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“But, I don’t want to be a demon,” Willow said.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” D’Hoffryn waved his arm, and Willow was reduced to a pile of ash. “I really don’t take rejection well.”
Anya and Giles sat waiting in the City Hall lobby. “Who would have thought that it would come to this,” he said. He took his dark glasses in his hand and polished them vigorously. He realized what he was doing, and placed them back on his face. “Nervous habit.”
“What do you have to be nervous about?” Anya asked. “Just kidding.”
“I worry about them. No matter how they may feel, she’s still the Slayer and he’s a vampire. If Willow had ever returned from God knows where, they wouldn’t feel that way at all. It’s just a spell, and they’ll be caught in it forever.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Anya took his hand. “Xander said the Willow’s words were that they should get married, not that they should love each other. I know more than a little bit about spells. If they truly love each other, and I think it’s pretty obvious they do, it’s because the feelings were already there. The spell just gave them a reason to surface.”
Giles frowned. “Are you saying that they would have eventually gotten together anyway? I find that very difficult to believe.”
“Think about it.” She squeezed his hand. “Think of all the pain they could have gone through, all the denial. They could have hurt each other a great deal, before they came to the place they are now. Some things are just inevitable.”
“I never realized what a fatalist you are, Anya.”
“Look at us. If that demon hadn’t killed Xander, and you hadn’t comforted me, and I hadn’t helped you by reading for you, we wouldn’t be here today. But as horrible as losing Xander was, I wouldn’t trade this for the world. Would you?”
“No,” he smiled, “Not for the world.”
“Here’s the happy couple,” Anya said, as Buffy and Spike walked into the lobby.
Buffy handed Anya a small bouquet. “Are you two ready?”
“Rupert,” Spike said, “I just want you to know, whatever our differences in the past, I honestly hope that you and Anya will be as happy as Buffy and I have been these last six months.” He patted the former Watcher on the back. “So, nervous?”
“No,” Giles replied, “not in the least. About anything. Ready darling?”
Anya took his arm as they walked with their married friends into the chapel.