Present Day

Knock knock knock.

Buffy walked over to the door, her nerves making her palms sweat and her knees shake. She didn't even need to look through the peep hole to know who was at the other side of the door. She had been expecting him. Quickly readjusting her skirt and smoothing her hair, she let out a deep breath to attempt to calm her frazzled nerves and swung the door open.

The sight that greeted her was a familiar one. Though she could tell the man that stood before her wasn’t exactly the same. He wasn't her William. Not anymore. Sure, he had the same platinum hair, high sculpted cheekbones, an air of predatory confidence that screamed "Bad boy", though she knew it was merely a facade that served to hide the romantic nature she knew he possessed. But she only had to glance into the cerulean depths of his eyes to notice the difference. Where there had once been sparkle and life was now emptyness. Gone was the happy twinkle, the spark he had when they were together, and in its place was a dullness, a hollow nothing that only spoke of one emotion: sadness. He was a broken man. Just as she knew she had never felt whole after he had left.

She snapped out of her reverie, knowing she had to make this inevitable meeting worthwhile. Tears stung the backs of her eyes, though she refused to let them show. Without further hesitation, she stepped forward and wrapped him in an embrace, reveling in the way it felt to be in his arms once again, though knowing it would never again be as it was before. She buried her face in his chest as his strong arms tightened around her, as though he was afraid she would disapear if he let go.

Buffy allowed herself to close her eyes and enjoy the moment before reality once again intervened. After a brief pause, she spoke.

"It's good to see you again, William."

"It's good to see you too, Buffy." He buried his face in her golden hair, breathing in her scent and silently cursing the misfortunes that had changed their lives so drastically. "I've missed you." He whispered, barely audibly.

With that Buffy reluctantly pulled back from his embrace, looking up at him with a sorrowful smile. "I missed you too."

She stepped aside, gesturing for him to come in. He gave a nod as she granted him entrance into her apartment, and once again, into her life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flashback


Buffy raced up the stairs, unwilling to waste any time waiting for the slower-than-molasses-in-January elevator. Her short legs exerted themselves to the limit to carry her up three flights in record time, barely able to contain her excitement as she came to a halt in front of her apartment door, breathless and frantically digging through her purse to find her keys. After several frustrating moments of searching, her small hand finally emerged triumphant.

‘Damn purse’ She thought ‘How is it the keys always manage to bury themselves in the damn bottom’ She fumbled with the key, finally managing to turn the lock and push the door open.

“William! Babe, I’m home! And you’ll never guess what happened to me today!”

She was so caught up in her excitement she hadn’t even noticed him sneak up behind her. A squeal of excitement and surprise escaped her lips when she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist from behind while he leaned in to nibble on her ear lobe.

“And what’d that be, pet?” his husky voice purred, warm breath tickling her ear. She turned in his arms, looking into the eyes of her husband of nearly a year before bringing her arms up to wrap around his neck, her fingers playing in his soft platinum curls.

“Guess” She said with a coquettish smile, not caring she sounded like a giddy schoolgirl. He arched a scarred eyebrow in response.

“Hmm, let’s see . . . you got an amazing deal on the cutest pair of shoes – “ he started in a mocking high pitched voice, abruptly cut off when she slapped him playfully on the chest.

“No, you jerk. Guess again” She withdrew herself from his embrace to slip out of her coat and hang it on the hook, turning to face him with her arms crossed as she awaited his response.

“Uuh, you thought about me all day and got your friends all jealous over my tight little body?” He curled his tongue behind his teeth suggestively, earning an annoyed eye roll from Buffy.

“Um, conceited much?” He chuckled at that. “And that’d be another big No. You suck at this guessing thing” She pouted, sticking out her lower lip and giving her best puppy dog eyes.

“Oh, pouty – look at that lip – gonna get it –“ He said as he walked towards her, bending down with every intent of ravaging her mouth good and proper, until she put her hands on his chest to halt his advance.

"Hey, no smoochies until you hear me out, mister." She poked him pointedly in the chest to punctuate her words. Now it was his turn to pout.

"Alright then. Come with me to the kitchen while I check on dinner and you can tell me all about what happened."

She followed him into the kitchen, watching while he busied himself stirring spaghetti sauce and making sure the garlic bread in the oven hadn't burned. Once he was finished, he turned to face her.

"So what happened kitten?”

Buffy leaned against the counter, barely able to contain her excitement anymore as she bit her lip.
“Well I found out something today. . .” She started, trying to look as innocent as possible before she finally let it slip,
“I’m pregnant.”

Silence.

Buffy started to fidget, suddenly incredibly nervous due to his lack of response. William just continued to stare at her, his face an emotionless mask.

“Uh, Will, aren’t you gonna say anything?” At her words he seemed to snap out of his daze, locking his gaze with hers.

“A baby?” He asked, eyes suddenly lighting up. She nodded hesitantly.

“Yes, honey, that’s usually the end result of pregnancy.”

He began to walk toward her, a smile creasing his handsome features. "We’re having a baby?” Buffy nodded again, this time with more assurance when she saw the brilliant smile that lit up his face. She grinned back at him.

“Luv, that’s wonderful news!” It seemed to finally click with him as he quickly enveloped her in a tight hug, spinning her around in a circle as she giggled wildly. He placed her back onto her feet and stepped back slightly so he could look into her eyes, bringing up his hands to caress the sides of her face. She felt like she was drowning in those cerulean depths, mesmerized by the love shining from them.

“We’re gonna be parents.” He murmured. She nodded again, raising her hand to stroke his chiseled cheekbone.

“You’re gonna be a great father.” She smiled up at him, and the smile he returned could have lit up all of New York City.

“And you’re gonna be an amazing mum.” He paused to run his hand through her golden tresses before letting it trail downwards, finally coming to rest on her stomach. He watched in amazement as his hand made gentle circles, caressing the place that housed his child. “God I love you” He murmured when he met her gaze again.

“I love you too W-“ but she was cut off as his lips descended upon hers, taking her breath away. He kissed her passionately, his tongue tracing her bottom lip, demanding entrance, which she didn’t hesitate to give. His arms tightened around her waist while hers wrapped around his neck, their tongues exploring each other’s eager mouths.

Buffy moaned as William ground the evidence of his arousal against her, feeling like she would collapse if not for his arms around her. The kiss went on and on for what seemed like an eternity yet when Buffy finally pulled away to inhale some much needed oxygen, it felt far too soon. She gazed into his lust filled eyes, knowing hers were mirroring the desire.

Suddenly, she broke out of her daze, wrinkling her nose as she sniffed the air.

“Uh, I think the bread is burning.” She chuckled. Spike growled impatiently.

“Sod the bread” He responded huskily as he bent down and swept her up into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom with Buffy giggling uncontrollably the whole way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Present Day

William entered her apartment, taking in his surroundings. It was just the way he remembered it, only this time it felt different, as if the air itself that filled the room was burdened with the same sorrow he felt every day. He knew there was so much to discuss, so many things to get out in the open. Many secrets to be revealed, many apologies to be made, many stories to be told. William shook his head, wondering how it had all come to this. Life certainly has its way of throwing you for a loop, and he couldn’t believe that not even two years ago they were togetherand blissfully happy, completely in love and devoted to each other with a baby on the way. At the time, they both felt like they were on top of the world, until the world itself seemed to have been ripped out from under them. How had it come to this?

Buffy closed the door behind him and followed him into the living room. He settled himself onto the leather couch, looking slightly uncomfortable and apprehensive, and she knew he was just as nervous as she was. They hadn’t seen each other in months. After what felt like an eternity she finally broke the deafening silence.

“You look good, Will.” He offered a tight smile in response.

“So do you. Just as beautiful as I remember.” She met his eyes then, feeling those familiar butterflies that even after being with him for 3 years had never gone away. She was still in love with him, of that she had no doubt. He was everything she had ever wanted in a man, kind, loving, passionate . . . . . and they had been so happy, until a cruel twist of fate turned their entire lives upside down, and everything changed. The veil was lifted and suddenly she knew she could never be that same naive girl that still believed in happy endings, for those didn't exist. Fate didn’t seem to want that for her. But as she gazed upon his familiar form, she couldn’t help but envision a future with him, hope that circumstances could work in their favor for once. The house, the white picket fence, the 2.5 kids, why couldn't they still have it?

But reality once again slapped her in the face as she remembered why they weren't together in the first place. Too much had happened. There had been heartache, deceit, lies . . . . too much had been against their relationship for it to ever work in the long run. When and if they reconciled, where would they go, what would they do? How would things change?

Both sat quietly as they contemplated what to say next, desperately wanting to make it count, to convey all the emotion they had been forced to keep bottled up for far to long. Buffy offered William tea, which he politely declined, before leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Her heart leapt into her throat as she realized now was the moment, now came the conversation that could make or break them, that could change everything.

It was time to bring it all out into the open once and for all. William raised his head and met her gaze, blue meeting green, and for the first time she saw just how vulnerable he was, laying his soul bare before her.

After a long hesitation, William let out a breath and began to speak, hoping against hope this was when the healing could finally begin.

---

A/N: OK, so there's the first chapter. It's kind of just a set up for what is to come, so hang in there. There will be plenty of action and plenty of drama (and romance!) to come. Hope you like it so far - let me know what you think. Should I keep going with this story? Pssst - Hint: Writer loves reviews :) Hehe

Oh, and I almost forgot the all important disclaimer. Joss & Co. own everything, and I'm just a peon who owns nothing 'cept my own crazy imagination. And boy is it crazy ;)

---

Flashback (October, one year earlier)

Buffy attempted to snuggle up to William’s chest, frustrated that her efforts were thwarted by the huge bump of her stomach. William gave her an amused smirk as he watched her shuffle on the bed, trying to get as close as possible with little success. She threw him an accusing glare. “You better not be laughing at me, mister!”

He chuckled and dropped a light kiss on her forehead. “Wouldn’t dream of it, luv. I just don’t think little Dawn would fancy being crushed between her parents during a shag fest.”

“Hey, who said anything about shagging” She raised an eyebrow at him innocently, a slightly coquettish smile playing upon her full pink lips. He growled at that and buried his face in her neck, lightly nipping and licking at her heated skin while she giggled, thoroughly enjoying being ravaged by her husband. But then she paused, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “Wait, Dawn?” She inquired.

He lifted his head to meet her gaze, looking slightly sheepish.

“Well, since it’s a girl and we never really decided on a name, I thought we could call her Dawn. Mum suggested it, actually. Was my aunt’s name, ‘n I was really close to her. A strong, kind, and wonderful woman.” He paused, “Like you, pet.” Buffy held his gaze and smiled, feeling as though she was drowning in the depths of his eyes that shined with such love for her she thought she would melt under the intensity.

“Dawn,” She said, testing how the name felt rolling off her tongue, “I like that. We’ll call her Dawn.”

“Yeah?” He smiled brightly at her.

“Yeah,” She nodded, before playfully trailing a finger down his chest and biting her lip suggestively. “Now, about that shag-fest –“ But before William could respond the shrill ring of the phone interrupted their morning festivities.

“Bloody ‘ell,” He grumbled, “It’s soddin’ 8:00 on a Saturday morning. This better be good.” He reached for the phone beside the bed, yanking it angrily from its receiver. “Hello”, He said gruffly.

Buffy scooted back into the pillows, trying to read her husband’s expression as he chatted on the phone. He sat up straight in bed as he listened to some clearly interesting news on the other end of the line. Buffy could only hear his end of the conversation. “They did what? . . . . .what d’ya mean it didn’t go through? . . . .who’s training these idiots anyway? . . . . So, fix it! . . . .* loud sigh * So you need me to come in and clean things up then. Bloody brilliant . . . . Fine then. I’ll be there in a bit. Ta’”

William shook his head, clearly irritated, before turning to face his pouting wife. “Sorry Kitten. Gotta go in to the office today. Apparently some bleedin’ amateurs screwed things up pretty bad, so o’ course it’s up to me to fix things.” Buffy mock pouted, crossing her arms in amusement as she listened to his rant. “Long story, pet. I’ll explain it all when I get back.”

Buffy nodded, and he dropped a chaste kiss on her lips before getting up to shower and dress. Buffy relaxed into the pillows, still worn out from their night of love making. She was afraid at first that he would find her growing stomach unattractive, but it only seemed to turn him on even more, and hey, she certainly wasn’t complaining.

Some time later, a freshly showered and half dressed William appeared, pulling on his blue shirt and doing up the buttons as he entered their bedroom.

“Mum’s coming over to stay with you today.” He said. His mother, Jenny, was always coming over to help with something. She was a very kind woman, and Buffy thought she was a lot like her own mother, Joyce, who had passed away just five years ago.

Buffy sighed, “William, I’ll be fine. You’re only gonna be at the office a few hours. I’m a big girl.”

“I know, kitten.” He smiled at her and sat beside her on the bed as he twined his fingers through her hair and caressed her cheek. “I know you can take care of yourself, but you’re well into your 8th month and you can pop at any time for all we know. I’d just feel better having someone here with you in case something happens, ok?” Buffy nodded.

“Ok, sweetie. If it’ll make you feel better.” She complied. William rested his free hand on top of her bump, stroking small loving circles.

“It will,” He said softly, bending down to place a soft kiss on her growing stomach. Then he sat back up to meet Buffy’s gaze. “I told mum to bring you some breakfast so no need to go rummaging around the kitchen yourself. Too many sharp, pointy objects lying about. Bloody dangerous,” He mumbled. “And if you need anything, and I mean anything, you call me, alright?”

Buffy rolled her eyes, though a smile played upon her lips the whole time. He had been so protective during the pregnancy, never letting her pick up anything he deemed too heavy, (which often times included anything more than a pillow), insisting that she held onto him whenever she had to climb any stairs, and he waited on her hand and foot. Not that she objected to being pampered, but oftentimes he looked at her as though she would shatter into little pieces, and she knew she was perfectly capable to do things on her own. But he insisted, and she loved him all the more for it.

“Alright Will. I’ll call.” She agreed, wrapping her arms around his neck, “Now go have your fun at work.” William snorted.

“Fun, Ha bloody Ha pet, that’s a good one.” He grumbled sarcastically. “’Sides, I’d much rather be here with you and the nibblet.” Buffy smiled.

“I know,” She stroked the back of his neck, “So off to work with you. The quicker you’re done there the quicker you can get back here and – “ she leaned forward to bite his ear lobe gently, “We’ll talk about that shag-fest.” William leaned back and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m gonna hold ya to that one, Goldilocks,” She met his gaze then, dropping a light kiss on his lips.

“I love you,” She said.

He grinned back at her. No matter how many times she said it he never got tired of hearing those three magical words. “Love you too, Pet.” He returned, kissing the tip of her nose, then her forehead before standing up. “Well I better be off, before I say ‘sod the job’ and instead choose to shag you senseless all morning.” Buffy laughed whole-heartedly, feeling happier in that moment than she had ever felt in her life.

She was on top of the world.

---

A/N I know this update is short, but I wanted to have a strictly happy, fluffy chapter before I get into more angst. Consider this the calm before the storm. *Insert evil laugh* But I promise, next chapter you'll find out what happened to them (though there's quite a lot to tell) Anyway, hope you like the story so far.

And special thanks to Stace, Caitie, BuffyandSpikeForever, Dee, Brat, and songgal1 for your reviews :)

---

Present Day


* After a long hesitation, William let out a breath and began to speak, hoping against hope this was when the healing could finally begin. *

“Buffy” He said her name like a prayer, soft and almost reverently, “I know it probably doesn’t make much of a difference now. . . . But for what it’s worth, I just want you to know how sorry I am.”

“Don’t, William.” Came the soft response. He lowered his head, averting his eyes as she continued, “We’ve both done things to hurt each other. And I’m sorry too, for everything . . . .” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth and sighed, “But it’s not like sorry can change the past.”

He nodded in agreement, tears pooling in his eyes, “I know,” He said, “God how I know. It still haunts me everyday. Every morning I wake up wishing all of it had been some horrible nightmare” Shaking his head in exasperation, “I’d give anything to take it all back, but I can’t! To have you back, and mum - and – Dawn“ His voice cracked then, his breath hitching in his throat.

Buffy felt an instant tightening in her chest when she heard his words, her stomach churning. She stood up abruptly, suddenly feeling nauseous. “William,” She managed to choke out, eyes wide as she shook her head, bringing one hand up to her mouth “I- I can’t!“

The pain was still too raw, too real, and she couldn’t face it. Not just yet. Maybe never.

A strangled sob wracked her body as she turned and fled, escaping to her bedroom and closing the door behind her. Buffy leaned against it, the hard wood cold and solid against her back as she slid down to the floor, letting her head drop to her knees and the familiar sorrow overtake her.

William could only watch her flee the room, understanding the overwhelming pain.

He still remembered it like it was yesterday, that fateful October Saturday that changed everything, that started out so right, and somehow ended so terribly wrong.





Flashback (October, one year earlier)

William managed to escape for a smoke break, feeling dangerously close to beating one of his coworkers to death with a shovel if he didn’t get his fix fast. Smoking was a rarity for him now, since he never lit up anywhere near Buffy so as not to hurt the baby with the second hand smoke. He groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He’d already been at the office a good three hours and felt like he was just spinning his wheels and getting nowhere.

‘Bloody incompetent pillocks,’ He huffed inwardly.

William turned his head when he heard a door open behind him, seeing his friend Clem emerge from within, one of the only people William actually liked at his job. “Hey, there you are!” He greeted.

“Hey, Clem,” William responded from where he leaned up against the side of the building, taking another drag from his cigarette.

“You got a phone call,” Clem said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate he should go inside. William instantly stood upright, ground out his cigarette under his black Doc Martin boot, and followed his friend through the door. “Is it Buffy?” He inquired. Clem shook his head.

“Um, no. Was a guy’s voice,” William’s eyes narrowed and his heart starting beating just slightly faster as he thought of whom it might be. When he reached the phone, dread started to spread through him like wildfire. “’ello?”

“Hello, is this Mr. Giles?”

William knew. It was then that he knew, something about the tone of the man’s voice on the other end of the line – something wasn’t right, he could feel it.

William closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. “Yes,” Was all he could muster.

A brief silence on the other end, then: “It’s about your wife and mother. I’m sorry, but there’s been an accident.”

The words cut him like a knife twisted deep in his gut, and he dropped the phone as though it were on fire, not even registering the loud “thump” as it crashed to the floor. He raced out the door toward his Desoto, not even pausing to tell anyone where he was going.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything happened in a blur; driving to the hospital breaking every speed limit along the way, running through the hospital doors as fast as his legs would carry him, asking where he could find his wife and mother, hearing that they were both in the emergency room.

But the hardest part of all was the waiting. It was pure, sadistic torture as he paced the room, a complete nervous wreck, stopping periodically to sit with his head buried in his hands while he desperately tried to fathom the tragic turn of events that day had brought forth. The waiting room became his own personal Hell as seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and every tick of the clock felt like an eternity.

But then, finally, the moment of truth.

William stood in place and gulped as he watched the surgeon approach, not knowing what to expect and fearing the worst. But when the doctor took off his cap and met his gaze, the reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks. The grim look in the surgeon’s eyes gave everything away, and William fell to his knees in utter defeat, not even needing to hear what he had to say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘We couldn’t revive your mother,’
‘Your wife is in critical condition,’
‘We couldn’t save the baby.’
‘I’m sorry for your loss’

Those words would haunt him day in and day out for the rest of his life, relentlessly echoing through his mind as though taunting him.

And still nothing could prepare him for the sight of Buffy lying in that hospital bed. When he was finally allowed to see her, he almost broke down right then and there as he took in the sight of the countless tubes, bandages, and bruises, but he knew he had to be strong for her. He couldn’t lose it. Not yet. She looked so small and fragile, so helpless, and it killed him to know he couldn’t do anything but sit beside her bed, hold her tiny hand in his, and wait for her to recover.

My Buffy. My poor, poor Buffy

Buffy and Jenny had been on their way to the grocery store when the horrible ordeal occurred. They had taken Jenny’s car, with Buffy driving when a pickup truck hauling several large pieces of lumber moved in front of them, causing its cargo to break free and fall right into their path in the process. Buffy swerved to miss it, but lost control of the car, only coming to a stop after it had wrapped itself around a metal pole.

Jenny had been on the side of impact.

Twisted metal, blood, so much blood.

William waited helplessly for his wife to wake up, only leaving her side for brief periods of time to take food and bathroom breaks until his father, Rupert, arrived from England. He insisted William go home and get some sleep, to which he reluctantly agreed after much persuasion, assuring him nothing would happen to Buffy while he was gone.


When Will returned to the hospital the next day, he sent his father away and pulled Buffy’s hand to his lips, kissing it. He had been told she would be permanently blind in one eye, as her head trauma had caused too much damage for the optic nerve to be repaired. Aside from that, there would only be small scars that would fade with time, though the emotional scars would linger far too long.

William tried to remain composed and strong for Buffy. But when she awoke he felt his entire resolve crumble when she only managed to choke out one small, barely audible word before slipping back into unconsciousness.

“Dawn”

With that, he laid his forehead against his wife’s hand still encased in his own and wept bitterly, finally letting his grief overtake him.




Present Day

‘How can I make this better?’ William thought, ‘How can I turn back time?’

But he knew he couldn’t. They couldn’t change the past, just as they couldn’t predict the future. They could only take what they learned from it and move forward.

It was time to start living again.

William walked quietly to her bedroom door and knocked lightly, “Buffy? Please, luv, open the door” He pleaded softly, feeling defeated. There was some shuffling on the other side of the door before it creaked open, revealing a puffy-eyed and miserable Buffy, tears still streaming down her face in torrents.

William opened his arms without hesitation.

“C’mere, luv,” He said, inviting her to take what little strength and comfort he could offer her tonight.

With only a moment’s pause, she stepped into his warm embrace, and he wrapped his arms securely around her, resting his chin on top of her head as she buried her face in his chest.

“I’m sorry, William!” She cried out, muffled against his chest as her tears soaked through his black t-shirt, “God, I’m so sorry! You show up and we’re supposed to be working out our problems and I - I close myself off again so I don’t have to face the pain. I shut you out, and I’m sorry, so sorry – I’m so sorry Will –“ She suddenly felt like she was too weak to continue standing, practically collapsing in his arms, and he held her tighter against his body as they sank to the floor together. She fisted her hands in his t-shirt, clinging to him like a life-line and continued sobbing while he rocked her gently on the floor, stroking her hair in a soothing motion and whispering softly in her ear.

“Shhh. It’s alright, pet. I know. I’m here now and I’m never leaving again. We can do this together now, Buffy.” He kissed her temple. “But tonight let’s not think, let’s just be, ok? We can figure everything out tomorrow. Just know that if you fall, I’ll be right here to catch you. Believe that I’ll always catch you from now on. Always.”

Her sobs had dwindled into light sniffles and tremors as he continued to rock her and stroke her back, holding her until he felt her breathing even out, an indication she was asleep. William shifted, careful not to wake her as he scooped her slight form into his arms, carrying her to the bed where he laid her gently down.

As he bent down to kick off his boots, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye, the softest shimmer highlighted by the darkness of the room. William leaned over Buffy’s sleeping form to have a closer look, and was surprised at what he saw.

On her left ring finger still sat her wedding band, sparkling in the moonlight. She still wore it.

William smiled as he slid under the covers behind Buffy, spooning up against her, and she unconsciously responded by shifting closer, needing the comfort of having him in close proximity even in her sleep. He obliged, seeking her warmth and realizing there was still hope for them yet. Tomorrow was a brand new day.

With those thoughts he snuggled closer and soon followed her into sleep.

And for the first time in months, it was a peaceful one.




"Lying beside you, here in the dark
Feeling your heartbeat with mine
Softly you whisper, you're so sincere
How could our love be so blind
We sailed on together
We drifted apart
And here you are, by my side

*So now I come to you with open arms
Nothing to hide, believe what I say
So here I am, with open arms
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
Open arms*

Living without you, living alone
This empty house seems so cold
Wanting to hold you
Wanting you near
How much I wanted you home

But now that you've come back
Turned night into day
I need you to stay"

---

A/N So there you have it. There was tragedy (Sorry but it had to be done * sniff *), and lots of angst and tears, with more to reveal in the coming chapters (including the actual reasons for their breakup – that will all be explained). I know this chapter was a little bit hard to read, but hang in there – I promise happier times will be in store for our duo in the near future. (Though it may be bit of a bumpy ride.)
Anyway, thanks so much to Dee, songgal1, Bint, BuffyandSpikeForever, Kimber, Brat, Caitie, stace, Melissa, and Sevvy_O for your reviews!

And btw the song is “Open Arms” by Journey. I just wanted to tag it on the end because I love the song and thought it was pretty fitting... so yeah. lol

---

Rupert stayed to help his son and Buffy until her wounds had healed considerably and she could almost move around on her own again, before returning to England. William was glad that his father was there for support, though they had never been particularly close, as he and Jenny had divorced when William was 18, which was when he had moved home to England. Though Rupert always remained in contact with his ex-wife and son, making frequent phone calls and visiting when he could.

Once Rupert left and the initial trauma wore off, Buffy became increasingly withdrawn and closed off to the world, barely even spending any time with her friends Willow and Xander. She spent more and more time at the gallery (which she had taken over after her mom’s death), and devoted all of her time to her work. Buffy hadn't even shed so much as a single tear since the accident, not even at Jenny's funeral, though William could tell she was hurting. Whenever she saw a small child, a flicker of sorrow would etch across her delicate features. William always saw it, but whenever he tried to comfort her, to get her to talk about anything even remotely related to the accident, she would instantly close herself off and say she didn't feel like talking.

William couldn’t help but feel like this wasn’t Buffy – it was just an imposter walking around with her exterior, nothing more. For his Buffy was full of life, full of spark, and this one was nothing but an empty, hollow shell.

William started to go out more and more so as not to have to deal with the pain of losing his wife on top of everything else. He had lost his mother, his child, and now he was losing Buffy, too. Maybe not physically, but he could see that she was distancing herself from him, and he didn't want to have to face that reality. So instead he went out drinking with Clem, because if he came home drunk he didn't have to think about the pain.

Both were afraid to face the pain, so they kept it all inside, closed off to the world. Everything had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long and it was bound to boil over, which it eventually did. It was the night that made them realize things needed to change, that they couldn’t keep going on like this, and the consequence of their self involved actions finally reared its ugly head. It was the night all hell broke loose.


Flashback

Buffy untied her smock and set it aside, taking a step back to admire her work. She threw down her brush with frustration as she surveyed the end result.

‘My work just hasn’t been the same lately’ She thought bitterly. Maybe it was just her being overly critical, but especially her being blind in one eye seemed to severely affect her work.

‘Well, at least I didn’t actually lose an eye like poor Xander. Eye patches wouldn’t exactly complement my wardrobe.’

Buffy practically jumped right out of her skin when she looked up to see William standing in her doorway, looking rather unhappy.

"This ends now," He growled. Buffy just stared blankly at him, confused.

"What does?"

