Chapter 8


“Uncles Giles!”

“Hey…how’s my favourite little girl then, hmm?” he scooped her up and planted a big kiss Izzie’s cheek, and ruffled young Billy’s hair.

“Giles – you look well!” Buffy gave him a hug while he was still carrying Izzie.

“I am indeed!”

“Coffee?”

“I’d rather have tea, if you don’t mind!”

Buffy smiled and rolled her eyes and went to put the kettle on, saying playfully,

“You Brits and your tea!”

Giles sat at the table in the lounge/dining room of the holiday apartment, with Izzie on his knee.

“So, how are things coming along at Honeysuckle?”

“Fine…we’ve managed to get an electrician and a plumber – we had to go into Barnstaple though, none of the locals wanted to know. We were going to give them a week to come forward, but it needs doing, we need to get moved in. Spike’s over at the cottage now, supervising”

“I see, and how’s the thatching coming along?”

“Great, Jean said she’d be finished by Tuesday”

“Jean – oh it was a woman who did it then?”

“Yes, with her apprentice son! Here you go…now be careful Izzie, uncle Giles has hot tea”

“Okay mommy”

“Uncle Giles, do you like the picture I’ve drawn?” Billy offered Giles a sketchpad, and Giles flipped the cover to reveal a beautiful pencil drawing of the front of the cottage.

Frown/smiling, Giles was amazed and said,

“Did you draw this Billy?”

“Oh yes, all by myself!”

“Takes after his dad, you know I can’t draw for candy!” Buffy said, pulling Billy into a sideways hug and kissing the top of his head, proudly.

“This is excellent stuff Billy – who’s that in the window upstairs – is that Izzie?”

Billy frowned and looked hard at the drawing

“I d-don’t know…I didn’t um…” Billy shrugged feeling puzzled, because HE didn’t draw the little head and shoulders at the top window, but he decided not to say anything.

“So, Giles continued, do you know when you can actually move in?” Buffy slipped into the seat opposite and sipped her tea.

“Well, we’ve still got all the decorating to do of course, but it’ll have to be in the next three weeks, the company that owns these holiday flatlets want to decorate and renovate them. We can then get our stuff out of storage and at last make a home of the cottage”

“And how’s the author?”

“Oh gods, poor thing hasn’t had a spare minute to write! He’s fine though –done absolute wonders with the front garden, but unfortunately not such wonders on his first draft of the second book though, we’ve just been too busy”

“When do they want it?”

“First week in November, so they said”

“Oh well, he’s got his diaries hasn’t he – that should help!”

“Its such a shame, he gets up, does a day’s work on the cottage and then he falls asleep reading the children their bedtime story!”

Giles smiled and winked at Billy

“Is that right?”

“Yes! Daddy was asleep before me last night – he was on my bed, still dressed!” Billy said grinning, Giles finished his tea and said to Buffy in a quiet aside,

“It’s amazing how much things have changed, isn’t it?”

“I’ll say!”

“Oh, here, I had a letter” Giles put an opened blue ‘Airmail’ letter on the table.

“Seems somebody else hasn’t let the grass grow either…”

Smiling Buffy took out the letter and read the large familiar handwriting.

‘Hiya ‘G’ man! Well Florida is just as sunny as good old Cali-forn-I.A, but the construction crews work a lot harder here! Phew I can hardly keep up – it’s a real mixed bunch of guys, Mexican, English, German – I think out of the 48 of us building the complex, there are only 5 of us from America!

I’ve met a lovely girl, Lucy, she’s very pretty with long red hair and green eyes, she works in the payroll office – she kinda reminds me of Willow when she was young. Anyway, she helped me sort out my tax, I was paying WAY too much (and who wants to fund the I.R.S) and we’ve been out a couple of times, movies and dinner – you’d like her. Tell Buffy when she gets the time to send me her new address, I can send photos – well gotta go, we’re going out bowling see you, all the best, Xander’

Buffy smiled and slipped the letter back into the envelope

“Nice letter! I’m so glad he’s met someone”

“Mommy, has uncle Xander got a girlfriend now?” Billy asked smiling

“Seems like it! Have you heard from Willow, Giles?”

“She phoned me at the beginning of term”

“That’s right, you told me, when we were on holiday staying in Woolacombe. But you’ve heard nothing since?”

“Not since that, no. She’ll be studying hard – don’t forget most of her lectures are in French now with her being at the Sorbonne”

“She’s so clever, she - oh, excuse me (Buffy answered her cell-phone)…………Hello Spike………yes he is, about fifteen minutes ago, I’ve just read a letter from – what…oh, oh god, is it serious, is he okay?……………Alright, I’m on my way, bye”

Giles looked expectantly at Buffy

“Um, could you look after the children, something’s cropped up at the cottage and I need to go there”

“Sure, is everything alright?”

“I hope so”

*************

“So what actually happened?” Buffy asked, surveying the hole in her kitchen floor

“I don’t really know, I was upstairs talking to Mick – oh, by the way, he said where you want the bath and shower is fine” Buffy nodded and said,

“Good – go on, what happened?”

“Well, like I say, I was upstairs talking to the plumber, downstairs Andy is drilling, when there’s this loud crash, and a yell, so Mick and I rush downstairs to see just the top part of the ladder, and a big hole in the kitchen floor, with Andy half sticking out of it”

“But I thought the floor was all stone flags, what’s all this rotten wood here?”


“That’s just it – it must have been a door to the cellar or something, hidden under that ancient mat, I never thought to look under it, did you?”

Buffy shook her head

“See…look, there’s a hinge” Spike indicated with the toe of his boot to a very rusty bit of metal.

“And what about Andy, will he be alright?”

“Oh yes, he was fit enough to drive home, I think he just banged his knee a little and got bit of a jolt, he was okay – I made him go home, I told him not to come back until Monday. I’d pay him, it was the least I could do”

“He didn’t need the hospital or a doctor or anything?”

“No, I asked, he said it was embarrassing, falling off his ladder – me and Mick helped him up out of the hole, he was fine”

Buffy bent down and said,

“What’s down there anyway – Geez! Pooh! Stinks” She stood up quickly, holding her hand over her mouth and nose.

“I know! Could be a sewer, could be a cellar with stagnant water, with the odd dead rat or six” Spike said

Buffy grimaced and said,

“Well it needs sorting, pronto – we can’t have that stench, ew!” Just then, the plumber came back downstairs, ending a call on his cell-phone

“Excuse me, I’ve just been onto my brother, he’ll bring an industrial water pump over now, we can pump out the water and see what’s down there”

“Really – great” Spike said with a smile

“We’ll leave it doing the job overnight, makes a bit of noise, but as there’s no-one around to object…”

“That’s brilliant Mick, thanks!” He smiled and nodded and went back upstairs.

“Right then, I’m off back to the children and Giles, any idea what time you’ll be back?”

“Um, shouldn’t be late, I think Mick said something about packing up around two o’clock, hold on, I’ll just go and ask…” Spike went upstairs and Buffy held her nose and took a peek down the hole.

It was pitch black and she couldn’t see anything, deciding to leave it until the smell and the water had gone. Spike came down from his chat with the plumber.

“Yup, he said his brother will be here in the next half an hour. Anyway, if you want to go up and have a quick look, he’s put the toilet and pedestal sink in, and it should take him about an hour to plumb in the bath, then he’ll set up the pump, and finish late lunch. Did Giles drop you up here, did you want to take the car back and come and fetch me later?”

“No, I borrowed his car…oh, hold on…Hi Giles…no, no big really, Andy’s okay, but my kitchen floor isn’t………right now, I’m leaving right now, I’ll see you in ten minutes, okay, bye!” Buffy flipped the phone shut and she ran upstairs and stood in the bathroom doorway to see Mick using a special cutter to slice through some copper piping.

“Its looking good…Spike tells me I can have the bath along that wall?”

“Best place for it!” Mick said with a grin

“Good, well, I’ll leave you to it, see you tomorrow, bye, and um, thanks”
“You’re welcome!”

She went back downstairs and smiled up at Spike

“Don’t work too hard baby, save some energy for me! And don’t get nosying down that stinky hole, wait ‘till all the water’s gone, promise me, m’kay?”

Spike kissed her nose and promised, and Buffy left.

***************


Spike came into the lounge/dining room, threw his car keys onto the breakfast counter and had a good stretch and yawn.

“Hey babe, I heard the car” Buffy came through from the bedroom where she’d been reading.

“Where are Billy and Izzie?”

“Giles has taken them to Crawley Warren, there’s a fête on the village green. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, starving!”

