William Weckerly

look forward to sharing with you
the joy and memories
of their wedding ceremony
Saturday, the twenty-sixth of June
two thousand and four
at five o'clock in the evening

~*~

Wolfram & Hart

Los Angeles, CA

“Oh, Spike!” Buffy exclaimed as she pulled him into a hug. “That’s so great! Congratulations!”

“Thanks, luv. Didn’t quite know how much postage to put on it to get it across dimensions,” he told her with a smile. “Been trying to get it to ya’ for a couple of weeks…do you ever sleep?”

Buffy laughed. “No, and neither will you when you have kids!”

“Well, don’t know ‘bout that … not really in the cards for vamps, now is it, luv?” Rome!Spike pointed out with a little frown.

“Keep the faith, Spike … it can happen – it happened to us – more than once!”

“What was the last one, pet? Boy or a girl?”

“Yep!” Buffy smiled at him. When he looked at her with confusion she laughed and clarified, “Twins – a boy and a girl!”

“Bloody hell! That’s fucking brilliant! Congrats all ‘round!” Rome!Spike exclaimed, pulling her back into a hug.

“You’re getting married in L.A.?” Buffy asked when he released her.

“Yeah … wanker won’t come to Rome…” Spike explained.

“You don’t need Angel to get married,” Buffy pointed out.

“No, but you need him to do the claim … he’s still the bloody clan leader,” Spike told her.

“The claim?! She’s doing the claim?!” Buffy asked, with wide eyes. Of course, she’s doing the claim – you did the claim! she thought, but it still surprised her.

“Yeah, amazin’ ain’t it?” Rome!Spike confirmed, with a small smile. “I owe you my life … in so many ways, Buffy – I don’t know how to ever repay you for whatcha did for me, sending me to Rome when I didn’t want to go.  I hope you can come to the weddin’… you’re both invited.”

Buffy turned the invitation over in her hands, looking at it – next Saturday…that shouldn’t be a problem.  They’d only be gone a few hours at the most. Lorne could watch the twins…Annie could go to the Magic Box with Giles.  Buffy’s eyes settled on the front of the card … “Two Souls Intertwined,” it read. Two souls…intertwined souls…intertwined…souls…

Buffy’s eyes went wide. “Yes! We’ll definitely come – on one condition.”

“Anythin’,” Rome!Spike told her.

“You let us borrow Angel for a while to perform the claim on us, too.”

Rome!Spike’s eyebrows shot up. “Where’s your Angel?  Tell me you dusted his ass! NO, wait! Tell me you dismembered him slowly, piece by piece and pulled his guts out and used ‘em for garters… THEN dusted his ass…” Rome!Spike said with a smirk – looking at her hopefully.

Buffy laughed. “Well, fun as that would’ve been – no – it’s kind of a long story, just suffice it to say he’s unavailable at the moment.”

“Ah piss,” Rome!Spike moaned, disappointed. “Do ya think it’ll work – our Angel’s not technically your clan leader…”

Buffy shrugged and held the invitation up for him to see. “‘Two souls intertwined,’” she read aloud. “I could find you in the other dimension through the bond – through our souls. It’s worth a shot.”

Rome!Spike shrugged. “Reckon so. Hey! We could do a double claim ceremony … God, that’ll frost the poofter’s balls!”

Buffy laughed. “I don’t want to intrude on your day…” she started.

“NO! No, it’ll be fucking brilliant!!”

**~**

Saturday, June 26^th, 2004, 2pm:

“Ok, sweet girl – now you be good for Uncle Giles while we’re gone,” Buffy told Annie, kneeling down in front of her so they were eye to eye.  “We’ll be back tonight to tuck you in, ok?”

Annie nodded. “I’ll be good! I’m playing Crash Bandicoot! I’m up to level twelve and have three gems!”

“Wow!” Buffy said, raising her eyebrows in awe. “That’s … really good …” Buffy told her, looking at Spike for help – she had no idea if that was good or not.

“Bloody brilliant,” Spike confirmed, picking Annie up and giving her a twirl in the air before setting her back lightly on her feet. “Love you, Niblett … you’ll have ta show me how them gems work when we get back, yeah?”

