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Author's Chapter Notes:
Not too long thankful this time, but still longer than I would have liked.
Review and I will update sooner, As Cile will clarify its at my beta, so it should be posted soon. Please review though, they make me happy, especially with how ill i am feeling!
Chapter 37: Talking

Elizabeth and William sat facing each other. Staring at William, Elizabeth felt him turn away from her.

After two minutes of no one speaking, Elizabeth heaved a sigh. "You know when you said we should talk; it actually helps if someone says something."

William looked up guiltily. "Sorry pet. Just not sure where we should start. So much has happened. Where do we start to talk about this? I just know we can't leave it festering."

Elizabeth smiled, she understood his predicament. "Well if you can't talk about this, then I'll just have to start. I'm sorry about your parents."

"Hell, they got what was coming to them, you know that Buffy."

Elizabeth smiled as she heard her nickname from his lips once again. She had missed hearing his kind voice calling her name. Taking a deep breath, she looked up with sadness in her eyes.

"Listen William, Thank you for your kindness, it is more than I could possibly have asked for. You have looked after my family and I without a word of complaint. You have helped my family in their time of need. Even if I live to be 100 I could never repay the kindness that you have shown. However I must stress that we cannot inconvenience you anymore. Although you may not mind I am sure that your wife will differ."

"My wife? Oh Buffy has no one told you? I'm not married. You got it all wrong."

"You mean you didn't marry Drusilla?”

William shook his head. “No.”

“You didn't take her back?" Tears formed in her eyes as the realization sank in.

"No, I am definitely not married. If you will have me, I would like to be yours."

The words went straight through Elizabeth; was he asking her to marry her again "No. William I have told you, we can't be together like that, we are just too different."

"Elizabeth I know. I know about your past. Your mother informed me. See, love, we aren't that different, we can be together."

Suddenly Elizabeth was on her feet pacing the room.

"She had no right to tell you. It’s not something I wanted you to know. How dare she? How can you even look at me now? See William we are nothing alike, I could never marry you."

William looked confused, "What do you mean, 'how can I look at you?'? Buffy I don't understand. I am supposed to be disgusted that you are royalty, or maybe because you where marry that oaf? Why I am supposed to not even be able to look at you. Let me in Buffy; let me know what’s going on in your head."

"This has nothing to do with Riley, William. I was just doing what I had to do; doing what my family deserved." She went and stood at the window with her back to him, tears still swimming in her eyes. "My mother must have told you why we are no longer in the royal family, why we no longer live in England. Why we must now live without the decadence we once did, why we must live our lives like peasants. That’s why I ask how you can look at me." Her voice had risen as she got more and more worked up, now it dropped to below a whisper as she spoke her last line. "You must know what I am supposed to have done.”

William heard what she had said all the same. "No Elizabeth she didn't tell me, she didn't get a chance. All I know is that it is somehow linked to your father, your real father. Why don't you tell me? Elizabeth I love you with all my heart, nothing you tell me could change that, not for a moment. Please Elizabeth, tell me, let me share your pain." Standing up, he went and stood behind her placing his arms tightly around her. Resting his head on her shoulder, he felt her sag as the world tumbled down around her.

Turning around she folded herself into his embrace, her tears stained his shirt. "It was when I was 16; when I was first out in society. My father had high hopes for me, wanted to further his position in life by using me. He used to say I was the beauty of the family, though secretly I knew he was disappointed in me, I guess that made him despise me. I never excelled with my governess, I could barely sew, my music playing was atrocious. Numerous times I had heard him tell me that it was a good thing that I was pretty or else he would have had me sold off like a slave. I despised my father. I think everyone knew that. I was an unruly child, spurred on by his callous treatment of me. I know that never helped our relationship.”

Stepping away from Williams’s warm arms, Elizabeth went and sat back down on the bed and looked up at William.

“When I was 11, Giles became my teacher; he treated me like the daughter my own father should have treated me as. The more time I spent with my tutor the more I came to respect him and the more I came to resent my real father, I hardly even saw him as my father anymore just a man I was related to.

“Then like I said, when I was 16, I caught my father plotting against his cousin, the king. I always knew my father was power hungry. The way he used to dominate over us, his family, it just showed. I was so angry; I wanted to hurt my father the way he had been hurting all of us for so long, so I threatened to tell the king. I was very close to my uncle at the time, I knew he would listen, I didn’t know at the time that my father would use that closeness against me.

