Chapter 1
After meeting on the Internet a year ago, William and Buffy fell deeply in love, and began living together. Willow and Tara had been hitting it off so well, they moved in with each other as well. Xander was no longer with them. He had begun dating Anya a few months after her divorce from her husband, Olaf. Dating quickly turned to love, and Xander proposed. Anya accepted, and a wedding date was set.
The Magic shop had done so well that they moved to a larger location. Anya was made a partner, due to her sales expertise. If it hadn’t been for her, the shop would not have been nearly as successful.
Riley kept his distance from Buffy, deciding that she was more trouble than she was worth. Sam found out about her husbands indiscretions, but forgave him and stayed with him, even when everyone told her she shouldn't.
One Friday evening, William arrived home early. Without
Buffy knowing what he was up to, he had planned a romantic dinner for their one
year anniversary.
He pulled up to the curb, put the car in park and turned it off. Grabbing the roses he'd bought Buffy, he left his briefcase in the car. No business tonight, he promised himself. Tonight is for Buffy.
As soon as William put the key in the lock, he heard
the phone ringing. Bloody hell, that better not be Buffy calling to tell me
she'll be late. Not tonight. He turned the key and opened the door. Once
inside he kicked off his shoes, and headed back to the bedroom, listening to the
message as he changed.
The answering machine picked up, played their outgoing
message, and beeped. “Hello Buffy," a man's voice said. I’m in town for the
week on business and would like to see you. I’m staying at The Hyperion You
remember? Where we spent our first night together I’m in the same room, 204.
Give me a call."
I know that voice. Where have I heard
it?
William went back to the living room, where the
answering machine was. He sat down on the couch, pushed play and listened very
closely to the voice.
He had to play the message three more times before it
finally hit him.
Why the hell is Angel calling Buffy?
Angel had been from
William remembered that horrible day like it was yesterday. It had been a rainy and dreary day, and Drusilla had asked him to go to the corner market to pick her up her favorite ice cream. Upon returning, he'd heard soft cries. He'd realized it was coming from their bedroom, and had rushed down the hall. Before he'd opened the door, he'd heard her....
“Oh, Angel,” Drusilla moaned in delight.
William had nearly become physically sick. He’d loved
this woman with his whole heart, and now it was being ripped out, stomped on and
handed back to him by her and his so called friend, Angel.
Tears had welled in his eyes. So much for love. His dark princess had betrayed him.
Sadness had turned to rage. “Bloody hell!” He'd taken
a few deep breaths, and kicked the door open. Angel had instantly climbed off
of Drusilla.
“Hey, Will,” Angel said calmly, as though he hadn't just been caught in the act of
screwing William's girlfriend.
“Did you bring me my ice cream, luv?” Dru asked, oblivious to William's pain.
William glared at Angel. "You bastard! How the fuck can you do a thing like this?"
Furiously, William had landed a punch to Angel’s face, knocking him to the floor.
William straddled Angel.
“You…bloody…bastard…how…the…hell…could…you…do…this…to…a…friend?” he asked in
between punches.
Drusilla had gotten a weird kick out of William
hitting Angel into a bloody pulp. She was getting more excited by the minute;
there had been blood all over the wall, the sheets, and William. When he'd
finally regained control, he'd looked at the blood on his hands and had jumped
to his feet. Backing away from Angel's unconscious body, he looked at Dru
sadly.
“Why?" he'd asked. "How the hell could you do this to
me? I loved you.”
“My poor little William.” She'd crawled over to him,
naked.
“Don’t!”
She'd wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to kiss him, but he'd pushed her away.
“I said don't! Don't you ever fucking touch me again!"
Drusilla had pouted, sticking her lower lip out, hoping
William would give in.
“No. That isn’t going to work Dru. Not this time. It’s over. I’m done.” He went to the closet, moved Angel out of the way. He'd grabbed his suitcase, putting whatever he could lay his hands on into it. Once he was finished, he'd walked out the door without looking back.
********************************************
William quickly snapped out of the horrible memory, and he erased the message. He
went into the kitchen, busying himself with dinner preparations.
“That ponce isn’t going to fuck up my life again.
Not if I have anything to say about it!”
An hour later the spaghetti and meatballs were made. He covered the dishes to keep the food warm, then set the table. Buffy had candles around of all shapes and sizes, from votives to pillars to floating candles. William lit them all, leaving the room with a warm glow. He placed a bottle of burgundy on the table.
William looked up at the clock to see what time it was.
Good, she’ll be home soon.
He went back to the bedroom to change his clothes. He
decided that he didn’t want to wear his black tee-shirt. He wanted to look nice
for her, and pulled out in a blue cotton button down shirt; the one she liked
the best on him. He quickly buttoned it up, and was tucking it into his pants
when he heard Buffy come in.
“Hey babe." He came out of their bedroom.
She was wearing black slacks with horizontal white pin strips, a black blouse
with a deep neckline, and her favorite red jacket.
“Hi.” Buffy said, kicking her shoes off.
William kissed her, helped her remove her jacket, and
hung it up.
“Boy, I’m beat.” Buffy signed and she walked into the
dining room. She quickly noticed all that William had done for her.
“Happy Anniversary, pet.” Damn, the roses... Oh
shit, I left them in the bedroom.
“You remembered,” She quickly threw her arms around
his neck, pulling him closer for a heat seeking, passionate
kiss.
When air became an issue, William was the first to break the kiss, leaving her wanting more. “Wow, that’s…some kiss.” He smiled, wanting a little more himself.
“There’s more where that came from,” she hinted, with a
suggestive eyebrow.
“Hold that thought!” William went to the bedroom for the roses. He immediately saw them lying on the bed, grabbed them and went back out the living room. “For you,"
he said, holding out the flowers.
“Aww, you’re sweet. I love them, thank you….and there’s
definitely going to be more thanks later." She sniffed the roses, as she looked
up at him through her eyelashes.
“That I can’t wait for,” He grinned, leading her into
the dining room. “But it's dinner first, desert later.” He removed the cover for
her to see.
“My favorite, you remembered.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t forget that!” He pulled out a
chair for her and she sat down, scooting in to the table. “Wine,
love?”
“I’d love some.”
He opened the wine and poured her a glass and walked
around the table, sat down, and poured himself a glass and they began to eat.
After they were finished, Buffy was stuffed. She didn’t
think she could eat another bite. Unless he has chocolate cake in the
kitchen? That I could go for. William stood up, cleared the table, took the
dishes to the kitchen, and placed them in the sink. He turned to his left, there
was small box sitting on the counter with a note on it, he pulled out two small
plates and silverware. As he set the plates down, William picked up the note and
began to read it.
