Two Weeks Before Christmas




Buffy Summers frowned at the amount of cars parked next to the Christmas tree lot. Images of having to elbow her way through the busy lot entered her mind and she groaned in annoyance.

This was what she got for waiting until the last minute to get a damn tree. But it wasn’t as if she had a choice. The Christmas get together was being held at her house this year and she couldn’t very well go without the shrubbery, could she?

Besides the kids would be disappointed.

Her beautiful babies. Conner and Dawn were her five year old twins with ex-husband Angel. They just loved Christmas, their eyes lighting up when they saw the decorations for the first time.

Too bad they would be spending Christmas with their father this year. Buffy didn’t like it, but she couldn’t really say no if he wanted to spend the holidays with his kids. And she’d had them for the last three Christmases.

He had agreed to attend the Christmas Eve party at her house so she could spend the night with them, but after that they would be with him for a week.

Sighing, she got out of her car and started towards the center of the lot. Trees were being hefted out left and right, huge bare spots appearing where they had once sat.

Every time she had found one that she liked, someone else bought it out from under her. Crap! She was going to be stuck with a scrawny weed if she didn’t find something soon.

“Help you find somethin’, luv?”

Turning around, she looked up into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Oddly enough, though, they seemed awfully familiar. Although, she was pretty sure she would remember a man with platinum blond spikes and a sinful grin.

“I need a tree,” she replied lamely. Where had she seen him before?

He smiled. “Well, let’s find you one, then.”

She realized that he must have worked there. He was wearing dark blue coveralls and heavy leather gloves, big black boots covered his feet. Dressed just like a working man would be, yet on him, it looked out of place.

She couldn’t even guess how old he was, but she gathered he was still fairly young. Most definitely younger than her thirty-two, that she was sure of.

As he was looking through the remaining trees, she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Do I know you?”

He let the branch in his hand go, the plant snapping back, and gave her a shy grin. “I worked at the pumpkin patch this year. Think you an’ your kids bought one from me.”

Her eyes widened. That’s where she’d seen him! But he looked different now. In October, his hair had been a mess of russet-colored curls and she remembered having the urge to brush them away from his face. Now, there was nothing to sweep away with his white blond hair slicked back with gel.

“That’s right. I remember you now.”

He didn’t say anything to that, but the smile remained on his lips. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for her to follow him. After walking to the back row of trees, they stopped.

“I’ve got a really nice one back here. I was supposed t’ be holdin’ it, but your kids deserve a nice lookin’ tree and there aren’t too many left out there,” he told her, directing her to a tree in the corner.

“Wow, that’s really nice of you…”

“William,” he offered.

A grin curved on her lips. “Well, thank you, William. But you’re not going to get into any trouble, are you? I could pick something else if-”

“No,” he interrupted, putting his hand up to stop her. “It’s fine. You should take it.”

“Okay, I will.”



~*~*~*~*~*~




Christmas Eve: 5:00 pm




Buffy cursed for the millionth time as she squeezed through the packed aisles of the grocery store. How the hell could she have forgotten egg nog? Normally, she made it from scratch, but she had completely spaced it until a half an hour ago and now she was trolling the supermarket for the pre-made stuff and a lot of rum.

This had never happened to her before. What was wrong with her? Usually, she was like supermom, on top of everything. But ever since Angel had picked up the kids yesterday afternoon, she was a complete basketcase.

No, it had started before that, she realized. She guessed it had begun when she had agreed to let Conner and Dawn stay with their father. The idea just didn’t sit well with her.

The bastard hadn’t had any interest in spending time with them before and now all of the sudden he was All-American Dad? Uh-uh, sounded completely fishy to her.

Frowning, she stared at the empty shelves where the egg nog was supposed to be. There was one carton left and she grabbed it. One was better than nothing, she figured. Her guests would just have to share.

She made her way up to the registers and spent twenty minutes waiting for her turn. The store closed at seven, so everyone was trying to get their last minute supplies before they would be SOL for the night.

Finally getting her one carton of egg nog and three bottles of rum rung up, she pushed her way through the crowd to get outside. Her red Honda Accord sat in a stall on the farthest corner of the parking lot and she trudged her way over to it.

A grimace appeared on her face when she spied a glob of dried sap on the top of her car. It must have dripped off the tree when she’d tied it to the roof to get it home.

It was a beautiful tree, she had to admit. The kids went wild when they saw it and they spent the night decorating it, singing Christmas carols and throwing tinsel everywhere.

Her thoughts went to William suddenly. She’d been thinking about him a lot the last couple of weeks.

Okay, so the guy was incredibly hot and she hadn’t been with a man in years. It was completely normal for her to be attracted to him. It didn’t exactly answer why she couldn’t get him out of her mind, but she chalked it up to having a severe sex deficiency and tried not to delve any deeper into the matter.

As she drove home though, his face kept popping up in her mind. Maybe she had gone too long without, but she was convinced he was the most attractive man she’d ever seen.

Looking over, she realized with a start that her car was stopped in front of the Christmas tree lot. How had she gotten here? Did she do it unconsciously?

She willed herself to put the car back in gear, but all she managed to do was turn the ignition off.

“Uh, okay? What am I doing?” She asked herself.

You want to see him. Go for it, a voice in her mind answered back.

“What? No way!” She was losing her mind. No other explanation for her sitting there and talking to herself than that she was going crazy.

You’re not crazy. Just hot for the guy.

“And so what? I should just go up and ask him to get down and dirty with me? I’ve got a Christmas party to host.”

Just go. The voice in her head sounded annoyed.

Throwing up her hands in frustration, she threw open the door and got out of the car.

It was uncommonly cold this year in LA. They had gotten hit with some nasty winter storms in the past month and they were even talking heavy snow later that night.

Her breath came out in white puffs as she walked up the blacktop towards the camper trailer parked in the corner. The lights were on and a generator was humming loudly, so she knew he was probably there. Poor guy, having to spend Christmas alone.

She stopped in front of the door and hesitated. What was she going to say? ‘Hey, I was in the neighborhood and thought you might like to screw me silly before I go play nice with my ex and his evil parents.’

Uh…no.

Mustering up some courage, she stepped up onto the plywood step and knocked on the aluminum-covered door. She heard some clattering and a big thump before the door swung open.

William stood in the doorway, his mouth open as if he were going to say something. His bright blue eyes were wide with astonishment.

“Uh, hi. Do you remember me?”

He blinked slowly before he tilted his head and gave her a lopsided smile. “How could I forget?”

Buffy felt her cheeks redden at his remark. She giggled nervously, her hands fidgeting in front of her.

“So, do what do I owe this pleasure to? There’s nothin’ wrong with the tree, is there?” He asked, a frown spreading across his lips.

“Oh, no. No, the tree is great. I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I would stop by and wish you a merry Christmas.” Lame, Buffy. So very lame.

His dark eyebrows rose. “That was very nice of you, luv. Happy Christmas t’ you and your kids too. They with you?”

Buffy shook her head. “No, they are with their father.”

He frowned again. “Oh, well, you better get back t’ your husband and-”

She couldn’t help but to laugh. God, if he only knew how ridiculous that sounded to her. Get back to her ‘husband’. It was laughable. There was no way in Hell she would ever want to get back to Angel.

“Ex.”

“Pardon me?”

“He’s my ex-husband,” she informed him, taking a little pride in the fact that his unhappy expression changed dramatically after she’d said it.

“I see. So you’re not attached then.” It was a statement rather than a question.

She nodded. “Yep.”

“That’s good.”

Okay, now they were just skirting around the obvious attraction between them and Buffy was losing her patience. Why didn’t he just ask her? For her number or to have dinner with him or if he could kiss her? Why was he still talking about the weather?

“Bloody cold the last couple o’ days.”

“Do you want to come home with me?” She blurted out without thinking about how she phrased the question.

“Uh…” He searched her face for clarification.

She shook her head to clear her mind. “I mean, I’m having a Christmas party and I was wondering if you’d like to come?”

“Oh,” he said in comprehension. “Yeah, sure. I’d love to.”



~*~*~*~*~*~



Okay, mate. Get it together. A very gorgeous woman just invited you to her party and here you are shaking like a bloody leaf.

William Pratt stared at himself in a blurry mirror in the closet-sized bathroom. He looked like a punk-kid with his hair bleached instead of a twenty-four year old man. He didn’t know what had possessed him to make such a drastic change, but now he was regretting it.

What woman would want to get involved with a guy who looked like Sex Pistols reject? More importantly, what did he have to offer her? He worked at a sodding tree lot, for under the table wages, no less.

He half expected her to be gone when he emerged from the bathroom after changing his clothes. But instead, he found her sitting patiently on the old futon, smiling when she saw him.

“You ready?” She asked, standing up.

Nodding, he grabbed his coat and followed her out the door. He walked behind her, not able to keep his gaze from sliding down to her bottom. It looked like a ripe, denim-covered peach. Absolutely delicious.

Since October when she’d shown up with her kids at the pumpkin patch he’d been working at, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. All of his dreams starred this gorgeous blond beauty with her golden skin and kittenish hazel-green eyes.

He had never expected to see her again so when she showed up a couple weeks ago for a tree, he had practically felt his heart stop at the sight of her. And now she was inviting him back to her house? Fuck, he was going to make a damn fool out of himself if he didn’t rein in his attraction for her.

For all he knew, she was just being nice. Maybe she felt sorry for him because he was all alone on Christmas Eve. She had kids; maybe her maternal instinct was kicking in or something.

She unlocked the doors to her car and they both got in.

“This is going to be fun. I promise. Totally unlame as Christmas parties go,” she told him as she started the car up.

“I’m sure it will be.”

She smiled at him and he felt himself almost come undone. What she could do with just a smile. He was hers, whether she knew it or not, he was all hers.

They drove for a couple of miles before she spoke again. “So, are you British? You have an accent.”

“Yeah, born and raised.”

“What brought you out to California?”

“A girl.”

She looked over at him, surprise on her face. “Oh? Your girlfriend?”

He chuckled. “No, not my girlfriend. Wanted her t’ be, but she didn’t want anythin’ to do with me.”

“Well, she doesn’t seem like a very smart girl then.”

His heartbeat sped up at her words. Was she complimenting him?

“She wasn’t exactly in her right mind, anyway. Better that she turned me down,” he replied.

At the time, he’d been devastated that Dru hadn’t wanted anything to do with him. It broke his heart. Now, he was relieved. The girl was completely sack of hammers and he wondered why he’d liked her in the first place. He felt sorry for the bloke she got her claws into.

“Yeah, now you’re free when the right woman comes around.”

He quickly turned to look at her. She was smirking at him, her head tilted towards him. Was that an invitation? If so, he was ready right now to take her up on it.

She turned down a street and made her way up several blocks before stopping in front of a beautiful two-story brick house.

“This is it,” she announced, turning the car off. “The party doesn’t start until seven, so maybe you can help me get everything set up?”

“Of course. Wouldn’t have it any other way, luv.”

“Good.”

She led him up the path to the front door and got them inside quickly. After giving him a quick tour of the living room and kitchen, she set her grocery bag down on the counter.

“So, I got most of the stuff ready yesterday, but I’ll need help setting everything out. Sound okay?”

“Sure.”

They worked quickly, the clock ticking by until the doorbell rang at five til’ seven. She frowned and William wondered if she really wanted to do this. Somehow, he doubted it.

“I’ll just go get the door. You wait here,” she told him, giving his forearm a squeeze before hurrying off to the door.

His skin burned where she touched him. Did she know how much he wanted her? From his perspective, he was sure it was obvious.

Just calm down. Don’t make a bleedin’ fool out of yourself.

Just then Buffy walked back into the room, her frown having turned into a downright awful scowl. She’d only been gone a second. What the Hell had happened?

“So, is this your new boyfriend, Buff? Looks a little wet behind the ears if you ask me.”

Well, that answered that.









A/N: Okay, I couldn’t resist. This my Holiday Spuffy contribution. It’s not going to be an epic, I swear. Let me know what you think. Happy Holidays! ~Jae

“So, is this your new boyfriend, Buff? Looks a little wet behind the ears if you ask me.”

Buffy spun around so fast she got dizzy. “Just shut it, Angel. My life and the people in it are no longer your business.”

Sneering at her, Angel made a tsk-ing noise with his tongue. “Now is that any way to talk about the father of your children?”

God, this was humiliating. How dare he come into her home and make nasty remarks! William must be ready to bolt by now.

But when she looked over at William, she was shocked to see his face turning red and his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He was angry. Very angry, if she was reading his reactions correctly.

“Father? More like sperm donor. When have you given a damn about our children, Angel?” She spat out.

This wasn’t the time for this argument. First off, airing out her ugly past in front of William was not going to win her his affections. Secondly, her children were in the next room with Angel’s horrible parents. And damn it, it was Christmas.

“Excuse me? I do pay you child support, don’t I? I’m providing for my children just fine,” Angel replied.

“Sending a check in the mail doesn’t mean you bloody care.”

Both Angel and Buffy had matching expressions of shock as they stared at an incensed William. Did he just say that?

Angel was the first one to shake off the stunned brain freeze. “What did you just say, you little piss ant?”

She expected William to back down at Angel’s menacing glare. Most men did. Angel was a large man with a black temper to boot and it wasn’t often someone called his bluff. Not that it was really a bluff since Angel did whatever the Hell he wanted to.

“You ‘eard me.” William stood tall, unflinching against the very dangerous threat in front of him. Either he was incredibly stupid or he really had what it took to back up such a display.

Dark eyes narrowed, Angel studied his opponent for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter. “You,” he began, wagging his finger at William. “You have some balls to be picking a fight with a man in his own home.”

“This isn’t your home, Angel. Not anymore,” Buffy told him.

Glaring at her, Angel snorted. “Thank God for that. You were a worthless wife.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw William’s jaw twitch. Okay, time to put the old dog down.

“Why don’t you go spend some time with the kids, Angel. It’s Christmas Eve,” Buffy said, hoping he didn’t fight her.

Angel didn’t say anything. He just turned on his heel and stomped out of the dining room. Well, one of her Christmas wishes just came true.

“Hey.” She reached out and touched William’s arm. “Are you okay? I’m really sorry about that, he’s just-”

“A soddin’ wanker? Yeah, I think I got that.”

Buffy grinned. Looks like they had something in common. A general loathing of her ex-husband. She could work with that.

“Do you want to go? I mean, I’m not going to make you stay if you don’t want to,” she told him.

William gave her an incredulous look. “And leave you alone with that git? I don’t think so.”

“I think I can handle him. I was married to him for four years, you know.”

“Why?”

Her brow furrowed slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Why were you married t’ a guy like that? Seems t’ me you could do a helluva lot better than that sod.”

Like you? She highly doubted he meant anything more than a compliment, but a girl could hope, right?

“Well,” she began, biting her lip slightly. “He wasn’t always like that. When we met in college, he was actually a nice guy. Or so I thought.”

