Disclaimer: Joss is god. I am a lowly plebe in the world of Spuffy.
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Chapter 21: Recognition

Buffy checked the date on the calendar. Today was the day that shall remain in infamy, the day she lowered her standards and went to work at the Doublemeat Palace. Buffy counted herself lucky that she had avoided that tragic route again.

Spike stumbled down the stairs with a frown on his face.

“What’s your problem?” she asked.

“There was no naked slayer in my bed this morning,” he pouted.

Buffy gave him sympathetic look and petted his head.

“I can’t stay in bed all day you know, even if there is a very distracting naked vampire in there with me.”

Spike smirked.

“So what made you leave our bed of mated bliss then?” he asked.

“Martial bliss? It’s Anya’s bridal shower tonight. Expect me home late and drunk.”

“Drunk Naked Slayer?”

“You betcha.”
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As Maid of honour, Buffy was in charge of Anya’s bridal shower. Dawn was excited. Which was a good thing. She’d been Broody Miss for a few days now, every vengeful since the mole girl incident.

Buffy sat and stared at her scythe before her. She was returning it to Giles, so that he could ‘discover’ to his hearts delight.

Of course also open before her were volumes of volumous books, that would potentially provide the insight needed to create a spell that would make there only be one slayer.

Her brain hurt, a lot.

The magic, the white power that she had, it was something she never asked for, she never really wanted, it kinda just crept up on her. Giles’ explanation years and years from now had been that maybe all Slayers when they reach this age would just naturally acquire the magic.

Willow had said it was inherent.

And now here she was, looking up a spell to make it so that there would be only one slayer again, with power that was inherent to Slayers.

Willow.

She hadn’t talked to Willow on a one on one basis for a couple of days and she cringed to think just how Willow would take to the fact that Buffy was all powerful and witchy. And of course how she had been all don’t use your power. Buffy didn’t see rainbows and puppies in that scenario.

The books before her stared back menacingly. They taunted her. Defying her to attempt to find their secrets.

Buffy stuck her tongue out at them. Stupid books

Buffy got up out of her chair and headed into the training room. The punching bag was her friend in times like this.

She needed to de-stress. The party was catered, with Willow doing the demon food.

Buffy was proud of Willow, she had found a niche. Buffy had even gone so far as to suggest that Willow open her own catering business for the demon population of Sunnydale.

Tara had thought it a great idea, Willow just needed a little bit of encouraging.

Buffy worked herself into a steady rhythm of punches and kicks to her heavy bag, only to be startled by Dawn entering the training room.

“He’s annoying, and impossible, and I don’t understand why I would ever want to have that man’s kid!” shouted Dawn as she slouched into a nearby chair.

Buffy laughed.

“But you were friends with him,” said Buffy. “Yes, Andrew is annoying, and yes he’s impossible and has a bad habit of making things overly dramatic and forcing video cameras into your face, but he was your friend.”

“So you are saying that I wasn’t in love with him?”

“God no. He was your best friend, you two decided to have a kid together.”

Dawn let out a sigh. “Oh thank god.”

“Did it really worry you that much?” asked Buffy.

“You have no idea,” said Dawn with a smile.
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Like most Scooby parties, Anya’s bridal shower was being held at the Magic Box. It was a women only affair.

The guest list wasn’t extensive, just Anya’s closest friends, Buffy, Willow, Tara, Dawn, Amy, Rowan, Hallie and a few other’s that had been at the Engagement party that Buffy really didn’t know all that well. They opened the party with a game to make the best veil out of toilet paper.

Which inevitably led to the Magic box being covered in the stuff.

Anya wore the winning creation, by Dawn, on her head for the rest of the night. Buffy won the loser, by Willow, until it fell apart, which was about 15 mins. So to clarify, Buffy wore toilet paper on her head for the rest of the evening.

Buffy groaned as Dawn got out the camera. She was never going to live this down.

Willow started to pass out the M&Ms to start the next game.

Buffy stared down at the 5 M&Ms that she held in her hand. Now she had to think of 5 things to say about Anya that were true.

Dawn was first.

“I have 7 M&Ms, so 7 things huh? Um, Anya likes money,” said Dawn.

“Very true,” said Anya, “but not very original.

“She dated a Troll,” continued Dawn. “She has a dance of capitalist superiority.”

Anya nodded cheerfully.

“Which we will make her do after we get her really drunk,” added Buffy.

“Oh I’ll do it now, you don’t have to ply me with alcohol, I’d be more than happy to dance,” said Anya happily.

“She’s scared of bunnies, Her Birthday is on the 4th of July, Her first date with Xander was the senior prom, and her favourite food are portanus.”

Dawn seemed pleased with herself for her truths about Anya, and how she had gone first now no one could use those things. Buffy could sense some groaning from the other’s assembled.

