Buffy heard the sound of her alarm and reached for it blindly, disconcerted for a moment when it wasn't in its usual place, until she remembered where she was. Yesterday, she started her new job, and today would be her first full day. Buffy dragged herself out of bed and went to her chest of drawers to pull out some clothes for running. Buffy wanted to get a few miles in before work. After Buffy brushed her teeth and pulled her hair into a ponytail, she grabbed her iPod and headed into the kitchen.
Buffy found the coffee and set the machine up, so all she'd have to do was turn it on when she got back. William said he wasn't an early riser, so she didn't figure he'd be awake before she returned. Buffy was about to head out the door when the thought occurred to her to take her phone. It wouldn't be good to start her first official day of work missing a call, even though it was six-thirty in the morning, and Buffy really didn't think anyone would be calling so early. She grabbed it just in case.
Buffy said hello to Tony, the doorman on her way out, he gave her a friendly greeting and wished her a good day. Tony pointed her in the direction of the jogging paths, and she was off.
Yesterday, they'd gotten several menial tasks done, but not a lot of real work. Buffy needed to make the arrangements for the lecture tour this morning and see what else William had for her.
William was still somewhat of a mystery to her. He hadn't shared much about himself, and there was virtually no public information about his private life. Buffy was completely in the dark, knowing only what little she gleaned from her observations. He and Dr. Giles seemed to have a rather strained relationship, and Buffy wondered what that was all about. Dr. Giles had always been the epitome of kindness to her.
After the awkward afternoon yesterday, they'd spent a nice evening watching Spaced on DVD. Buffy finished unpacking while William ordered pizza. They couldn't find anything decent to watch on television, because everything was in reruns, so William told her to have a look at his vast DVD collection. Buffy was delighted to find Spaced, and he was surprised she even knew the show, but she explained what a huge Simon Pegg fan she was and told him it had aired on BBC America for a short time.
They watched the British anti-Friends, laughed, and made a game seeing who could find the most pop culture references in each episode. William won by a narrow margin. By the evening's end, he'd gone through a six-pack of John Smith, and Buffy was amazed he didn't seem the least bit buzzed. He offered her one, but she tasted it, and it was much too heavy and bitter. William asked Buffy what she liked to drink, and Buffy told him she didn't drink often, but when she did, she drank bold red wines or dry cider, claiming not to be an expert on either. He told her would make sure to have her favorites available if she ever wanted anything.
Buffy reached the one and half mile mark and turned to head back. The sun was higher in the sky now, and there were rowers on the Charles. All in all, it seemed as though it was going to be a lovely day.
"William, my sweet boy. You have to help me."
William saw himself and his mother sitting at the kitchen table in his old house. He knew by his looks he was about twenty, so this didn't make sense. His mother had been dead for two years, yet there she sat with her head in her hands, her words coming out in strangled sobs. He tried to reach out to her, but the table seemed to grow, and she moved farther away.
"Mum, of course I'll help you. Tell me what you need me to do."
A harsh bark of laughter came from her lips. "What to do. What to do. Why, William, you know you can't do anything. You're useless. You always have been. I'm the only one that loves you, and I have to, because I'm your mother."
William felt the sting of tears and his jaw ticked, as he held back the words he really wanted to say to her. "Come now, Mum, have you been taking your medication?"
He got up and went to the cupboard to get her pills and a glass. He poured some water into the glass from a pitcher on the counter and brought the pills and glass to the table.
"Mum, Mum, I need you to look at me, please. You need to take your medication, and you'll feel much better. You have to remember to take them every day."
She kept her head in her hands, her face hidden from his view. "Do you love me William? Do you love Mummy?" she asked, her voice muffled by her hands.
"Yes, Mum, of course I love you, and I want you to feel better. Please, stop this, and take your medication." William tried to put his hands on her shoulder, but it was as if there was an invisible barrier he couldn't penetrate, stopping him just short of touching her. "Mum, Dad would want you to take your medication. If you won't do it for me then do it for him."
Her arms collapsed and her head fell forward onto the table. A low keening wail came from her. After a few moments she whispered, "He doesn't care. Your father's dead, and you're partially responsible."
William's eye's flew open and did a quick survey of the room. His body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and twisted in the sheets. This was a new version of the same old nightmare. He could never see his Mum's face or touch her, only hear her voice. If he could only touch her or see her, she might be the kind mum he had glimpses of when he was a child, before her illness completely took over.
He slipped out of bed and walked toward the bathroom to take a piss and have a shower. The hot spray felt like individual heated pinpricks on his skin, a little unpleasant, but deliciously so. William thought back to the dream and his own battles with depression. He knew he should be taking his medication, and he thought today might be a good day to start again. He knew he would have to curb his drinking, but maybe he could tell Buffy, and she could help him keep it under control. William decided he would have to think a little more heavily about that.
After drying off and brushing his teeth, he took his medications for the first time in three months. He dressed and followed the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
William found Buffy at the kitchen table with some papers, a cup of coffee, and a container of yogurt in her hand.
"Morning. Looks like you've been up for a while now." William walked to the counter, picked up a mug Buffy had set out for him, and poured himself a cup of coffee. He then went in search of the cream and sugar. "Any interesting faxes?"
