The sound of Joan Jett’s voice at considerable volume filled Buffy’s ears through the headphones as she relaxed her head back against the aeroplane seat and tapped along to the very appropriate 'Bad Reputation'. She wasn’t even really bothered about listening to it right now but the guy next to her was visibly irritated by the sound which he could hear beyond her headphones. Annoying what appeared to be someone who thought he was above everyone else was worth listening to more music than she really felt the need too.

A glance out the window and Buffy saw the edge of California disappear from sight. She didn’t care so much that she’d left Sunnydale or her Aunt and Uncle, it wasn’t her home and they didn’t care enough to count as family, despite the fact they were actual blood relations. The only person Buffy would really miss was her cousin, Faith, who had become more like a sister to her these past eight years.

Eight years. Had it really been so long since she’d seen her parents, since that horrible day when she was told they’d gone to heaven and wouldn’t be coming back. Though she never admitted it to anyone but herself, Buffy missed her mother and father terribly, and the old life she had with them back in Los Angeles.

L.A. was her real home, with Joyce, her Mom, in charge of the gallery down-town, and Hank, her father, working as a top lawyer for Wolfram and Hart. Buffy was proud to be their daughter. She loved school and seeing her friends and being the perfect little angel in every sense. Looking at her now, things had definitely changed.

One night when Buffy was staying over at a friends house, Joyce and Hank went out celebrating him winning his latest big case. They enjoyed dinner, drinks, and dancing before heading back home, and that was when tragedy struck.

Buffy closed her eyes and grimaced at the memories that danced behind her lids. The newspaper pages with the ugly photographs, waiting for a verdict on the man who took their lives. Details of the gun he carried, the drugs he’d taken, the way he lived. Words of remorse as he explained he’d just needed the cash, and Joyce had struggled to keep her purse. The gun went off, he hadn’t meant for it to...not the first time, then he couldn’t leave a witness who had seen his face.

He was sent to prison for fifteen years, but Buffy felt she had the worse deal as the authorities agreed with the Summers’ last wishes and sent their daughter to live with her Aunt and Uncle in Sunnydale. The little blonde girl had nothing against the Wilkins, she just didn’t know them very well, and to be torn from your home, your life, and worst of all your parents, at the tender age of nine, that was not something any child should have to endure.

Still, Buffy felt she’d coped better than a lot of girls would. Despite Faith’s influence on her, she never did drugs or attempted suicide as she grew up. Sure she drank, but didn’t everyone? And she had the occasional cigarette. Petty crime, well that wasn’t usually something she set out to do, it just kind of happened...and then there were the men. Her Aunt quite despaired of her where the male side of the population were concerned, though it was a miracle the woman even noticed!

Buffy’s Uncle Richard was the Mayor of Sunnydale and his role as town leader ate up a lot of his time. Aunt Rachel was always right there with him, lending her support, and it left little time for Faith, nevermind Buffy who was only a niece, not a daughter.

The Summer following Junior year of High school, the Wilkins finally decided it would be better to split the two girls for a while in the hopes that at the very least their own daughter’s behaviour might improve. It didn’t seem to occur to them that Faith had always been a little wild one, where as Buffy had only changed since coming to be around her cousin!

Still Faith was to stay home and spend more time with her mother who was determined to make a lady out of her unruly girl yet. Meanwhile, Buffy was told she was to stay with her God-father for the Summer, and that meant a plane ticket and a ride to England.

Buffy’s memories of Rupert Giles were exceptionally vague. She knew he and her father had been friends since the Giles family moved to America when the boy was just twelve years old. He and Hank were the best of friends all through High School and college, and when it came to marrying Joyce who would Hank choose for a best man but Giles. Soon Buffy was born and again he was called upon for her christening to take the role of God-father.

Apparently he quite doted on her as a baby, buying her gifts and always offering to help out whenever he could. But when Buffy was five, Giles had gone away, back to England to run his Uncles estate when the old man sadly passed away. Buffy couldn’t remember being particularly bothered, but then she couldn’t really remember this Giles person at all, other than she thought she’d liked him when she was a kid.

Thoughts and memories filled her head and she was soon falling asleep, still wondering what her Summer was going to turn out to be like. Without Faith, without The Bronze, their usual hang-out, and without Angel...

The plane landed on the runway at Stanstead and Buffy looked out the window at the grey cloudy sky. She’d expected it to be raining, since this was England after all, and she quite fancied running through a storm for a change. After the near constant mind numbingly boring, sunny days of the aptly named Sunnydale, it would be a pleasant releif. Still, she had the whole Summer, this was only Day One.

As everyone filed off the plane and across into the airport, Buffy sighed. Little kids and parents, running at each other with grins and squeals of delight, was the sight that met her eyes as they came in through the gate. Boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, all embracing and kissing and exchanging I love you’s and I missed you’s. Buffy tried not to look at the displays of affection, since she knew there would be no such thing for her. She barely knew this Giles guy that was supposed to pick her up, hence the reason he’d said he would have a card with her name on, much as some of the business people waiting for foreign clients and such had.

Amongst the rabble of people, there was no card with Buffy Summers written on it and the girl shook her head. Was she surprised that no-one had come to collect her? Nope, not at all. It wasn’t as if anyone actually cared what she did. Fishing in her pocket she managed to find the piece of paper with the scrawled address on it, the one that started with Giles House. Originally she’d thought it just meant that man’s home, until it was explained to her that the guy lived in some kind of mansion or whatever.

With just one large bag thrown on her shoulder, the black clad figure of Buffy Summers wandered back outside where taxi cabs waited alongside more smiling relatives. Still the young blonde stood alone.

"You okay?" a voice asked behind her and she swivelled around to see a man just an inch or two taller than herself in biking leathers, "You look a little lost"

"Can’t be lost if you know where you are" she answered smartly, and with a smile "This is England, right?"

"Last time I checked" the man smiled back, "Still, you don’t seem altogether familar with your surroundings as I myself am...Could I assist in some way?"

"Gotta love you British guys" Buffy shook her head, still smiling, "Can’t say anything simple, always gotta use ten more words than you need" she told him, "But, you’re not bad to look at and I have nothing better to do so...you know where this is?" she asked, handing him the piece of paper in her hand.

"Of course" the man nodded, wondering how this girl was anything to do with the Giles’ family.

"So, er...name?" she prompted and he quickly remembered himself, holding out a hand to her.

"Pryce, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce" he said too correctly and Buffy rolled her eyes. Two minutes after she steps off the plane and she’d already run into her first wannabe cool guy.

"Okay Wes" she sighed, ignoring his hand until it retracted, and not bothering to tell him her own name "You got transportation?" she asked and he nodded, leading her over to a black motorcycle with red flames painted down the side.

‘Definite wannabe’ Buffy tried not to smile as he climbed onto the bike and she slid on behind him. He offered her the only helmet he had but she declined. The British wind in her hair, thats what she wanted. She wanted to take in the feeling of this country, this life she was to have for the next three months, and this was how she intended to start doing it.

The scenery rushed passed her face at sixty miles an hour. It was like flying without wings and made her feel awake and alive after so many hours trapped in a trans-atlantic steel tube. The world continued to appear in a blur until an angry red light made Wes pull the bike up sharply.

Buffy took the oppurtunity to change her grip on the man and shift in the seat, looking around at all the jammed traffic as she did so. To her left was something that caught her attention.

A huge car, black and definitely expensive, complete with tinted windows, that were doing little to hide the passenger in the back since he had it rolled down far enough that Buffy could see his face. She wondered absently who he might be. Some rich and important stuck-up British guy, with more money than brain cells and no real concept of living life at all, she guessed.

As if he felt her eyes upon him he turned to look and for a second their eyes met. Buffy was taken aback by the depth of them and the bright blue colour like the sky back home. She was a little surprised when she re-focused her eyes and found he was not just smiling at her but blushing because he’d noticed she was staring. As the traffic lights changed to green she gave him a sexy wink as Wes revved the bike and they pulled away at double the speed of the car, weaving in and out of all other vehicles as they sped on through the town.

A few more minutes and they passed the ‘You are now leaving...’ sign and were in the countryside, the like of which Buffy hadn’t ever seen before. Home wasn’t like this. It was all fresh and green and so very British out here, with fields full of sheep and cattle, and little houses and cottages set into the landscape that all blurred together as they rode at high speeds.

