Title: Reflection of Love
Author: Pattyanne
snapkik@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: None of the BtVS
characters belong to me.
Feedback: Love some, thanks!
Rating: Up to NC-17
Summary: Buffy inherits a house and
finds an antique mirror in the attic, a
mirror that was once owned by William
Cathcart over a hundred years ago.
Part seven...
Buffy spent the next three days "loosening up" William
Cathcart.
On the night of their initial meeting they had both been
reluctant to call it quits. What if they were to say goodnight
to each other and go their separate ways, then find out
the next day that their mirror was no longer in service?
But since neither of them could spend the rest of their life
sitting in the same room in front of a mirror, they had finally
given in and promised to meet again in exactly eight hours.
Strangely enough, even though they were over a hundred
years apart and on different continents, the actual time of
day was the same. This made no sense, since England was
at least eight hours or so ahead of the United States, but
nothing about their situation made sense anyway, so they
didn't question it.
At ten o'clock the following morning, Buffy had flown up
the stairs and into the attic, fingers crossed and heart
hammering loudly enough to wake the dead. She'd stood
outside the attic door for a moment, trying to calm down
and prepare herself for possible disappointment.
Then, holding her breath, she'd opened the door and
stepped inside.
The relief she'd felt made the air rush out of her lungs in
a deep sigh.
William had been waiting for her, sitting on the end of
his bed with his hands clasped and an anxious expression
on his face; an expression that had blossomed into a wide
smile when she'd walked into the room.
He'd confessed that he hadn't slept well at all,
afraid to close his eyes lest the sight of her attic in the
mirror fade from view. The only thing that had finally
allowed him to drop off, he had told her, had been the
realization that if the mirror was going to stop working,
he didn't have the first clue about how to keep it from
happening.
When a chiming clock in his bedroom struck the hour
of noon, a maid had knocked lightly on his door. Without
thinking, he'd bade her come in. The words were no
sooner out of his mouth before he'd jumped to his feet and
dove across the room, but it was too late. The maid
entered, carrying a silver luncheon tray.
Fully expecting the girl to drop the tray in shock at
the sight of Buffy and her attic displayed in a mirror,
William desperately began cobbling together some kind
of feasible explanation.
That explanation turned out to be unnecessary, as it
quickly became clear that the maid saw nothing unusual
in the mirror. She even paused a moment to look into
it, tucking an escaping lock of hair back under her cap,
before leaving.
Buffy and William had exchanged surprised looks. Ap-
parently, they were the only ones the mirror was showing
its magic to; just the two of them and, for some reason,
Lillybelle.
At least that's what they'd theorized, since Buffy had no
intention of inviting anyone up to her attic to test that
theory. She lived in a world where that sort of thing would
have the government showing up on her doorstep to con-
fiscate the mirror and whisk it off to some secret installation
where they could "study" the phenomena.
Delighted at the new turn of events, Buffy had run down
to the kitchen and fixed herself a sandwich so they could
'dine together'.
They'd talked while eating. He had told her things about
Victorian England that she'd never even heard of, and she'd
reciprocated. Since she couldn't possibly have squeezed
in everything that had taken place in the last one hundred
and twenty four years, she'd stuck to the big highlights; both
world wars, the invention of the automobile, air travel, the
miracles of modern medicine, and the sinking of the Titanic.
His jaw nearly hit the floor when she told him that man
had been to the moon and was now eyeing Mars.
Her description of movies and television fascinated him,
so much so that she decided to bring the TV and VCR
into the attic and show him what she was talking about.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What it is titled again?"
Buffy turned the television so that the screen was more
easily viewed, then popped in a videotape.
"Well," she sighed, blasting through the coming attraction,
"unfortunately my grandmother had a pretty limited selection
of movies here. She tended to stick to the really old ones
and a lot of musicals. This one is called Man of La Mancha.
It's about this old man, Don Quixote, and...."
"By Cervantes?" he asked.
"That's right. Have you read it?"
"Not for quite some time. But I enjoyed it very much."
Buffy settled herself down in a rocking chair she'd brought
from her room and punched the 'play' button.
Watching William was actually more fun than watching
the movie itself. He looked so completely amazed and
delighted with what he was seeing.
Surprisingly, he remained very quiet. She'd half expected
him to ask endless questions about how the gadgetry
worked, but he didn't seem terribly interested. He was far
more captivated by the story and the songs.
Must be the poet in him, she decided.
Although the actors singing ability left a great deal to
be desired, he made no comments about it.
