Chapter 1

December 6

Wrappers crumpled under his tall boots as he walked across the street to the electronics store. Heading through the sliding glass doors, he felt air pulse down around him, refreshing his tired and well-traveled body. People rushed around him as he looked for his quarry. Seeing the aisles marked CD’s, he checked the alphabetical order, searching for the music he had come for.

A metallic, inhuman male voice came over the loudspeaker system. “Try all our new computer systems, just in time for your Christmas purchases!”

He paused, our man in the long, black flowing leather coat, and grimaced at the last two words, Christmas purchases. Shrugging it off, he went to the checkouts to pay for the music.

As he walked up to the cashier station, he fumbled with the doodads and gadgets lying on the counter for last minute stocking stuffers. A large woman with two carts of stuff was ahead of him; it was going to be a bit. ‘Get an in Store Credit Card—with only a 4% APR!’ one flyer read, and one of his favorites, ‘Finance Now—Ask Me How!’ Two rows over, a woman with two kids yelled over the din for her kids to get back into line with her or else she’d do something drastic. The said kids ran about unfazed, laughing, and jumping, much to the young mother’s dismay.

Shortly after he inadvertently posed two small bendy elves into doing the nasty on the counter, it was his turn. He slid up in line and smiled to the very short clerk with sharp pointed ears. “Hello, sir! Did you find everything you needed for today?” His nametag read Xander. He also had the ruddiest cheeks and the most sparkle he had seen since he’d left home 7 months ago.

“Yeah, thank you, XANDER.” He raised his eyebrow knowingly at the smaller man who grabbed his credit card from his hand and swiped it through the reader. “What the bloody hell are you doing here?”

The little person handed him his card back. “Well, Mr. William Klaus, I came to work here for the Season!” The looked so damn joyful, William thought he would puke. Leaning over the counter, he held out the slip for him to sign, and added quietly, “Your father isn’t doing so well, man. You need to come home, now, not tomorrow, today!”

William snatched his copy from the short brunette. “Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Thank you for shopping at Finn’s Fine Electronics! Hope to see you soon!” Desperation climbed in his voice as he called to the black shadow that was leaving through the exit.

William headed for the motorcycle he’d left parked in the not quite so used lot across the road. He’d only had it for a few months, and still didn’t trust a soul on the planet with it. In the distance, he heard a bell ringer wishing people happy yuletides, and children playing at the park next to the parking lot he was in. It was hot for December, even for California, being somewhere around 85 degrees. He closed his eyes and turned his face to the sun, reveling at the feel of it, something he’d never miss was the cold. Never.

Sometime later, he had made it to the apartment, a broken down building with a loud bar downstairs as the only other tenant. His bike went into the side door, to a storage cubicle behind the bar. He headed up the outside stairs, bounding two at a time. At the door, stood two very small people, dressed in Armani, Ray Bans, and had the earpieces, that he was sure were connected to some remote receiver in the neighborhood. Anger crept up his back, heading for his face.

“Big guy inside?” They nodded simultaneously. “He patted each of them on the shoulder. “Good job, Gus, Jack.” Emotionless, they let him pass into the doorway.

Slamming it behind him, he felt the chill that was followed wherever his father went. It hit him like an artic wall. William pulled the duster closer to him, and laid down his CD on the microwave. At his table, in the brightest light that no human could normally handle looking into sat his father. “William.” His voice was almost a caress, a tender memory that was like a liquid, cascading all over him.

“Father.”

The smile in the older man’s face didn’t quite make it to his eyes, but behind it, he knew there was love there. They were hidden behind glasses that sat on high, rounded cheekbones. A bow shaped mouth complemented his high forehead, cursed with the wrinkles of magic, as well as old age.

“Your mother sends her love, William. She would like you to come and visit as soon as you can.” His accent was, as always, middle class British, a Londoner.

“Tell her I will, just as soon as I can.” He took off the jacket in defiance, not because he was warmer, and threw it in a nearby chair. “Want a beer?”

