William returned to his room shortly after telling her his tale. Even after she’d said she was plotting an escape, his heart soared. She’d smiled at him and held his hand and he was certain that he’d never felt more alive. He sat at his desk and tried to find words to describe what he was feeling. He couldn’t. He couldn’t sit still. He bounced up and headed to the library to find Willow.
It only took him a few minutes to locate her, despite the uncountable number of shelves and rooms in the space. “Willow? Love?” He found her in the back stacks standing very close to Tara and froze. “Oh! Sorry, dolls. I’ll…” He turned away quickly and headed to the central lounge area with a huge grin on his face. He dropped on to a long couch and placed his feet over the arm.
Willow found him there several minutes later lying with one arm dangling towards the floor and the other draped across his face. Laughing softly, she sat beside him and slide close so his head rested on her lap. “Did you need something, handsome?”
He closed his eyes and folded his hands on his stomach. “I’m sorry I ruined your moment back there. I didn’t—”
“We were just talking. You didn’t interrupt anything. Just talking.”
William blinked open one eye. “Looked like good talking then.”
She blushed lightly and smiled. “It was. It was…really nice talking.”
He grinned again and closed his eyes. His voice was almost wistful. “Nice talking is…brilliant, isn’t it?”
Willow laughed as she started running her fingers through his hair. “Did you have a nice talk with Buffy, sweetie?”
“She’s so pretty, Willow.” He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. “Don’t you think?”
“I do.” She nodded.
“She told me that she was only eating to keep up her strength so she could escape.”
“Oh no! I’m sorry, hun.”
“No. She was smiling at me when she said it. A real smile, Willow, like we’re friends.”
Willow tried not to frown. “Well, that’s…good, I guess.”
“I told her…about me.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You did?”
He nodded.
“How did that…how was that?”
He frowned slightly and shrugged. “It was…she said I was strange.”
“Oh.” Willow looked at his grin and shook her head. None of this was sounding very promising. “I see.”
“I think I’m in love.”
She smiled at that. “I know.” She couldn’t hold back a small laugh. “I know you are, sweetie.” She’d always known that when it happened, it would happen hard and fast. She allowed herself the wistful memory of a much smaller William excitedly explaining that one of the dancers at the party had said she would be his friend. It had taken several years to turn the eager little boy he’d been into the reserved man he’d become.
He reached up and grabbed her hand. “Are you in love?”
“What? No. I mean…I don’t...we were just talking.”
William laughed. “I think you are. I think perhaps I’d best go ask Miss Tara what her intentions are towards my Willow.”
“Don’t you dare.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “It is my duty to look out for you—can’t just let her take advantage.”
She laughed. “I could still take you over my knee, you know?”
“If you were going to beat me, you’d have done it when I tried to rewrite the ending for Romeo and Juliet.”
Willow winced. “On the original, hand-written copy—oh, that was…”
“I know. You should have me caned; gods know I’d earned it.”
“Like I could with you looking at me with those big sad eyes and crying about how you just wanted to give them a happy ending.” She shook her head. “We’re both lucky I didn’t start handing over the other great tragedies.”
Laughing, he sat up and pulled Willow into a hug. “I love you, red.”
She gave him a tight squeeze. “I love you too, sweetie.” She cupped his face in her hands, kissed his forehead, and smiled. “Sometimes it’s still a little strange to see you all grown up. I miss that curly-haired little boy that used to fall asleep on my lap.”
“You were a good mum, love. I hope you get another chance. You know I’ll do anything I can for you.”
Willow’s eyes widened at the rare mention of her status in The Underworld. “Please, William.” She shook her head. “I’m content. Don’t ever worry for me.”
“It’s been a long time, Willow. We could ask.”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
He nodded and kissed the top of her head. “Very well. I’d miss you horribly anyway.”
“Not true. It a few days you are going to be so completely wrapped up in your new romance that you’ll forget anyone else even exists.”
He grinned. “Never you.” He laughed. “I’m in love—bloody mad love.” He shook his head. “It feels insane.”
Willow smiled. “Yup, that’s love."
********************************************************************************************
Buffy groaned and dropped the book she’d been trying to read on the bed. It was probably a good book, the cover sounded interesting, but she was restless. She couldn’t just sit in her room all day. The boredom would drive her insane. She wondered if that was the test. She spent a lot of time wondering about the test. She also worried about her parents, tried reading from the stack of books that had been left in her room, tried on all the clothes in the chest, braided her hair and attempted to make a magic window. She felt a little silly about the last one.
When William stopped by to see her, she nearly jumped him. “Hi!” She gave him a big smile as she opened the door. “Take me out of this room.”