“Well, I’ll fix you something while you go and have a shower, okay – oh, did Mick’s brother come with that pump?”

Spike took his tee shirt off and threw it at the laundry basket.

“Yeah, he’ll be back in the morning at nine to take a look – it’ll shut off automatically when all the water’s pumped out – won’t be long”

Buffy went into the kitchenette part to fix Spike a bowl of chunky soup and some crusty bread.

After he’d eaten, Spike had a snooze in the chair. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep but he’d been reading the paper and sleep just overcame him.

“Mommy, can I wake daddy?”

“Yes, go on, but gently though!”

Izzie went over to the chair and lifted the newspaper half covering her snoozing dad.

“Daddy, look, I’m a bunny rabbit!” Spike opened his eyes and smiled, Izzie had had her face painted.

“So you are! Did you have a good time?” He sat up straight and grinned at his daughter, picking her up and sitting her on his lap.

“Oh yes! And Billy was very clever, he won-ded me a balloon!”

“He won you a balloon did he? Where is it then?”

“Um…it’s in the car – oh look, he’s got it for me, Billy, show daddy my balloon!”

Billy came over carrying the shiny foil, helium filled balloon.

“See daddy, it’s got a pussy cat on it, like Tigger at the cottage!” Spike smiled and nodded

“Yes, and what’s that you’ve got there son?”

“A paint box! There was this huge tub, filled with stuff, it looked like oatmeal, it was dry, anyway it was called a bran tub, and you put your hand in and rummaged around until you touched something, and that’s what you won – I got this!”

“I see. Will you use it?”

“Yes”

“Good lad”


“Were they good?” Buffy asked giving Giles a cup of tea, and a slice of the homemade chocolate cream sponge cake he’d bought at the fête, along with half a dozen fruit scones, a pot of homemade strawberry jam and a carton of clotted cream.

“Oh, thankyou –yes, they were good as gold, and tomorrow I’ve promised to take them into Harrington, there’s a miniature steam-train that goes from Harrington all around the bay to Penny-Drayton and back, then we can go play crazy golf on the beach front”

“Hear that – aren’t you two lucky, I wish I was coming with you - instead I’ll be looking down a stinky big hole!”

Billy’s eyes went big

“Where mommy?”

“In the kitchen at the cottage, the poor electrician fell down it, don’t worry, he’s alright though now, go wash your hands if you want cake, take Izzie”

Billy did as his mother asked and Spike said,

“Listen love, you go with them tomorrow, Mick’s only got to plumb in the shower, he managed to do the bath today, so he’ll only be there a few hours in the morning and I can start sanding down and getting things ready to paint”

Buffy bit her bottom lip

“Are you sure?”

“Course, you go enjoy yourselves”

“Great!”
 

Chapter 9


At 8.30 the following morning, while Spike and the family were still eating breakfast, he took a phonecall from Mick, the plumber………

“………It has, great…well she will be pleased………I’ll be over in about half an hour, Buffy and the children are going out…okay, will do, bye” Spike flipped the phone shut.

“Mick I presume?” Buffy asked eating some toast.

“Yup, the pumps done it’s job, and that awful smell has mostly gone you’ll be glad to hear”

“Oh good!”

“What time will Giles be here?”

“He said just after nine, it’ll only take about half an hour to get there”

“Mommy, can I get down now please, I’ve finished?”

“Yes you can love, go and clean your teeth now, and I’ll bring Izzie through in a minute” Buffy stood and began to clear the table of the breakfast paraphernalia.

Spike was finishing his tea and toast, when Izzie wanted to sit on her daddy’s lap. Spike hauled her up and she immediately started asking questions about the day they were going to have.

Buffy stacked the washing up and then she took a pack of sandwiches out of the fridge and a big bottle of pop, and added an apple and a banana from the fruit bowl.

“Are those our sandwiches mommy?”

“No darling, those are for daddy as he’s going to the cottage,” Buffy said wiping her daughters mouth.

“Daddy, you won’t fall down the hole like the ‘lectricity man will you?”

Spike grinned and cuddled his daughter up.

“I promise not to fall down it pet – oh hey, listen…who’s this coming, can you hear the car? – Lets go open the door shall we?”

After letting Giles in, Spike picked up his lunch and said,

“Not sure what time I’ll be home babe, but I thought we could have fish and chips or something for supper, is that alright?”

“Fine, now, you take care, and remember what Izzie said, don’t fall down that hole!”

“I won’t! Spike kissed his family goodbye and told them to have a good time and made his way to the cottage.

As he pulled up, he thought he saw somebody in the front room upstairs, but when he looked again after picking up his lunch and notebook up off the front seat, there was nobody there.

Fancying it was a trick of the light he went inside, he could hear the radio playing, and Mick whistling along.

“HI MICK, I’M HERE!” Spike called up the stairs en-route to the lounge.

“Right-ho boss, um, come up when you’ve got a moment, will you?”

Spike put his lunch and book on the little picnic table in the lounge and went upstairs.

“Hi!”

“Hi, which side do you want the door to the shower to open…do you want it to open this way…or that way?”

“Put the hinges on the right hand side”

“That’s what I thought, but it’s best to check”

“You were here bright and breezy this morning!”

“You think I was early, Andy came and woke me up banging on my door at just gone 7 ’o’ clock this morning!”

Spike frowned and said,

“Goodness, he was keen!”

“I think he wanted to check on the pump – smell’s gone thank god…it just smells damp down there now, but there must be an air brick blocked up, soon as we uncover it, it’ll get some fresh air down there and it’ll soon dry out, looks quite big, runs the whole length of the cottage”

“Does it? - You’ve been down then?”

“No, just stuck my head down and shone a torch while we pulled up the pump hose”

Spike clicked his fingers and said,

“Torch, that’s another thing I need, I must go add it to the list – along with all the gear to start decorating – well cleaning and preparing before decorating!”

Spike saw Mick glance behind Spike and then he said,

“Oh, did you bring your daughter, I thought you said they were going out?”

“What – I – I did say, they have, (Spike turned and looked behind him) I mean I didn’t bring her, why?” he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle

“Oh, I just thought I saw a young girl…trick of the light!”

“Um, yeah, listen, I’m going into Barnstaple, anything you want?”

“I take it you’re going into the big DIY store?”

“Uh huh”

“Get me another tube of this sealant please, I don’t think I’ve got enough to do around the base of the shower, and we don’t want you dropping into the lounge via the ceiling, do we?”

Spike studied the tube and nodded

“Will do…sealant and torch, mustn’t forget, I’ll go do it straight away and leave you to it mate!”

Spike went downstairs and got his notebook. Under a long list of cleaning materials such as sugar-soap, scrubbing brush (stiff) bucket, cloths, scraper, sandpaper (get three grades, coarse to fine) paint-stripper, rubber gloves, and protective goggles, he wrote torch and clear bath sealant in green tube.

A little over an hour later, Spike was back and he unloaded all the goods he’d bought from the car.

When he got inside the cottage, Mick was sitting reading his newspaper, drinking coffee from a vacuum flask.

“I got that sealant you wanted”

“Good, that’s all I’ve got left to do now”

“Great”

“Want some coffee? – I won’t drink all this as I’m not here all day”

“Oh, right, thanks” Spike fetched one of the odd mugs from the kitchen

“I’ve found a brick upstairs, dated 1626”

“Really- wow! I know when we first got the information about the place it said that there was a well tha dated back to then – well, the seventeenth century anyway…god…1626 eh – that would be………” Spike narrowed his eyes, thinking, and then he said,

“That would be Charles the 1st’s time – his first year of rule in fact!”

Mick folded his paper and smiled

“Well, the definitely built things to last in those days! – You should see some of the new houses I go into, great big cracks and such. You didn’t want something new then?”

“No, Buffy, she’s American, well, as you know, she’d got this idea about an old cottage, you know!”

“With roses ‘round the door?!”

“That’s it! I showed her a picture of a place in the Cotswolds, two bedrooms, wanted over a million for it!”

Mick gave a whistle and frowned

“Location you see!”

“Yeah, that’s what I told her”

“So, want to go look down this big hole you got? It’ll take me ten minutes to finish off with the sealant you got me, then we can go look if you like?”

“Sure, see if we can uncover this air-brick you mentioned, get the place drying out”

*****************


“…………After three, one, two, THREE, heave!” Spike and Mick pulled at the ivy and weeds choking the airbrick and pulled away handfuls of the stuff.

When Spike could see two tiny shafts of daylight coming through the mesh of small holes in the brick, he said,

“That’s got it!”

