CHAPTER 10 - EDNA

Spike took a couple more bites of his very rare steak and continued the story.

"As I told you, once we got to Hollywood, I took a few little side ventures up to this area to check it out. Mostly when the gang was busy with some big Hollywood parties they'd get themselves invited to. You know Darla and Angel, in particular; they could dress the part of belonging to the whole Hollywood scene; all that foppery and finery. Dru, too could look the part; as long as she didn't open her mouth, that is," he said with a sad little smile.

"Okay, so anyway, they'd ingratiate themselves in some scene or another, get invited to lots of parties over weeks and months until they were totally accepted. Angel passed himself off as an independently wealthy, Irish businessman who had made his fortune in steel or something like that. Darla played the part of his wife, and Drusilla as her sister," Spike said.

Buffy stopped eating, listening to this part of Angel's life she'd never heard before.

"I went to one or two of their parties, but honestly, it just turned my stomach. All those people playing at pretending to be something they weren't. Or wanted to be. Reminded me too much of those stupid parties I use to feel so out of place at back home; before I was turned," Spike said, his mouth turned up, scornfully, at the memory.

"Besides, bad-ass vampire here! Didn't want to play footsies and make nice with my next meal, just wanted to get on with the festivities, if you know what I mean."

Buffy nodded. She knew exactly what kind of vampire Spike had been.

"But not them three; played the part, went to the parties and gave them, too. Then, finally, when they tired of a certain group of dandies, they'd go to one final party scene, get them into some small room or wine cellar and go to town! They were sort of like the Charles Manson and gang of their day," Spike said.

Buffy shuddered, she also knew what kind of vampire Angel had been, but had tried hard not to think about it for a long time.

"So's when they would be having a period of party-going, I would just tell them I was going to go do my own thing and wound up coming up here," Spike said, with a shrug. "Oh, I mentioned that they all dressed the part. Well, even I had to do a little bit of that. Dress for the age, the times, the area, you know what I mean?"

Buffy nodded, trying to imagine what a prospective landowner would have looked like back in the earlier part of the 20th century.

"And still, Spike, you've told me all this, but not about Edna," Buffy said, just as Edna reappeared.

"How is my favorite Valentine's Day couple doing with their dinner?" she asked them, smiling.

"Fine!" Buffy and Spike answered at the same time.

"Can I bring you anything else? Another bottle of champagne?" she asked.

"Could I please have a glass of water?" asked Buffy.

"Why sure you can, dear," Edna answered, then turned towards Spike.

"Master William? Anything else, anything at all you need?"

"No thank you, Edna. I'm doing just fine," he replied, with a smile.

"Ok, then. I'll be right back with Elizabeth's water," she said and hurried out.

Spike and Buffy were quiet during that time, knowing that any conversation they would start would likely be interrupted momentarily.

Edna was back in a minute with the glass of water.

As soon as she left, Buffy looked at Spike, pointedly.

"Okay, okay, Slayer. I'm getting there," he said, laughing at her persistence to not let go of something; but then again, that was what he loved about her; one of the many things.

"Edna’s husband came to this country from Ireland in 1930. He lived in New York for about 9 years, working at various jobs, but didn't want to stay there. He, like my brother had heard about the money to be made in California. However, before he went west he wanted to find a wife. He didn't have any luck in New York, the Irish girls there, becoming more independent that the girls back home; they worked, had their own money, etc. So, Lawrence McKennitt, that was his name, went back to Ireland to find a bride. That's where he met Edna Brannagan, a lovely, lively 18 year old young woman who was taken with the 35 year old man who told her stories of America, in particular, California," Spike said.

"He was a lot older than her," Buffy said, "though I suppose there have always been girls who liked the older man," Buffy commented.

"Good for me, huh?" Spike asked.

"What?"

Spike just looked at her. Pointedly; eyebrow arching.

"Oh, yeah, good for you, Spike!" Buffy said, rolling her eyes; catching on, none-too-quickly. Nobody would ever accuse her of being a quick study, she thought.

"Where was I?" Spike asked.

"Lawrence and Edna," Buffy answered.

"Okay, so Lawrence courts Edna for about a year, marries her, then brings her over to America. With a small dowry from her parents, they head west to Julian, after hearing of the new gold rush from one of my investors. They decided to buy one of the former restaurants and the small hotel next door. Edna figured that it would a good thing to keep this area family friendly for the investors and their workmen, so the town didn’t turn into a rough place.

Buffy was finished eating; she pushed her plate away.

"Good?" Spike asked.

"Delicious!" Buffy answered, handing him her champagne glass for a refill.

Spike poured her and himself some more, "We could use another bottle, looks like," he said.

Just then Edna came in with a chocolate cake, frosted in white, with a blood-red heart in the middle, with their names, William and Elizabeth written in the middle in white.

"What’s this?" Spike asked.

"Oh, just a little something for my favorite couple," Edna said, setting down two plates, clean forks, and a serving knife.

"May I cut you a piece?" she asked.

"Please," Buffy said, handing her the plate.

"Master William?"

"Sure, why not? Did you make this?" he asked.

"Of course. Make all my own cakes here, just like always," Edna answered.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"How about another bottle of champagne?" Spike said.

"Oh, no. I don’t think I can, should," Buffy said, "how about some coffee, instead?"

"Bring Elizabeth and I two coffees, but I’ll take that bottle of champagne to go, if that’s allowed," Spike said.

"Of course it’s allowed Master William, for you anything. I’ll be right back with the coffees," Edna said, leaving the room.

"Ummmm! Chocolate cake, looks yummy," Buffy said, smiling.

Spike smiled back at her, just looking at her, enjoying her company, sitting there, smiling, relaxed, something so normal; something so hard for her to have.

Edna came back with the two coffees, cream, and sugar. She left after setting them down, bidding them to enjoy their desserts and coffees.

"How’d you meet her, Spike?" Buffy said, nodding her head toward Edna, as she retreated back to the kitchen.

"Back when I first came here, I only came at night, of course. Not the easiest thing to do, but I managed, somehow," Spike said.

"I pretty much hated having anything to do with humans, except as a means to an end, of course. Not like Angel and them. Didn’t want to get to know them, didn’t want to do anything except use them for what I needed."

"Of course, having to deal in property and gold changed the amount I had to deal with them, even indirectly, quite a bit."