A jolly laugh escaped the older man, “No, thank you though.”

He leaned into the fridge, which was marginally warmer than the interior of his home, and grabbed a long neck bottle. Twisting it off, he sat down in the chair opposite his elder and propped his feet up on the table. “Saw Xander today. Said you weren’t doing the best.”

“No, I guess I’m not, but really William, you have been hard to find. Changing places every two weeks was harder to track than I thought it would be.” He looked tired, more so than he had in years.

“If you wouldn’t have put it out that I needed to be followed wherever I went, than that wouldn’t have happened.” He held the bottle up, staring at the label, careful not to look at the old man as he spoke. “I’m a big man now, Dad, don’t need you’re help anymore.”

His father smiled and took off his glasses to clean them. “My powers are fading, as you well know, and I think you need to know what that means to you, son.” He paused, reaching to pull the bottle away that his offspring was so intent on staring at, but missed. “If you would only do what is asked of you, then things would be much simpler.”

The younger man made a show of pulling his legs off the table, and sitting straighter in his chair. Leaning closer, he tilted his head towards his father. “I have no want to be doing your bloody job! Get it?”

Horror erupted in the other man’s face as he looked at either sides of his son’s head. “Your ears! They’re…they’re, well, they’re clipped!” The pink rims of his upper lobes were healing nicely, just like the doctor had told Will they would. “Are you mad?”

William stood and started to pace. “Nope. Not a bit. I do however, want to know what I can do to get you and they army of pygmies to leave my house.”

His father once again sighed and then cleared his throat. “Well, I think that you must know I am truly losing my powers, son, and with that comes my mortality. What happens when I turn 1000? Remember from your studies? Do you know what you need to be doing now, instead of playing the playboy you think you are?”

“I need a wife, a true love, right?”

Father nodded.

“I need it by the 24th?”

Again a nod.

“Bugger off, not happening!”

This time, a shake of the head, and then a small appointment book was handed to him by another short person that materialized out of nowhere.

He scanned the first few pages. “What are these? Interviews?”

“Dates,” came the small voiced reply.

“I’m heading to the pub. I’ll let you know tomorrow, Rupert.” His name slid out of his mouth like a snake, almost like a poison.

“Charm me when you want to talk or come home, son. Your mother and I will be waiting for you to let us know about your…decision.” He stood, as to get ready to leave.

“Who really wants to be Santa?” He raised his voice to no one, as his father had dissipated to thin air, and all the elves from the EIB with him. “Bloody ponce!”

In his left hand, there materialized a full bottle of sour mashed whisky, which he flung to the farthest wall, where it shattered and sprayed. Another appeared, and he twisted the lid off, slamming down as much as he could stand. Snatching the little book off the table where he’d thrown it, he looked over the times and dates, realizing that the first was tomorrow at 9 in the morning.

He went to bed at 4. It was going to be a long day.

Please review, let me know what you think so far! I will try to update this one everyday , but RL gets in the way sometimes, so please leave feedback. I crave it!

Chapter 2

December 7

Part One

Long, lean legs supported the hottest thing William had ever seen. Blonde, blue eyes, large, perky breasts that he had decided from the moment of meeting her we not real, graced her lithe form. The problem wasn’t her height; her 6 feet to his 5’ 10”. The problem was she sounded like a trucker that had smoked 20 cartons of smokes too many. Gina was his 9 o’clock.

“Don’t you just love it when it snows? I mean honestly, I think that sometimes, I could go through the entire winter with a smile on my face!” She grinned, and he smiled. He dropped his napkin, leaning down to peak under the table, checking her package, if you understand the meaning. Bulge. Uh-oh.

He shot up from under the table, banging his head in the process. “Gina!” She jumped. “I have to go, just remembered that I have to sing at the uhh….orphanage at 9:30!” He grabbed his wallet, throwing money at her. “Really sorry, love, I just forgot and the uh, kiddies will be so upset if I don’t show.” He walked backwards to the door, turning quickly to grab the door and run for dear life.