“Might be easier to do it from outside now…poke something through one of those holes as a locator and pull the weeds from there”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought…okay then…lets see what we’ve got…”

Spike wiped his hands on his jeans and switched on his new and powerful torch

The walls were covered in slimy green moss, stone flag flooring, it looked like it had been a cellar.

“Be nice to start a good wine cellar!” Mick said, flashing his torch around.

“It would – oh, is that you or – no, it’s you”

Mick took his mobile from his belt and answered

“Where? Oh yes…Um, well, I’m in Netherbourne at the moment, I could be there in an hour, hour and a half maybe, depends on the traffic through Barnstaple……………okay, see you then, bye”

Spike looked expectantly at him

“Gotta go I’m afraid, lady let her bath overflow and it’s bought down her kitchen ceiling”

“Oh dear…well lets go up, I’ll write you a cheque”

“Sure? You could send it to me?”

“No, get it out of the way…”


Five minutes later, Spike ripped out a cheque and handed it to Mick, they shook hands and the plumber was off to his next job.

Making his way around to the back of the house, Spike tried to calculate where they’d been standing in the cellar, and locate the airbrick. He nearly walked slap-bang into Hepsibar.

“Ooh!”

“Oh! Made I jump!”

“Made I, I, mean ME jump too!” Spike said, walking forward and spying the brick. He began to pull at the ‘weeds’ covering the special brick until he received a sharp poke in the shoulder from Hepsibar.

“Just a minute – stop, tell I what’s yon clump o’ sorrel done to ‘e that you’s a tearing and pulling it out like that!”

“What – oh, look, see? - It’s an airbrick to the cellar, which needs to dry out as it was flooded, this is the ventilation.”

Spike suddenly frowned; it was HIS property, why was he explaining what he was doing to a daft old busybody like her………

“Well…let I do it then…yon ruining my supper!”

“I’m sorry?” Spike stood and frowned again

“Your supper?”

“Aye, sorrel. Lemony tastin’ sorrel - use it in a salad or Hepsibar makes it into a soup”

“I see, well feel free to take it all”

“Not all, should leave some for…oh Hepsibar’ll take it…” the old woman bent and deftly plucked at the leaves, knowing if she didn’t, it would soon be gone.

Spike stood. The sun felt hot on the back of his neck, and although he was perfectly all right, he moved into the cooler shade.

His mobile rang and he answered

“Daddy! I play-ded crazy golf and beat-ted uncle Giles!”

Spike grinned

“Did you poppet – are you having fun?” As she didn’t answer, Spike assumed that she was nodding, not quite understanding that he couldn’t see her.

“Hi babe!” Buffy said

“Hi, having a good time?”

“Yeah, we’ll be making our way back soon, we should be home in about an hour. How are things with you?”

“Fine, Mick’s all finished, I’ve paid him and he went off to another job, and we found the ventilation brick and Hepsibar – oh…well she WAS taking the weeds but looks like she’s gone too. So, an hour you say?”

“Yup”

“Well I could do a couple of hours here”

“No, pack up and go home – have you eaten?”

“Just one of the sandwiches you packed”

“Good, well don’t eat anymore, we’ll have fish and chips like you said”


***************



“………And I got seven!”

“Seven – wow, you ARE a clever girl, aren’t you!” Spike said, grinning at his daughter on his lap.

“Got a very competitive streak that child – hates to be beaten, I wonder where she gets if from!” Giles said also grinning

“And how did Billy do?” Spike asked Izzie.

“Oh, I beat-ted him too, he only got nine!”

“But pet, nine is more than seven!”

“Well, he got five then…or ten but I beat-ted him!”

“You won, okay then!”

“Daddy…did you see Tigger today?”

“Tigger, no darling…I saw Hepsibar though”

“Come on then, are we all ready, my belly thinks my throats been cut, I’m starving!” Buffy got everybody outside and they made their way out down to Lower Netherbourne.

By the time they got back to the holiday flatlets, it was dark and Izzie was falling asleep.

Buffy unlocked and found a note on the floor that had been pushed through the letterbox.

“What’s that?” Spike asked frowning, carrying his daughter through to the bedroom

“It’s from the owners, would we mind moving out this weekend as they have decided to open for Xmas bookings and they need to start decorating as soon as possible” Buffy handed Spike the letter.

“Oh well, I know you wanted the cottage painted before we moved in…still, can’t be helped”

“Serves them right if we said no – give people some notice! I’ll be chaos, you trying to paint, and Andy the electrician will be back don’t forget!” Buffy groused

“Hmm, hadn’t thought about that, you’ll just have to keep the children occupied during the day that’s all”

“I’ll help – I can spare a few days”

“Oh Giles could you? – That would be wonderful, that means I can help Spike paint and get it done quicker”

“No problem”

Giles yawned and Buffy pulled out the foldaway cot and made up a cosy bed for him.

Chapter 10

It was late Monday morning, and having made several trips they had finally moved out of the holiday flat, and now everything they owned (apart from their furniture, that was still in storage) was in suitcases in the big back bedroom.

Not wanting to waste any time, Buffy donned old clothes, put a scarf over her hair and set to with roller and emulsion paint………

“There! What do you think, and I didn’t even get any paint on the beams………Spike, I said -oh” Buffy stepped back from the wall, roller still in hand from painting the wall between the beams white. She didn’t turn round at first, but she could have sworn that somebody was behind her, thinking it was Spike.

“Spike…Spike?”

On receiving no answer Buffy walked to the doorway, but there was nobody around.

Frowning she was just going to call Spike again, thinking he was in one of the other bedrooms, when the drilling downstairs started. She went over to the window and looked out and saw Spike in the garden, sawing some wood to make a frame to fix either side of the fire grate so they could put up a fireguard. Giles, Izzie and Billy were in the garden too; Izzie playing with her dollies and Billy was drawing a picture. Giles was sitting in a deckchair keeping an eye on the children.

Buffy shrugged and went to go back to her painting, when something invisible ‘whooshed’ passed her, like a blast of cold air, making her gasp.

Noticing the top window flapping slightly in the breeze, Buffy relaxed – it was only a draft!

She finished painting the walls with the first coat and decided as it was getting well past lunchtime, and time to go down stairs.

Andy was up a stepladder in the kitchen, fixing the light

“All the sockets work now Buffy, so you can boil the kettle if you want, and the new oven is also all systems go”
Buffy smiled and said,

“Thanks Andy, and was that a hint about the kettle – want some tea?”

Grinning down at her he said he ‘wouldn’t say no!’

She made tea and uncovered the sandwiches and cakes she’d bought earlier. Going into the garden, Izzie was sitting on Giles’ lap talking away and Spike was busy measuring and marking the wood with a pencil. Billy was engrossed, with his drawing pad on his knees…

“Lunch, come and get it!”

Everyone trooped in, and Buffy said,

“Billy, Izzie go wash your hands please”

Obediently the two children went and did as they were told, Billy leaving his sketchbook on one of the folding picnic chairs in the lounge. Buffy did a double take at the beautiful drawing that Billy had done, of a rather sad, thin faced little girl. She picked it up…

“Look at this!”

Spike looked and frowned

“Who’s that – did Billy draw that?”

“Well he must have – there’s been no-one else out there with him except you three!”

Izzie came back into the lounge, wiping her still slightly wet hands on her dress!

“Who’s that in the drawing, Billy?”

“Her? I don’t know…I just sort of thought about her in my head”

“Did you – she looks kind of sad”

“Oh, she is. She’s frightened too” Buffy crouched down by her son and said gently,

“What is she frightened of, baby, hmm?” Gently stroking his curls

Billy shrugged

“Don’t know…maybe she’ll tell me soon”

Buffy looked slightly worriedly over to Spike; he just subtly shook his head

“Hungry sweetheart – what do you want, there’s honey-roast ham and tomato, or chicken and stuffing sandwiches”

“I don’t mind…can I have some juice?”

“Sure”

Lunch passed and Buffy and Spike were able to get on with their tasks not having to worry about the children as Giles took them down to the village to play on the swings and for ice cream.

“Wanna go exploring!” Spike said and Buffy giggled and nodded. Andy had moved on into the lounge part of the cottage and moving the chairs away that they’d put around the hole for safety, Spike jumped down, quickly followed by Buffy. He switched on his torch, although the airbrick now uncovered let in sharp shafts of sunlight.

“How far back does it go………come on” Buffy walked to the farthest end

“There’s a door here!”

“Is there?”