His head tilted to the side as he gazed at her thoughtfully. He was so expressive. With Angel, it had been ‘which one of the three faces am I going to get this time‘, but William wore his emotions for everyone to see.

“I think you’re a really wonderful woman and you deserve more than what an idiot like that could give you.”

Oh, God, she was falling in love with him already.



~*~*~*~*~*~



This was where he would make a complete fool out of himself and she would kick him out.

Stepping towards her, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. It wasn’t much more than a chaste kiss, but it still sent bolts of electric current through his body, making his muscles twitch in anticipation.

She wasn’t returning the kiss and he pulled back with the full intention of apologizing when she grabbed the back of his head and smashed her mouth against his.

His heart stopped and for a minute all he could do was stand there like an idiot while she kissed the life out of him. But then his back-up brain, a.k.a. his raging libido, kicked in and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

A moan escaped him as her tongue slid over his and he had to resist the urge to rub against her body. She didn’t need to know how much she was affecting him. Who knows what she would do if she did? Laugh at him, most likely.

She tasted sweet like egg nog and a small hint of alcohol. William didn’t think he’d ever tasted anything as good as her before.

Suddenly she broke the kiss and William could do nothing but stand in awe. Her face was flushed a rosy pink and her lips were swollen from their tempestuous kiss. She was bloody gorgeous with her chest heaving and her eyes wild.

“Wow,” she said breathlessly.

Yeah, his sentiments exactly.

The sound of the doorbell ringing interrupted the afterglow they were both feeling. Buffy’s face fell into a disappointed frown. She really needed to stop doing that. He didn’t like seeing her unhappy.

“I better get that. You want to come with?”

His eyebrows rose. She wanted him to help greet her guests? Was it possible that she had the same interest in him as he had in her? It was silly since she’d just gotten finished kissing him into a gelatinous mass, but he was still unsure of her intentions.

Hell, he didn’t even know the woman. What was going through her mind, he couldn’t even begin to guess.

“Sure, luv.”

Her face lit up with a beaming smile. Now that’s how she should look. Wonderfully happy and content. Anything else was unacceptable.

She grabbed his hand and laced her fingers with his, pulling him out to the foyer. “I didn’t invite anymore trolls to this party, so we should be okay.”

The door opened to a large group on her porch. They were all chatting, smiling, laughing and each one called out a greeting to Buffy when they saw her. One by one they piled through the door, setting their gifts down to give Buffy a hug.

“Who’s this?” An older woman who had a striking resemblance to Buffy asked. She was smiling softly and the lines around her kind eyes crinkled.

“Oh, this is William,” Buffy replied, placing a hand on his chest. “And William, this is my mom, Joyce.”

Ah, that would be why they looked like each other.

He held out his hand. “It’s nice t’ meet you, Joyce.”

She raised an eyebrow at Buffy before taking his hand. “You too, William.”

Buffy walked over and tugged on the coat sleeve of another guest. The man turned around quickly to pull her in for an embrace. She whispered something into his ear, then led him over to where William and Joyce were still talking.

“William, this is my dad, Rupert,” she told him.

They shook hands and William noted that the man’s grip was harder than it needed to be. An odd feeling that he was ‘meeting’ her parents went through him. This wasn’t something strangers did. A girl didn’t just invite a guy she didn’t even know back to her house to meet her parents.

No, that was supposed to come much, much, much later.

“It’s a pleasure, sir.” He felt the need to add the respectful title at the man’s disapproving look.

Rupert’s eyes popped open. “He’s British.”

“Yeah, maybe you guys could reminisce or something. Talk about blood pudding and the Queen,” Buffy replied, giving her mom a wink.

“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, Buffy.” Rupert shook his head.

The group quickly moved into the living room. Angel’s parents were glaring daggers in William’s direction, but it wasn’t long before they were giving everyone else the same. The two children were playing quietly next to the tree, but Angel was nowhere to be found.

What was that berk up to now?




~*~*~*~*~*~



Everyone had shown up by quarter to eight and Buffy wasn’t feeling as apprehensive about having the party anymore. People were getting along, even Angel’s parents were behaving civilly, and William seemed to be the hit of the party.

He was standing next to the fireplace talking to her father, who was quite animated in discussing what ever topic he was going on about. Most likely sensing her gaze on him, William turned his head towards her and a brilliant smile lit up his face.

Her parents had hated Angel even before he’d turned into an angry, twisted version of himself. They had begged her not to marry him, but of course, she hadn’t listened to them. Then she made the colossal mistake of having children with him.

She loved Dawn and Conner in a way that was so deeply imbedded into her soul that she felt pain when they were too far away. There wasn’t anything in this world that she cherished more than her babies. But, if she had it to do over again, she wasn’t sure that she could put them through the heartache of having a rotten father.

Every time he had promised to visit or come to a birthday party, he had been a no show. She could see the twins die a little inside each time and in turn, it made her die a little. The disappointment was taking its toll on their ability to trust and for that, she hated Angel.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Buffy glanced to the voice next to her to find Anya Harris standing there.

“No. Just a friend.” Which she wasn’t quite sure was the most honest answer. It was more than just a friendship. Well, she wanted it to be more, anyway.

“He’s giving you looks like he’s your boyfriend.”

Leave it to Anya to put her blunt two cents in. Buffy didn’t like Anya when she’d first met the outspoken woman three years ago. Anya had a way of pointing out the elephant in the room whenever Xander would bring her over for dinner. The elephant being Angel’s rotten temper and Buffy’s unhappiness, of course.

But Anya had been her savior in the end. Gave her the wake up call to finally recognize how horrible Angel was treating her. Let her know it was okay to want more, to deserve more.

“He’s nice,” Buffy replied, not copping to her true feelings.

Anya rolled her eyes. “Who are you trying to convince? He’s not the only one giving sexy looks, Buffy.”

“I don’t even know him.”

“So? I didn’t know Xander all that well either and look at us now. Happily married and we still have a great sex life. Maybe getting to know someone is what ruins it,” Anya told her.

Okay, that was a little far out there. Jumping into bed with perfect strangers was not the brightest idea. Although, this stranger was starting to make her dim and the thought of jumping in with him didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

“He’s too young.”

“He’s in his sexual prime,” Anya argued.

Buffy gave her a doubtful expression. “How the hell do you know that?”

“He’s wound up way too tight. I can tell. You should take advantage of this opportunity while he’s still got all that pent up sexual tension,” Anya replied in a matter of fact tone.

Shaking her head, Buffy just chuckled. “I’ll think about it.”

“You should,” Anya said, before patting Buffy on the shoulder and walking off to find her husband.

Buffy wandered over to the tree where Dawn and Conner were still playing Candy Land. They were good kids, never fighting or trying to get their way when she’d told them no. It was easy raising them and she whispered thanks everyday that she had been blessed with such little angels.

They sure didn’t get that from their father.

“Who’s winning?” She asked, kneeling down to them.

“I am, Mama,” Dawn replied, beaming up at her. “Conner gave me his blue card and I got to move this many spaces.”

Conner smiled, his missing front tooth leaving him with a nice-sized hole on his top row. “She likes blue.”

She felt their absence already from Christmas morning. How was she going to wake up and go downstairs without them? She would miss the sweet surprise on their faces when they saw the presents and would feel empty without their laughter.

It occurred to her that she could just tell Angel where to shove it and renege on their visitation arrangement. But the kids had been looking forward to it for a month now. She couldn’t take that away from them just because she would miss them.

“How’s Santa gonna find us if we’re at Daddy’s?” Conner asked, flipping another card over.

“I called him and gave him your Daddy’s address. He’ll know exactly where you’ll be,” Buffy told him.

Actually, she was sending her presents for them with Angel tonight. Hopefully, he would remember to put them out.

“I don’t think Santa wants to come if that lady’s there.”

“What lady, Dawnie?”

Okay, Angel hadn’t mentioned anything about seeing anyone. Not that he was obligated to, but if he was going to have some woman around her children, she wanted to know about it.

“The mean lady.”

Mean lady? Oh, hell no! She was not going to allow Angel’s new skank to be nasty to her children. There was going to be an argument, but as much as she wanted a peaceful Christmas Eve, her kids were more important.

Where was that bastard anyway? She hadn’t seen him since the argument in the dining room.

With a grim determination, she went off to give him a piece of her mind. He wasn’t going to get away with this.




~*~*~*~*~*~



William watched Buffy stalk out of the room and he instantly knew it had something to do with her wanker ex-husband. What had he done now?

Just as he was about to excuse himself from the conversation with Buffy’s father to go after her, Rupert said something that made him cringe.

“So, what are your intentions with Buffy, William?”

“Uh…” William had no answer to that. At least not one that would make the man happy.

“You know she has children. I would hope that if you are going to be in a relationship with my daughter, you would be willing to accept them as well.”

“I…”

He hadn’t really thought about the sprogs. It was probably a huge undertaking to get involved with a single mother, but somehow, he didn’t care.

When he’d seen them at the pumpkin patch, he had instantly taken a liking to them. They were adorable kids, all grins and giggles. It wasn’t even really a question that he would be able to accept them. What was there not to like?

Of course, that didn’t mean he was ready to jump in head first either. As willing as he was to be a part of Buffy’s life, he didn’t want to intrude on their family unit. He would let Buffy make that decision if she decided she wanted to see more of him.

Lord, he really hoped she wanted to see more of him. If she rejected him, he wasn’t sure how he would be able to deal with it.

“You’re not giving him the third degree, are you, honey?” Joyce asked as she put her arm around her husband’s waist.

“Of course not!” Rupert exclaimed, giving William a pointed look.

“I hope not. William seems like a perfectly nice young man,” Joyce told him. “How old are you, William? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Twenty-four.”

“Oh.” Joyce and Rupert said in unison.

William laughed nervously. “Is that a good or bad ‘oh’?”

“Neither, I think. Besides, I don’t think your age should matter if two people care about each other.” Joyce gave him a gentle smile.

Well, mum was on board. That had to speak well for his chances, right?



~*~*~*~*~*~



Buffy found Angel in the backyard with a bottle of rum in his hand.

Sighing, she moved to sit next to him on the porch step. “What are you doing out here?”

He didn’t look at her, just took another swig of the rum. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

God, why did he have to be so belligerent? There was a time when she could actually talk to the man, but that time was long gone now.

“The kids said there was a lady at your house. Care to tell me about it?”

Snorting, he shook his head. “So it’s okay for you to ask about my love life, but I can’t? Doesn’t hardly seem fair, Buff.”

“I don’t care who you’re with, Angel. Really couldn’t give a damn. But I have a right to know if she’s going to be around my children especially when they tell me that she’s mean.”

He threw his hands up. “She’s not mean. She just doesn’t like children, is all.”

Doesn’t like children? Oh, now she really wasn’t going to let Conner and Dawn be around her.

“Angel, I would prefer it if-”

“She won’t be there, I promise. We had a fight tonight before the party and she said she wanted to spend Christmas elsewhere. Okay? Happy?”

Not really. She wouldn’t be happy until her kids were back with her and Angel was out of their life for another long string of months. And…maybe, if she could throw William into the mix as well. Then she would be a happy camper.

“So about that kid. You dating him or what?”

“So what if I am?” She was getting really tired of people asking her if she was with William. Did it matter?

Angel shrugged. “He’s young.”

“So was your secretary.”

He glared at her for a second before chuckling. “Touché.”

Were they actually having a civilized conversation? Without yelling and screaming? Without throwing things at each others’ heads? Wow!

“Will I be meeting this girlfriend of yours?”

“No.”

It was hanging there. All the reasons why she wouldn’t be meeting this woman. The biggest reason: That Angel had no intention of having the kids around often enough for it to matter. Buffy wasn’t sure if she should be overjoyed or disappointed.

“Why did you want the twins for Christmas?”

“My parents kept bugging me about not spending enough time with them.”

Buffy opened her mouth to say something, but Angel stopped her.

“It’s not that I don’t love them, Buffy. I do. But I’m just not cut out for this father gig.” He glanced at her. “You’ll still let them stay with me, right?”

“Yes, but not because of you. Conner and Dawn have been looking forward to spending the holiday with you and I’m not going to disappoint them. Don’t make me regret it, huh?”



~*~*~*~*~*~



“I know you.”

William looked down to see a little sprite with a red dress staring up at him.

“You do?”

“Yeah, you’re the pumpkin guy,” she said.

“That was a while ago, little bit. You still remember me?”

She nodded. “Uh-huh. You have sky eyes and I like blue.”

He chuckled lightly as he bent down to her. “I like blue too.”

“Really?”

“Yep. How about your brother? What color does he like?”

The little girl scrunched up her nose. “Brown. I think it’s a poo color.”

“Nah,” William replied, pinching her nose softly. “Think of all the great things that are brown. Like chocolate.”

“And horses?”

“Right, horses too. And what about Coca Cola?”

“Mama doesn’t let us drink that, but Daddy does. I like it coz it tickles my nose,” she replied with a shy smile.

Buffy and Angel came into the room and William couldn’t keep himself from glowering at the man. He’d had everything and he went and threw it all away. William would kill to have what he had.

Wanker.

Reaching down, Buffy picked Dawn up and hugged her close. “Are you having fun?”

“Yeah. The pumpkin man likes blue too.”

Buffy grinned at him. “Do you, now?”

“Oh, yes. Love blue. Of course, I’d have t’ say red is my favorite color,” William told her.

Dawn yanked on her sleeve and Buffy leaned in so that Dawn could whisper something into her ear.

“His name is William.”

“Can I go tell Conner?” She asked excitedly.

“Sure,” Buffy replied, setting her down and watching her sprint off to find her brother.

Turning back to him, she asked, “So, how about you? Are you having fun?”

“I am. Haven’t celebrated Christmas in a long time so it’s really nice that you’re lettin’ me share yours.”

It was true. He hadn’t had a Christmas in years, not since his mum died. The whole thing really hadn’t mattered after that and he had no family to share the holidays even if he’d wanted to.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

He searched her eyes for any sign that she was just being pleasant, but couldn’t find any. All he saw was her sincerity. She really did want him there.

“Me too, kitten. Me too.”









A/N: Wow! Thanks for all the great reviews I got on the first chapter. I’m glad everyone is liking the younger Spike(William)/older Buffy dynamic. I agree that there aren’t too many of them out there and I’m with you 100% with wanting to see more of them.

Happy Holidays! Expect another installment from me on this fic tomorrow. ~Jae

A/N: I’m so, so, so sorry for not posting yesterday like I promised. The whole family get together thing lasted longer than I had expected and couldn’t finish the chapter. Please forgive me…tis the season, right? Well, Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, here’s a new chapter for you. ~Best Wishes, Jae










The party was in full force an hour later. Her parents were dancing to Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree and Anya was standing underneath the mistletoe taking volunteers. The room was full of happy, holiday-lovin’ people and Buffy couldn’t be more pleased at how this little shindig was going off.

