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Author's Chapter Notes:
Reposting... *Sigh*

I am also reposting the reviews for this chapter since I saved them in between the server crashes in case something like this happened.
Chapter 8:

 
William sat down the next morning, wondering what his beautiful girl would talk about today. Although he had never seen Buffy face to face, and knew he never would, William felt for certain that she would be beautiful. Her words, her outlook on life, the way she would carelessly doodle in the margins of the journal from time to time - all of these things made her beautiful to William.

He opened their journal, flipping to where her entry should be. He noticed that it was several pages long, which pleased him to no end. He felt a surge of happiness, devotion, and a feeling of something deeper and more like love in his chest whenever there was a lengthy message from Buffy.

However, when he read the first sentence of her entry, his smile vanished. The more he read, the more upset he became. By the end of her writing, William was positively irate. Not at Buffy, of course, but at this evil man who could do something so monstrous to a young, vibrant woman.

How could anyone do such a thing to a woman, especially someone like Buffy? William asked himself. Even in his time, William was aware of these happenings. He had heard the rumors discussed at parties or other people passing by in town. But how on Earth could anyone do something like that to Buffy?

His anger increased as he looked down and saw splatters where the ink had blurred.

"Tears," William whispered. That bastard had upset her to the point of tears. It was more than he could handle, and he felt rage within him like never before. This was Buffy...what could possess a man to do such evils as that?

William knew that he had to respond immediately. More than ever, he wished that it was possible to give his condolences and support in person rather than just through meaningless words.

 
November 17, 1882

My dearest Buffy,

What on earth could I possibly say that would be of any help? How I wish I was there to console you in person. First off, I am not mad, upset, or disappointed in you. I could never feel that way towards you, no matter what you might tell me. The only emotion I am currently feeling is anger, and that rage is directed towards this Warren Mears. Please forgive me for the language, but he sounds like a horrible man and a right git.

I do not understand how men can continually treat women this way. It seems as if too many things have not changed in 122 years. No matter the reason, I find no excuse to beat a woman for enjoyment or punishment. How dare he lay a finger on you! My dear Buffy, I am so sorry you had to go through this and revisit those nightmares yesterday. I would never wish pain upon you. Seeing these tear marks tears me in two.

I know that I have not seen you in person and that regrettably I will never see you as long as our conversations carry on, but I can tell you this. Through your writings and your voice and tone that you place into your entries, I have no doubt that you are beautiful, Buffy. You are a beautiful, strong, amazing woman, and I hope I am not too bold in writing these words. Never let any man or anyone else for that matter, tell you otherwise. You are a strong woman to make it through what you have gone through in your life, never believe anything else. Please do not allow a man such as this to take that away from you.

Thank you for sharing this with me. I know this must have been so difficult to explain. However, I look at your words with pride that you are so strong; I see no evidence of shame or cowardice at escaping from your abusive relationship. To tell you the truth, I always thought there was something holding you back, ever since the first entry you wrote in this journal when we were unaware of one another. I am so grateful that you felt comfortable enough with our friendship to write this to me.

Lastly, I need to inform you that I will always be here to listen to whatever you wish to tell me, so do not hesitate to tell me anything else. I will never judge or accuse you. I am just thankful that you trust me enough with this information. Please believe me when I say, if you ever want to talk or you ever have something you must speak of but cannot tell your other acquaintances or sister, I am always here to listen.

 
Yours truly,
William

 
William put down his pen and ran his hand through his hair. Tears were threatening to fall by the time he finished his writing. His anger had subsided as he had written, but the remnants still lingered. Any man who dare to raise a hand against Buffy was just a criminal! William had been raised in a loving household, and would never treat a woman in the way that Warren had. Why, if he were able to court Buffy...

"Who are you kidding," William whispered, as he closed the journal and thought back to her entry. "Why would a girl as independent and beautiful as that choose a foppish, naive man such as myself?"

Oh, but only if she would.

If only she could.

With all of his being, William wished that he could see the face of the woman whose words had completely captivated him. If it was possible to see her, to talk to her, and spend just one moment with her...well, it would not be enough, William was sure of that. But that one minute together was one minute they would never have. However, thanks to his correspondences with Buffy and realizing how real she was, none of these women in London interested him any longer. He knew that they were mostly vapid and superficial, and not worth his time.

But not Buffy. Never Buffy.

Her soul spoke through these pages in their journal, which was why it tore William apart to see the splotches where her tears had fallen. He felt the pain of her heart breaking as she wrote those words on paper and as she worried that William would reject her. Instead, it only made him even more proud of her - that she had managed to escape an abusive relationship and, although she was not fully healed, she was obviously trying to move on.