“My father got angry at me when I told him I would tell, I remember the way he looked at me with such fire in his eyes. For the first time in my life, my stubbornness deserted me and I was left with just fear as he approached me. I escaped his clutches with only a few slaps. I went to the safety of my mother, I told her of what had happened. I fear she didn't believe me; she cared so much for her husband, she was too naive to see the monster he really was. Even to this day I am not one hundred percent sure she believes my story.

“When I appeared in public the next day, no one would even look at me. I was confused as to why but didn't let it bother me. I was resolved to tell the king of his cousin’s treachery. But I was too late."

As William listen to her story of how she had become the person he saw before him now, he suddenly remembered why he knew Hank Summers name so well. He remember the scandal, he had been in London at the time. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing about it.

"I can see from you face, William, you know how this story ends. You’re right. I was too late, my father had got to Charles first, turned him against me. The king wouldn't even see me. He trusted his cousin above all else. I wasn’t even able to plead my case. Nobody would listen to me now, my name was poisoned. My father had told the king how he had caught me in bed with one of the king’s enemies; he told him that my apparent closeness to the king was to try to find a weakness with which to tell his enemies. My father made out I was the one trying to betray the king, not himself. No one would listen to my side any more, my name was being slandered everywhere I turned.

“Thankfully the kings kindness and his love for me which never really disappeared, let me live, but we couldn't live in London anymore, we were outcasts. By destroying my name, my father had successfully destroyed the name of everyone I loved.

“He himself was fine, he was cast into the role of royal hero, saving the king from a terrible fate. He was lavished with gifts and power, anyone who had ever doubted his honor was now silenced. He got what he had always wanted. He had managed to single handedly get rid of all the thorns in his side and with no more family to tie him down he was free.

“So my family and I did the only thing that we could, we fled the country; started again.

“We could no longer afford the luxury we once had and it was all because of me, but at least people would talk to us again. Here no one knew us, we were just more new strangers in the town. And that’s how it’s been for the last three years, until now.

“Now you've come alone, and taken away my safety barriers. Oh William I love you so much. But I knew I couldn't marry you, ever since the day you told you had lived most your life in London, I knew that you would know the truth about me; and though it broke my heart, I knew I couldn't let you get too close and I couldn't let you see who I was. That’s why I left William, god knows I didn’t want to, Darla knew though, she'd known all along, I couldn't let my family’s lives be destroyed all over again, we couldn't start again. This is our home now, this is where we belong."

Burrowing her head into the covers she cried with all her heart. Walking over to her, William sat on the bed with her and held her as sobs wracked her body.

"Don't cry, princess, it breaks my heart to see you cry. Baby, I don't think any less of you, I promise. I don’t know why you were so afraid to tell me. You can trust me. I know now that what your father said was untrue. I believe you Elizabeth. As I told you before, nothing will make me think any less of you. You are an angel, you're my angel Elizabeth. I don't understand why you couldn't tell me."

"You are an English gentleman, William, as much as you try to deny it. I knew you would know my name. Everyone in England knows little Eliza Anne Summers. I thought if I told you who I was then you would never look at me the same again."

"Oh Elizabeth you can be so silly at times. I love you. And no matter what I had heard, I would still have loved you. You can't get rid of me that easily." Smiling her stroked her blond hair off her face. Sitting up, Elizabeth went and sat in his knee and snuggled up into his embrace.

“I still can’t marry you.”

Though her head was snuggled into his shoulder and the words where barely audible, William heard her fine. Pushing gently at her shoulders, he looked deep into her bloodshot eyes, “Why not?”

“William like I said, you sir are an English Gentleman, you have ties over there. Though your life and soul are here now, part of you is still over there. While my name is still seen as the enemy over there, I can’t have your name linked with it, with me. People would find out William that I was your wife. Even if we told nobody, they would find out, people always find out. See William, if I were to marry you, your name would be pulled down with mine, and they would know where I was and then my family would be pulled down as well. And before you say you don’t care, don’t lie to me, I know deep down you do care, or at least part of you does. So while the selfish part of me, wants to leap and dance and tell you I’ll marry you, the sensible part of my brain tells me I can’t. I’m sorry. Do you understand?”

William suddenly understood with perfect clarity why Elizabeth was saying the things that she was. Pulling her close he gently kissed her forehead. He knew why she wouldn’t marry him. She couldn’t put the people she loved in danger. When it came down to it Elizabeth really was a hero. “I understand.”

Slowly the two lovers lay down together; wrapped up in each other’s arms they closed their eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Locked in each others embrace the two lovers were safe from the whole world. Here nothing could get them. But for how long could they stay locked in this equilibrium.

TBC…

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