Title: Sweet Sixteen
Author: Pattyanne
Disclaimer: None of the BtVS
characters belong to me.
Feedback: Love some, thanks!
Rating: Up to NC-17
Summary: AU. William and Buffy are
teenage neighbors meeting for the
first time.
Part twenty-nine:
~~~~~~~~~~
"Tonight you're mine completely
You give your love so sweetly
Tonight the light of love is in your eyes
But will you love me tomorrow?"
~~~~~~~~~~
How in the world was he going to break this
news to
her? And why the hell had he waited so long?
Two very good questions with no sensible
answers.
As he made his way across the lawn and
driveway, head-
ing for Buffy's house, William mentally added
another
one to the list, a deeply disquieting one;
What if he
confessed the truth...and she no longer felt
the same way
about him? Not because he was a member of
the
nobility, but because he was a liar.
Technically though, he hadn't lied. Yes, he
had
omitted one very important fact about
himself, his
background and upbringing, but he hadn't
really lied
about.......
He shook his head, cutting that thought off
abruptly.
A lie of omission was no more palatable than
a
deliberate one, and he had no right to try
and excuse
himself with such a pathetic defense.
Well, there really WAS no defense..he should
have
told her in the beginning. If not in the
VERY beginning,
then at least when he'd told her about Black
Oaks.
Although she'd never asked outright, it
wasn't difficult
for Buffy to realize that he came from a
monied background.
She was young and a little naive, but she was
by no means
stupid, and paying cash for a Ferrari was a
loud and clear
signal.
But there was a difference between having
money, and
having money AND a title, especially when
that title meant
a great deal of personal responsibility for
him.
It wasn't like being third prince down the
line from the
crown. He wouldn't be spending his time
traveling from
one glitzy vacation spot to another, with an
occasional
charity gig thrown in to keep the general
populace
happy.
Once he gained his majority, everything that
was currently
being handled by trustees, executors,
business managers
and legal advisors would be turned over to
him.
The estate alone was huge, nearly a quarter
of a million
acres, and there were a vast amount of
tenants on it. Add
on the London townhouse and the estate in
Scotland, and
just dealing with the property holdings
became a full time
job.
Then, there were the investments. Over the
years, his family
had quietly become major shareholders in more
businesses
than he cared to think about, and although
his involvement
in that aspect would be limited, he would
still have to maintain
a certain presence at board meetings and
company functions.
It was a life he'd been groomed for from
birth, but Buffy
had not.
Would she be able to deal with it? Would
she even want to?
~~~~~~~~~~
"Is this a lasting treasure
Or just a moment's pleasure?
Can I believe the magic of your sighs
Will you still love me tomorrow?"
~~~~~~~~~~
His hands were sweaty when he knocked on her
door,
and he had to wipe his palms on the legs of
his jeans.
Clearing his throat, he took a deep breath as
the door
swung open.
"Hi!" Buffy said brightly, giving him the
smile that always
made his heart skip three beats in a row.
William couldn't hold back his urge to take a
grip on
her shoulders and pull her close to him.
Pressing his
face against the side of her neck, he closed
his eyes
and drew in the scent of her skin. "Hi", he
replied
quietly. "How was the dentist?"
"Ugh," she mock groaned, pulling back as far
as he
could force himself to allow her. "Don't
ask. I have one
teeny little cavity..it's barely even
there..and my mom is
flipping out like every tooth I have is
rotting away. I'm now
on mandatory sugar rationing."
Smiling down at her, he kissed her smooth
forehead. "Poor
you. I know how much that's going to hurt. No
more gummi
bears."
"No..don't say it!" She pretended to collapse
in his arms,
burying her face against his shirt front.
"I can't go on without
cherry gummi bears," she moaned dramatically.
William chuckled, his troublesome thoughts
momentarily
pushed to one side by her whimsical behavior.
"Don't panic.
Maybe I can smuggle some in for you now and
then."
She giggled. "Good luck getting them past the
warden,"
she said, glancing over her shoulder to check
for possible
parental hovering. "She's got this weird
'mother radar' thing
going on. She can tell just by looking at me
when I've
spoiled my dinner."
"I heard that." Joyce Summer's voice floated
from the
direction of the kitchen. "And my weirdo 'mom
radar' is now
telling me that you didn't bring the mail in,
did you?"
"See what I mean?" Buffy mouthed silently to
him, rolling
her eyes.
