TITLE: Proposals
AUTHOR: Ragna (writinggoddess@aol.com)
RATING: FRT
CLASSIFICATION: Spike/Other, Giles/Other, Xander/Other, Buffy/Other, Willow/Oz.
SUMMARY: Get this: Giles is getting married, and wackiness ensues.
SPOILERS: Set in my own little universe.
DISTRIBUTION: Any sites with my fic up; you all have unspoken permission. I write it, you can post it. Everyone else just keep my name on it and let me know.
DISCLAIMER: If you don't recognize it, chances are it's my own creation. If you do, I don't own it. Joss Whedon, Kazui Sandollar, The WB, UPN, et. al. most likely do.
FEEDBACK: Please send it offlist and let me know it's feedback; I do rapid delete on my account due to a lot of spam.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Originally, this was posted as parts 1 & 2.

***

"Will you marry me?"

Giles was down on one knee, looking up Patricia, who had tears in her eyes. The small but friendly crowd in the library listened in anticipation for one simple word. Which they soon got.

"Yes!" And Giles slipped the ring on her finger.

Alex and Gaby clapped and ran up to hug their soon-to-be aunt. The other's hung back a bit, some with tears in their eyes and some with big smiles on their faces.

The group had grown a bit. In addition to the Scooby Gang a year ago, which was Giles, Patricia, Alex, Spike, Gaby, Xander, Oz and Willow, there were now some new faces. Gillian, the Watcher who''d helped save Gaby and Xander in the 1400s, was there, as well as Mike and Joe, two of Gaby's friends from high school, both of whom had moved to Sunnydale to work for Alex's business.

"Can we call you Aunt Patricia soon?" Gaby teased.

"I'm not sure. It makes me sound old."

Everyone laughed and got back to researching the newest demon to hit Sunnydale.

***

"Wow," Buffy said as she and Mike walked to her dorm. "Can you believe how incredibly romantic that was?"

"Yeah," he said, taking her hand. "If I ever propose, I'll do the same thing. Then immediately get back to work."

Buffy laughed. "That's true Giles spirit, though. Wow, and to think it's been a year since they met."

"That's probably why they're getting married so fast. Plus, summer vacation's about the only time he'll be able to get off for a honeymoon. And with her opening her own practice..."

"Yeah," she said as they arrived at her dorm hall. "I'm glad Gaby's doing more of the slaying now. That means I can spend more time with you.' She leaned over and kissed him.

He looked at the school a bit regretfully. "I miss being in school a bit," he said as they pulled apart. "I envy you, actually."

"One more year, that's all. Just one!" she said. "I have to go. See you tomorrow?" She disappeared through the doors.

"Yeah, tomorrow," he said softly.

***

Across campus at the other dorm rooms, Willow and Oz were having a similar conversation.

"That was so sweet," Willow said. "The way he did it in front of all of us."

Oz nodded. "He's happy. He needs some of that in his life."

"But did you hear Patricia? She wants Alex and Gaby as her maids of honor, and me, Buffy and Gillian as bridesmaids. Isn't that cool?"

"Yeah. You guys will look great." They arrived at his dorm room and stood there for a minute. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her goodnight and went inside his room. Willow waited for a moment and then went next door to her own room.

***

"Did you know your uncle was going to do that?" Xander asked Gaby as they walked into their apartment.

She shook her head. "I had no idea he'd even been considering it."

"Well, I'm glad. After...after Jenny died, none of us thought he'd ever be okay in that department."

"He's in love with a great woman. I'm glad." Her now shoulder length black hair had been curled and was falling on her shoulders in loose waves. Xander brushed it aside as he kissed her lightly.

"And so am I," he said when he pulled back.

***

Gillian and Joe arrived at her rundown apartment. "You really need a new place," he said.

"Well, an artist doesn't make much," she said defensively. "Besides, it's a loft, and I like it."

Joe shruged. "Whatever suits you best."

"Thanks for walking me home, anyway," she said calmly. "Want something to drink?"

He shook his head. "No, I have to get home. I have a business meeting tomorrow."

She walked him over to the door. As she was closing it, he popped his head back in. "Hey, um... Would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow night?"

She giggled a little. "Sure, why not? Meet me here at...five?"

He nodded. "Sure." Then he turned around and walked away, whistling a bit.

"I can't believe I said yes," she muttered.

***

"You knew, didn't you?" Spike said as they walked into her house. Actually, now it was their house since the mansion had gotten taken over by a rich woman.