“Un huh…it’s tiny, only about three foot high – oh look! The key is still in it…ggoooooooddddddddddddddssssssssss! It’s rusted in alright!” Buffy panted, even with her enhanced slayer-strength she wasn’t able to turn the key.

“Can you take the key out?”

“Hold on” Buffy heaved and pulled, and felt the key yielding and bracing her foot against the door, she tugged and pulled and at last it came out.

“Right, you stay here, hold this, (he gave her the torch) I’ll just go get the spray can of oil I bought, that might help to lubricate the rust…”

Spike heaved himself out of the hole and did as he said.


“’Kay, try it now!”

Having squirted a liberal amount of oil into the keyhole, Buffy fitted (eventually, that is, with lots of jiggling) the key back into the lock. She tried turning the key and there was a horrible grating sound.

“Hello, we’re back, anybody home?”

“Oh, leave this a while longer…give me the oil…………there, that should do it, we can look tomorrow. I want this hole covered while the children are here”

Buffy and Spike went back upstairs and carefully put the chairs back around the hole so the children wouldn’t be at risk of falling down it.

“There you are!” Giles said with a smile

“Mommy, there was ducks, and they cross-ted the road and uncles Giles had to stop the car so not to run over them, it was a mommy duck and her babies!” Izzie informed them

“Ah, really - that was nice!”

“I wanted one, but uncle Giles said no coz if I had-ded one it would cry and miss his brothers and sisters”

“Well, that’s right, he’d miss his mommy too I expect!” Buffy said, wiping her daughter’s sticky face.

“Oh, there’s a farmer’s market tomorrow, just the other side of Barnstaple in Chorlton, I thought I could take the children, stroll around, get the ingredients for a nice casserole and Christen your new oven – what do you say?” Giles suggested

“Sounds great to me – want to do that Billy?”

“Oh yes please!”

“Right then Giles, you’re on!”


*************


Buffy tucked Izzie and Billy up in their sleeping bags, they lay on an inflatable mattress until the decorating was finished and then they could have their new beds.

Spike stretched and yawned

“Think I’m going to turn in myself, I’m pooped!”

“Do you want to start blowing up this mattress now?”

“Oh, you don’t fancy the four poster then?” Spike asked surprised

“Not really, the gods alone know how old it is, probably damp…and that cat is always on it, it might have fleas!”

“That’s true…okay, give me the pump” Spike fitted the pump into the mattress socket and it began to inflate.

Downstairs Buffy tidied up, threw away wrappers and cans, and rinsed mugs for tea in the morning. Yawning she switched off the light and was just about to go upstairs when she thought she heard crying.
Running up the stairs she opened the door to where the children were, but found them both fast asleep.

She went into her room to find Spike already fast asleep and she smiled, got undressed and got into bed.

She switched the torch off, as Andy hadn’t begun to do the electrics upstairs yet, and slipped in beside Spike. She lay there for a while, getting used to the sounds of the night, she could hear an owl hoot………and every now and again she heard a sharp shrill cry, she thought it was a fox or something – probably what she’d heard earlier…she turned over and went to sleep.

Buffy woke and turned over, and as she did so, still half asleep, she saw Izzie in the doorway.

“What is it baby, hmm? – Do you want a wee?”

Getting no reply Buffy sat to get up off the mattress, but Izzie wasn’t there.

“Hold on baby, mommy’s coming” Buffy walked to the bathroom, but Izzie wasn’t there either. Frowning and yawning Buffy went to the children’s room to find them both fast asleep, the zip still done up on Izzie’s sleeping bag.

Rubbing her eyes Buffy went back to bed, thinking it could have been moonlight between the trees or something playing tricks through the curtains.

She turned over and went back to sleep. Twenty minutes later she woke to hear Billy shouting.

“No, no, you mustn’t! Stop that!”

“Billy – BILLY – what’s wrong baby?” Buffy called out

She scrambled up off the mattress and dashed into the children’s room.

Billy was fitful his head whipping from side to side, he was struggling and whimpering…

“No…you mustn’t – stop! No!”

“Shush, baby…it’s okay…its okay baby, mommy’s got you”

“Mustn’t…no…don’t hurt…” Billy moaned

“Hey…come on sweetie, it’s okay, it’s just a dream” Buffy cuddled him up and softly kissed his forehead.

While she gently rocked him until he quietened, she was horrified to see his sketchbook. He’d done several more drawings of this ‘mystery’ girl, except this time they had intricately drawn daggers over them, dripping blood and the girls neck had been slashed, red crayon scribbled over and over very hard to show cuts on wrists too.

“What is it – he okay?” Spike asked from the doorway

“Seems…look at that – it’s awful…don’t let Izzie see that, she’ll have nightmares” Buffy whispered, nodding towards the grisly drawings

Spike came over and picked up the sketchbook off the floor. He took it over to the window, and could just make out the red scribbling over the drawings. He frowned and folded the book shut.

“You go back to bed, when I’m sure he’s settled, I be in” Buffy whispered

Spike nodded and padded back to bed, taking the sketchbook with him.

He opened his eyes when he felt Buffy lift the cover

“Is he okay now?”

“I think so…what on earth possessed him to do that to his lovely drawings?”

“I don’t know” Buffy was sitting up, hugging her knees. Spike sat up and put his arm around her.

“You don’t think…”

“What pet?”

“You don’t think, well, he’s harbouring some resentment or jealousy towards Izzie do you?”

“What – No, don’t be silly! He loves Izzie, besides, that girl he’s drawn looks nothing like her. Now come on pet, lie down, lets go back to sleep hmm?”

Buffy allowed Spike to pull her down gently, and they soon were back to sleep.

Buffy woke with the sun streaming through the curtains. She looked at the clock, it said ten to seven.

She sat up and stretched and the first thing she saw was the sketchbook on the floor. Frowning, she picked it up to look at the drawings in the cold light of day…

There was nothing wrong with them. There were four pencil drawings, but that was it. No red crayon, no slash or cuts marked on the girl. Quickly Buffy flipped to the back of the book thinking she’d opened it the wrong end, but no, just sheet after sheet of blank white paper…

“Spike…SPIKE!”

“Hmm…what…what’s the time?”

“Nearly seven, never mind about that, look”

Spike, who had been lying on his front took his weight on his forearms

“What babe, what am I looking at?” He was bleary-eyed and yawning

“This, look, remember in the early hours, the slash marks and the drawings scribbled over with red crayon?”

Spike frowned

“Oh yeah…are you going to say anything to him – or talk to Giles first?”

“About what, LOOK!”

Spike sat up properly and did as Buffy had done, and flipped all through the book, to reveal nothing more than pencil drawings

“Well where did the bloody ones go?”

“That’s my point! It was THOSE drawings! That one, the first one had a slash on the neck, blood spurting everywhere, and that one where she’s lying down had cut wrists with dripping blood – and there were daggers too, I was frightened in case Izzie saw them, remember?”

“Yeah…yeah I remember!”

“Something weird is going on here Spike”

“Are you going to say anything to him?”

“I don’t know, what do you think?”

“I think, say nothing unless he says something first”

“Yeah?”

“We don’t want to worry him un-necessarily now do we?” Spike reasoned

“No…no I suppose not”
 

Chapter 11


Buffy kept on glancing at her son all through breakfast, but he seemed not to have a bother on him at all.

“Mommy can I have some bread in case there are ducks?”

“I think so baby…have you finished?” Izzie nodded a big nod and then her mom said,

“Okay then, go clean your teeth now. Have you finished Billy?”

“Yes thankyou”

“Good boy…are you alright – did you have a bad dream in the night?” Buffy asked cautiously

“No mommy, why?”

“Oh, I thought I heard you call out that’s all – it could have been a fox. Go help Izzie will you, and don’t use too much toothpaste!”

Spike looked at Buffy

“Well, he doesn’t seem worried does he?” Buffy said

“Let’s just try and forget it, shall we? – So, what are you going to do, the second coat in the children’s room’s, or first coat in the bathroom?”

“Thought I’d do the bathroom, then start back at the beginning with the second coats. What are you going to do?”

“Finish off those posts for the fireguard, and then I was going to start sanding down the woodwork to paint” Buffy nodded

There was a loud knock at the front door.

“That’ll be Giles. I feel guilty him staying in a hotel”

“Hardly the Ritz pet, it’s only a little Bed and breakfast, doesn’t cost the earth does it?” Spike opened the door and Giles came in.

“Good morning! How is everybody this morning?”

“Oh, you know! Trying to get motivated to do the painting…Giles”

“Yes? – Oh there you are!” Izzie and Billy came down stairs, Izzie clutching one of her dolls, and they both went straight to their uncle.