She’d had her reservations about the party being a success. Compared to Anya and Xander’s party last year, she was sure that hers would bomb. They had decked out their house in thousands of lights and decorations, a twelve-foot tree sat in the middle of their living room, and they had even hired a band.

But with not much more than a boom box, some decorations the kids had made, and a lot of alcohol she was holding her own. Ha! Take that!

Turning her head, she saw William disappear into the kitchen and she felt compelled to follow him.

He was a big part why the party was going so well. To her, he seemed shy and quiet, but to everyone else he was the life of the party. He had no trouble striking up conversations with random people and soon had them laughing uncontrollably.

If she had a type, he wouldn’t be it. She generally was attracted to men who looked like Angel, tall and muscley who acted with all of their masculinity. William couldn’t be accused of any of those things and she found herself completely enamored with him.

When she found him, he had his back to her, fixing a plate on the counter. She had never really gotten a good look at him from the back before and she felt her eyes slide down his strong back towards his butt. It was nice-looking…no, more like drool-worthy, encased in heavy dark-blue denim.

Quietly, she stalked towards him. He didn’t even know what hit him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his back.

He jumped a little and turned to look over his shoulder at her. “You scared the hell outta me, luv.”

Grinning, she rubbed her hands along the lean muscles of his stomach. “Sorry. I just saw you standing here and couldn’t resist.”

“’M not complainin’ at all,” he replied as one of his hands covered hers.

“What are you doing?” Her voice was low and sensuous, totally unintentional, but unavoidable since she was standing so close to him.

“Your mum wanted t’ try the fudge, but there wasn’t anymore out there,” he told her.

“Aw, that’s so sweet.”

His cheeks turned red. “I like your mum. Thought I’d do her a favor is all.”

“Maybe I should do you a favor then,” she said, her hand slowly dipping south.

He took in a sharp breath, making a gasping noise as she cupped him. Holy Christmas! He was big and hard and completely ready for her. Just from touching his stomach? Maybe Anya was right, he was wound really tight.

She stroked him through the thick material of his jeans, wishing she didn’t have guests out in the living room so she could really touch him. It had been far too long. The last man she was with was almost two years ago and it wasn’t that memorable.

Somehow, she knew William would leave a lasting impression on her. He was already on her mind twenty-four/seven and now she had him in the flesh, which was so much better that the imaginary version.

“B-Buffy,” he whispered, his hips jerking in response to her touch.

This wasn’t her. God, she didn’t just go around picking up strangers and bringing them to her house to take advantage of them. She couldn’t with her children around, not that she would even if she didn’t have kids. But there was something about him that made her want to tear off his clothes and do him on the linoleum.

“Do you like this?” She asked, reaching down farther to cup his balls.

He let out a shuddering sigh. “Oh, God, yes.”

“I wish I could touch you, really touch you. But I can’t,” she rasped, giving him a gentle squeeze. “Not yet, anyway.”

A whimper escaped his lips and he grabbed a hold of the edge of the counter to steady himself. He was completely undone and Buffy couldn’t stop the surge of womanly pride that shot through her.

“William?”

They froze for a moment before Buffy got her brain to work and realized her dad was coming into the kitchen. She untangled her hands from his body and pushed away from him.

“William?” Her dad called again before rounding the corner and appearing in the doorway. “Oh, there you are. My lovely wife is wondering where her chocolate is and I thought I would come and see if you needed any help.”

Great timing, Dad, she thought sarcastically.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find the…uh, um, plates,” William stumbled out. He hadn’t turned around from the counter, needing to hide his very large-ahem-dilemma.

Poor guy! She felt rotten for putting him in this predicament and doubly worse for her dad showing up. This was so embarrassing!

“Here, Dad, I’ll bring out the fudge. William’s doing a little project for me,” she interjected.

Her dad frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re making your guest work on Christmas Eve, Buffy. Let the man enjoy himself.”

Oh, he’s gonna, trust me.

“No! No, it’s all right, Rupert. I volunteered,” William said, his voiced strained.

“Okay, just wanted to make sure she wasn’t riding you too hard.”

Both her and William’s eyes went wide at that. William turned his head to gape at Rupert. No, it was fine, her dad hadn’t seen anything. He was just making a comment, a very non-sexual-there’s-nothing-going-on-here comment.

“No riding at all, sir.” William moved closer to the counter, if that was even possible.

“Good. Now where’s that candy, your mother is going crazy.”



~*~*~*~*~*~




After Buffy and Rupert left the kitchen, William tried to will away his erection. He felt like such a git not being able to control himself.

In all fairness though, he never thought she would touch him like that. He was pretty horrible at reading women, but he was sure that she wanted him. Well, fairly sure, anyway.

His nerves were frazzled. He hadn’t been with a girl in a couple years not since his girlfriend, Cecily, dumped him for the captain of the university’s rugby team. And she had made it quite clear that she thought his bedroom skills were lacking. Not that he understood that either since she seemed to enjoy it enough when they were doing it.

But what if she was right? What if he was a lousy lover? How could he even hope to please a woman like Buffy? He was going to make a fool out of himself, he just knew it.

“Hey spike-boy, where’s the egg nog?”

At the sound of Angel’s voice, he went soft. Well, that was one problem out of the way.

He turned around to see Angel smirking at him. The smug bastard.

“I don’t know,” he replied, folding his arms over his chest.

Angel laughed. “Well, seeing as you are banging my ex-wife you should probably know something like that. You know, get a feel for the layout of the place so you can have those midnight munchie raids on the refrigerator without stubbing your toes in the dark.”

“You shouldn’t talk about her that way and not that it’s any of your business, but we aren’t together like that.” Yet.

“Aw, that’s sweet. The great white knight come to defend the lady’s honor from the likes of me.” Angel leaned in to speak into his ear. “Let me tell you a little secret about your precious Buffy. She isn’t the perfect angel you think she is.”

William pushed Angel away, knocking him into the island. “You’re a right bastard, you know that?”

Angel didn’t say anything. His dark eyes were glazed over and William was positive that he was halfway to drunk, if not more. He stumbled a little as he righted himself.

“You think you’re better ‘an me? You ain’t nothin’, just a kid,” Angel said loudly, slurring his words slightly.

“What a bleedin’ revelation, you sod! But I’d rather be just a kid than a sorry sack of shit like you. You’re a joke. Have the life everyone dreams about. Perfect wife, perfect kids, perfect house with a bloody white picket fence and what did you do? Threw it away.”

“You don’t know anything about me or my life.”

“I know you had her and now you don’t. That’s enough,” William told him.

“You little-!” Angel lunged for him, succeeding only in throwing himself into the counter.

William danced around, dodging Angel’s meaty fists as they swung at him. It was an act mostly. William didn’t know how to fight, but it wasn’t that difficult to evade Angel’s punches with the guy three sheets to the wind. Actually, he was having a little fun.

Angel swung again, William ducking out of the way, and slipped on the floor. He fell with a loud thud and groaned.

“Uh, what did I miss?” Xander Harris asked as he walked into the kitchen, smiling as he saw Angel lying helpless on the floor.

“Not much,” William replied.

“We should probably get him up. Don’t want to ruin Buffy’s party ‘cause the guy can’t hold his liquor or his tongue.”

William liked Xander. They had talked earlier, briefly though, and found that they had quite a bit in common. William was, unfortunately, running short on friends these days so it was nice to finally have another man to talk to.

Xander set his beer bottle on the counter and kneeled down to grab Angel’s arm. “Please tell me you decked the idiot.”

“Sadly, no. He fell.”

“Darn.” Xander hefted Angel up. “Come on, sleeping ugly. Get your ass up.”

Angel mumbled something unintelligible and slowly got to his feet. “What happened?”

Xander smirked at William. “Oh, it was horrible. You slipped on a fruit cake and went out cold.”

“Really?” Angel asked, his eyebrows coming together.

“Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. Right, Will?”

William was having a hard time keeping his laughter in check. “Uh-huh, nasty fall.”

Angel stared at William in a confused stupor. “Did I ruin the cake?”

Xander chuckled. “Oh, yeah. You maimed the thing. We’re going to have to bury it in the backyard, it’s so dead.”

It was completely wrong to be making fun of the guy when he was so obviously dazed, but damn it if it wasn’t the funniest thing William had ever seen. Angel started stumbling out of the kitchen muttering an apology to the fruit cake.

“I wish I could have gotten that on tape,” Xander said between laughs.

“Would have made a great Christmas gift.”

Xander laughed even harder until he started gasping for air.

A few minutes later, after both of them had calmed their laughter; Xander leaned against the counter and took a swig of his beer.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do now that the Christmas tree lot is closed?”

William shook his head. “Haven’t the slightest.”

“You ever work construction?”

“I did some general labor last summer, but nothing too involved.”

Xander nodded. “Well, if you’d like, I could give you a try. I own a construction company and I’m always looking for guys.”

“Really? That would be great,” William replied.

“Yeah. Hold on, I got a business card.” He started digging around in his pockets and finally fished out a green card. “Just call after the first of the year and I’ll see what I can do.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks.”



~*~*~*~*~*~



Around ten-thirty the party started to wind down and people started leaving. Angel and the kids were the first to go. Thankfully, Angel’s father would be driving them home and not Angel, who was sobering up but not in any shape to drive.

Buffy’s parents were the next to leave.

“It was really nice meeting you, William. I hope we’ll be seeing more of you,” Joyce said, pulling him in for a warm hug.

“I hope so, too,” William replied.

He helped her with her coat, receiving a ‘thanks’ once she was settled. Buffy’s father shook his hand, although not with as much bone-crushing strength as he had used before, and patted him on the back.

“Stop by the store one of these days. I just got a new shipment of poetry in that I think you might enjoy,” Rupert told him.

Their passion for poetry was probably the reason why they’d hit it off so well. Rupert owned a bookstore in Santa Monica and right away, William had found that they had a lot to talk about. He hadn’t found anyone who shared his love of the written word since he’d come to America, so it was a pleasant surprise to find a fellow book lover at the party.

“I will. Get home safe, yeah?”

With a final farewell, he watched them leave.

The last to go were Xander and his odd wife. He hadn’t really talked to her, but she stared at him all night, making him feel uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted was for Xander’s wife to come on to him or something. Thankfully, she had kept her distance.

Until now.

“If you hurt her, I’ll chop them off, boil them, and make you eat them,” she said nonchalantly.

William’s eyes widened. “I’ll try not to do anything that would make you do that.”

Anya smiled. “Good. Now, I’ve got a present for you.”

Oh, God! What kind of present? He was thinking that he really didn’t want what ever ‘present’ she was willing to give. Not after that whole chop ‘em off thing. Noo!

Her hand disappeared into her purse and he shut his eyes when she pulled it out.

“That’s very nice that you closed your eyes. I didn’t have a chance to wrap it, so it would have ruined the surprise. Now open up,” she ordered.

He shook his head. No, he really didn’t want to know.

“Come on, I don’t have all night. I have a husband to please and you’re not getting me there any sooner.”

Willing himself to pry open one eye, he looked down at her open palm. It was a ribbon of condoms with a little red bow on them.

“Merry Christmas!” She shouted excitedly.

“Uh, thanks?”

She slapped them into his hand. “Now you better use them. Diseases aren’t fun.”

“You ready, sweetie?” Xander asked, walking up behind them.

“Very,” Anya replied, giving William a wink before following her husband out the door.

Glancing down at the condoms, he couldn’t stop himself from studying them. Hmm…ribbed for her pleasure.



~*~*~*~*~*~



Was she really going to do this? Have sex with a man she’d just met? Well, technically, she’d met him in October, so that was a few months but she’d really only just started to get to know him.

Staring at herself in the mirror, she brushed her hair back, trying to make it look sexily tousled. Men loved that…right? She’d been out of the game for too long and now she wasn’t sure she knew how to play.

But he wanted her. He responded to her really well and Anya had been right about the sexy looks. A shiver ran through her at the memory of him giving her an intense stare, his eyes sparking like blue flames.

She was ready. She wanted him and he wanted her. Everything was great and wonderful and- Oh, shit!

She didn’t have any protection. Never needed it so why would she have it in-stock? This was just great. She finally got a hot man that she was really into back to her house for a wonderful night of sex and now she was being denied.

And the worst part about it was that all the stores were closed because of the holiday. What was she going to do? Maybe the neighbor had-

Now that was a lame plan. Yeah, she was going to go over to Mrs. Crankston’s house and ask the old broad if she had any condoms on hand. That lady probably hadn’t had sex in three decades and the only birth control she would have would be a chastity belt from the Dark Ages.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

They could do other things though. Unless he wasn’t into that sort of thing and if he wasn’t, then she really wasn’t sure how much of a sexual relationship they could have. She was a foreplay kind of girl and she needed more than just a quick screw to get her off.

Sighing, she left the bathroom to find William and tell him that they had a problem. She found him standing in the foyer, staring at the door.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

He quickly spun around, his eyes wide. “I-uh-Xander’s wife-”

“Huh?”

“Uh…” He looked down at his hands and Buffy’s gaze followed. Were those…?

Yes! This was going to be the best Christmas ever!

A/N: What’s that you say? It’s not Christmas any more? Well, hell! Maybe I’ll just wait until next Christmas to finish this…or maybe not. *winks* Had a really hard time with this chapter, which is why I couldn’t update sooner. Buffy wouldn’t keep her clothes on long enough to get in any dialogue that wasn’t X-rated. lol!

This is for my wonderful cheerleader, gypsy_jin, who has made more than a couple subtle hints that I was dragging my feet. Here you go, girl! ~Jae








It took William several moments to realize that he was standing in front of the woman of his dreams with a handful of condoms, looking completely stupefied. Snapping back to attention, he quickly shoved the strip of condoms into his back jeans pocket.

“Uh,” he laughed nervously. “You didn’t see that, right?”

Buffy’s green eyes sparkled with mischief. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On if you are going to use those anytime soon,” she replied with a grin.

William blinked dumbly. “Well, I-”

“C’mon, let’s go see what’s left to eat.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the foyer and into the dining room.

Just how was he supposed to respond to something like that? If he told her the truth, he would have said that he wanted to use them with her. But the ponce that he was couldn’t make such a bold statement.

And that pretty much summed up his love life from the time he was old enough to notice girls ‘til now. Oh sure, he had big plans…in his head. He was a sorry sort, the type that was utterly lost in the idea of romance and true love. When a girl took his fancy, he usually had dreams of being together forever, getting married, having children, of growing old together.

But apparently, his brand of commitment wasn’t in demand because every time he spoke of his deep devotion, the object of his affection almost always gave him the brush-off. All except Cecily, but that hadn’t turned out well either since she had thrown his romantic notions back in his face and taunted him with it.

Needless to say, his confidence had been shattered. It began to worry at him that perhaps women didn’t really want those things. From his experience, they really only wanted one thing. Sex.