The mansion of a house came into view many minutes before they reached it. Like something off the cover of one of the books her aunt sometimes read, by Jane Austen or some other author that didn’t interest the blonde at all. It must have at least sixty windows across the front alone, with ornate statues, fountains, and arrangemets of plants making a huge garden outside.

The bike pulled up at the gate and a security camera swivelled to look at them.

"It’s me" Wesley said in the direction of it, helmet off now so his identity could be confirmed.

There was a buzz and a click as the gates were unlocked and opened of their own accord, the bike powering on through as soon as the gap were wide enough. Buffy was in awe of the building they approached. So far it looked like this trip to England might be better than she’d anticipated, except it seemed this house was a pretty long way from anywhere else...

"Welcome to Giles House" Wesley anounced as he pulled up outside the doors and they both got off the bike.

"Seems like you know this place" she said suspisciously, "I mean, security guys don’t let just anyone in these places, right?"

"A friend of mine works here" he said, almost uncomfortably, just as a red-haired girl came barrelling from the side door and threw herself into his arms.

"A friend?" Buffy smiled, "Or a girlfriend?"

"Er, this is Willow" Wes said with a shrug as Buffy gave him a look.

"Oh, hi" Willow smiled shyly as she stayed in his arms and glanced over at the blonde, taking in her tight, revealing, and mostly black attire. She didn’t seem to be the kind of girl her boyfriend associated with, and she wasn’t entirely sure she approved he was starting now. The motorbike had been a bit of a sore point, but racy women now?

"Hey" Buffy smiled fakely, "Is, er, Rupert Giles here?" she asked, looking back up at the huge building before them.

"Oh, no, not right now" Willow shook her head, "He’s gone to pick up his God-daughter from the airport. She’s coming from America..." she stopped talking when it suddenly occurred to her that Buffy herself had a California accent, "You?" she checked.

"Me" came Buffy’s reply with a nod, "I guess we missed each other, huh?"

"I don’t understand" Willow frowned, "He left for Heathrow hours ago!"

"That’d be fine except, er..." Wesley was now frowning also "Good heavans, I don’t know your name" he realised

"Buffy" she supplied, "and I flew in to Stanstead" she almost laughed at how ridiculous the situation was, "We can still get inside right?"

"Oh, sure" Willow shook herself out her daze. She hadn’t meant to be staring at this girl but she was so completely not what she’d expected. Coming from LA she’d expected a Valley girl type, all dyed-blond hair and fashionable clothes. Here was a semi-punk/goth type girl who’s permanent expression seemed to be a frown and whilst her hair was dyed-blonde, it also had black streaks that made her look quite wild and scary.

The three went into the house, through the front door this time since Buffy was a guest, but Willow felt very weird about it.

"Um, I guess I should show you your room" she realised, making her way up the large staircase in the centre of the entrance hall. Buffy just stood at the bottom taking in the house’s interior much as she had the outside for several minutes before she finally followed on up the stairs.

"How come you’re here?" she asked the red-head as they walked across the landing to the bedroom that would be Buffy’s for the Summer, "I mean, you’re not British"

Usually she was not the type to initiate such conversations with anyone, especially not other girls and certainly not when she was sober, but it seemed weird that in such a traditional British setting there was some flame haired fellow American.

"I work here" Willow told her latest acquaintance, "with my Mom, and my brother, Xander. We emigrated three years ago"

"Cool" Buffy answered absently as she followed on into the huge bedroom that was to be her own. It was bigger than her room back home, bigger than any room she’d ever had, but totally not her taste. All floral patterns and old-fashioned furniture - she’d have to fix that later.

"I’ll come let you know when Mr Giles gets back if you want" she heard Willow say from the door, "If you need anything, the phone is right there" she gestured to a table before disappearing. Buffy glanced at the aforementioned phone with a card next to it with a list of extension numbers to pretty much every room in the house.

"So, this is how the other half live, huh?" she said to herself as she took a run at the bed and landed amongst the pillows with a satisfying thump, paying no mind to what the employees on the floor below might think about the noise.

For half an hour she lay there, staring at the ceiling, thinking about what she’d left behind and what her time here in England might be like. She only moved again when her thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing into life. She reached across to pick up the receiver and found Willow was on the other end of the line, informing her that Giles had been contacted and sent his sincerest apologies for the mix up. He was now on his way home but expected to be a couple of hours at least.

Buffy decided the best plan for today would be to explore the house before her God-father returned and told her not to. Not that being told not to do something did anything but make her want to all the more, but it was simpler just to start her exploration of her surroundings now, since there didn’t seem to be much else to do.

Grabbing her Walkman from her bag she clipped it to the belt of her short black skirt, and slipped off her jacket to reveal a low cut red top with 100 PercentBitch written across the front in silver graffiti style lettering. She shoved her headphones on her head, jacked the volume of her music to the max and headed out of the bedroom door.

She had no idea where she was going so she just started walking down the corridor, though it was not so much walking as a cross between it and dancing to the rhythm of the music that pounded in her ears.

As no one was looking when she reached the staircase, she couldn’t resist siting herself on the top of the banister and sliding a fair distance down. The trouble was when she slid off the bottom her legs didn’t hold her weight correctly and she pitched forward - straight into a pair of male arms.

Buffy laughed as she righted herself and pulled her headphones from her ears.

"Nice catch" she commented as she glanced up at her saviour, expecting it to be Wes or just some random servant-type guy. She got the surprise of her life when slightly familiar bright blue eyes met hers, "Hey, look who it is?" she shook her head as she took in the rest of the man’s figure. Geek seemed to be an understatement given his appearance, but his accent was far from disagreeable when he spoke, and the scar that ran through his left eyebrow was intriguing too...

"Good heavens, I saw you earlier, on the back of a motorbike" he realised, almost blushing all over again when he added, "You winked at me"

"What are you doing in my God-father’s house?" Buffy narrowed her eyes at him, a little thrown by the situation.

"You’re Buffy Summers?" he said eyes going wide as dinner-plates as they roamed her body. She was hardly what he’d been expecting, and he was quite certain she was not what Giles was expecting either.

"You know my name but I don’t know yours" said the girl, absently striking a pose against the banisters as the mystery man looked her over for a second time, but then she was sort of dressed to grab attention.

"Er, my name is William Rayne" he said politely offering her his hand which she shook, though she was trying not to laugh, "I’m Rupert Giles’ nephew" he added, before she had a chance to ask.

"Interesting" was Buffy’s only comment as she turned to walk away, pulling her headphones from her neck and moving to put them back over her ears.

"Um, where are you going?" William called behind her. She was not what he was expecting but from what he had seen of her (and in that outfit one could see quite a bit) he thought he was going to like her, she was different to any other girl he’d ever met, that much was obvious from just five minutes of meeting.

"I dunno" Buffy shrugged as she placed the headphones on her ears but not turning the music on yet, "You know anything fun I can do in this place?" she asked him, doubting he would.

"Depends what your idea of fun is" came his innocent reply.

Buffy’s only answer was to smile at the comment in a decidedly suggestive manner before dancing off down the corridor and out of sight.

William had thought his annual Summer visit to Giles House would be just the same as any other. When he was told his Uncles God-daughter was to be there too he had assumed the same as everyone else. Some typical Californian type all full of talk about fashion and love of the beach, who would be even less interested in him than the girls he currently knew. The only female that really paid him any attettion was his sister, Drusilla, and even she was not consistent in her affection for his company, though it wasn’t her fault...

Though William was sure he stood no chance of meaning anything to the girl he had just met a part of him really wished it would turn out differently. She could be the excitement he’d been looking for in his life, the one person who would help him to ‘come out of his shell’ as you might say. He smiled as he climbed the stairs to his room, happy to be away from home for a while, and thrilled to know he had three months to get to know Buffy Summers better.

"Oh Willow, my dear, thankyou so much" Giles smiled to the young girl as she waited inside the front door to help him with his coat and umbrella. The black clouds that had threatened a downpour all morning were finally delivering and even getting from the car to the door had meant Rupert Giles ended up looking half-drowned.

"Your nephew, Mr Rayne, arrived shortly after Miss Summers" Willow informed him, "My mother was going to call you again but we thought it was best not to when you were concentrating on driving"

"Yes, yes, very sensible" he nodded as he headed for the stairs, "Erm, I shall change and then find him in his usual room I expect" he said as he went up and Willow went to continue with her chores around the house.

