Chapter 12:
"Willow?" Buffy asked when her friend picked up the phone. "Hey, it's me."
"Hey, Buffy," Willow greeted. "Is everything okay? You sound..."
"No, I'm fine," Buffy assured her, hoping that her voice didn't suggest otherwise. "I just wanted to call and let you know that I won't be in to work at all today."
"Are you sure everything is alright?"
"No! I mean, yes!" Buffy sighed and tried to calm herself. "Yes, Willow, everything is fine. I just need to do some errands...away from the gallery today. Can you just call Anya and see if she can come in today?"
As she spoke, Buffy walked up to the bathroom and placed a pair of flip-flops that she had finally found in her closet beside the door. They had belonged to Warren as well, and Buffy wasn't too sure if she still had them anymore; nevertheless, she was now thankful that she hadn't thrown them out several months ago. They wouldn't be the greatest pair of shoes in the world, but they would hopefully be suitable enough for William to wear to the mall.
"Sure thing, Buffy. I'll call her after we hang up," Willow replied. "But...are you sure that everything is okay?"
Buffy paused and heard the water cut off, signaling that William woud soon be coming out of the bathroom. She cleared her throat and backed away from the door. She quickly continued on, hoping to finish the conversation before he came back out. "Yeah, I think so," she answered, her voice sounding far away from the conversation with her red-headed friend.
"Do you want me to come over after work today?" Willow asked. "We can order some very unhealthy food for dinner and watch movies all night."
"No...definitely not," Buffy quickly answered. "I just...there are just some things I need to deal with, okay?"
Willow nodded, even though her friend would not be able to see the movement. After all, Willow was somewhat used to Buffy taking several days off from work, thanks to Warren. After their break up, Buffy hadn't come into work for a week, leaving Willow and Anya to run her business and take orders for paintings they didn’t know if Buffy would complete.
"That's fine, Buffy...take as much time as you need. Just keep Anya and me posted on when you'll be back in, okay?"
"Thank you so much, Will, you're the best friend anyone could have."
"I know, I know...keep sucking up, I'll take all I can get," Willow teased. "I'll talk to you later, Buff."
"Okay, bye."
Bufy hung up the phone and returned to the stove to finish cooking breakfast.
Several minutes later, William walked into the kitchen with a towel between his hands, still trying to dry out his hair. Although they were a bit long on him, the sweatpants were a decent fit for the time being. However, the t-shirt was a bit tight around the chest, causing William to feel somewhat unconfortable as he headed into the kitchen.
"The shower is simply fantastic," William announced when he entered the kitchen. He smiled at Buffy, as he continued to praise the incredible features of modern indoor plumbing and having constant hot water.
Buffy, on the other hand, was somewhat distracted by his change of appearance. Sure, they were ratty clothes, and from Warren of all people, but on him...
Stop it, she told herself. Don't get too attatched. You never know what's going to happen.
"That's great," she said, "I'm glad it wasn't too difficult to figure out." Buffy was pleased that William seemed to be adjusting to the twenty-first-century fairly well. Buffy suspected that it was from everything she had written to him in their journal, almost as if she was preparing him for the inevitable...
No, don't think that, she tried to warn herself. Nevertheless, as William sat down at her kitchen table with a warm, tender smile on his beautiful face, Buffy could feel herself slipping.
"Bacon and eggs are coming up in just a couple more minutes," Buffy explained. "Feel free to look around. Most of these things I have already told you about, actually. Fridge and freezer, microwave, stove..." Buffy pointed to each object as she said its name. "Just...don't hit any buttons. I don't really want to have to explain a fire - and you - to all of my friends right now."
William decided that he would have time later on to go look at and examine every invention with Buffy's assistance and remained seated at the table. Instead, William took the time to stare at Buffy, managing to not feel ashamed or embaressed to do so. Her back was towards him as she stood at the stove with a spatula in one hand and her other holding the handle of a pan.
Sometime while William had been taking his shower, Buffy had taken down her hair, letting it contine to dry as she prepared breakfast. Occasionally, she would toss her hair from one side to the other while flipping eggs. And as she stood there, William watched her sway back and forth, as if listening to music that only she could hear. He was delighted to see her so carefree at that moment, unlike earlier when she had been oviously uncomfortable.
When Buffy turned back around, he quickly lowered his eyes to the table in front of him, not wanting to be caught staring at her as she swayed so provocatively. William fought back a blush and when he finally felt that he had himself under control, looked back up at her. "It smells lovely," he complimented.
"Thanks. Do you like milk to drink? Or orange juice?"
"Juice would be fine, thank you," he replied.