“William,
Hope you have a wonderful evening. Happy
Anniversary.
Love,
William had been busy all day at work and didn’t think
he’d be able to pick up the chocolate cake he had requested at the bakery, so he
had asked
Buffy started to feel antsy and leaned in to see what
he was up to.
“What’s taking you so long?” Buffy asked
teasingly.
He knew she was trying to peek. He just smiled and
shook his head.
“No peeking, love.”
William put the pieces of cake on a tray and carried it
out to the dining room.
“Mmmmm, chocolate cake,” Buffy said, as he set the tray
down, and handed her a plate. She quickly picked up the fork, and took a bite.
“This is good.”
He sat down and took a bite as well. “Sorry love,
it’s a store bought. If I’d had time, I’d have made you one from
scratch.”
“Aww, aren’t you sweet, but you’ve done more than
enough,” Buffy gestured around the room. “I love it. I love you.” William and
Buffy leaned in for a heat seeking kiss. “Let’s go to the bedroom now.” William
quickly rose out of the chair and pulled Buffy up into his arms for another
kiss.
*********************************************
After an hour of love making, William pulled Buffy
close to him, with her head lying on his chest.
“That was fantastic, William. I love you. I loved all
of this. Thank you!”
“Love you too, pet.” He kissed the top of her head.
“Too bad we never made it into the bedroom,” he joked.
“As long as we’re together, the place doesn’t matter to
me,” Buffy turned around and looked him straight in the eye.
“Love, that’s so sweet.”
“I know,” She leaned in to kiss him. William rolled her
over and once again entered her. “Oh, William.”
Once they were exhausted, Buffy and William had decided
to call it a night once in their bedroom. The couple was snuggled closed to each
other, not wanting to let go one another.
*************************************************
Across town at the Hyperion, Angel paced back and forth
in a dark suit, anxiously waiting for Buffy to return his call. It never entered
his mind that she wouldn’t. He'd stopped in Sunnydale over night, thinking he
could get back with her, even if it was just one night. Angel didn’t care if she
was with someone, or even married. It didn’t matter.
“Damn! Why isn’t she calling me?” Angel looked at his
watch. “She should be home from The Magic Shop already.”
After Angel was with Drusilla, he'd realized right away
that she was a bit crazy, and left her. He'd traveled around the
world and on his twenty-third birthday he'd found himself in Sunnydale,
He'd then met Darla in a bar in
The marriage started out well enough. No kids to worry
about the first few years. Then all of a sudden Darla got pregnant. Angel didn’t
believe it at first, because they had taken precautions. He'd always figured
Darla stopped taking her birth control bills. They'd fought about it constantly,
and ended up sleeping in separate beds.
As Angel was waiting, there was a knock at the door, and he rushed over to answer it, hoping that it would be Buffy.
“Oh, it’s you.”
Darla stood there, wearing a navy skirt with a navy
waist jacket and a white blouse. Her hair was loose over her
shoulders.
“Thanks, Angel. That’s such a nice way to great your
wife and son.”
Conner was 3 years old. He had blonde hair that was
slowly turning brown. There were hints of Darla, but he resembled Angel more. He
was a typical toddler, hyper as can be. He was nervous around his father and
always hid behind his mother, but he usually warmed up to Angel after a few
minutes.
“I’m sorry,” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
“Son,” Angel bent down, “It’s ok. I’m not going to bite. You can come out from
behind mommy.” Conner poked his head out from behind his mother’s skirt. “It’s
ok, Conner.” Conner stepped out, smiled weakly before running into his father’s
arms. “How’s my boy?”
“Me fine daddy.”
“Good.” Angel hugged his son. “Come in, Darla.” Angel
gestured his wife to come in the room.
Darla walked in and shut the door behind her, not
pleased with her husband’s actions, not to mention him being in Sunnydale.
After they were married, she'd secretly had her
father’s people check out Angel; his background, if he'd been married before,
who he'd dated, and so on. When Darla received the file, she wasn’t too
surprised that he’d stolen his good friend’s girl away, gotten another girl
pregnant, and had several meaningless relationships before he'd met her. He
wasn’t in trouble with the law, which was a relief to her. His background left a
lot to be desired, but as long as his family didn’t bother her or Conner, she
didn’t care what they did.
“We go see Mickey,” Conner’s face lit
up.
“I thought I’d spend some time with him, since his father doesn't seem to want to," Darla
replied acidly.
Angel scowled at her and then set Conner down. “Turn on
the TV Conner. Mommy and Daddy need to talk.”
“Otay.” Conner turned on the TV and laid down on the bed.
Angel grabbed Darla by the arm and dragged her over to
the door so Conner wouldn’t hear their arguing.
“Darla, why the hell do you speak to me like that in
front of Conner?”
“I’m only being honest. He should know he has a
deadbeat for a father.”
That stung Angel. He really did care for his son, but she was right, he wasn’t the best father.
Angel didn’t have a good relationship with his father,
Charles. When his mother had died, his father placed him in boarding school
while he traveled in
The last time Angel and his father came into contact,
was right after Angel left Sunnydale to go to
“That was cold.”
Darla just shrugged and said, “Conner, it’s time to go.
We’re going to miss the plane.”
Angel turned away from Darla. “You’re mother’s right.
You should get going. When I get home, we can go someplace. Where ever you
want.”
Conner jumped up on the bed.
Darla took his hand and headed out the door without
saying good bye.
“Damn her!” He punched the wall. Early in their
relationship, Angel had hit her, but she'd threatened to tell her father. Angel
would be out on the street, or worse, dead. He'd never tried to hurt her after
that. Angel didn’t dare cross his father-in-law.
********************************************
The next morning, the phone rang at
answer it.
“Hello?” she said, still half asleep.
“Is Mr. Giles there?”
That irritating voice woke her up. That bitch better
stop calling here so early in the morning or I’ll kick her ass
myself.
“Harmony, do you have any idea what time it
is?”
“So…what’s your point?”
“My point is, stop calling so early or I'll..."
William took the phone away. “Hey, I was talking to her,” Buffy
pouted.
“She’s my secretary.” He put the phone up to his ear.
“What is it Harmony?”
“William…” Harmony began, in her annoying, high pitched voice.
“I’ve asked you to call me Mr. Giles.” William rolled
his eyes. I’ve got to do something about the chit. She’s getting on my
nerves. “Why are you calling me?”
“Give me the phone, I’ll find out,” Buffy tried
grabbing the phone away, but William held her back. “Give it
here.”
William whispered, “Stop!”
“Can't you tell her to be quiet?" Harmony finally said,
annoyed with Buffy’s attitude.