Giles made his way to his own bedroom and changed from one plain and smart suit into another that was seemingly identical. His wardrobe was as varied as his life and that meant very little, but he was a fan of regularity and order, and had no wish to change any time soon.

Minutes later he was strolling down the corridor to find his nephew who he was pleased to say was very like him The boy was nothing like his father, and for that the world should be eternally grateful. One Ethan Rayne was quite enough for anyone to deal with, and it was a definite blessing that William had been influenced more by his uncle than anyone else.

Giles tapped on the door to the room that was always his nephew’s quarters, even when he was back at home. The boy was quick to answer with a bright smile on his face and a warm handshake for his favourite uncle.

"How are you, Uncle Giles?" he asked and the older man rolled his eyes.

"I am quite well William, but I am certain that the last time you were here we quite decided you should stop calling me uncle" Giles reminded him, "You are nineteen years old, a man in your own right now. You are quite qualified to call me simply Giles as everyone else does"

"I am sorry" William shook his head removing his glasses that he’d been wearing to read a book before, "I’m afraid I forgot"

"How is your sister?" Giles asked next and the look on his nephews face told him the answer was not as good as it might have been. Glossing over the subject, he put a hand breifly on the boys shoulder "Well, we shall have to catch up later William" he told him, "I am sorry to cut our conversation short but I think I should greet my other guest. You do remember I mentioned that my God-daughter Buffy was coming to stay, don’t you?"

"Indeed" the younger man grinned in spite of himself, "I do believe I’ve already met her...tell me Giles, how long is it since you last saw the girl?"

"Oh, well" Giles removed his own spectacles and cleaned them thoughtfully on his handkerchief, "She was just a little girl when I left America, perhaps four or five, and then I received pictures from dear Joyce and Hank each year until they passed away, she was just nine then I believe, poor child"

William felt horribly bad for the girl when he was reminded of her past. Was it any wonder she was a little wild now, given all she’d been through? To lose both ones parents at such an age must have been almost unbearable for her. He could sympathise to a degree, he had no mother himself though in some ways he was better off. His Mum had died when he was just a year old and so he never really knew her. It was impossible to miss what you have never truly had and at least he still had a father, if Ethan could be called that.

"...have any idea where I might find her?"

William zoned back into the conversation, catching the end of his uncles question, which he guessed correctly was referring to Buffy.

"Oh, I saw her earlier, listening to some music and er, dancing in the corridor downstairs" he said trying not to smile at the strange expression on Giles face.

"Dancing in the corridors?" he echoed as he moved in the direction of the main staircase again, "I shall see you later William, when I have located Buffy" he called over his shoulder, before mumbling to himself, "Where on Earth could the girl be?"

"I want you to want me...I need you to need me...I love you to love me...and I’m begging you to beg me..." Buffy sang along to Letters To Cleo cover of I Want You To Want Me as she danced her way down another corridor, her eyes closed most of the time, completely ignoring the world around her, until she ploughed right into part of it. The door was slightly ajar and when she bumped into it she fell right into a room, only just managing to stay on her feet as she saw a surprised young man in front of her.

"Er, hi" he said nervously as his eyes travelled from her feet up to her face, stopping at a few choice areas on the way, "Can I have you? I mean, help you, can I help you?"

"Do I look like someone who needs help?" she snapped, clearly taking what he said completely the wrong way, as she turned off the Walkman for a while and left her headphones around her neck.

"Oh, no, I didn’t mean..." the boy started to ramble before taking a breath and starting again, "I’m Xander Harris, I work here" he told her, "and you are?"

"Who do you want me to be?" she asked with a dangerous smile and Xander laughed nervously.

"Um, how about you just tell me your name before I take something you take the wrong way and end up with the heel of your boot somewhere painful" he said and it was Buffy’s turn to laugh. She didn’t do that often, unless she was drunk or someone she didn’t like was in pain, or both of the above. Still, this guy amused her and he was honest and straight forward so far, she didn’t feel like playing this time.

"Buffy Summers" she told him, "and you’re that girl I met’s brother, right?" she frowned thinking that Xander sounded familiar.

"If you mean Willow, then yeah, that’d be me" he nodded, "but if you’re Buffy Summers, as in God-daughter to Giles, why are you down here? This is where us lower beings live, y’know like servant type people"

"To be honest I don’t know where I am" she shrugged, "Kinda slave to the rhythm, know what I mean" she gestured towards her Walkman but Xander shook his head.

"Not so much a rhythm slave" he told her, "but hey, I could help you find your way back to the land of the rich people. Giles should be home by now and he’s probably looking for you"

"Guess I should make the effort" Buffy sighed, knowing she wouldn’t ordinarily bother but then she spent enough time complaining that her Aunt and Uncle didn’t pay her any attention, it made little sense to protest about a guy who actually wanted to spend time with her.

She walked with Xander back the way she’d come, up a couple of flights of stairs she’d almost forgotten she’d come down until they arrived back in the main foyer again.

"Now this looks familiar" Buffy nodded, "but how the hell do you keep track of everyone in this place. It’s almost big enough to qualify as it’s own city!" she pointed out, causing Xander to chuckle.

"You kinda get used to it" he assured her, "and I don’t think Giles would’ve gone far..."

"Indeed" said a voice behind him, "in fact I am right here" the older man said as Xander turned around, and Buffy did the same, "Thankyou for finding my God-daughter for me, Xander"

"You’re welcome, sir" the boy smiled, heading back down where he’d come from. Buffy watched him go before her attention returned to Giles and she managed half a smile. He looked almost exactly like the guy she’d met earlier, William, only clearly older and without the interesting scar or potential for hotness.

"Hey" she said uncertainly, wondering why he was looking at her like she had two heads. She looked down at herself, wandering what his deal was, but she found just her black boots, fishnet stockings and black skirt just as they should be.

"Hello, Buffy. I’m Mr Giles" he told her with a shake of his head to stop himself from staring, "You can call me Giles though, most people do"

"Okay, Giles" she nodded, "er, thanks for inviting me here, the house is cool" she tried to sound grateful without overdoing it but he was still staring at her in that weird way.

"I’m terribly sorry" he said suddenly, it seemed he’d just noticed he was doing it, "You just, well, you’re a little to different to what I remember...but then it has been several years" he laughed slightly at how stupid he’d been to assume that between the ages of nine and seventeen the girl could not have changed all that much. He’d expected her to be taller and slightly more of a woman naturally, but he’d also assumed she’d be a similar type of person, with pretty pastel coloured clothes and neatly brushed hair. The harsh expression, black and red attire, and slightly wild hair was all quite a shock.

"I don’t remember you at all" Buffy told him, perhaps a little too harshly, but she got the distinct impression he didn’t like what he saw when he looked at her, and immediately went on the defensive.

"Well, you were very young when we last met" Giles conceded, as they still stood several feet apart in the foyer. It would be a little inappropriate for them to hug, and it seemed to formal to shake hands so instead they stood with the distance between them, eyeing each other warily.

"You’ve met my nephew, William, I hear" Giles tried desperately to make conversation, hoping things would get more comfortable any moment now. If they were to spend three months in the same house together, they had to find some common ground between them.

"Yeah, he seems...okay" came her reply, complete with a fairly uninterested shrug, "I er, I’ve been looking around, and I met Willow and Xander"

"Oh yes, we do have an American family living hear, Mrs Harris is my housekeeper" he smiled, "her husband unfortunately passed away and her family had already moved to the UK so she followed with the children. Willow is a year younger than you, I believe, and Xander a year or two older"

Buffy nodded along with what he was saying but she was fairly bored and kind of uncomfortable still. She figured it’d take a while for her, Giles, and William, to all get used to each other, if they ever did at all. There was only twelve weeks after all, and Buffy knew she wasn’t the easiest person in the world to get along with - she made being difficult her art.

"Well, er, I do believe dinner will be ready in less than an hour, and I do have some business to attend to" Giles smiled, "I shall see you later then"

"Sure, whatever" Buffy shrugged, completely at ease with being left alone to her own devices. It’d been that way for the past eight years of her life - why would things change now, just because she was in England?

William stood in his room, looking out at the scenery beyond the window. Grey clouds had broken and rain was pouring down as it often did in this country. The view was hills, trees and fields, so far from building after building that dominated the view from the windows of his home in London. Cars, filth, and general bustle, were replaced by peace, serenity and calm for the duration of his Summer spent at Giles House.

