Shades of Something Blue
Chapters Four ~ Six
Chapter Four
Knowing that his friends were watching shamelessly through the shop window, William schooled his features into an expressionless mask. Inside, he was bubbling over with hurt rage and he was consumed with the need to pound something into small, bleeding pieces. When he re-entered the Magic Box, he refused to meet anyone’s eyes, heading straight for the stairs that led down to the training room.
“Let me guess. She wasn’t in the mood for-GAGHK!!” Before Xander could finish his gibe, William had him pinned to the wall by his throat. Oxygen quickly became an issue for the brunette. He stared into glacial blue eyes and felt fear of the Slayer for the first time.
“One more word out of you tonight, Harris, and I swear I’ll pull out your rib-cage and wear it as a fucking hat,” he said, his voice was deadly calm. Shoving him away in disgust, William disappeared down the stairs.
Xander winced as he felt the bruises on his throat, his eyes wild as he stared at Willow and Joyce. Willow dropped her eyes with a frown. Joyce merely shook her head.
“I don’t know why you’re acting so surprised. One of these days you’re going to push him too far with that mouth of yours, Xander. And trust me; I won’t do a thing to stop him.”
Willow made a move to go after William and Joyce stopped her with a shake of the head. “Just leave him alone for a while. Why don’t you and Xander go on home? I need to close up, and then I’ll try to have a word with him.”
Downstairs, William heard the young pair leave and the faint sounds of Joyce moving around above his head. He was taping up his hands when he heard the tap of her high heels coming down the stairs. She paused in the doorway, looking at him with kind hazel eyes. He concentrated on getting the tape just right, avoiding her gaze.
“I know we don’t always see eye to eye on our duties, William, but I want you to know that I’m here if you ever need to talk,” she told him softly.
He had to blink back the quick sting of tears that her kindness brought. She was so atypical of what he had been led to believe a Watcher should be like. Sometimes she could be harsh, but then there were times like this when she reminded him so much of his mother that it made his heart hurt.
“I know you are, Joyce. And maybe later I’ll feel like talking about it. Right now, I just… I can’t.”
She smiled her understanding. “Come by my apartment later, if you like. I’ll make you some hot chocolate.”
Her offer brought a faint smile to his face. “I might take you up on that.”
“I’m going home, now. Unless… Do you need me to hold that bag for you?”
William gave her a horrified look. The last time she had tried to help him work out he had accidentally broken her arm. “No! I mean…I’ll be fine. You go on home, Joyce. I’ll make sure I lock up when I leave.”
“Goodnight, William.”
“Night, Joyce.”
Once she had gone, he felt free to take out all the anger and frustration he was feeling on the helpless punching bag. He tore into it with a flurry of kicks and punches; his strong jaw clenched and eyes narrowed with rage. He kept at it for nearly an hour, so distracted that the tingles on the back of his neck went unnoticed. He wasn’t aware of her presence until he spun to deliver a punishing roundhouse kick to the bag.
The bag snapped from its chain from the force of his kick and thumped to the floor, sand flowing from its split seams. He turned to face her, chest heaving from his exertions. “What do you want?”
Buffy eyed the now flaccid bag. “Working out a little sexual frustration, Slayer?” she asked, lifting one perfectly arched eyebrow.
William pinched the bridge of his nose hard. “Titillatin’ as your company is, Summers, I’ll take a rain-check. I’ve taken all the shit I can handle today.”
Buffy stared at him in horror. “You’re not crying, are you?”
William lowered his hand and glared at her. He would slit his throat before he cried in front of her. All he wanted was to be left alone; to wallow in self-pity for a few centuries. “I’ll repeat my question since it’s obvious you didn’t hear me the first time. What do you want?” he asked tiredly.
She shrugged in studied nonchalance. “I just had a few things I wanted to discuss with you.” She smiled cajolingly. “Besides, you know you like having me around. Admit it, Slayer. You’re dazzled by my sparkling wit. Your nights are that much better with me around.”
Usually this was enough to earn her a liberal dose of his cutting sarcasm. Tonight he merely sighed and sat down on the cold floor, head hanging between his shoulders. “Not tonight, Summers. Go play in traffic somewhere. I just want to be left alone.”