“Jesus, it looked like a herd of wild wildebeests ran through here,” Buffy commented as she surveyed the remnants of Christmas feast they had set out only hours ago.

William smiled. “I guess you’re just a good cook, then.”

“Yeah, right. According to my wonderful ex-husband, I’m the worst cook on the planet,” she replied with a snort.

“Buffy, you shouldn’t listen t’ him. He doesn’t know what he’s talkin’ about,” William said, squeezing her hand a little for reassurance.

Buffy looked at him, a sad expression on her beautiful face. God, if it were up to him, she’d never wear that look ever again.

“Yeah,” she replied dismissively.

“Hey, none of that now. That berk doesn’t know what he let slip through his fingers. He didn’t deserve you,” William said, his fingers itching to wipe away the sudden pool of tears in her eyes.

She smiled brightly at him, laughing lightly as she wiped her eyes. “You know, you are quite the charmer, William.”

He tried to fight it, but the blush spread across his cheeks anyway. Glancing away, he made his best attempt at hiding the embarrassing reaction she had created with her sweet words. “It’s only the truth, luv. Not tryin’ t’ charm you.”

Buffy nudged him a little with her shoulder. “That’s why it’s so charming.”

If it was possible, that made him blush even more.

She sighed loudly. “Well, there’s nothing left in here. I’ve got extra food stashed in the kitchen.”





~*~*~*~*~*~





Buffy was at a loss. How come everyone else got to see confident, funny William and all she got was Mr. Shy Guy?

But it was sweet. And she had to admit that his timid personality was quite refreshing in the face of the loud and brash actions of the men she was used to. With William, she had an emotional connection, one that made her feel like she could tell him anything. She’d never had that before.

She felt like she knew him so well, but in all honesty, she really knew nothing about him at all.

“So, William, what do you like to do in your spare time?”

His eyebrows went up at her question. “Don’t really have any hobbies.”

Crap, this was going to be harder than she thought.

“No? How about reading? I heard you talking about poetry with my father. Do you like poetry?”

He smiled slightly and looked shyly down at his feet. “I like poetry.”

“Well, see! There’s a hobby.”

It was hard to tell now, but Buffy just knew there was a passionate and intense man behind all of that reserved exterior. Now, if only she could figure out how to bring it out.

“I suppose so, luv,” he replied.

Sighing, Buffy glanced around the kitchen trying to think of what to do or say next. Somehow she knew screaming, ‘Take me now, you stallion!’, was not going to do.

“Hey, could you cut me a piece of that fudge?” She asked, hoping that the little task would give her more time to figure out what to do next.

“Sure,” he replied as he made his way over to the counter.

Think, Buffy, think! The last she wanted was for him to leave, but they couldn’t seem to keep the conversation going and pretty soon there wouldn’t be anything left for them to…

Her breath caught as she had the weirdest feeling of déjà vu. William had his back to her, the muscles in his arm moving as he used a knife to slice through a thick piece of fudge.

She didn’t know if it was sudden inspiration or just uncontrollable lust that made her slide up behind him and wrap her arms around his waist. Either way, she found herself mimicking her earlier actions as her hand eased under his sweater and her fingertips brushed against the solid muscle of his abs.

He took a sharp breath and dropped the knife on the counter. “Buffy…”

His voice had taken on a deep gravelly tone just as it had before and Buffy felt a shiver roll up her spine at his breathless moan of her name. He gripped the counter and leaned into it as her exploration of his hot skin continued.

While their encounter in the kitchen had been wonderful the first time, Buffy didn’t need to see the rerun, so instead of sliding her hand downward, she went north. Her thumb swept over one of his flat nipples, making the small piece of flesh rise to attention immediately.

“Feel good?” She asked him softly, a heated whisper in his ear.

“Yes,” he hissed as his back arched slightly.

“There’s no one to stop me now, you know.” Buffy pressed her chest against his back, delighting in his groan of approval. “I could do anything I wanted and you would be completely helpless.”

William seemed to like the mental picture she was painting, his breath coming out in heavy pants as she continued her teasing touches and light pinching. Suddenly, she ran her fingernails down the length of his torso, scratching against his nipples and trailing downward to the waistband of his jeans. He threw his head back and let out the lowest, sexiest growl she’d ever heard.

Well, hello! Somebody enjoyed a little pain with their pleasure. Buffy couldn’t help the grin that spread across her lips. This was going to be so much fun.





~*~*~*~*~*~





Was it possible to spontaneously combust from a woman’s touch? William was pretty sure the answer to that was a resounding, ’Hell Yeah!’

If Buffy kept touching him like that, he was going to embarrass himself.

Her fingers dipped lightly into the front of his jeans, caressing the sensitive skin of his stomach. They swished and swirled, moving ever closer to his erection, as he gripped the counter tighter.

“Do you want it, William? Do you want me to touch you?” She traced the shell of his ear with her hot, slick tongue as she continued to tease him.

He let out a strangled moan. “Y-Yes, god, yes!”

Without warning, she pulled her hand out of his pants and spun him around to face her. William just stood there, in awe of her strength and confidence, as she raked her gaze from his face to the bulge in his jeans.

She grabbed his belt and yanked him closer to her. Her hands slid up to grasp the edge of his dark gray sweater and in one smooth motion pulled it up and over his head, revealing his bare chest. Dropping the sweater on the floor, she just stared hungrily at him.

If the look in her eyes hadn’t been so blatantly lustful, he would have felt uncomfortable. But as it was her wild expression only spun the need within him more.

“Not here,” she spoke harshly, her voice cracking under the intense desire pouring out.

He nodded dumbly, willing to do whatever she told him to at this point. She probably didn’t know this, but he was her complete and willing slave. He wanted to tell her. To tell her to do with him what she wanted.

Hurt me, beat me, take it all out on me. Pleasure me, bleed me, want me, love me!

Taking hold of his belt, she gently pulled him forward until she was sure he would follow. And he did. Out of the kitchen, through the dining room, past the foyer and into the living room. He watched as she pulled out a deep red fleece throw blanket and several big pillows, throwing them on the carpeted floor.

It never occurred to him to ask why they hadn’t gone up to her bedroom. He just stood frozen, staring in rapt attention as she spread the blanket out and arranged the pillows. After she was satisfied with the layout, she leaned back and smiled up at him.

Buffy patted the blanket. “Come on, William. I’ve got a little picnic going on here; don’t you want to join me?”

Ha! Like she even had to ask. William quickly moved over to the blanket and sat down, cross-legged across from her. He couldn’t help the ridiculous grin from spreading across his face at the anticipation of what she had in store for him next.






~*~*~*~*~*~






Buffy stared at his cute little expression and almost drowned in it. It was innocent and trusting and completely open, not the guarded emotional standoff that usually accompanied her sexual experiences.

It was unavoidable, though, the comparison between William and Angel. As much as she hated that Angel was even entering her thoughts during her time with William, he was still on the forefront of her mind. But she took comfort in the fact that the only thing running through her head was, How could I have ever loved him?

How? When put side by side with William, Angel fell incredibly short.

Leaning forward, she placed her hands behind his knees and straightened out his legs. She crawled over to him and after taking a deep, soul-searching gaze into his eyes, she brushed her lips against his.

Buffy pushed him onto his back and straddled his waist as she continued the soft, barely-there kiss. Her hands slid up his chest to rest on his shoulders and she deepened the kiss slightly, letting her tongue dart out and swipe across his lower lip.

His hands moved up to grasp her hips, but Buffy had other things in mind and she gently pried them away.

“Just let me touch you,” she told him, letting her body slip down his.

“Okay,” he rasped out, shutting his eyes as she trailed wet kisses down his neck.

Nipping at the strong line of his jaw, she licked the small patch of skin under his chin before tracing the column of his neck with the tip of her tongue. She felt the bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed hard against the sensations she was creating in him.

Her journey continued down to the base of his neck, lingering for a bit to lash her tongue against his collarbone, then resumed as she kissed down his chest. His heart was beating wildly under her palm, proof of how her attentions were affecting him.

She rose, her hands bracing her up on either side of his body as she gazed down at the pale, translucent skin covering his bare chest. He was a sight to be seen. Who knew underneath those clothes lie such a fine specimen of the male species?

“You’re beautiful,” Buffy said breathlessly.

His eyes opened, staring up at her with darkened pools of cerulean and azure. “No, you are, luv. Bloody gorgeous,” he replied, his voice so rough that he didn’t even sound like William anymore.

“Want you so much, Will,” she told him. She let her hips grind, her barely covered center rubbing against his erection.

Despite her instructions not to, William slipped his hands up her outer thighs, slipping underneath the hem of her dress, his thumbs massaging the soft skin he found there. His hands were calloused, most likely from all of the manual labor he’d been doing lately, but it caused the most wonderful tingles running through her. There was nothing sexier than a man’s rough hands or what they felt like as they touched soft skin, in her opinion.

Suddenly, she felt suffocated by all of her clothes and she sat up, trying in vain to get the zipper of her dress down. A frustrated growl reverberated deep in her throat as she struggled.

“Let me, kitten.” William pushed himself up and reached behind her to tug at the offending contraption. He slid it down all the way and brought his hands back up to rest on the straps of the dress. “Are you sure you want t’ do this, Buffy?”

It was a sweet gesture, but completely unnecessary as far as she was concerned. There was nothing she wanted more at this moment than to be with him…to make love to him. And that’s what it was. Making love. Not fucking. To her, this was so much more than just sex.

She didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow or the next day after that. Hell, she didn’t even know what was going to happen in the next twenty minutes. And maybe after they slept together, he’d disappear from her life forever, but right now…there was nothing in world she’d rather be doing and no one that she’d rather be with than him. It meant something to her, even if it was only one-sided.

“Absolutely sure,” she replied with a grin.

One dark eyebrow arched up and he tilted his head. His gaze never left hers as he slowly slipped the straps off her shoulders, the dress pooling around her hips. He fingered the red lace of her bra then leaned over to place a soft kiss on the smooth curve of her shoulder.

“Take it off?”

William’s tone suggested he wasn’t all that comfortable with giving orders and Buffy wondered why he was so timid about it. Surely he was no stranger to sex; he couldn’t be looking as sinfully handsome as he did. Maybe he’d had some bad luck in that department and was worried she might reject him.

Yeah, right! Like that would happen! At this point, he could tell her to stand on her head and bark like a dog if it meant he would be with her. Whoever did him wrong didn’t know what she was missing.

Perhaps it was time that Buffy showed him just how wonderful it could be when both partners were not only willing, but aching for one another.

With a sexy smirk, she reached back and in one talented move, the bra popped open and she slipped it down her arms. She could feel the air against her bare breasts and her nipples hardened into tight pink buds.

“What do you want me to do now, William?” She asked, knowing that this was going to be a new experience for him. And she hoped, one that he wouldn’t ever forget.

He was shocked at her question, that much was clearly apparent. He shook his head as if to say he didn’t want the responsibility of leading.

But Buffy wasn’t going to let him shrug it off. She grabbed his hand and placed it over her breast, squeezing his hand in hers. Then she let her hand fall away. “Tell me what to do, William. What do you want?”

“Buffy, please…” His eyes were pleading with her now and she almost gave in. Almost.

She scooted closer to him and took his lower lip in her teeth, sucking it into her mouth. Her hands dove through his white-blond curls and yanked his head back.

“Come on, Will. You know what you wanna do to me. Just tell me and we’ll both be happy,” she growled at him. She undulated her hips against him, her wetness soaking through her panties and steeping into the thick material of his jeans.

He shook his head again. “No, Buffy, you should-”

Frustrated, she pushed him away from her, his back landing against the plush fleece. He stared up at her with hurt in his eyes, thinking she was rejecting him.

But instead of pulling away from him, she grabbed onto his belt and began to forcefully pull the strap loose. It slid out of his belt loops with a loud snap and Buffy tossed it across the room. She tore into the fastenings of his jeans, popping the button and peeling the zipper apart.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

Buffy was pleasantly surprised to find that William wore nothing underneath his jeans. Oh, he was a naughty boy, going commando. His thick cock practically bounced out as she opened his jeans up as far as they would go.

Looks like Angel came up incredibly short yet again.

Moving down to his feet, she pulled his boots off, then his socks, tossing them off to the side. She stared at him for a second, watching as he breathed heavily and his cock bobbed with every intake. He probably didn’t even know how hot he looked. Looked like Buffy had her work cut out for her.

She pulled her dress up and over her head, the garment falling over his discarded boots. Then she crawled forward a bit, hooking her fingers into his belt loops and stripped him of his last remaining piece of clothing.

Her hands ghosted over his thighs as she slid up to kneel between his legs. Leaning in, she let her hot breath feather over his erection, earning her a gasp and a jerk of his hips.

“What do you want me to do?” She asked again, hoping that he would just give in. As much as she was enjoying this, she needed to feel him soon.

“Luv, please…”

She shook her head. “Uh-uh, Will. You need to tell me what you want me to do or I’ll just sit here and stare at you. Come on, honey, talk to me.”

William just gaped at her in disbelief and Buffy wondered if perhaps she would have to take the lead after all. Which was why she was surprised when he finally spoke.

He closed his eyes tightly and let out a pained sigh. “God, please. Please, Buffy, touch me.”

Her heart jumped slightly and she resisted the urge to start cheering. It was a small step, but it was a start.

With a grin, she danced her fingers up his thigh. “Is this where you want me to touch you?”

William groaned, shaking his head vigorously.

“No?” She brushed against the sharp angle of his hipbone. “How about here?”

“No,” he rumbled, his teeth clenched as Buffy continued to rain down delicate touches on his skin.

“Oh, well, how about he-”

He grabbed her wrist suddenly, pulling her hand away from his stomach, and thrusting it down over his rock hard cock. “Here. Want you t’ touch me…oh, kitten, right there!”

With her small hand fisted snugly around his throbbing erection, she began to move slowly up and down the length of him. Her thumb rubbed the undershaft, swiping against the bundle of nerves just below the bell-shaped head, sending zaps of pleasure through his body.

William moaned loudly, his head hitting the floor with a thud as his back arched up. His fingers clawed at the blanket beneath him as his body contorted under her touch.

Buffy picked up the pace and in turn was rewarded with a low moan that made a streak of tingles run through her. As she continued to jack her hand over him, she turned slightly to search through his jeans’ pockets for Anya’s impromptu gift.

Except for the one night stand she’d had years ago, she had never really used condoms. With Angel, they had wanted children so there was no need for birth control. Well, until she found out he was cheating on her and by that point their sex life was pretty much non-existent. She wasn’t sure she could pull of the smooth sex kitten act when she had almost no experience in the use of them.

Taking a deep breath, she ripped off one of the foil squares from the long strip and tore it open with her teeth. Carefully, she slipped her panties off and set them aside before returning to the task at hand.

William looked like he was in tortured bliss. His head was thrown back and his muscles were tense as she continued stroke him. Glancing down at his cock, she wanted nothing more than to lick up the bead of pre-cum that had formed, but she didn’t think she could wait to have him inside of her any longer.