“Ok, I will! Bye! See you later!” Annie called, waving a hand at them as she hurried to the back of the Magic Box and the Play Station that waited there.

“I don’t know if I like her playing those games so much,” Buffy commented.

“It ain’t hurtin’ her – develops hand-eye coordination, motor skills and stuff like that,” Spike assured her.

“Yeah, so do things like – oh, I don’t know – playing catch! Whatever happened to playing catch out in the fresh air?”

“Nuthin’ wrong with this air … fresh air’s overrated,” Spike protested as Buffy waved to Giles before they turned and headed back down to the sewer entrance of the store. Spike was partial to Annie playing indoors … indoors he could spend time with her – he couldn’t play catch with her outside in the daylight, but he could play Crash Bandicoot with her on the Play Station.

They had left the twins in the care of Lorne and Tara – Willow was meeting them at the high school with the vials of Annie’s blood to open the portal that would take them to the other dimension where Buffy had gone before.  The one where Angel worked for Wolfram & Hart and Spike and Buffy lived in Rome and trained new Slayers for the Council, which was now headed by Giles.

Willow wanted to come with Buffy and Spike – she’d been the Maid of Honor at their wedding and the original claim ceremony – she really wanted to be part of this one – kind of like a renewal of their vows, and Buffy was ecstatic over the idea. Buffy and Spike really hoped this would work to get the bond back … they both missed that feeling of being totally connected.

Rome!Spike told Buffy in the dream that the claim ceremony was going to be a private affair, just him and Rome!Buffy and Angel … Buffy hoped they wouldn’t mind Willow being there, too.

Willow was sitting on the stairs that led down from the main level of the high school into basement, when Buffy and Spike emerged from the tunnel that connected to the sewers.

“Hey, Wills – ready to go?” Buffy asked as they approached.

“Yep – got the vials,” Willow said, holding up four vials of blood.  She handed Spike and Buffy each one and tucked one into her purse.

“Why so many?” Buffy asked Willow, holding the vial up that she’d given her.

“Just in case …” Willow responded as she stood up and started walking towards the room where the entrance to the Hellmouth was located.

“Just in case…? In case of what?” Buffy asked, as she and Spike followed her.

“In case – I don’t know, we get separated or one of the vials gets broken,” Willow shrugged.  “It just seemed like we should each have our own way back – just in case. We are dealing with Angel, after all.”

“Red’s got a point there, Buffy – just ‘cause he’s all high ‘n mighty lord of the damned and whatnot over there, don’t mean he ain’t still a git,” Spike said, backing Willow up.

Buffy stopped walking and turned to face Spike. “Do you think we shouldn’t go?”

Willow stopped and turned to look back at the pair as they talked.

Spike pursed his lips together and considered her question. “Have ya had any Slayer dreams ‘bout it?” he asked her.

“No …” Buffy responded. “But that doesn’t seem to mean anything lately.”

Spike shrugged. “We both want the bond back, even if we dig Angel up out of his watery grave, he ain’t gonna do it … we’ve searched for months to find another way – this seems like our best chance,” Spike conceded. “Just watch your back … Angel may say he’s over you … or her … or whoever – but he’ll never be over ya’, luv.  Pillock’s got a long bloody memory.”

Buffy nodded and they all started walking again. 

“‘Course, he could do sumthing to give us an excuse to dust his sorry ass…” Spike pointed out with a smirk.

Buffy shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Let’s try to remember that we need him … at least for a while, ok?”

**~**

Nearly as soon as Buffy, Spike and Willow stepped through the portal that led into the offices of Wolfram & Hart in the other dimension, they were met with an invisible force that held them firmly in place – not allowing them to move or talk.  Security guards ran scanners up and down their bodies and confiscated the vials of blood, as well as stakes from both Buffy and Spike.  Assured that all contraband had been removed from their ‘guests’, the trio were released from the invisible jail.

“What the fuck was that!?” Buffy confronted the security guard that appeared to be in charge. “That’s ours – give it back!” she told him, holding her hand out towards the stakes and vials of blood that had been confiscated.

“Sorry, ma’am,” the guard told her. “Strict rules – no weapons and no human blood allowed on the premises. Zero tolerance.  It’s for everyone’s safety and protection.”