"So what if I did? I wasn't about to spoil the surprise," Alex said, shutting the door behind them.

"Do you wish you could get married?" he asked her in all seriousness.

She paused for a second. "If it's not to you, no. If there was a way I could marry you, I'd say yes in an instant." She looked at her watch as she remembered something. "Oh my God! I completely forgot what today is!"

Spike smirked at her a bit. "With eveything that's been going on, I thought you would. Happy two-year anniversary," he said, leading her to the couch.

"I'm so sorry I forgot!" she said, hugging him tightly.

"Well," he said as she sat down on the couch, "I did get you a present." He kneeled down on one knee and looked at her. "Alex, I know we can never get married or anything, but I wanted to let you know I'll always love you. So...." He pulled a small velvet box out of his duster jacket.

Opening it, there was a small diamond ring, surrounded by two emeralds. He slipped it onto her finger, and smiled at her. "I can still propose, sort of. Will you love me? Forever?"

Alex stared at him, then threw her arms around his neck as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Of course!" she said. She pulled back and kissed him, a slow kiss that showed how much she already loved him.

As they pulled apart, Alex smiled. "Wow. I...I love this, but still, I didn't get you anything."

Spike kissed her again. "Just saying yes was a great present. Besides, now you can show off the ring and I'll be unbearably proud."

"I'll make sure I do that,' she said, and continued to kiss him.

***

The next evening was very busy. And yet the demon wasn't even the big topic.

"Where's Buffy?" Alex asked, looking up from a thick book. She looked around at everyone, waiting for an answer.

"Have no idea," Willow said.

"Well, add to that list Gillian, Joe, Mike, Patricia and Giles," Oz said. Gaby and Xander had just left to go on a patrol, leaving the two girls along with Oz and Spike alone in the library.

"Gillian and Joe went out on a date, actually, and Mike is in San Francisco for a business meeting," Alex said, leaning back in the chair, placing her hands behind her head as Oz walked by.

"Nice ring, Alex. Where'd you get it?" he asked.

Alex beamed. "Two year anniversary present from Spike, actually." Willow walked over and looked at the ring, smiling. "It was last night."

Willow nodded. "And I bet you forgot," she said. Alex glared a little, then sighed.

"Yeah, I did. But I'll make it up to him, soon I hope." Alex looked over to Spike, who was sitting on the table reading a dusty book. Surprisingly, he wore a pair of glasses which made him look smart and even more gorgeous than ever.

Willow, a romantic at heart, nudged Alex. "How'd he give it to you?" she asked. Alex smiled and motioned towards the door.

"Guys, we're going to get something to drink," Alex said, as the girls left the room.

Spike finally looked up. "You know what they're going to talk about, right?"

Oz nodded. "I have a pretty good idea," he said smiling.

"So, are you ever going to ask her? I mean, it's been how long?"

"Almost four years. And I want to wait for the right moment," Oz said.

"My God, you humans are slow," Spike said. "I know Alex wants to get married, and sometimes I think it's not fair."

"To her or to you?" Oz said.

Spike smiled, knowing Oz had gotten right to the point. "Both. I mean, I never wanted to until after I died, and I know she wants to very much. But..."

"You feel hopeless, right?" Spike nodded at that. "Guess what: I feel the same way."

***

"Oh, he's romantic," Alex said smiling as she and Willow opened their sodas.

"What'd he say?" Willow asked intently.

Alex grinned at her. "I got what will probably be my most romantic proposal yet." Then she sighed. "Of course, I won't ever get to marry him or anything. That's one of the problems with being in love with a vampire. The other one is that I probably will never have kids."

"Yes, but what did he say!?" Willow asked again.

Alex laughed. "He got down on one knee and asked if I'd love him forever."

"And what did you say?"

"Of course."

Willow looked a little disappointed. "That's all?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, that's all. But for us, it's enough. Unlike most people, I know I'm going to have someone by my side until I die, which might be a while. So we already know we love each other."

Willow smiled. "Me and Oz are like that too."

"And what about you two?" Alex asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," she said, shrugging a bit. "We should get back in there."

The girls grabbed their drinks and headed back towards the double doors, "I bet the guys were--" Alex was saying as an unusual sound came out of the library. Laughter.

The two girls crept up to the door and listened in. Unfortunately, they pushed on the door a little too hard and fell through as the doors opened. Spike and Oz stopped talking and looked at the two of them.

"At least we didn't spill our sodas," Willow said.

"Speak for yourself," Alex said, as her Surge can leaked it's contents all over her shirt.

