Chapter 14 There's something in Chicago

William had been in Chicago for last three days, in those
times the only thing he did was work, work and more work. He had been
able to get everything straighten out, the new branch coordinator
seemed to be a nice and respectable man. He decided to stay a day
more to supervise and make sure that he knew exactly what is needed
to be done, because he did not fancy coming back here.

As the day ended, everything had been settled. He would be
leaving for LA tomorrow morning, the tickets were brought and his
bags have been packed, he had also called Xander to make sure that
his best bud would be there to pick him up. He decided to give
himself a little treat, for the past few days he'd been here, he
still was not able to see the beauty of the city, aside from the
office and his hotel room. So he decided to drive around, as he got
his keys and headed out.

Somehow, he ended up at the east part of town. The street was
crowded with young teenagers walking up and getting into different
bars. He decided to go into one himself as he walked up to the bar
that had a large glowing sign `Bob's Beer Bar' William
recited. "Catchy name." He mumbled under his breath as he made his
way inside. He sat himself at on of the barstools and ordered up a
drink to the old bartender with grayish hair. "Beer."

"So. man. What is it, love problems?" The old man asked as he
handed William a bottle of booze.

William can't help but give out a small laugh at the old
man's remark. "Why, mate, can't a guy just drink." the blonde asked
as he cocked his brow.

"Didn't say that `mate'." The old man replied mocking the
blonde at his use of the word mate. "Bob." He regarded as he showed
his nametag to William and reached out his hand to shake.

"Spike." The blonde replied as he shook the older man's hand.
What can he say that name sometimes can come in handy when he needs
to impress the ladies or make some blokes extremely scared. "So. nice
place you got here."

"Ya. but it's not mine. So, again I ask why you drinking?"

"There has to be reason."

"Don't get me wrong. I have no plan of getting into other's
business but you strike me."

"Wait!" William cut off the old man. "I saw you already. you
were the guy at the highway."

"No, I'm not!" Bob said defensively. "Must have been somebody
that looks like me."

"Whatever!" William shrugged. "What was it you're saying?"

"I said, you strike me as a man who has women all over him,
why drink?"

William again can't help to give out a laugh; this old bloke
is funny he thought. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, mate. But I just
got dumped." Seeing the man looking at him intently, he decided to
tell this Bob guy all about he and Harmony's breakup. What can it
hurt right, he dose not live here, be out of here by tomorrow. ".Then
she says `It was always her, Will. It had been Buffy all along. And
you know it.'  Way the go with the guilt trip right?" William
finished as he drank his fifth bottle of beer down.

"So. who's this Buffy, chick then?" Bob asked as he gave
William another bottle of booze.

"Come on, man. You met her. right at that repair shop of yours, you
know you burned by pocket there, mate." a very drunk William answered.

"Told ya. that was not me `mate'.

"Fine. she's." William then told the old man all about Buffy
and how they met up to the time they slept together. He can't help
but wonder why all of a sudden he was able to tell this man all about
his life. He was a stranger, a stranger he could have sworn he met
millions of times before, but he just blames it on his over excessive
drunkenness. ".that's it. that's Buffy."

"Seems to be a very beautiful lady ah?"

"She's okay. petit! Cute though."

"Don't get me wrong. but I have to agree with that Harmony
chit."

"What do you mean?" William asked through narrowed eyes.

"Well. seem to me you're in love with her."

"Who? Buffy! Ah, that's real funny." The blonde replied as he
laughed out loud.

"Hey! The way you described her. gotta tell you, if I did not
know any better."

"Shut it up. It's never gonna happen." William cut off the
old man. "Plus, she has that bloke for a lover." as William gave out
a sigh.

"So you saying that if she was not with this `bloke for a
lover' then there's a chance?" Bob asked curiously.

"Don't know, mate. don't know." As the blonde ran his hand
through his hair and closed his eye momentarily, `God, my head hurts'.

"You never know. fate maybe working on your side, William."

"Bolloks!" the blonde replied as he heard the old man's
reply. He does not believe in all those fate and destiny crap, `Wait,
I did not tell him my name's William.' was his last thought as he
dozed off.

William was awoken by numerous shakes, as he opened his eyes
all he saw was a dark room, there seemed to be a lot of things
walking around him, but it was all too blurry for him to
notice. "Hey, you okay?" he heard a woman say, as she continued
shaking him to rise. "Yeah." He finally answered as he got his vision
clear. "Where am I? What am I doing here?"

"Well. seems to me you dozed off." the bartender lady
answered. "Who gave you all these beers?" she asked as she saw all
the bottles in front of the blonde. "No wonder you dozed off."

"Bob." William was able to reply.

"Bob? There's no one named Bob here, man." The lady wondered
what the hell this guy was talking about, there was nobody
named `Bob' that worked here. He might just be more drunk that she
thought, if that's was ever possible. Hearing the blonde give out a
complain, "Let me just get you a cab. okay? Wait here."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

William woke up from his hotel room with a throbbing pain in his
head; the rays of the bright sun outside made it worst as he tried to
remember last night's events. He had gone out for a drink and ended
up talking with the old bartender, Bob. Then everything was pretty
much a blur; he said something like `You never know. faith maybe
working on your side, `William'.' Then he dozed off and that lady got
him a cab and then he is here now. Looking at the clock in the
bedside table, it read, 8:30 "Bloody Hell." The blonde said as he
remembered his flight, he better get a moving if he wanted to catch
it on time.

Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles. Buffy woke up from bed
restless; it had been four days now, since her and Riley's date. He
said he would call her and until now, she had yet to hear his voice.
She decided that he was probably busy from all his work at the
district office to call. `I'll give him a surprise visit.' Buffy
thought as she got up and went inside the shower. `He'll surely love
that.'

After about a hundred clothes, Buffy finally was satisfied
with her outfit and was now in Riley's front door. She was wearing
one of those, country girl outfits. She had a spaghetti strap white
top covered over by a red cardigan paired off with red a polka dot
skirt and matching red sandals. She brought with her a picnic basket
full of Riley's favorite goodies, Nothings good enough for her, man
she thought as she placed a small knock at the door. Hearing no reply
and concluding that Riley was still asleep she looked under the mat
for his hidden key and she found it, she guessed she just had to
surprise him even more.

As she opened the door, she saw Riley's coat thrown at the
floor. She thought that Riley probably had a rough night, as she
picked it up and placed it by the couch. "Riley. Honey." Buffy called
to the empty room. She then decided to take a look at his bedroom,
after placing a small knock at the door she was surprised at the
image before her. Riley was half-naked wrap all over some brunette
under the covers. Seeing this, Buffy had no idea how to react, he
could feel her heart beating faster and faster, she was running out
of breath as droplet of tears started to flow from her eyes. They
were not tears of sorrow but tears of hatred and anger.

As the young man, she once called her boyfriend stirred in
bed and started to come to, she tried to move her feet but they
wouldn't. Riley woke up to see Buffy by his bedroom door a picnic
basket in hand. Realizing what he was doing and where they were, he
called out to her only to see her run out. "Buffy, wait!" he called
as he scrambled to find his jeans.

Buffy heard Riley call out to her, but she could care less as
she ran out of his apartment, until he caught up to her in the
hallway.

"Buffy." he said as he caressed the young blonde's face. "Let
me explain."

Buffy felt the strong hands of the man at her cheeks as she
flinched; "There's nothing to explain!" She shouted as more tears
flowed, "You cheated on me, what else is there to explain."

"Buffy."

"Save it! I don't need your petty excuses. I should have
known. but no, I had to be the all understanding girlfriend."

