Chapter 13: Meet the Parents
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Buffy rolled her eyes at her brother.
“I think it would be rude to show up with an UNINVITED guest. It’s only dinner. Spike promised to drop me off at Willow’s house after, so don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” Buffy started fidgeting with her shirt, smoothing down the front in an attempt to hide her slightly bulging stomach. “OK, how do I look?”
Xander answered with an eye roll of his own. “Fine, now move. You’re gonna be late.” Buffy glanced at the dashboard clock.
“Crap! Ok, see you tomorrow?” Buffy quickly kissed his cheek and was out of the car before he could answer.
A few moments later Buffy was being ushered into the Giles mansion by a maid named Amy. Amy led Buffy down a long hallway past several rooms, including one that looked to be a large dining room. “I thought we were eating in there?”
“No, William insisted on dinner being in the garden room. It’s always been his favorite room.” Once inside the garden room Buffy could see why. She was surprised by the enormous amount of plants and small trees the room held. One wall was completely made of glass. Buffy wandered over to gaze outside. She was mesmerized by the lavish courtyard.
“So do you like it?” A soft voice whispered in her ear.
Buffy smiled before turning, “Spike, I don’t think I can tell you how beautiful it is. This is amazing! It looks like…” Buffy blushed, “I don’t know what it looks like but I can understand why it is your favorite room.” Spike led Buffy to the small table that played centerpiece to the atrium. After pulling out a chair and settling his bride to be at the table, Spike sat down across from her.
“So what do you think of having the wedding here?” Spike tried not to show his nervousness. “If you want to get married in a church that will work, I am sure Mother can have it arranged anywhere you want. But she will need to know quick; churches, or parks, or well, most places have to be booked in advance Mom said you would want to have the wedding before you showed much more..” Buffy smiled as Spike began talking faster as he rambled.
“Spike, slow down. I think that having the ceremony here is a perfect idea. I don’t belong to a church and I definitely want to have the wedding as soon as possible.” With a huge grin taking over his face, Spike got up from his chair and walked over to the doorway.
“She said ok, Mom, you can come in now.” A giddy squeal could be heard from the hallway before Joyce entered the room.
“Elizabeth, I am so happy to finally meet you! Oh, William, go get your father, dinner is about to be served.” Joyce shooed her son out the door. “Now that it is just us girls I have a secret to tell you.” She leaned over conspiritorly towards Buffy. “William was so nervous about asking you to have the wedding here because,” she lowered her voice, “ever since we moved into this house he has wanted to get married in this room. Oh he’ll never admit it.” She leaned back in her chair. “Real men don’t think about stuff like that, of course.” The two women laughed at that statement. “I think he has a dream or a fantasy that he would marry in this room, play with his children, and probably do other things in this room a mother refuses to even think about.” With a large grin on her face Joyce continued, “Some people may think that this engagement is happening too quickly, but do you know why I think everything will turn out fine in the end?”
Buffy was almost afraid to ask, but she forced the word when it became apparent Joyce wasn’t going to continue until asked. “Why?”
“Because with all the women my son has dated, he has never, ever even brought one in here. Not for dinner, not for a quick romp, not for conversation. And this is room we all spent the most time in. To me that means William already feels you are family.” Joyce reached over and cupped Buffy’s face. “I am very proud to include you into our family, Elizabeth.”
“I second that.” With tears threatening to spill from her eyes, Buffy turned to the doorway. Rupert Giles and Spike stood in the threshold. Her eyes followed them as they entered the room. “I may be one of those people who thinks all this is happening to fast, but then someone reminds me that I fell in love with my wife the first time I saw her.” Rupert and Spike sat down. “So I believe all will work out in the end.” Amy began to bring trays of food in. “And with that I say we forget all that mushy stuff that men will never admit to thinking and begin dinner.”
After dinner Spike led Buffy through the doorway and into the courtyard. “So is that how you always have dinner?” Buffy asked as she headed for a large wooden gazebo in the center of the courtyard.
“What do you mean?”
“All that laughing, the fun, the great food,” she said while sitting down on one of the benches.
“Well, Amy is a great cook. Mom can make a mean scrambled egg, but nothing else,” he joked. Spike turned so he was facing Buffy. He was taken aback for a moment by how beautiful she looked with the moonlight streaming over her hair and face. As he caught her eyes saw a slight look of sadness in them. “Why so sad?”
Buffy took a few moments before answering. “I feel awful. We are lying to them.”
“Buffy, I want you to know something.” He paused allowing the words to form in his heart before speaking. “I know that this may not be a real marriage, I know that we don’t have the feeling that we should have for each other, but what my mother said was true. I do already view you as family. You are the mother of my child. You are becoming a friend, and maybe someday we could fall helplessly in love, you never know.” Grinning he continued, “You never now what could happen.” Still smiling Spike moved in front of Buffy. Kneeling as he faced her, Spike pulled a small box from his coat pocket.
“What are you doing?”
“Something I should have done before.” Taking her hand in his, Spike continued. “My mother was right about me fantasizing about my wedding and children and all those things real men don’t think about, but she forgot one thing. Where I proposed. I have waited my whole life to ask a woman to marry me in this spot. Out here in this gazebo, with the moon lending me courage with its light. So please Elizabeth Summers, will you make this dream come true and agree to marry me?”
“Yes,” Buffy said simply.
Spike placed his grandmother’s ring on her finger and leaned up until his face was a few inches from hers. He held his face there as he saw the surprise and happiness in her eyes.
“Thank you,” he whispered before his lips met hers.