Buffy moved cautiously forward until she stood above William, her pretty face etched with concern. “I take it Harriet didn’t like the hair?”
He wouldn’t even look at her. Didn’t even take offense at the way she mangled his precious girlfriend’s name. This was BAD. “Slayer?” She knelt down beside him, cautiously. She tilted her head to look up into his face. “Will? I’m really sorry if she didn’t like it. I can dye it back if you really want me to.”
His voice was so low at first; she had to stretch to hear him, even with her advanced hearing. “She didn’t say too much about the hair. She was too busy breakin’ up with me because I’m ‘beneath her’ now.”
Her useless heart filled with pity for him. She hated seeing him hurt this way and wanted nothing more than to rip Harmony Kendall’s throat out. Moved by the intense need she felt to protect him, Buffy dared to reach out to him. Laying one hand on top of his bent head, she allowed her fingers to rake gently through the white-blond curls. He tensed a little under her touch but made no move to push her away.
“Poor Will,” she crooned, still petting his hair. “You love well, if not wisely.”
Truer words were never spoken. William chuckled bitterly. The only reason he’d started the whole relationship with Harmony was because of Faith. The souled vampiress had broken off their relationship to leave him free to pursue a ‘normal’ life with a ‘normal’ woman while she pranced off to LA. Even he had to admit that he had bleedin’ tragic taste in women. One ensouled vampire and one human, both were supposed to be better than the ‘evil’ creature beside him, yet she was the one offering him compassion. The infinite gentleness of her hand was soothing to his battered soul. It felt right. SHE felt right.
William lifted his head, the movement causing her hand to slip down over his cheek. Without thinking, he curved his warm palm over her small hand to hold it there. “Is there a reason why you’re still here, Summers?” he asked, quietly looking up into her tear-washed green eyes.
What the hell! Buffy thought. The worst he can do is stake me for this, and if he does then it’ll be a welcome release from all the torment I feel just being near him.
Making her decision, she moved closer, lifting her leg slowly and straddling his lap. When he looked up at her in slack-jawed amazement, she framed his face in her soft hands and kissed him.
To say he was stunned was a gross understatement. He was flabbergasted. Buffy Summers; hottie vampiress extraordinaire, was kissing him. Again. And without benefit of magic. The familiar, lush sliding movements of her soft lips, interspersed with delicate swipes of her small pink tongue brought a rush of blood straight to his groin.
In spite of his immediate reciprocation, William knew he should push her away. There was no handy Willow spell this time to blame his response on. He had to put a stop to this before it got out of hand.
He tried. Really. He even lifted his hands to shove her off his lap. They made it as far as the curve of her hips and fell there. Clenching his fingers desperately into the fabric of her cotton skirt, he pulled her closer instead, sliding her soft mound over his suddenly raging erection.
Buffy purred, gliding her hips back and forth to generate more friction. She captured his full bottom lip between hers and sucked on it. She could feel the indecision warring inside him and pulled back slightly. Their lips barely brushed and her unneeded breath mingled with his as she spoke.
“Maybe it’s wrong, but you feel so amazingly good. Let me do this for you, Will. I can make you feel so good, baby.” She kissed him again, nipping at his panting mouth. She moved to his ear, nuzzling with her nose, and then laving the sensitive hollow behind it with her tongue. “Let me give you this. No one ever has to know but you and me.”
Encouraged by his increased pace as he ground up into her, Buffy ran her small hands over the hard muscles of his chest and stomach. Green eyes locked with stormy blue. Never wavering from his gaze, she reached for his waistband. In two practiced moves she had his button-fly’s popped open and held the entire throbbing length of him in her palms, fingertips dancing along each ridge and vein.
The instant her cool, soft hands encircled his cock, William’s decision was made. Three words ran thru his mind.
Want. Take. Have.
The shift in control was so subtle Buffy was completely unaware of it until he slid his hands up under her skirt and found the silk of her thong. Twisting it around his fingers, he shredded it from her body with one violent tug. Buffy cried out as he roughly thrust two fingers inside her dripping channel and massaged her inner walls. Slicking the pad of his thumb with her juices, he ran it back and forth over her tingling clitoris with firm strokes.
