Chapter 9:
“Is she drunk?!” William tilted his head down so he could meet Buffy’s dilated eye. When she started to giggle and sway while Anya held her upright, he caught a whiff of her breath and grimaced.
‘Got my answer there.’ He thought to himself.
”What gave her way Will?” Anya asked sarcastically. “Help me, would ya?”
William moved forward and let Buffy cling to him. He held her waist to keep her from falling, she was almost completely deadweight.
“What happened?” William looked back at Anya.
“She wanted to go out drinking…I played designated driver.” Anya shrugged and looked back at Buffy closing her eyes as she leaned her head on William’s shoulders, “I’d get her inside before she throws up on your neck.”
”Why didn’t you stop her?” William barked out at Anya. He looked back down at his wife when she let out a groan.
“I don’t know…it was either drink or cry…she was going to do it even if I wasn’t there. I just thought she was in better company if I was with her, you know.”
William’s anger he felt against Buffy’s friend slowly started to melt away; when Anya said it like that he was more grateful that she was with his wife tonight. He didn’t want to think about her drinking and driving or drinking and running into the wrong person.
“Well…why did she start drinking anyway? Did something happen? Her mum said she was fine when she left her house.”
Anya bit her lip; she wasn’t supposed to get involved with this.
“I think its best that Buffy talks about this with you.”
”Well I think she won’t remember in the morning, Anya. I think it’s best if you do it—you were out with her all night. You must have a clue why she was getting hammered.”
“Umm…she’s just a bit concern about some things…”
“What things?”
“Look, William, I don’t want to get involved in this.” Anya crossed her arms against her chest. “Buffy will tell you…or show you…”
“What the hell are you talking about? Anya, if this is serious and I should know and you’re keeping it from me—“ he warned.
“It’s not a big deal…Buffy’s just acting like it is.”
“Well, can you give me a hint at least?” he asked as he started to juggle Buffy around in his arms when she started to move.
“Hint huh? Well…it starts with an S and ends with ‘pike’.” Anya gave him a knowing look for a moment before starting back down the walkway.
William watched Anya leave with a confused expression on his face. He glanced down at Buffy, passed out against him and muttered, “Me?”
*~*~*~*~
William kicked the door shut as he carried Buffy through the front door. It had been a long time since he’d done this for her. The last time was for Anya’s bachelorette party. He understood playful drinking, but this?
As he walked toward the stairs he noticed that Buffy was starting to wake up.
“Love?”
“Mmm…Spike?”
It has been a long time since she’s called him that.
“Ya love?”
“Are you another dream?”
William frowned, “Dream?”
“Ya…you wanted to have your way with me and eat me all up.” Buffy smiled.
‘Is that why the other day in the kitchen…and in the bedroom that morning...?’ he thought to himself.
“It was very very very….” She sighed and continued, “Very nice…”
“Let’s get you to bed love and then you can tell me about it in the morning.” William said.
“Noooo!” Buffy protested and grabbed a hold of the banister to stop him from going up the stairs. “No…you-you big big tease…I wanted to do it on the table…do you, do you remember how we broke the last one?”
William nodded and continued to stare down at her, watching Buffy’s face go through a wave of emotions. He frowned when her dreamy state suddenly turned to crying.
“I’m sorry honey...” Buffy cried, “I’m sorry Spike…”
”Sorry for what pet?”
“Please don’t hate me…please-please don’t leave me…” her hands let go of the banister and went up to his shirt, clenching it tightly in her small fist.
“Why would I leave you?” William whispered.
“Because I deserve it.” She said softly before letting go of his shirt and slumping her head on his shoulder.
*~*~*~*~
He carefully maneuvered her out of her denim jacket and slipped off her shoes. For the first time William was glad the kids weren’t home for him to take care of—he had his hands full with just taking care of Buffy.
“Where are we?” Buffy asked as she drifted back into consciousness.
“Bedroom love.”
He tugged off her socks and threw them on the floor.
“Are you mad at me?” Buffy pouted and reached out to caress William’s cheek.
“No…”
“Yes you are…”
“Just…just confused a little.” William admitted.
“Confused about what? What happened?”
Buffy moaned and let her hand slip from his cheek so she could hold her head.
“What?” he asked when he saw her face scrunch up in pain, “What’s wrong?”
”Dizzy…pounding…dizzy pounding.”
“Do you need to throw up?”
“I don’t know.”
William went out of the room for a minute and came back with a bucket, one that Buffy use to use to clean the floors with. After tonight it will most defiantly be thrown away. He sat it next to Buffy’s bed.
“Here love, use this if you have the urge.”
Buffy turned and looked at the bucket and then smiled up at William, “I love you…”
It wasn’t the most romantic way to say the words but William smiled and nodded, humoring her.
“I know you do...now just close your eyes and sleep.”
“I don’t know if I can…my head hurts too much.”
William frowned and started to think up other things he could do to make her comfortable.
“Spike?”
The name still felt weird as she continued to use it.
“Yes?”
“Where’s your coat?”
“Umm…I don’t know…”
“Liar…you hid it from me…” she muttered, “You don’t want me to see….”