Of course, it wouldn’t do for things to be too quiet, not when Buffy Summers was around. William had the feeling the calm of the country would be of no use to the girl with the black knee high boots and angry-girl music. This he completely believed until a figure came into his view. Now without her shoes or her Walkman present, the girl he’d met just a couple of hours ago, thundered past the house at an alarming speed, yelling at the lightening filled sky to give her it’s best shot.

"Is she completely crazy!" William asked himself as he watched her with astonished eyes. She stopped running directly under his window as she looked up and noticed him watching her. She smiled as she pushed her soaked hair off her face and blew him a kiss a dangerous twinkle in her eyes that he swore he could see even from that distance, before she ran off again.

"Crazy? Perhaps" William smiled as he strained his eyes to see her retreating figure disappear, "Extraordinary, intriguing, and someone I want to know better? Definitely"

It was ten minutes past dinner time and no-one could find Buffy. Giles and William had naturally arrived in the dining room on time and waited for the girl, glancing at their watches every minute or so, the older man polishing the lenses of his glasses for something else to do. Several of the staff had been sent to look for her, but since she was neither in her room nor at the dinner table, and the house was so huge, it was difficult to know where to begin.

At length she arrived in the doorway and Giles smiled, standing up to greet her as his nephew did the same.

"Ah, Buffy, there you are" he said as she came into the room.

"Yep, here I am" she shrugged, as she entered, now wearing tight black pants and a low cut black top that left little to the imagination. William suspected he was one of few people who knew why she’d needed to change her clothes, or why her hair was newly blow-dried, "What are you looking at?" she asked him, almost nastily as he realised he was staring. Though a large part of him knew he should not have expected a properly dressed lady to arrive at the dinner table, he hadn’t really expected this either.

"Oh, nothing, really" he looked away fast when he was reminded that he was staring "You, er, you look very...nice" he opted for eventually, wondering if she’d take that as a compliment or an insult. How did one speak to such a person at this? He’d never met anyone like her.

"Not exactly what I was going for but okay" she smiled in amused fashion as Giles pulled out her chair for her to sit down. She noticed he was trying not to stare too, as were a couple of butler-type guys to the side, "What? You expected me all dressed up for dinner?" she asked with a look of disbelief, "I don’t think so" she scoffed as she made herself comfortable on the seat. She didn’t exactly sit like a lady either.

"That’s quite alright, Buffy, you look just fine as you are" Giles managed a small smile, though he was completey thrown by the girls looks and behaviour these days, "Indeed, I believe it has become somewhat of a habit for William and myself to dress smartly for a meal..." he rambled a little, feeling quite strange sitting between these two young people who had a habit of looking at each other strangely, "You two have met I understand"

"Yeah, we kinda...bumped into each other" Buffy admitted with a half-smile, remembering her little trip on the stairs.

"Indeed we did" William nodded, also recalling it with a smile. It wasn’t often he got the chance to have a female in his arms, in fact, not counting the brotherly hugs he gave his sister, he didn’t ever.

"So, er, Buffy" Giles was desperate to make some kind of conversation, "How were you Aunt and Uncle when you left? They were well I hope?" he asked her as she picked at the black nail polish on her fingers.

"I guess" she shrugged, "We don’t really spend much time together"

"Ah yes, I suppose he is rather busy being Mayor" the Englishman nodded, starting to understand a little as to why Buffy had turned out the way she had. With her parents gone and her Aunt and Uncle not willing to give her the time of day, was it any wonder she become a little wild over the years? "How about your cousin? It’s Faith, isn’t it?" he tried to show an interest but the girl was not forthcoming, and barely glanced up from her hands when she answered.

"She’s...Faith" she told him, "You can’t say much more than that"

Giles closed his eyes and sighed quietly, removing his glasses and wiping the lenses. William’s eyes seemed to fixed on Buffy, whilst hers were permanently down at her nails as tiny pieces of black polish got flicked over the table and floor. Giles was just too nice to ask her to stop it, and to be honest a little afraid of causing an argument.

The silence was broken by Willow and another girl bringing in the food. Since it was just the three of them it was just a main course and dessert today. For dinner parties when the long table was full to capacity and there could be anything from three to six or seven courses, more people serving and all dressed impeccably smart for the occasion, still Giles suspected Buffy wouldn’t have cared that she looked so out of place.

The look on her face when Willow put the plate down in front of her today was enough to let the red-head know she was not impressed, though the serving girl knew for a fact it cost a fortune.

After ten minutes of watching her push the food around the plate and not eating it at all, Giles shared a look with William and decided to say something.

"You’re not eating, Buffy?" he asked as casually as he could, careful not to sound accusing in any way.

"I have this policy about not eating things I can’t identify" she said smartly, dropping her fork down with a clatter, and sitting back in her chair looking both annoyed and bored. William wondered absently if she really was feeling those two things or if she just liked people to believe she was so that they paid her some attention.

"Oh, er, well..." Giles wasn’t sure what to say to his God-daughter and it was clear his nephew wasn’t going to wade into any kind of conversation with her.

"It’s okay" the girl sighed, "I’m not hungry anyway" she promptly went back to peeling the polish from her fingernails, glancing up every so often to see if William was still staring at her.

She kind of liked that he wanted to look at her. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t used to being wanted by guys, there were few in Sunnydale who hadn’t tried to make a move on her, or would’ve done if they had the guts. She figured William was likely to be in the second group, just wouldn’t have the backbone to take her on, but then if after a couple of weeks in this place she got bored, maybe she’d make the first move and teach him a few things she was pretty sure he didn’t know about girls.

It was on one of the occasions when she was glancing up and yes, he was still staring at her, when she caught sight of something over his shoulder and her face hardened. William wondered at first if it was his looking at her that had made her so angry but when she promptly got up from the table and stalked past him be figured perhaps not.

"Is everything alright, Buffy?" Giles asked with a slight frown as she stormed past him and beyond the table to the old fashioned fireplace.

"No" she said flatly, grabbing a framed photo from the mantle.

"Ah, yes" the older man nodded, realising what she’d spotted, "William, the people in that photograph behind you are Joyce and Hank" he explained to his bemused nephew, "Buffy’s parents"

"My dead parents" she emphasised, a cold look on her face that made William shudder. She looked ready to commit murder on anyone who dared look at her, not really the reaction one would expect from a girl when her deceased parents were mentioned.

"They were lovely people" Giles smiled at the memory of his two dear friends, clearly not noticing Buffy’s expression, "You look uncannily like your mother you know, Buffy" he told her and she turned to him with anger evident in her eyes.

"Not because I want to" she spat, throwing the picture to the floor with a crash as the glass splintered and smashed into a hundred pieces. As Giles opened his mouth to speak, Buffy stormed out the door, almost barrelling into poor Willow who came in carrying a tray with three desserts on it.

"Someone should go after her" William said immediately, planning on going himself. Giles nodded as he stood up.

"Yes, I suppose so" he sighed, putting his napkin on the table and making to leave.

"Actually" his nephew said quickly, placing hand on his arm, "I thought perhaps, someone nearer her own age?"

Giles glanced over at him and sat back down with a nod of understanding.

"Ah yes, of course" he agreed, "Willow would you mind awfully?" he asked the red-head who almost threw a strawberry mousse in his lap from the surprise.

William closed his eyes and sighed. He’d wanted to be the one to go after Buffy, heaven knows what he would have said to her, but he would’ve loved the excuse to talk to her again, especially alone.

"Me!" Willow’s mouth hung open with shock, "Erm, well I..."

"You are of her age, my dear" Giles almost pleaded with her, "and female obviously, and from her home country. I confess I don’t really know where to begin with her" he explained with a shake of his head. Giles was not the sort of person who could order people to do things, even those who worked for him, but he did do a rather good line in pointed suggestion, William observed.

"But I don’t even know her" Willow shook her head, really not wanting to face the angry blonde. People like her did not get along with people like Buffy. Willow was an ex-geek turned semi-cool middle of the road girl, whilst Buffy was, well, someone who she would like to avoid as much now as she did when similar people were around at High School.

"I don’t exactly know her myself, truth be told" Giles explained, removing his glasses to polish the lenses on his handkerchief, "She was just five years old when I last saw her and she’s changed so drastically from the sweet child she once was" he put a hand on Willows arm and gave her a hopeful smile, "It would mean a great deal if you could do this for me, Willow"

An incredible attack of guilt coursed through the girl as she considered all the great favours this man had done for her and her family, by employing them all and giving them a home when no-one else would. He wasn’t asking much of her, just wanted her to talk to his God-daughter and check she was okay.