She felt his free hand reach around her back and grasp the material of her top. The strings that held it up over her shoulders snapped under the strain and the remains were dragged over her head and flung across the room. She heard him groan as he nuzzled his face in the hollow between her full breasts. He greedily latched onto one pebbled nipple and sucked, alternating between harsh suction and gentle licks of his tongue.
Her only sexual experiences had been with other vampires and Buffy was desperate to feel his hot, bare skin on hers. She tried to pull his t-shirt off with one hand, not wanting to let go of the grip she had on him. With an impatient growl, she released him and used both hands to rip it down the front, exposing the cut perfection of his pecs and abs.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” she breathed, running her fingers over his muscles as she purred her appreciation; scratching him lightly as she skimmed down and took him in hand once more.
William grunted, lunging against her hand as she encircled him once more and began pumping him firmly up and down. He left her breasts and covered her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue in and out , mimicking the motion of his fingers as he pistoned them in and out of her sopping pussy. He could feel her inner muscles tensing as she circled her hips against his hand.
Pulling his fingers from her tight little quim, he grabbed her hands and lifted them to brace against the wall behind them. Her smoldering green eyes never left his as his hands went to her hips, bruising them as he lifted her up and slammed her down on his swollen cock.
Buffy threw her head back with a sobbing laugh. She barely allowed her body time to adjust to his size before she began to ride him. What had started out as a simple urge to make him feel better the best way she knew how, was rapidly turning into the best fuck of her un-life. There was nothing gentle or cautious in his touch; fingers bruised, teeth bit, and his thick cock stretched her to the point of pain. She loved it. This was a side of William that no one else had ever seen. No one but her. Rough. Wild. Passionate. Deep inside, she had known he would be like this.
William was consumed by an almost primal lust. He had never been able to let go so fully during sex. With Faith he had been a virgin, while with Harmony he had always been forced to hold back for fear of hurting her. But with Buffy…Ahh sweet, little Buffy! She took everything he gave her and begged for more while returning it all with a passion that equaled his own.
Resting her forehead against his, she met his stormy eyes and laughed breathlessly once more from the sheer joy of being with him. His answering grin warmed her from the top of her head to the soles of her feet.
“God, Will…got me so hot…feels so good, baby…” The familiar pressure was building in her lower belly and she cried out as she began to grind her clit into his pelvic bone, seeking to hasten the torturously slow climb to her peak.
William felt his muscles tighten as he neared his own climax. He kissed her hard, licking and biting at her lips and chin before he drew his teeth down her sensitive throat. “Bite me, Buffy,” He hissed, his breath billowing the hair from her neck as he dragged his tongue over her collarbone.
”Will…I can’t,” she gasped out. “The…the chip. No…ah!” In spite of her grim determination to hold it at bay, she felt her demon flicker across her face. Her widened eyes flashed like Peridot’s on fire. “Dammit, Will, no!”
William increased the power of his thrusts, bouncing her up and slamming her down hard on his cock. He could feel her beginning to flutter and squeeze around him. He sank his hands into her hair, using the wildly tangled golden strands as reins to guide her into place at his throat. “Chip reacts to pain…mmm…not pleasure. Do it. I know you want to…” His voice was raw with need as he nipped and sucked at her throat. “C’mon, luv. Please, baby. Need it so bad. Need you…Bite. Me. Now!”
The feel of his blunt teeth clamping down on Pike’s old marks was all it took. From previous experience, William knew damn good and well what kind of effect that had on a vamp and he used it to his advantage; shamelessly sucking and biting at it.
Buffy moaned as her demon came raging forward and she cried out her release as she sank her fangs into the virgin side of his neck without even a flicker of pain from the chip. “MINE!” she snarled mindlessly, her demon in complete control.
The sting of her tiny fangs piercing his neck sent Will roaring over the edge as well, his own teeth tearing into her skin, the rich, coppery tang of her blood washing over his tongue. “YOURS!” he growled in response.
Chapter Five
William,
I figured it would be best if I left before you woke up. My reasons are selfish. I simply couldn’t stand to hang around to see the horrified look on your face. I know you think it was a colossal mistake, but I refuse to see it that way.
You don't need to worry about the claim. I won't exercise my rights over you. It just wouldn’t be any fun unless you were a willing participant.
Don't worry about me blabbing to anyone about what happened, either. I have no illusions as to what this was. I know that for you it wasn’t any huge thing. You'll be back with Hyapatia before you know it and all will be forgiven.
