Nursery Blues!
Story by LoobyLoo
Rating U
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, this is just for fun.





Chapter 1



“Now, Willow, come on…come on poppet…look all the other children are drinking their milk and eating their cookies, won’t you try one?”
Joyce was trying to coax the shy little redhead out of the Wendy house. Willow looked at Joyce big eyed.

“Can I have ‘nother cookie please Mrs Summers?”

“Here you go then Xander…would you give this one to Willow for me please?”
Xander took a cookie in each hand, and went into the Wendy house.

“Ha-ha, Xander’s a sissy! – Playin’ wiv the girlies!”

“Angel, be quiet, be a good little boy”
Angel just grinned. Cordelia was sticky, and she didn’t like being sticky, so she wiped her hands on the teacher’s skirt.

“Cordelia…come on, let me wipe your hands…Angel, stop that, its naughty!” Miss Callender said.

“What’s he doing now?” Joyce asked

“Sticking his tongue out to Cordelia.” Buffy drank all her milk, holding the cup with both hands, then placed it carefully on the side.

“Your ribbon looks stupid! – And who wears blue, blue is a boys colour!” Cordelia said, giving the bow a tug, and pulling some hair too. Buffy’s bottom lip trembled.

“Cordelia, you play nice, or I’ll put you in the naughty corner!” Mrs Summers said, then she went over to where her daughter was sitting.

“Come on, let me…Buffy, sit still, I’m just going to re-tie your bow, and-“

“No. ‘Delia says its stupid and blue is wrong!” Buffy pouted, arms folding across her chest. Wriggling so her mother couldn’t tie it properly. Joyce sighed.

“Oh look…” Jenny Callender said, nodding towards the Wendy house. Joyce turned around, saw that young Xander was holding Willow by the hand. She looked shyly at him, and allowed him to take her over to the ‘activities table’ where they sat down, and began to do some colouring in.

“Good, I’m glad, she’s such a timid little thing, so sweet!” Joyce said. Buffy began to get off the chair, and Joyce turned back to her daughter. She saw that Buffy had pulled the ribbon out of her hair altogether, and it had dropped to the floor. Joyce sighed, picked it up.

“Never mind…only another four hours to go!” Jenny said with a grin. “James…calm down, don’t run round like that, you’ll fall!” Jenny called, trying to calm a boisterous boy who seemed to only have two speeds, full pelt, and stop!

Angel thought that it looked like a jolly good game, especially when they added a, nnneeeeeooooowwww! Noise with out stretched arms, then a rapid duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh! Sound to emulate machine gun fire.

“P-choo, p-choo, got you, Harris…nnneeeoowww, this is red leader…enemy in sight, repeat, enemy in sight…oh, no, gotta climb above the mountain red leader…Nneeeooooowwww! Bandits at six o’clock! P-choo, p-choo, p-choo! Red leader…come in”

“Angel, James, will you two please sit down and play nicely, why don’t you do some colouring in?” Angel looked horrified at this.

“Playing Top Gun…don’t wanna do colouring…its for sissies, like Xander, he plays with the girls!”

“There’s nothing sissy about playing with girls!” Joyce said, squatting down in front of him. Stroking the sticky up hair of his.

“It is too- they are all squishy and soft, and when you play they fall over, they’re not brave and they cry, then I get told off for nothing!” Angel said, his face all screwed up and petulant. Joyce’s attention wandered across to a sudden tug-of-war taking place between her daughter and Cordelia.

“S’mine!”

“No, it’s not!”

“Is”

“Isn’t”

“Is!”

“A –a, careful now Cordelia, you’ll (RRRIIIPPP!) hmm, rip it. Oh dear…let me look”

“That’s my dolly!” Buffy cried out tremulously, then she pouted, her bottom lip trembling. Tears blurring the rip in the doll’s dress.

“Have it…she’s got a stupid dress on…and stupid hair…and a stupid name, like you…what’s Buffy…it’s made up – and whoever heard of a dolly called-“ Jenny Callender spoke up.

“Ok…listen children…quiet please… (She clapped her hands together) quiet…Nathan, shush…ok, right, we have a new little boy starting…his name is William, now, be nice to him, as it’s his first day, say hello to him”

“Hello William” Xander said.

“Hello” Willow said.

A few other children said hello.

William looked round the room. Joyce took his hand, and the lady holding his other hand squatted down.

“Ok William, you’re going to make some new friends…you be a good boy, and I’ll come and pick you up later, ok?” William nodded.

“There’s a good boy, see you later”

“He’ll be fine” Joyce said.

“He’s generally a quiet little boy…he thinks a lot…but he’s not usually any trouble at the home, his room is always tidy…too tidy I sometimes think for a five year old…” The social services lady smiled fondly at him.

“Ok, now William, Joyce said, squatting down in front of him…do you want some juice or milk?” she looked into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.

William shrugged.

“Don’t mind”

“Ok, I’ll give you juice…want a cookie?” William took a cookie off the plate

“Ok, William, you sit there, till you’ve finished, then we will find you something to do, ok?” Joyce said. She tousled his head. Jenny came over with Buffy’s doll.

“Wish they were all quiet like him! This will easily mend” she brandished the doll at Joyce.

“Poor kid…he lost both parents a few months ago, and is still in foster care until they can find him a proper home” Joyce told Jenny.

“Oh…what a shame…gods, aren’t they the most beautiful blue eyes you ever saw?”

There was a crash and a wail, and the two women’s attention was shifted from William and his beautiful blue eyes, to Angel.

“Oh gods, what now! Angel…what did I tell you about running around”

“You didn’t, you told James, not me…anyway…it wasn’t me!” Considering that it was Angel, sitting next to an overturned table, a once neatly stacked pile of comics strewn about, and two cups of half drank milk spilled on the floor, he’d have some difficulty convincing her that it was the tables fault!

Buffy hadn’t taken her eyes off the new boy since he’d come into the class. She just knew that she had to talk to him.

“Hello” Buffy went over to where William was sitting. He eyed her up, then said,

“Hello”

“Hello, my names Cordelia, don’t play with her, because her mom’s the boss lady teacher, she thinks she owns it here and she doesn’t!” Cordelia flicked her head, she’d shoved Buffy out of the way. Buffy looked really sad.

“Don’t push her!” William stood up, went over to Buffy.

“Are you ok?” William asked Buffy

“I’m talking to you, come and play in the Wendy house with me” Cordelia said, pulling William’s arm.

“No, get off…”

“You talk funny…don’t want to play with you…nyerr! Cordelia stuck her tongue out and stalked off.

“What’s your name?”

“Buffy”

“Buffy? Never heard that name before”

“It’s my name, and it’s not stupid!” Buffy glared at him.

“Didn’t say it was stupid.”

“Delia’s said you talk funny…why?”

“Coz I don’t come from around here, that’s why.”

“Where do you live?”

“St Chad’s foster home”

“What’s a foster home…where does your mom work?”
William looked down, sad.

“Haven’t got a mom or dad…they got hurt and went away” William said

“Where to? Will they come back and fetch you?” Buffy asked.
William shook his head.

“Nah…they’re dead…got to find a new home”

“Dead? - Like, like Fluffy, not coming back ever, ever, ever?” Buffy asked big eyed, shaking her head. Again William shook his head.

“What’s Fluffy?” He asked Buffy. She looked at him.

“My rabbit…he got sick…and died, and mom said he’d gone to heaven to be with the angels”
Buffy looked big eyed still.

“Aren’t you sad?” Buffy asked, not being able to imagine her mom and dad not being around her.

“Sometimes…when I look at their pictures I want them to come back…but they can’t”
The conversation her daughter was having with the new boy bought tears to Joyce’s eyes.

“Wanna play war?” Angel stood over them.

“Nah. I’m going to do some writing”

“WRITING?…Why?” Angel asked incredulously, writing was work!

“I like it”

“Cordelia said you talk funny…you do”

“So do you”

“I don’t”

“You sound funny to me…and your hair sticks up!” William said. Angel scowled and kicked William.

“Angel! Go and sit over there, and leave William alone” Joyce scolded.

Angel glared at William for getting him told off…he’d ‘fix’ him later, when ‘Miss’ wasn’t looking.

William went over to the ‘activities table’, and said,

“Can I have this and this?” To Willow. She nodded as William picked up a piece of paper and a pencil.

But he didn’t sit at the table, he went back over to where he had been sitting, and lay on the floor on his stomach. Concentrating, his tongue in the corner of his mouth, his heels occasionally hitting his bottom as he gently swung his legs back.

“What’s he doing?” Jenny asked.

“Who’s bothered as long as he’s quiet, he seems very advanced for a five year old.” Joyce said. Buffy sat on the floor by him.

“You can draw good…better than Xander…is that an aeroplane?”

“Yes…I came here on an aeroplane” William said.

Buffy went big eyed.

“Today?”

“No…ages ago…I lived in England”

“England…my mommy and daddy went there for a vacation…I didn’t go though, don’t know where I was, it was for after they got married, did you see them?” Buffy asked.

“No…don’t think so,” William said, without looking up. So engrossed in conversation, they didn’t see James and Angel sneak up on them, and Angel snatched the paper from underneath William’s body, and grinned.

“Give it back” William said angrily.

“Ha ha, no…this is a stupid story…’One day a pol-ice- Policeman came to the door and said my mom and dad had an ac…aci- acci-dent and they were dead and I came on an aeroplane to live with my aunt but she got sick and I live at St Chad’s’……… you haven’t been on an aeroplane!” Angel looked at him, scowling.

“Have to”

“Liar”

“I’m not”

“He’s not lying!” Buffy said.

“How do you know?”

“Coz he told me” Buffy huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

“You know…I don’t know why that child is called Angel, he’s anything but…”Joyce said to Jenny.

“Angel, give William back his story…NOW”

“He’s lying, miss…he say’s he’s been on an aeroplane” Angel said, smiling, knowing that William would be told off for telling lies.

“That’s right Angel, he has, William comes from a different country, he comes from England…where the queen lives, Buckingham Palace, and the big red buses, and Tower Bridge, remember you saw the pictures, of that statue and all the lions and the fountains, it’s called Trafalgar Square, that’s where William comes from” Buffy looked huge eyed again!

“You lived with the queen?”

“No. But I know where she lived, seen her palace, loads of times” William said with a slight boast to his voice.

“Did she wear her crown?”

“Dunno…saw her once, she was in a carriage…and there was policemen on horses, and the one horse…”(he began to giggle)

“What did he do?”

“He did a big poo in the road!” Buffy looked shocked, Angel and James began to laugh.

“Mommy! William said he saw the queen and there was a horse and it…it…did…” She went red.

“What baby, hmm?” Joyce smoothed her hair out of her eyes.

“He said it did a poo” she whispered

“Oh…well, they can’t go to the toilet like us.”

“So, it’s true then?” Her eyes big and round.

“Um…well yes, I suppose it is”

“It’s a shame mommy…his mommy and daddy got hurted real bad, and they’re not coming for him ever, ever, ever…do you think that they would see Fluffy?”

“I’m sure they would baby” Joyce smiled and stroked her daughter’s hair. There was another crash and a wail, but this time, it didn’t involve either James or Angel. Jenny went to sort it. Cordelia wandered over from playing dress-up with the dolls.

“Cordelia, William saw a horse and it did a big poo in the road!” James said giggling. Cordelia wasn’t in the slightest bit impressed!
Joyce sighed. Why do kids have such scatological senses of humour?

“My tortoise did a poo on me last week!” Cordelia said

“My baby sister does a poo in her diaper!” Nathan piped up.

“Ok…ok, that’s enough now…come on…oh…are you alright Willow?” Jenny asked, noticing that Willow looked upset. Kneeling down next to her, Jenny saw a huge tear run down her face.

“Sor-ry!” she was holding on tight to a yellow wax crayon that had broken in half.

“That’s alright sweetheart, I’m not going to shout…they break easily, there. Nothing to worry about…ok?” Jenny said softly, she rubbed her hand gently and Willow relaxed.

“You can have mine” Xander said giving Willow his yellow crayon.

“There you go, that was nice of Xander, wasn’t it?” Willow smiled and nodded.

“So…what do we say?”

“Thankyou, Xander”

“There’s a good girl…”

“Ok…come along then children…lets play a game, shall we? What shall we play…Simon says…or I spy…or I know, let’s play the alphabet game” Joyce said.

“YEAH!” Most of the kids shouted, jumping up and down. They all sat in front of Miss Callender and Mrs Summers. William sat on the end, Buffy sat next to him. Angel sat behind them.

“Will you be my friend?” Buffy said to William. Thinking for a few seconds, William nodded.

“Ok” Buffy smiled and held his hand. William looked down at their entwined fingers; decided he liked it, and didn’t pull away. Angel narrowed his eyes. Hmm, how could he pull Buffy’s hair now…that William was going to look after her?

They played the alphabet game, now it was time to sing songs.

“The wheels on the bus go round and round…”Miss Callender sang out. The children sang too, did the actions. Angel took every opportunity to bump or knock the two in front of him.

“Stop it!” Buffy hissed at Angel. He tried to look innocent.

“The bell on the bus goes ring, ring, ring!” For the pressing action, Angel thought it funny to press William in the back.

Buffy stood up, hands on her hips and turned to Angel.

“Stop hurted-ing my friend!”

“He’s not hurting me,” William said.

”Ok, ok, settle down. Angel, you come and sit at the front”

“No!”

“Angel, you come here, now, and sit between Riley and Nathan”

“I hate Riley, he smells!”

“I don’t!”

“Do”

“Don’t”

“Do”

“I d…”

“That’s enough! If you don’t behave yourself…I’ll send you to Mrs Cummings’ dancing class with all the older girls, now, do as you’re told!”

Angel reluctantly stomped over and sat where Miss Callender pointed, but giving Riley a sly pinch as he sat down.

“OW!” Riley frowned and punched Angel on the arm. She was just about to admonish them both, when she noticed what James was doing.

There was a wail, and she had to rescue a little boy called Simon, from having a broken wax crayon inserted into his nose by James.

“Dinner time…come on, time to wash your hands…

Eventually they had all settled to eating their lunch; Jenny keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings. Joyce began to feed one of the babies they had there. Winding her, Joyce started again on the last half of the bottle.

Another baby cried in the background.

“Turn it off mommy…it’s too noisy!” Buffy put her hands over her ears.

“I wish!” Joyce sighed, going over to replace the lost soother from the baby’s mouth. As Angel took his plate to the serving hatch, he thought it funny to press Xander’s nose into his yoghurt. Xander blinked, yoghurt dripped from his face. James laughed and Willow began to cry. Cordelia had a fit because Xander had dripped yoghurt on her best dress, and Simon was trying to get wax crayon from up his nose, via a finger. William sat quietly. Joyce knelt down by him.

“Do you like it here, William?” She smiled. He shook his head.

“Not really…it’s…” he shrugged.

“Do you want to do some more writing, or drawing?”

“No thankyou.”

“What would you like to do?” he shrugged.

“I wanted to play with the cars, but Angel said I couldn’t”

“Ok honey…you go and choose something you want to play with out of the box, you can play with the cars if you want to, take no notice what Angel or the other’s tell you, ok, I’ll make sure Angel doesn’t bother you”

“I’m not scared of him”

“I know baby”

“Why do you call me baby…I’m not”

“I’m sorry, you’re right, you’re a big boy now” Joyce smiled.

“Are you Buffy’s mom?”

“Yes, yes I am”

“Buffy’s my friend”

“Well, that’s good!” Joyce grinned, resisting the urge to hug the little boy. She wanted to cuddle him; she thought he’d probably not had a cuddle in ages.

“She said I could come to tea…could I?” William looked up. His blue eyes looked hopeful. Smoothing his hair out of his eyes, Joyce squatted in front of him

“Well, let’s see what Mrs Betts says from the home, shall we? – If she says yes, then you can come” William nodded at this, happy.

“Mommy!” Buffy came skipping over to them.

“Yes love?”

“William can come to tea, can’t he, he can play on the Jungle Gym…he’s never seen one”

“Well, like I said, we’ll have to ask Mrs Betts if he can come”

“But mommy! Mrs Betts isn’t his mommy, so she can’t say no!” Buffy reasoned, rubbing her mother’s arm.

“Darling, I know Mrs Betts isn’t William’s mommy, but she looks after him, we must ask her first”

“When she comes, you will ask, won’t you”

“Ok darling, I’ll ask”

“Good, come on William, you can be the policeman and arrest Angel for being naughty” Buffy held William’s hand and they went off together.

“Hmm…your daughter seems to have taken a shine to that new lad!” Jenny said. She sat, and fed a tiny baby.

“Golly…why do the moms have babies only to leave them in somebody else’s care, how old is that little one?” Joyce tickled the baby’s cheek with the back of her index finger.

“Three months…she said she was, and I quote, ‘sick of the smell of sick, dirty nappies, and sleepless nights, and give her the boardroom any day’” Jenny said, shaking her head sadly. Joyce shook her head too.

“Some people don’t know when there well off…I’d have loved another, but, well I can’t. Had too bad a time having Buffy.”

“What’s that child doing now…Angel, stop trying to pick Susie up, you’ll drop her…James, Simon, stop fighting! Angel, Mind…mind the painting tab-“ (CRASH) Joyce closed her eyes.

“Two hours…only two hours to go…” She got up to go and sort things out.

****************************


“Why have I got to wear these, they’re not mine!” Angel groused, pulling at the baggy shorts.

“Because your trousers are wet, they had to be washed as they were covered in paint, now sit there and wait until these are dry”

“Why are you wearing those…they look stupid!” Cordelia told Angel on no uncertain terms.

“Angel wet himself…Angel is a baby, Angel is a baby!” James began to chant, a little song that a few others took up calling too.

“Alright, calm down…”

“I did not wet myself” Angel shouted hotly, going red in the face.

“Miss said your trousers got wet!”

“From the stupid paint!”

“Settle down…ok, come on, story time” Joyce sat on the chair, the children sat on the floor, looking up at her. Buffy sat next to William, held his hand tight. She put her head on his shoulder, and went to sleep.

“Just look at them,” Joyce said to Jenny.

Getting children’s coats, and seeing that they had the right drawings to take home, Joyce missed seeing Mrs Betts to ask about William, and him coming to tea.

Buffy was very cross. She made her mother promise to speak to Mrs Betts first thing in the morning.

When she got home, she was William this and William that, she didn’t shut up about him, prompting Hank, her father to ask just who this William was, when he came downstairs after reading his daughter a story.

“New boy at the nursery, it’s very sad” Joyce said.

“Well, she’s taken a right shine to him! – Even wants him to come to grandma’s on Sunday with us!”

“Does she? The lad’s up for adoption………………Hank…”

Chapter 2

The following morning, being a teacher, Joyce and Buffy were some of the first to get to the school.
Buffy kept vigil by the door, and as soon as Mrs Betts arrived with William, Buffy went up to her, held her hand and pulled her further into the classroom.

“Mrs Betts, you must speak with my mommy, now”

“Oh…who is your…Oh, hello Mrs Summers…is everything alright?”
Buffy took a huge breath and said,

“This is my mommy, we want William to come to tea and play on my Jungle Gym, he hasn’t got a mommy but my mommy says we’ve got to ask you, as you look after him, please say yes you’ll let him come, please!”

“Well!” Mrs Betts laughed.

“Um…he was going to go to a foster family this weekend”

“Please?” Buffy looked up.

“Um…well, next week, perhaps”

“Tonight, please!” Buffy began to jig about, and get angsty.

“Buffy be a good girl and go play” Joyce said

“I want William to be with us, please mommy, please!” she was nearly crying now.

“She has taken a shine to him, hasn’t she?” Mrs Betts smiled.

“Everyone keeps saying that, she hasn’t shut up about him since she met him.

“Actually…I was chatting with my husband last night…um hold on, have you got time for a coffee?” Joyce asked. Mrs Betts looked at her watch. I’ve got to go to the family court at 10.30…but, yes, I have time”.

There were a few more children arriving, and Buffy and William went off.

When Mrs Betts left, Buffy came over to her mother.

“Can William come to tea?”

“Next week”

“Oh but mom-“

“Buffy…they have to check stuff out, then we might have a surprise, now, go play”

“Surprise?” Buffy looked at her mom, eyebrows raised. Joyce knew instantly it was a mistake to have told her that, she wouldn’t get a minutes peace now!

“Go and play, else he won’t be able to come, ever, now be good and we’ll see” Buffy ran off.

The week flew by, and the weekend, and on the following Monday, when William didn’t turn up for nursery class, Buffy was in absolute floods of tears, nothing would console her. Joyce phoned the home. William had gone to the foster family, and their dog had tripped him up, and he’d hurt his arm, it had to be all bandaged up.

“Oh, Buffy has been inconsolable all day!” Joyce said, then added,

“Um, I know it’s a bit soon, but any news?”

“Yes, actually as you are already a teacher and undergone the security checks by social services…”

Later on that evening…………………




“Where are we going?” Buffy asked. They didn’t usually go out after tea, not on a school night, she was intrigued.

“You’ll see, come on, let’s get that belt done up” Joyce strapped her in.

Hank came too. They drove for a while, and then pulled up outside a big old-fashioned red-bricked building.

“Gods, it looks a depressing place!” Hank said as he got out of the car.

“Are we here? – What’s this – where are we?” she quickly undid the clip of the safety belt and scrambled out when her daddy opened the door for her. She could read the sign, saw the words ‘foster home’

“Is William here?” Before they reached the top of the steps, Mrs Betts had the door open and was smiling at them.

“Come in, come in…through here, if you’d like to follow me”

She led the way down a corridor. Hank looked around, they’d tried to brighten the place up with pictures, photos, and a lick of bright paint, but, well, the place still looked like an institution.

“Here we are, the TV lounge.”

William was sitting in the chair, watching TV, his arm in a sling.

“William!” Buffy ran to him.

“Your all hurted! Mommy, look!” Buffy thought she might cry when she saw his arm all bandaged up.
Mrs Betts smiled, she hadn’t said anything to William about Buffy coming to see him.

Buffy ran over and hugged him, being careful about his arm. William looked really happy to see her and didn’t pull away when she held his hand. Hank smiled.

“This is my daddy” Buffy said proudly. Hank squatted down and looked at William.

“Hello, William, um, pleased to meet you” Hank held out his hand and hesitatingly, William shook it.

“Hello”
“Daddy, this is William and he hurted his arm, a big dog did it, and he doesn’t like it there, and he doesn’t have to go there again, so, can he come and have tea with us?” Hank smiled, he’d never seen Buffy so fired up before.

“We’ll see princess, see what Mrs Betts says, eh?”

“Hope she says yes!” Buffy said.

“Hank, come through?” Joyce said, calling her husband from the doorway.

“Now, will you two be alright while I go talk to your mommy and daddy?” Mrs Betts asked Buffy.

“Yes, I’m with William” Buffy said, holding his hand. The three adults smiled and left the room.

Buffy’s attention went back to William’s bandaged arm, and she frowned slightly, and then asked,

“Does it still hurt?”

“Bit…not too much” William said, being brave.

“Angel said you’d gone on an aeroplane today, so I hit him” Buffy said. They were sitting side by side, Buffy still holding his hand.

“Ooh, William’s got a girlfriend!” Two older children came into the room.

“Shut up, Michael” William said.

“Shan’t………is she your girlfriend?”
William ignored them.

“Leave him alone” Buffy said.

“Leave him alone” mimicked the older girl.

“Michael, Natalie, come on, it’s your bath time, and you William” A young girl called the older children.

“I can’t, my arm, I can’t get it wet, you’ve got to see Mrs Betts” William said.

“Oh. Well ok, you stay here then…who are you?” She asked Buffy.

“Buffy”

“Oh. Are you his sister?”

“No” Hearing voices, the girl looked up.

“William’s bath?” she asked Mrs Betts.

“Oh, um, leave it for tonight, I’ll sort it, thankyou Sharon” Mrs Betts said. The girl nodded and went off, taking the two older children with her. Buffy saw her mom and dad standing outside, still talking to Mrs Betts. She saw her dad holding a big brown envelope.

“Come on, let’s see if they’ll let you come” She helped him off the sofa, and opened the door carefully.

Can William come to tea?” Buffy looked up hopefully. Hank smiled and squatted down between them.

“Better than that, princess…how would you like to come and stay for the weekend, at our house?” Hank asked William, smiling. William beamed a big smile.

“Oh, yes please!” Buffy jumped up and down, so excitedly, babbling on about the Jungle Gym and swimming, then she said,

“I hope your arm will be better…” Mrs Betts and Joyce were both grinning at the children’s reaction.

“So, when?” Joyce asked, turning back to Mrs Betts.

“Um, tomorrow, 4.30pm. I’ve done all the necessary paperwork, and either a Mrs Collins or a Mrs Wilkes will come. It’s only a quick check, just a look round to see that your home is suitable for a child. There shouldn’t be a problem, as there already is a child in the house the same age…oh, he, um, he would have his own room?”

“Oh yes, don’t worry about that” Joyce said, making a quick mental note to clear out the spare bedroom when she got home.

“Good. Well, I’ll see you the weekend, then”

“Oh, William not coming to class then?”

“Well…”

“He can sit with us, he likes to be quiet anyway, he can read. Buffy won’t leave him alone!” Joyce said grinning.

“Just look at them…if they were ten years older, I’d be worried!” Hank said smiling. They were standing close together, foreheads touching, Buffy was rubbing his arm.

“That’s so sweet! Come on then”

“Could we…could we take them for ice cream?” Hank asked.

“What, now?” Mrs Betts asked.

“Yes, come too if you like” Hank said.
Mrs Betts hesitated, then relented.

“Oh…go on then, I’ll just get my coat”
Joyce smiled.

“Buffy, William!” they both just turned their heads in Joyce’s direction.

“Want to go for ice-cream?”

“Yeah!” they both said, and ran to the car. Hank let them in, and strapped them both in.

“Do you like football, William?”

“I supported Arsenal like my dad…your football is different here”

“Yes. But I like English football, my brother and I used to support a team called Manchester United, have you heard of them?” Hank asked.

“Oh yes, but Arsenal are way better than them though!” William said, smiling. Hank glanced through the driving mirror smiling at him.

He noticed that his daughter’s hand was holding William’s again!

After going for ice cream, Hank took them back to the home. It was nearly dark, and they both felt SO grown up being out at night.

“Ok then come on, say goodnight to William, Buffy.” Joyce said

“Goodnight William, see you in the morning…” she kissed his cheek, and gave him a hug. William went a little red, but he didn’t wipe the kiss off, as the adults expected him to do. They watched as Mrs Betts put her arm around his shoulder, and led him up the steps back inside. Hank bibbed the horn and they both turned and waved, Buffy blowing him kisses! Hank and Joyce didn’t discuss things until they got home and Buffy had gone to bed.

Well, he IS a really nice lad, and Buffy’s totally besotted with him…and I couldn’t leave him in a place like that, no matter how much they try with bright paint and pictures, it’ll always look like an institution.” Hank said.

“So…if this weekend works out, and we have a lot more…” Joyce began

“Lets see how the weekend goes, shall we, now, where’s that envelope, let’s get that form filled in shall we?” Hank said.


********************

Friday, 4.00pm

Joyce had bought a dark blue duvet cover and curtains, and put a poster of a big red sports car on the wall. She’d cleared out the wardrobe, and bedside table, and put a clock and a lamp on the side.

She was pleased that they’d painted the room in the New Year, chosen a neutral shade of Magnolia.

“There, what do you think? – Think William will like it?” Joyce asked Buffy. Buffy nodded her head slowly up and down thinking, and then ran and fetched Mr Ted, her favourite teddy, and sat him on the pillow.

“He can keep him company,” Buffy said, looking around

“That’s nice!” Joyce said, smiling.

“What time’s he coming?”

“Well, daddy is going to go and fetch him in a few minutes, do you want to go with him?”

“Yeah!” Buffy jumped up and down. She’d put her new jeans and sneakers on, and her pink tee shirt,

Joyce had put her hair up in a ponytail using a pretty pink scrunchie. She was SO excited; you wouldn’t have believed that she’d seen William half an hour previously at school.

“Right then love, I’m off” Hank said.

“Wait for me, daddy!”

“Oh, you’re coming too then, princess?” Buffy carefully ran down the stairs.

She opened the car door and scrambled in, Hank strapped her in.

When they got there, William was waiting, looking out of the window. Buffy was out of the straps and impatiently waited for her father to open the door for her. She bounded out and up the stairs to the home.

“William!” she hugged him and kissed his cheek, then felt for his hand.

“Oh, your bandage has gone!”

“Yes, took it off just. It’s nearly better now, look, the bruise has nearly gone.”

“Come on, let’s go!” they bounded to the car, William as eager as she was. Hank smiled and took William’s little suitcase off Mrs Betts.

“Good luck, but I’ve a feeling you won’t need it!” she said, smiling fondly at the two children waiting by the car.

“No, I don’t think we will!” Hank said grinning.

“Bye then”

“Bye-bye Mr Summers…Oh, er, no later than 7.30pm Sunday night, ok?”
Hank nodded, and then walked over to he car.

“Come on then let’s get you home, shall we go to MacDonald’s for tea after we’ve been shopping?”

“Yeah!” Both Buffy and William shouted, smiling.
He strapped the pair of them into the seat, and drove home.

Hank pulled up on the driveway. He got out, and as Buffy and William had already undone their seatbelts, he just had to open the door for them because of the child safety locks. The two children bounded into the house, leaving Hank to lock the car and bring in William’s little suitcase. Joyce had milk and cookies waiting for them.

“You’ve got your own room, Buffy will show you when you’ve finished your milk, ok?” Joyce said, squatting down by William. She lovingly stroked his hair from across his forehead. He nodded and said,

“Thankyou!”

“There’s a good boy. Now, Buffy, don’t start getting all your games out, we’ll be going shopping to the mall soon” Joyce warned her daughter.

“Ok mom…ready William?” William drained his glass, put it carefully on the counter, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and nodded.

“Yes!”

“Come on then…” Buffy took his hand and led him upstairs.

“She’s a bit young, isn’t she?” Hank said, with a smile, putting the little suitcase at the bottom of the stairs.

“What’s that?” Joyce asked, smiling.

“Taking a boy upstairs!”

“Don’t tell me, she was leading him by the hand” Joyce asked, going into the kitchen to make coffee.

“Yes…as soon as I’d strapped them in the car, she was holding his hand!”


“…And this is Mr Ted…he’ll keep you company in the night. Do you like it?” Buffy asked, big eyed, hoping he would.

“Yeah…it’s great! I like that car, too” William said, pointing to the poster of the Ferrari.

“When you’re big, will you buy one and take me for a ride in it?” Buffy asked. William nodded and said,

“Oh yes!” They sat on the bed, legs swinging over the edge. Buffy noticed a slight greenish yellow tinge to his arm still.

“Does your arm still hurt?”

“Nah…well, not much” Buffy rubbed it, and William smiled, Buffy smiled too.

“It’ll be better now!” Buffy said, and William nodded in agreement.

“What’s your favourite food?” Buffy suddenly asked.

“Erm…sausages…and chips, ‘cept you call them fries over here…and chips are crisps, which is funny!” They both laughed.

“What do you like?” William asked.

“I like…pizza…and chicken. I love ice-cream”

“Me too”

“Chocolate”

“I like chocolate…and vanilla”

“I hate broccoli,” Buffy said, wrinkling her nose.

“Yuk! Me too…and cabbage…and sprouts”

“What are sprouts?”

“They’re green…like little cabbages…Yuk!”

“Angel made Xander eat a worm once…” Buffy said. They both giggled at this.

“Buffy…William…come on down, we’ll be going in a minute” Joyce called up the stairs. The two of them went down. Joyce took a phone call, and Hank was doing some writing in the den, so Buffy and William went out into the garden to wait.

“Buffy, stop showing off” Joyce called out; tapping the kitchen window to get her daughter’s attention. The phone call had taken longer than expected, and getting fed up of waiting, Buffy began to climb. She was hanging upside down from the top bar of the Jungle gym.

“I’m not frightened!” Buffy insisted, pulling herself up to a sitting position, then she leant forward, making her way hand over hand on the horizontal ladder, she slid through the bars and jumped off the bottom rung.

“That was clever” William said, full of admiration, he’d never met a girl who liked climbing before!

Buffy grinned and swelled with pride, and reaching for his hand, they raced off up the garden. Hank walked into the kitchen draining his coffee cup.

“Are they playing nicely?”

“Buffy’s showing off…look, they’re sitting on the swing together!” William was sitting properly; Buffy was facing him, sitting astride him on his lap! They swung gently.

“I can go really high!” Buffy was saying. Hank had come out into the garden to them.

“Not with two of you on it young lady…anyway, ready to come to the mall?” Hank asked.

“Yeah!” They both chorused. Buffy scrambled off his lap, waited for William to stand up, then took his hand, and they ran to Hank.

“Are your hands clean?” Joyce asked.

“Um…no, we were in the sand pit”

“Come on then, wash them quickly………there!” Joyce wiped faces too, and hung up the towel.

“Come on then get into the car” They did as they were told, Hank fixed the seatbelts for them both. He smiled; they were holding hands, again!

Chapter 3


When they got to the mall, they were allowed to run on ahead to the benches by the fountains, to look at the fishes.

“She’s there again…Does that daughter of ours ever let his hand go?” Hank said, smiling at Joyce.

“She absolutely worships him, and I think it must be mutual, because he never moans, tries to let go of her hand, or wipes off her kisses!” Joyce said to her husband. They both smiled, reached the bench.

“Mommy, daddy, William said when he was in England, they had fishes, but in a tank in the house”

“Did you honey?” Joyce stroked her hand over his head. William nodded.

“Yes, my dad kept them, he had neon’s and goldies, guppies and silver fins…there was a stone bridge the neons used to hide under, and weed, and at the side, there was an air filter that used to bubble”

“Did you have any other pets?” Joyce asked. William nodded.

“Yes, we had a dog called Ben, and a cat called Sooty, but she had ca…can…I forget what it was called, but she had a lump by her tummy…the vet made her go to sleep” Joyce could see William begin to look a little sad, Buffy could see this too.

“Never mind” She hugged him, patted his back! Joyce felt the tears prick her eyes. Hank blinked…then spotted something.

“Hey, look, over there, see, there’s some jugglers, shall we go and watch them, while Joyce goes to the drug store?”

“Yeah!” happy, the two children jumped up and down.

“Can we go to MacDonald’s then, you promised?” Buffy asked.

“I did, didn’t I, ok then!” Hank said.

“Yeah!” Buffy and William raced off towards the jugglers.

“I won’t be long” Joyce said.

After shopping at the mall, and a trip to MacDonald’s, they went home. They helped putting the shopping away, and then they went and watched a video, The Lion King. They were both as good as gold, sitting quietly on the sofa, holding hands, not a peep out of them.

“Where are the kids, they’re quiet” Hank said, coming into the kitchen from working in the den.

“Go look…but don’t let them see you” Joyce said grinning. Hank came back into the kitchen from the lounge, he too was smiling.

“Didn’t even see me. So, what’s for dinner?”

“Well, the kids are ok having had McDonalds, they can have hot chocolate and cookies before bedtime, you and I have spaghetti Bolognese”

Both children had a shower before bed, and Buffy sat on William’s bed while he dried off and put his pyjamas on. Joyce read them a story, and carried a falling asleep Buffy to her own bed.




******************************


Saturday dawned with Buffy running into William’s room, and Joyce found them giggling, under the covers, playing with Buffy’s torch projector.

“Come on you two, breakfast” They had Cocopops and milk, then toast. They watched cartoons for a bit, played a game, did some colouring in, then went and played in the garden. After lunch they went swimming, and in the afternoon they went to a Wildlife sanctuary, and saw squirrels and rabbits and all sorts of other animals, including big snakes and spiders, they both loved it.

Joyce and Buffy didn’t love the spiders, though! In fact, Buffy was petrified of them and wouldn’t even look in the glass cases. As they’d been very good, Hank said he’d treat them all and they went out to a proper restaurant, and they both felt very grown up.

The waitress was very nice and kind to the two children. Buffy, (as usual) wanted the same as William, he ordered barbecued ribs and a loaded jacket potato, and apart from some tough potato skin, and the bones, obviously, they both ate every bit!

They were very well behaved, and didn’t play up at all. They got home, and both felt tired, they had a quick wash, and went to bed, Hank had left them both in William’s bed, and when Buffy was asleep, he carried his daughter to her own bed.

Sunday flew by, they went to the park in the morning, played on the swings and roundabout, fed the ducks with some stale bread Joyce had given them, and went to see Hank’s mother, Grandma, as Buffy called her.

She met William and liked him instantly. He was a good boy, and remembered his manners, said please and thankyou, and was very well behaved. Back home, and after a lunch of chicken, they watched cartoons on TV. But soon it was time for William to go back to the home.

He was quiet and looked a bit teary, Buffy was crying.

“Please mommy…I want him to stay!”

“And we do darling, but I’m sorry, he must go back to the home…if we keep him, they won’t let him come again, and we don’t want that, do we? We want William to be able to come every weekend…and if things work out, we might have a big surprise next week” Joyce said, trying to sooth both children.

They both sniffed and nodded. Joyce felt like crying herself.

“Have you enjoyed it, staying here William?” Hank asked, squatting down in front of him. William kept his head down, but nodded.

“Yes thankyou” William said quietly. Hank swallowed as his heart lurched, he desperately wanted this little lad to be happy, after all the sadness he’d endured in his short life.

“Good lad…it’s been great, hasn’t it…I thought next week, we could play soccer, if you want”

“Yeah!” William looked up and smiled. Hank grinned and stood, he had to blink away watery eyes.

“We better go, Mrs Betts said no later than 7.30pm”

“Ok…I’m keeping his pyjamas here…um, Will, you have some more at the home, don’t you?”

“Yes”

“Good, I’ll keep these here for next time, and I’ll buy you some slippers to keep here next week, ok honey?”

“Yes thankyou”

“Come on then, it’s ten past, we’ve got to back for 7.30, we don’t want to make Mrs Betts cross, do we, not the first time” Hank said. Tightly holding hands, the two children, suddenly leaden footed trudged slowly to the car.

They got to the home, pulled up. Buffy and William were both crying, although William was trying not to show it.

“You’ll see him tomorrow in class” Joyce said. They all went up the steps and Hank rang the bell. Mrs Betts answered the door, beaming them a smile.

“Hello, hello…had a nice weekend, William?”

“Great… I didn’t want to leave”

“He CAN come next week, please, we’re not late” Buffy said. Mrs Betts could see the tears.

“Well honey, I don’t see why not” She cupped Buffy’s face and smiled at her. They went into the TV lounge, while the adults talked. William went to the window and looked out at the moon.

“Before you go to sleep, look at the moon, and I’ll look at the moon, ok?”

“Yes” Buffy said solemnly.

“He’s had a bath…I’ve kept his pyjamas, he’s told me has more here” Joyce said.

“That’s fine…well, I must go, it’s nearly bedtime for him” Mrs Betts said.

“Come on then Buffy, say goodnight to William” Joyce came over and kissed his cheek, gave him a hug.

“See you in the morning” William nodded. Hank put his hand on William’s head, ruffled his hair.

“Bye then William, see you next week, we’ll go buy you some football boots, and then you can teach me the side off rule!”

“It’s off side…ok!” William looked up and smiled, Hank winked at him.

“Say good night, Buffy” Buffy turned to William and they hugged.

“Night William”

“Night Buffy…don’t cry, remember, look at the moon” She nodded, her bottom lip trembling. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, hugged her again, and Joyce had to turn away, biting her bottom lip. It was the most touching thing she ever seen. Even Mrs Betts said,

“Ah, that’s so sweet!” Once in the car, Hank bibbed the horn, and William waved, Buffy blew kisses, then she said,

“My William said, before I go to sleep, I must look at the moon, and he will” Hank and Joyce smiled, and they drove home.


Later that night in bed, Hank said,

“Have you noticed, with Buffy, it’s ‘MY William’ now, not just William!”

“Yes…she’s absolutely besotted with him, that this evening nearly had me in tears, when she was saying goodnight to him”

“Me too, look, I know it’s early days yet, but, well, he’s such a lovely lad…lets go all out for the adoption, shall we, I’d love to have him as a son.” Hank suggested.

“Oh yes! The earliest we can apply is after six months, then it takes approximately another six weeks for the application to be processed, meanwhile, we’ve applied to take him on holiday with us, and we can have him every weekend, well hopefully we can, then there’s Christmas, so that means…March, he could be ours by March”

“Buffy’s you mean, I think Buffy has ‘first dibs’ on him, don’t you!”

“You’re probably right there!”

“Tell you what…I’ve got some vacation time owing to me – how about if I go to the travel agents tomorrow during my lunch hour – see if I can fix up a decent holiday for us all”

“Oh Hank, that would be great – something the kids will enjoy!”

“Leave it to me!”

*************************


Joyce was just getting ready to go to school, when the mail arrived. There was an official looking letter from some solicitors.

“Hank, Darling, sorry to ring you, but I’m worried”

“Why, it’s not one of the children, is it?” Hank asked in a worried tone.

“No, no, they’re fine, it just…well, it’s a letter from Bellman and Jones”

“The solicitors?”

“Uh huh…”

“Well, what does it say?”

That’s just it; I’m too frightened to open it. What if this aunt May of his has gone into remission again, and wants him back?”

“Look, calm down…she’d still need help to look after herself, let alone a lively nearly six-year old. Besides, well, we could always take him to see her. Show her just how close William is to Buffy, and vice-versa, I’m sure she wouldn’t want to take him away from that”

“You think?”

“Yes. Now go on, open it, else I’ll worry, and I’ve got a meeting in twenty minutes.” Hank could hear Joyce opening the envelope, and waited while she read.

“OH, oh thank god!”

“What?”

“She says that, well, she is quite happy for us to continue with the adoption, she only wants the best for William, and the various social workers reports to her state that William has all the happiness love and stability that he needs with us…I was SO frightened, Hank – I don’t know what we’ll do if-!”

“Joyce! It’s ok honey. There’s no need to be frightened. Well, there’s no need to be frightened now…it’s good that there’s good reports, it can only help to sway the judge in our favour”

“Yes, I AM being silly, aren’t I?”

“I do understand love, but next week, well, we’ll go to the courts, and well, give it our very best shot”

“But what if?”

“LOVE!”

“Sorry”

“I have to go now sweetheart, I’ll see you tonight, ok, you’ll be ok?”

