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THANK YOU, as always, for the amazing reviews! Please see the bottom for an extended author's note.
Chapter 14:

 
Buffy didn't arrive back at her apartment until close to 5:00. After arguing with her very unrelenting client, the two finally compromised by agreeing that Buffy would have the painting completed in two week's time. Since the deadline was now two weeks earlier than she had originally planned, Buffy decided to go ahead and get a head start on things while she was there.

Buffy had lost track of time while she painted, as usual. Willow had finally reminded her that she had been there for over three hours and asked her when she planned on going back home. She ran by the video store, like she said she would, and picked up three movies that she thought might interest William - "Titanic," "The Four Feathers," and the first "Lord of the Rings," simply for it's stunning visual effects that she had talked about in several of their writings. She also stopped by the grocery store and picked up some items she needed to make dinner.

She arrived back at her apartment and, after greeting William, started working on dinner. Buffy fixed her favorite, and the best dish that she knew how to create: a grilled chicken alfredo pasta, and something that William had never had before. Their dinner, like breakfast was silent for the most part, neither one knowing what to say to each other in person.

For the most part, both of them were too busy thinking through dinner to attempt to carry on a conversation. Buffy's worry had grown tenfold when she thought that perhaps William's visit was only supposed to last a day and she would wake up tomorrow morning with him having vanished sometime in the night. William, for the most part, was perplexed as to why Buffy was so silent and closed off around him. Furthermore, while being left alone for the afternoon, he had begun to worry about his sister and mother. True, not even a full day had passed since he arrived in 2004, but he knew that they would both be worried when they woke up to find him missing.

After the two finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen, Buffy decided that it was time to introduce William to the marvels of motion pictures. "I hope you like what I picked out," she said, as she picked up the DVD cases from the kitchen counter.

"I am certain I will," William agreed.

"Oh, but first...we need some munchies," she explained, before pulling out a bag from the pantry. "Remember how I was telling you how we always have popcorn when we watch movies around here?" William nodded.

Buffy placed the bag in the microwave and hit the preset "popcorn" button. "Here you go, your first experience with the miracle called the 'microwave.'"

She left William standing in front of the microwave and walked over the fridge to grab a couple of drinks from inside the door. Buffy turned and looked at William's look of amazement as he focused very intently on the spinning bag of popcorn.

"Careful," she warned. "If you stand there directly in front of it, the radiation is going to leak into you."

Hearing that, William's eyes widened and he took a giant step back from the microwave. "Buffy! Why didn't you tell me that when you started it?"

Buffy smiled smugly before laughing a bit at his reaction to her statement. She hadn’t been able to resist teasing him. "Sorry, William, it's just a joke. Mom always used to tell that to Dawnie and me so we wouldn't stand directly in front of the microwave the entire time. Seems like it worked pretty well on you."

William smiled and chuckled at himself. "I suspect that you would be able to get that reaction from me regarding most of these inventions very easily."

"Yeah, you're an easy mark, alright," Buffy agreed, pulling out a bowl from the cabinet. "But I'll try to restrain myself."

"Thank you very much," William responded, jumping slightly when the microwave ding-ed, signaling it's completion. "Is everything so loud in the 21st century?"

Buffy shrugged. It didn't seem loud to her, but she had been hearing these noises since she was born and knew how to tune things out. William, on the other hand, was new to everything, and she had no doubt that the bombardment of new noises was a challenge to become accustomed to hearing. "You get used to it eventually."

Buffy just wondered if William would be here long enough to have time to get used to everything.

She walked over to the microwave and took out the bag of popcorn. She opened it and dumped it into the bowl. "You can't watch a movie without popcorn," she stated. "It's the must-have munchie. Here, try some."

William suspiciously eyed the bowl. "Is it...good?"

"Yep! Full of buttery goodness."

William reached out and took three kernels of popcorn and carefully ate them. "It is different, but...slightly appealing," he announced.