"Okay, Giles. I’ll go" she nodded, managing a half-smile as she headed for the door.

Working on the assumption that Buffy would probably run to her room, Willow went there first. When she arrived outside the door she heard movement inside so she knocked. After two minutes with no response, she tried again and opened the door herself when no reply came.

"Miss Summers?" she called awkwardly as she entered "Er, Buffy?"

"Leave me alone" said a voice in the dark and dingy room. The curtains at the two large windows were drawn at one and parted just slightly at the other, as Buffy sat on the large sill looking out between the gap at the cloudy sky and rain as all the light disappeared from the world for another day.

"I just wanted to make sure you’re okay" Willow ventured a little further towards the sillouhette in the window, not daring to suggest turning on a light or anything for fear of getting her head bitten off.

"Like you care if I’m okay" Buffy scoffed, still not looking at her visitor, "You don’t even know me"

"Mr Giles knows you" Willow reminded her, before realising he just told her to the contrary, "well, he did, and..."

"He doesn’t care either" the blonde interrupted sharply, "Nobody does"

"That can’t be true" Willow shook her head. There was such anger and bitterness in the other girls voice, a girl who was just a few months older than she was. Life should be so full of fun and possibilities for people their age, but it seemed Buffy didn’t feel that way.

"Don’t get me wrong" she said, turning at last to look at Willow who stood stuck to the spot as he was addressed, "it’s not like I’m bothered. I just don’t see why I should sit down there and pretend like I belong" she explained, "Truth is I don’t belong anywhere" she turned back to the window then and Willow rolled her eyes in the dark.

"You think I feel like I belong here?" she said, walking over to stand beside the other girl, "I’m not a high class British person like Giles and his friends either, but I like it here now...I got used to it" she told her. Buffy laughed then but it was little improvement on her previous state since there was no humour present at all.

"This is so not me" she shook her head, getting up from her seat and walking into the centre of the room, "this room, this stuff..." she ran a hand along the wall and around a couple of paperweights on a cabinet beside it.

"I’m sure Giles wouldn’t mind if you changed a few things..." Willow told her, just able to make out an interested look appear on Buffy’s face, followed by a dangerous kind of a smirk as she reached for the edge of the old-fashioned wallpaper and tore a great strip away, "Maybe you could ask first" the other girl said quickly, panicking as Buffy reached for the edge of the paper to pull some more off.

"If it bothers you" she said smartly as she prised the edge of the paper away from the wall and tore at a huge strip, "you ask"

Willow watched with wide eyes as Buffy made her way along the wall, ripping large amounts of wallpaper away as she went. The red-head backed up towards the door.

"I should probably just go" she mumbled.

"Don’t let the door hit you on your way out" Buffy called over her shoulder and Willow paused in the doorway, not just astonished but a little affronted by Buffy’s attitude.

"Despite what you think" she told her, "Giles is a nice man and he does wants to help you out"

Buffy spun around, leaving the wallpaper alone for a moment as her eyes flashed angrily in the dark.

"I don’t need anyone’s help" she said haughtily, "Not yours, not Giles, no-ones. Okay?"

"Okay" Willow nodded more sad to see a person behave that way than truly scared of her temper anymore.

As the younger girl disappeared out of the door and down the stairs, Buffy tore more paper from the room, ripping at it with abandon until an entire wall was practically bare. She stood back then and looked at the mess she’d made. In the dark silent room, she sank to her knees, and cried.

For three days no-one at the Giles mansion really saw Buffy as much of her time was spent in her room re-decorating. Willow had told her boss about the wallpaper, which had caused him to clean his glasses violently. He had eventually decided it might help if Buffy was left to her own devices. Perhaps changing the bedroom to her liking would help to make her feel more at home and calm her down somewhat. When the girl overheard a conversation between her God-father and a servant in which he said just that, she had to stifle a snort of laughter so as not to be found out for listening in.

He really thought that underneath it all she was some good and sweet little girl? It was so clear that he didn’t know her at all! Would he be saying that if he knew what she was doing in that room? Xander certainly didn’t think so. He was one of the few people who had been graced with Buffy’s company on several occasions. There was left over paint and fabric and such kept in a storeroom in the basement and he’d helped her find what she wanted for the room, after a little persuasion.

Buffy was heading back to her room from another trip to the basement, another pot of paint in her hand. She was actually enjoying herself, painting the ceilings and walls in shades of red and black, and re-hashing the bedclothes. What she lacked now was decent drapes. She wanted to carry on with her colour scheme and have them black, but unfortunately none were to be found amongst the supply of old linen and she’d used the dark fabrics she had found already on the bed and pillows.

It was now as she walked across the hall that she noticed the door to another of the bedrooms was open. Usually all the doors were locked, but now one just a little way from her own had been left ajar. Checking no-one was paying attention she walked over, putting the pot of paint down and pushing the door so it opened further.

The room was similar to hers in size and furnishings, but the curtains were drawn against the sun, keeping the whole space in almost complete darkness.

In the gloom, Buffy made out china dolls, sitting on a chest at the end of the bed, and a fancy dress with cream lace up on a hanger on the closet door. She headed for the windows and noticed the closed drapes were almost exactly what she wanted for her room. It wasn’t like anyone would care if she just took them, she reasoned, and even if they did, what did she care?

Gripping on tight to the edge of the material she prepared to rip them down, a grin on her face. She physically jumped when a hand came out of the dark, fingers wrapping tightly round her wrist.

"Buffy" William’s voice was shockingly cold and dangerous, "Do be specific and tell a fellow, exactly what you think you’re doing?" he asked her as she made out his face in the dim light.

"Like it’s your business!" she snapped, tearing her arm from his grasp, "What the hell are you doing in here? You nearly scared the crap out of me!" she complained.

"What am I doing in here?" he asked incredulously, "I think I should be asking you that"

"I need new drapes for my room, I like these" she shrugged, "What’s it to you?"

William laughed painfully at that.

"You need them" he echoed, "No. You want them, and you think that makes it okay for you to have them" he said bitterly. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Enough with the psycho-babble" she told him, "Yeah, okay, you’re right. I want, I take, I have" she said hand on her hips like a challenge, "You got a problem with that?"

She was a little taken aback when he got right up in her face. Where was the shy geek she’d met three days ago. ‘Potential for hotness rising’ she thought to herself.

"When you’re talking about taking my sisters things, then yes, I do have a problem with that" he said seriously, turning away as soon as he’d finished speaking and walking over to the end of the bed. His fingers ran across the edge of the chest and the pale faced dolls that sat atop it, as Buffy looked on.

"Is she dead?" she asked bluntly and William looked over at her in apparent shock, "I mean, she’s not here and you’re being weird about her stuff"

"She’s not dead" he told her sharply, looking back at the dolls in front of him, "but you’re more right than you know when you say she’s not here" he said sadly.

Buffy wasn’t entirely sure she knew what he was talking about and didn’t really feel like asking for an explanation. Something bad had obviously happened to his sister, whoever she was, and it was getting to him. Though usually she was quite happy to plunge in and ask all the inappropriately cutting questions til she knew what she wanted to, when it came to William, something stopped her.

"Whatever" she shrugged, deciding it was best to just get out and leave this guy alone, "It’s not like I care anyway" she said, making for the door.

"No, you really don’t" he let out another humourless laugh and Buffy stopped two steps from the door. It was the way he said it that made her snap and she flung the door closed with a loud bang as she turned around to face him again.

"And what is that supposed to mean!" she demanded to know. William was quick to tell her.

"Giles agreed to let you come here because he wanted to help you, he wanted to get to know you and be your friend and you’ve thrown it back in his face" he told her, far more angrily than he would usually. If he wasn't being so annoying, Buffy couldn’t help thinking she could quite like him when he was being this way.

"He doesn’t care about me" she shot back "Nobody does"

"Only because you don’t want them to" he argued, "Anyone tries to be nice to you, you bite their head off or run away. You don’t know when you’re well off"

"You don’t know anything about me!" she almost screamed at him, "You don’t know what it’s like to be me!" with that she stormed out of the door, slamming through to her own room. William gave chase, blocking the exit to her room when she attempted to avoid the argument.