William took a menacing step closer. "Who the hell is Angel? And why did the ponce leave a message confirming your date for tomorrow?" He demanded, head tilted as he surveyed her reaction, "Are you cheating on me, Buffy? Is that why you've been avoiding me lately?"

Buffy's mouth dropped open, completely shocked by what he had just said. "How could you accuse me of cheating? I'd never cheat on you, Will!" She had no idea where all this was coming from, but she didn't like it. " In case you've forgotten, that's exactly what my father did to my mother. You think I'd want to repeat the pattern?" She exclaimed, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she huffed.

"Still haven't answered the question, Pet."

Buffy shook her head in disbelief. "Angel is a potential buyer for some of the most valuable pieces in the gallery. We're discussing business over lunch tomorrow. Happy now?" William was still watching her intently, his voice unwavering.

"Then why didn't you tell me, Buffy? Why are you keeping all of this from me?" He raised his voice a little, taking another step closer.

"Will, what are you talking about?"

He was now standing directly in front of her. "You've been closing yourself off to me, Buffy. You barely even talk to me anymore. You keep pushing me away!"

Buffy sighed loudly as she met his gaze with defiance, "We're not talking about this right now," She stated matter-of-factly, moving to walk past him and out the door.

Before she could, William grabbed her by the upper arms and roughly pinned her against the wall, preventing her escape.

"Yes, we bloody well are!" He said through gritted teeth, "I'm your husband, dammit, and you're trying to cut me out of your life!" He accused, and as he leaned closer, it was then that she smelled the alcohol on his breath. She cowered slightly under his glare before raising her chin and speaking calmly.

"Will, you're clearly drunk. Again. Maybe now's not the best time to talk about these things." She tried to wriggle free but William only tightened his grip on her arms, pushing her more forcibly against the wall.

He leaned closer, his face now inches from hers. "Now's as good a time as any," He replied coldly. "So tell me, pet, why have you been shutting me out?"

Her eyes widened. "I haven't been shutting you out!"

"Really, you coulda fooled me," He snorted, jaw clenched.

She sighed irritably, "Will, I really don't want to talk about this right now." She put her hands up to his chest to try to push him out of the way, but he wouldn’t budge, intent on finishing the conversation.

"Then when, dammit!? When are you willing to talk, because it's been months now and still nothing's changed. So tell me, princess, when have you decided is a good time for us to bloody talk!" William seethed, fire burning in his eyes, "Or maybe I could ask your boyfriend, Angel," He added through gritted teeth.

Buffy's chest was heaving now, her heart thumping faster as her anger grew. "What the Hell is your problem?" She demanded.

"My problem is you won't soddin talk to me! All you've been doing is painting your stupid bloody pictures, and you hardly even look at me anymore!" He retorted, his grip on her arms now bruising.

"Yeah," Buffy said with pure venom in her voice, "Well maybe I can't stand to look at you, at what you're becoming. At least I don't come home drunk every night!" Buffy stared back at him with an icy glare, nostrils flaring, "So have you been taking lessons from good old Rupes, Will? Is that what you want, to be a chip off the old block, looking for answers at the bottom of a fucking bottle? Turning into a pathetic drunk like dear old daddy?"

Those words made William see red, and in one quick move he raised his arm and backhanded Buffy across the face. Hard.

She instantly raised a hand to her stinging cheek, eyes wide and mouth open, completely stunned. William had never hit her before. And the second he realized what he had done, he regretted it, instantly sobering up at his harsh actions.

“Oh God, Buffy, I – “ He reached a hand toward her but she backed away, flinching. William closed his eyes and felt his heart clench. The last thing he wanted was to make Buffy fear him. “Pet, please don’t be afraid, I-I didn’t mean to hurt you, I-“

Buffy just continued to stare at him tearfully, unmoving. William met her gaze, pure sorrow and regret etched across his features, before leaving the room.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Hours later, Buffy laid in an empty bed, staring blankly at the ceiling when she heard the front door open and close. Knowing William was home, she instantly closed her eyes and feigned sleep as he entered their bedroom.

He stood completely still for a moment, gazing at his wife’s sleeping form, watching her chest rise and fall as she breathed, before making his way over to her side of the bed. He knelt beside her, listening to her breathing to see if she was awake. William stayed in that position for a long while, just staring at her, cringing when he noticed her swollen cheek in the soft glow of moonlight where the imprint of his hand remained clearly defined. Ghosting his fingers tenderly over the sensitive area, he began to speak.

“I’m so sorry, Buffy.” He whispered tearfully, receiving no response from his sleeping wife. He continued, “I love you so much, kitten. I always will.” With those words he slowly bent down, lightly brushing his lips across her forehead.

He stood then and took one last longing look at his wife, trying to commit every single detail to memory, before turning and walking out the door.

*****

Buffy woke up alone that morning, her eyes instantly coming to rest on the folded sheet of paper that sat on the vacant pillow beside her. Her hands trembled and her stomach sank as she opened the note and began reading:

Dear Buffy,
Words cannot express how much I regret my actions last night. I had no right to hit you, and knowing that I hurt you tears me up inside more than you could know. You were right, I am turning into my father. But he was able to overcome his addiction, which is what I intend to do as well. I have a problem, Buffy. As you said, I can’t look to the bottom of a bottle to solve my problems, not anymore, which is why I am going to England. My father has been through all this before, so he can be there to guide me as I fight this addiction. I think it’s for the best that we face our problems alone. How can we fix our relationship when we are both broken people? I don’t trust myself around you anymore, not until I get better. I don’t want to risk hurting you again. Things should never have gotten as out of hand as they did last night, and I fear we’ve been ignoring our problems for far too long. We’ve been shutting each other out because we’ve been too caught up in our own pain and selfish needs to realize that things just haven’t been the same since the accident. But just believe that I’m not leaving you, Buffy, I’m leaving us, just for a little while. I want to become a better man, a man worthy of being in a relationship with you, a man that doesn’t rely on drinking to solve his problems. I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye, but I felt it was for the best, that it was less painful this way with no chance for us to change our minds, because I really think we need this time apart. I will call you as soon as I arrive in England, and I hope that the next time I see you I will be a changed man. I promise that once this is all settled I will come home to you, Buffy. Please believe that, and know how much I love you. I always will, until the day I die, and nothing will ever change that. You’re my heart and my soul, and I’ll miss you every second while I’m gone.
Love always,
William

When Buffy finished reading, tears were streaming down her face as she clutched the letter so tightly to her chest that her knuckles turned white. She knew he had been right last night, that she had been shutting him out along with everyone else, and that she was just as much to blame for their problems.

She missed him terribly while he was gone, talking to him on the phone as much as possible, needing to hear his voice. After several months of being apart, William finally kept his promise. He called Buffy, and told her he was coming home.


Present Day

Buffy woke up, feeling well-rested for the first time in months. She panicked for a brief second, wondering if last night had been only a dream, until she felt the warm body pressed against her back, and the strong arms wrapped around her torso. She turned around in William’s arms to face him, seeing that he was still sleeping peacefully. He looked like a little boy in his sleep, so young and innocent, and she smiled at the familiar sight. She couldn’t help but reach out and brush a curl of blond hair off his forehead, running her hands ever so gently over his striking features, tracing his lips with her fingers, light as a feather. When she felt him kiss her fingertips, she snapped out of her daze and looked up to meet a pair of sparkling blue eyes gazing back at her, a slightly amused smile playing on his mouth.

“Hey, you,” he greeted.

She returned his smile, “Hey, yourself,” she responded softly, “Sleep well?”

“Mm, very. You?” He inquired.

“Same.”

They stared into each other’s eyes for several long moments, reveling in the feel of waking up next to each other again. Buffy was the first to snap out of it, sitting up in bed and stretching her tired muscles.

“Well,” She began, “Why don’t we go talk in the kitchen over a nice big breakfast. What d’ya say?”

William nodded agreeably, “Sounds great, pet.”

Some scrambled eggs, toast, and two cups of tea later, it was time to get down to business. William was the first to speak, his tone quiet and mournful.

“I should never have gone to work that day,” He said quietly, regret dripping from his voice. “I had this feeling . . . . I knew something was gonna happen, I knew it. But I thought it was just me being paranoid. You know, being overprotective and always fearing the worst.” He sighed loudly, “Why’d I have to take my soddin’ job so damn seriously? If I’d have just listened to my gut that day, trusted my instincts and stayed home with you, none of it would have happened.” He finished averting his eyes from her gaze.

Buffy knitted her eyebrows together in disbelief. “Will, please don’t tell me you blame yourself?” William didn’t answer, still staring down into his cup of tea in silence.

“Will,” Buffy coaxed, placing her hand over his on top of the table and giving it a gentle squeeze, “None of it was your fault. There was no way you could have known something like that would happen.” Buffy paused for a minute and let out a long breath before continuing, “If anything, it was my fault.” William’s head snapped up at that, confusion apparent in his features.

“Your fault?” He inquired, “How?”

Buffy pulled her hand from his and placed it in her lap, wringing it nervously as she continued. “I was the one driving.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re to blame” He quickly interjected

She shook her head, “Please let me finish, Will,” She waited for him to reluctantly agree before continuing. “Let’s face it, I’m largely to blame for everything. The accident, the separation . . . . You were right. I did shut you out, along with everyone else.” She took in a deep breath and bit her lip, “When my mom died, I handled it. But she died from cancer. I always knew it would eventually come, that it was inevitable, so I had time to prepare. But this . . . . it was my idea to go to the store that day, and I was the one driving. I panicked, Will, and I froze. When I had to swerve, I completely froze. I didn’t even hit the goddamned breaks! I had plenty of time to react and I didn’t, and now because of me Jenny’s dead, and Dawn-“

William finally had to cut her off, not willing to sit back and listen to her blame herself any longer. He shook his head emphatically. “Buffy, the accident was not your fault! It was that wanker’s fault who cut you off in the first place, who didn’t tie down those boards like he should’ve!” Buffy still refused to listen.

“Yeah, well, your drinking was my fault, too. I-I pushed you away. I pushed everyone away! You tried to talk to me and comfort me but I didn’t want to be helped. I felt like I didn’t deserve help, because it was all my fault to begin with. I couldn’t deal with the pain, and I lost you. I drove you to drink because I wasn’t there anymore!”

William spoke firmly, desperately trying to make her see reason. “No, Buffy, I could have dealt with it differently. You didn’t hold a bottle to my lips every night, you didn’t force me to drink. I had a problem and I needed help." He paused, making sure he had her attention, before he continued, "You can’t be held responsible for my actions. I should have been there to help you more, to do something better – “ Buffy once again interrupted.

“But you couldn’t have, because I wouldn’t let you! I’m a horrible person, Will!” She hung her head, ashamed, and William reached across the table and entwined both his hands with hers, willing her to listen.

“You listen to me, Buffy. In my whole life, there’s only one thing I’ve ever been sure of: you.” When she still didn't look at him, he leaned across the table and freed one of his hands so he could tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Hey, look at me." He said, his tone soft and nonjudgemental, "When I say I love you, it’s not because I want you, or because I can’t have you. It’s got nothing to do with me.” A single burning tear blazed a trail down Buffy’s cheek as she listened to his beautiful speech. “I’ve seen your kindness and your strength. I’ve seen the best and the worst of you and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are," He paused briefly, "You’re a hell of a woman, Buffy.” She smiled weakly through her tears, her heart brimming with love for the man who was now freely baring his soul to her.

Before she had time to think about what she was doing, she leaned across the table and her lips were on his. When their mouths melded and she felt the warmth radiating from him, her body almost broke out in a chorus of “Hallelujah” at how right it felt. He responded instantly, his lips dancing across hers. The kiss went on and on until William finally broke away, standing up so he could pull Buffy around the table and into his arms. He crushed his mouth to hers again, their tongues dueling as hands explored, groped, caressed, trying to feel every inch they could reach, reacquainting themselves with each other’s bodies.

They stumbled towards the bedroom, fumbling while they frantically shed their clothes along the way, mouths fused the entire time. By the time they reached the bedroom, both were completely naked and gasping for breath, hearts racing a mile a minute. William scooped her up and kneeled on the bed with her in his arms, gently setting her down on the firm mattress. He bent over and captured her mouth in another searing kiss, tracing her lips with his tongue, before he moved to cover her body with his. She felt the hard lines of his body pressing her into the mattress, and her hands moved to caress his back, fingertips tracing muscles that flexed under smooth skin. She closed her eyes, lost in ecstasy, and her entire body felt like it was on fire as his mouth abandoned her lips to move across her jaw, trailing burning hot kisses down her neck, nipping at her throat hungrily. Buffy moaned when his roaming hands came to rest between her legs, his talented fingers probing her warm center, teasing the sensitive bundle of nerves, damp with the evidence of her arousal.

“Oh God!” Buffy moaned, throwing her head back onto the pillows as she gasped with pleasure. “Need you, Will. Need you right now!”

Without further hesitation, William lifted his head and met her gaze, and in one quick move he was fully sheathed inside of her. Both of them gasped at the feeling, eyes wide as they marveled over how right it felt.

It felt like coming home.

William’s breath came out in short spurts as he struggled to maintain control. After a few moments, he grasped both of Buffy’s hands, pinning them at either side of her head as he laced his fingers with hers. Then, he began to move, setting a slow, steady rhythm, thrusting as deep as he could go.

When he noticed Buffy’s eyes were closed, he bent down and lightly kissed both her eyelids before whispering, “Open your eyes, Buffy. Look at me.”

Buffy’s eyelids fluttered open and she met his gaze, seeing the blue eyes that were now almost darkened to black with pure lust, shining with love for her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her mouth opening and closing as she felt the release steadily building inside of her, the sweet friction William provided driving her wild.

Feeling her body tense with her approaching climax, William sped up his pace, pumping faster and faster as she moaned and writhed beneath him, her eyes glazed over with pleasure.

Knowing how close she was, William leaned down, his warm breath tickling her ear as he spoke, his voice husky and low. “I love you, Buffy." He whispered, " I never stopped.”

With those words Buffy cried out, her entire body bucking wildly as her orgasm washed over her, shock waves of pleasure making her feel as though she were floating and would never return from her high.

William continued to move frantically, desperate for his own release. With one last thrust, he emptied himself within her, burying his face in her neck as he followed her into bliss.

---

A/N In this chapter I was trying to convey how, in the face of tragedy they let their own insecurities get in the way and were too caught up in their own pain to notice their marriage was suffering. It took that kind of a confrontation to make them realize things needed to change. They both dealt with their pain differently, but didn’t communicate like they should have which is what lead to their separation. They needed time apart to deal with their own problems first before they could work on their relationship, which is the stage they’re at now (healing and rebuilding).

Also I’m sorry there’s been so many flashbacks, but I’ve needed them to tell the story of what happened in their past so far. I know they can be confusing so I promise after this chapter there will be very few (if any) flashbacks, because I want to focus on the present, with Buffy and William rebuilding their relationship.

And yes, I did include a part of the ‘Touched’ speech in this chapter (because I love it so much). And sorry this is such a long A/N – there’s just a lot that needed explaining, LOL.

And special thanks to: Bint, dreamgirl4eva, Dee, BuffyandSpikeForever, melissa, tiggerratty, Kimber, Caitie, and Sevvy_O for your reviews
(OK, I’m done talking now, I promise, lol)

---

William and Buffy laid in silence as they basked in the afterglow of their ecstasy, still attempting to recover. Buffy’s left hand traced lazy circles over William’s flat stomach, her head tucked neatly under his chin, ear pressed against his muscular chest as she listened to his heartbeat. William sighed with contentment and wrapped his arm tighter around her back as she nuzzled her cheek against him, snuggling further into his warmth. He gently moved his hand up and down her arm in a soothing caress and tangled his fingers in the silky blond hair that fell around her shoulders.

“Well,” Buffy finally broke the silence, “That, was –“ She paused, searching for a fitting word.

“A bloody revelation,” William finished for her, his voice slightly hoarse. Buffy rolled her eyes and chuckled.

“Well, I was gonna say amazing.” She paused, “But yours is good, too. I suppose”

He laughed at that, causing Buffy’s head to bounce slightly up and down on his chest. She rolled on top of him, straddling his waist and pinning his wrists with her hands so she could lean forward and look down into his face.

“And what, might I ask, is so funny?” She demanded, arching an eyebrow in amusement.

William’s laughter faded as he marveled at the beauty of the woman sitting astride him, her hair cascading about her shoulders and big emerald eyes shining with glee and mischief. Unable to resist, he freed one of his wrists from her grasp, reaching up to tuck a lock of blond hair behind her ear.

“Nothing,” he finally responded, “Just happy to be back here, with you.”

Buffy smiled down at him, and as she gazed into those intense blue eyes, she couldn’t help but notice how they seemed to shine back at her. A wave of warmth and contentment washed over her as she realized the spark that had been missing when he first arrived was now back. ‘I gave him that,’ Buffy thought to herself in amazement. She was jolted from her reverie when William propped himself up on his elbows and caught her mouth in a feather light kiss, applying barely any pressure, his lips warm and moist as they brushed against hers. Taken by surprise, a soft mewling sound escaped her throat, and her lips seemed to respond of their own volition, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she lost herself in the moment.

This wasn’t a lustful, or passionate kiss. It was tender, and lazy, as though they had all the time in the world. It was a kiss that spoke of only one thing: love.

After countless moments of merely lingering on each other’s lips, Buffy broke away and leaned back, her expression unreadable as she rolled off of him and sat upright in bed. William instantly noticed the change in her mood and pulled himself to a sitting position beside her, looking at her questioningly.

“What’s wrong, kitten?” He inquired, eyebrows knitted together in curiosity.

Buffy briefly met his gaze before turning her head away again. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth for a several moments, then let out a soft sigh and began speaking. “We can’t do this, Will.”

William’s heart sank as he heard those words, instantly dreading what she would say next, praying she hadn’t changed her mind about wanting to work things out with him.

“It’s not what you think,” She quickly assured him, and he relaxed a little. “I still want to be with you, Will. I want this to work . . . . But we can’t just jump back into bed with each other, like this,” She gestured between the two of them, “And think that all our problems are solved. We need to take things slower, Will. There’s still a lot that we need to figure out, and I don’t want to mess this up by doing everything too fast.” She looked at William to see his response, and he nodded slowly in comprehension.

“Ok, we can take things slow,” He agreed, “One step at a time.” He fell silent then, contemplating.

“Why don’t we start over?” Buffy turned to face him.

“Start Over?” William nodded.

“From the beginning. We could do things over. You know, start with the first date and work our way up from there.” He took her hand in his and met her gaze, “I love you, Buffy. And if you want to take this slow, then we will. We’ll start over, with a clean slate, and we’ll do everything right this time.” He planted a kiss on the inside of her wrist before continuing, “We can even get remarried, with the nice wedding you always wanted. Not another Vegas quickie like we had before.”

Buffy smiled brightly at him. “I like that idea.” She said. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she bounded out of bed, running to the bathroom and closing the door behind her before William even had a chance to respond. Confused, he searched for his jeans and quickly pulled them on, walking to the bathroom door and knocking lightly on the hard wood.

“Um, Buffy?” He called, “What are you doing?”

The door creaked open, a blond head peeking out with a mischievous smile playing upon her lips. “I’m getting ready for our first date,” She answered matter-of-factly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. William raised an eyebrow, amused by her playful antics.

“Is that so?”

She grinned innocently at him, “Yep. Pick me up at 6, then?”

“Bossy little chit,” He muttered, teasing her, which prompted Buffy to stick out her tongue at him.

“You know you love it.” He chuckled softly.

“Yeah, I do.” Her smile faded as he hooked a finger under her chin and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on her lips. After a moment, she put her hands to his chest and lightly pushed him away, wagging an accusatory finger at him.

“Hey! No smoochies before the first date!” He stuck out his lip in a pout.

“Fine,” He said. “Be ready at 6 then – and no questions about where we’re going either,” He smirked, waggling his eyebrows coyly at her, “It’s a surprise.”

William managed to steal one more brief kiss before she had to practically shove him out the door. After he successfully located the rest of his clothes, he finished dressing and left the apartment, descending the stairs two at a time as he made his way over to his black DeSoto. He was staying with Clem for the time being, because he had known that him and Buffy probably wouldn’t start living together again right away. A huge grin was plastered on his face as he hopped in the car and turned the ignition, humming along to the Sex Pistols and feeling happier than he had been in months. Things were going far better than he had ever imagined they would.

In his excitement, William failed to notice the shadowy figure concealed around the corner of the building, watching him intently as the black car rolled past.

‘Soon,’ the stranger thought, eyes glowing like embers in the darkness cast from the shadow of the building, before turning and disappearing from view.

‘Very soon’

---

A/N Didn’t think it would be that easy, did ya? Sorry, but I had to have at least one cliffhanger, lol. Anyway, I’m so glad you guys like the story so far, and that you think what I’m writing is realistic. The reviews for the last chapter were great – keep ‘em coming! Tomorrow is my birthday, so my weekend will probably be busy with little time to update, but I’ll try my hardest.

Special thanks to Bint, dreamgirl4eva, Kimber, melissa, Sevvy_O, Caitie, Brat, and BuffyandSpikeForever for your reviews. I love reading them! J

---

Buffy checked herself in the mirror for the umpteenth time, hurriedly applying a coat of mascara while she awaited William’s arrival. She wore a three-quarter length black dress with an asymmetrical hemline, form fitting above the waist and slightly flared on the bottom half so that it swooshed about her legs, flowing gracefully with her movements.
Originally planning on gathering her hair into an elegant up-do, she instead opted to leave her hair down, golden waves framing her face, because she knew that was what William always preferred.

At 6:00 sharp, Buffy heard the telltale knock on the door. Grabbing her purse and shawl off the table, she quickly moved to open the door, excited and slightly nervous at the prospect of going on a first date all over again. Buffy swung the door open and grinned when she saw William’s eyes practically pop out of his head as he looked her up and down, the sight of her almost taking his breath away. He was tongue-tied, speechless.

“Hello, Will,” Buffy said, her voice coming out more seductive than she had originally intended. “Is that for me?” She indicated the single red rose he held in his hand. He seemed to snap out of his daze then and presented the flower to her, a smile playing on his lips.

Buffy accepted the offered flower and sniffed it appreciatively, touched by the thoughtful gesture. “Thank you, Will. That was sweet,” She stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, quickly wiping off any traces of lipstick she left behind. Standing back once again to admire her, William finally spoke.

“Wow, pet, you look . . .” He paused, at a loss for words, “Beautiful isn’t a strong enough word. Amazing, incredible, smashing, gorgeous . . . .” Leaning in close, a mischievous grin on his handsome face, his husky voice whispered directly in her ear. “Delicious.” Buffy giggled and smacked him playfully on the chest.

“Down boy,” She teased, flashing him a coquettish smile. He curled his tongue behind his teeth suggestively, not even trying to hide his ogling.

“I love it when you wear your hair down,” William remarked after a moment, reaching out to run his fingers through the silky strands, “I’m one lucky bloke.” He met her gaze, and for a moment she was lost in the shimmering pools of his eyes that exuded such adoration for her. It was like he had her under some sort of hypnotic spell, as she couldn’t bring herself to look away.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Buffy finally commented, pausing to smooth the blue fabric of his shirt approvingly, feeling the hard muscles of his chest flex under her touch. She noted how the color of his shirt perfectly accented his eyes, making the blue even more striking than usual. Her date was definitely drool-worthy, there was no doubt about that. Though Buffy had always been very aware of that fact, often witnessing the death glares she received from jealous females.

‘And he’s all mine,’ She thought, licking her lips as she prided herself on that fact.

“Shall we, kitten?” William asked, interrupting her thoughts. Buffy smiled brightly at him as he held out his arm to her, which she gratefully accepted, looping her own arm through his.

“We shall,” She responded, allowing him to lead her out of the building.

“You chariot awaits, milady” William gestured grandly with his free arm, indicating his car as they approached.

“The DeSoto!” Buffy exclaimed in recognition, “You still have it?”

William nodded. “Yep. Left it with Clem when I went to England.”

He opened the door for her and waited until she was fully settled before closing it behind her and jogging over to the driver’s side of the car. After William buckled his seat belt, started the engine, and turned on the radio, he reached over and laced Buffy’s fingers with his, resting their joined hands on the bench seat between them and earning a heartfelt smile from Buffy.

During the ride, William peeked at her out of the corner of his eye as they neared their destination, raising his eyebrow with an amused smirk every time Buffy cast him a curious sidelong glance, completely oblivious as to where they were going, though William refused to give anything away.

However, when they finally arrived at their destination, Buffy immediately recognized the fancy restaurant as the place where they had their real first date. She smiled as a wave of happy memories flooded her mind, fondly recalling how nervous she had been when the incredibly hot mystery man with the platinum hair and sexy accent asked her out, wondering why he was interested in her of all people. Remembering how she had marveled over how they instantly clicked, their conversation flowing effortlessly as though they had known each other for years.

Buffy was pulled from her reverie when the valet opened her door. She waited as Spike handed over the keys to his beloved DeSoto, before escorting Buffy into the restaurant.

Once they were seated, Buffy leaned her chin on her hand, gazing at William, the dim lighting the romantic atmosphere provided causing shadows to dance across his handsome face. William gazed back at her.

“What’s on your mind, pet?”

She hesitated briefly before answering, “I was just thinking . . . .Why did we let things get so out of hand, Will? Why didn’t we catch the problem sooner? With us, with everything?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know, luv. I guess we were so caught up in our own grief that we were too blind to see.”

Buffy chuckled, “Well seeing as I’m half blind, I guess I was at a bit of a disadvantage,” She said, trying half heartedly to tell a joke that William obviously didn’t get.

“Sorry, luv, didn’t mean it that way”

Buffy patted his hand across the table and offered a lop-sided smile, “It’s ok, Will, I didn’t take it that way. It was a joke.” She paused, “Though obviously not a very good one.” The wry smile faded as she clasped his hand, her espression growing somber before she continued, “That night that you left, I should have never said those things. I never thought of you as a pathetic drunk, Will, or your father for that matter. He helped out so much after the accident, and . . . .” Buffy trailed off and averted her eyes. William shook his head.

“Let’s not keep dwelling in the past, Buffy. That was part of our problem in the first place.” She nodded in agreement.

“You’re right,” A sigh, somewhat of relief, “So, then, where do we go from here?”

William drew in a breath, “Well, like we said before, we take things one step at a time. See where it leads us. And look, we’re already making progress. You’re taking another big step here too, allowing yourself to open up to me.” He paused for a minute to reach for his glass, “A toast” He declared suddenly.

Buffy raised a brow in question, “To what?”

“Our future.”

Buffy smiled at that, and instantly raised her glass to join in the toast, “To the future it is, then,” She replied, clinking her glass with his. She tilted the glass to her lips, letting the bubbling liquid slide down her throat and effectively ease the last of her apprehension about their date.

When Buffy set down her glass, William stood up and walked around the table, holding out his hand to her invitingly. “Care to dance, pet?” He asked. Buffy nodded enthusiastically, taking a moment to remove the white napkin from her lap and replace it on the tabletop before placing her tiny hand in his larger one.

