*****
Finally reaching her house, Buffy took one long breath to calm
herself before she went through the door.
All the important men of her life were inside; she had to get
herself together before she faced them all at once.
“What are we doing here?” Riley asked breaking Buffy’s quiet
moment.
Sighing, she grabbed Riley’s arm and pulled him inside.
Opening the front door and looking into the lounge room, Buffy
could see her three suitors , as well Willow, Tara, Xander and
Anya, it seemed the whole gang was there. She almost felt they
would all turn around suddenly and shout “SURPRISE!” but
instead Buffy found she had walked in on the middle of a heated
argument.
“She told me to wait here for her. This was to be a special night!”
“Then why the hell are we all here?”
Everyone turned around to find Buffy, with Riley close behind her,
staring at them all.
Turning back to the argument, the shouting started up once more.
“See I told you she would come for me! Now you can be leavin’
now.All of you.”
“She’s not here for just you moron, she told us to come as well.”
“Who the hell’s that with her?”
“I’m Riley, her fiancé.”
“Her what? No son, she’s here to be with me.”
“No ,I love her more.”
“She’s mine.”
“She was never yours, she’ll always love me.”
“We may have only met a couple of times, but we have more
passion in our relationship than either of you have in your little
fingers.”
“You don’t have a relationship.”
“Ok Ok stop! The Buffsters not with any of you guys,” Xander
threw his arms up to get everyone’s attention, calling out over the
commotion. Walking up to Buffy, he put his arm around her as a
blue light lit up his eyes, “She’s with me.”
A new fight broke out in the room at Xander’s declaration.
“Oh crap,” Buffy said softly to herself.
*****
Storming towards the pair Anya asked angrily, “Xander what are
you doing?”
But not waiting for his answer, the ex-demon turned to Buffy and
demanded crossly, “Get your sleazy hands off my boyfriend!”
“Happily, if he would get *his* hands off *me*”
“Look Anya,” Xander turned to his girlfriend not taking his arm
from around Buffy, “We had a good time, but what Buffy and I
have… it’s special. What *we* had…well, it’ll never compare.”
“Alright Casanova,” Buffy said taking Xander’s arm off her
shoulders, “This has got to stop.”
“Indeed,” Giles said from behind her.
“Giles! Thank god!” Buffy threw her arms around her former
watcher, but quickly let go, eying him suspiciously.
“You’re not in love with me now are you Giles? ‘Cause that
would be kinda ew.”
Giles raised his eyebrow before answering, “No Buffy I am not,
but I’ll explain everything when EVERYONE SETTLES
DOWN!”
Startling everyone into silence, Giles took charge of the situation,
“could each person please find a place to be seated, this is going to
take quite a while, and we have much information to sift through
before we can make any reasonable conclusions, but Willow has
informed me of how much she is involved the situation, and I
think I now know…”
“What?? Will?! This was all because of you?!” The Slayer shouted
at her best friend, interrupting Giles.
Willow shrunk in her chair, trying to make herself as small as
possible.
“Uh…kinda?” Willow screwed up her face in anxiety, “But I
swear, Buffy, I didn’t know it was gonna turn out this way!We
were just looking through that book, and found a spell…”
“I knew it!! I knew it had to be a spell! Damn it Will! Do you
*remember* what happened to me the last time you did one of
your screwed up spells?”
“I wouldn’t call that spell screwed up, it was just…”
“Oh I think planning to get married to your mortal enemy can be
classified as screwed up,” Buffy shot out angrily as Willow shrunk
even further into her chair.
Riley stood up suddenly, approached Buffy and asked confused,
“Buffy, you told me you made that up. You-you said Spike wasn’t
real, I-I don’t understand. And spells? I think I’m missing
something.”
“A few too many brain cells I think.” A very distinctive voice came
from the doorway, “Ello pet,” with a lopsided grin, Spike stared
intently at Buffy as if there wasn’t another soul in the room.
Turning her head and giving Spike a meaningful look, Buffy didn’t
notice everyone else in the room tense, and look at Angel. Well
that is except Willow, who sighed in relief, glad she was now out
of the harsh spotlight.
Getting up and walking predatorily towards Spike, Angel grabbed
him by the neck and slammed him against the nearest wall.
“What are you doing here?”
Spike turned his attention to his Sire and said flippantly, “To pick
up my laundry, you?” he then gave a dramatic leer, Angel wouldn’t
scare him into submission.This was *his* territory now.
“You are not to see her, do you hear me? Stay away from her.”
“Um hello? This *her* is still in the room.” Buffy said
sarcastically.
“Get your hands off him Angel.”
“But Buffy. I…”
“Get. Your. Hands. Off. Him.”
Letting go of his Childe’s neck he hissed in his ear, “This isn’t
over.”
“Ohh, I’m scared, the Poofs threatening me.”
Turning and taking his seat again, Angel sat silently fuming.
Smirking Spike leaned against the door fame and lit up a cigarette.
“So what’s a girl like you, doin’ in a place like this?”
“Spike, put that thing out, and sit down. I don’t have the patience
for this.”
“But Slay…”
“No buts Spike. Sit.”
Grumbling, Spike sat on the arm of Buffy’s armchair, as there
weren’t any chairs left in the room.
