Epilogue: Into the Future, Part 2

A/N: Schmoop alert for the flashback portion of the chapter. We're talking serious cheese factor, people.

Challenge: #3064 'conception by conspiracy *non-stargate*' by shelli.

Thanks to my betas: AerynSpeedleCaine, zigpal and AshDawnSoulmates.

Disclaimer: BtVS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. NCIS characters belong to Donald Bellisario, Don McGill and CBS Paramount Television. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission. Photos found using google and edited using photobucket.

The decision

Buffy's hospital room

A couple hours later, Buffy grabbed Gibbs' hand, telling the others to leave them alone for a little bit. "What if the purple was something else?" she asked, confusing him.

"What?"

She quickly explained before she could lose her nerve – or come to her senses…whichever it was, "What if the purple wasn't for the month you proposed, but for the month we got married? Yeah, it's really quick, and maybe a little crazy, but I don't want to wait. I love you, and I want the four of us to be a family – like living together kind of family."

Once he deciphered her ramble, Gibbs stared into her eyes to make sure she wasn't doped up on meds or something. "Really? I didn't think you'd agree this easily," he replied.

"Well, you can thank Ari for that." When it didn't look like he understood, Buffy gave him her reasoning for the comment, "See, I've dealt with supernatural threats for the past five years or so, and even though I know I could die, it doesn't really bother me anymore. Being grabbed by a human, though, that reminds me how important enjoying life is."

She paused for a breath, then continued, "Now, I didn't enjoy keeping the Slayer stuff from you; really didn't enjoy what happened after you found out. But except for those two parts, I've liked my time with you. The fact that you got me a dagger necklace prove you're willing to accept my Slayer side. It took me running away to get my mom to, and even then, she fought it to some degree."

Unable to stop the smile stretching across his face, he checked, "Are you sure you don't want more time to plan a wedding?"

"Jethro, after I became the Slayer, I kinda lost the desire for a big, fancy wedding. Hell, I kinda gave up on the dream of ever getting married. As long as we have those closest to us there, I'll be happy," Buffy promised.

Gibbs leaned down and gave his bride-to-be a passionate kiss. "In case I haven't said this to you recently enough, I love you, Buffy. Thank you for our sons and for agreeing to marry me," he said, pulling away.

He didn't get far before Buffy grabbed him for another kiss, though. "I love you too, Jethro. Thank you for the boys and for forgiving me."

{Wedding photo} http:/i1232. photobucket. com/albums/ff370/mmooch/IYBD%20Gibbs%20Wedding%20Party/Cute-Newborn-Baby-Boy-Picture-1-1-2. gif

The wedding

Six weeks later…

In order to avoid a cliché, Gibbs and Buffy decided to get married on the weekend after Valentine's Day. Like Buffy promised, the wedding was relatively small…only 14 people besides them and the twins. It was just the people who were closest to them, plus Mulder and Scully to serve as a protection detail.

As a personal favor to the new mother, the President allowed them to exchange vows in the Rose Garden, and did everything he could to ensure their privacy. He even went to Camp David to lower the interest in the White House.

Since the guest list was so small, the bride and groom opted to only have a maid of honor and a best man stand up with them. Willow wore an emerald green, off the shoulder gown which brushed the ground as she walked. The rest of the women wore similar gowns, but in different colors.

The male/female ratio was even, so the men were dressed with ties and cummerbunds to match the dresses of their 'dates'. For example, Ducky wore emerald green.

The rest of the match-ups were:

Scully/Mulder wearing cherry red

Joyce/Jackson wearing peach orange

Kate/Tony wearing daffodil yellow

Abby/McGee wearing royal blue

Tara/Giles wearing lilac purple

Anya/Xander wearing deep purple

The twins wore tuxes that matched their father's. That just left Buffy's dress. Even though she told Gibbs that she didn't dream of her wedding anymore, she still had a very clear idea of her wedding gown.

Like the other ladies, it was off the shoulder, but it had a fuller skirt, plus a train that followed her about a foot and a half. It was wedding-ish without being so long that it used as much material as the dress itself. The neckline was a modest A-line that barely showed her cleavage – which had increased because of the babies.