"Great. Now, c'mon, I got some movies that you cannot miss," Buffy said.

 
~~~

 
They had watched "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" first, and before they had even reached the halfway point of the movie, Buffy knew that she would soon be returning to the rental store for the final two movies.

William was like an eager child who wanted to learn everything, asking how they could do this, how they were able to achieve that, and so on. He was especially interested in how the creators managed to change the scale of the actors' sizes, as well as the breathtaking view of the Elves' forest and waterfalls. Buffy wasn't entirely sure about all of the effects in the movie herself, so she made a mental note to show him how to work the bonus features so he could watch them while she was at work tomorrow.

Buffy noticed that William ate more popcorn than she did, and was just content to watch him and his reactions to the movie. Look how quickly he has caught on to everything, she thought to herself. No one else would have been able to keep up in this century with such ease, except for William.

Out of the corner of his eye, William noticed Buffy spending most of her time watching him rather than the movie. Finally, he turned his head to look at her and asked, "Yes?"

Buffy blushed at being caught staring at him, and quickly lowered her eyes. "Nothing."

Three hours after the first movie, their popcorn bowl was empty and William's mind was racing. Never before had he ever dreamed of seeing such different worlds, completely made-up worlds that did not exist at all, brought to life for everyone to see. "This was incredible," he said at the end.

Buffy nodded. "Yes, we thought so too when it came out. I'll make sure to go by and get the last two tomorrow after work."

William nodded, very much looking forward to seeing what would happen with Frodo, Sam, and the rest of the Fellowship. "And you say that these all began as novels?"

"Yeah, they sure did. Would you like to read them as well?"

He nodded once again. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble-"

"No, no trouble at all." Buffy added to her mental list to run by a bookstore as well to pick up the three books. She had a feeling that William would really enjoy reading Tolkein. She opened the DVD player and took out the disk, placing it back in its case. Buffy glanced at the time and saw that it was nearing 10:00 and was somewhat surprised that the day had gone by so quickly. While part of her was dreading going to sleep, not knowing what was to come, another part of her was eager to get it over with and see if William would still be with her tomorrow. "Do you want to start another movie?"

"Do you not have work tomorrow?"

"Yes, I do, but I can get by with a little less sleep than usual," Buffy assured him. Buffy took out the next movie, Titanic, and popped it in. "Now, this happens in like...1912 or something, for real. So...if you wind up going back to 1882, you can't tell anyone about this."

William looked at her in surprise. "Honestly? What is this movie about?"

Buffy sat back down on the couch fairly close to him. "You'll see."

Another three hours later, both William and Buffy were fighting back tears. Even though Buffy had seen the movie several times before, seeing the destruction of the ocean liner always moved her to tears. William had enjoyed the movie, although he had blushed to the redness of a tomato at the intimate scenes between the two main characters. Buffy quickly said, "oops! I forgot about that part," and covered William's eyes until the moments had passed.

"This is awful," William finally spoke as the ship began to sink in the water. "This truly happens?"

"Yes," Buffy said with regret. "It was so sad, and stupid of them too."

"But all those people," William began. "Why would they recreate something so tragic?"

"Well, this is just a movie, William, so nothing actually happened to these people in particular. They're just actors and this is just Hollywood magic and special effects," Buffy explained. "But the real people, yes...it was tragic."

"That is quite depressing," William said.

Several more minutes passed in silence as they watched the rest of the movie play out. When Rose, now the young woman she once was, walked up the stairs to Jack, Buffy couldn't help but close her eyes, letting several tears fall down her cheeks. She glanced over at William, who was watching her with a look of concern and dare she think it - love? and quickly wiped the tears away.

"Sorry, I always cry in movies," she said. "No matter how many times I've seen them, I always cry." Instead of getting up, she let the movie play into the closing credits, where the much over-played "My Heart Will Go On" love song came on. "Oh, this song...overplayed on every radio station across the nation," Buffy explained.

"Oh really?" William asked, listening to the song while keeping his attention on Buffy. "Simply because of the movie?"

She nodded, unconsciously moving closer to William. "This movie did crazy-good at the box office, brought in millions upon millions."

"That is an unbelievable amount for just a movie."

Buffy shook her head. "Not as much as you think. Inflation and all have just made the prices of everything much higher. I mean, look at the price for all the clothes we got today."

William gathered his courage and placed his hand overtop of hers. "Yes, I did notice how expensive clothing is today. Thank you, again." When she did not immediately move away, hope began to rise in his chest, thinking that perhaps they were finally headed in the right direction.

Buffy fell silent, feeling the heavy weight of his palm resting over her hand, taking a second to delight in the solid feeling, his warmth, and just how right it all felt. They had moved closer together on the couch while watching the last movie, and Buffy realized that it would be so simple to just lean forward and -

She quickly pulled away and stood up from the couch. She walked over to the DVD player and shut it off, turning the TV off along with it. "Well, it's pretty late, since we just watched two of the longest movies in movie history. I need to head on to bed since I do have to go into work tomorrow morning."

William looked at her, surprised by her sudden movements. Perhaps he had misread her after all? Maybe she simply wasn't interested in his being here. "I-alright," he finally spoke.

Buffy looked at the confusion that was clear on his face and wished it could be different. Turning on her heel, she began walking back to her bedroom, clearly upset and stressed. "Good night, William."

"Goodnight, Buffy," William answered, rising from the couch and heading into the guestroom, all the while wondering what he had just done wrong.