"Understanding? You got one hell of a nerve to call yourself
an `understanding' girlfriend."

"I have been nothing but into this relationship. I have done
everything I could, only to find out, this!" Buffy hit back between
sobs.

"Ha! Been into the relationship! Buffy, you were never into the
relationship. You were the first one that backed off. This between
the two of us." Riley stated as he pointed back and froth from him
and the blonde. "It was never you and me, I was just by myself.
because you were too caught up with that `William' of yours to take
notice of anything else!

At this Buffy was more astonished than she had ever been, how
dare he use William as an excused, she now realized how wrong she
really was at dating this guy, he made it more easier for him to
break up with him. But she had nothing else to hit back at him so she
did the only thing she could do, she ran out of the building.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, man, so. how was the trip?" the brunette asked his best friend
as they met up at the airport and proceeded to his car at the parking
lot.

"It was okay. But God, those bloody workers did not know a
thing. Had to teach them this and that." William had woken up in bed
with a sharp pain in his head, he tried the best he could to get
himself together to catch his flight home. Good thing that he got a
decent hour of sleep in the plane.

"Yeah, have to agree with you at that, those construction
workers at the site does not know the difference between a hammer and
a screwdriver." Xander sarcastically replied, he once was one of
those good for nothing newbies, but now he was a successful foreman
building one of the biggest mall in Los Angeles. "So. did you already
meet Cordelia?"

"Yeah, the brunette at the Bronze the other night. right?"
the blonde replied, knowing that he was probably falling for one of
Xander's trap. Whenever his best bud has a new girlfriend, he would
go on none stop about them like they were the only thing that
mattered. As he listened to Xander blabber on about Cordelia's faults
that he ever love so much, he suddenly could not help himself from
asking, "How's Buffy?"

Xander was caught off guard by the blonde's question, maybe
mainly because William had interrupted him from his long rant about
Cordy. But nonetheless he answered him with a cocked brow; "I guess
she's okay. Haven't seen her." as he continued to give his friend
glances full of unanswered questions.

"What?" William replied, but as the brunette continued
glaring at him. "I can't ask now."

"Hey." Xander said as he held his hand up, as a sign of
surrender. After a couple of speechless moments accompanied by
constant glares. "So. want me to drop you off at Harmony's."

`Bloody Hell' William thought, he haven't mentioned to his
best friend that he and the blonde had broken up. Actually he had
told no one, he had no idea why. "Were through." Hearing Xander give
out a `What!' "It did not work out. okay. its not like you liked her
or anything."

"Right. I never did like that girl, but she's hot though."
Xander replied. "But not now, man. I was thinking that since me and
Cordy are finally all okay, maybe we could on a double date or
something."

" Ha, even if I was still with her, hell! I would never go on
a double date with you."

"And why the `hell' not?" the brunette questioned, mocking
William's use of the expression hell.

William just gave out a laugh, "Just drop me off my soddi'n
apartment.

"Fine! Laugh at me then." As Xander mumbles under his
breath, `Let's see who fetches you from the airport next time."  

As William reached his apartment, he thought of maybe getting
some rest, but decided not too, he did not feel tired and decided to
go for a stroll.

William was walking down Madison Avenue, in search for
something to free his mind of all the paperwork in store for him when
he gets back to the office. Rupert would probably want him to do a
whole report about his visit to Chicago and the progress of there
inter-branch there. As he walked out of the Expreso Pump with a cup
of coffee in hand, he noticed that the agency Buffy owned was still
closed, and it was already after noon. He knew Willow probably had
classes, but why would Buffy not be here to open up the shop. As
millions of thoughts flowed through at the blonde's head about the
other blonde's whereabouts he suddenly got worried, what could have
possibly happened to Buffy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After staring mindlessly at the building in front of him, William
finally decided to check out Buffy's house, she was probably just ill
or something, why did he have to worry himself so much. As he reached
the blonde's door, he silently knocked, making it open by itself.
Realizing that the door was not only unlocked but it was not shut
properly, again million of thing flowed through his mind, he got
worried as he stepped into the apartment making sure to make the
least noise as possible. As he began to walk in deeper into the
house, he did not notice anything stolen, so the `Buffy got robbed'
theory was out. As he ventured into the hallway, he could hear soft
sounds coming from one of the rooms. As neared the door, he heard
soft cries, `Buffy's crying?'. He then decided to open the door to
find a petit blonde rolled up to a ball by the foot of the bed. He
moved in closer and saw that the blonde did not even looked up, as if
she did not know his presence. "Buffy?" William softly breathed,
afraid to scare the blonde in front of him. He can see she was
shivering, as she continued to give out soft cries of sorrow. Hearing
no answer he moved in closer to her and knelt down in front of
her. "Buffy." Finally she looked up at him, he could see her eyes
were all puffy and red, he guessed that she must have been crying all
day. "It's okay, luv. I'm here." He comfortably told her as he
cradled her in his arms and continued to rock her slowly. 

William sat there with Buffy for what seemed like hours,
Buffy cried her heart out, the longer he held her the louder her
cries got, but he did not mind. She needed to relieve herself of
whatever it was that was making her act the way she is. He had no
idea what it was, and he didn't want to ask. She would tell him when
she's ready to. After a lot of convincing, he finally had gotten her
to agree, that it was better for them to sit in the bed rather than
on the floor. As William helped her up, she held on to him tighter as
if he would just disappear into thin air if she ever let go.

The two blondes sat on the bed, as Buffy tried to calm
herself down. When she got home from Riley's, the emotional pain of
what happened came rushing back to her. She could not believe how
cruel Riley was, he did not even try to apologize for what he had
done, not that it would have changed anything. She thought that if he
did not like her anymore then he could have just broken up with her
and that would have caused her less pain than her seeing him with
another woman in bed. He knew about Buffy and Liam's relationship and
still it did not stop him from cheating on her. She was scared of how
she always seems to pick the wrong guy or maybe there was something
wrong with her. After Buffy had calmed down, she realized that
William had been here with her all this time. She was wrap around the
blonde's arm, giving her a sense of security. She looked up at him;
she wanted to say she was sorry for crying all over him like she did.

And as if he read her thoughts he answered, "It's okay, luv."
As he hugged her closer and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Buffy sniffled as she pulled away from William's embrace; she
looked him in the eye, eyes full of question. Question that he did
not understand, "You forgot to close the door." this made the blonde
give out a small laugh. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked
softly, afraid that if he pushed too much she would pull away from
him.

Buffy shook her head; she did not want to talk about
anything, even if she knew she had to. Seeing the blonde across from
her nod in understanding, "Me and Riley broke up." she stated, she
knew she said she did not want to talk. But seeing William's blue
eyes full of understanding and compassion, she felt like she needed
to tell him, to help him comfort her.

Hearing the information, a sudden thought rushed through
him `You never know. fate maybe working on your side, William'. As
the blonde tried to shake the thought out of his mind. He can't help
but wonder why a break up would make Buffy wallow in sorrow so much.
He knew she seemed happy with him, but that's not enough reason, her
sorrow was much deeper. It was like all these emotions she kept
inside of her came back haunting her. He looked at her with
questioning eyes wanting her to elaborate more on what had happen.

No matter how much her brain told her she shouldn't, her
heart was telling her to tell William everything. Everything that had
happen, everything that have caused her to break down, everything
that she felt, because at the back of her mind she knew he would
understand. "He cheated on me. I.I saw him with. another woman. in
bed." Buffy explained as tears begin to fill her eyes.

