Twenty-Ninth. Only keeping an animal
A dog in desperation will leap over a wall.
Chinese proverb
If a dog doesn’t put you first where are you both?
In what relation? A dog needs God.
It lives by your glances, your wishes.
It even shares your humour.
This happens about the fifth year.
If it doesn’t happen you are only keeping an animal.
Enid Bagnold
Corner a dog in a dead-end street and it will turn and bite.
Chinese proverb.
With a deep sigh, Will hugged Buffy close, then let her go. “All right. Let’s get this mess taken care of an’ then we’ll talk, okay?”
“Fine.”
Making quick work of stripping off the mattress, Buffy stepped back when the two men lifted it from the box spring and out into the hallway. Scooping up the linens, she stuffed them into the bags, fighting tears the whole time.
Other than a few comments regarding the removal of the mattress and full bags, they worked in silence, punctuated with Will’s occasional expletives.
Collecting the feathers was proving to be a bit of a problem, until Buffy hit upon the idea of using the vacuum to blow them into a pile before gathering them up. Neither man would allow her to operate the vacuum, so she was relegated to holding the garbage bag while Giles wielded the nozzle and Will picked up the piled feathers.
When the last handful of feathers was dropped into the bag, Will scanned around the room for signs of other damage, blowing out a deep sigh when he discovered none. Catching sight of Buffy’s wary expression, he smiled at her, steeling his shoulders for the coming discussion.
“All done?”
“Appears so.” Rupert picked a couple of loose feathers off his shirt, frowning at nothing in particular.
“Let’s get something to drink, before we start this.”
Without any further comment, his uncle unplugged the vacuum, hit the recoil switch for the plug and heft it in his hand. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Feeling like they were about to head into the lion’s den and face their first executioner, Buffy gripped Will’s hand tightly and tried to fight the apprehension flooding her belly.
There was an awkward silence when the three of them finally sat down in the living room, Buffy and Will sitting side by side on the couch and Rupert on one of the overstuffed chairs. She hadn’t let go of her husband’s hand the entire time they’d been sitting, which was more than a few minutes. She could feel Will’s tension increasing as he struggled to find the words, which was ironic considering how gifted he was normally, her eyes never leaving Giles. The older man was wrapped up in his own thoughts, not really looking at the two of them, memories of a similar situation rising.
It had been a long time, a very long time since he’d thought of Will’s father and his sister, returning home to face two sets of disapproving parents over their quick marriage. Anne was just 17 when they met, and James just 19; though they’d waited until James was done with university, Anne hadn’t ever finished, because by the time they were getting settled into their first – and only house - she was already pregnant with Will. A soft smile crossed his features, remembering how happy they were, despite the opposition from both families. He schooled his expression quickly, but Will must have seen it, because he started talking.
“Buffy came back two weeks ago. Found her sleeping in the driveway, curled up next to the DeSoto. Was damned near at the end of m’rope. . . . wasn’t sleeping, or eating. Nearly stumbled over her on my way out to look again, after trying to rest and. . . . an’ there she was.” Will squeezed her hand, looking down at their meshed fingers.
Rupert raised his eyes to look at Will, struck by the expression on his face. “I remember.”
“Yeah. So do I. Wasn’t going to let her escape again, even though she said she was coming to say one last goodbye before she cleared out of this place.”
Buffy’s voice was low and very soft, hearing this Will’s description of how he found her for the first time. “Hey, I’m right here, ya know.”
A half smile crossed his features, and Will let out a low nervous chuckle. “I know.”
Sneaking a glance up at his face, she reached out with her left hand, stroking his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, either. Remember that?”
“Yeah.”
Giles ignored their byplay, his eyes caught by the glitter of diamonds on her ring finger. The suspicions he’d been harboring for the last couple of hours were confirmed. Deciding he didn’t need the details at the moment, he cut right to the heart of the matter and asked outright. “Where were you this weekend?”
“In Vegas.”
“Doing?”
“We got married yesterday.”
He stared at them for a few moments, unsure of how to formulate the response. His first reaction was to yell, as was his second. But catching sight of the expression on Buffy’s face and the pool of tears in her eyes threatening to overspill, Giles curbed his anger.