 
~~~

 
The next morning, Buffy awoke to her buzzing alarm clock and slowly sat up in preparation to head into work. As much as she wanted to call in sick again, she knew that she needed to get to work on that commission for her client.

And I should go check on William, she thought as she sat in bed. I should make sure that he got to bed alright and...

And what? It probably wouldn't be very bright of her to just walk into his bedroom and see how he was doing. If he woke up while she was in there, chances were he might overreact considering his gentlemanly values. And that was the last thing she needed to do, something to worry him even more.

After last night's hot-and-cold act, she had no doubt that he would be put off by her attitude from here on out.

But that's when another thought hit her - perhaps he wasn't even here anymore. What if he had been sent back to 1882 while they had been sleeping? She would never be able to say everything that she had been longing to say ever since she first saw him sitting on her bedroom floor.

Throwing back the covers, Buffy rose and threw on her bathrobe so the sight of her nightgown wouldn't cause any more embarrassment like yesterday. She ran her fingers through her hair to flatten it against her head and then opened her bedroom door. She heard sounds coming from the kitchen and felt a giant wave of relief rush through her.

William was still here, and he hadn't gone back to his time. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Buffy thought as she wandered closer to the kitchen, hoping that he wasn't in the process of burning her apartment to the ground.

"Good morning," she said when she walked into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw William attempting to fix what looked like breakfast.

William spun around from the stove, the surprise evident on his face. "Buffy! You startled me," he said.

"That's pretty obvious," she said, walking closer towards him. He was already dressed for the day in a pair of light khakis and collared shirt. To him, it must have felt very different than his typical 1882 outfits, but on him..., it looked good, Buffy thought.

"I, uh, was trying to fix breakfast for the two of us," William said, holding a spatchula. "Unfortunately, I am not doing very well, even though I watched you very closely yesterday."

Buffy felt her heart jump, knowing that he had tried to cook breakfast for her. None of her previous boyfriends had ever done that for her, she realized. And even though William's attempt at breakfast seemed to be a failure for the most part, his intentions came loud and clear. She fought the urge to hug him, and instead asked, "How long have you been up?"

"Since sunrise," William answered. "I watched a little bit of television and then when it was 7:00, I decided I would start breakfast in hopes of having it ready by the time you came out."