“Yes. And I’m sorry, keep worrying you like this…”

“That’s ok, bye now love, I’ll see you later”

“Bye” Joyce put the letter back into the envelope, and put it into her handbag. They hadn’t said anything to either Buffy or William, as they didn’t want to worry them.



Later that evening.

Hank came in through the front door, and looked around.

“Well?” Joyce looked up expectantly from her ironing, a smile playing about her lips.

“Where are the children?”

“Outside, playing” Joyce said, standing the iron up and she began to fold the shirt she’d just pressed.

“Get this, ten days, you me and the kids, four star hotel in Disney World, Orlando, Florida, 14-24th August!” Hank grinned, rubbing his hands together.

“Brilliant…they’ll really love it, mind you, so will-“ Joyce was cut off by Hank.

“Quiet………here they come, hello Buffy, William” They didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

“Daddy! – Guess what, my William and me are going to be in the school play” Hank squatted down and grinned at his daughter, gave her a kiss, he ruffled William’s hair and gave him a hug.

“Are you now…what are you going to be?”

“A princess, and my William is the prince” She beamed at her daddy. Buffy had started to add the little prefix, ‘my’ before she mentioned her brother’s name. She still hadn’t grown tired of holding his hand or kissing him either, not that William ever raised an objection!

“Will you be able to come and see the play, dad?”

“When is it?”

“Um…mom, when’s the play on?” Buffy asked

“The last day of school, not until the Christmas holidays though, Got months yet!” Joyce said.

“Oh now, I think I can arrange something, I’ve got to see my children act, isn’t that right, mom – I must come” Hank said, nodding.

“Yes, you can help too, I’m counting on it” Joyce said, folding another shirt and adding it to the pile.

“Is tea nearly ready mommy, my William and me are starving!”

“Ten minutes…you can go wash your hands…have you left any toys outside?”

“I left my football, I’ll go get it” William went out. Buffy waited for him in the kitchen. When he came in, they went upstairs and washed their hands.

“Ask William how he did in his test, I’m surprised that Buffy hasn’t-“ Joyce began, only to be interrupted by their daughter calling downstairs.

“Dad-dy!” Buffy called down. They both grinned. Hank went and stood at the bottom of the stairs.
“Yes princess?”

“Come and have a look at my William’s test!” Winking at Joyce, Hank started up the stairs.

“Look daddy, my William’s got all the answers right and come first!” Buffy proudly waved the piece of paper under her daddy’s nose. She was as pleased as if she’d come top.

“Hmm, let me see now…right!” Hank made a great show of putting his reading glasses on, and scrutinised the sheet.

“Hmm, what have we here…William Campbell, general test, 20/20! Wow, that’s excellent, where is he?”

“William, daddy wants you” Buffy called.

“You came top and got 20/20 in your test at school?”

“Yeah…it was easy-peasy!” He grinned. Hank came over and hugged him.

“Very well done, I’m very proud of you, kid!” Both children beamed.

“And how many did you get, Buffy?”

“Um…I forget” Buffy said, her smile fading. She’d secretly hid her paper under some comics. William knew this, but wouldn’t give her away.

“I think Buffy nearly got them all right, but got a couple mixed up” William said, diplomatically. Hank smiled.

“Is that right…did you do your best, Buffy?” Hank asked. Buffy nodded slowly, but not looking at her daddy. He noticed a bruise on William’s arm.

“How did you do that, son?”

“Um…I forget…playing, I think”

“It was James, he’s a meany…and a poopyhead” Buffy said, annoyed, rubbing Will’s arm.

“A what?” Hank asked, his brows raised, and smiling.

“A … poopyhead. He kicked me, and my William told him to stop it and say sorry”

“Did he. You look after Buffy then William?” Hank smiled and looked back at William.

“Oh yes. Boys shouldn’t hurt girls, James kicked Buffy, so I told him he shouldn’t do, and he better not do it again.” William said, looking at Hank.

“Quite right, too. No, they shouldn’t…tell you what, as you’ve been so good and clever passing your test, I think you deserve a treat…so, how about, after we’ve had tea, we go to Blockbuster, get a video, and then go get some popcorn. Would you like that?”

“Yeah!” The two children chorused.

“Buffy, William, Hank…Tea’s ready” Joyce called upstairs.

Come on!” The children went down, Hank went to get changed.
Sitting at the table, Hank said,

“As William’s so clever at coming top in his test, I said I’d take them to Blockbuster and then to get popcorn”

“I want Mulan” Buffy said.

“Well, as William came top, don’t you think that he should choose the film?” Hank said, looking at his daughter.

“It’s ok…If Buffy wants Mulan, it will do fine” William said, and Buffy smiled at ‘her’ William and loved him that little bit more.

Joyce and Hank smiled at each other. Hank did as he said, and took the children out, twenty minutes later they were back, and sitting on the sofa, hand in hand, watching the film. Hank joined his wife at the dining room table for coffee; she was reading the newspaper.

“You know, I swear if she’d have wanted a more ‘girlie’ one, like Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty, he still wouldn’t have objected. How did Buffy do in the test, by the way, William was very diplomatic, and Buffy was positively cagey?”

“Well, she got 12/20…looks like we have the makings of one genius, anyway”

“Buffy was telling me how William protected her, what was the lads name now…James? He kicked her – Gave our Will a bruise, she called him a…what was it she called him now…a ‘poopyhead’, that’s it, a ‘poopyhead’! Where did she get that from?” Joyce flipped over the page and smiled, glancing up at her husband.

“I’ve no idea…he does look after her. They don’t play much with the other children…don’t get me wrong, they’re not anti-social, just they seem to prefer each other’s company the best”

“Well, let’s hope the novelty doesn’t wear off! So, when we going to tell them where we’re going for our holidays, I can’t wait!” Hank said, grinning.

“At the airport…else Buffy’ll drive us all mad, that’s if you don’t first!” Joyce said, grinning.











The following Weekend.

“Right, water’s turned off, backdoor’s locked, gas is switched off…timer is set for curtains and lights…and Mrs Koprinski has the key so she can get the mail and water the plants…I think that’s it…only the alarm to do now” Joyce said.

“Does Mrs Koprinski know the combination to the alarm?” Hank asked.

“Yes…I’ve written it all down for her, and the name of the hotel where we’re staying…have you got the cases all packed?”

“In the trunk. I’ll just check the garage is locked, then, we can go!”

“Right, I’ll go wake the kids” Joyce said.

“William…come on kid, wakey, wakey”

“Huh…what’s the time?”

“It’s very early…still nearly the middle of the night really, but come on, put your track suit on quickly, were going on holiday!” He got out of bed and dressed, went for a wee.

“Buffy, come on love, wake up”

“Huh…what…where’s my William?” she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Joyce smiled.

“Come on Buffy, we’re going on holiday!” William sounded so excited. Buffy bounded out of bed, and put on her matching tracksuit and sneakers, she too went to the toilet.

“It’s still night time! Where are we going?” Buffy asked. They bounded out to the car, leaving Joyce to lock up as Hank did up their safety belts. They drove off, and soon Hank was on the freeway.

When William saw the direction sign, and saw the little aeroplane motif, he smiled.

“Are we going on an aeroplane?”

“Yes!” Hank said. Buffy’s eyes went huge, then she and William looked at each other, and smiled.

“Are we going to see the queen?” Buffy asked.

“No, something you’ll like even better, we hope” Hank said.

“Where?” Buffy asked all excited, she’d never been on an aeroplane before.

“Where does Mickey Mouse live?” Joyce asked.

“Disneyland!” They both chorused, grinning like mad.

“We’re going to Disneyland?”

“Disney World, Florida!” Hank grinned, glancing at the children through his driving mirror, they looked so excited.

Chapter 4


“Um…mum, can I have $20 of my money please, I want to buy Buffy a Mickey Mouse” William asked. Joyce smiled, cupped his little face.

“Oh, do you, that’s lovely!”

“Here, I’ll…” Joyce put her hand over Hank’s wallet.

“Let him buy it…” she whispered something, and Hank agreed. William went and bought Buffy the toy, and gave it to her.

Buffy immediately hugged and kissed him, proudly showing her mom and dad just what ‘her’ William had bought for her, ‘with his own money’ she told them.

Buffy looked at her William with such love and admiration. When they were walking back to the hotel, (hand in hand, obviously) she announced, very matter–of-factly, that she loved William very much, and one day, she’d marry him.

“Is that right… but will William want to marry you?” Joyce asked, smiling.

“Oh yes, I expect I will!” William said nodding seriously. And he and Buffy walked on ahead, leaving Hank and Joyce beaming at each other.

Back in the hotel room, Joyce noticed a leaflet on the bed, put there by the housekeeping maid.

There was to be a big firework and spectacular laser display that evening, but it was quite late, the time the children were usually going to bed. The display to start at 8.45pm

“Look, if you two go have a nap now, you can stay up late and see the fireworks, ok?” They nodded, and both went and lay on William’s bed, and fell fast asleep, Buffy clutching her Mickey Mouse in one hand, and William’s hand in the other.

“Best thing we ever did…fostering him” Hank said, leaning against the doorjamb, looking at the two children.

“Hear, hear! You know…I often think………I’d have loved to have seen him as a baby…I bet he was adorable…he still is…he’s such a thoughtful little boy…” Joyce said softly, standing next to her husband. Hank smiled and nodded.

“So, what did you say for me to do, about the money?” Hank asked.

“Give them both $50 vacation pocket money, then they won’t be out of pocket, because Buffy will bound to want to buy ‘her’ William something too now”

“Good idea, I’ve got some new $10 bills, I’ll give them it when they wake up.

“Coffee?” Joyce asked

“Hmm, love some…think I’ll have a bit of a nap myself, and have a look at the crossword first though”

That evening, after dinner in one of the many restaurants, they went over to Beauty’s Castle, and watched the firework and laser display. They all loved it, and Hank had videoed some of it. Buffy held onto William’s hand, especially tight when there were some loud bangs.

The holiday flew by, and soon the day to go home dawned. They could still have the day as their flight wasn’t until teatime, and Buffy wanted to buy William a present.

Hank had bought them all baseball caps and tee shirts with ‘Disney World, Florida on the front, and they loved walking around all looking the same! William and Buffy had had photos taken with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald Duck, Snow White and William ‘pretend’ saved Buffy from the Wicked Queen’s evil clutches by having a gentle tug-of-war with her!

Joyce and Hank were just as big a kids, and had lots of photos taken too, as well as Hank doing lots of video footage. Buffy bought William a big stuffed ‘Simba’ lion cub toy, he loved it.

They had a good flight, although it was delayed for two hours, and by the time they got back to Revello Drive, the two children were asleep.

“Just look at them…it’s been the best holiday we’ve ever had, don’t you think?”
Hank said, pressing a little kiss to William’s forehead.


***************************

It was mid December, and Hank was coming home one evening when he saw trips to visit Santa in Switzerland – having just received a nice Christmas bonus, he decided to book a trip, just three days, but it would be something they could look back on…………


Joyce thought it a wonderful idea when he told her what he’d done, meanwhile, the holiday was nearly upon them, and Joyce was making the costumes for the school play.
The day of the play arrived, and after many rehearsals, the children were all word-perfect………


William strode onto the stage, flipped his cape and said,

“The Princess Beauty sleeps, I shall wake her with a kiss” He walked around the bed and leant over, giving Buffy a kiss on the lips. Buffy, as Princess Beauty, sat up and said,

“My handsome prince! You have broke my wicked step-mother’s spell” he helped her out of bed, and then dropped onto one knee.

“Princess Beauty, will you marry me?”
“Oh sweet prince, yes, I will marry you!” He stood, and then they kissed again and the curtain came down to thunderous applause. Joyce and Hank grinned at each other, as they clapped.

The curtain rose and all the children took a bow, and there were loud whistles and cheers and louder applause. William and Buffy held hands, and then walked to the front of the stage and took a bow.

The audience went wild applauding, banging their feet, whistling and cheering as loud as they could. Both children were beaming.

The curtain came down again and all the children left the stage, and got changed. Joyce came backstage and grinned at her children. She squatted down, and held out her arms and hugged her two children to her..

“Did you like it mommy?” Buffy asked smiling.

“Oh, we thought it was wonderful!” Joyce beamed.

“Did you know, it’s been video taped, we shall buy three copies, one for us to keep, and one to send to both of your nana’s and Tom, shall we?”

“Oh yes please!” William said.

“Are you going to take the lipstick and eyeshadow off?”

“No…leave it ‘til I get home” Buffy said. She took William’s hand and they went into the assembly hall to find their daddy.

“Daddy!” Buffy said. Her father turned and smiled.

“And here’s my little prince and princess!” The man he was talking to smiled.

“Your children eh?”

“They sure are…”

“Still in character, by the looks of things, she’s still holding his hand!”

“Oh, they’re always like that, and he’s ‘her’ William, right from the day we first fostered him” Hank said.

“Oh, he’s fostered! I thought he didn’t have an American accent”
A man with a camera came over to Buffy and William.

“Smile!” They both looked up and smiled.

“Give her a kiss for the camera” the man said, so William did.

“That’s so sweet!”

Joyce put her name down for three videos, and she gathered the children up and they went home. The next morning she was surprised to see Buffy and William on the front of the local paper, in costume, kissing!

“Well, have you seen this?” She held it out for Hank to see. He grinned as he did up his tie.

“They look so darn cute!”

Hank grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, and began to put it on as he walked to the bottom of the stairs.

“Will, Buffy, I’m going now” he called up. Both children thundered down the stairs, and kissed had hugged Hank.

“Go look what mom’s got” The two children went into the dining room. Joyce came through to the hall, giving her husband his briefcase, and kissing him.

“See if you can get some more copies of the paper, will you?”

“Sure, now, I must fly, bye love, bye kids!”

“Bye!” The two chorused together. When Joyce got into the dining room, she saw Buffy and William looking at the picture.

“Mommy…who’s um…Rom, erm, Romeo and Julie?”

“Who?”
Buffy pointed to the paragraph in the paper.

“Oh, Romeo and Juliet…well it’s a very old play, written by William Shakespeare, have you heard of him?”

“I have! I went to Stratford, where he came from once” William said.

“Did you, baby?”

“But who are they?” Buffy persisted.

“Oh well, they loved each other very much, and wanted to be together” Joyce explained, thinking that that was enough info. She didn’t want to scare them by saying too much.

“Like I love William?” Buffy said.

“Oh yes” Joyce said, then she added,

“Come on now, let’s get you some breakfast”

“Can we phone nana?” Buffy asked.

“Um…it’s a bit early yet, she’ll be having breakfast herself now, then she feeds the chickens. How about, you have your breakfast, watch a few cartoons, and then phone her nearer lunch time”

“Ok”

It was the last day of school before the Christmas holidays, and there was no proper schoolwork being done. William and Buffy were sitting at one of the tables, with Willow and Xander.

“But don’t you get presents?” Buffy asked, big eyed.

“Yes…but we don’t think that the baby Jesus was special like you do” Willow explained

“Oh”

“Were going to my aunty Bernice and uncle Saul’s for the holidays…uncle Saul is my daddy’s brother. They live in…Oregon…”

“But…you don’t have a Christmas tree?” Willow shook her head, and Buffy and William looked surprised.

“Ok children…you can get your coats now…Happy holidays everyone”



**********************************

“But mommy, why doesn’t Willow have a Christmas tree?”

“Because, well, they’re Jewish, and they have different beliefs. Remember how she can’t eat certain things”

“Oh yes, I remember, she couldn’t eat the sausages at the barbecue!” William said.

“That’s right, remember that special candlestick they have, it’s called a –“

”Menorah…Mrs Rosenberg told me…” William said.
The telephone rang

“Hello”

“Hi darling…just thought I let you know, I’ll be home early, we can go shopping tonight if you like, the shops are open ‘till midnight”

“Ok, but what about the kids?”

“Mom’ll watch them, plus, it’ll get her out of the house…she’s getting more and more housebound, and I’m a little worried about her”

“She had a nasty fall Hank…it’ll take time”

“I know, but that was September…I’ve phoned her anyway, I’ll pick her up on the way home, ok?”

“Fine”

“Do you want me to get anything, on the way, food wise?”

“No, no. I’ve got a big pack of pork steaks”

“Ok then, see you in about an hour”

“Buffy, William, daddy will be bringing nana Summers home with him, as we’ll be going out shopping. Now, you want pizza for tea?”

“Yes please…is nana’s leg better?” William asked.

“Getting better darling…so be good for her, won’t you?” both children nodded.





*************************



“Hi, have they been good?” Hank asked his mother as they came in laden with Christmas shopping. Both children were fast asleep on the sofa.

“Golden…William even washed up!…”

“He’s a very good boy”

“Listen…I want to talk to both of you”

“Ok…shall I put the kettle on first”

“I’ll carry the children up to bed”


***************************




On the 18th of December, the family pulled up on the airport parking lot…

“Where are we going?” Buffy asked, excitedly

“You’ll see!”

***************************



“William, look!” Buffy was looking excitedly out of the window of the log cabin at the falling snow.

Huge feathery flakes floated down, and she couldn’t wait to get outside and play in it. Sleepily William woke up and rubbed his eyes. He saw the unfamiliar surroundings, and remembered that they were on holidays in the mountains. He threw back the bedclothes and joined Buffy at the window, they linked hands.

He smiled, Buffy rubbed the glass where her breath had steamed it up.

“Real snow!” she said, beaming at him.

“Haven’t you ever seen snow before?” William grinned.

“No…only in my snow dome, or on the TV” Both children had been carried into the log cabin fast asleep the previous evening, so they hadn’t seen it until now.

“Well, it’s very cold…like when we bring in the ice cream containers in from the car and hold it in our hands” William explained. They saw a man with what looked like a couple of tennis racquets tied to his feet take big deep strides in the snow, throwing up cloudy little puffs of powdery flakes.

“It looks deep!”

“Would it come to over our heads?” Buffy asked, wide eyed.

“Suppose it could, in the drifts, where the wind blows it”

“Oh, you’re awake then!” They both turned to look at the doorway at the sound of Joyce’s voice.

“Mommy, it’s snowing!” Buffy said excitedly running to her.

“I know…”
“Can we go out and play in it, please?” Buffy asked

“Well, first of all, get dressed, have some breakfast, then we can all go out”

“Where to?”

“You’ll soon see, you’ll love it”

“Will we be able to play?”

“Later, yes, now come on, quickly, get dressed” The two children did as they were told, putting on thick warm clothes, although the cabin was very warm and triple glazed to keep out the chills. In the main room there was a real fire as well as the central heating, making the place really cosy.

After a warming breakfast of hot oats with honey and some toast that Hank made by holding pieces of bread over the flames of the fire (which both children thought was amazing) Joyce got them into warm fleecy jackets and fur lined boots.

She also gave them some warm gloves and they were told not to take them off, else their hands would hurt. Tying scarves around the hoods of their coats so that they wouldn’t fall down, the children could suddenly hear excited dogs barking.

“Ok Joyce, it’s here” Hank called. She came into the hallway, pulling on gloves like the children. Hank pulled up his hood and they went outside. The cold air stung their cheeks, and Joyce was helped up onto a sledge.

Then both Buffy and William were lifted onto the sledge and sat either side of her, Hank climbed on and sat facing them. Everyone was smiling. The driver got on and waved a light whip in the air, and shouted something, there was a sudden lurch, and they started to slide over the soft powdery snow.

They passed hundreds of huge fir trees, all covered in snow, and they could see the mountains higher up, and down below them they could see a little town, all twinkling and glistening in the snow. They passed other sledges coming back up the mountain, and people waved at them.

There were people skiing, snowboarding and in the distance they could see a cable cars slowly looping round taking people up the mountain so they could ski down. They all heard a loud noise, and a man whizzed passed them on what looked like a jet ski, like the ones they’d seen on holiday in Florida.

Hank explained that it was similar, but called a ‘skidoo’. Buffy cuddled tight into her mom when she looked out and saw how far the mountains dropped down, it was very steep.

She reached for William’s hand across her mother’s lap. After about five minutes, they were at the bottom of the mountain, and in the little town. The driver pulled the sledge up outside a big log cabin, covered in lights of blue and green, red and yellow. Music was playing, and they could see that there were dozens of cuckoo clocks in the window.

Hank paid the driver, and he helped his wife and children down from the seats. Buffy was fascinated how she could ‘see’ her breath come out in steamy puffs, it never got cold enough in California for it to do that.

There were lots of people walking about, people carrying skis or walking with those funny shaped racquets on their feet.

“Daddy, why is that man wearing tennis racquets on his feet for?” Both he and Joyce smiled.

“They’re not tennis racquets love, they are called snow-shoes, when walking over deep powdery snow, they help to stop you falling over by going too deep, makes the feet seem so much bigger for easier balance” Hank explained.

Buffy and William seemed happy enough at this explanation. They spent a couple of hours walking round and shopping, Joyce bought chocolate, some cheese and wine and a fondue set.

They went into a café and had hot chocolate and apfelstrudel, with big piped rosettes of cream on top. The two children were laughing at Joyce, who was eating slowly, groaning with delight, savouring each sinful mouthful with her eyes closed.

“Gods…I’m going to be in the gym for simply hours when I get home, I’m going to get so fat!”

“But it’ll be worth it!” Hank said, he too enjoying the rich treat. Joyce just smiled, nodded slowly with her eyes closed. William and Buffy ate theirs without a qualm! Hank offered to buy Joyce a cuckoo clock, but Joyce said that little bird on a spring popping out every quarter hour would drive her cuckoo, making the children laugh.

So Hank bought Joyce a watch instead. Walking to the end of the village, there was a sign written in various languages, and all four of them walked down a narrow little alleyway to come upon a clearing, where a man was cutting at a huge block of ice with an electric carving knife! On the ground were various other statues already carved, and much to their surprise, after gouging out chunks and shaving off layers of ice, the man took a blowtorch to various parts. That made it melt and become crystal clear.

After watching him for a few minutes, (there were quite a few people watching and walking around) they looked at what the man had already done. There was a young boy and girl, he’d named ‘Hansel and Gretl, some leaping dolphins, a swan, a train, a car, and his piece de-la-resistance, a castle, with turrets, just like Beauties Castle in Disney world.

Buffy was transfixed, it was as clear as crystal, and so beautiful!

“Oh mommy…look William…there’s a princess at the window!” After dropping a few coins into the ‘artists’ hat, they made their way back to the cuckoo clock shop, to hire a husky sledge ride back up the mountain.

As they got off the sledge outside the cabin, Hank called his wife’s name. She looked up, and a soft snowball thudded lightly on her head. She shrieked, and began to gather snow into a ball to get him back!

The children thought this SO funny, and they too began to gather snow and throw it. Laughing and slipping over, after ten minutes they were all wet and exhausted! They trudged their way back indoors, pulling off wet gloves, scarves etc. as they went.


“There you go love, that would have worked off that apfelstrudel!” Hank said grinning at his wife. She whispered that she’d get him back later; she had a twinkle in her eye. Hank grabbed her and pulled her close, whispered into her neck.

“You wait until the children are in bed…”
Grinning, Joyce turned seductively, and whispered,

“No, YOU wait!” She let her hand drop, and gave his thigh a squeeze.

“Come on Buffy, Will, let’s get you two into some dry clothes!” Joyce called, and Hank went and hung up their wet things in the special drying room.

They all had a nap, and then they played a board game, and read books, Buffy and William drew pictures to send to their nanas, and at six o’clock, Joyce cooked them some tea. They had roast chicken, and some jacket potatoes, and then Joyce called William and Buffy into the main room.

They both thought it was to get undressed to go to bed, although they were not tired. To their surprise and excitement, Joyce had their going out clothes ready.

They were all dry again and she stood in front of Buffy holding her coat out for her to put on.
“Where are we going?” Buffy asked big-eyed, quickly slipping her arms into the sleeves. Hank was helping William.

“This is the main reason we came here…now, remember when we got you to write a letter to Santa?” Both children nodded seriously.

“Well…you wait and see!” Joyce said, smiling up at her daughter as she did up the last button on her coat. There was a knock at the door.

“Ready, Joyce?” Hank called out.

“Coming…come on love” Joyce encouraged Buffy to go outside. The sky was dark blue, and the stars twinkled in the night sky.

In fact, all four of them were spellbound when they got outside. There was a huge sleigh bedecked with twinkling lights, and little bells that jingled as the animals snorted and nodded their heads, eager to be off.

The animals in question, were real reindeer! A man touched his hat in respect at them, and they got inside the sleigh. They had their photographs taken. Buffy and William sat together, holding hands, absolutely agog in total wonderment.

“Do you like it?” Hank asked smiling.

“Oh yes, it’s wonderful!” William said.

“Yes!” Buffy said. Hank grinned and winked at them.

“Were are we going?” William asked.

“Look!” Hank said, and he shifted in the seat so the children could see the huge cave that they were being driven into. William read out,

“Santa’s Grotto” They grinned at each other, and then looked around at the sparkling surroundings, with little automatronic elves and animals. The sleigh slowed then stopped altogether. They got out, and walked into the labyrinth, the children holding hands.

“This way please!” a chubby lady dressed as an elf lead them through the sparkling tunnel, until there, before them sat Santa, on a huge chair, all about him were piles and piles of presents, wrapped in shiny paper.

The ‘elf’ went ahead and spoke to Santa.

“Buffy and William! Welcome, welcome, come here my dears…” They looked in total awe, and looked up at their daddy. He was smiling and nodded to them in encouragement. They both walked forward.

It was being videoed.

Santa pulled them onto his lap and began to talk to them; looking at each child in turn. Joyce and Hank could see them nodding and smiling. He said something to them, and they both looked up and waved, their faces beaming. Joyce and Hank waved, they too were beaming.

“What price that love, eh? They look so happy” Hank said. Joyce nodded.
Having given the children a parcel each, they got down off his lap and came back and stood by Hank and Joyce

“Santa said he knew we’d been good, and he knew what we wanted for Christmas!” Buffy said.

“That’s good. Come on then were going back in the sleigh now, but were going round the mountain to see the elf village” William and Buffy held their parents hands, then both pulled free and turned and waved at Santa.

“Bye, Santa, thankyou for the present” William said. The Santa waved and called,

“Bye young William, and Buffy…remember, leave me a cookie and some milk on Christmas eve!”

“We will!” He waved them off, and they got back into the sleigh. It had started to snow again, and both children were trying to catch the huge feathery flakes in their tongues. Both were laughing. They went round the model village, and then back down the mountain to their cabin. They carried their presents inside.

“Right, hot chocolate for the kids, Gluwein for us I think!” Hank said, rubbing his hands together, and set about preparing it. When he bought it in, both Buffy and William were dressed in their nightclothes.

“Thankyou for tonight, it’s been the bestest, ever!” William said. Hank set the tray down and hugged him.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, son…you’re a very good little boy, and this was to show you how much we love you and Buffy and to reward you for being so good.” William hugged Joyce to. Buffy did the same.

“Can we open our present, please?” Buffy asked.

“Go on then” Joyce said, and with great excitement, both children began to rip the paper off their parcels. Buffy opened her gift. Her eyes were huge and round as she took out a brown soft fur teddy. But it felt heavy.

“What’s inside it, it’s heavy!”

“Oh look, that’s great, look, it’s a radio!” Hank said.

“Let me see!” Buffy said excitedly.

“We’ll have to put some batteries in it, then you can play it in your room! What have you got William?” He opened his box, and took out what looked like two mobile phones.

“Oh, Walkie Talkies!” Hank said.

“Hey, this will be useful, when we want to call you from the kitchen and we can’t find you, we can call you up!”

“Like a mobile!” William said.

“Nice presents!” Joyce said.

“I should think so too! Nothing but the best for our two!” Hank said, smoothing William’s hair. Buffy yawned, then so did William.

“Come on then, finish your chocolate, let’s get you into bed” Joyce said.

“Mommy…how long are we staying here?”

“Well, we have to go home tomorrow…but not until the night time, so in the morning we can go back down to the village, and then have a snowball fight when we come home!” Hank said.

“Yeah!” the children chorused.

“Could we build a snowman?” William asked.

“Sure, we’ll do that, it’ll be fun!” Joyce settled them into bed, and they were soon asleep. Hank stoked the fire, putting on more logs, and refilled their Gluwein glasses. Joyce came through.

“Go say goodnight” Hank did so, Buffy was already asleep, cuddled up to her teddy.
He came out of the room, closed the door.

“Right then Mrs…got you all to myself now…!” Hank said seductively.

“You don’t have to get me drunk to have your wicked way you know!” Joyce said, holding up the full half-pint glass of warm mulled wine. She sipped it.
Hank turned the main lights off, and came and sat by his wife, in the firelight,

“This bearskin rug is so soft…” Hank nuzzled his wife’s neck. She gasped, smiling eyes closed, she began to undo his shirt.

“What about the children?”

“They’re fast asleep, don’t worry” Hank said, giving Joyce’s breast a gentle squeeze. It might have been the wine, but they decided to throw caution to the wind, and they made love on the bearskin rug in front of the fire……

The following morning they took a dog sled down the mountainside to the village, did a little shopping, everything was very expensive. As promised they had a snowball fight when they got home, and just outside the cabin, they built a snowman. Hank folded a hat out of old newspaper, and Buffy and William put some charcoal for eyes and buttons.

Joyce gave them a carrot for his nose, and Hank wrapped his scarf around the neck. Joyce also found a stick with a knobbly bit on the end that looked like a pipe, and stuck it in the mouth of the snowman.

Hank and Joyce took it in turns to video and help the children, they also too some digital photos. At teatime they left for the airport, and Buffy and William were excited to be on an aeroplane again.
Both were fast asleep when Hank carried them out of the taxi into their house.

The next day, Willow and Xander were bought round to play, as it was the school holidays. Joyce felt a little sorry for Willow, her family was Jewish and didn’t celebrate Christmas, but she was fascinated to listen about the sleigh ride and the snowball fights and the snowman.

Chapter 5


The Christmas holidays came and went, as did January and February, it was getting on for mid March, and it had been roughly eight months since they’d started having William to stay on a regular basis. Joyce and Hank had submitted their application to formerly adopt William, and had finally received the letter they were hoping for in one way, and dreading in another. Hank opened the official letter giving them the date

“This is it then honey – the official hearing date at the Family Court”

“I’ll have to book the day off, I’ll see the principal this morning”

“I’ll tell Larry…just think, in less than a week, we’ll know if William can be ours…”


The Thursday came, Buffy and William knew it was a very special day, because they wasn’t going to class, either of them, and daddy was home instead of going to work, and he was in his best suit. Mommy had her best dress and coat on, AND she put on some lipstick. William and Buffy dressed smart, and Hank took them in the car.

“Where are we going?”

“Um, you’ll see” was all Joyce said. They hadn’t said anything to the children, they didn’t want to make them nervous. The one question they didn’t ask, was to ask William if he wanted to live with them permanently, they took it as read, there were always tears when Sunday night came, he never wanted to go back to the home, as much as Buffy didn’t want him to leave. They went into a big building and William saw Mrs Betts.

“Have I got to go back to the home?” William asked in a small voice, he looked scared, Buffy looked absolutely petrified, and clung to William, and he did to her.
Joyce smiled and bent down.

“Please mommy, don’t make him go, please, mommy, please!” Buffy was near to tears, she was shaking with fear.

“Shh, don’t worry…this is the family court. We have to see a judge, and ask if you can live with us for good, if we can adopt you, we become your new mommy and daddy, would you like that?” Joyce asked, smoothing hair out of his eyes.

“You mean…never having to go back to St Chad’s” William asked big eyed.

“No. We would be your new mom and dad, would you like that?”

“OH YES!” Joyce beamed, felt the tears prick her eyes as she hugged him to her.

Mrs Betts stood and said her piece, that William was very well looked after, and how happy he seemed when he was with the Summers’. The judge (a nice, softly spoken black lady) said she’d read all the reports.

“Ok, can I speak to the child now?”

“Come on William, don’t be scared, just answer the questions.” Mrs Betts said. Buffy got up automatically to go with him.

“Just William, darling” Joyce said.

Buffy looked a little worried, kissed his cheek, and they hugged. The judge smiled.

“Please let him live with us…please, he’s my bestest friend and I love him, lots and lots” Buffy said to the judge. Joyce wiped her eyes, and then holding her hands in her lap, she gripped onto her tissue tightly to stop shaking.

The Judge smiled at Buffy, but said nothing, and then addressing William, she said,

“Well William. First I’m very sorry about your real mommy and daddy. You like it in America, yes?”

“Yes, thankyou” William said remembering his manners.

Buffy leaning forward in her seat, and holding onto the brass bar that ran round the wooden barrier in front of them, tightly with both hands, arms stiff and straight, her eyes fixed on William. Hank smiled at her, nudging Joyce to look. Buffy was transfixed, only looking at William, her little face serious.

“You know that your aunt is sick and unable to look after you?”

“Yes”

“And you’ve been staying with your class teacher, Mrs Summers and her husband and daughter Buffy”

“Yes, it’s great, I really love it there, better than anything, I wish I could always live there, Buffy is my best friend, I love her, and Mr and Mrs Summers, I want them to be my new mom and dad.” William said.

He saw Buffy smile and he waved to her. She waved back. Hank reached for Joyce’s hand, and held it tight. The judge saw this and smiled again.

She looked at her notes, and said,

“Well, as regards social services, all the tests were passed with flying colours, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such glowing reports from the social workers before, and as William himself has expressed a wish to live with you (she shuffled some papers, looked up and smiled)………adoption granted!”
Joyce shrieked and stood up, holding a tissue to her mouth. Buffy looked worriedly up at her mom.

“Does that mean yes?” her little face still serious, and full of worry that he might not be allowed to stay with them. Buffy then saw her dad grinning and nodding. William looked at the judge.

“Go on William, you can live with them forever now, they’re your new mommy and daddy!” William grinned, and Buffy jumped up and raced carefully down the steps to him, and they hugged, for ages. The judge smiled at Mrs Betts and said,

“I wish all the decisions I had to make were this easy!” She gathered up her papers, and they all had to go into a special room and sign some documents.

Hank scooped both children up and hugged them, he himself having to hold back the tears; he’d always wanted a son…

“Mr Summers…” William said

“We’ll have to think of something different for you to call me now!”

“Could…could I call you dad?” Tears glittered in Hanks eyes.

“Oh, son, I’d be honoured, I’d love that!” he hugged them both again.

“Come on, let’s go celebrate!”

They went to the movies, and saw Cars, then went for a burger after. Buffy and William were at the counter deciding what they wanted.

The lady behind the counter smiled at the two children, holding hands.

“Is that your brother or your boyfriend?” she asked smiling at Buffy.

“The nice judge lady just said he can live with us forever and I love him ever so much,” Buffy said.

“Oh, I see.” she turned smiling at William,

“And do you love her?”

“Oh yes!” William said, nodding and looking serious.

“Well that’s nice, isn’t it” She beamed at them.

“They’re SO very proud and protective of one another!” Joyce said, stroking Williams’s head.

“Closer than twins even…they’re inseparable!” Hank said, smiling.

“So, what do you want, Buffy?”

“I want…same as William”

“Ok” Joyce smiled.

“What do you want, William?”

“Can I have……… a Happy Meal and a strawberry milkshake, please?”

“You may, is that what you want, Buffy?”

“Yes”

“Please” prompted William.

“Please!” Buffy said. Both Hank and Joyce smiled.

“Mom, oh, um, can I …can I call you mom?” William asked, looking up at her hopefully. Joyce grinned, nodded eagerly.

“Can we sit by the window, I want to show Buffy something”

“Sure” They found a table, and Buffy scooched up close to William. Joyce never did find out what it was that he wanted to show her, but they were both giggling.

“Just look at those two!” Joyce said to Hank, as she came from the counter with their order. They were very well behaved, and didn’t make a mess.


And so it went on. They were inseparable, and never once did Hank and Joyce ever regret adopting him, he was the ideal son to them. Most mornings Joyce would go into Buffy’s bedroom, only to find her bed empty, and in William’s room, sitting in bed and he reading her a story.

Buffy absolutely idolised her brother, she fussed round him and was always holding his hand. Both Joyce and Hank noticed how protective of each other they were, and how, even at school, they never seemed to bother with many other children, preferring instead to just be with each other.

After Sunday lunch, they did their usual ritual of going to the park, and getting ice cream.
“You ok, son?” Hank asked winking at William as he and Buffy took it in turns to throw bread to the ducks.

“Yes thankyou…my tummy doesn’t feel funny like it used to” he said Hank frown/smiled

“Oh…why’s that?”

“Because I haven’t got to go to St. Chad’s…I used to hate going back there when I’d been with you all weekend” Hank stood and walked over to the two children, hugging them both.

“Gods, I remember alright, we used to hate it too, didn’t we Princess, still you’ll never have to go back there again son…you belong to us now” William smiled and nodded happily.

“Dad…”

“Yes son?”

“Can we buy mommy some flowers?” Hank smiled

“I think, that’s a jolly good idea, she’d love that!”
William beamed as he walked back into the house, carrying a bunch of mixed cut blooms.

“Here mommy, these are for you”

“For me? Oh William they’re so beautiful! Come here…” She knelt down and gave him a big hug and a kiss.

“Ooh, aren’t we lucky to have you, eh?”

“Come on William, let’s go play outside”

“Go change first…then you can run along” They ran upstairs to do as their mother said.

“So…what are these for?” Joyce asked, beaming at her husband, kissing his cheek. Hank shrugged but he was grinning.

“Actually, I’m ashamed to say, but it was all William’s idea…they’d just finished feeding the ducks, and he just said, ‘dad, can we buy mommy some flowers’”

“He’s such a thoughtful little boy” Joyce carefully put the bunch of flowers on the kitchen counter, took out her secateurs, and began to cut the stems at an oblique angle and arrange them in her best crystal vase.

“I asked him if he was alright, and he said to me, yes, my tummy doesn’t hurt anymore, like it used to”

“What?” Joyce asked, slightly alarmed, the flower she was holding in mid air…

“About going back to the home on a Sunday evening…he used to hate it, and it gave him a funny tummy, I suppose”

“Thank god he’s ours…just look at them” Joyce shifted slightly so Hank could see them out of the window. They were both sitting on the garden seat, just talking, but they were sitting close, and turned to face each other.

“I don’t know what we’d have had to do if the adoption had been denied…” Hank said.

“DON’T…stuff of nightmares that…I swear I’d have gone on the run with him” Joyce said.

“Too right…oh, just look at them!”
Buffy and William were holding hands, and giggling their heads off.

“You know, I’ve NEVER heard them have a cross word…even when Buffy broke the lightening sword off his Jedi Warrior, he said it must have been nearly broken and wasn’t Buffy’s fault!” Joyce said. Hank smiled and said

“Bit of a difference between them and you and your sister!”

“Gods yes


********************************



A couple of months later, and nothing much had changed, they were still inseparable. One morning, as usual, Buffy pulled the stool to the cupboard, and took down Cocopops, and got out their bowls, then got milk from the refrigerator. William came downstairs slowly.

He didn’t feel too good.

“Don’t you like them anymore?” Buffy asked, as she spooned up the chocolaty milk, William had hardly touched his.

“Hmm…just not hungry…my tummy feels a bit funny” He had a quiet day at school, where he just sat quietly most of the day, they got home. Joyce noticed that William was extra quiet.

“What’s the matter honey?” Joyce asked. She squatted down by his chair, stroked the hair off his forehead. He’d hardly touched his tea, and Buffy looked so worried.

“My tummy hurts”

“Does it baby, where, show me” William lifted his jumper, and motioned towards his lower right hand side.

“Ok baby, do you feel sick?”

“A bit” William nodded.

“Well, think you should get undressed and go to bed, and if it hurts more, even if it’s the middle of the night, you call me and I’ll come to you, ok?” William nodded.

It was still light outside, but William got undressed and put on his pyjama’s. Buffy, not to be left out wanted to go to bed too, but in with William.

“Ok, but don’t jiggle about, you might hurt him” They both got into bed; Buffy was very good and lay still.

“You try and go to sleep…remember though, if it hurts, you call me, or get Buffy to get me” William nodded, turned on his side and closed his eyes. Joyce went down stairs. Hank would be home soon from work. He came in ten minutes later, kissed his wife.

“Where are the kids?”

“In bed, would you believe.”

“What, already, it’s not even seven o’clock yet, and still light!”

“I know, I think William has a touch of appendicitis…he didn’t eat his tea, or his breakfast come to that, and he told me his tummy hurt, he’s been extra quiet all day” Hank frowned, went up stairs.

Buffy was reading a book, William looked like he was asleep. Hank squatted down by the bedside, and whispered,

“Hello princess…don’t you think you ought to give William a little peace, and go in your own bed?”

“No daddy, he’s sick, and I must look after him” Buffy whispered back. Hank stood and smiled, leaned over and kissed his daughter’s forehead.

He didn’t kiss or touch William, as he didn’t want to disturb him. Hank went down and had his tea. At eight o’clock, Joyce went in to them, took the book off a sleeping Buffy and turned off the light.

They sat down to an evenings viewing, and during a commercial break, Joyce went to make a cup of tea. It was nearly ten o’clock.

She’d just put the tray down on the coffee table, when a white-faced Buffy came tearing down the stairs.

“Mommy, mommy! It’s William, he’s really hot and he’s going ‘ahhh’ and holding his tummy!”

“Phone the doctor!” Joyce said to Hank, and dashed up stairs.

“Mommy…it really hurts!” William said, his little face contorted with pain

“It’s ok baby…mommy’s here!” Joyce scooped him up and cradled him on her lap. She felt his forehead; he was running a temperature.

“Ten minutes, Joyce” Hank called up the stairs.

“What’s the matter with William, daddy?” Buffy looked really scared

“He’s got a poorly tummy, the doctors coming to give him some medicine to make him better” Buffy’s bottom lip trembled, and huge tears formed in her eyes.

“He will be ok?” Hank smiled, picked her up.

“Of course princess! Lets look out for the doctor, shall we?” After five minutes of waiting, with the front door open and the porch light on, Buffy could hear William crying, something he hardly ever did. She wriggled and Hank put her down, she dashed upstairs.

“Don’t cry William!”

“What’s wrong with him mommy…why won’t the doctor come!” She burst into tears, holding William’s hand. Then Joyce heard a car pull up and voices coming upstairs.

“Stand up, love, the doctors here” Joyce urged Buffy out of the way. The doctor came in, carrying his case.

“Right then, whose the patient?”

“William…I think it’s a touch of appendicitis, he’s been extra quiet and hardly touched his tea, and now he’s running a temperature, and it must hurt for him to get upset…” Joyce said.

