Chapter 50: Epilogue
Buffy opened the storage box for the first time in a good century, maybe even more than that, and couldn’t help smiling at the memories that instantly came back to her. Memories of her friends and family, of a beautiful night, and of the look on Spike’s face when she had walked down the aisle, when she had called him her husband for the first time. Gently, she removed the soft paper that wrapped the garment and revealed the dress. Her hand lingered a little on the fabric, following the embroidery with a finger, then the laces, and she finally pulled it out of the box and held it in front of her.
“So, what do you think, girls?” she asked, her voice thick with emotion.
“It’s way outdated,” Aurore commented with a little frown and all the fashion consciousness of a teenager. “But, OK, it’s beautiful.”
“You look like a princess, mommy,” Sandra added with her brightest smile.
Buffy turned to face the long mirror, smoothing the dress unconsciously as she held it to her body. The first time she had worn it, she hadn’t been able to see what she looked like in it until after the wedding pictures were developed, and had had to rely on her gut feeling and her friends’ opinion. She wished they could have been there this time again, but they were all long gone, except for Cordy, of course, who had promised she would come. It was alright, however, because Spike and she wouldn’t be alone to renew their vows. Their children would be there.
Their anniversary was in two days, and they had just decided to do something big about it. Well, she had been subtly hinting at it for a little while, and Spike had finally gotten the message. It had surprised her a little, because only three weeks before he had needed no reminder about the anniversary of their Mating. But he had easily agreed to renewing their vows, and she knew it wasn’t just to please her. And if they were going to do this, there was only one place possible.
They had flown back to Sunnydale. The town had changed a lot, after all many years had passed. The house on Revello was long gone, but the mansion was still there, if a bit dusty. It was just one of their many homes, but it hosted the most memories, as well as many mementos, including Buffy’s wedding dress. Carefully preserved, it was still in perfect condition, and Buffy’s only fear was that, since she had gained a few curves during her pregnancies, the dress wouldn’t fit. It was time to know for sure.
Her daughters helped her slip the gown on, and she held her breath while Aurore gently tugged the zipper up and did the back laces. It was definitely a tighter fit than she remembered it, but comfortable enough to wear.
“It’s even more beautiful on you,” the eldest of her daughters murmured, and by the look of awe on her face all thoughts of outdated fashion had fled her mind.
“Do we get to be princesses too?” Sandra inquired as Buffy was carefully taking the gown off.
“Yes darling,” Buffy answered her with a smile. “As soon as your dad comes back with Will and the twins we will go find you some pretty things to wear.”
It was almost surreal to be back here, with Spike and their children, after so much time had passed, after so many things had changed. Sunnydale had stopped being home to her when the last of her friends had fallen to age, and they hadn’t returned many times, never since they had been turned human again. The world was their playground, as it was the kids’. But now that she was here, it almost felt to Buffy like she had never left completely, like she had come home, at last. Maybe because it was where most of her old family was buried. Maybe because it was where she had been reborn. Maybe because of the memories.
But then again, simply being with Spike and the kids was being home.
*****
It was strange, very strange, for Spike to walk around Sunnyhell in broad daylight, and even more to do so with three of his children. They hadn’t come back to the town since before they had been made human again, already more than twenty years, and yet it seemed like yesterday that he and his Childe had been prowling the town’s nights, making them a little safer for ordinary people. Many things had changed, and he only hoped, with all his heart and soul, that at least one of them would be the same. He knew Buffy would be disappointed if they couldn’t do the ceremony in the same place as a century and half before, and, to tell the truth, so would he.
“It seems like a quiet little town,” William commented, the question clear in his voice.
“It is,” Spike replied with a grin. “But it was something else when the mouth was active.”
Will nodded, and they kept it at that. They were both carrying one of the twins, and the little angels certainly didn’t need to start hearing about Hellmouths and demons at barely more than two years of age.
“You’re sure you know where we’re going?”
“Yes I do,” Spike assured his eldest, slightly amused. “I may be getting old but I haven’t completely lost my mind yet.”
They crossed a street, and Spike let out a quiet sigh as the building he had been hoping for was revealed to his sight. It seemed in good shape, he reflected as they came closer. Time had left a few marks, but nothing too bad.
“Is that it?” Will asked as they came to a stop in front of the ancient church.
Spike only nodded as memories flooded his mind, not all of them happy, not all of them from their wedding day. He put Elisabeth down and, her small hand held tight in his, pushed the heavy wood door open and slipped in, soon followed by his son who still had a sleeping Anne in his arms. The inside of the church was as he remembered it. The pews, maybe, weren’t the same, but other than that, nothing had changed. There was still that large wood and metal cross at the end of the aisle, which he could now look at without an inner demon flinching. There were a few votive candles burning, proof that the place wasn’t abandoned, as he had feared it would be.
“I don’t see what’s so remarkable about the place that we had to come all this way just for it.”
“It’s hard to explain,” Spike murmured. “When you grow old, I suppose you get attached to some memories, and to some of the places where you’ve taken important steps in your life.”
“I still want to know what va… what you and mom were doing in a church to begin with.”
There was a hint of amusement in the young man’s voice and Spike turned to look at him, unsurprised at the smirk and raised eyebrow he found on his face.
“You’re even worse than your old father,” Spike chuckled lightly. “Mind out of the gutter, would you?”
Hazel eyes sparkled with mirth as Will’s smile widened a little more. “If you say so,” he replied, obviously unconvinced. “So, the place is still here, what do we do now?”
“You keep an eye on your sisters, and I go look for someone to marry me again to the most wonderful woman I ever knew.”
Will sat down on a pew, Anne still cradled against his chest, Elisabeth playing peek-a-boo from behind the pew in front of him, and Spike went toward the door he remembered led to the office on the side of the building. Before knocking, he glanced back to his children, the first-born and the last two, and marveled once more at the extraordinary events that had made it possible for a vampire to redeem his tainted soul and be granted a second chance at life with the woman he loved more than his own existence. The Powers had played with him, alright, as they had with Buffy, as they had started to do with Will, as they would undoubtedly do with the girls. But in the end, it had been worth it, there was no denying it. He only hoped he still had many years in front of him to live by his Slayer’s side and see their children grow up before came the time to die his final death.
Right now, however, it wasn’t the time or place for gloomy thoughts. It was time to celebrate life and love.
The End.