Chapter 7: ‘Comfort For The Captor’
“So,” Buffy began by clearing her throat, “tell me, Connor. What you know about
your uncle and cousin’s past?” It really was more of a plea then a statement. For some reason, Buffy needed to know as much as possible about William Giles. There was something between them, Will and her, and Buffy had to have answers, or excuses for him.
Connor looked down, into his cooling coffee, then met Buffy’s green-eyed gaze. “I’ll try. I can tell you what Angel told me, but it’s probably not everything.”
“It is enough, I am sure,” Buffy whispered with a nod of her head. “Please Connor. Tell me. I need to know about William, or Spike as you all call him.” She truly did need to know what drove William and his father to this life. There was something about William Giles that touched Buffy, deep inside and she just had to reconcile these feelings with this whole situation.
“It was back in England,” Connor began, hesitantly. “I think Spike was about my age when it started. Uncle Rupert was an important man back in Bath. That’s where they’re from, my uncle and cousin, from a place called Bath. My uncle was something like a lawyer?” Connor gave Buffy a dubious look, unsure of the real name for a lawyer in England.
“A barrister?” Buffy asked in disbelief. Actually, she was stunned, yet, maybe not. Rupert Giles was an intelligent, well educated man, that was obvious, and so was his son.
“That’s it!” Connor cried in relief, “a barrister. Angel told me that. He said that Uncle Rupert was a barrister in Bath, England. A good one too,” the boy added proudly.
“Like I said before, my uncle is real smart, just like Spike is. Anyway,” he scowled briefly, “Uncle Rupert was a lawyer in England and I think Spike was maybe thirteen or so. My Aunt Jennifer was married to Uncle Rupert, Spike’s mother was my own mother’s younger sister. Spike had an older sister, Drusilla. I heard, from Angel, that Aunt Jenny and my cousin, Drusilla were real pretty. They both had dark hair, like my mother, and dark eyes.”
Connor looked so wistful, that Buffy felt just terrible dredging up these old memories. His dark eyes were clouded in pain and she realized that the boy missed his own mother, dearly. However, they had started this memory lane trip and Buffy felt that it had to continue. No matter how painful, Buffy had to know what had happened in William’s life to lead him and his father to this destination.
‘I wonder what happened to Angel and Connor’s own mother,’ Buffy thought to herself. ‘I will have to ask someone that might know,’ she added, her curiosity getting the better of her. ‘I will ask this Riley person,’ she reasoned, ‘he seems to be the calmest member of the group.’
“Uncle Rupert, like I said,” the boy continued quietly, “was a real good lawyer, or barrister that is. From what Angel said, he was after this fella, Lord Ethan Rayne. Angel says that Rayne was a bad man, from way back. A lot of neighbors and friends of Uncle Rupert had been hurt by Lord Rayne and my uncle decided to try and have him punished by local laws in England.”
“That must have been difficult,” Buffy tsked softly. “Powerful men like Lord Rayne, and some men here, in the States, are usually hard to go after legally.”
Connor nodded his dark head in agreement. “It’s true, that’s what Angel said. There’s this man, Joseph Masters, from New York, he…” The teenager gave Buffy another dubious look, as if he had said too much.
“Anyway,” Connor continued, “whatever Uncle Rupert tried to do to Lord Rayne, and it must not have worked right. Angel says that when this Lord Rayne went after Uncle Rupert, it didn’t work either. My uncle was too tough to back down from Rayne. So,” Connor paused with a frown, “Rayne went after Uncle Rupert in another way. He hurt my uncle by hurting my aunt and cousin, Spike’s mother and sister.”
“What did he do?” Although she had a very good idea what this monster, Rayne, had done to the Giles’ women. Buffy felt as if she had turned white as a ghost and her question came out in a strangled gasp. She felt physically ill again and the room suddenly spun about her, a little.
“Lord Rayne and some of his men, they hurt Aunt Jennifer and Drusilla,” Connor whispered in horror. The boy could not even look at Buffy, he just focused on the coffee on the table in front of him. “The men,” he continued reluctantly, “they forced themselves on my aunt and cousin. In ‘that’ way and hurt them, terribly.”
“William said that his mother and sister had been raped,” Buffy mumbled in a harsh strained voice. She reached out touched Connor’s arm, gently. Buffy felt such a sense of sorrow for this poor boy, his brother, and especially William and Rupert Giles.
“So,” she continued in a weak voice, “this monster, Ethan Rayne? He destroyed your uncle and cousin, Spike, by hurting the Giles’ women?”
“Uh huh,” Connor nodded again, his dark eyes downcast. “Angel said that Aunt Jennifer died, right off, from the attack. My cousin, Drusilla, she lived through the rape,” Connor spat out the ugly word in disgust. “But, Drusilla, she wasn’t right, in her head after that and she hung herself. In Uncle Rupert’s fine home in Bath, up in the attic, Angel said and…”
“That’s enough, Connor,” Buffy whispered, raspily, feeling as if she might faint from the horror of the boy’s revelations. “I’ve heard enough,” she finished sadly. However, Buffy felt obligated to ask another question.