She placed the condom over the swollen head of his member and with her fingers, rolled the textured latex down his shaft. He must have felt what she was doing because his head shot up and he stared at her with wide-eyed wonder.

Without a word, she crawled up his body. His hard length slid between the wet folds of her pussy and she rolled her hips against him, making her clit throb with want. She brought her lips down over his, her tongue seeking passage in the warm cavern of his mouth.

Buffy lifted her hips slightly as her hand squeezed between them, grasping his cock, and guiding him into her hot, slick entrance. She broke the kiss to watch his eyes as she sunk down on him.

She gasped as he filled her, his cock stretching her in ways she hadn’t thought were possible. Her muscles contracted around him involuntarily and William moaned loudly as his hands came up to grasp her hips, holding on tightly as she began to move.

“Feel so good,” William groaned.

All Buffy could do was hum in agreement as she rode him. It wasn’t supposed to feel this good. God, every nerve in her body was singing, the pressure building as she danced on the edge of completion.

Soon, William had picked up her rhythm and on every downstroke, he thrust up, hitting the wall of her womb. Their hips crashed together, his pubic bone striking her clit and sending incredible shards of pleasure within her.

“Oh, god, Will!” She shouted, her back arching back as the first waves of her climax began to wash over her.

In a blink, she was on her back, William quickening his pace as he drove into her welcoming depths. The hard, fast strokes increased the strength of her orgasm and she wailed out, her vaginal muscles clamping down hard on his driving length. He threw his head back and roared as his body jerked and twitched with completion, emptying himself in the safety of the latex.

William didn’t move for a long time, his body suspended above hers as he tried to catch his breath.

“Are you okay?” Buffy finally asked after several minutes, her hands rubbing up and down his sides.

His deep blue eyes flicked to her and he chuckled in a low, sex-drenched tone. “Better than okay, I think. Just can’t feel my legs is all.”

Buffy giggled. “Me neither.” And it was true, she couldn’t feel her legs. Or her arms. Actually, she was pretty sure her whole body was numb.






~*~*~*~*~*~




They had fallen asleep not long after collapsing, completely spent, on the blanket.

When William woke up, Buffy was wrapped in his arms, a little smile on her face as she slept. He couldn’t help but to stare at her beautiful face, his hand reaching up to brush her long blond hair away.

If he hadn’t actually been there, he wouldn’t have believed the events that had transpired that night. It was something out of his dreams and a part of him still wasn’t sure that it wasn’t all a dream. But the feel of her warm, golden skin under his fingers made it very real. Even in his wildest imaginations, he couldn’t replicate the feel of her or the musky scent that seemed to permeate the air around them.

She began to stir and, in a move that had William throbbing with need, she stretched her body against him. Her breasts rubbed against his chest, their stomachs pressed together, and her legs intertwined with his as she arched back.

“Hi,” she said softly.

“Hey, luv. Have a good bit of kip then?”

His fingertips traced the curve of her hip, committing the shape and feel to memory. Who knew how long she would let him stay now that she was finished with him. But even though it wouldn’t last, William didn’t want to forget a single second of their time together.

Her eyebrows drew together. “Huh?”

He smiled. “Sleep. Did you sleep well?”

“Oh,” she replied with a laugh. “Yeah, it was really nice. Best sleep I’ve had in weeks.”

“You haven’t been sleepin’ well?”

Buffy frowned a bit. “Actually, no. I’ve been so stressed out with that damn party and then the kids…”

It must have been hard for her. When he had talked to Buffy’s mum, she’d said that Buffy hadn’t spent more than a couple of days away from her children since they’d been born. It was no wonder Buffy was so bothered by it. Not only were the sprogs going to be with their father for a week, but over Christmas as well. William couldn’t imagine being separated from his children for that long, if he ever had any, that is.

“Sorry, I’m being a total downer, huh?”

“No, pet, not at all.”

Her hand came up to cup his cheek and she gazed up at him with the sweetest expression. “You know, I’m really glad you came tonight.”

“I’m glad you came too, kitten,” he replied before thinking about what he was saying. Suddenly, he felt really stupid. “Uh, I mean, I-”

Giggling, she put a finger over his lips. “It’s okay, William. It’s true, I did come and it made me a very happy Buffy.”

“Really?”

Buffy propped herself up on one elbow and stared at him. “That was the best sex I’ve ever had, Will. Of course, I enjoyed it.”

The best? For him maybe, but William couldn’t believe that a woman like her hadn’t had any better than him.

A crease appeared between both of her eyebrows. “Was it not good for you?”

Her question snapped him out of his thoughts. “What? How can you ask me that? You-you and I-you-”

“I what?”

Taking a deep breath, he gazed at her, hoping that all of his sincerity was shining through. “Buffy, what you and I shared was…incredible. It meant more t’ me than I could ever tell you. Best night of my life.”

Buffy smiled brightly. “So does that mean that you might consider staying the rest of the night?”



















A/N: So as you can see, this fic isn’t completed…which means there will be more chapters. Not an epic, just a little more Spuffy lovin’. So, uh, was it good for you?

William was a little surprised when he saw a flash of uncertainty in Buffy's gorgeous hazel-green eyes. Was she just asking him to stay because she felt obligated to? He’d thought that they shared something pretty spectacular, but maybe he had read too much into it.

He sighed heavily. One night stands weren’t something he had a lot of experience with and he was sure that there were some unwritten rules about the practice that he had yet to learn. It was the only reason he could come up with for her enthusiasm coupled with her underlying hesitance. He was doing something wrong here, but knowing that and doing something about it were two totally different things.

So, he did the only thing he could think of. He shrugged.

Buffy blinked at him and opened her mouth to say something, but must have thought better of it because her jaw snapped shut with a clink of her teeth.

They sat in silence for a long time. The twinkling lights from the Christmas tree throwing patterns of color against the walls and the only sound was from the crackling pop of the fire roaring a few feet away. It was uncomfortable at best and William fought the urge to just jump up and run.

“You know, I was wondering when this was going to happen.”

William turned to look at Buffy and was met with anger and humiliation. Again, surprise flooded through him and he tried to comprehend this new turn of her emotions.

“When what was going t’ happen?” He asked, his voice a bit too high to be taken seriously. He groaned inwardly. Why must he always sound like such a child?

She rolled her eyes at him. “When you finally showed your true colors. When you’d turn into an asshole!” Suddenly, she was grabbing her clothes and running off up the stairway.

His brows furrowed together. What the bloody hell had just happened? He could have sworn that not ten minutes earlier they were happily basking in each other’s embrace and now she was storming off and calling him an asshole.

It was quite obvious she didn’t want him here and maybe it was for the best that he left. Honestly, what had he thought was going to happen? That she’d fall in love with him? That they’d ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after? God, he was such a git.

Grabbing his jeans, he pulled them on and fastened the button before slipping his belt through the loops. He shoved his feet into his boots and almost broke one of the laces from the strain.

He wanted to throw his arms up in frustration. Why didn’t anything go right for him? What travesty could he have performed in a previous life that prevented him from having someone to love? And why in the sodding hell was he always falling for women he could never have? It was enough to make any sane man completely bug-shagging bonkers.

His jaw was set in a tense line that grew ever tighter and his fists balled at his sides. He was tired of these games and even more tired of the women that played them. What was the point of lying and manipulating? They could have just said outright that they only wanted a shag and he could’ve dealt with that, but instead they fiddled around in his head and made him believe that they had some interest in him that went beyond scratching an itch.

He started past the stairway to the kitchen, but suddenly, his feet were glued to the floor. As his anger and feelings of betrayal grew, he found himself striding up the stairs, taking two at a time in his urgency.

Her muffled cries echoed in the hallway and William turned to follow the sound. He couldn’t believe she had the nerve to cry after the scene she had just made. Who the hell did she think she was?

He hesitated for less than a second before storming through the door.

Buffy was huddled on the large four-poster bed, wrapped in a down-comforter, completely oblivious to his presence as she continued to sob.

“What the hell is your soddin’ problem!” He shouted as he slammed the door behind him.

Her head shot up. “Get out! I want you to leave!”

His anger deflated slightly and he almost obeyed, but he refused to be anyone’s puppet again. Nope, not anymore. Not this man. “No!” He told her defiantly. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what jus’ happened down there.”

She gave him an odd look. “Huh?”

“I don’t believe I stuttered, luv,” he replied with a cold glare.

“Are you some sort of psycho?” If she was afraid of him, she didn’t show it, even if she thought he was psychotic.

Wait. She thought he was psychotic?

“What?”

“I don’t believe I stuttered, love. Are you a nut job?”

“No,” he said indignantly. “But I’m beginning t’ think you are.”

“Me?”

He nodded. “Yeah, you. I’m thinkin’ maybe you have that split personality disorder. Maybe that’d explain why you jus’ did a one-eighty on me down there.”

“Me?”

Instead of responding, he crossed his arms over his bare chest and leaned up against the dresser. She wasn’t going to be able to talk her way out of this. All he had to do was wait.

“If anyone did a one-eighty, it was you, buddy,” she told him.

That threw him off-kilter. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on! You were there!”

He pushed off from the dresser and stomped to the bed, noticing that her back straightened immediately and she took a defensive pose. “Yeah, I was there an’ all I saw was you messin’ with my head. But then again, I should’ve expected nothin’ less.”

“What! Are you freaking kidding me?” She shook her head at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. “Look, I don’t know what loony bin you escaped from, but let me clear things up for you before I kick your sorry-ass out of my house. You were the one who went all Sybil on me. I thought we were having a good time. Hell, you were the one who said it was the best night of your life, so how was I supposed to know that you were only interested in a fling? And I asked you to stay the rest of the night because, hey, I thought maybe this could be something more, but all I get is this fucking shrug like it means nothing to you.”

William blinked, completely gobsmacked into silence. Only interested in a fling? Him? Where had she gotten that from?

Tears welled up in her eyes again as she pointed to the door. “Just go, William. Please.”

“I didn’t...You...I...” He was stammering like an idiot even though the words were clear in his head. Why couldn’t he form a coherent sentence? “Buffy. I’m not...That’s not...”

“What?” Her voice sounded desperate and he clung on to the hope that maybe she really wanted to hear what he was trying so ineloquently to say.

Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. He sat down next to her on the bed and silently cheered when she didn’t try to move away from him.

All right, you wanker. You’ve got one shot at this. Make it count.

“I-It’s not jus’ a...fling t’ me,” he said softly, not able to meet her gaze.

“It’s not?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Then why did you-?”

“I don’t know.”

Slowly, he raised his head and glanced over at her, trying to gauge her reaction. It was neither angry nor sad, but he couldn’t call it happiness either. There was definitely an emotion coloring her face, though he wasn’t quite sure what that emotion was and he was almost too afraid to find out.

“What is this to you?” She asked, leaning close enough that he could feel her warm breath on his skin.

“I suppose that depends on you.”






~*~*~*~*~*~





Buffy felt her heart clench tightly at the hopeful gaze William was giving her. He really had no idea how much she wanted to be with him.

Okay, so maybe that was partly her fault. She knew she had been giving him slightly mixed signals, but in her own defense, she really hadn’t been sure if a relationship was something he wanted to explore or not. And her days of being a glutton for punishment were over and she wasn’t about to go putting herself out there when there was a strong possibility of being rejected.

Of course, she went and did that anyway.

“Well, apart from this whole thing,” she began, waving her hand around the room. “I was having a lot of fun with you.”

William frowned at her. “Fun?”

She squeezed her eyes shut. Wow, Buff, way to make a guy feel wanted. “What I mean is... I like you, William. You’re all I’ve thought about since that day at the Christmas tree lot and honestly, I really didn’t think we were going to do this tonight. I just... I just wanted to get to know you.”

His frown disappeared as he squinted at her in confusion. “So, you didn’t really want t’ have sex with me, then?”

“Huh? No! I did.” She considered that for a moment before giving him a grin. “I definitely wanted to have sex with you. I just didn’t think it would happen tonight. I mean, I don’t do this.”

“This?”

Buffy laughed shyly. “You know... Bring some guy I don’t even know home with me and then get down and funky with him the first night. I mean, there was that one time, but I didn’t bring him home with me and I kind of already knew him and...” Babbling! You’re babbling!

“Why did you then?”

“Sleep with him?”

His arched eyebrow told her he didn’t mean Parker Abrams and the semi-drunken night they had spent together. Oh. Ooops.

“Besides the fact that you’re hot?”

A deep blush spread across his cheeks and he looked away for a moment. “I’m not.”

Buffy studied him before bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. “I don’t know who told you that, but she is an idiot.”

Clear, blue eyes widened as he stared at her, open and vulnerable. Someone must have really done a number on him, she decided and gave him a reassuring smile.

“I don’t really know why. All I know is that it felt right,” she told him.

“Right...”

She giggled a little. “You keep repeating everything I say.”

“Sorry,” he replied sheepishly.

“Nothing to be sorry about. It just makes it really hard to tell if we’re on the same page or if I’m making a complete fool of myself.”

“You’re not making a fool o’ yourself, luv.”

She smiled softly then took a deep breath. “What happened? I mean, did I do something to make you think I didn’t like you?”

He didn’t respond at first, but then he hesitantly began to explain. “You didn’t look like you really wanted me t’ stay.”

“But I asked you,” she pointed out.

“I know. I just thought you looked a bit...unsure an’ then I thought I might have been reading the whole thing wrong.”

“Oh, Will. I wasn’t unsure about you staying. I really wanted...want you to stay,” she said, feeling incredibly stupid.

“Then...?”

She shrugged. “Maybe I was worried you’d say no.”

“Why would I say no?”

“Well, I’m not exactly a spring chicken here, William. I am old and I’ve got kids and a whole lot of baggage. And you are young and smart and the most attractive man I’ve ever seen outside of a magazine, why the hell would you want me?”

There. She’d said it. It had been eating at her since he had agreed to come home with her and she had finally gotten it out in the open. She really didn’t know what she had to offer him beyond some good sex and... Well, no, that was pretty much it.

She had expected some comforting words. Maybe a blank stare. Possibly a pat on the back. She had not been expecting him to start laughing like he was at a Three Stooges marathon.

“Hey!” She exclaimed indignantly.

He shook his head at her. “Sorry. I...’m...not...laugh...in’...at...you...” His words were broken up between chuckles as he tried to calm himself down.

“Well, you’re not laughing with me, so you must be laughing at me,” she pouted.

His laughter died down, but he was still shaking his head at her. “Old, huh? I don’t know who told you that, but he is an idiot.”

“Not he. She. And she has seen entirely too many wrinkles in the mirror to convince herself she’s not old,” Buffy said.

“I think you’re seeing things, luv.”

“Nope. They’re there. I saw one just this morning.”

His calloused hand slid under her chin and angled her face before his fingertips ghosted over her golden skin. “Funny, I don’t see anything.”