But I want you to know that being with you, holding you, watching you sleep…was the best night of my life.
Buffy
“What cha doin’, William?”
Willow’s voice at his elbow caused him to leap from his chair, haphazardly folding the worn piece of notebook paper and stuffing it in his pocket. “Er…Nothing! That is…I was just goin’ over some notes,” he said, hastily.
“Anything I can help you with? I’m good with organizing notes.”
William righted his chair and dropped back down into it. “No, no one can help me with this.” He smiled distractedly. “But thanks for the offer.”
Grabbing the nearest book, he buried his nose in it, hoping Willow would get the hint and move on to something else. Something besides sitting there staring at him with those sad-puppy eyes.
Oh God.
No. No way. No way in hell.
“Um…Willow?”
“Yes, William?” She gave him a perky smile.
What was he supposed to do? Just flat out ask her? God, he felt like such a git. She had been acting this way since Oz had left town.
Salvation came in the form of Joyce. She brought her cup of tea over to the table and sat down, glancing curiously between the two of them. “Has anyone seen Xander today?” she asked, taking a grateful sip.
“I was just going to ask Willow that, myself,” William said, taking the easiest way out.
“Oh.” Willow didn’t try to hide her disappointment. “No. I saw him this morning. He was talking to that strange girl. Anya? Yeah, that’s her name. Very strange girl.”
Joyce nodded and glanced at William, noting his distraction. “What have you heard from Buffy, William?”
His entire body went rigid. “Haven’t seen her in a few days. Why do you ask?”
“I was just wondering if she’s remembered anything else from her stay at the Initiative Labs.”
“She said if she did, she would let me know.” She had said that she had a few things to discuss with him when she had first arrived at the training room. Before things got…out of hand. Maybe that was what she’d been talking about.
“I can’t help but think she’s holding back some vital information. Judging from her condition when she came to us, they were quite advanced in their methods of torture,” Joyce ruminated, running her finger thoughtfully around the rim of her teacup. “Even with her advanced healing it took her days to recover.”
Reaching in front of William, she lifted the thick volume that contained the family tree and exploits of the Order of Aurelius. “Buffy is a most fascinating case. It’s hard to believe that such a tiny creature could wreak so much havoc. I do wish she would be a little more informative about her past. I’m sure her accounts would be far more accurate, not to mention more intriguing than those of some crusty old watcher.”
William had to agree with Joyce on that point. More and more of late he was beginning to question the writings of former watchers about vampires and their traditions, rituals, and habits.
Particularly their mating habits.
Claiming, to be precise.
None of the weighty volumes he had searched through over the past few days were very forthcoming about mating or claiming. And while there were several vague references to slayers mating with vampires, there was no record at all of a slayer being Claimed.
William fought the urge to scratch the tiny scars that were covered by the crew neck of his shirt. They didn’t really itch, they…tingled. It was very unsettling. And…arousing. He spent most of his time walking around with a chubby. And the dreams! Never before had he experienced such flagrantly erotic dreams. Dreams that involved Buffy, a can of whipped cream, and naked jello-wrestling.
“William!”
Joyce waved her hand in front of his eyes and he came back to himself with a start. “What? Oh sorry, Joyce. Guess I’m more tired than I thought. You were sayin’?”
She sighed with forced patience. “I was asking if you were still going to make an appearance at that party tonight. I know it will be difficult for you since you’re no longer dating Harmony, and she is sure to be there.”
Shrugging, William pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll live. There’s gonna be so many people runnin’ about, I doubt I’ll even see her,” he lied. Knowing his luck, she would be in charge of the welcoming committee. Joyce didn’t need to hear that, though. “I think I’m gonna head home and take a nap. Maybe spend some time with my father if he isn’t at the gallery.”
Joyce flushed with pleasure as she thought of William’s father; a very handsome and gentle man. “Please tell him I said hello. It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to talk to him.”
William rolled his eyes and smirked. “I’ll be sure to tell him.” How strange would that be? His father and his watcher, dating. Too funny! With a quick wave to Willow, he headed out the door for the short walk home.