`I'll kill that bloody bastard!' William could not imagine why a guy
would ever do something like that. How could they hurt her that way?
As he continued to sooth her. "He was sleeping with her..." Buffy
took a deep breath, "He did not even apologize. he did not care that
I saw everything. he did not want me anymore." as Buffy leaned into
William's chest and started to sob. "My father. Liam. Why do they
always do this to me!" Buffy yelled as she punched the blonde's
chest, "Am I not good enough for them! Is there something wrong with
me?" she said between cries as she finally let go and slump herself
down on the bed.

William closed his eyes, he did not know she was going
through this much pain. He knew she never talked about her father
that much, and now he knew why. Her father probably abandoned her;
the hate she was feeling was not only for Riley or for her ex boy
friend Liam it was also for her father. He lied on his side, staring
in Buffy's eyes as he brush out a strand of hair " Shh. It's gonna be
okay. There is nothing wrong with you. Don't let those soddin' poofs
tell you other wise. They were wrong to do those things to you; you
are too good for them. I know you are strong, you can get through
this, Buffy. Remember, luv, when others turn their back on you and
you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, I'll
always be here.I'll never leave you."

At hearing Williams's words, Buffy sat back up, "Why? Why are
you not like them?"

William mimicked Buffy's previous action, held her hand and
blue eyes met green ones as he said "Because I care for you, you mean
a lot to me, pet and I think I am falling in love with you."

A/N: Ooo. feedback!
 

Chapter 15 Mysteries and Passions

"What?" Buffy said wide eyed as she suddenly jumped to her feet. That
made William nervous, was Buffy upset because of his admission? "How
can you say that, Will. Hello? Remember your girlfriend Harmony?"

"Me and Harmony sort of broke up, luv." William responded; `Thank god
she's not upset.'

"Oh." was the only thing Buffy could say, she just didn't know what
to think of the new information she had just received. Her mind
needed to process it all. She was single, William was single for some
reason that she didn't understand, and he thought he was falling in
love with her. `Oh God, Oh God, Oh God.' Buffy recited in her mind.
What was she suppose to say? How was she supposed to react? "Well. I
guess."

"You don't have to say anything, I know you're probably
surprised," `surprised isn't the word for it' Buffy thought. "I know
this is a lot to take in, probably wasn't the best time to tell you."
William closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "God. I can't do
this." Buffy looks at him, asking him to continue on. "I'm not sure
how you feel, but from the first time I saw you, honestly." William
chuckled, "Well. I really didn't feel a thing, no connection at all."
This disappointed Buffy, but she didn't let it show. The first time
she saw him she had felt an immediate attraction. "But as time passed.
we grew closer, we became more than just a friends. at first you were
like a sister, Buffy. I cared for you. a lot. I just never thought it
could be anything more than just that. I guess I needed to get drunk
and hear it from a stranger to believe it. But I'm still not sure. We
just came from a fresh break up; wounds have to heal. I know you need
to."

William was cut off when he felt Buffy's hand reach out to his, "I'm
not sure. but I think I actually understand what you're saying. What
I feel for you is more than just friendship too, Will. You're right,
we do need time. to sort everything out, to make sure that what we
are doing is right." Seeing the blonde nod in understanding, there
was an awkward silence between the two neither knew what to say to
the other. They had both professed their true feelings and
intentions, not knowing what was in store for them. "So." Buffy
finally cleared the silence as she stood up and looked at herself, "I
better get cleaned up, I look ridiculous in this outfit! What was I
thinking?"

"I think it looks cute on you." William immediately regretted what he
had said, "I mean. you should go. I should get going too."

"You're going?" William looked back. "I mean. I thought we could at
least have dinner together, it's getting late. I hate eating alone
and."

William gave her a satisfactory smile, "Okay, I'll stay. Hate dinner
alone too. You get cleaned up, I'll try to fix up something."

"Oh, the menus for take-out are in the first kitchen drawer." Buffy
suggested, before she entered the bathroom door.

William looked at her with a raised brow, "Is that all you eat, pet?
You do know that take-out isn't good for you."

"Well. for your information I do know. It's just that, I don't know
how to cook." The blonde said the last phrase as soft that William
could hardly hear it.

"What did you say?"

"I said, I don't know how to cook."

"Well then get freshened up and I'll show you one of my specialties,
you haven't tasted the best food in town until I've cooked for you."
William stated. He was pretty proud of how good his culinary skills
were despite not having taken any actual lessons or anything. Back in
England when he was a kid, whenever his mother cooked she would
always try to teach him a thing or two. It helped a lot, especially
when he took home economics during his sophomore year.

"Cocky aren't we? I'll be the judge of that." Buffy trailed off a she
slipped in the bathroom door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

William had gone down to the blonde's kitchen and looked inside the
cupboard only to find almost nothing. It had a couple of boxes of
instant pancake mix, some flour, sugar, salt - pretty much the
basics, plus a couple of herbs. The refrigerator had some cheese,
butter, milk, juice - nothing much that he could whip up. `Hell! I
guess this will have to do.' The blonde thought as he got some pot
and pans and started mixing in anything he could find.

Back upstairs, Buffy was wracking her mind of what to wear, "Too
showy. Hi, I dressed up to impress you." Buffy recited after each and
every outfit she tried on, she can't seem to find anything to wear.
She wanted something that said `I'm casual and comfortable yet I know
you've been drooling inside since I walked downstairs.' Finally she
settled for a white tank top and a pair of low cut jeans. She had
absolutely no idea why she was even trying to impress William. As she
walked through the hall and down the stairs, she smelled a wonderful
aroma. She wondered what could the other blonde possibly be cooking
up.

William was putting some herbs into the pot in front of him, he had
figured out how to make do with what was available. As he tasted a
little of the pasta he had cooked, he heard the phone ring.

"I'll get it." Buffy called as she rushed down the stairs and into
the living room, "Hello?"

"Who was that, pet?" William asked as he continued stirring.

"Oh, It was just Willow, she dropped by the agency and she just
wondered why it wasn't open. she was just worried is all." Buffy
answered the blonde's question as she sniffed the air, "Mm. that
smells delicious." She moved in closer to try and take a peek at what
kind of food he had cooked.

"Hey! No peeking." William scolded as he waved his hand, indicating
for Buffy to move away, "I suggest you just get the plates ready,
luv. Dinner would be ready in about ten minutes."

Buffy looked at the clock; it was almost 6:30, time for her all time
favorite show. "Will, do you mind if we eat by the sofa, my favorite
show's going to be on any second?"

"It's okay by me." William replied as he started scooping the pasta
onto their plates, adding some extra herbs and cheese plus a couple
of pieces of garlic bread. Looking down at his creation and deciding
that it was would do, he made his way into the living room, two
plates in hand.

As Buffy placed down a couple of sodas on the coffee table and seated
herself on the large couch, she pushed the remote control button. The
starting tune of the show's song sang in.

"Dinner is served!" William announced as he entered the living room.
He heard some sounds coming from the television as he saw Buffy stare
intently at the device in front of her, "What you watching, luv?"

"Shh. It's starting, don't talk."

William then sat himself beside the blonde and placed the plates onto
the coffee table. As he looked at the television, he did a
doubletake. There was a dog talking with some humans who seemed to be
searching for something. "What kind of show is this? It looks like
crap."

"Would you shut up! I'm trying to watch here." Buffy scolded as she
took the fork and twirled her pasta without taking her eyes of the
screen. "And by the way, It's not `crap' it happens to be a very nice
show."

`Like hell it is.' William thought as he too began eating his dinner.

"Mm. This is great!" Buffy commented as she took a bite of her garlic
bread.