“PFFFTTT!” Spike snorted. “It’s for Angel’s bloody safety and protection! What ‘bout our safety and protection … bloody rude if ya ask me!”

“You can keep the stakes,” Buffy said, trying to bargain with the guard, “but we need those vials back – they’re our ticket home.”

“Then you can have them back when you’re ready to go home. No human blood is allowed …” the guard started.

“Yeah, yeah … I heard you the first time,” Buffy interrupted him.

Buffy looked at Willow and Spike and asked, “What do you think?”

Willow and Spike both shrugged.  “We haven’t found any other way to get the bond back, Buff,” Willow reminded her. “We’re already here …”

Buffy turned back to the security guard. “I’m leaving – give me mine back,” she said, holding her hand out.

“Buffy!” Spike and Willow both exclaimed at once, but Buffy held a hand up behind her back towards them telling them to wait.

The guard escorted her to the other side of the ‘security check’ and gave her one vial and one stake back.  Buffy looked at Willow and Spike and shrugged – apparently they were telling the truth – they would give it back when they left.

“Ok – here, I changed my mind,” Buffy handed the contraband back to the guard and stepped back through the ‘security check’ to where Willow and Spike were waiting for her.  “Let’s go,” Buffy said as she started walking towards what she knew would be Harmony’s reception desk.

“Buffy!! Gosh, look at you! You look … really … healthy!” Harmony told her, jumping up and coming out from behind her desk. “Spikey!” Harmony exclaimed when she saw Spike trailing behind Buffy.

“No, Harm, not Spikey,” Buffy told her, stepping in front of Harmony and blocking her path to Spike.

Harmony stopped and put her hands on her hips. “I wasn’t gonna break him, geez Buffy – you’re a bitch no matter what dimension you’re from.”

“It’s genetic,” Buffy told her. “The other Buffy wouldn’t let you get your fangs on her Spike, either, huh?”

Harmony just made a face and rolled her eyes. “They’re in there,” she told Buffy, waving her arm towards one of the conference rooms before turning around and going back behind her desk.

Buffy looked where Harmony had pointed. There was conference room on the other side of the large lobby, but all the blinds were drawn and the door was closed.  The lobby was decorated for the wedding, with folding chairs set up in rows and an altar at the front with huge sprays of red roses mixed with white calla lilies on either side.

Buffy took Spike’s hand and they made their way over to the conference room with Willow trailing behind them.  “Can you hear anything?” Buffy whispered to Spike when they got next to the room.

Spike listened a minute and nodded. “It’s them. Peaches ain’t in there.”

Buffy nodded and knocked on the door.  Although she had mentally prepared herself to meet herself, it was still a shock for her when someone who looked almost exactly like her opened the door.  Both Buffys stood perfectly still, not breathing, not moving, just looking at the other for what seemed a long time, their brains trying to processes the sight of themselves in real-life, three-D Technicolor.

“Breathe, luv,” Spike leaned down and whispered to Buffy and she snapped her head to the side and looked at him, as if she’d forgotten he was there, or anyone else was there, for that matter.

“Right!” Buffy said shaking her head as if to clear the cobwebs.  Looking back at Rome!Buffy, she said, “Thanks so much for inviting us and letting us crash your claim ceremony.”

Rome!Willow had stepped up to the door to see what was going on and put a hand on Rome!Buffy’s back. “Buffy – breathe …”

“Breathing… I’m breathing!” Rome!Buffy told Rome!Willow before opening the door wider and stepping back to allow Buffy and Willow to enter the conference room.  “Ummm … the guys are over there,” Rome!Buffy told Spike, pointing to a different room a couple of doors down. “We’re gonna be changing in here,” she pointed out.

“Nothing I ain’t seen before,” Spike said with a smirk as he started to follow Willow in.

“Spiiike!” both Buffy’s admonished him and Buffy pushed a hand against his chest, pushing him back out the door and towards the other room.  “See you later,” Buffy told him as she turned him around, pointed him towards the other room and then closed the door behind him.

“This is weird, huh?” Buffy asked Rome!Buffy.