Instead of a veil or tiara, Buffy wore a wreath of flowers, primarily roses generously donated by the garden they were in. While she got dressed, her mom wove the ribbons and flowers together to create a beautiful halo of colors for her.

Standing in for her father, Giles walked Buffy up to the minister where Gibbs was waiting for her. Because Willow was the maid of honor and did such a great job of organizing the wedding for the tired mother of twins, Buffy let her choose the processional song. Willow explained that she liked the lyrics to 'When You Say Nothing At All', even if she didn't think Gibbs or Buffy had problems expressing themselves verbally. When the newlyweds watched the wedding video later – not really having heard the song during the wedding – they agreed that her choice was a good one.

The vows they exchanged were traditional…except for Gibbs' spur of the moment addition, "I will tell you when something is bothering me instead of shutting you out."

Buffy replied with her own promise, "I will tell you if my past comes back to bite us in the ass."

The reception

Since the group was so small, they decided to have the reception at a restaurant which also had dancing. Fortunately, the dance floor was visible from their private section; that enabled those who weren't dancing to watch those who were.

Because he asked when Gibbs was distracted, Tony picked the first song the married couple danced to as husband and wife – although he got some help from Xander. It probably wasn't a good idea to let those two decide anything together. That was the consensus after the group heard their choice.

The DJ made the announcement, "We have newlyweds with us tonight. Their friends thought long and hard about the first song they should dance to as husband and wife, and I'll guarantee that it's…unique. Please welcome Jethro and Buffy Gibbs!" He waited until the happy couple was on the dance floor before starting the music.

After a bouncy intro, the lyrics began and immediately Gibbs bellowed, "DiNozzo! Harris!"

At the same time, Buffy began to giggle, which calmed her irate husband down. 'Her husband'…that sounded so nice in both their minds. Sending another glare at the two pranksters, he wrapped his arms around his bride and simply swayed as if it was a ballad.

Kate decided that if Gibbs couldn't take care of Tony or Xander, she would. She walked over to the two laughing idiots and gave them a bonafide Gibbs headslap. "You seriously thought 'I Want a New Drug' was appropriate for a wedding song?"

Trying to defend their choice, Xander replied, "But the lyrics are all about how great love makes him feel. Isn't that what you want for a first dance?"

Looking very displeased with her boyfriend, Anya declared, "There are many better songs to do that! I'm not letting you choose the music for our wedding." Her announcement caused everyone within earshot to stop in their tracks and stare…including Xander.

"You're engaged?" Willow almost screamed. Fortunately, the newlyweds were so caught up in their personal bubble that they didn't hear the scream – probably because it didn't sound like a 'criminals/demons are attacking' kind of scream.

"No, but isn't that the desired outcome for a relationship?" Anya inquired, wondering if this was another one of those modern human things she didn't understand yet. "Eventually you either break up or get married – or both in the case of a divorce. I don't want to get divorced though."

Joyce interceded for Xander, who still hadn't blinked, "It's not a requirement, Anya. While there are some benefits to getting married, you should only do it if and when both people are ready for it. If you rush it, it'll only end up in heartache. Think of it this way: do you think Xander loves you?"

The ex-vengeance demon nodded enthusiastically, "Very much! He especially loves it when-"

"Do you think he's ashamed of your relationship? Or that he wants another woman?" Joyce interrupted, having heard from the others what was likely to come out of Anya's mouth next and thinking it wasn't appropriate in mixed company.

Anya's answer wasn't quite as fast that time. "I think he gets embarrassed by the things I say sometimes, but overall he's proud we're together. He wouldn't have told his friends about me if he wasn't. And I think he's learned his lesson about scorning women."

The honeymoon

Abby and Tara were in charge of getting things ready for the honeymoon. Because of the twins, Gibbs and Buffy were only going away until Tuesday. Monday was Presidents' Day, so Gibbs didn't have to work, and Buffy didn't have school anyway. Granted, she was only taking one class, but she still didn't want to miss any of it if she could avoid it.

Jackson had a friend who owned a nice cabin the newlyweds could use. It was simple without being overly rustic – had electricity and indoor plumbing and everything. The way her father-in-law said that didn't fill Buffy with much confidence. But she forgot all her concerns when her husband wrapped his arms around her and reminded his bride that they'd spend most of their time in the bed anyway.

