Once Buffy had gone, William went up stairs. He stood idle for a moment, focusing on returning his breathing to an even rhythm. Then, once his heart had stopped its crazy trip-hop, William went back down stairs. As he pulled on his borrowed lumberjack coat, Andrew walked in the front door.
Andrew gave William the suspicious eye.
William handed it right back.
“Where’re you going?” Andrew asked. He sounded more than inquisitive, though. To William, it seemed he was looking for an invite.
“Out for a drink,” William said.
“Where is everyone else?”
William shrugged. Andrew remained stubbornly in the doorway.
“Fine,” William said, caving. “Buffy and Dawn are shopping. Willow and Xander are downstairs on clean up detail. Willow did a...” he waggled his fingers in the air, “spell.”
“You did magic? Without me? I miss everything,” Andrew said.
“Well, bye,” William said, striding past.
“Wait,” Andrew said. “Do you know where you’re going?”
Impatiently, he said, “I did live here...”
“Yeah, like a hundred years ago.”
“It’s London. Pub on every corner,” William said.
“Do you have any money?”
William paused. “No.”
Andrew stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Falling back on old habits?” he asked.
William rolled his eyes. “You buying?”
Andrew beamed, triumphantly. He put down his folder on the entry hall table and headed for the door. “There’s this place we go around the corner called Shepherd’s. Hey, maybe we can play darts.”
William followed him out into the busy night, playing things cool.
The pub was the ordinary sort. Neon beer signs. Cracked vinyl booth seats. Threadbare carpets. And a half a dozen tired-looking middle-aged patrons lost in pints.
Andrew and William sat among them, at the bar, also with pints. William looked the picture of boredom. Andrew was extra conspicuous.
“So,” Andrew said. “What was the spell all about?”
“Aura detection,” William said.
“Interesting. And?”
William leveled his eyes on Andrew. “I’m not a vampire,” he said.
Andrew nodded, slowly. “Cool,” he said. He sipped his beer.
“What’s your story, Andrew?” William asked, suddenly inspired.
This surprised Andrew so much he almost spilled his beer.
“When last we saw you, you were Tuxedo Man living the life in Italy. Now you’re starring here as Giles Junior. I’m missing the cue for costume change,” William said.
“Yeah, well. Italy was cool. Night life. Women.”
William nodded. “But?”
“Well, when we were attacked, Giles thought it best if we, you know, castle up here,” Andrew said.
William leaned in. “Attacked? Who attacked you?”
“Demon cult,” Andrew said. “Remains unsolved, though. It was dark and kinda confusing. We spent a few days hiding in these catacombs... creepy.”
“What were they after?”
“I don’t know, Spike,” he said, frustrated. “I was a little unconscious at the time. And I lost the tippy end of my pinky.” He poked out the abbreviated finger, then looked down into his pint, ashamed. “Buffy had to save me. She and Dawn could’ve gotten out a whole much sooner, if I hadn’t first been head-bashed, then finger mashed.”
“So it was just the three of you?”
“Not at first. You know, the Immortal...”
“I know him,” William said. He sneered.
“Well, he kinda split.”
“Poncy bastard,” William said. “Was he part of the demon conspiracy? Or did he just flee to save his own skin.”
“In the camp of the latter. He hid out the first night, but by morning...”
“Gone.”
“Yep.”
“And Buffy?”
“Upset by the whole can of Pringles. But you know her. She’s tough,” Andrew said.
“She’s the Slayer,” William said. He watched the homeward bound worker’s traffic filling up the streets. There was so much going on, and he was just waking up. He had the sense that there was something he just wasn’t getting yet. Something just beyond his ability to grasp. He reached for it, but came away with... nothing.
He returned to his conversation with Andrew. “So. What else then?”
“We came back here. Giles used money from insurance claims we filed in Sunnydale, plus FEMA assistance, which he invested in high-yield undisclosed investments. Giles isn’t much for sharing trade secrets. So, he used that fundage to buy the Flat and the building that houses the school. Willow and Kennedy have a house in Westbury, but they stay here so Kennedy can help with the school. Meanwhile, Giles is taxed with the heavy responsibility of rebuilding the Watcher Council. And Dawn and I are helping out. We’re really making contributions, I think. Dawn’s way gifted, you know. Like connected to the powers.”
“Runs in her blood,” William said.
“Yeah. We all have our purposes, doing the good work,” Andrew said.
“And Xander?”
Andrew frowned. “He does his share. But he’s still sad, you know. Losing a woman like Anya? Like he’ll ever find another girl like her in a thousand years.”
“Hear that,” William said. He touched his pint to the rim of Andrew’s and drained down the rest of his beer.
“And he’s so not adaptable. Like, he hears the word ‘snog’ and goes all Beavis,” Andrew said. “Then, like two weeks ago he crashed his car into a phone box...”
William got up abruptly. “Think we better head back,” he said.
“Oh. Okay,” Andrew said, following along. “But you wanna get a round of pool in? Maybe play the quiz game. Willow and I have a team. Pretty much unbeatable. Or, oh! Fruities?”
William considered for a second. “No,” he said. He turned on his heel and strode out.
“Okay,” Andrew said. “Maybe another time.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Characters: Andrew and Spike. PS I dislike the Immortal with a screaming bloody passion :)