”See what, pet?”
He got a little snore in response. William let out a sigh and hung his head down, tired and still completely confused. It was a feeling he was starting to get use to in the past few days.
*~*~*~*~*~
William knew she was sobering up when he heard her mutter.
“William?”
He was lying on top of the covers with her, not sleeping. He couldn’t sleep; there was too much going on in his head at the moment.
“Pet?” he turned on his side when she turned on her side to face him.
William really hoped she wasn’t going to pick this moment to be sick on him.
“What time is it?”
He turned and looked at the clock, “6 am love…why?”
“You have to go to work at seven....” she muttered.
“Not going to work today…I’ll call in sick.”
“Why? Did—did you get drunk too?”
‘I was tempted…’ William admitted to himself.
“No, I want to stay with you today…take care of you.” he said as he reached out and rested his hand on her cheek. “Make sure you’re alright.” ‘Plus have a long talk with you…’ he added in his head.
“I’m okay…”
William raised an eyebrow at her.
“Except for the pounding in my head…and the nausea.” She admitted.
“You want some Advil?” he started to get up to fetch her something for the big hangover she was about to have.
“No…” she whined, “No…stay…just stay here…”
William lied back down to his previous position.
“Stay her with me…” she rested her hand on top of his hand and closed her eyes.
There was more meaning behind her request and he knew it.
“Okay…”
*~*~*~*~
William thought he just rested his eyes for a minute, but when he woke up he found himself alone in bed. He looked up and read the clock, ’11 am’. It had been a while since he slept in so late in the day.
When he heard a moan in the bathroom he decided to get up and follow it.
Buffy was leaning against the wall by the toilet and bathtub on the floor, she was holding her head in her hands grimacing.
“Hey.” he said as he stood by the doorway.
“Ahhhh….” She moaned, “Not so loud…” she whined.
“Want that Advil now?”
“Yes…” she whispered. One of her hands reached out for the pill while she continued to look down at the floor and clench her other hand to her head. “Please hurry.”
William shook his head at her as he poured the glass of water and gave her the pill.
“How much longer do you need before we talk?”
“Can we not…please…I’m already miserable here.”
“Sorry love, if you do the crime you need to answer to me…”
“I’m not one of the kids William.” She growled.
“I sure had to treat you like one last night…carrying you and dressing you....how much did you have last night?”
“I don’t know…I lost count after 4 drinks…” Buffy said, “Please don’t make me remember, it hurts to think.”
”Tough…that’s part of your punishment.”
”Punishment?” she finally looked up at him, “What did I do?”
“Where do I start?! For one, I didn’t know where the hell you were!” he gave her a hard stare, “For two hours I’ve calling around…talking to your mother, Xander, neighbors…looking for some sort of clue what the hell happened to you.”
Buffy closed her eyes and let a sigh, “Sorry.”
“Sorry is not going to cut it!” he snapped.
”Well then what do you want me to do?!” she yelled.
‘Owwwww…no more yelling…’ she thought when another wave of pain came over her.
“I want to know what’s going on right now. Anya said it has to do with me…now, don’t you think a bloke deserves to know what’s happening when the problem is him?
“You?”
”Stop it Buffy…” he was done playing the game ‘Don’t tell William a thing’.
“What do you want me to say?!” she cried.
“How ‘bout the truth? I like the truth for once…”
“I-I…” she stuttered and took a brief pause to let a wave of nausea pass, “This…this thing with Cordelia and Angel…” she started.
”Angel?” William frowned. Mentioning Angel was never ever good in his book.
“Yes…it…it’s still bothering me…what happened to Cordelia…what he did to her…”
“Didn’t we discuss this before?” William asked.
“Yes…but—“
“How is it still bothering you? How does this affect me? Did you go and see him?” William questioned.
”What?!! No, no I didn’t!” she protested, “Why would I even want to?”
“I don’t know Buffy…I have no clue what’s going on at the moment…you’re been acting very strange lately…one moment you aren’t talking to me, the next you want sex, now this…you’re not acting like yourself.”
“Neither are you.”
“What?”
“Nothing…”
“No!” he said sharply, “We are not brushing this off, you said ‘neither are you’, now what does that mean?”
“It means absolutely nothing.”
William turned away from her for a moment, took a deep breath and exhaled.
“So this is how it’s going to be?” He asked. “You don’t trust me enough to talk to me?”
“No…” she whispered as tears started to slide down her cheek.
“Then…then I don’t get it Buffy…I don’t understand why you won’t let me on this problem but you feel perfectly comfortable telling Ms. Blunt, Anya Harris.”
“Please William…it’s—it’s…” she didn’t know how to get out of the hot seat at the moment; everything was not going as planned. She was stupid for getting drunk; she has no recollection of what she said to him last night.
“I’m going to go…”
”What?!” her head snapped up to look up at him with a tearstained face, “What? Where?!!” she started to panic. She was about to get up but her shaky legs weren’t letting her.
“I’m going to go to the store and be back in an hour. I’ll get you some ginger ale.” With that he turned around and left her alone on the bathroom floor rug.
TBC…