Giles looked up at Buffy, but she didn’t continue what she was going to say to him, instead she said,

“Okay, let me look…” Both children gave her big cheesy grins and then opened their mouths so she could see that they’d cleaned properly.

“Very good, now be good for Giles won’t you”

“Yes. Got some bread mommy?”

“Oh yes…you’ve got a thing about ducks lately haven’t you?” Buffy smiled indulgently and straightened her daughter’s bow.

“What time shall I bring them home?”

“Oh…when you get fed up of them!” Buffy said smiling

“Okay then…well come along you two, I’ve got a surprise for you?”

The children clamoured at their uncle and after seeing them off Spike said,

“Before the farmers market, he’s going to take them to the bird sanctuary in Torridge, our daughter will see all the ducks she wants there!”

Time being of the essence, they cracked on and they both managed to get on with quite a few jobs and painting.

At 1.20pm, Buffy looked at her watched, surprised it was so late. She went downstairs and met Spike, holding two mugs of coffee

“I was just going to bring you this!” gratefully taking the drink she looked at the fireplace.

“Lost track of time! Wow – that looks brilliant – and the new wood has stained just like the old wood surround…how will it hold the fireguard?”

“I’ve got to fix in some small brass loops, they just screw into the wood, and the fireguard hooks into them”

“Oh yes, I see – can’t wait to have a real fire in here!”

“And I’ve shaved the bottom of the door so it now fits properly and shuts, and I’ve also measured the top of the well outside – that chap in Barnstaple said I was to ring through the measurements and he’d make a cast-iron cover for it, like the spokes of a wheel so the water can be got easily, but I’ll be too small for children to fall down”

“Great…I’ve done the first coat in the bathroom and the second coat in the room where the children are sleeping at the moment. So I was thinking, because of the smell of the paint, they can sleep in our room tonight”

“Right. Good idea – I’ll also make you rest a bit easier won’t it?” Spike said

Without smiling Buffy said,

“Do you think we’ve done the right thing?”

“What do you mean love?”

“Buying this place…”

“Having doubts now?” Spike asked frowning

“No…I don’t know, it feels different”

“Different?”

“How can I put it…oppressive…sad – I don’t know” Buffy wrapped her arms around herself like she was cold.

Spike finished his coffee and said,

“You’ll feel different when it’s all done and decorated and we’ve got the furniture in, you’ll see” He kissed her cheek and took the empty mug off her and put them in the kitchen. He glanced down the hole and went back to the lounge.

“I’m just popping out for some more 5 amp cable, I won’t be long” Andy said and left

“Well, we better get on, I’d like to do the spare room and the little bedroom before the day’s out”

“I’ll phone the measurements through to the iron worker”

Spike sat at the little picnic table in the lounge, checking the measurements and looking for the guy’s number, when from upstairs Spike heard Buffy scream and a loud thud.

Dropping everything and running upstairs calling her Spike saw Buffy lying on the floor.

“BUFFY – Baby – what happened, gods, are you alright?” He knelt by her side and she raised her head groggily

“Come here baby…what happened – did you slip on the mat?” he helped her to sit up, she pointed shakily to the wall

“The wall”

“The wall?” Spike turned and looked at the wall, in fact he looked all four walls, and everything looked normal. The room smelt of paint, despite the window being open and the only other things in the room were a small three runged step ladder, an old sheet down to protect the floor, the tin of paint and the roller and tray.

“I don’t see………what about it baby, hmm?”

“When I came up the stairs…” Buffy began, and her eyes filled with tears

“Hey…come on now kitten, it’s alright, what did you see – or think you saw?”

Spike cuddled her up, but she pushed away and stood and went over to the wall searching and touching it, getting wet paint on her hands

“Baby, what did you see?” Spike came and stood behind her, scrutinizing the wall for the minutest detail as to what she was on about, to no avail.

“I…I saw the words ‘Help me’ written in blood, and the words were all dripping and running down the wall…then there was a rush and I fell over”

“Baby, there’s nothing written on the walls, look – just wet paint” Spike said gently

Tears dripped from Buffy’s eyes and she said,

“I know! I know – it’s just like the drawings!”

“Drawings?” Spike frowned and Buffy got a little angry

“Billy’s drawing this morning, with the blood then it was gone!” She turned to rush out but Spike caught her by the shoulder

“Hey…come here kitten…I’m sorry…don’t cry baby…it cuts me up when you cry”

“Spike…what’s happening here…I can’t let the children sleep in here!”

“Shush…okay, like you said, they can be in our room tonight…how about if we ask Giles to do a – a cleansing spell or something, hmm? Would that make you feel better?” Spike kissed her forehead and Buffy cuddled in

“’Kay” she sniffed deeply and held onto him tightly.

“Come on now kitten, where’s my brave slayer gone, hmm?” Spike gently rubbed her back

“I know, but when it involves MY kids…”

“I’d NEVER let anything bad happen to any of you, you KNOW that”

Buffy nodded but didn’t say anything at first, and then she said,

“I want to go down and see what’s behind that door in the cellar”

“Okay, look shall we do it now, else Giles will be back with the children”


****************


“Want me to try?” Spike asked

“No, just you hold that torch steady…I think it’s coming!” There was a sound of grating metal then a sort of clunk, and Buffy fell forward, banging into the closed door

“Oh hell!”

She held out her left hand with half a key in it.

“Damn key broke in the lock!” She gave the door a vicious kick.

“Hey, steady on, that door could be 17th century!”

“I don’t CARE! I. Want. To. Know. What’s Behind. IT!” giving the heavy door a kick between words, the door finally gave in by one of the hinges, and Buffy pushed it inwards, then pulled it forward, but it was no good, she couldn’t see into the room

“Hand me the torch………”

“Can you see anything?”

“Nope, not a bloody thing…I need to – stand back” she was just about to pull the door off it’s hinges with both hands when the torch died on them, and they heard Giles’ car draw up.

“What – I don’t believe this, I’ve only had it a few days!” Spike shook the torch and slid the on/off switch back and forth, but it was dead.

“Come on, let’s go up – but I swear I’m coming back down here later…when the children are in bed” Buffy said

They climbed out and Buffy went upstairs to wash her hands.

“Daddy – look what I’ve got!”

“Let me see…where did you get that?”

“Uncle Giles bought it for me, her name is um…Dan…er…Duf…uncle Giles, what’s her name?” Izzie held up the fur toy duck he’d bought for her at the bird sanctuary.

“Daphne – Daphne Duckling” Giles said

“Danny-fee duckly, daddy!” Izzie said, trying her best, making everyone laugh.

“And I got this book, look it shows you all the different birds I could see in the garden. Where’s mommy?” Billy asked

“Just washing her hands – let me see your book…uncle Giles spoils you, you know!”

“I’m here baby, have a nice day?”

“Oh yes, look what uncle bought for me”

“MOMMY – I got a Dufnin-nin-duckly, look!” Izzie went running over to her mom waving the soft toy and Buffy picked her up, giggling at her daughter’s attempt to say Daphne Duckling, and putting her other arm around Billy’s shoulders, she admired his book at the same time.

“I see, and were you good children?”

“Tea Giles?” Spike asked

“Please, love some…so…oh I see you’ve got on well in here!” Giles said, noticing the fireplace and the shut door that wouldn’t shut before.

“Sure did” Spike said over filling the kettle

“Mommy, can we go upstairs and play?” Billy asked

“No baby, there’s wet paint and stuff, you can go in the garden though, but stay where we can see you, and NO going by the well, okay?”

“Kay mom…where’s my book…I want to draw some birds”

“It’s upstairs, I’ll get it for you” Buffy went upstairs, and got the sketchpad, she carefully pushed open the door to the room where the incident had happened earlier and almost scared, she looked in, but everything was normal and she realised that she’d been holding her breath and her body rigid, she relaxed and went down, handing Billy the book – both children went outside to play.


“Giles…I don’t know how to say this…do you feel anything here?”

“Feel? Oh, thankyou” Giles took a mug of tea off Spike.

“What Buffy means is, do you sense an ‘atmosphere’ – a presence, something …well something not right, odd about the place?”

Giles frowned, thought for a moment or two and said,

“No, why?”

“Only we’ve had a couple of weird things happen, hold on, I’ll just…” Spike went over and closed the window so the children wouldn’t accidentally over-hear and be frightened.