“Ok…can you lie him down flat for me………there. Ok then William let me have a little look at your tummy…hmm…he’s a little distended. Is it here where it hurts?”

“Ye-yes! Ow! Mommy, it hurts!”

“It’s ok baby” Joyce looked worried, she kissed and stroked his head.

“Are you going to give him some medicine?” Buffy asked.

“Well, no. I think he ought to go to the hospital to see a doctor there to make his tummy all better.” He said to Buffy, then turned to Joyce

“Will you take him, or do you want to call an ambulance?”

“We’ll take him…oh gods, he WILL be alright?”

“I’m sure…”

“Mommy, where’s William going?” Buffy began to panic.
Hank wrapped a blanket around him and carried downstairs to the car. Buffy ran down after them.

“Twins?” The doctor asked, smiling

“No, William’s adopted, but they’re inseparable” Joyce said. Buffy was outside, in her nightie, nothing on her feet, crying. Grabbing her coat and slippers for her, Joyce picked up Buffy and put her in the back with William, who immediately cuddled him up.

Grabbing her purse Joyce closed the front door and raced to the car. They quickly got to the hospital. The doctor had phoned ahead, and they were expecting them.

William was put on a trolley and wheeled through some doors that they weren’t allowed to go through. Buffy was sobbing her little heart out, saying she wanted her William.

“Don’t cry love…the doctors will make him better.” She wouldn’t be calmed, and began to hiccup and sob, her breath catching until she was physically sick.

The nurse gave her some pink medicine to drink to calm her down.

Eventually she fell asleep on her daddy’s lap, her head on his shoulder, her breath catching in little whimpering sobs, every now and again.

An hour later, William was asleep in the recovery ward, having had an appendectomy. Joyce came through to Hank.

“I’ll stay here with him, you go have a quick look at him, then take Buffy home”

“Ok, love” he passed over their sleeping daughter to Joyce, and went down to the recovery ward. He stroked his sleeping sons head, and kissed his forehead. He went back to Joyce, and as she was handing over Buffy, she woke.

“William!”

“Shh, baby…doctors made him all better, he’s asleep now, but we mustn’t wake him”

“But I want to see him” her eyes big and her bottom lip a-tremble again.

“In the morning, love!”

“NO! Please mommy, please! I want to see him!” she started to cry again.

“What do you think?” Joyce asked Hank.

“I don’t know…that um, drip thing in his arm might frighten her” Hank whispered.

“I know”

“Oh dear…she won’t settle, even after that draft I gave her?” The nurse asked, giving them a pained smile.

“I –I w-w-want…to see…my W-W-Will-Will-yum!” Buffy sobbed.

“She’s his shadow” Joyce said to the nurse, giving her a pained smile, rubbing her daughter’s back while Hank held her.

“Are they twins?”

“The doctor asked me that, no, we adopted him two months ago”

“Will-yum…I wan-want my W-Will-yum!” Buffy sobbed.

“Let her see him, it won’t hurt” The nurse nodded and smiled.

“Um…the drip, it might frighten her”

“I’ve an idea…come on poppet, lets take you to see William” Hank put her down. Still sobbing, catching her breath and gulping, she eventually calmed. The nurse got her a tissue, squatted down in front of her, and she wiped Buffy’s eyes.

“Now, we must be quiet, ok, because he needs to sleep, come on then” She held the nurses hand, a little whimper caught her throat every now and again.

“Now, you’ll see that he has something in his arm, don’t worry, it’s just to stop any nasty germs that might hurt him, ok its to stop his tummy feeling sore, it’s keeping William safe” Buffy nodded.

“Is he better now?” she asked, a sob still catching her making her whimper.

“Yes. You can come and see him in the morning, when he’s awake”

“Will his tummy still hurt?”

“Um, for a little while, he’s got stitches” The nurse explained.

“Stitches? Like when Xander fell off his bike and cut his chin?” Buffy asked, round eyed.

“Yes, it’s where the doctor took out the bit of tummy that hurt him”

“But William had a tummy ache, he didn’t fall and cut himself” Buffy reasoned.

“Listen poppet, William’s had an operation, to take out a bit of tummy making him hurt, otherwise he could of got really, really sick. But he’ll be better in the morning, but he’ll have to rest, but you must be a big girl and be good for mommy and daddy, then you can see William tomorrow, ok?” Buffy nodded slowly, but she looked petrified.

“Can I touch him?” Buffy asked, her red-rimmed eyes looking pleadingly at the nurse

“Very gently then…try not to wake him” Buffy went round the bed and pulled the chair out quietly, knelt on it, and very carefully kissed his forehead, and whispered something to him. He stirred, and touched her hand.

The nurse had to bite back tears; she thought that she’d never seen anything so sweet and loving in all her life. As the nurse lead her out, she looked back at her brother for as long as she could.

“William’s had a… hopper-ray-shun and he’s got stitches like what Xander had, but I can see him in the morning” Buffy informed her parent’s matter-of-factly. They had both watched what she’d just done.

“What did you say to him?” Hank asked, stroking his daughter’s head.

“It’s a secret. I might tell you when I see him in the morning” Buffy said, enigmatically

“We’ll see” Joyce said.

“The nurse lady said…please mommy!” She started crying again.

“Oh…”

“Bye love, I’ll get her home” Hank kissed Joyce, who then went back to sit by William’s bed. Hank drove home. By now, it was nearly twenty past two in the morning, He put Buffy in William’s bed, she insisted.

“Promise I can see William in the morning, daddy” Buffy insisted.

“See what the doctor says”

“Please daddy!” she started to cry again.

“Ok, ok…shh, don’t cry” Eventually, she fell into a fitful sleep.


**
She went running into her dad at first light.

“Can we go now daddy, it’s morning!”

“Buffy!” Hank said sleepily. Rousing himself from about six layers of sleep, he wearily looked at the clock radio. He hadn’t come to bed until gone three, trying to do some work, as he knew he’d have to take half the morning off at least. It was 6.23am.

“It’s not half past six yet, it’s too early…come on, get in” he held up the covers, and Buffy got into bed, but wanted to talk.

“Princess, Daddy needs more sleep, I need to be able to drive the car safely, go back to sleep for a while”

“I can’t…I’ve tried”

“Well, then, go watch TV for a while, but quietly.” She got out of bed, went into William’s bed again.

Hank didn’t get back to sleep, and at seven thirty he was up and in the shower. Joyce phoned at ten to eight.

“How is he?”

“Oh, comfortable, he’s had a few sips of water. How’s Buffy, asleep still I bet”

“Huh, you’re joking, she was in our room at first light, demanding to be brought to see her brother, that was before half past six! I told her I needed more sleep so I could drive safely, I was up until gone three working on the Mason report”

“Daddy, can we go now?” Buffy demanded, she was dressed.

“Want to speak to mommy?”
She took the phone.

“What’s My William say?” Were her first words to her mommy.

“Um, he said, I’m thirsty, and he asked for you, but he’s gone back to sleep now”

“Tell him I won’t be long” Joyce smiled.

“Ok, love, I’ll tell him”

“Bye, see you soon” She put the phone down, Hank wanted to speak to Joyce.

“Oh. I wanted to talk some more to your mom” Hank said.

“You can see her in a few minutes, come on!” Buffy had the front door open, she’d put her shoes on and was carrying Mr Ted.

“Don’t I get any breakfast?” Hank asked, slightly bemused, doing up his tie.

“Come ON daddy, it’s cold!” Buffy called from outside. Hank rolled his eyes and got his keys. The cold morning air soon woke him up.

“I’ve been trying to phone you, Buffy put the phone down” Joyce kissed her husband’s cheek as he appeared outside the ward 15 minutes later.

“Where’s her coat?” Joyce asked Hank.

“Huh, I didn’t get her coat, or coffee, or even breakfast, she was rushing me out of the front door as soon as I came down from my shower…” Hank said smiling

“Come on, I want to see William, he needs me!” Buffy was pulling at her mother’s skirt.

“Buffy, William will still be asleep!” Joyce said.

“No he isn’t!” Buffy insisted.

“Goodness, you’re early!” The nurse smiled at Buffy, the one who’d taken her to see William in the early hours, she hadn’t even finished her nightshift.

“You said I could see him in the morning, and he needs me” Buffy said.

“Well, yes I did, didn’t I - and I know you love your brother very much!”

“She just idolises him!” Joyce said, by way of an explanation.

“She’s been champing at the bit to see him since before half past six this morning! So, how’s my son now?” Hank asked. Joyce said,

“He’s a little groggy still, had a few sips of water…”
Where’s Buffy gone?” Hank asked looking around. Joyce rolled her eyes. They went to the room, there was Buffy, sitting facing her brother on his bed, stroking his arm, their foreheads touching and she gave him a soft little kiss on his lips. They were whispering. Joyce teared up.

“She just loves him to bits”

“And he’s the same with her” Hank said. The nurse smiled and said,

“Ahh, that’s SO cute” there was a little huddle of nurses watching the two children, smiling and cooing over their antics. A doctor came into the room and smiled at them. Joyce and Hank went in.

“Sorry doctor, they’re inseparable, I can’t keep them apart!” He looked up and smiled.

“That’s ok, don’t even try to then…I’m sure he’ll get better far more quickly with her here, anyway” he smiled at them, then said to William,

“Ok then William, can I look at your stitches, see that they’re ok?”

“Get off the bed Buffy, there’s a good girl, let the doctor look at William, please” Hank said. She got off and stood by the doctor, craned her neck to look at his stitches. The doctor lifted the dressing, there was a little blood on it.

“Does it hurt?” she asked her brother.

“Nah…well, a little bit” William said.

“Ok then William, you can have some breakfast, some jell-o and a little ice cream.”

“Ice cream for breakfast?” William smiled and raised his brows.

“Special treat. Now, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Nurse Buffy here, ok, I’m sure she’ll look after you, won’t you love?” Buffy beamed and felt hugely important!

“Oh yes!”

“Yeah, thanks!” the doctor wrote something on his chart, and the smiling at Hank and Joyce; he went to talk to them. He left after telling them all being well, William could go home the next day, and Buffy could sleep on a cot next to his bed.

He came back two minutes later, with a theatre cap he’d put a red cross on it and said it was for Nurse Buffy. She was SO proud! And fussed round William all day.

By late lunchtime, the early morning had got the better of them both, and they lay, side by side, holding hands, fast asleep. A doctor looked in on them and smiled when he saw them.

“I was told they were very close” he said to Joyce.
“She’s his shadow, I swear she hardly ever lets his hand go…but he never pulls away or wipes off her kisses, so…”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll get better far quicker with her here, we find that with twins”

“Oh, they’re not twins, he’s adopted…” Joyce said.

“Really? Wow! Well, they sure are close!” As they watched, Buffy stirred at William moving slightly, and as soon as they settled, their hands clasped again. The doctor smiled.

“I think that’s the sweetest thing I ever saw”
Joyce and Hank smiled.

The nurses thought them so cute, they made Buffy a name badge, with Nurse Buffy on it, and when it came for William’s medication, the nurse gave Buffy the little cup with the medicine in it to give to William.

“Tell him to drink it all up…then gently wipe his mouth, ok?” Buffy nodded, taking her ‘duty’ seriously.

“William here’s your medicine, you must drink it all up, ok?”

“Ok”

“There. You’re very good!” Buffy dabbed his mouth, fussing him.

“Shall we watch Spongebob Squarepants now?” William nodded, and Buffy lay next to him.
One of the doctors came in beaming a smile and said,

“Hello, hello, what’s all this then? We have a pretty new nurse on the wards, I hear…where is she?”

“I’m nurse Buffy!”

“Are you indeed…well, I see that you’re looking after your patient very well…so nurse Buffy, want to come on a date with me, I like pretty nurses!” he teased, grinning

“No…got to look after my William!”

“Oh, I see…so you love your William then?”

“Oh yes!” she nodded seriously. There was a discreet cough, and about eight nurses, who were crowded around the door all moved for the surgeon who had come to look at his patient.

“No wonder I couldn’t find a nurse when I wanted one!” They all grinned at him. He checked over William, and then fixed Buffy with a serious eye.

“You’ve been looking after him, I understand”

“Yes” Buffy nodded.

“Well, you’ve done an excellent job, and as there’s no swelling, and no high temperature, I think, as long as you keep looking after him, nurse Buffy, young William here can go home”

They both beamed, and Buffy hugged William. Everyone said,

“Awwwww!”

They left with armfuls of gifts, and Buffy carefully wheeled William out to the car in a wheelchair.
“Bring him back in five days for the stitches to be removed, but if he suddenly gets pain or a temperature, don’t hesitate to bring him back” Joyce nodded.

When they got home, Buffy insisted that she sleep on the camp bed next to William’s bed, so she could look after him properly!
“What harm can it do, just until he has his stitches out”

Three weeks later, William was totally better. His scar had healed nicely, and there were no complications. They left the surgeons office after having him checked over and Hank had promised to take them swimming.

Chapter 6


A month later………………………

“Right then, can you put these in the car for me Hank…There’s two Fudge Brownie tray bakes…and two batches of lemon and coconut buns. Buffy…Will, are you ready?”
Two pairs of feet thundered down stairs.

“Are we going to grandma’s?” Buffy asked.

“No, were going to St. Chads” The two children looked shocked at each other,

“NO MOMMY!” Buffy was big eyed and scared, William looked desolate.

“Come on then kids, get in the car!” Hank said coming back into the house.

“What’s the matter?” The smile went from his face when he saw the state of his son and daughter, Buffy being almost breathless.

“Joyce, what’s the matter with her? – Buffy, love,” Hank squatted down, worried

“N-NO! He, he, he, can’t…don’t make him g-g-g-go!” Joyce closed her eyes when she realised what they must have thought.

“Oh gods, come here, come here!” She cuddled up her son and daughter.

“Hey…it’s an open day. Were taking some cakes for the fete, it’s to say thankyou for letting us have William – he’s not got to go back there to live…”

“Y-y-y-y-you mean he hasn’t g-g-g-got to s-s-s-stay” Buffy sobbed.

“Gods no. Never. William’s ours now, he belongs to us, here with us, he’ll never have to stay there again…I’m sorry, I should have explained”

Buffy relaxed, she’d been so tense, holding onto him. William relaxed too.

Fifteen minutes later, when they got to the home, Buffy and William went off to the bouncy castle.

“You should have seen her, she absolutely panicked, thought that we were bringing him back here. It was my fault, I didn’t explain” Joyce said to Mrs Betts.

“Here you go” Hank came up carrying the two large polythene boxes of cakes Joyce had made.

“My contribution, Fudge Brownies, and lemon and coconut buns”

“Ooh, lovely…where’s Sharon…Judith, have you seen Sharon?”

“I’m here Mrs Betts”

“Oh, good. Take these to the cake stall, would you dear”

“I come with you, to get the containers – then I’ll take them back to the car, ok love?” Hank said, leaving Joyce and Mrs Betts to walk and talk around the fete.

“He’s settled in well I see, and he’s grown!”

“He’s such a wonderful little boy, he’s bought us such joy, and Buffy, well, she just absolutely idolises him”

“She always did, didn’t she!” Mrs Betts smiled, as she saw William blowing bubbles and Buffy jumping up to try and ‘catch’ them, they were both giggling.

“So, how are things here?” Joyce asked.

“Well, we’ve had two very disturbed children…they’d been abused, part of some Devil worshipping cult, and it’s caused us some major problems, monetary wise…I think we’ll be ok for the rest of this year, but…”

“What, they’re going to close you down?” Joyce looked shocked.

“Yes…pretty much a certainty…the authorities see this as, institutionalising the kids, they want them fostered out ASAP, via agencies, and for long term care, they want ‘Units’ not foster homes”

“Gods, Units, it sounds so…cold, so clinical”

“Yes, well, I agree, but what can we do.”

“What will happen to you?”

“Me? Oh, I’ve got about 6 years before I retire…I could go back to the child welfare unit at the police precinct…or do crèche work…s’cuse me – Oliver, calm down, and wait your turn!”

“Yes Mrs Betts, sorry Mrs Betts”

“Sorry, I was saying?”

“You were telling me what you might do after this” Joyce said.

“Oh, yes…or then I might just throw it up early, and go and grow vegetables … will you look at the two of them!” She nodded towards Buffy and William, holding hands, walking across the grass.

“I remember the day at the family court…the judge, Hortense Byrd, she’s been a friend of mine for over thirty years…she said to me, ‘I wish all my judgements were as easy as this one, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a child better placed’ when you adopted young William!”

Joyce smiled. Hank joined them, and watched as William bought Buffy a helium filled balloon.

“Mrs Betts was just telling me what the judge said the day we adopted Will”

“Oh?” Hank said. The two children spied their parents and came running over.

“Daddy…will you try and win us a coconut?” Buffy asked.

“Come on then – bye!” Hank called over his shoulder at Joyce and Mrs Betts, and taking his children by the hands, he led them over to the coconut shy. After winning them a coconut, he played ‘score three baskets’ and won a box of candy, and then he paid for William and Buffy to have goes on various rides and things.

Half an hour later, they came back to Joyce, laden with ‘prizes’. She was still talking to Mrs Betts, their conversation often interrupted by various people wanting things or information.

“Look mommy…My William gave me a Scooby Doo!”

“Did he now” Buffy nodded and proudly showed it off.

“He winneded it all by himself!”

“He won, not winneded it!” Joyce corrected, but she was smiling.

“Have you spent all your money, William?”

“Um…I’ve got…60 cents left”

“And how much have you got, Buffy?”

“Um, I still got my $5”

“William’s spent all his money, on you!” Joyce chided her daughter.

“I don’t mind…as long as she’s happy!” William said. Joyce ruffled his hair and hugged him.

“Best thing we ever did, adopting him” Hank said in a quiet aside to Mrs Betts, who nodded and beamed.

“It’s comments like that that make him so adorable” Joyce said. They watched as the two children ran off hand in hand again.

“She’ll buy him something now, and pay for a bounce on the castle or something…she’s not selfish” Joyce said.

“Mrs Betts, The Mayor will be here in five minutes” One of the helpers informed her. Mrs Betts stood and said,

“Well, it’s been lovely to talk to you, and to see William again, I always knew we’d have no problem placing him, he’s such an adorable little boy, and can I also say Hortense was right, I’ve never seen a happier placed child, you’re perfect for him. I’ll see you later, bye-bye”


***********

Nine months later, the home was closed, and boarded up. A further three months later, it had changed again………

“I’ve got an idea!”

“Hmm…what’s that? Joyce asked, draining potatoes over the sink.

“Tomorrow, I thought we could take the children out to eat”

“Okay, where?”

Hank winked enigmatically and said,

“You’ll see!”

******************


Buffy and William sat in the back of the car, they knew they were going out to eat, and Buffy automatically thought MacDonalds…

When her father didn’t take the right hand turn that would have taken them to the Drive-thru, she frowned.

“But daddy, MacDonald’s is back that way!” Buffy swivelled her head back from looking at the turning her father should have taken.

“Who said anything about MacDonald’s?” Hank glanced at Buffy through the driving mirror, and then at William, he noticed that William didn’t look too happy

“Where are we going then?” Buffy persisted

“This is the way to St Chad’s” William said sadly.

Buffy went huge eyed and started,

“Oh but daddy! – We don’t want to go to THAT place, it’s HORRIBLE!” She held onto William’s hand tightly………

“Don’t worry, I PROMISE you, you’re in for a big surprise, and you’ll like it!”

William and Buffy exchanged looks, not entirely convinced…

When Hank turned right, William had worked himself up into seeing the imposing red-bricked building that was St Chad’s, but was totally shocked when he saw a new, bungalow style building, with a huge neon sign outside stating that it was: Luigi’s Real Italian Pizzeria!

Gone was the red bricks, gone were the little flight of steps, gone were the tall imposing hedges that kept out the light, and gone were the two lawns that looked so inviting to play on, but notices told you to ‘Keep Off’…instead was a new building with a low roof, walls of glass where you could see inside.

Hank pulled up, undid his seatbelt and grinning he turned to face the children in the back

“There you go, St Chad’s is no more son, I wanted to show you, because I know no matter how many times we tell you that you’ll never have to come back to St Chad’s again, you don’t quite believe it – come on, I’m starving!”

“But darling…you eating pizza?” Joyce asked as they watched the children run on ahead

“Don’t worry, they do pasta, chicken, steaks and that too, I checked!”

*************************************



Easter break time, and Hank had taken a few days off – the children had requested swimming, eating out, the movies and their favourite, a trip to the wild-life centre for things to do………


At the baths, William could already swim, Buffy was wearing armbands still, and she didn’t like it if her face was splashed, but she managed a few strokes with William helping her.

“Did you see daddy, did you see?!” Buffy asked excitedly.

“Yes princess, I saw you” Hank said smiling.

After drying off, they went and had hot chocolate in the café, where they could overlook the pool and see the swimmers.

“Daddy”

“Yes, son?”

“Do you know what happened to my swimming Certificates?”

“Certificates?”

“Yes, my swimming Certificates, do you know?”

“No son…actually, we’re still waiting for a box of stuff to come from England. I tell you what, when we get home, I’ll make some phone calls, ok?”

“Thankyou daddy”

“There’s a good boy” Hank winked and grinned at him, and William smiled.

“What’s a sus-tifficate?” Buffy asked

“A certificate! Well, I had to do a test. I had to swim two widths of the pool, and then swim with pyjama bottoms on, and take them off, I’d got my trunks on underneath, and then dive down and pick up three things off the bottom of the pool” Buffy’s eyes were huge with admiration.

“You went and touched the bottom?” William nodded

“And you wasn’t scared?”

“No”

“Isn’t he brave daddy!”

“He sure is!”

“It was nothing. Then they gave me this piece of paper, to say I’d done it, that’s a certificate!” William said smiling.
Back home, Hank was as good as his word, and phone up the London solicitors. Half an hour later, he called William, and of course, Buffy came too!

“I’ve phoned the people in London who knows about this stuff, and they said they were still waiting to hear from the social services, but when they get them, they’ll send on what belongs to you, ok”

“Thankyou daddy”

“You’re welcome, son”

“Can we go play now daddy?”

“Sure you can, run along now” Hank went into the dining room where Joyce was laying the table for lunch.

“Did you know that that lot in London didn’t even know William was over here, and legally adopted now?” Hank said disgustedly.

“I’d like his original birth certificate too”

“All this should have come with him. London blames CA, CA blames London…I bet they’re sitting in a box somewhere in one of those trailer social service sites!”

“Probably. Or it could be with the solicitors. They needed the house deeds and there were some share certificate or something…I could ask Mrs Keogh at school. Right, will you call them to wash their hands, and I’ll dish up”

All through lunch, Buffy was full of how William touched the bottom of the pool, and how he wasn’t frightened.

“Right then, have we got everything for nana Summers?” Hank asked

“Buffy?”

“Yes…I got the picture I drew”

“And I’ve got the story I wrote, and the present from the wildlife centre” William said.

“Hello nana!” Buffy went and kissed her grandmothers cheek, then William did the same. She cuddled and held the two children to her.

“My darlings! Look at you!”

“This is for you nana, I wrote it specially for you” William handed her the neatly written story

“Did you now, right then, let me look” she reached into her apron and took out her glasses, and put them on.

“Right, let me see…’

Today mommy and daddy took Buffy and me to the Wildlife centre, and we saw squirrels, that were eating nuts, and some rabbits eating carrots. In the butterfly house we saw some really big butterflies and moths, and there were glass cases with spiders and snakes, but Buffy and mommy didn’t like those.

There was a man and his name was Bill and he had a huge snake around his neck, and he’d got a small one too, which he let me hold.

The snake stuck his tongue out at me, but the man said he wasn’t being rude or going to bite me, that’s the way snakes smell you.

We had a really good time. Buffy got scared me holding the snake, she was frightened that he was going to eat me! But I wasn’t scared.

By William Campbell-Summers aged 6’

“Well, aren’t you brave!” Nana cupped his cheek and smiled at him.

“I did a picture of the squirrels nana”

“Oh yes…let me see, that’s you, and that’s William feeding them, is that right?” Buffy nodded

“And we bought you this” William presented nana with a jar of special honey, made by the bees kept at the centre.

“Ooh, lovely. I’ll make a special honey cake for next time you come over and visit, ok”

“Yes please nana, I love your cakes!” William said. Nana ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head, and then Buffy’s.

“Bless you my darlings. Okay then. Let me put these on the fridge door – so, who’s for some real lemonade?”

A chorus of yes pleases from children and adults alike, and nana took a big jug of homemade lemonade out of the fridge.

“Bring the glasses out son, we’ll sit on the veranda” Hank did as he was told. The children played with Benji, nana’s dog.

“He’s a fine boy…Buffy just dotes on him, doesn’t she?” The three adults sat at the garden table under the shade of the big umbrella.

“Did we tell you mom, the school want him to do a special test”

“What for?”

“Well, they say he’s exceptionally bright for his age, which he is”

“And what do you think, as a teacher, Joyce?” Hanks mother asked.

“Well, I don’t want to hold him back, but I don’t want him under any pressure either, I think children should learn at their own speed”

“Me too”

“I said let him do the test, but we don’t HAVE to follow it up” Hank said

“Best idea” nana agreed.

“What are they…what have they found?”

“Mommy, Nana, Daddy, come look!” Buffy called

“What is it?” Hank called, then they all went over to where the children were standing

“Look mommy…” William held apart a big green bush, and underneath it was a cat that’d given birth to three kittens.

“That’s Nancy’s cat, she’s been frantic, I’ll go ring her” nana said, going into the house

“Don’t touch them Buffy…the mommy cat just might think you want to hurt them, and she might scratch you” Joyce warned. A few minutes later, a grey haired lady, roughly the same age as Hank’s mother came carrying a basket,

“Oh, I’ve been SO worried about her…there you are!” Hank helped her lift the cat and kittens into the basket, and then he carried it into her house for her.

“Thankyou! Oh thankyou!” Nancy said smiling at the basket’s contents.

“Not me you’ve got to thank, it was the children!”

“Really? Send them round to me, would you”

“Sure. Will they be ok there?”

“Yes, they’ll get warmth from when I have the stove on…look at you, so tiny” Nancy cooed at the kittens.

“Hello…Mrs Thomas, daddy said you wanted to see us?” William said.

“That’s right, I did. Thankyou for finding Susie for me, I was very worried.”

“It was Benji really, we rolled his ball over by the bushes, and he got all excited and barked and wagged his tail, and wouldn’t come when we called him, so we went and looked, and there was Susie and her kittens” William explained.

“Well, as you were so good, put this in your money box”

“Oh, no, it’s alright, honestly, you don’t have to!” William said shaking his head at the two $10 notes she held out to them. Smiling at them, she said,

“I insist, thankyou”

“Thankyou Mrs Thomas, but you didn’t have to!” William said, taking one of the notes.

She followed them back round to their nana’s, where the children gave the money to Joyce to look after, and then they went back to play with the dog.

“Your son has such beautiful manners!”

“Doesn’t he!” Nancy went on to tell them what he’d said.

“He’s got the most loving nature about him, and I hate all the sadness he’s had to endure in his short little life” Joyce said.

“Well, they say god moves in mysterious ways…” Nancy said smiling, then she left to go see to the cat and kittens

“What you were saying earlier, about William being gifted”

“Yes?” Joyce asked

“Well, would it mean him going to a different school from Buffy?”

“More than likely, yes”

“You couldn’t do that to them, split them apart. I don’t think Buffy would ever forgive you if you did that”

“You’re probably right there ma!” Hank said smiling.








A few months later…………………


“Mom…can we go into town, but not take Buffy” William asked.

“Not take…you two haven’t fallen out, have you?” Joyce leant over her son surprised.

“NO! I want to buy her a birthday present, but I want it to be a surprise” Joyce smiled, ruffled her sons hair.

“Well, how about, when we go to the mall on Saturday, you and I go off on our own for a while, yes?”

“Ok”

“Will-yum!”

“Here”

“There you are…what are you doing?”

“Um…I came to get us a drink” William looked pleadingly at Joyce not to give him away.

“Oh good, I am thirsty” Buffy said, pulling herself up on the stool next to him. Joyce poured them both juice, and she secretly winked at William. Hank came in, and came straight into the kitchen. He kissed Joyce, then Buffy then William.

“Hello daddy…um…come with me” Buffy slipped down off the stool, and led her daddy into the hall.

“Can we go buy William a birthday present, but it’s a secret”

“Ok then poppet, we can do it at the mall, you and I go off, ok?” Buffy nodded happily.

“Coming outside Buffy?”

“Yes” She ran out.

“What was that all about?” Joyce asked.

“She wants to buy him a present, but in secret”

“And William does for Buffy, I said we can go off when we go to the mall!”

“Those two eh…just look at them, have you ever seen two kids so close?” Joyce and Hank watched as Buffy and William stood with their foreheads touching, William showing her something, they were both giggling.

“You know that what’s her name…oh, she works at the bank…” Joyce said, clicking her fingers. Hank frowned, and then said,

“Who, Lydia Kendal?”

“That’s her! Well, they’re having a party for Harmony, but it’s all girls, Buffy won’t go, because William’s not invited, you should have heard Buffy!”

“Why, what did she say?”

“Well, you know that wheedling voice Lydia’s got, she came over and said,

‘Buffy, would you like to come to Harmony’s birthday party, it’s a Barbie doll theme, everything pink’ and Buffy frowned and wrinkled her nose, and said, oh no, William would hate it! And Lydia said, but I’m not asking William, it’s girls only, so Buffy said, ‘I don’t go ANYWHERE without MY William! and they both ran off” Hank grinned, then said,

“So what did Lydia say to that?”

“Oh…just something about them being really close…it’s never waned, their closeness, has it?”

“Nope…you know, they always know what each other’s thinking, and they answer for each other”


Saturday came, and Joyce took William’s hand.

“Come with me William…we’ll see you later, half an hour, ok?” Before Buffy could ask where they were going, Hank whispered,

“Come on Princess, let’s go get William’s present” So Buffy didn’t voice any objection.

“Yeah!”

“Right, any idea’s what she wants?”

“Yes…She wants a ‘Sean the Sheep’ bag, it’s a backpack for school, in the shape of Sean the Sheep, they sell it in Macy’s and it’s $20…here, I’ve got the money” Joyce was going to say she’d pay, but she knew William really wanted to. They found it and William took it to the cash desk, and paid all by himself.

“So, princess, what does William want, do you know?” Hank asked Buffy.

“Yes, he wants the Britannia Encyclopaedia for his computer. It’s $24…here’s the money” Hank smiled

“Ok then where do we get it?” Buffy took him into the bookstore, and much to her delight, they’d got it, with a free dictionary and puzzles and games CD ROM too.

“He’ll love this!” Hank said. Buffy took it and went and paid for it.
As they were coming out of the store, William spied some sparkly hair scrunchies at $4, they looked very pretty, and William knew Buffy would love them, so he got them for her.

“I can hide them inside the bag, as a surprise” Joyce said nothing, but smiled and hugged him. He was such a thoughtful boy, he’d grow up into a fine young man, she just knew it.

When the birthdays came, the presents were a resounding success; Buffy absolutely adored her bag and hair accessories, and William loved his CD ROMs, they both used the gifts all the time. It didn’t matter what Joyce and Hank bought them, it was always secondary to what they bought each other.

Please read the author’s notes above – it explains the out-of-sync!

Chapter 7


Joyce put the phone down from speaking to her mother; she was smiling.

“It’s all arranged.” She said, going into the den.

“What’s that love?” Hank looked up from the adding machine, checking some figures.

“I’ll drive to Pasadena on Thursday, and you come on Sunday morning, will that be ok? – You do have Monday off, don’t you?”

“Yup…how is Grace?”

“She’s fine”

“And Tom?”

“I think she said that his arthritis is playing him up…but he won’t quit riding the horses everyday”

“Keeps him young” Hank said, smiling.

Buffy was showing William some photographs.

“That’s Nana Grace, she’s mommy’s mommy” William could see a photo of a lady with blonde/grey hair, smiling.

“She looks nice, kind, she’s got a smiley face” William said, then pointed to a man standing next to nana Grace, he had on a red shirt and jeans, he had grey hair and was wearing glasses, he was wearing a cowboy hat.

“Is that your granddad?”
“No, that’s Tom, Gramps died when I was a baby…I don’t remember him, I was too little…that’s Tom, he helps with the horses, nana has 17 horses on the ranch.”

“That’s mommy when she was young…mom…mommy” Buffy called.

“Yes honey?”

“How old were you in this picture?” Buffy held it up, Joyce smiled, she was standing next to the corral, in the background you could see the San Gabriel mountains. She was wearing tight jeans, a pale blue chequered shirt and cowboy boots, her long hair tied back into a loose ponytail; she’d just met Hank about six months previously, and had taken him home to meet her folks.

“I was 22, and had just met your daddy, we’d come home on vacation; we’d just finished university, it was 1982…see that man on the horse?” Both children nodded.

“Well, that was my daddy, and the man next to him, that’s Tom”

***********************


Thursday, mid-afternoon.

“And this, is William, who is a source of great joy and love to us…aren’t you love?” Joyce said, pulling him into a sideways hug and kissed the top of his head.

“Hello William, I’m very pleased to meet you” Grace said, smiling at him. William reached up and kissed her cheek, she felt very soft and she smelt like flowers.

“Hello, can I call you nana please?” Smiling and ruffling his hair, she then gently cupped his cheek and said,

“You certainly can my darling, now, would you like some tea, and something to eat?” Still cupping his cheek, looking into his beautiful blue eyes and smiled broadly at him.

“Yes please!” William said eagerly.

“And you Buffy”

“Oh yes!”

“Please” Prompted William

“Please!” Buffy said. The adults smiled.

“Please mom, we’re starving!” Joyce said. Buffy pulled William outside to look at the chickens and the rabbits they kept.

“He’s a fine young lad, beautiful manners, and has the most gorgeous blue eyes I’ve ever seen” Grace said.

“Hasn’t he – and I’ll tell you this, he’s the absolute love of Buffy’s life…she’s MY William this, and MY William that, she never let’s go of his hand, and she’s forever kissing him…he doesn’t object though, and protective…you have to see it to believe it, they’re each other’s shadow!”

“Ah, that’s so sweet” Grace smiled at her daughter.

“You should have seen them at the hearing in the family court, hugging and saying ‘I love you’ and ‘please let him stay with us’, she was petrified he was going to be taken away…I shudder to think what would have happened if there had been a hitch, I swear we’d have had to either broken the law and kept him regardless, or put her into care with him!”

“Did you have a good holiday?”

“Oh mom, it was just the best…they were truly little angels, not an ‘ap’orth of trouble from either of them, they were just perfect, I’ve bought a couple of video’s for you to see”

Grace poured tea, and put on some eggs to boil. Just then, Tom came in with the children; he was listening to Buffy talk. She, as usual was holding William by the hand, talking away ten to the dozen.

“Is that so…well!” he looked up, smiled, leaned over and kissed Joyce on the cheek.

“Joyce, lovely to see you!”

“And you Tom” she gently squeezed his hand too. She thought how well he looked, if a little leaner, and said as much to him.

“Yes!” Tom patted his stomach.

“Doctors orders, I’m afraid, the old arthritis in the hip…mind you, I suppose the horses are grateful for the weight I’ve lost! Trouble is, I have to pass on Grace’s fine baking, her chocolate fudge brownies though, are my one vice! Anyway, young Buffy here informs me that this is ‘her’ William, and they’re going to get married when they’re old enough!” Everyone smiled. Tom had his hands on the children’s shoulders.

“I hope you like boiled eggs, William” Grace asked, fishing the eggs out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon, and dropping them into carved wooden egg-cups.

“Hmm, yes I do, thankyou” he nodded.

“Good lad, well, take him upstairs Buffy, and you both wash your hands, then we can have tea, ok?”

“Come on William, I’ll show you” Buffy said, gently pulling William off towards the stairs. They went off.

“Fine boy” Tom said, to Joyce smiling.

“Yes. I was just telling mom…it was such a shame about his parents…” She went on to explain.

“Oh, that’s mighty sad…but I always say, god moves in mysterious ways…these things happen for a reason…and he couldn’t have a more loving family…Buffy plain dotes on him!”

They came downstairs, and Joyce helped them to the table, where nana Grace served them a big speckled brown boiled egg apiece. They had bread and butter, then cake and some of Grace’s famous chocolate fudge brownies.

Tom made the children laugh when he ‘sneaked’ an extra brownie, winking and making the children keep it secret, by holding his finger to his lips and winking at them! But Grace wasn’t daft, and playing him up, she winked at the children, and put her hands on her hips and said,

“Well, I think we must have a really big mouse round here somewhere…I could have sworn I put four brownies on that plate!” The children giggled, but didn’t give Tom away.

“Have you ever been on a horse, William?” Tom asked.

“No…they look very big…it would be a bit scary, I think”

“Well, we’ve got special saddles, and I promise you, you wouldn’t fall off, so if you want to ride, we’ll see about it tomorrow, ok?”

“Yes thankyou”

“Good lad!”


Out side the chickens clucked and flapped a little, and the cock crowed. A large calico cat came padding into the kitchen from outside.

“Golly, that’s a big cat!” William said. It was true, Onion, was very big, for a cat, and also very old, he was nearly 15.

“Hello Onion!” Joyce hauled the cat onto her lap, scratched him behind his ear, and then tickled his tummy. He purred like an outboard motor. William giggled at the name.

“That’s a funny name for a cat!”

“Isn’t it! But, that’s where we found him, as a kitten. He was on a net of onions outside in the shed. His sister, Dixie was in the old cooking cauldron. She died a few years ago now.

“When I lived in England, I had a cat called Sooty…she was all black, but had two white paws at the front”

“Have you had enough to eat love?” Joyce asked

“Yes thanks” he yawned, Buffy did too.

“Well, come on then, I know it’s early, but you’re tired…let’s get you off to bed, come on, say goodnight” Both children kissed nana, Buffy kissed Tom’s cheek, and he hugged William, Joyce took them upstairs. All the bedroom doors had been closed, and Joyce saw the children’s faces light up when they saw they had bunk beds to sleep in.

“I want to sleep at the top!” Buffy said. William automatically sat on the bottom bunk.

“You can take it in turns, William can sleep up there tomorrow, is that ok by you love?” She cupped his face.

“Fine” William nodded, yawned again, and began to get undressed.

When Joyce looked in on them before she turned in herself a couple of hours later, she showed her mother the scene. Buffy had decided that sleeping on top wasn’t such a big deal after all, and had crawled in with William. Grace smiled.

Tom said ‘goodnight’ and went into his own room.


“Will you ever marry Tom, do you think mom?” Joyce asked. Grace smiled, looked down twisting her apron.

“He asked me again last month, on his birthday…I don’t know. Your daddy and I had nearly 34 years of happy marriage behind us…and Tom, well, Tom’s always been there, in the background…he kept this place going when your father died, and when I was sick…I wouldn’t know what to do if he left…but marriage?”

“Mom, daddy’s been dead now for 6 years…he always thought of Tom like a brother, AND I know he’d be happy for you…and I know it’s not love’s young dream, but it’s companionship…and friendship”

“But we already have that, and when he retires, he would still live here, he knows that…”

“Well…think of him as somebody to warm your cold feet on!”

“Joyce!” They both smiled.

“You DO love him, I know that”

“Yes…but it’s a different kind of love to what your father and I …”

“I know that mom…like I said, I know it’s not loves young dream, but think about it, please”

“Has he said anything to you?

“No, honestly”

“And you wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not, in fact, I’d be overjoyed”

“Really?”

“Of course really, heck mom, Tom’s been here longer than I have, I always called him uncle when I was a kid…seriously mom, please think about it”

“Well, I will, if you’re sure you won’t have any objections…but-“

“And I know what you’re going to say, Susan. Take no notice of my darling sister , you know what’s she’s like…”

“Well, she did think he was after my money, until I told her that Tom’s always been half owner of this place since we started, told her, it was Tom’s money that bought the first four horses, and set up the riding school.”

“What did she say to that?”

“Well, nothing…I didn’t give her the chance…”

“Don’t you let her talk you out of it mom, you marry Tom, take no notice. She didn’t approve of Hank when she first met him…”

“That’s true” Joyce yawned.

“I just wish………” Grace began

“Wish what, mom?”

Grace sighed

“I just wish Susan wasn’t the way she is with people…you especially – I used to blame myself for how she is………”

“Why – that’s ridiculous mom – how could it possibly be your fault she’s like she is?” Joyce asked incredulously.

“Well…don’t forget, I was 44 when I had you – you were a big surprise to me and your daddy – we’d been trying for another baby - then sort of gave up a few years after nothing happened…then suddenly after years of forgetting about having another child, I found out I was pregnant with you – we were worried at first, your daddy and I but, when the doctor said I was fit and healthy, and he saw no problems for us, we were overjoyed…then we broke the news to Susan…remember, she’d been on her own for ten years – 10 years of being an only child and the centre of attention………”

“Well mom, all as I can say is, she’s had thirty years now to get used to me being on this earth, and if she ain’t over her jealousy now, then she never will be – ohhhhhheugh! (she yawned) Excuse me! The travelling has got the better of me…tell me, does Monty still crow at dawn?”

“That’s not Monty…we had to pension him off…that’s Custer we’ve got now, and yes, 6.03am, he’ll crow” They both smiled at one another.

“G’night mom!”

“Night love”



Following morning.

“There you go…now, I’ll just step back, and let him trot round on the leash……….there you go, young William, you’re riding!” William smiled, concentrated on holding onto the reins as Tom had showed him.

He relaxed when he realised he wasn’t going to fall off, and began to enjoy himself enormously! Buffy thought she’d burst with pride.

“Isn’t my William so big and brave!” She smiled up at her nana, and jigged up and down.

“He sure is honey!” Nana Grace said smiling, stroking Buffy’s hair. After five minutes, Tom helped William off the pony, and he came striding back to Buffy.

“Oh William, you were brilliant!” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him! William hugged her and grinned.

“Was I?”

“Oh yes, wasn’t he mommy, nana, Tom?” She looked at them in turn for confirmation as to what she’d just said. They all agreed and William glowed. One of the ‘hands’ came and spoke to Tom, and he said to the children,

“Do you want to see where we train the horses and make them better when they’ve hurt themselves?”

They said they did, and Tom took them to a special pool, where the horses swam to strengthen muscles. They watched as a horse was lowered into the water, it came up to chest height in the water, and then a treadmill machine was switched on and the horse began to paddle and swim. Tom explained to them.