“Uh, yeah … like Twilight Zone music should start playing any minute …” Rome!Buffy agreed.  “I understand I owe you … well, I owe you everything.” Rome!Buffy said with a small smile, pulling Buffy into a hug.

“It’s ok … it was my pleasure – I know… I know what you went through – I know what he went through, you guys had it tough on the Hellmouth – you deserve to be happy now,” Buffy told her, returning her hug.

As Rome!Willow and Willow talked in one corner of the room, the two Buffys talked about the past that they both remembered and about a past that only Buffy knew – she told Rome!Buffy about their children, about how their daughter was the Key and asked Rome!Buffy how Dawn was. 

Buffy often wondered how Dawn from the dimension that didn’t have either Buffy or Spike in it was doing, but didn’t know how to find out. The portal to that dimension opened, along with the one to this one, each time they spilled Annie’s blood on that spot in the Hellmouth where the realities split, but how long it would take to find Dawn once in that dimension was completely unknown, she could be anywhere in the entire world.

She hoped that the weasel PTB messenger Whistler was telling the truth when he said that her friends would take care of Dawn in that dimension … surely they would, but she’d still love to know how that Dawn was doing.  Had she stayed out of trouble? Was she doing well in school? Did she have a boyfriend? Had she fallen in love? Gotten her heart broken? There was no way to know.

Rome!Buffy told Buffy that her Dawn was doing well in school in Rome, she was really a whiz at picking up all kinds of languages, including demon languages, and was a real resource to the Council in transcribing ancient tomes.  She sometimes made more money doing that than the Council paid her and Rome!Spike for training the new Slayers. 

Everyone else was doing okay. Rome!Giles was happy to be back in England and felt really fulfilled being able to put the Council back in order properly. He had gotten back together with Olivia and they were planning on getting married next spring.

Rome!Giles had been leery about coming to L.A. and especially to “Evil, Inc.” headquarters for the ceremony, but Spike had assured them that Angel and his team were working from the inside to change W&H for the better. Angel would always be a pillock, but he was still on the side of good, at least he was the last time Rome!Spike saw him, before Buffy sent him to Rome.

Rome!Xander was still helping locate and retrieve new Slayers. He worked alone, mostly in South America, but had spent some time in Africa and Asia, as well.  He was devastated and angry with himself and the world when Anya didn’t make it out of Sunnydale with them.

He regretted abandoning her at the altar even more after that … he’d hurt her so badly and now he could never make it up to her. Her mortal life was cut so short and he felt like he’d only brought pain into it, when he should’ve been the one to bring her joy and happiness.

Rome!Xander seemed to be getting better little by little, but he’d never forgive himself for breaking Anya’s heart … he wished he could tell her that he loved her one more time.  He immersed himself in the work, but rarely came back to England himself, preferring a life of relative solitude. Rome!Buffy and Dawn tried to talk to him on the satellite phone at least once a week to make sure he was ok. When Rome!Buffy told him about her engagement to Rome!Spike, Rome!Xander wished them well.

“Do you love him?” he’d asked her on the phone when she told him the news.

“Yes, Xand … I do love him … I know, I know you don’t like Spike …” Rome!Buffy started.

 

“No, Buffy – if you love him, I know he loves you – I wish you both nothing but happiness. You deserve to be happy, Buffy – life’s too short to not be happy,” Rome!Xander advised her.

Rome!Willow was just getting over a bad breakup with Rome!Kennedy … they’d been together through some very stressful times, but when things settled down, it turned out they didn’t really have that much in common, after all. 

Rome!Willow had caught Rome!Kennedy cheating on her in Rio de Janeiro a couple of months ago. Rome!Willow left Rio and came back to England, heartbroken and feeling more than a little betrayed and unsure of herself. 

Now she worked with the Coven there helping to tutor young witches, and was especially interested in helping young women who had gotten addicted to magicks.  She hoped she’d be able to help them learn how to practice magicks without falling prey to its wiles.  The Coven was especially happy to have her in that role, since she could relate so well to these young women, having gone through that herself not so long ago.  It seemed to be helping Rome!Willow get her confidence back and raise her spirits. Often helping others is the best way to help yourself.