Buffy eyed him with his still damp hair and bare feet, wondering if this was the way she would be greeted every morning. If so, she wasn't complaining. Something about a freshly showered, barefoot man was just so sexy, and William's feet were pale perfection.
"Um, your agent sent the dates over for the lecture tour. He said he'd be sending the rest of the information over later this morning, hotel, outlines of what they want you to talk about, names of hosts in the different cities, that sort of thing." She took a bite of her yogurt and waited for him to reply.
William leaned against the counter and cradled his mug in both hands. "That sounds great, with the exception of telling me what to talk about. That would be a no. I'll talk about what I bloody well please."
His brow furrowed and he began to pace. "I can choose something before we leave, and you can send it to them, so they'll have an idea, but I'm not going to say the same fucking thing for seven straight nights," he said, his eyes darting to hers looking for her reaction.
She raised her eyebrows and smiled at him. "No compromising the artistic process of the talent. Got it."
He winked at her and smirked. "Too right! Say, how long have you been up? You've gotten an awful lot accomplished this morning."
Buffy felt her cheeks heat up as he looked to her for an answer. "I, uh, got up about six-thirty, went for a run, then came back took a shower, got dressed, and saw the faxes.
It's nine thirty now, and I'm just sitting here having my breakfast." She tilted her head and gave him her best no-big-deal smile.
William poured himself another cup of coffee, and he turned, offering her some as well. She held out her cup. "My, my you've been a busy little bee this morning," he said. "You should have worked up quite an appetite, and all you're going to have is a tiny cup of yogurt? You'll faint on me before lunch."
He started to laugh, but thought better of it when she glared at him.
"I have yogurt every morning," Buffy said. "I generally have a protein bar after I run, but you don't have any of those, so I'll have to wait until I can get to the store. I've never fainted in my life. Thank you very much!"
She finished her little speech and let out a little huff of indignation.
William held his hands up as if he were about to surrender. "Whoa, looks like somebody's blood sugar is a little low. I was merely offering to make you some breakfast, like say, eggs, and some bacon. Maybe a piece of toast?"
Buffy's eyes widened and she hit her forehead with the heel of her right hand. "One day, I'm going to learn to control my mouth. Thanks, I'd love some."
William chuckled and his eyes did that crinkly thing in the corners. "You're welcome, and I hope I'm around to see that day, though I don't think anyone will be. Because it's never gonna happen, pet."
She felt a tingle go up her spine, and before she could stop herself, the words were out of her mouth. "Oh, yeah? I bet I can go the rest of the day without saying something I shouldn't." She slammed her fist on the table for emphasis.
He reached behind his head and scratched the nape of his neck, raising his eyebrows and smirking at her. "You've got yourself a deal. Now, what do I win when you lose?" he asked, as he got the eggs, milk, cheese, and bacon out of the fridge.
Buffy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Shyeah, like you're gonna win anything, but if you do, I'll let you pick everything we watch on television."
William grinned a wolfish grin, shook his head, and looked at her across the island. "Uh, uh. We like the same shows. Where's the fun in that? What kind of music do you like?"
He cracked the eggs into a bowl and added a touch of milk and salt and pepper from the shakers sitting on the island.
Buffy scrunched up her nose and thought for a moment. "I don't know. Uh, I like dance music, like Scissor Sisters…" she said, watching him intently as he whisked the eggs.
He choked back a laugh. "So you like mindless poof music? Check. No taste." He pulled a pan down from the overhead rack and went to grab some butter and olive oil.
Buffy felt her whole body tense and to remain calm, she counted backward from one hundred. If it were possible, steam would have been shooting from her ears about now.
In a carefully measured tone, she said, "No, I just like fun music I can dance to. I don't think that has any real bearing on me as a person or my intellect."
He poured the egg in the pan, stood back, and waited for her eruption.
"Oh, but what kind of music you listen to does say so much about what kind of person you are. If all you listen to is pure drivel, then people will think you have no taste, and you're not capable of comprehending any more than said drivel," he said in his most condescending tone, placing the cooked bacon and cheese on the eggs and folding them over.
Buffy held her arms straight and stiff as boards by her sides. The words were clawing at her throat, begging to be set free and by God they were going to be. "I suppose you're a true connoisseur of music. What's cool? What's not? I should sit at your feet and be grateful to learn from the master. Well, let me tell you some–" She gasped and turned away quickly.
A beat passed. His rich laughter could be heard throughout kitchen as he plated the omelet and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Miss Summers, I'll give you time to have your breakfast, then we'll begin the lesson."
They listened to early and middle era Rolling Stones all day while they worked, and Buffy had to admit she liked them a lot, not that she was ready to tell William that. However, she was sure he noticed on his own, by her humming or moving to the music at times.
The next few days went on much same way. They listened to different bands while they worked, giving Buffy a taste of the kind of music William liked. Things were going smoothly, and Buffy really felt she had made a good choice accepting the job. Then Saturday rolled around, putting things into a new perspective.
Or maybe one she'd turned a blind eye to.
[Reviews - 100]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 2186 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
WARNING! If you’ve not read chapter five, you need to do so before reading this one. I’ve responded to everyone’s reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Thanks to Abby for her wonderful beta skills and to Minx Delovely for reading over the chapter and giving me her valued opinion. The cool banner is by Edgehead, thanks so much.
Chapter End Notes:
I'd love to read your comments. Thanks for reading.