After that they went in for some lunch, and nana Grace said that she’d got a special announcement to make that evening at dinner.

So, after a delicious dinner of nana’s special fried chicken, Grace stood and said she’d like to say a few words.

Tom looked up, thinking it was something to do with welcoming young William into the family. Which is what nana did. Tom went to stand, and Grace then said,

“And I have just one more thing to say,” So Tom sat.

“Last month, Tom asked me to marry him, again, I hasten to add, and I said I’d think about it, well, I have thought about it, and after a talk with my daughter, I’ve decided, Tom, if the offer still stands, then the answer, is yes, I’d love to marry you” Tom sat there stunned for a few seconds, then he jumped up and hugged Grace so tight, kissed her cheek.

“Oh Grace! – You do really mean it?”

“Yes Tom, I really mean it!” he hugged her, squeezing his eyes shut.

“You’ve made me the happiest man in the world! Joyce hugged them both, then Buffy and William. Joyce wiped her eyes, so did Tom and Grace. Grace knew she’d made the right decision, and she was glad of the little nudge that Joyce had given her.

“You won’t regret it, Grace, I’ll make you happy!” Tom turned to Joyce, and said,

“You have no objections?”

“Me? Totally on your side, gave her a nudge last night, told her, she was lucky to have you!” Tom hugged Joyce again. Buffy looked up at her grandmother and said,

“Nana…can I be bridesmaid?” Grace smiled, and cupped Buffy’s little face.

“Yes my darling, and William can be…”

“William can be my best man!” Tom said. William beamed.

“Good! Coz I didn’t fancy being a bridesmaid!” William said, grinning. Everybody was in fits of giggles.

“Knock, knock!” They all looked up, to Joyce’s surprise and delight, there stood her husband.

“DADDY!” Buffy shouted, and ran to him, pulling him into the kitchen.

“Nana and Tom are getting married and I’m going to be bridesmaid…not William though, he’s going to be the best one or something!” Everything was explained as Hank sat down for coffee.

“So, we’ve taken on two extra staff, and so, da-da! Yours truly can have a nice long weekend with you all!”

“Glad you came, son” Grace said, patting his shoulder, and putting a plateful of her fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy in front of him.

“Wow…look at this, worth driving the 120 miles for!” Hank said, tucking in. Grace smiled.

“Daddy, my William’s been riding, he was SO clever and brave, and he wasn’t scared and he didn’t fall off!” Buffy said. Tom and Grace smiled, at the ‘my’ William bit

“Did you now, well that’s very good son, I’m proud of you!” Hank winked at him, and William grinned.

“We saw the horses with the poorly legs go swimming, didn’t we Buffy?” William said. She nodded, leaning over the table, she reached for William’s hand.

“Come on…let’s watch TV now”

“Ok…glad you came here early daddy” William said. Hank hugged his son on the way past, and the two children went into the lounge.

“I’m so proud of that lad he’s terrific, a sheer joy, one of the best things we did isn’t it love, adopting him!” Hank said. He sat back, wiped his mouth.

“Oh yes” Joyce said.

“He is a lovely lad, and Buffy…” Grace began.

“Absolutely worships him, she loves the very bones of him she does!” Joyce said, smiling.
The following day, Joyce and Hank went for a ride with Tom. Grace didn’t ride anymore, not since her fall in 1997.

“So Tom, have you thought about a date yet?”

“Well, it’s early days, but I was hoping for around Thanksgiving…seems silly to wait, especially at our time of life. Um, thankyou for approving, I think she was a bit worried”

“Well, I told her, I’m very happy for you, both of you, I know Daddy would have approved too.”

“Like a brother to me, Dan was…this is the only family I’ve ever known. Do you think Susan will approve?”

“I’d worry if she did! No seriously, you take no notice of Susan…if you remember rightly, she said that Hank and I wouldn’t last five minutes, and here we are, 9 years down the line…”

“Personally, I think she’s bitter because she can’t have children” Hank said.

“Actually…even mom doesn’t know this, but she had an abortion when she was 17…I don’t know if something went wrong or…what. Anyway, like a say, don’t tell mom, I found out by accident, the day she came back from the doctors, I was coming up the stairs, and I could hear her arguing over the phone”

“Who’s was it? – Not Chuck’s”

“No. His best friend actually, I don’t know if you met him…he joined up not long after…oh, I’m trying to remember his name…Joe! That’s it, Joe Upton, we used to call him GI Joe, that’s it” Joyce said. The horses were walking along at a steady pace, there was no rush.

“Did Chuck know?”

“I doubt it, he got a bit upset with her as she wouldn’t write to Joe when he was away, but I think she got a friend to instead, made an excuse that it wasn’t ‘proper’ to write to another man while she was dating his best friend or something.”

“I never knew that…well, she needn’t come all ‘high and mighty’ over me now I now things about her!”

“Hank!”

“Well…woman gets on my nerves” Hank reasoned.

“Look at the time she practically slept across the doorway in your room, we were three weeks from getting married!” Hank said.

“Well, I suppose…I don’t know…” Joyce shrugged.

Chapter 8


Saturday


“Shall we go see what Grace has made for lunch, I’m starving!” Hank said, expertly turning his horse around. They galloped back, and William and Buffy were so surprised when they saw that it was their daddy and mommy that had galloped up in a cloud of dust.

“Wow!” William said, standing up and dusting his hands off. Tom came riding up.

“Can’t go at a gallop these days, shakes the old bones up too much!”

“Hi ya…what have you two been up to then?”

“We’ve been feeding the chickens, and the rabbits…and that man…um, Gabe said that there was a new foal born…he said we could name it!”

“Did he…?” Hank grinned at the children.

“Come on then miss Buffy, and you Mr William…come and see the new foal” Gabe said, smiling. The children raced around to the stables.

“Oh…is it a boy horse, or a girl horse?” Buffy asked.

“It’s a girl horse” Gabe said.

“Princess B! Like daddy calls you princess, I think she’s real pretty!” William said. Buffy blinked, then grinned.

“Oh yes!”

“Ok then, Princess B, for Buffy it is!” Gabe said, smiling at the children.

“Daddy! My William has named her Princess B, after me!” Joyce, Tom and Grace had heard this too, and thought it so sweet. This made Buffy more in love with William than ever.

“Ok then folks, if you’d like to wash up…lunch is served” After a lunch of cold cuts and salad, and some homemade bread, Joyce and Hank took Grace and the children into Pasadena to do some shopping.

Buffy was swooning with glee in the wedding shop, looking at all the beautiful dresses. There was a young woman, about 22, trying on gowns. She had her sister and her mother with her, and when she came out with this really pretty dress with sparkly diamonds on the bodice, Buffy was transfixed.

“I want that dress when I marry my William!” She said to her mommy. The three ladies heard this, and smiled.

“Is it her brother?” The ‘bride’ asked

“Sort of, he’s adopted, and she’s besotted!” Joyce said.

“What’s besotted?” Buffy asked. Joyce hadn’t realised she’d heard.

“Oh, um, it means you love him”

“I do. Very much. We saw a newborn foal today, and William said to call her Princess B, after me, as she was very pretty…B for Buffy, that’s me!”

“Oh, that’s so sweet!” the mother of the bride said. They were all smiling.

“Isn’t it…”

“Which do you like Buffy, the blue or the green?” William asked. He was showing her the cummerbunds and ties to match.

“Oh, the blue…will you wear a suit?”

“I expect so” William said.

“So William, which do you like, the blue or the green?” Grace asked, smiling

“Blue, like Buffy does”

“That’s settled then…”

“Are you going to wear a big white dress, nana?”

“Good heavens, no love, I’m way too old for that!”

“No you’re not!” Buffy said, then said,

“She isn’t too old, is she William?”

“Course not, you’d look really pretty in one, I’m sure!” Everyone beamed.

“There you go then mom, what William says is gospel!” Joyce said, grinning. Grace smiled too.

“I do rather like this…” she took down a pale cream coloured shift dress.

“Well, go try it on”

“Do you think I should?” Everyone nodded to her. She pulled the curtain back, and smiled.

“There, what do you think?”

“Oh mom!”

“Nana!”

“I said you’d look really pretty!” William said. Grace looked so beautiful, and the dress fitted her like it was made for her.

“You must have it mom!”

“Do you think I should…I feels wonderful, but it’s expensive!”

“It LOOKS wonderful!”

“You think I should have it?” Buffy and William grinned and both nodded.

“Ok then, that’s it, I’ll take it!”

“Hold on, before you take it off…try this………” Joyce put on a small hat in the same colour as the dress, it had a little lace veil that covered the eyes.

“Oh nana, that looks very pretty!” Buffy said. William sat in the chair quietly, looking at his Pokémon cards, until it was time to go.

Grace said she’d already got shoes and a bag, and then they looked at the bridesmaid dresses for Buffy. They picked out a pretty little peach dress and Buffy loved it.

Back home at the ranch, Tom said that Susan had rang. This wasn’t unusual, she rang a couple of times a week, but not usually that early.

“Did you tell her, about us getting married?” Grace asked, smiling.

“My dear Grace, I want to shout it from the roof tops, but it isn’t my news to tell, so, I didn’t”

“I wonder what made her ring so early?”

“I think she wants to come and stay, Chuck’s got to go away on a course”



Later that afternoon


“You’re WHAT?” Susan said, crashing her mug down on the counter so the tea slopped over. She was shocked. Grace looked at Tom, and heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes.

“Why are you so against it, why can’t you just be happy for us, like everyone else is?” Grace asked her daughter.

“I didn’t say I was against it…I just wondered why, that’s all”

“Why does anybody get married?” Tom asked her.
Susan had no proper answer to this, or if she did, she knew it wouldn’t cut any ice.

“I love your mother, we can grow old together, be there for one another”

“But…doesn’t matter”

“Go on, I’d much rather hear what you have to say”

“Well, it’s not money, is it? – I mean, you told me he already owns half of this place anyway” Susan was playing with a teaspoon on the table, not looking at either Tom or her mother.

“Why does everything always boil down to money with you?” Joyce asked, coming into the kitchen, loaded with shopping. Following her into the kitchen were the children and Hank. They’d been into Pasadena again. She put all their bags on one of the chairs. Tom went and filled the kettle, put it on.

“And hello to you…golly, you look well Joyce” Susan took in her sister’s fit figure and smart new hairstyle and colour. Well, it was new to her, anyway.

“Can we have a drink please, Nana?” William asked.

“Of course you can my darling, what would you like?” She cupped his little face and then she hugged him.

“Um…”

“There’s juice, or milk…or I know, (she bent over, looking him in his beautiful blue eyes, and smiled at him) got some homemade lemonade, would you like some of that?”

“Did you make it nana?” William looked up at her.

“I did”

“Yes please then!”
She gave him another hug and kissed the top of his head.

“You go sit love, I’ll bring it to you”

“And some for Buffy”

“Of course honey!”

“Oh, he calls you nana” Susan said.

Closing the fridge door, Grace frowned, put the jug of lemonade on the counter and turned to face Susan.

“He’s my grandchild, why not, what else would he call me?”

“But…well, he’s adopted” Susan reasoned.

“I shan’t even dignify that comment with a reply” Grace got out two glasses and poured the drink.

“So, are you going to introduce me to your adopted son?” Susan asked.

“Let him have his drink first”

“Where did you get him from?”

“You make him sound like a stray dog” Hank said, annoyed.

“Well, I only asked…broken home was it?”

“No. His parents were killed in a car accident, if you must know…he only had one other relative in the world, and she’s got MS and in a wheelchair now, in a residential nursing home” Joyce said. she could feel the irritation just being near her sister rising fast.
Buffy said,

“Nana, can William and I help feed the chickens?” Grace put her arms around both children’s shoulder’s, and smiling she said,

“I was just going to ask you…you must be doing something right, we’ve had three extra eggs yesterday and today!”

“William…this is my sister, Susan, Susan, this is William”

“Hello – Do I call you auntie?”

“I suppose. Hello William.”

“When we’re grown up, I’m going to marry William” Buffy said, taking William’s hand in hers.

“What? Don’t be silly, of course you can’t” Susan frowned.

“Yes I can!” Buffy said, standing, hands on hips, she too was frowning.

“But he’s…”

“Susan…” Joyce shook her head once at her sister.

“Come on William, let’s go help Nana” They ran off, William shouting ‘Bye’.

“Why do you let her think that – that she can marry him?” Susan asked.

“Oh for gods…what harm does it do, they love each other, it shines out of them, he’s very protective of her, and she dotes on him, they’ll eventually grow out of it, I suppose, meanwhile…” Joyce asked, annoyed. Susan shrugged.

“Anyway what do you know about having kids…” Hank asked, looking over his newspaper.

“That was below the belt” Susan scowled

“Don’t start…I’m not in the mood for you” Joyce said to her sister.

“Who’s starting – it’s your husband with his sarcastic comments!”

“I’m going out…what time’s tea?” Hank had folded the newspaper. He too felt really irritated by Susan and thought that if he got out of the way, then he could keep his good humour.

“Ask mom, she’s out feeding the hens” Joyce said quietly, she patted Hank on the shoulder, and gave him a light kiss. Hank went outside. She turned to her sister.

“You always manage to do it, don’t you?”

“Do what, what have I done?”

“Rub Hank up the wrong way”

“He’s too…”

“Be VERY careful what you say…Hank is a wonderful father and husband”

“As you never fail to remind me”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well…the way you go on…anyone would think he’s gods gift or something” Susan said.

“Um, Joyce…just look at this” Tom called.
Joyce followed the direction of the disembodied voice, and found Tom on the porch.

“What’s that Tom?” Joyce went to the outside door where Tom was standing

“The peace and tranquillity of not being by your sister and her silly comments!” Tom said, sotto voice and smiling. Joyce smiled too.

“You know, I always promise myself that I won’t get annoyed, or loose my cool, or argue with her, then she’s not here two minutes, and she’s already managed to upset everyone and get my dander up”

Grace was walking back to the kitchen, Hank was playing with the children.

“Susan on her own is she?”

“I called Joyce out, Susan was being…” Tom shrugged diplomatically.

“Susan. Susan, was being Susan as usual, and opening her big mouth” Joyce said.

“Joyce…I’m taking the children to the woods, ok?” Hank called from outside.

“Ok love, be careful”

“Hold on…I’ll come with!” Tom grabbed his hat and a basket, and strode off outside.

“Come on then…I’ve promised my grandchildren and son-in-law roast lamb and all the trimmings for dinner” Grace said, tying on her apron.

“Great…want help with the veggies?” Joyce asked her mother


Half an hour later


“Look nana! Look what we’ve picked!” Buffy looked at her nana’s face when Tom put a laden basket of blackberries and apples down on the kitchen table.

“Ooh, lovely…I know, I’ll make a nice big apple and blackberry crumble for after dinner, would you like that?”

“Yes please!”

“Daddy and Tom lifted us to the trees and we picked the apples mommy!”

“And we saw squirrels!” William said.

“S’cuse me ma’am…is Tom there?” One of the ranch hands asked at the back door.

“Tom” Joyce called.

“Joyce?”

“You’re wanted, back door”

“Gabe, what can I do for you?”

“Do the children want to come see Princess B, she’s out with her mother in the field, first time out”

“Buffy, William…Tom called. Both children came into the kitchen.

“Want to see Princess B?” They both nodded and grinned and went out. Susan had got a knife, and began to prepare the apples that the children had picked. Grace put a pan on the table for them to put the prepared fruit in.

“I can’t place that accent” Susan said.

“Whose?”

“Your adopted lad’s?” Joyce’s hands flopped to her lap.

“Is it really necessary for you to say, ‘adopted’ all the time? THE lad’s, or your son’s…would be sufficient”

“Well?” Susan asked, ignoring what Joyce just said.

“Well what?” Joyce asked.

“Where’s he from?”

“England…North London to be precise, place called Highbury”

“He’s English?”

“Yes” Joyce gave her a look as if to say, ‘what now?’

“But, well, why did you pick him?” Susan asked. Grace caught the look on Joyce’s face and she too rolled her eyes, shaking her head a little.

“What do you mean, why…why not?”

“Well… there are enough American children up for adoption…or, why not have one from a war torn or famine ravaged country, that would have been more… noble, more fitting”

“What are you on about, noble? – I –We didn’t adopt William to be noble, we adopted him because we love him, he’s a super little boy, who’s kind and loving and…I’m out of here, before…” Joyce threw the knife into the water. It landed with a ‘plop’ in the pan, and splashed Susan in the eye.

“You do talk some absolute RUBBISH at times, don’t you?” Grace practically hissed at her elder daughter. Hank came into the kitchen, could sense an atmosphere, took in the look on Grace’s face and the lack of Joyce.

“Where did Joyce go?”

“Out to the children, I think.” Hank put his mug down on the counter and went out. Joyce was petting a stallion in the corral.

“You ok, love?”

“I think I’m glad to be going tomorrow” Joyce said.

“Now, come on…don’t let her get to you…”

“You didn’t hear what she just came out with”

“And you better not tell me…it had been lovely up until she arrived, hadn’t it”

“Mommy, daddy, look!” Buffy called. They both looked up and saw William feeding Sienna, Princess B’s mother, sugar lumps off the palm of his hand. Buffy was wincing and shying away a little, scared that the horse might hurt him. When all the sugar had gone, William patted the white blaze on the horses nose.

“You’re so brave!” Buffy hugged him, and holding hands, they ran off to look at the rabbits.
Dinner was a little strained, it seemed no matter what Susan said, she said the wrong thing.

“When are you getting married then?”

“We thought around Thanksgiving…before Christmas anyway” Tom said.

“So soon, you’re not dying, are you Tom, you’ve lost weight” Susan asked.

“Susan!” Joyce banged down her cutlery.

“What?”

“For god’s sake woman…how crass can you be?” Hank said with exasperation.

“I only asked” Susan said, helping herself to some potatoes.

“So, when you adopted William…he didn’t have any other family, at all?”
Luckily, Buffy and William had been allowed to leave the table as they’d finished.

“No, he only had an aunt, the one with MS, I told you” Joyce said.

“Seems odd…still” Susan shrugged.

“What?” Joyce asked

“Well…young kid, his parents didn’t have family, neither of them…”

“Just what are you getting at, Susan?”

“Nothing…I’m just saying…it seems odd, that’s all” Joyce was frowning; she didn’t understand what Susan was getting at.

“Huh, you’re odd – Thankyou for the delicious meal grace, but I’m out of here - now!” Hank said, and threw down his napkin and scraped his chair back, and stood up.

“Hank…there’s something I’d like you to look at…” Tom stood, and both men went into the study. Joyce stood, began stacking the dirty crocks.
Susan hadn’t finished her coffee, and lit a cigarette.

“Not in the house” Grace said, picking up a vegetable tureen and the gravy boat, to take them into the kitchen.

“Treat me like a leper, why don’t you” Susan moaned. Just to annoy people even further, she left the backdoor wide open to smoke on the porch.

“I swear to god, I’ll swing for that woman one of these days…what was she trying to say, about it being odd about William’s lack of family?” Joyce asked her mother.

Grace shook her head,

“Love, I have absolutely no idea…don’t let her get to you…you know…I’ve half a mind not to…” Grace shut the dishwasher door, turned the dial, and a rushing water sound could be heard as it began it’s cycle.

“Not to what?” Joyce asked, covering a dish filled with leftover potatoes with film-wrap. Grace put them in the fridge.

“The wedding, not invite her.” Grace shut the fridge door and leant against it, then asked,

“Would that be so terrible?”

“No, course not – actually, it would be fine by me!” Joyce said.

“Would what be so terrible?” Susan asked. Neither Joyce nor Grace answered her.

*****

“Look, absolutely no problem…I’ll get the legal department to cast a glance over it, but I’m sure every things in order” Hank said to Tom, as they came out of the study.

“Be careful what you sign, mom” Susan said.

“What are you on about now?” Grace asked, totally exasperated.

“What Hank was just saying…legal department…Tom isn’t trying to…you know…do you out of what’s legally yours”

“For the love of god…WHAT are you on about now?” Grace raised her voice, which was very unusual for her.

“All I’m saying is, if you go, you know, die first…”

“Susan. If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, it doesn’t make sense. Who, would Tom leave his money and shares to, other than me?”

“All I’m saying is…”

“Tom has nobody in the world, other than us” Grace said. Tom decided to but in, and trying to keep his voice even and not to shout, he said,

“Susan…I’ll say this, so listen carefully. If I die before Grace, everything I own, will go to her. If Grace dies before me, then I shall leave everything to those two children through there, ok? – End of story”

“Well! That’s fine I must say…why should HE get anything? – And getting Hank to look over legal documents, too’, when he stands to gain it’s not fair!” Everyone looked at Susan.

“What are you on about, Hank stands to gain, what? – I’m asking him about a public liability insurance claim we have at the riding school…” Tom said.

“A…Oh, I thought it was your will, or one of those pre-nuptial thingies”

“By he, did you mean my son?” Joyce asked, her temper bubbling to the surface.

“What? Oh. Um…well, yes”

“Listen lady…I’ll leave my money to whom I want, and quite frankly, I’d rather see it burn, than you have a penny of it” Tom said, and left the room, to be quickly followed by Grace, Hank and Joyce.

“Look mommy…that’s Gabe, he ‘s very clever with that rope thingy, he caught a steer with it” Buffy said. They were watching a video of a rodeo they’d had at the ranch the previous month.

“Did he darling…” Joyce smoothed her daughter’s hair.

“Mommy” Buffy began to draw circles on her mothers knee with her finger, while she thought, and then looking up at her mother, she asked, I CAN marry William if I want to, aunty Susan’s wrong, isn’t she?” Buffy was looking big eyed at her mother.

“You, take no notice of that silly woman princess, you can if you want” Hank hauled both children up by him on the sofa, and cuddled them both.

Susan glanced in on the cosy family scene from the kitchen doorway, and decided that she had no part in it, and just went to bed, without even saying goodnight. Both Buffy and William fell asleep on the sofa.

“It’s the air, and all the running around they’re doing, knocks them out!” Hank carried them up to bed, individually. Joyce asked if he wanted tea, but he and Tom decided to have a whiskey instead.

“Tom…I’ve decided, I don’t want Susan at our wedding” Grace said.

“Fine by me love, you have who you want, or rather don’t want…”

“Where is she, anyway?” Tom looked round.

“Who cares?” Hank asked, draining his Scotch.

“Mind if I have a re-fill?” Hank asked.

“Help yourself” Tom gestured to the drinks cabinet.

“We’ll go just after lunch tomorrow mom…I’m back at the gallery on Wednesday, and need to catch up on some correspondence”

“Ok love, I understand”

“How long’s she staying?”

“Huh, too darn long!” Grace said

“I think she said she was going tomorrow night, I’m not 100% on that though, so don’t quote me” Tom said.



Sunday evening

“Bye then, young William” Grace gave him a hug and kiss.

“Bye nana…it’s really good having a nana, I’ve never had one before, now I’ve got two!” William said, giving her a hug.

“Bless you child!” Grace stroked his head, then kissed and hugged Buffy.

“Bye my little bridesmaid to be!”

“Bye nana…will you be my bridesmaid when I marry William?”

“I might be too old then!” Grace said laughing.

“Hey, careful, you’ll be loosing that!” Tom said, ‘magically’ finding a $20 note behind both William’s and Buffy’s ears. Both sets of children’s eyes lit up, and they grinned.

“Oh, thankyou Tom!”

“Yes, thankyou!” Buffy said

“Now, remember, you just be kind to me in your best-man speech!” Tom teased William.

“Speech?!” William looked at Tom, round-eyed.

“Oh yes, it’s traditional, the best man reads out a speech…don’t worry, I’m sure your dad will help you” Tom said, grinning.

“Course I will, son. Now, shall I keep that safe for you until we get home?”

“Please” William said, surrendering the money to his father.

“Now, remember, just you waste it, don’t do anything sensible like saving it, will you?” Tom joked
Hank fixed the seatbelts for them and they waved and drove off.

After a good journey home, Joyce phoned her mother to tell her they’d arrived home safely.

“Susan still there?”

“No, she left just after you did, thank god…I sound terrible, don’t I, I can’t stand my eldest daughter!”

“Mom…have you…I mean, don’t think I’m daft or anything…but when was the last time you saw Chuck?”

“Oh now…let me see…it’s been a good long while…can you remember, Tom?”

“What’s that, love?”

“The last time we saw Chuck”

“Oh now…He came to Dan’s funeral…did he come to Marilyn’s wedding? I know Susan was there.” Tom said.

“No, he didn’t come to the wedding, remember, she came by train…made a right fuss of the cost of the taxi from the station. The last time I saw Chuck, was three Christmas’s ago…they dropped in some cards and a doll for Buffy” Joyce said.

Grace re-iterated this to Tom.

“Joyce said she saw him three Christmas’s ago…you know, thinking about it, that’s about the time I saw him…three years ago” Grace said, then added,

“Tom’s nodding here…I’m sure it was three years ago…it is, because I had my fall in the March, and I haven’t seen him since my fall” Grace said.

“He didn’t even come to visit you in hospital…I remember now. Do you ever speak to him, on the phone?” Joyce asked.

“Actually…no, it’s either the Ansaphone, or Susan”

“And she always says that he’s busy working, or away on a course…do you reckon he’s left her, and she’s too…ashamed to say?”

“It’s quite possible…” Grace said

“What’s that?” Tom asked, wanting to know what Joyce had just said.

“Well, Joyce reckons he’s gone, and she’s too ashamed to say”

“Think you’re right, love!” Tom called out, Joyce laughed.

“Children ok?”

“Yes, they fell asleep on the way home…they’re both as good as gold, absolutely no trouble, ever”

“They are both delightful children Joyce, I love William just as much as I love Buffy”

“I know mom…well, I better go, I’ll phone you in the week…oh yes, and Hank say’s he’ll fax that info on public liability through to the riding school, ok – bye then”

“Bye love”
Joyce went into the lounge.

“Mom and Tom think I or rather you might be right”

“What, about Chuck legging it?” Hank drained his Scotch.

“Put it this way, I think he’s a jerk too, but I wouldn’t blame him for running away from your sister!” Joyce smiled.

Chapter 9

Hank was talking to Joyce on the phone from work…

“Anyway, Larry wants me in Tucson next Friday to do some company lectures, come with me, you and the children could stay at the Holiday Inn, I’ll do the business meetings, and the two Saturday seminars, I’ve got one AM, and the other PM and then we can come back Sunday, what do you say?”

“Great! I might even toddle on over the border, do a bit of shopping…” Joyce said.


********************

Saturday, Mexico

“Mommy…that man’s talking strange…he’s talking scribble!” Buffy said

“No darling, he’s speaking Spanish! That’s his language” They were walking from the car park to the shops.

Joyce was still smiling at her daughter’s comment, when she looked up, and what she saw absolutely floored her. There, coming out of a family restaurant, was Chuck. But in tow, was a smallish Mexican woman who was holding the hand of a toddler, and she was pregnant, very pregnant…Chuck reached for her hand, and held it, as they crossed the road.

“Oh my gods!” Joyce said, little above a whisper.

“What’s the matter mommy?” William looked up worried.

“Um, come on, follow me!” Joyce swiftly crossed them over the road, and called ‘Chuck’. He ignored or didn’t hear at first, until she called again, and he looked up.

“Chuck?”

“JOYCE! Um, wow…fancy seeing you here…erm” he looked slightly taken a-back at her, then at the woman he was with, then gave the woman some keys, and said something in Spanish, something about a car, was all Joyce caught.

The woman nodded, and without a word, she looked slowly from him to Joyce, turned and walked the way the toddler pulled her.

“I take it you’ve left Susan, then?”

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“We divorced over two years ago now…I’m um, I’m married to Conchita, that’s her with Sanchez in the car…we’ve another one due very soon, next week in fact”

“I’ve got a son…we adopted young William here a few months ago” Joyce stroked the back of William’s head.

“Hello, Buffy, William”

“Hello” Both children chorused.

“This man used to be married to aunty Susan”

“Did you run off? My daddy say’s if you did, he wouldn’t blame you!” Buffy said. Joyce coloured up, slightly.

“Buffy!”

“It’s alright…you know what they say, ‘out of the mouths of babes and sucklings…’ Have you seen her?”

“Last weekend…gods she’s such a bitch!” Joyce said. Chuck grinned.

“She hasn’t changed then…”

“She honestly never said…too ashamed I suppose…oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming you…not for an instant, I don’t know why you hooked up with her in the first place”

“Actually, it was my fault…I met Conchita at a conference…I didn’t mean to fall in love with her…but there you go. You’re looking very well, I might add”

“Thankyou…oh, there’s my phone…look, Chuck, keep in touch, send me some photos, I promise not to say a word to her, if you don’t want me to” Joyce said.

“Joyce, I couldn’t care less who knows, I’m so happy now. Anyway, I will keep in touch, you still live in Sunnydale I take it?”

“Yes…look after yourself, it’s been great seeing you”

“Bye”

“Bye Joyce” her mobile had stopped ringing by the time she got it out of her bag.

“It’s your dad…” She pressed his number.

“There…Hank?”

“Hi love, I ended the call in case you were driving or eating or something…we’ve just broken for lunch, with any luck, I should be back at the hotel for about 5.30pm, or there abouts”

“Oh Hank! You’ll never guess who I’ve just ran into?”

“Well, you sound excited…Tom Cruise?” Hank joked.

“No, listen to this, my EX, brother-in-law, Chuck, his new WIFE Conchita, and baby son Sanchez, and she’s about to have her second child next week!”

“Good god!”

“I know! I’d just parked and we’d crossed the road, and I looked up and saw them coming out of a restaurant, I called him twice, he looked up. He’d got NO idea that we didn’t know that he and Susan were divorced! I told him to keep in touch!”

“Are you going to tell Grace?”

“Do you think I should!”

“Well…look, I’ll be at the hotel as soon as I can, ok”

“Ok then, bye love” Joyce took the children, did a little shopping, and got back to the hotel a little after four o clock. Hank came in at ten past five.

“So, how did he look?” Hank asked, as Joyce handed him a cup of tea.

“Happy!”

“He didn’t introduce his wife then?”

“No…he looked shocked to see me, then handed her the car keys…the little one they’d already got was pulling at her towards a station wagon. Looked a sturdy little chap!”

“Well I never…did he ask about her at all?”

“I told him we’d seen her last week…”


*************


“Brace yourself mom” Joyce said, down the phone.

“Joyce, what is it, you’re worrying me”

“I saw Chuck, not two hours ago, in Mexico, with his new WIFE and toddler son, and she’s expecting another baby next week!”

“Oh my gods…are you sure it was him?”

“Yes! I spoke to him and everything!”

“Well!”

“He was shocked we didn’t know…about the divorce and that”

“I’m shocked…hold on…TOM………TOM………he’s out mending the chicken fence…TOM!”
Joyce heard Tom say, ’Yes love?’

“Come and speak to our Joyce, you’ll never guess!” the receiver was passed over and Tom said,

“Hello Joyce”

“I’ve just seen Chuck in Mexico, with his new wife and son, with another baby on the way next week, he actually divorced Susan over two years ago”

“Good gods! You actually spoke to him then?”

“Yup! He was shocked to learn that we didn’t know……………………”

“Are we going to tell Susan we know?” Hank asked.

“I don’t know…I think one more sarcastic comment like she came out with about you, and I just might!”



****************************

Five Weeks Later



“Ok mom, we’re leaving now, see you this evening” Joyce said, and put the phone down. Hank came down stairs, carrying a parcel wrapped in white wedding paper.

“Shall I put this in the trunk?”

“Oh yes…I’d have forgotten that…” Joyce said.

“Right, got all the wedding outfits?”

“Check”

“Shoes”

“Check”

“All your makeup, jewellery and hair tongs and stuff”

“Check”

“Photos Chuck sent you of the new baby?”

“Oh gods…glad you remembered, they’re behind the clock on the fireplace…” Joyce got them and put them in her purse.

“Ok then, you’ve got the present…just the children to go…William, Buffy” Hank called. They both thundered down the stairs, William had his action man, Buffy her Barbie doll.

They both had jeans and the matching ‘Disneyworld’ tee shirts on. They got in the back of the car and Hank fixed the seatbelts for them.

Hank took it steady driving, and they got to the ranch at 5 ‘o’clock that evening. When Grace met them at the door, she had her hair in rollers. She kissed everyone and told them that the kettle was on for tea.

Tom came out and shook hands with Hank, and with William.

“And how’s my Best Man?”

“Fine thankyou, Tom”

“Have you written your speech?”

“Yes, but you must wait until tomorrow to find out what it says!” William said smiling.

“Ok then!” Tom winked and mussed his hair.

“So, mom…does Susan know, about tomorrow I mean?” Joyce asked. Grace looked tight lipped. Tom said nothing. Just then Joyce looked up, to see Susan coming into the kitchen, carrying an empty mug, and empty wine bottle, a dirty glass and a full ashtray.

“Hello” Susan said, depositing everything she was carrying onto the counter, and walking away, Grace frowned.

“WHAT’S SHE DOING HERE?” Joyce hissed, big eyed at her mother, as Grace had said she didn’t want her at the wedding.

“What could I do? She just turned up on speck last night. I couldn’t pretend to be out, we never go anywhere!” Grace shrugged

“Well, she better not try and spoil tomorrow, that’s all”! Joyce said in her normal voice. Looking at the overflowing ashtray with disgust, Joyce tipped the contents into the bin. Grace took the it off her to wash.

“Mommy! Princess B’s grown ever so much, she’s past my shoulder now!” Buffy said breathlessly. William came in and said,

“Nana, Tom said that the flowers and buttonholes have come, where do you want them putting?”

“Erm…tell him the garage, it’s cool in there, ok?” She smiled. William smiled, and said,

“Ok, nana!” And ran off to deliver the message.

“You make tea Joyce…I’ve done a casserole, and there’s boiled potatoes on the stove, it’s ready when you want to eat it. The children can have sausages if they prefer, they’re in the oven too”

“I think so, William loves sausages…” From the lounge, the loud pop of a cork being pulled out of a bottle could plainly be heard.

“Bit early, isn’t it?” Joyce mouthed, to her mother, frowning. Susan trudged into the kitchen to get a glass.

“Bit early, isn’t it?” Joyce said again, but this time to Susan.

“What’s it to you?”

“Sorry I spoke…what brings you here, anyway?”

“Oh great; don’t YOU start…not even invited to my own mother’s wedding for starters…then there’s Chuck!” Susan grouched. She pulled up a stool, poured a glass of wine. Joyce looked at Grace.

“What about him”

“He’s on um…short time. He says I’ve got to get a job”

“Well, it wouldn’t kill you, would it? I mean, what else do you do all day?” Joyce asked.

“You mean because my time isn’t taken up with the joys of motherhood?” Susan asked sarcastically, drinking half a glassful of wine in one gulp.

“I didn’t say that” Joyce rolled her eyes. Hank diplomatically pointed upstairs, and mouthed ‘call me for supper’. Joyce nodded. The children came running in from outside, Tom behind them.

“Mommy, are you going to show aunty Susan the photograph’s of uncle Chuck’s new baby?” Susan went huge eyed. Grace bit her bottom lip. Joyce stroked Buffy’s head.

“You and William go upstairs and wash your hands ready for supper, go on, there’s a good girl” When they’d disappeared, Susan looked at Joyce.

“Chuck’s new baby?”

“Um…yes, her name is”

“NO! I don’t want to know…I don’t want to know about his little whore!”

“Susan, it’s his wife…they’ve been married for two years now, over two years, in fact” Joyce said.

“Married…oh my gods!” With a very shaky hand she tried to pour herself a drink, spilling a lot, and then light a cigarette, but the tip wouldn’t touch the flame.

“Oh gods, they’ve got married…”

“You never told us he’d left” Grace said.

“And why should I…none of your business…” That had come out far more harsh than it meant to have.

“And you lie to us continually, and then wonder why you’re left out of things…”

“Now hold on!” Susan slammed the glass down hard. The glass toppled from the stem, shearing straight off, spilling the wine. She’d cut herself on the sharp stem, blood poured down to her wrist.

Grace mopped the wine and Tom handed Joyce a box of tissues, she grabbed one and tried to staunch the flow of blood from Susan’s hand.

“Leave me…just………don’t touch me, ok?” Susan wrenched her wrist out of Joyce’s grasp. Joyce held both hands in the air and said,

“Fine…just don’t bleed all over the floor, that’s all” Joyce said, all sympathy instantly evaporating. Grace poured tea, and Joyce took one up to her husband.

“What’s happened?” Hank asked quietly.

“Buffy let the cat out of the bag…she asked if I was going to show Susan the photos of uncle Chuck’s new baby…” Hank smiled.

“Well done Buffy!”

“Mom just asked why she never told us he’d left…she said it was none of our business”

“She’s drinking and smoking far too much” Joyce added.

“Well, as long as she can afford it”

“That’s it though…Chuck must have told her to get a job, he’s got two children and a wife to support”

“Well, that seems fair enough, I mean, what does she do all day?”

“That’s what I said, and she said…”

“Mommy…after supper can we play outside?” Buffy asked wandering into her parent’s room.

“We’ll see…you go down with William and help nana lay the table, I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Ok…come on Will”

“You were saying?” Hank asked.

“Well, I said, what do you do all day, and she said, ‘oh, as my day isn’t taken up with motherhood, you mean.’ Sarcastic bitch!”

“Bitter…oh well…hmm…something smells good, I’m starving” Hank said, standing.

“Mom’s made a casserole”


*************************


10.00 o’clock the following morning.


“Buffy, come on, it’s time for your hair to be done” Joyce called. Buffy bounded onto the kitchen chair. The hairdresser smiled and began to brush Buffy’s hair into a high ponytail, before twisting small sections into loops and pinning them in place.

Buffy helped by holding the grips. Meanwhile upstairs, William was reading his speech out loud while Hank sat on the bed listening.

“…So, thankfully Tom came to my rescue, and said I could be Best Man, and I didn’t have to be a bridesmaid after all! Peach isn’t my colour” William looked up and grinned at his dad.

“Very good! – Go on”
“Tom taught me all I know about riding…me and a few thousand others…and I swear the horses know everything he says to them. So let us all raise our glasses in a toast to the happy couple, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the bride and groom”

“Hold up your glass up towards them when you say that bit, Hank said, because that’s the toast”

“Buffy thought it meant real toast, like what we have for breakfast!”

“Did she? Well, you did very well. Don’t forget, smile and don’t worry, you’re a natural” There was a soft kerfuffle at the door, and Joyce appeared with just her underclothes and slip on, her makeup done, but her hair still in rollers.

“Mom said can you put the boxes of carnations out for the buttonholes, they’re in the garage…people can help themselves, pink for the ladies, white for the men”

“Sure” Hank said, he was dressed, apart from his jacket and shoes.
They could hear cars driving up.

“Guests arriving…just over an hour to go…I must get dressed” Joyce said.

“Love…any sign of…?” He motioned his head towards the wall, meaning Susan who was further down the hall.

“No, no sign…her door’s locked”

“I swear, if she spoils the day, or tries to, I’ll…”

“Form a queue behind me…” Her gaze fell on her son.

“Rehearsed your speech?”

“Yes…mommy…why does auntie Susan hate me?” Joyce frowned, squatted down in front of her son, looking really concerned.

“Why darling, what has she said to you?” Hank looked murderous. Joyce smoothed William’s hair out of his eyes.

“Well…she said a swear word…and fell up the stairs, and I said ‘are you alright’ she… she told me to go away…but nasty” Joyce hugged him to her.

“Listen baby, she was drunk, and I know that’s not an excuse…(Joyce looked him in the eye) you take no notice of anything she says, ok? She’s jealous because we’ve got you and Buffy…and she knows how much we love you, ok?”

“Ok…I do love you mommy…and daddy, and Nana and Tom” Joyce hugged him.

“And Buffy” Hank said smiling.

“Oh yes…Buffy best of all” Hank beamed and cuffed him very gently on the chin.

“That’s my boy…he’s gonna be a knockout reading his speech, aren’t you” William beamed at his dad and nodded.

“Will-yum!”

“And talking of Buffy…” Joyce said smiling and rolling her eyes

“Up here” William called. They heard a steady thump up the stairs.

“Mommy…I can get dressed now…look, I’ve got lip gloss on, and my tee…tee sar…what is it?”

“Tiara”

“Yes, tiara on!” She came into the bedroom dressed in her pyjamas still, but her hair done.

“Hank…” Tom’s voice drifted up the stairs.

“Coming Tom” Hank finished tying up his shoelaces, then left the bedroom.

“Come on, come with me” Joyce ushered the two children into the spare bedroom. William sat quietly playing with his Pokémon cards while Buffy and his mother got on their wedding outfits. A knock on the door and it opened slowly.

It was Susan. She looked dreadful, tousled hair and unwashed aside, and she had the shakes, and huge dark circles under her eyes.

“Have you got something I could wear…only got jeans.” Susan said, in a cracked voice, thick with sleep.

“Um…(Joyce’s mind raced) actually…no, sorry, no I haven’t, I only came in jeans myself” Susan shut the door without saying anything else.
Ten minutes later, Hank came upstairs.

“Ok then, you ready kids?” They both went downstairs with him. Joyce knocked on her mother’s room door.

“Yes?”

“It’s me”

“Come in love” Joyce went in.

“Oh mom…you look SO beautiful!” Joyce smiled.

“Can you help me with my hat…the elastic…”

“There…that ok? Oh, hold on…there, that’s it, just pulled that curl down a little…to hid the elastic by your ear. Comfy?”

“Yes. Is everything ready?”

“I think so, the children are all ready, and Hank went to sort the flowers”

“Good. Have you seen Tom?”

“At breakfast…he has a twinkle in his eye, and is on fine form”
Grace smiled. She was holding a photo of herself and her first husband, Joyce’s father Dan, just before he retired.

She touched his face on the photo.

“Well then, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be” She replaced the photo on the dressing table.

“Ok then, I’ll go get Hank…he’s so proud that you asked him to give you away”

“Well…he’s a wonderful son-in-law”

“Have you seen…?”

“Yes…she wanted to borrow some clothes” Joyce said, then asked,

“Have you – seen her that is?”

“No…but I heard her crying in the night”

“Did you…she was evil to William…”

“Why, what did she say?” Grace looked up sharply. There was a soft knock.

“Are you ready?” Hank called.

“Don’t worry about her, not today, not now, so, ready?” Joyce asked. Grace nodded.

“Right, I’ll carry on down”

“Now, don’t loose it, will you?” Tom said, giving William the wedding ring.