Andrew had moved to England from Rome not long after Rome!Spike arrived, and was working on documenting the Council’s history and current activities for future generations. He was taking what few old tomes, Watcher’s diaries and other documents they could salvage after Caleb blew up the Watcher’s Council Headquarters, and scanning it all onto digital media.  He then made sure it was stored on several different servers all over the world, to keep it safe from sabotage. 

Yeah, he was still the King Geek of Geeksville, but he was contributing to the greater good and staying out of Rome!Spike’s hair.  Rome!Spike and Rome!Buffy traveled to England for about three days every month, which was about all that Rome!Spike could handle of Andrew at a time.

Rome!Buffy asked Buffy about the claim and how the bond worked and Buffy went over it with her in detail … she assured her she wouldn’t be sorry for doing it.

As the time approached for the wedding ceremony and the guests began arriving, the two Buffys peeked out of the blinds in the conference room to see who had arrived.  There weren’t a lot of people that Rome!Buffy still knew here, other than Angel’s crew, but there were some Slayers and Watcher’s in the area that she’d invited and some old friends she knew from when she lived in L.A. and some of her Mom’s family. 

In addition, Rome!Giles had come over from England to give her away and Andrew insisted that he couldn’t miss this – he was videotaping it for them “for posterity” he’d said, and, of course, Rome!Willow was here as her Maid of Honor.  Dawn had wanted to come, but was in the middle of finals and Angel wouldn’t allow Rome!Buffy to move the date back, so Dawn wasn’t here.

“OH MY GOD!” Buffy exclaimed as they peeked out of the blinds at the arriving guests. Buffy turned to Rome!Buffy, dropping the blind closed with a loud snap. “You invited RILEY!?” she asked with wide eyes.

Rome!Buffy rolled her eyes and peeked through the blinds as Riley Finn and his wife, Samantha, took a seat on the ‘bride’s’ side of the aisle. “I didn’t invite Riley, Spike invited Riley,” Rome!Buffy told her, shaking her head; she couldn’t believe he’d actually come.

“Oh, God – that’s … priceless! Spike must love being able to rub his nose in this! Man, you should hear what happened with Riley in my dimension … Oh, never mind – you don’t want to know that,” Buffy told Rome!Buffy with a sigh, sure that Spike was, at that moment, taking delight in telling Rome!Spike exactly what happened with Riley in their dimension right then, down to the last detail – she didn’t need the bond to know that.

**~**

Spike walked over to the room Rome!Buffy had indicated, knocked on the door and waited.  When the door opened, he was greeted by Rome!Giles – who looked a bit older than their Giles, there was more grey in his hair and more worry lines on his face. 

“Watcher,” Spike greeted Rome!Giles, extending his right hand.

“Spike,” Rome!Giles said, taking his hand in a firm handshake.

“Is Buffy with you?” Rome!Giles asked, looking behind Spike.

“Yeah, and Red. Went in with the girls … they kicked me out,” Spike told him as Rome!Giles backed up and allowed Spike entry into the office.

“Spike … let me introduce you to, well – Spike …” Rome!Giles said as Rome!Spike approached them.

The two vampires studied each other – it would’ve been like looking into a mirror, if either of them actually had a reflection in a mirror – they looked almost exactly the same. If it weren’t for Spike having let his curls grow out a bit for Buffy, and the lack of a scar on the left hand of Rome!Spike, they would’ve been indistinguishable.

Rome!Spike extended his hand and said, “I see your Buffy likes the curls, too …”

“Yeah, I’m love’s bitch,” Spike told him, shaking his hand.

“No shame in that now, is there?” Rome!Spike asked him with a smirk. “At least you’re man enough to admit it.”

“OH MIO DIO!” Andrew exclaimed, dropping his video camera onto a chair and running up to the two Spikes. “There’s two! Two Spikes! It’s Spike in stereo!” he cried, as he put one arm around each Spike’s neck and pulled them both into hugs at the same time.

“And I believe you know Andrew,” Rome!Giles interjected sarcastically.

“Bloody hell, Andrew!” both Spikes exclaimed as they unwrapped his arms from their necks.

“Oh this is too much… I think…God…” Andrew started, his voice breaking, before pressing a hand to his mouth, closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly back and forth.

“What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Andrew?” Rome!Spike asked him. “You knew they were coming.”