“I’d love to.” She responded. William raised her hand to his lips, lightly kissing the back of it as she stood up, before leading her to the dance floor.

They turned to face each other, and Buffy stepped forward, lacing her left hand with his right one and placing her other hand lightly on his shoulder. She sighed with contentment when she felt his arm wrap around her waist and draw her flush against him, their joined hands fit snugly between their bodies, resting against William’s chest. They began to move together as music filled the room.



Oh, my love, my darling,
I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time,
And time goes by so slowly and time can do so much.
Are you still mine?




Buffy felt like she was floating. Suddenly, all the other couples on the dance floor melted away and it was just the two them in the whole world, time itself seeming nonexistant. She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her like a prayer, hearing the truth in the lyrics along with the steady beating of William’s heart. She felt his chest rise and fall with his breathing, and she realized there was no place else she’d rather be. The hand that had rested on his shoulder now played absentmindedly with the curls at the nape of his neck as she reveled in these thoughts.




I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me.

Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh, "Wait for me, wait for me"
"I'll be coming home, wait for me!"




William rested his cheek against the top of Buffy's head, and as he breathed in her familiar scent he almost wept at the rightness of having her back in his arms. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment, pressing a kiss into her hair and tightening his arm around her waist, never feeling like she was close enough.

As they continued to sway to the music, Buffy raised her head to meet his eyes, and he gazed back into her glistening emerald, his own eyes shining with love and adoration. Buffy felt lost in a whirlwind of emotion as he slowly stroked his hand up and down her back, sending shivers down her spine.




Oh my love, my darling
I've hungered for your touch, a long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly and time can do so much
Are you still mine?

I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me





When the final notes played and the song ended, their lips met in a gentle kiss, igniting the fire all over again. It was brief and soft, as they were in a public place, but left a yearning inside of them, flaring the passion and sending shivers throughout their bodies. When the kiss ended Buffy felt like warm honey was pulsing through her veins, her lips tingling as though begging for more. She felt complete.

They walked back to their table, hand in hand, to finish their meal and see what else the night had in store for them

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that night


"Now where are we going?” Buffy asked impatiently, absolutely drunk with excitement and sounding like a whiny kid shouting ‘are we there yet?' during a family road trip.

William grinned, “Wouldn’t you love to know,” He squeezed her hand. “Patience, luv.” Buffy pouted in response, giving her best puppy dog eyes, and William chuckled. “We’re almost there, pet. I promise.”

When William pulled the car over by a secluded area of the beach, Buffy frowned, thoroughly puzzled. She didn’t even register that William had left the car until her door was pulled open, a hand held out to herin invitation. “Will?” Buffy began, “Where . .”

“Trust me” William simply said. Buffy nodded, and without further questioning, placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her where he wished. Together they climbed a beaten path that led up the side of the hill that rose just above the beach, coming to rest at the top where William spread out a blanket he'd brought from his car, gesturing for Buffy to sit.

Buffy obeyed, gazing up at the array of stars plastering the night sky and momentarily forgot to ask exactly what they were doing here. William sat next to her in silence, instantly noticing that she was shivering slightly in the cool night breeze. He didn’t hesitate to shrug out of his jacket and wrap it around Buffy’s shoulder’s, for which she thanked him kindly, pleased with the thoughtful and gentlemanly gesture. Unable to resist, she leaned in for a quick kiss.

After a moment William pulled back.

“C’mere pet,” He said, patting the space on the blanket in front of him. Buffy complied, happy to oblige, and settled herself in between his long legs, leaning back against him. William wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his cheek against the side of her head.

Once she was comfortable, William spoke. "Look over there, luv," He requested, pointing across the bay and waiting until Buffy followed his indication. “See the carnival going on over there?" Buffy nodded, seeing the bright lights and crowd of people off in the distance. “Well," William continued, "It’s been going on all week, and every night they set off fireworks from the pier at exactly 9:00, which begins-“ A loud boom interrupted him and he jumped as a bright flash of light filled the sky. “Now, apparently,” William finished, while Buffy watched the display in awe.

“It’s beautiful,” She breathed. Bursts of light illuminated the sky, and William pressed a kiss to her temple and tightened his arms around her waist.

“Not as beautiful as you, kitten” He murmured. She snuggled back further into his chest and sighed contentedly, feeling almost sleepy in her state of relaxation. They sat together in silence, neither wanting the night to end, though they both knew it had to eventually.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Well, here we are.” Buffy stated when they reached the apartment door. She turned to face William. “I had a wonderful time tonight Will. Thank you, for everything.”

“No, thank you,” He responded sincerely, “I had a wonderful time too, just being with you.”

Buffy looked between him and her door, uncertain. “Well, I’d invite you in, but we all know where that would lead, and we’re trying to take this slow and all, so-“

She was silenced when William placed a finger to her lips, chuckling, “I understand, pet,” He cupped her cheek and bent down, tilting her head toward his, “Now gimme a kiss and we’ll call it a night.”

“Mm, happy to oblige,” Buffy said, her eyes fluttering shut just before their lips met in a tender kiss.

When they finally parted, she licked her lips and smiled brightly at him. “You know," She began, "I don’t think I’ve said it yet since you’ve been back, but I do love you. Very much.” William smiled back at her in response.

“I know, kitten,” He answered softly, “Love you too.”

William waited as she fumbled with her keys, wanting to make sure she got inside safely for the night. But when she turned towards the door, she knitted her eyebrows together and placed her hand on the knob, a sense of dread creeping up her spine when she pushed the door open without having to use her key. She frowned, suddenly feeling very uneasy.

William immediately looked concerned when he noticed her change in demeanor. “What’s wrong, luv?”

Buffy shook her head, “My door, it’s unlocked. I never leave it unlocked.” William looked at the ajar door, then back at her, nodding solemnly.

"Stay behind me, then. I'll just go in first, look around, make sure everything's OK."

Fear gripped her as William entered the apartment first, Buffy following close behind. When he flicked on the light, everything looked completely normal. William turned to Buffy, who shrugged and shook her head, indicating everything seemed to be in its place.

William searched every room with Buffy right behind him, looking for any traces of an intruder and coming up empty. When they were satisfied that everything was OK, William turned to her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms soothingly.
“Looks all clear, pet," He said.

She shook her head sheepishly. "Musta just forgot to lock the door, I guess." She shrugged, though still not convincing herself. As long as she could remember, she had never forgotten to lock that door.

"You gonna be ok, pet? Maybe I should stay tonight?" She raised an eyebrow at him, “Just to make sure you feel safe” He clarified. She shook her head.

“Thanks, Will. But I’ll be fine. I’ll double lock the door,” She responded.

“You sure, luv?” She nodded.

“Alright, then. Sweet dreams, Buffy." He bent down and kissed the side of her neck teasingly. "Don’t let any Big Bads get ya.” He added, smirking at her.

She chuckled, “Goodnight Will,” Leaning up to steal one more kiss before he left. Buffy went to bed that night feeling elated, praying the whole thing hadn't been a dream.

Though as she tried to get some sleep, she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had permanently settled in the pit of her stomach.

---

A/N: Sorry for the delay in update, and I know this may not be the best written chapter, but my weekend was really busy, plus I had a major case of writer's block, lol. I wanted their "first date" to just be romantic, which is why I used "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers because, in my opinion, it's one of the greatest love songs ever written. *sighs*
And I know, another semi-cliffhanger. But I promise that the mystery will be unraveled soon enough.
And thanks to everyone for the BDay wishes, and for all the reviews, especially BuffyandSpikeForever, Caitie, melissa, Kimber, dreamgirl4eva, Bint, Demonica Mills, and Sevvy_O

---

Buffy awoke the next morning feeling like a new woman, refreshed and contented as she stretched out like a cat on her bed. The sun’s rays streamed brightly through the window, warming her from the inside out, and she yawned widely as she peered over at her alarm clock, shocked to learn it was already almost 10.

Pulling herself out of bed at a leisurely pace, she smiled as she recalled the events of the previous night, remembering what a great time she had and immediately wondering when she could see William again.

With pleasant thoughts drifting through her mind, Buffy shuffled towards the bathroom to begin her morning routine, still slightly groggy in her state of waking.

However, when she was halfway there, she abruptly halted her movements, an uncanny notion that something wasn’t quite right sending up a red flag in her mind. The unnerving feeling that she was being watched chilled her to the bone, goose bumps prickling along her skin as she was suddenly very alert, and very afraid. She stood completely still for several moments, straining her ears to hear anything out of the ordinary.

‘I’m probably just being paranoid,’ She tried to assure herself, rather unconvincingly.

Forcing herself to shake it off, she bypassed the bathroom and instead walked to the kitchen to make herself some tea in an attempt to cure her persistent grogginess with a jolt of caffeine. However, when she reached her destination, her eyes were immediately drawn to the table. In the middle sat the vase, right where she had left it the night before with the rose William had given her placed inside. Only, something was different. The flower looked almost forlorn within its encasement, completely bare, the stem being all that was left.

All of the petals were missing.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Riiiiinng!!

Buffy reached over and picked up the phone from its cradle, lifting it to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Gorgeous,” The husky voice purred from the other end.

Buffy’s face immediately lit up with a bright smile, feeling the familiar warmth inside at the sound of his voice.

“Hey, yourself,” She replied, settling herself into a more comfortable position on the couch.

“So, any Big Bads get ya last night?”

Silence.

Buffy hesitated to respond, not really wanting to tell William about what had happened that morning, knowing it would only cause him to worry.

“Nope, no baddies,” She finally responded.

A brief pause on the other end of the line, then, “Buffy, is something wrong?”

“No” She answered, too quickly, nervously biting her lip as she tried to keep any offending emotion out of her voice, “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Buffy . . . . .”

She closed her eyes momentarily. Why did he have to know her so well?

“I’m fine, Will. Really,” She tried to reassure him, hoping he wouldn’t pry any further, “Just, uh, still a little paranoid from the whole unlocked door incident last night.”

He let out a loud sigh. Buffy quickly interjected before he could say anything else about the matter.

“I can’t wait to see you again,” She said.

“Hmm, I can’t wait to see you either, Kitten. I thought about you all night.”

A huge grin appeared on her face. She couldn’t help herself, he made her feel so giddy, just hearing his voice enough to brighten her day.

“You did, huh?”

“All night long.” His tone was seductive, low, practically caressing her ear through the phone.

“So, then, when do I get to see you again?” She quipped, switching the phone from one hand to the other as she waited for his response.

He let out a breath, “Well, I don’t know . . . .” He paused, “How about now?”

Buffy frowned, “Now?”

William chuckled, “Open your door, pet.”

Buffy raised an eyebrow, another smile overtaking her features as she made her way over to her door. Quickly undoing both locks, she swung it open to reveal a smirking William, cell phone in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other. He snapped his cell phone shut and grinned at her, looking utterly delicious as always in his trademark black ensemble.

“Couldn’t wait,” He stated matter-of-factly, “Thought I’d come over and make us some dinner.”

Buffy’s smile instantly faded. “Oh, God Will, I’m a mess!” She exclaimed, hands working overtime to try to smooth down her hair and wipe any traces of paint off her face. After the morning incident, she had been in the studio painting all day to try to calm herself down. Her hair was pulled back in a sloppy ponytail, and she wore faded jeans and a plain white fitted T-shirt, most of it splattered with various hues of paint.

He closed the door behind him, set down his bag and grabbed both her wrists, halting her movements. “No, you’re not,” He leaned towards her, “You’re beautiful.”

Catching her lips in a heart-stopping kiss, she instantly responded and twined her fingers through his soft hair. William gently backed her against the wall, holding her in place as he broke off the kiss to breath in some much-needed oxygen before continuing his assault on her mouth.

Tongues collided, igniting the fire deep in her belly, every nerve ending in her body tingling in a demand to be touched.

William once again broke off the kiss, his lips abandoning her mouth to nip along her jaw line. He placed wet, open-mouthed kisses in a trail down her slender neck, his eager hands exploring her body all the while, grazing the sides of her breasts. Buffy moaned when she felt his teeth lightly sink into the crook of her neck, his tongue instantly darting out to smooth the small indentations he left behind on her soft flesh.

“God Buffy,” He rasped between kisses, “You’re all I bloody think about, dream about . . . .” Nibbling lightly on her ear lobe, “I’ve been wanting to do this all day.” He pinned her arms above her head as he continued to torment her with his lips and tongue.

“Will -” Buffy gasped, unable to form a coherent thought while his mouth devoured her hungrily, teasing her heated skin. When he released her arms they instantly wrapped around his neck of their own volition, holding him tightly to her, begging him to continue his delicious torment. Feeling herself being lifted, she wrapped her legs around his waist without hesitation while he pressed her harder against the wall, her arms tightening around his neck as their mouths collided. She could feel his hardness grinding into her, which only heightened her desire.

Reaching between them with one hand, Buffy pulled back from the kiss momentarily to meet his eyes, finding them stormy and dark from his rising passion. She frantically fumbled with his zipper, needing to feel all of him, desperate for completion, until –

Riiiiinng!!

William groaned loudly, visibly irritated by the interruption.

Riiiiiinng!! The phone stubbornly persisted.

Buffy cleared her throat. “I, uh, better get that,” She said.

William nodded and reluctantly released her from his hold, letting her feet slide to the floor. Her legs felt like jello as she stood, grabbing the cordless phone from its receiver and facing away from William.

“Hello?” She said, her voice slightly hoarse.

Silence.

Buffy frowned.

“Hello?!” She tried again, slightly louder this time.

Still no answer.

Though this time she could distinctly hear someone breathing on the other end of the line. Deep, low breaths that came out as throaty rasps. Buffy knitted her eyebrows together as she awaited a response, receiving nothing but the same raspy breathing, sounding almost like hissing to her ears.

Click

She still held the phone to her ear, thoroughly puzzled, until a rather obnoxious busy tone clearly indicated the disconnection.

“Who was it?”

Buffy jumped when she heard William’s voice, having momentarily forgotten he was in the room in her state of confusion. She turned to face him, clicking the phone off as she did so.

“Uh, wrong number.” Buffy responded with a shrug, deliberately avoiding his eyes and earning a slight frown from William who obviously didn’t seem to buy her story. “Um, I’m gonna go freshen up,” She muttered, casually gesturing to her paint splattered clothes. “Why don’t you go start dinner and I’ll come out and help as soon as I’m done.”

She quickly left the room before he had a chance to respond.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Minutes later, she stood in front of her bedroom window, wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a white blouse, staring vacantly into the apartment lot. Her eyes narrowed and her stomach sank when she noticed the tan car parked across the street, obviously trying to remain inconspicuous. She couldn’t see who was inside, but she didn’t need to as her suspicions and fears were finally confirmed, much to her dismay.

She recognized the car. She knew who it was, and suddenly, everything seemed to fall into place, and panic began to rise within her.

When a strong pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind, she jumped, letting out a yelp as she was completely taken off guard and instantly fearing the worst. The arms wrapped tighter around her like a vice, pulling her flush against a warm body as she struggled to get free, her strength no match against his despite her best efforts.

“Easy, luv,” came the soothing voice, sounding like music to her ears, “Little jumpy tonight, are we?”

Buffy instantly relaxed in his arms, letting out a sigh of relief and closing her eyes. William planted a kiss on the back of her neck, causing her to shiver and slump against him, feeling safe in his welcoming embrace.

“Buffy” He purred into her ear.

“Hmm?”

She felt his breath on her neck.

“What were you looking at through the window?”
When he felt her tense upon hearing those words, he released her and turned her around to face him, his hands holding her firmly in place by her upper arms so she couldn’t move away. Noticing she was averting her eyes from his gaze, he cupped a hand under her chin and tilted her head upwards, forcing her to look at him. His blue eyes pierced through hers, searching for any explanation of her strange behavior.

“Buffy . . . . .” He prodded, his tone firm.

When she still hesitated to answer, he shook his head and released her from his hold, turning and exiting the room with long strides. Buffy hurried after him as he stooped to pick up his black duster and keys, but when he placed his hand on the doorknob she touched his arm, taking a surprised step back when he quickly slapped her hand away.

“Where are you going?” She asked quietly, as though afraid of the sound of her own voice.

“Out.” He responded harshly, still facing away from her.

“Will,” She began softly, placing her hand on his shoulder, which he again batted away.

“I can’t do this, Buffy,” His tone was somewhat gentler now, his voice wavering slightly as he battled his emotions, “We said things would be different this time. No more secrets, no more lies. Yet it’s happening all over again,” He paused, his jaw clenched tightly, “And I can’t go through that again.” He turned the knob and pulled the door open, needing to distance himself from the rapidly dissolving situation.

“Will, please don’t go!” Buffy pleaded, her voice cracking. This time when she touched his shoulder, he tensed, but didn’t push her away, slowly turning to Dace her when he heard the sadness in her voice. His expression softened when he saw the unshed tears pooling in her eyes, her chin quivering, and before he knew what was happening she was in his arms and clinging to him so tightly breathing became difficult. Her arms wrapped around him like a vice, unwilling to let him walk out the door.

“Please don’t leave me,” She begged in a whisper, “Don’t leave again.”

He sighed, his resolve crumbling, and kissed the top of her head. “I’m not gonna leave you, Buffy.”

She looked up at him then, her watery eyes holding a spark of hope, though her arms never loosened their death grip on him. When he felt her trembling, he couldn’t take it anymore.

Without a word, he stooped to bring an arm behind her knees, sweeping her legs out from under her while his other arm braced around her shoulders as he picked her up off the floor. He carried her to the sofa, where he sat down with her in his lap, his eyes looking intently into hers. He stroked her back gently until he felt her begin to relax against him, the tension slowly leaving her body, though her eyes never left his.

Once he was sure she had calmed down, he broke the silence.

“Now,” He said, his voice low and firm, “You’re gonna tell me everything.”

---

A/N: I know, I said the mystery would unravel in this chapter, but when I started to write it I realized it would be too soon. Bear with me though, I promise all will be revealed by the next update. I didn't actually intend to make a mystery at all in this story, which is why I don't want it to get too involved - the focus is still on William and Buffy rebuilding their relationship, and the point is that there are still things they need to work through and reveal to each other. The next chapter or two may be a little angtsy, but after that I promise things will definately start to go uphill - please keep the faith!
Thanks to all those who have been following the story and reviewing, especially dreamgirl4eva, Sevvy_O, Caitie, BuffyandSpikeForever, and Bint for your reviews. You guys are the reason I keep writing! :)

---

Buffy tried to move out of William’s lap, knowing the impending conversation would make them both more than a little uncomfortable, but he wasn’t having it. When he felt her attempting to distance herself from him, he tightened his arms around her waist, effectively halting her movements. Knowing it was a lost cause, Buffy instead shifted slightly and settled in for what would be a long an mostly unpleasant revelation. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against William’s chest as she prepared to tell her story, drawing in a deep breath to attempt to clear her head.

“Will, I-I think someone is stalking me,” She began, pausing when she felt William tense and tighten his arms around her possessively. “That phone call wasn’t a wrong number. I could hear someone breathing on the other end, and then they hung up. And this morning when I went into to the kitchen, I noticed all the petals were missing from the rose you gave me last night. Someone . . .must have broken in, because . . . .I – I don’t think I was alone in the apartment last night after you left.”

“Jesus, Buffy!” William gasped in horror, suddenly grabbing hold of her arms so he could distance himself slightly to look at her, his eyes scanning her body frantically as if to assure himself that she was really there, that she was not hurt. He shook his head in disbelief, worry exuding from his eyes, “I knew I should have stayed last night! What if some asshole had tried to kill you, or rape you? God, I never –“

Buffy held a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him.

“Will, I’m fine,” She assured him quietly, “You couldn’t have known. And besides . . . .I – I think I know who it is . . . .” She chewed on her lip vehemently as she tried to gain some focus, noticing William knit his eyebrows together in confusion, his face a mask of uncertainty as she continued, “It all made sense. The flower petals. . . . it was done out of jealousy, obsession. Wanting to destroy something you gave me, because it wasn’t from him” She practically spat the word, sighing loudly and hesitating only a moment longer before dropping the bomb, “Angel.”

William, who had tried to maintain his composure, finally burst. “ANGEL?!!” He roared as he jumped to his feet, inadvertently dumping Buffy off his lap and onto the floor. A weak protest of ‘ow’ escaped her lips as her hip slammed into the coffee table on the way down, powerless to do anything except watch William continue his rant.

“That wanker that called about the date?!! The date that was SUPPOSED to be about business?! I KNEW IT!!”

A disgusted shake of his head accompanied a threatening growl as he paced the room manically, hands clasped tightly behind his back and jaw clenched so tightly Buffy was sure all his teeth must be chipped. William payed no attention as Buffy slowly stood and rubbed her sore hip, observing his tirade quietly. He muttered strings of, “Bloody fucking ponce”, “I knew she was lying”, “Soddin nancy boy,” and “How could she?” along with various other expletives and accusations Buffy had no time to decipher as she struggled to gain hold of the situation.

Buffy finally stepped in, half fearing he would give himself a heart attack if he didn’t stop his antics, “Will,” She approached him cautiously, “Please let me finish. Let me explain. It’s not what you think.”

William halted his movements abruptly as he absorbed the meaning of her words.

‘Calm down, you soddin idiot!’ He mentally scolded himself, his heart raced a million miles a minute. After taking a moment to compose himself, he acknowledged her with a slight nod and plopped back onto the couch stiffly. A myriad of different emotions littered his face as he struggled to contain his outbursts; worry, jealousy, anger, frustration, uncertainty.

He held up a hand. “Hold on, ” He mumbled gruffly, “I really need a fag right now.” As he said this he reached into his duster and pulled out his trusty lighter and a pack of cigarettes, knowing full well he wasn’t supposed to smoke in the apartment. Buffy didn’t bother reminding him of that fact either, knowing it would be a lost cause as William was obviously not in the mood to heed any rules, especially under the circumstances. So she bit her lip and kept her mouth shut as he lit up, taking a few long drags to calm his nerves, before finally nodding at her to signal he was ready for her to start explaining away.

Buffy played with the collar of her shirt nervously.

“I’ll tell the story. But promise me you won’t interrupt until I’m completely done. Please, there’s . . . . there’s a lot that needs explaining, and I have to get it all out before it kills us both-“ she paused briefly, “When I’m finished, then feel free to do what you want, say what you want. Yell at me, hit me for all I care. I probably deserve it for keeping this from you for so long,” William looked at her, shocked by her words, though she didn’t notice as she hung her head in shame.

“No, Buffy,” He protested, shaking his head vigorously, “I would never-“

“Please, Will, just let me finish, ok?” Her words were whispered, anguished, and when William saw her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, his heart clenched. He nodded his agreement and watched as she sat beside him on the couch, though at the opposite end from where he remained glued in place.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I was meeting Angel for business. That’s exactly what it was – he . . . . said he was interested in making an investment. A big investment. Said he wanted to buy some of our most valuable pieces to display for his clients. He made all these big promises, and he seemed legit enough, sincere at least. He said his father owned some big law firm so I figured he must be pretty well-to-do, and that if we played our cards right we could make business at the gallery really boom. I wanted to make my mom proud.”

She sucked in a sharp breath and tried to collect her thoughts, forcing undesirable memories back in the scope of her consciousness, “He called again, a couple weeks later, to talk about buying some other pieces. So I agreed to meet with him again. I had no reason to think he was a fraud. I mean, he walked out the door with priceless paintings, handed me the check and everything. I even cashed the goddamned thing,” She shook her head regretfully.

“I started to get a little suspicious when he wanted to meet a third time. He’d bought a few paintings, sure, but he hadn’t yet mentioned any of his so-called clients since that first day, or buying out the gallery, or any of the crap he talked about during that first meeting. That’s when I started to question his . . . . intentions,”

Buffy glanced at William to try to gauge his reaction but his face remained impassive, set like stone, though she could tell he was trying very hard to bite his tongue and not interrupt. She continued, “But I went anyway. And sure enough, my instincts had been right. He . . . . asked me out on a date. A real, non business date, which of course I told him no. That I was married, to a man I love very much, and he said he understood. So I thought everything was fine. I didn’t hear from him again for a few weeks, until one night I went to the Bronze with Willow and Xander to blow off some steam and take my mind off of things,” William nodded solemnly in understanding as he listened intently, “And Angel just happened to be there. He spotted me first, so I acted cordial, you know, the usual ‘Hi, so how about the weather’ kind of thing. But later that night, when I was coming out of the bathroom, he pushed me into a dark corner, against the wall . . . . and – and he . . . .stuck his tongue down my throat and started to grope me.”

“He what!” William roared, instantly flying up off the couch. “I’ll kill him. I’ll kill the bastard!” He yelled, so loud Buffy was sure the entire neighborhood heard every word.

Buffy placed a hand gently on his arm. “Will, please calm down. I haven’t finished yet,” She pleaded softly. Her touch seemed to once again ground him and he reluctantly nodded, though his chest was still heaving from his outburst. He practically collapsed on the couch under the weight of his emotions as Buffy continued speaking.

“I pushed him away from me and slapped him across the face, said ‘How dare you,’ and stormed off. I thought that would be the last time I ever saw him, but after that night, I started getting phone calls. Most of the times I’d only hear someone breathing on the other end, and then they’d hang up. But other times he’d call me a slut, or a whore, or something to that effect. I noticed his car parked in front of the apartment, many times, just sitting there. Well apparently, he was stalking me. I guess he’d been coming to the gallery for months, checking me out, though I never noticed him before. He was obsessed with me, or something. I don’t know how, or why, but he was, and it started to really scare me,” Buffy sank back in her seat, her voice starting to waver slightly.

“I ran into him again at the Bronze, quite literally. He was drunk, bumped into me and cornered me, calling me names and shouting that I was a dirty little whore, that I knew I wanted him. He was delusional, and he tried to force himself on me again, but thank God there was a roomful of witnesses who intervened before he could do any damage, and I was able to get a restraining order against him,” She sighed, “I thought he would leave me alone after that. And he did, until you came back home. He must have known somehow that you were coming,” Her voice trailed off as she finished her story, and she turned to face William with a tortured look haunting her delicate features, the tears that had been pooling in her big emerald eyes now threatening to spill over. “That’s the whole story, I swear it. I said before I would never cheat on you, and I didn’t. I WOULDN”T.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” His question was soft and unaccusing, but full of hurt and uncertainty, “Why did you lie to me?”

“Because I know you, Will. If I told you, you’d have been on the first plane back to Sunnydale,” He remained silent, unable to deny what she said was true. “All telling you would have done is make you worry, or upset, and I didn’t want to put that on you while you were trying to get better. You didn’t need that . . . . And besides, I thought I had it all under control with the restraining order, that I could handle it myself. I didn’t want you to have to deal with my problems on top of yours, especially when we said we had to deal with our problems on our own before we could fix our relationship. I’m sorry – I never wanted to lie to you. I just . . . .I wanted you to get better, so you could come home to me. I love you, Will, so much. Please believe me,” She finished tearfully.

After a moment's pause, “I believe you,” He stated sincerely.

Her eyes widened, “You do?” William reached for her hands and encased them with his own.