If only I could be there in person to comfort her, William thought with regret. He wished that it was possible for him to be there in person to help her cope and move on.

His door unexpectedly opened and Emily-Grace walked into his room dressed in a light blue dress with her hair pulled back away from her face. "Good morning, brother," she greeted him.

"And a good morning to you, Emmy."

"Mother says that breakfast is ready if you are ready to join us," Emily-Grace explained.

William nodded. "Certainly." He took one more look at the journal, sending out a silent prayer that Buffy would make it through the next few days with little stress, before placing it in the bottom desk drawer.

"Why are you always up here writing?" Emily-Grace asked.

"I write no more than you do, Emmy," William retorted.

"No, you are up here writing in the morning or afternoon every day," Emily-Grace argued. "Mother says that is why you occasionally skip breakfast. You would rather be up here writing."

William nodded. "Yes...well, the truth is, is that I...I am writing to a friend," he spoke slowly, deciding to finally inform Emily-Grace what he was really doing every day.

Emily-Grace's eyes widened. "Really? Who?"

"She is just a good friend. She lives in the States," William explained, remembering how Buffy had explained the way she informed her friends of him. He hoped that Emily-Grace would not ask too many questions.

"A woman?" Emily-Grace asked, here eyes growing even wider.

"Yes, and before you go jumping to any conclusions, she has recently escaped from an abusive relationship," William explained, forcing himself to remain calm and emotionless when thinking of Warren. "We are strictly friends, and nothing more."

Is there really nothing more? a voice in his head asked. You would like more.

"That is awful," Emily-Grace said. "Is she alright?"

"Honestly, that is very doubtful from what she has informed me. However, I do believe that she is on her way there," William explained in a way so his younger sister could easily understand.

"William?"

"Yes?"

"Do you love this woman?" Emily-Grace asked softly.

William thought about it for a few seconds - how much did he want to risk? How much did he want to say to his younger sister? Saying it aloud would make it real.

"Yes," he firmly stated. "With all my heart."

Emily-Grace smiled and wrapped her arms around her brother. "That's just so romantic," she sighed. "And how you two are separated by water, even more romantic."

Separated by time appears to be the bigger issue, William dryly thought.

"What is her name?"

"Bu - Elizabeth," William stated, knowing that it would be best to give her formal name since "Buffy" was clearly not from their era. "Elizabeth Anne Summers."

Emily-Grace "ooh"ed. "That is such a beautiful name," she remarked. "Has she sent you a photograph?"

"No, she has not." Come to think of it, the two of them had never even thought of trying to see if adding things other than the journal would travel through time correctly. "All I have is her physical description."

"Which is what?"

"She has long blonde hair, hazel eyes, and is about your height. She also has a younger sister who is eighteen," William explained. "Miss Summers is an artist, and a highly admired and prized painter."

"William, I am so happy for you," Emily-Grace said. "This woman sounds much better than Cecily Addams."

William chuckled. Cecily was gone from his mind - and heart - forever, having been replaced by a blonde in Sunnydale, California, year 2004. No, he would not be thinking about Cecily Abrams any time soon.

"I quite agree with you, Emmy." His smiled lessened a bit when he spoke, "However, I doubt we will ever meet."

"Why not? I mean, ships are much safer today than they were a hundred years ago," Emily-Grace argued. "If you love her, you shouldn't let anything stop you."

"If only it were that simple." William smiled and shook his head, amazed at his sister's naiveté towards love and relationships. "Come now. You said that breakfast was ready?"

"Yes. I did."

"Then lead the way, my dear sister," William said. He turned to look back at his desk as they left his room, hoping that Buffy would find his reply and answer before the day was over.

As he entered the dining room, he saw that Anne was already seated. Emily-Grace took the seat to her right, so William decided to sit across from the two.

"Good morning, Mother," he greeting, slightly bending down to place a kiss on her cheek as he passed her chair. He gently squeezed her shoulders before walking around the table to his seat.

"William," she replied warmly. "I trust you rested well last night?"

"Yes, Mother." William took his seat and smiled at her.

"Good. I thought that we might spend the day together," Anne suggested. "Do you think you might indulge us in some of your newest poetry that you have been working on?"

"Oh, William isn't-"

"I am not quite satisfied with what I have come up with," William interrupted, cutting off his sister's words. He looked at her, trying to silently tell her to not inform Mother of his conversations with Buffy. "I would like to keep my poems private from everyone until I feel they are to my liking."

Emily-Grace glared at him for a beat, clearly wanting to let his secret out and inform their mother.