"Oh! You're talking to me?" William asked sarcastically.

"The show's over." Buffy said lazily.

`It figures.' Of course the show's over, Buffy wouldn't say a word to
him while it was on. "What is this show anyway? Is it some kind of
cartoon, are you reminiscing about your childhood, luv. Cause
honestly, you're not that old."

Buffy gave out a sigh, eyes narrowing. "That's really funny, you
know."Buffy replied sarcastically. "I happen to like that show."

"What about it do you like?" William asked with a chuckle.

"For your information, mister, Scooby Doo happens to be one of the
most popular shows on TV." `Yeah, for kids.' William thought. "And I
do like the whole detective part." Buffy said shyly, she had been
watching the show since way back, especially before when Dawn, her
younger sister was still in to it.

"So. you like mysteries."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Buffy replied as she took a gulp
of her soda. "At least it's better than `Passions'."

"Oh! Well. I guess you don't know that it happens to be a very
entertaining show."

"Yeah, right! Drama, drama and more drama. It's too boring if you ask
me." Buffy resorted back.

"Ha! You're one too speak, aren't you!" William said as he started to
tickle Buffy, which made the blonde laugh, moving away from him as
she clutched her stomach.

"Stop it, will you!" As Buffy tried to hold her fit of giggles
together, "stop it!"

"Fine." William answered as he stopped doing his previous actions and
started grabbing the plates and empty cans of sodato get them washed
up. "I'll just get this stuff cleaned up."

After Buffy had had enough of relaxing by herself she called out, "Do
you want to watch a movie or something?" as she searched through the
stacks of DVDS she had.

"I don't know. Aren't you tired yet? You had a long day." William
asked as he came out of the kitchen door.

Truth be told, Buffy was tired, everything that happened today was
more than a girl could handle; she just wanted to keep herself as
busy as possible to keep herself from thinking about things she
certainly didn't want to think about. She didn't want to be alone,
because too would let her mind to drift off. "I'm okay." Buffy
replied with a yawn.

"Now, I may have believed that if I didn't see you yawn, pet."
William said as he sat beside Buffy and swung his arm to the back of
the sofa.

"Really. I'm fine." She said as she let out another yawn. "Okay,
maybe I am `bit' tired." she admitted as she rested her head on
William's chest.

The blonde felt tingles up his spine as he stared at the lovely girl
in front of him. He let his left arm wrap around her shoulder. Seeing
that she didn't react to his touch, he began playing with her golden
locks. "Have I ever told you I love this hair?" he asked. Hearing no
response, he looked at her intently and realized that he wasn't
talking to anyone. Buffy was lying in his arms fast asleep. He kissed
the top of her head and whisper, "Goodnight, Buffy," as he fell into
a deep slumber.

`Night William.'


A/N: Thanks to my beta Alison. Reviews are appreciated!
 

Chapter 16 Morning After

The heat of the bright sun was penetrating through the blinds of the
agency window. As soon as Buffy entered the building, she was hit be
the thousands of things that had to be done. The answering machine
was blinking bright red, "10 new messages," it sounded. Each message
she had to listen to was from a client wanting their blind date
confirmed. She had never thought that running a business would be
this hard. She had been back just a day and a half and already tons
of work was staring her in the face. As she patiently listened to
every message, she remembered what had happened that morning.

Two blondes woke up to the sound of a cell phone ringing. As they
shifted positions, they both realized that they had just spent the
night together on Buffy's living room couch. As William answered his
phone, Buffy got up and started to fix herself up the best she could,
running her fingers through her hair. She signaled to the busy blonde
that she would be upstairs getting cleaned up. Seeing him nod in
agreement she went her way. When she reached the bathroom, she looked
at herself at the mirror. She was a wreck, her hair was all up in all
the wrong places, and her eyes had some morning stars in them. She
then thought of the night before as she stepped into the shower,
William had cooked her dinner, which she was more than grateful for.
She had been tired but didn't want to be alone so he had said they he
would stay with her for a while. She had no idea when it happened but
she had slipped into the blonde's embrace and fallen asleep. Even if
it was in the uncomfortable couch, she felt like it was the most
relaxing sleep she had for the past few days.

After Buffy had finished showering, she went downstairs to find a
cleaned up blonde sitting on her couch watching the morning
news. "Hey!" She called as he nodded and patted the seat next to him,
indicating she take a sit. "What you watching?"

"The news, luv. Need to be updated." William replied as he intently
listened to the reporter not taking his eyes of the TV.

"Oh, come' on you own a publishing company! You know the news, you
print it everyday."

"I may be the owner, pet, but I'm not the editor." He replied
knowingly.

"Well." Buffy stuttered as she ran out of retorts, "I don't think the
news is that interesting, reading the paper is way too boring."

"I noticed." William answered. Buffy gave him a questioning look. "I
checked the door. no paper." They sat there in silence as they, even
Buffy, continued to watch the news until it ended. "You hungry?"

"Why? You gonna cook?" Buffy asked as she clicked the remote control
off.

"Nah. too tired. Maybe we can go to the International House of
Pancakes and have some breakfast, what do you say?"

"I'd say, it sounds like an absolutely delicious idea!" Buffy replied
as she licked her lip.

~~ back at the agency ~~

"Ring, ring." The phone rang, which pulled the blonde out of her
thoughts. "Hello?" she answered. "Yes, Mr. Gibson. It has been
confirmed. Okay, Thanks, have a nice day!" The thoughts of the
morning she had had, again rushed through her mind as silence drifted
across the room. She and William had eaten breakfast, both having
waffles. She found out that William had a sweet tooth; the amount of
syrup he placed on his waffles could give anybody diabetes. After
having that filling breakfast, both were still not ready to go to
work, although it was already nine in the morning. Neither of them
was sure of their reasons, yet they both had a feeling that they
missed the times they spent together before and wanted to cherish it,
make it last.

They took a walk at the park, sitting on a nearby bench and watching
the children play with no cares in the world. Each of them was
reveling in the memories provoked by the scene in front of them.
Seeing the children play, Buffy really missed being a kid and not
caring about anything, the only thing she had to worry about before
was homework. But now there was rent, loans, bills, bills and more
bills. It not that she didn't enjoy being independent, but she missed
having her mother there with her and helping her, or for that matter
anyone that would be there for her, waiting for her when she came
home. She wanted someone to talk to her about her day comforting her
from the stress of work.

~~ William's office ~~

William had just barely finished the reports Rupert wanted him to
make about his recent visit to Chicago. Just as he thought, the
moment that he walked into the office, his partner was waiting for
him by his chair ready to give orders. Good thing that he was able to
finish all the paperwork because he certainly needed a break. As he
finished packing his things, ready to go home for the day, memories
of that early morning penetrated his mind.

He had woken up in Buffy's apartment on her couch with the petite
blonde enveloped in his arms. He had shifted slightly to a more
comfortable position as he stared at her, fast asleep. Her golden
hair was safely tucked away on one side; her breathing low, the small
purrs she would give out. she was just. beautiful. "Ring, ring" Damn
phone William thought as he frantically searched for the device in
fear that it would wake up the blonde in front of him. By the time he
had finally found it, Buffy had already woken up. As he answered the
phone, he found out that it was again his demanding partner once
again, wanting him to get into the office as soon as possible.

