Parts: 11 - 13
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~Part: 11~ Words to the not so wise.
True to her word Mrs Ashton sent a servant over with the ingredient. Willow was in the middle of packing her stuff when Buffy came in with the mail. She had decided to leave most of her gowns for Sophie and only picked her few favourite ones to take back, it’s not like there was anywhere to wear them in Sunnydale anyway.
“Hey Wills this just came for… what are you doing?”
“Packing and you should too.”
“Yeah I see that and why are we doing that?” Buffy sat on the bed an eyed her friend “I thought we decided to hang for another month?”
“We have to leave.” She answered distractedly as she picked up the things she had bought as souvenirs for the guys back home.
“Earth to planet Willow. Why the jam o gram?
Willow turned to Buffy “Look, don’t make this any harder than it already is. I’m this close to saying screw the future and staying here for good.” Buffy raised an eyebrow “What bought this on?”
“William proposed.” Willow slumped to the bed
Buffy’s jaw dropped “Oh my- no way.”
“I was half in love with Spike before we even left home and now, I want to stay so much. I love him Buffy.”
Buffy sat there for a second “And I can’t even bake cookies.”
“What?” confused wasn’t the word to describe Willow’s state of mind
“I figure this on the Buffy screw up scale is about on a level with the My-will-it-so spell going up to Amy as a rat and I cant even bake cookies to ease my pain.”
Willow gave a half giggle- half sob and hugged Buffy. “You are so lucky I’m a forgiving friend.”
“You’re the best. I better go pack. This is for you.” she handed Willow the package
“Its probably the ingredient we need, Mrs Ashton said she had some and
would send it-” her voice trailed off as she unwrapped it, the small vial
fell on the bed and Willow held a small red leather bound journal in her
hands. There was a letter inside the first leaf
My Dearest Lady Willow
I held myself an accomplished writer but words now fail me as I attempt to so justice to the emotion that course through my veins. Without you the words mean nothing and so I hand to you the words along with my heart. The early verses are about Cecily but those words and sentiments pale to how I feel about you, each breath you take adds inspiration and every moment with you touches me. You are my muse. I want you to have this book as every syllable is forever etched into my heart along with the love I feel for you. Even if the verse is bad, the sentiment is pure. I am a good man and I shall remain, forever yours. I have no doubt that we shall meet again and will be together forever.
Eternally Yours
William Ashton.
Willow looked up to find that Buffy had gone and left her to her precious treasure.
She sat and read through the entire book, most of it was verse but some were diary entries about significant events in his life, she was entranced by the poetry, not noticing when the shadows got longer and the night crept under the door like a thief. She read about his hopelessness after his father’s death, his growing regard for Cecily and finally his feelings for her. The final poems touched her heart and melted her soul. He was so in love with her, she was his world just as he was hers.
A hooting owl snatched Willow out of whatever trance his words had sent her into and she closed the book with quiet deliberation. What she was about to do was more than just altering the timeline; other things would be affected by this. She left the house quickly before common sense could catch up with her and she walked through the darkened streets of London like a spirit.
The night air was cool as she made her way to Bennett Lodge and for once Willow was glad that they weren’t in Sunnydale where walking in the dark was tantamount to suicide. Maybe this was too.
~Part: 12~ Not so ill met by moonlight.
William couldn’t sleep, the woman he loved more than all else was leaving tomorrow. Did she get his journal, what did she think? Did she laugh or was she touched?
He was roused from his thoughts as something struck the window pane.
*Clack* he stared out into the darkness *Clack* a little stone had it the window next to his face.
He opened the window and peered outside. At first he thought he was till dreaming. His Lady stood silhouetted by the moonlight with her red hair shining like fire and her white dress flowing like waves on the breeze.
He fled downstairs to open the door lest the servants should wake or she should disappear. He motioned her inside and taking her hand led her up to his bedroom.
He shut the door behind them and turned to ask her what she was doing here and apologize for not receiving her correctly, he knew taking her to his bedroom was terribly improper.
“Wh-!”she pressed her fingers to his lips cutting off his words.
“Shh!” she breathed and leaned forward sweeping her lips across his. “Shh!”
William closed his eyes as she kissed him deeply and linked her hands behind his head pulling him down to her.
He returned the kiss with equal passion and ran his fingers through her soft silken tresses.
She pulled herself away slightly and locking eyes with him began to unbutton his shirt. As the smooth expanse of his chest appeared she ran her fingertips over it drawing a hissing breath from William whose eyes darkened into a stormy sea blue.
He stalked towards her, every bit like the predator he would become until the back of her legs hit the bed and she sank onto its softness.
William sat so he was behind her and kissed her neck as he unlaced her dress with fingers that trembled. Willow tilted her head back allowing his warm lips access to her collarbone. He nipped and sucked at her skin and dragged the dress off her shoulders. She stood and let the gown fall to pool at her feet. William’s jaw dropped and Willow smiled a smile of pure feminine satisfaction and was so glad that she’d kept her underwear from her own time and not gone for the heavier petticoats and corsets of this time. She stepped out of the fabric and pushed William back, leaning over him until he was pinned under her on the bed. She also was glad that William was dressed only in a nightshirt. That way she could ran her hands over him, giving thanks to whatever had created such a sculpture of perfection.
William tried hard but couldn’t think of a single thing that he had done in his 24 years that would merit him deserving of such a paragon of beauty as Lady Willow, and right now it didn’t matter, she was here with him and nothing had ever felt so right. She let her mouth and tongue follow her fingertips in caressing his skin, tracing the contours of his body, committing each detail, each curve and each flaw- if indeed there were any- to memory.