Spike and Oz doubled over laughing. Alex glared at Spike for a minute, then went to her uncles office and opened up a drawer, pulling out a button down white shirt. She threw her wet shirt out towards Spike, which got his interest peaked.

As soon as he walked towards the open, door, however, Alex slammed it in his face.

"At least this time she didn't hit your nose," Willow said, drinking some more of her soda.

***

Alex walked out with the shirt buttoned down and knotted at the waist. Paired with a long black skirt and a leather duster, Alex looked rather Gothic, but in a beautiful way.

Spike walked over and kissed her cheek. "Sorry I laughed at you, love," he said quietly, standing an inch away from her.

She looked up at him. "I wasn't all that mad, but thanks anyway. I just didn't want everyone to see me change." She kissed him lightly. "And I accept your apology."

"I could get used to that," he whispered, kissing her again.

"You do know you have an audience, right?" Willow said. Alex managed to nod and continue to kiss Spike at the same time. "Just wondering."

Oz walked over and turned the radio on, and an old Smashing Pumpkins song filled the library. Alex and Spike broke apart and walked back to the books, opening one up and both reading it. Willow typed on the computer, trying to find some information on the Internet as Oz continued reading some old manuscripts.

The song changed to Collective Soul's "Run" and Willow did something very rare. She started to sing along, a beautiful contralto voice filling the room. Alex looked up and smiled at her, just listening and reading. As the song ended, Spike cleared his throat.

"Why don't you two go get some sleep?" he said, pointing to the clock. It was already one in the morning.

Oz nodded and picked up Willow's bookbag as Willow closed out her mail and packed up her laptop. "See you tomorrow?" he asked as they headed out the door.

"Yeah," Alex said. The doors shut behind them and Alex yawned. "God and Goddess, I'm tired." She got up to turn off some of the lights. "My eyes are hurting."

"I've never figured out how you can still function after so little sleep," Spike asked.

Alex giggled. "Witchcraft, dear. I use an energy spell." Des'ree's "Kissing You" came on and Alex grabbed his hand. "Want to dance?"

Looking surprised, he allowed her to pull him towards the window, where the moonlight shone on the two of them. They swayed to the music, and started to kiss each other passionately.

Pulling back a bit, Alex remarked, "That was nice."

Spike nodded. "We didn't get much work done, did we?"

"Not really, no."

"Well, shouldn't we?"

"If you want to." But neither of them moved.

"Well, we could always take some of these books home with us."

"I like that phrase."

"Which phrase?"

"Home with us."

Spike laughed. "It is home, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Alex pulled back some more. "That's not a bad idea." Still, neither of them moved.

"Eventually, one of us has to move," Spike said.

Tyrese's "Sweet Lady" came on, and the two of them broke apart, gathering up some of those books. Alex shut off the rest of the lights in the library and locked the door after her.

Suddenly, the door opened, the lights came back on, and Alex walked in.

"Forgot to turn the radio off," she said over her shoulder as she flipped the switch off.

***

Oz and Willow quietly walked towards the dorm, both with stakes in their hands.

"I envy them sometimes," Willow said quietly.

"Who? Alex and Spike?" Oz asked.

"Yeah. They're so...passionate about each other, and it shows. Notice how they always sit by each other or find some way to be close?" Willow had a slightly dreamy look in her eyes.

"Sure. But you do know we're the same way, right?"

"Well, of course, but...it's different. I'm happy with you, though," Willow said, smiling at Oz.

"Out of curiosity, do you love me?"

Willow stopped. "Why do you ask?"

Oz shrugged. "It's just that sometimes I don't know." He paused for a bit. "I mean, I know we care about each other, but does caring mean love?"

Willow looked at Oz for a bit. "Yeah."

"Yeah what?"

"Yeah. I love you."

Oz smiled. "I'm glad. I love you too."

Willow grabbed his hand as they continued to walk toward their dorm. As they approached the dorm, they could clearly hear Brandy's "Have You Ever?" being played softly. They walked up the stairs to their hall, and Oz paused when they got outside her door. "Willow, I--"

She kissed him on the lips. "I have to get some sleep. Night?"

"Goodnight." He let go of her hand as she went into her room. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a velvet box, flipping the lid open.

The diamond solitaire gleamed in what little light there was in the hall. Sighing, he shut the box and slipped in back into his pocket as he opened his dorm door. The perfect time had better hurry up, or Oz would go nuts.

***

Xander and Gaby breathlessly raced towards their apartment door. "I won!" Gaby said, glancing at her watch. It was 1:37 in the morning.

