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Banner by Alissa.


Author's Chapter Notes:
All right, so here is the situation. I've just made an interesting personal discovery. I may, in fact, lack the patience required to work with a beta reader. It's only been few days since I sent my latest chapter to the helpful elf who graciously agreed to give it a read for me-but I can't wait to post it. (Yes-I was one of those kids who only had a good day if the teacher gave me a pat on the head and told me what a clever girl I was. ) So I'm going to post and if she finds anything serious I'll come back and edit. Yeah, I know-pathetic. Anyway-In light of this embarrassing personal admission I expect reviews folks. (I can put up another chapter this weekend if enough people seem interested. ;))
Update: Okdeanna, my lovely beta, just sent me her edits-I'm including them now. As always, though-all mistakes are my own.
Oxford, England 2008

His apartment was certainly tidy, she thought, but otherwise the picture she’d formed in her mind was pretty off. She’d basically expected to find his room from home ,plus a kitchen.

Walking in, it suddenly hit Buffy that her best friend wasn’t a kid anymore. He’d become a grown-up right under her nose and his apartment was the proof.

Gone were the little boy blue accessories and miniature sized furniture and in their place he’d decorated with heavy, dark wooden furniture and fabrics in shades of grey and black. Two full walls held bookshelves that ran from the floor to the ceiling.

Her eyes widened and she suddenly felt very out of place standing there with her pink sneakers and ponytail. She glanced up at him and saw that he was trying to gauge her reaction.

“It’s nice, Will, very…grown-up.” She blushed slightly, surprised by her own sudden awkwardness.

He laughed softly and met her eyes. “You mean boring.”

Realizing that she’d hurt his feelings, Buffy quickly shook her head. “No, I just meant…it’s really nice Will. I think maybe all the traveling is catching up with me.”

“Oh, of course, I’m sorry, luv. Where are my manners? Let’s put your stuff in my room and you can lie down for a bit if you’d like.

“No. I don’t want to sleep yet. I want to visit more first.” She followed him into his room and gasped slightly.

His bed was all made up with black bedding. It was cotton, not satin, but with a fine enough weave to have a subtle sheen. The image of William’s pale skin against those sheets came unbidden into Buffy’s mind.

She blushed again, wondering where the thought had come from, and suddenly came to another realization; William was almost undoubtedly not virgin anymore. She knew that he’d had a girlfriend, he mentioned her briefly a few times, but she really hadn’t thought about it. She was quite certain in that moment; it just wasn’t a virgin’s bed.

“Is this ok? You’ll sleep here and I’ll crash in the living room.”

“Oh, no, I’ll take the couch. I’m smaller. There’s no need for you to be squished.”

“It’s a pull-out. I’ll be fine. You’ll have a bit more privacy in here. I just…I want you to be comfortable here.”

Buffy nodded and placed her bag next to her suitcase.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting on the couch with a couple of soft drinks.

“So you have classes tomorrow, right?”

William nodded apologetically. “I do, but I can miss a couple days next week. I thought you might like to spend some time in London. My uncle is away a lot on business and we’ll have his flat to ourselves. Does that suit?”

Buffy grinned. “Yeah, it does. London sounds fun.”

“Brilliant.”

Buffy pulled her legs up, tucked them under her body and leaned against William. “So when can I meet your friends?”

William pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I’ll invite a couple of people over tomorrow if you’re feeling up to it.”

“Cool. Are they all like you?”

Chuckling, he gave her a squeeze. “How do you mean?”

“Like all geniuses.”

“Well I suppose they’re all fairly…” He realized suddenly that his brave girl was actually feeling insecure. “Hey kitten, they’re all going to love you. No worries, ok?”

Buffy nodded her head sleepily in its spot against his chest. “Tell me about that big paper you’re working on.”

William had barely gotten past the basic premise that Oscar Wilde had been influenced by a few surprising sources when it became clear that Buffy was asleep. He laughed softly as he brushed the hair off of her face. He got up carefully and bent to scoop her up.

Buffy’s eyes opened drowsily. “I’m awake.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Why?”

“Why are you sleeping?”

“Unh uh…carrying me, why?”

William bent down and placed her on his bed. “I’m just putting you to bed luv.” He reached down, gently tugged her sneakers off and pulled a blanket over her. “See all comfy now.”

“Ummh.”

Smiling once more at the joy of having her there, William began to turn away.

“Will?”

He paused, sitting down on the side of the bed. “I’m still here. Did you need something?”

“No, I was just wonderin’”

“About?”

“Do you remember when we used to have sleep-overs?”

“Sure I do.”

“That was fun.”

William laughed and wondered how much of this conversation Buffy would remember when she woke up; she hadn’t opened her eyes since he’d put her on the bed. “It was.”

“Guess we can’t do that now…wouldn’t be appropriate, right?”

“Probably not ,pet. I’m pretty sure your mum decided that it had stopped being appropriate about ten years ago.”

She sighed. “Fun though.”

“Sure kitten.” William felt the urge to kiss her growing to an almost unbearable level. He stood up. “I’ll see you later. Get some rest now.”

Buffy mumbled an incomprehensible response and he walked out, shutting the door gently behind him.

Oxford, England late 2007

William paled with shock and disgust. “Right here” he said quietly. “You’ve been sleeping with him in my own…why?” He cocked his head to the side and studied the utterly unremorseful look on her face.

Drusilla laughed coldly. “Why did we sleep together here?” She shrugged. “Convenience.”

He watched her study her nails nonchalantly and felt sick. “No, why did you…how could you just betray me like that? Do I mean so little to you? Have I always…”

“Betray you? How did I do that?”

Something broke inside William. Shaking, he raised his voice and looked her in the eye. “Bloody hell woman. You know what I mean. Why would you fuck him? Why would you fuck him in my bed?”

“We were never exclusive, William.”

“You might have mentioned that before I walked in on you fucking that bloody arse.”

She giggled. “Oh, but I do like it when you talk dirty. You can give up the false tears. You needn’t act so outraged. We both that you’ve never been mine either.”

“I have never once cheated on you.”

“Oh but you have all along. I’ve always been the other woman William. I’m not blind. I know about your little American girl. I’ve seen the pictures and the letters. I know that when you don’t come to bed it’s because you’re sitting at that computer talking to her. You’d rather type silly gossip with that child than come to bed with me.”

He stumbled back. He couldn’t deny it. She was right. He’d only started seeing her when Buffy had made her feelings clear. But he’d thought that she would help him move on and he had certainly never intended to hurt her. He’d committed every part of himself that he could control to her. But his heart...that had always been Buffy’s.

He’d thought that with time it would be different. There was nothing, he realized now, that he could do about that. He’d been Buffy’s since the very first time she’d mispronounced his name. “Why then?” he asked the woman standing in front of him with her hair still tangled from her latest indiscretion. “Why did you bother with me at all?”

She laughed again. “We suited well enough. You were such an eager little toy…always the gentlemen…always so concerned. There’s no reason for all this drama my sweet.Tthings are no different. Come here boy; let me remind you how good things can be for us.”

“Things are over. This is over.”





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