~@~@~
He lasted a little more than an hour at the party. He was amazed that so far his luck had held and there had been no sign of Harmony or her two lap-dogs. He chatted with several classmates and spotted Xander making out in a corner with Anya Jenkins. Strange bird, that one. Pretty, but strange.
William was making his way towards the door when he found himself face to face with Harmony. An extremely inebriated Harmony. She grinned at him sloppily and began to giggle.
“William! Hi!”
“Hi, Harm. Bye, Harm.” William moved to walk around her and was stopped with a hand in the middle of his chest.
“Whoa there, buddy. Were you just hitting on my girl?” Angel O’Conner gave him an evil smile and grabbed Harmony around the waist before she could fall. A few of his little jock toadies were gathered behind him, snickering.
William sighed. He so didn’t need this shit, tonight. The bite mark on his neck began to tingle annoyingly. “Nope, just trying to walk around her so I can leave.”
“Why are you leaving? Feelin’ like you don’t fit in or something? Or are you going home to study like a good little geek?”
The hand on his chest shoved hard and William stumbled back. He regained his balance and closed his eyes briefly, nostrils flaring as he fought to control his anger and frustration. The bite was practically humming now. He would love nothing more than to punch a hole in this asshole’s chest and rip out his still-beating black heart, but such things were messy and tended to draw a crowd. His fists clenched at his sides as he made one last attempt to move away from the couple.
Angel noticed his fists and smiled with glee. “Oh, make my DAY little man!” He carelessly tossed a now unconscious Harmony onto a nearby sofa. “Bring it on, BOY.”
A disturbance near the door drew Angel’s attention away from him and his mouth dropped open in shock.
“Holy fuck, would ya look at that.” One of the toadies groaned. “Dude, she’s brutally HOT!”
William turned to see what they were looking at and nearly swallowed his tongue.
Buffy.
A Buffy he’d never seen before.
She looked like original sin, dressed in midnight black. The top consisted of a scrap of black silk, its sleeves nothing more than two strips of material that looped over her shoulders from the front, leaving her back completely bare. The sides curved up under her small round breasts before meeting the draped front and falling to her waist. Her black jeans were hip-huggers that hung so low that they defied gravity. On her feet she wore black ‘fuck me’ stiletto boots with four inch heels. Her long hair was curly and wild, her make-up dark and flawless. She looked like a wet dream come true.
William was instantly hard as a rock just looking at her.
The crowd of drunken coeds parted before her like the Red Sea as she slinked like a tiny black panther across the floor.
Straight to William’s side
One soft hand slid up the back of his shirt and rubbed soothingly while its mate finger-walked up his chest. “Are these men trying to pick a fight with you, precious? Oh, I don’t think so. No fighting for my man. It might bruise that handsome face, and I just couldn’t bear that.”
Buffy smiled wickedly up into his bemused face. Her green eyes sparkling like emeralds as she teasingly ran one long, black painted nail across his jaw. Her body was twined as close to William’s as she could get and still remain a separate entity. Before he knew what hit him, she slid her fingers into the curls at his nape and pulled his head down for a long, juicy kiss with plenty of visible tongue action.
“Mmmm…you taste just yummy, darlin’.” She murmured breathily as she pulled away. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to find you but all these big, stupid men kept trying to grab my ass.” Said ass wiggled enticingly.
Fortunately, he still had the presence of mind to curve his arm around her, his hand resting just above the swell of her bottom, his fingers circling lightly on her bare flesh. A sudden burst of inspiration struck him and he dipped his pinky down the back of her pants. Winding the elastic of her thong around the intruding digit, he pulled it out just enough to give the crowd a peek at the black lace. She pouted charmingly and reached up to lick his ear.
“I hear vengeance is a dish best served cold…Are you feeling…hungry, baby?” she whispered for his ears only.
William ran his hand up the silky skin of her naked back and sank his fingers into her hair, pulling her head back to stare lustfully at her mouth. “Starved,” he growled before devouring her scarlet lips. His other hand cupped her rounded ass and held her to him as he ground his throbbing dick into her.
One of Angel’s little pals let out a hoarse cry and looked down sheepishly at the spreading stain at his crotch. He beat a hasty retreat to the bathrooms.
“Dude, are they the hottest thing you’ve ever seen, or what?”