“I won’t, promise”

Tom rode to the chapel on his horse, and William, Buffy and Joyce went in a flower decked pony and trap, as did Grace and Hank. It was a simple ceremony where their vows were exchanged, William handed Tom the ring, and everything went perfect.

They rode back to the ranch, where the wedding breakfast had been arranged in the large extension room that was used when the ranch had extra hands and guests stay. They dined on smoked salmon, cold chicken and champagne. William read his speech perfectly and got a standing ovation! Buffy looked like a dream, and there were many photos and videos taken of them, probably even more than the bride and groom!

“Just look at them…little angels” William and Buffy were slowly swaying to the music; William was holding both of Buffy’s hands.

“You look very pretty in that dress…you always look pretty…I like the sparkly bits on the front” William said. Buffy beamed and thought she loved William even more, if that was possible.

Their attention to each other never wavered as flashes went off around them, people taking their photos.

“Give him a kiss, love!” Somebody shouted. Buffy and William both leaned forward and gave each other a kiss on the lips. The whole room said,
“Awwwwwwwwwwww!” And Joyce and Hank beamed at their beautiful children.

Susan had stood at the back of the chapel in her jeans, and then went back to the ranch. Later on that evening, Hank came over to Joyce and the children. They were sitting on some chairs put outside the very warm room. Music played and people danced.

“Susan’s at the bar…drunk”

“Huh, well she’s been surprisingly good…I thought she’d cause a scene”

“Don’t speak too soon, it’s only just gone nine o’clock – and I haven’t forgotten that she was evil to my child…”

“Oh…I think they’re off” Joyce stood, and ushered the children into the room. Tom and Grace had entered the room in smart ‘normal’ clothes, and began to shake hands and thank people. They finally got to Joyce, Hank and the children.

“You off then?” Hank asked, smiling.

“Yes…only three days, but it’ll be a nice break…it’ll be lovely to be by the ocean for a while” Grace said. A friend had leant them a beach house at Long Beach.

“You going home tomorrow?” Tom asked Hank.

“Yes, we will probably leave after breakfast”

“Well, we know Gabe and Austin can cope, and Mary-Jane will feed them all, but we don’t want to take advantage” Grace explained.

“Anyway…we’ve come to give the best, Best Man and the best bridesmaid we’ve ever seen their presents” Tom said, bending and producing two boxes wrapped in blue striped paper for William, and pink for Buffy. The children’s little face’s lit up, and immediately William took his present and put it on the table carefully.

“Thankyou Tom…thankyou nana!” He hugged and kissed them both, and then Buffy did the same.

“Have a nice holiday!”

“We will”

“Can I open it mommy, please?” William asked.

“Sure baby…” Joyce stroked his soft hair. He carefully opened it.

“Oh look mommy, daddy…it’s a watch!” Hank squatted down on his haunches and looked.

“And a very posh one too! It’s better than mine!” Hank said, grinning.

“What have you got Buffy?” She too had a watch, it had a pink face, with little sparkly stones by the numbers, and a strap made of gold chain with pink leather woven through it. Hank helped William with the strap, and Joyce helped Buffy. They both felt very grown up, especially when they were allowed to have a sip of Champagne! At nine thirty, both children began to yawn.

“I’m shattered myself…shall we go up?”

“Would you mind if I stayed down for a while, I want to talk to that investment chap…where is he…oh there, I want to ask him something” Hank said.

“Ok love, but don’t leave it too late”

“I won’t” Hank kissed the children and the three of them went through to the main house, Joyce stopping briefly to say goodnight and goodbye to various people.

Buffy and William had money given to them from practically everyone, and everyone was saying how delightful and beautiful and well behaved the children were.

Upstairs they got undressed and got into bed. Joyce did too, and began to read. Less than an hour later, Hank came up. There was a bit of a kerfuffle on the stairs and Joyce frowned when he came into the bedroom.

“What’s going on…I thought the children would wake”

“Gabe and I had to carry Susan up, she got so drunk…” Joyce got up out of bed, left the room. Hank got undressed. He was sitting on the bed in his underwear and socks when Joyce came back in the room.

“Thanks…”

“We put her on her side, packed pillows behind her so she can’t roll over on her back and choke.”

“I’ve put a bowl on the floor, just in case”

“What’s all that money?” Hank nodded to well over a hundred dollars on the dresser.

“The children’s! …As I was saying goodnight and goodbye, all these people came up and was pressing money on them, saying how delightful they are!”
Hank smiled.

“Hmm, got that right!”

**********

The following morning...


“How much have we got, mommy?” Buffy asked, she was gazing at her new watch.

“Um…well, I put it all together, and there’s $130, so, $65 each”

“Will you put it in my savings for me please mommy” William asked, finishing his juice.

“I will my love…”

“And me mommy”

“Of course baby”

“Now…didn’t you two promise to feed nana’s chicken’s?”

“Yes!” They both chorused

“Well, go on then, you’ve finished your breakfast, now go give the chicken’s theirs” Joyce said, and the two children got down from the table. As if by magic, Gabe came to the back door.

“Ready then?”

“We’re coming!” William grabbed the feedbag in one hand, and Buffy’s in the other. They followed Gabe outside.

“Have you heard her ladyship this morning?” Hank asked Joyce.

“Not yet…mind you, it’s still early…did she play up last night down there…I mean, I know you and Gabe carried her to bed, but…?”

“Oh, she had a rant, but somebody sat and talked to her. I was talking to Simon Mason, got some good info,” Hank said, pouring himself more coffee.

“Oh, listen…she’s alive anyway” Joyce said, as they heard the toilet flush upstairs, and could hear coughing.

“Morning!” A very friendly young girl came into the kitchen, carrying foil and cling wrapped trays of food.

“Morning Mary-Jane…what’s all this?”

“Leftover cold chicken, sliced cooked meats and a little salad, it’s all fresh still, I’ll use it for the ranch hands lunches, I’m going to make a chicken and ham pie, will you be staying?” Joyce looked at Hank.

“Um…actually, no, if you don’t mind, I’ve got some information that I’m just itching to act upon, and I’m missing my computer!”

“Well…I’ve just gone and thrown things into our case, and we can go, if you like, Joyce said, but I must just tidy up here first.

“Don’t worry…I’ll sort it”

“You sure?” Joyce asked.

“Sure” The children came into the kitchen, William carefully carrying the eggs.

“Here are the eggs”

“Thankyou, young William…my, they’re mighty big, aren’t they?” Mary-Jane smiled and took the basket.

“Hasn’t your son got the most amazing blue eyes…and the two of them last night, it was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen” Joyce smiled.

“We are so lucky…they’re inseparable, like it all the time…oh well, I must be off. Um…don’t let Susan put on you, will you?” Joyce said conspiratorially.

“Don’t worry, I won’t, I’m not here for her benefit!” They smiled and Joyce went upstairs.



*****************


Back home, a few days later

“Oh, Hi mom…you and Tom just got back then?”

“Yes, it was a lovely rest, the fresh air’s done me the power of good”

“Well, it’s good to know you had a good time. Hank and Gabe had to carry Susan to bed, but she didn’t play up too much”

“Good, I’m glad”

“When did she leave, did Gabe say?”

“Leave, she hasn’t gone yet”

“What?”

“She said she’s nothing to go home to”

“Don’t fall for that, mom…she’s been on her own for three years now. You know what she likes, the free food and booze”

“That’s what Tom said…”

“Put your foot down, tell her”

“ I’ve told her, she’s got to the end of the week”

“Good, don’t let her blackmail you”

Oh gods, I won’t…”

“Still there, how come…bloody cheek!” Hank said over dinner that evening. The children were in bed.

“I know…anyway, mom’s given her to the end of the week. She saying she’s got nothing to go home for…”

“But Chuck left her, how long ago?”

“I know, I know, she just likes the free food and booze”

“Well, she needn’t think she can come here”

“Tell me about it!” Joyce said.

“Good for him…what was her reaction?”

“Well, she looked at the grooming brushes, the currycombs and broom, and said, ‘oh but, I’m leaving in about an hour or so’ Grace said to Joyce.

“Don’t feel guilty mom, you gave her a couple of extra days grace”

“Are my wonderful grandchildren there?”

“No, mom, they’re out seeing their other granny while I make lunch, but I’ll let them phone you tonight, around seven-ish, is that ok?”

“That’s fine love. Did they like their presents?”

“Love them…I practically had to prise it from off Buffy’s wrist before she went to bed!” Grace chuckled.

“Well, I’ll let you get on with the lunch.”

“Ok mom…by the way, how’s married life suiting you, you’ve been married a whole eight days now”

“Wonderful…he brings me cuppa in bed every morning…and he lets me warm my cold feet on him!”

“See, the wonders of married life!” Joyce said, laughing, she said bye to her mother, and went on with the lunch.

********************



“So, mom told me that Tom did no more, than go out and fetch the grooming brushes and currycombs, and a broom and said, Well, I’LL give you a job! You know how she is around horses…anyway, she looks at Tom, realises that she can’t eek it out anymore, so she says, ‘Oh, but I’m leaving in less than an hour!”

“Good for him!” Hank said.

“That’s what I said…oh, yes, Buffy, William, I told nana you would ring her about seven o’clock tonight, ok?”

“Ok mom” William said.

“Buffy, eat your carrots, there’s a good girl”

“But….”

“They help you see in the dark…look, William’s eaten all his” Buffy began to eat her carrots, leaving just a few; Joyce knew she’d tried hard.

“Good girl…now, who’s for ice cream?”

“Please!”

Chapter 10


Growing Pains


Four years later – Buffy and William are now 11

“But…well, all I’m saying is, is what with William being so clever with computers and that, rather than him just going to Sunnydale High, we should look into a technical college or something” Hank reasoned. Joyce sighed.

“Ok, ask him, but not in front of Buffy, she’ll flip” Hank nodded. Later on that evening, when they’d done their homework, Hank went into William’s room when Buffy was in the bath, sat on his bed.

“Listen son…you know it’s time for you to go to big school…well, how would you like to go to a technical college, one where you could study with computers a lot more than usual” William looked at his dad.

“Um…would Buffy be able to go?”

“No…but you’d see each other before and after school” William looked down at the carpet.

“Do I have to?”

“No, not if you don’t want to…I just thought you might like it better, that’s all. If you don’t want to, then you don’t have to. Do you want to think about it?” William looked up at his dad, and shook his head.

“No…I don’t want to go. I promised to stay and look after Buffy”

“But…ok then, son, you don’t have to, I know you love her but you mustn’t think that you have to look after her all the time…I’ll come up and say goodnight later, ok?”

“Ok dad” The bathroom door opened, and a pink scrubbed Buffy came running into William’s room. She was in her pyjamas, and had her dressing gown on.

“Buffy…you know big school…you DO want me to go with you, don’t you?” William asked, casually, not looking at her.

“What? Yes, you must, you promised!”

“I know…it’s ok, Im going with you…I told dad I promised.”

“Why…they can’t send you back to London!”

“No! Dad just wanted to know if I wanted to go to a computer school”

“But there are computers at Sunnydale High”

“I know”

“Promise you won’t go”

“I promise, I already said” he held her hand and she leant her head on his shoulder. Joyce smiled at them as she came into the room.

“You two ok?”

“Mom…daddy’s not making William go away, is he?”

“No darling. As William doesn’t want to go, he wants to stay and look after and be with you, so that’s that. End of story”

“Promise?”

“Promise” Joyce said.

“Ok, half an hour, and then bedtime, ok?” Joyce said, and went down.

“Way to go on making our daughter more clingy than normal!”

“Why?”

“Oh…she’s all angsty about William leaving now, despite all the promises” Hank rolled his eyes and
smiled.

“You know, the kid wouldn’t even think about it, he’s made a promise, and that’s it…that’s loyalty for you”

“That’s love and devotion too”

“Yes!” When Joyce went up forty minutes later, they were both in the same bed, fast asleep.


********************************






Two Years Later

“Oh Hank, I’m so proud of you!” Joyce hugged her husband and kissed him.

“It was me finally clinching the Sheraton deal that did it, although Chuck said he was going to bring me onto the board and make me number two…”

“So darling, come through to the kitchen, I’ll make coffee, tell me, what does it involve exactly, this promotion?”

“Well…nearly double in salary for a start!”

“Wow!”

“And a company car…decent too, I was thinking of something foreign…a Mercedes or something like that. Use of the company holiday homes in Hawaii and Toronto, and Chuck says that I can use his private beachfront home in Florida whenever I like, as long as he’s not there of course…and I also get to become a member of the Lakeside Golf and Country Club”

“What, you’ll learn to play golf?” Joyce smiled, knowing her husbands dislike of the game

“Not if I can help it…oh yes, and a really good health plan for you, me and the kids”

“Darling, this is incredible…look, as it’s our 16th wedding anniversary in two weeks, and William has done so well in his exams…lets push the boat out, have a really nice family party, what do you say?”

“I think that’s an excellent idea…we’ll have it at the Country Club!”
They invited friends and colleagues, and Hank’s brother came from Denver, with his family and his sister came from Georgia with her hers, Joyce’s mother Grace and her husband Tom was coming, and so was Hank’s mother Cynthia.

“Are we going to invite Susan?” Hank asked.

“No we’re not! I want to have a good time, and whenever we see Susan…I wouldn’t mind inviting Chuck though”

“He’s already coming, got to have the boss there” Hank said.

“No…Chuck, Susan’s ex”

“Will he come, all the way from Mexico, do you think?”

“Doubt it…but I’ll ring him, you never know!”


****

“He said he’d have loved to, but Conchita’s due to have the twins in about three weeks, and he’s got to look after Sanchez, Consuela and Rodrigo”

“Golly…he’s not giving up now he knows how to make kids, is he?!”

“He said these two were going to be the last…but, well, Conchita’s a Catholic, and she won’t let him, you know…use anything, and she won’t so…”

“Well, as long as he’s happy”

“So, got your outfit for the party?”

“Yes, treated myself, Vera Wang, no less!”

“Good, you deserve it…and Will and Buffy?”

“Don’t worry, they’ll look delightful…Buffy wants this sparkly blue dress she’s seen in town, she’s been banging on about it for weeks, she’ll have an excuse now for me to buy it, and I was going to get William a suit”

“Did I tell you, Chuck said that he’d take William on like a shot when he’s older”

“Did he? He’s such a clever kid, and the best part is, he doesn’t struggle, it all just seems to come naturally…I told him, never think that he’d let us down if he got a bad result, as long as he tried, well, that was good enough for us, he knows we’re immensely proud of him”

“That’s true…they’ll be in soon, shall we tell them?”

“I think so”


*****


“WOW – Well done dad!” William said. Hank beamed at his son. Buffy looked thoughtful, and said,

“Um…I’ll need a new dress”

“Yes, your mom said something about a sparkly blue one in town, that right?”

“Oh yes, you mean I could have it?” Buffy grinned, brows raised.

“Just this once, and William, you shall have a new suit, or trousers and jacket, whatever you want”

“Great, thanks, dad!”

The following Saturday, after a trip into town.

“What do you think, dad?” Buffy had on her new dress and heeled shoes, she was grinning.

“Wow…is that my thirteen year old daughter? – You look 16 at least!”

“And here’s William…I thought he looked so good in that leather jacket and the trousers can be lengthened, he’s growing so quickly, look Hank, he’s almost as tall as you!”

“You look great, son” Hank patted William on his shoulder, at thirteen, William must have been around 5’ 8” tall, and filling out nicely.

“Thanks dad” Buffy thought he looked really cool and couldn’t wait for the party.

With everybody enjoying themselves enormously, the lights were put up, and the buffet was offered.
The food looked beautiful, like something they’d do on a cruise ship. There was lobster and chicken, salmon and shrimp, giant crab claws and every type of salad that you could think of, fancy bread and cheeses.

“Think it’s going well” Hank asked Joyce.

“Marvellous my darling…this food is out of this world!”

After everyone had finished eating, Hank stood to say a few words, and thank everyone for coming. He concluded by calling upon his family, and called Buffy up first.

“This is my daughter, my beautiful princess…”

“Dad!” Buffy blushed, but smiled.

“This is my son…William, whom I am immensely proud of, come here son” William went up and hugged him, everybody said, ‘aww’ as after he hugged his dad, he went and stood next to Buffy, holding her hand.

“And last, but not least, my beautiful, beautiful wife, Joyce…can I have the…” One of the waitresses brought in a huge bouquet of exotic orchids.

“This beautiful woman has been married to me for sixteen years on Tuesday, I’d just like to thank her for making me the happiest man in the world…love you babe!” Joyce was nearly crying, and when she got to him and hugged him, he whispered,

“I love you…this is for you” he handed her a small box. She opened it, and took out the most gorgeous necklace a fixed shape Serpentine chain in white gold, with a heart studded in diamonds.

“Do you like it?” Hank asked
Joyce gasped and put her hand to her mouth, but she nodded rapidly.

“Good, happy anniversary, darling” Somebody called for three cheers, which were given.

“Can I see mom? – Wow…that’s beautiful” William said.

“Wow, like, way cool dad!” Buffy said. Hank had his arm around Joyce, and he said to her,

“Next dance is mine”

“Hold on, you don’t get away that easily…would you…” Joyce nodded to a waiter, and a huge cake with sparklers sticking in it was wheeled in, and Joyce said,

“This is for you, as I know you coveted your sons!” Joyce handed him a box, and when Hank opened it, it was a watch, a very good one too, the same make that Grace and Tom had bought for William as a gift for being best man at their wedding.

Hank grinned and kissed Joyce. He went to turn to show off to William, but he and Buffy were walking off.

“Hey, Will”

“Leave them” Joyce said.

“I was just going to brag, that’s all!” Hank said, taking his old watch off and putting on his new one.

“Um, mom, dad…this is for you, for your anniversary, from us” William gave his dad a card.

“What’s this…oh my goodness Joyce, look!”

“We remembered when we went to Disney world, how you said you’d always wanted to go in a hot air balloon” Buffy said. In the envelope was a ticket for a trip over the city and parks, a Champagne lunch and then in the evening a slap up dinner at a swanky hotel.

“Haven’t we got the best kids in the world!” Buffy and William were kissed and hugged.

“But how did you…this is amazing!”

“Don’t worry, grandma will look after us” William said, and as if on cue, Hanks mother came up and put her hand into her son’s.

“Don’t worry about Will and Buffy, I’ll come over the night before and stay over to look after them”

“Great mom…”

“I’m itching to get into your borders in the garden…and I can do some planting!” She was a great gardener, something that had totally passed Hank by…

“When is it?”

“Tomorrow week, we made sure it was ok for the Monday for you, that you’d got nothing important on as you’ll be late home” the music started up and people started to dance.

“How did the kids afford this?” Hank asked Joyce.

“I’ve no idea, this is as much of a surprise to me as it is to you!”

“You have smashing kids, Hank, Joyce”

“Thanks Chuck…we don’t now how they afforded this!” Joyce waved the envelope.

“I do…Saturday mornings, William and Buffy have come to the office, and Buffy has carefully cleaned all the computer monitors and key boards, something too specialised and fiddly for the regular cleaners, and William has written me a programme and sorted out my spreadsheet data bases…that kid’s a genius!”

“I wondered why you said you’d take him on…I’m amazed!” They looked up and saw Buffy and Will dancing in a circle with their two grandmothers, Tom and a few cousins.

“They told me what they wanted to do for you, what they wanted to buy you, and I said had they been saving their pocket money, and Will said that they’d just about got enough, and I thought I’d help by offering them a little job, well, William comes into the office, saw me struggling with the spreadsheets and he told me that there was a much simpler way to do things.

I said I’d pay whoever showed me $100 an hour, rash statement, and when he just taps a few things in, and…well, it was magic. He told me he’d do the lot, and I said I’d pay him. I asked Buffy if she’d like to earn too, and she said she was hopeless with computers, but I gave her this little vacuum suction brush, which she loved using, and she went around all the computers and did it.

William and Buffy came over.

“So Saturdays, you haven’t just been going into town then!” Joyce hugged William, and Hank held Buffy’s hand.

“Ah…he told you, well, it was in a good cause!”

“But well, you earned that money son, and you Buf” Hank said

“Don’t worry, there’s some left…I’m saving up for a 28 megabyte keyring so I can store extra files without having to carry discs around all the time”

“And there’s a Donna Karan handbag I want!” Buffy said.

“Oh…that cream one with the gold clasp?” Joyce asked

“That’s the one!” Buffy grinned at her mother.

They joined in the dancing, and everybody had a great time. The following week, Hank and Joyce went off on their ballooning day, and had a fantastic time! They phoned the children from the balloon.

“Gods…it’s so beautiful up here…so serene…oh my gods, there’s a bird… I could almost touch it it’s flying so close! – here’s dad”

“Hi…you should see the view…it’s incredible…and apart from the gas in the balloon, it’s so quiet…no traffic noise…oh, Joyce, look…look at the boating lake!” They said goodbye.

“Are they having a good time?” Cynthia asked.

“Yes gran…mom just said there was a bird flying right next to them so close she could almost touch it!” Buffy said.

“Right then, now, if you want me, I’ll be in the garden…I’ve made sandwiches for lunch, they’re covered in the kitchen, I’ve made a cheesecake, so help yourself when you’re hungry…are we ordering take out tonight?” Buffy nodded.

“Ok then, that gives me a good long run at these borders…I’ve got Hostas and some clematis I want to plant, and the pansies and crocuses will be moved…I’ll get on” Taking her kneeler, and her trowel and secateurs she went out into the garden.

Buffy went to the phone, and William went on his computer.

On their way back home, Hank said to Joyce,

“Let’s get the kids those things they want”

“That gizmo William wants you mean – do you know what it is exactly?”

“I can ask in the computer shop. I know he said a key ring that would allow him to carry around information so he didn’t have to carry discs all time, I’m sure they’ll put me right. Buffy wants a handbag, is that right?”

“It’s $150”

“HOW MUCH? Oh, go on then, they are good kids!”

“Well, there’s this one, which stores 28 MGB of information”

“How much is that one?” Hank asked the assistant”

“Um…let me see…(he tapped away at his computer) this one is $49.99”

“And there’s a bigger one?”

“Oh yes, sir. There’s a 56 Megabyte one, that’s um…$89, or then there’s 128 megabyte one, that will hold up to 500 files and –“

“How much?”

“$179.95”

“I’ll take it.”

“The biggest one?”

“Please…do you take American Express?”

“Certainly, sir…”

Hank sat in the coffee bar at the food court waiting for Joyce.

“Did you get it?” Joyce grinned.

“I did, and guess what? – It was in the sale! 1 got it for $75”

“Well, I’ve just spent $180 on William, so if we put $100 inside Buffy’s bag… what do you think?”

“I think she’ll be over the moon!”

**************

“Did you have a good time dad?” William asked after hugging his father.

“The best! – It was just…surreal. So quiet…I mean you can hear the gas and the flame burner and that, but no traffic, and the view…totally amazing!”

“Hi mom, have they been good?” Joyce asked her mother-in-law.

“Very. Not a bother on them”

“Good. Right, are you staying to eat with us?”

“Sure, I’ll stay tonight, go after lunch, if that’s ok with you, I just want to finish off the last border, by the fence”

“Here mom, I know these are your favourites!” Hank handed his mother a huge box of chocolates.

“And this is for you…and that ones for you” Hank handed his children their presents.

“OOH! Prezzies…me likey!” Buffy carefully opened the Bloomingdale’s carrier bag to reveal a smart designer bag with DKNY on the front. She went huge eyed and quickly opened it and saw the bag she was after

“WOW! Oh brilliant!”

“It is the right one, isn’t it?”

“What’s this…$100 too?” Buffy grinned.

“Will, look!” Buffy showed him the bag, and he smiled.

“What have you got?”

“A special keyring that’ll hold files…hold on – DAD!”

“What, is it ok?”

“I’ve only just realised it’s a 128 megabyte! This is brilliant, it’s practically five times as big as I wanted originally!” Hank grinned.

“Well, we figured that you were worth it!” William hugged his dad, and his mum.

Chapter 11


Buffy and William aged 15

“Go on……” Angel urged her

“NO WAY…it’s bad for your health!”

Angel rolled his eyes and stopped offering the lit cigarette to her, taking a deep drag before allowing the smoke to come down his nose.

“You’re SUCH a kid!”

“What’s THAT supposed to mean?” Buffy rounded on Angel, folding her arms across her chest.

Smiling, he took another deep drag, and turned away from her, grinning.

“Come to the movies with me Saturday”

“Day or night?”

“Night”

“Can’t………we’ve got guests coming”

“Day then!”

“Well…I’ve got chores to do”

“Sunday then – oh hold on, don’t tell me, you’re ‘Little-Miss-Goodie-Two-Shoes’, and have to go to church!”

“I DO not!” Buffy snorted with derision, her cheeks going red and hot

“Well?”

“WE, well we usually go visiting on Sundays…it’s not my fault!”

“No…just have to do what you’re told, I understand – you’re scared”

All the time they had been talking, Buffy had been keeping an eye on the double doors that led from the main school building. They eventually opened, and a whole bunch of students came out, Buffy didn’t know any of them – but as soon as they opened, she’d instantly turned away from talking to Angel, just in case – she knew how much William disliked him, but not the reason why………

“See – scared in case that brother of yours sees us talking!”

“Shut up, cretin! – You don’t know anything about me!” Buffy said hotly

“I know you’re a chicken in case that brother of yours sees me talking to you………fuckin’ geek”

“Don’t you talk about him like that, he’s NOT a geek – he’s just really clever that’s all!” Buffy said angrily. One of Angel’s mates walked over

“Give that here………aaaaahhhhhhhhh!” Ged took the cigarette off Angel and took a deep drag

“Hello Buffy…does your brother know you’re here?” Ged teased grinning, taking another drag from the cig before passing it back to Angel

Buffy gave him a filthy look and turned her head away, to see the doors opening again, and Willow and Xander come out. She knew that William wouldn’t be far behind

She picked up her bag

The wind blew and she shivered, slinging her bag over her shoulder

“Hey Summers, your nipples have gone hard!” Ged said with a grin, leering at her chest. Both snorted a laugh and Angel and gave Ged a shove, ‘let’s split’ and they both went to find the rest of their ‘gang’. Buffy swiftly turned away big eyed and hot with embarrassment.

She waited for her friends at the top of the steps.

“Will said he won’t be long, he’s talking to Miss Callender, she’s giving him some new assignments”

“So Bufster, wanna come to the movies on Saturday, they’re showing a night of horror classics, Night of the Living Dead, Zombies from Hell, It walks – it’ll be fun!” Xander asked grinning

“What – oh, I don’t know, maybe...did you ask Will?”

“He said to ask you”

“We’ll see…maybe………haven’t you got to be like, sixteen to see them, I know they’ve been re-classified as not so horrific these days?”

“We can pass for sixteen easily”

“Except it’s James’ mom working in the pay-in booth, she knows how old we are”

“Would she care though? – I mean James is a bit wild, besides, what difference does a few months make?”

“James only got into trouble because of Angel Stebson – she stopped them seeing each other, that’s what she told my mom anyway” Willow said

“Well, I don’t want to risk getting turned away, I’d die of embarrassment” Buffy said

“So what shall we do then?”

“Hey!”

Riley came bouncing over to them, full of enthusiasm, grinning from ear to ear

“So, what gives Ri – why the happy?”

“Going on a 10 mile route march with the Army Cadet Corp tonight – we’ll be carrying full packs and everything!”

“Full packs – of what? – Cards, cookies?” Xander asked and immediately regretted it, coz he knew Riley would tell him…in great detail…leaving nothing out…from the teaspoon to the size and shape of the tent…

Both Willow and Buffy rolled their eyes at Xander – they were going to be bored stupid for the next ten minutes at least

“………And the design is SO clever, being round the tent can’t be lifted by a corner, as there IS no corner! Then we pitch them in a circle, so that the aerodynamics are even better -“

“Hi, waiting for me?”

Will stood over the two prostrate girls, shielding them from the sun

They both sat up

“Thank god, let’s go!”

William pulled both girls up off the grass

Buffy immediately started walking

“Hold on a minute………did Xander ask you about the movies?” William trotted after Buffy and caught her up

“God that kid could bore for the USA – I’ve just lost ten minutes of my life back there!”

“Buffy, movies?”

“What – oh no…James’ mom’ll be in the pay-booth, she’ll know we’re not 16”

“So no movies then…” William fell into step

“Bye Buffy, call me!” Buffy turned and waved to Willow who was standing at the base of the steps waiting for Xander.

***************************


Few months later………

“Who in their right mind would let two sixteen year olds drive such a powerful car?”

Joyce asked incredulously looking up from the local newspaper report

“I don’t think it was a case of letting them honey…I think they stole it” Hank said

“Well I wouldn’t put anything past that Stebson kid – but James?” Joyce sighed

“Always been a bit of a handful wasn’t he, Angel?”

“Handful? – That kid’s been a wrong one since I taught him in nursery class. Okay, James did have his moments, but he wasn’t really a naughty child, he was just always easily led…and now he’s on a life-support machine. I feel SO sorry for Mrs Wesley, she tried desperately to keep James away from Angel Stebson”

“What does the police report say?”

“Here read it for yourself, they were racing some older boys apparently – the car swerved to avoid something, lost control and slammed into a tree and flipped over several times” Joyce handed her husband the paper

The front door opened and William led in a sobbing Buffy, it was 9.20pm, and they had been at the Bronze

“Buffy – William, what’s the matter?” Joyce stood, exchanging a worried glance with her husband

“There was a message sent to the Bronze, it was announced that James’ died an hour ago, he never regained consciousness” William said, he too looked white with shock. Joyce’s hands flew to her mouth as she sat down heavily

“Oh god, oh no – oh that poor boy…it was her only son Hank. Do you think I ought to ring her?”

“I doubt if there would be anyone home honey…she’s probably still at the hospital, and she’s bound to have family with her – you sit I’ll get you a drink. Are you all right son - Buffy?” Buffy nodded her head, but she was still crying.

“Yeah dad, I’m okay………I’ll take Buffy up, come on Muppet” William let her go upstairs first

******************************

Ten Weeks Later………


Joyce switched on the local news on TV


“………I’m standing outside the Court of Inquiry Sunnydale, to give you the verdict on the accident that killed James Wesley, and injured his passenger, Angel Stebson. The court found that going only on the evidence given by 16 year old Angel Stebson, that James Wesley stole the car, and saw Stebson walking along the road going to a friends house.

It was then said by Mr Stebson that Wesley threatened and intimidated him to get into the car. Mr Stebson said he thought it was a bad idea as he knew the car must have been stolen, but he felt more threatened by what Mr Wesley would do to him if he didn’t.

Mr Stebson said they were caught up by some older guys at a stop sign, and with looks and nods, they decided to race away from the lights – Mr Stebson said he tried to reason with Mr Wesley, but he was laughing and telling him not to be a ‘chicken’, at the same time drinking out of a can of beer. Wesley then swerved the car, lost control and slammed into a tree, sending the car into a spin where it flipped over………”

“I don’t believe a word of it!” Joyce said, flipping off the TV and folding her arms across her chest in disgust

“You’re not the only one mom…but as Angel was the only witness…” William said sadly

“And I don’t believe that either – if anybody did any intimidating, it would have been Angel to any potential witnesses…intimidated by James, my foot – Angel’s a big hulking lump – James was smaller for a start, ooh there’s no justice – I just feel so sorry for Pamela Wesley – hearing her son trashed by that, that no good, lying little…well one day, I just hope that one day the truth will out, that’s all”

Buffy came in through the front door, and over to William

“Where did you get to, one minute you were talking to Xander, next I couldn’t find you”

“Sorry, I wanted to get home to see the verdict”

“Verdict, what verdict?”

“About the accident where James got killed”

“And?”

“Um…well I don’t know, mom switched it off in disgust”

Joyce looked sternly at her daughter

“Just you keep AWAY from Angel Stebson young lady, do you hear me?”

Buffy just rolled her eyes at her mother and said nothing


*******************


Christmas and New Year came and went, and it was coming up to Valentine’s Day



William had let himself into the kitchen, and quietly closed the door. He put his book bag down, and went straight to the fridge.

He took out juice and poured himself a glass. He and Buffy usually walked home together, but he’d stayed behind to talk to one of the teachers, and Buffy seemed excited about something, saying she wanted to phone Willow, so she’d gone on ahead without him.

He went to go through to the lounge before going upstairs, when he heard Buffy say,

“So, I said ‘yes, I’d love to go to the dance with you!” Buffy said excitedly to Willow.

“Go on, what did he say then?”

“Well, I knew he was trying to sound casual, but secretly, I know he was really pleased” Buffy said to her friend.

William frowned. He finished his juice, washed the glass and put it on the drainer.

He came into the hall, where he saw Buffy sitting on the stairs.

“Um…hold on Willow…want to come past?” she stood up, and walked down the steps so William could go up.

“Ta”

“Carry on” Buffy said to Willow.

“Wear? I haven’t a clue…”

William lay across his bed, flicking through one of his homework books. He hadn’t checked his marks…he read,

‘Excellent work William, A’ on his English essay, and ‘As always, Excellent, A on his maths. Buffy came into his room without knocking.

“Um, William…could you lend me some money?”

“How much?”

“Erm…what have you got?”

“Hold on…” he took out his wallet, and checked how much he’d got. He had $50.

“I need…$6 for bus fares…and $10 for lunches…oh yeah, and $23 for this book I want…um, will $10 do?”

“Great, thanks, I’ll give it you back next week” he peeled off one of the notes and gave it to her, not asking what she wanted it for.

“In case I’m still in the shower, will you let Willow in for me, she can sit in my room if you’re too busy to talk, she should be here in about twenty minutes or so”

“Ok” William said, he was lying on his stomach, reading. About fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang, and William went down to open it.

“Hi William”

“Hi…Buffy’s still in the shower, she said to sit in her room, I must study if you don’t mind, I’ve got some special tests coming up”

“Fine. Although why she needs to start getting ready this early, I do not know, it’s not like he doesn’t see her every day at school!” Willow said, smiling.

William led the way up the stairs.

“Who’s this, Parker?”

“No, Angel, silly…I mean, she’s got what, over three hours before he picks her up!” Willow grinned. William WASN’T smiling.

“Angel?”

“Um…yeah…that’s right?”

“Angel Stebson?” William asked, his face serious. Willow’s smile rapidly disappeared.

“Um…uh huh…she didn’t tell you?” Willow looked pained.

“No. No she didn’t. And we all know why, don’t we? S’cuse me” William went into his room, and slammed the door. Willow flinched at the banging door; she stood in the hall, thinking how she’d probably just dropped Buffy in it.

She could hear the shower running, and resignedly pushed open Buffy’s bedroom door, went in and sat on the bed.

She was flicking through a teen magazine when Buffy came in, dressed in a towelling robe, her hair in a turban. She un-furled it, and rubbed her hair.

“There, what do you think, does it look lighter, more blonde?”

“Um…I suppose, I’ll see when it’s dry. Buffy.”

“Hmm?” Buffy sat at her dressing table and plugged in her hairdryer.

“I think…um…why hadn’t you told William that it was Angel you’re going out with?”

“Why do you think, he’ll have a fit!” She had just combed through her damp hair, and was just about to switch on the dryer, when she looked through the mirror at her friend.

“Oh shit…hold on, have you said something?” Buffy turned to look at her friend. Willow was looking very pained, and was biting her bottom lip.

“Sorry…but well you didn’t say you hadn’t told him, and you didn’t say not to say anything!”

Buffy rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew how William and Angel severely disliked each other… she was only really going out with him to piss her mom and dad off...but it also meant that meant that William wouldn’t be speaking to her now either.

“Willow!”

“Sorry, but, well, we ALL go to the same school, how did you hope to keep it quiet? And you know what Angel’s like when he’s got a girlfriend, he’ll expect you to stand with him, necking during break times…” Willow said.

“I wouldn’t!” Buffy had blushed scarlet.

“Then you won’t keep him,” Willow said, going back to the magazine. Buffy turned back towards the mirror and began to dry her hair.

When she was all made up and ready to go, she went and knocked on William’s door as it was closed.

She couldn’t hear anything, but she could see a light on. Deciding that he’d got his headphones on listening to music and didn’t hear her knock, she opened the door. She was surprised to see William just lying on the bed. He wasn’t even reading.

“Oh…um, you going deaf in your old…age, William!” Not giving her a chance to finish her sentence, William rolled onto his side, his back towards her, but he said nothing.

“I’m off now,” Buffy said. Still nothing from him.

“Look…I didn’t tell you, because I knew you’d react like this” Buffy sighed, leaned on one hip. William still didn’t say anything.

She heard a car horn sound.

“Buffy, he’s here!” Willow said.

“Night then…have a good time…I will” Buffy said sarcastically, and still William said nothing.

“Right! Fine, ignore me, see if I care!” She slammed the door and left. She DID care, she cared a whole lot whether William spoke to her or not…William threw himself onto his back moodily.

Of all the boys she could go out with, why did she have to pick a wanker like Stebson?


***********************


The following morning, William came down later than normal, but with his coat on.

“William…aren’t you having breakfast?”

“Um, no thanks mom, I’ll grab something later, there’s a couple of things I want to check in the library for before my test, (he was fibbing) I’ll see you, bye” and he was out the door. Hank came out of the den, draining his coffee cup.

“Oh, was that William? – I wanted to say good luck” Buffy looked up from her magazine and frowned. She thought ‘Good luck?’, and then remembered that he had some big computer test he was taking in town, and felt guilty that she hadn’t said anything either.

She hadn’t enjoyed the date the previous evening either, worrying about him, but not for that reason only. Angel had wandering hands, and was really only interested in making out…

“He probably thought you’d gone…he didn’t even have a drink…or even speak to you, did he Buffy? - He must be distracted” Joyce said.

Buffy kept her head down and mumbled something.

She got to school, and saw Angel standing with his friends. She walked up the steps.

“Buffy” She stopped, and asked,

“What?” Angel glanced at his friends, embarrassed that she’d all but ignored him, in front of his friends. He beckoned her with his head. Buffy didn’t like this.

“I’m busy, see you lunch time” she turned and carried on up the steps. Angel resisted the temptation at follow her, although he wanted to.

When she got in class, she was surprised to see her brother there.

“William! I thought that you were-“

“Right, settle down now while I do registration…that includes you, Miss Summers” Buffy glared at the teacher, sat down in her chair.

“Adams”

“Here”

“Anderson”

“Yup”

“Benson”

“Here”

“Campbell-Summers”

“Yes”

“Cartwright”

“Yes”

While the teacher called out the names, Willow passed Buffy a note.

“What’s the matter with William?”

“Angry about you-know-who” Buffy wrote back

“Rosenberg”

“Sorry”

“Sorry? Miss Rosenberg, why are you sorry?”

“I um, I mean here”

“Sanders”

“I’m here”

“Summers”

“Miss Summers”

“What? I mean yes, here” She heard a chair scrape back, and William passed her.

“Ok William, good luck” the teacher said

“Thanks” he left without so much as a glance in Buffy’s way. A few of her classmates looked in her direction; they knew how close Buffy was to her brother.

She kept her head down, looking sideways as William hitched his bag up on his shoulder and disappeared down the corridor, without even looking back into the classroom.

“Miss Summers, for the second time!”

“WHAT?”

“I don’t know where your concentration is today, but if you can’t keep up in class time, maybe you’d like to do it in your own!”

“Sorry…I’ve got something on my mind” Buffy said, looking serious.

“Yeah, she’s just lost her right arm…he’s left without saying goodbye!” one wag said.

“Just Fuck off!” Buffy snarled at the girl who’d been sarcastic.

“Right, detention for a week Miss Summers, I will NOT have foul language like that in my class”

Buffy smarted, a few pupils glanced at her then each other.
At break, Willow said,

“Buffy, you’ve got to calm down, Mr Simpson nearly gave you detention too…you get detention from three teachers in a row in one week, and you could be looking at a suspension!”

“I don’t care!”

“Buffy”

“Oh…save it!” Buffy marched off. Willow heaved a sigh. Two hands grabbed her shoulders.

“Boo!”

“Oh, Xander, hi”

“What’s up with the Bufster, she’s got a real scowl on her face?” Willow explained.

“Buffy and William fallen out? – I don’t believe it!” Xander said, then he asked,

“Why?” Willow explained about the previous evening.

“Oh. Well, I’m with William on this…Stebson is BAD news, it’ll lead to no good, she’s only been out with him once, and she’s already in detention!”

“Yes but…” Willow sighed and followed Xander to the next lesson. Buffy was nowhere to be found.
Xander, by a subtle sideways jerk of the head to indicate outside, bought Willow’s attention to

Buffy walking out of the school gates. Willow frowned.

“Miss Rosenberg, would you like to answer?”

“Um, the um, the murderer said that his reason for killing the woman was private, but he’d written in his diary that she’d reminded him of the woman at the nursing home where he’d been abused, this didn’t come out during the trial, and-“

“Ok, ok, you were listening, my mistake, thankyou. Mr Harris, why did the prosecuting counsel object to the evidence being bought up at the appeal?”

“Um…well, er…” Willow wrote
‘Diary inadmissible evidence, taken without warrant’ Willow hissed at him.

“The er, the diary, which the killer wrote in was classed as inadmissible evidence, when the detectives took it from his home, they didn’t have a warrant”

“Very good. I apologise to you too, I thought you wasn’t listening either”

“Ok…so, ‘inadmissible evidence’” the teacher said, as she wrote the words on the blackboard. The English literature lesson continued.

“Thanks Will”

“It’s ok…I wonder where Buffy’s gone?”

******

“Hey, Harris…have you seen Buffy?” Angel came over to them as they were leaving class.

“I saw her leave at about 1.30”

“Leave?” Angel looked puzzled

“Yes, leave. As in go, vamoose, push off, vacate the prem-ok, ow!” Angel had grabbed Xander by the collar.

“Angel, leave him alone. We were in Eng Lit class, and saw her walk out of the gates. She’s really peed off, she’s got detention, nearly twice”

“Angel”

“What?”

“Smoke, come on” Angel let Xander go and went over to his mates, who had all lit up cigarettes

Chapter 12


“Hi mom!”

“William! Everything ok, son?”

“Yeah”

“How did the test go?”

“Fine…it was easier than I thought it was going to be…although, funnily enough, practically everybody I spoke to after thought it a lot harder!”

“Only you dashed off so quickly this morning I was worried”

“Sorry mom”

“Dad wanted to say ‘good luck to you, but whoosh – you’d gone!”