William flipped them both over in a move that surprised them both and returned the favour of touching and tasting her, brushing across her body like a whisper.
He peeled away her black lace bra, staring at it in delighted wonder before casting it aside to feast on what lay below.
“May I?” his gentle words jolted Willow out of her daze and she nodded her acquiescence.
In this time William was an innocent, this was *his* first time, at least with a Lady. Propriety dictated that he ask permission to touch her. It almost made her chuckle.
“Everything I am, everything that I have is yours to do with what you will sweet William. So go for it.” She added mischievously enjoying the blush that spread across his face. He lowered his mouth to her breast taking it in his mouth and laving with his tongue.
For an inexperienced man he sure was doing all the right things. His gentle assault on her body inflamed her senses making her cry out.
She reached between them and began stroking him in time to his ministrations. He jolted, surprised by the intrusion but quickly became accustomed and welcomed the sensation. He arched into her touch and his breaths began raspy. He edged down the last remaining barrier between the two of them and threw the flimsy piece of lace away.
Willow opened her legs and guided him to her entrance. Neither were prepared for the feelings of completion that came when they joined together, it was like finding your soulmate, the missing piece of the human cycle. Birth-life-death. As the tempo increased and whispery breaths became guttural moans and ecstatic whimpering the world spun and the Universe stopped for the two time crossed lovers until in names screamed- it shattered.
~Part: 13~ While you were sleeping.
Casting a look at her sleeping love, Willow gathered her clothes and dressed noiselessly.
William murmured in his sleep and cast an arm across the broad expanse of his chest. Willow would have given anything in that moment for a camera.
She placed the single sheet of paper next to him on the still warm pillow and left as silently as she had arrived.
~~~*~~~
William stretched his arm out to caress his love but encountered only air and cold sheets. He snapped his eyes open and bolted upright. It was not a dream, please don’t be that cruel. It was not a dream. He half pleaded and half insisted.
Her scent still hung in the air, Strawberries and Vanilla and he breathed deeply, it hadn’t been a dream.
William brushed his hand along the sheets and caught sight of the paper on the Pillow.
His eyes scanned the words, took in the tear tracks and before he could rationalise, he was dressed and running through the streets of London.
~~~*~~~
Miss Sophie was startled to see William, unkempt and panting at her front door as she went to leave.
“Mr Ashton!”
“F-forgive me, Lady Willow?” he panted
“The Princess had to go.” Said a tearful voice from her skirts. Simon peered out from behind his sister. He had a red face meaning that he had spent hours crying, he held a silver trinket in his hands that William recalled Willow buying.
“Lady Willow and Lady Buffy took their leave a few hours ago; they were to meet their ship in Dover. They travelled an hour ago by post-”
Before she finished William bolted from the door and raced towards the horse hire.
~~~*~~~
“Ok this is as good as any place.” Willow said as they entered the small cabin in the woods. They had taken the post carriage as far as the crossroads and then paid the driver to say they had travelled to Dover.
Taking only minimal luggage Buffy and Willow trekked through the forest until they came a crude wooden hut.
“We need to do the spell at midnight, get some rest.” Willow’s voice was flat
Buffy stared warily at her friend. The tone devoid of all feeling was so unusual for Willow that it frightened Buffy.
“Will?”
“Don’t.” her expression brooked no argument. Buffy nodded- when she’d had to send Angel to hell she had felt the same way. Any talk, any emotion, would send her spiralling into oblivion. Stoic determination covering a shattered soul. Of course that is what Willow had to do. Condemn the man that she loved to death.
Oh this was so beyond cookies.
~~~*~~~
William had raced like a man possessed to the Post hall and demanded to know the destination of the carriage that the two Ladies had purchased.
“They switched drivers to take ‘em ta Dover.” Came the course reply that spurred William back to his panting horse.
He rode until both he and the horse were shaking with exhaustion and dripping with sweat.
As he reached the port he handed the reins to the nearest stable hand and ran for anyone who could help him.
~~~*~~~
Willow sat in the dust and placed the sacred amulet within the sand circle.
“Ready?”
Buffy nodded sadly “As ever.”
Willow closed her eyes and pushed back the pain
“Think you can concentrate on 2000 Sunnydale?” Buffy bit her lip and nodded.
“Tempus fugit,” her soft voice was a far cry from the confident spellcaster of a few weeks ago “Rights aligned, return us to our own time, tempus temporis, our will is done, turn the clock and let us return. Praeteritus, Injuries righted, tempus fugit, return!” Willow turned in a clockwise circle and her whispered words were snatched by the wind as she smashed the vial on the floor “Time to time, Return!”
~~~*~~~
“Sir, the ship to the colonies?” William’s eyes begged.
“There she blows.” Said the Harbour Master and pointed to the horizon where the ship sailed to its home. “Sorry Sir.”
Williams’ eyes filled with tears and he sank to his knees.
The Harbour Master stared in pity at the broken man at his feet.
William’s heart was broken and he neither felt nor cared about anything
in his misery. Including the piece of the paper clutched in his hand fluttering
in the breeze.
Dearest William
By the time you read this I will be gone, do not try to find me. Let the fates decide if we shall be, but never forget me as I shall never forget you.
Don’t ever let anyone put you down, you are worth so much more than any of them and your dreams will someday help you reach the stars. Never believe that you are inferior, your heart is worth more than the earth. Your words have power, you are special and you will always be cherished.
In times of pain remember these words and never forget that I love you.
Yours Forever and for all of eternity
W.
The End