A minute later, Buffy sat a plate and a tall glass of orange juice down in font of him before joining him on the opposite side of the table. "Enjoy!"
The rest of the breakfast continued in silence. Both Buffy and William had a million questions running through their heads, but neither one was brave enough to speak up.
~~~
After breakfast, there wasn't much to do except to show William around the house - which didn't take long - and to show off the city that she lived in.
Buffy decided to take him to the local Sunnydale Mall to buy him some new clothing and other necessary items that he might need over the next few days. Without actually knowing how long his stay might be, Buffy didn't want to overshop for him. She couldn't help but remind herself that he very well might be gone by tomorrow morning.
As they drove to the mall, William's face was glued to the car window, staring at the buildings flying past him in amazement. His hand was tightly gripping the door handle on his right, as his other hand rested nervously on the arm rest and against his leg. Sure, Buffy had explained how fast cars are able to travel in her century, but it was a completely different thing to experience it firsthand!
Buffy kept glancing over at him every so often to make sure that he didn't get carsick all of a sudden. But whenever she looked at him, he seemed very eager and excited to see everything flying past him.
"So, it looks like you really like cars," Buffy started. "And now we know that's one trait in men that hasn't changed very much over the years."
"Hmm? Oh, this is just incredible," William stated, finally taking his eyes off of the road to look over at her. "It takes a bit getting used to, of course, but I am enjoying this very much."
"Good. I'm glad William," Buffy honestly replied. "I'm actually pretty amazed that you've adjusted as well as you have so far. I figured you would have been screaming, 'Demon! Demon!' at the cars driving by or something."
William chuckled, unsure of where Buffy got that notion, but finding the mental image of that happening funny all the same. "Well, I believe that our writings have been a great help. After all, many of these things I have seen you have explained to me, both in words and images, so at least they are not a complete surprise."
"That's true," Buffy thought, thinking back to the journal and their last entires they had each written. "So...I'm guessing you got my photograph then?"
William nodded. "Yes, I did. It was...beautiful," he managed to say, knowing that there weren't any words that could truly describe Buffy.
"Thank you," she whispered, feeling the heat in her cheeks flare up.
"I replied last night with my own photo."
"Which didn't come through," Buffy replied. "I opened the journal late last night but there wasn't any photograph."
William frowned, wondering what had gone wrong. Perhaps he had simply forgot to place the photograph inside the journal? "In any case, I meant to give you a photograph, and-"
William paused, thinking back to his father's pocketwatch. With all of the excitement from the morning, he hadn't given a second thought to the journal sitting in the bottom of their desk and the pocketwatch that he had sent along with it.
"And what?"
"I included my father's pocketwatch," William explained. "As a Christmas present to you, since you attatched your photograph."
"I know, I found the watch last night, William." Buffy took her eyes off the road to look at him in order to make her next words more to-the-point. "But I can't accept something like that. It's from your father, a man whom you clearly admire and love."
"Which is exactly why I felt like I should pass it on to you," William replied. "I know, it was probably a rash decision, but I wanted you to have something that means so much to me."
Buffy paused, seeing that the two of them had come to an impasse regarding who would now keep the pocketwatch. "So...do you think that's how you got here then?"
William shrugged. "I do not know. However, this is the first time that either one of us has ever tried to send actual objects through the desk, rather than just our journal."
The edges of Buffy's mouth slightly lifted. He thought of it as their journal too! That notion filled her with a small sense of joy.
"I was thinking that maybe because we were running out of pages in the journal," Buffy began. "I was worried that any other type of journal wouldn't work...maybe you were sent here since we were almost finished writing and..."
"And possibly it was time to move beyond simply writing to one another?" William suggested.
"Beats me. This doesn't happen to me, or anyone else I know, too often."
"As with me," William agreed.
William looked around the car, inspecting all of the little knobs, switches, colors, and lights. He placed his hands in his lap. A slight twinge of fear kept him from touching anything other than the door handle and the armrest on the side of the seat.
His left arm, which was draped over the arm rest attatched to his seat, left his hand resting on top of the gear shift in the between the two seats. William wasn't sure what that was used for, but he had seen Buffy move it back when she was driving out of the driveway, and then back even further when she began moving forward.
Buffy looked down and smiled. This was a scenario she never imagined would ever happen. She was driving with William to go shopping. Buffy knew that she should be thrilled, blissfully happy even, but she still couldn't get past her irrational fear that he might disappear with the blink of an eye.
Taking her right hand off the steering wheel, she gently placed it over top of his. She felt him tense for a second before gradually relaxing back into his seat. Buffy waited, allowing him to become comfortable - after all, she was almost positive that no woman would ever be so forward with him in 1882.