His day didn’t get any better, one loser after other all day long.

First, at 11, he had Samantha, no, Sam, and she was a nightmare. All she did was talk about her depression last year, and how her kids, three of them, wouldn’t see their daddy this year for Christmas, because the penn had changed the rules. Next was Carmen. She was luscious, until you sat long enough to hear how the state took her kids away for selling meth to her neighbor so she could buy Halloween costumes for them.

What in the hell is Dad thinking?

A transvestite, a manic depressant, and a felon who neglects kids. Great role models, wonderful people to take to the Pole.

His 5 o’clock was to meet him at a bistro north of the river, and he was ready. Armed with a pager all ready to go off at 5:30, a vial of holy water, just in case, and a small mirror for “checking the family jewels.”

William walked in and went to the matre de. “I have a reservation, Klaus. For two.” He added quietly. Looking around the restaurant, he browsed for his “date” Worried that he might have a behemoth come up next in the lineup, he showed great relief when the lay in question’s friend joined her.

“Follow me sir.” Menus in hand, he was led to a small table in a room just off the balcony.

There sat Melanie, and she looked okay. She was a brunette, small everything. Will looked to the sky to thank whatever god thought it was a good idea to maybe give him a winner. Leaning over, he shook her hand. Smiling, he greeted her. “Hello, Melanie, I’m William.” She actually blushed and squirmed in her chair.

William went to pull his chair out to sit and preceded to slam into the server as she came his way. “What the--?” He bellowed.

A small little blonde girl, cowered at his feet, nearly in tears. She was covered in chocolate, cream, and some other substance he couldn’t identify. “I’m so sorry, so sorry, sir. Please, let me.” She scrambled for the towel on her hip, and scrubbed at his shirt.

He hadn’t even looked to himself. He was covered in what was some kind of ice cream concoction, sliming him down his whole front, from the nipples, all the way down. The girl kept pushing his hands out of the way, desperate to take care of the mess she’d made. Never raising her head to look at him, she continued. William was in shock. He grabbed her by the shoulders. She stopped, and was shaking horribly.

“What is wrong with you? Calm down!” He tried to get her to look at him. She wouldn’t, instead looking at the crowd of workers that had gathered to see the mess she’d made, and to quietly help with the cleanup. Frantically, she shot her head up and looked back and forth, presumably to look for her boss.

Who, of course, was right behind her. “Miss Summers?” The voice was clipped and rough.

“Sir, I would like to take care of you, please, allow me.” The voice continued to talk, but all William could see or hear was the girl, dessert covered and all, being rushed to the back by another worker. He was glad he couldn’t hear that conversation, because she was crying uncontrollably. The man continued once more, “…the server in question will be let go immediately, sir, I can assure you of that.”

Will held up his hand to stop the man from talking. “What is her name?”

A pause, “I’m sorry?”

“Her name. What is it?” He flashed his anger at the man by his body language, he was sure, but he was.

The man stammered, “Buffy S-s-summers.”

“I want her alone. To talk. Now. Understand?” The manager shook his head and walked briskly to the back to talk to the employee.

William’s date forgotten, he headed in the direction everyone headed in, even going as far as to head through the server area, into the kitchen, where he saw the Asshole, as the manager was being called in his head now, screaming at the poor girl.

Will leaned up against the wall and pulled his smokes out of his breast pocket. Slapping one out of the pack, he lit it and threw the match on the floor. The manager stopped, sniffed the air and turned around to glower in Will’s direction.

“You cannot smoke in our kitchen! It is against the law! Security!” He was plum colored now.

“I’ll leave, but not before you understand something. It is illegal, what you were just doing to her. Ever heard of the word ‘accident’ Chubby? It is just as illegal to do what you’re doing as to what I’m doing. Now, be a good lad and fuck off.” Grabbing the girl by her upper arms, he through his cigarette to the ground, stomping on it.