“I’ll ask you again, why are you calling
me?”
“God, William...why are you with her? You should be
with me. I can give you so much more.”
William sat up in bed. “All right, that's enough. Harmony, you're fired. Call here one more time and I'll notify the police."
“William, please!”
“But…but…” She stuttered.
William hung up the phone.
“We need a restraining order against her, William.
There’s no telling what the skank will try to do,” Buffy surmised.
“You’re right. I’ve given her way too many chances.
We’ll go down Monday morning and file the papers then.”
“Good.”
“Let’s say, we forget about Harmony Kendall for the
rest of the weekend, and I make you some waffles.”
“Sounds good.”
William pulled on his pajama bottoms and Buffy put on
his pajama shirt and followed him into the kitchen, forgetting about Harmony.
******************************************
She remembered the paper was at the front door, opened
it, looking out at the neighbor, kissing his wife before he left for work.
When the coffee was finished brewing,
“Hey honey,”
“Good morning,” She greeted her girlfriend with a
kiss.
“I wonder how their evening went,”
“I hope it went well.”
“Me too. They really do love each other. I don’t want
anything bad to happen to them,” She took a sip of her
coffee.”
“As long as Angel doesn’t come back into the picture, I
think things will be ok.”
“Angel?”
“Yeah, he’s the first.”
“The first?”
“Yes…I don’t know if I should talk about it. She
probably wouldn't mind if I did, but I don’t know.”
“I want to tell you, but it’s not my story to
tell.”
“I won’t say anything.”
“When Buffy turned 19, Cordelia, Fred, Faith and I, had a party for her at The Bronze, and she met this guy Angel. They dated for like 6 months. She totally fell in love with him, and the day after they were...together...for the first time, he left her."
"That's awful. What a
creep."
“That’s not the only thing that
happened.”
“What? Did he leave her with some sort of
disease?”
“Not exactly.”
“What then?”
“A few weeks later, Buffy found out she was pregnant, and soon after that she miscarried. It was a horrible time for her. She was right in the middle of studying to be an interior designer, too."
“That’s just so horrible of Angel to leave her like
that. I just don’t understand men.”
“There are only two decent men as far as I’m concerned, and that's..."
“William and Xander,” Tara finished the sentence. It was something that they did from time to time, feeling proud that they knew each other's thoughts so well.
“Of course,”
“I'm not sure. She’s been real quiet at work lately."
“That’s very unusual for her.”
“Very…I wonder if everything is okay between them?"
“I’m sure it is. They're probably just having a little
spat. They’ll work it out.”
Several minutes went by where neither one said
anything.
“It's...it's Angel. He’s back in
town.”
“What?”
“Oh god, I’ve gotta call Buffy.”
“ Hello?” William answered.
“Is Buffy there? I need to talk to her. Please get her
on the phone.”
“Whoa, red, calm down. What’s the
matter?”
“Just please... get Buffy on the
phone.”
“All right. She’s here.” He handed over the phone to Buffy. "It's Willow."
“Hi, Willow. Why are you calling so early?"
“What is it?” Buffy asked worriedly.
“Did you get the morning paper?”
“Not yet. Why?”
“You know how you always worried about the past biting
you in the ass?”
“Yeah. What are you trying to say,
“Angel,”
“What? What does he have to do with…what about him?”
All her fears quickly came back to her. She thought she’d buried that part of
her past, and her face turned white. William hadn’t noticed as he was fixing her
the waffles he'd promised.
“Wil, please..."
“I wouldn’t be calling you if it wasn’t
important.”
“Get to it already.”
“Angel…he’s…here…in…town,”
The phone went dead on the other end.
Chapter 2-
William turned as soon as he heard the phone drop.
Buffy had slumped down on the floor, holding her knees close up to her chest.
”Buffy! Love, what’s the matter?” He rushed to her side. “What is
it?”
Buffy just looked up into William's blue eyes and began
to cry. Everything she'd tried so hard to forget had come back with a bang. How
would she get past it once again?
“Baby, I’ve got you.” He picked her up in his arms, and took her back to the bedroom, then laid her on the bed and crawled up beside her, holding her close.
A few minutes later, she looked him in the eyes. She
wanted to tell him all about her past. She had to come to grips with it herself,
after burying it deep inside of her for so long, but she knew no matter what,
he’d always be there for her.
“It’s all right; you don’t have to talk about it right now, honey," he whispered, stroking her hair gently. "Not if you don't feel like it."
“I do, I do. It’s just...it was a very hard time for me
and when
William smiled and kissed her on top of her head. She
took a deep breath before she began speaking.
“I didn’t tell you everything about my past.” She began
softly. “When I turned 19, I met this guy at the Bronze when my friends gave me
a birthday party. He was every girl’s knight in shining armor type of guy. You
know...tall, dark, and handsome. He was great to me. I totally fell in love with
him and then…we slept together.”
“Love, I know all this. You’ve told me about this before. The guy ran out on you."
“Actually," she took a deep breath. "I left something
very important out.”
“Go on,” William told her.
“He got me…pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” he repeated, sitting up.
“Yes...but I lost the baby not long
after.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.” He held her tightly, not
wanting to ever let go.
“I never told him," Buffy choked out. "Was...was that wrong of me?"
“You don’t owe that ponce a damn thing, Buffy. HE did
YOU wrong. No girl should ever have to go through what you did.” William held
her tightly. “Is that what got you upset?”
“No, he’s…Angel’s in town on business, and I'm afraid he might try to see me."
William let go abruptly. “Angel? He’s the one that
knocked you up?”
“Yeah, why?” She asked a bit defensively, not
understanding why.
“Shit! I can’t seem to get away from that
“What? You know him?” she asked, moving closer. "Are you sure? His real name is
Liam...."
“Oh, my god,” Buffy began crying again. “I'm so sorry, William."
“For what?” William asked, turning around. “It’s not
your fault. You didn’t know he was gonna be a total ass. Neither of us did, but
there’s no reason to be sorry.” He interlaced his fingers with hers. “Baby, I
did something totally wrong yesterday.”
She looked up at him with tear stained
eyes.
“What?”
“He called…I had no idea he was ‘that guy’, so I
deleted the message. I didn’t want it to interfere with our
evening.”
“I should have been honest about my past, but I wasn’t,
and now we’re in this mess.”
“It’s Angel’s fault. If he’d just stayed the hell away
from SunnyD, we’d all been better off.”
Buffy had to agree with that. If he hadn’t come back, the only thing they’d be dealing with was Harmony. Even then, they’d forget about her for the rest of the weekend. Harmony was nothing compared to Angel. She was just an annoying bug that easily could be swatted away. Angel, on the other hand, was ruthless. When he wanted something, there was no stopping him.