"I was up here, on my property one night. I use to sleep in a cave up there. Anyway, I decided to come down to town one night; something I’d never done before. So, I’m walking through the town and I hear an argument between two men, then I hear a woman scream. I don’t know what made me go to investigate, usually I didn’t care to involve myself in the problems of humans, but tonight I did."

"Lawrence had thrown out a drunk customer who had apparently made a lewd remark about Edna, and now the drunk had come back with a knife. He had already cut Lawrence in the arm, I could smell the blood, you know. Anyway, they’re out behind the restaurant, Lawrence is on the ground and the drunk is advancing," Spike said.

"What happened then?" Buffy said, fork with cake suspended in mid-air.

"I reach the guy, just as he’s about to gut Lawrence, and throw him off him, pummeling him until he’s almost dead."

"I must have vamped out during the fight, I usually almost always did, back then. Lawrence didn’t see it, but when I looked up, back towards the restaurant, Edna was in the window. I…I think she must have seen me vamp out."

"Anyway, Lawrence is okay, then. Edna comes out to take care of him and I start to take off," Spike said.

"What happened," Buffy asked.

"Lawrence stops Edna from attending to him, and comes after me."

"What’s your name, young fellow?" Lawrence asks me.

I’m dumbfounded. I haven’t had a voluntary conversation with a human in decades, not to mention; helped one of them. I tried to keep going, but something makes me stop.

"Sp, William, William Worthington," I say, almost stumbling on my given name.

"Well, William Worthington, I want extend my most humble thanks for you kindly coming to my aid back there. Fellow came in earlier and insulted my dear, lovely wife Edna with his dirty mouth and lascivious, boorish behavior," Lawrence had said. "Then came back with a knife an hour later."

"No problem," I had told him, again, trying to leave, to get back to my cave.

"Master Worthington, the Mrs. and I would be honored if you’d join us for a glass of wine or would you like to be our guest for dinner?" he’d asked me, almost pleading.

"I don’t know why I accepted his offer. I really don’t. Maybe I was just lonely for somebody else’s company besides my own. Didn’t have much doings with Angel and them during that time."

"So I come back to the restaurant; this very restaurant with Lawrence. This time, to the front of it, to the porch. They’ve closed up for the night and invite me in, but I don’t want to go inside, so Edna brings Lawrence and me couple a bottles of wine and glasses out to the porch."

"I’m wondering if she had seen me vamp. She looked kind of strangely at me, but not in a scared manner, only questioningly, know what I mean?" Spike asked.

Buffy nodded, completely enthralled by his story.

"She thanked me for saving Lawrence, then went back inside. That was the only time I spoke to her or had direct contact with her for the next 25 years. Except for once, two years later." Spike said.

"So Lawrence asks me about myself. He knew by my name, that I owned the land; through his friend, the investor, who had first told him and Edna about Julian. He asks me where I’m staying and I just tell him I’m pitching a tent while I’m up here. Lawrence suggests that I build myself a house on some of the property that I own. Gives me names of contractors, tells me he’ll help me…Up until that point, I’d never really considered doing such a thing. Never lived in a place I owned. Usually we’d just kill someone and take over livin’ in the place. Never had I thought about having something like a house; of my own. But that night, it somehow seemed to make sense and suddenly, more than anything I’d ever wanted, I wanted to build a house, here in this area, a place of my own, a place…" Spike stopped, smiling at Buffy who was staring at him.

Spike hadn’t realized that he’d reached across the table taking her hand when he had let the last sentences’ words drop away, but not the yearning in them.

She looked down at his hand. His hand, soft, strong; scared by many battles. She put her other hand on top of his, tracing its shape, the shape of his fingers, his nails.

"Go on," she encouraged.

"So, with Lawrence and his help in setting up the contractors, etc., I start having my house built. In the meantime Edna becomes pregnant with their first and only child and I’m spending more time here than I should," Spike says.

"Why? Why more time than you should?"

"Well, remember how I’d said that I never told another person about this place, except for you and Clem?"

Buffy nodded.

"Well, it would seem that what I assumed to be my ‘unmissed absences’ weren’t entirely unnoticed by Angel, Darla, and Dru," Spike said, a hard edge creeping into his voice.

"What happened?" Buffy asked, with a feeling of dread.

"After I returned to Hollywood, Angel said we were all going to go to San Francisco for a while. I didn’t want to leave, but couldn’t very well oppose him. Back then, I just did what he wanted me to. One, I was afraid of him, and two, I, they, well…they were still the only family that I had."

"So, I didn’t think anything of it. The house was already being built and Lawrence had the money to hire the workers and all that, so I really didn’t need to be there."

"Angel tells me to take the girls up to San Francisco and that he’ll join me in a few days. And he does, and for next two years we’re living up there and I don’t have any idea what’s happening in Julian. I’d given Lawrence carte blanche to make decisions in my absence, so I didn’t worry, although I did want to see how things were going.

"So, a couple of years pass; mere minutes in a vampire’s life. Anyway, Angel decides to go back to England for a while with Darla. Dru and I were living on our own at the time and we were fighting. She was off half the time carrying on with some demon or other. So, she decides she’s going to go with Angel and Darla. Didn’t even tell me. By the time I find out they’re gone it’s a couple of months later. I’m overjoyed! Finally, a chance to come back up here, check how things are going, see the house for the first time."

"So I get back here, this is early 1943, or there abouts. The first thing I do is to go to the site where my home is supposed to be. What do you think I find?" Spike asked bitterly, as he took a long drink of the champagne.

"I don’t know, what?" Buffy asked, fearing what he was going to tell her.

"I find that ‘my house’ is not much more than a foundation and a few walls, which don’t seem to be holding up. Looks like work hasn’t been done in all the time I’ve been gone."

"I’m furious with Lawrence! I feel betrayed, stupid that I trusted a human, I’m sure that he must have taken my money and kept if for his self. I vow to find him and kill him, Edna, and any offspring they have!" Spike said.

"What happened next," Buffy asked.

"Well, I go into town; over here. The first thing I notice is that this restaurant is boarded up with a ‘Closed by Order of the Town of Julian,’ sign in front. Next door at the hotel they owned, I see a ‘Foreclosure,’ sign on the front lawn."

"Well, I forget all about my anger and go running over to the hotel and bang on the door. A bedraggled woman who looks like a much, much older version of Edna answers the door carrying a little tyke, not much more than 18 months old, on her hip."