“You’re blind.”

“It’s hard t’ see flaws when they don’t exist.”

And then his lips were covering hers in kiss so sweet that she was sure would send her into a diabetic coma. She felt his arms go around her and pull her into the hard wall of his chest. The comforter that she’d wrapped around herself was gently peeled back and thrown to the foot of the bed, leaving her naked in his arms.

He laid her back on the bed and covered her with his body, his teeth teasing her bottom lip before soothing the worried skin with his tongue. He trailed hot kisses against her cheek and nibbled at her ear, sucking the fleshy lobe in his mouth.

“I think...” He sounded breathless and Buffy felt a shiver go through her body. She did this to him. She made him all raspy and wanting. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

What? Her eyes popped open at his whispered confession and she pulled away from him. “William?”

His eyes blinked furiously, like he had just been awoken from a deep sleep. “I-Is that okay?”

She was too shocked to say anything at first. Was he serious? The sincere fear of rejection on his face made her think he was completely serious. No, she didn’t think, she knew. He was falling in love with her.

“I mean, you asked me what this was t’ me an’-”

"You're falling in love with me. I'm guessing that means you want more than just a fling, huh?"

"Only if that's what you want," he said quickly and if it was possible, Buffy fell even deeper.

William was like no one she'd ever met before. He was so bare, so open that he radiated with emotion even when he tried hard not to. She could tell he thought it was a burden to show that much of himself, but that was what made him who he was. He wouldn't be William without that vulnerability.

Even now, he was afraid she'd say no despite her declarations to the contrary.

She nodded and cupped his cheek in her hand as she stared up into the endless ocean of his eyes. "That's what I want. I want you."

He moaned and before she had a chance to see his full reaction, he was kissing her again. Deep, passionate and burning, his tongue slid over hers, stoking the fire with each gentle sweep. One hand dove through the tangled mess of her hair and the other drifted up her hip, over her waist, and upward to palm her breast.

"Will," she murmured, arching her back high when he plucked at one dusky-colored nipple. "The condoms...they're down-"

"Shhh." He traced her lip with the tip of his tongue before giving her a teasing nip. "I want t' do something first. Will you let me?"

A part of her was a little leery of what he might be suggesting. She knew he wouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt her, but she couldn’t stop the purely pornographic images that seemed to come unbidden through her mind.

“Okay,” she finally said, pushing away the ridiculous fears that really had no place here.

He smiled softly and kissed her once more before descending down her body. Stopping at her breasts, he stared for a moment, drinking the sight of her in before capturing a nipple between his lips and suckling it into his mouth.

She cried out in surprise. Was it supposed to feel like that? Her whole body felt like it was buzzing with pleasure and he hadn’t even touched her below the waist yet.

His tongue flicked over the sensitive bud and teased its twin with his fingers, each lash and twist eliciting a short, but sensual mewl from deep in her throat. She didn’t remember ever being this vocal before.

The grin he gave her in response was positively sinful and suddenly, William didn't look so innocent. He looked wicked and dangerous, like he was the big bad wolf ready to eat her up. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked into his predatory gaze.

He licked a path between her breasts and down to her bellybutton, tonguing the indentation until she was squirming beneath him. Who knew the bellybutton was such an erogenous zone? He sucked at the taut skin of her stomach, leaving a small dark red mark before he continued down.

Stopping just above her pussy, his eyes shot up, giving her a questioning look. "Is this okay?"

Buffy's eyebrows rose. "Why wouldn't it be?"

A flush of embarrassment went over his pale skin and he glanced over at the wall. "My ex-girlfriend didn't... She didn't like it."

Didn't like it? What was wrong with this girl? William hadn't said much about this ex-girlfriend of his, but Buffy could plainly see that she was the root of a lot of issues for him. She sounded like a real bitch, to be honest. Who would give a guy like Will up? And she didn't like him going down on her? There was something definitely wrong with this picture.

Buffy propped herself up a little, her elbows supporting her already jello-fied form. "Do you want to?"

"Yes," he said softly.

"Then I want you to."





~*~*~*~*~*~




William felt like he had died and gone to heaven when he got his first taste of her. His tongue flattened against her soft pink folds and he drew upward until he hit the tightened button of her clit. Her hips bucked as he repeated the motion and added a swirl at the end.

"Am I doin' this right?" He asked her, his voice taking on a husky timber that pronounced his accent even more.

Her breathing was hard and heavy as she arched her back, like she was stretching out under the sun. "If you were doing it any more right, I'd be a puddle of goo right now."

He silently sighed in relief. Despite how much he enjoyed giving oral sex, he really hadn't had all that much experience with it. Cecily was the only girl he'd ever done this with before and she seemed less than pleased with the experience. To this day, he still wasn't quite sure if she just didn't like it all or if she didn't like it from him, but he was seriously beginning to doubt that the latter was true. After all, Buffy seemed to enjoy it and he didn't think she was the type to lie about what she found pleasurable.

Dipping his head back down, he inhaled her sweet scent before zigzagging his tongue up her wet crevice. He could do this for days if she'd let him.

Her fingers tunneled through his wild platinum curls and held on tight as he sucked her clit into his mouth. She thrashed beneath him, moaning in pleasure, and he finally had to bring his hands up to hold her hips still.

"Please," she whimpered helplessly.

He ran his index finger through her slickness, up, down, up, down, until he finally slid into her hot passage. She clenched around his finger so tightly, he thought he might explode right then and there. It sent images and ghost sensations of her silken walls trembling around his cock straight to his brain and he jerked involuntarily against the mattress.

Maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to not go and grab those condoms after all.

His attentions returned to her clit and he flicked his tongue against the overly-sensitive nub as he slid his finger in and out of her wetness. He devoured her, consumed her until she started to quake, her whole body twitching and convulsing as she cried out in release. She flowed like a river after a heavy rain and he drank her down until there was nothing left.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. "A part of me wants to ask where you learned that, but I really don't want to know."

He chuckled, leaning in to kiss the inside of her thigh. She probably wouldn't have believed him if he told her that he had just made it up as he went along anyway.

"So..." He began, taking a deep breath as he pushed himself up. "Are we...okay?"

"I think we're more than okay, Will."

"Yeah?"

Buffy grinned at him. "Oh, yeah."

When William woke the next morning he found himself tangled in sheets that smelled like her sweet fragrant skin and spent passion. He also found himself alone.

Blinking sleepily, he scooted up until he was sitting against the headboard. He yawned and absently scratched his head, his fingers tangling slightly in the messy curls that he had no doubt were wild and sticking up in weird angles. Normally, he would be panicking at the thought that someone might see him so unkempt, but all he could really muster was a mild shrug of indifference.

And there was something very liberating about not giving a damn.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched out his tight muscles. It felt like he had just run a marathon for seven hours, but the reward had been so sweet that the ache was almost delicious.

Searching the floor, he found his jeans stuffed halfway under the bed and couldn't stop the silly grin when he thought of how they had gotten there. He pulled them up his legs and after a moment of contemplation, he slid the zipper up and purposely forgot about the button.

William, Sex God. At your service, he leered at himself in the mirror above the dresser.

As he sauntered out of the room and down the hall, he felt a new confidence surging through him. It was intoxicating and powerful, drugging him, making him feel invincible. His whole body hummed with it, all at once grounding him and setting him free.

It was her. Buffy. A woman that he had absolutely no right to have but who had opened herself to him nonetheless. She was a goddess, shining and shimmering golden, blinding him with her brilliance. And she had made him feel as though he could fly.

She had giggled a little over that last part when he'd told her in between their lovemaking last night. She had giggled and at first, he had been hurt that she mocked him, just as Cecily had when he had recited his poetic words for her. But then a warm realization washed over him. Her laughter wasn't meant to ridicule him at all. She was genuinely flattered by it and, in fact, had even blushed slightly from his grand description of her.

He all but bounded down the stairs and quickly went in search for her, knowing full well that she was most likely in the kitchen as the aroma of freshly brewed coffee hit him like a jolt to the senses.

Her back was to him when he passed through the doorway and it took a lot of restraint on his part not to rush over and swing her up into his arms. Instead, he struck a pose against the framework and threaded his thumb through one of the belt loops on his jeans.

"G'mornin', luv," he drawled.

She jumped slightly before turning around to face him. "Geez, Will! You scared me."

He poked his lip out in a pout. "Sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay," she told him with a smile. "Do you want some coffee?"

Nodding, he pushed himself away from the doorway and walked to her, watching as she poured the hot, aromatic liquid into a ready mug.

William's brow furrowed as he studied her. Sadness covered her like a veil, the corners of her mouth drooping, her normally bright eyes glassy and dull. Gone was the sparkling personality that had so captured him and in its place was a mere shadow, dark and gloomy.

Had he done something wrong? Maybe she regretted their time together. Maybe she had changed her mind in the face of the bright morning light.

"Buffy, are you all right?" he asked with soft hesitance.

She seemed so far away. Her mind must have been elsewhere because she blinked and shook her head before replying, "Huh? What did you say?"

He tentatively reached his hand out to her, his fingertips whispering over the smooth skin of her arm. "I asked if you were all right."

"Oh, Will," she began, her gaze falling into the depths of her coffee mug. "I'm sorry. I'm being such a downer, huh?"

Tilting his head to one side, he gave her a curious look. "Do you want t' talk about it?"

"I just..." She sighed, then glanced up. "I just really miss my kids, you know. This is the first Christmas that they haven't been here and I'm just..."

As happy as he was that her sadness hadn't been caused by him, it was short lived when he realized just how miserable she was. It wasn't right that she was suffering. Her sod of an ex, Angel, didn't deserve to have those children, not when it had been made very clear to William that the man hadn't been much of a father the other three hundred sixty-four days of the year. The sprogs should be here with their mother. And him.

Honestly, he hadn't given much thought to Buffy's children and how they fit into all this. Hell, for the better part of last night, he really didn't think he'd be in a position to even warrant a what if. Of course, now, there was a very real possibility that he would be involved in their lives.

He wasn't quite sure what his opinion on that was at this point. Sure, he liked kids and Buffy's two bits were beyond cute, but was he ready to step in and be... something to them? Did Buffy even want him to be? After all, in the end, it was her choice, not his, to include him into their family unit.

"Hey," he began, his fingers tilting her chin up to meet her gaze. "It's just for a coupla days. They'll be back before you know it."

She nodded. "I know."

A wave of determination washed over him and he grabbed a hold of her hand, gently pulling her away from the counter. If her kids couldn't be here, he'd just have to make the best of it and help her take her mind off missing them.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a coy smile as he towed her to the living room.

"Lots of presents under that tree, pet. Maybe you should open some of them," he replied, grinning back at her.

They stopped at the makeshift bed Buffy had made last night and William tugged at her arm to get her to sit down with him. He winked at her before crawling the short distance to the tree, plucking one of the prettily wrapped gifts from under the thick, lush branches.

"This one is from your Great Aunt-" He squinted down at the tag, rolling his blue eyes when he realized that no matter how hard he tried he couldn't read the flowing script. Standing up, he gave Buffy a sheepish smile. "Be right back, luv."

He jogged to his coat hanging in the foyer and searched its pockets for his glasses. Normally, he was okay without them, but reading was always a problem. Slipping the small silver rims onto his face, he made his way back to where he had been sitting.

"I didn't know you wore glasses," Buffy remarked.

He rumbled deep in his chest, leaning forward a little. "Lots o' things you don't know about me, kitten."

The surprise on her face matched the shock he felt. Where had that come from?

"I guess not." The sadness in her eyes was slowly beginning to seep away, a brand new sparkle emerging.

"Right then." Picking up the present again, he reread, with much more ease this time, the name. "Great Aunt Ester wishes you a very happy Christmas," he said, handing the bright green package to her.

Buffy ripped into the wrapping paper with glee, bits of shiny paper and ribbons flying every which way. When all was said and done, Great Aunt Ester had decided that Buffy and her children were in great need of a giant pastel pink doily for the couch.

After ten minutes of uncontrollable laughter, they had calmed down enough for William to reach down and get another gift from beneath the tree. This one was from Rupert and Joyce.

"Oh my God!" Buffy exclaimed as she opened the small, flat box, her eyes widening.

"What is it, Buffy?"

She glanced up at him then back to the contents of the box. "It's..." Reaching down, she pulled out a slim envelope and waved it in front of him. "Plane tickets to Hawaii."

"Now that's a bloody brilliant gift!" William announced enthusiastically.

"'To our daughter, who works too hard. Take a break already! Love, Mom and Dad'," she read outloud, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe they did this. It's too much."

"You deserve it, luv."

"No, I don't. It's too-"

The quickness with which he moved amazed him, but there he was, kneeling in front of her, his long index finger hushing her. Sweeping his hand over her blond waves, he couldn't stop the whispered groan of pleasure he got from touching her again.

"Baby, you deserve everything," he rasped, his voice suddenly not supporting the intense feelings surging through his body.

Buffy stared at him, her lower lip trembling slightly as they locked gazes. "When do I get to open your present?"

Confusion coursed through him. "I... Buffy, 'm sorry, but I didn't-"

"You didn't get anything for me?" She looked as though she was about to cry.

"No, I-"

"So this..." Suddenly, her hand slid down the front of his jeans and cupped him, a wickedly innocent pout forming on her pink lips. "Isn't mine?"

He inhaled sharply, his eyes squeezing shut as she began to massage the rapidly growing flesh. "Buffy..."

"I can't wait to see what it is. I bet it's something really good." Smirking, she let her thumb trace the hard outline of his cock against his zipper, the metal digging into his sensitive flesh. "Something big and delicious."






~*~*~*~*~*~







Perhaps it was wrong of her to love how helpless he looked under her touch, but she was becoming addicted to his responses. How he choked on his own breath, his mouth gaping open in silent pleasure, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as his hips jerked and the muscles in his arms twitched. It was so very wrong to want him begging, but the moment a strangled 'please' was ripped from his throat, she wanted more.

It was really his fault anyway. She had finally gotten a glimpse of the strong, aggressive male inside his seemingly demure shell and it had set her on fire. Now, there was certainly nothing wrong with his sweet side, in fact, that was what first drew her to him and she relished every soft caress, each kind word and all of his adorable, albeit very shy expressions, but it was the man inside that inspired a white hot passion within her.

She moistened her suddenly-parched lips as she took in the sight of him. His back was arched like a heavy bow, muscles tense in restraint as he held fast, not wanting her touch to disappear. He was beautiful in a way she hadn't thought even existed, all masculinity and vulnerability, wrapped into perfect form. It wasn't more evident than now as he openly gave himself over to her, never questioning, never demanding.

Leaning forward, she licked from one nipple to the other, causing a particularly loud groan from deep inside his chest. He tasted salty and warm on her tongue and she couldn't wait to find out how the rest of him tasted.