Most importantly, Angel had hurt her deeply. It had
taken her a long time to even have another relationship, and Buffy wasn’t going
to let Angel ruin it. She loved William with her whole heart. More than she'd
ever dreamed of. He was her soul mate. He knew her, as she knew him. Buffy
wasn’t about to lose that. It was too important to her.
William saw that Buffy was quiet. “Love, what are you
thinking about?”
“Us…William, I don’t want to lose this…us. I love you.
I don’t care about Angel. He’ll never come between us. He can't. We're too
connected.”
He smiled. “Pet, you’re not going to lose me. I love
you, too. Very much. He’s not going to come between us. Not if I have anything
to say about it.” He got out of bed, and went over to the dresser.
Buffy watched him, nervously.
“What are you going to do?” She got out of bed and
went over to him.
William pulled out a pair of jeans. “Something that I should have a long time ago."
God, what does he mean by
that?
“What is that supposed to mean?” Buffy asked, while he
was pulling up his jeans.
“I kicked his arse once before.”
“You did what?” Buffy asked, nervously.
He pulled out a navy tee-shirt and put it
on.
“I kicked his arse for sleeping with Drusilla, my first
girlfriend.”
“William, please don’t do something rash.” She tried
talking him out of whatever he was going to do. “Angel’s a non-issue. Let’s just
forget about this and move on.”
“He needs to be stopped. I don't want him bothering you, not ever again."
“What are you going to do?” She turned him to face her. “I want to know!"
William went back over to the bed, ignoring her protests. Buffy suddenly was more worried then she had been in her entire life. He slipped on a pair of socks, and pulled on his combat boots, and then finally spoke. “Buffy, I’m going over to the Hyperion. Gonna take care of it once and for all.” He got up to leave, but she sat down on the bed and pulled him back down beside her.
Buffy held his hand, and said, “I’m sorry that he hurt
you, but this is my battle.” She finally realized this was something that she
had to take care of herself. She was scared, but at the same time she was
determined to find some peace of mind and closure. “It’s the only way that I’ll
truly get over it. You’re more than welcome to come along with me as support,
but only as support.”
He squeezed her hand and smiled. “If you're sure that’s
what you wish, I’ll respect that.”
“That’s what I want.” Buffy leaned over and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and they fell back on the bed, forgetting their problems for a little while.
************************************************
Double doors were pushed open, and Xander and Anya walked out of their bedroom. She sat down on the couch still half asleep. He went into the kitchen to make coffee and some breakfast. He scanned the shelf, and pulled out a box of cereal.
“Ahn, what would you like to eat?” he asked, grabbing
the milk.
“Nothing,” she said, rubbing her stomach, feeling ill.
“I don’t feel much like eating right now.”
“Aw, it’ll pass soon, don’t worry,” he said pouring the
milk into his fruit loops. He took a bite and started chewing.
“XANDER!,” she said sharply, listening to him chew loudly.
“What?” he asked obliviously, taking another bite.
“You’re eating and I can hear you!” She felt like she
was going to throw up.
That was all it took to send Anya running for the
bathroom. Xander went into the bedroom, still holding the bowl, waiting for her
to come out of the bathroom. When she did, she was wiping her face off with a
towel. “When will this end?” she moaned.
“Anya, it’ll be ok. I hear it
passes.”
She scowled at him. “When does it pass? Hmm? I have it
morning,
He set his bowl down on the table, walked over to her, wrapped his arms her waist. “You look beautiful and that’s just what happens. It won't last forever, honey. Before you know it, you'll be holding our beautiful little baby in your arms."
She smiled, feeling a little better. “I guess you’re
right.”
“Have you told the gang yet?” Xander asked, turning her
around to face him.
“No, not yet. I know they're wondering what’s
wrong.”
“Are you worried about what Buffy will
say?”
“Yes, I am. I know she went through hell with that
Angel guy. I just don’t want to hurt her with our news.”
“Honey, we won’t be able to keep this hidden much longer."
She sighed. “I know. Don’t remind me.”
Xander
kissed her forehead. “Let’s say we do something today.”
“Like what?”
“Visit the gang. Maybe get together later and having
dinner somewhere?”
Anya crinkled her nose, “Don't talk about dinner, not
right now, honey. I think I’m going to go back to bed for a little
while.”
“All right, Ahn, whatever you like. I’ll just be right
out in the living room if you need me.”
She smiled and crawled back into bed. He went into the
living room, plopped down with his fruit loops, turned on the TV, and scanned
the band.
************************************************
William and Buffy walked into the Hyperion and as soon
as they entered, it brought back the memories again. But this time was
different. She was ok with it now. That was her past, and William was her
future. She held his hand as they walked up the stairs to the second floor.
Once they got to the door, she turned to face him, “Remember, William, you’re only here for support...okay?"
He didn’t say anything.
“Okay?"
“Okay,” he finally said. "I'm support
guy."
She knocked on the door. They heard scrambling around
the room, and finally the door swung open. Angel was there in full view. She
wasn’t quite expecting him to be clad in just a bedsheet. William stood off to
the side. If she needed him, he’d step out in full view, making sure the ponce
didn't do anything he shouldn’t.
“So, you finally showed up. It's good to see you, Buff."
“This isn’t a social call, Angel."
“Oh, what a shame…I was hoping that my friend Courtney,
you and I would have a threesome.”
“Very funny."
Angel grabbed her hand, and pulled her forward. "Don't knock it until you try it, babe."
“Let go of me.” Buffy stomped on his foot with the heel of her shoe.
"Fuck!" he yelped, letting go instantly. “You bitch! What’d you do that for?” Babying his foot, he snarled, “I think you broke something."
“Good. I hope it hurts!"
“What the hell is your problem?”
“My problem?”
“Yeah....YOUR problem!"
Buffy looked around him at the girl in his room. “Courtney, I think you should leave. Under age girls shouldn’t be in hotel rooms with grown men."
Courtney looked shocked. “H-how d-did you
know?”
“I’ve seen you around. You’re friends with my cousin
Dawn. She’s only 17,” Buffy told her.
“You’re 17?” Angel asked Courtney.
“Y-yes, please don’t call the cops,” she pleaded as she
grabbed her things and left, almost knocking William down in the
process.
“Great," Angel muttered."That’s all I need.” He ran a
hand through his hair.
If you only knew what’s outside in the hall,
Buffy thought, smiling.
Angel turned towards Buffy. “So, why are you here? It's pretty obvious you don't want to see me."