"Yeah, but you cheated!" Xander said as he got there. Gaby unlocked the door and went inside, dropping her bag of slaying supplies on the couch. She went to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of water, tossing one to Xander.

He caught it and opened it, chugging some down. "You really did cheat, you know," he said as he closed the bottle and set it down. He walked over to the couch and moved her duffel bag out of the way to sit down.

"How?" Gaby said, smiling. She finished her bottle and tossed it in the recycling bin.

"You...you...you tripped me!"

"I did not," she said, joining him on the couch. "I merely made you loose your balance, that's all." She crawled over to him and kissed him. "But if you want to make a big deal out of it..." She got up and went to the bathroom.

Xander laughed. "No, it's not a big deal. You just cheat."

"If you want, I'll race you again," Gaby said from the bathroom. She stuck her head out of the doorway. "And I promise I won't cheat this time."

Xander got up and walked into the bathroom, where Gaby was cleaning the makeup off her face. She'd quickly changed out of her jeans and T-shirt into a tank top and boxers, and Xander approached her.

"Sometimes I think you look best right before you go to bed," he said, embracing her from behind.

"And why is that?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Because I'm the only one that gets to see you this way," he said looking at their reflections in the mirror. He suddenly spotted a small cut on her face. "Did you get this tonight?"

She nodded. "When the vamp came at me, he cut my face with his fingernail. I already cleaned it."

"I'm just glad that's all the damage he did. Have you seen how strong they've been getting lately?"

"It's scary." She finished cleaning her face and turned around to face him. "But we've faced worse."

"Yeah." He led her out of the bathroom towards their room, and kissed her as they entered.

"I have to get some sleep tonight," Gaby said.

Xander grinned. "You'll get some sleep, I promise. But first..." He kissed her for a bit as they made their way to the bed and climbed in.

***

Gillian laughed as they pulled up to her apartment. "I had no idea you're so funny!" she exclaimed as Joe opened up the door for her. They walked up to her apartment and Gillian let them inside.

"Everyone tells me that," Joe said, smiling. Gillian shut the door behind them. Joe sat down on her couch.

"Well, you are. Dinner was awesome. I haven't had decent seafood in a long time," Gillian said, sitting down next to him.

"Well, it doesn't compare to Southern seafood, but that place wasn't bad," Joe said.

"I remember crabbing and stuff all the time," Gillian said with a huge smile on her face.

"No way! I didn't think you were interested in that kind of thing," Joe said. "In Beaufort, when I was younger, I spent a lot of time watching the shrimping boats come in and unload their catches."

"I used to do the same thing," Gillian said. "I used to go crabbing with my dad every weekend. Until he died, that is."

"How did he die?" Joe asked, the smile lapsing from his face.

Gillian sighed a little. "I really don't like talking about it, but...he got lung cancer when I was fifteen. He died three years later." Gillian got up and stretched. "I miss him a lot. He was a great guy. At least he died in his sleep, so he didn't feel any pain."

"I'm sorry," Joe said, getting up and following her into the kitchen. She had her back turned, and he walked in front of her. She had tears trailing down her face. "Hey," he said gently, wiping her tears away.

She kept crying softly, and finally Joe just hugged her until she stopped. "Thanks," she said. "I've needed to do that for a while." She looked up at her clock. "It's almost two in the morning. Don't you have to work tomorrow?"

Joe nodded. "I guess I should go. You sure you're going to be okay?" She nodded a little, and walked him to the door. "Hey. I really liked talking to you. How about we get together again later in the week?"

Gillian smiled. "I'd like that," she said. Joe gently kissed her cheek and left. Gillian closed the door after him and sighed, walking to her room and changing out of her clothes. As she climbed into bed and started to fall asleep, she thought of her father and felt at peace.

***

Buffy woke up the next morning in an unknown room. At first. Then she remembered that she'd gone with Mike to San Francisco for a business meeting.

At least we got separate rooms, she thought as she sat up and stretched. They'd be leaving tomorrow morning, but today was just going to be a day to enjoy themselves. If she could stop worrying if anyone had gotten her message

There was a knock on the door, and Buffy threw on a robe. "Who is it?"

"Mike," came the reply, and she hurriedly opened the door. Mike came in, carrying a great smelling breakfast of muffins and fruit, along with some cold juice. "There's a great bakery around the corner. I thought you'd like some breakfast."

Buffy grinned at him. "I'm starving." She selected a strawberry muffin and bit into it. "This is good!" she said.