Her fingers played with the button and corresponding hole of his jeans, tugging at the two ends so lightly that the straining zipper opened tooth by tooth rather than a smooth slide. Soon the tension was too much, though, and the zipper fell in one quick motion, his hard cock bobbing out.

"Oh, Buffy...god..." he choked out.

His eyes were squeezed shut as he gulped down air, trying to steady himself, and Buffy slowly skimmed over his sharp hipbones and underneath the waistband of his jeans to grasp the firm buttocks hidden beneath. Gently, she slid the thick denim over his perfectly round backside until she could caress the skin there uninhibited by his clothing.

She ran her nails down his thighs, earning a fierce shudder, little goosebumps rushing over his skin. It was a tentative brush against his engorged flesh at first, a knuckle, then the back of her hand, but she couldn't contain her need to touch him for long and soon she was grasping him at the base of his erection.

And then her mouth descended over him.





~*~*~*~*~*~





Was she trying to kill him?!

William gulped hard as she swallowed him whole, trying the repress the wracking shudder that started at his spine and spread through every nerve ending. His fingers dove into the softness of her hair and he had to stop the automatic reaction of pulling her head closer even though he desperately wanted to feel more of her.

Her tongue swirled around the sensitive head of his cock and a fire rushed over his skin, burning him with lust and need. She moaned around him, vibrations scorching every nerve ending in his body and he threw his head back, groaning in a guttural, passion-drenched language.

"Fuck!" he shouted. His hands grasped her hair tighter, making her head jerk back a little. He was about to apologize for his roughness, but when he looked down at Buffy, all he saw was her devious grin around the hard length of his shaft and a sparkle in her golden-green eyes.

Something inside of him snapped. Maybe it was the expression on her gorgeous face or perhaps the intense feelings running like a river through his veins, but whatever it was it had him reacting so violently he felt like jumping out of his skin.

He pushed her away from him, her body rolling back against the soft blanket. Not giving her a moment to question him, he reached under her oversized sleeping shirt and dragged her lacy blue panties down her legs, tossing them over his shoulder before covering her body with his own.

She was hot and panting beneath him as he guided himself to the entrance of her pussy, her soft, wet folds teasing him. Pausing for a second, he glanced at her, needing her acceptance before he could go any further.

"Do you still think you can fly?" she asked with a sensual smile.

That was all the assurance he needed and he thrust into her hard, causing her to cry out in pleasure. Her walls fluttered around his cock, threatening to shove him over the edge, but he tightened his jaw and fought his way against the urge to come. It was too soon and he wanted this to last.

Grabbing the backs of her knees, he drew her legs up and threw them over his shoulders, allowing him to sink even farther into her delicious heat. He felt the head of his shaft brush up against a spongy wall, but he had little time to ponder this new sensation as Buffy released a litany of dirty words and squeezed him to the brink.

"Oh, yes, Will! Do it harder! God, fuck me!" she screamed, her fingernails digging into his arms.

More than willing to comply with her wishes, William slammed into her, their bodies coming together in a slap that echoed in the spacious room. Pressure continued to build up inside of him as he drove his hips faster and harder, but he refused to let go. Not yet.

Suddenly, her hands left his arms and fell to the floor. Her palms pressed down as she leveraged her hips up and pushed into him, throwing any resistance he had held into the wind. He shouted as he careened into his orgasm, his cock pulsing in harsh beats as he shot his completion within her.

“I love you, Buffy!”

And then everything went black.

Moments later, William came to and realized that Buffy was hovering over him with a worried expression on her face.

“Are you okay?” she asked, a little crease line appearing between her perfectly-shaped eyebrows.

“I’m... What happened?” His head felt like someone had filled it with helium and was trying to escape into the atmosphere.

Buffy slipped his glasses off of his face and set them on the coffee table. “I think you might have blacked out.”

“Is that normal?”

She giggled. “Only for some people, I guess. It just means you had one hell of an orgasm.”

That he did. He’d never felt anything as powerful before and despite the burgeoning headache tingling in his brain, he wasn’t opposed to feeling that again.

A silly grin appeared on his face. That was bloody brilliant.

Of course, when he looked up and saw that the worried look had returned to mar her pretty features, he couldn’t help the swirl of confusion that mixed in with his headache. Had she not felt the same?

“What’s wrong, luv?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

He didn’t believe that for a second. Sitting up slowly, he cupped her cheek in his large, calloused hand and searched her eyes. “Buffy, what’s wrong? Did I do-”

“No!” she replied quickly. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Will. I just...it’s...well, we didn’t use anything.”

Blinking slowly, he tried to wrap his brain around what she was saying. Just as he was about to ask for further clarification, it dawned on him. They hadn’t used any protection. The condoms were still upstairs and he hadn’t even thought before plowing into her welcoming depths to go and grab them.

“Buffy,” he began, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. “I-”

He was abruptly cut off by a succession of loud car horn beeps and both he and Buffy popped their heads up to look out the front window.

“That’s Angel’s BMW,” she said, grabbing for her discarded dress from the night before. “I’ll be right back.”

Like hell she would! “I’m goin’ with you, luv.”

“Will,” she sighed, slipping the dress over her head and flinging her nightshirt on the couch. “I’ll just be a second.”

“No. I’m not lettin’ you deal with that tosser by yourself.” He yanked his jeans up and fastened them before turning his attention to the whereabouts of his sweater.

Buffy grinned, shrugging as she zipped the back of her dress up. “Fine, macho man, suit yourself, but I’m sure he’s just dropping the kids off. He never could handle them for longer than a couple of days.”

She gave him a wet kiss before running off towards the front door. He rushed to the kitchen, finding his sweater on the counter and pulling it on as he made his way outside.

As soon as he bounced down the few small steps to the concrete walkway, he realized the twins were quickly headed straight towards him. Figuring they would run into the house, William made a move to step out of the way, but instead of watching them go inside, he watched as they both latched onto his legs and held on for dear life.

What the bloody...

He kneeled down, slipping his arms around their shoulders. “What’s wrong?”

Neither of them said anything, but they didn’t need to. Dawn looked up at him and William had his answer. The poor girl’s cheek was swollen and bruised an ugly shade of purple and the corner of her mouth was crusted over with a bit of dried blood.

And suddenly, William was seeing red.





~*~*~*~*~*~





“What the hell happened, Angel!” Buffy shouted, her blood boiling as the image of Dawnie’s battered face continued to float in her mind.

“It was an accident,” he replied without much concern.

“An accident? What did she do? Run into your fist?”

“I didn’t hit her!”

She moved forward, standing up on her tip-toes to get in his face. “Bullshit! And you better be telling me what happened before I really lose it!”

“I told you. It was an accident.”

“How. Did. It. Happen.”

Angel crossed his arms over his bulky chest and glanced down the street. “Look, it’s not a big deal all right? They were just a little rowdy this morning.”

“And...?” Her patience was wearing very thin and she made Angel very aware of the fact by the death glare she was giving him.

“They shouldn’t just go barging into people’s bedrooms at five o’clock in the morning.”

Buffy practically growled at that. “You were with someone, weren’t you? That fucking bitch I told you I didn’t want my children around, right?”

“She’s not a bitch! And so what? It’s my goddamn house and I’ll have who I want there,” he told her, then leaned forward and gave her a nasty smirk. “And if I feel like fucking someone in my house, in my bedroom, I will.”

She shoved him away from her and pointed a long finger at him. “I told you I didn’t want her around them and you let her come over anyway and now my daughter has a bruise the size of Venezuela on her cheek, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the rest of this story. Let me guess, she got pissed because your kids came running into your bedroom to wake up their father on Christmas morning and interrupted your little fuck session. What I don’t understand is why you’re trying to defend someone who hit one of your kids, Angel.”

“I told you! It was an accident. If they would have just gone back to sleep like I told them to, this would have never happened,” Angel retorted.

“It’s Christmas morning!” she cried, throwing her hands up. “That’s what kids do when they wake up on Christmas morning. Of course, if you were a better father, you’d know that.”

“You know what? Fuck you, Buffy! You don’t have a say in what I do with my life. We’re leaving now!”

“You are not taking... Wait a minute. You brought her!” Her eyes widened as her fury rose to a fever pitch. She pushed Angel out of the way and stalked towards his black BMW where she saw the distinct outline of a person behind the tinted windows. Flinging the door open, Buffy didn’t waste another minute before yanking the bleach-blonde bitch out of the car.

“Buffy! Goddamn it!” Angel yelled as he tried to pull her away from the fallen form of his girlfriend.

Buffy shrugged his meaty hand off of her shoulder and threw her fist back, slinging it forward to collide with the girl’s face. “You like to hit people, you skank! How’s it feel!” The girl was shrieking, but Buffy didn’t let up, landing a few more punches and a couple of backhanded slaps.

All of the sudden, she felt a solid arm wrap around her waist and pull her away. There wasn’t any way she was going to get loose now, but that didn’t stop her from kicking the bitch in the stomach with a resounding swoosh. The girl screamed in pain and grabbed her middle, rocking on the hard concrete.

Spinning around, Buffy was about to beat the hell out of Angel when she realized that it was William that had pulled her away. Her fist hovered in the air for a moment before she finally relaxed and let her hand fall to her side.

“Where are they?” she asked, out of breath from the beating she just laid down.

“They’re in the house, luv. Safe an’ sound.” His voice instantly soothed her and she felt like collapsing in his arms right then and there.

But she had one last thing to take care of.

“I want you to give up your visitation rights, Angel,” she said as she turned to face him.

Angel glared at Buffy as he helped his girlfriend up. “No way. They’re my freaking kids, too, Buffy.”

Buffy nodded. “Fine, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer and you better believe I will bring up today’s accident. Now get the hell off my property.”

“You want a fight, Buffy? I will run your ass through the mud and you’ll be sorry after-”

All she saw was a flash of white as William shot past her and slammed his knuckles into Angel’s nose. The sound of bones crunching made her wince, but that was mostly from the gruesome noise and not at all out of sympathy. The bastard deserved to get hit and had she been just a fraction faster, it would have been her fist in his face instead of William’s.

“I believe you ‘eard the lady,” William began, his chest heaving from the rush of adrenaline. “Get the ‘ell off ‘er property.”





~*~*~*~*~*~




Once they were back inside, they found Dawn and Connor playing next to the Christmas tree. Dawn was wearing the giant pink doily on her head and twirling around as Connor rearranged the blanket and pillows into a fort.

“Mommy!” Dawn shouted as she ran towards them and hugged Buffy’s leg. Glancing up with her big blue eyes, she stuck her lip out into a little pout. “Am I in trouble?”

“No, baby. You’re not in trouble at all. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Buffy replied.

“Okay. Can I play?”

“Absolutely!”

Dawn grinned then took two steps over and grabbed William’s hand. “Wanna play?”

He was a little taken aback by the question at first. After all, Buffy’s kids barely knew him, but they both seemed to accept the fact that he was in their lives now. At least, that was the only explanation he could come up with for why they had run to him outside.

“Um, okay,” he said, letting Dawn lead him over to Connor’s lopsided fort. They sat down in front of it and Dawn promptly removed the doily from her head and placed it on William’s.

“Oh, that’s very attractive,” Buffy remarked with a chuckle.

“You know it, luv.”

Buffy moved to sit down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I could get used to this.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.”

William grinned. “So could I.”

She leaned into kiss him, her lips brushing against his. The feel of her sent shivers up his spine and he sucked her lower lip between his, his hand grasping hers and squeezing it.

“Ewww!”

They broke apart so fast it made his head spin. Maybe it was a little too soon to be kissing in front of the sprogs.

“Mommy? Who forgot their underwear?” Connor asked with a disgusted look on his face as he held up the blue panties between his thumb and forefinger.

Buffy turned bright red as she snatched the undergarment and hid it behind her back.

“I think they’re Grandma’s. Grandpa said he was going to dance her pants off last night,” Dawn announced.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Buffy asked him, her blush deepening slightly.

William looked at the twins for a minute then back at Buffy and smiled. “Oh, yeah.”










A/N: Just the Epilogue after this one. Woo-hoo!!!!

One Year Later

 

“Will!  I am spending a fortune on panties because you can’t stop ripping them,” Buffy exclaimed, holding up the tattered remains of her nude-colored thong.

He was busy putting himself back together after the quickie he had initiated while she was putting on her lipstick in the bathroom.  His clothes were in complete disarray: half a shirttail untucked, line of buttons curved like a snake up his torso, fly open to reveal a hint of delicious skin, belt hanging precariously from only two belt loops.  It should have looked sloppy, but on him it was wickedly dirty. 

William smirked, tongue curled seductively behind his teeth.  “That’s why I keep tellin’ you to not wear any,” he retorted as he zipped up his pants.

“Oh yeah, what will my mother think when I show up at my parents’ house with no underwear on?”  She turned towards the mirror and began the task of reapplying her makeup.

“First of all,” he began, raising his index finger, “I would hope that Joyce isn’t in the habit of lookin’ up people’s skirts.  And secondly, she would probably think that her daughter is a bloody lucky bird for landin’ such a handsome devil.  Your mum knows the score.”

Buffy scrunched up her face.  “Ew, Will, don’t talk about my mom and sex.  It’s just…ugh.”

He moved quickly, his arms wrapping around her tiny waist and pulling her against his solid chest.  His head dipped down and his lips brushed down the slender column of her neck.  “You’re such a prude, luv,” he murmured into her ear.

They were running late.  They should have left the house half an hour ago to make it to the Christmas party, but William was very persuasive when it came to getting his way.  Not that she was complaining.  Hot sex with her equally hot boyfriend was never something she could say no to.  So despite her best efforts to quit dawdling, the languid movement of his tongue flicking against her earlobe made it impossible to follow through with the plan.

“I wasn’t such a prude five minutes ago.”

He groaned and shifted his hips forward, the hard shaft of his cock sliding against the indentation of her ass.  “No, baby, you were a dirty girl five minutes ago.  I’m thinkin’ I wouldn’t mind seein’ her again.  What do you say?  Can dirty girl come back out to play?”

“You are…”  She lost her voice as his large hand slipped underneath her dress and cupped her wet, throbbing pussy.  “Mmm…insatiable.”

His middle finger slid between her folds, teasing her entrance before moving upward to rub her clit.  Her head fell back against his shoulder as he continued turning up her arousal, every flick and flow of his fingers was a click of the dial that increased the flame of her desire.

“If I am it’s only because you make me that way.  Fuck, Buffy, I can’t get enough of you,” he rasped.

The feeling was more than mutual.  In her experience, the passion that was so prevalent in the beginning of a relationship always started to wane after a while, but with William that didn’t happen.  In fact, if anything, their passion for each other only grew the longer they were together.  She couldn’t get enough of him, of his body, of his laughter, of the way he made her feel. 

She couldn’t imagine her life without him in it.  She needed him like she needed air, constantly feeding her with love and devotion until she was positively gluttonous for it.  Plus it didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous and sexy and intelligent and that he loved her kids like they were his own.