“Sorry, I thought I heard the car start early, and he’d already gone” Joyce patted his shoulders.

“No, he was just moving it so I could get my car out first. Are you hungry?”

“Starving, I didn’t bother with lunch in the end, I thought I’d rather get home”

“And you didn’t have breakfast either, oh love! Still, got your favourite for tea, sausages, I’ll do you a couple extra”

“Great, thanks…I um, I better go on up, there’s some studying I want to do. What time’s tea?”

“About six, is that alright?”

“Fine” William had just got to the stairs, when the phone rang.

“Hello”

“Oh, hi Will, how was the test?”

“Fine”

“How’s Buffy”

“Buffy, I don’t know, I’ve only just got in, didn’t you two have Eng Lit together this afternoon?”

“Should have done, she walked out at 1.30, she’d got herself detention from Miss Jones, nearly from Mr Simpson, and we haven’t seen her since”

“Oh, hold on…mom”

“Yes?”

“Where’s Buffy?”

“Buffy? Why, she hasn’t come in from school yet, she could be with Willow, I suppose”

“Oh, um right, ok thanks. Willow, mom says she hasn’t come in yet, and she could be with you”

“Gods, don’t drop her in it, will you?”

“I won’t, but she better not be with that moron Stebson, that’s all, bye” he got up into his room, and heard the front door slam, and thumping up the stairs.

“Buffy, Buffy, is that you?”

“Yes…” Buffy said in a bored voice.

“Somebody’s phoned for you, ask William”

“Ok” She swallowed, and looked at William’s closed door. She knocked. No answer.

She opened the door with a defiant look on her face, until she saw William with his back to her on his computer, with his headphones on. He knew she was there, but didn’t turn around. Buffy put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up, pulled his headphones down off one ear.

“Willow’s phoned for you, wanting to know where you went this afternoon”

“Oh. What did you say?”

“I asked mum where you were, she said you hadn’t come in from school and could be with Willow. I didn’t tell her it was Willow that wanted you”

“Thanks how did-“ William ignored her and replaced his headphones. Buffy felt close to tears. She left his room, and miserably threw herself onto her bed. She could hear the phone ringing, and then her mother calling up the stairs for her.

“Hello?”

“Oh, hi Xander…”

“Where did you get to?”

“Um…not now, eh…I’ll see you tomorrow”

“We were worried about you”

“I’m ok”

“You made it up with William?”

“Um…don’t think so…he’s not happy with me, anyway”

“How did his test go?”

“Don’t know, all he said was that Willow had phoned me and that was it”

“Well, if he’s pissed at you because of Stebson, then I’m with him. Buffy, you don’t need to get mixed up with the likes of him…he’s dangerous” Xander warned.

“Yeah, yeah…you make him sound like a bloody gangster!”

“Well, he might as well be, he killed somebody, don’t forget!”

“Don’t talk bollocks!”

“I’ll tell Willow you’re ok, see you tomorrow, bye” Buffy trudged back upstairs. At a quarter to six, William went downstairs, and went into the kitchen.

“Want me to lay the table?”

“Um…your dad won’t be in ‘till late, and I had a cooked lunch, I don’t know what Buffy’s doing, so if you want yours on a tray?”

“Ok”

“What’s Buffy doing?”

“I’ve no idea” William said, as he opened the draw and took out a knife and fork, and a placemat. This surprised Joyce.

“Not fallen out, have you?”
William said nothing.

“What’s she done?” Joyce asked.

“What makes you think she’s done something?” William asked with a faint smile.

“Because I know you, and I know my daughter, and she can be a prize bitch at the moment!” this surprised William, but he said nothing. Joyce served up his tea, and he went and put the TV on.

“Buffy…Buffy!” Joyce called.

“What?”

“Tea”

“Not hungry” Joyce said nothing else. When he’d finished his tea, William took his tray out into the kitchen, and put his plate and cutlery into the dishwasher, and put his tray and placemat back in the cupboard. Putting his head around the den doors, he said,

“Thanks mum, that was great, I’m going up to do my homework now”

“Ok baby, I’ll bring you a drink up soon”

“Ta, see you” he ran upstairs. Buffy was in the bathroom. He went into his room and closed the door. On his bed William saw $10, and a note.

‘Thanks…have you fallen out with me? I love you’ William heaved a sigh, and closed his eyes. There was a light tap on his door.

“Will…William” he opened the door. Buffy looked at him with big eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Get your money back?”

“Yes thanks”

“Have you fallen out with me?”

“Are you still going out with Angel?” Buffy didn’t answer.

“I’ll take that as a yes then,”

“What has everybody got against him?” Buffy whined.

“Where do you want me to start? – Thanks for the money back, now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got homework to do” Buffy pursed her lips and turned and went back into her own room, and slammed the door. Joyce, had heard this exchange of words, and wasn’t happy. The phone rang again.

“Hello?”

“Mrs Summers?”

“Yes”

“I’m Mrs Manning, I’m the school councillor, could you tell me what happened to Buffy this afternoon? She was registered as present, but doesn’t appear in any of the class roll calls”

“I’m sorry, hold on…Buffy…Buffy…BUF- OH”

“What?”

“You get down here this minute, NOW young lady, you’ve got some explaining to do!” Buffy rolled her eyes, heaved a sigh, and reluctantly stomped downstairs.

Half an hour later when Hank came home


Hank paced about in front of her.

“Just what’s got into you, Buffy? Detention, truancy and now I understand you’re seeing this Angel Stebson, do I have to remind you that a boy was killed whilst they were messing about in a car?” Buffy sat there, and said nothing.

“You really disappoint me, I thought we’d bought you up better than this!”
Joyce added.

“You’re grounded, for a fortnight, and no allowance either”

“But dad!” Buffy began

“And no borrowing off William” Buffy sat there feeling wretched.

“Go to your room”
Buffy stomped upstairs. William was waiting upstairs for her, standing in his doorway. She glanced up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. He held his arms out, and pulled her close into a hug, and kissed her forehead, he slipped the $10 back into her hand. She looked through blurry tears at the cash.

“But dad said-“ Buffy began.

“Shh…it’s not a loan…you can have it, now don’t cry, please…you know I hate it when you cry…” Buffy cuddled in. She couldn’t BEAR falling out with William, everything else, well, she couldn’t give two hoots really, especially school, even punishment from their parents, but William, he was a different kettle of fish.

He’d felt responsible in a way for getting her detention, as he’d ignored her that morning. Xander had told him what had happened.

“You don’t hate me?”

“Never, you know better than that”

“I love you –PLEASE don’t fall out with me, I can’t bear it”

“I love you, always, now, you better go to your room, I think dad’ll be up to see me very soon, he’ll want to know about my test”

“How did you do, bet you thought it was easy” William smiled.

“Yeah”

“William” hank called up the stairs
They broke apart; Buffy gave him a light kiss and went to her room.

“Yes, dad?”

“Mind if I come up for a few minutes, not disturbing you too much?”

“Course not”

“………So, luckily, I’d seen something on the net about this new business language, and read up about it, and how easy it was to adapt”

“You said everyone else thought it hard?” Hank asked, smiling at his son.

“Well, there was only another two people who’d heard of this language, one had seen this thing on the net, and the other chap had seen a brief reference to it because he dabbles in stocks and shares, but neither of them knew much about it”

“So…that’s one clever son I’ve got. I’m very proud of you William”

“I know, dad…”

“So, where did we go wrong with Buffy?” Hank asked with a sigh.

“You didn’t…look, she’ll be ok, I’ll do what I can, I’ll always look after her, and if that Angel Stebson does anything to hurt her, I’ll bloody kill him!” William said, smiling at his dad. Hank smiled, hugged him and said goodnight.

“She’ll be ok…William looks after her, but he was busy with his test today” Hank said.

“Yes, I’m so glad we’ve got that lad…I think they had a falling out, about her seeing that Angel” Joyce said.

“Yes, well…Will won’t see her in any harm”

“Goodnight love”

“Goodnight Hank” Joyce turned her lamp off, turned over and went to sleep.

Buffy did her detention, and did her punishment of being grounded. When the fortnight was up, she went to the Bronze with Angel, and the following night they arranged to go out, but he stood her up to go and play pool.

She decided to give him one more chance, and they arranged to go to the cinema when the latest blockbuster came out. At the last minute, she decided that she didn’t want to see the film as it was a war one, and very violent, and leaving school late one evening, she saw Angel with Cordelia in the cinema queue. They were all over one another, kissing and cuddling, and she was a little upset.

The front door slammed, and Buffy stifled a sob with the back of her hand, and ran upstairs. Joyce went to stand up.

“Buffy…Buffy, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Leave me alone, mind your own business!” She slammed her bedroom door.

“If it’s that no good boyfriend of hers, I’ll…Buffy, you come down here, now!” Hank shouted. They spent a fruitless ten minutes trying to get her to come out of her bedroom.
William came in, put his bag full of books on the floor. He hung his coat up and hooked his scarf over it on the hook.

“Hi mom, dad…what’s up?”

“Buffy, and you tell us…she’s upset over something, but won’t tell us, she won’t even let us into her bedroom, or come out and talk to us” Joyce reached the bottom of the stairs and kissed her son’s cheek.

“Do you want me to…”

“Would you son…if it’s that boyfriend of hers, I’ll bloody well kill him!” Hank said, making a fist.

“I just saw him…oh, I’m SO gonna hit him, I’ll kill him if he’s hurt her! Is she very upset?” William asked, looking up the stairs. Joyce and Hank nodded

“What did you see?” Joyce and Hank said in unison.
He led them a little way off out of earshot from the stairs.

“When I was coming from the library just…I passed the cinema, and there was Angel, with Cordelia in the queue” William said.

“But, well, they’ve all known each other since they were toddlers, what’s the problem?” Joyce asked.

“Oh…Cordelia was hanging off him…they kept on kissing each other…Buffy must have seen it too”

“William…Will-“ Buffy called down stairs, although you couldn’t see her.

“Yeah?”

“Come and talk to me…please?”

“Sure, be up in a minute”

“Buffy, William has got to-“ Joyce began to call out

“It’s ok mom, I’ve done all my homework and revising, If I haven’t done enough studying by now, then…” Joyce nodded, patted her son’s arm.

William picked up his book bag, ran up the stairs.

“I sometimes wonder what we’d have ever done without that lad…” Hank said.

William knocked on her door. Buffy opened it a crack, saw it was William and let him in immediately.

“You ok Buffy?”

“No!”
“Oh…come here…” William cuddled her up. She put her arms around his neck, William put his around her waist, loosely. He let her cry for a minute or two.

“You getting my shirt all snotty?” William teased softly.
She giggled, sniffed, and leant slightly out of the embrace.

“Sorry” she mumbled He got her a tissue.

“Here, blow your nose, now, please tell me you’re not crying over Angel, else I’ll be forced to go and hit him.” William said. (Again, he thought, Buffy didn’t know that he’d hit him last week). Buffy turned away, sat on her bed, William sat by her.

“Buffy” her mother called, lightly tapping the bedroom door. Buffy grimaced and mouthed ‘not now’ shaking her head at William. He stood, opened the door a little.

“Here.” She handed him two cans of soda.

“Do you want any tea?” Joyce continued. Buffy shook her head.

“It’s ok, mom, we’re going out, we’ll get something then, ok?” William said, trying his best to reassure his mom with his facial expression.

“Oh, but…ok” She turned and went downstairs.

“Here” William passed her a can. She put it on the nightstand.

“Thought you’d got an exam tomorrow?” Buffy said, watching the cold can ‘sweat’ in the warmth of her room.

“I have”

“Shouldn’t you be studying then?”

“Now, what’s more important, my entrance exam to get me into Harvard and Yale, or my sister’s problems with her no good ex boyfriend, who isn’t fit to lick her boots!” Buffy put her arm around William’s shoulders, and kissed his cheek.

“I love you…what would I do without you?”

“Let me see…well, you’d have to study a bit harder…make up your own excuses for being late and coming in after curfew, instead of relying on me to open a window for you…um…find yourself a new best friend to tell your problems to!”

Buffy was lying across her bed, head against the wall, she was playing with William’s fingers.

“Oh god!” she sat up suddenly.

“What’s the matter?” William looked worried.

“Um…please fail these exams!”

“Fail, why?” William had a slight smile on his face.

“Coz if you pass…you’ll have to leave, then what will I do?”

“Do you realise…apart from the first night that you spent in hospital having your appendix out, we’ve never been apart?” Buffy said. William smiled, nodded, and looked down at the bedroom carpet,

“Yeah…I know!”

“I cried so much that night that I was sick, and then the hospital said I could sleep by your bed…I was petrified you were going to leave me” She leant her head on his shoulder. William turned his head and kissed her forehead.

“Do you remember what I whispered to you when you’d just got put back into the hospital room from the recovery ward?” Buffy asked smiling

“Um…I was pretty groggy…something about always love me?” Buffy grinned

“Yeah, I said get better, coz I’ll always love you” She sat holding onto his hand. After a little while, William squeezed her hand and said,

“Come on Buf, let’s go out, shall we?” Finishing his soda, he threw the empty can in the wastebasket, then stood and pulled her up. He went across to his room, and went to put on his denim jacket.

“Can I wear that?” Buffy asked.

“Sure!” he took his arm back out of the sleeve, and handed it to her, putting on his college fleece instead. He picked up his wallet, grabbed her hand and they ran downstairs.

“See you later” The front door slammed behind them.

“Was that the two of them?” Hank asked, getting up and looking out of the window.

“Yes…don’t worry, William will bring her round”

“I know, I just…”

“Just what, love?”

“I don’t know…what will we do if he wins this place at Harvard and Yale? I mean, chance of a lifetime for him, plus, I’m so proud of him, our son at Harvard…” Hank threw back his Scotch.

“He can’t not go because of our selfish daughter…I don’t know why she’s like she is with us, we’ve always treated them the same, always encouraged her to bring her friends home …I don’t know her anymore.” Joyce said sadly.

“Well, at least there was never any rivalry or jealousy between them, they’re still best friends”


In Luigi’s

“Share one, shall we?” William looked at the menu. Buffy nodded.

“A large smoked ham and mushroom, extra cheese, and some potato wedges with sour crème dip, two diet cokes please.” William said.

The waitress smiled as she took their order. In fact, she could hardly drag her eyes off William.
Buffy grinned.

“Got a fan-club there…in fact, you’re the number one Hottie on campus, did you know?” Buffy asked grinning. William had gone red.

“We’re here to discuss your problem, remember?”

“Huh…how can I forget?”

“You don’t want to let on that it bothers you…I don’t know what you see in him anyway…thankyou” William said, as the waitress put their drinks in front of them, she flashed William a dazzling smile, and gave Buffy a dirty look. Buffy scowled back at her.

“She fancies you! See the look she just gave me?”

“Yeah…look…it’s pointless, I’m totally not interested”

“Why?”
.

“Because if I’m going away soon, it wouldn’t be worth starting anything, would it?”

“You could have some fun for a couple of weeks!” Buffy said, trying not to sound jealous as hell.

“You know I’m not like that.” William said quietly.

“No. You’re not. You’re the sweetest bestest brother I could ever have, and I love you to bits!” Buffy said. She sat up straight, grinning at him. William smiled shyly at her.

The waitress put the pizza in front of them, and then turned back to the counter for the wedges.

“Anyway, dear brother, what are we going to do for my birthday?” Buffy asked. The waitress went big-eyed when she heard Buffy say ‘brother’ and smiled at Buffy then.

“Can we have the dips over here, please?” Buffy called. The waitress rushed and apologised, putting three little tubs on the table instead of two.

“Thanks”

“So, this birthday of yours what do you want to do, big party?”

“Nah…same old crowd…sick of them…sick of Cordelia, sick of Willow…sick of Xander…and Totally sick of Angel”

“Well, that’s good, the Angel bit…what did you see in him? Is it the bad boy image, knowing dad and mom would disapprove?”

“Something like that…”

“Listen Buffy, I know nothing was ever proved…but I swear I’ve always felt that the night James got killed…”

“What, that it was Angel driving and not James?” Buffy said. As he was chewing, William just nodded.

“Yeah, well…like you say, nothing was ever proved, and he’s not gonna say now, is he?”

“No. But every time you got into that bloody black Plymouth of his…”
Buffy looked up big eyed at William.

“I went through it once, lost two people I loved most in the world at the time, I lost my mom and dad when I was just five…I couldn’t…I couldn’t stand it to loose you too” Buffy closed her eyes.

“Well, no worries, I promise you…I’m well over him now” Her fingers reached his hand and she gently squeezed.

William glanced outside the restaurant to see Angel and Cordelia strolling past. Buffy saw William’s face change, and followed his look.

“See, totally over him!” Buffy turned back, grinning at William and picked up her last slice of pizza, she was still holding William’s other hand though.

**

“See now, I think that’s WAY unhealthy!” Cordelia said.

“What?” Angel had seen Buffy in the pizza place and immediately dropped Cordelia’s hand; he rubbed his nose with his finger so Cordy wouldn’t get suspicious.

“Those two…I mean, HELLO, they’re brother and sister, for gods sake!”

“Yeah, but, well, the law might say they are, but they’re not really, are they, both got different sets of parents…he comes from the other side of the world remember…” Angel said.

“Why are we talking about them? Cordy grabbed his hand again, and as they were out of eyeshot of the restaurant, Angel didn’t object …

“Romano, the hair salon where I work - he said that I can start helping the buyer tomorrow…only watching though, he won’t let me anywhere near the computer to do any ordering yet, but, hey…Oh, I’m having my hair done, a streak, what do you think, blonde perhaps, or something more daring, like…purple?” Cordelia said.

A big motorcycle roared passed, and Angel craned his neck to see if he could see who it was.

“So, what do you think?” Cordelia bought him back to the here and now with a pull on his arm.

“What?” Angel asked, frowning. Cordelia rolled her eyes.

“A streak…of blonde, or something daring like blue or even purple”

“Where? – Not on my car, no way”

“No! Are you even listening to me? My hair, dummy!”

“Oh…blue?” Angel pulled a face. They stopped outside the tattooists.
Cordelia knew her dad would shit her just looking in the window!

“Wow…I love that, it would look great on my back!” Angel was looking at the cover of the Album, ‘Bat out of Hell’ with the big Harley and the skeleton faced demon riding it.

“You do know, that you can’t have sex while you’re having it done, don’t you. I mean, while the tattoo is in progress, stretches the skin or something?”

Cordelia said, talking complete bollocks as usual, then realised what she’d said, and went red. His interest suddenly 100% on what she’d got to say, Angel gave her a wicked grin.

“Planning on coming across then?”
Cordelia smacked his arm, hard.

“I’m not Buffy”

“Er, Buffy and I are finished because she…um don’t want to talk about it!”

“What?” Cordelia asked.

“You didn’t want to talk about them, her, so be quiet!” Angel said, annoyed.

“Oh my god…you finished with her because she WOULDN’T? Gods…I thought that…never mind”
Angel shoved her against the wall, his hand went up her top, and he squeezed a lace-covered breast.

“Angel!”

He kissed her neck, gave her breast another squeeze, and then withdrew his hand.
Cordelia glared at him.

“Not out here…gods, my dad could be driving past, or one of his clients”

“Yeah, yeah…” A thought just struck Angel.
So…if not out in the open…

“Um…want to come back to mine?”

“T-t-t-tonight?”

“No, ten years from now, YES, tonight!”

“Um…well I, erm…”

“Come on Cordelia…gods you’re SO beautiful…please, I just want to be with you…you fill my every waking thought, you’re driving me crazy, I think I’m in love with you!”

The words sunk into Cordelia. The fact that he hadn’t even looked at her when he said it, or kissed her or even stroked her face as the book suggested, and the fact that he’d delivered the lines with such lacklustre of emotion, just verbatim, he was surprised at the result…hey, the book was right!

One up for ‘How to Seduce Women’, volume one! Totally didn’t work on Buffy though…she even asked who was writing his cheesy scripts!

“You mean that?” Cordelia all dreamy eyed, holding his hand, curling herself towards him.

“Sure…I um…I think of you all the time.” He lied.

“Do you? – I mean, you do? – So why date Buffy?”

“I haven’t…well ok, just a couple of times but, well, I finished with her…to go out with you…I was hoping to make you jealous!” She reached to stroke his face. A car full of rowdy students drove passed, loud music blaring and the kids swigging out of cans.

Angel grinned at them. Recognised a couple of the kids, then he realised what Cordelia was doing, making him look a right wuss. He jerked his head away.

“Erm, like you said, not in the street!” She looked a little startled.

“Come on…let’s go back to yours” Angel said.

“What, we can’t…and don’t park that thing anywhere near my house, dad will have a fit”

“Well, I’ve just remembered, we can’t go to mine…dad’s got his bird there tonight”

“His what?”

“Oh, um nothing…he’s busy, that’s all”

“Where’s your mom?”

“Working the night shift”

“Come on, let’s go for a drive” Angel’s only thought was to go to Inspiration Point.

Chapter 13



“Hmm…Angel…you do…do love me, don’t you”

“What…oh...er, yeah……...um, course I do…told you…” The only thing Angel was concentrating on, was trying to get his pants down…

“Promise you won’t tell anybody?”

“No…I won’t tell…move your leg……… that’s it.”

“Where’s my thong?”

“In my pocket, don’t worry”

“Angel, I’m scared”

“Huh, don’t be…um, I really like you Cordelia”

“WHAT!” She struggled to sit up, pushing Angel backwards; his butt hit the car horn, making it blare and the car rock violently.

“What…what’s the matter?” Angel was surprised, and painfully hard, and needed to adjust himself.

“You LIKE me! You said you loved me half an hour ago!”

“What, I DO…lie down”

“No”

“ CORD…Cordelia, please…I do love you…why do you think I finished with Buffy for?” Her face changed; good, that was good thinking off the cuff! Angel thought.

“Really?” Cordelia had the dreamy look returning.

“Look, I…said um, I called her by your name when I was kissing her…ask Nathan…Buffy slugged me one, and ran off, saying she never wanted to see me again, ask him, I swear it’s true”

It was true, Buffy had just done exactly that, but not because Angel had called her Cordelia, oh no, he’s said, in no uncertain terms that he thought it was about time she stopped being so frigid and to drop her knickers for him.

“Wow…no wonder she was pissed, you called her by my name, after only kissing her?”

“Um…can we stop talking now…” Angel pushed her back down on the seat and kissed her. Cordelia lay back, moving her thigh so Angel could drop between them.

“Ah…that’s it…”

“Ow, mind your knee!”

“Sorry … bloody gear stick’s…in the…way…there.”

“Ang---ELL! Ow! Cut your nails!”
Angel covered her mouth with his, he didn’t want to listen to her…if he could…just imagine it was Buffy………

“Um, ok, ready?”

“Hmm…not re- ahhh!” Cordelia screwed her eyes up as he entered her. She was far from ready, not that he cared, he didn’t even know what foreplay was.

“Oh…good…oh, OH GODS! Th-that’s… s-s-s-so… good!” Angel had his eyes screwed up tight.

“Is it…ow, oh, um, that’s hurts…it’s sore…” Cordelia bit her lip; she wasn’t convinced.

“Uhn…oh, um…pill…you…are…uhn…on the pill…uhn” Angel was already passed the point of no return, after only about half a dozen thrusts, and pushing hard up inside her.

“What, no! – I thought you’d got a rubber! Angel…ahh, you’re hurting…ooohh!”

“Cord- fuck…uh, oh ……… I’m…gonna…Uhn…ooohh!” he sagged on top of her, spent. First time he’d come without the aid of his own hand.

“I…I Can’t………breathe…get off me…is…is that it?” Cordelia said, shoving Angel off her.

“What…you mean you didn’t um…you know, come?”

“No…gods, if that’s all it is, then its grossly over-rated if you ask me…ew…I’m all wet…and sticky! – Oh, Gods! - What if I’m pregnant now?”

“What, don’t be stupid, you can’t get pregnant the first time!” Angel said, perpetuating the old myth, eventually pulling up his pants, and settling back into the drivers seat.

“You can…my mom’s friends, daughter…”

“Look, we’ll get married if you are” Angel said rashly, not wanting to listen to one of her infernal monologues. He reached for his cigarettes, lit one.

“Really? ………I thought that it was supposed to last longer than that” she snuggled up.

“Yeah well, you got me all worked up” Angel lied.

“Did I?” Cordelia smiled

“Yeah. Come on, I’ll drop you home”

“What, already…but it’s only half past ten”

“I’ve got to go see Ged”

“Ok, remember, promise you won’t tell?

“What? Oh yeah, promise” Angel reversed out from under the trees.

“Just drop me at the bottom of the road”

******************


Angel swaggered into the bar, ordered a beer by the neck. His mates were playing pool.

“We saw you!”

“What?”

“With that Cordelia bird…”

“And?………Well…blokes got to get his end away somewhere, least I know she’s clean” Angel boasted.

“Get outta here, you fuckin’ ‘Delia, anyway, how do you know she’s clean?”

“Coz I just busted her cherry…Two hours straight, Inspiration Point…gods my dick’s sore, she’s just mad for it” Angel swigged from the bottle of beer.
Ged, his mate grinned.

“Didn’t use a rubber then?”

“They erm………tend not to fit!” Angel grinned, between swigs.

“Get outta here, when we had that talk on AIDS, that bloke stretched a rubber right up the length of his arm!”

“Yeah well…I find them…restricting…dulls the sensation”

“So, you gave Buffy the elbow, then?” Ged said, standing up from taking his shot.

“Not exactly…just keeping things stringing along…doesn’t do to letting these birds think they own you, you know. Plus, we want that bloody nosy brother of hers out of the way, he’ll be going to Harvard soon, and as soon as he does…” Angel just grinned, took another swig of beer.

“He pass that exam then?” Taylor asked.

“Sure fire certainty that is, straight A student, he came in the top 1% in the country as regards exam results, he’ll pass…”

“So, who’s the better lay, Buffy or Cordy?”

“Oh…Buffy, but don’t say anything… as I’m planning on getting back with her, very shortly, it doesn’t do for them to erm, you know, know that we’ve talked about them” Angel said, not wanting anything like that getting back to Buffy, especially as she wouldn’t even let him even touch her breasts.

“Not if Parker has his way” Ged smirked. Angel’s face darkened.

“That fucking mongrel better keep his eyes and thoughts off her…I had to bring James to heel once” the three guys looked at Angel when he mentioned the now dead guys name, they never had the courage to mention him first.

“Hey…listen…you know that Xander, look what Marco did in computer class” They showed Angel a mocked up photo of Xander and Willow naked, having sex, doggie style. Angel sniggered.

“Hey, this is good, how did he do it?”

“Dunno…we’re going to put it in his locker tomorrow”

“Want a game?” Taylor pointed his cue towards the table.

“No ta…my fucking back’s killing me!” Angel grinned, holding his perfectly ok back.

“Oh yeah?” Ged grinned

“Yeah, you try doing it for two hours in the front of a Plymouth…hold on, what am I saying…there’s no one blind or stupid enough to WANT to fuck your brains out, is there?”

“Whereas, they’re queuing up for you”

“What can I say…I’m a babe magnet!” Angel boasted, grinning, then he finished his beer.

“You’re SO full of bullshit!” Parker said, coming into the pool room, chalking up his queue.

“Two hours straight…I don’t think so, we passed you and Cordy coming out of the cinema at…ten to ten, and it’s what…only a quarter to eleven now” Angel and his three mates looked at the football jock, then they looked back at Angel.

“I met her before we went to the flicks, balled her twice before, once after, ok?” Angel said, blowing smoke out into Parker’s face. He grimaced and turned his head away, coughing and fanning the air with his free hand. He couldn’t say anything about what Angel had just said; he wasn’t there earlier to disprove it. And then, much to Angel’s delight, Nathan came in and said,

“Was that you, parked up at Inspiration, just?”

“What if it was?” Angel grinned.

“Thought Buffy had dumped you”

“Er, no…but I wasn’t with Buffy”

“He’s shagging Cordelia now” Ged said

“Not Cordelia Chase…fuckin’ ‘ell………classy chick”

“Yeah well, like I say, Buffy and I have cooled it a bit until her brother or adopted brother or what ever he is, buggers off to Harvard and gives us some peace…and as I have needs, and she’s clean…I’m banging Cordelia, ok?”

Angel dropped his cigarette and ground it out. Parker said nothing. He was holding the cue between his legs…Cordelia Chase, eh? – He wondered what her ‘mommy’ would have to say about that, if she found out.



The Following Morning


“Come on...come on – open will you – damn thing keeps getting stu-oh gods!!”

Buffy was talking to Willow and Xander. Xander was messing about trying to open his locker. Banging it by the lock, it sprung open, and he suddenly stopped mid-sentence, and drew out the computer-generated picture of ‘himself’ and ‘Willow’.

“What?” Buffy asked, and Xander angled the piece of paper for her to see

“Oh my god…who’s done this?”

“What, what is it?” Willow frowned, tried to look, but Xander quickly held it to his chest.

“Willow…I haven’t…I mean I’d never do…oh gods!”

“What, let me see”

Across the way, Angel grinned and hissed,

“She’s looking, she’s looking…yes…go on – we have a reaction!” Ged, Marco and Taylor started to laugh.

Willow gasped and looked sick, then near to tears. Buffy turned, and saw Angel and his cronies laughing, smacking ‘high fives’ she knew instantly he’d got something to do with it.

Cordelia came stalking down the corridor.

“Um, quick, come on…” Angel said, jostling his friends to move away so she wouldn’t see him.

“Don’t you want to speak to your latest…um, ‘orgasm friend’!” Ged said, and they all laughed.

“I’m fucking her, I don’t particularly want to speak to her as well…in fact, I wish I could tape her mouth up…except when she’s begging for me for more. Or to go harder or faster…” Angel bragged.

“Nice to see you up and around again, Cordelia” Parker said. At one time, she’d had the hots for Parker, he being top squeeze as he was the best footballer in the school, and considered a real hottie, that was until William ditched the specs in favour of contact lenses, and grew his hair and learned about the merits of peroxide, that he took the title of top hottie.

“Up and about, what do you mean?”

“Oh…from all the bragging Angel was doing last night about banging you silly every-which-way-but-loose for two hours, how you wrecked his back, and he couldn’t play pool because of it. And how you made his dick sore, and he um…how did he put it…oh yeah, busted your cherry…”

Buffy looked up, shocked at the knowledge, but Willow whispered that he wasn’t worth bothering about if he could go with Cordelia so soon after breaking up with her. Buffy agreed and said she wasn’t bothered.

Cordelia had gone a lovely shade of puce, and looked mortified, her mouth fell open.

“Oh, and just a little friendly advice, use a condom, he got mono last year, remember…he could have anything” Parker walked off. Cordelia wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Glancing around to see if anyone had heard their conversation, she was mortified. She’d have to talk to Angel, like NOW!

“So if you see her, don’t let her get me on my own, ok, she can’t start on me then, bird’s get a bit clingy once you start shagging them, think you owe them something.” Angel said to his friends. They all nodded. He’d promised to give them a blow-by-blow account of what happened the previous evening at lunchtime, if they kept him covered and Cordelia away from him.

Ged, Taylor and Marco managed to keep Cordelia at bay until afternoon break, when Cordelia spotted Angel going into the toilets, and followed him in.

“Just what do you think you’re playing at?” She hissed at him.

“Hi, baby…” he went to kiss her.

“Get away from me!”

“What? – But babe…what’s the matter?” Angel feigned surprise at her frostiness.

“You! You that’s what’s the matter, telling everyone we…we, you know whatted last night, you promised me!” She bobbed her knees once as would a petulant child being told ‘no’.

“What? I so did not tell, baby…I know if I told anyone…well, that would be you and me finished…do you think I want that, eh? We’ve got something SO special…” He touched her cheek with his finger, stroking.

“Well how come Parker told me you were bragging that you banged me for two hours last night and busted my cherry? Eh – tell me that?”

“Two hours? Busted you what? … But, but I met you, we went to the movies, came out at ten past ten…I saw Parker, yes, must have been about a quarter to eleven when I saw him, so I don’t know where he got two hours from…not that I spoke about us anyway…he must be jealous…put two and two together, and come up with, god knows… promise me you won’t think of him, in that way!” Angel said, trying out the ‘reverse the trauma’ situation from his ‘How To Seduce Women’ book.

“Promise?” Cordelia looked confused. She so wanted to believe him.

“Promise baby…think I want to ruin this beautiful thing we have, eh?” he nuzzled her neck, kissed her, he felt her relax and respond to the kiss. He smiled over her shoulder. He’d got away with it….

“How come he knew then?” Cordelia asked. Angel frowned, and then said,

“Well…somebody could have seen us at the movies, and then seen my car at Inspiration Point, I suppose, they that matter know, I’ve finished with Buffy…and that I’m seeing you now…” Angel could hear footfalls in the corridor.

“Um, babe, someone’s coming” Cordelia dashed out. Nathan looked surprised at her coming out of the men’s room. Angel quickly mussed his hair, lolled against the wall, quickly undid his flies, and some buttons on his shirt…after he was sure Nathan saw it, he did himself up.

“Wow, she won’t leave me alone!” Angel boasted, tidying his hair, and checking his flies again. Nathan grinned, by the end of school, it was all about that Cordelia had given Angel a blowjob in the toilets. She knew he’d not said anything as they were in the last class together, and his mates went to ‘special needs’ for reading lessons.

Willow found out that it was one of two people that could have generated that picture, it was either Marco, or a boy called Dan Walton. She guessed (rightly) that it was the former, as she’d never heard of this Dan kid, and decided to hatch a plan to get her own back.

Cordelia caught up with Angel outside the gates.

“Phone me later”

“Sure baby”

“Hi Cordelia!”

“Yeah, hi!” Strange boys were greeting and grinning at her, sucking their fingers, imitating a ‘blowjob’ and giggling. Angel knew what they meant, Cordelia didn’t.

“What do they mean?”

“Search me…listen babe, I’ll phone you, ok”

“On my mobile…we can talk then”

“Later, babe”
Ged, Marco, Nathan and Taylor were slowly walking out of the gates, reading a printed paper.

“Ok, what’s so interesting that it’s got you lot reading when you don’t have to?” he snatched the paper out of Marco’s hand.

“Hey, I was reading that!”

“…Scientific experiment with special needs candidates only…experiment to be done after school, an authorisation is needed from a parent, and a fee of $25 will be paid to each chosen candidate”

“Hmm, sounds suspicious to me” Angel said, then added,

“Where did you get them, anyway?”

“On the desk when we got into our class”

“I can forge my mom’s signature anyway, I do all the time, and then I can keep the $25!” Taylor said.

“Can you do my mom’s?”

“How the fuck do I know what your mom’s writing looks like?”

“I’ll bring you a copy” Angel shook his head…no wonder they never got laid, they were so stupid…he was grinning, until he saw Parker walking out of the gate with his arm on Buffy’s shoulder. Angel felt his blood boil.

“So, he said he was keeping you at arms length until William had gone to Harvard.” Parker reiterated.

“Did he now, well thank’s for telling me. It’s not true, we’re finished, for good.”

“Um, Buffy; fancy coming out this weekend sometime?” Parker looked hopeful.

“Erm, I’ll take a raincheck on that Parker, we’ve got guests coming from abroad, family do, you know…another time, maybe?

“Great, I won’t forget” he walked off, pleased with himself. Although trying to be diplomatic and hanging back, Willow and Xander had heard everything.

“So, you won’t be coming to mine on Sunday, then?” Willow said.

“What, course I will!”

“Oh, but I thought…”

“Just to put him off, if I said just a party, he’d try wangle an invite, as I said a ‘family do’ then he couldn’t really ask…I just don’t really want to go out with him”

“So just tell him” Xander said

“He’s useful at the moment, let’s me know what Paingel is planning, so I can be for-warned!”

“So, go on then Will, when they are in there, what we gonna do?” Xander asked Willow to explain her plan to get back at Marco for the picture.


Two Weeks Later.

“It’s here! Joyce said, picking up the long white envelope that had Harvard Examination Board printed on it.

Joyce went upstairs, knocked on William’s slightly opened bedroom door. Buffy was sitting cross legged on the bottom of his bed, dressed in her pyjamas. As the time got nearer for the results,
Buffy had got more quiet and almost withdrawn, spending every spare second with William, watching TV, listening to music, or just being by him while he read.

William was sitting up. They were both smiling when Joyce went in. Hank hovered in the doorway.

“Well, here we are then…before you open it…whatever the result, son, you know we’ll always love you and are so proud of you” Hank said.

William took the letter. It was a fore-gone conclusion as to whether he’d passed really, it wasn’t IF he passed; it was how well he’d done more like.

“Thanks, dad, mom. I love you too” Slowly, he turned the envelope over and slit it open with his thumb, took out the letter.

“Here goes…he read…um, I passed! Got 97%, I needed a 86% or more”

“Oh William!” Joyce and Hank hugged him. Not only had William passed, he scored the highest score, ever!

“We’ll see you down stairs” They closed the door. Buffy leaned forward and hugged him. She was shaking like a leaf, her face pinched; she managed to say,

“So proud of you Will” Her voice hoarse and strange…She kissed him and hugged him again. He relaxed to let her go, but she didn’t move, and felt her shaking.

“You ok?” Buffy shook her head. Will tilted her chin up
She raised her tear filled eyes to him.

“No.” She broke down and began to cry. This in itself always tore William up; he absolutely HATED it when he thought that she was hurting enough to cry. He moved forward and caught her shoulders, looked at her face.

“What’s up, eh? Come on Buffy, you can tell me” He gently brushed her hair from her wet face. One thought entered his mind. If she was pregnant by that moron…

“What am I going to do? I know I’m selfish…but…I… I don’t want you to go!” William caught her hand. He felt SO relieved, it was untrue, and the knot he’d felt in his stomach relaxed.

“Oh thank god!” He whispered, pulling her close, cuddling her up. Buffy felt confused slightly.

“Thank god, why, don’t you want to go?” Buffy sniffed, looked at him hopefully, with wet red eyes.

“Yes, I want to go…but……… Look, I’ve been thinking…you know I’ve got my inheritance coming through any day now, well, I’ll also have a student grant, how about instead of me living on campus, I get a bed-sit or a flat or something, and, well, would you come with me? You can go to night school, get a day job………I mean, only if you want to…I don’t want to leave you, that’s all” Buffy shrieked, flung her arms around his neck.

“Come with! William! Oh, gods, you mean it…coz I can’t be without you…I don’t want to even try…” She was beaming, and quickly shifted to look into his face. She sniffed and wiped her wet face on the sleeve of her pyjamas.

“Course I mean it…” William was grinning. He could have cried with relief himself.

“Oh gods, I’ve been so scared…thinking that…I couldn’t bear it…oh William! I love you!” She was hugging him again. William hugged her back, eyes closed. He’d been dreading it too…all along, what if she didn’t want to go with him…

“Buffy sounds pleased…I didn’t think she would be at all…in fact…no, I shan’t say anything, I don’t want to tempt fate.” Joyce said, cocking her ear to Buffy’s excited shrieks coming from upstairs.
Hank finished his cup of coffee.

“To be truthful Joyce, I’m bracing myself for some bad behaviour…huh…I just hope this Angel kid’s out of the picture…and pray she doesn’t get into something dangerous, like drugs…”

“She wouldn’t…would she? No…she’s too sensible oh gods if William’s not here………it worries me, they’ve never been apart, I’m dreading him leaving and…” Joyce said, feeling very apprehensive.

“That’s what I’m getting at…” Hank put his empty cup on the counter, and did up his top button on his shirt, slipped the knot of his tie up neatly. He looked up when he could hear giggling, and two pairs of feet running downstairs.

“Mom, Dad, listen!” Buffy flew into the kitchen excited, holding William by the hand.

“…I know you’re worried about me going off the rails when William goes…well, you won’t have to worry- coz I’m going with him!” Grinning proudly, she looked at him and scrunched her shoulders up. William was grinning too.

“What? But… but Buffy, what about…” Joyce began…

“Don’t worry mom, dad, she can register for classes, or go to night school, I haven’t got to live on campus anyway, I can use my inheritance to get us a little place…we can be study buddies!” he held Buffy’s hand tightly.

“Well…it would certainly stop us worrying, wouldn’t it, Hank”

“Yes, it sure would. One thing though, you’re not using you’re inheritance to get a place…I’ve got a policy…it’ll pay rent on a bed-sit and I’ll buy you a car, between you mind…if you promise to work hard, then I have no objections!” Hank said. Buffy hugged her mom and dad, first time in ages. They both went back up to get dressed.

“They will be alright, won’t they?” Joyce said, but she was smiling.

“William will look after her, I’ve no doubt about that, not for a second. I’m not surprised really, you couldn’t part those two with a crow bar!” Hank said, he too, was smiling.

“It’ll keep her out of that awful Angel’s clutches…Mrs Rosenberg was telling me that Angela Chase has threatened to get a restraining order out on him...and she might prosecute him for having underage sex with her daughter” Joyce said.

“Not that Cordelia girl? She always seemed to me like she thought that everyone was beneath her!”

“Well, there you go”

“Mom, we’ve decided that William will tell everyone that he passed the exam, but not about me going with him, ok, we’ve got our reasons”

“Ok love, whatever you want” Joyce said. Just before Hank left for work, he said to them,

“Look, you can start looking at cars if you want…around the $10-15 .000 mark, and when you’ve found one, we’ll go see about it, ok?”

“Yeah!”

“Great!” William grinned.

“I’m gonna let you drive…I’m hopeless!” Buffy said.

Chapter 14

Xander, Willow, Buffy, and William were sitting under a big Chestnut tree in the quad the following lunchtime.

“You passed! Not that there was any doubt – what was your percentage?” Willow asked.

“Um…I can’t remember” William said, embarrassed.

“Don’t be modest! – He got 97%, top score like, ever, ever, ever - he’s SO clever, and I’m SO proud of him!” Buffy kissed his cheek, she was grinning.

William smiled modestly and pulled at a few strands of grass. Buffy lay down and used one of William’s thighs as a pillow.

“Oh my gods, have you see who Cordelia’s new BF is?” Willow asked.

“BF?” Xander asked, puzzled.

“BF, Best friend. Look” Buffy lifted her head, shielded her eyes, they all looked over.

“Oh my gods, not Harmony! – She’s the school bike!” They saw Harmony, her arm threaded through Cordelia’s, and they were walking slowly across the quad. Standing by the rubbish bins, having a crafty cigarette, stood Angel, Ged, Marco, and Nathan.