When Andrew opened his eyes, they were glistening with emotion. “I’m just…overwhelmed…two of you…two golden, hard bodied heroes – in love with your mortal enemy… the vampyre and the Slayer of the Vampyres, a preordained love …  Two creatures of the night, willing to sacrifice everything to be with her and keep her safe … true rebels… now living in the light of love…”

“Bloody hell, will you please stop!” Rome!Spike admonished Andrew.

“… bravely fulfilling your destiny to save the world time and time again, to keep us mere mortals safe from the ravages of the demons, to bring light to the creatures of the night, happiness to the forlorn, love to the loveless… now meeting across time and space … well, across dimensions, anyway…”

“ANDREW!” both Spikes yelled at him, Rome!Spike grabbed him by the shoulders and shook Andrew to get him to snap out of his double-Spike induced trance.

“Oh…sorry … I just got a little overwhelmed…” Andrew stopped and looked at Spike for a long moment. “Love the curls,” he told him.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Just bloody fucking wonderful,” he muttered to himself.

“Don’t you have to go film something, Andrew?” Rome!Spike asked him.  “You know – out there?” he asked, waving his arm at the door.

“Well, it’s not actually film, you see, it’s digital …” Andrew started but was stopped by the annoyed look on Rome!Spike’s face. “Oh, yes, of course! Silly me!  Yes, I should get ready, film the guests arriving and make sure everything is ready for the ceremony…excuse me,” Andrew told them as he went and retrieved his video camera and headed for the door.

Andrew stopped when he got to the door to turn around and gaze dreamily back at the two Spikes who were now talking quietly off to the side of the room. “Two Spikes! Could the world get any better!?” he exclaimed with glee, bouncing up and down slightly on his toes, before opening the door and heading out into the lobby.

**~**

As the time grew near for the wedding ceremony, Buffy, Willow and Rome!Willow helped Rome!Buffy get dressed.  She wore a simple white, strapless, floor length satin gown. Her hair was pulled up in a twist at the back of her head and adorned with baby’s breath and she had on simple ruby stud earrings which matched the red roses that she would carry in her bouquet.

“Something old,” Rome!Willow announced holding out the skull ring that Rome!Spike had given Rome!Buffy so many years ago when they were under Willow’s “my will be done” spell.

Rome!Buffy laughed and took the ring from Rome!Willow and slid it on the ring finger of her right hand.

“Your dress is something new,” Rome!Willow pointed out before continuing the ritual, “Something blue … the traditional garter.” Rome!Willow smiled holding up the frilly, blue garter to Rome!Buffy, who took it and slid it up her leg above the knee.

“And something borrowed,” Buffy said, stepping forward and removing her ruby and diamond necklace that Spike had given her for Christmas just before the battle with The First Evil. “William’s heart,” Buffy told her as she placed the necklace around Rome!Buffy’s neck and fastened it in the back.

**~**

Buffy and Spike stood at the back of the room as the ceremony unfolded in front of them. It was more than a little surreal, basically watching themselves get married.  Spike stood behind Buffy and held her against him with one arm across her collar bone and the other around her waist as they listened to Lorne, the Lorne from this dimension who also worked for W&H, perform the marriage ceremony for Rome!Buffy and Rome!Spike.

“We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of Buffy and William. As their souls have been intertwined, so now shall their love and their lives be joined by the bond of marriage. Without love, life is nothing; without love, death has no redemption.

“Buffy, is it true that you come of your own freewill and accord?” Lorne asked, looking at Rome!Buffy.

“Yes, it is true,” Rome!Buffy said with a small smile.

“With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you?” Lorne asked.

“She comes with me, her Watcher and her friend, and is accompanied by all of her family's and friend’s blessings,” Rome!Giles responded.

“Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that which I am about to say,” Lorne began and Rome!Spike and Rome!Buffy faced each other and joined hands.

“Above you are the stars, below you are the stones, as time doth pass, remember...

“Like a stone should your love be firm, like a star should your love be constant and bright. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable.

“Be close, but allow freedom. Possess one another, yet never be possessive. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will pass as long as you believe in each other and in your love.

“Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not the ways of the unenlightened give you unease, for you are each other’s strength.