"And don't roll your eyes that way!"
William laughed out loud, dropping his head
onto Buffy's
shoulder. "How did she know?"
"I told you...mom radar." She slipped out of
his grasp
and stepped out onto the porch, heading down
the front
path to the mailbox before William remembered
the
limo parked in front of his house. "What's
that for?" she
asked, stopping in her tracks. "Is that at
your house?"
He followed her line of sight for a moment,
feeling
awkward and uncertain. "Yes," he said,
staring at the
sleek black car shining in the afternoon
glare of the sun,
its chrome glinting. "It's...well, it's what
I came over to
talk to you about."
She looked at him, concern in her eyes.
"Are...are you
going somewhere?"
Not if he had anything at all to say about
it!
"No," he assured her, shaking his head in a
manner that
would put any fears she might be developing
completely at
rest. "We have....we have visitors."
"Oh." Her expression smoothed out.
"Gee...they came in
a limousine?"
"Yes."
"Well, who is it?"
"It's my...."
"Is it someone from England?"
"Yes." Taking hold of her arms, he turned
her away
from the direction of the car.
"Buffy...there's something I
need to tell you...something I should have
told you before."
"Okay." She hesitated a moment, obviously
reading
his face with no trouble. "Should I be
nervous?"
Oh, why not? Why should he be the only one?
"No." He shook his head again. "It's
something about me
that you didn't know...and it's my fault for
not telling you
in the beginning...."
Glancing over her shoulder, his heart jerked
unpleasantly
in his chest when he saw the front door of
his uncle's house
swing open, and his grandmother's assistant
emerge.
He knew exactly what was about to happen, and
he tightened
his grip on Buffy's arms.
"Ouch," she murmured, turning in his grasp.
"William...that
hurts..."
His gaze snapped back to her, and he realized
that his fingers
were clutching at her far too tightly.
Instantly, he modified his
grip. "I'm sorry. Buffy....the person...the
visitor I told you about...?"
"What?" she asked, nodding. "Who is it?"
"It's....it's my......"
"Pardon me, Your Grace...but the Duchess has
requested
an introduction."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Tonight with words unspoken
You say that I'm the only one
But will my heart be broken
When the night meets the morning sun?"
~~~~~~~~~~
William's eyes closed for a moment as the
matter
was taken out of his hands.
Buffy turned around, regarding the newcomer
with a per-
plexed look. "The what?"
Westham allowed a small smile to reach his
lips as he
inclined his head towards the petite American
girl, his
usually impassive expression disappearing for
a moment
from his face. "The Duchess of Richmond," he
explained
kindly.
"My grandmother," William added grimly.
"Indeed, yes. She has requested that His
Grace present
the young lady to her...immediately."
Buffy looked back at William. "Your
grandmother is a
duchess?"
"Yes...she's..." He looked briefly at
Westham. "Tell her
we'll be there shortly."
"Of course, Your Grace." With another small
bow, he
returned to the Giles home.
"Why is he calling you that?" Buffy wanted to
know.
"Because of my....Buffy, it's what I wanted
to tell you. I'm..my
grandfather was the Duke of Richmond, and
when he died
my father and mother became the Duke and
Duchess, and my
grandmother became the Dowager Duchess...his
widow..."
"And....when they died..." Buffy began
softly. "I mean...your
father...when he died...."
"Yes," he nodded agreement. "I inherited the
title...I'm the
Duke of Richmond. I have been since I was
ten years old."
Holding his breath, he waited for her to
absorb this new
revelation. hoping for the best but preparing
for the worst.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I'd like to know that your love
Is love I can be sure of..."
~~~~~~~~~~
She was only silent for a matter of moments
before
turning her face up to his with a sunny
smile. "I don't
have to call you 'Your Grace'...do I?"
William released the breath he'd drawn in so
deeply,
returning her smile, an exultant looseness
flooding
through his system....she didn't hate him!
"No," he said,
slipping his arms around her waist and
lifting her right
off her feet. "Oh, Buffy....I love you so
much." His words
were muffled against the side of her neck,
his breath
warm on her skin.
To his intense delight, he felt her slender
arms wind
tightly around his neck and heard her
whispered reply
in his ear....
"I love you, too."
~~~~~~~~~~
"So tell me now, and I won't ask again
Will you still love me tomorrow...?"
~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...