She tightened her grip over his hand and squeezed lightly, allowing herself to take pleasure in touching him for the very first time.
"I...I'm not very good with words either," Buffy softly admitted, "but there were some words that I did not say this morning that I should have said."
William looked down at their joined hands, unsure of what to say or how to act. He wanted to check if he was dreaming or not, but then again...this surprassed any dream he could have thought up. He waited for Buffy to continue.
"William, I...I am glad you're here as well," Buffy said. "However it happened...whether it was your pocketwatch, or our journal, or just...our time, I am glad."
He smiled and turned his hand over, causing hers to fall and meet his, palm to palm. He gently squeezed her hand in return, amazed that something so simple could give him so much delight. "I am glad as well, Buffy."
The two continued their ride in silence, neither one removing their grip from one another.
~~~
After finding a parking space and helping William figure out how to open the car door, the two walked into Macy's. William looked around in awe at all the bright, blinking lights, the multitude of clothing in so many different colors, and so many people walking around them.
The department store was decorated for Christmas and William could hear carrols that even he recognized being played somewhere in the store. Tinsel, garlands, and gigantic wreaths lined the ceiling, and he was amazed that a store took so much time and care into decorating for the holiday. William turned a full circle, taking everything in, and adjusting to all of the noise surrounding them.
"Are you okay?" Buffy asked, with a worried expression of her face. She watched William spin around with a dazed look on his face and instantly thought that taking him to such a big store on his first day here might not have been her smartest decision.
"Yes, thank you," William aswered. "I'm just slightly overwhelmed by all of this."
"It'll be okay," Buffy assured him. "Just stick close with me and we'll try to not get separated. I just want to get some clothing that better fits you."
Buffy led the way past the women's section, the make-up and jewelry counters, womens' shoes, and into the men's section of the store. She kept checking back every so often to make sure that William was still following her. Although he was still looking around at everything a mile a minute, he was able to keep up with her surprisingly well.
Once in the men's department, Buffy wasn't quite sure what to do first. After all, she had never shopped for any other man in her life other than Warren, and he hated shopping at off-brand department stores.
"Well, here we are," she announced. "You aren't going to find anything exactly like what you're used to wearing, but..."
"Perhaps we should ask for assistance then," William suggested. Just by looking at her face, he could tell that she was just as nervous as he was about finding proper clothing.
"Great idea, William," Buffy said. She walked up to a customer service desk on their left. "Hi, excuse me? We need some help."
"What can I help you two with?" the tall, brunette exployee asked. His name was Shawn, or at least that's what his name-tag read, and he quickly put down the shirt he was folding to give them his full attention.
"My...uh, friend, is visiting from London for the week, but the airport totally screwed up with his luggage," Buffy lied, coming up with the first excuse that she could think of. She glanced at William, hoping he would keep silent and act natural. "So...we need some clothes and stuff for him for a few days while they find his luggage."
"Okay, well...what are you looking for exactly, sir?"
William paused, completely clueless on how to answer Shawn's question. "I am not quite sure..." he began.
"Just something comfortable, right, William?" Buffy quickly asked. "Maybe some khakis, some soft shirts, and other necessities." She blushed and looked away from William. "Y'know, briefs, sleepwear, stuff like that."
The employee nodded. "And what size are you looking for?"
"That's another problem..." Buffy began. "Um...oh yeah! They have different sizes in London, not like our sizing numbering. So, we have no idea." She bit her lip, hoping that explanation was passable. "And the same thing goes for shoes as well."
"Well, we can help you out," he assured him. "Just come with me and I can get some measurements and then begin to pull some possibilities for you."
"Thank you, sir," William replied, following the man into the dressing room section.
Buffy followed behind the two men, sighing with relief that they hadn't run into any difficulties yet. When the three arrived outside of the dressing room, Buffy sat down in one of the plush chairs to the right of the doorway. "I'll be right out here if you need me," she assured him.
Almost forty-five minutes later, Buffy and William left the men's department each carrying three bags full of clothes and a couple boxes of shoes. Buffy had wound up spending a bit more money than she had originally planned to, but after seeing William in each of the outfits that both she and Shawn had picked out, she knew that she had to buy them for him.
Now all they needed to do was to go by a Wal-Mart and pick up things like shampoo, soap, razors, and other odds and ends. They walked back out to her car and put the bags in the trunk.
"Anything else you need while we're here?" Buffy asked. "You can pretty much get anything at a shopping mall these days, trust me."