“I'm here to tell you what I think of you.You hurt me when you left. I was alone and pregnant. You don’t have any idea what that did to me. I loved you and you didn’t even give a care about me. How could you even do a thing like that? I never once did anything to hurt you."
He looked at her shocked. “You never told me you were pregnant. Do I have a son or a daughter?” He wondered if she had lost it, or given it up for adoption or maybe had an abortion. “Where's the kid?"
“I had a miscarriage shortly after I found
out.”
“Oh...well. I'm...sorry?" More like relieved, but he didn't say it.
“It hurt for so very long, but I was finally able to
let it go and move on, instead of burying it deep down. That’s all thanks to the
wonderful man I met. I have no use for you anymore, Angel. You can go to hell,”
she said triumphantly.
I’ve so wanted to say that to him for a very
long time. It feels so damn good.
Angel was totally shocked. No woman talked to him like
that and got away with it.
“I think you might know him. His name is William
Giles.” She turned and called her boyfriend.
William Giles? Christ! I haven't thought about him in years.
William entered the room with a smug smile on his face. “Last time we saw each other, I was kicking your ass all over my room."
“Small world, Will. How have you been?” Angel asked,
warily.
“Don't make friendly small talk, Angel. We're not old pals. And by the way, how's Dru?"
“You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“She's...she's dead. Suicide," Angel said briefly.
“What?” William asked, shocked.
“Angel, this better not be some stupid joke of yours,” Buffy asked, holding William's hand tightly.
“No, it’s all true.” He went over to his lap top and
turned it on. He went to google and searched for her death notice. “Here, you
can see for yourself.”
William and Buffy walked over to the desk while Angel
got dressed. William sat down and started reading the notice.
Drusilla Barnes, 29, heiress to the Barnes Hotel chains, and many of the Fallen Angel restaurants owned by her mother’s side of the family, died in her home, an apparent suicide, on the 7th of June. She left a note simply saying ‘I’m sorry I caused so much pain to everyone I ever loved. Please don’t think of my death as shameful. I don’t. I see it as moving on to the next life…Love, Drusilla.’ She is preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, James and Dorian Barnes; maternal grandparents, Michael and Stella Wentworth, and her brother Michael James, who all died in a small plane crash the year before, the wreckage of which was never found.
William turned towards Angel, who was now dressed. “Why
didn’t she ever tell me about her grandparents and her
brother?”
“She asked me not to say anything, never really giving
me a reason why.”
“Weren’t you with her?”
“No, I left her not long after. She kinda went crazy,”
Angel said, thinking back to that time.
“She had nobody. That’s a shame,” Buffy said, feeling
badly for William. He had after all cared for this woman, but she didn’t feel a
bit sorry for her. She got exactly what she deserved. “William, I think
it’s time for us to go.”
“Not yet.” William rose to his feet. “How could you
leave her?” he asked Angel.
“Will, I couldn’t take it anymore. She talked about the
fairies, elves, and leprechauns, or whatever, telling her what was to come. She
spoke of her death…MY death, even YOUR death. To put it honestly, she was
scaring the shit out of me. I had to leave. I wasn’t going to let her bring me
down with her. I came back to the states, got married and had a
kid.”
That’s too bad for them. Buffy
thought.
“And your wife, she knows about your indiscretions?”
William asked.
“Yes, I suppose she knows,” Angel
replied.
“Then why is she still with you?” Buffy asked,
snidely.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I suppose she loves me. And she stays with me for our son, Conner,” Angel answered honestly. “I’m not a nice man. I know that. I screw people over for a living. How do you think I live with myself everyday? It’s not like I can ever leave Master Incorporated. My father-in-law would fucking kill me."
“Well, that’s your problem,” William said, and then
turned to Buffy. “Let’s go. I’m done with this whole scene.”
“All right with me.” Buffy and William left Angel’s
room hand in hand, leaving their painful pasts where they
belonged.
As they got into their car, William turned in his seat.
“Marry me?”
“What?” She asked, not quite sure she'd heard him
properly.
“Marry me. We can drive to Vegas, get married and then spend a few days on honeymoon."
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. Let’s go home, get what we need, and
go.”
Buffy smiled, excitedly wrapped her arms around his
neck, and kissed him. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Then let’s go.”
******************************************
They pulled up in front of their place. There were
lights on in their second floor apartment.
“The lights are on,” Buffy thought out
loud.
“We probably forgot to turn them off,” William said as
they got out of their car.
“Maybe you’re right.”
As they got closer to their door, they saw that it was
opened. William looked at her, worried. “Stay out here, love.”
“Okay."
William opened the door, peered inside, making sure
that there wasn’t anyone in there, and walked inside.
“Bloody hell,” William cursed, looking around the living room and dining area.
The place was a mess. Paintings and pictures ruined.
Glass all over. The couch cushions were cut and the stuffing torn out. The
chairs were thrown through the glass patio doors. He then went into the
bedroom. Drawers were dumped out. Clothes all over the place. His pants had the
crotches missing in them. Above their bed, there was a message scrawled on the
wall in red paint. ‘You are mine, William, now and forever.’ He noticed a
picture of him and Buffy in the middle of the floor. Buffy’s head had been cut
out, and replaced with Harmony’s.
Buffy was starting to feel nervous out there in the
hall, so she went inside. When she saw how her home had been vandalized, she
began to cry. She'd worked so hard to make it beautiful and someone had come in
and just ruined it all.
William picked up the picture and sighed deeply. “That is it.” He turned abruptly and threw the picture against the wall.
Buffy heard the crash from their bedroom and ran down
the hall.
Chapter 3-
Harmony jumped off the bed when she heard the car pulling up. She dropped the can of red paint on the floor, smiled at the writing on the wall. Picking up her duffel bag, she pulled out a picture frame.
“Soon, William," she
murmured "we’ll be together the way it should have been." She kissed the
picture, and dropped it in the middle of the floor, wanting it to be in a place
where he couldn't possibly miss it..
Harmony hurried out of the apartment and down the back stairs.
William had moved up the ranks at channel 5 rather quickly, leap-frogging from anchor man to producer in less than a year’s time. He'd had to hire a secretary for the first time, so he'd called up a local temp agency to find a suitable candidate for the position.
The second one they'd sent was Harmony Kendall. She'd seemed a little air-headed, but her secretarial skills were impressive, so he'd hired her.
Over the course of time, some of his things began to go missing. Nothing major, but just enough to be annoying; a calculator, a coffee mug with the station's logo, a necktie
he'd left in the staff lounge; a framed photograph of himself and Buffy on a beach in
Northern California. The frame had been sterling silver, but he was much angrier at losing the picture it contained.