‘So it is revenge that drives William and his father to throw their lot in with these outlaws,’ Buffy surmised sadly. ‘I’ll bet that it is revenge that drives them all, in one way or another.’ Try as she might, Buffy could not stop the hot tears that spilled from her green eyes.
For some reason, Buffy felt such sympathy and agony for William, his father and yes, even Angel and Connor. They were all related to each other and this horror from the past must have sorely affected each of them. ‘It’s why William thinks nothing much of Connor being in this mess. He, himself was just the boy’s age when…’
‘Why do I feel such a connection with William?’ Buffy asked herself, puzzled by these conflicting feelings inside her. ‘He took me hostage, he is an outlaw and…’ However, all of her initial misgivings about William Giles could not override the simple fact that William felt something for her, Buffy, and she felt something for him. It made no sense, of course, but there it was.
“How old is William?” Buffy blurted out without thinking.
Connor stared at Buffy as if she’d grown two head, shook his own head, then answered honestly, “not sure, but he has to be twenty, at least. If he was thirteen, back in England? That was seven years ago or so. I know his birthday is coming up, in August,” Connor added. “So Spike is twenty, or twenty-one maybe?”
“Oh,” Buffy murmured, deep in thought. ‘At least six or seven years younger then Caleb,’ Buffy did the math in her head. ‘Not nearly as old as Caleb, yet much more hardened by life and…’
“Thank you Connor,” she finished quickly. She was trying to pull herself together, at least before the others returned from their scouting trip. It would do no good for the outlaws to see her in such a sorrowful, unhappy state as this. Buffy needed to be strong, for many reasons.
“I’ll serve up the breakfast, for the men, before they return,” she added as an afterthought. “It’s enough that you do all the cooking.”
“Miss Buffy,” Connor stammered nervously, “please don’t tell Spike or Angel that I told you this stuff. I’ve a feeling they wouldn’t be too happy about it. Okay?” The boy’s dark eyes looked so fearful and hopeful that it tugged on Buffy’s own heart.
“I won’t say a word about it,” Buffy assured Connor. “You’re probably right, your brother and cousin might not appreciate your honesty in this matter. Thank you again, Connor. You have no idea how much you have helped me. To understand better that is.”
As if an afterthought, Connor suddenly broke their useful silence. “Miss Buffy,” Connor whispered, “it’s why Uncle Rupert and Spike are here, in America. Why they do what they do. I guess my uncle couldn’t go after a man like Lord Rayne in England. I guess Rayne had too much power there. But here? The Lord’s power is money and that makes it his weakness. That’s what Angel says anyway. Any more then that? I can’t say,” Connor offered apologetically.
“This Lord Rayne, he has lots of money, tied up in farms, land and well, lots of things.” Connor gave Buffy a sullen look.
“I know,” Buffy whispered in a guilty tone, “I think Caleb, my fiancé, was backed by Lord Rayne.” Buffy almost sounded apologetic for this, even if she had meant to break off her engagement to Caleb Montgomery. A man by the name of Spike Giles had put a kibosh on that, had he not?
“Spike,” Connor continued softly, “he likes you a lot, Buffy. Maybe if you ask him, real good like? He’ll tell you more and answer your questions. It’s really all I know,” the boy offered with regret. “I know more about the others,” he referred to the rest of the gang, “but not too much about my own family.”
‘Meanwhile back in Redemption…’
“This is Marshal Merrick,” Deputy Mitch Mathews introduced the rather tall, lanky Lincoln law man to the few men gathered in the saloon. “That’s his hand-picked posse,” the deputy continued as he pointed to a group of rough looking men.
“He’s the best there is,” Deputy Hope piped up as he glared at Caleb Montgomery with an evil eye. Damn, but Scott Hope hated Caleb with a passion.
“Do you think they will hurt Buffy?” Hank Summers asked anxiously before anyone else could say a word.
Marshal Merrick thought for a moment; then answered the worried father. “I don’t believe so, Mr. Summers,” the law man mumbled in a soothing voice. “The Crawford gang has never taken a hostage before, no need to. But, this time, with your daughter and all? Frankly, I’m stumped. Mr. Osbourne here,” the marshal nodded at Daniel, cordially, “he tells me that Spike Giles was asking about your daughter, all over town, before the robbery and all.”
“So I’ve heard,” Hank grumbled under his breath. “Daniel says that this outlaw, Spike, was asking all kinds of our neighbors, townsfolk and the like, about Buffy I mean.”
Hank dared a glance at Caleb, who stood stoically by his side. The older Summers could tell that his would be son-in-law was nearly ready to explode at all of the innuendos that were being bounced about the tavern.
“Are you thinking that my Elizabeth left with this hooligan on her own will?” Caleb growled through gritted teeth at the marshal.
“Not at all,” Marshal Merrick replied, matter-of-factly. “I’m just saying that if Spike Giles took an interest in Miss Summers, cares about her say, then it might work to our advantage. It might be better for Miss Summers in the long run. If Spike Giles chooses to protect your daughter, Mr. Summers, then it’s better for her, right?”