To her, he said, “Where’s your things?”

She pointed to a row of lockers and they both went to them to retrieve her purse. All the while, William kept a watchful, as well as angry eye on Asshole. “Best be on your best behavior, mate. I hear any tellings that this shit is continued here, and your fat ass is mine.” He smiled at the girl, “C’mon.”

They stormed out, making as little noise as possible. William’s date sat back down when he left, to chew on a breadstick.

On the street, he let out a feral yell. “That felt good, dinnit?”

The girl, Buffy, he remembered, watched him the way a policeman watches a loony, he was sure of it. He turned her around in a circle. “Dinnit?” Reaching up to brush the sugar covered hair that was hanging in her face, he cupped her face in his hands sliding his thumb up and down on her cheek.

Buffy meekly smiled back and gave him a small nod.

“Can you talk? God, you’re not in shock are you?” The concern on his face was overwhelming, but nice.

She cleared her throat, “Yes, and no.”

“All right then, love, let’s get you home. Where do you live?” He turned to the street to find his bike, forgetting momentarily where he parked it. “C’mon, there’s my bike.”

He smelled like leather and smoke, combined with something she couldn’t put her hands on. Probably something to do with cherry berry delight. Shaking her head, she followed, climbing behind him and grabbing him by the waist, where she copped a feel of his abs. Nice.

“Where to, my queen?” He turned slightly, putting a helmet over her head. She told him in his ear and then settled to head out to her apartment. Which she shared with her boyfriend, Riley. Shit.

Chapter 3

December 7 Part Two

Yellow rose bushes ran rampant at the garden where they stopped. Buffy felt like she didn’t want to leave her hero on the bike. Grudgingly, she slid off and pulled of the helmet, which she offered to him. He took it with a smile and sat it on the seat behind him. “Well, here’s your stop!”

“Yeah… hey, sorry about the dessert!” She pulled her purse close to her body, anxious to head to the house and to get the unpleasantness over and done with.

“Not a problem. This big ole house just for you, bitty Buffy?”

“No, I have a daughter named Mackenzie. And a dog. Oh-oh and a sister that comes every weekend, Dawn.” She was grinning.

“Ah well, full house then—“

She cut him off, “Oh, and then there’s my boyfriend Riley, he lives here too.”

With that Will reached to get back on the bike. Turning slightly, he titled his head just so and smiled kindly to her. “If you need a job or something, I have an opening for a personal assistant if you’re interested.” A card flicked out of his sleeve, as well as a small glass bottle, which promptly smacked her on the cheek, and then clattered to the ground. “Sorry about that!”

They leaned down together and promptly smacked each other on the head. “Ow!”

Will reached out his hand and placed it on her shoulder. Reaching down, he grabbed the bottle and held it out in front of himself proudly. “Holy water?” Buffy asked.

“Well, I’ve had a bit of a bad run of luck today, so I thought it best if I keep some holy things on board.” Hearing himself say it, he laughed, which she joined in with.

“Okay, well, William, I think it would be best if I headed inside.” She smiled. “I have your card, and if I need anything I’ll call.

“Right then, love, I hope to be hearing from you soon!”

She turned to head inside, and she heard the motorcycle roar to life behind her. William was holding the helmet she wore in his hand, and then a moment later, it disappeared. A small sound escaped from her mouth and she practically ran up the stairs into the house.

She turned the card around in her hand as she waited for Riley to get done in the bathroom. William W. Klaus, VP Klaus Unlimited, no address, only a phone. Hmmm….

The bathroom door squeaked open and Riley walked out with his toothbrush in his mouth. “Mario called about a half hour ago, said you’d pissed off some rich guy when you poured a tray down the front of him. Guy pissed him off royal, but you didn’t do much better. He told me to tell you that your check would be mailed to you, and it’d be better for everyone involved if you didn’t go around there.”

She sat there staring at the twirling card.

