still_grrr | Prompt 019 - Jesse ficlet (Reply)

Title: For the Best
Author:

lilachigh
Prompt: 019 - if Jesse hadn’t died.
Rating: PG
Time: Season 6.
Word Count: 229
Characters: Jesse, Anya, Xander, Buffy

FOR THE BEST

FOR THE BEST

He stood waiting for Anya to appear. The collar of his shirt itched and Buffy had pulled his tie too tight when she fastened it. His hands were sweating – nervous terror. Well he knew all about that. Years of being a Scoobie, fighting demons and vampires, the four of them taking on everything the undead could throw at them.

But these nerves were different. He was about to marry Anya, his beautiful, amazing ex-demon girl friend. She had chosen him, when she could have had – well, anyone. He knew she’d wanted someone normal, ordinary and deep inside he didn’t think she loved him as much as he loved her.

But that was okay. Today she would be his wife. So why the nerves? Why did he have this gut churning feeling that something was wrong?

Slowly he became aware that the atmosphere had changed, that the whispering was becoming chatting and gasping, that Buffy was walking down the aisle towards him, a grim expression on her face, a note in her hand that he knew, from the bright pink of the paper, was from Anya.

The words blurred as he read them and only a few got through to his brain. “Sorry. Love Xander more. Going Away Together. For the best. Sorry.”

He wanted to die. He wished he’d died a long time ago.