“Uh, right,” Giles said uncertainly, confused at Buffy’s reaction to
Spikes arrival, but continueing nevertheless, “Well, as long as
we’re all here, and there are no more interruptions, we’ll get
started.”
“Sure Giles, but Willow? We’re gonna have a talk later,” Willow
shrunk into her chair a little lower as Buffy glared expressively in
her direction.
“Indeed. Well it seems I have most of the details from Willow and
Oz, but Buffy, before I come to any conclusions I would like to
hear what has been going on from your point of view.”
Snorting, Buffy gladly nodded, finally someone sane to listen to
her and actually help with this mess.
*****
“…So that’s about it, I came here straight after I found Riley.”
“Well, it seems to be as I suspected.”
Everyone waited for Giles as he absently took his glasses off and
started to wipe them with a handkerchief, caught up in his own
thoughts.
“Giles? Earth to Giles, you still with us?”
“Oh, y-yes of course Xander. I-I was just thinking.”
“Well are you done procrastinating yet? I’d like to know what the hell’s going on,” Buffy asked irritably.
“Indeed, I apologize. I shall explain it all to you soon I’ll just have to take one more look at the spell Willow
had cast and then I can be sure.”
Everyone in the room groaned as Willow got up to retrieve the book from her bag, some also yawned, it was
already one in the morning, and they had been there for 2 hours already.
Flipping through the ancient spell book and a small Spanish dictionary, Giles ummed and ahhhed, for a while
as people started to nod off, or paced in frustration and a few even fought once more.
Suddenly Giles slapped the heavy book shut, startling everyone out of their activities.
“Well then, I’ve translated the spell and have consequently found what it has done.
It’s seems Buffy, you have become the center of all the men-in-your-life’s affections.”
“Well duh, we knew that 2 hours ago! What’s actually happening to them and when are they going to stop this
game of Love Connection with me?!”
“Ah yes, well it appears th-they have all been affected because they all had feelings for you , previous to this incident.
Even if it was a minute attraction, once they were in close proximity to you, they, essentially, fell in love, or lust as
it may. I was not affected because though I do have feelings for you, they are only fatherly feelings. And to answer
your other question, I am hoping the spell should have run its course by morning.”
“Wow,” Buffy whispers flopping back into her chair, stunned to say the least.
Thinking over what Giles had just said, Buffy asked slowly, “So-so, you all had feelings for me before this?”
“I’ll love you Buffy, for ever and a day.”
“Of course Buff, you know I’ve always had a thing for you.”
“I still do, love you that is.”
“I hated you with a passion but I love you bout just as much Slayer.”
“I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you.”
“Ya that sounds bout right.”
Five voices told Buffy one by one, getting mixed reactions from the other occupants of the room.
Willow got up quickly, saying softly to herself, “Oh god, oh god,” then ran out of the room. Tara ran after Willow to
console her newfound friend.
Anya walked towards Xander slowly, lifted her hand, changed her mind for a second lowering it, than punched him
with all her might, receiving a grunt as his head snapped to the side. Turning back to his what-seemed-to-be now
ex-girlfriend, he gave her a blank look, clutching his nose.
She turned and sat in her seat silently.
Giles got up and left the room, knowing intuitively that there was to be a fight soon, and was not disappointed,
when Spike and Angel both went to console Buffy.
Slapping Spike's outreached hand away from Buffy, Angel ordered him angrily, “Get your hands away from her. I told
you before *boy*, she’s mine!”
“She’s not yours *old man*, you gave up that right when you left.”
“Stop it! Stop it both of you!” Buffy’s cried out, covering her hands over her ears, and shutting her eyes tightly.
They each extended their arms to console her, touching her at the same time.Both vampires turned to glare at each
other, neither of them willing to give the other the pleasure of seeing them back off.
Buffy opened her eyes and stared at the wall, not daring to look at either, as everyone else in the room sat apprehensively,
watching the tension build.
Breaking the consuming silence, Willow returned to the room, red eyed but consoled it seemed, as Tara walked in
tentatively behind her.
Standing up straight, Angel addressed Spike in a dangerously low voice, “When this is over, believe me, we’re gonna
have a confrontation…. If we still… remember… this… in the morning,” Angel ended uncertainly, still unsure of the
spell and what it entailed.
“Yeah whatever,” Spike dismissed him with a wave of his hand, then under his breath *Poof* so only the people nearest
him heard.
Buffy quickly gave him a tired grin, which he returned before he turned and left into the night.
Turning back to see Giles walking back into the room giving her a look Buffy asked, “What?”
Shaking his head , Giles turned back to address the group once more.
“I think it would be best if everyone gets some sleep. It’s been a long night and everyone’s nerves are quite strained.
Buffy you run along upstairs to bed, I think you need sleep most. Willow will be able to get home alright won’t you?”
“Sure. I can walk with Tara.” Willow said giving Oz a pointed look, which he turned away from quickly.
“Very well then. Buffy, will you be alright here by yourself?” Giles asked his charge concerned.
“I’ll stay with her!” four voices shouted out started a new round or arguments.
*****
WOOHOO!! It’s finished!!!
This is where the other three stories are gonna start from, it’s like a pick your own ending type thing
.