The friends who hadn't been involved with planning the wedding took care of anything and everything Gibbs and Buffy would need for those three nights.

Joyce even took the time to prepare meals so they wouldn't have to worry about cooking, just warming the food up. While she – and the others she forced into helping her – handled that, Abby and Tara drove out to the cabin to stock it for other honeymoon necessities. The goal was to make it so the newlyweds wouldn't have to leave the cabin at all during those three days.

There was only one area of disagreement between the two women in preparing the cabin, and that was over the sheets to put on the feather bed. Tara thought it should be satin sheets, but Abby insisted that Gibbs wouldn't like that. Cotton or flannel would be his preference.

In the end, they drew straws for the three types. That's how flannel sheets ended up covering the honeymoon bed. But as a compromise, there were cotton and satin sets on the bench at the foot of the bed – in case they wanted or needed to change them.

"Oh my gosh! This is much nicer than I was expecting!" Buffy exclaimed after Gibbs carried her across the threshold. So far, he'd carried her across every threshold they went through that day…just because.

He glared at her mildly. "My dad came up with this place; what did you think he was going to set up?"

"I don't know," she replied, shrugging helplessly. "When I think of cabins, I picture one room with a bearskin rug and antlers for decorations, plus an outhouse for a bathroom."

"We already told you this had modern facilities. Abby even set up a computer with a camera so we can check on the boys," Gibbs pointed out, gesturing to the desk area in the corner.

"Yeah, just call it my big city girl prejudice talking," Buffy said apologetically.

"I've been here before, and I'll bet that you'll fall in love with it. Especially when you see the bed and the bathroom," he promised, a sexy growl entering his voice.

Instead of that making her respond in kind, though, Buffy suddenly became nervous. "Umm, that reminds me…we need to talk."

They sat down on the couch in a futile attempt to get comfortable. Gibbs couldn't figure out what happened to warrant Buffy saying those dreaded words just as they were about to start their honeymoon. Buffy was just worried about his reaction to her news. They had shared a lot about their pasts in the previous six weeks, but she managed to avoid this topic until now.

"Okay. There's something we haven't talked about yet…" Buffy stuttered out.

"It can't be worse than you telling me that a crazy woman used my sperm to impregnate you. Or that you're some kind of superhero-type person who fights things from horror movies," he reminded her of their previous 'we need to talk' conversations. "Right?"

His words made her feel a little better, but she was still nervous. "Well, probably not. I mean, it's embarrassing, and kind of painful, but-" Buffy broke off, unsure of how to tell him.

He gathered her in his arms, wanting to reassure her that things would be fine. "Just tell me, sweetheart. I'd like to get on with the honeymoon. Now that the doctor has officially given you the all-clear, I'd like to make love to the mother of my children for the first time."

"Funny you should mention that…" she said sheepishly.

"Wait! You aren't trying to tell me that you're a virgin, are you?" Gibbs demanded. If she was still a virgin, he'd have to figure out how to bring back the crazy doctor so he could make her suffer – even though he loved Buffy and the boys.

"No!" She took a deep breath and started talking fast, "I'm just gonna spit it out, so please hold your questions for later. When I was 16, I fell in love with Angel, a vampire with a soul, who was sent by the Powers to help me. It was a typical teenage obsessive 'love', and on my 17th birthday, we had sex. That's when I lost my virginity."

"Problem was, it somehow released his soul, and he became our worst nightmare for the next few months. I'll tell you that story some other time. My point in telling you this is so you understand that the next day, my fairy tale love turned into a hellish disaster," Buffy explained her first sexual encounter.

Then she moved onto her second, "Fast forward to fall of my freshman year at college. I was feeling overwhelmed by it all, and then I met Parker. He was the very definition of 'the sensitive guy' – complete with a tragic story about how his dad had died recently. One thing led to another until…you know."

She looked down, still ashamed about what happened afterwards. "The next day, when he didn't call me, I was worried that something had happened to him. I realize it was irrational – since he was a human and all – but still, I went looking for him. I found him alright…using the same lines on his newest victim. He told me that he thought I understood it was just casual sex between us."