His eyes widened. “Of course, love. I thought Willow told you to go anywhere you wish.”
“She did.” Buffy nodded. “I’m just not big on the whole wandering about The Underworld by myself thing.”
“I didn’t think…I’m sorry, Buffy. Where would you like to go?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.” Her eyes widened and she pointed a finger at him. “Not an orgy. Maybe just like...a walk.”
He laughed. “Have you seen the garden?”
“No.” She shook her head. “That sounds good. Is it?”
“It is. It’s lovely.” He offered her his arm. “It’d be honored to escort you. Perhaps you could tell me something about yourself as we walk.”
Buffy looked at him and laughed. He was wearing tweed pants and a black turtleneck sweater and looked good enough in them that she was sure a single picture would be enough to start a trend. “Do you usually sound like a Jane Austin novel when you’re trying to flirt with a girl?”
“If you say so.” He let his arm fall back to his side. “I was told women generally enjoyed Austin.”
Giggling, she nodded. “They do. Will I need a sweater?”
William frowned as he looked at the short-sleeved gray dress Buffy was wearing. “Yes or maybe. I’m not as affected by temperature as…most people are.”
She shrugged and pulled on the white cardigan she’d worn the day before. “Okay. Take to me the garden.”
William gestured to the left hall. “This way.” They walked in silence for a few moments before he asked, “Do you have a favorite book?”
“I don’t know. I like mysteries some and romances are the best for vacations.” They reached a large stone door and she watched as William pulled it open effortlessly. She frowned. “Oh. It’s dark. I didn’t realize that it was so late.”
He turned to meet her eyes. “It’s always dark here, Buffy. We don’t see the sun.”
“That’s terrible. I can’t even imagine that.”
He shrugged slightly and tried to ignore the pain her words brought to his stomach. “You would miss it then, horribly?”
“You don’t?”
“It’s been a very long time since I’ve known anything different than what I have. I never had a choice, of course, so I try to be grateful.”
She nodded and looped her arm through his in a silent apology. “So how do you have a garden in the dark?”
He smiled broadly. “Ah, well He had it created for Her, The Queen, so She wouldn’t grow homesick.” He turned to look at her as they began to walk through the large iron gates. “He loves Her, you know? I heard you telling Willow the tale you’d heard. Quite a lot gets left out of that tale. The day He took Her was not the day they met, I assure you. They’d been meeting in secret for some time because Her mother did not wish Her to marry.” He leaned close and whispered near her ear. “I’m not entirely certain they didn’t simply fake the kidnapping to get past Her mother, though I would never suggest such a thing to the Dread Queen.”
“You’re saying she’s happy here?”
He laughed. “She is The Queen of here, love.” He shrugged. “They fight some, there’s a thing with Adonis that has caused a fair plague of drama, but…yes. I would say She is very happy here.”
Buffy considered his words as she studied the strangely beautiful space she was in. She knew, of course, that he was telling her these things for a reason. Still, it was an interesting thought. “There are flowers.” She reached out to touch one and he quickly pulled her hand back.
“I’m sorry, love. Those are Hers alone, poison for anyone else to touch.”
She looked at him at shock. “I’d have died…just from touching that flower?”
“No. You’d have suffered.”
“How?”
He caressed her fingers lightly. “I can’t know. It’s different for everyone. Most things are here. Pain possibly or loss. Nothing I’d ever wish you to feel.”
“And yet you want me to stay here, to lose my family and friends and…the entire sun. How can you say that don’t want me to suffer?”
He turned away unable to look at the hurt in her gaze. “The other flowers are safe. It’s just these that are sacred.”
“William?”
He swallowed hard. “I wish I could give both worlds, Buffy. I can’t and so I have only one hope.”
“That I fail the test.”
“No. That’s not what I wish for at all. I want you to choose here. I want you to choose me. I want to…I want to be the one that you wish for.”
“Those are pretty words, William. But I can’t choose this. I have a life at home.”
“You could have one here. I’d spend eternity with your happiness as my only goal.”
Buffy sighed and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “It’s not that I don’t find you…charming. I do. If we’d met differently, if you were a part of my world, I’d be plenty tempted.”
His eyes narrowed and his head tipped to the side. “Do you mean that?”
“Of course, I do. You’re handsome.” She shrugged. “Kind of funny. I…like you. I just can’t be with you.”
William nodded solemnly. “I understand.”
“Good.”
“I still hope to change your mind.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Chapter Seven is kind of short, so I'm posting it with Chapter eight. Also I posted twice yesterday-so make sure you've read both of those chapters or you will be a little lost. Hell, it's Hades and my wacked out imagination-you might be a little lost either way. Let me know.:)
Chapter End Notes:
So what do you think?