William then began getting
bouquets of flowers. At first, he'd figured it was Buffy who was sending them,
but when he'd questioned her about it, she had denied it. When he'd decided to
check with the local florists, they abruptly stopped coming. At that point,
Buffy had started getting harassing letters mailed to her at both their home and
her store. William had begun to get seriously worried, wondering if he'd been
attracting some sort of stalker.
Working late one night to assemble a budget for the coming year, he'd asked Harmony to stay as well. It had been a huge mistake on his part. She apparently had gotten the notion that he was interested in something other than working with her. He'd spent the evening ignoring her flirtatious behavior, trying to convince himself that he was imagining things, but not making the connection.
The next day, she came in
bright and chipper. He'd asked her to come into his
office.
“Yes, boss, what is it?” she'd asked.
“I wanted to discuss what happened last night."
“What do you mean?” she
asked, feigning innocence.
He'd leaned across his desk. “I think you know exactly what I mean. Your behavior last night was entirely unprofessional, and if it continues that way, I'll have no choice but to let you go."
”I don’t know what you mean,
Mr. Giles.”
“I think you do, and it had better stop right now. You're an excellent secretary, Harmony,
and I'd hate to lose you over something like this. So, let's try and get past it, and see
that it doesn't happen again, all right?"
"Yes sir."
**********************************************
A FEW WEEKS LATER.....
Harmony rolled over in bed and grabbed her phone. She punched in the numbers for William's home, wanting to hear his voice and perhaps disrupt whatever early morning love making might be going on.
“Hello?” Buffy answered,
sounding half asleep.
Harmony rolled her eyes. “Is
Mr. Giles there?”
“Harmony, do you have any
idea what time it is?”
Do I even care what time it
is?
“So…what’s your
point?”
“My point is, stop calling so early or I'll..." Harmony heard William take the phone away. “Hey, I was talking to her,” Buffy muttered in the background.
“She’s my secretary. What is
it Harmony?”
“William…” Harmony began, but got no further.
“I’ve asked you to call me
Mr. Giles.”
“Give me the phone! ” Buffy sounded like she was trying to take the phone away while William held her off.
“Can't you tell her to be
quiet?" Harmony finally said, annoyed with Buffy’s attitude.
“I’ll ask you again, why are
you calling me?”
“God, William...why are you
with her? You should be with me. I can give you so much
more.”
“All right, that's enough. Harmony, you're fired. Call here one more time and I'll notify the police."
“William,
please!”
“Monday morning, I want you
to clean out your desk at the station."
“But…but…” she stuttered.
The next thing she heard was the line going dead. “SHIT! SHIT!
SHIT!”
She threw the phone and once
it hit the wall; it shattered into thousands of little
pieces.
“He’s gonna pay now,
dearly.”
Harmony jumped out of bed
and went into the other room. On the far wall there were three monitors set up,
all showing a different view of William's home. One of the cameras was facing
directly into their bedroom window. She knew she was safe there, since they had
no idea she'd rented the house across the street from them.
She sat down in the chair by the window, where she had a high powered telescope set up. You may have fired me, but this isn't over yet, William...not even close. I'm gonna tear your happy little home to pieces.
***************************************
Xander and Anya pulled up in
front of Willow and Tara’s home. It was a two story colonial house, the
prettiest on the block. Anya hoped that one day she and Xander could have a
house just like it.
“All right, Anya, we’re going to tell them, and we’ll tell Buffy and William later on this evening, okay?"
She smiled as they got out
of the car, and walked up the walk way together, hand in
hand.
Xander knocked on the door a
few times, and
“Xander?”
“Good…real good,” Xander said, wrapping an arm around Anya’s waist.
Anya had begun wearing maternity clothing, but it was the new style that disguised pregnancy well into the late months.
“Why don’t we go into the
living room and get comfortable?”
Xander and Anya sat on the
couch, while Willow and Tara sat in a pair of matching armchairs.
“Xander and I are going to have a baby," Anya blurted out, in her usual blunt fashion
“Why? What’d you think Wil?
That we were breaking up?” Xander asked a little confused.
“Well….yeah…actually we
did,”
“Me, too." Willow added. "When are you due?”
“In 4 months, three weeks,
and four days," Anya replied. Everyone laughed at how carefully she'd calculated
the exact date.
As Tara, Anya and Xander
were talking about the baby,
Maybe I should give her a
call. OR maybe we should all just go over there. I hope she’s not upset with me.
“Honey,”
“What?”
“What’s the
matter?”
“Just worried about
Buffy.”
“What’s up with the Buffster?” Xander asked.
“Angel was in town today,”
“Baby, it’ll be fine. If you
want, we can all stop by their place and make sure of it,"
********************************************
Xander, Anya,
“Shit, what the hell happened here?” Xander asked, getting out of his car.
“I don’t know, but I don’t
like it,”
The group walked down the
block to William and Buffy’s, but they were stopped by the
police.
“Sorry, but this is a crime
scene. No one is allowed beyond this tape.”
“Our friends live in there,”
“I can’t give out that
information, ma’am.”
“Look officer, my friend
here is very worried. She’ll start to panic if she doesn’t get any information,”
Xander tried reasoning with the police officer. "Believe me, it's not a pretty
sight."
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing that I can do. Please just stay behind the tape. I’ll see if I can get one of the detectives to help you.” The officer took down their names and went inside the building.
“Damn,” Xander said, seriously worried.
A few minutes later, they
were admitted. The girls followed Xander up the front
stairs.
Once they were in the
apartment, they saw Buffy sitting on the floor in front of her couch, which had
been destroyed.
“BUFFY!” they all yelled at
once, and went to her side.
“What happened?” Xander
asked, kneeling in front of her.
“This day has been horrible," she said, running her hands through her hair.
Buffy turned towards
“I'm sorry about earlier. I
just wasn’t expecting all that to come back.”
“So...you’re not mad at me?”
“No, I’m not. You did me a
favor. William and I went to visit Angel this morning. I finally was able to
tell Angel what I thought about the whole situation…and you know
what?”
“What?”
“It felt good. I've always
wanted to tell him to go to hell.”
“That’s so great, Buffy.”
Xander was happy that his friend was finally able to move past everything that
had happened.
“It also turns out that
William and Angel knew each other.” She briefly explained the
situation.
“Oh wow,”
“Yeah. So...we're finally
able to close THAT chapter of our lives, and then we come home to this,” Buffy
gestured around the room. “Our home was broken into. Just about everything was
destroyed.”
“I'm very sorry Buffy,” Anya
said, so eagerly waiting to tell Buffy her news, it just spilled out before she
realized it. “I’m pregnant.”
“What?” Buffy asked, shaking her head.