"I know what it’s like to have no-one to care" he retaliated, "I know how hard it is to grow up without a mother, without a father too mostly" his volume and anger were decreasing now but he wasn’t done yet, "I know what it’s like to feel alone and unwanted, and if it weren’t for Giles...well, you might not be the only one painting your room black and avoiding everybody"

The pair looked at each other with intense gazes. She was still processing what he’d been telling her, he was still wondering why he had and where all the anger had come from. Of course he knew why he’d exploded the way he had.

His sister, Drusilla, had taken another turn for the worse. Her mental state had been unbalanced ever since the accident that killed their dear mother and almost took the young Dru’s life too. For years she was in and out of hospitals and institutions, experts visited their home as her father and brother tried to cope with her violent mood swings and bouts of illness. It was when she was fourteen that she’d finally been permanently admitted to a home that could better take care of her, Ethan didn’t care enough to bother and William was just a child of barely twelve.

"If it weren’t for Giles" Buffy echoed his words, much more calm than she’d been before "but the point is you did have him, I didn’t"

"That’s not his fault, or mine" William told her, eyes fixed on hers, "What happened to your parents was tragic but..."

"Don’t tell me that wasn’t anyone’s fault either!" she was yelling again now, eyes flashing angrily, "Some guy was out there with a gun. He tried to take my mothers purse and when she fought he murdered her!" she told him, so much pain and anger in her eyes he didn’t want to look but he couldn’t tear himself away either, "and when he realised what he’d done, he couldn’t leave a witness" she said more quietly, tears coming to her eyes that she desperately pushed back, "so he shot him too, and d’you wanna know the worst part? In less than six years he’ll be back out on the streets, to wreck another little girls life, just like he wrecked mine" she said both bitter and angry as she turned her back on William.

He felt so desperately sorry for her. What had happened to his mother was also terrible but it was an accident at least and no-one’s fault that she was dead or Drusilla was ill. He always thought it would have been easier to have someone to blame, but he saw now how wrong he was. Buffy was consumed by anger at the man who took her parents away from her when she was just a child. What she had become was all down to that one man, triggering a chain reaction of events that led to this person standing here in this moment, back turned on one other human being who was trying to understand.

"I can’t say I know what you feel" William said softly as he stepped up behind her, "All I can say is that you’re not as alone as you think you are. Giles wants to help you, and be there for you. I can’t speak for anyone else but I know I want to know you better too...perhaps, given time, we could be friends" he tried, tentatively reaching out a hand to her shoulder. She spun round before his fingers made it to her skin and he yanked his arm back fast, trying to cover by running his hand through his hair.

"I don’t have friends" she told him, an expression on her face that tried to be neutral but her eyes gave her away. She hated to be alone but all she’d really had for the past nine years was her own company, "I have my cousin, Faith, but even she doesn’t want to talk to me..." she frowned slightly at the thought, her eyes moving away from his to a spot on the side wall.

Nobody ever really talked to her, nobody cared enough to try. She was so fast to jump down the throats of all who even looked at her, nobody tried to start a conversation. William was a surprise, she admitted to herself only, he’d got past her yelling and made her want to really talk about things, made her feel things about the past and the future, and all in one half-argument, half-conversation.

"Buffy" her name sounded different when he said it, sounded like it mattered, like she did, "I’m here if you want me to be...this Summer is going to be less than fun if we do nothing but fight" he half-smiled, so wanting to reach out to her, get her to look at him, talk to him.

"I guess I can deal with the not fighting" she said still not looking at him.

Screwing her eyes tight shut suddenly she breathed deeply a couple of times and when she opened her eyes again she was smiling, though it wasn’t entirely genuine, William was sure.

"I need to get out of this place for a while" she announced, heading for the door. She opened it and then paused, turning back, "You wanna come with?" she asked a slightly stunned William, who nodded nevertheless.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked her as they walked down the hallway together and Buffy shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno" she admitted, "Just out of this building for a while" she told him as she ran down the stairs and he followed at a slightly more sedate pace.

"Ah Buffy, so nice to see you my dear" Giles smiled warmly at her as she reached the foyer. He was slightly surprised when William followed her down, almost colliding with her back as she stopped so suddenly, "And William, er, are you and Buffy...?" he wasn’t quite sure what to think, considering Buffy had been so anti-social with everybody and now here she was with his nephew in tow.

"We’re just going out, Giles" the younger man told him and the blond in front of him smiled as they headed for the doors.

"Anywhere in particular?" Giles frowned worriedly as he removed his glasses and polished the lenses on his handkerchief. He doubted very much that this girl, however dear she and her parents once were to him, would be anything other than a bad influence on his nephew.

"We’ll know when we get there" Buffy called over her shoulder as they went out and the doors thumped shut behind them.

Giles sighed and replaced his glasses, heading off to the drawing room.

"This will not end well" he surmised.

Outside, Buffy was loving the sensation of the warm sun on her skin after too many days of hiding away inside. Back home the sun was almost constant, she preferred the weather here. Though it was Summer there had been a couple of excessively rainy days already, yesterday she’d noted the clouds had been fewer and far between and now today the sun shone bright in the sky, lighting up the world in rainbow shades. The countryside was a welcome sight to both she and William, who rarely saw a landscape such as this. They walked for a while in surprisingly comfortable silence until Buffy spotted something in the distance and her eyes lit up.

She walked a little faster and William followed though he had no idea where she was headed. After a while he noticed they were getting closer to the lake that resided in the Giles House grounds and he wondered why it would interest Buffy.

"This is perfect" the young blonde smiled as they stood by the side of the water, the light bouncing off it, making every ripple look like sparkling diamonds on the surface.

"Er, perfect for what exactly?" William asked a little worried, "What exactly are we doing out here?"

"Well I dunno about you" Buffy grinned, kicking off her boots "but I’m going in the water" she told him, working the zipper of her pants and sliding them off too.

William simply didn’t know where to look as Buffy stripped off her pants and pulled her top over her head. He had very little experience with women and their lack of clothing, unless you counted Dru in her rather disturbing naked-loving phase. Of course it was simpler when his sister was involved, she was family, but now Buffy, a non-relation who he found very attractive was stripping off all her clothes right in front of him and even when he turned away like a gentleman should, his imagination went into over-drive causing his body to react in the expected manner.

"Buffy, I really don’t think..." he began but she interrupted.

"For once in your life, William, stop thinking about it and just do it!" she told him and out of force of habit he turned to answer her, just in time to see the girl now dressed in nothing but black lace underwear, diving headlong into the lake.

He stared open mouthed unable to comprehend what was happening. Normal people did not strip off and jump in lakes, nobody he knew would ever...

"You just gonna stand there?" Buffy asked as she held herself steady in the water, just her head and shoulders showing now which William was grateful for. At least he could remain calm if he just kept the images of her mostly naked body from his mind.

When he gave no answer to her question Buffy shifted in the water so more of her body showed. She knew what kind of effect she must be having on him, though diving in the lake had not been purely an excuse to take her clothes off and turn him on, that was just an added bonus. She had the weirdest feeling that with a little persuasion William could be this incredible guy, and since she had nothing better to do this Summer, she intended to find the wild part of the geek and bring it to the surface.

"What’s the matter?" she called to him, pushing her dripping hair back out of her face, "Can’t you swim?"

"Of course I can" he answered her quickly, "but I...that is to say..." he mumbled, fingers fumbling without the edge of his other sleeve and eyes trained on his feet.

"You’re not scared are you?" Buffy challenged him and William’s eyes snapped up immediately, "I’d hate to think you were some kind of chicken" she continued seeing his reaction and liking it. She was far from the first to say these things to him, he’d been through it all before she was certain. She herself had taken her fair share of verbal abuse, being called a freak and a weirdo and a slut. William was teased and bullied for different reasons clearly, but treated appallingly none the less. It hurt him but she could tell it also made him angry, though he tried not to show it.

"I’m not afraid" he told her firmly, tilting his chin and Buffy smirked.

"Prove it" she told him smartly, a little surprised that it took just a moments hesitation before he began to remove his jacket and shoes. He spent quite a while fiddling with the buttons of his shirt, unable to identify whether it was his fear or excitement making him shake so much. Far from the confidence Buffy had, Will was certain that every visible part of his body was blushing as he unfastened his pants. He hesitated and Buffy felt bad for him suddenly.

"I won’t look" she told him, turned herself around. She remained with her back to him just as long as she thought it would take him to be undressed, then quickly turned back wishing to survey the scene as it were.