After the long and tiring conversation William had with Rupert, he
went into the downstairs bathroom and tried to fix himself up as best
he could. He then started to make some coffee and looked for the
morning paper, which he couldn't find. Settling for the morning TV
news instead, he sat at the couch and watched. After a couple of
minutes, Buffy emerged from the stairwell and he invited her to join
him for some breakfast. From there they went to the park, partly
because he was still not ready to go to work and wanted to have a
little fun. And mostly because he wanted to make the most of the time
he and the blonde spent together. He missed the way they were before,
before that awkward night. He missed how they used to talk everyday
and told each other about the day they had. He just wanted this
moment to last.

As he started the engine of his car, he remembered that today was
Friday, Bronzing night. How he wished Buffy would show up. Even
though they had only seen each other that morning, he couldn't help
but miss her already.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

William was siting at their usual table at the Bronze with Xander,
Cordelia, Willow and Oz, who had just taken a break form his last
set. Oh, how he hated being the fifth wheel among the crowd. He
wondered where Buffy was. The redhead had told him that Buffy was
probably a little late because she had to close the agency for the
night. As the foursome got up to dance, they invited him, but he
declined. As he watched them move to the fast beat of the song, he
wished Buffy was there.

As if on response to his silent wish, "Hey, sorry I was late, had to
close the office," Buffy said as she sat at the chair across
William. "Why aren't you dancing with them?" she asked.

"Nah! I don't want to be the fifth wheel among happy the couples."
William replied as he drank a gulp of beer.

"What do you say we dance!" Buffy said enthusiastically. Since that
afternoon she had been anticipating going to the Bronze to have a
night out. Truth of the matter was, she had missed the other blonde
already.

"I don't know. the song's about to end."


"So, we'll catch the next one. Come on." Buffy dragged him to the
dance floor.

After a couple of minutes, the song ended. Xander and Cordy were
tired, and Oz had to do his next set. So the threesome sat back down
at the table leaving the blonde couple on the dance floor. The next
song that Dingoes Ate My Baby played was sweet and mellow. Hearing
it, Buffy wanted to tell William that they should sit this one out,
even if deep down she didn't want to. But when he started to pull her
close by the waist, Buffy couldn't even give it a second thought. She
then placed her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest
as they swayed with the music.

"Aren't they cute." Cordy commented, interrupting Willow and Xander's
discussion about the importance of coffee in the morning.

The redhead and brunette turned their attention to the couple. Willow
thought they really did look cute together. As for Xander, he agreed
with both the ladies. He always assumed his best friend had a little
something for the blonde, good thing he was finally acting on it.

Back at the dance floor, Buffy had raised her head from the blonde's
chest and looked at him in the eye. For a moment they just stared at
each other like that, not saying a word. As the song came to an end,
William asked Buffy if she wanted to go somewhere else. He wanted to
show her his favorite spot by the beach.

Buffy, hearing the blonde's question, was glad that they were finally
comfortable with each other. She had missed the times they had spent
together. "Yeah, I guess." she said wanting to sound unsure yet
failing at it. "But we'd better tell the other's first."

"Okay, you tell them, luv. I'll wait for you by the car. Say goodbye
for me." He called as he proceeded to the parking lot. He had
actually planned for this night, good thing Buffy agreed to go. "So.
you ready?" he asked when he saw her come out of the Bronze. Seeing
her nod he said, "Get in the car then, we have a long way to go."

William and Buffy arrived at the beach near midnight. Their time in
the car was just like before, not uncomfortable yet not too
comfortable. They were able to catch up on each other's lives. They
both couldn't believe how in only a couple of weeks, so many things
could have happened. This time around, William made sure to park his
car at the other end of the beach. As they both started to get out of
the vehicle, William opened the trunk up to grab a duffel bag.

"Where to?" Buffy asked.

"Just a little bit over there, luv." William replied as he led the
blonde hand in hand. When they reached their destination, he started
to set up a couple things as Buffy stared into the sky in amazement.

The place they were at now was beautiful, even if Buffy had no idea
where they were. The ground they were standing on, overlooked the
ocean. The darkness of the night made the water look as if it were
part of the sky with sprinkles of diamonds scattered in it. It was
the night of the new moon so all you could see were stars, sparkling
against the darkness of the night. "Wow! William, this place is
gorgeous." Buffy breathed. "Where did you find a place like this?"
she asked as she turned her back to look at him. "What are you
doing?" she asked again, seeing William set up some kind of telescope
and laying down a blanket.

"Huh? Nothing. Come here." as he directed her beside him by the
telescope. He then looked at his watch, as if waiting for the right
time. "Okay, look."

Buffy did as she was told. When she looked into the device she saw a
wave of bright light - a comet passing slowly within her view. The
comet had a light so bright and sparkling; it was almost purely white
with little sparks of blue, glittering against the night. "Wow!" she
said in amazement, she had never seen a comet before. "That was. what
was that?"

William could not help but give out a little smirk against the
blonde's reaction, "Was it nice, luv?" Seeing the blonde nod
eagerly. "We'll its Haley's comet, it sort of only comes every other
century or something." He answered with a smile.

"Never told me you were into astrology and stuff!" Buffy said as she
sat beside William by the blanket and laid her head on his shoulders
and stared back into the sky.

"We'll, I'm not really that into it, but I guess I know a thing or
two." After a couple of moments of just sitting there and staring
into the skies, Buffy started to rise.

"What are we doing here? Did you just want me to see that? Not that I
didn't like it but." Buffy stopped as soon as she realized she was
babbling, something she did when she was nervous.

William noticed her uneasiness, " We'll I thought maybe we could stay
here a bit longer is all, maybe watch the sunrise?"

Buffy looked at him suspiciously, "So. you planned this."

"Yeah.you could say that." the blonde answered as he started to get a
couple of things out of the duffel bag. "I bought coffee!" he
exclaimed as he raised a thermos, "and we have a blanket here, so."
he stated as he cocked his scarred brow at her and patted the seat
beside him on the blanket.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Spike?" She asked teasingly.

"Why? Are you seducible?" William asked. Hearing no response, "I'll
take that as a yes." He stated, a huge grin plastered in his face.
Buffy looked at him wide-eyed, a question written all over her face,
eyebrow raised. "Okay. I guessed that, so." William got up and
grabbed something from the bag, "Here's another blanket." He said as
he laid it beside his.

"Good!" Buffy firmly stated, as she sat herself down by the blankets
beside William and cuddled with him.

William held her tight, stroking her golden streaks. Oh how he loved
the feeling of just holding someone, someone named Buffy. Just
wrapping his arms around her and feeling so comfortable, so relaxed,
so. content. He knew that deep down he was still not ready to start a
relationship with anyone and neither was she. He didn't want to push,
they just started to feel comfortable with each other again and he
certainly wanted to cherish every second they got to spend time
together. Looking into the night, he remembered how nice it was just
being able to sit there like time meant nothing, like everything
could just go by and he could care less. Breathing in deeply, he
looked at the gorgeous being lying on top of him. She was fast
asleep, probably was exhausted from the day she had. As he looked at
her, the same thoughts came to mind as those he had that morning, she
was a beauty, and he certainly knew the one thing he wanted for
Christmas this year, her. He wanted to wake up with her beside him,
starting the day with her beautiful smile and coming home at night to
her warm embrace. He knew right then and there that. she was the one.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Familiar shades of blue and orange filled the dark atmosphere of the
night, as step by step the day was beginning to rise. Fluttering her
eyes against the slight rays of the sun, she looked up slightly to
the sleek form she laid upon. His face was so peaceful; it seemed
innocent as she looked at him now. His complexion was bronzed, his
body full of muscles yet soft to her touch. Underneath those long
lashes were eyes so blue that they dared to be compared to the ocean.
As she set her head back down on his chest, she looked at the sky as
signs of day began to show. The colors expressed by the atmosphere
were so relaxing, so comforting, just like the way she felt now.