"I yell at her, ‘Where’s Lawrence? Where’s Edna? Where are the people who use to own the restaurant and this place?’ I demand of this woman," Spike recounted.

Shocked, she takes a good long look at me and I at her.

"Master Worthington?" she asks of me, voice shaking.

"Edna? I ask, almost too shocked for any words."

"She burst out crying as she inviteed me into her once bustling hotel foyer. Over the next three hours or so, she told me that Lawrence was dead, and how he’d died. Immediately, I recognize what killed him; a vampire. Not only that, but more specifically; who killed him."

"Angel?" Buffy whispered.

Spike nodded, "I was sick to the depths of my non-soul. I’d know his modus operandi anywhere! Obviously, I had must’ve left some small hint of where I’d been for him to find. Either that or he followed me, but I didn’t think so."

"Edna told me how this one gentleman came to stay for a while at their hotel, slept all day, stayed up all night, would engaging them in interesting talk during the night, and kept asking about land, about the old gold rush. Asked who was selling land, all sorts of things. She said that Lawrence didn’t trust him - this fellow, so that he kept being evasive. In fact, Lawrence stopped work on my place, waiting for this fellow to leave."

"Unfortunately, the day that he was suppose to leave, is the day that Lawrence was viciously killed. And of course, the stranger disappeared," Spike said, bitterly.

"So, Lawrence is killed and Edna is without support?" Buffy asked, then added, "What happened to the money you’d given Lawrence, for your place?"

"That’s the thing that really had me! Edna put that money aside. She was losing everything she had, the restaurant, the hotel, everything. And all this time, she had money that she could have used. But she didn’t. She didn’t know how to get in touch with me, if I was dead or alive, but she didn’t touch it, went into bankruptcy, instead," Spike said, shaking his head.

"So you helped her out?" Buffy asked.

Spike nodded, "Yeah. What else was I supposed to do? Couldn’t let her and the little one starve, now could I? So, yeah, paid off her restaurant and her hotel. Then I put aside some money so that her son, Lawrence Jr., could go to college one day."

"I felt guilty. If I’d never left some sort of trail…something that let Angel know that I’d either been here or was interested in the place, then he would never have come up here, would have never killed Lawrence," Spike said, sadly.

"Did she know what killed him?" Buffy asked.

"Not sure, but she described the way he was killed, so there was no doubt in my mind whose handiwork it was. It was like Angel leaving me a postcard, almost. And that was what I think he intended to do. He’d somehow found out that I had been here and wanted to let me know that he still had ‘power’ over me, that I would not go behind his back and live any kind of life without his knowledge and approval."

"So, you never saw her again after that?" Buffy asked.

"You mean my grandfather didn’t see her again?" Spike said, smiling, "no, I sent her money through a solicitor, but I didn’t want to see her again. It was too painful. That and the fact that as the years went on, she aged, but I didn’t."

"By the time I did decide to come back here, decide to start building again, I sent a telegram that William Worthington I had died back in England. Then his son, William Worthington II, my father, started having a relationship with Edna and her son, who was by then out of college. Did I mention that he became a solicitor? A lawyer? In fact, he’s been mine and my father’s for years."

"So, every 40-50 years, I have to change generational Williams’. After a couple of decades, I wait 20 years or so, then the son comes up here to take over the house building and improving and looking after Edna."

"So where’s Edna’s son, now?" Buffy asked.

"But that’s not what you were to her, or to him," Buffy said.

"No, but in reality, that is what I was mostly during that time. It was only when I was here, that I was…more than that; for them," he said.

"They believed in you, and you didn’t break their belief," she said.

"How could I? I’d already brought misery into their lives, changed their lives forever and they didn’t even know it."

"It wasn’t your fault," Buffy said, reaching across the table for his hand.

"Wasn’t it? Really?" he said, pulling his hand away.

"I don’t think so," she answered.

They were silent for a few minutes, thinking and drinking their coffees. Edna entered the room carrying a large bag.

"What’s this then?" Spike asked.

"Oh, just some goodies for you and Elizabeth to take up to your place," she said, giggling.

"A couple of bottles of champagne, cake, and some leftovers from all the dinners we cooked tonight. I mean, not customer’s leftovers, but fresh from the kitchen. Also gave you some eggs, milk, and coffee for tomorrow morning," Edna said, handing the oversize bag to Spike.

"That’s very nice of you, dear," he said to her, fondly, "what would I do without you?"

"I think that’s the other way around, Master William," she replied.

Buffy stood up, "Do you have a washroom around?" she asked.

"Up on the second floor, just walk to the back of the store and you’ll see them," Edna said.

"Okay…William, I’ll meet you by the front door in about 5 minutes or so, okay?" Buffy said.

"Uh-hmmm, okay," Spike answered.

CHAPTER 11 - THE GIFT

Buffy made her way up the narrow stairs, looking at old photographs along stairway, until she got the second floor. There was a somewhat small, but densely packed, room - the antique shop. She made her way to the far end of the room, used the restroom, and fixed herself up, somewhat.

She left the restroom and decided she'd have a look around before going to meet Spike at the front door. The room had the general collection of antique accoutrements from eras gone by. At least there wasn't any kitsch from the 70's, like so many other shops. This was the real deal. As she was about to leave, she saw a little sign that said, "BOOKS," and a sign leading up to another floor.

Deciding it wouldn't hurt to have a quick look, she ascended the second staircase. "Maybe I'll find something to read this weekend. Suppose to relax, right? Even find one of those philosophy books," she mused to herself.

However, after looking for a few minutes, she decided there wasn't anything she really felt like she could get into. Just as she was about to go back downstairs, she gave the nearest shelf one final look. There on the top shelf, was a book pushed almost to the back. Something made her curious to find out what it was. She pulled an empty milk crate that was nearby, towards the shelf and stood up on it.

She pulled the old book off of the shelf and blew off the dust. It was bound in a heavy brown leather, with red writing, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare," it said.

Buffy looked inside for a date, but could only manage to find something in Roman numerals, "Stupid Roman numerals!" she thought to herself, then smiled. "Well, if it's old, maybe Spike will like it."

She took the book and headed back downstairs to pay for it.

On the second floor again, she saw Edna standing behind a counter with an old fashioned cash register.

"Thought you might be needing my assistance, Miss Elizabeth," Edna said.

"Thanks, I'd like to purchase this," Buffy said, laying down the book.