"Now, in a way, those two horrible experiences were good." Buffy saw his skeptical look, so she explained, "They kept me from having sex with Riley. And since I didn't have sex with him, I didn't waste time thinking it was a normal pregnancy. The bad part is, now I'm kinda skittish about sex. I'm afraid I might be a disappointment to you."

Gibbs swept Buffy up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Once there, he proved over and over again that weekend she couldn't disappoint him.

End of Flashback…

Hospital

When Gibbs entered the hospital, he saw Giles sitting with his lady friend, Hollis Mann, who worked for the Army CID. Next to them was Joyce and Ducky; they must have been out on a date when Buffy was admitted.

One person who was missing was Jackson. "Where's my dad?" Gibbs inquired.

Turning back from watching the doors, Joyce replied, "He stayed at the house to babysit the boys."

Gibbs looked at the doors Joyce was staring at and asked, "How's she doing?"

"You may want to prepare yourself," Giles warned. "It wasn't pretty the last time we saw her."

"Hush! You'd better not let her hear you talking like that," Joyce scolded. "She's under a lot of stress, and doesn't need to hear unflattering comments – even if they are true," she admitted reluctantly. Buffy was in bad shape when they brought her in.

Gibbs nodded somberly and walked to Buffy's room. He paused to take a deep breath and steel himself for what lay beyond. He saw her lying on the bed, looking like hell warmed over. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" he asked tenderly.

She just glared at him and growled, "How do you think I feel? For the second time in less than a year, I'm popping out your children from my body! I can't believe that nobody stopped to consider that we'd need condoms for our honeymoon!" Buffy screamed.

Gibbs thought to himself – but wisely didn't say anything aloud for his safety and the others – that they probably thought she was covered by birth control pills. That was his assumption. Instead of talking, he simply went over to comfort her the best he could.

{Baby pic} http:/i1232. photobucket. com/albums/ff370/mmooch/IYBD%20Gibbs%20Wedding%20Party/babygril2007-2. jpg

The next morning…

Mercifully, this labor was only half as long as the last one. When Jackson came by in the morning with the boys, there were introductions to be made.

Gibbs lifted daughter number one out of the bassinet and said, "This is Abigail Lynn."

Joyce smiled at the use of her middle name. Buffy said they'd considered using 'Joy', but didn't want any of the kids to have the same initials as each other.

"And this little beauty is Danielle Grace," Buffy introduced the baby she was holding. "We did the same thing as last time; Danielle for Willow and Grace for Jethro's mom."

While the others cooed over the twin girls, Buffy hissed at her husband, "You have six weeks to get snipped. I'm not going to have any more twins."

"You don't know that if you got pregnant again, that it would be twins," Gibbs attempted to reason with his wife.

She wasn't having any part of it though. Instead, Buffy unleashed her own brand of logic back at him, "You really want to take that chance? I've been pregnant twice, and both times it resulted in twins – despite the fact that neither family has a history of twins. The other option is to give up sex until I go through menopause."

For one terrifying moment, two pictures ran back to back in his mind. The first one of having a dozen kids – all twins – running around the house, only one pair old enough to go to school. The second image was Buffy 'having a headache' for the next 20-30 years. Neither was a pleasant thought. "Okay, you've made your point. I'll make an appointment today," Gibbs promised, holding up his hands in defeat.

A/N: dress and colors came from www. zoombridal. com; a picture of the dress is in the same photobucket album as the wedding photo – as well as an earlier attempt at the wedding photo and a crude drawing of Buffy's earrings. I just didn't want to put a whole bunch of pics in the story.

A/N2: Not saying that the maid of honor does/should choose the music, just that in this case Willow did.

A/N3: first song by Keith Whitley (I know there's a version with Allison Krauss too, but my fav is of Keith alone) http:/www. youtube. com/watch?v=1GpXYKp7_Qw&feature=related. Other song by Huey Lewis and the News http:/www. youtube. com/watch?v=N6uEMOeDZsA.

A/N4: This is likely to be my last update for my stories for several months. I'm attempting to finish my degree – 10 years after taking my last college course – and I'll have to concentrate on the classes instead of writing. I promise I'll be back though.