“I know, Buffy, it’s so incredible,” she gushed. “I never thought it would happen. It seemed like it was so far off. First it was four years in the future, and then two, and then one, and now all of a sudden it’s three days. I can’t believe it’s finally here!” she sighed contentedly. “And Mom has all the details taken care of, and she’s been doing absolutely everything for me, and so all I have to do is sit back and let her work her magic.”
“There’s not going to be any magic involved in this ceremony, is there, Will?” she inquired, raising an eyebrow.
“Absolutely not,” Willow denied. She tossed a loving smile my way. “Well, except for the magic between me and Xander.”
“Will, that was cornier even than I can get,” I protested with an indulgent grin.
“That’s difficult to do,” Buffy reminded me. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Or maybe it’s because it’s in a sappy-corny way,” I conceded. “I tend to do my best work in the obnoxiously dumb-corny way.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that,” Buffy replied with a nod. She focused her attention back on Will. “So, where’s the honeymoon going to be?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Willow blushed. “Surely dear old Mumsy isn’t taking care of *that* little detail as well?”
“We’re going to Italy,” Willow revealed, smiling shyly. She sank back into my arms and I held her tight. “Mom, Dad, and Giles are pitching in to help us take the most romantic honeymoon imaginable. Of course, we can also do some connecting for the company, so part of it we’ll be able to write off as business expenses.”
“Italy,” Buffy sighed, smiling happily. “How romantic.”
“It certainly better be,” I replied, smirking. “With how much it’s costing us all, we better get every dollar’s worth.”
“Xander, don’t you dare bring up the subject of money while we’re gone!” Willow reprimanded me. She twisted a bit in my arms and frowned up at me. “I know you have this incredible mind for business, and I know you’re on the verge of breaking into some big-time money-making, but you’re *not* going to ruin our honeymoon with talk about how you could be saving so much.” She pouted and I leaned over to press a kiss to the top of her head.
“Willow, honey, I *promise* to you that I will not talk about money and business while we’re in Italy,” I vowed. She harrumphed and snuggled back against my chest again.
“So, what are you two going to do about work, and where are you going to live, and how are you going to live the rest of your life?” Buffy pressed eagerly.
I rolled my eyes and Willow giggled. “Well, it’s going to be tough, but I think HarrisWorks is going to be a pretty big competitor in the computer industry. We’re only in our second year, and already we’re making Microsoft hurt. Trends show that HarrisWorks is consistently a favorite with consumers; we’re a lot more customer-friendly than most of the big computer chains, and the software we’ve produced is easier to use than the stuff the big conglomerates want to shove down our throats,” Willow explained, pride evident in her voice.
“From a monetary standpoint, we’re doing great. We’ve invested wisely, payoffs are big right now, and it shows signs of continuing in a like fashion,” I continued, my business spiel creeping into my explanation. “We’re doing stuff that people like. We’ve made software that’s easy to use for the people who don’t know much about computers, but challenging enough for the people who know how to use it. There’s a little something for everyone, and that makes the consumers happy. I think we’re going to be okay. Plus, I have an idea for a little side venture. . .”
“Not now, Xand,” Willow admonished me, getting up and sitting back against the couch. “We’re supposed to be talking about the wedding. Not about the company.”
“Well, I can’t help it,” I protested. “I’ve never been smart before. Now I know I have this innate ability to do business, and do it well. I want to keep my mind sharp so I don’t get dumb again.”
“Alexander Harris, you will never be dumb,” she chastised, her soft smile belying the sharp tone.
“Ahem,” Buffy interrupted, a sheepish smile coming to her lips.
“Sorry, Buff. We forgot,” I apologized. She grinned in return.
“Well, since the company is doing so well, and since California is kind of a mecca for computer-industry related businesses, we think staying in our present location is the optimum choice,” Willow added. “So, we might stay in L.A., but quite honestly, we’re thinking of returning to Sunnydale.”
“Are you serious?” Buffy squealed excitedly. Willow and I nodded our heads, identical smiles appearing on both of our faces. “It just hasn’t been the same. I mean, I know you could have always stayed in Boston after you graduated college, but even though you chose to return to California, it’s like you’re still living in a different state. You guys don’t visit near often enough,” she complained. “But if you move back to Sunnydale, it’ll be like old times,” she continued, the grin reappearing.
“Well, we have other reasons, too,” I admitted, glancing at Willow. She nodded her head. “We don’t want to raise our children in L.A.”
“You can always move here later on,” Buffy reminded us pragmatically. “Not that I’m urging you guys to stay in L.A., of course, but you don’t have to move right now.”
“Well, actually,” I began, hesitating.
“By the time we return from Italy, it’ll be kind of a moot issue,” Willow finished, grinning.
“How long are you planning to stay in Italy?” Buffy joked.
“Six months,” we chorused quietly. Buffy’s eyes widened in realization.
“Will?” Willow smiled. “Ohmigod, you’re pregnant, aren’t you?” Buffy screamed.
“Nearly four months,” I stated proudly. I pulled Willow back to my side and hugged her tightly. “We figured now was as good a time as any. HarrisWorks is a fledgling company, but it’s doing well, and Willow and I are at really stable points in our lives. We’re getting married, so it’s not like the baby is going to be illegitimate, we’re in good shape financially, and we have the support of our family and friends. We’re adults, true adults instead of pseudo-adults, we are emotionally and financially ready to care for a child, and we really want one. We’ve been together for seven years, and we figure we know as well as we ever will how life will go once we’re married. We’ve actually been trying for the last two years, but Willow only conceived in December.”
“We want to raise the baby here in Sunnydale. The paranormal activity has settled down in the last few years, and we have more knowledge than anyone else ever did about the dangers of our town,” Willow continued. “We think that it’s as safe as any other town, and we want our child to grow up where we did. We were happy here, for the most part, and we know the baby will be, too.”
“Well, I’m happy with your choice, and I’m *thrilled* that I’m going to have a little niece or nephew around to spoil like crazy,” Buffy giggled. She engulfed us both in huge hugs and then stood up. “I really hate to bail on you like this, but I have to throw in a little patrolling before Giles has a coronary. He’s as excited as I am about the wedding, but he also has that Watcher mentality. You’d think he would have kicked it, after being dismissed from the Council seven years ago. But, you know Giles. ‘Slayer has a sacred duty,’ ‘One must never let one’s guard down,’ yada, yada. So, I slay.”
“And I sleep,” Willow yawned. I scooped her up and we finished saying our good-byes to Buffy. When she was safely on her way, I carried Willow up the stairs to her old bedroom and lay her down in the bed. “Do you know what my parents would have said if they ever thought we were having sex in this bed all those years ago?” Willow giggled sleepily. “Strange, they’re not saying much now. . .” And with those final words, she lapsed into sleep.
“The really strange thing, my dear Willow, is that all those years ago, we *were* having sex in this bed, and now that they expect it of us, we’re not,” I whispered, smiling as I lay down beside her. I took her in my arms and joined her in slumber.
On to Part Two
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