“Buff? Hello?” He reached over and snapped his fingers inches from her face.

She blinked and then smiled, “Sorry, I was lost there for a minute.”

Quickly, she jumped out of bed and headed for the living room. The room was covered in family pictures. They adorned every available surface that could hold them. Christmas decorations covered the rest of the room. Tinsel, snowflakes, popcorn string, homemade ornaments of every shape, size, and color, and of course lights. Lots and lots of lights. Her archway was covered in cards sent to them by friends mostly, some by Riley’s family, and even one from Dawn, although she still lived her on her weekends away from college. On the end table next to the recliner, she felt around through the fake itchy snow for the phone.

Heading for the bathroom, she paused by Mack’s room, turning on the hall light before she peeked in. She was lying in her crib, curled into a ball, with her little round bottom sticking up in the air. Suppressing a chuckle, Buffy walked back out and shut off the light.

Checking the bathroom for Riley, she locked both adjoining doors and sat down on the stool. Flipping the card in her hand so she could read the number, she took a deep breath and dialed.

Riiiinnnnggg.

Riiiinnnnggg.

“Hello?” A deep, out of breath voice answered.

“William?”

“Yeah, who’s this?”

“It me, Buffy Summers. We met tonight?”

The voice relaxed considerably. “Hello, Goldilocks! What can I do for you at uh, this time of night?” She heard the laughter in his voice.

“The job. You offered?”

“Yeah…”

“I need it. Well, I need it cause I don’t have the money for Christmas I thought I’d have now and…”

“Stop. You have it, it’s fine.”

“Really?” She calmed down, her anxiety gone.

“Yes, really. Now, I’ll give you my address and you can start tomorrow if that’ll work out for you. If not you let me know what works.”

“Paperwork.”

He sounded confused, “Yes, I’m sure that will take all of five minutes to fill out. Are you stoned?”

“Huh? What? No!” Blushing to herself, she could just cry at her own stupidity.

“Okay, then. Tomorrow, do you have a pen?”

“I can get one, just a sec.” She headed out the door, back to the living room to get a pen. “Okay, go.”

He rattled off the address to her, “Know where that is, love?”

“I can find it. See you at 9!” She hung up before saying goodbye. Her heart was racing, but she was sure she’d done the right thing, for Mackenzie’s sake.

“Honey? You coming to bed?” She looked down the hallway, and saw the light go out in their bedroom.

“Yep, be right there!” She placed the phone on the charger and headed to their room, clutching the card in her hand so she could put it in her purse.

Sleep wasn’t going to come easy. How was one supposed to go about working for the most beautiful creature they’d ever laid eyes on? Curly brown locks invaded her thoughts, as well as those eyes that you could get lost in. No, sleepy Buffy was a cranky Buffy. At last she passed out, but not before visions of a small girl walking to the park in the snow, with a man that warmed her mother’s heart already.

Thank you for the reviews already!! Keep them coming, it moves me to write more quickly!

Chapter 4

December 8

Nine AM came early. Or rather, 8:50 did.

There was a bang at the door as William filled his coffee cup. Setting it down on the table, he walked across the small, sterile kitchen to open the door. Blone perfection smiled up at him when he looked out.

Buffy was dressed in casual khaki slacks and a conservative, but stylish green top that accented her eyes. Makeup was carefully applied, he noticed, and her grin was enough to make him smile himself. “Come in.”

She grabbed the screen door, pulling it open, and stepped inside his sanctuary. “So…”

“Want coffee? It’s strong, but good.” He saw the paper, lidded cup in her hand. “Never mind.”

He chuckled and that sent a shiver up her spine, like devil had just walked over her grave. By all rights and purposes, he very well might have. “Cappuccino.”

“Well, there’s some papers on the table, sit down and make yourself at home. If you wouldn’t mind, I have to go shower quick and then we’ll get started.” He added with a raised eyebrow, “I usually sleep in till later.”