Several minutes later, their cook and maid came out with their breakfast, which consisted of ham and cheese, eggs, brioche, and croissants. The two women set the plates down on the table before walking back to the kitchen where one returned a second later with a pitcher of juice.

The family passed each plate around before setting it back in its original place, each selecting how much of whatever they wanted. As Emily-Grace cut into her ham, she announced, "William is actually corresponding with a friend in America."

William dropped his fork out of surprise, his eyes looking at his sister in a mix of anger and surprise while she innocently smiled back at him. He then turned to look at his mother.

Anne wore an amused expression on her face, somewhat surprised that William had let his younger sister in on his secret. She was somewhat less surprised that Emily-Grace had spoken up so quickly. "Oh really?"

"Yes, Mother. She lives in the states, and her name is Elizabeth Summers."

"She?" Anne's left eyebrow rose even higher in surprise and curiosity.

"Emmy, I think that is quite enough," William said, hoping that she wouldn't say anything else.

"Tell me about her William," his mother requested.

It appeared as though the damage had already been done. William set his knife down and looked back up. "Emily-Grace is right. I am in fact writing to a woman who lives in America. Her name is Miss Elizabeth Summers, and she is an absolutely wonderful young woman."

"How long have you been writing to Miss Summers?" Anne asked before taking a sip of her juice.

"Since the beginning of September, Mother," William answered. "As I was telling Emily-Grace, Bu - Miss Summers is a very successful and talented painter."

"She paints? That cannot be a very secure means of income," Anne remarked.

"From what Miss Summers has told me, she is often employed to paint portraits, landscapes, and so on," William explained, hoping that his mother wouldn't see Buffy as a loose woman.

"I see."

"She also has a younger sister who is eighteen. Her name is Miss Dawn Summers."

"And their parents?" Anne asked, before covering her mouth with her napkin to cough loudly.

"They are dead," William replied. Although their father was still alive, he knew not to mention that he had left them when Buffy was younger. His mother would simply not understand that divorce was so common in 2004. William did still not fully understand how men could simply abandon their wives and children.

"Oh, those poor girls," she said, the worry evident on her face.

"I am almost Dawn's age," Emily-Grace announced. "Perhaps I could write to her as well?"

William hesitated, unable to agree with her request for the obvious reason why, and also unable to decline without giving any reason why. "Well, I shall ask Miss Summers if that is agreeable with her. After all, the post is very expensive and does take very long to travel overseas."

"I do hope she says yes," Emily-Grace said. "I think it would be very interesting to learn of what life is like in the States. Is it very different from life here, William?"

William fought the urge not to chuckle. Yes, life for Buffy was indeed quite different from theirs. "All in all, I find that our lives are not so different after all," he answered.

"How do you feel about this woman, William?" Anne asked. Emily-Grace looked at him, wondering if he would answer the same way he had when they were together in his room several minutes ago.

"I - I have deep affection for Miss Summers, I will not deny it, Mother," William eventually spoke. "Although we only write to each other, I feel a very close bond with her."

"Isn't it romantic, Mother?" Emily-Grace asked. "I just think it is so lovely."

William blushed and tried to chance the topic and end this conversation. "Nevertheless, she lives in America and I, here, in London. She has her own responsibilities taking care of her sister, and I am here with you two. We have agreed to keep out relationship strictly through words and nothing more."

Anne looked at her son, noticing how his entire face lit up while he had talked about Elizabeth Summers. Whoever this woman was, she must have made an impact on him indeed. The last time he had looked this happy in regards to a woman was...well, Anne could honestly not think of a time when had looked so happy. Although he’d had affections for Cecily two years ago, he had never appeared so jubuilant when discussing her.

Could it possibly be that her son had finally found a young lady whom he might be content with? After all, that was all Anne had ever wanted for him. Her one dream was for William to be happy in whatever choices he made in his life, as with Emily-Grace.

Anne reached across the table to take her son's hand. She squeezed it tightly in reassurance. "William, although I admit to having concerns that something similar to what happened with Cecily might occur again, I am delighted to hear that you are writing to someone who sounds so charming."

"Thank you, Mother," he said, grateful that she had not said anything negative about Buffy. In fact, she almost seemed pleased that he was writing to her.