"Oh, this is very nice. I didn't know we still even had this, I haven't seen it for years," Edna said.

"It was high up, I had to stand on the milk crate in order to reach it; hope that was alright," Buffy said.

"Oh, perfectly fine, Elizabeth, perfectly fine," Edna said, then added, "I think Master William will really like it."

"How did you know I'm buying it for him?" Buffy asked, "I could be buying it for myself," she said, slightly defensive.

"Of course you could, dear," Edna said, "But Master William has a lovely English accent, just thought you'd want to have him read it to you."

Buffy smiled, "It is for him, you were right. That's a nice idea, maybe he'll read it aloud. Do you think he'll like Shakespeare?" she asked.

"I think that Master William is bound to, let me explain. As long as I've known him, and I don't profess to really know him well, not even after all these years; not well at all, I've thought of him, as being like a deep, dark well. And in there, in that dark, deep well, I think he has many secrets, many different parts of himself, so I would suspect that a Shakespeare-reading self, might just be in there, too. Don't you?" Edna asked.

"He's not just dark," Buffy had blurted out, before she could stop herself.

"Oh, I didn't mean that at all, not at all. I've just always sensed a great sadness, a great yearning in Master William. In his father and grandfather, as well. Guess it's a family thing, though I'd swear they are all most alike, only difference is the clothes and mannerisms that come with each age," Edna said, looking at Buffy.

Buffy didn't know what to say, so she just asked, "How much is the book?"

"Let's see here," Edna said, opening the front cover, "Oh, good, it's good that nobody ever wrote in this. I'd say it's $3.00."

"Is that all? You sure?"

Edna nodded.

Buffy paid her, then seeing the little pad of paper with faint pink hearts on them, she decided to do something. She took out her pen and wrote a note, then folded it. On the outside, it simply said, "To William, From Elizabeth."

"Edna, can I ask you a favor? A special favor?" Buffy asked.

"Of course, what is it?"

"If Sp, if you see William again, sometime, anytime in the future, it doesn't matter how long from now; if you see him and I'm not with him, would you please, please give him this? From me?" Buffy handed her the note, knowing that Edna would see to it, no matter when that might be.

Edna sensed, somehow this might be the only time she would see Elizabeth. She hoped not, with all her heart, but she nodded, "I'll see that he gets it, if you're not here to give it to him yourself," she said solemnly.

"Thank you. It was nice meeting you, I hope, I hope I see you again," Buffy said, putting the book into her purse and heading toward the stairs.

"I do too, dear, I do, too," Edna said softly, to Buffy's retreating figure.

When Buffy had gone upstairs, Spike had gone to the front door of the restaurant to wait. As he was standing there waiting for Buffy, he saw a slightly opened door with a light coming from within it. He walked over and looked in and saw a small room full of yet, more antiques; these being more of the girly type things, jewelry, hairbrushes, mirrors, little frames, etc. He pushed the door and walked in. He looked around for a few minutes, until something caught his eye, under glass at the jewelry counter.

It was the most unusual necklace he'd ever seen. The necklace had a delicate chain, which came down on either side to two little pieces of lavender glass, connected by a little brass shell. Under the shell was a couple of little links, and finally there was the main piece: a brass heart holding two lovebirds. Above and below the heart were two other pieces of the little lavender glass, one above and almost between their heads, the other between their tails. The heart dissected the birds, right at their tails. There was a sort of half rectangle of brass that had two tiny, white cloisonné flowers on both ends. The half rectangle sort of dissected the heart (or would have, if it had gone all the way through) and it also served as the bird's perch.

Edna had come in and watched, as Spike stared at the necklace, "Would you like to see that, Master William?" she asked him.

He nodded, "Yes, please."

She handed the necklace to him and watched as his fine hands caressed the birds within the heart. She could almost see him putting it on Elizabeth's pretty neck; see the delight in his face as she opened the box; saw it for the first time, lovingly held it in her hands, looked at William with eyes that spoke of love...

She remembered how she felt when Lawrence had first put it around her neck, the night he asked her to become his wife, to come to California with him.

"How much for this?" William asked her.

She wanted to just give it to him, but knew he wouldn't accept it, "Oh, let's see, hmmmm, how much was that? Oh, I remember now. Ten dollars," Edna told him.

"That all? You sure? Okay, I'll take it," Spike said, handing her the money, "do you have a box, by any chance?"

She nodded, and reached down, getting out a purple, heart-shaped box. She put the necklace inside, looking at it one last time; she closed the lid, smiling. She put the $10.00 in her pocket and handed William the box, which he carefully placed in his inner jacket pocket.

"She'll love it," Edna said to him.

"Thanks, I think so, too," he said, happy to have found this little beautiful thing for her.

Edna had gone upstairs afterwards, and taken care of Elizabeth's purchase. It was so cute, how they had each thought to buy the other one something, secretly.

She walked downstairs as they were leaving, "Come back soon Master William, Miss Elizabeth," Edna said.

"We will. And thank you for the lovely dinner," William said.

Elizabeth echoed his sentiments.

She watched them as they walked out the door, then turned and picked up the little sign that had fallen off of the door to the room where William had found the necklace; it said, "The Rittenhouse Museum Antiques Room."

CHAPTER 12 - MAGIC GATES IN THE NIGHT

"It got cold," Buffy said, shivering, as they walked to the car.

"Yeah, usually does up here, this time of year," Spike said, holding the door for her.

Buffy settled grabbed the warm jacket she brought from home and put it on, before buckling herself into the car.

"I should check with home," Buffy said, starting to call.

"Why don't you just plug into the computer?" Spike asked.

"Good idea," she agreed, not really wanting to talk to whomever might answer, especially if that whomever, might just happen to be Giles.

Buffy hooked up the computer to the phone and dialed her home.

"Wow, it works," she exclaimed.

Spike took a look over at the screen, where the main camera just happened to be pointed to the living room.

"Looks pretty normal," he said, seeing all the potentials, Giles, Xander, and Willow.

"Hey, Wil's on the computer. She just showed me this Instant Message thing, I should...oh, there she is," Buffy said, hearing the chime of the AIM.

Wicca1: Buffy, you there?

Slay1: Yeah, here.

Wicca1: where are you?

Slay1: car, how's everyone? Problems?

Wicca1: fine, no problems, no FE

Slay1: good

Wicca: tried to IM you before, where were you?