Again, his consideration for her made Buffy's knees feel weak. How on earth, with everything that had been going on yesterday morning, had he been able to remember the time that her alarm clock had gone off? She asked him that very question and looked expectantly for an answer.

William lowered his head in embarrassment and finally answered. "How could I not remember the first time I ever saw you?"

Don't fall for him, Summers, she told herself. Don't do it. He could be gone tomorrow or a week from now, or...and then another part of her whispered, never.

"Well, thank you for thinking of me," Buffy said. "Would you like some help?"

William nodded. "Yes, please."

Buffy showed him how to control the stove's temperature better and how to flip the eggs. Although she wasn't the best cook in the world by any means, she could at least get through a simple breakfast successfully. "There, do you think you can handle it from there?"

"Yes, I do believe so. Now, why don't you get ready for your day at work, and I shall finish cooking?"

Buffy nodded and turned to head back into her room. She knew that if her mother had just heard their conversation, her only response would have been, "That one is a keeper, Buffy. Grab onto him tightly, and don't ever let go."

Unfortunately, whether she got to keep him or not might not be her decision in the end.

 
~~~

 
After taking a shower, blow drying her hair, and putting a little bit of make up on her eyes and cheeks, Buffy stepped out of her room with a look of confidence and readiness to face the world. Or, in this case, William.

When she walked back into the kitchen, William had cleared off the table from last night's dinner and set the table for breakfast.

Buffy smiled at him as she sat down at the table across from him. What she wouldn't give to have this every day of the week with him. "William, I can't believe you figured all of this out," she truthfully said.

"Well, after reading so much about it from our writings and then watching you yesterday morning, I assumed it could not be that difficult," he said. "Although I was not quite right, I felt like I did eventually understand what to do."

She smiled and looked down at her plate where her eggs and toast were still steaming from the heat. "Well, thank you."

The two began eating and very quickly thereafter polished everything off.

 
~~~

 
"Okay, now I'm going to be at work all day," Buffy said, as she picked up her purse, tote bag, and keys. "Are you going to be alright here?"

William nodded and followed her to the front door. "Yes, I shall be fine. I have the television and understand how most of the kitchen works."

"Good," Buffy replied.

William reached out and grabbed Buffy's coat from the coat rack by the door. He held it open for her and let her slide her arms inside. He lightly slid his hands up her arms and patted her shoulders as she adjusted her jacket. He marveled over how domestic and how pleasant this was, helping Buffy off to work. Even though in his time, the man of the house would never send his wife off to a job, it seemed strangely fitting for the two of them.

As he came to lightly rest his hands on top her shoulders, William could feel her body tightening, as if preparing for the worst. He removed his hands, wondering what she was thinking at that moment.

"Sorry," Buffy apologized. "I, uh, I just need to get on to work."

"Yes, I understand," he lied. "Buffy, I was wondering if you might be able to show me the computer this evening?"

Buffy looked at him, wondering why he would ask such a thing. She almost wanted to say, well, it's not like you're going to need that information when you get sent back to 1882. But, instead she smiled and nodded. "Sure thing," she replied. "I'll show you my very obsolete computer this evening."

"Alright. Have a pleasant day at work," William replied.

"Thank you," Buffy said, opening the front door and heading out.

William closed the door and locked it behind her. Sure, it had only been twenty-four hours since he was brought to 2004, but it looked as if it was going to be quite possible that he would never fully understand Buffy Summers.

 
~~~

TBC


Thank you all for the feedback and reviews! Also, I would like to point out that only a little over 24 hours has passed since Buffy and William first met. I know that it took me several chapters to get through their first day, but I really wanted to get into Buffy and let her feelings be known - don't worry, things will start to change for them very, very soon, but I had to have some realistic angst and confusion on her part. This ends with the start of day 2, we'll see how things progress!

So you all know what to do - feed me! An author loves to hear what her readers are thinking, and I especially love it! Thank you!





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