Anne and Emily-Grace asked a few more questions about Buffy, all of which William tried to answer the best he could. It was very hard to not give away anything that might make her sound like a loose woman of their time, or place her in a negative light. However, eventually their questions ended and the three went back to eating their breakfast.

 
~~~

 
After they finished their meal, William rose to return to his room. He needed to check the journal to see if Buffy had written anything in reply yet. After her emotional writing last night, he felt an intense need to keep a close eye on their journal for new entries. William would do his best to calm and reassure her through his words, no matter how good or bad they might be.

He turned to go up the staircase when he felt a hand grip his arm and stop his movement.

"Mother," he greeted when he turned around to see her. "Was there something you needed?"

"William, I did not want to say this while your sister was present at the table this morning," Anne started, clearing her throat in hopes that her coughing would cease. "But...but I will not be here forever. In fact, it is safe to say that I will not be here much longer."

"Do not say things like that, Mother," William pleaded, taking her hand off his arm and in between his hands. He could not bear the thought of living without his mother, and refused to think on it until he was forced to do so.

"We both know what the doctors have been saying," she whispered sadly, softly coughing. "Nothing can be done for it."

"Mother, please."

"Your father and I have raised both you and Emily-Grace into incredibly, honest, and fair people," Anne said. "And I...we, want nothing more than for both of you to be happy."

"I know, Mother," William stated. Both he and Emily-Grace had been raised in a slightly more liberal way of thinking than many of their contemporaries. He was thankful that he had gained a more balanced view of the world through the example his parents had set.

"I just want you to be happy, William," Anne said, tears welling in her eyes.

"I am happy. Emily-Grace and you continually make me happy."

"And yet, when you spoke of Miss Elizabeth Summers at the breakfast table not twenty minutes ago, I saw your eyes light up like never before."

"Mother, I..."

She smiled. "See? Even you cannot deny it." Anne placed her palm against his cheek, looking up into eyes that reminded her so of his father. "William, if this woman is the one, if she is the one that makes you happy..."

"Mother, as much as it pleases me to hear you say this, I could not possibly leave you and Emily-Grace," William said. He couldn't leave at all, seeing as how Buffy didn't really exist in his time.

"I knew you were going to say that," Anne responded, pausing to cough into her hankerchief once again. "However, William, all I ask is that you think upon it. One day, after I am gone and Emily-Grace is married, you do not want to find yourself alone with no one to turn to. If Miss Summers is worth the fight, then so be it."

William did not know what to say. His mother had all but directly given her blessing to court Buffy. Oh, if only it was possible, he thought. I would cross the ocean again and again if it meant I would end up near her. "Thank you, Mother," he replied. "I will think upon what you have said. However, I do not expect to take action any time soon, not while I still have you and Emmy to care for."

Anne gently kissed his cheek before stepping away from him. "No, thank you, my dear William. I've never been so proud to have you as my son."

 
~~~

 
 
Lastly, I need to inform you that I will always be here to listen to whatever you feel telling me, so do not hesitate to tell me anything else. I will never judge or accuse you. I am just thankful that you trust me enough with this information. Please believe me when I say, if you ever want to talk or you ever have something you must speak of but cannot tell your other acquaintances or sister, I am always here to listen.

 
Buffy read the last paragraph that William had written four times, tears filling her eyes and finally spilling over as she read his reply for the final time.

"Oh William," she sobbed. "You say that you are no man of words, and yet you can always know the perfect thing to say to me."

She had read his entry for the first time before she went to work that morning, and it had moved her to tears then as well. Now, hours later, his words were still making an impact on her emotionally.

"If only you could just tell me this in person," Buffy whispered. "If only you could be here to hold me, to just give me strength from your simply being here."

But, of course, that was impossible.

That was something Buffy was forced to remind herself every other day - having William in her life was simply not possible. More than one hundred years separated them, and there was nothing they could do to change that.

Over the course of the past several months, Buffy had begun to slowly open her heart to him. William’s innocence and his naive and eager look at the world through her eyes and explanations were refreshing. She marveled at how he lived each and every day like it was a gift, how he treasured every moment with his family, and most importantly, how he dedicated himself to being a good man, with no pride or ego - just a loving, caring man.

She didn't want to analyze her feelings too much, or even utter them aloud. Saying the words out loud or thinking on it too much would make it real, and there was no way to go back after an unconscious possibility became reality. However, Buffy was caving in to his unconscious charms and personality.

And Buffy knew that sometime between their first correspondence in September and today's latest entry, she had begun to fall in love with him. She was still afraid to fully give her heart to another man, and of course a relationship of any kind with William was impossible, but she could not help her feelings. And all of her feelings were telling her that William was the one.

William had showed her that there truly were some good men in the world. He had proven that not every man was like Warren and her loveless boyfriends back in high school and college. No, men who cared and loved with all of their soul really did exist.

It just figured they were all living in 1882!

 
 
TBC...

And thank you, again, for the lovely feedback for the last chapter! I'm so glad that everyone seems to be enjoying this story so much - your kind words keep me writing. And as always, I would LOVE to know what you thought of this last chapter - so you know the drill: Review! :) Thanks!





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