“I still wish you would have told me the truth from the beginning. But I realize I acted like a jealous ass before. And if we’re gonna make this work between us, I have to trust you, which is something I never fully learned. You’ve always trusted me without question, and I need to do the same for you.”

Buffy sniffled and offered him a watery smile, giving his hands a gentle squeeze. “Thank you,” She whispered. “Let’s make a deal – you learn to trust me more, and I learn to open up to you more.” William returned her smile and gently wiped her tears away with the pads of his fingers.

“Sounds like a plan.”

She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, completely relieved and feeling the heavy burden of this painful secret finally being lifted off her shoulders.

“One more thing, Kitten, and no arguments.”

“Hmm?” She responded sleepily.

“I’m moving back in.”

Buffy’s eyes flew open at that and she sat straight up to meet his gaze.

“Don’t, Buffy,” William silenced her as she opened her mouth to protest. “I know this may . . . . complicate things a bit, but we can still take things as slow as we feel necessary. I’ll sleep on the couch – I’ll stay in the bleedin closet if I have to, but I’m staying here. At least until this Angel ponce is out of the picture.”


“Will-“

“I’m moving back in here, and that’s final!” Buffy’s eyes widened slightly at his harsh tone, and his expression instantly softened. “You’re in danger, and I can’t lose you. I – I almost lost you once . . . .” His voice trailed off, and Buffy suddenly understood exactly what he was feeling - she didn’t want to lose him, either.

She placed her small hands on either side of his head, pulling him towards her so she could plant a gentle kiss on his hairline and rest her forehead against his. Looking into her eyes, he brushed his lips across hers softly in the lightest of kisses, tasting strawberry lip gloss and vanilla. When he broke away, Buffy lovingly cradled his head against her breast, feeling his tears dampening her shirt as he wrapped his strong arms around her waist. They held onto each other for a long while, feeling that they had accomplished another milestone in rebuilding their relationship: learning to trust and overcoming yet another obstacle.

Buffy felt William smile against her chest, nuzzling her breast with his cheek as his anguish faded and he began returning to his usual self.

Buffy raised an eyebrow. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”

“Enjoying this.” He replied and nuzzled her breast with his nose again to emphasize his point. She flicked him lightly on the head in response.

“Perv,” She accused, smiling all the while.

He met her gaze and smirked, curling his tongue behind his teeth.

“You know you love it, baby.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, her smile betraying her mock annoyance.

“You’re insufferable.”

“So I’m told”

She shook her head, “What am I gonna do with you?” He raised an eyebrow at her suggestively. “You know what, don’t answer that.” This earned her a chuckle from William, like music to her ears.

“I’m supposed to go out with Willow and Xander tomorrow” Buffy offered, “Want to tag along, for old time’s sake?”

“You bet your luscious ass I do.”

Smack
She slapped his chest and stood up. “C’mon, let’s go work on that dinner you promised me earlier.” William stretched and followed her into the kitchen with a huge grin on his face, all thoughts of Angel momentarily forgotten.

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A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I was suffering from a major case of writer’s block that just stubbornly refused to go away, lol. But anyway, I hope you like this chapter. So it was Angel, and Buffy didn’t cheat. And of course, we haven’t heard the last of Angel, either. (Muahahaha)
And again, thanks so much for all the great reviews! I really love reading them, and the more I get the more inspiration I have to write. So special thanks to Caitie, BuffyandSpikeForever, Bint, Sevvy_O, Kimber, dreamgirl4eva, and jenny for all your reviews. Keep ‘em coming! :)

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A/N: This update is dedicated to dreamgirl4eva, who suggested the song used in this chapter, “Little Rock” by Colin Raye. I listened to it and actually liked it a lot, and the lyrics are great, so thanks again dreamgirl4eva! :)

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William’s eyelids fluttered open as he awoke, his line of vision blocked by the curtain of golden hair his face was nestled against. For the second time since he’d been back, he woke up next to Buffy, and he was loving that fact. Smiling to himself, he nuzzled the back of her head with his nose ever so gently as he breathed in her scent. Vanilla and strawberries, always the same, as long as he could remember. The scent was intoxicating to him. All those nights he spent in England, in a cold, lonely bed where every moment he longed to breath her in, touch her, taste her sweet lips, hear her laugh. Whenever they talked on the phone, it seemed like they were in two different worlds, at two opposite ends of the universe, every mile feeling like a thousand lifetimes away.

And now Buffy was finally in his arms again, back where she belonged, and the dreams William had for all those long, lonely months were finally a reality once again. He was home, complete. More than anything in the world, he wanted things to work out between them, to start a family, to live as they had always envisioned they would.

William pressed a soft kiss to her temple as he watched her sleep, her face peaceful and relaxed, her hair strewn about her shoulders like a golden halo. His angel. He’d die first before he let anyone hurt her, and he’d stop at nothing to protect her, even if it involved killing that wanker Angel. Whatever it took to keep her safe, he'd do it.

He tightened his arms possessively around her as she shifted closer to him in her sleep, her small body molded against his, and he tried to ignore the irritating cramp in his neck, the result of spending the night in the small confines of the couch. After dinner, they had fallen asleep together watching Return to Me, one of Buffy’s favorite movies.

Glancing at the clock hanging on the far wall and realizing it was well past 10, William stroked his fingers down Buffy’s cheek, trying to gently rouse her from sleep.

“Buffy, luv, wake up,’ He half whispered, receiving no response from Buffy. An evil grin appeared on his face as he remembered the best way to wake her up. Taking a section of her golden hair between his fingers, he clasped the silky strands and held them up under her nose, brushing them back and forth in a tickling motion. Smirking when he saw her wiggle her cute little nose and a frown crease her features in her sleep, he paused for a brief second before continuing his ministrations, sweeping the section of hair over her closed eyelids, her top lip and under her nose. After several moments of this, he heard Buffy draw in a sharp breath, almost a half snort as her eyes flew open to see William leaning over her with a mischievous grin on his handsome face.

“Hey,” She pouted, voice still thick with grogginess, “No fair.”

Without answering, William bent down and kissed that pout off her face. “It’s almost 11, pet. We need to get going so I can move in here good and proper before we meet Willow and Xander tonight,” He explained.

“OK,” Buffy simply said in agreement, yawning widely as she did so. William chuckled and planted a kiss on the side of her head, then gave her a playful smack on the bottom.

“Now go,” He ordered, his tone light and amused.

Buffy pouted again. “Alright, alright, I’m going,” She grumbled, twisting her head to plant a chaste kiss on his lips before reluctantly dragging herself to her feet and out of the warm and welcoming haven of William’s arms.



~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“Aww, I love this picture! I didn’t know you still had it,” Buffy commented as she continued to help William unpack his things, pausing to skim her fingers over the gold frame that encased the picture. They had already returned from Clem’s, managing to make it in one trip since William didn’t have many belongings. There were a couple bags filled with clothes, and a few small boxes filled with the everyday essentials along with a few knick-knacks and personal items that held sentimental value, which included the picture Buffy had inquired about.

He crept up behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder to peer at the framed photograph cradled in her small hands. It was a picture that Willow had taken of the two of them, a few short days after he had proposed. They had been running down the beach barefoot, kicking sand at each other and laughing like little kids when he had swept her up into his arms and threatened to drop her into the chilly ocean water, Buffy clinging to him and shrieking with terror and glee the whole time. They both looked content, like there wasn’t a single care outside of their own private little world. A golden moment between two lovers captured on film, not posed or forced, but completely natural and spontaneous, which always seems to make for the best pictures.

Smiling fondly, William nuzzled his cheek against the side of Buffy’s head and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.

“Yeah, I kept that one with me,” He explained, “Right next to my bed. It’s what kept me going every day, knowing I was coming home to you.” A comfortable and contented silence followed in the wake of his words, Buffy finally responding by soundlessly bringing a hand up to his neck and turning her head to capture his lips in a tender kiss. Then, she disentangled herself from his arms and walked over to the nightstand beside the bed where she carefully placed the frame.

“Then it stays right here from now on,” She stated after a moment, taking a small step back and turning to face William again. “OK, I think you’re officially moved back in now.” Grinning, she moved to William’s side and slipped an arm around his lean waist.

“Wait, there’s one more thing,” William suddenly declared. Buffy raised an eyebrow in question. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” Then, with a conspiratorial wink, he was out the door.

He returned a few minutes later carrying a large black case. A look of confusion marred Buffy’s features as she eyed the case suspiciously until recognition finally set in.

“Will, is that a guitar?” She inquired, hands resting on her hips. He grinned and nodded.

“It belonged to Da’, actually,” He responded, “I started taking it up while I was away. It was a kind of release for me.” He paused to set the case carefully on the bed and opened it, withdrawing a shiny black guitar from inside.

“Play me something?”

William turned to face her.

“I’m not very good,” He protested, but seeing her lower lip jutted out in a pout, he shook his head in defeat, automatically feeling himself caving in to her request. “Alright, no need to pout, you silly bint.” Chuckling, she stuck her tongue out at him in response as William continued speaking. “I’ll play something for you. But ONLY you. This is something I did in private. And if you laugh-“ He pointed an accusatory finger at her, “Then you bloody well better put a stake in me.”

Buffy grinned and flopped down on the bed. “I’d never do that, sweetie. I promise I’ll be good,” She said innocently, patting the space next to her on the edge of the bed.

William sat where she had indicated and slipped the strap around his shoulder, then paused to tighten a couple strings and strum a few random chords. Buffy waiting patiently until he finished tuning the guitar to his satisfaction.

“Ok, I’ll play a song that I listened to a lot while I was away. It – uh – kind of resonated with me . . . . . it, explains a lot of what I was feeling at the time,” Shifting slightly on the bed to make himself more comfortable, “So, anyway, here goes.”

Clearing his throat, he began to strum a few simple chords, setting a slow, melodic rhythm that steadily filled the room. His clear, warm tone soon accompanied the notes floating from the instrument as he began to sing.



"Well I know I've disappeared a time or two
And along the way I lost me and you

I haven't had a drink in 19 days
My eyes are clear and bright without that haze"



Buffy swayed her head in time to the music, letting the lyrics wash over her as she listened intently. She smiled, noticing how cute William looked as he wrinkled his brow in concentration, suddenly finding her significant other even more sexy if at all possible as she realized the extent of his talent. She had heard him sing before, and always knew he had a good voice. But when he added the guitar to accompany his vocals it was as though he was off in his own little musical world, and it was incredible for her to watch, especially knowing how quickly he had learned to play.




"I think I'm on a roll here in Little Rock
I'm solid as a stone baby wait and see
I've got just one small problem here in Little Rock
Without you, baby I'm not me"




He turned his head and smiled at her as he sang those words, his bright blue eyes soulful and intense. In response, Buffy skimmed a hand down his back, lightly caressing him so as not to distract him, but to let him know that she was there, that she was listening, and that she felt it too.




"I don't know why I kept it all inside
You must've thought I never even tried

Lyin' here upon this motel bed
My thoughts of you explode inside my head
And like a castle built upon the sand
I let love crumble in my hands"




Her vision started to blur with tears as she thought of how many nights she herself felt that same exact way, often fearing that she had lost her Love for good because of how she had kept everything inside, for far too long.




"I think I'm on a roll here in Little Rock
I'm solid as a stone baby wait and see
I got just one small problem here in Little Rock
Without you, baby I'm not me"




He met her gaze as he sang the last line, his voice rich with emotion, Buffy’s own eyes misting over as he finished.




"Wthout you, baby I'm not me"




William pulled the strap over his head and set the guitar aside, anxiously awaiting Buffy’s response, but she remained silent, her face pensive. He swallowed and cleared his throat loudly.

“Well, I know England isn’t exactly Little Rock, but I thought the lyrics were fitting just the same,” He tried to prompt her to speak, nudging her lightly with his shoulder in an almost teasing manner.

Before he knew what was happening, he was lying flat on his back, having been pounced on by a very turned-on Buffy. She sprawled out on top of him, planting gentle kisses all over his face. William chuckled at her antics. “I take it you liked the song, then.” A look of incredulity was apparent in Buffy’s eyes when she met his gaze.

“Oh, Will, it was – it was beautiful,” She stated sincerely. Grinning devilishly, she bent down to nip as his throat, leaving a hot trail of kisses which earned a low moan from William. Suddenly, all thoughts of self-control and taking things slowly flew out the window as she straddled him on the bed. Their bed.

“I must say,” She murmured between kisses, “That hearing you play the guitar,” Kiss, “And singing,” Kiss, “Is very,” Kiss, “Very sexy.” She whispered those last words right into his ear, gently nibbling on his lobe as she did so.

He raised an eyebrow, smirking, “That so?”

Buffy merely nodded and writhed against him in response, twining her fingers through his hair. William closed his eyes and shivered with desire, losing himself in the sensations. Warm, hot Buffy on top of him, kissing him. This was the life.

His eyes flew open when the amazing sensations ceased as he felt Buffy suddenly move away from him.

“Hey!” He protested, lifting his head off the bed to see what exactly she was doing.

She flashed him another evil grin and shrugged her shoulders, eyes wide with mock innocence. “Time to get ready to meet Xander and Willow,” She stated matter-of-factly.

“You little minx,” He growled, darting after a squealing Buffy as she fled the room, their wild laughter echoing throughout the cozy apartment.

The apartment that was once again home to both of them.

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A/N: Sorry for the lack of update. My college professors seem to have some sort of personal vendetta against me lately, LOL. Work, work, tests, tests. ARG! Anyway, I hope you guys are still enjoying this story. Just to clarify a few things – so now Buffy and William are officially living together again, next chapter they go to meet Willow and Xander at the Bronze (where maybe something sinister is lurking? Or maybe I’m bluffing . . . . *evil laugh*), and we have definitely not heard the last from Angel.

And also special thanks to everyone who reviewed - Kimber, Sevvy_O, Caitie, Bint, melissa, and brat. I really appreciate all the reviews. Please keep them coming, let me know what ya think! Pretty Please? :)

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"William, Buffy, over here!" Buffy turned her head to see Willow beckoning to her from across the dance floor of the Bronze. The red headed girl could barely contain her excitement at seeing two of her friends together again. William had his arm draped casually around Buffy's shoulders, her hand loosly entwined with his. They looked comfortable, relaxed, and very content.

When they reached the table occupied by Xander and Willow, Buffy stepped away from William momentarily in order to envelope her friend in a warm greeting hug, flashing her a big smile. Xander remained sitting, looking a little bit pensive, though slightly tougher behind his eye patch. He nodded at each of them in turn.

"Buffy. Spike"

William rolled his eyes. "Why do you insist on calling me that, Whelp?" He demanded of the nickname he had acquired in college, mainly because of the way he used to Spike his hair, though he loved to throw people off and tell them it was for more dark reasons.

All four of them had gone to school together at Sunnydale U, which was where they originally met. William, now 28, was two years ahead of Buffy, though he'd put off his college education for a couple years after graduating high school, due in large part to his lack of motivation in light of his father's return to England (where William had also been born and lived until he was thirteen, when his family had moved moved to the US). So he ended up being a freshman at the same time Buffy was. Yet ironically, they hadn't even met until their senior year, due to the chance happening that Buffy had one day tripped and fallen flat on her face right in front of him. Ever the gentlman, William helped her to her feet, and with the first look into each other's eyes both were smitten, and also saddened by the fact that they hadn't met until just then despite having unkowingly gone to school together for three years prior. The rest, not to sound too cliche, is history.


Both Willow and Xander were the same age as Buffy, who was now 26. She had been the one to introduce William to them back in college.

Xander shrugged. "Hey, I could always fall back on Captain Peroxide, whichever you prefer. I've got a whole bag full of nicknames with your name on it-" Xander paused, "That sounded a whole lot better in my head."

"Um, sure Xand." Buffy smirked wryly at him, taking a seat at the table beside William.

"So, how've you guys been?"

Willow smiled pleasantly. "Oh, you know, same old, same old. A lot with the 'boring and uneventful', not a lot with the unboring."

Buffy nodded and the table fell into a rather uncomfortable silence as no one knew what to say next. Xander, who had been sitting quietly and twiddling his thumbs the entire time, finally couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Hey, party in my eye socket and everyone's invited!" He joked, desperately trying to lighten the mood. The response he received was three blank stares, eyebrows raised in question. "Maybe I should just not talk" He thought aloud as the table lapsed into another moment of awkward silence which Buffy could no longer bear.

"Look, you guys, I'm sorry I haven't really seen you a lot lately. But it's just that things with William and I . . ." As she spoke his name she discreetly squeezed his thigh under the table before she continued, "Have been, well, you know . . ."

"We know, Buff," Xander interjected, trying to assure her. Willow nodded emphatically in agreement.

"Yeah, we understand you had to do the whole, fixing - or, mending thing . . . .Which, I must say, seems to be working like a charm." She added.

William grinned. "Yeah, Red. S'been going great so far," He said, though his eyes were fixed in a loving gaze on Buffy the whole time. He raised her hand to his lips, planting a gentle, affectionate kiss on the side of her wrist, and Buffy flashed him a dazzling smile as he did so.

"Aww, look at you two, all cuddly wuddly." Willow commented.

Xander snorted at that, before catching himself and shaking his head in despair. "I really need to get a girl." He mumbled under his breath. Willow patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"Me too."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats, completely silent as the tension around the table seemed to multiply. "Oh, come on," Willow continued, "It's not like you guys don't already know I'm gay."

William looked completely blind-sided. "Whoa, back the truck up. Red's gay?" He asked, "What happened to dog boy?"

Willow shook her head slowly. "Oz and I broke up a long time ago. Like, ancient history. As in past tense. And- and that's when I realized, 'Hey, gay here!'"

"Wow, I have been gone," William muttered with a slight shake of his head.

"Well, I'm gonna go get some drinks. Anyone want anything?" Xander offered, to which everyone politely declined. "Right. I'll just go then and - be, gone." As he walked off, Buffy cast Willow a puzzled look, to which she merely shrugged, waiting until she was sure Xander was out of earshot.

"He's Mr. Grouchy today" She explained. "He asked out one of the bartenders here. Faith, I think. Or, some, stupid sounding name," she said in defense of her friend, "But anyway, she made big with the rejection, so that's why Xander's Sir Mopes-A-Lot lately. I think he might be in need of a little ego TLC."

"Poor guy," Buffy muttered in sympathy. "Well, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's stroking," William looked at her in amusement, lips curled into a smirk. "I really just said that, didn't I?" Buffy's face flushed as she realized what she had inadvertantly said, simultaneously elbowing William in the ribs to wipe the smug look off his face, she clarified, "Egos, I mean. I'm good at stroking egos. You know, making people feel better." She shook her head. "Why do I even bother talking?"

William chuckled. "I find your big mouth endearing."

"Big mouth?" Buffy glared at him, aghast.

"Of course, I mean your wonderful, lovely mouth that I can't help wanting to snog every second of the day." He quickly amended, slowly leaning in for the kill.

"Um, hey. Hi. Still here."

Buffy and William looked rather sheepish as they had managed to completely forget their friend was still at the table.

"Sorry, Wills." Buffy apologized.

But Willow's attention suddenly seemed to be elsewhere as she stared over Buffy's head, looking towards the entrance to the Bronze.

"Oh, hey, It's Tara!" She exclaimed, her face suddenly lighting up.

They turned to see who she was indicating, noticing a timid looking blonde girl with a shaky smile on her face waving back at Willow.

"And who's Tara?" Buffy inquired.

"Just a friend." Willow answered automatically, perhaps a little too quickly as she shrugged off Buffy's intimation. Buffy raised an eyebrow. "What?" Willow demanded

"Oh, nothing," Buffy responded innocently, trying to act nonchalant. "Go tell your just-a-friend we said Hi."

As Willow shuffled off to greet Tara, Buffy turned to face William, absent-mindedly playing with the fine hairs at the nape of his neck as she did so. "You ok?" She asked

"Fine," He responded quickly, offering a genuine smile. "Why do you ask?"

Buffy watched as he grasped her hand again, seeming transfixed as his thumb drew erratic patterns over her pulse point.

"You've just been kind of quiet tonight." She explained, and he halted his movements.

"Been thinking, pet."

"'Bout what?" Buffy rested her head on his shoulder and listened as he sighed contentedly.

"Us."

"Oh," Buffy responded lamely, suddenly tensing. "And?"

"No need to fret, luv," He soothed when he felt her muscles tighten under his arm. She sat up to look at him and he met her gaze, pushing a strand of golden hair from her face, his fingers lingering over the smooth skin of her cheek, and Buffy's eyes slid closed of their own volition as she savored his caress. "Things have been goin' great, wouldn't you say?"

"Mmmhmm" Came the soft response, her eyes still closed as his fingers now traced the contour of her lips.

"You happy, kitten?"

"Mmm . . " Was all she could muster as she suddenly felt his warm breath on her cheek.

"So am I." As he said this, his lips ever so gently brushed against her own, in the barest of touches. A small sigh of contentment escaped her throat and she realized that lately, it felt like she was forever holding her breath until she could kiss him again, constantly waiting for that familiar awakening of desire his mouth was sure to promise.

Buffy yelped in surprise when she suddenly felt herself being yanked onto his lap, his mouth never losing contact as he deepened the kiss while simultaneously guiding her legs so that they were straddling him, needing to feel her as close as humanly possible. Sliding his hands down her back, he cupped her rear and drew her even closer to him, groaning with satisfaction as his arousal grinded against her warm center. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers weaving through his platinum curls and when she opened her mouth to invite his tongue inside, she swore she could hear him purring.

While their tongues danced, Buffy slowly gyrated in his lap, and once again the fact that they were still in a very public place became a moot point. They were oblivious to anything going on around them, any bystanders fading away to nothing, completely forgotten.

But the moment was quickly lost due to a rather obnoxious cough.

"Ahem?!"

They flew apart, Buffy practically jumping back into her own seat as they realized a rather disturbed looking Xander was standing right in front of them, drink in hand. And this time, Buffy's face wasn't the only one that was red. William looked beyond embarassment as well, both of them feeling like teenagers who had just been caught parking in the back seat of a parent's car. They'd been so lost in the heat of the moment that they were practically about to have sex in the middle of the bronze. Not exactly the most intimate of places to do such a thing.

"Sorry to interrupt-" Xander paused, "Actually, no, not sorry. Look, I'm glad you guys can't keep your paws off each other, really I am. But humping like bunnies in the middle of the Bronze-"

"Sorry." Buffy and William spoke in unison, not wanting him to finish that statement.

Xander sat down at the table. "Hey, apology graciously accepted." He said in a peace offering, and his expression softened. "Hey, I really am happy you two worked things out though. You deserve it." He stated sincerely. And he meant it, he was happy for his friends, though it didn't stop him from feeling bitter about his own love life, and the fact that he was scorned by pretty much every woman he pursued.

But something suddenly caught his eye, a cute little blonde in a short skirt, beckoning to him from the dance floor. Xander's heart leapt into his throat as he looked to his right, then his left, not quite registering the fact that it was him to whom she was directing her attention. But when he turned towards her once again and noticed her eyes still fixated on him, he pointed at himself incredulously.

'Me?' He mouthed in disbelief. She laughed and nodded. 'Yes you,' She mouthed back, crooking her finger at him in a "come here" gesture. Xander jumped up as though his seat were on fire, eager to get to the dance floor. "And suddenly things are looking up," He said with a grin as he scurried over to the waiting blond.

"Well, here we are, alone again." William said after a moment, looking rather smug, and Buffy glared at him.

"Don't you even start." She suddenly lowered her voice, whispering harshly, "I'm not really up for giving half of Sunnydale a free peep show tonight." Will held up his hands in surrender.

"Fine, then. I'll keep my hands to myself. Promise." He sat on his hands, effectively preventing any potential advances on his part.

"That's my guy." She grinned, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek. "I have to go to the bathroom," She declared after pulling back. When she stood from her seat, William pouted.

"And leave me here all by myself?" He gave his best puppy dog eyes.

Buffy waggled a finger at him. "Doesn't work on me, mister." His pout only grew deeper. And he certainly looked delicious when he did that, his blue eyes wide and sparkling, features looking so cute and boyish, that lip protruding ever so slightly, just begging to be kissed . . . .Buffy quickly shook herself out of it, throwing him an accusatory glare. "Hey, I can't help having to go to the bathroom!" stating the obvious, "I won't be long" She assured him. William snorted.

"That's what you bleedin' women always say."

"You are so gonna get it for that little comment," She scolded. "And I will be back in a minute."

As she turned to walk away, William worked at lightning speed. Before she could even register what was happening, he had wrapped an arm around her waist, catching her by surprise and causing her to lose her balance and stumble into him, an opportunity of which he gratefully took advantage and crushed his lips to her for a very brief, but deep, mind-numbing kiss.

"One for the road." He grinned once he broke away.

"You, are so bad!" She accused, stepping out of arm's length.

"What can I say, baby. I've always been bad." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, ok, Big Bad." She muttered sarcastically.

She made her way toward the bathroom, weaving through the crowd of people and completely unaware of the eyes that followed her every move, glaring daggers at her.

As she neared her destination, she was suddenly halted as she smacked straight into a broad, solid chest, yelping in surprise as the culprit seemed to have materialized right in front of her out of thin air.

Buffy slowly lifted her head to see whom she had run into. She gasped in surprise as she realized who it was.

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A/N: Sorry, another cliffhanger. I'm evil, I know. But hey, at least I admit it, LOL. So, I wonder who that could be, hmmm . . . . it may not be who everyone thinks it is though.

And some of the dialogue in this chapter belongs to Joss Whedon and Co. I just can't resist throwing in a few of my fave quotes though! Anyway, I hope everyone is still enjoying the story! And thanks for all the responses to the A/N, especially: dreamgirl4eva, shelly, PK, Kimber, msperfect, and Caitie.

I've finally decided what to do with Angel, though it won't actually be resolved for a few more chapters. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Bint, Kimber, jenny, Caitie, Amanda, melissa, and ace.

I love all the feedback - you guys are great!!!! :)

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*Buffy slowly lifted her head to see whom she had run into. She gasped in surprise as she realized who it was*

"Hello . . . .Hank" She said coldly, teeth clenched and eyes full of disdain as she stared into the face of her absentee father. She quickly distanced herself from him, crossing her arms tightly across her chest and lifting her chin high, not wanting to show him any vulnerability whatsoever on her part. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"Hey, kiddo." He forced a tight smile on his face as he greeted her.

"Oh, please!" She snorted loudly, "Drop the doting father act. And don't you dare 'Kiddo' me!" When Hank tried to place a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, she hastily pushed it away. He hesitantly lowered his arm back at his side with a loud sigh.

"Is that any way to talk to your father?"

Buffy looked to the ceiling and let out a small, sardonic chuckle.

"No, it's not a way to talk to a father. But you, Hank, are not a father," She met his gaze defiantly, fire in her emerald eyes, "Because being one implies actual parenting. Not abandoning his family to go off canoodling with some twenty-something year old bimbo."