“Sure.” She set her things down on the table and pulled out a chair. “I’m very easy--,” she stammered, “t-tt-to get along with.”

He chuckled as he walked down a hallway, presumably to the bathroom. “I doubt that.” She heard him murmur.

She laid her head against the cool table and banged it a couple of times. Great job, lamewad, she thought to herself.

Grabbing the papers that were in a neat pile in the center, she looked around the room casually, noticing the lack of decoration on the walls, or anywhere really. Next to the fridge, there was a trashcan and what appeared to be a beer bottle can for recycling. Nothing else adorned the room,

She slid her pen out of her purse and started to fill them out, when the shower went on. Buffy closed her eyes and smiled, remembering the stomach muscles that lay beneath her hands last night. Shaking herself from that, she continued, signing the necessary papers.

Minutes later, the shower went off, and with that, a dripping William came out with a small towel wrapped around his waist. “Sorry, clothes are out here.” He leaned down in the living room, and pulled open a drawer from a small bureau that was up against the wall. Out came a pair of black leather pants, a pair of socks, and what looked like a black t-shirt. No underwear or boxers. She watched with kind of a morbid fascination, a dumbstruck look stuck on her face. Checking the corners of her mouth for drool, she quickly went back to her original purpose; the employment paperwork.

William came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, threading a chain link belt through the loops on the leather pants. “How’s it coming along?”

Dancing eyes looked up from the chair he’d left her in, “Great!”

He raised his eyebrows in a look of interest, “Yeah?”

Mentally, Buffy was about to undress him, and that was the what with the good mood. Verbally, she said, “You know, I’m happy about the job.”

He nodded and drank his cold coffee all at once. “Down to business then. I’ll pay you $1000 a week, insurance, the whole job. Weekends off, well most anyway.”

Buffy handed the papers back to William, “Sounds good, although I may need to bring Mackenzie sometimes, if that’s alright with you.”

“Fine. Who’s Mackenzie?”

“My daughter.”

“How old?”

“One year.”

“She cute?”

“Yeah, I kinda think so.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Buffy sighed, and then they were quiet. “What is it that I need to assist you with?”

“I need to find a wife.” He sounded pained.

“Okay…why?”

Grabbing the pot of coffee, he filled his cup. “I am going to inherit a title, money, and other things, and to do that, my father thinks I need to be married.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t want to get married.”

“Okay.”

“No one needs to force me to do anything, but if I don’t then, I don’t know what will happen.” He let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

“I think you don’t need me, I think you need a shrink.”

He stared at his cup. “What I need is someone exactly just like you.”

“Why?”

“Because, Buffy, I have just under two weeks to get this done. And, I think that you will help me make a wise choice.” He slammed the cup he’d brought up to drink, back down to the table.

“So, I will help you make wise decisions regarding a wife for you when I hardly know you myself?”

He nodded, “You got it!”

“Man, this gets weirder and weirder.”

“Not yet, pet. Wait till you get a load of our ten o’clock.” He handed her the little black book.

Buffy examined the datebook. “Christine at 10, Megan at 12, and Cyndi at 3:30?”

“Yeah, got any ideas?”

She looked thoughtful for a minute. “Yeah one.”

“What’s that, love?” He braced himself.

“Take those leather pants off.”

“Why?”

“Cause I know what they do to girls.”

“And what’s that Princess?”

“They make them go in heat.”

“And what about you?”

“What do you mean?”

He grinned and leaned no more than an inch away from her face. “What do they do for you?”

“I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count.” She smelled Colgate. He smelled sweetened cappuccino.

He looked at her lips, and vice versa.

“Know what the difference between them and me is William?” Her eyes were hooded and she leaned a little closer.

“What?” A whisper.

“I have a kid at home to think about starving if her mommy messes with her boss. Now let’s go.”

William looked at her, not knowing quite what to do, except get up and get his duster and follow her out the door to her car that was waiting below. Damn.

A little more feedback would be great right about now!!