Dude-boy must have gotten on Angel’s nerves, because he shoved him viciously to the side, where he landed on Harmony’s snoring form. He waited impatiently for the blond couple to come up for air. When they finally did so, Buffy rubbed William’s nose playfully with hers and let out a breathy giggle.
“Just remember, I get to be on top for a little while tonight. You know I love to ‘drive’. You promised!”
“So,” Angel cleared his throat loudly to draw her attention. “You’re here with Willy-boy?”
She didn’t even deign to look at him, her eyes caressing William’s features. “Of course I am,” she said, her tone implying that Angel was obviously an idiot for daring to suggest otherwise.
“Why?” he asked, his voice was laced with scorn.
Buffy gave a throaty laugh. “What can I say? Sometimes a girl needs a little monster in her man.” She reached down and outlined William’s painfully obvious assets with her fingernail. “And he’s definitely monster enough to satisfy me. Aren’t you, baby?” she purred. She glanced at Angel over her shoulder, her eyes sweeping down until they rested on his crotch. Lifting one sleek eyebrow, she gave him a pitying look. Turning back to William, she worried his earlobe between her teeth. “Can we go now, sweetie? This party is so lame. They aren’t even doing body shots.”
“Anything you want, kitten.” William draped a possessive arm around her. He smirked at Angel. “Gotta get her home, you know how it is.” He cast a doubtful look at Harmony, passed out and drooling on the couch. “Then again, maybe you don’t.”
Buffy was laughing as he swept her out the door.
Chapter Six
They made it halfway to William’s car before he swept her up in his arms and twirled her around in a circle, laughing exuberantly.
“Bloody hell, girl! You should go to Hollywood and try bein’ an actress!” He enthused. “That was an Oscar winnin’ performance, pet.”
If Buffy’s smile was a bit strained, he didn’t notice. For her, it hadn’t been play-acting at all. She had merely behaved as she would have if William truly belonged to her. It wouldn’t do to let him know that little fact, though. It was becoming increasingly hard for her to hide her true feelings.
“I’m happy to be of service, kind sir.” She had just swept him a perfect curtsy when her eyes were drawn to a movement behind him. They widened in terror, flashing a mixture of peridot and emerald while a harsh, whimpering little growl ripped from her chest.
William was stunned at her reaction. He whirled, thinking he was about to confront some huge demon or a gang of vamps.
Riley Finn stood behind him, his eyes glued on Buffy while a nasty little smile played about his lips. “Nice to see you’re making new friends, Hostile 17,” he taunted, relishing her obvious fear.
Assuming an authoritative tone, he turned to William. “Giles, you might want to step away from your little girlfriend. She has some rather nasty aspects to her personality that she probably hasn’t told you about.”
William looked from Buffy to Finn and back again. “What? That she’s a vampire?”
“You know?”
His shocked expression might have been amusing if he wasn’t aware that Buffy was wigging out in a big way. William made a big show of rolling his eyes. “Well, DUH!”
Riley lifted a small radio from his belt and held it to his lips. “HST situation at north parking area, all units converge. Civilian involved. Set to stun. Over.”
Everything was suddenly clear. William felt like a complete fool for missing all the signs. Hostile 17. Buffy’s intense fear of the man. It all stank of one thing. The Initiative.
William stepped in front of Buffy, blocking her from Finn’s line of sight. “Sorry, but I can’t allow you to take her. She’s my responsibility, not yours. Call up your boys in green and tell ‘em to buggar off.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?”
“I thought a professional demon chaser like you woulda figured it out by now. I’m the Slayer.”
Riley just stared at him.
“Slay-er? – Chosen One. He who hangs out a lot in cemeteries?” William threw up his hands in exasperation. “You’re kiddin’. Ask around. Look it up: Slayer, comma the.”
“That’s just a legend.”
William turned to Buffy with a grin. “Ya hear that, luv? I’m a bloody legend!” he chortled gleefully.
His expression when he forced Buffy to meet his eyes was deadly serious. While he had blocked Finn’s view of her, Buffy had slipped off her high-heeled boots. His lips barely moved as he spoke. “When I turn around, RUN. On three, now. One, two…THREE!”
On three, Riley Finn got a face full of Slayer fist, breaking his nose and laying him out cold on the pavement. Buffy took off like a shot, leaping over a passing car and pelting towards the nearby woods that bordered the campus. A man in army kit jumped out from behind a tree and raised his weapon, taking aim at her back. William slugged him in the back of the head and never missed a step as he veered off and took another route, anxious to lead them away from her.
