"The Way It Goes..."

Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series...

Summary: Again interrupting real world work for goofing off...But it's my last free weekday till Xmas...After seeing Buffy in Europe Angel and Will find contentment...

Spoilers for recent Angels to "Destiny"-You must flee!...

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"So..." Wes sat, perched on the edge of the large desk behind which a recently returned from Europe Angel sat...Staring a bit...

"Well..." Angel sighed...Shaking his head as he looked at Wes...Who eyed his boss and best friend sympathetically...Good ole Angel...Taking this crushing blow so well, really...

Except...That strange cackle he keeps making...?

"William seems to have won the whole shebang...Humpf..." Angel nodded...That strange gasping cackle again at the end, Wes noted...

Best to keep a careful eye on the poor fellow...Could be a warning sign...After all a heavy blow like this could...

"I suppose as long as he and my Buf are happy...That's what counts, right?...The happiness of two people you care for...Hum...humpf..." he gasped a little again...The solemn look on his face only slightly marred at the end...

"Good ole Will...He's a good man and I believe that he deserves this, Wes...I mean that, sincerely..."

God, do I mean that...

Hummpff...he choked a bit...

Such a noble soul...Wes sighed...Gotta find someway to make things work out for him and Cordelia at least...And the prophecy...

***

London...

"Hhhhhh...William..." Buffy gasped, sucking desperately... "Just pull a litttllle mooooreee...Oh..."

Dawn with Giles beside her rolled her eyes...She is never gonna get into that...And if she does, oh...God...

William gave a mighty tug at the blouse...

"Ttthheere...Grrreat...Thanks, honey..." the Slayer patted her restored dearly beloved with a hand...A large hand...

Will blinking at the hideously tight blouse...Size 20 on at least a size 26 frame...As Buffy returned to carefully munching on her strudel...Found these in Brussels...Oh, God were they good...she noted...

"Ohhh...Sweetheart..." she grabbed him...Cuddling him in a suffocating embrace... "My pooor Willy...But it's all over now...We're together...At last..." Arrghh...Will gasped...Oooh...Sorry...she released him...

All four of you Dawn thought...

"Will..." Buffy looked down...At the bunched up blouse, straining at every button... "I'm real sorry about gaining so much weight...Willow and Giles think it's a side effect of the mass Slayer activation...Lost a little of my ole super metabolism..."

But I think I was just sooo...Depressed...Over you...she sighed...But now...she beamed...Then looked anxious...Quadruple chins forming as she bit a large lower lip...

"It won't make a difference...Will?...Will it?..."

Certainly lightened Angel's load of sorrow after the two of them came racing each other across the Atlantic over here...Dawn thought, maintaining a non-committal air...

He looked at her...Giles and Dawn looking at him over her head...Carefully...

Don't you dare...At least not today...Angel's running for the door after a quick and rather content acceptance of Buf's profession in Will's favor having been bad enough for her strained ego...

Still...Dawn had to be fair...Buf hadn't even tried to get him back via some practical means like resurrection...Just sat round moping and stuffing herself once the new Slayers' training was set...

Now if it had been me...With access to Willow, Council magics archives, and possibly a few wiccan- will-breaking hypnotics...

"No...Dear heart..." William smiled...Patting her gently... "It doesn't make a difference..."

"Not with me being a nineteenth century type...Who can appreciate a little extra cuddle fat..."

Oh, Will...she glowed...Licking her fingers... "And I promise the cuddlin' will be great..."

Startin' tonight...she grinned...

Thank God he's still dead...Giles thought...Or tonight he would be...Hmmn...He eyed Buffy as she reached for her third strudel...Gotta celebrate, she happily noted...

Maybe Wesley and they were wrong about that cup of perpetual torment being a phony...

And with me bein' friends more or less with the world's most powerful Wiccan...Who oughta have a weight-loss spell or two somewhere around...William did not say...Kissing Buffy gently...Ooophf...she rubbed her mouth in embarrassment...Sor'...she mumbled, swallowing the strudel bite and brushing crumbs...

'Sides...She really doesn't look that bad to a nineteenth century type...We liked 'em large in those days after all...Broodo's a bigger yet shallower moron than I even gave him credit for...

Though perhaps a little strenuous Patrolling couldn't hurt...

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