“William, I have not the right to bind thee to Buffy, only you have this right. If it be your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in her hand.”

“It is my wish,” Rome!Spike said, looking into Rome!Buffy’s eyes and handing her a plain gold wedding band.

“Buffy, if it be your wish for William to be bound to you, place the ring on his finger.”

Rome!Buffy slid the band onto Rome!Spike’s left ring finger, keeping her green eyes locked onto his blue.

“Buffy, I have not the right to bind thee to William, only you have this right. If it be your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in his hand,” Lorne continued when Rome!Buffy had finished sliding the ring onto Rome!Spike’s hand.

“It is my wish,” Rome!Buffy affirmed, her eyes still locked on Rome!Spike’s as she pressed her wedding band into his palm.

“William, if it be your wish for Buffy to be bound to you, place the ring on her finger,” Lorne instructed.

Rome!Spike took the gold band that Rome!Buffy had handed him and slid it gently onto her left ring finger.

“William, please take your vows,” Lorne instructed when the ring was on Rome!Buffy’s hand.

Rome!Spike took a deep breath before beginning his vows, but never broke the bond their eyes had formed as he recited the vows they had written together.

“I, William Weckerly, by the love that resides within my heart, take thee, Buffy Summers, to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my chosen one. To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself.”

**~**

“Oh God, it’s so beautiful…” Andrew said to Buffy and Spike as he stood at the back of the room next to them, dabbing at his eyes with one hand and holding a video camera with the other.  “I helped them write those vows…” he told Spike and Buffy.

Spike and Buffy looked at him with raised eyebrows; Spike knew very well that he’d never let Andrew help him write his wedding vows. 

“Well, maybe helped is too strong a word…” Andrew admitted under their scrutiny. “But I typed them up for them … copied them off the napkins they wrote them on … it was no easy task!” Andrew defended. “The napkins were all covered in spicy Buffalo wing sauce and beer…”

**~**

As Rome!Spike finished, Rome!Buffy also took a deep breath to steady her nerves before beginning her vows to him.

“I, Buffy Anne Summers, by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within my heart, take thee, William Weckerly, to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be my chosen one. To desire and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself.”

“By the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Lorne announced. “May your love so endure that its flame remains a guiding light unto you.”

Rome!Spike and Rome!Buffy seemed to be in a trance, held captive in the depths of each other’s eyes, neither one moved or seemed to have heard what Lorne had said.

“You can kiss her now, Spikester,” Lorne whispered to him, touching Rome!Spike’s arm lightly, which broke the trance he was in.  Rome!Spike looked at Lorne when he touched him and Lorne widened his eyes and tilted his head towards Rome!Buffy. “Kiss her now,” he repeated.

Rome!Spike smiled and pulled Rome!Buffy into his arms as he took her lips in a passionate kiss which Rome!Buffy returned as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

Music seemed to come down from the heavens and surrounded the couple as Mendelssohn’s classic “Wedding March”, from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, began to play, with a small, Spikey twist – it was an electric guitar / metal version of the 1842 composition. All the guests stood up and showered the couple with fragrant, red rose petals as Rome!Spike and Rome!Buffy, now Mr. and Mrs. Weckerly, made their way, hand in hand, back down the aisle.

When they reached the back of the room where Spike and Buffy were standing, Rome!Spike grabbed Buffy’s hand and pulled her and Spike along with them as they went into one of the conference rooms that had been set up for the private claim ceremony.  The two Willows followed them into the room and shut the door behind them.

Angel was already there waiting for them. He was sitting in a chair and looking out the window with his back to one end of a long conference room table.  He spun the chair around and stood up when they entered the room, their good mood and smiles in sharp contrast to the broody and dark look on his face.

“Buffy … uh… Buffys,” Angel started, looking from one to the other of the Buffys in the room. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Buffy stayed silent, she knew that she wanted to do this, but she didn’t want to answer for her counterpart from this dimension.

“Angel …” Rome!Buffy started softly, moving towards him. “I’m sorry. You were my first love, I’ll always love you – but when I lost Spike, I thought my soul  had been ripped out of my body – I felt empty, I felt utterly alone, I wanted to die – if it weren’t for Dawn … well, I don’t know what I would’ve done. As much as it hurt losing you, this was a thousand times worse. I know now, Spike and I were always meant to be together – he’s my destiny.  This is what I want to do.”