“It’s not legal, you do know that.”
Buffy’s grip on Will’s hand tightened, and she turned that fearful gaze on him. “What? How can that be?”
“It is legal, Rupert. Buffy’s over eighteen.” A muscle ticked in his temple, heralding an epic explosion.
“Are you?” He looked at her and when she shook her head affirmatively, he released the breath he was holding. “Well then I stand corrected.”
Once more silence filled the room, each one of the occupants lost in though. Buffy leaned into Will, and in response he wrapped his arm around her, hugging her close. He was brushing a kiss on her temple when Rupert’s voice broke the silence.
“You do realize getting married isn’t going to solve everything once the school – once administration gets wind of this you could still lose your job. There will be questions about when your involvement began.”
“We know all that.” The new couple shared a look which Giles couldn’t interpret.
Surprisingly, it was Buffy who spoke next. “I’m not. . . . DNA testing will prove Riley’s contribution, even if he tries to get out of paying support. And,” she glanced once more at Will, “I’m pretty sure my mom won’t say anything. If the school gives us trouble, we’ll go.”
“Go where?” But before he even asked, his instincts were telling him where – Will would take her home. “You do realize going back to England won’t solve all the problems facing you.”
“I’m not stupid, I know that. Going to England will only go so far too . . . it’ll give us a whole different set of problems. Buffy would be all alone and I’d have to take the first job offered.”
Well. Rupert stared at his nephew, unable to form a complete thought. Apparently Will wasn’t as impulsive as he’d first believed and he had done some thinking on the situation before acting. Addressing his comments to Buffy, he asked, “Are you prepared for that?”
“If I have to be. I don’t wanna be apart from Will. I can’t. . . I . . . .” She started to cry and Rupert felt no small amount of regret for his harsh tones.
Buffy buried her head into Will’s chest, soft sobs wracking her body. Will lifted her up, holding her tightly in his arms. “Shhhh, baby, ‘ve got you. Shhhhh.”
“My apologies. It appears neither of you is being unrealistic about this situation.”
“Can’t afford to be. Once the school knows, it could be all over. They can’t keep us apart since she’s old enough, but they can still fire me, maybe even arrest me. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities since Snyder doesn’t like either of us.”
Rupert stifled a sound that was suspiciously like a snort. “That man doesn’t like anyone.”
“Understatement much?” Buffy lifted her head from Will’s shoulder, brushing a kiss on his cheek. “Need to get up for a minute. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Both men watched her go, heading up the stairs toward the bathroom. Once she was out of earshot, Will turned to his uncle and said, “Don’t hold back, Rupes, I know you’ve got something to say.”
Buffy was tired, drained and almost completely wiped out. She’d been nearly asleep on the ride home, blissfully so, until they’d pulled into the driveway and discovered Mr. Giles still there. Then everything had gone from bad to worse.
Kennedy’s destruction in the kitchen was bad enough, but the damage in the bedroom was ten times worse. I can’t believe the dog would do that.
The upstairs was quiet. Except for the mattress in the hallway, no evidence remained from the mess Kennedy had wrought. Buffy sighed heavily as she washed her face and hands. She had hoped making things legal would have given them just a little bit of breathing space. In one respect it had – so what his uncle was here – they were going to have to deal with him sooner or later. Too bad for them it happened a little bit sooner than they expected. She really didn’t think Mr. Giles would turn his back on Will – they only had each other; her real worry wasn’t about Giles or oddly enough her own mother.
No. Her real worry was whether or not Will would stay out of jail and keep his job. Nothing else was as important.
She leaned against the door, wanting nothing more to crawl into bed and sleep until the morning, Will’s strong arms wrapped tight around her body. Forcing back her fatigue, Buffy straightened up away from the door and bit back a shriek.
They stared at each other for more than a few minutes, neither one of them sure how to break the sudden silence, following Will’s growled statement.
Will was experiencing a sense of profound relief all out of context with the moment. He knew Rupert had hours worth of things to say, more than likely not a one of them positive or supportive and still he felt like a weight had been lifted.
It was irrational and crazy, he knew it. Still it didn’t matter one whit. Relief flooded through him just the same.