~@~@~
Twenty minutes later he slipped through the back door of the mansion on Crawford Street. Struggling to control his breathing, he looked around the empty rooms. Finding no sign of her on the first floor, he made his way up the stairs.
“Buffy? Summers, are you here?” he called softly. Fear squeezed his heart like a vise. What if they had caught her? She wasn’t in any of the bedrooms either. All of them but one were closed up and draped in dust sheets. Where the hell was she?
William was beginning to panic when he saw the door to the attic standing ajar. He yanked it open and pounded up the stairs. “Buffy?” he bellowed. “Answer me, dammit!”
“Stop screaming, Slayer. I’m over here.”
She was sitting by one of the small dormer windows, looking out into the darkness of the back yard. Her eyes were rimmed with red, but her face was completely expressionless.
“You’re good. I didn’t see you coming.” There was irony in that last sentence that she really couldn’t face right now.
“Wouldn’t be much of a Slayer if you had, would I?” he quipped, trying to lighten the mood for her a little bit.
Buffy picked at the hem of her ruined blouse. One of the little straps had been torn loose and a wicked looking gash curved over her shoulder blade. “No, I guess you wouldn’t. You’re the best I’ve come up against. I’ve killed two, so I should know.”
William flinched at that. “Want me to clean that scratch for you?” He offered, hoping to derail that particular train of thought.
She shrugged carelessly. “It’ll heal.”
“Dammit, Buffy…”
“Oh fine, just do it and get it over with so you can leave. I’m kinda tired,” she snapped. Stomping past him on scratched and bloody feet, she led the way down the narrow stairs, keeping as far away from him as possible.
The bedroom she had chosen had obviously once belonged to the daughter of the house. It looked like a little girl’s room; dripping with white lace and pink ribbons, with delicate furnishings.
Not surprisingly, it was the big brass bed that interested William. Queen-sized and made up with pink silk sheets and a puffy white eyelet comforter. Several stuffed animals and the ratty looking stuffed pig held court from a mound of pillows.
She ignored the bed in favor of the window seat, her eyes seeking the darkness once more. “Coming here wasn’t one of your brighter ideas, Slayer. What if they followed you?”
There was a bottle of water and a first aid kit on the stand beside her bed. He picked them up and walked over to her.
“Just like that, eh? No explanations? I help you out of a jam and you treat me like a disease. I see how it is.” He carefully washed the deep scratch and rubbed some ointment into it, relieved to see the edges were already starting to pull together.
Spotting a stack of clean laundry on the dresser, he searched through it to find something for her to put on. A large white t-shirt with a faded Nike Swoosh symbol on the front looked vaguely familiar and he glanced at the tag. Sure enough he found his initials marked neatly on the label; courtesy of his anal-retentive father. He looked up at her and lifted an inquiring eyebrow.
Another shrug lifted her shoulders, but she refused to meet his eyes.
Next he opened the top drawer and pulled out a pair of white lace panties decorated with tiny pink rosebuds. He whistled his appreciation. “Oh, VERY nice!” He dug deeper. “Oo! Red silk! You got the top to match this little number, luv?”
Buffy’s cheeks pinked. “Godammit, Slayer! Get your perverted ass out of my panty drawer!” she cried, obviously mortified.
“Got any toys in here, Buff?”
“SLAYER!!”
He smirked, relieved to see her showing some sign of life. He brought her the t-shirt and the white panties. “Is there a shower up here?” he asked, pointedly glancing at her dirty bare feet.
She snatched the clothing out of his hands with a glare and stalked off down the hall.
While he waited for her to return, William looked around the room. He was having a little problem reconciling this aspect of Buffy’s personality with his preconceived notions. It was hard to imagine a vicious demon that liked to surround herself with so many blatantly girly things. The extremely feminine bed really caught his attention. He sat down on it and bounced a few times. Very…comfy.
The sound of Buffy’s bare feet padding back up the hallway sent him running over to the window. He took up her earlier position, checking out every dark corner. When he turned to face her she was holding up her ruined jeans, scowling at the shredded legs.
