London Calling

Four Years Later...


"Anya, this bridesmaid's dress is dismal. Flourescent orange is a good color for no one! What were you thinking?!" Buffy wailed, spinning in front of the mirror for the eightieth time. Each time the dress just looked worse.
"It's traditional to make the bridesmaids look grotesque. I read about it in Cosmo." Anya stated, gazing at her wedding gown. "Cosmo is the modern woman's bible, you know."
Buffy pouted. "If you put me in this thing, I swear to God I will run screaming down the aisle and ruin your wedding!"
Taking off her dress, Anya sighed heavily. "Fine. Be a big pain. You can pick out whatever you want for you. You are the Maid of Honor, after all. Everyone else is wearing the Tangerine Dream, though!" She punctuated this statement by waving around the matching orange parasol.
"Good!" Buffy beamed. Now, if she could just try on that little black number with the slit...
"I've finally got the pairing together for groomsmen and the bridesmaids. Since you're Maid of Honor, you'll be paired with Spike for the night. Then there's Willow with Oz, Tara with Riley..." Anya's voice blabbed on.
Buffy stooill ill in shock. Spike? Spike Williams? Why hadn't she considered this might happen? He WAS Xander's best friend, even after all these years. She squinted her eyes in remembered hurt. All these years. I should be over this by now. So what if he'd lied to her and ruined her life. She'd moved on. She'd ditched the braces, dyed her hair a truly magnificent shade of blonde, traded in the glasses for contacts, and had made the cheerleading squad at UC Sunnydale. She had a hottie of a boyfriend that her friends practically drooled over. Her life was perfect. So why did the mere mention of his name send butterflies into her stomach?
"...Are you listening? Buffy!"
"Huh?" Buffy forced herself to concentrate.
Anya looked annoyed. "I SAID, we're picking Spike up from the airport today at 5:30. Did you want to come with us? I need to figure out if you're taller than him now. That would be a tragedy! I don't know what I'd do!!" She burst into agonized tears.
"Anya, relax. I haven't grown an inch since the Ninth Grade. It'll be fine. OK? I need to stay home tonight, though. Big, BIG paper." Buffy rubbed Anya's back and squared her shoulders. She needed to go home and prepare.

***

"Pl pre prepare for landing. All seatbelts must be on and have your trays up. Please have your seats in the upright position. Thank you for flying the friendly skies!"
Spike leaned back heavily against the seat. God, he hated to fly. Once he got to Sunnydale, it would take some serious persuasion to get him back on that flying torture machine. He'd never been so sick in his entire life.
"Sir, can I get you a cool cloth? Blanket? Neck massage?" The stewerdess leaned down provacatively, lightly touching his shoulder.
"I'm fine, thanks." Spike closed his eyes. The lady seemed more than willing. She'd been accosting him the whole flight. Probably could've taken her in the bleeding cockpMaybMaybe if he weren't so nauseaous...
The plane lurched and Spike gripped the handrests. God, when was this thing going to get back on the ground?? He forced himself to take deep breaths. He thought of Sunnydale. It was hard to believe that so many years had passed. Xander getting married to Anya! It seemed like nothing had changed at all while he was away. Well, almost nothing.
He blinked back tears.
Joyce had succumbed to a brain tumor only a year after he'd left. Xander and Buffy had been heartbroken, and he'd flown back for the funeral. Their father hadn't even bothered to show up. Luckily Xander was old enough to take custody of Buffy, or who knows what would have happened to her.
He smiled to himself. Sweet Buffy. Always with her face in a book, or writing something down. He'd missed her the most. Always so enamored of him, it made him feel like being a better person. He couldn't wait to see how she'd changed. She'd already graduated from high school! How time flew.
The plane bumped along the ground. Spike breathed a sigh of relief. One flight down...
He exited the plane and picked up his baggage. Now where was he supposed to meet them again?
"Spike! Hey buddy!"
Spike smiled and turned just in time to be caught in a half nelson.
"Say uncle! Say it!" Xander started to give him a noogie.
"Alright, alright! Bloody uncle, alright? Just stop messin' up my hair!" Spike shouted, pushing Xander off. He then laughed and shoved his friend. "How the hell have you been, man?"
"Good, good. Soon to be leg shackled to my old lady!" Xander laughed and quickly winced as Anya punched him in the kidney. "Ouch! Anya!"
"I am not OLD, Xander Harris! I am young and virile and my breasts are still quite perky, I'll have you know!" Anya stated hotly, hands on her hips.
Spike shook his head in amusement. Same old Anya. "You look beautiful, love." He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"I know. Thank you." Anya sniffed.
"Well, let's get going." Xander said, picking up one of Spike's bags. "Gotta get on back to the old homestead before Buffy burns dinner. Nothing like home cooking, huh?"
Spike blanched. Buffy was cooking? The last time she'd attempted a cake she'd nearly set the house on fire. Maybe he should've eaten on the plane.
Xander laughed jovially. "I'm just kidding, man! Like Buffy'd get anywhere near a stove after the fire department came that one time." He stopped at the car and put Spike's bags in the trunk. "Let's pick up some chicken, huh? I'm sure Buffy's really excited to see you."

***

Buffy was about to vomit.
After she'd gotten home from the Bridal Shop with Anya, she'd rushed around like a mad woman trying to get herself together. She'd called Angel and persuaded him to take her out to a fancy dinner. NOT an easy task. She'd have to finagle out of some grabby encounters tonight.
She shuddered. Angel was so pushy when it came to that stuff. Not that she was a prude... she just wasn't ready for that yet. Buffy adjusted her bra. It wasn't like she hadn't heard the facts about sex CONSTANTLY for the past 3 years. After Anya had moved in, that was all she'd heard about. Sex this, blowjob that. Xander'd almost gone into a coma one day after he'd come home and overheard Anya giving Buffy tips on good vibrators. Buffy giggled. That had been pretty funny.
She consulted the mirror once more. Slightly tousled, long blonde hair. Smoky eyes and full pouty red lips. Black slip of a dress with high-heeled black strappy sandals. She looked as good as she was going to get.
Buffy spritzed herself with perfume and started towards the stairs. That's when she heard them.
"Oh God... not yet!" She scrambled back into her room. "Couldn't they have waited until after I had left!" She wandered around the room aimlessly, cradling herself.
She stopped abruptly. Why was she acting like this? She wasn't the same nerdy schoolgirl she'd once been. She was hot, Goddamit! Guys slobbered over her. She's was a cheerleader for fuck's sake! She could do this.
Buffy squared her shoulders and headed out the door.