For his part, Rupert was of two minds on the situation. The girl looked happy, more content than he’d seen her in months and she looked at Will as if he were her world.
Resting his eyes on his nephew, Giles was forced to admit she fully reciprocated the feelings he’d realized Will had for her.
Which boded well for them – provided they could weather the storms brewing around them.
The administrator part of him was by turns appalled and disgusted; wondering how long they had suppressed their feelings – and the legal ramifications. She had been his student. He was possibly facing some pretty stiff charges, should someone else from the administration discover their circumstances.
Such was the crux of his current moral crisis.
Should he say something to one of his fellow administrators, thereby throwing his only living relative to the wolves, leaving his brand-new wife alone and possibly back under her mother’s roof? Or should he remain quiet, tacitly condoning their illegal activities? And just how illegal were their activities anyway? The girl was eighteen, of legal age in most states; and now that more than a full month had passed, officially AWOL from school and no longer an active student. So just how morally wrong were they?
In England, she was more than past the legal age. A case could be argued in Will’s defense that he was acting on instinct, relying on his English upbringing. However, that line of reasoning posed another set of problems, mostly involving immigration . . . . and really, is this serving any purpose other than muddying the waters?
Buffy was eighteen; Will twenty-nine on his next birthday. She’d come from what he was convinced was an abusive situation at home and was in desperate need of someone to support her in the coming months. Financially she was in a bind, emotionally she was a wreck. Who else would be able to take care of this girl? She was too old for a foster home, the dearth of homes or refuges for un-wed mothers left that option out of the equation. She had, in effect, nowhere to go if Will hadn’t taken her in, hadn’t offered her shelter. He hadn’t coerced her in any way, if he had, Will certainly wouldn’t have married her.
His thoughts were going round and round with no clear-cut solution.
Did he play the Quisling and turncoat to his only family?
Should he leave them be, let fate make its own decision?
He started to open his mouth, fully prepared to give Will a blistering lecture, pinning back his ears. What emerged instead surprised both of them. “You are far too much like your parents.”
“Isn’t exactly an insult.”
“I’m aware of that.” Giles took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Your father was a very impetuous man and your mother always followed her heart.”
Will cocked his head, watching Giles carefully, waiting for the censure to come. “Not bad traits to have, but William, you have to know this is a potentially precarious situation. You have skirted the edge of legality, dancing on the edge of a precipice you absolutely cannot afford to fall into. That girl is relying on you to protect her, to support her and to be with her through everything.”
Taking a deep breath, Rupert continued. “She loves you unconditionally, and because of that she trusts you. Neither of you can afford any missteps.”
Exhaling loudly, he leaned forward, looking at Will intently. “All that being said, I have been very worried about her and I’m very happy to see she’s some where safe, and that she won’t have undue stress about her living situation. But William,” he put his glasses on the table. “The least you could have done is let me know beforehand.”
Just as he was about open his mouth to speak, a strange noise came from the second floor, one that had them both on their feet instantly.
She tried three times to get around the snarling dog, only to find the dog inching forward every single time. C’mon Buffy, it’s only a little dog, she’s not gonna do anything but snarl and yap at ya. . . . . oohhhkay.
Only that didn’t really work, because Kennedy snapped her jaws at Buffy’s feet catching one of her canines on the loop of Buffy’s bootlace. She tried shaking her foot to dislodge the dog, but instead Kennedy chomped down, pulling back on the lace, putting Buffy off balance.
Maybe not then.
Grabbing onto the door jamb, Buffy barely kept her balance, holding on tightly. Using her other foot, Buffy pushed the dog away, lifting her up a little by the neck. She didn’t dare reach down to force Kennedy away, afraid of catching one of her fingers in the dog’s mouth. Leaning her shoulder onto the door, Buffy tried not to kick hard, but Kennedy was growling and pulling back hard.
“C’mon Kennedy, let go. Be a nice doggy and let me go.” Muttering under her breath, Buffy fought back a little harder, aware of her advantage over the dog.