Willow was next.

“I have 6 M&Ms. Oooh, Anya doesn’t have a driver’s license, but feels that she can drive anyway.”

“Why do I need a driver’s licence when I have Xander to drive me places?” asked Anya.

“You can’t just rely on Xander for rides Anya,” said Dawn.

“I’ve never needed to drive a car, well besides the time when Willow set Olaf free from that crystal with her little ball of sunshine.”

“I didn’t know your ex boyfriend was in that crystal,” whined Willow.

“Well if you ask me, the whole idea was nuts. Little ball of sunshine...”

“Sounds preposterous,” agreed Hallie.

Willow glared at Hallie and Anya.

Sensing some tension, Buffy sat up from her chair.

“Margaritas!” she said falsely chipper. “We so need Margaritas!”

“I’ll have you know, that I’m a very competent witch and just because one spell didn’t go according to plan...well I’m sure there have been some of your vengeance spells that didn’t go all happy faces!” said Willow.

“A competent witch knows her limitations,” said Hallie snidely.

“Willow, can you help me with the margaritas?” asked Buffy.

Willow turned to look at her friend and flicked her wrist. In the training room Buffy could hear the blender that they had brought over for the occasion buzz to life.

“That’s not what I meant,” Buffy mumbled under her breath.

“Willow...” said Tara softly obviously trying to calm down her girl friend.

“No, Tara, she’s insulting and I don’t have to put up with it,” said Willow loud enough so the rest of the room heard.

“Willow!” gasped Tara.

Buffy looked between Hallie and Willow. This could only end in badness. Then, as if on cue, a tray full of margaritas floated into the shop.

Buffy grabbed one and took a sip, letting the sweet lime taste drip down her throat. Buffy closed her eyes and tried to drown out the yelling.

“I have been Anyanka’s best friend for centuries!” Hallie was shouting. “I have every right to be here!”

Buffy opened her eyes again to see Dawn helping herself to a margarita. The slayer walked across the room and plucked the drink from her underage sister’s hands.

“I don’t think so there Dawnie,” said the older sister.

“Come on Buffy, it’s a special occasion!” protested Dawn.

“The wedding is a special occasion. This is just a gathering, which any second now is going to turn into an opportunity for renovation.”

“Huh?”

Buffy pointed to Willow and Hallie, still staring each other down.

“You aren’t even on the bride’s side of the ceremony, aren’t you like the best woman or something terribly politically correct? In my day this would have been a terrible faux pas.”

“That’s cause you are older than dirt.”

“Hey!” protested Anya and Buffy simultaneously.

“Sorry Anya, Buffy,” said Willow sheepishly.

Hallie tapped her foot.

Willow remained silent.

“Willow, just apologize, so we can move on, please?” begged Buffy.

“I think she should apologise to me!”

“Wills, think about Anya, it’s her party,” said Tara.

Willow’s face softened briefly. “Sorry Anya, but your friend is rude.”

“Oh, sometimes, yes she is,” agreed Anya with a smile. “That’s how she got herself elevated to be a demon. that’s a fabulous story Hallie, you should tell it.”

Hallie’s face softened.

“That is a great story.” Hallie sat down on her chair once more and took a margarita. “I am much much younger than Anyanka you know. When I was still human, my mother kept making me go to these dull dull parties, with intolerable people, just so that I could meet the right people, you know to marry me off. I don’t know what was wrong with me but I keep attracting creepy guys. Well this one guy wouldn’t leave me alone. Wrote me poetry. It was bad poetry too. God it was awful. He was beneath me.”

As Hallie told her story Buffy’s eyes went wide. She could believe that she hadn’t seen it before. Hallie was Cecily Underwood! The girl who had broken William's heart and sent him into the night to be turned by Drusilla.

Buffy felt her hands clench and her nails dig into the palms of her hands. She suddenly felt the need to get more food out of the fridge. For the first time she cursed the fact that she had all the food catered. She could have worked off a lot of tension by chopping something.

Cause right now she kept seeing herself chopping off Hallie’s head in her mind’s eye.
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After all the guests had gone home and Anya and Buffy were cleaning up the mess left by the toilet paper, paper cups, and napkins.

“The man in Hallie’s story was Spike,” said Buffy at once.

“Yes,” sighed Anya. “I am glad that she didn’t tell everyone that though. I like Spike.”

“Does Hallie know that Spike is William?”

“I don’t know, though I think it very unlikely that she doesn’t. She has a remarkable memory.”

“I don’t want to think what Spike would do when he recognises her,” said Buffy worried.

“They can’t do anything more to each other. Spike’s dead, and Hallie’s a demon.”

“I have a very bad feeling about this.”
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tbc...