“Early hours of this morning, Billy had a bad dream, his head was whipping from side to side, he was worried that something or someone was hurting – I don’t think it was him it was hurting – but anyway, you know his drawings”

“Of Tilly, yes, they are very good”

“Tilly?” Buffy and Spike said in unison

“Yes, he just piped up with it in the car when we were coming through Barnstaple. He said, Tilly is very sad because she died, and I said, who’s Tilly, and he said the girl in my drawings, her name is Tilly. – Oh and don’t worry, Izzie was asleep, she didn’t hear any of this. So then I said, how do you know her name then, and he just shrugged and said he did”

“Well, what ever her name is, she’s trying to tell us something, his drawings were covered in red crayon, to mean blood. There was a slash-mark on the neck of the first drawing, crayon used to look like spurting blood, and the one where she’s lying down had cut wrists and there were daggers, really ornately drawn, with fancy handles all dripping with blood. Gave me the wiggins, I couldn’t understand why he’d draw such a thing”

Giles looked horrified and said

“Oh my god, what did you say to him?”

“Nothing…when I looked this morning, they were all back to normal, just his pencil drawings, no blood or crayon, just the pencil drawings, I went through the whole book from front to back and back to front”

“Strange…could it have been a trick of the light – there’s no electricity upstairs yet, is there?”

“No, but well, Spike saw it too, didn’t you?” he nodded Spike had arms folded and he looked at Buffy and she in turn looked at him.

“And that’s not all………” Buffy went onto explain what happened earlier in the bedroom.

Giles sat contemplating, tenting his fingers and removing and cleaning his glasses.

“Well, it could be poltergeist activity of course, often happens when there are young children in the house, they are attracted to the energy”

“Well it can just jolly well UN-attract itself…can you do a cleansing spell or something?”

“You mean an exorcising…yes, I could do, well I could try”

“Oh please, would you – I’d feel so much better if-”

“Mommy, MOMMY! Izzie’s been stung by a wasp! We tried to run away but it wouldn’t go” Outside Izzie could be heard howling and crying.

“Oh, I’ll see to her, you and Giles have a chat about things okay?” Buffy went to sort out her daughter.

When he was sure that she was out of earshot, Spike said,

“I never told Buffy this as I didn’t want to alarm her, but one of the barmaids in the Smuggler’s pub down in the village tried to warn me something bad had happened here, but the landlord soon shut her up. And Buffy herself has come up against hostility when folk learned we’d actually bought this place”

“Okay look, I’ll need to go into Exeter, there’s a supply shop there, also I’ll need to hook up my laptop to the Internet and access my books, I haven’t done an exorcism for god – I can’t remember! So tomorrow night will be the earliest I can do, will that be alright?”

“Yeah, fine – we’re going to have the kids in our room tonight anyway, because the smell of the paint”

Buffy came in carrying a tearful Izzie

“Daddy, a whops bited me!”

“Stung you pet…oh never mind…mommy make it better for you” Izzie nodded and whimpered.

“What’s for tea?” Billy asked wandering in

“I’m making a casserole with the stuff I bought at the farmers market!” Giles said.

“Oh yes…so you can cook then?” Billy said smiling

“It has been known, young man – and saying that, I better jump to it” Giles finished his tea and stood up, then went into the kitchen.

Billy went over to the torch on the table and slid the ‘on/off switch.

“Don’t touch that Billy, it’s - ” A bright whitish yellow beam hit the wall

“It’s what, daddy?”

“Broken, what did you do?”

“Just switched it on” he showed his dad to demonstrate.

“Thing just died on me earlier, I thought it was a broken bulb or the battery was flat or something!”


*****************


“Hmmm – that was delicious!” Buffy sat back in her chair, finishing her glass of wine, hand on her tummy.

“It was indeed, the chicken was so tender” Spike agreed wiping his mouth on a serviette.

“Tilly used to feed the chickens…” Billy said suddenly.

Buffy and Spike had to pretend they didn’t know who Tilly was, so standing up and stacking plates Buffy said casually,

“Who’s Tilly?”

“Girl in my picture, she used to live here, years ago” Buffy didn’t want Billy to talk about Tilly in front of Izzie, so she quickly changed the subject

“Oh – well, I was thinking, it might be nice if we kept a few hens once daddy has the garden straight, and then you could have nice big brown speckled boiled eggs for your tea, would you like that?”

“Could I help you feed them?”

“Of course”

“An me mommy?” Izzie asked, then she yawned

“And you poppet!” Buffy ‘pretend’ tweaked her daughter’s nose.

Spike pulled Izzie onto his lap and she promptly fell asleep.

“Coffee, Giles?”

“Please”

“Uncle Giles”

“Yes Billy?”

“This thing you’re going to do”

“What thing, Billy?”

“The…the exercising?”

“Exorcising – how did you know about”

“It won’t hurt her, will it?”

“Hurt who?”

“Tilly of course!”

Buffy had heard what her son had said and came back into the lounge. Putting her hand on his shoulder she said,

“Don’t you worry yourself about such things Billy, everything will be alright, okay? Nobody will get hurt”

Billy nodded, then yawned.

They’d given up asking how Billy knew such things when nothing had been said in front of him; they resignedly put it down to his ‘special’ powers.
 

Chapter 12


While Giles watched over the sleeping children, Buffy and Spike went back down into the cellar, taking candles and the torch.

They both heaved and tugged on the small door, and at last its thick leather hinges gave way.

“I feel guilty wrecking that, it must be original!” Spike said as Buffy went to crawl through the low doorway.

“Shine the torch, I can’t see a thing” Spike tried to angle the beam so it shone over her shoulder.

“What can you see?”

“Nothing really, its another room…stinks………pass me the torch a minute please”

Spike did as she requested and Buffy heard the rasp of his lighter as he lit a candle and followed her through the doorway. Standing up, they both held their light source up and looked around.

“What’s that on the wall?” Spike asked

“Ew, don’t want to know, probably some icky fungus or-“

“No, look – they’re symbols…crosses” Spike said. Buffy went to have a closer look, when Spike said,

“Oh my gods look at this! It’s an altar – Buffy…look”

Spike held up his candle, to reveal a raised platform, and behind the altar was a drawing on the wall – one they’d both seen a myriad of times in Giles’ demonology books – the picture of the devil, complete with spiral goats horns…

“Those symbols, they ARE crosses, but they’re all upside down – you know what this means, don’t you?” Spike asked

“Seems it’s a place used by a devil worshipping cult…I…I feel…I feel incredibly sad - oh god Spike, what if – “ She felt a wave of incredible sadness over her and she teared up.

Buffy didn’t get to finish her sentence; they both experienced a strange ‘rushing’ wind sensation blow past them, causing the candle to snuff. Buffy looked down at her feet to see where she was going, and spied symbols on the floor too.

Taking a big sniff and wiping her eyes on the back of her hand Buffy then said,

“Look, Spike…we’re standing in one of those pentangle things” Shifting the dirt with her foot, it was clear to see the point of a star inside a circle. Spike re-lit his candle and said

“Come on, we’ve seen enough, lets get back upstairs to Giles and the children”



****************


“………Drawing of the devil with goat-horns, altar, upside down crosses, pentangle drawn on the floor, the whole kit and caboodle” Spike said, handing Giles a large brandy.

“Devil worship eh? – Well I never – oh cheers” Giles said

Buffy came downstairs carrying a blanket and pillow for Giles and said,

“There you go - I’m going to bed, I don’t want to leave the children up there on their own – night Giles, night love” she felt a little happier knowing that Giles would be just outside in his car all night.

“Night babe, I won’t be long”

Giles sat in the picnic chair thinking………

“You know, I’m not sure if a standard exorcising will do the trick, if it’s devil worship – the exorcising is more for clearing away a spirit – a poltergeist or what have you”

Spike leant against the fireplace on his elbow, sipping his brandy, and said,

“But there IS a spirit – trying to tell us, or rather tell Billy something – I’m sure it’s this Tilly girl he keeps drawing”

Giles nodded his head

“Yes well, I’ll do the exorcism, and we can see what happens from there”

“Giles, are you sure you’ll be alright sleeping in you car – I know you couldn’t sleep in this little picnic chair…oh I can’t wait to get the furniture out of storage and be all straight”

“I’ll be fine, honestly – once I recline the driver’s seat I’ll be away, ‘specially with the wine and the brandy I’ve drank!”

Finishing their nightcaps, Giles took his blanket and pillow and went out to his car, while Spike checked the back door was locked and then he went up to bed.

**********

The night passed relatively uneventful, Buffy hardly slept, she kept jolting awake at every sound, she thought she could hear crying at one stage, but put it down to a fox. So when dawn broke all misty with the promise of a hot day, she felt exhausted.