Feeling like sleep was no longer an option, Buffy started to get up
and looked inside the duffel bag for any sign of food, and she found
none. Remembering that she has left her purse in William's car, which
held a pack of uneaten crackers. She searched the sleeping blonde's
pockets for the keys, careful not to wake him up. As soon as she
found them, she tried to remember which way they came from as she
proceeded to his car.

Restless and tired, William rubbed his eyes still half-asleep. His
hand automatically reached out to feel a certain girl lying beside
him. Finding none, he immediately opened his eyes, afraid about her
whereabouts. As he sat up, he saw the sun almost rising; the dark
color of the sky that he remembered was now gone. Instead it was
replaced with the soothing shades of pink, orange and yellow. The
sunrise was indeed beautiful, it had been a long time since he had
seen one. But now was not the time to stare out at it, he had a
missing blonde to find. Getting on his feet, he heard the faint
sounds of a whistle, somebody was whistling a jaunty tune. As time
passed the sound got louder and louder, a familiar voice cursed at a
tree root. He knew whose voice it was. As he heard her nearing, he
grabbed a single flower from the bushes, without waiting to see what
what kind it was.

"Hey, you're up!" Buffy called as soon as she saw the blonde's firm
form.

"Yeah, it's me. up and about. Where have you been?" William asked, as
he turned his back to face her.

They were now eye to eye, blue met green as Buffy tried to give a
response, "Well, I was feeling a bit." she was cut short as she
looked over the blonde's shoulder to find the most beautiful thing
she ever seen. Shades of pink and orange filled the sky as the sun
peeked his head out of the ocean. "Wow." Buffy said, amazed at what
she saw, "Isn't it beautiful.?"

Buffy looked over his shoulder, amazement evident in her eyes, he
knew what she was looking at, but he didn't look back.

His eyes locked with hers, as he answered her question. "Yes it is."
Buffy blushed, seeing him looking into to her as he placed the flower
he picked up behind her ear and brushed a stray stand of hair. "Yes
it is."

A/N: I stole a line from the movie `A Walk to Remember' since it's
one of all time favorite movies. Thanks to Alison for being such a
wonderful beta and umm. is it too much if I ask for a review?! :)


 

Chapter 17 Sunnydale...Brings Back Memories

1 month, 4 weeks, 30 days, 720 hours, 43,200 minutes had passed since their opposed date. Each trying to get over their broken relationships and heartaches, they seem to come to each other for comfort or just plain simple companionship with a friend. Each day bringing them closer and closer, each moment they have together treasured. At first they started hanging out with the gang, usually with Xander and Cordy. The men would take the ladies to the mall, Buffy and Cordelia would talk endlessly about clothes and shopping while the guys would just give their occasional nods of confirmation. But as time past, both parties, even the ladies started to get tired of the mall and both brunettes were becoming more and more busy with their project. Soon the blondes found themselves spending more time together, just the two of them. Even during weekdays, William would sometimes just drop by at Buffy’s house to hung-out, watch a movie or just talk. They both can’t deny that they enjoyed each others company, both their best friends have work and school and both also have significant others that they needed to spend time with. So them hanging-out and enjoying each other’s company isn’t quite bad.

Soon enough, William got tired of them just hanging-out, being best friends like they felt nothing for each other. They knew there was something between them and he for one did not want to hide it anymore. Only at that same time he did not know that Buffy was feeling the same way. ‘Screw it if he thinks I’m still not ready.’ The blonde thought, she had hid her feelings for William long enough, now that they are both free and single, she does not see anything wrong with the two of them trying out if this whole couple thing was for them. Though both having doubts that their friendship was going to be affected by whatever happened to their confessions, it’s not going to stop them now.

Cool wind was beaming down against her face, the harsh light of the sun shining upon her. Buffy looked at the scenery they passed by, ‘familiar’, she thought, she was on her way back to Sunnydale, with a certain blonde driving them to their destination. She then thought back to exactly how she fell into this situation...

It had been an ordinary Wednesday afternoon for Buffy, she had been at the agency the most part of the day, cleaning, tidying and trying to finish checking out all the videos that had just gotten in for the week. Her and Willow’s business was actually doing very well than they would have expected, it had blossomed over the months that had past. So now she was stuck here reviewing videotapes and such. “Hey, Willow!” Buffy greeted as the redhead entered through the door. “Was that just Oz who just dropped you off?” the blonde asked, seeing an old navy blue van drive away.

Willow gave out a sigh of relief as soon as she entered the agency door; it was finally the last day of finals. She had been racking her brain the whole week trying you memorize different formulas and such, it was an exhausting week. “Hey Buffy!” she greeted back, “Yeah that was him said he needed to go to practice.” The redhead replied hiding a certain tone of disappointment in her voice, which of course Buffy caught up to.

“What’s wrong, Will?” Buffy told her friend in a soft tone as she came to the front part of the counter and ushered her friend to sit beside by the bench. “Did you and Oz have a fight?”

“Nah... It’s not that. It’s just... that... well.” Willow tried to explain but somehow had come to a loss of words. Feeling Buffy’s support she continued, “Well... you know how I have been busy for finals and all right?” seeing the blonde nod, “See... me and Oz have not spend much time together, I think he and I are sort of breaking apart Buffy. And I actually hoped that we could do something special tonight, maybe celebrate before summer vacation... I forgot he had to practice today.”

Buffy placed her arms around the redhead’s shoulder, trying her best to comfort her and make her feel like everything will just be okay, “The summer is coming Will, no studies! Means more Oz filled time!” Buffy said enthusiastically hoping to brighten up her mood.

Willow gave in and a little giggle could be heard, trying to go into a much lighter mood of topic, she asked “So... How’s it going with you and Spike?” She refused to call him by his other nickname Will, which Buffy insist on using. Because for her it just causes unneeded confusion, she felt like she was talking about herself.

Buffy hesitated, she had no idea what to tell Willow, and sure they had gone out on a couple of group dates and some with just the both of them, actually quite a lot. But she had absolutely no single clue where all of this unnecessary flirting was heading. She liked him, that she cannot deny. The time they had spent together all month for her was more than just two friends hanging out together. Suddenly the phone rang; glad that she did not have to answer the mind-bugging question Willow had for her she immediately picked up the phone. “Hello... Oh hi mom!”

“What are you thinking about, luv?” William asked, his voice sounding obviously concerned.

“What?” Buffy suddenly came out of her slight reverie. “What was that?”

“I asked what were you thinking about, pet. Is there something that’s bothering you?”

“Nothing... Well, I was just wondering why mom sounded ‘panicky’ when she talked to me on the phone. It sounded like an emergency.” Buffy explained.

“Don’t get all ‘panicky’, pet.” William complied as he let his stray hand wander within hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sure everything is all right.”

Buffy felt his soothing touch ‘here goes the flirting again’ she thought. A part of her like these gestures he showed towards her, but a part of her was terribly getting confused, who wouldn’t be. First he says he thinks he’s falling in love with her, then he pulls away because it is too soon. Then they go out and there goes the unnecessary flirting and bad roaming of hands. She had no idea where they stand, she does not know where their relationship is heading but she does know one thing, she knows what she wants. Mindlessly forgetting about the way her mind was drifting off to, she returned his gesture and entwined her fingers with his, seeking comfort. “I hope you’re right...I hope you’re right.” Buffy said as silence fell on them. Again, she watched the said familiar scenes flash before her as they drove and neared their destination.