She was in a full blown rage now as she felt the need to vent to the very man who had caused her so much emotional turmoil, "God, since I was ten, I never even received more than an occasional birthday card from you. Gee, thanks so much, dad, it's good to know you care enough to throw a piece of carboard in the mail every other year. And you couldn't even take the time out of your oh-so-busy schedule to show up for my graduation." Tears stung the backs of her eyes, "You weren't even here to help me when mom was sick. You could've cared less."

She angrily wiped her tears away, frustrated with herself for showing him weakness. But in all honesty, she was beyond the point of caring what her father thought of her. She wanted nothing to do with the man, especially not after all he had put her and her mother through.

Though Buffy didn't really care to hear a word he had to say, she was slightly surprised by his lack of response, and even more surprised by the slightly remorseful look on his face. He looked down at the floor in silence, perhaps not so much out of shame for his treatment of Buffy as it was for feeling like a failure as a father in general. The man didn't take failure in anything very well.

After several long and highly uncomfortable moments of silence, Buffy spoke again.

"Why are you even here?" She demanded, her voice wavering slightly as she swallowed her tears.

Just then, her answer arrived.

"Hey, snookie bear, I've been looking all over for you!" An annoyingly high pitched voice whined.

Buffy turned to see the source of the voice from hell, her eyes instantly locking on a blonde girl who was probably a couple years older than Buffy at most, clinging to Hank's arm posessively. Trying hard not to gag at the pathetic sight, Buffy settled for rolling her eyes, her lips pursed together tightly. It was painfully obvious that Hank had come to the Bronze at the request of his much younger counterpart. Apparently being with younger girls made him feel like some sort of a stud. It was as though getting older was a disease in Hank's eyes. Buffy secretly wondered exactly how many shiny new sports convertables he'd bought for himself in the depth of his mid-life crisis.

Hank finally spoke up to fill the awkward silence. "This is, Harmony," He told Buffy, "My, uh" He cleared his throat, "Fiancee"

Buffy's eyes were drawn to the obnoxiously large diamond perched on Harmony's finger.

"Gee, daddy, I'm so happy for you." Buffy forced a sacharine smile on her face, her voice dripping with mock-sweetness.

Harmony eyed her up and down. "Oh, right, you must be Betty," She said nonchalantly, and Buffy didn't even bother wasting her breath to correct her, "I thought I remembered Hank mentioning something about a daughter."

"Good to know my father speaks so highly of me," She looked pointedly at Hank and narrowed her eyes. "So, how'd you meet this one? Not that I care"

"Well, she was my-"

"Let me guess, your secretary," Buffy interjected, and Hank's lack of response verified her assumption was correct. She shook her head in disgust. "How very original. You know, I really think you need a new routine. The secretary thing is getting old."

Hank was a lawyer at Wolfram and Hart, the biggest law firm this side of LA. The woman he had originally left her mother for had been one of his secretaries there, and at this point Buffy was sure he only hired attractive women at his office so he could ogle them.

Hank ignored her comment, attempting instead to make casual conversation. "So, is Billy back from England yet?"

"His name, is William," Buffy replied through gritted teeth, "And as a matter of fact, he is. Not that it's any of your business." She threw up her hands in defeat. "You know what? I can't do this."

She couldn't take it anymore. That Harmony bitch was glaring snidely at her, and she didn't want to have to deal with her father's scrutiny anymore, or worse, his complete indifference. She had too much else on her plate right now to bother with him too.

But as she turned to walk away, Hank called out to her.

"Buffy-"

"Don't!" She spun around, holding up a hand to silence him. "You can't possibly have anything to say that I'm willing to hear. You weren't even at mom's funeral. And there is no excuse in the world that could make up for that." Her voice dripped pure venom and anguish, "You have no idea the pain you caused me, and mom too, for that matter. You had every chance to prove yourself to me, and you didn't even try," She glared daggers at him, "I'm tired of waiting for you to come around when you've done nothing but prove time and time again that you could give a rat's ass about what happens to me."

Her chest was heaving now as she was finally telling him exactly what she'd been wanting to say for all those years, "As of this moment," She paused briefly, "You're dead to me."

With those words, she spun on her heal and stormed away from her father, not even so much as glancing back. Suddenly feeling dizzy from the myriad of emotions churning inside of her, the need to get outside for some fesh air became overwhelming. Buffy had only fainted once in her life, but she remembered the strong feeling of light headedness that preceded, which was exactly the feeling she had now. So for fear of passing out and a desperate need to blow off steam, Buffy pushed her way through the crowd and exited the Bronze through the back door, the lively thumping of the music and noisy chatter from inside still echoing in her throbbing head as she emerged into the cool night air.

Buffy closed her eyes and leaned up against the side of the building as she sucked in some deep, ragged breaths and tried to regain her composure. The manic thumping of her heart started to gradually return to normal, though her whole body was still shaking, mostly from nerves, but also from the slightly chilly breeze, though it felt good against her heated face. Her poor frazzled nerves couldn't take much more excitement, of that she was sure.

That had been the first time since her accident that she had even spoken to her father, let alone seen him. She'd given up trying to contact him a while ago, instinctively knowing her calls were rarely returned. Whenever she tried to reach him at work, one of his airheaded secretaries would answer and give her the run around, saying how terribly busy he was. She didn't even know where he was living now, other than it was somewhere between LA and Sunnydale.

Buffy let the tears flow freely, finally releasing all those years of resentment and frustration. She cried for how he abandoned her and her mother, for how he threw them away like yesterdays's newspaper. That was what hurt the most, the fact that he could simply cast them aside without so much as batting an eyelash the second some young bimbo looked in his direction. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Buffy!" Her head snapped up as she heard her name being called.

She turned to see William coming through the doorway, looking rather frantic and upset. When he laid eyes on her, his expression was at first one of pure relief, quickly turning into anger as he neared her shaking form.

"What the bleedin' hell are you doing out here all by yourself?!" She took a slight step back at his outburst, but he quickly grabbed her by the upper arms to halt her movements.

"Do you realize you've been gone-" He glanced at his watch, "40 minutes? 40 soddin' minutes, Buffy!" He scolded, "I was worried sick, convinced that Angel wanker dragged you off somewhere, and yet here you are late at night, all by yourself, in a dark alley, no less! Have you gone completely DAFT?!!" He was seething now, giving her a few firm shakes to illustrate his frustration with her.

She averted her eyes. "I'm - I'm sorry -" She mumbled weakly.

He released her and raked a shaky hand through his hair. "There's some ponce stalking you, who's threatened you, and you go wandering off in a dark alley where anyone could easily have their way with you? For God's sake, THINK!" He stopped pacing and clutched a hand over his chest. "Jesus Christ, Buffy, you almost gave me a heart attack!" His breathing was starting to return to normal now, and though his heart still pounded in his ears, his voice was slightly calmer.

"Don't ever do that to me again, understand?" Buffy simply nodded, still avoiding his gaze as she remained poised against the cold brick wall.

"I'm sorry I worried you," She responded softly.

Now that William had regained his composure, he immediately picked up on the sad tone in her voice. Her tears had gone unnoticed by him in the midst of his outrage, but he could tell now that she was clearly upset about something.

Cocking his head slightly to one side, he quickly approached her, covering the distance between them in one long stride. When she still wouldn't look at him, he frowned and tilted her chin upward so he could clearly see the tears pooling in her eyes, her lower lip trembling slightly. Any remaining anger vanished instantly upon seeing her tears.

Her pain was his pain. That's how he'd first come to know he had fallen in love with Buffy, when he realized he cared more for his girl's well being than he did his own.

"Sweetheart," His voice was gentle now, soothing, "What's wrong?" He brushed a tear away with his thumb.

"I, my-" Buffy sputtered, desperately trying to form a coherent sentence, "I ran into my father-" She practically spat the word as though it were distasteful.

Nothing more needed to be said. William knew full well about Buffy's history with her father, and despite having never met him, he still hated the man with a burning passion for the way he had neglected Buffy. Number one on his hit list for sure. Well, maybe tied with Angel for the first spot.

Will nodded in understanding and wrapped an arm around her trembling shoulders. "Let's get you home, pet."

"But what about Willow and Xander?"

He offered her a tiny smile. "Already left." He said, "Willow went off with Tara, and Xander left with that bird he was dancing with. Anya, I think was her name." As he spoke he placed his hand at the small of her back, urging her to start moving.

Once they reached the DeSoto and were settled inside, Buffy leaned her head against the window and gazed through it wistfully. Though she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was amiss. Something had been said in her conversation with Hank that didn't sit quite right with her, though she couldn't put her finger on it.

Then, the light bulb suddenly went off in her head as it dawned on her.

She hadn't spoken to Hank since her accident, so how could he have possibly known William had been in England?

Without warning, a second, more poignant revelation hit her like a ton of bricks.

Angel.

She could remember it so clearly now.

When he'd inquired about her husband, she had told him William was in England, though neglected to say why. But Angel obviously had ways of obtaining information as he had known about William's return.

And she also recalled his briefcase, plain as day, embroidered with the letters WH which she found strange at the time as those obviously weren't his initials. He'd told her his father was the co-owner of a major law firm, though he never said where, but it all made such perfect sense now. She knew with gut certainty that the letters stood for Wolfram and Hart, the law firm where her father worked, which would mean Angel's father was Hank's boss.

Angel knew her father.

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A/N: Still with me? Hmm, so there's another curveball, Angel and Hank both have ties to W&H. Sorry I know everyone was expecting an Angel confrontation, but please please keep the faith! It will all come soon enough, I promise. As I said before I don't want to drag it out too long, but I just needed to set everything up. And I also wanted Buffy's father to make an appearance, as Hank is a character I most definately love to hate.
Anyway, I hope you guys are still enjoying the story! Thanks so much to dreamgirl4eva, Bint, BuffyandSpikeForever, blondiebear, Caitie, and Kimber for your reviews. You guys are the best!
~Jess :)

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"That son of a bitch!" Buffy cursed under her breath. It was the first time she had spoken since they'd gotten into the car.

William glanced at her briefly, slightly startled, then turned his eyes back to the road. "Uh, hope that's not me you're referring to," He teased, half-heartedly trying to lighten the mood.

Buffy didn't reply. Instead, she shook her head slowly and worked her bottom lip between her teeth, deep in thought.

"You want to talk about it, luv?" William prompted.

Buffy looked at him then, taking a moment to admire his profile, strong jaw and concave cheeks which looked even more well-defined in the shadows of night. His chiseled features were illuminated as the soft glow of street lamps swept across the windshield, before they passed the source of light, once again cloaking them in darkness.

Buffy cleared her throat and began to recount her tale.

"When I spoke to my father - aside from meeting his slutty new fiancee . . . ." William snorted in amusement, "I also realized something," She continued, ignoring the interrruption. "Hank, uh, asked if you were back from England, and it didn't dawn on me until later, but I never told him you were there in the first place. And, aside from Willow and Xander, there was only one other person who I'd told . . . . And I realized that must mean . . . I, uh - I think Angel knows my father."

"Huh?!" William jerked his head in her direction, his mouth agape as he absorbed this new bit of information. It was then that Buffy saw head lights coming down the road ahead of them, and for a moment she panicked.

"Will, watch the road!" Buffy ordered, horrified as flashbacks of her own accident flitted through her mind.

William obeyed, though he still cast curious sidelong glances at her out of the corner of his eye, and they safely passed the oncoming vehicle without incident.

After a moment, Buffy spoke again.

"Angel told me before that his dad owned some big law firm. And he had this big black briefcase, with the letters WH embroidered on it, and I didn't put two and two together until just now, because - I mean, his checks were signed Angel McCarthy, but from what I recall Wolfram and Hart was bought out right from under the original owners, and I'll lay money it was sold to some old tycoon with the last name of McCarthy. At least, I'm pretty sure Angel's father is Hank's boss. Angel could work there too for all I know, but either way he knows my father . . . He must - or, at least, they must have been talking about me for some reason. I don't know why, or what about, but it all seems to make sense." As she finished, she cast a hesitant glance in William's direction and awaited his response. He looked pensive, his face mostly impassive, until he suddenly did the last thing Buffy expected him to do.

He slammed on the brakes.

Buffy jerked slightly forward, looking at him in confusion and shock as they came to a dead stop.

"Will, what are you doing?!" She demanded.

She watched as he made a quick three point turn, speeding back down the road in the direction wence they had come.

"I'm going back there to give your slime ball father a piece of my mind," He explained matter of factly, his face grim with determination. "Have myself a nice rough-and -tumble."

Buffy knitted her eyebrows.

"Will, don't do this." She protested, placing a hand over his when she noticed his knuckles were white from clutching the stick shift so tightly. "We can't just jump to conclusions, I'm - we don't know exactly how Angel and Hank are involved, or if they even work together for that matter. . .and - I have no real proof of any of this, really. Nothing solid, at least," She gently rubbed the back of his hand, attempting to coax a response from him, "Besides," She continued, "Hank and his barbie doll probably left The Bronze already anyway. He's a lawyer, for God's sakes. Doesn't exactly scream 'party animal'."

Without answering, William surprised her once again by pulling to the side of the road, putting the car in park, and turning to face her. "Bollocks," He shook his head as he began to speak, "Don't you get it, Buffy? Whether or not they actually work together is heresay. The bottom line is that Angel's father is your dad's boss. So Hank, being the materialistic bastard that he is, will of course cooperate in any way that he can with the boss's son, kiss a little nancy boy arse to keep him from whining to daddy." He glanced pointedly at Buffy to make sure she was comprehending all he had to say. He continued, "It's fairly obvious your dad's been playing along with Angel's little games to save his own sorry arse from being fired."

"But maybe Hank doesn't know Angel is stalking me," Buffy interrupted, trying to give her father the benefit of the doubt, though her words seemed hollow even to her, "Maybe he just thought-"

William cut her off.

"Or maybe he just doesn't want to know, turns his head from whatever Angel wants to do," William sighed and quickly amended his words when he noticed the slightly alarmed look on Buffy's face. "But that's besides the point . . . . Look, whether he knows or not doesn't make much difference. Either way, it only proves that he cares more about his job than his own daughter. The wanker." Will's jaw was clenched tightly as he ended his tirade, looking at a wide eyed buffy.

"Will, we still can't know this for sure-" Buffy began weakly, though she knew in her heart what he said was true. She didn't even know why she was attempting to defend her loathsome father, other than for the sheer fact that, no matter how you slice it, the truth still hurts.

William reached for her hand and squeezed it gently in a show of support, instinctively knowing that, despite her words of protest, she realized the truth. When she spoke again, her voice sounded tiny and feeble as tears sprang to her eyes for what felt like the hundreth time that night.

"Tonight, I finally said everything I've been wanting to tell him. How much I hated him for abandoning me and mom, for not being there, " Buffy swallowed against the rising lump in her throat, "I told him he was dead to me. But I guess I finally figured out how naive I am, because it wasn't until tonight that I realized . . . .All those years that I waited for him, holding onto some obscure shred of hope that he would eventually come around, or give me some sign that he cared - and all along, I was really dead to him."

Sighing loudly, she drew in another deep, shaky breath, "I guess I'd always known, deep down, that it was true. But I could never quite bring myself to admit it. . . . My own father can't love me. And as much as I hate him for what he did, it still hurts, you know?"

She cast her gaze down towards her lap and looked so lost and insecure that William couldn't stop himself from reaching over to unbuckle Buffy's seatbelt, sliding her towards him across the bench seat of the DeSoto and into his arms.

He cradled her against him. His chin came to rest atop her head, feeling warm moisture seeping through his shirt as Buffy cried silently, her face nestled against his solid chest. William stroked her hair tenderly as he held her.

"Your father's a soddin' idiot, Buffy. He's never cared about anyone but himself," Will stated, shaking his head, "Because you are the most amazing woman I've ever known, and he's a fool to have given you up. Both you and your mum."

Buffy's silent sobs had dwindled, her body still as she continued to cling to him, arms tightly encircling his waist while he rubbed her back soothingly. Small, smooth circles. His gentle motions seemed to relax her a bit.

Buffy had her head buried in his neck now, her cheek nuzzling smooth flesh, and she felt the vibrations in his throat as he began to speak again, tickling her ear.

"He had a great thing right under his nose. A beautiful family, and he gave it up," He continued, "I can't even begin to fathom why, either. I'll never understand how he could walk away from it all, without even so much as looking back." A small sigh escaped his lips.

"All I can conclude is that he doesn't know what love is. So he placates himself with various women, money, flashy cars . . . . but he'll never be truly happy. He'll die a lonely, bitter old man because he gave up the one thing he had going for him in this life - his family." William paused, casting his gaze upon Buffy.

"Yet while I hate the ponce and want to beat him to a bloody pulp, there's a part of me that still wants to thank him. . . . .Because he brought you into this world." Fresh sobs emanated from Buffy as he finished his speech, only this time they weren't tears of shame or hurt.

Buffy secretly wondered how she had gotten so lucky. What had she done to deserve such a compassionate, wonderful man as William? Her William.

Lifting her head, she looked into those intense blue eyes, knowing she must look a mess from the mascara running down her face. But she didn't care, because she knew William wouldn't either. Buffy leaned forward to brush her lips against his, tenderly, and he could taste the salt of her tears. She rested her forehead against his.

"Make love to me, William," She whispered against his lips, slowly opening her eyes to guage his reaction, and finding question in his blue depths.

"Here? Now?" He inquired, barely audibly as he indicated their surroundings. They were still in the DeSoto, and only a few minute's drive from home. He became instantly aroused by her words, though he desperately tried to control himself, not knowing if it would be wise for anything to happen under such circumstances. Though as he searched her emerald eyes he felt his resolve crumbling by the second.

Buffy simply nodded, her mind clearly made up. "Please," She begged softly, her warm breath tickling his cheek. He didn't respond, merely let her take the lead, and as she shifted in her seat to reach for the zipper of his jeans, he knew he was done for.

The metallic clang of a zipper being opened cut through the heavy silence of night. William's breathing became increasingly shallow, and he sucked in a sharp breath when he felt her fingers encircle his straining erection. He moaned as he felt her begin to move her warm hand up and down his hardened length, providing the perfect amount of pressure and friction.

"Buffy," He rasped, adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed, hard.

Buffy looked up at him, a slightly triumphant smile playing upon her lips when she saw his eyes glazed over with pleasure.

Licking her lips, she continued to stroke him while slowly lowering her head towards his lap, only making it halfway when William suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders to halt her movements. She raised her head in confusion.

"At this rate, I won't last 5 minutes," He explained, his voice husky, if not slightly hoarse. Buffy simply nodded in understanding, removing her hand from within his jeans.

She then pushed both her hands up underneath his black t-shirt, skimming over his sculpted abs in such a way that it sent shivers coursing throughout his body. Grabbing the bottom of his shirt, she helped him lift it over his head, bending down to pepper feather light kisses across his chest and feeling him tremble slightly beneath her touch.

When she felt him pulling at the soft fabric of her own shirt, she halted her ministrations and lifted her arms, allowing him to remove the offending article of clothing. William made quick work of her bra, carelessly tossing it aside as his eyes feasted upon her exposed breasts. His hand weaved through her hair, gripping the back of her head and crushing his lips to hers in a greedy, passionate and consuming kiss. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth just as his hands ghosted over her bare breasts, earning a soft mewl from Buffy.

Abruptly, he pulled away from the kiss, his mouth immediately occupying itself by trailing burning kisses down her throat. He started just beneath her jaw where her pulse jumped wildly, his tongue darting out to taste her heated skin, pausing to nibble at her collarbone and moving downward until he reached the soft curve of her breast. Buffy gasped when he unexpectantly sucked a nipple into his mouth, the sensation driving her wild, and when he pulled the hardened pebble between his teeth, applying a gentle, teasing bite, Buffy jolted against him in surprise and pleasure.

"Now!" She exclaimed, hands working frantically to unbutton his jeans and push them down as far as she could reach in the tight confines of the car. Maneuvering herself so she straddled his lap, she hiked her short skirt up, locked eyes with William and then slowly, slowly, sank down onto him, until he was buried to the hilt. A sigh of mutual satisfaction and pleasure escaped both their lips.

And Buffy realized she had never felt so full, so complete, or so loved as she did in that very moment.



She leaned forward, tracing her tongue over his slightly parted lips as she began to move. First with an experimental rocking of her hips, slowly, side to side, wanting to feel every inch of him.



"Feels so good," She murmured against his mouth.



Then, without warning, William suddenly jerked his hips upward, penetrating even deeper into her core.



"Yes . . ." He breathed, swallowing Buffy's screams with another searing kiss.



Buffy wrapped her arms tighter around his neck as they began to move together, setting a steady rhythm, a timeless dance that grew increasingly frantic with their heightened desires. When she came down, he thrust his hips upward, plunging in and out of her welcoming depths with abandon. Buffy mewled and whimpered, William's moans intermingling with hers. His hands moved to her hips, helping to guide her movements, fingers digging into her smooth flesh as he slammed her down onto him with more force, their pace gaining more momentum.



When he felt Buffy's inner muscles begin to flutter around him, he became desperate in his need for release. Reaching between them, his fingers probed her slick folds, expertly finding the swollen bundle of nerves and rubbing fiercely to help her along. Her nails bit into his back and she cried out.



"Oh, God! William!"



Buffy climaxed almost instantly upon his touch, her inner walls clamping around him like a vice, and with one final thrust he obtained his own ecstacy, once again claiming her mouth in a hungry kiss while he emptied himself deep inside of her. Buffy collapsed against him, completely spent, and buried her head in his shoulder. They both remained unmoving, still intimately joined as they attempted to recover.

After countless minutes of silence, William was finally able to muster the words to speak.

"Well, looks like we finally christened the DeSoto," He remarked, still slightly breathless.

Buffy lifted her head to look at him. "You mean we've never done it in the car before now?" She asked, slightly surprised when she realized he was right.

He nodded. "And there goes our reputation." When Buffy chuckled, he smiled brightly at her and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Knew I could get a grin."

Buffy returned the smile whole-heartedly, her spirits finally having been lifted after the dreadful encounter with her father.

"I love you." She stated. Three simple, yet powerful words.

"Love you, too," William returned without hesitation, planting an affectionate kiss on the bridge of her nose.

"Now," He said once he pulled back, "Let's go home."

---

A/N: Ok, so I upped this chapter to NC-17 . . . what'd ya think? I'm not all that great with the sex scenes, but I wanted this chapter to have some nice spuffy-lovin because most likely the next few chapters won't involve much at all. We have a confrontation coming up (yes, Angel will definately be making an appearance), and there's bound to be some drama (we may see some of William/Spike's faults come into play) . . . so it may be a bit of a bumpy ride. But please keep the faith, and keep reading :)
Anyway, I just wanted to say that the reviews for the last chapter were awesome! (*Does Snoopy dance*) Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed: shelly, ace, Kimber, PK, Caitie, B, Brat, blondiebear, Bint, BuffyandSpikeForever, and Sevvy_O. Love you guys!
~Jess :)

---

3 and 1/2 weeks had passed since that night at the Bronze, and they hadn't heard from Angel or Hank in all that time, though Buffy and William remained on their guard, not wanting to be taking by surprise. Buffy had gone back to work at the gallery, and William, with a little help from his pal Clem, was able to get his old job back working at the office. In all, things had been going very smoothly . . . . .




"Honey, I'm home!" William called out to Buffy, dropping his brief case on the couch and loosening his tie as he made his way toward the kitchen where he heard Buffy fumbling around. She was busy chopping vegetables, seasonings and various other ingredients spread across the counter in disarray. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun as she scurried about the kitchen, working diligently. William leaned against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest as he watched her with an amused grin.

"Hey, you." She greeted, turning to face him. "You're home early. I was supposed to beautify myself and have dinner all ready for when you got home," She pouted.

William pushed himself off the doorway, stalking toward her with a mischeivous gleam in his eye.

"That so?" Eyebrow raised, he wrapped his arms around her waist as he spoke, gazing down into her face, "And what's the occasion?" He inquired, his hands inconspicuously sliding down over her hips, fingers moving in a gentle massage that continued to work downward until Buffy grabbed his hands in her own and took a step back.

"Hey, none of that." She scolded, though not very convincingly. "I have to finish making dinner first." Though she tilted her head upwards for a brief, chaste kiss before turning to once again busy herself with her task. "And the occasion," She continued, "Is that it's been exactly a month since you came home. I'd say that's cause for celebration."

William smiled. "I'd say so," He agreed, removing his tie over his head. "So how was your day, kitten?"

"Oh, same old. Well, actually Fred told me we got two shipments of Greek amphorae today when we were only supposed to get one . . . ." Will gave her a slightly puzzled look. "Don't ask," She said wryly, shaking her head.

"Sure thing, pet," Chuckling, he watched as she carefully placed a dish in the oven, turning to dry her hands on a dish cloth once she had finished.

"Now get over here and kiss me good and proper." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Bossy, much?" Far more amused than annoyed. She immediately stepped toward him, but once she was within reach he surprised her by grabbing her hand and yanking her into his waiting arms, crushing his mouth to hers for a breathtaking kiss that made her feel almost dizzy with its intensity. He reached behind her head for the rubber band that held her hair in place, and yanked, letting her hair fall around her shoulders so he could weave his fingers through the silky strands. When he pushed his knee between her legs to force them slightly apart, and bent her backwards at the waist, she let out a slight yelp as she momentarily lost her balance. Though she knew William wouldn't let her fall. His strong arms caught her, wrapping tightly around her tiny waist and stablilizing her.

Buffy relaxed against him and responded with equal fervor, arms holding onto his neck for dear life as she let herself be momentarily swept up in the passion of his kiss. She loved the way his body molded against hers. He complemented her in every way - every kiss, every caress, the way his arms held her close to him . . . . at times it seemed like everything about him had been made with her in mind.

When his tongue moved over her bottom lip, she granted him entrance without hesitation. His lips were so soft and full, and his tongue was so . . . .

'Talented' was the first word that came to Buffy's mind, and heat spread throughout her body as she thought about the many things he could do with that tongue. . . . .

'Oh yeah,' Buffy thought as William tightened his arms around her, his mouth still working over hers masterfully, 'This is the life,'

When William broke away from the kiss and pulled her out of the dip so she stood up straight again, Buffy gasped in some much needed oxygen and stared at him with hazy eyes.

"Wow," She breathed, and he flashed his trademark smirk, "What was that for?"

Buffy casually played with the buttons of his shirt, face flushed and golden hair flowing loosely about her shoulders, and William thought she looked like a goddess. Glowing. Effulgent.

"You looked so incredibly sexy, slaving over my dinner I just couldn't help myself." He finally replied. Buffy smiled at him coquettishly

"And just think, you haven't even eaten yet."

With a Cheshire cat grin, William leaned in close so his lips were nearly touching her ear, "Oh, I will, darling," his voice came out a husky, seductive whisper, "I will."

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


Two days Later . . . . .



Riiiiiinnnng!!!!!!!

"Will, honey?" Buffy called from the next room, "Can you get that? I have paint all over my hands."

William, who had been in the kitchen making himself tea, grabbed the receiver from its cradle. "Hello?" He said.

Silence.

"Hello?" He tried again, now slightly irritated, and then he heard someone clearing their throat on the other end of the line.

