," the registrar said. "And the contract?"
Giles looked around at the family first, smiling at them all. Then he turned his eyes back to Anya, and said, "I call upon these persons present to witness that I take thee, Anyanka, to be my lawful wedded wife." Anya winked at Dawn in particular before saying her own contract.
The registrar nodded to Spike, who stepped forward--without even trying to make a funny, Buffy thought proudly-- and presented the rings to Giles and Anya. Inducing a whole wave of Slayer-tears and Dawn-squeaks, Giles and Anya gazed at each other and said in unison, "I give you this ring as a pledge. I will love you forever, take care of you forever. I will worship your body; I will cherish your spirit. I honour you as my partner."
Oh, that's the real thing, Buffy thought weepily, as they slid the rings onto each other's fingers. When Dawn grabbed Wesley's arm, Buffy knew that little sister wanted to jump up and down and scream but had chosen to bruise Wes instead. She'd have to tell her later how impressed with her restraint she was. Wes, too-- he'd barely moaned at the Key's grip.
Spike smiled, looking as adorably William as possible (as far as Buffy could tell, what with the tears and a smidge of mascara in her eye), and said, "I have two brief readings. The first is to honour Anyanka, and without my actually recitin' it in a funny voice, imagine it from her-- 'My true-love hath my heart, and I have his, By just exchange one for another given: I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss, There never was a better bargain driven: My true-love hath my heart, and I have his'."
"Exactly, Spike," Anya said, then grinned at Giles.
Spike chuckled, then looked at Giles. Buffy thought how unnerving it was that they had such similar expressions-- when did this happen? But Spike was speaking again. "These lines from Edmund Spenser are for Rupert, who has waited so long-- 'Now al is done; bring home the bride againe, Bring home the triumph of our victory, Bring home with you the glory of her gaine, With joyance bring her and with jollity. Never had man more joyfull day than this, Whom heaven would heape with bliss'."
Giles laughed, an overflowing of mirth. "Bloody well right, boy."
The registrar clapped, and everyone joined in. "Rupert and Anyanka-- we now consider you man and wife. As soon as you sign the forms, of course!" Giles swept Anya into his arms to kiss her. And kiss her. And kiss her, until the registrar tapped him on the shoulder to say, "Excuse me, Mr. Giles. Um-- the last official step?"
"Right, of course," Giles said, completely unrepentant. "Will, Buffy?"
Buffy locked fingers with Spike as they walked forward. "You did that so beautifully, honey. But is 'joyance' actually a word?"
Behind them Dawn could contain herself no longer and burst into a shriek. "Yes! And it means PARTY!"