Slay1: eating, restaurant

Wicca1: two in a row

Slay1: what? two in a row?

Wicca: restaurants

Slay1: yeah

Wicca1: nice?

Slay1: very

Wicca1: which one?

Slay1: huh?

Wicca1: nicer?

Slay1: this one

Wicca1: company too?

Slay1: uh-huh

Slay1: nosey!

Wicca: "Oh, Spike, she gasped, I just love your 'evil energy', "

Wicca: :)

Slay1: and say, how's Kennedy???

Spike looked over at the screen, "Wicca1? Slay1? Sheesh, that's original! Better hope The First isn't getting help from the former geeks," he said, shaking his head.

Slay1: Spike says hello.

Wicca1: back at him, tell him I still think...

Slay1: I will not. ;)

Wicca: Giles wants to talk to you. Uh-oh,

"Giles, I think I've lost the connection,"

Wicca1: bye ;)

Slay1: bye, talk to you tomorrow.

Slay1: tell the girls, "I'll be watching!"

Wicca1: k

Slay1: bye

Wicca1: bye

"Hey, I'm a geek, now, too!" Buffy said, disconnecting the phone/modem and laptop from each other.

"Yeah," Spike said, laughing.

He drove along, following the road back out of town and veering off the main road about 2 miles out.

"Gonna get sort of bumpy, Slayer," he told her.

"Buffy, I want to be Buffy this weekend," she corrected.

"Going to get sort of bumpy, Buffy," he said again.

"Bumpy-Buffy. Okay, Spike, if you have to say words like that together, you can use 'Slayer,' but only under those conditions," she said laughing.

Spike was now driving on a dirt road, heading up to a higher elevation. About 2 miles later, he stopped the car.

"What is it? Did you take a wrong turn?" Buffy asked, seeing that the road abruptly ended in forest as dense as those to either side of her.

"Wait here, you'll see," Spike said, getting out of the car.

She watched in the headlights as Spike climbed up a nearby tree and seemingly jumped down on the other side of trees that were in front of the car.

"What the...?" she had just started to wonder, when all of a sudden the trees in front of her, in front of the car, started moving off to one side. The 'trees,' about 12 feet of them were moving. Some to the left, some to the right. Buffy just stared as they separated until there was an opening, in the middle of which, stood Spike, grinning.

He walked back to the car and got in, "What do you think?" he asked her.

"How? What? How?" Buffy stammered.

"Gate, secret, magic gate - pretty convincing, huh?" Spike said, still grinning.

"I'll say!" she answered.

"Couldn't take the chance on someone ever finding this, could I?"

"Guess not. No."

They drove in silence for another 3/4 of a mile. All of a sudden the Buffy could lights through the trees.

"Spike! Look!" she said, pointing.

"It’s the house, you’ll see in a minute," Spike said, then added, "no worries, Slayer, I mean, Buffy. It's not what you think; I had Clem come up and set everything up for me, earlier," Spike said.

"Clem?"

"Yeah, I’ll explain all more about that later. He came up to start the generator, no real electricity here. Probably got a fire started, in the fireplace, too, if I know him," Spike said.

They soon pulled up in front of a log house.

The front door opened and Clem came outside, waving at them, as he came up to the car.

"Howdy guys! I was wondering if you were going to be coming at all, I’ve been here for about 6 hours already," Clem said.

"Well, had to wait until later in the day to get out of Sunnydale, then stopped by The Rittenhouse and got a bite to eat," Spike said, as he walked over to help Buffy out.

"Was Edna there? Did you see her?" Clem asked, starting to grab their overnight bags.

"Of course," Spike answered.

"Hey, Girl! How are you? Did you enjoy the ride up? Isn’t that Edna something else?" Clem asked Buffy all at once.

"Hi, Clem, good to see you, too. Everything is so…fine, it’s all fine," Buffy said, trying to absorb each new situation that she’d been faced with all night long.

Spike took some stuff into the house as Clem and Buffy spoke about the area, the restaurant, Edna, etc. He now came back outside, and down to the car, where he gently, took Buffy’s arm, in order to disengage her from any further conversation with Clem.

"Think the lady’s tired from the trip," Spike said to Clem.

"Of course she is," Clem cheerfully agreed.

"Just let me get these bags into the house," Clem said.

Buffy stood there with Spike holding onto her arm, looking at the front of the house. On the wrap-around porch, there were some old-fashioned looking swings and chairs, which suddenly looked awfully inviting.

Clem came back outside and down the steps," Well, I’ll be going now, Boss. I’ll see you guys tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah, you’ll see us tomorrow, maybe afternoon. Got your phone? Good, you know the drill" Spike said.

"That I do, Boss, that I do!" Clem said, walking off.

"Night, Buffy," he called back over his shoulder.

"Night Clem," she said, then turned to Spike, "where is he going? Isn’t he staying here?"

"He’s got his own guest house about ¼ of a mile away," Spike said, motioning through the woods.

"Why’d he call you Boss?" Buffy asked.

"He sort of works for me, when I need him to,"

"How long has this been going on?"

"Years; decades. Long story made short? Saved him once, a long time ago. He’s grateful, ergo, he works for me when I need him to, I keep him in poker kittens and whatever else he needs and he watches my back," Spike said.

"Look, can we…talk all about that another time?"

Buffy nodded, not sure she could take anymore surprises about William tonight, as it was.

"Would you like to come in?" Spike said, smiling shyly at her, a look of hopefulness in his eyes.

Her eyes smiled back at his in wonder. Putting her arm through his, she said, "Yes I would Spike, very much."

Then arm in arm, they walked up the steps to the porch and into the house.

CHAPTER 13 - DANS LA MAISON DE WILLIAM

Spike held the heavy wood door for Buffy as they walked into the main living area. He watched her to gage her reaction.

From the looks of the well-built log house, Buffy almost expected the decor to be somewhat rustic and spartan. Somewhat minimalist perhaps; like Spike's old crypt.

However, besides the high beamed ceilings and wooden architecture of the log house, the decor was anything but rustic!

It was Victorian! The wooden floors were covered in warm, decorative woolen carpets and all the furnishings, from sofa and chairs, to the decorations on the walls were almost genteel in nature. There were, what looked like, mahogany and cherrywood chairs, scattered throughout the living room, all with maroon cushioned seats.