After about an hour of total silence, except maybe for the yawns, sighs and the music coming from the car radio, Buffy and Spike finally drove into 1630 Revello Drive. William turned off the engine and started to get out of the car, when he noticed a certain blonde not in motion. She was just staring into the front door of the house, no words said. “Hey, we going in or what?” he asked, slightly concerned of Buffy’s actions.

“I don’t know if I should.” She replied in a steady tone. “What if...”

But before she could get another word in, “What if, what?” he butted in head cocked to the side. “I’m sure it’s nothing, you’re worrying yourself over nothing.” The blonde tried to reason but was not able to get in word. “Operative word if, luv. Why don’t we just go in and find out what’s up. Or we could just stay here outside and you’ll never find out.”

Buffy finally realized she was defeated, and thought that William did have a point, she will never know if she never went in and she know that the curiosity will definitely kill her sooner or later. So she settled for knocking at the door with three light knocks. Then it opened up to reveal a very enthusiastic Joyce at the other end. “Hey mom!” Buffy greeted, fake smile plastered, she knew that these overly enthusiastic greetings could never lead to any good.

“Oh, it’s so nice to see you again Buffy! We missed you so much!” Joyce greeted back as she gave her eldest daughter a bear-like hug. Noticing a certain bleached blonde on the side, “William right? So nice to see you again!” as she gave the blonde a light tap at the back.

“It’s nice to see you to, Mrs. Summers.” William greeted with outmost charm.

“Oh, please. Call me Joyce. Why don’t we go into the living room, could I get you anything?” she asked as their visitors sited themselves side by side on top of the couch.

“Look mom.” Buffy started, she was getting tired of all these courtesy stuff her mom was doing, she wanted to know what was wrong, she needed to know. “You called and told me to come here as soon as possible, so what’s the matter then?” she continued, trying to be as calm as she can be.

“Well... It’s about Dawn...”

But before her mother could finish, Buffy started to babble, “What about Dawn? Is she hurt? Is she at the hospital? Will she be okay?” Buffy babbled until she almost ran out of breath and heard loud thumps coming from the stairway.

“Hey!” Dawn called as she skipped down the stairs happily, taking the steps two at a time. “Buffy! I’m so glad you came.” Dawn said as she jumped into Buffy’s lap and gave her a hug that could have had her already lack of breath worse. “I thought you couldn’t come.” As Dawn sited herself beside Buffy as she calmed herself down from all the excitement. “Oh, hi Spike!”

William just smiled back at the little version of Buffy and lay back down on the couch.

But Buffy was not that calm, her mind was racing, more than ever. What had just happen, what was happening for that matter? What was the call about? What was so important that she needed to come by so urgently? Finally realizing that asking herself all these questions won’t really get her any answers, “What the hell is going on!” Buffy asked, question written all over her face. These made everybody else in the room shocked on how the blonde had reacted, silence fell on them, as she again asked, “Isn’t anybody doing to answer me?”

Joyce was the first to recover, “Well, honey. This weekend is the finals for Dawn’s art contest, so I thought I would invite you to come and see...”

Before Joyce could finish, “If I win, I’ll get a full scholarship! Isn’t that great Buffy!” Dawn butted into the conversation.

“But... I thought...” ‘Great! I worried myself for nothing!’

“So, would you two like anything to drink, Spike?” Joyce asked their two guests.

“Anything would be great!” William replied. Buffy did not speak she was still stammering about her misunderstanding.

“Come on Dawn, help me in the kitchen.” Joyce asked her younger daughter as they both vanished into the kitchen.

Silence befell upon the two blondes; Buffy was still shocked if not embarrassed from what she had done. She had forced William to bring her over here to Sunnydale as soon as possible. Knowing that he could never refuse her pouted lips, he agreed. She then panicked and left everything to Willow including the agency. Only to find out that it was all in her imagination. After a couple of minutes, Buffy noticed a pair of blue eyes staring right at her as if holding out a fit of giggles. “What?” She asked. But the beholder of these eyes just kept staring at her, boyish grin evident in his face. “Oh... Don’t say it...” she knew it was coming.

“Don’t say what, luv?” William asked, smile still intact.

“Don’t say ‘I told you so’...” Buffy replied as she held her hands over her ears, ready to sound out the phrase that was about to come. All the way over, William kept telling her not to worry, that it was probably nothing, even Willow told her that when she was frantically packing her clothes, thinking of the worst.

“It’s not my style.”

“Oh! Well... I’m sorry had to drag you all the way here. You know... you can leave if you want to, I’m sure there’s a lot of thing you would rather do.”

But before any one of them could get another word in, Dawn came in carrying four glasses of milk. “So, you’ll be staying until the weekend right Buff?” Dawn asked as she handed her sister the glass of milk.

Buffy retrieved the glass with a smile; “Of course I’ll stay Dawnie.”

Dawn shivered at the use of her childhood nickname, only Buffy would embarrass her in front of their visitor. “Great! You staying too, right Spike?” as she handed him too a glass of milk.

“Umm... Dawn I don’t think...” Buffy tried to answer.

But she was meet by the piercing blue eyes of William, “Of, course I’ll be staying. Supporting you all the way!” He answered as he returned his gaze back to the younger blonde.

“Super!” was her only respond as she plopped down right in the middle of Buffy and William.

Buffy gave William a suspicious glare, but he just looked at her with innocence in his eyes.

“I got cookies. So... What did I miss?” Joyce said as she emerged from the kitchen, cookies in hand.

“Buffy and Spike are staying!” her younger daughter said with enthusiasm in her voice.

“Great! That’s great. Now dig in.”

Dawn gave out a satisfied moan as she chewed the fleshly baked goodie, “I’m sure you missed this didn’t you Buffy?”

“I’m sure she did, always a favorite, milk and cookies.” Joyce said, pertaining to her eldest daughter.

“Milk and cookies ey?!” William looked at Buffy, one eyebrow raised.

Buffy just blushed under his gaze. ‘It’s going to be a great week!’

Buffy was sitting at the back porch, just looking out into the setting sun. She can’t believe how much she missed Sunnydale. She had only been here not so long ago and she felt like she had been gone for years. She had missed the spooky small town rumors, the way people just suddenly disappear out of nowhere, and she even missed the neighborhood fights here and there. This is where she grew up, the place she knew as home and she had missed it so much. She suddenly heard the back door creak open, obviously someone came out and was standing right behind her but she did not look back, instead kept staring into the sky.

“Dinners almost ready, luv.” He told her as he stood there just behind her, she wasn’t moving. Not even one bit. She was in deep thought he concluded. “You’re mum says we should get in, don’t want dinner to get cold now do we?” he asked, but he still heard no reply.

He just kept standing there, waiting for her to answer him. After a couple of minutes of silence, “Have you ever missed something you thought you always never wanted.” Buffy asked, still staring straight out.

“Umm...” William did not know what to say he was not even sure if he understood what she had meant.

“I mean... after high school I was so excited to get out of Sunnydale. I was sick of it, I wanted to explore more things, see the world... but now... I feel like I don’t wanna leave, I wanna stay here. I feel safe here.”

William shut the door behind him and sat down beside her, “I’m not really sure what you mean, pet... but I guess I do understand it, one way or another.” Again silence befell upon them. He had no idea what to do, so he decided to do what he thought would make her say something, he talked. “Is that the best sight in Sunnydale, luv? You neighbor’s backyard?” he said with a laugh.

She in turn gave out a small laugh. Again silence. “You didn’t have to...”

“Didn’t have to what?” William asked, head tilted, eyebrow raised.

“You didn’t have to stay.” For the first time since they talked she turned to face him.