William hesitated, unsure if he should bring it up. "Well, since you ask..."
"Yes?"
"I believe I need a pair of glasses."
"Glasses?" Buffy thought back to all of his entries, unable to remember him mentioning that he wore glasses. "You wear glasses? You've never told me."
A slight blush spread across his cheeks and he looked away.
Oh great, just what I needed, for me to embarrass him even more, Buffy thought. As if both of us weren't already embarassed enough.
"Luckily, my eye sight is not that bad," William began. "However, I do find that I must often wear my glasses in order to read well."
"Oh, well that's okay," Buffy said. "We'll just go get your eyes examined and they can write you a perscription for new glasses. I think there is a Lens Crafters here."
"Lens Crafters?"
"Yeah, they, uh, are a store that just sells and makes eye glasses," Buffy explained. She started walking back to the mall and motioned for William to follow.
They walked through the same department store again and came out at the entrance to the main part of the shopping mall. It was pretty crowded for it being so early in the morning, but with Christmas coming so soon, Buffy knew that she shouldn't have been so surprised. Buffy stopped walking and looked around, trying to remember where Lens Crafters was.
With it being just two weeks away from Cristmas, gigantic wreaths - bigger than the ones that were inside Macy's, even - were placed all over the mall. There was music playing over the loudspeakers, christmas lights were blinking everywhere, and in the center of the mall was a gigantic Christmas Village complete with Santa Claus' house where children could have their photograph taken with the man.
While Buffy tried to get her surroundings in order, William took his time to look around at all of the people around him. They were dressed in similar fashion to what Buffy was wearing - to think! Women wore trousers in the twenty-first century on a daily basis!
He had never seen such fashion before, especially on the women! Seeing Buffy in long blue pants and a sleeveless top was pure innocence compared to what some of the other young women were wearing as they walked around the shopping mall. Even some of the men were dressed in such a style that William could scarcely believe it was polite in society to dress like that. The outfits that Buffy had bought for him were comfortable, casual, yet still had a sense of formality attatched to them. Some of the men here were obviously going for the completely opposite look.
Many people were walking around in groups of two. William saw many pairs of a man and woman slowly walking together. Several groups had their hands clasped together as they swung their arms back and forth. Other couples were also walking close together, however the man had placed his arm around the woman's shoulder. William was clearly not used to seeing such blantant displays of affection, but was intrigued all the same.
Could he possibly act that way with Buffy? Would either of them be comfortable with that?
"A-ha!" Buffy said, looking down at the directory and pointing at a small square on the map. "It's over to the left, just like I thought it was. C'mon."
She started walking, expecting William to follow her as he had been doing all morning. However, when she turned around, he was nowhere to be seen.
Where is he? she thought, beginning to panic. I can't have lost him on his first day, he'll have no idea what to do!
She walked back to the directory and then looked around where they had been standing. Finally, she saw him standing outside of Spencer's, looking in the window at the many different lit-up, spinning, fiber optics devices that were displayed there.
"There you are," Buffy cried out, quickly walking up to him. "Don't do that to me again. You have to stay with me so you don't get lost, okay?"
William looked at her having never heard that tone of voice come from her before. Yes, she sounded concerned, but she also sounded very angry. "I do apologize, Buffy," he said. "I was just looking-"
"Yeah? Well, while you're looking away, I was freaking out thinking I lost you in the mall and you had wandered off...and I wouldn't know how to find you, since you know jack squat about the 21st century!"
A frown crossed his features as he repeated his words. "I apologize. It won't happen again."
"You bet it won't. C'mon."
With that, Buffy reached out and grabbed onto his hand, pulling him along with her at a moderate pace. Although her main reason for taking ahold of his hand was to enture that he didn't get sidetracked by window displays or separated from her, another part of her had made her grasp his hand just for the sake of touching him again. And as they walked through the mall, Buffy didn't know which was the more important reason anymore. Feeling his smooth skin around hers, the way his hand was just the perfect size to hold her's - well, all her thoughts of anger and keeping William at a distance vanished when they touched.
She glanced over at her side to see William, with a smile on his face and starting down intently at where their hands met. Well, she had finally found a way to distract him from all of the visual stimuli in the display windows they passed.
Now she just had to focus on keeping her own concentration.
TBC...
Also, thank you to whoever nominated this story at The Breathless Awards and Blood Ties Awards! I would love it if whoever nominated me could let me know so I can thank you personally - it just means a lot to me that people are enjoying the story so much they go out and nominate it at places. THANK YOU!
As always, I hope you enjoy the new chapter - I will try my best to have the next one out ASAP. Until then, you know the drill - read and review!