A tall settee stood near, what must be a dining room off the side of the living room. There was also a little drawing table, near one end of the far wall. She could see that a collection of books and papers lay on the top of it; the only plain wooden chair in front of it. A fire was just starting to blaze in the huge fireplace, in front of which, sat the only piece of somewhat modern furniture - an oversized, maroon leather couch, covered in throws and pillows. On either far ends of the fireplace, were two doors; bedrooms she supposed.

"Wow, Spike, Wow," Buffy said, appreciatively. She'd almost laughed at the decor when she first saw it, but seeing him almost let out a sigh of relief, she was glad she'd suppressed that.

"Do you like it?"

"It's amazing, not at all what I expected from the outside. Guess I thought it would be more woodsy or something," Buffy said, "but knowing you, I guess I shouldn't assume anything.

"Yeah, I guess the outside doesn't exactly go with the inside," Spike said.

"Let me explain my decor in one word. Edna."

"She decorated for you?"

"Well, not exactly. I never explained, but I decided to finish this project about 30 years later, and have been sort of adding things here and there ever since then."

"When Edna found out my father was working on it again, she volunteered some older furnishings from the hotel. She'd updated a bit herself," he laughed, "but William's father got some of the cast-offs. Whenever she redecorated a guestroom, back when she owned the hotel next door, too, she would put the furniture in storage for me, then when I was about, I would pick it up and bring it here. And that, dear Buffy, is how I came to have a Victorian decorated log house!" Spike said.

"Well, I see you have a couple of newish things," Buffy said, pointing to the couch.

"Yeah, I love that couch! Believe it or not, that came from Edna's son, Lawrence. He used to keep a small house up here where he'd spend the summers. Sold it a few years ago, just stays in San Diego now, but he gave me the couch and some other furnishings."

"I see," Buffy said, not knowing what else to say.

"I lied," Spike said.

"About what?" Buffy said, on guard all of a sudden.

"I told you last year that I'd ate a decorator once, and that maybe something stuck; I lied,"

"About eating the decorator or about something sticking?" Buffy asked, with a grin.

"I'll let you be the judge of that," Spike said, with a smirk.

"Let me show you to your bedroom, then we can sit on my 'newish' leather couch and enjoy the fireplace, if you'd like," Spike offered.

"Okay, lead the way."

Spike took picked up her overnighter that was by the front door and lead her through the living room to the room to the right of the fireplace. He opened the door to a large room that had a white, four poster bed, with a white, flowered, old fashioned looking blanket atop it.

It had a small dresser with a framed mirror above it. The room also had a larger chest of drawers and a small desk.

"There's a bathroom over there," Spike said, pointing to a small door, "it's between the bedrooms, but there's a lock on both doors inside doors, so when you use it..."

"Okay."

"I'll go outside for a minute and make sure that the pilot light's on the water tank."

"See you in a few minutes, then?" he asked.

"Yeah, see you in a few minutes," she answered.

He left her then, closing the door to her bedroom.

She looked around the room for a few minutes, touching the desk, looking in the empty drawers, using the bathroom. Finally, she decided to change out of her clothes. She was just going to change into another sweater, but then decided that she'd just put on her flannel nightgown and a robe, then decided that would be too warm, and put on the shorty. With a robe!

"Not like he hasn't seen me in pajamas, or less!" she thought to herself. "Doesn't mean anything, just getting comfortable."

At the last minute, she changed into a two-piece lavender pair of polyester pajamas. With a robe! Not too sexy, not too flannel!

At the last minute, she remembered about something and grabbed her purse.

Spike was sitting on the couch when she came out. He had changed, too. He had on a loose pair of gray drawstring pants, which he'd probably lifted from Xander. His T-shirt had been exchanged for a bright silky, short blue robe, which was open. Buffy's breath caught for half a second at seeing his chest; muscular, scared, inviting. He was barefooted, too, which for some reason, always made her feel soft towards him. His boots were almost as much a part of him, as his black leather duster had been, but the duster had been gone for a while now, but never the boots. Somehow, Spike, sans boots, seemed so vulnerable.

He stood up as she came out of the bedroom. This small wisp of a girl, with lavender pajama bottoms, sticking out from under a little white fuzzy robe that looked like she’d had it since childhood. She wore little white fuzzy slippers, too.

He smiled, "Fire’s getting’ goin’ pretty good now, pet," he said, getting up and kneeling down in front of it, using the poker to move some wood around to a better position.

Buffy set the purse down on the couch, then came over to where Spike was kneeling. She had this overwhelming urge to touch his hair, run her hands through it, to squat down next to him and hug him to her; any and all of the above, but she resisted, instead just stood next to him. Close, intimate.

Spike felt her when she came up towards him, he always felt her. She was standing so close to him, her legs, her essence, so close he could smell her, drink her in; and the fire, the heat of the fire, was causing her smell to reach him all the more. He felt intoxicated.

If Spike had to pick just one thing, one extrasensory aspect about being a vampire, that he relished the most, that he would never want to give up, it would be the ability to smell the delectable scents of a woman, of Buffy.

Neither was it just what every man appreciates and recognizes as a woman’s scents; her perfume, her shampoo, the sweat under her arms, the wetness between her legs…No, this was more, it was as if he could read each molecule of her essence. Each emotion she felt, each thought, each intention had it’s own molecular marker that he could track like a trail of breadcrumbs. It wasn’t something he even did consciously all of the time, but it was always there, always alerting him to just how she felt, what she wanted, what she might desire; the possibilities.

He closed his eyes briefly and inhaled Buffy’s womanly scent, so near, but yet so out of reach. He gave the fireplace a final poke and stood up slowly, facing her. She turned, looking at him, feeling the heat of the fireplace, the firelight that reflected in his eyes.

Abruptly the moment ended as Spike turned and walked over to the couch, sitting down and patting the seat, that she might do the same.

"I should check up on the home front," she said.

"Already did that when you were changing, luv. Here, it’s all set up. Just turn on this button, phone’s already hooked up," Spike said, showing her how to switch views from room to room back at her house.

"I really should probably check this about once an hour," Buffy said.

"Let me do that for you, Buffy. You’re here to relax. Can’t see you sleeping very well, if every hour you have to wake up to check this. I can do this for you, I want to," Spike said.

"But Spike, you won’t get any sleep that way either. Maybe we could take turns or something," she suggested.

"No, tonight I’m on watch, Slayer, er, sorry, Buffy. I can easily wake up every hour and have a look-see, just have to tell myself to do so. Probably even set the bloody thing to beep at me, if you don’t think I can be trusted," Spike said.