"I need to speak with Buffy." Said a gruff voice, causing William to raise an eyebrow in suspicion. He thoroughly disliked this person's tone of voice

"Who is this?" He demanded.

"Her father."

William's blood immediately began to boil. His free hand clenched into a tight fist as he desperately wished it were possible to transport himself through the telephone line and beat the ponce to within an inch of his life.

"What the Hell do you want?" Spoken through gritted teeth.

Now Hank was growing impatient. "To speak with my daughter." William snorted loudly and, he hoped, obnoxiously.

"Oh, so now she's your daughter," William was obviously very unamused. "You know, you have a hell of a lot of nerve calling here. All this time and-"

"Just put her on the phone." Hank cut him off, his short fuse growing shorter by the second.

"Not gonna happen, mate." William declared, "She doesn't want to think you even exist, let alone talk to you." A loud sigh was his response, and William tapped his foot impatiently. "How did you even get this number?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you."

Now William really saw red. He sucked in a sharp breath, "What's your favorite color? What's your favorite song? Who's the goalkeeper for Manchester United? And how many times am I gonna kick in that overgrown head of yours if you don't tell me right soddin' now why you want to talk with my wife?" No response.

"I don't have time for your bullshit, Hank," He continued, "So if you don't want to find out the answer to that last one, I suggest you start talking." William was surprised to hear Hank chuckling at his tirade.

"You got spark, Billy. Gotta hand it to you," Brief pause, "Tell the bitch I called."

Click

When William heard the obnoxious busy signal in his ear, he hung up the phone, thoroughly angered, puzzled, and all but scratching his head over the strange phone call. Just then Buffy emerged from her little 'studio', drying her hands on a wash cloth as she tried to remove the remnants of paint, then pausing to untie her paint-splattered smock.

"Who was that?" She inquired.

William avoided her eyes for a moment, debating whether or not to tell her who had called. He knew he shouldn't lie to her, but yet he also didn't want to upset her unecessarily. Quickly, he made his decision.

"Clem," He responded, not daring to look her in the eye and risk her seeing the guilt apparent there. "It was Clem."

Buffy nodded, seeming to accept his explanation. "Oh. Did you tell him I said hi?"

William managed to force a tight smile on his face. "Of course, kitten."

"Good. Clem's a sweet guy."

She really liked Clem, as he was always pleasant to talk with, and had always been a good friend to William.

"Yeah," William muttered as Buffy walked past him, pausing to give him a peck on the cheek before she disappeared into the bathroom.

'Unlike me,' He thought guiltily.

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


Later that night, William lay in bed beside Buffy. Her arm was strewn across his waist, head pillowed against his chest, and she looked peaceful, content. William waited until he was sure she was asleep, feeling the steady rising and falling of her breathing against him, her warm breath lightly tickling his chest as she exhaled through her nose. He gently extracted himself from her grip and climbed out of bed as quietly as he could so as not to wake her. He tip-toed into the living room and picked up the phone, dailing a number he knew by heart.

"Hello?" Said a groggy voice.

"Clem," Will whispered, "It's me,"

Clem yawned audibly from the other end of the line. "Oh, hey buddy." He responded, "Kinda late, huh?"

"Sorry, mate," William apologized, "But I have a favor to ask you,"

"Shoot."

"I need to leave town tomorrow, for a day or two," William paused when he heard a small noise, placing a hand over the reciever as he peered across the dark room to make sure Buffy wasn't awake and listening to his conversation. Straining his ears, he heard nothing more, and continued, "I really need you to keep a close eye on Buffy while I'm gone. Keep tabs on who goes into the building, and who leaves for that matter, and if anything looks out of the ordinary, call me. . . . .Err, call the police first, then me. Just make sure Buffy stays safe."

Clem hesitated, obviously a little confused. "Sure," He finally responded, and William was grateful to have such a loyal friend. Clem was the one person whom William had filled in about the whole situation, since he trusted him with his life, and what's more, with Buffy's. "But Buffy's a smart gal," Clem continued, "I think she'll notice you've gone MIA for a couple days."

William sighed loudly, hating the fact that he had to once again lie to her. "I told her I needed to go to a seminar for my job," He explained, not proud of himself in the least.

"Ah, I see. And where are you really going?"

Letting out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, William responded. "Wolfram and Hart."

---

A/N: A bit of the dialogue in this chapter was taken from AtS. And Buffy also mentions Fred, who she works with at the gallery (just to clear that up, lol)

Ok, so William intends to go to Wolfram and Hart and get the bottom of the whole Hank/Angel thing. Is he acting a little rash? Maybe. Will Buffy find out about what he intends to do? Possibly . . . . . All I can promise is that we'll be getting our confrontation very, very soon (with both Hank and Angel) . . . .

And sorry this chapter jumps around a bit, but I needed a little time to pass in the story before the actual confrontation, since before William had only been back for 3 or 4 days.

And thanks so much for all the great reviews! Caitie, Kimber, Sevvy_O, jenny, ace, PK, shelly, BuffyandSpikeForever, dreamgirl4eva, Spuffy6, Bint, and Brat

---

Buffy exited her apartment the next day, planning to walk to the dry cleaners to pick up one of her dresses. She walked pretty much everywhere she went now, and unless someone else could drive her, she refused to get behind the wheel. She hadn't driven since the accident, partially because her injuries left her with poor peripheral vision, and also because the thought of being in full control of a vehicle again terrified her. The last time she had done that ended in tragedy.

When Buffy was halfway across the apartment parking lot, she halted, knitting her eyebrows together in confusion as she recognized the red car parked directly across the street as Clem's. William certainly hadn't mentioned that he would be stopping by for any reason, so why was he there?

When Clem realized Buffy had spotted him, he figured speeding away would only serve to make her more suspicious. Not to mention it would mean he'd have to leave her unguarded. So he exited his car, closing the door behind him and leaning against it in an attempt to act nonchalant. He gave Buffy a friendly wave and a smile, and when she reached him, he was pulled into a warm greeting hug.

"Clem!" She said cheerfully, "What are you doing here?"

Clem knew lying wouldn't get him anywhere, and would only lead to more questions. He was a pretty horrible liar, so he figured it was better to be up front with her. "Well, uh, sorry to be all secret agent, but William actually wanted me to stop by while he was gone to make sure everything was ok over here. You know, keep an eye on things . . " He trailed off.

Buffy nodded. She expected as much. "I see," She knew Clem was aware of her situation with Angel, and she trusted him as much as William did. She knew William wouldn't leave her in anything but good hands. He wanted to make sure that she stayed safe while he was away.

'But why didn't he just tell me Clem would be checking up on things,' She silently wondered. A nagging voice invaded her thoughts in response, 'Because there's something he didn't want you to find out. . . .'

Buffy tried to fend the thought away. They had promised each other there would be no more lies, no more secrets between them. William wouldn't lie to her, not now, not after everything they'd accomplished, how far they'd come in rebuilding their relationship . . .Would he? Then, as though answering her own question, something dawned on Buffy, and she instantly felt sick at the prospect that William had flat out lied to her face.

"Why aren't you with him?" She inquired.

"Er, Pardon?" Clem shifted uncomfortably.

"William," Buffy clarified, "Why aren't you with him at the seminar?"

"Seminar?" He asked, thoroughly puzzled until he suddenly remembered where William had told Buffy he was going. "Oh, right, seminar! Well, you see-"

But Buffy continued speaking as though she hadn't heard him, uncovering the pieces of the puzzle in her mind, "I mean, you both have the same job. You work in the same office, same department, and you're on the same team, so why weren't you sent to the seminar too?" It was really more of a rhetorical question, because as much as she didn't want to believe it, the growing knot in the pit of her stomach seemed to indicate the truth. William had lied to her.

Buffy glared at Clem, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms tightly across her test, tapping her foot impatiently as she awaited his response. He cleared his throat, more in an effort to stall so he could have a moment to collect his thoughts. Then he began to speak, though not very convincingly.

"Oh, well, erm, you see - I'm not going because, well - because it's, uh . . .not my turn to go?" He finished in a lame attempt, unable to come up with any good excuse off the top of his head. Buffy clearly wasn't buying his story, either, nor was she amused.

"Clem, if you know something and you're keeping it from me, I swear . . ." Her hand unconsciously clenched into a fist at her side and she took a menacing step toward him.

"Whoa, hey now, no need to get violent!" He put up his hands in surrender.

"William, he, uh . . . well, it's really kind of a funny story, you see - he-"

"He what? Where did he go, Clem?"

Clem looked at her guiltily, then back down at his feet. "Wolfram and Hart" He choked out, wincing as he half expected her to fly at him for withholding that bit of information.

"What?!" Buffy yelled. "How could he be so stupid?! He lied to me - he lied right to my face and he went there all by himself! He doesn't even know what Angel is capable of . . .how could he do this to me? Why would he do this? What is he thinking?!" She turned to Clem again. "Clem, you have to take me there-"

Clem looked at her, shocked. "But William said-"

"I don't care what he said, Clem. I need to get there - I, I can't let anything happen to him and I need you to take me . . . . I can't drive. Not since - " She cut herself off, not able to finish that sentence. Her voice was small and tremulous, tears polling in her big green eyes as she met Clem's gaze. "Please, Clem," She pleaded, the words barely audible over the wavering in her voice.

Clem let out a sigh and gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder. "Oh, hey, no need to cry. Here, have a hanky - " He offered when he saw the tears streaming down her face, and reached into his pocket for the small package of kleenex, "I, uh, always carry some of these. Bad allergies." He explained as he handed her a tissue.

"Thank you" She graciously accepted and dabbed at her eyes, "So" She sniffled, "What's your answer? Will you take me there, Clem? Will you?" She paused, "You're my only hope." Her lower lip trembled slightly as she said this.

Clem hesitated, a frown marring his features as he made his decision, and nodded reluctantly. "Well, William's gonna kill me, but-" He looked over at her one last time, and, seeing her eyes wide with hope, he finally caved in, "I'll take you," He agreed.


"Oh, thank you Clem, thank you!" She threw her arms around his neck, excitedly giving him a big hug that nearly knocked Clem off his feet. He staggered back a few steps. "Oh, sorry," She said when she felt him nearly lose his balance, and took a step back.

"No problem," Clem responded, straightening himself up. "So shall we, uh, hit the road?"

Buffy nodded. "Let me just grab a few things from the apartment. I'll be right back"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Pookie, here's your coffee!" An all-too-perky Harmony chirped in her whiny voice. She made a big show of bending over Hank's desk and placing the coffee in front of him so he could have a look down her cleavage, which was in full view thanks to her shirt that was so tight it could practically be used to take her blood pressure. But when she didn't leave his office immediately, he looked up at her in irritation.

"Um, thanks Harm, you can go now," He brushed her off, giving a flippant wave of his hand and not even sparing her a second glance as he turned his eyes back to the papers on his desk.

"But-"

"I'm busy!" Hank snapped, still not even glancing in her direction.

Harmony stamped her heeled foot and pouted, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder as she left in a huff. The overpowering scent of something floral and much too sweet clung to the air in her wake.

"Well, at least we know she's good for one thing," Hank muttered under his breath with a shake of his head. Hearing another knock on his door, he groaned loudly, but didn't look up from his paperwork.

"Harm, I thought I said-"

"S'not Harm, mate."

Hank jerked his head toward the direction of the unexpected voice, slightly startled when he saw who it was, though he quickly recovered and adopted a neutral expression. Maintaining composure was something he had mastered as a top lawyer.

"Let's see, low class British accent, cocky attitude . . .you must be Billy"

"In the flesh," William responded tightly, closing the office door behind him before turning to approach Hank's desk.

Hank smirked at him. "And what exactly is it you want, Billy?"

"I wanna have a little chat with you, Hank. Have a few questions that need answering, so you're gonna meet me once you're through doing whatever it is you lawyers do during the day, and we're going to talk like civil adults. Yeah?" William received a loud snort in response. If there was one thing Hank hated, it was being dictated what to do.

"And what makes you think I'd agree to that?" He demanded, standing up from his chair and walking in front of his desk to stand directly in front of William, staring him down challengingly. They stood at roughly the same height, so he was about eye level with William, who didn't back down, but returned his glare full force, his face impassive. It was William's 'poker face,' as Buffy called it. And he was a damn good poker player.

"You don't really want me to make a scene in front of all your lawyer buddies and tarnish your precious reputation now, do you Hank?" Hank glanced over William's shoulder at his office door, behind which he knew were plenty of people who already hated working with Hank because of his condescending and egotistical attitude and would love any excuse to take him down a peg or two. His jaw clenched and he looked back to William, who watched him with his arms crossed tightly across his chest, a smirk on his face as he knew full well he had just win some little victory. Hank returned to his chair and sat back down before speaking again.

"Fine," He said coldly, "Meet me at-"

"No, mate," William interrupted, "Looks like I'm the one making the rules right now. We'll meet when and where I say. Understand?" If looks could kill, William would be six feet under cold ground at that very moment.

Hank didn't answer. He merely folded his arms over his chest, raised his chin and cocked an eyebrow as he awaited William's instructions. Though he remained expressionless, William knew he had gotten under his skin as his face was gradually turning ten shades of red, his right hand tightly clenched into a fist.

"What time are you finished with work?"

"6:00," Hank answered without missing a beat.

"Fine. Meet me at 7 then. Here." He handed Hank a small scrap of paper with the name of the hotel and room number where he was staying. "And don't be late."

With that, William was gone in a swish of black leather, pulling the door closed behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Buffy tried for the tenth time to call William's cell phone, but again received no answer. "Dammit!" She shouted in frustration when she got his voicemail for the umpteenth time. She was growing more and more anxious by the second, not knowing what to expect as they continued the trek to LA.

"Why isn't he answering his phone? Did he turn it off or something? Why would he turn it off!? He needed to have it on in case anything came up, right? He told you to call him if anything went wrong, right?" Clem nodded in response, and let Buffy continue her rant, "So then he wouldn't have turned it off! So why the fuck can't I get through?! Maybe . . . maybe, he can't get a signal wherever he is? Or, better yet, maybe the bonehead forgot to charge the goddamn thing!" Buffy's chest was heaving now, and she felt almost on the brink of a panic attack, or nervous breakdown, whichever came first.

She glanced out the window again and then put her head in her hands, taking a few deep breaths.

‘Ok, Buffy, calm down. Giving yourself a heart attack won’t help anything. Breath in, and out. In, and out . . .’ She thought, trying to calm herself.

When she looked up again, she felt that ever-present knot in her stomach tightening yet again. They were still at least an hour away from LA and the day was growing late, which only served to increase Buffy's feeling of panic.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," She said in a hoarse, choked voice, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Clem glanced at her sympathetically.

"Hey, cheer up," He soothed, "I'm sure William's just fine."

Buffy shook her head. "That's just the problem. He seems to think he's invincible, but he's not. I don't think he realizes what he could be getting himself into.” Another tear followed the first, and her voice wavered. "What if something happens to him, and I can't find him?"

"You'll find him," Clem assured her.

Her gaze drifted back out the window as she stared at the road ahead.

"And then what?" She whispered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


When William heard a knock on his door at 7:15, he turned off the TV and stood up slowly.

“And now the fun begins,” He muttered with a loud sigh as he approached the door. Peering through the peephole to verify that the person knocking was indeed Hank, he then undid the bottom lock and slid the chain before swinging the door open. William tisk-tisked and peered at his watch.

"Thought you lawyers were supposed to be anal about time. 15 minutes late, Hank. I was-"

William was instantly silenced when he heard a soft click and felt cold metal pressed against the side of his head. His eyes widened when he realized what it was, though he tried to control his fear. All William could do now was keep his cool and pray his plan would work as intended.

The small pistol quivered slightly in Hank's hand as he stepped into the room, pushing the weapon more forcibly into William’s temple as he did so and forcing him to back up. His eyes never left William's as he slammed the door shut behind him with his foot, still gripping the gun tightly.

"Now," He said coldly, "We play by my rules."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


When Buffy and Clem finally arrived at Wolfram and Hart and pulled into the parking lot, it was already almost 7:00, and most of the workers had gone home for the day. Though she knew her workaholic father might still be there as he usually put in a lot of overtime. She practically leapt from the car as they came to a rolling stop in front of the main building, assuring Clem she'd be right back and running with superhuman speed. Just as Buffy pushed through the double doors and rounded the first corner toward the elevators, she heard a noise behind her.

"Hmm, well what do we have here? A little red riding hood among all these wolves," The voice instantly made her skin crawl and the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up. She slowly turned around to face the bane of her existence. "Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. You should really know better than to barge in here like this."

"You know you're not supposed to come near me, Angel." She kept her distance, backing slightly as he advanced on her.

"What, that restraining order that says I can't come within a hundred feet of you? Honestly, Buffy, you really think that little piece of paper is going to protect you?" Buffy tried not to flinch or show him any fear, but deep down she knew he was right. The restraining order only helped when and if the right person saw Angel come near her, and it certainly couldn't help her now, nor protect her, as they were the only ones present in the cavernous corridor. "Besides," Angel continued, "Seems you're the one coming near me, since this is where I work and all."

Buffy snorted. "What makes you think I came here to see you?"

Angel was circling her now, slowly, like a shark moving in for the kill.

"Oh, right, come here to see old Hank then, have you?"

"So it's true. You do know each other, then."

"Let's just say Hank and I go way back," He answered cryptically.

"So, you and Hank are in cahoots to be, what, royal pains in my ass? Or, let me guess, Hank’s afraid your dad will cut him loose and ruin his precious reputation? Is that it? Because-"

She snapped her mouth shut when she heard his sinister chuckle, accompanied by a sardonic and amused grin. His eyes flashed coldly as he stared her down.

"Don't you get it, Buffy? It's not about you," He took another step towards her, " It was never about you."

Buffy’s confusion was fleeting as the meaning behind his words cut her like a knife. "William," She whispered, eyes wide with terror. Suddenly completely oblivious to Angel's presence, she poised to run but didn’t make it very far when she felt a strong hand grab her wrist, halting her movements.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Angel demanded, yanking her towards him and wrapping a beefy arm around her waist, his grip bruising. He pulled her flush against his body, and Buffy felt like she was suffocating. "I wasn't lying when I said I liked you, Buffy. You're quite the catch." He whispered in her ear, thoroughly nauseating Buffy. "But I can't let you leave here and get in the way of what needs to be done"

What needs to be done.

Buffy's entire body tensed as she realized the implication of those words. William was in danger. She could sense it now. She needed to find out where he was, and fast. But first, she needed to get away from Angel. And she couldn’t reach her cell phone at the moment, nor the mace in her pocket she always carried for protection, so neither of those would help her present situation. Buffy knew her only hope would be to catch Angel off guard and use his own strength against him, because she was no match for him physically. He towered over her, and must have outweighed her at least twice over, which in her present position was incredibly intimidating. So, knowing she would only have one shot to get away, Buffy forced herself to relax in his arms, because struggling against him would only make him tighten his already crushing hold on her. She waited to make her move, waited for the moment when he thought he had her under control and let his hold loosen just a little, and when that moment finally came, Buffy reacted instantly, moving with lighting speed.

With all her might, she simultaneously brought her heel down as hard as she could on his foot while twisting her body in his arms, using the added momentum to jab her bony elbow into his stomach and momentarily knock the wind out of him. The element of surprise proved to be her friend, and she successfully wriggled free of his grasp. She spun around and lashed out, thrusting the heel of her hand up into his nose with all her might, only slightly satisfied when it started gushing blood.

"You bitch!" He roared, clutching his nose with one hand and blindly reaching for her with the other, which earned him a sharp knee to the groin. He cried out in pain and doubled over, providing Buffy with ample time to make her escape, and Buffy silently thanked Miss Congeniality for teaching her to 'SING'.

‘Solar plexus, instep, nose, and groin, the key sensitive areas in self-defense. Thank you, Sandra Bullock!’ She thought as she made a beeline for the stairs, heading toward her father’s office on the third floor and holding her mace at the ready, just in case.

When Buffy reached the third floor, she pushed open the stairwell exit and ran through the nearly empty corridor, rounding the corner and passing through the double doors that lead to her father’s office. Her father had worked in the same office for years, and though Buffy had only been there once or twice, thankfully she had a mind like a steel trap and was able to remember his location in the building.

When she finally reached her destination and saw the light was turned off, door locked for the night, she let out a cry of frustration and pounded once on the door with her fist.

"Fuck" She mumbled under her breath, slumping against the closed door and lightly banging her head against it. Now what?

She didn’t know where William was, or her father for that matter, and suddenly she was back at square one. All she knew now was that all of this had something to do with William, or something related to William, and she had no idea what this all meant. Though there was an inkling that it didn’t directly involve William, because he would have told her as much. At least, she hoped he would have, and trusted him enough to know he would never keep something like that from her. Maybe it involved one of his parents - Jenny, or Rupert, maybe? Nothing seemed to make sense anymore, and Buffy once again felt the familiar panic taking over and tears stinging the back of her eyes as the reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. More than ever, she felt helpless, powerless to do anything, and the thought scared her like nothing before.

Buffy’s heart leapt in her throat when she heard a muffled noise, straining her ears to try and figure out where it was coming from and realizing the women’s bathroom seemed to be the general direction. She approached cautiously and swung open the door, immediately recognizing that someone was crying, and followed the source of the noise to the stall in the far corner. Buffy took in a deep breath.

"Excuse me? Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for my father. Hank Summers. And I was wondering if you could tell me where he is?" She heard some shuffling and rustling, and then the door creaked open, revealing none other than a tear stained and miserable looking Harmony. Her hair was disheveled, mascara running in black trails down her cheeks, and she held a wadded up tissue in her hands.

"Oh. It's Betty." She mumbled, barely glancing at Buffy as she shuffled past her to get a look at herself in the mirror.

"Um, Buffy, actually," Buffy corrected weakly, but she quickly collected her thoughts as there were much more urgent matters at hand.

"Do you know where my father is?" She repeated. Harmony shrugged, dabbing at the smudged mascara under her eyes.

"It's not like he actually tells me anything.” She turned on the faucet, wetting another tissue and using it to blot the smeared makeup, “You know, you'd think he'd actually pay more attention to me, since I’m his fiancée and all, but NO. Hank doesn't care. All he cares about is his stupid lawyer stuff, and his stupid . . .whatever other things lawyers do, and he doesn't care about me!” She through another soiled tissue into the garbage with a growl of frustration. “It's always, 'Go get me coffee, Harmony,' ‘Schedule my appointment, Harmony,’ ‘Give me a blow job then get out of my office, I’m busy, Harmony!' ARG!” She was in a full-blown rant now, and Buffy tried not to cringe at the nauseating visual Harmony’s words had given her, but tried instead to focus on the pressing matters at hand. She was growing impatient. Time was quickly running out, and at this point, any and every second could make a world of difference.

"Harmony-" She tried again, but Harmony spun to face her and cut her off.

"Today, he barely even looked at me. He left here in a huff, and he just pushed past me and acted like I was dirt!” Fresh tears streamed down her face and her voice practically raised three octaves as she grew more upset, “He told me to get lost, that he had actual important things to do. That - that creep! How dare he treat me like that!" She exclaimed, blowing her nose loudly through a torrent of tears. "I thought - I thought he loved me." She whispered dejectedly.

Surprising even herself, Buffy actually felt sorry for Harmony. Perhaps because she could sympathize as yet another victim on the list of women Hank had so callously wronged. She took a step towards her.

"Honestly Harmony, I don't think my father is capable of loving anyone. He couldn't love me, and I'm his daughter. The only person Hank loves is himself, and you deserve to find a guy who actually appreciates you, and doesn’t treat you like dirt." Harmony looked at her, nodding in agreement.

"You’re right. I didn’t want to see it before, but I do now. He never loved me, that – that loser, jerk, CREEP! OW!” She exclaimed, clutching at her foot as she had kicked the garbage can in her rage and stubbed her toe. “And look, now he made me ruin my Manolo’s! My favorite pair, too!” She gestured wildly at the scuffed shoe and screeched. “I don't know what I ever saw in him in the first place! I can so do better than him! Like, that really cute guy that works on the seventh floor! He’s way better looking and I doubt he has the same little problem Hank does-"

"That’s great, Harmony!” Buffy interrupted before she could finish that last sentence. She certainly didn’t want to know about Hank’s little “problems”, that’s for sure. Especially if they were the kind of problems she feared they were. “Go get your seventh floor, um, problem free guy,” Buffy encouraged, but right away had to get down to business again, "But first, please, Harmony, do you know if there's any way we can find out where Hank went?" Harmony frowned.

"Uh, well I know he said he had to meet someone, but that’s all. He never really tells me anything . . . .” Suddenly, her face lit up, “Oh, I know! We can search his office!”

Harmony was the only other person who had a key to Hank's office, so she opened the door and let Buffy enter first, flicking on the light as she went. Buffy went around to the other side of the desk and pulled open the top drawer, finding only a stapler, some pens and a paper clip. Thinking hard, her eyes were drawn to the wastebasket at the side of his desk. She crouched down to find it was relatively empty, except for a few crumpled papers, a broken pencil, some used tissues - ew - and . . .

"Bingo," Buffy muttered as she eyed the small scrap of paper. She instantly recognized William's handwriting, with the name of a hotel and room number scrawled across it. Knowing William, he’d told Hank to meet him there. Buffy got up off her knees and waved the sheet of paper triumphantly.

"I think I found it." She beamed. "Harmony, I can't thank you enough for doing this for me. You don't know how much this means." Buffy said with a look of gratitude.

"Um, yeah, sure." Harmony shrugged.

"And remember, you're definitely better off without him." Buffy reminded her as she slipped through the doorway and headed down the corridor.

When Buffy disappeared around the corner, Harmony studied the large engagement ring on her finger. 'Bet I can sell this for a lot of money,' she thought with a smirk, contemplating all the different ways she could get even. She laughed as she envisioned the look on Hank’s face when he realized all his precious disks were missing. Every disk contained separate information about each individual case he was working on, and Harmony knew he’d be completely lost with out them, so she slipped them out of the bottom drawer and tucked them discreetly under her shirt. Humming to herself triumphantly, she pulled the door closed and locked it behind her.

'Looks like I'll be having a little bonfire tonight.' Then, with a flourish, she was out the door.

Meanwhile, Buffy realized that she was relatively alone again on the third floor.

‘Shit, I’ll have to get past Angel again!’

Her cell phone couldn’t get a signal inside the building, so calling the police was out. Luckily, however, there were still a few security guards around, and one happened to be getting on the elevator right in front of her.

"Excuse me, sir?" She asked politely, trying to look as innocent and overwhelmed as possible, "I think someone may have been following me earlier, and I don't really feel safe, so can you please escort me to the door? It's late and I'm very scared," She tried to make herself sound very shaken up, which wasn’t hard considering the circumstances. The guard smiled at her kindly.

"Sure thing, miss. It's the end of my shift so I'm headed home anyway." Buffy smiled her thanks and stepped onto the elevator with him, unconsciously clutching the mace in her pocket for a sense of security. Lately, she almost didn’t know who she could trust.