“I loved these pants. They were the last thing I stole before I became everyone’s favorite lab rat.” Angrily she balled them up and threw them in a corner. “And my boots. Those were my favorite boots, too.”
“I’ll replace them, Summers. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even have been there.”
“That isn’t the point and you know it!” She raged. “Don’t you get it? It’s just one more thing they’ve taken from me!” Her bottom lip quivered. “Fucking bastards! Why didn’t they just stake me? Better yet, why don’t YOU? I’d prefer being a pile of dust than living in constant fear like this.” She dashed the tears from her face in frustration. “God, I hate this. I hate feeling this helpless!”
She didn’t resist when William pushed her down on the bench in front of the vanity. Taking her hairbrush from the cluttered top, he unwound the towel from her head and began running the soft bristles through the wet strands. She closed her eyes and savored the feel of his hands in her hair as he worked through the tangles, beginning to calm under his touch.
“Are you ready to tell me what happened while you were in there?” he asked, keeping his voice deliberately low and soothing. He didn’t question why he was being so gentle with her. It just felt right.
So much for calm. Might as well tell him, Buff. It’s not like it’s going to lower his opinion of you any further, she thought. Fisting her hands in her lap, she nodded. “Just…don’t interrupt me, okay? If I stop I don’t think I’ll be able to go on.”
When he gave her an affirmative nod, she took a deep breath and began. In a deliberately flat voice, she told him everything she could remember that they had done to her. Cutting her flesh to clock how fast she could heal. Injecting her with poisons to see how it might affect her demon. Squirting her with Holy Water and exposing her to sunlight to mark the different degrees of burns she received from each. None of that had been too unbearable. During her years with Pike and Faith she had built up an amazing tolerance for pain. Pain could be handled if one had the right mindset.
Rape was harder for her to deal with.
Agent Finn had taken a ‘special’ interest in Hostile 17. Every night she was restrained and taken to a room lit by one bare light bulb with only a thin mattress on the floor. That first night she had fought him so hard and long that there was blood streaming from her nose and ears because she refused to give in to the chip firing inside her head.
Eventually, though, she learned to close herself off; to shut him out. She simply lay there and let him do as he wished. By sheer strength of will, she reduced herself into a near comatose state that she allowed nothing to penetrate.
This angered Finn, but nothing he threatened her with would make her respond to him. Thinking her lethargy was caused from the drugged blood they were feeding her, he ordered it stopped and gave her human blood in its place.
“When my chance came, I was ready for it. Once I stopped fighting them, they didn’t bother with restraints. Taking the two of them out wasn’t hard, but I thought my head was going to explode before I found my way into the ventilation system. I could hear him screaming at them while they were searching for me. I knew if they caught me again…if he got his hands on me…” A shudder wracked her small body and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “I found a piece of a broom handle and made a stake out of it. I was fully prepared to dust myself before I let him touch me again.”
Buffy finally lifted anguished green eyes to meet his. “You know the rest, of course. Neutered vampire girl.” He winced when she spoke the name he had used the most during her time in his basement. “She can’t bite, can’t feed, and can’t fight. And can’t defend herself against anything that decides to attack her. I’m completely helpless, Slayer. Do you know what that does to me?” she asked, pressing a hand to her chest. “You know all that I’ve done. All that I was capable of. I’m nothing now. They made sure of it.”
William laid the brush down and tunneled his fingers through the silk of her hair. Grasping her head, he squeezed it gently between his hands, tilting it back until her green eyes clashed with his.
“I do know what you’ve done. I know all that you were capable of. I also know that you have a capacity for greatness inside you. Your demon couldn’t take that away from you; couldn’t kill the light I see inside you. Don’t let that bastard do it, Buffy. Help me fight them.”
He turned her around on the bench and knelt in front of her, his hands warm on her bare thighs. “You may not see it, but I do. I believe in you, Buffy. You could never be ‘nothing’.”
She stared down at him, eyes wide and uncertain, lips quivering as she fought to control the powerful surge of emotion his words wrought within her. “I’m so afraid I’ll disappoint you.”
William smiled at her. A smile of such warmth and conviction that it took her breath away. He nudged her thighs apart and moved between them until his mouth was a whisper away from hers. “Never,” he told her before he claimed her trembling lips in a scorching kiss.
To be continued
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