"I trust you. Thank you, Spike," Buffy said, relieved in more ways than she cared to express to have this responsibility taken from her shoulders, even if only for a few hours.

"Oh, I forgot," Buffy said, reaching for her purse. She took the book out and handed it to him, "Here, Spike, I bought this for you when I was upstairs at The Rittenhouse. I couldn’t read what year it is; it’s in Roman Numerals, something I think I learned and forgot back in fourth grade. In any case, I hope you like Shakespeare, The Complete Works of," Buffy said, watching Spike’s face as it lit up, like a little boy at Christmastime.

Spike took the book from her hand like it was made of glass. He opened the front cover, inside which was written, "To William, From Elizabeth, February 14, 2003"

"You bought this for me?" he asked with a sort of wonder in his voice, looking at her. He didn’t remember the last time somebody had bought him a gift. Sure, he’d gotten the furnishings from Edna, and Dru use to bring him all sorts of strange gifts, like puppies to eat, but an actual store bought-paid-by-cash-gift? Never. It was also something that he never expected Buffy to do for him.

He looked away, before he could start to get choked up. He opened the next page and read the Roman Numerals, "It says 1878, it’s really quite old, hope you didn’t pay too much for it, luv," he said.

"Do you like it?" Buffy asked, not quite sure what the ‘quite old,’ meant in terms of satisfaction.

"Oh God yes! It’s lovely Buffy, just lovely," Spike said, as he fingered the old leather binding, "it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever bought me."

She turned away, embarrassed. If this was the nicest thing…Poor Spike!

"Buffy?"

"Huh?"

"I forgot, I got you something, too; when I was waiting for you," Spike said, taking the velvet box out from the pocket of his robe and handing it to her, "here," he said, not quite making eye contact with her.

"For me?"

He nodded, still holding out the purple, velvet, heart shaped box to her.

Buffy took it from him and opened it. Her eyes grew moist as she saw the beautiful, delicate, lovebird necklace. She took it from the box, gently tracing the shape of the lovebirds within the heart, and the cloisonné flowers. Now it was her turn to get misty-eyed as she turned to Spike.

"It’s beautiful, Spike, I don’t know what to say."

"You like it, then?"

"No."

"No?" he said, with a sinking feeling, waiting for her to give it back to him, say something about why she couldn’t,…

"I don’t like it; I love it," Buffy said, then she leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Spike," she whispered in his ear.

Spike silently sighed with relief.

"Help me on with it?" she asked, as she sat back up and turned sideways on the couch, holding up her hair with one hand.

Spike took the necklace from her and put it over her head gently, then secured the clasp.

She felt the necklace softly fall into place a couple of inches above her breasts. She turned around to face him as she looked down, "How does it look?" she asked him.

Spike looked at the necklace, and the couple of inches above Buffy’s breasts, appreciatively, "Nice, looks real nice," he said shyly.

"Matches my pajamas perfectly, doesn’t it? Hey, were you going through my stuff again, were you?" she joked, playfully hitting him in the ribs.

"No, gave that up some time ago, luv," he answered.

She was still looking down admiring the necklace when Spike stood up to put another log on the fire. When he was finished, he took the heavy rug that lay between them and the fireplace and pulled it up to the edge of the couch. He sat down, back against couch and looked up at her.

Buffy scooted to the front of the couch, then slid down to the floor so that she was sitting next to Spike.

They sat there watching the fire for a couple of minutes in silence.

"This is nice," Spike said.

"Ummmhmmm," Buffy agreed.

"Spike?"

"What, luv?"

"How much time have you spent here, at this house?"

"Oh, let me see…over the years? Maybe a total of 2 months or so," he answered, "a couple of days here and there."

"That’s all?" Buffy asked, surprised. "Why not more? You’ve got this lovely house, money…"

"I don’t know, Buffy. Seemed like the house is something else, I don’t know, something that’s almost outside of myself; outside of my nature. Vampire, you know, couldn’t just live here, like a man…I needed other things, the kill, the violence, happy meals with legs, even the company of other demons. You know these things about me," Spike said, his voice strained.

"Look, can we not talk about this anymore?" he asked.

"Okay," Buffy said, leaning up against him, hopefully reassuring her that she wasn’t there to either probe or judge him. Not here. Not anymore, not after what he’d done for her, the lengths he’d gone…

And so they sat there, side-by-side, watching the fire and talking of small things for the next hour.

Spike looked over at Buffy, her eyes were closed and he knew she was almost asleep.

Poor Slayer, all done in.

"Buffy?" he said, shaking her gently.

"Huh?"

"Time to go to bed. Um, you’re tired, you should go to bed and get some sleep," he stood up and extended his hand to her.

"Yeah, you’re probably right," she answered, letting him help her up.

They were standing in front of the fireplace, between the two bedrooms, "Goodnight Buffy, sleep well. And don’t worry about the house, I’ll keep watching," Spike said.

She turned to look at him, so unreal in this setting, "Goodnight, Spike," she said, once again, taking the initiative to kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you, for everything," she said as she went into the bedroom.

She turned down the covers and crawled into bed. She was sort of sad that Spike hadn’t even suggested to her that she might want to share his bed. Of course, she would tell him, "NO," but none-the-less…she drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER 14 - MY EYES ARE CLEAR

Buffy had only been asleep for a couple of hours when she woke up, heart pounding from the usual nightmare, revisited, "Spike!" she had screamed in her dream right before bolting upright in bed.

She looked around, taking stock of where she was, then decided to get up and splash some cold water on her face.

As Buffy stood in the doorway of the bathroom, she saw it; a little light flickering between two pieces of wood, not quite fitted against each other. She walked quietly across the bathroom floor, until she came to the sliver of light. She could barely see him at first, but then as her eyes grew accustomed to the candleglow, that had first attracted her, she could make him out.

Spike was lying in bed, tossing and turning. Suddenly, he threw the covers off, groaning as he lay there naked. Buffy held her breath, afraid he’d sensed her, but he didn’t look her way. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him run his hands down his chest, his stomach, finally to his cock. He rubbed himself gently at first, then quickened the pace as his erection quickly grew to its full length. She could see the glistening shimmer of pre-cum as she watched as he fondled himself, stoked himself again and again, before he finally convulsed in orgasm. As he did, she heard him softly moan one word, "Buffy!"