Buffy gasped a little at the sight that met her eyes. Inside his clothes it was impossible to tell, but now standing there in nothing but his boxers and the light of the sun, William really was built kind of well. Far from being skinny and unattractive as a lot of geeks she’d seen before were, he was a pretty decent specimen of a man and the blonde swallowed hard as she watched him dive into the water a few feet from her.

She recovered quickly from her shock and swam over to him, still smiling at the pleasant discoveries she was making about this guy. Immediately William became uncomfortable again, knowing that beneath the water his body was mere inches from hers.

"So William Rayne" she smirked, as he backed up against the rocks at once side of the water, "I don’t scare you at all?"

He swallowed hard at her closeness and desperately tried to control southern regions of his body that refused to comply.

"Of course not" he lied.

Buffy smiled, trying not to laugh at how difficult he was finding it all. She didn’t scare him in a bad way she could tell, but it bothered him having her so close. She correctly guessed that he’d probably never behaved this way in his life, and definitely not with a woman. She looked at him then as if to study him and he flinched slightly when she reached out a hand to him.

"Your hair looks better like this" she told him, forcing a few stray pieces back like the rest. The water had flattened out his curls and Buffy liked how cool he looked with his hair all pushed back off his face. William had his eyes closed, finding that her fingers in his hair were really not helping his situation in the slightest. He wondered if she knew how she was thrilling him and making him suffer at the same time.

"I’ll bet you’d look good as a blond too" he heard her laugh slightly and felt her hands go away so he opened his eyes in time to see her swimming away, "Well, come on" she urged him and he followed her across the lake into the more sunny half.

"Xander?" Giles called as he caught sight of someone walking passed the door of his study.

"Yes, sir?" the boy replied, hovering by the entrance to the room, frowning a little when he realised his employer was staring out of the window but also waving him over to join him.

"I do believe we have intruders" the older man told Xander, pointing down towards the lake where two figures could be seen, slightly hidden by the trees from this angle.

"You want me to call the police?" the brunette asked, squinting his eyes and trying to focus on the people in the water.

"Oh good Lord" Giles suddenly gasped as a male and female came across the water into the sunnier and more visible part of the lake, "That’s William and Buffy!" he said, absolutely stunned.

Xander’s expression was very similar as he considered the implications of what his boss had just said. On closer inspection he could see that he was right, but what on Earth had possessed quiet, kinda geeky, Giles-clone, William to go diving into the lake? He assumed the only reason could be his bathing companion.

"This is just..I cannot believe that..." Giles was so flustered he removed his glasses and gave them a good polish as he turned away from the window. Xander didn’t know what to say for the best and was having a hard time pulling his gaze from the stunning figure of Buffy Summers as she played around in the water.

"This is simply not acceptable" Giles said at last, heading for the door in a hurry as he replaced his spectacles on his nose, "I will not allow that boy to turn into his father" Xander heard him mumble as he disappeared from sight.

"Y’know I’ve been meaning to ask" Buffy smiled, pulling herself up to sit on the edge of the lake when she tired of swimming. William fought all kinds of inappropriate reactions to her appearance and pulled himself up on the edge beside her, "How did a guy like you, all prim and proper, end up with this?" she asked him, reaching out to run two fingers across the scar that split his left eyebrow.

William shied away from her touch, looking out across the water instead of at her. He’d been avoiding letting his eyes rest on any area below her neck as it was but after that question he couldn’t bear to meet her eyes either.

"It was nothing" he lied, and Buffy frowned as he got to his feet and began putting his clothes back on, despite the fact he was soaking wet and probably ruining his shirt and pants by doing so.

As Buffy watched, open-mouthed, William picked up the remainder of his things and headed back towards the house without her, stopping only briefly as he passed by her, mumbling some kind of thanks for the swim.

Angry and upset at being denied an answer and being walked out on when she was just starting to have fun, Buffy threw herself back into the water, holding her breath as she held herself under for as long as she could. When her natural survival instincts made her come back to the surface and breathe she found an angry face staring down at her.

"Buffy Summers, what on Earth do you think you’re doing!" Giles demanded to know, "Are you out of your senses!"

"Do you care?" she replied as she moved over to the side and pulled herself out right by her clothes. Giles looked away as she pulled them on and appeared at his side a moment later, dripping all over the place.

"Buffy, I do not understand you at all" he said tiredly, "You shout and yell at the slightest thing on your first day here, spend the following three locked in your room and now you’re risking life and limb diving into filthy water, whilst encouraging my dear nephew to do the same" he complained.

"I never asked to come here" she said somewhat angrily, "I never asked for any of this"

"Given the choice what would you ask for?" he asked the girl, wishing she would just give him something to work with, an idea of how he could communicate with her, "If you do not wish to be here, where is it you want to be?"

The kindness in his eyes balanced the slight anger in his voice, to the point where the nicer emotion outweighed his annoyance. Buffy surprised herself with her admission.

"I want to be in LA" she shrugged as she turned to walk back to the house, "With my Mom and Dad"

William headed straight for the en suite bathroom to his bedroom to wash away the dirty lake water that covered him, as well as a few memories Buffy had brought to the surface. Of course it was far less easy to rid his mind of those but he had to try. The scars he bore on the inside from years of bullying and teasing, those he might have been able to talk of, those had mostly healed. No matter how much the line that marred his face healed, it would always be he most painful scar he possessed and one he never spoke of to anyone, he thought as he stepped out of the shower and studied said scar in the mirror.

The frown he wore turned into a half-smile as he pushed his hair back off his face as Buffy had. She thought he looked better with it like that. Maybe he should buy some gel and try something different, it was time for a change...

A knock on the bedroom door startled him slightly and he called through to ask who was there.

"The crazy girl that dives in lakes" came the reply and he almost laughed at that. Buffy really hadn’t meant to upset him, he was sure. There was no way she could know what she was really asking him.

"Just a minute" he called as he grabbed the outfit he’d selected and pulled it on. The only pair of jeans he owned now covered his legs and a dark blue shirt complimented the brightness of his eyes. Subconsciously he was dressing for Buffy but he told himself he just felt like a change for himself.

With a deep breath, William opened the door and found the little blonde girl on the other side, also now in fresh clothes and clean hair though she hadn’t bothered to dry it much it seemed.

"Hey" she tried to sound nonchalant but inside she knew she’d come here to see if he was okay and maybe even apologise if he really was upset, "I was, er...y’know" she shrugged, feeling decidedly uncomfortable. She didn’t do words like sorry. She wasn’t the caring and sharing type, but some unseen force drew her to this guy called William Rayne and whilst it kind of scared her, she liked it too.

"Do you, erm" William shifted awkwardly, glancing at his feet and back "Do you want to come in?" he found himself asking, though he knew he must be unhinged.

Buffy only nodded, slightly surprised at his offer as he moved and opened the door wider and she came inside.

As he closed the door, William realised something rather frightening. Despite the promise he made to himself just moments ago in the bathroom, that he would never be convinced to tell anyone the story from his past that brought so much pain, he had the strangest feeling that before the afternoon was out that Buffy would know every detail...

"Nice room" Buffy commented as she sat herself down on the edge of William’s bed. What she’d just said was an out and out lie but she was at a loss for anything else to say right now, and everything she knew she should say seemed to get stuck somewhere in her throat.

"Is that why you’re here?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow as he moved to sit down on the nearby chair, "To discuss the state of my decor?" he smiled slightly when she looked over at him, a sign he was trying to make a friendly joke. It broke the tension somewhat, a pleasant relief all round.

"I don’t think Giles was too impressed with us" she said, returning his smile and indeed trying not to giggle by now, "Not that I did it to piss him off" she shrugged, "I just..." she paused not really knowing how to phrase it but feeling that maybe if she could, William of all people might understand. The fingers of her left hand spun a ring on the other and she studied that instead of the person she was speaking to. Somehow it was easier that way.

"You ever feel like you just want to escape?" she asked, "Like if you could just run fast enough or yell loud enough you could break out of this bubble that’s life and there’d be something else, something better?"

William studied the figure of her sitting there. She was shorter than the average girl her age, but didn’t seem at all weak. When she glanced up at him, presumably waiting for an answer to her questions, there was a depth in her eyes the like of which he’d never seen before and wish he hadn’t then. Beyond the fire of youth and the anger of what she’d lost before, there was so much pain and a gaping chasm almost visible in her heart that he only wished he knew how to fill. He wanted to mend every part of her that had been broken by her past, and wished she could do the same for him. All this he thought and felt in just a few moments when their eyes met, and still she waited for his response.