Spike got up at 8.30, made tea and toast, poured cereal into bowls ready for the children and then went outside to wake Giles.

“Wakey-wakey…how did you sleep?”

Giles stretched as he got out of the car and said,

“Like a log! Really comfy – hey, it’s a good job I got rid of that old Citroen I had!”

Smiling they both walked into the cottage

“Got rid? It fell to bits didn’t it!”

“Well…yes, the door fell off!”

Buffy came downstairs with Izzie and Billy. Spike frowned and looked concernedly at her.

“Are you alright babe – you look shattered, didn’t you sleep?”

Yawning, she urged the children to get on with their breakfast and she flopped into one of the chairs.

“There was a time I could be up 36 hours straight and still go to school or work – now – huh!” she stifled yet another yawn

“Did anything, you know…” Spike mouthed the word ‘happen’ in the night? Buffy shook her head

“No – thought I heard crying – but it could have been a fox”

Spike put a mug of tea in front of her and said,

“Well look, how about I go out when Giles does, and I’ll take the kids, I can do a food shop, and you can get your head down for an hour or two, what do you say?”

“Sounds very tempting – although I really should be putting on the second coat in the study-bedroom”

“Oh, don’t worry about that pet – take us half and hour tops between us – you have a rest”

Buffy smiled and reached for Spike’s hand.


****************

Spike came home and let the children help him put the shopping away, then he made tea.

“Now, I’m just taking this up to mommy, so be good and play nicely in the garden – and DON’T go near the well, okay Billy – be a big boy and look after Izzie, hmm?”

“Yes dad…is mommy okay?”

“Sure, just tired that’s all”

Billy looked up to the bedroom window and nodded, but he didn’t smile

When Spike went upstairs to take Buffy a cuppa, he could hear her whimpering

“Buffy, baby, hey – hey sweetheart…shh…what’s the matter, hmm – come on pet, it’s alright…I’ve got you” Spike put the tea down and sat by her side

Tears streamed down her face, and although she was asleep, she was very agitated and restless, sobbing and whimpering

“N-no…please………not my baby………please, you can’t…I………oh no, no…please…”

“Babe, hey babe…wake up, come on love, come on it’s only a dream, it’s only a-“
Buffy woke with a start, and a huge intake of breath, wide-eyed and seemingly terrified, until she saw it was Spike who was holding her.

She went limp in his arms and started to cry.

Spike held her tight, kissing the top of her head and soothing her

“Shush now baby, it’s okay, it was just a dream baby………just a bad dream…here you go, drink some of this”

Buffy took the tea and drank, when she calmed enough she said

“It was terrible…they took the baby – I tried to stop them but they got her”

“Who love, who got the baby?”

“I-I d-don’t know…they were in black robes with hoods up like monks wear…I knew I’d never see the baby again”

Spike smoothed back her hair and wiped her eyes with a tissue, and then he cuddled her up.

“Well love, it was a nasty dream, and as soon as Giles comes back we’ll get the exorcizing done see what happens” Buffy nodded and finished her tea.

Through the open window they could hear the children laughing, and then the voice of Hepsibar.

“You okay now kitten, hmm?” Spike kissed her forehead and Buffy nodded and said,

“I’ll just wash my face and be down”

So Spike went downstairs.


************************


When Giles arrived back later that afternoon, he wasn’t alone.

“Buffy, Spike – this is Father Dominic – he’s from the Abbey of Benedictine Friar’s in West Launceston – I met him in the library in Exeter – he said he’d help us with the um…you know what” Giles said, spying Billy coming in the kitchen.

Spike and Buffy smiled and nodded at the small monk dressed in a brown robe. He had white hair, cut short and a quiet, pleasant friendly manner.

“Hello – I understand you’ve been experiencing some problems”

“Yes – thankyou for offering to help”

Billy came in and stood before the monk, who smiled and said

“Hello, you’re a fine young man, and who are you then?”

Billy never forgetting his manners held out his hand and said,

“I’m Billy – are you going to help Tilly not be sad anymore?” The monk smiled and squatted down in front of the child, shaking his hand

“Well Billy, I hope so, is that her name, Tilly?”

“Yes…she told me she won’t be frightened – it won’t hurt her will it, this exorcising?” The monk raised his brows in surprise and then smiled

“No Billy – hopefully she’ll be able to move on to a peaceful resting place”

“Good, now I must go and look after Izzie, goodbye” The monk chuckled and put his hand on the child’s head, giving him a silent blessing – and he got a wondrous sensation

“Oh my – what an extraordinary child – you’ve been truly blessed there!”

Both Buffy and Spike smiled and nodded

“Yes we have, now I’m forgetting my manners, can we offer you some refreshment – you’ll stay for dinner of course?” Buffy said, making her way to the kitchen.

He thanked them and said he’d be delighted to.

Holding his arm out towards the sitting room, Spike said,

“Come on through, sorry it’s a just make-shift at the moment furniture wise, our proper stuff is in storage until we have finished the decorating” offering the monk a deckchair to sit on.

“That’s quite alright – I’m used to wooden benches – settles we call them, not the most comfortable of seats! Mr Giles was telling me you moved here from America”
 

Chapter 13


Buffy stood at the kitchen sink preparing the salad vegetables for dinner, and scrubbing potatoes watching the children play in the garden, little Izzie wandered in, rubbing her eyes and yawning

“Mommy, I’m sleepy”

Buffy dried her hands and picked her daughter up

“Well how about you have a nap, hmm?” she picked up the soft toy duck Giles had bought, and Spike came into the kitchen with the empty tea mugs

“Is she okay?”

“Tired – I’ll put her down for a nap I think, an hour won’t hurt”

“Here, I’ll take her, Giles and the priest are going to go over the plan for later”

“Here baby, go to daddy” Spike took Izzie and the toy duck and went back into the lounge.

The afternoon was very warm and Buffy opened the backdoor to get some air.

She’d decided on chicken again, it was quick and easy to cook, and every bodies favourite – and they would have mixed salad and jacket potatoes with it, something the children loved.

Billy came into the kitchen

“Mom, I’ve counted 6 birds from my book in the garden, see”

Buffy smiled and squatted down

“Have you – let me look”

“See, a thrush…a blackbird, a yellowhammer – Hepsibar showed me that one
a nuthatch, a pigeon and a magpie!”

Buffy ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek smiling she said,

“You are a clever boy – now do you want some juice?”

“Please – where’s daddy?”

“He’s in the lounge with Izzie, she’s having a nap…………here you go one apple juice to go!”

Buffy handed him a small carton. Billy took the straw attached to the back of the carton and pushed it down the foil covered hole and then went into see his beloved dad.

Buffy put two chickens in the oven, any leftovers would do for soup or sandwiches the next day

Washing her hands at the sink she looked outside and saw an odd sight

Frowning she stood at the back door and watched Hepsibar.

The woman was sitting on the ground, her arms clasped round her knees, rocking back and forth gently – she appeared to be crying.

Buffy went out, closing the door quietly behind her, and walked towards the woman

“Hepsibar…are you alright?” Buffy leaned over her and put her hand on the woman’s back

“………Took her…they took her from me…they took her………took her from me… “

“I’m sorry, who – hold on…there” Buffy sat down beside the old woman

“Who took what from you Hepsibar?”

“THEM. Dressed as dark as night and their hearts were even blacker. They were the evil ones, not me – they were the ones that did the bad, wicked things, not Hepsibar…”

“What did they take from you Hepsibar?” Buffy asked again gently, but she’d got a feeling she already knew the answer, she could feel this woman’s pain.

“Wasn’t Hepsibar that was evil, 14 summers old………they said Hepsibar was wicked for being with child and no husband…forced Hepsibar was, he forced himself on I, Hepsibar could smell drink on him, he was strong and …it hurt…ma said I was a wicked girl and threw me out when my belly got fat – Hepsibar didn’t have the knowings as to what was happening………”

Buffy could feel herself welling up, and she put her arm around the woman

“One night, the pains got so bad………crying and rolling round Hepsibar was – in the cow byre where it was warm in the straw – and then whoosh – I had this thing come out of I………scared… so afraid………stable lad helped I…………”

“But then someone came and took your baby away?” Buffy asked

Hepsibar looked up sadly and nodded once and said,

“Eventually, after two new moons passed…Hepsibar loved the baby girl…then one day – they beat I with sticks and took her………

“Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Buffy teared up and covered her mouth with her hand

“No point in sorry…you weren’t the ones who took her”

Just then the back door opened and Spike called out for Buffy

“Do you want to come inside?” Buffy asked

“No. Hepsibar be going now…things to be doing”

“Well if you’ll be alright”

Buffy stood up and waved to Spike, called out she was coming. Suddenly Hepsibar grabbed Buffy’s hand and said,

“Make the evil go” Buffy understood and she squeezed Hepsibar’s hand

“We will”

Spike walked down the path and Buffy turned to him

“There you are – wondered where you’d got to!”