“Right,” Hank nodded in agreement. As a father, he tried to believe what the marshal was saying. As a man, he wasn’t so sure at all. What if these men, this Spike especially, took advantage of his darling daughter? What if he forced himself on his pure and innocent girl?
“What if he takes advantage of my Elizabeth,” Caleb hissed in his controlled rage voice. “What if this animal forces himself on my fiancé and…”
“I can’t answer that, Mr. Montgomery,” the marshal replied, cutting off the tall man. “However, since the Giles, Angel Crawford and the rest of the gang have never been known to take a hostage before? I’d say chances are good that they just did it this time because of the shooting of Sheriff Wilkens. They never shot anyone either, that I know of, before this.”
“That’s just it,” Caleb spat, his dark eyes full of anger, “they never shot anyone before. Never took a hostage. What if Elizabeth is their first one and they ‘hurt’ her in some way. You know what I’m saying marshal, don’t you?” Caleb glanced at Hank Summers, knowingly. He could not have cared less at the ‘sick’ look on Hank’s face.
“I do,” Marshal Merrick sighed heavily. “Believe me, Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Summers, my men and I will do everything to bring Elizabeth Summers back. She'll be safe, whole and sound. No matter how far we have to chase Spike, Angel or the others.”
Before the other men had returned to the cabin; Buffy had taken her plate of breakfast and hidden out in the bedroom she’d slept in last night. For some reason, the thought of facing William, after all of Connor’s revelations, upset her.
‘I am a coward,’ Buffy sighed to herself as she nibbled with disinterest at her toasted bread. She could hear the men returning to the cabin, their heavy boots and loud posturing was evident in the next room.
‘I cannot even face William, like a real woman. A woman who is supposedly prepared to marry in less then three months. Why?’ Buffy had asked herself this so many times in the last hour or so. ‘Why am I so afraid to face William Giles? It is because he stirs something in me? Or because I now know the true extent of his misery and the anger that drives him to this revenge, and I’ve no idea how to comfort him? And,’ she continued her silent reverie, ‘why do I feel the need to comfort my captor?’
Buffy was truly vexed and perplexed by the time that the bedroom door opened and William stepped inside. He carried a plate full of food with him. However, Buffy could not bring herself to say a word to her captor; so she just focused on her own plate of food, not even looking up at William.
“What’s wrong Buffy?” Spike asked, less then confused. After all, the poor girl was being held hostage, by a bunch of rough, desperate men. Spike was the most desperate one of all, really. Not only was he wanted for crimes all over the south, east and north, but now he would be wanted for taking a young woman hostage. The law didn’t know that he loved this woman, his Buffy, from first sight. He did love her, that much he knew, but he wanted Buffy to love him back. Would she ever love him back? That was the question.
“We’re moving out, tomorrow,” Spike grunted at Buffy, not daring to meet her eyes with his. “We’re heading out through Wyoming and down through Utah. It’ll be easier on you then Colorado, like we wanted to go.” He felt like apologizing to her, for all of this mess they were in. Something kept him from admitting his regret though.
Buffy did not acknowledge this latest news, vocally; she just nodded and continued to nibble at her food. “I,” Buffy stammered finally, her head still bowed to stare at the food on her plate. She sat on the bed, while William sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her.
“I hate this,” Buffy finally blurted out, suddenly. “I hate not being able to sort out my feelings in all this,” she continued, thinking about what Connor had told her earlier.
“Your feelings?” Spike asked, puzzled. ‘He’d missed that obviously, when he had taken her from Redemption. Buffy’s deep down feelings; deep inside of her. Had he even considered her feelings in this matter? At all?’
“I want to hate you,” Buffy whispered in a raspy voice, her face flushed and red. “However, I cannot seem to bring myself to hate you. No matter what you have done to me and my family. I find myself having sympathy for you, and your father.”
“Why?” Spike asked, totally confused now. A pang of suspicion began to run through his mind, but he held his tongue and waited for Buffy’s next move.
Spike was more then surprised, he was shocked, when Buffy placed her plate on the bed, carefully. She stood up and slowly closed the short gap between them and stood in front of him, finally.
Before Spike could figure out just what she was doing, Buffy leaned down and placed her tiny hands on either side of his face. She leaned her own face down and placed a tender, but not necessarily chaste kiss on his lips.
“I am so sorry,” Buffy whispered sincerely. “For so many things,” she finished with a sigh. Her heart felt like it was breaking and she had no idea just why it was. It just seemed necessary for her to kiss this man, here and now, to give comfort, if nothing else.
When she pulled her head back, her green eyes were still focused directly into his blue ones. Spike noted the tiny tears in his Buffy’s lovely eyes and felt the strong tug of remorse down in his very soul.
Without thinking, really, Spike made an instant decision to pull Buffy onto his lap and deepen the sweet kiss she had started. He did just that.
A/N: Short chapter, just to give some kind of Spuffyness! Please read and review, thanks, spufette.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Again, I'm re-submitting lost chapters.