"I do not presume there to be something better than this" he said more softly than he’d meant to as his eyes stayed fixed on hers, "I have yet to find it, and what good can there be living with false hopes?" he said somewhat sadly, his mind switching onto more serious topics than Buffy could imagine as he turned away from her gaze at last.

"If wishes were horses then beggars would ride" he heard her say and looked back at her when she smiled, "My Mom used to say that, when I was little"

"So did mine" William nodded, getting a faraway look in his eyes "at least Dru says she did, no way to know if it’s true" he added quietly and Buffy so wanted to ask what he meant but was afraid of venturing further into the subject after what had happened before. Maybe the scar he had and his not knowing his mother were related?

"Who is Dru?" she asked carefully, "Is she your sister?" she realised it could be true as she recalled their argument before, in what was apparently his sisters bedroom.

"Yes, Drusilla is my sister" he confirmed, though he wouldn’t look at her at all. He knew she was going to ask about Dru now, why she wasn’t here, why her word could no longer be trusted, and he would have to answer her, there was no way to avoid it.

"Drusilla is twenty one now, a little more than two years my senior" he sighed, "and she’s not here because...because she lives in an institution"

Buffy wasn’t sure where to begin by way of a reply. His sister was a whack-job? Well that explained why he’d said she wasn’t dead but she wasn’t really here either. The girl probably didn’t even know what day of the week it was half the time, and here Buffy was trying to steal her possessions, the few things William had in the house to remind him of the real person his sister was.

"Er...was she always...?" she began, stopping short when William looked up at her, clearly finding the whole thing difficult, possibly even fighting tears it was hard to tell at this distance and when he kept looking down.

"She wasn’t born crazy if that’s what you mean" he told her with a shake of his head, "There was an accident, seventeen years ago now. My mother lost control of the car and Dru suffered damage to her brain" he paused to swallow hard and wonder briefly why he was telling Buffy all this, he never spoke of it to anyone before, "They say she was lucky in some ways, at least she survived...my mother didn’t"

The room fell silent, William’s story of pain and loss hanging between himself and Buffy, making the air too thick to breathe. She thought she’d had it bad losing her parents so young, but she tended to forget other people shared her situation. Will had no-one to blame for what he’d lost, which could be better or worse, she wasn’t entirely sure and she didn’t want to ask his opinion. She truly had no idea what to say, which came as somewhat of a surprise to the girl that always had a smart-ass remark on hand for every occasion.

Not only had William been raised without a mother, but he’d had to cope with a sister that probably didn’t know who he was half the time. She wondered if this same accident had caused the cut that left the scar on his face. Buffy stared at her companion, wishing he’d just look up at her, hopefully say something so she didn’t have to, but he didn’t.

After a silence that went on too long she took in a breath and got to her feet, moving to sit down on the arm of the chair beside him. He glanced over at her then and she dared to speak.

"Is that why you didn’t wanna talk about this?" she asked, fingers reaching out to hover above his eye but not quite touching his skin, "This is the only injury you got but they..." she trailed off and William shook his head.

"I wasn’t in the car with them" he told her, "This," he paused, running his own fingers along the mark, "Drusilla did this" he admitted so softly Buffy almost didn’t hear him.

"How?" she asked, barely a whisper but she couldn’t not have the whole story. It was as if she thought if she asked it softly enough it wouldn’t be such a difficult question, that perhaps the answer wouldn’t be so painful for him to say or her to hear.

"She didn’t mean to hurt me, not really" William was quick to explain, as water built up behind his eyes and Buffy almost felt herself getting teary. Her hand subconsciously landed on his shoulder, a comforting gesture, as he explained.

"It was late at night, and I heard something in the kitchen. I would’ve woken my Dad but sometimes he got so angry at Dru, especially if he was drunk..." he closed his eyes, fought back those particular memories and continued, "I went down alone and she was standing by the counter. I called to her, asked her what she was doing up so late and she said she was making a sandwich. When I told her she should go back to bed, she started to get angry. She had this huge bread knife in her hand, I was worried she’d harm herself" he swallowed hard, voice cracking as he continued to stare at the carpet, "The look in her eyes when she turned was so wild...I tried to take the knife from her, I don’t really know what happened, I had hold of her arm and she tried to get away, she slipped and...I didn’t even realise what she’d done till I couldn’t see anything but red on my left side" his fingers ran subconsciously over that part of his face as he spoke, "When she saw blood she cried and screamed, woke my father who came and yelled...I tried to tell him it wasn’t Dru’s fault but I think she’d really scared him that night. Within the week she was institutionalised and...and it was all my fault"

A lone tear ran down William’s cheek at the end of his story and Buffy was somewhat shocked to realise a matching one ran down her own. This is what Will’s guilt was for. He blamed himself for his sister being sent away, all because he’d allowed her to slash him with a kitchen knife. It wasn’t as if he’d asked for it or provoked her, and he’d tried to defend her to their Dad. His father could take some blame she supposed, but really it couldn’t be anyone’s fault, just a nasty twist of fate that an accident should’ve caused such damage to Drusilla that she did not know her own mind. It was just unfortunate that William had approached her as he had that night and she’d freaked out that way.

"She’s in a better place now though" Buffy said after a few moments silence, "They can take care of her better if..."

"A better place would be with her family!" William snapped uncharacteristically as he got to his feet and walked over to the window. Buffy physically jumped at the suddenness of his movements and increase in volume. She was so stunned she didn’t even yell back at him, and when she realised she should put him in his place for bellowing at her like that he was already apologising.

"I’m sorry" he said solemnly as he turned back from the view and wiped his face with the back of his hand, "I just...I get so angry, Buffy" he told her, "I hate to think of what she’s going through, how hard all this must be for her"

"It’s why you yelled at me before, in that room" the blonde realised suddenly, also getting to her feet now, "But you can’t blame yourself for what happened to her"

"You blame the whole world for what happened to your parents" he retaliated, feeling as if she were invading his privacy now despite the fact he’d invited her into his past as well as his room just moments ago.

"This isn’t about me" Buffy shook her head, frowning as she wondered how this conversation had got so turned around.

"Sure about that" William snapped, "I thought in your world it was all about you"

His tone was a hairs breadth off being nasty, and Buffy was certain if he were less weak and vulnerable right now, if he were anything like the guys she knew back home, he’d be spitting venom and lashing out spectacularly right now. Something Buffy was learning fast was that William was not like any other guy she’d ever met.

"I’m just gonna go" she said, knowing if she stayed a fight of some kind was inevitable and she couldn’t deal right now. Talking of his pain and loss only made her consider her own and Buffy refused to spill her guts just to make a trade. She made for the door but stopped half way to say one final thing.

"For what it’s worth" she told his back as he faced the window once again, "I’m sorry about your sister, and your Mom"

With that she exited the room, closing the door firmly behind her. On the other side, she shut her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief to be out of that room, away from the intense situation she had found herself in. Two tears escaped from beneath her lids and a slight sob burst from her body before she managed to regain her composure. She headed down the corridor towards her own room but got just half way when she collided with Willow.

"Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Summers, I mean, Buffy, er, hi" the red-head rambled before catching sight of the blonde’s tear stained face, "Are you okay?" she checked.

"I’m fine!" Buffy snapped back, continuing walking, looking far from okay. Willow heard a crash from William’s room and soon forgot the new girl as she hurried to see what was happening. She tapped on Will’s door before letting herself in and finding him sitting on the bed quite calmly. The pieces of the broken vase under her shoes made Willow looked down and realise what had happened, but she didn’t understand why.

"It seems to help Buffy" William answered her question before she’d even asked it, though he didn’t turn to look at her at all, "The violence and wild behaviour without a care..." he trailed off, head down, and Willow thought possibly he was even crying.

In silence she stepped back out of the room and closed the door, thinking perhaps it was best to leave both him and Buffy alone right now. She wondered what had passed between the two of them in the last couple of hours.

The last she’d heard was when Giles stormed through the house yelling about William’s father, Ethan, and the young man not being allowed to turn into such a wild fiend as he was. Xander had soon followed and relayed to his sister how William had been convinced by Buffy to dive in the lake.

How an uncharactarerically wild act such as this could’ve turned into a scene that caused violence and tears Willow could not understand at all, and for the time being at least, she felt it best not to ask.