Mike laughed. "I'm glad." He walked over to her window, looking out at the view. "Three of my meetings got canceled, so I have all morning free. My only meeting today is at four, and it's my shortest."

"What do you do at your meetings?" Buffy asked, peeling a banana.

"Well," Mike said, watching her eat, "I mainly listen to what type of website the company is looking for, and we come up with as much details as possible for it. Like whether they want order forms, what they want it to look like, things like that."

"Sounds fun," Buffy said dryly.

"It is if you enjoy that type of thing. Usually, Alex comes too, but she's been busy lately at the headquarters in Sunnydale lately. And Joe is mainly involved with the software aspect of the company."

"Now it sounds complicated," Buffy said, getting up and walking over to her closet to grab something to wear. "So, what were you planning to do with your new free time?"

"Spend it with you," he said. "Have you ever been up here before?"

"No," she replied on her way to the bathroom to change. Mike waited, and a few minutes later Buffy came out with a white dress on. "You like?"

"Most definitely," he said, looking his girlfriend up and down. "I've been here a few times, so I know the most interesting places."

"And those places would be...?"

"A complete surprise."

Buffy smiled and grabbed her purse as well as another muffin. "Then lead away, tour guide."

***

Unlike most other people, Alex couldn't look at the sun when she woke up unless she went downstairs. Her electric bill was always high, but if that's what it took to keep Spike with her, she'd do it.

She laid in her bed, watching Spike sleep for a bit before getting up and putting some clothes on. Walking downstairs, she realized she was starving, so she decided to make some Cream of Wheat to warm her up and wake her up. But first came the coffee...

Looking at the clock on her coffee maker, Alex noted it was almost noon. She waited for her mocha to finish before pouring a cup and walking to her computer. She had fifty new messages, most from business associates, and a few from friends. The last was from a friend of hers.

Hey Alex! Tell Rupert and his fiancée I said congratulations. Also, be on the lookout for a guy named Ricky Hill. He's a scam artist who pretends to be a wedding coordinator, then splits with the money. He pulled his scam on Lauryn and Eric. Hope you enjoy being a maid of honor, dear. Make sure to send pictures.

Alex smiled, and suddenly felt cold fingers go over her eyes. "Guess who?" a familiar voice said.

"Could it be...Malcolm Macdowell?"

"No."

"Then is it Ewan McGregor?"

"No, and that's not even the right accent."

"Then could it be Spike?"

"Correct." Alex stood up and kissed him. "Wait. I'm supposed to reward you for getting the correct answer."

"Do I usually follow the rules?" She laughed at the look on his face. "It doesn't take much thought, dear."

"Anything important?" he asked, gesturing at her computer.

"Not really. Just a warning from a friend."

"About?"

"A scam artist. Look, I'm hungry. I need to make some breakfast." She let go of him and walked towards the kitchen.

He waited until she finished eating. He turned on her CD player and Monica's "Angel of Mine" came out of the speakers. "Still listening to that soundtrack?" he asked.

"Why, you don't like it?" she asked, turning around at the table where she was still sitting.

"Not that, it's just I'm surprised. Normally you listen to a lot of alternative and rock and that stuff by those freaks."

"Which freaks?" He pulled out five CD cases and handed them to Alex. "Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Prodigy, Marilyn Manson and Billy Idol?"

He nodded. "Bowie and Idol aren't all that bad, but the others..."

Alex looked at him. "And what would you rather listen to?"

He smiled and stopped her CD, replacing it with the Swing Kids soundtrack. Alex almost choked. "You like swing?"

"Always have, love, since it came out." He offered his hand.

"I can't dance to this!" she protested, but Spike shook his head.

"I'll teach you, then." He cleared some furniture out of the way and pulled her onto the bare area of the floor. For the next few hours he proceeded to show her quite a bit of swing dance.

Exhausted, Alex sat down on the couch. "I had no idea you were so good!" she said, trying to catch her breath.

Spike shrugged. "I'm not that bloody good."

"Trust me, you are. But if you ever try to flip me again I'll hit you."

"You'll try, you mean." He smirked at her, and she attempted to hit him. He flipped her over and gently lowered her on her back. "I wouldn't hurt you," he said, his face only inches from hers.

"I know," she said, now almost totally out of breath. Spike's face hovered above hers for a moment until he leaned his head down to kiss her.

After about an hour of making out on the floor, Alex sat up. "You notice we do this a lot, right?"

Spike nodded. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," she said, smiling and leaning in to kiss him again.