William put his head down, ‘why did I stay?’ he asked himself. “I kind of couldn’t get out of it, looked like the bit wanted me to stay.” He lied, ‘smooth move’ a voice said in his head.

“Yeah, you two seem to get a long so well. She was never much for the crowd, I hardly see her hang-out with any of her friends.” She took a deep breath, “But I guess with you... she seems at ease. Why is that?”

“I don’t know.” William replied with a smile as he shook his head, “I don’t know. We better get in, luv, dinner’s gonna get cold.”

Buffy just nodded her head but made no effort to move, “Why did you stay?” she asked again unconvinced of the first answer she got.

William looked back at her, he held her hand in his, “Because... I wanted to.” He said firmly, no doubt whatsoever could be heard in his voice. It
Buffy so wanted to kiss him right at that moment, ‘he wants to be with me’ at least that what she understood from what he had told her. At last she knew that he somehow felt the same about her as she did to him. She felt her lower lips vibrate as he leaned in close to her, obvious that he wanted the same thing she did. Their lips were mere an inch apart she grabbed a hold of his back and kissed him passionately. It felt like as if it was the first time their lips have meet. Their tongues battled for dominance, though they knew neither would win. As if an eternity had passed they finally pulled apart, both out of breath.

As if on signal, the back door flew open, “Buffy! Spike! Mom says dinner’s ready.” Dawn called out.

Breathing hard, “I guess we better get inside, luv.” William reached out a hand to help her up.

Buffy merely nodded, she was still out of breath from the kiss and thought that she might never be able to speak again. So she just took his hand and went inside, hoping that her mother does not notice her still swollen lips.

After a wondrous dinner, Buffy’s stomach was completely full. It had been a while since she had eaten a home cook meal thus the full stomach. During dinner her mom had insisted that William stay with them, she said that he should at least consider staying in the couch for the night then they can talk about him ‘maybe’ getting into a hotel tomorrow morning. Buffy didn’t know if she was glad that William would be staying with them for the night, because after her moms offer William insisted that he at least do the dishes for her. Her mom of course could not refuse because he did not give her a chance to say anything before starting for the kitchen WITH HER. She had no idea why he dragged her with him when he was the one who offered to do the chore, not her.

So now as he was washing the dishes while she gets to do the job of placing them in the dishwasher. She was mumbling all her irritation towards him. “I hate you! I didn’t offer to do this. But nooo you had to drag me in...”

“Are you saying something, luv.” He asked.

She just smiled at him and continued her placing, how did she get herself stuck in these kinds of situations. Suddenly just as she heard the running water run dry, she felt a hand on her shoulder, “That’s should be enough, it’s getting late you should get to sleep. I’ll finish up.” She heard him tell her. Feeling his hand on her shoulder made tingles run up her spine. At first she was out of words but recovered, “Oh, that’s so nice of you.” She replied sarcastically as she turned around to face him.

William had gloves on his hands, ‘I’m such a poof!’ he scolded himself. After dinner, Joyce had insisted that he stay here in their home for the night at least before he goes out and find himself a hotel. He couldn’t refuse of course but he didn’t know what made him do this but he hated that part of him right now. He was currently stuck inside the Summer’s kitchen WASHING dishes. As he looked over at his companion he saw that she doesn’t seem entertained at what they were doing but god does she look cute when she’s being forced to do something. Just as he was finished, he felt guilty and decided that he get to finish up the rest since he was the one that volunteered not her. “That’s should be enough, it’s getting late you should get to sleep. I’ll finish up.” But she had answered him obviously irritated; he did expect this so he had his comeback ready. “Ey!” hands in the air, “If you hated it so much why didn’t you just leave. I never told you to help me out.”

Buffy can’t believe what he had said, “But you dragged me in here.” She replied voice raising.

“Yeah.” He looked up to see of they had disturbed some of the resting residence in the house. “But I never told you stay, you just assumed.” He said with a smile on his face.

“But...” that was all Buffy could get in. He was right he never told her to stay he just pulled her into the kitchen to help him carry the dishes and she had stayed assuming that he wanted her help. He never told her to place the clean plates in he dishwasher, again she had assumed.

William raised one brow at her, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you wanted to stay here with me, ain’t that right, pet.”

Buffy was appalled, not because of his cockiness but because he had known the truth. She knew that maybe a part of her did want staying there with him. Giving him slide glances as he continued washing. So she just kept silent and walked off.

“I’ll take that as a yes then?” William followed her into the closet.

“Think whatever you want.” Buffy grabbed a couple of bed sheets from the shelves. William just kept silent and followed her into the living room as she got the couch ready for him. “Okay, that should be alright.” She said as she smoothed the linen, “If you need anything, just holler. I’m sure someone’s going to have your neck for disturbing them.” She smiled at him and started to retreat.

“Thanks!” Buffy just waved him off. “Umm... Buffy?”

She then stopped at her tracks and turned back towards him, ‘What could he possibly want now?’ “Yeah?”

“Are you going to bed already? 'Cause I was thinking maybe I’d watch something on the telly...” He plopped down on the couch and made himself comfortable.

Buffy gave out an air of laughter, “You can watch TV, Will. I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind.” She told him and handed the remote.

He took it and turned it on but looked back at her, “I was thinking maybe we can watch something together...” Buffy blinked her eye slowly, ready to say no, “Come on,” he encouraged. “I know you want to...” his trademark grin in his handsome face.

Buffy couldn’t resist and sat herself down beside him, “So... what’s good?”

Watching reruns of old game shows, somehow somewhere in time they were able to sprawl down on the couch, William’s arm around Buffy’s waist as she snuggled into his chest. “Michigan!” he half shouted into the TV

“‘Buzz’ Sorry the correct answer was Michigan.” The host said from the television. “Stay tuned, we’ll be back after this commercial break.”

Buffy moved around so that she was facing William, “How’d you know the answer to that?”

“What can I say, luv, a couple of years in Yale did me a lot of good.” He answered as he cocked his head to one side.

“Yale? Come on... I don’t believe you.” Buffy looked at him from the corner of her eye.

“I have the diploma to prove it!”

“Whatever!” Buffy rose from her former position and sat by William’s foot

William wanted to complain from the lost of touch. At last since a very long time he and Buffy were finally comfortable enough to each other that they were able to show little bits of affection. At first he feared that the kiss they had on the back porch would make her pull away from him, but instead she seemed to be more relaxed and at ease.

“I better head up.” Buffy said, fighting a yawn. “It’s getting late. I’m sure Dawn will have me do some favor for her so might as well get some sleep.” Another yawn fought its way and escaped her mouth.

William couldn’t help but smile at the way his Buffy yawned. It was in the sweetest possible way, like she was a three-year-old wanting her mother to tuck her into bed. Wait did he just say ‘his’ Buffy. “That you should do, I might as well get some shut eye myself.” In irony instead of laying down completely, he rose and sat beside Buffy and whispered in her ear, “Goodnight, Goldilocks.” As he slightly tugged on her ear lobe.

Buffy felt his warm breath in her ear his teeth on her lobe. It made tingles again run up her spine, she can’t believe how much a slight touch of William here and there would give her such goosebumps. ‘Goldilocks?’ she questioned in her mind, surely he didn’t mean to mock her with her false blondeness. Cause he for one is not a natural blonde either that she’s sure of, but decided to dismiss it and said her own goodnight to him a slight brush of a kiss on his lips. Satisfied that she’d made him want her more, she went up the stairs a smile on her face. She’s going to have a good sleep tonight.

A/N: What do you think? Promise the next couple of chapters will get better... Review!

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