Angel took a deep breath and nodded slowly.  He reached down and picked up an ancient tome from the table and waited for the two pairs of lovers to ready themselves for the claim ceremony.  Both Spikes stripped their coats and shirts off as the two Willows handed their respective Buffy a ceremonial dagger.

When everyone was in place and ready, Angel read the claim ceremony from the torn and tattered pages of the book.

“At rector of prosapia Aurelius , EGO, Angelus, exspectata Buffy Anne Summers-Weckerly, The Slayer. Suus hostilis es nostri quod nostri es ipsa, suus pugna es nostri quod nostri es ipsa. is est iam of dominus versus , quod porro ut versus William the Bloody.  Cruor ut cruor sic vadum is exsisto.”

As if they’d rehearsed it, both Buffys moved in tandem, using their daggers to cut a deep slice just where their Spike’s neck and shoulder met.

Spike pulled Buffy to him, brought the demon up and buried his fangs into her neck as she clamped her mouth over the bleeding gash in his. Willow retrieved the dagger from Buffy’s hand as Spike’s fangs pierced his wife’s skin. Neither were aware any longer of the other people in the room, not of Willow or Angel or their counterparts from this dimension – they were aware only of each other, the coppery taste of the other’s blood as it flowed into their mouths and the feeling of euphoria that inevitably came with it.

Spike’s arms encircled Buffy as he relished the sweet taste of her Slayer blood flowing over his fangs and across his tongue. He could feel her body respond to him as her legs quivered and her knees began to give. He held her body tightly against his, widening his stance and supporting her full weight as he sipped at her bounty and felt her sucking passionately at his neck.

Spike’s erection strained against his dress pants and pressed against Buffy’s hip as he held her to him, determined to do what he hadn’t done during the first claim ceremony … bring her to climax right there – there were no Watchers or mothers here this time.

Buffy sucked at Spike’s neck, the feel and taste of his blood was as intoxicating at that moment as the feel of his fangs and lips sucking at her own blood.  Buffy felt her legs quiver and her knees begin to buckle and she wrapped her arms around Spike’s neck for support.  She could feel his strong arms around her, holding her body against his and she knew where he was taking her – to their little piece of heaven, and she didn’t fight it.

Buffy’s orgasm built quickly as Spike held her against him, his fangs were an aphrodisiac to her, just as her blood was to him.  Buffy felt her climax building from deep within her. Like a symphony orchestra filled a music hall with anticipation and suspense as it built to the dramatic crescendo, Buffy’s orgasm did the same in her body. Flowing out from her core, from her very soul, and slowly building … building higher, building louder, until it filled her with the music of a thousand symphony orchestras all reaching a crescendo at once.  

Buffy lost all ability to form a coherent thought as the music of her climax engulfed her with its beauty and power. She withdrew her mouth from Spike’s neck to draw in a deep, ragged breath before allowing the music that resonated through her to escape her body in a long, soulful scream as Spike continued to suck softly at her neck and support her fully in his arms. 

Buffy’s body bucked and trembled against his and her scream of release filled the room … but it wasn’t alone…Rome!Buffy’s screams joined hers and together they encompassed the whole room, and everyone in it, with their passion for Spike.

As Spike felt Buffy coming down from heaven, he morphed back into his human face and licked her wound gently to stop the bleeding and close it.  As soon as she was able to think clearly again, even before her knees regained their strength, Buffy concentrated on opening the bond as she’d learned to do before.

Spike? Did it work? Can you hear me? Buffy sent to him.

Bloody brilliant! It worked! God, Buffy, it’s back! Spike replied back to her.

As Buffy’s legs started working again, she pulled herself back up to standing on her own, her arms still around his neck and Spike’s arms still holding her against him. Buffy pulled herself up onto her toes and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. Spike picked her up until her feet lifted off the floor and returned it with just as much joy and zeal as he felt from her.

I love you, Buffy … Spike told her through the bond.

“I love you, too, Spike,” Buffy mumbled aloud against his lips before recapturing them with hers. More than words could ever say …