Somehow she managed to dislodge the terrier, taking the advantage and moving further down the hall. Buffy had only managed a few steps, when Kennedy lunged toward her, pulling hard on the back of her right heel, knocking her off balance completely. She twisted, scrambling for something to hold onto so she could remain upright, but then Kennedy let go of her, and caught her other leg in a bite and tripped her up by scrambling around her.
Twisting again to shield her belly, Buffy tucked into a ball, landing heavily on her butt. A loud thud reverberated in the hallway and she immediately covered her face, blocking Kennedy. The dog was tugging on her shirt, biting at her wrists and forearms, trying to get purchase around and sink her teeth into Buffy’s flesh.
“Ow, go away!“
She was shaking, breathing heavily in fear, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Buffy was afraid to move, afraid to try and get to her feet, and trying hard to keep Kennedy from biting her arm.
“Stop! Kennedy, stop it! Go away!” Buffy pushed herself away, sliding along the wooden floor, toward the staircase.
They were fighting now, Buffy managing to somehow push the dog’s snout away as she slid further down the hallway. A noise behind her distracted her for a moment and Kennedy took advantage, launching herself up by her hind legs toward Buffy’s exposed face. At the last second, Buffy lifted her right forearm, and Kennedy closed her jaws around Buffy’s wrist, gnawing at the skin.
“Fuck!”
Will shot forward, one hand closing around Kennedy’s neck, his other pushing between her clamped jaws, forcing them open.
“God damned fucking dog!” He growled low, stepping over the huddled form of his wife, forcing the dog away. “Rupert!”
Giles came up behind him, his arms reaching out to shield Buffy in case the dog managed to break free of Will’s hold.
Wedging two more fingers into Kennedy’s mouth, Will finally managed to get the dog to loosen her grip on Buffy’s arm and he squeezed hard around her neck. With barely suppressed rage, he shook the dog, lifting her completely off the floor. Giles pulled Buffy up, holding her against his chest, trying to calm her.
She was crying, panting and gasping for air, her eyes wide with panic. “Oh my god. . . oh my god.”
Kennedy was a snarling, snapping mass of fur and muscle, writhing and wriggling in Will’s grasp. Rupert tried to lead Buffy away, but the fright caught up with her and her entire body started trembling and shaking. Loud hiccupping sobs wracked her frame and she faltered almost slumping to the floor.
Will shook the dog hard, unaware of Buffy collapsing behind him. He managed to get one hand around Kennedy’s snout, holding both sides of her jaws closed. Tucking her small body under his other arm, Will squeezed harder, drawing yelps of pain from the dog. A red haze of anger blinded him to everything else, including the two people close to him. He tightened his hold on Kennedy, until Rupert’s voice calling his name broke through his rage. “Will?! Buffy’s in trouble.”
Without thinking, Will pivoted around, thrusting Kennedy’s subdued body at his uncle, his hands reaching for Buffy as she crumpled on the floor.
She was silent, save for the barely audible whimpers and the sound of her gasping breaths. Kennedy snarled again, fighting against the less secure hold of Giles and Buffy whimpered loudly, jumping when Will reached a hand down to her.
“Jus’ me, kitten, it’s all right.” He crouched down, drawing her into his embrace, holding her close. “Rupert, get that fuckin’ dog out of here.”
Sinking down to his knees, Will pulled Buffy in closer to his strong chest. “It’s okay baby, ‘ve got you. . . . shhhhhhh.”
He ran a quick hand over her, checking for broken bones and bloody bites. “Buffy, did she get you?”
Still unable to form coherent words, all Buffy could do was shake her head negatively.
“C’mon sweetheart, I need to make sure, lemme look.”
Moving back a little, Will ran a shaky hand over her face, wiping away her tears. He brushed a kiss on her forehead, murmuring softly to her. Buffy was cradling her wrist between her breasts and when Will spotted her favoring it, he lifted it away.
Small puncture marks ringed her small wrist, tiny bruises already forming, there was no sign of blood though, something he quickly thanked god for.
“Can you get up?” Getting to his knees, Will helped her up, letting her lean on him. “Its okay baby. Gonna be okay.”
Her fingers were twisted into his shirt, holding on with white knuckles, her head lodged into the crook of his neck. Leaning heavily against him, Buffy tried to calm her breathing and her heartbeat
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