“Where’s Taylor?” Ged asked, passing the cigarette to Angel. Three voices in unison said simply,

“Court”

“Oh yeah…I forgot”

“Think that Cordelia’s old woman will have you prosecuted?”

There was one thing you could always rely on, and that was for Ged to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Marco and Nathan both pulled a face and winced. Angel scowled.

“She wouldn’t fuckin’ dare…I’ll torch her bloody poncy two-car fuckin’ garage, with the two fuckin’ cars, and preferably with her, fuckin’ in it, if she does”

“She’s got a lovely Merc convertible, and a BMW” Marco said. Angel just blinked wearily at him. He wondered why he hung round with these losers sometimes…His eyes, as usual, were on Buffy, and his mood mellowed.

“Not long now!” Angel said grinning, taking the now practically finished cigarette off Ged, took the last drag, and flicked it away.

“Not long for what?”

“Not long, my friend, ‘til that fucking guard-dog of a brother of Buffy’s toes it to Harvard…then I can sli-i-ide into her saddle without him reporting everything back!”

He ground his hips forward and sneered at the same time, making his mates grin with envy.

“I heard he got like, 120% in his exam” Nathan said.

“Don’t be an asshole, you can’t get more that 100%…you jerk!” Angel said. The others had heard the same, but pretended they knew Nathan was being an idiot for saying what he did.

“120%…what a fuckin, no-brainer!” Ged said, making them all grin at Nathan’s idiocy.

“Only saying what I heard!” Nathan said, indignantly.

“Hey up…way-hay! Can you see what I can see?” Marco said grinning.

“What, what?” Ged quickly put his sunglasses on, so he wouldn’t miss anything. They all automatically looked over towards Buffy and co, but then they saw Cordelia and Harmony come into view.

“Hey, perhaps they’re swapping blowjob techniques…I hear that Harmony’s got a suck like a vacuum-cleaner!” They all screwed their faces up grinning.

“Ooh! Just imagine, being in bed with those two, you’d be knackered!” Nathan grabbed hold of his balls, shaking them.

“You wouldn’t, coz you wouldn’t know what to do!” Angel said, the others grinned.

“I so would, my cousin, Garry, told me loads, he’s been to Thailand, had three girls at once, they beg you for it over there, plus they’ll do like ANYTHING… he said he’s even seen girls fucking donkey’s and everything!”

While the others laughed, Angel wasn’t listening; he was watching the small squat figure of the principal standing under the tree, talking to William Campbell-Summers. He got up, leaving the others, and went with the principal.

Then Xander and Willow stood up and left. Buffy lay down under the tree. Angel thought he’d grab his opportunity while she was alone, to go talk to her.

“See you later” He said to his mates without turning round, and walked off.

“Where are you going…oh” Nathan started, then he saw where Angel was headed.

He got halfway across the path, and saw Parker walk up to Buffy, and stand over her. He was smiling.

Buffy put her head up, shielding her eyes, and then she sat up, put her cardigan on. Parker sat down by her.

As Buffy had her head turned, she didn’t see Angel making his way over to her.

Angel’s hands curled into fists, just briefly, he could just imagine smashing them into that ‘boy-band’ type pretty boy face of Parker Abrahams’.

He toyed with the idea of just walking passed them, but that meant going into the school building, and there was still 15 minutes of lunchtime left to go. Ignoring the fact that Parker was talking to her, Angel stood by her, effectively blocking the sun off her.

“Excuse me…” Buffy said to Parker. She turned her head to see it was Angel.

“Oh, it’s you. What do you want, no, strike that, go away, I don’t want to know”

“That’s not very friendly, is it? … Heard your brother passed his exam then”

“So?”

“So…he’ll be off soon”

“He’ll be off where who – what are you on about – look, just go away will you?”

“Your dear little brother…toddling off to Harvard!”

“Yeah, what about it?” Buffy looked away, rolled her eyes at Parker. He grinned, lay down next to her. Angel suddenly sat down next to Buffy. She sighed.

“What part of ‘go away’ don’t you understand? I told you I never want to speak to you again”

“You don’t mean that…besides which, you’re talking to me now!” He reached for her hand, and she pulled it away.

“Come to the prom with me?” Angel said

“What? – In your dreams…anyway, I don’t think I’m going” Parker’s heart sank at this news, but he didn’t react. He was just about to ask her the very same thing, when Angel had so rudely interrupted them.

Buffy saw William coming towards her, and she quickly stood, grabbed her bag and went up to him, saying a quick ‘bye’ to Parker.

“You ok, what did HE want?” William asked scowling

“Me, basically. To go to the prom with him. I think that’s what Parker was going to ask me too, but he didn’t get the chance”

“And you said?”

“Huh, in his dreams…told him I didn’t think I was going, anyway. So, what did The Penguin want?”

Buffy asked grinning, holding William’s arm. The Penguin was the nickname of Principal Joseph, on account of his short rather rotund stature and likeness to the Batman comic book character.

“Oh, just to make sure he got my results right, there’s a shout out in assembly tomorrow or something…big fuss if you ask me.” William said modestly.

Angel stood up, Parker made the mistake of lying down still, and Angel walked right over him, planting his foot firmly on Parker’s genitals as he did so.

Angel’s mates laughed from their huddle, watching Parker sit up and retch repeatedly, holding his groin area before rolling around in agony on the grass.




The Following Lunchtime

“Oh, why not? - But you must! I mean, it’s the last prom before we leave.” Willow said, putting down her ‘Reuben’ sandwich.

“Besides which, we were going to ask you to split the cost of a limo” Xander said.

“It’s only a dance…anyway, we’ll be in New England…looking for a place to live” Buffy said.

“Oh. You’re not going to live on campus then?” Willow said, looking quite surprised at William. A quick glance to Buffy told William that she hadn’t even told Xander and Willow that she was going with him.

“Erm, no. I erm…I get funny having to share facilities with strangers, bathrooms and that, freaks me” William said.

“Hmm…I know what you mean…that’s why I stopped going to Chantal’s house” Willow said.

“Why?” Buffy asked, plucking the glace cherry from her Danish, and putting it into her brother’s mouth.

“Because her gran died on the downstairs toilet, or the sofa…I don’t know, I just couldn’t sit on it again after that!”

“Oh, what happened to Parker yesterday?” Xander asked, cracking open his diet coke.

“Parker, I don’t know, why?” Buffy frowned

“Diane said she saw him being taken away in an ambulance yesterday lunchtime” Xander said

“Lunchtime? – But I was only talking to him yesterday lunchtime, just after you two left, he came over, lay down next to me, then Angel comes over…oh gods, did they fight? – How bad was he, was he unconscious? – Was there blood?” Buffy panicked.

“I don’t know, that’s why I asked you, I thought you might know as he’s in your psych class” Xander asked.

“Who told you, about the ambulance, did you say?”

“Diane, Diane Robinson, she’s library prefect, she saw it from the window”

“Calm down, love” William said.

“There she is…I must…” Buffy stood, having spied the girl in question at the dinner counter. She manoeuvred her way between the coffee tables and bags, and dashed over to Diane, and asked about Parker.

The others saw Buffy nodding, and a minute later, she came back over and sat. They all looked at her expectantly.

“Angel kicked him in the nuts or something, there wasn’t an actual fight as such…but he’s out from playing football for a couple of weeks, the coach is furious, wants Angel suspended.

Willow stopped sucking on her straw.

“Huh, imagine the trouble he could get into out of school, let alone while he’s………um, sorry” Willow said.

“Sorry? Why sorry?” Buffy asked, biting into her apple.

“Well, I know he’s your ex and all…”

“Ex being the operative word, I don’t know WHAT I ever saw in him” Buffy said. Both William and Xander smiled at this.

“Sure you won’t change your mind – about the prom?” Willow asked.

Parker saw Buffy, and hoped she’d heard the news, thought he’d go for the sympathy vote, and came over to her, limping ever so slightly.

“Hi”
Buffy turned.

“Oh, um hi Parker…you erm, you ok? - I only just heard about you being hospitalised yesterday”

“Sore! Erm, did you mean that yesterday, or were you just trying to get rid of the creep – you know…about the prom?”

“I meant it, we’ll be in New England, looking for somewhere to live”

“Oh, um, erm, are you moving then?”

“Um…well, William, you know, going to Harvard, doesn’t want to live on campus” Buffy said. Her eyes were level with Parker’s groin, and briefly she wondered whether to ask about what happened.

“Tell you what, if things change, I let you know, ok?”
Parker grinned.

“Yeah, great…oh, s’cuse me, I must go, I’ve got to see the coach, bye…Mr Stein…Mr Stein” Parker called out to the coach as he was just about to leave the cafeteria.

“You mean, you wouldn’t go with me?” William said, pushing Buffy’s knee playfully.

“Course I would…he’s a nice bloke…but…I don’t know…” Buffy sighed.

“Just the type your mom and dad would like” Willow said.

“Exactly!” Buffy said, as if that statement explained everything that was wrong about him. She finished her apple. Both Xander and William rolled their eyes.


Angel, Ged, Nathan and Marco all came into the cafeteria laughing.

“…So then like a jerk, he turns and says to the cop, ‘they can’t ban me from driving, coz I’m already banned!’” Marco said.

“Angel Stebson, principals office NOW” Miss Morgan, the deputy said sternly from the door. The room had gone quiet.

Angel fixed an insolent sneer on his face, turned to look at her.

“I’ll be there, AFTER I’ve had some grub, ok, I missed breakfast, and if I was to pass out with the hunger and crack my head or something, well…(he sucked air in through his teeth) could be costly…” he shook his head grinning, so were his mates.

To save any further embarrassment, Miss Morgan left. Angel and his cronies slapped high fives at him getting one over her.

“Fucking lesbian…if she was to have a good shagging she wouldn’t be half so uptight” Ged said.

“Oh, so go on, what else did Simon’s old man do?” Nathan asked

“Nothing, driving while banned, got him 5 years, plus he’s got to serve another 3 because of what he did last time” Marco said.

“Taylor was fucking lucky to be let off with a fine and a caution…I thought he’d go down – boot-camp city!” Ged said.

“So did he, he was shitting himself this morning, you should have seen him, he had a suit and tie on, I think it was his old man’s, it looked miles too big for him, he looked a right faggot…” Nathan said. He’d seen Taylor leave for court as he lived opposite.

“That’s because he IS a faggot…” Angel winked and clucked his tongue at the serving woman, then said,

“Hello, darlin’, tell me, is the meat loaf cat, or dog? – I have my standards”

“It’s pork and turkey, don’t be cheeky”

“Just give us some fries………is that all I get?” Angel looked at what he considered a miniscule portion on the plate.

“That’s a portion” Angel stole a sausage from the hot plate, but had to turn, stick his burnt tongue out and waft the sausage in the air, it was hot.

“Fuck! It’s hot!”

“It’s a hot plate, wanker!” Ged said, but regretted it when Angel shoved the offending sausage down the back of his collar and pressed, sending hot grease down his back. Pulling him backwards, Angel hissed,

“Don’t you ever…EVER (he jerked him back further) call me a wanker again, you understand?”

“Ah, yes…yeah, sorry, ow, fuck, my back’s burning!” A large hand came over and removed Angel’s hand from Ged’s collar.

“I’ve just about had enough of you, you’re coming with me” The coach pulled Angel sharply away and he led him out, protesting about not having any lunch.

****

“A whole week off school, lucky bastard!” Nathan said.

“He was lucky he was only suspended a week, he’ll be out permanently next time.………4 ball, top pocket.” Ged took his shot, missed.

“His dad tried to ground him and get him to clean up the yard and that, but Angel said he’d tell his mom about that woman his dad’s fucking while she’s out on nights, so, he’ll be out later.” Nathan took his shot, clearing the table, thus winning the bet.

“That’s your round then, Ged………Angel!”
Angel swaggered in, his usual insolent sneer on his face.

“Get us a Bud” Angel handed Ged the money.

“So, what happened?” Nathan asked.

“That fucking lesbian complained to The Penguin, and coach Frankenstein heard, he’s pissed at me coz Parker’s out for a fortnight, he’s gonna miss a vital game or something, like I give a shit, fucking wuss.”

“You did stomp on his dick” Ged said, handing Angel his beer. Angel took a long swig out of the bottle, grinned, and then said,

“Yeah, I did, didn’t I…(his mates grinned) I’ll do more than that if he doesn’t keep away from my Buffy, I’ll cut his bollocks off next time and make him eat them!”

“So, you two back on then, she going to the prom with you?” Ged asked.

“PROM!” Angel spat out the word, and had a look on his face like someone had told him he’d got to go to church or something.

“Get a grip…prom, as if I’d be seen dead at such thing”

“I was going to ask Rachel Stevens” Nathan said.

“Who’s she?”
“Girl in my history class, saw her doing gym the other day…lovely pair of tits on her, all big and bouncy” He made a ‘weighing’ gesture with his hands. They all grinned at him.

“Carry a white stick does she?” Angel asked, draining his beer. Nathan was about to tell him to go fuck himself, but remembered the previous day’s incident with Ged and the sausage, Ged’s back was a little blistered.

The only weapons to hand were pool cues or beer bottles, and Nathan didn’t fancy being hit with either.

*****************



Buffy sat on William’s bed, looking at her diary.

“So, school breaks on the 23rd, that’s the Friday, and the proms the next night, if we fly that day, it means we can have a full week of looking for a place to live.

We have a better chance of finding somewhere the earlier we go, you can register at your college, and then we can be back here in time to go on holiday on the 2nd, that sound ok to you, or did you want to go to the prom?”

“That’s sounds fine to me, not bothered about going to the prom” William sat up.

“Ok, I’ll tell dad, and we can book the flight tonight” Buffy said, closing her diary.

“Isn’t Willow disappointed that you’re not going?” William asked.

“They’ve got Anya and Riley to go halves on a limo, so…” Buffy shrugged.

“What time does this movie start tonight?” William asked her.

“Um…hold on…(She picked up the paper) 6.10pm, 8.00pm, or 9.30pm, take your pick.”

“Let’s go the 9.30, the 8.00pm will be packed, and we can go eat first,” William suggested.

“Ok, my treat, you’re always paying!” The telephone rang. And a few seconds later, Joyce called up the stairs to Buffy.

“Who is it?” Buffy mouthed from the top of the stairs. Joyce shrugged, said,

“Male”

“Not Angel?” Buffy looked big eyed.

“NO!” Realising she almost shouted that, Joyce dropped her voice.

“Sorry, no, I know his voice.”

Buffy picked up the receiver.

“Hello”

“Hello, Buffy? – It’s Parker”

“Oh, hi Parker”

“Um, fancy going to the movies, Matrix 2 is on”

“Well, actually, I was already going with William…but you could come too, if you wanted”

“Really, um great!”

“We thought the 9.30pm showing as the 8.00pm will be too packed, and we could go eat first”

“Sure, shall I pick you up or you come to mine”

“We’ll pick you up, ‘bout 8.00, that be ok?”

“Fine, I’ll be ready”
“Ok, see you then, bye”

“Bye” Parker put the phone down, and shouted, ‘YES!’ Ok, so William would be there, but at least he’d be with her, and it was a start!”

Buffy pressed the cut off digits on the phone to end the call, then phoned Willow.

“Hi, wanna come and see the Matrix 2?”

“Oh, Xander and I are already going, with Riley and Anya”

“Ok, well, meet up with us first, I’ve just agreed to going with Parker, he just phoned me, he knows William will be there, but I thought if there’s a crowd of us, it’ll seem less of a date, and William won’t feel like a gooseberry, were going for something to eat first, what do you say?”

“Um, Xander’s nodding…I’ll have to phone Riley and Anya, I’ll ring you back in 5, ok”

“Sure”

Buffy went into the kitchen and made coffee, the phone rang and Willow said it was fine; they made arrangements to meet at The Food Gallery at 8.15pm.

She took the coffee upstairs.

“That wasn’t who I think it was, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t Angel, it was Parker………” Buffy explained everything.

“Sure you don’t mind?” Buffy asked.

“Course not, I’d have been tempted to bail if it had been just us three.”

“That’s what I thought, and I don’t want Parker thinking it was a date, really”

“Why didn’t you just refuse?”

“I keep doing that, he’s a nice bloke…I’m a bit worried now, though”

“Why? - You think you’ve given him hope – of dating you properly, I mean?”

“No, it’s not that…I was going to tell him tonight, that I won’t date him as I’m moving away in a couple of months, so you know, best not to start anything. No, I’m worried about Angel, if he gets wind of it, what he might do to Parker,”

“Well…look at it this way, he’s still asked you out, even after what Angel did on Tuesday, and you can’t be held responsible for Angel’s actions, you’ve got your own life to lead.” William had draped his arm around her shoulder’s.

There was a soft knock at the door.

“Yeah? – Come in mom”

“Just wanted to check if you two will be wanting dinner tonight, I’m just going to do the veg” Joyce said.

“No, were going out to eat before the movie. That was Parker on the phone, he’s coming with us”

“A date?” Joyce smiled.

“Not really, there’s a gang of us going, and it’s pointless me dating him, I’ll be gone in a couple of months. Oh, we’ve decided to fly on the 24th, that’s the prom Saturday, we can have a full week of looking around, Will can register and we can be home by the 31st, in time to go to Florida with you on the 2nd”

“So, you’re coming to Florida with us!” Joyce grinned.

“Of course, like dad’s boss offer’s him his Miami beach house every week!” Joyce smiled.

“Ok then, your dad should be home at six, you can tell him then, and get your flight booked.”
As it happened, Hank was delayed, and was just pulling up on the drive as they were leaving, but Buffy had given her mom all the details, and Joyce said she’d sort it with him.

They got to Parker’s house; he had on brand new training pants and a zip up top over a tee shirt.

“Sorry about the pant’s, I um, I can’t wear jeans at the moment…too tight, the bruising, you know” Buffy and William winced, said they understood, and he looked fine.

“We’re meeting Willow and Xander, and Riley and Anya too, I hope you don’t mind”

“Um, no, course not” he felt little disappointed, but hey, he was still with her. Buffy decided to come clean in the car on the way to the Food Gallery.

“………So, it isn’t that I don’t like you or anything, it’s just that, well it’s silly to start something when I’ll be moving to New England, although we haven’t told anybody else yet, so if you’d just keep it to yourself, I haven’t even told Willow yet.

We might be having a party or just go to the Bronze or something, before we go, and I hope you’ll come”

“Sure, try keeping me away!” he grinned, although he felt like dying, he felt so disappointed, but, in another way, he was happy she’d told him, stop him falling for her too hard…huh, like he hadn’t already…


**

“I want Chinese” Willow said.

“I want Mexican” Xander said. That was the beauty of the Food Gallery; there was ten counters, each doing something different.

There was Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Burgers and Hot Dogs, Fish and Seafood, Vegetarian, Steaks and Chicken, A New York style Deli that did huge sandwiches and cakes, and a Jacket potatoes place.

“What are you going to have, Buffy?” Parker asked.

“Oh, William and I usually share a pizza”

“Oh. I was going to have pizza.” Parker said, really he fancied a Deli sandwich.

“Um, you go ahead, I think I’m going to have some ribs from the steak and chicken place, for a change” William said. Buffy smiled at him.

Riley and Anya had bought Riley’s older sister, Jenny along, she was pleasant enough, and no pressure was put on William to pair up with her, as she’d already got a boyfriend, he couldn’t come as he was working.

By sheer coincidence, Jenny’s boyfriend worked for Parker’s father’s company. Every one sat and ate their food.

“How can you eat that without a knife and fork!” Jenny asked as Anya sat down with a sandwich as tall as a skyscraper!

At 9.15, they went downstairs to queue for the movie. And who should be in the queue, albeit a little way behind them, but Marco, his brother Carl, and Taylor.

“Hey, look, look who’s up front!” Marco elbowed Taylor in the ribs.

“Who? – Oh yeah, that fucking lame brain Xander and his bird, what’s her name, thingy”

“Are they? – Oh yeah, no, I’m not on about them…oh, he’s there too.” Marco was craning his neck.

“WHO?” Taylor asked, exasperated.

“Parker Abrahams and Buffy Summers, but her brother’s there too”

“What…oh yeah, I think that that Parker’s with that dark haired bird though, Riley’s there too with that weirdo chick”

“You gonna tell Angel?” Taylor asked.

“Huh, am I fuck, did you see what he did to Ged in the canteen? – Oh no, course, it was the day you were in court. He pinched a sausage off the hot plate, and Ged called Angel a wanker or something, and Angel pushes the sausage down Ged’s collar and squeezes, so all the hot grease burnt his back”
Taylor’s eyebrows rose up.

“He goes too far sometimes, what exactly did he do to Parker then, it couldn’t have been a fight, else he’d have been suspended for longer”

“Parker was lying down under the tree in the quad, next to Buffy, she goes off, oh, Angel had been talking to her, and when she’s gone, Parker still lies there, and Angel just sort of walks on him, stomping him on the balls”

“OW!” Taylor grimaced. They heard a two-tone horn blow, and looked up to see Angel driving passed, staring at Buffy and co. Luckily at the time, Parker was talking to Jenny, and Buffy was standing next to William.

Angel shouted and gesticulated wildly at Taylor and Marco, pointing to his eye, then at the crowd. He had to stomp on his brakes, he nearly rear-ended a bus.

“Shit, fucking mad man, he wants us to watch Buffy and that.” Marco said. The queue started moving, and they all went inside. The cinema was full, as Angel found out after not being able to find a parking space.

He’d double-parked before now, and got towed away, and couldn’t afford that again. He swore when he saw the ‘House Full’ sign at the top of the steps. Still, at least he had two of his mates who would tell him the details. Least ways, they’d fucking better, if they knew what was good for them.

“I’m not going to spend $10 to watch Parker and Buffy and her cronies all night, I want to watch the movie!” Marco said.

“Look, I don’t think he was with Buffy, I think he’s with that dark haired bird I’ve never seen before, and that’s what we’ll tell Angel. Buffy sat with her brother, and that Xander’s girl.”

“Willow”

“Yeah, Willow, that’s it. Ok, we agreed? Tell him that Parker sat next to a dark haired bird, got his arm round her and everything, ok - I want to keep my bollocks intact.”

“Ok, agreed, man, he sure is gone on that Buffy though.”

“Can you blame him? – I mean, man she’s hot!”



At five to eleven, the gang came out of the cinema, and William had offered Jenny a lift home as she lived just round the corner from Parker.

Angel saw them coming towards their car, and stubbed out his cigarette. He breathed a sigh of relief, Parker wasn’t with Buffy after all, he was with that dark haired bird, still, he’d ask Taylor and Marco.

“Buffy…look” William touched her hand, and nodded subtly to the exit. Buffy just saw the taillights of the black Plymouth as the car screeched out of the car park.

Once all the cars had gone from the eight o’clock house showing, Angel had driven around until he’d spotted the car they used, (Joyce’s), he’d parked up and sat it out, waiting.

They dropped Jenny, then Parker, who gave Buffy a kiss on the cheek.

“With any luck, Angel will think that Jenny was Parker’s date” William said.

“Good job they bought her then. She was nice” Buffy said.

“So, when are you going to tell Willow that you’re coming with me to NE?”

“Well, I was wondering that myself. I don’t want to leave it until the party, and as I’ve already told Parker…”

“There’s always a chance of it getting out, the more people that know, the more likely it is that it WILL come out…how about…let me think, we go on the 24th, day of the prom, and come back on the 31st, we go to Florida on the 2nd, so, how about if we see her on the 1st, we can ask how the prom went, tell her then, and it’ll seem like the idea came to us while we were in New England, Parker won’t say anything different, not if you ask him.”

“Yeah, ok.” They pulled up on the driveway.

Joyce was just going to bed.

“I was just going to leave you a note, dad’s booked your flight via the internet, you fly on the 24th, at 10.25am flight from SunX, tickets will be through in a couple of days, but you’ll have to come back on the Friday evening, the 30th, all the flight’s for the 31st are fully booked.”

“Great, night mom”

“Night…oh, there’s some cold chicken in the fridge if you’re hungry”

“Thanks” Buffy said. Joyce went to bed.

“Want some?”

“No ta, full of ribs and pop corn still!” William said.

“Hmm, and me, go a hot chocolate though.”

**

“You sure?” Angel pumped them.

“Positive, look, Buffy sat by her brother the one side and thingy the other” Taylor said.

“Thingy?” Angel looked at him.

“Willow, he means Willow. And Parker had his arm round some dark haired bird I’ve never seen before” Marco added.

Angel grinned.

“Yeah, I saw them when they came out, ok, thanks, see ya!” Angel said, got in his car and drove off.
Marco blew his cheeks out, they both watched Angel drive off happy.

“Did he just thank us?” Taylor asked, incredulously, brow’s raised, then added,

“I better go, I’m supposed to be grounded coz of this court thing remember, and I don’t know what time mom and Chad will be back from this reception thingy they’ve gone to…what’s the time now?” Taylor asked

“Ten to midnight. So, who grounded you?”

“My mom, on dad’s insistence, Chad said he thought I’d had my punishment, but mom said she’d better follow dad’s wishes.”

“But your dad lives in Ohio, not a lot he can do about it” Marco reasoned.

“Hey, isn’t that their car, just turning into the road?”

“What? Shit, I’ll see ya, bye” Taylor took off and ran round the back of the house, let himself in, throwing his clothes off and diving into bed, putting on the TV just as he saw the lights of the car pull onto the drive. Five minutes later, Taylor’s mother stood by his bed, Chad stood in the doorway.

“How’s the headache son? I told your mom when I phoned you at 9.30, you said you’d got a headache” Chad said, obviously covering for him being checked up on.

“Oh, gone now, thanks, took some Advil” Taylor said understanding what must have happened.

“Hmm, poor baby! – Night-night!” His mom was a little drunk, she kissed his cheek sloppily, and swayed out of the door, and went into the bathroom.

“Where did you go?” Chad asked

“Just the movies, didn’t get into any bother”

“Ok…I knew you’d skip off out, that’s why I said I’d phone, made up the headache bit like I’d spoken to you, she’d have told your dad otherwise.”

“Yeah, um…you know, thanks”

“Just keep on behaving, right?”

“Yeah…night, Chad” Taylor turned the TV down. As far as step-dads went, Chad was all right. A hell of a lot nicer than his real dad, anyway.

Chapter 15



“Have you got all the literature from the property people?”

“Yes mom” Buffy said

“Got your tickets?”

“In my wallet, got both mine and Buffy’s”

“Now, the hotel said that they haven’t got two singles, so I booked a double room with two single beds, I did tell you”

“Yes mom” Buffy said again.
Buffy was just putting some folded tee shirts into her case.

“Do you think I’ll need my hairdryer?”

“No, they have them in the hotel room”

“Oh, ok. Do they have robes, or shall I take mine?”

“Take yours, even if they do have robes, you don’t know who’s worn it before” William said.

“True…oh! Won’t fit…any room in your case?” Buffy grinned at her brother.

“Buffy, William’s case is half full of your stuff already…What do you need this for?” Joyce asked, pulling out Buffy’s best cocktail dress.

“In case we go out…ok, I’ll leave it!” She threw it on the bed.

“Look at her, $300 dress and she throws it!” Joyce shook her head, exasperated, grabbing a hanger.

“You won’t need these either, or this, Buffy, you’re property hunting!” Joyce took out diamante sandals and her fake fur jacket.

“See, you’ve got plenty of room now, you can have some stuff out of William’s case”

“It’s ok mom, it’s all done up now with the labels on…but you can take these for me, if you would” Will handed her a pair of black trousers.

Saturday, the 24th July, Sunnydale airport coffee shop.

“Now, phone us every night, won’t you” Joyce fussed.

“We will mom, don’t worry” William said.

“Come on, they’ll be calling the flight soon” All four of them stood up. They’d checked in and had gone for a coffee while waiting for their flight to be called. They were on the escalator going to the departure lounge, when they heard their flight being called.

“Will passengers for American Airlines flight 362 to New England please go to gate 14, where your flight will be boarding shortly”

“That’s us!” Buffy said grinning.

“Now, you’re sure you’ve got your tickets?”

“Mom! You asked us that about a thousand times!” Buffy said. They stepped off the escalator and made their way to gate 14. There were only four people in front of them. Joyce fussed and kissed them both.

“Remember to phone, and look after one another”

“We will”

“And don’t go looking at anywhere on your own, always have William with you”

“No mom…I mean, yes mom” Buffy said, rolling her eyes, smiling.

“You will be alright, won’t you?”

“Of course we will, I promise to look after her, and we’ll phone you as soon as we get there and checked into the hotel, the Holiday Inn, a double room with two single beds” William said calmly. Joyce’s shoulder’s relaxed.

“I’m fussing, aren’t I? I know you’ll look after her, you always have done”

“And you look after William” Hank said to Buffy

“I will dad” Buffy said, giving him a hug.
The gate opened.

“Please have your tickets and boarding cards at the ready” The stewardess announced.

“Bye mom, dad!” They both said. Hank heard Buffy say to William,

“Promise to hold my hand when we take off?”

I promise” William said, handing both tickets to the lady behind the desk.

“They will be alright, won’t they Hank?” he put his arm around his anxious wife.

“Do you think one of us should have gone with them, William’s only just eighteen”

“Joyce, they’ll be fine, besides which, when they go for real in September, we can’t be with them then. And they’re devoted, you know that, no harm will come to them. Come on, I’ll treat you in Macy’s” Hank led his wife out of the airport departure lounge.

“It’ll be awfully strange with them both gone…” Joyce said.

“Yes, but think of it this way, William won’t be on his own, and neither will Buffy, and she’ll be away from that awful Angel lad that keeps pursuing her, why hasn’t she told him she’s leaving?” Hank asked.

“Don’t know…she said they had their reasons, they’ll have a party before they go, tell everyone then I suppose” Joyce said.

“Well, I suppose they know what they’re doing” Hank pulled off the carpark.

It was early evening when they landed, and they got a taxi to the hotel no problem. They checked in, and Hank had already Emailed his credit card details on, so they just filled out two forms, which they were required to do, and got their key card.

The room was light and bright, fresh looking.

“Wow…this is great! – Which one do you want?” Buffy pointed to the beds.
William shrugged, grinning.

“Don’t mind” Buffy opened the door off the room.

“Will, come and look at this!” There was a big bath, a big walk-in shower, and a large vanity mirror surrounded by lights. It was all white with gold trimmings.

“I’ll feel like a film star with all these lights!”

“Do you want dinner here, or shall we go out and find somewhere?”

“Ooh, can we go out?”

“Ok…I’ve got a street map so we don’t get lost”

After a quick shower apiece, and a phonecall home, they went out.

“Here looks nice, what do you reckon?” Buffy said, just going on appearance. William perused the menu. Chicken, steaks, ribs, burgers, all the usual barbecue stuff.

“Ok, great, I really enjoyed those ribs I had a few weeks back, when we went to see the Matrix 2, remember?” Buffy smiled and nodded as they pushed open the door.

They walked into Mick’s Barbecue Shack. The place was quite busy.

“Hi, can I get you a table?” a friendly waitress gave them a big smile

“Please”

After a couple of minutes, they were seated, and given menus. Complimentary bread and salad was put on the table, and they were asked what they wanted to drink. They ordered a jug of iced citrus crush.

“Hmm…smells good, I’m starving!” Buffy said, looking at the menu card. What you had to do was either order something ready cooked, or you could go and choose something from the big refrigerated cabinet, such as a steak, or a whole fish or giant prawns, or seasoned ribs, and they’d cook it for you.

“Ooh, I’m too hungry to wait…I’ll have…the small mixed plate I think, with a side of peppers, onions and mushrooms, and some wedges” Buffy said.

“What’s the mixed plate?” William asked. Buffy pointed it out on the card.

“Oh yeah…Chicken, burger, sausage, steak and pork chop, all seasoned with our special herbs and spice mixture, or you can choose your own, from Cajun, Hickory smoke, sweet tomato, hot ‘n’ spicy, Chinese style or garlic and herb. Hmm…I think I’m going to be greedy and have a steak…yeah, Hickory smoked steak with jumbo fries, I can pinch some of your onions, can’t I?”

The food was superb. There was loads, but they ate it all up, basically because the airline meal had been inedible, in fact, they never did find out what it was supposed to be. As soon as the table was cleared, a waitress bought them a dessert card over, showing photos of huge desserts mostly consisting of ice cream, cream, chocolate and fruit.

“Oh gods, I couldn’t! I’m stuffed!” William said.

“Me too!”

“Coffee?”

“Nu-uh, this crush stuff was lovely” Buffy said shaking her head, draining her glass.

“Just the bill then please” William said to the waitress.

“Hmm, not bad at all, considering all we’ve eaten!”

“How much?”

“$30 Shall we go?”

“Yup, lets go for a walk, try and walk off some of these calories!” Buffy patted her full stomach. For one so small, she could certainly pack it away at times!

“Oh, wow…so that’s Harvard!” Buffy said, looking at the building from the gates.

“Yup.”

“Don’t you find it…I don’t know, a bit…well, daunting?” Buffy looked at William.

“Suppose…it won’t be so bad, not now I know you’re here with me, I won’t feel so alone”

“You mean, you’d have come here and stuck it out, even if you’d hated it, just so mom and dad could be proud?”
William looked pained.

“I don’t want you to think I think that they’re shallow, but, I don’t know, if I’d decided not to come, or failed, despite what they said, which I do believe, I’d felt like I was letting them down”

“Yeah, I know. Whereas, well, I have let them down, just scraping through my finals – thanks to you I passed at all!”

“You haven’t let them down!”

“What about Angel?”

“What about him?”

“Well, you didn’t bring trouble to them…you know”

“What, get pregnant, you mean?”

William just nodded; he couldn’t bear the thought of Buffy being intimate. Definitely not with the likes of Angel Stebson, anyway.

“I’d have had to have had sex with him for that…that’s why we split, coz I wouldn’t” Buffy said.

William let out an audible sigh, which he tried to cover with a yawn. They’d begun to walk along the road, slowly, Buffy holding William’s arm.

William felt like turning cartwheels, he was overjoyed. At first he thought that she had, and because he’d got what he’d wanted, dumped her.

But then as he hadn’t done any bragging like he had about Cordelia, and as Angel was still pursuing Buffy, William should have realised the opposite was true.

“Gods, I can’t believe I went out with him!”

“Neither can I…I blame those tight jeans of yours, cutting off the circulation!” William said to her, smiling. Buffy rolled her eyes and grinned herself.

“Suppose he’s going to be an even bigger problem now he comes from a ‘broken home’ and has got an ‘excuse’ for all his bad behaviour” Buffy said.

“Oh yeah, somebody was going to tell me, what happened then?”

“Well, while his mother worked nights at Wal-Mart, and his dad had a girlfriend at the house…well, remember there was that big fire, and all the workers got sent home, well, as his dad was in bed with said girlfriend instead of watching the news, she came home and caught him, red handed. And red faced, I’ll bet”

“His dad never worked, did he?”

“Nah, something to do with his back, said he got injured in Vietnam or Korea or something, Willow’s dad says he got injured stealing big containers of food that were going to be sent out to the soldiers, that was as close as he got to war”

“I suppose he’ll end up a waster just like his father” William said.

“Yeah. What DID I see in him? – Gods, I was so stupid! – No wonder mom and dad were at their wits end with me” Buffy shook her head disbelievingly.

“Well, you saw sense and came good before any damage was done. I just pity Cordelia in a way, I mean, she can act as high-and-mighty as she wants, but she’ll have to live with the fact that she let that slime ball take something very precious, and there’s no going back from that. Unless she goes to China!” William said, laughing.

“What, why China?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Do you know Kenny Hong? – That computer whiz kid, he showed us a website, and it’s genuine, for girls in China, when they get married, or start serious relationships, they are expected to be virgins, and they can go and have this operation that supposedly reattaches the hymen or something, so they can be classed as a virgin again, technically it feels right on the wedding night, but they must have the operation done within three weeks, of being ‘deflowered’ again, because they use ‘melting’ stitches, cost’s something ridiculous, like $70HK, so even office girls and the like can afford to have it done!”

“NO!”

“Honestly, cross my heart!”

“Bloody hell, what will they think of next!”

“Oh, hey, look…”

“What?” William asked.”

“Down here, towards the park…I remember seeing the name on one of those property pages the estate agents sent us…come on” They crossed over the road and walked on towards the park.

“Heathfield, that’s it”

“Oh yes, I remember…two bed roomed flats, with concierge, parking and small garden at rear”

“Can you remember how much?”

“$600 a month, I think”

“Hmm…can we afford that?”

“You’d have to work at least part time, to feed us! About $525 is our maximum really. I could get a job in the evenings I suppose too, I wouldn’t let-

“No, I’m here with you, and I’ll do my share, you’ll need to study in the evenings. I don’t mind working…it’ll be fun!”

“You going to register for school, coz it’s sort of why mom and dad are letting you come”

“Don’t worry. Let’s get somewhere to live first, see how much it costs, see what sort of money I can earn and the hours I’m doing, and then we can think about school. Mom and dad won’t stop me coming here…else I’ll take up with Angel again”

“You wouldn’t!” William quickly whipped his head round to look at her, serious faced.

“Well……… no, I wouldn’t, but I’d play up merry hell, and let them think I was!” She said it seriously, then a slow smile crept across her face.

“Minx!” William squeezed her hand in the crook of his arm.

“Oh look…ducks!” They walked through the park gates, and went to the little boating lake. The ducks quaked and waddled up to the edge where they stood. William squatted down and said,

“Sorry Donald, didn’t know you were here, mate, else I’d have bought you some bread!” As they weren’t being fed, the ducks soon lost interest and swam away, diving into the water so their rear ends stuck up in the air. They both laughed.
Buffy yawned.

“Come on, let’s get back to the hotel, shall we? – We could come down here tomorrow, what do you say?”

“Great, we can bring some bread for our new friends!”

“Friends! That one showed me his bum as I didn’t feed him!” William said, making Buffy giggle.

*****


“This is luxury…can we live here?” Buffy asked, sighing, lying on the bed watching TV.

“Er, no, it’s already cost dad $600 for the week for us two to stay here”

“$100 a day! Wow!” Buffy went round-eyed

“Mom said it was lucky that dad’s boss was lending him his beach house, else we wouldn’t be having such a fancy holiday this year”

“Ooh, sipping cocktails by the pool, lying on Miami beach…I’d better not pig out again like I did tonight, else nothing will fit me, and I want to look good on the beach!”

“You’ll look great, you always do”

“Ah, aren’t you the sweetest thing! Will you fight off all the tanned gods that’ll be swarming around? – I wish”

“Sure, dad and I will imprison you behind screens so no one can set eyes on you!”

“That reminds me…must get a bikini wax done” Buffy said. William went red. Buffy smiled, but said nothing.

**


“Hmm, yum, yum, yum!” Buffy screwed up her eyes grinning, smacking her lips.

“Er, s’cuse me, what happened to the ‘I’d-better-not-pig-out-any-more-this week-else-nothing-will-fit-me’ statement, from last night?”

William sat down opposite Buffy. On her plate from the ‘help yourself’ breakfast counter, Buffy had; three rashers of bacon, three link sausages, two grilled fresh tomatoes, a large portion of fresh mushrooms, hash browns, and two fried eggs. She’d also got toast, a roll and butter, honey, jam and marmalade, orange juice and tea. William had two rashers, one egg, two sausages and some toast, and tea. He also had juice.

“Couldn’t resist, as it’s all paid for!” She said grinning, putting a forkful into her mouth.

“Anyway, I can always go for a jog around the park later!”

“Shyeah, right, you exercise!” William scoffed. They both giggled.

“I’ve been looking at these, (William waved three pieces of paper from the real estate offices) these three places are open on Sundays, I thought we could go and have a look. Even If we can’t see the vacant places today, we can perhaps make an appointment”

“Great…hmm, want more juice?”

“Um, can we?” William looked around at the other diners.

“Yeah! That bloke by the door has already been up twice for breakfast, three times for juice and twice for rolls!”

“Not that you’re counting! Oh, ok then” Buffy jumped up, went over to the jug, refilled both glasses, slipping another two bread rolls into her pocket.

“What, still hungry!” Will asked incredulously.

“No, they’re for the ducks”

“Oh, wonder if they’ll eat toast, I’ve had enough”

“We can try…wrap it in a napkin…that’s it.”

“So, let’s go up, get our coats, go out and then we can see if we want lunch, we could go for a swim this afternoon, or, you could go in the solarium, start on your tan before the holiday”

“What a brilliant idea!” Buffy grinned. They went up.



*************

Later that morning

“Geez, I don’t know how I kept my face straight!” Buffy said, as they came outside after looking at one of the flats.

“Luxury? – if that was luxury, I’d hate to see what their definition of a dump is!”

“Never mind, come on…4 more to look at…”




*********

“Don’t get depressed, we’ll find somewhere, it’s only day one” William said as Buffy flopped dejectedly onto her bed back at the hotel.

“I know, but some of the definitions of luxury…luxury for what, cockroaches? Ew! You could smell them at the last place…yuk!” Buffy shivered.

“Yes well, you certainly told the agent that!” William said, smiling.

“Did I go over the top?” Buffy asked, biting her bottom lip.

“No, you were quite right, it wasn’t fit for pigs. And if it was a teacher who lived there before, then boy, he had something to learn about cleanliness!”

“You should have seen her face when you asked if it was a bacteriologist growing cultures for experiments!” Buffy said grinning

“Want lunch?”

“Nah, you?”

“No. Fancy a swim though”

“Ok, swimming is good exercise” Buffy sat up, took her coat off.

“As long as you swim, not stand about in the shallow end, posing!” William said, grinning. Buffy pulled her tongue out to him.


“Race you!” William poised ready to take off.

“Ok…but”

“But what?” He stood down.

“Only if I can … cheat!” Buffy ‘ducked’ William under the water, and took off in a fast front crawl. Surfacing, William exhaled, coughed, cleared water from his eyes, and wiped his dripping face, saw how far ahead she was getting, and took off after her. Buffy just about beat him, her hand reaching the edge seconds before his.

“Ha, I win!”

“Cheat”

“So, I said I’d cheat!”

“You going to fry yourself in the solarium now?” William asked.

“No, you’ve got to book apparently, and it’s fully booked for today”

“Ok then, what do you want to do?”

“Go for a walk, feed the ducks?”

“Ok…last one out’s a fat Muppet!” William ducked her and hauled himself up out of the water. Buffy surfaced, spluttering, vowing revenge.



******

As soon as the ducks had eaten all the bread they had on offer, they swam away.