“Anya,” Xander gritted through his teeth. “This really isn't a good time."
“No, its okay, Xander. I’m glad for you two,” Buffy said, hugging them both.
“Really? It’s okay?” Xander
asked, again.
“I mean it wasn’t the best time, but it’s good news and that's all that counts. Congratulations."
“Now, what happened here?”
“Some sick twisted bitch is after us," Buffy said, frowning.
“Who?”
“We think it was Harmony. She’s had a thing for William for a long time now, and I guess she finally cracked."
“Why didn’t Will just get
rid of her?” Xander wondered.
“He thought she would lose
interest, but this morning he had to fire her. Then we went to see Angel and
when we got home....we found this mess."she replied, going over the days events
in her mind. “He proposed to me right before we came
home.”
“Oh my god, he did?”
“Yep. We were going to go to
Vegas and just do it. We came home and found the apartment like this. He told me
to stay in the hall, but I wanted to come in...I didn't want to stay out there.
So I came in here, waiting for him to return, and I heard something like glass
shattering. I ran down the hall and
“It’s okay, love, everything
will be okay.” he said, holding her tightly.
“We’re never going to get
away from her, are we?” Buffy asked, tears springing to her eyes. He kissed the
top of her head.
“They’ll find her. We can go
on with our lives and get married just as we'd planned."
“I hope so.”
Chapter 4
Several hours later, the
police finally left the apartment. They had all the evidence that they needed;
the spray can, finger prints, and even a hair sample. They weren't sure if it
was Buffy’s or not, so she gave them a sample of her own hair, just to rule it
out. She wanted this to be over as soon as possible.
The detective in charge suggested that they stay somewhere else for the night. Willow and Tara immediately offered their home, and were informed that there would be a squad car patrolling their neighborhood, as well as one patrolling Buffy and William's street.
Xander and Anya had decided to go home. Anya
was tired and wasn't up to any more socializing, not to mention stress.
“What would you like to
order?”
“Thanks Wil, but I'm not up
for eating right now,” Buffy said, feeling tired. Why did this all have to happen today of all
days? I just want to curl up and die right now.
“Buffy, love, we haven't
much today. We should really eat something. A sandwich maybe?” William was
worried. Buffy looked pale and on edge, which was hardly surprising considering
what she'd been through in the last twelve hours.
After thinking it over, Buffy agreed. "I guess I could eat a little something."
“What is it?" William
inquired.
“Roast beef with mashed
potatoes,”
“Sounds good,” William said, then smiled at Buffy. "That all right with you, luv?"
She managed to get a few
bites down, then excused herself to go up to the guest room and lie down. She
picked up her over night bag, and placed it on the bed.
Why does this have to
happen? Just when I….we were happy, she thought as she began
to cry.
Buffy sat down the bed,
sobbing uncontrollably. She pulled herself together after a few minutes, and
quickly changed into her pajamas; one of Williams’s old tee-shirts and a pair of
blue pajama pants, then crawled into bed and let the tears trickle down her
face once again.
**********************************************
After awhile, they lost interest in the program. They were all worried about what Harmony was going to do next. William was more worried about Buffy than anything else.
“Well, I think I'm gonna
call it a night," William announced, rising from the couch. "I really want to
put an end to this day."
“I don't blame you,"
“Good night,”
“Good night...and thanks a
lot.”
“No problem," Tara said, giving him a hug. "That's what we're here for."
He walked through the
kitchen, up a small step to the foyer and climbed the stairs, feeling
emotionally exhausted. He knew he’d as soon as his head hit the pillow, he’d be
asleep.
The guest room was as attractively decorated as the rest of the house. There was a queen sized bed, with nightstands on either side of it, a large oak armoire with a matching dresser, and an armchair next to a large picture window. The walls were
painted a soothing shade of cream, and were decorated with more of Tara's art work.
Buffy was lying on the bed,
still crying. When William came in, she quickly wiped her tear streaked face on
her sleeve.
“I'm ok," she said. "I'm just really tired.”
She was lying, and he knew it, but he wasn't going to say anything. They'd had enough trouble for one night, and there was no point in upsetting her more than she already was.
“Everything will be all right, luv," he said quietly. "I promise."
“I know," she said. "I just
need to sleep." She pulled away from him and slid under the covers.
“Okay. I'll be right back.
Just gonna hit the bathroom.” he told her. Grabbing his toothbrush and
toothpaste, he went across the hall to the bathroom.
He was back five minutes
later. He slid under the covers, kissed her again, and shortly after his head
hit the pillow, he was out like a light.
Buffy, however, lay awake long into the night. Nervous and a little sad, she was strangely afraid to go to sleep, worried that Harmony might pop out of the shadows and do something horrible.
After William went to bed,
“What is it, sweetie?”
“I'm worried about Buffy,”
“While we were eating, she was so distant. I don't know what I’d do in her situation. I just hope she knows that she can come to us, if she needs to talk."
“She knows. But Buffy's so
damn independent, you know? She just has to do things for
herself.”
“Everything will be okay," Tara said. "The police will catch her, and William and Buffy can go on with their lives and get married."
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am. Let's get some
sleep.”
*********************************************
Buffy was still wide awake
at 3 am. As her anxiety mounted, she snuggled up against William for comfort.
Half asleep, William said,
“Love, what is it?”
“Nothing really. I just can't sleep."
He rolled over so that he
could look her in the eye. “I'm here. You have nothing to worry about. I won't
let anyone hurt you," he said, wrapping protective arms around
her.
She smiled weakly. “Have I
told you lately how much I love you?”
“Not that I can recall,” he
said coyly.
“Well, I do. I-I love you more every day. I don't ever want to lose you."
“Honey, you're not gonna
lose me. Not ever. I love you too, and I'll still be standing next to you when
we're old and falling apart," he teased, giving her a sound kiss on the lips.
"Try and sleep now, luv. I'm totally exhausted, and I'm pretty sure that you
are, too.”
Buffy nodded, laying her head on his shoulder, and draping one arm across his waist. "Good night, William," she murmured, closing her eyes.
"Night, luv."
Early Sunday morning, search warrant in hand, the police raided Harmony Kendall’s apartment.
The apartment was only a block away from the television station, a small studio with a kitchen nook, and a tiny bathroom.
There wasn't much there. A
futon, a few boxes of books and CDs, and a hotplate. The closet was empty, except for
a few bent coat hangers.
“It looks like she knew we
were coming," Officer Jones said, as he made his notes.
In the very back of the closet, they found a box containing the items that William had reported as missing.
“Bag it up,” Lieutenant
Smith ordered the CSI team. The forensic team took finger prints and photographs
of all the evidence before it was bagged.