“Izzie awake now?”

“Yes, Giles has taken them down to the village to get ice-cream while the priest sets things up.

“I saw Hepsibar was - oh, where did she go?”

“Oh you were talking to Hepsibar, were you?”

“Hmm – oh Spike she told me the saddest story – from what I can make out, she was raped when she was 14, and as soon as her mother knew and she began to show, she threw her out, and she had to give birth in a cowshed…poor thing must have been so scared…then somebody came and took the baby off her – she said they beat her with sticks, and that were the evil ones” Buffy’s blood suddenly ran cold and she said,

“Oh gods, Spike, what if – oh gods, I think they sacrificed her baby!” tears trickled down Buffy’s face and Spike pulled her into a hug, and kissed her forehead

“Oh my, that’s so sad…”

“She just said to make the evil go”

“Don’t cry, we will love, we will”


******************



“Do you think I should sit with the children instead of being down stairs?” Buffy asked looking at the two sleeping babes.

“I was thinking perhaps, well, I know I’m human now, but there IS a demon still in me, and perhaps with all that holy water, Bibles and scripture, perhaps I should be the one to stay with them, just in case’’

Buffy nodded and said,

“Okay, that’s fine, it’s just I’d prefer somebody with them, you know”

“Well you go down, tell them I’m staying up here”


Buffy went downstairs to see Giles and Fr. Dominic in the kitchen. When Buffy told them Spike was going to stay with the children, Giles seemed to relax a little, and the three went down into the cellar. Giles lit the candles they had set up down there and in the small cellar, which was to be cleansed.


Fr Dominic lit the thurifer and began to swing the purifying smoke pomander back and forth, with the other hand he sprinkled Holy water and chanted in Latin and he began to walk slowly about. Giles and Buffy stood holding a candle, a Bible and some Holy water. The room seemed to vibrate, and Buffy and Giles went wide-eyed with horror as the upside-down crosses painted on the wall seemed to have blood pouring out of them. The monk came to the altar and stood before it, splashing the Holy water onto the face of the goat-horned devil, he chanting got louder,

“Spiritus, Sanctus, Dominie, Deus………”

Inside her head Buffy could hear a baby crying, screams and the guttural growing of something inhuman and totally evil – she dropped her candle, bible and Holy water, and putting her hands over her ears she slid down the wall, eyes screwed up, crying out ‘NNNOOOOOOOOOOOO’. Giles immediately went to her and put his arm around her.

The monk was chanting louder and louder, splashing the Holy water around, it seemed to hiss where it landed and the crosses that were on the wall seemed to merge with the blood and trickle away before disappearing. An un-natural wind got up and snuffed all the candles, but the monk ignored everything and continued to chant his benediction…

He could barely stand with the force that was blowing, but he shouted to Giles to join in with the Lords Prayer…

“Our Father, who art in heaven………Amen!”

Fr. Dominic thrust a cross at the face of the devil and there seemed to be a blood-curdling scream and suddenly everything was silent, except for the panting of the priest.

Giles helped Buffy to stand, and as soon as she was on her feet she ran upstairs. Giles went to help Fr. Dominic.

Upstairs, Buffy burst into the bedroom, she felt instantly at peace seeing Izzie asleep, Spike was standing and so was Billy – the room seemed suddenly to be filled with great love and peace, she ran to Spike who cuddled her up.

A shimmering light appeared in the corner of the room, and Billy looked at it, he seemed to be concentrating, then he beamed a smile, nodded and said,

“Yes, yes I will, I promise. Yes nana, I will tell them for you…I understand, goodbye”

Buffy and Spike stopped and stared at their son, Buffy saw the shimmering light fizzle upwards and disappear. She said one word,

“M-mom-mommy?”

Billy turned and smiled and said,

“Nana has Tilly and the baby, she’s going to take them to the ‘Light’ where they can be at peace now – their little souls can rest at last. She sends all her love and says she watches over us”

Buffy let out a sob and raised her arm for Billy to come to her and Spike and the three of them stood huddled for a while.

“Knock, knock…sorry to interrupt”

“Giles, come in – something extraordinary just happened!” Spike said, leaving Buffy to settle Billy down to sleep.

“Hope you don’t mind, but I’ve got the kettle on, and I’ve given Fr. Dominic a rather large brandy poor chap needed it after what he’s just been through!”

*************

The morning after the incident, Buffy saw Billy waving from his bedroom window.

“Who are you waving at, Hepsibar?” Buffy looked out of the window but saw nobody.

“Yes, she’s just waved to me – she looks happy now, and younger – she just came to say goodbye”

“Oh – where is she going?”

Billy shrugged, but added,

“She said you did it, got rid of the evil, and like her baby, she can be at peace now………she just told me, in my head, like Tilly used to…she’s happy too, playing in the light now…she just wanted somebody to know her story, that she didn’t just get lost in a ditch, she was taken and sacrificed by evil people, she did it the only way she knew how, that was to haunt us”

Buffy gave a little shiver and smoothed the hair off her son’s face. Cuddling him up she planted a kiss in his unruly curls

“You don’t have to worry anymore baby”

“Oh, I’m not, I know they are happy and at peace now………can I go out in the garden after breakfast, and see what birds I can see in my book?”

“Sure you can honey – I’ll probably be out there with you – it’ll be chaos indoors, the furniture comes here out of storage today!”

“Oh great, my own bed! – Can I have my space-rocket cover on?”

“I should think so!”

******************

One week later

“There – what do you think?” Buffy stood back and admired her handiwork

“It’s beautiful babe!” Spike put his arm around his wife and they looked at the little ‘shrine’ she’d set up.

Buffy insisted that the cellar floor be covered, and they painted the walls pure white. On a small table she left a Bible, a candle, some Holy water, and small cross, along with the pictures of ‘Tilly’ that Billy had drawn, and Buffy had written, ‘God Bless Tilly, Hepsibar and her baby girl’ on a piece of paper. And then they’d locked the place up tight.


****************



Giles had found out via some newspaper archives that a young girl from neighbouring Middle Netherbourne had gone missing, her name had been Matilda Field, when no body turned up it had been presumed that she’d fallen into one of the bogs or ditches on the marshy farm lands that surrounded all of Netherbourne back then, this had been back in the early 1920’s.

“There had been rumours about a devil worshipping cult, it had started with chickens and small animal going missing for sacrifices, and then they’d got bolder and snatched the baby and then this Tilly, thinking that nobody would miss her – or her disappearance could be easily be explained away.

I think the local vicar tried to speak out, but he was found dead – nasty head wound, it was put down to a fall, the last thing they wanted was a police investigation, so I suppose the devil cult got scared after that, but all the villagers were tight-lipped, didn’t want to get involved, scared for their own, so no further investigations were ever made – and we are talking about rural policing in the 1920’s, not Scotland Yard nowadays.”

Buffy nodded and asked,

“Did you find anything out about Hepsibar?”

“Sadly not, she’d have been just a lowly peasant girl, a bit ‘slow’ as they used to say – those sorts of girls had babies all the time, and they died for one reason or another…malnutrition, sickness through bad living conditions – it wouldn’t have been documented – doubtful the baby would have even been registered, that cost money, and it’s almost a 100% certainty that Hepsibar couldn’t read or write……… nobody would have been bothered about her baby dying – or would believe her story of been beaten and her baby taken from her it’s a shame I know – but we know from what Billy said…”

“Yes, I know…they are at peace now, that’s something I suppose. It’s a shame is all – Billy said he saw her the morning after the exorcising, she waved to him – we haven’t seen her since – or the cat”

“And how is Spike?”

“Typing away ten to the dozen, he’s nearly got the first and second drafts of his book done – the publishers want it by next week”

“Well, I better be off – I’ve rather neglected my job of late – oh, and another missive from young Xander, I think he’s I love! - And an email from Willow”

“Yes, I got a letter from Xander, I’m so happy for him, and I’ve heard from Willow too! – Marie-Claire huh? She sounds very…” Buffy smiled

“Chic and French?” Giles offered with a grin

“Yeah – bye then Giles, and thanks, I’ll ring you in the week – come on kids, say goodbye to your uncle Giles – Spike, Giles is going now…!”


The End