When the elevator doors opened in the main lobby, Buffy let out a sigh of relief that Angel was nowhere to be seen. She thanked the guard once again as she passed safely out the main doors, running towards Clem’s car and quickly jumping in the passenger seat beside him. She read off the information on the slip of paper clutched in her hand, and without a word Clem took off, the sound of screeching tires piercing the evening air.

---

A/N I'm so sorry I haven't updated for awhile! I've been really busy with finals (which I'm finally done with - whew!) And I hope this chapter doesn't suck too much (I'm trying really hard to make it so I can tie all the loose ends of the story together in the next chapter) And I know it seems like William's acting really rash and stupid, which may be partially true, lol, but he does have a plan, which we find out next update when we get the 'big reveal'. (Muahaha) And wow, I just realized this is the first chapter that doesn’t have any spuffy interaction (withdrawal, anyone? Lol) But there will be more Spuffy to come, definitely.

Also, I wanted to keep things balanced in this chapter, which is why I kept going back and forth between Buffy and William. Because it seemed like everyone wanted a confrontation, but that there were some slightly different opinions on how it should play out. Sorry for not having a big Spike/Angel brawl, but I thought it more fitting that Buffy got a punch in on Angel, while William deals with big bad Hank. And just to warn there may be a lot of angst in the coming chapters, but please keep the faith – I promise things will work out :)

Anyway, on Saturday I'm going on a weeklong end-of-the-semester-celebration cruise (Yay!) So I won't be able to update while I’m gone, but I'll try my hardest to have the next chapter out before I leave

---

"Take it easy, Hank," William forced himself to remain calm as he held up his hands in surrender. "No need to get violent."

"Oh, but I think there is."

Hank's eyes were cold, glossed over with a calculated rage, and William knew this whole scenario didn't arise unplanned.

William focused on his face, trying to keep his gaze from slipping to the pistol still gripped tightly in Hank's hands. The last thing he wanted was to show fear. Hank would simply feed off it like a vulture, and he refused to give him what he wanted.

Swallowing hard, his mouth feeling something akin to cotton, William opened his mouth to speak again. "And why's that?" He inquired. Though he feared he already knew the truth. His only hope now was to stall as long as possible, or as long as fate would let him, at least.

Hank chuckled.

"Oh, I think you already know, Billy." He cocked his head to one side, guaging his reaction.

"Humor me."

After a long pause, William had to physically restrain himself from breathing a loud sigh of relief when Hank momentarily lowered the pistol. Somehow it was a lot easier to think when a gun wasn't cocked and pointed directly in his face. Though he knew he was still far from safe, but at least he was buying himself a little time.

"Sit," Hank said simply, jerking the butt of the gun to indicate the nearby sofa. And William obeyed, as listening to the man with the gun was currently the wisest thing to be doing.

One thing William had learned about Hank is that he was a rather conceited man, who loved to hear himself talk. Which proved beneficial to William in a situation like this, and for the first time he was actually happy to hear Hank talking, as it bought him more time. And Hank wasted no time launching into his story.

"Your father wasn't always a stuffy librarian. Was he, William?" Not needing to hear a response, he continued speaking, answering his own question as he did so. "We both know he has a certain... hmm, past. Shall we say? Old Rupert…” He turned to face William.

“Or, should I say, Ripper?" Hank snickered, shaking his head, "Well, that's what we used to call him, back in the day." Letting his guard down just a bit, Hank paced the room calmly, methodically, his eyes darting around like a shark, though he never loosened his grip on the gun, nor turned his back on William.

"Let me tell you a little story, Billy," He paused for dramatic effect, "Once upon a time, I was a young boy. Eighteen years old, naive.
I had high hopes. Even had a scholarship to Cambridge University. I had the smarts, you know. Plus, I worked my ass off. I was excited, going to another country, finally ready to be free of my parents and go off on my own..."

Clearing his throat, he continued, "As I'm sure you already know, your father went to Cambridge too. Same year as me, as a matter of fact. Well, we hit it off right away, became buddies. We were two peas in a pod, you know."

William could bite his tongue no longer. "My father is nothing like you." He spat. He had known his father had done things in his past he wasn't proud of, but Rupert had lived every day regretting what he had done.

Hank tsk tsked. "Then you clearly don't know your father, my boy. He was quite the ruffian. Sure, we got into trouble here and there. Well, quite a lot actually. Stealing, brawling, stirring things up where we could..."

Turning to face William abruptly, Hank seemed to undergo an instant change in demeanor, anger contorting his features. "Has your father ever told you what he did to me, Billy? How he royally fucked me over?"

Silence.

Hank shook his head violently.

"Well, in that case, allow me to enlighten you."

Taking another step toward William, he continued, "At the height of our capers, we pulled off a pretty big heist... a diamond, from a jewelery store, to be exact. Very valuable, yet surprisingly wasn't all that hard to get our hands on. And we agreed that we'd split the uptake." Nostrils flared as Hank continued in a full blown rage.

"But then your father did a very stupid thing... He fell in love, with a girl. Named Jenny."

William winced as he heard his late mother's name, the pain of her loss still fresh in his mind.

"Needless to say, Rupert went soft after that. He decided he wanted to reform... He even wanted to turn us in, but I persuaded him not to do it, for my sake at least. "

"Finally, he agreed. But you know what he did then?" Again, he gave William no time to answer his mostly rhetorical question.
"He left. He just up and left with that bitch! And I never heard from him again!"

Hank took a brief moment to collect himself.

"Course, I got stuck with the fall out," He continued, his tone falling back into a more normal level, "I got caught with the diamond, and I was arrested for it. Because of Rupert fucking Giles, I went to prison!"

William continued to witness this tirade, realizing that the man in front of him, with his wild eyes, wide gestures, and face reddened with rage, was a ticking time bomb. He could go from zero to full blown pissed off in less than one second, without any warning. Definitely the mark of a very unstable person.

Hank's words once again penetrated William's thoughts.

"No one would listen to me, and I nearly died in that prison. I would get beaten every day, molested, humiliated..." For the briefest glimmer of a second, William almost brought himself to feel slightly sorry for Hank, who looked truly sorrowful as he recanted his experience in prison. Though once again, he changed his tune.

"Finally my parents came to bail me out. Oh, but they'd left me there a good long while, thought I needed to be taught a lesson." Hank snorted. "I was expelled from Cambridge, just two months shy of graduation. And when I returned to the US, my parents disowned me, because they thought I had become a disgrace to them... So, I wasted my life away in Sunny-hell. I had to start all over again, working odd jobs, trying to squeeze in some night courses in hopes that it would eventually amount to something. I even tried the family thing... found it didn't suit me."

William couldn't help but grimace at the cold and calloused manner in which Hank addressed his family, as though they were nothing more than an unsavory meal that he could dismiss with a mere flip of his hand.

Hank was on a roll now, none too keen to stop anytime soon.

"And that's when I met Angel. Or, Angelus, actually. But I gave him the nickname Angel...found it to be too ironic to pass up... Wolf in sheep's clothing, my kind of guy, learned from the best..." William was sickened to notice how pleased Hank looked with himself over that little factotum.

"Anyway, we hit it off right away. He could see the big picture. He understood that need for success, the desire to have it at all costs. So, we became buddies, and he was able to get me a job at Wolfrham and Hart, since he had a lot of pull, what with his father being the boss and all... And from that day, I vowed to do anything necessary to get my revenge once and for all. I knew I needed
money, along with a plan. As far as I knew, your father could have fallen off the face of the planet, because I had no idea where he had gone to. And I needed to find him. I craved it, that bit of justice..."

"So, I knuckled down, Angel taught me all I know about being a good lawyer, and I was a good student. I worked my way up,
became a top attorney, and finally, finally, I was ready to exact my revenge. Well, first thing I needed to do was drop the family, of course. Dead weight. Plus, didn't really want them nosing in my business. They were too close to it all to begin with, and no one knew about my vendetta against Rupert. I kept it all
inside for years. At least, until Angel came along."

Hank took a seat opposite William, facing him, crossing his legs and settling in as he pointed his gun. William struggled to keep his face impassive as he listened to the story.

"Well, it's a small world, isn't it, Billy? Because when I found out my daughter was marrying none other than Rupert Giles's son, it was
too good of an opportunity for me to pass up. So, I sprang to action. And since Angel was the only one who knew about my little vendetta, naturally, I hired him to spy on the newlyweds, to try
and find out some information on Rupert's whereabouts..."

William swallowed hard. The more he rambled on, the more William realized he was not dealing with a fully sane man, which only added to the ticking-time-bomb theory.

"But then, I realized something. I realized that I didn't want Rupert dead. At least, not right away. Nooo... I wanted to watch him suffer, to ruin his life like he ruined mine all those years ago. I figured, why go for the kill, when you can go for the pain? So, I went after the one thing I knew would hurt him the most..."

"His family.”

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


“I thought this thing was supposed to be a turbo!” Buffy shouted, referring to Clem’s red VW beetle as they sped along on their way to the hotel.


“It is!”

Buffy looked at him incredulously. “Well doesn’t it go any faster?”

Clem shrugged, never taking his eyes off the road. “Nope.”

Buffy groaned, more of a half sob. “Then what’s this stupid thing good for anyway? I mean, I could practically run faster than this!”

Her voice trailed off, constricted with tears. She bit her lower lip, half wishing she could fly to get to William if that were at all possible, because this car ride seemed to be taking forever. Every second that passed seemed to take William further away from her, bit by bit.

Clem briefly took his eyes off the road to look at her, noticing the tears streaming down her face in torrents. “We already called the cops, Buffy.” He reminded her, “They’ll probably beat us there.”

Sniffling, Buffy didn’t even bother to wipe the tears away, as she was too distraught to even care. She shook her head. “I can’t lose him, Clem.”

“You won’t.”

She shook her head.

“I can’t lose him.” She simply repeated, her voice now a mere breathy whisper.

“I’ve already lost too much.”

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


William’s breath caught in his throat as he realized what Hank was saying.

“Yes, Billy. The accident. Your mother, your wife..."

He paused to let that fully sink in, " I hired Angel to wait for them. He used a rental car, made sure to attach the trailer hitch just right... and of course, he was able to get away without being caught. He's a good driver, that boy."

"You sick son of a bitch!" William flew out of his seat, momentarily forgetting about his opponent's weapon as his vision clouded over with red, his only thought seeking revenge on the bastard who'd taken so much from him, and who'd nearly taken even more.

Hank instantly stood and raised his gun, reminding William who was currently in charge.

"Now, now." He clucked his tongue, in a mock-sympathy, shaking his head.

"Just remember who has the gun."

William didn't respond, though he did manage to halt in his tracks. His face was bright red and his chest heaved, each breath almost painful as he turned over this new bit of information again and again in his head, each thought only fueling his rage.

“I wanted to make him suffer, to watch him squirm, just like he made me suffer all those years ago.”

“And you’d risk innocent people, your own daughter, just to achieve some twisted sense of satisfaction?!"

“Mere technicalities. They were in my way.” He explained matter-of-factly, as though it were nothing at all.

William shook his head in disbelief, trying to physically restrain himself from ripping off the man’s head with his own bare hands. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that, Hank?”

Hank grinned sardonically. “Been called worse,” He shrugged. "Now, best sit back down, Billy."

He pressed the gun, hard, into William's chest, the barrel digging into his flesh, forcing William to back up until his knees once again hit the back of the couch. reluctantly, he sat down, his eyes exuding hatred for the man before him.

"Good boy," Hank backed away, once again taking his seat across from William.

"Now, where was I..." Lost in thought for a moment, eyes cast towards the ceiling as he remembered
where he had left off.

"Oh, right." He turned his gaze back to William, who glared daggers back at him.

"Well, then disappeared for a while, too. Like father, like son, I suppose... So, while you were away, I had Angel get close to Buffy, to find out some more information. And see, the thing about Angel is... he isn't my most, stable colleague, to say the least. He took a liking to Buffy, or maybe an obsession is more
like it. He wanted her, and figured he might have a shot, especially since we were planning to kill you, anyway."

Hank laughed to himself quietly, seemingly amused, as though it were all some kind of sick inside joke. "Yeah, he went off the deep end when Buffy turned him down. Boy certainly doesn't take well to rejection." Hank paused and eyed William cautiously, laying the gun carefully in his lap and cracking his knuckles one by one, as though daring him to make a move.

"Well, as you may have guessed, you were my next target," Hank gestured grandly with his arm, indicating his surroundings, "And here we are. And surprisingly it wasn't as hard as I thought. In fact, it was too easy. Gotta tell ya, Billy, you're not the sharpest knife in the rack. You brought the fight right to my doorstep."

William clenched his jaw. "Fight?" He snorted loudly.
"What fight? You mean picking off everyone my father cares about
one by one, all over some warped vendetta that happened years ago? It's not a fight, Hank. It's a massacre. And you're nothing but a murderer and a coward!"

Hank stood up, lightning fast, raising the butt of his gun and smacking William square across the cheekbone. Will briefly saw stars, quickly recovering despite the blinding white pain as he felt a solid stream of blood gushing from his face. His head felt as though it were about to explode.

Hank sneered at him. "Watch your mouth, Billy." He scolded.

But William wasn't finished.

He stood on shaky legs, approaching Hank slowly, though his vision was clouded over with pain and rising vertigo.


"Hurts, doesn't it?" He taunted, "To know that my father is a better man than you could ever be. He had enough sense to walk away, enough morals to feel guilt for his wrongdoings. And," William took another step closer, "He was smart enough to not get caught."

"Shut up, if you know what's good for you!" Hank had the gun pointed directly at Will's forehead, right between the eyes. His arms were stiff, hands trembling with rage, clammy around the cold metal.

But William ignored him once again.

"It burns, to know that my father at least had one thing in life that you never will... True happiness. Because unlike you, he knows how to love."

"Love is for fools," Hank spat. "It makes you weak."

"Yeah, well who's the fool now?" Hank cocked his head slightly in question, seething on the inside. "You're standing here, waving a gun around. See, the thing is, I caught you off guard. Every other time, you were too much of a coward. You couldn't do any of it
yourself, so you'd have Angel do all your dirty work. And you see," William was now standing directly in front of Hank, staring at him challengingly. He felt the barrel of the gun pressing into his chest, but it didn't phase him. Instead, he merely watched as Hank
briefly looked to the gun, then back up, his eyes wild with rage.

William continued, "When it comes down to it..." He leaned in, his voice just above a whisper, the gun jabbing harder into his chest as he challenged him. "I don't think you have the stones."

"Wanna bet?" With those words, Hank squeezed the trigger.

'Click!'

Nothing.

Hank looked at the gun, then back at William, his eyes wide in confusion.

'Click!'

Again, nothing.

'Click, click, click!'

Hank proceeded to check every chamber.

The gun was empty.






TBC... part two of this chapter coming up soon....

Hank stared at William in disbelief, mouth agape.

“Surprise number two, mate.” William opened his red button down shirt, revealing the tiny microphone attached to the black tee shirt underneath.

“A wire,” Realization hit Hank like a ton of bricks. “You… this was a setup?! I’ll kill you, you fucking bastard! I’ll-“

A loud CRASH interrupted his threat as the door was kicked in behind him. Hank spun around to face several large LA police officers, weapons at the ready. One beefy looking officer stepped forward with a grim look on his face.

“Hank Summers, you are under arrest for conspiring in the murder of Jennifer Giles, for perjury, for battery, for…”

The officer continued to list a very detailed account of Hank’s numerous offenses. Forced to tackle Hank to the ground as he tried to escape, he roughly pinned him with his body and cuffed his hands behind his back, reading him his rights as he did so.

“You have the right to remain silent…”

Then, Hank was dragged to his feet and escorted from the premises.

As William witnessed this spectacle with a somber expression, another tall man stepped forward and tapped him on the shoulder.

“William Giles? I’m Agent Riley Finn.” He shook the offered hand. “You got plenty on that tape for us to finally put Hank Summers and Angelus McCarthy in prison. So, thank you for your help.”

He merely forced a tight-lipped smile and nod of his head in response, too exhausted from his experience to care.

“Oh, and Mr. Giles?” Turning to face him once again, William noticed that he held the very same gun Hank had threatened him with mere minutes earlier. Opening the chambers for Will to examine, Riley continued, “The gun was never loaded,” He explained. “We made sure one of our guys took care of that before he got here.”

William’s face drained of all color, and he merely nodded again in response, his thoughts all over the place as Riley moved away from him to speak with the other officers present.
However, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard the most welcome sound of all.


“No, let me through! Please tell me what’s going on! Please, my husband’s in there!”

“Buffy,” William whispered. Seeing her golden head poke between the shoulders of two large officers as she stood on tip-toe to peer inside the room, William felt his breath hitch in his throat.

“Buffy!” He repeated, this time loud enough for her to hear. She jerked her head toward the sound of his voice. Locking eyes, Will saw the flood of emotions apparent in her features matched his own; exhaustion, relief, anger, worry…

Taking another step closer, William motioned to the officers blocking her way.
“She’s my wife. Let her pass,” He managed to choke out, and the officers complied, slowly moving aside.

In the blink of an eye, she was running towards him and in his arms, her hands clasped tightly around his neck as she sobbed. Burying his face in her hair, he returned the embrace with equal fervor.

“You’re ok,” She whispered, “Thank God.” Her voice was muffled against his chest. Sniffling, she slowly raised her tear-stained face to look at him, managing a watery smile of relief as she did so. Suddenly frowning, she raised a hand tenderly to his cheek as she noticed the swollen redness.

“You’re hurt,” She observed, voice laden with concern. Her fingers trembled slightly as they caressed his cheekbone.

William took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. “I’m fine,” He assured her.

Feeling her tense, he loosened his grip on her, noting that she was closing herself off as she averted her eyes from his gaze.

“But what if you weren’t?”

Upon receiving no answer, Buffy continued to speak.

“William, what were you thinking?” She scolded, and he bowed his head.

“I wanted to keep you safe, Buffy.”

“By lying to me?!” Her frustration was growing by the second.
“You said we wouldn’t lie to each other anymore, but you did it anyway.” Waiting until he lifted his head again, she looked him squarely in the eye.
“Why?” She demanded.

“Because I needed to finish this, before anyone got hurt again.”

Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.

“Finish what, exactly?” William sighed loudly.

“You father, Buffy, he’s… not a good man.” A loud snort was his response.

“Yeah, tell me something I didn’t know.”

Shaking his head, William clarified, “No, as much as you hate him for what he did to you and your mum, I don’t think even you realize the extent of his crimes.” Seeing Buffy’s uncertainty, William pushed open his red shirt, revealing the wire he had been wearing.
Her mouth fell open in shock.

“Is that…”

“Yes,” William nodded. “Good ole’ Hank’s been suspected for years of embezzling funds, lying under oath, among other things. So many things, in fact, that the police were willing to do anything to take him down.”

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest.

“Again, I ask the question. Why did you lie to me about coming here?”

“Because I knew you’d try to stop me.”

Without missing a beat, “Damn right I would have,” She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in frustration.

William gently grasped her shoulders to momentarily still her movements. “Buffy, you don’t understand-“

“Then by all means, enlighten me.” William braced himself, knowing she wouldn’t take what he was about to say very well. Taking a deep breath, he began to explain.

“After that night at the Bronze, when you ran into Hank… I, uh, spoke with my father, and he filled me in on a few things…” He cleared his throat, “Turns out, our fathers were friends at one point, a long time ago. And to make a long story short, Hank ended up in prison, and he blamed my father for it,” William paused, making sure he had Buffy’s full attention before he continued.

“But I don’t even think my father knew all of what Hank was capable of…”

William felt his insides twist at the thought of what he had to tell Buffy next. She had to know the truth, but the truth was going to hurt.

“Hank let the anger eat away at him for years. So much so that he was willing to do anything to get back at my dad, because he wanted to make him suffer…”

Buffy drew in a sharp breath, her head suddenly throbbing as William let the bomb drop.

“Buffy, your father was behind the accident… He hired Angel to do it, because he wanted to give my dad the lowest blow he could, by attacking his family.” William finished, bracing for the fallout.

“What?!” Disbelief clouded her features. Mouth agape, she raised a hand to her face, the other hand clutching her suddenly upset stomach as she shook her head.

“It was all because of him?” Her voice sounded small and weak, though full of hurt, disbelief, and anger. It tore at William’s heart.

“I’m sorry I had to tell you this,” Reaching for her, he hesitated when she held up a hand to stop him.

“No.” She shook her head. “You knew this, all along? And you didn’t tell me?!” Tears were once again streaming down her face, and she did nothing to stop them.

William hung his head again. “I didn’t want to upset you, before-“

“No excuses, William.” Fighting an intense feeling of dizziness, Buffy spoke again. “You knew this, and you kept it from me. You lied to me! You – you made me believe everything was going to be fine, just to lie to me, and nearly get yourself killed in the process!”

She was openly sobbing now, and William wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her. Though he knew she was beyond finding comfort at this point.

“I want to go home,” She stated softly. “Clem will take me. I just need… I can’t be around you right now.” She looked up at him tearfully, noticing his own tears that were beginning to pool in those beautiful blue eyes. “I need time to think.”

William could only nod as he looked at her, knowing he needed to give her the space she requested. Regret and anguish cut into him like a knife.

“I love you, Buffy,” Was all he could muster, his voice a husky whisper, choked with tears.

Her chin quivered slightly as she continued to gaze at him tearfully. “I love you, too,” She returned. Leaning in to brush a gentle kiss upon his lips, she then took a step back, holding his gaze for several more long moments before finally tearing herself away and turning towards the door.

‘But sometimes love isn’t enough,’ She thought sorrowfully, fresh tears blurring her vision.

William watched as she disappeared from view, praying to whatever God that was listening that things could start going right for them.

When Buffy returned home, she said good-bye to Clem and raced into the apartment, eager to put the horrible events of the night behind her. Quickly, she packed a duffle bag with a change of clothes, called for a taxi, and paused to write a note for William before she left. She needed to distance herself from the situation for a while, needed time to think and fully absorb the newly discovered and rather disturbing information William had revealed mere hours before.

Scribbling quickly, and wanting to get out of there as soon as possible before William returned home, Buffy finished up her thoughts. Hoping that she was doing the right thing, she left
the note in clear view on the kitchen table.

Then, without further hesitation, she was gone.

********

William arrived home an hour behind Buffy, pulling the DeSoto into the usual parking space and having to practically drag himself out of the car as exhaustion thoroughly set in, along with a tightening in the pit of his stomach as he dreaded the inevitable confrontation.

He knew he should have told her the truth from the beginning. She deserved to know what a horrible person her father truly was from the moment he found out. But he had been too much of a coward to tell her until it was all over. He'd had the insatiable need to be the one to put Hank in prison, to see firsthand that justice was being given for what had been done to his family. And the knowledge that he had indeed succeeded in putting Hank behind bars gave William much satisfaction. Though the anguish he felt over knowing his lies hurt Buffy even worse far outweighed the positives. He still couldn't have told her about his involvement with the police until the time was right, because he knew she would have tried to stop him. But he'd let his desire for vengeance blind him to the fact that Buffy deserved to know the truth about the accident from the get go.

William took the stairs two at a time, digging for his keys in his pocket before letting himself inside the cozy apartment. Shedding his duster along the way, he entered the bedroom in order to see if Buffy was already asleep, knowing she must have been every bit as tired as he felt.

However, his heart sank when he was greeted by an empty bed, the sheets still neat and untouched.

"Buffy?" William called, anxiety apparent in his voice.

Silence was his only answer.

Swallowing hard as dread began to consume him, William proceeded to check the bathroom and, once again coming up empty, he made his way to the last possible option: the kitchen. Flicking on the light switch to reveal an empty room, William knew with gut certainty that Buffy had left him. Though for how long, he didn't know.

Something caught his eye, however, and he sucked in a sharp breath when he realized there was a note waiting for him on the table. Praying to God it wasn't merely a Dear John letter, he picked it up with shaking hands as he began to read:


William,

I'm staying with Willow for the time being until I can figure a few things out for myself.
My life has been unexpectedly turned upside down and it's just too much for me to take all at once, so I need to distance myself from the situation, just for a little while, so I can
have a clear head to think this through. I hope you understand why I have to do this.
Please believe that I'm not running away, because that's not what I'm trying to do. I want
things to be right between us, but I need some space, and time, before I can let that happen. I love you Will, with all my heart, and I hope that we can someday rebuild the trust between us that has been shattered.

Love always,
Buffy


As William finished reading, he squeezed his eyes shut, letting the paper fall back to the table as he reached up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. His fears had been confirmed; Buffy had left him.

Suddenly, it didn't seem as though things could get any worse.

*****

Buffy spent the next few hours crying her eyes out on Willow's couch, her friend just patting her back and offering words of sympathy. Buffy had broken down and told Willow everything she didn't already know, simply needing someone to talk to in her time of need.

In the course of one night, she'd been attacked, learned that her own father had betrayed her worse than she could have ever imagined, and that William had been lying to her. It was too much to handle, too much for one person to cope with alone.

"He's a poophead!" Willow exclaimed indignantly as Buffy's tears subsided slightly. "He never deserved you as a daughter, you're too good for him. That big, dumb... giant poophead!" Buffy sniffled, managing a small watery smile at her friend's attempt to comfort her.

"Yeah," Willow continued, "Someone should turn him into a big, horned toad. Or something. And-and then, we could all... stomp on him!"

Buffy looked up at the redhead, wiping in vain at a few more stray tears.

“I feel like I’m dying, Will,” Her voice was heavy with sorrow, throat so constricted with emotion she felt like she could hardly breath. “It’s just too much… everything all at once. I can’t…” Trailing off as she took in a deep breath, Willow remained silent as she realized Buffy was about to say something else.

“My father’s one thing… of course it hurts to know what he did, but deep down I always knew he was scum anyway… But William…” Buffy shook her head, then looked down at her lap. “The man I love, the one I thought I could trust more than anything in this world, lied to me. All this time…” Tearfully, Buffy looked up again with wide, desperate eyes, as though Willow held all the answers to her problems.

“What do I do, Wills?”

“Well, do you want my honest opinion?” Buffy simply nodded, urging her friend to continue. “Ok, I think that William was just trying to protect you. He probably should have told you the truth, but it sounds like he really thought he was doing the right thing.” Noticing the slightly skeptical look on Buffy’s face, Willow continued. “Buffy, he loves you, more than anything. He’d do anything for you. And unlike your father,” She paused, “He’s not a poophead.”

“No,” Buffy agreed. “William’s not a…” wrinkling her eyebrows together as she echoed Willow’s interesting word choice. “Poophead.”

Her face again grew serious.

“But he lied to me, Willow. How do I get past that?”

Willow smiled sympathetically.

“You go and talk to him,” She said, “Try starting there.”

Buffy looked down, contemplating the suggestion.

“Besides,” Willow continued, giving Buffy a playful nudge with her elbow, “You guys are just too cute together to be apart.”

Buffy allowed herself a small chuckle at that, smiling fondly. She looked at Willow gratefully.

“Thanks for being here, Wills,” She said as she gave Willow a hug.

“No problem,” Willow smiled. “That’s the job of the best friend.”
TBC...