He grunted as he suddenly bent her over the vanity and dropped to his knees behind her.  As he lifted her skirt and slid his hot hands up the backs of her thighs he said, “We’re gonna be late.”

“We’re already la-gah!”

William stabbed her sensitive opening with his tongue and moaned.  His hands gripped the cheeks of her ass and spread them, allowing him to bury his face into her sweet, wet flesh.  He feasted on her flesh, licking, sucking, doing things with his mouth that Buffy was sure were illegal in some states.  Her hands clutched the edge of the counter tightly as she attempted to keep her knees from buckling under the intense pleasure being bestowed on her.

Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, he slid two fingers into her greedy entrance and gave her a coy wave with the tips.  Her body jackknifed as ecstasy shot through her like lightening hitting rebar.

“Oh, god, Will!” she sobbed as the tremors of her orgasm washed over her again and again.  “Love you!”

Buffy could feel him smile against the back of her thigh as he coaxed her down from the impassioned high, rubbing away the intensity, soothing the overstimulation until she could breathe again.  He slowly stood, his fingertips trailing up her body, zinging her with little shivers.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and gazed at her through the mirror, his expression intense.  “I love you, too, Buffy.  You and the bits are my everything, you know.”  He paused for a moment, took a deep breath and reached into his pants’ pocket.  “Was gonna wait ‘til the mornin’ to do this, but…”

It happened in slow motion.  Buffy looked down as he brought his hand up in front of her, a small velvet box in his hand.  She knew what it was.  In fact, she’d known that this day was coming, but he still stole her breath away with the gesture. 

“Open it,” he murmured into her ear.

Her hands were shaking as she lifted them to pry open the little box.  It snapped open with a creak and inside was the most perfect ring she’d ever seen.  It was a small cushion-cut diamond with two sapphires, one for each twin, nestled on either side in a beautiful platinum setting.  She felt her eyes start to leak hot tears as she stared at this declaration of love and fidelity.

Will turned her so that they were face to face and then he dropped to his knees.  “Buffy, you’re the one.  The only one for me.  I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Connor and Dawn.  And if you’ll have me, I intend to make sure you’re happy for the rest of yours.  Will you marry me, luv?”

She bestowed him with a watery smile.  “Yes.  Yes!”

 

*** *** ***

 

William knew he grinned like a sodding idiot during the entire drive to Buffy’s parents’ house, but he didn’t care.  He wanted to shout from the rooftops, tag a building or two, and skywrite what a lucky bastard he was.  Buffy was going to be his wife and he wanted the whole world to know it.

He glanced over at her as he parked the car.  The engagement ring he’d given her glistened under the streetlamps and cast sparkles against her cheeks when she reached for the door handle.  Her skin was flushed, which Will knew was attributed solely to him, and he had to admit he held a fair amount of pride about that.  And she looked so…bloody happy.  His heart swelled.

He finally stopped swimming in his own blissful delirium when Buffy started to unbuckle Connor from his safety seat and he quickly got out of the car to help with Dawn.  He unsnapped the restraint and helped the little girl down from the car.  Her hand in his, they joined Buffy and Connor on the sidewalk.

Joyce opened the door and the twins took off in a run.  “Gramma!” Connor shouted as he careened into Joyce’s leg.  She laughed as she hugged the children, clearly having missed them as much as they missed her. 

With school taking up most of their time these days, the twins didn’t get to see their grandparents as much.  A weekend here and there and the occasional dinner had Connor and Dawn in grandpa and grandma withdrawals.  Luckily, the winter break would allow them to see a bit more of each other.

“You’re late.  Did you two get lost on the way here?” Joyce asked them with a knowing smile.  Couldn’t get much past the lady.

Buffy blushed.  “Mom!”

She greeted Buffy and Will with a big hug before they all piled into the house where the party was already in full swing.

They’d barely gotten their coats off when suddenly, Anya screeched so loud that William could swear it started the neighbor’s dog howling.  “Oh my god!  You’re getting married?”

Will watched as Buffy’s gaze quickly went to her parents, most likely to gauge their reaction before responding to her friend’s outburst.

Rupert just arched an eyebrow at him.  “I thought you were going to wait until tomorrow morning.”

“Wait,” Buffy said, turning to her father, “you knew?”

What?  What kind of a man did she think he was?  Of course, he asked her parents’ approval beforehand.  Then again, he knew for a fact that Angel had done no such thing.  Selfish prat. So perhaps she wasn’t accustomed to the practice, but he’d be damned if he didn’t get the all clear from Joyce and Rupert.  His mother had raised him right and she’d turn over in her grave if she knew William had attempted to marry someone without getting their parents’ permission first.

“Oh honey, of course we knew,” Joyce replied.  “We were actually wondering why it took him so long.”

“Oi!  That’s playin’ below the belt now, Joyce,” Will told her in jest, a grin lingering at the corner of his mouth.

What no one knew was that he’d actually purchased the ring six months ago and he’d been holding onto it until just the right time.  In fact, if he hadn’t thought Buffy would’ve told him to shove off, he probably would have proposed a month after they’d gotten together.  There had never been any question in his mind that Buffy Summers was the only girl in the world for him.  It was propriety that had held him back from doing what he had wanted all along.

And now, decorum could take a flying leap.

 

*** *** ***

 

Buffy took a sip of her eggnog as she watched Connor and Dawn play with a group of kids near the Christmas tree.  They seemed happy; she just hoped they actually were.  She knew they loved William, but they were also missing their dad and she imagined it had been pretty confusing for them while she and Angel were fighting over custody all the while having William suddenly around all of the time. 

Dawn had taken it better than Connor, who’d cried more than a few times for his daddy, especially when was getting punished for acting out.

She squeezed her eyes shut.  What a mess.  They’d been in and out of court over the span of three months after last Christmas.  It had gotten ugly and while the kids had been spared the insults, Buffy couldn’t feel good about the things she’d said about Angel in court.  He was the father of her children and they’d loved each other once, but that hadn’t seemed to matter when he was calling her a slut and she was calling him an abusive deadbeat.

In the end, Angel had lost all custody rights and while she should have been cheering her win, all she could think about was how much it was hurting the twins to lose their dad.  But she couldn’t trust him, not anymore.  She had to make the tough call and cut him out of their lives.

He still paid child support faithfully, slipping in a card on holidays and their birthday.  At first, she refused to pass the correspondence on.  She’d been so angry at him.  But after a couple of months, some cooling down, and William and her parents’ reassurances, she’d finally allowed the kids to receive the notes.

“You look entirely too serious for an event like this, Buff,” Xander said as he came to stand next to her.  “It’s Christmas; not jury duty.  Don’t look so sad.”

She laughed.  “Another glass of Mom’s eggnog and I’ll be right as rain.”

“Yeah,” Xander replied, eyeing his own mug, “Joyce’s eggnog is much more noggy than it is eggy this year.”

They talked for a while, mostly about work.  The construction business appeared to be booming and Xander’s company had signed a couple of really big contracts, which Xander insisted was all Will’s doing.  Apparently, her fiancé could charm the pants off of people even when they weren’t quite able to beat the bids of bigger companies.  Buffy wasn’t surprised.  After all, he had charmed the pants right off of her, too.

Buffy swallowed the last bit of her eggnog and caught William’s gaze from across the room.  He had that look on his face, the one that said, ‘I’m going to devour you when I get you alone’.  She shook her head at him.  No way was she getting it on with him in her parents’ house.

 

*** *** ***

 

“I bet you were a bloody hot cheerleader, luv,” Will panted into Buffy’s ear as he thrust into her hot, pliable body.  “Maybe we could take that uniform home with us and I could pretend to be your English tutor.  Stubborn girl, you’d learn those adverbs if you’d jus’ study a little…harder.”

He slammed his hips against hers at the same time he spoke the word and she wailed a little louder than was inconspicuous.

“Shhh, baby.  You don’t want your dad t’ come up here and find us, do you?”

Sodding hell, this was a turn-on.  He hadn’t intended to pounce her when they’d gone up to her room to grab some spare blankets.  Apparently, Joyce’s nogg was extra potent and a few people couldn’t be trusted to make the drive home so Rupert and Joyce had insisted some of their guests stay the night.  But they walked into Buffy’s childhood room and before he knew it, he started having all of these raunchy fantasies of Buffy as a teenager.  What person could blame him for what happened next? 

“Yes, yes, yes,” she chanted.  “I’m almost there, Will.  Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”

“Never.” 

He grabbed her leg just behind the knee and pushed it up towards her chest.  He moved faster, harder and then moved his hand to rest just above her pubic bone so his thumb could stroke the little bundle of nerves that would help push her over the edge.

She began to convulse and before she had the chance to shout, William covered her mouth with his own, muffling her cries as they spilled down his throat.  He stayed with her until the aftershocks had completely subsided and then he rolled off of her.

“You are in so much trouble right now,” Buffy finally said after catching her breath.

He jerked his head to the side.  “What?  Why am I in trouble?”

“Seriously?”  She rolled her eyes at him.  “In my parents’ house?  You are so bad.”

William chuckled.  “Yeah, but you enjoyed every bloody minute of it, dirty girl.  Don’t I at least get a gold star for participation?”

She threw a stuffed animal at his head.  “You’re a bad influence on me.  Next we’ll be joining the mile high club.”

“Mmm, there is always the honeymoon for that.”  And he knew he’d be able to cross that off his bucket list when the time came, too.

“Dream on, Will,” she told him, smiling.  “We’d better get downstairs before they send a search party.”

She was right.  They’d disappeared for a good twenty minutes.  His quickies weren’t nearly as quick as was convenient, not that either of them were complaining, but it did tend to make them late a lot.  And he wasn’t kidding when he’d warned her about her dad coming up.  He might be a bookworm, but William suspected Rupert had a checkered past that may or may not have included being in some sort of street gang.  While he considered himself fairly tough, Will didn’t think he stood a chance against Buffy’s father.

“So, I think we should split up.  I’ll take the blankets down to the guest room and you go to the kitchen and help with the trash.  Plan?”

“Brilliant, luv.”

After straightening their clothes and smoothing down errant hair, they set to their tasks. 

Will bounded down the stairs and grabbed two large trash bags and walked them outside to the garbage cans.  He had just set the lids back on the barrels and started back towards the house when he heard something behind him.  With more speed than he had intended, he spun around.

Angel.

His jaw turned to stone and his fists clenched automatically.  “What are you doin’ here, Angel?” he asked in a black tone.

“I’m not here to cause trouble, if that’s what you’re thinking, William.  Just wanted a word with you,” Angel replied.  His tone was passive and he held his hands out, a peace offering.

William narrowed his eyes.  “Me?  What the bloody hell could we possibly have to talk about?”

Angel threw his hands up.  “I knew this was a stupid idea.  He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

Had the bloke gone completely sack of hammers?  Will tilted his head.  Who was he talking to? 

It wasn’t until Angel turned a little that he saw her.  She was tall and buxom and not at all Angel’s type based on his history.  Her arms were crossed over her ample chest and she didn’t look amused by Angel’s outburst.

“Stop being such a baby, Angel.  You’re gonna do this even if I have to string you up like a puppet and move your mouth for you,” she told him.

Angel flailed his hands a little.  “Cordy-“

“Uh-uh.”  She waved her pointer finger at him.  “Don’t Cordy me.  Just do it.”

If this were any other time or place, William might have laughed, but quite frankly, having Angel within a hundred yards of his family- yeah, that’s right his family- made him a little weary.  Tough-looking, string-pulling girlfriend aside, whenever Angel was around he tended to bring on the heartbreak and he’d be damned if he let the ponce hurt Buffy or the kids again.

“Look, William, I just-“ Angel flailed again.  He was really having an issue here. “I wanted to say that…  You…  I, uh, thanks.”

Will quirked an eyebrow at him.  “Thanks?  For what?”

“I’m a shitty dad,” he blurted.

“And you’re sayin’ I’m the reason you’re a shitty father?”

Angel threw his hands up and made an exasperated sound.  “No!  It’s just- You’ve been there for Connor and Dawn when I wasn’t.”

It was on the tip of William’s tongue to drill in that fact, rub it in, drive it home.  He almost said it, and then he saw the pitiful look on the other man’s face and it dawned on him that Angel was being sincere.  It was killing him, but Angel had come there tonight for the sole purpose of admitting his faults and thanking another man for taking care of his responsibilities. 

Jesus.  That took a lot of pride swallowing and with an ego the size of Angel’s that was a mouthful.

“What’s your angle?” William asked.  People rarely changed, but they could always be coerced if the prize was big enough.  He wanted to believe that Angel’s motives were pure, if for no other reason than the twins.  He hoped they were.

“Just trying to earn back what I took from them.  If it takes five, ten years or twenty, I want them to trust me again.  I want Buffy to trust me.  And you.  You’re a good man, Will.  Couldn’t ask for a better guy to be a father for my kids, but I’m their dad and I want them to know me too.”

William nodded.  What could he say?

Angel shoved his hands into his pockets.  “I, uh, brought the kids some Christmas gifts.  I guess Buffy can decide if she wants to give them to Connor and Dawn.  If you want, you can just say they’re from Santa.  I’m not expecting to fix this overnight, you know.  I just want to try.”

“I’ll talk to her.  Can’t make any promises though.”

“Yeah, yeah, no problem,” Angel said, despite looking slightly crestfallen.  “Will you let her know that I’d like to talk to her?  She can call whenever or, you know, never.”

After handing over the bag of gifts and his business card, Angel awkwardly reached for William’s hand to shake it.  “Thanks,” he said once more before letting go of Will’s hand and then walking to where Cordy was waiting for him.  He watched as Cordy slung an arm across Angel’s shoulders and they made their way towards their car before driving off.

 

*** *** ***

 

Buffy placed the last of the gifts under the Christmas tree and sat back to take in the view.  She’d chosen to keep the gift’s Angel had given to Will separate from the rest of presents.  She was going to tell Connor and Dawn they were from their dad, but she also wanted to have a discussion with them about it so they would open those later in the day.

She could only hope that Angel didn’t end up disappointing them again, but Will seemed to think her ex-husband had turned over a new leaf.  Only time would tell, she supposed.

“You know, I am gettin’ the weirdest case of déjà vu here,” William said as he handed her a cup of hot chocolate and sat down next to her.

“I don’t remember there being hot chocolate last time,” Buffy remarked, “but maybe we can make it a new tradition.”

“Sounds like a plan.” 

She took a sip of her drink, then set the mug on the table.  “So…  Are the kids asleep?”

“Yep, and it only took two readings of The Night Before Christmas to get them off to dreamland.  Gotta say, I’m becomin’ a master at this bedtime story deal.”

“Maybe you should read me a bedtime story,” she suggested coyly.

“I’ve got a better idea and it doesn’t involve sleepin’ or Dancer and Prancer, luv.  It may, however, include you in that sexy cheerleading outfit.  What do you say we get to workin’ on those splits?”