“I think that's pretty much all we're gonna get," Smith said a few minutes later. "Let's get back to the station and get an arrest warrant issued. I want to catch this nut before she hurts someone."
Before leaving, they sealed the front door with yellow tape that proclaimed the apartment a crime scene, warning people not to cross it.
**********************************************
Anya sat up in the bed, and
looked over at her clock on her nightstand. It read
“Xander.” She poked his
side.
He didn't move.
“XANDER!” she yelled in his
ear.
This woke him instantly.
“What is it?” He asked half
asleep. “Is it the baby?” He quickly sat up.
“No,” she
pouted.
“Then what is it?” He sat
up, looking concerned.
“Was it the right time to
tell them?” she asked, “with everything that was happening
yesterday?”
“Anya, honey, if we’d waited
much longer, THEY would have told US," he pointed out with a
smile.
“I guess you’re
right.”
“Maybe it wasn't the
perfect time, but you do what you have to do.” He rubbed her stomach. “Don't
worry so much. Everything will be okay with Buffy and
William.”
Anya pushed the blankets
off , swung her legs out of the bed, and put her feet in her slippers. “I would
like to go over to
Xander looked over at the
clock on the night stand as Anya rose to her feet.
“Uh, Anh...you do know it’s
still pretty early in the morning?”
She turned around to look
him in the eye. “Of course.”
“Then why are you getting up?"
“For the same reason I got
up six times during the night," she said, disappearing into the
bathroom.
“Oh,” was all he managed to
say before he rolled over.
Anya came out of the bathroom a few minutes later. “I'm going back to sleep for a little while, then we can call.” She kicked off her slippers and slid under the covers, snuggling up close to her soon to be husband.
“Mmm-hmmm,” he said, already half asleep.
***********************************************
Harmony hadn't slept at
all. She'd spent the night keeping an eye on the brownstone across the street,
waiting for William to return at some point, while she made a check list. For
her plan to work, she'd need some supplies. First and foremost, she had to put
together a disguise of some sort. She wasn't going to take any chances on
getting caught. Not now that she was so close to getting what she
wanted...William.
She went over to a box at the far end of the living room, opened it, revealing a selection of wigs in all different styles and colors. Harmony pulled out a handful of auburn colored hair, styled in a short bob.
She went into the bathroom to see what she’d look like with it. It framed her face nicely, brushing against her jaw line. It made her took totally different. With different makeup and a change in clothing style, her own mother wouldn't know her.
Back in the bedroom, she opened the closet door and pulled out a black pair of slacks. They were tighter than she usually wore them, and flared out at the bottom. Next, she pulled out a dull gray shirt with a half zip, then put on a pair of old sandals she had. When she was satisfied with her clothing choice, she returned to the bathroom and applied a great deal of make up, using colors she'd never worn before.
When she was finished, she
smiled at herself in the mirror. I can
get in and out and no one will recognize me.
She went into the living room, picked up her list and a pair of sunglasses, and went out the back door. She had sold her old red Escort and bought a used Volkswagen beetle, painted a nondescript shade of brown.
A few minutes later she
pulled into a parking spot at Home Depot. She moved through the store quickly,
checking off each item on her list. She picked up duct tape and a piece of
strong rope, then proceeded to the checkout line, paying for her purchases in
cash.
In her car, she studied the
list of things she still needed. Her next stop was Sunnydale Memorial Hospital.
She parked near the exit doors and grabbed a bag from the back seat of her car.
Inside, she pasted on a smile and headed for the reception desk.
“Hi. Can I help you," the volunteer manning the desk asked pleasantly.
“I'm new here. First day and
all," Harmony said. "Can you tell me where the restroom
is?”
“Sure, it’s down this hall,”
she pointed to the left... “second door on the right. You can't miss
it.”
“Thank you.”
Once in the bathroom, she closed the door behind her, locked it, and she quickly changed into a pair of blue scrubs she'd once worn to a Halloween party.
When she was dressed, she
hid the bag with her clothes in a supply closet. Unlocking the door, she peeked
out, then headed for the elevator.
She found what she wanted on the fifth floor...a nurses station with no one around. She ambled along causally, making her way towards the supply room. Stepping inside, she scanned the shelves for the sedatives, then wrapped a towel around her hand and knocked out a section of the glass door and grabbed a bottle. She used the stairs to return to the lobby, quickly changed back into her street clothes, left the hospital and went back to her house.
********************************************
Buffy woke up in William’s arms. She didn't care what time it was, or where they were. All she wanted to do was watch him sleep. He was her whole world. No matter how scared she was, she didn't want to run away and hide. Wherever William was, that's where she would be, too.
He never looked more beautiful than he does at this very moment, she realized. She traced the line of his cheek, his eyes, his nose, and finally his mouth. He began to stir, and she quickly moved her hand away. He moved closer to her, but he was still asleep.
A few minutes later, he woke
up. She smiled at him.
“Hey,” he said, half asleep,
pulling her close for a kiss.
“Hey, yourself,” she said,
feeling a bit dizzy from the kiss.
“How long you been awake,
love?”
“Not
long.”
“What were you doing?” he
asked, although he knew she'd been watching him. She did that from time to time,
especially when she was worried about something, and needed
reassurance.
“I was just…watching you.”
She looked away, her cheeks turning pink.
He turned her so she’d look
at him. “Sweetheart, don't be embarrassed.”
“I'm not," she insisted. "You just looked so beautiful to me in the morning light."
“Nope, you’re the beautiful
one,” he said, kissing her once again, leaving her breathless and wanting
more.
“Make love to me, William. Make me forget all about yesterday,” she pleaded, kissing him.
“What, here? Now? They'll hear us."
“You'll just have to be
quiet,” she teased.
“Hey, I'm not the noisy one.
You take the prize for that,” he teased right back.
She playfully slapped him. William grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down on top of him, kissing her passionately.
**********************************************
As they were leaving their
room, they heard giggles from the guest room.
“I'm so happy that they are
trying to gain some semblance of normality from this mess,”
“Me too. Maybe something
good will come of their…um…giggling,”
When the coffee was ready, William and Buffy came down stairs hand in hand, dressed in jeans and tee-shirts. The blonde couple walked into the kitchen with bright smiles on their faces.
“Good morning,”
“Morning,” William and Buffy replied in unison.
They sat down at the table
as
“It’s ok. It’s probably some
telemarketer,”
“That sounds like fun,”
“Sure, I wouldn't mind
getting away for the day,” William replied, looking at Buffy. “What do you say,
love?”
“I’d like that,” Buffy smiled. "Count me in."