Buffy bit down hard on her bottom lip and backed quickly out of the room, before she sobbed aloud. In the past she would have felt revulsion at even thinking about him doing this, pleasuring himself, probably with some picture of herself or intimate article of clothing he’d nicked from her bedroom. But not now. Now it was breaking her heart.

The tears came as Buffy put her hands to her face. Useless buckets of tears, useless seed, useless torture, useless love…for her. Tears flowed, flowed thinking of him laying there; his passion and love for her unclaimed, unbidden, abandoned – like this beautiful house was.

"Fuck this! No. Fucking. More!" she said, as she dried her eyes and walked out of her bedroom and into Spike’s.

"Buffy? What is it, luv? Bad dream? Everything’s okay at the house, just checked," Spike said, staring at Buffy who’d walked right up to his bed.

"Shut up, Spike," she said softly and crawled into bed with him.

Spike lay on his side, towards her as she nuzzled up close to him.

Wants more comfort, he told himself. Alright then! Bird’s got to have what the bird’s got to have. Never could deny her anything.

Before he could form another coherent or not so, thought, Buffy leaned into him, kissing him softly on the lips. Shocked, Spike didn’t respond for a few seconds, but then he was kissing her back, falling into a beautiful aura of sensation that was starting to surround them. Lips, kissing, heat, aura.

Coming back to earth for a second, Spike broke off the kiss, gently taking hold of her shoulder and pushing her back a few inches, "Buffy, do you know what you’re doing?" he asked, giving her the chance to come to her senses.

Buffy looked at him, with a look he’d only seen one other time; the night she’d come to rescue him from The First.

"I do know, Spike, maybe for the first time since you’ve known me, I do know; my eyes are clear," she said, "I’m kissing the man that I love," she said, leaning back in for another delicious, all-enveloping kiss.

"That you love?" his voice asked, almost cracking; breaking the kiss again, holding her off to look into her eyes in wonder.

Buffy did not waver as she looked at him, and slowly, effortlessly, maneuvered her lithe body atop his, the lovebird necklace hanging from her neck to lie on top his chest, "Yes," she said looking in his eyes, kissing him softly between each word,

"I." kiss, "Love." kiss, "You." kiss, "Spike."

"You love me?" he repeated, unbelieving; afraid to believe.

Buffy nodded her head, "Yes. I love you." kiss "And if this man would still like; I’d like to be his girl," she said, kissing him deeply, as her body, atop his, moved on its own accord. Up and down, feeling his once again, full erection.

"My girl? My girl! Oh God, Buffy!" Spike groaning, grinning, grabbing her face, kissing her back as fully as he wanted, as she wanted, finally giving in to the incomprehensible, and the unbelievable, Love claimed and bidden, by her, by them.

CHAPTER 15 - W E

It was late when she finally got to bed, she grabbed her nightcap and put it on, crawling into bed, "Right old granny, I am," she chuckled, "ah well, old habits die hard, and it's right chilly in this old place."

He came to her, as he often did, after she'd been asleep for only a few minutes. The dreams would last hours and she always looked forward to them. Sometimes they went back to the old country, sometimes they were young, other times older, sometimes even, he would appear to her, as he would have looked, if only he hadn't died so long ago.

As always, she asked, upon first seeing him, "Is it time for me to join you yet?"

"No darling, not yet. But we'll just have our normal visit, like always. Where would you like to go tonight?"

"I think I'm right happy here tonight, is that alright. No wait, let me see where you got it, when you gave it to me," she said.

"Oh, you knew I'd know about it."

"Can't hide anything from you, Lawrence," Edna said.

"No, you're a right open book, ye are," he said laughing.

"So, tell me all about it; about them," Lawrence coached.

"Ah, it's been so long since I'd seen him, but you know him, never changes anything but the clothes and the hair. But there was something different about him this time. Can't quite put my finger on it; it was like he was softer, somehow. A little less afraid to be kidded with, approached. Ach, I don't know what I'm talkin' about," she said.

"Yes you do, you've always known that your Master William was a..."

"Don't say it!"

"Loner, Edna, just going to say loner,"

"No, he's not a loner. Lonely is what he's been, always lonely. Guess his type always is..."

"But he wasn't alone tonight?" Lawrence asked.

"No, that was so exciting. In all these years, never seen him, nor his father or grandfather with anyone what-so-ever, but tonight," she said, her eyes shining, "tonight he brought a lovely lass with him; Elizabeth!"

"Nice name,"

"Yes, it is. She's a lovely lass, smart, bright and he loves her so much!"

"He told you?"

"Of course not; not his way, but I can tell!" Edna said.

"And her?" Lawrence asked.

"Yes, I do believe that she loves Master William with all her heart, although I could tell that he doesn't quite know that yet, but I have a feeling he soon will."

"You've always been so romantic, Edna," Lawrence said, chuckling.

"Oh, you were, too!" Edna said, taking his hand.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Elizabeth found that old Shakespeare book; she bought it for him."

"Ah, the one I hid up on the top shelf, I remember," he said, reflecting for a moment, "glad to see someone will get some pleasure out of it."

She nodded.

"And the necklace?" he asked her gently.

"Ah, the necklace. See, Master William thought it was for sale; the sign had fallen off of the door, so he just thought it was another part of the shop," she explained.

"I see. But won't you miss it, dear?" Lawrence asked.

"I'll always see it, whenever I want to; just have to close my eyes," she said, hugging him, "I'm just so glad that it's going to have a whole new life of it's own. Two lovebirds; that's what they are, you know? Master William was so pleased to have found something for Elizabeth, I just didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't for sale."

"I know, dear, I know," he said, putting his arm around her.

"Did he look at the back of it?" Lawrence asked her.

"The back? Oh, the letters, W E? No, he didn't. I never knew why you didn't use the name that you always went by," she said.

"I just thought I should be formal about it, since it was an engagement present for you, that's why I had them put the 'W,' for Wallace."

"Wallace Lawrence McKennitt," she said, "it's a nice name."

"I just thought of something. Do you realize that those letters go with their name, too?" he asked her.

"William and Elizabeth," she just said and smiled.

"Ah, you knew all along, didn't you? Well, shall we be off on our travels then, dear?" Lawrence asked her.

"Oh, yes! Please let's go! I can hardly wait to see it all again," Edna said, and taking his hand, they once again embarked on their nightly travels.

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