Episode 16
Updated 3-3-02

It is the day of Xander and Anya's wedding.

Buffy and Willow are appalled by their heinous bridesmaid dresses (the color is called "Asparagus"), but Anya is delighted. Xander is dealing with the relatives and demon-friends gathered at his apartment. Xander has to find his cufflinks and keep his relatives from killing each other and fighting with the demons, whom Xander describes as "circus folk." Meanwhile, a "creepy old man" appears from a portal.

The guests gather at the Bison's Lodge. Uncle Rory is trying to pick up one of the wedding caterers. Dawn greets D'Hoffryn, Anya's former boss (and a vengeance demon). Xander's father gets drunk. Buffy and Xander have a scene where they think briefly about Xander's past feelings for Buffy and the relationship they never had. Meanwhile, the Old Man confronts Xander and warns him not to get married, telling him he is Xander from the future.

Mr. Harris makes a drunken toast and Buffy intervenes, leading Mr. Harris away. They pass Spike and his date (described as a "ho-biscuit"). Spike is nuzzling his date's neck. Buffy is clearly bothered. As she walks away with Mr. Harris, we see Spike watching her go past, obviously wanting to be with her, not his date.

Xander and the Old Man go off to another room, where the Old Man shows Xander a depressing future, with a shrewish Anya and a couple of kids, including one who is half-demon. The Old Man tells Xander that sometimes two people can bring each other only pain.

Buffy finds Spike alone across the room and goes to talk to him. She makes it clear that she knows his date is just his way of trying to make her jealous. Does it work? he asks. She admits it does, but it doesn't change anything. Spike immediately apologizes, then tries to act cool ("Good!"), then asks her if she wants him to go. She says no, he has a right to stay. She knows she deserves it. Spike disagrees, then cuts himself off, saying this is hard. She agrees. Spike decides to go. Buffy wonders if he plans to take his date back to his place. He admits that was the plan because, you know, he's evil. But he won't. He'll just go. He tells her it's nice to see her happy for a change. She "glows." She claims it's because her dress is radioactive. She needs to go, and they turn away from each other. Spike says, "But it hurts?" Buffy says yes. Spike, quietly, says "Thanks." He goes back to his date. Buffy, just as quietly, says "Welcome." Spike goes to ho-biscuit and tells her they're going.

Anya and Tara go over Anya's vows, and Tara gives advice. Xander, who has left the wedding, walks through the rainy streets. The guests at the wedding are getting restless. Dawn commiserates with a demon teen she meets atthe wedding. Buffy tries to amuse the guests with the help of a Warty Demon. However, her efforts are in vain, as a fight breaks out.

Anya finds out inadvertently that Xander has disappeared. She discovers that he was last seen talking to the Old Man. As she demands that the Old Man tell her where Xander went, the Old Man turns into a demon. It ends up that the Old Man is someone whom Anya wreaked vengeance upon back in 1914. He's been plotting his revenge, practicing black magic, ever since. He tells her that he scared Xander away by showing him false visions of the future. Anya begins to cry. He says he's happy to see her cry, but he'd like to hear her scream, and he attacks her. Buffy steps in to try to help, but the demon uses Anya as a shield. Suddenly, Xander steps in, heroic and backlit. Together, Buffy and Xander kill the demon (Xander administers the final blow, snapping its neck).

There's a lull momentarily, then Mr. Harris says something insulting about the demons, and the fight starts again. Willow rescues Tara from the brawl, while Anya makes everyone sit down and be quiet. But Xander and Anya step away for a minute, and Xander tells Anya he can't get married to her. He admits he has had fears for a long time. He doesn't want to make a mistake that will last forever. She walks away from him, stunned. Then he walks in the other direction. Anya returns to the guests. She looks absolutely heartbroken. The guests start fighting again.

Later, Buffy, Willow and Dawn talk about how sad the whole situation is. Meanwhile, Xander checks into a seedy motel. D'Hoffryn urges Anya to come back to her life as a vengeance demon. It is unclear whether she accepts his offer.