By the time Buffy had left Willow's and returned to her and William's apartment, it was well past midnight. But, deciding she couldn't wait any longer to resolve things between them, she went anyway, fishing for her keys with sweaty palms. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, and she realized, she was... nervous? She'd been married to the man for how long, known him even longer than that, and now she was nervous? Though Buffy realized without a doubt that the anxiety wasn't unfounded, knowing the inevitable conversation would most certainly become a turning point in their relationship.

Turning the key in the knob and gently pushing the door open, Buffy gulped when she saw the soft glow of lamp light bathing the living room, an indication that William was still awake. Buffy closed the door behind her quietly and crept forward, her breath catching in her throat when she saw William sprawled across the couch, his eyes closed, head lolled to one side.

What Buffy saw next, however, made her heart sink.

Heaped around William's feet were at least half a dozen empty beer cans.

Buffy clamped a hand over her mouth and shook her head slowly.

'Oh God, no. What have I done?' Was her only thought.

Tip-toeing closer to his passed out form, Buffy accidentally kicked right into a stray can, the noise inadvertantly jolting William awake as he sat upright on the couch and looked around in confusion. He squinted his eyes.

"Buffy?" He said groggily, sleep and disbelief making it hard for him to process the current situation.

"William," She said softly, sorrowfully. "I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry."

Hearing her tone of voice, William stood up such that he was directly in front of her, looking down at her with questioning eyes.

"'M sorry, too," He slurred, grogginess still thick in his throat.

Buffy shook her head. "No, I, I...." But upon catching the glint of an aluminum can out of the corner of her good eye, her mood instantly changed, a fierce combination of anger and sadness.

"How could you?" She sobbed, practically a hiccup as her face grew bright red with frustration. "How could you do this to yourself? To us?!" Raking a hand through her hair, tugging on it absentmindedly as she continued. "You... I was coming back, you know! You didn't have to do this!"

William was now thoroughly confused, and he raised an eyebrow in question. "Do wha-"

But once again he was cut off.

"No, you, you JERK!" She gave him a firm shove to punctuate her words, and he staggered back a couple steps, completely caught off guard. He was stunned, powerless to watch Buffy continue with her tirade, her small shoulders shaking with the sobs she tried to swallow back.

"I was coming back!" She repeated, her voice raised to almost a shout. "Why? Why did you have to do it?" Her voice wavered slightly. "I love you, and, and just when we can finally work on starting a new life together you have to go and do something stupid, and you're gonna have to leave me again!" Tears streamed down her face as she continued, William watching the whole time in stunned silence. She shook her head. "You know what happened the last time with the alcohol... You're gonna have to leave me again..." As her voice trailed off, realization suddenly dawned on William. She'd seen the cans. And, naturally, she'd assumed the former alcoholic was boozing again in light of the recent events. She was afraid he'd have to return to rehab and leave her again.

"Buffy-"

"Damn you, William!" She pounded a small fist against his chest, weakly, sobbing all the while. "Damn you-"

"Buffy!" This time he got her attention, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to remain still. Her shoulders slumped, exhausted from the outburst, and she refused to look at him, her eyes glued to a fixed point on his chest.

"Look at me." he said, as a parent would to a child. When she still refused, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, making sure he had her undivided attention before he spoke.

"Buffy, I'm not drinking again."

"Then what's-" Will hushed her, smirking as he pressed a finger to her lips.

"Not beer cans, luv. It's Red Bull. I was trying to stay awake."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Oh." Sniffling, she suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed by her outburst, though relief flooded her system at the thought that he wasn't drinking again. Opening her mouth to speak again, William clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her.

"You had your turn. I think I should have the mic for a bit," He said calmly, evenly.

Buffy simply nodded, and he lowered his hand.

"Shouldn't be so quick to doubt me, pet. After all our relationship has been through, do you honestly think I'd do something that stupid to fuck things up?" His tone was firm, but not harsh.

Buffy lowered her eyes, her fingers absentmindedly towing with the hem of his shirt. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I'm sorry." She bit her lip, forcing back another wave of tears. "I was just so afraid of losing you again."

William's face softened at this.

"Hey," He hooked a finger under her chin and gently lifted her head again, his bright blue eyes searching hers. "I'm sorry I lied to you about the accident. But please believe I was only doing what I thought necessary to protect you." The corners of her mouth turned up in the faintest hint of a smile.

"I know that now. And I'm sorry too." William nodded at her words and, unable to resist any longer, he pulled her to him, holding her head with one hand while his other arm wrapped tightly about her waist.


"Good, because you're not getting rid of me," He said into her hair, his mouth just resting against the side of her head. "I love you. You're my whole world, and-" He sighed loudly. "Things have been a bloody nightmare lately, but I want this to work between us. And I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

"Me, too." Buffy whispered as she slumped against him, feeling right at home in his arms. She nestled her head against the side of his neck and sighed in contentment, hooking her arms tighter around his waist.

They just stood there for several minutes, holding each other, and neither was sure quite when the mood changed, but Buffy guessed it was around the time she felt a telltale something poking into her abdomen. Instantly, she felt her body temperature rise, heat coursing throughout her veins as she looked up at William with a knowing smile, noticing his eyes were dark and glazed over with pure lust.

Buffy arched a brow. "Does little Spikey want to come out and play?" She teased, batting her lashes at him coquettishly. He practically growled at her in response.

"Little?!" He bent down until he was at eye level with her, the look on his face making her weak in the knees. "I'll show you little!"

Buffy squealed as she was suddenly lifted off the ground, thrown over William's shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Sweetheart, you're about to get Spiked," Pinching her bottom lightly as he said those words. Even as she slapped his back in a weak protest, she felt a sudden flood of moisture between her legs at the thought of what he might do to her.

William carried her to the bedroom, and the second her back hit the mattress, he was on top of her, covering her body with his own and plundering her mouth with a greedy tongue. Buffy in turn gave herself to him eagerly, twining her fingers in his hair, wanting to feel him on top of her, inside of her, surrounding her.

As their tongues collided, William's hands moved up and down the sides of Buffy's body in a gentle caress, and when she suddenly felt him fumbling with the clasp of her jeans, she bent her leg at the knee to allow him better access. Pushing his hand under the denim, he moved her panties aside and slid his fingers into her moist folds without further hesitation.

She hissed in pleasure, and he pulled back slightly to watch her face, to see what his talented fingers were doing to her. He watched as she threw her head back, rolling it from side to side in time with the movement of William’s hand. And when he slid two long fingers deep inside of her, emerald eyes flew open on a pleasantly startled gasp.

“Oh!” She cried. But suddenly, she was reaching for him, urging him to halt his ministrations.

“Too many clothes,” She sputtered, and William nodded in agreement.

They frantically tore at each other’s clothes and in record time, the offending articles were carelessly strewn in a heap on the floor.

William took a moment to stare at her, take in every last inch of her slender form, the soft curves of her body, golden hair, smooth skin.

“Beautiful,” He whispered.

Buffy pulled him to her for another deep, passionate kiss, breasts smashed against William’s chest and the direct skin-to-skin contact feeling too good for words as the heat crept through her.

William broke off the kiss once again and quickly slid down the length of her body, wasting no time as he forced her thighs apart and plunged his tongue inside her silken folds. He stroked teasingly at first, feather light, then with more vigor as he came into direct contact with her most sensitive area. This was all the encouragement Buffy needed, and she was sent spiraling over the edge before she even knew what hit her. Stars exploded behind her eyes as she cried out in pleasure. Her back arched off the bed, hands fisted tightly in the sheets and when she finally came back down from her high, the first thing she saw was William watching her intently with lust-filled eyes.

Buffy grinned at him when she finally regained the ability to speak. “My turn,” She said, fully intending to return the favor.

“No,” He shook his head. “Just need to be inside you.”

Buffy nodded with understanding, knowing the feeling. She wanted it just as badly.

“Turn on your side,” He ordered, his voice raspy and hoarse, and Buffy was powerless to do anything but obey. She flipped onto her right side.

Without another word, William scooted in closer to her until their bodies were fully aligned, his chest pressed against her back in a spooning position. He grabbed her left leg behind the knee and lifted it slightly, draping it over his hip and further opening her body to him. Then, in a torturously slow motion, he guided his erection inside her tight channel, grunting as her heat consumed him.

Buffy mewled and whimpered as he continued to stretch her in the most delicious ways, sliding up and up for what felt like an eternity before finally, finally, he was fully embedded inside of her, his hardened length in so deep she could feel him pressing against the entrance to her womb. Her eyes squeezed shut, chest heaving as she panted like someone who had just run a marathon.

When she felt warm breath tickling her ear, her eyes fluttered open.

“I love being inside you,” William whispered, voice low and seductive as his lips brushed the shell of her ear, “There’s no place else I’d rather be.”

Then, with those words, he began to move at a steady, almost teasing pace that made Buffy whimper with longing. All the way in, inch by inch and agonizingly slow, then all the way out.

Buffy felt the heat curl in her belly until intense desire took over, making William’s simple torment seem like cruel and unusual punishment.

“Harder, William,” She demanded, “Faster.” And William obliged, plunging in and out of her throbbing center with wild abandon. Buffy bucked her hips back against William in response to his every thrust, the sound of flesh smacking flesh echoing in the bedroom and intermingling with their pants and moans.

“Fuck…” William groaned as he felt himself near his limit. He drove into her even harder still, desperate for release.

“Will – Oh, God…”

With one last thrust, as deep as he could possibly go, he emptied himself inside of her and when he bit down on her neck with blunt teeth, she came with him, crying out quite possibly the greatest pleasure she had ever felt. And it wasn’t just physical pleasure, but also the pleasure of knowing she was safe, and loved, and happy. And no one could ever take that away from her again.

When her orgasm finally started to subside, she brought a hand up to twine in his platinum curls and pull him to her, turning her head to capture his lips in another kiss. Until once again, she needed to pull back and catch her breath.

“Did I ever mention how much I love you?” William said breathlessly, combing his fingers through her golden tresses as he brushed the hair out of her face. He pressed a light kiss to her neck over the fading indentations from his teeth.

Buffy giggled. “Once or twice,” She answered, feeling giddy.

Extracting himself from within her depths, he almost groaned at the loss of contact. However, he managed a genuine smile when she flipped over on her other side to face him, propping her head up on her hand. He was pleased to see how her emerald eyes seemed to sparkle with happiness inside the darkness of the room.

“Love you,” She said, bending down to brush a kiss across his forehead. When she pulled back, William looked up at her.

“This is it, you and me. No going back this time,” He told her, raising an eyebrow as a smirk formed on his lips. “Think you can handle it, luv?”

“Oh, I’ll manage,” Buffy teased, suddenly yawning as she realized just how incredibly tired she was. Resting her head on William’s chest, she threw her arm across his stomach, fingers tracing the hard lines of his abdomen as he tightened his arm around her. With a contented sigh, Buffy closed her eyes and was just about to drift off to sleep when she realized something.

“Will?”

“Hmm?” He responded sleepily, his eyes still closed.

“Why were you trying to stay awake earlier? … You know, the Red Bull?”

His eyes flew open, though she couldn’t read his expression in the dark. “Oh, that... I was, uh, trying to write you a poem,”

Buffy smiled in the dark. “Aww, that’s sweet. Can you read it to me?”

William shifted slightly. “It’s not that good… I feel like a ponce, really…”

“Oh, come on,” Buffy encouraged. “Please?”

At her pleading tone, William finally caved. “Fine. But no laughing.”

Clearing his throat, he began to speak in his low, sexy tone….

“My heart expands…”


TBC…

---

A/N: Hehe, I couldn’t help using William’s poem in there. Cheesy maybe, but I thought it fitting, lol. So, hopefully you all enjoyed the “make-up” scene. Again, sex scenes aren’t really my forte, but hopefully that was steamy enough for ya, lol. Well, I’m sad to say this fic is almost at an end, just one more chapter plus an epilogue. Thanks so much to everyone who’s been reading the story, and for all the great reviews! They made me feel a lot better :-)

Buffy awoke feeling completely refreshed and revived. The sun streamed brightly through the window, shining on her face and warming her from the inside out. It was the start of a brand new day, and what felt like the start of a brand new life.

Buffy turned over, smiling as she heard William mumble something incoherent in his sleep. One arm was carelessly thrown across her hip, the other arm bunched up into the pillow. His hair was disheveled and sticking up in various places, mussed from their passionate night of love-making. He looked so boyish when he slept, almost innocent, yet strong. And in Buffy’s eyes he looked incredibly sexy. Though, he also looked like he’d just passed out and could sleep straight through another week, as the past few days had been tiring, both emotionally and physically.

She leaned forward to place a feather light kiss on his forehead. Then, being very careful not to wake him, she slid out from under his arm and rolled out of bed. Standing up, she stretched and located her robe so she didn’t have to walk around the apartment stark naked, then she headed to the kitchen in order to make her and William some coffee.

Humming gleefully as she prepared the coffee, Buffy stopped abruptly, a wave of nausea making her pale visibly while she clutched at the counter top.

‘What the…’

Suddenly, she was startled by a pair of muscled arms that wrapped around her middle, pulling her flush against a hard, warm body. Buffy jumped but instantly relaxed when she remembered to whom the arms belonged. As her hair was brushed aside, Buffy felt a warm, moist pair of lips pressed against that particular spot on the back of her neck, and she couldn’t help the shudder that coursed through her body. Though, try as she might, she still couldn’t shake the feeling of nausea that continued to plague her.

William loosened the robe around her neck, pushing the material slightly further down her shoulder on one side in order to expose more skin. Bending down, he placed another gentle kiss on the soft curve of her neck.

“Thought you could sneak away from me, pet?” William’s voice purred in her ear when his lips abandoned their ministrations.

“Just got up to make us some coffee,” Buffy explained weakly, her eyes closed as she fought another wave of dizziness.

William noticed that something didn’t sound right in her voice, and he gently turned her around to face him. Noticing how pale she looked, his eyebrows wrinkled in concern.

“You feeling alright, kitten?” He asked, instinctively pressing the back of his hand to her forehead to feel for a fever.

“Just a little dizzy,” Buffy assured him, “I’ll be fine.”

He lowered his hand.

“You sure?” Buffy nodded.

“Well, at least sit down for now and I’ll finish making the coffee,” He suggested, and Buffy obeyed, momentarily too weak to protest.

Pulling out a chair for her, William waited until she was seated at the table, then bent down to give her an affectionate kiss on the side of her head. Buffy smiled up at him, feeling slightly better while she was sitting.

But when William turned to resume the task of making the coffee, Buffy suddenly thought of something. Instinctively, she clutched at her stomach and looked downwards in slight dismay. Why hadn’t the thought occurred to her before?

Could it possibly be?

Standing again on shaky legs, Buffy turned towards the bathroom.

“Uh, Will, I’m gonna go take a shower, k?” Without waiting for a reply, she breezed past him and out of the kitchen.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Honey, I’m home!” William called out as he opened the apartment door. Buffy had sent him to the store to get a few things, saying she needed him out of the house for a little while. William’s curiosity had peaked when she’d abruptly shooed him out the door, and now, as he entered the bedroom, he understood her previous haste to get him out of the apartment.

Spread across the dresser was a handful of lit candles, the flames casting shadows that danced across the ceiling and walls and effectively set a romantic ambience. And Buffy was…

William’s mouth went dry when he saw her. She was lying provocatively in the middle of the bed, propped up on her elbows with one leg bent at the knee, wearing nothing sans a red lace bra and matching panties, which she knew were his favorite.

Grinning at his speechless reaction, Buffy beckoned to him with her finger.

“C’mere, handsome.” With those words, William seemed to snap out of his daze, finally finding his voice again. He approached her, or rather, stalked her in such a way it made Buffy’s heart skip a beat, the suggestive smirk on his face sending a little shiver of anticipation down her spine.

“Hello, gorgeous,” He said as he stopped at the foot of the bed, cocking a brow as he gazed at her body lustfully. Putting a knee on the edge of the bed, he leaned forward and crawled towards her, slowly, holding her gaze the whole time until he was finally on top of her and looking down into her face.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what’s the occasion, pet?”

Buffy laced her fingers behind his neck, looking deeply into his eyes.

“Us,” She responded simply, drawing him closer until her lips met his in a tender kiss that immediately escalated into something more passionate and consuming, going on and on until Buffy was forced to pull away in need of oxygen.

She kissed his chin, his nose, his cheek, before letting her lips glide to his ear, gently caressing the lobe as she spoke.

“All of us,” She whispered breathlessly.

William pulled back with a confused expression.

“All of us?” He repeated. It was only when Buffy guided his hand to rest on her stomach that realization spread across his features. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

“You’re?...”

Buffy nodded slowly, trying to gauge his reaction.

“I’m pregnant.”

Those words hung heavily in the air as Will refrained from responding, his face an expressionless mask, much like the last time.

Buffy frowned slightly and brought her hands to either side of his face, finally gaining his attention.

“Hey, you in there?” She asked softly, caressing his cheekbone tenderly.

When he met her eyes, it was then that she saw the tears glistening, threatening to spill over, making the sparkling blue even more intense in the candlelight.

“I’m just afraid to get too excited,” He explained, “Because last time…”

“Shhh….” Buffy held a finger to his lips. “That was then…”

She kissed away a lone tear that had escaped down his cheek. Then, smiling, she pulled back again to look at him.

“This is now.”

As William absorbed her words, a smile slowly appeared on his lips that grew and grew into full on grin until suddenly, his mouth was attacking Buffy’s in his new state of euphoria.

“Mmmm” Buffy wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as his tongue brushed against hers, and before she knew what was happening he had rolled them both over so that she was on top. Automatically, she parted her legs in order to straddle his hips and instantly moaned at the feeling of the hardness grinding into her sensitive mound. She bucked forward slightly, rubbing against his covered erection and eliciting a low moan from deep in his throat.

She made quick work of his clothes, wasting no time as she pushed his pants down, moved her panties aside and impaled herself on him, taking him all the way in. He looked at her with amazement, through eyes hooded over with pure pleasure. His hands reached out to cup her breasts, to palm them in his hand as he rubbed the nipples into hardened little peaks. Buffy gasped and mewled as she continued to ride him, letting her hands move from where they’d been braced on his chest, to rest over his hands that now fondled her breasts, and hold them there. But suddenly, he began to move lower. His fingertips brushed her skin, raising goose bumps in their wake until they came to a halt over her stomach. He flattened his palm over the smooth flesh and let his thumb trace little circles. Buffy noticed his reaction, and slowed up her pace as he looked at her.

“I love you,” William said huskily, his breath coming out in short spurts.

Suddenly, he sat up, threading his fingers through her hair and smashing his mouth to hers. He rocked slowly from side to side, gently caressing her inner walls, before jerking his hips upward, the new angle of penetration making it such that he could hit the sweet spot deep inside of her.

Upon hearing her moan, he broke off the kiss, grinning.

“Like that, baby?”

But before she even had a chance to respond, she was riding out the wave of a very intense orgasm and, upon feeling the telltale clenching of her internal muscles, William quickly flipped them over again. He pinned her beneath him and drove into her with more force in his quest for release. Pumping faster, faster, he came inside of her furiously, spurting stream after stream until he was finally spent and collapsed on top of her, lifeless.

After a moment, however, he caught himself and rolled to the side, afraid of crushing her and hurting the baby.

‘”That was then, this is now…”’ Buffy’s words echoed in his head as he held her in his arms, watching as she drifted off to sleep.

And as William felt himself start to nod off with her, he thanked whoever was listening for giving him a second chance.

---

A/N: Ok, well, that’s the end! I’m sad to see this story coming to a close, but I am excited, because this is officially my first completed long fic! Yep, plus this was my first AU story, so I’m glad that it got the good response that it did. Well, hopefully this ending isn’t too sappy, but I just wanted the ending to be romantic and optimistic. So, Buffy’s pregnant, which is good, right? And look, I even managed to squeeze in another sex scene! Hope ya like it ;) ….. Anyway, there is an epilogue coming up, so stay tuned for that to be posted soon. Thanks again to everyone who’s been reading and reviewing this story – luv u guys! *muah!* ~Jess :-)

2 and 1/2 years later…

“Hey there,” The cheerful redhead greeted as William swung open the door.

“Hello, Red.”

He stepped aside, allowing her to pass.

Shutting the door behind her, he followed her into the living room, hands tucked in his jeans pockets. After a moment, he turned to face her with a grateful look on his face.

“Thanks for stopping by.”

Willow waved her hand flippantly in the air.

“No problem. I can’t wait to get my hands on the little devils,” She said with a grin, taking a seat on the plush couch while they waited.

William snuck a quick glance at the clock on the wall, pursing his lips.

“Buffy’ll be out in a minute,” he assured, and Willow nodded quietly.

Suddenly, a sound of cooing and giggling floated from the next room, and the redhead and peroxide blond shared a knowing glance.

“Be right back.”

Will excused himself politely, shuffling down the hallway until he reached the small bedroom on the right, all covered in pink and flowers from floor to ceiling. It was the unmistakable mark of a little girl’s room… or, two little girls, to be exact.

William folded his arms across his chest and leaned his upper body against the doorframe. A grin lit up his face as he watched his wife and mother of his children hunch over two little cribs, her back facing him as she lulled the tiny girls.

They were two blue eyed, blond haired twins named Jenny and Joyce, now about one and a half years old.

“You be good for mommy while I’m gone, ok?” Her voice was soft and laden with adoration as she watched her daughters drift off to a sound sleep.


When William pushed off the doorframe and edged his way closer, Buffy turned around to face him. He gazed at his wife lovingly, unable to get over the way she seemed to glow, now 8 months pregnant with his third child… a boy to be named William.

Her beautiful face lit up with a smile as she approached him, hand automatically moving to rest on her swollen belly.

“Gotta move, lamb,” He whispered, careful not to wake his girls, “Red’s here.”

Buffy nodded, watching as William took his turn over the cribs. He bent over them cautiously, giving each girl a feather light kiss atop the wispy blond curls of their heads.

“Rest well, my little platelets.”

Buffy had to refrain from giggling at his words. That was her William, an eccentric mixture of charming and proper, and rebellious and offbeat. And in all the years she’d known him, he’d never changed, unless it was for the better.

After he’d said his goodnights, William backed away from the cribs and tip toed towards Buffy, pausing briefly to give her a sound kiss on the lips.

“Ready?” He asked as he very carefully shut the door behind them, trying not to make a sound. His hand automatically went to the small of Buffy’s back, a protective little gesture as he guided her to the living room where Willow waited.

So many things had happened in two short years. For one, they’d decided against getting remarried, instead opting for a simple recommitment ceremony before the twins were born.

They’d finally moved from the small apartment, buying a more family friendly house in a quaint little neighborhood in Sunnydale. It was a cozy two story home that they’d fallen in love with the moment they’d walked inside.

Angelus was still serving his time in prison, not even his father’s money enough to free him from the life sentence he faced. Not that his father cared anyway. His son had always been an anomaly at Wolfram and Hart, as well as troublesome, and he valued his reputation enough to attempt salvaging what was left of it.

Hank was dead. He had killed himself in prison.

The guards found him one morning, hanging from the ceiling by a sheet he’d tied around his neck. Buffy received this news just two months after the birth of her daughters, and could feel nothing but numbness. Turns out, Hank had left her a large sum of money in his will, more than enough for her and William to buy their new home. Perhaps Hank had finally begun to feel remorse for what he did, or maybe he’d only left the money to Buffy for lack of anyone else to give it to, as she was his closest living relative. Either way, Buffy couldn’t bring herself to shed a tear over the news of his death. Not after all he had put them through.

Willow stood up from the couch when Buffy entered the room with William in tow. Smiling, she took a step forward and enveloped her in a friendly hug, careful to avoid her 8 months pregnant stomach.

“Thanks so much for doing this, Wills,” Buffy said as she pulled back.

“Hey, that’s what friends are for.” Willow replied. “Besides, you two need a break. So, go you two. Have fun.”

It was just a night for a happily married couple to share a little alone time and take a temporary break from the stress of parenthood. Nothing fancy, just dinner and a movie but then, that’s all they needed. After all the heartaches they’d endured in life, things had only improved with each passing day until suddenly, it didn’t seem like anyone could have a better life than the one they shared together. Finally, they’d been able to let go of the past, and had become the happy little family they’d always wanted.

William held up Buffy’s coat so she could slide her arms into it, and then she went out the door ahead of him, pausing at the top of the porch stairs when she felt two hands grasp her hips from behind to halt her.

“Bloody hell, woman. I told you not to take these stairs by yourself, I haven’t fixed em yet.” He stepped beside her, gesturing at the uneven cracks in the concrete of the porch steps. Though even in the dark of night, she could see his eyes twinkling with amusement, despite his stern protests.

He slid one arm around Buffy’s waist, his other hand resting on her stomach as he helped her down the porch stairs, safely avoiding any potential hazards. William was always fiercely protective, though it became largely magnified during Buffy’s pregnancies.

Life had certainly thrown them a few curves along the way. But through it all, their love had only grown stronger, and for once, the light at the end of the tunnel didn’t burn them.

Life was good.

No, it was great, wonderful, even better than either imagined.

Before Will could open the car door for Buffy, she stopped him, placing a hand over his. He turned to face her with a lopsided smirk and arched eyebrow. Gently, she pulled his head down, letting her lips glide over his, and he responded immediately, gently pushing her back against the side of the car and bracing his arms on either side of her body, such that he could lean in and kiss her thoroughly while avoiding her swollen stomach.

“We better move,” William said breathlessly as he broke off the kiss, “Before I have to shag you on the hood of the car.”

Buffy licked her lips, tilting her head upwards to capture his bottom lip between her teeth and earning a groan from low in his throat.

“Oh, please do, Mr. Giles.” She traced the outline of his mouth ever-so-enticingly with her tongue, letting her hands slide further down his back.

“Pet,” William grasped both her roaming hands in his, “We’ll lose our reservation.”

“So?” A moist kiss on his neck, a nibble on the base of his throat…

He swallowed, hard. “Red’s watching us through the window.”

“Oh.”

Buffy pulled away, blushing profusely as she spun around to see the redhead standing in the living room window with a silly grin. She gave a thumbs-up, causing Buffy to turn an even deeper shade of crimson as she offered her friend a sheepish wave in return, and Willow laughed to herself as she turned away to go check on the twins.

And William was laughing too, earning a glare from Buffy, which only made him laugh harder. She crossed her arms and waited.

“You’re adorable when you’re all hot and bothered, you know that?” He said once he’d caught his breath.

“Oh yeah?” Buffy tried to keep her smile from surfacing, looking him square in the eye, “Think I’ll still be cute when I’m kicking your ass?”

His face grew more serious then, though his cobalt eyes still glinted with laughter.

“Oh, I know you will.”

He gave her another quick peck on the lips before opening the car door, waiting until she was settled inside and closing it behind her before he slid into the driver’s seat. Buffy instantly laced her fingers through his, letting their joined hands rest on the seat between them while he started the car.

And as they drove off into the night, she let herself bask in the feel of knowing that everything was just as it should be.

The End