But when Don Quixote began singing his tribute to the
lady he worshiped, William actually moved closer to the
mirror.
"I have dreamed thee too long,
Never seen thee or touched thee
But known thee with all of my heart
Half a prayer, half a song
Thou has always been with me
Though we have been always apart"
Buffy couldn't take her eyes off him. His expression
was so....full of yearning.
"Dulcinea...Dulcinea
I see heaven when I see thee, Dulcinea
And thy name is like the prayer an angel whispers
Dulcinea....Dulcinea"
She had never particularly liked old musicals, but
watching William drink in this new experience was
beginning to change her mind about them.
"If I reach out to thee
Do not tremble and shrink
From the touch of my hand on thy hair
Let my fingers but see
Thou art warm and alive
And no phantom to fade in the air"
He turned his head to look at her, then glanced away
quickly when he saw her staring at him.
Not wanting him to feel uncomfortable, she forced
herself to watch the movie.
"Dulcinea....Dulcinea
I have sought thee, sung thee, dreamed thee, Dulcinea
Now I've found you and the world shall know the glory
Of Dulcinea....Dulcinea"
When the song ended, Buffy pushed the pause button.
"That was a pretty song, wasn't it?"
William nodded, obviously still enraptured by it. "It was
truly lovely," he murmured. "To possess the talent...the
gift...for writing something so deeply passionate." He
sighed. "Perhaps if I'd been able to express my feelings
so beautifully....."
He let the words trail off, making Buffy wonder if he was
thinking of Cecily and wishing he'd been able to write
such a thing for her.
Just the thought of it made her feel queasy.
Firmly shoving the unappealing thought of William and
Cecily out of her mind, she thumbed the 'play' button
on the remote.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go"
His attention once again captured by the music,
she turned her gaze on him again.
"To right the unrightable wrong
To love, pure and chaste from afar
To try, when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star"
Boy! She'd thought he'd looked impressed before!
Now he seemed....enchanted.
"This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause"
His head was tilted slightly to one side, his lips
parted just a little.
"And I know, if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest"
Buffy had heard this song many times before, but it
had never sounded quite like this to her ears.
"And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star"
When the movie ended, she hit 'stop' and
ejected the tape.
"Oh, Buffy," William breathed fervently. "Such stirring
words. I'm...I'm quite...overwhelmed."
She smiled. "You MUST be. That's the first time
you've used my name without saying 'Miss' first."
Immediately, his cheeks turned red. "Oh. I...I'm
so very sorry. Please...please forgive my familiarity,"
he stammered.
Just when you think a guy can't get any more adorable,
he does something to raise the bar, she mused.
"William...stop apologizing. I don't mind. In fact, I'd
rather you just call me Buffy. Okay?"
He ducked his head shyly. "Well...if you're certain
you don't mind, then...then I suppose..."
"Good!" she interjected. "Now THAT'S settled, tell
me what you think of the movie."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Although he assured her that he didn't want to leave
her company, William had to excuse himself to take
the evening meal with his mother. He could get away
with having luncheon served in his room, could even decline
afternoon tea, but his mother expected him at breakfast
and supper, and if he'd remained in his room she'd no
doubt call for a doctor to find out what was ailing him.
Buffy understood, and told him so, but being apart from
him was curiously painful. It was a feeling that frightened
her a little.
She was coming to care for this boy too deeply. Falling
in love with him would be remarkably easy and a major
mistake, since there was no possibility of a future with
him. Technically, he didn't even exist anymore. They could
never touch hands, or kiss, or...or anything.
But, God...he was so sweet. How could she NOT love him?
Just because 'Cecily the Stupid Bitch' didn't find him
everything SHE wanted in a man, didn't mean that Buffy
wouldn't snap him up in a heartbeat if she'd been able to.
William was gentle and romantic, and she had a feeling
that if she could step into his time, push him down on a
chair, remove his spectacles and unfasten his shirt...she
would be mightily pleased with what she found hidden
beneath all those clothes.
Feeling a sudden need to distract herself from these
thoughts, she ran downstairs and grabbed her purse
and keys.
It was time to pay a visit to the local video store.
TBC
(Stick with me. Interesting developments are
imminent ;-) )
AN: I sort of got stuck watching 'Man of La Mancha'
at my mother's house the other day, and the lyrics
to these two songs in particular just struck me as
something 'William' would be most impressed by. That's
really the only reason I chose that particular movie
for his introduction to videos/television.
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