“Bye then…keep in touch!” William said.

“Greedy lot! That brown one nearly had my finger off! – Ooh look, ice cream!” Buffy said, standing up from squatting at the edge of the lake, dusting her hands off. They noticed a small kiosk selling ‘Real Italian Ice Cream’, and as they’d skipped lunch, bought themselves one each. They sat on the bench.

“You do realise, all the good you did swimming, will now be rendered null and void, there’s about sixty squillion calories in this stuff!” William said, grinning. Buffy glanced at him, said nothing, and without looking at him directly, she waited until he raised the cone to his mouth, and elbowed his arm so the ice cream went all over his nose and chin.

Buffy turned and looked at him, burst out laughing! She couldn’t stop, and dissolved into an undignified rolling about in hysterics on the bench. William sat there covered in it. Every time she stopped laughing and went to say something, she collapsed again. With a face still covered, William smirked, and quickly dived on her, pushing his cone onto her nose, and on her cheek. Buffy shrieked!

“There! How do you like it!” While they were play fighting, a dog came up and pinched Buffy’s cone out of her hand!

“Hey. Stop thief!”

“A little old lady came up to them.

“I’m sorry my dear…oh” She could see that they looked like a couple of kids, their face’s covered in ice cream, and hurried away.

“S’ok, don’t worry” Buffy said, to the rapidly retreating figure. Trying to hide her face.

Eventually, they calmed down, she fished about in her pocket for a tissue. But still sticky they went into the toilets and had a quick wash. As there was no paper towels, Buffy dried her face on another tissue. When she got out, William was waiting for her. She held his arm.

“Fat Muppet!” William said, grinning

“Idiot ice cream buyer!”

“Moronic bread roll stealer”

“Er…let me think…ah, silly rib muncher”

“I don’t munch ribs!”

“You did, last night!”

“I eat the meat off the ribs, not the ribs themselves” William stuck his tongue out to her.

“Well…I’m not a fat Muppet”

“Ok, not a fat one…but you look like one………”

“You say Miss Piggy, and you’re SO dead!” They were both giggling.

“Don’t be daft…you’re not that pretty…no, I was going to say…Animal!” He took off running, with Buffy in hot pursuit after him.

With the hotel in sight, and William quite well ahead, he walked up the steps. Buffy slowed to a more sedate trot, and went in.

She saw the lift going up, and thought it was William, so she waited for the other one. William hid behind the large potted plant. The lift ‘dinged’ and the doors slid open. Buffy emerged on her own, William jumped out with a

“Wah!” Buffy shrieked, and giggling they went into their room. She flopped on William’s bed.

“Oh gods, I ache from laughing!”

“Been fun though…acting like a couple of kids!”

“Shall we phone home?”

“Yeah…oh, hold on though, what’s the time there, don’t want make the same mistake as last night!”

“No, no, to be fair, we did promise to phone them as soon as we got here” William said.

“Mind if I have a shower first?”

“Course not, you dirty little girl!” Grinning, Buffy went into the bathroom. She got undressed, went to get into the shower, and screamed, grabbed a towel, draped it in front of her.

“Will-yum!”
Without a second’s hesitation, William dived into the bathroom.

“What – Are you ok?” He looked panic stricken, looking around for armed terrorists the way she’d screamed for him.

“Sp-spider!” She stammered, barely above a whisper, looking scared to death.

“What – oh…where?” His shoulder’s relaxed and he exhaled loudly.

“In there!” She pointed, and backed away from the shower cubical. He opened the door, scanned the walls and saw it crawling towards the plughole it wasn’t very big either.

“Um…pass me one of those glasses, please?” William held his hand out. Buffy threw her toothbrush in the washbasin and shakily handed him the glass.

“Ok…sorry about this mate…but it’s the price you pay for frightening my little sister…” Carefully he slipped the glass over the creature.

“Have you got it – have you, ooh, um, don’t kill it!?” Buffy asked backing right up to the vanity unit, standing first on one leg, then the other, drawing her knee upwards, all huddled up and grimacing.

“Just get something to slip underneath so I can put it out of the window…” William went out and came back with a flyer for an estate agent. Bending down, he slipped the paper under the glass, picked it up.

“Come on then…walkies…ok I’ve got it, you can carry on now”

“Thankyou” Buffy said shakily.

She decided against a shower, and to have a bath instead. William had just made himself a drink with the complimentary tea and coffee sachet’s, when there was a knock at the door. Frowning, he got up and opened it.

“Ah, good afternoon, sir, um, is everything all right? – We had somebody say they heard a loud scream”

“Oh, sorry, yes, that was my sister, there was a spider in the shower cubical, she’s petrified I’m afraid…I had to remove it…you know…the old paper and glass trick” William indicated the glass and paper on the table.

“Very good, sir, I’m sorry to have troubled you!”

“That’s ok…Bye”

“Good afternoon sir” William closed the door. Buffy stuck her head out of the bathroom door.

“Everything ok?”

“They heard you scream!” William said grinning.

“What? - I didn’t scream that loud! ………Did I?” She slightly opened the door a little with indignance, and then remembered that she was naked.

“Whoops!” She closed it back round her neck again.

“That’s right, I’ve already seen enough of you naked today” William said, grinning.

“What, when?” Buffy asked, surprised.

“Just, you Muppet! You had the towel held to your front…but you were standing in front of the mirror! I could see you totally from behind! You should see your bum…Like a great big white moon it was…you might want to get it waxed when they do your bikini line!” He started to giggle Buffy had gone very red!

“You wait, I’ll get you back you ………ooh!” She closed the door.
William opened it just a crack and said,

“Want Mr. Spidey to come and play in the bath with you?”

“I’ll scream again twice as loud!” Buffy threatened, but she had a giggle in her voice. William put on a wicked ‘Hehehehe’ laugh, and closed the door. She didn’t even lock it; she knew he’d never do anything like that to frighten her.

William was dozing when she came out of the bathroom. She thought about walloping him on the head with her pillow, but he looked peaceful, and wouldn’t wake him.

He’d made her a drink, and put it on the cabinet for her with the saucer on top to keep it hot. She lay on her bed, reading, soon dozed off herself. She woke when she heard the bathroom door shut quietly. She’d dozed for about 40 minutes. She heard the shower go on, and she put the news on the TV. William opened the bathroom door dressed only in his briefs, and took his watch off and put it on the nightstand by his bed, he stopped, with his hand on the bathroom door, and said,

“Think we better eat in tonight, prove to everyone I didn’t murder you earlier when you screamed!”

“Sure…hey”

“What?” Buffy reached out and ‘twanged’ the elastic of his briefs.

“Ow!”

“How, all I did was this!”

“Ah-ah, like I’d fall for that!” William arched his hips away from her, and went for his shower. She put some makeup on, and made them both another drink.

He must have taken his clothes in there with him, as he came out of the bathroom fully dressed.

“Those new?” Buffy squinted at his black trousers.

“What these? – No, bought them in the sale just after Christmas, wore them to Aunt Susan’s 50th.”

“I hate that bitch!”

“Buffy”

“Well, I do, and you should too, never let’s you forget you’re adopted…has to keep on bringing it up…mentions it at every opportunity, for any reason.

Drives dad and mom up the wall, and me, come to that!”

“I know. It bother’s everyone else far more than it bothers me”

“Dad said he’d tell her to put a bag over her head if she kept on”

“Actually…mom did, she said to her, ‘I’ve just stopped Hank from telling you to put a bag on your head, but I wish I hadn’t!”

“She thought I didn’t hear…I pretended I hadn’t…still, I got my own back”

“How?”

“Don’t you remember, when the announcement was put in the paper wishing her ‘A Very Happy Birthday’, I said she was 60th!” Buffy snorted a giggle.

“Did you?”

“Yes…and I told mom and dad”

“What did they say?”

“After they stopped laughing? Just, oh good, and bought half a dozen copies each!”

“I never knew that!” Buffy said.

“Well, you had other um…’things’ on your mind, if you remember.” Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Don’t remind me…gods, I was such a brat about him!”

“Yes, well…let’s draw a veil over that, shall we?”

“We eating in tonight?”

“Can do…are we posh enough, the restaurant looks a bit swanky…” Buffy said.

“There’s the Café Bar, I don’t want to spend too much of dad’s money”

“Ok, great!” Buffy said.

“Besides which, they wouldn’t let you into the restaurant, you haven’t had your bum waxed yet!” William said, then added,

“OW!” As an expertly aimed elbow caught him straight in the ribs.

“Oh yes, thankyou for reminding me!”

Chapter 16


“What’s a Long Island iced tea?”

“Alcohol, choose again” William said, without looking up.

“Oh…that citrus crush we had last night was lovely”

“They do something similar…there, look, under ‘non-alcoholic cocktails’, bit pricey though”

“A blend of Florida Orange, Pink Grapefruit, lemon and lime juice, made sparkling with soda water if required. $10 per jug, still, $12 sparkling – Geez, that much bought you half a cow last night!” She then continued…

“Jeez, $20 for a Burrito!”

“Uh huh…It’s $24 for lasagne and salad…shall we go out instead?”

“Yeah…come on, it’s a rip off here!” They left the Café Bar, and went out into the night. They had a walk around, found a nice looking little Chinese restaurant in a side street that was quite full of studenty looking types. William looked at the menu.

“Hmm, seems very reasonable, shall we?”

“Ooh yeah…I can hear the chicken with ginger and green onions calling me already!” Buffy pushed open the door. An elderly Oriental bowed and showed them a table for two.

“So…you want chicken with Ginger and green onion?”

“Hmm…don’t know now, it all looks nice…ooh, what’s that?” Buffy asked a passing waiter carrying a sizzling platter. He deposited the food in front of some customers then came back to their table.

“That was sizzling Szechwan beef, miss” he bowed and went about his job.

“How about if we have the set meal, for two, the second one?” William said.

“Let me see…Chicken with straw mushrooms and onions, beef in black bean sauce, barbecue ribs (4) sweet and sour king prawn, Egg fried or plain rice, prawn crackers…yeah, ok, great, more choice that way” Buffy nodded. William called a waiter to take their order.

“Which rice?”

“Egg fried” Buffy said.

“Set meal no. 2, with egg fried rice and a pot of jasmine tea for two, please” William said. The waiter wrote this down, bowed and took the menus.

“Oh, I forgot I like that! It’s nice here, not too pricey either, seems popular with the students”
They enjoyed their meal, it came to $20, including tip. Their waiter was young, a student himself. He thanked them and said to come again.

“We will…oh” They opened the door, it was pouring down, and neither of them had bought a coat as they’d thought that they were going to eat in the hotel, and hadn’t bothered to go upstairs to fetch one.

“You sit, wait ‘til the rain stops”

“Thankyou” They sat back down where people waited for the take out.

“Do you go to Harvard?”

“I will be, in September” William said.

“And you?”

“Me, gods no, Will is the brains of the family” Buffy said

“Oh, she not your girlfriend?”


“My sister”

“Very pretty!” Buffy blushed, and chided softly,

“Shut up!” William just grinned.

“I was adopted by her family when I was 5 years old, she fell in love with me at first sight!” William said grinning.

“And she still does, as you love her…you can see it!” The young Chinese man said.

“So, what you study?”

“Computing…languages, AI”

“Me too! You in Bateman College?”

“I will be, yes!” William said, nodding.

“This is good, I make friend before college! Oh sorry…I am Benny Yip” he wiped his hand on his apron, and offered it to William. He shook it and smiled.

“William Campbell-Summers, and this is my sister, Buffy Summers” Benny shook Buffy’s hand too.

“Pleased to meet you!”

“You enjoy meal here?” Benny asked

“Yeah, it was great…lovely ribs, got a thing for them lately!” William said.
Benny nodded.

“My uncles restaurant…”

“Where you from?”

“Sunnydale, in California, but originally I’m from London, England”

“I’ve been to London! – Great city!”

“Yes…haven’t been back now for thirteen years, I moved to Cali when my parents were killed in a car accident. Might take Buffy next year if she wants to go”

“Oh yes!” Buffy nodded enthusiastically. Benny smiled. A couple came in, and Benny said,

“I better go”

“Sure, we understand, nice meeting you”

“And you, see you soon, I hope!”

“You will”


“He seemed nice”

“Yes…stopped raining do you think?” Buffy stood up, looked out into the street.

“Just a light drizzle now, come on, it’s not far” William stood.

“Night then Benny, thanks”

“Night Buffy, night William” they trotted back to the hotel, just in time too, the heavens opened, and a huge streak of lightening lit the sky as bright as day for a fraction of a second, then the loud boom of the thunder seemed to make the walls vibrate.

They went straight up to their room. William knew Buffy didn’t like thunderstorms, when she was young; she used to go flying into William’s bed and hide under the covers.

She went into the bathroom and took off her makeup, the lights suddenly dipped and a huge clap of thunder rent the air. She quickly came out into the main room; she looked a little scared. William went into the bathroom, came out after just going to the loo and washing his hands. Buffy was sitting on her bed.

The lights dipped again, and another clash of thunder. William got into his bed and lay on his side. He reached to switch the lights off, and suddenly there was a loud almost explosion like boom of thunder, and everything went black, all the lights went out, the TV, everything.

“Oh gods!” Buffy said. Outside the lightning flashed, and a commotion could be heard outside in the lobby.

“It’s ok, love…” William got out of bed, went to the door and unlocked it. There was a few people milling about in their pyjamas, the fire exit lights had come on, and somebody was trapped in the lift.

“Um…don’t panic…please everyone, there’s no cause for alarm…” One of the staff said, slightly out of breath from running up the stairs.

“Please try and keep calm…lightening has struck the main electricity station…there is no…(cue huge clap of thunder) ………alarm, please, everybody, return to your rooms, I repeat, lightening has struck the main electricity station, there is no cause for alarm” Somebody said that there was someone trapped in the lift, and the staff said that they had a ‘hand cranking facility so not to worry.

William shut the door. Buffy was standing right next to him.

“Did you hear that?”

“Um, uh huh” William took his robe off and got back into bed. He looked across at Buffy; her face illuminated for the briefest second, she looked scared.

“Buffy”

“Yes?” William said nothing, but lifted the covers, and Buffy gratefully went across and slipped in next to him. Another huge clap of thunder and Buffy sort of shrank in a little closer.

“Will”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks”

“Well, promised to look after you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah”

There was a lot of noise outside in the lobby, somebody shouting ‘help’ to get out of the lift.

Meanwhile, the mother of all storms raged outside.

“Night Will…love you lots and always”

William squeezed her arm gently.

“Night Buffy…I’ll always love you, loads and loads” He said sleepily, and then he turned over, so his back was to her.

He thought it best, there wasn’t a lot of room it being a single bed, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself in the night by waking up with a hard on.

Buffy smiled at what he’d said, and what he’d said earlier, and it was true, it HAD been love at first sight for her, she just knew, even at the tender age of nearly five, she knew she’d always love him.

She too turned over and cuddled his back. She woke at about five thirty, looked at the clock. She got out of bed, went to the bathroom. It was quiet, she ventured over to the window to look out.

Dawn was breaking, and the sky was spectacular, all pinks, purples and oranges, it looked so vivid as to be un-natural.

She turned and went to get back into bed, then thought she’d better go in her own, as the storm was over.

She got into her own bed, shivered at the cold sheets, but soon fell back to sleep. William woke went to turn over, then remembered, just turned his head, saw she was back in her own bed. He lay on his back, thinking.

He could think of a hundred guys who would have loved to have been in his position last night, in bed with Buffy. He just wished with all his heart that things were different. At eight, he got up, tried to put the kettle on, but it didn’t work.

“Oh, terrific!” he muttered quietly to himself, flicking the useless light switch. Seems like the power was still off.

“Power still off?” Buffy asked yawning, propping herself up on one elbow. He came and sat on her bed.

“Yeah, that means, no hot water for tea, no hot water for a shower, and more than likely, no hot breakfast, either!”

“Rats, I was looking forward to my brekkie…I’m always ravenous after a Chinese!”

“Just have to stick with cereal I suppose”

“Or a continental, those croissant thingies or a bread roll”

“If they’ve been able to bake, that is”

“Oh, gods, didn’t think of that…still, it was some storm last night, wasn’t it” Buffy lay back down.

“Sure…hurray!” The lights, TV and clock radio all came on. William stood, turned the lights off, and switched the kettle on. Everything suddenly went off again, and you could hear a loud ‘oh’ from outside in the lobby.

A few seconds later, the TV came on again, and this time it stayed on. William made tea, sat on Buffy’s bed, passed her a mug.

“Thanks for last night, I know I shouldn’t be scared at my age, but…” Buffy looked at William, thinking how many girls would have gladly swapped places with her last night!

“It was rough, worst storm I’ve ever heard, anyway”

“You slept through it!”

“What time did it end?”

Buffy shrugged. Don’t know, I went to the bathroom about half five, it was all quiet then. Thought I’d better get in my own bed…it was cold!” William smiled.

“I woke about quarter past six…I was thinking…” he smiled

“What?” Buffy asked, putting her mug down on the night stand.

“I was thinking there was a hundred blokes who would have gladly swapped places with me last night!”

“Oh yeah? Funnily enough, I was thinking the same about you, there was hundreds, no, thousands of girls who would have swapped with me!” William didn’t smile; he just looked down at the carpet. He finished his tea and stood up.

“Will?”

“Hmm?”

“I haven’t……… upset you, have I, I meant that thousands of girls would be jealous of me being with you”

“I know what you meant,” he said quietly, nodding briefly. He wanted to say how nobody could hold a candle to her, how he wanted her so much…but she was his sister…well, in the eyes of the law she was.

And her mom and dad were his mom and dad…well, in the eyes of the law…he wanted to shout sod the law…

“Shall we go to breakfast?”
Buffy nodded, she knew something was wrong…
Ten minutes later, they went downstairs. The kitchens must have had gas cookers, as there seemed to be a full compliment as regards breakfast items, all except fresh bread rolls, but there was plenty of toast available, so they had that instead.

“What times our first viewing?”

“10 o’clock, Place called Kennedy Heights, little way out though, we’ve got to get a bus.”

“And then?”

“Well, I’ve given us two and a half hours, next appointment is 12.30, then 1.30, but they’re roughly ten minutes away from each other”

Buffy looked at William. The agent beamed at them, leading them in off the miniscule hall. So tiny, that there wasn’t enough room for the three of them!

“And this is the…”

“Broom cupboard?” Buffy ventured

“Second bedroom! – Compact…um, neat…and you also have an inter-connecting door to the other bedroom”

And here we have the bathroom, again, compact…I shall wait in the car for you, you can get a better feel for the place” She bolted out.

“You can’t call this a bathroom, there’s no bath!” There was a small shower cubical, a hand basin and WC, and about a foot square of floor space in between.

“Now I know what a sardine feels like!” William said.

“I swear the Barbie House I’ve got at home is bigger!” Buffy said, then added,

“How much are they asking?”

“Um…hold on…$550 a month” William said, looking at the info sheet.

“For a shoebox? Geez they’re kidding!”

“It’s the location…come on, let’s see if we can bum a lift back into town”

The agent did indeed drop them back in town. It was only ten to eleven.

“Shall we go that way for a change, we haven’t been down there, yet?” William pointed south of the hotel.

“Ok” Buffy agreed. They walked and found some more shops; a music shop, on three levels, it sold instruments too. Next-door was a bookshop, a big notice in the window stated that it bought and sold second-hand college books.

“Hmm, that’s useful to know” William said.

“Oh, look” Buffy said.

“What?”

“It’s thingy…Benny”

“Oh yes!” Benny looked up, saw them through the shop window, he grinned and waved. They decided to wait for him, as he was next to be served.

“Yum, I smell doughnuts,” Buffy said, as they leant on the wall, waiting for Benny to come out.

“There’s a bakery on the end, oh see, it’s a coffee shop too”

“We could grab a cup before our next appointment” Buffy said. Benny came out of the shop, carrying three books.

“Hi!”

“Hello Benny!”

“Bad storm last night, kitchen got flooded!”

“Oh dear…will you be able to open today?”

“Oh yes! All cleaned up now!”

“We were in darkness, Electricity station got hit”

“Ah, yes, we must be another station, we were ok for light.”

“We were just going for a coffee before we and look at the next shoebox, want to come, my treat?” Buffy asked

“I’m sorry, shoebox?” Benny looked puzzled. Until they explained.

“Oh…you not live on campus then”

“No, well, Buffy is going to live with me, so…” William explained. Benny looked thoughtful.

“Will you come – coffee?” Buffy asked. Benny looked at his watch.

“Sure, thankyou, I have half an hour before my shift starts” All three crossed the road and went into the Viennese Coffee House and Bakery.

They made their order, Benny declining a cake.

“I can see me getting sooooooooooooooo fat if I live here!” Buffy said eyeing up a cream and chocolate confection.

“You see Bookshop I was in?” Benny asked. Both William and Buffy nodded.

“It owned by friend of my uncle. Same as this place. During second world war, as they were…um, foreign…aliens, they had to go and sign every week proving their allegiance to the American Government, they all become friends.

There’s Franz, his father is friend of my uncle…Hello Franz”

“Hello Benny! – These your friends?” Benny introduced them. Franz eyes lingered over Buffy.

“So, you’re going to the university?” Franz sat down at their table, throwing an oven cloth over his shoulder.

“Not me, thick as a brick me…my brother is the brainy one”

“You’re not thick!” William said. Buffy ate her cake.

“You like” Franz asked.

“Mmm…I’ll have to be careful, I’ll get fat!”

“So, you have job?”

“Looking, trying to find somewhere to live first” Buffy said.

“I was just going to tell them about the bookshop” Benny said. Franz nodded. William sat forward, stirred his coffee.

“Bookshop?”

“Yes, Carlo doesn’t live above there anymore, I’m sure if we asked him…can’t hurt, I know he not advertise yet”

“You ever served in a shop?” Franz asked Buffy

“Um, I’ve helped in my mother’s gallery, sold pictures and postcards and that” Buffy said.

“Have you ever been a waitress?” Buffy shook her head.

“Would you learn?”

“Why?”

“I would give you job” Franz said. Buffy sat up straight, brows high, smiling.

“You would?” everyone smiled. Buffy grinned and then leaned forward

“Any friend of Benny’s is a friend of mine. You could serve in the bakery side…say 9 o’clock until 11.30, then help serve in here during lunchtimes, then from 2-4.00 back in shop…say, Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday? I close on Wednesday’s, I just clean, and my two nieces help on

Saturdays and Sundays, the coffee shop only on Sundays, I don’t bake”

“Oh, wow! That would be great!”

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen, but I’m eighteen next month”

“Ok, 28 hours a week, at say, $7 an hour…

“Make it $7.50 an hour, and that’s $210 before tax a week!” Benny said.
Buffy would have been happy at $7! Franz smiled.

“You drive hard bargain. Ok, $7.50, but I wouldn’t need you till school starts”

“That’s brilliant –coz I’m not available till then!” Buffy was beaming. She said “Thankyou Benny!” And gave him a kiss on his cheek.

“Oh! Very nice!” Everyone laughed.

“All we have to do now, is to persuade Carlo…”

“Go see him, tell him I give you job, tell him to come and chat with me, I have good bottle of wine!”

“I better go…” Benny finished his coffee.

“You working tonight Benny?” William asked.

“Yes, night off on Wednesday”

“We’ll come see you later, arrange something” Benny nodded and waved goodbye. A very elderly lady called out to Franz from behind the counter.

“Franz…Franz!”

“Excuse me, that’s the crusty rolls cooked, that’s my mother, she is at last retiring at 82, her eyes are getting worse. Say bye before you go”

“We will” Franz went.

“Clever old you!” William squeezed her arm.

“Clever old Benny, you mean! And it would be brilliant if we could persuade this Carlo bloke! It would be so close and handy for both of us!” William’s mobile rang. It was the agent who had shown him the last place, asking if they wanted any more addresses of property.

“Tell her no!” Buffy said.

“Hold on…we better not burn our bridges…William whispered to Buffy, then said, We’ll get back to you either this afternoon or tomorrow and let you know, thankyou, bye”

He looked at his watch. His phone rang again, it was a man called Simon Charles, he was the agent due to show them the place at 12.30, but he was running late.

“Can we make it 1.30pm?”

“Sorry, looking at a place in Woodside then”

“Can we reschedule, I’m very sorry about this”

“Sure, don’t worry, anytime after mid-day tomorrow” William said.

“Great, I’ll get back to you, I need my appointment book and that’s back at the office. I do apologise”

“No problem, thanks for letting us know, bye” William flipped his phone off.

“Next one’s cancelled, until tomorrow”

“Could be a good omen!”’

“About?”

“This Carlo’s place…let’s go see him, now” Buffy said.

“You think?” William said, then looked up as Franz came back to them.

“I phoned Carlo, he said can you go now?”

“Yes!” William and Buffy beamed.
Franz nodded, and said,

“Good, see you soon!”

“Ok, um, can I have the bill?” William took his wallet out.

“S’on the house, bye!” Franz raised his hand in a wave, without turning round.

“Cheers, bye”

They both got outside.

“This is great!” They went to the bookshop. A youngish man say late twenties, early thirties, with sandy hair and glasses smiled at them.

“Hi, we’re William and Buffy, I believe you’ve just spoken to Franz a the coffee shop?”

“Yup …s’cuse me, I’ll just serve this chap…” the man said. He had a strong London accent. They both nodded and stood to one side.

When he’d served the customer, he followed him to the door, locked it behind him, and put a ‘back in 10 minutes’ notice on the door.

“Right, I believe Franz just gave you a job”

“Yes, with Benny’s help!” Buffy said.

“Ah, Benny Yip, yes, he was here earlier”

“We saw him…are you from London?”

“Yes, how can you tell?”

“I am too, originally” William went on to tell him the whole story.

“It was my grandfather’s shop originally, my father ran it briefly, but wanted to go to London, I came here when I was nine, keep meaning to go back! – So…it’s not very tidy at the moment, but I’m sure we can tidy it up…if you’d like to come this way, I have only been moved out three weeks and hadn’t thought about advertising the place yet, thought I’d do it nearer term time, but, well...”

They followed him to the back of the shop, walked up one flight of steps, to which there was a door at the top marked ‘private’.

Taking a bunch of keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and said,

“Come on through, there won’t be all the books up here if you want it, and any furniture you don’t like we can put in the loft………Right, this is the bathroom, I’ve got a bit of a thing about green, as you’ll see, but you can paint it if you want” Buffy and William looked round a large bathroom with a nice big bath, walk-in shower, hand basin and toilet. On the wall next to the bath was a mural to make it look like underwater, with a cave and fishes and a huge shark!”

“Wow! – Did you paint that?” Buffy asked, grinning.

“No, my sister, she lives in Australia now, she married a sheep farmer…ok, um this is the sitting room, as you can see, it’s the length of the shop, nearly 22 feet, it could easily be divided with screens or something…kitchen is a bit small, but, well, it’s cheap enough to eat out really, even on student grants.

The kitchen was about 8ft by 7tf, and had a sink unit, a cooker, a fridge and lots of cupboard space.
And a nice long work surface.

“Mind you, knowing Franz, he’ll be letting you bring home any left over cakes and pastries, stuff like that!”

“Gods, I’m going to get so fat if I’m not careful!” Buffy said smiling.

“And this is the bedroom…big enough for two beds, or I suppose you could put a sofa bed in the lounge part…still, that’s your business.

It was quite big, light, painted white, dark green carpet and pale green curtains. A huge double window looked out onto the street.

They suddenly heard somebody playing a saxophone.

“Oh, that’ll be somebody in the music shop, don’t worry.”

“Hey, I like, it’s great!”

“The only thing is, sometimes if the wind’s blowing this way, you can hear the noise of Franz’s bakery blowers, they come on at about 5 o’clock in the morning, he starts work at 4am, he does all the baking himself now, Erika, that’s his mother, has got too old, she’s about 85 I think!”

“She’s 82, he told us, her eyes are going, and that’s why I got the job, I think!”

“Ok, look, I’ll leave you to look round, take you’re time, oh, um, excuse me I must…” Carlo went into the kitchen and opened the fridge, took out a lunch box. Buffy could see the one shelf filled with medicine.

Carlo took out a bottle, and a plastic pack out of the draw, tore it open.

“I’m diabetic, have to take insulin…ok then I’ll leave you to it, like I say, no hurry…”

“Um, it’s great, really!” William said looking at Buffy, who was nodding in agreement.

“Er, how much?”

“Oh, golly…um…er…$450 a month?”

Carlo briefly saw William’s eyes go big; William was actually incredulous that was all he wanted, and furnished too!

“Um, no…er, $400, will that be ok?” Carlo looked uncertain at first, thought he’d asked too much.

“Wow, we’ll take it! – Won’t we?” Buffy asked her grinning brother.

“We sure will!”

“Great! Like I say, I’ll shift those books, and any furniture you want to bring, you’re quite welcome, oh, there’s a microwave for the kitchen, it’s back at my flat, mine broke so I took the one from here, but I’ve bought a new one now, and keep meaning to bring the other one back, and the washer/dryer is downstairs, it’s where I make a drink, at the back of the shop, I had one up here, but it leaked, and the water ran through the ceiling to downstairs and ruined some books, so I thought it better to have it downstairs” Buffy nodded.

“Brilliant, and the Microwave is about the limit of my cooking anyway!” Buffy said.

“So, you’ll be moving in for the new term?”

“Yes, 4th September, but I should imagine we’ll be here from mid August”

“Oh, this I didn’t show you…here, is another front door, you’re entrance straight from the street. Carlo pulled back a curtain in the hallway, took out his keys, opened it, there was a double flight of steps down to the street.

The entrance is just round the corner, saves you having to re-set all the shop alarms when it’s closed”

They both nodded and he relocked it, closed the curtain. Somebody was now playing an electric guitar in the music shop, and very good they were too.

“I’ll see you downstairs when you’re ready then”

“Ok, and thanks!” Carlo went downstairs. Buffy and William hugged, then they both did a little Snoopy dance of joy!

“Day one, got a job and a flat, not a shoebox!”

“Come on…” William pulled Buffy gently by the arm into the lounge again.

“I was thinking, we could live up to about………here” (He spread his arms out)

“And over in this corner, I could set up my computer, it’s got a double power-point and a phone point for the modem”

“Hey it’ll be great, we can bring that glass coffee table out of the garage at home, put it here, have the TV over there…”

“And the sofa across like this…”

“Yes! We could put one chair there…and the other… here, and have a nice bit of floor space!”

“ You now what would look good between the windows?” William said

“What?”

“That bookcase mom’s never liked”
“Hmm, could do, or…you could have it along the back wall over there, next to your computer desk, for all your books, and we could get another small table or a little unit and put flowers on it!”

“Great, this is great!” Buffy came up and cuddled William again.

“Oh, I’d better cancel those appointments”

“Shall we phone mom and dad – do you think they’ll make us come back early?”

“I shouldn’t think so…the hotel’s paid for, and it’ll take too long to get a refund!” William said.

*******************



“Ooh, think of all those cream cakes…will you be able to resist!” Joyce said, teasing.

“I’ve done nothing but eat since I got here, the breakfasts are so yummy…”

“And you’ve got a friend who’s got a Chinese restaurant!”

“Yes, and there’s this place in the park that sells THE most delicious real Italian ice cream, then there’s this place that does the most delicious barbecue…”

“Huh, when I’m allowed to eat it!” William called out.

“What was that?” Joyce asked. Buffy explained about the ice-cream in the park incident.

“You two, honestly!”

“Then this bloody dog came up, and pinched my cone, straight out of my hand!” Buffy said indignantly. She went onto tell her mom about the storm.

“Sounds as if it’s all happening”

“It’s great, we can’t wait for you to see it! We’ve got plans for that glass coffee table, and that bookcase you’ve never liked, they’ll both fit great into our new place. So, will you phone dad at work, tell him all our good news”

“I will, actually, you’ve just missed him…well, by about twenty minutes, he’s in a meeting this morning, I’ll phone him at lunchtime”

“I forget you’re behind us, time wise,” Buffy said.

“Phone his mobile and leave a message, he’ll phone you when it’s convenient for him”

“Hmm, I hate talking to machines!”

“Ok, we better go, phone you soon, bye, here’s Will”

“Bye honey.”

“Hi mom”

“Hi baby, clever old things aren’t you”

“We were lucky to meet Benny, he’s going to be in my study group, he’s doing the same as me. Oh, did Buffy tell you about the spider?”

“No, what happened?”
William explained.

“So, the next thing I know, the under manager or whoever is knocking on the door, thinking I’ve murdered her or something because of her scream!” Joyce laughed and said,

“Oh, poor you!”

“Luckily, the glass and paper were on the side, he believed me.”

“Poor William nothing, it was huge, size of a cat!” Buffy called out.

“A cat! Honestly mom, if it was an inch across, including the legs, it fitted under the glass enough to run around in! Mind you, it would have been cramped in that flat in Kennedy Heights though!”

“Ok baby, you look after each other”

“We will, bye mom, love you, love to dad”

“Bye William, love you my son, and I will”



**********************


“Have they, oh good – are they coming home?” Hank said, holding his mobile to his ear with a hunched up shoulder.

“No, they might as well stay and have some fun, I’ll tell you all about it when you get home”

“Well, they’re good kids, I should be home early, playing golf this afternoon with the MD”

“Don’t let him drag you in the bar, after”

“No, he won’t, he’s on a health kick, doctors orders or something, no booze, no big rich dinners, no fooling with the secretaries! So it’ll be a quick 18 holes, expect me about 4ish”

“Oh good, see you then, bye Hank”

“Bye love…oh, shall I bring a nice bottle of that Napa Valley white you like…”

“Hank Summers, are you trying to get me drunk so you can have your wicked way with me?” Joyce purred

“Yes!”
“Ok then!” She heard Hank chuckle as he put the phone down. Joyce thought she too could be wicked, and decided to be in bed waiting for him when he got home, in some sexy underwear she’d bought for her holidays really, but an early airing wouldn’t hurt…

“I fancy that beef thing I saw last night, sizzling…how do you say that?”
Buffy put her finger under the word, but without looking, William said,

“Szechwan”
Buffy smiled, pinched her nose and said with a strong nasal tone,

“Paging Mr. Know-It-All at table 5!” William just raised his brows and closed his eyes, smiling.

“Are you sure, coz Szechwan is usually hot, and I mean spice hot” William said, knowing her intolerance to anything too spicy.

“Oh, is it? – I could ask Benny”

“Yes Buffy?” Benny appeared as if by magic.

“This um this beef thingy, is it hot? – I mean spicy hot?”

“Yes, hot peppers, chilli, you know”

“Oh right…I don’t like chillies, we have a friend called Xander who made a chilli con carne once, told us it was mild, gods, you could have stripped paint with it! It took the roof of my mouth off, practically”

“Um…ok, besides chilli, anything else you don’t like?”

“Eat anything me!” William said
“Um, not over fond of pickles, but that’s not what you meant…you meant stuff on the menu…as long as it’s not yukky, like sea slug or aba, abby um, that ear thing, (abalone, William said) that’s it, or chickens feet, or deep fried pigs ears…we went to China Town in New York a couple of years back!”

“You’ve just mentioned all my uncles favourites, but he never cooks them here, he knows they wouldn’t sell…so, trust me, I get you good food”

“Ok, great”

“Shall we see if we can take him out tomorrow, it’s his night off?”

“Yeah, dad said to take Franz and Carlo out to a fancy dinner at the hotel and charge it to the room, so yeah” Five minutes later, Benny was back, skilfully balancing various dishes up his arm.

“Here you go, I know you’ve got a thing for ribs…and try these, they’re lovely”
Benny had put a large plate between them, with lots of tasty looking morsels on. They crunched on lightly battered king prawns, vegetable spring rolls, mini ribs, some nice mushroom things, and some little soft stuffed dumplings that had you licking your lips with delight!

“You like?”

“No, we LOVE! What are those?”

“Dim sum, those are little dumplings filled with minced pork and shrimp, with green onion and ginger, my favourite!”

“Hmm, and mine, they’re delish!” Buffy said.

“Ok, ready for main courses?”

They both nodded eagerly. Again Benny bought them lots of small containers between them. There was chicken with onions and ginger, chicken with pineapple, Peking duck, beef with mushrooms, char sui pork with bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, sweet and sour pork balls, soft noodles, special fried rice and a big pot of Jasmine tea. After about twenty minutes, Buffy sat back.

“Gods I am SO stuffed, I’ve made such a pig of myself!”

“You have enough?”

“Gods Benny! Do you realise, I’m going to Miami next week, they’ll be thinking that a whale has beached itself as soon as I step on it!” She sat back, head tipped back, hands on her tummy.

“Don’t be silly, you work out, you must with your great figure”

“If she put as much effort into going to the gym as she did avoiding it, she’d be addicted. OW! She kicked me!” William bent and rubbed his shin, but he was smiling.

“Thankyou for that compliment Benny, now, would you please let us take you out tomorrow night, as a thankyou?”

“You don’t have to do that…but I’d like to go out, I could show you place where students go, like a club, you can dance, or play pool, or just sit and have a drink”

“Great, um will jeans do?”

“Oh yes, not posh night club, it’s called ‘Stoodybakers’, good fun”

“Great, what time?”

“Um, you come here, 8 o’clock”

“Ok…um we better be going, you’re getting busy, can we have the bill?” Somebody else bought the bill to them; and Buffy heard William say,

“He’s joking!”

“What, how much, we did have loads…bloody hell, $10!”

“I know…” William said, opening his wallet and taking two tens out, he went up to the counter and paid, and said

“Will you give the other to Benny please, and say bye for us?” The woman smiled and bowed and said goodnight. They got outside.

“Hmm, come on then, I don’t like the look of those clouds…” William said, looking at the dark grey clouds gathering on the horizon.

“No, I was going to suggest a walk, never mind…uh oh, come on, brisk trot I think!” huge drops began to fall. They were a little wet when they got to the hotel, but not too bad.

“Oh damn, I forgot to get mom to tape X Files for me…they’re about four episodes behind here” Buffy said as they came out of the lift.

“Never mind, I don’t know why…(he opened their room door) I never feel like watching TV when I’m away from home”

“I’m going for a shower, I’m wetter than I thought, and I don’t want to catch cold, I won’t be long, you must do the same”

“Ok, want a coffee?”

“Please” William filled the kettle. Buffy got undressed, her brother quickly leaving the bathroom, he didn’t need to see her naked again.

Five minutes later, she came out in just her towelling robe, and William went in.

“It was just on about that storm last night, 5,000 homes were without electricity for nearly 8 hours…more storms are predicted” Buffy said, pointing to the TV.

“Hey, seen this?” she pressed the remote, and a porn channel showed, Buffy was grinning, and then she looked shocked, turned her head to the side…what are they…I mean, how…?”

“There’s three of them,” William said, grinning. Suddenly, the screen went like snow, and a notice came up, it read, ‘To continue watching channels 63-68, please ring reception and ask for code 9, a charge of $20 per evening will be added to the cost of your room, channels 63-68 are available from 7pm until 5.30am.’

“Great isn’t it, get you all worked up and then making you pay extra for it!” Buffy said grinning.

“Not all worked up are you?” William vigorously rubbed his now washed hair with a towel.

“No!”

“You’ve gone all red!” William teased.

A huge streak of lightening flashed, followed a few seconds later by a loud rumble of thunder. William stood.

“Want a cup of tea before bed?”

“Please…careful though, you know, the electrics” Buffy put on her pyjamas, and got into bed. William made the tea, bought it over and sat on her bed, Buffy moved her legs up, hugging her knees to make more room for him.

“What shall we do tomorrow?”

“Have you got to go register at the college?” Buffy asked.

“Can’t. I found out, they’re closed for three weeks, so I’ll have to do it when we come in August”

“We’ve got to invite Carlo and Franz to dinner”

“Oh yes…I think I better go to see Franz, leave you in the bookshop”

“Why?”

“So you don’t get tempted by all the gooey goodies!”

“True! I’m going to live on salad the rest of the week!” Buffy said, sipping her tea.

“Can I quote you on that?” William grinned at her.

“See, I was right, I did need my Donna Karen after all!”

“Your what?”

“My cocktail dress, mom made me take it out of my case, I could have done with it for Friday!”

“Oh well, you can say I ………blimey, that was a big flash! Um, what was I saying, oh yeah, you can say I told you so to mom when we get home!” A huge loud rumble of thunder roared out.

“Sounds like a repeat performance of last night”

“Shall I turn the TV off?” Buffy pointed the remote control at the screen, and it went off. When they’d finished their tea, William stood, rinsed the mugs, left them to drain, and picked up the book he’d bought from the bookshop.

“Won’t disturb you if I have the light on to read a bit, will it?”
Buffy shook her head.

Doubt if I’ll sleep in this anyway!” William switched the main light off, and put the lamp on over his bed. He had his robe on, lay on top of the bedclothes, and began to read a book about early computing. Buffy lay down, putting her head under the covers.

She could hear people moving about in the lobby, and in the room next door. The storm raged on outside, Buffy tightly screwed herself up into the foetal position, hoping against hope that sleep would come.

She heard William switch the lamp out, but she didn’t emerge from under the covers. He went to whisper ‘night’ to her, but thought that with any luck, she might be already asleep. He went to turn and face the door, thus facing Buffy’s bed, but as the thunder and lightening seemed to be getting closer, he turned and faced the wall, in case she got in with him.

He didn’t have long to wait. The thunder got louder and the lightening more frequent, and each time Buffy thought that the hotel would collapse in a heap of rubble, trapping them all inside.

She wanted a pee, and quickly dived out of bed, went into the bathroom, instead of getting back into her own bed, she got in with William, cuddled up to his back.

She soon settled down. William woke, he was lying on his back, Buffy had her head on his shoulder, and he had a raging hard-on.

“Oh gods” he moaned. Buffy stirred slightly, put her arm around him.

“Erm…I must………sorry, need the bathroom” he gently moved her arm, trying his best not to disturb her, went and had a pee.

He stood in the bathroom doorway…what to do? It was a quarter past four, and the storm had virtually blown itself out, just the odd faint rumbling could be heard. He decided to get into her bed, and did so.

Buffy woke at twenty past six, briefly wondering where she was, and then she looked across to her bed. William had his back to her, fast asleep.

Buffy centred herself more in the bed, lying on her back. She wondered when he’d got up, and if he was annoyed with her, fed up of her keep coming to him like a frightened child…because that’s exactly how she was acting, as far as thunderstorms were concerned, she was five years old all over again.