William's mother hadn't come to wake him up that morning and he assumed she'd cancelled his lessons for the day. Not that he really cared. He was too miserable to concentrate anyway.
Time wasn't easing his pain. It was only making it worse since the longer he was away from Buffy the more he hurt. He was empty without her, and there was nothing to fill the void she left behind.
He didn't leave the bed all morning, not caring how pathetic that made him. All he had the energy to do was sulk anyway. His mother had come once to try to get him to agree to eat something, but he'd declined. His stomach was too tied up in knots for food.
It was later in the afternoon before his mother came back, this time walking into his room and sitting on the edge of the bed. "William, we need to talk."
"I'll get out of bed tomorrow," he replied, though his voice held little conviction.
"It's not about that. I have something to ask you about Cecily Underwood."
William sat up and looked at his mother. "What about her?"
"Do you still have feelings for Cecily?"
"Bloody hell, no!" William exclaimed. He blushed when he remembered who he was talking to. "Sorry, Mother. I didn't mean to curse."
"It's all right, dear. I'm actually a bit relieved by your enthusiasm. Thought it does make what I heard today somewhat more confusing."
William frowned. "Oh? What's that?"
"Buffy seems to be under the impression that you kissed Cecily at a party last Friday. She claims she saw you."
"What? I wouldn't…" William's eyes widened. "Oh bollocks. Cecily kissed me. I pushed her away, made it right clear that I'm not interested. Buffy saw that? Or the kissing part at least…" William realized that that did make Buffy's behavior a lot clearer. It made sense that she would say she never wanted to see him again if she thought he'd recently been snogging Cecily.
One thing, however, did not make sense. "How did you know that—about Buffy seeing me with Cecily?" William asked his mother.
"That's not important. What is is that you fix this right away. Go over to her house and speak to the girl. Only I do suggest you tidy up a bit first. You might frighten the poor dear the way you look at the moment."
"Gee, thanks, Mum."
"It's only a bit of advice, sweetheart," she replied, patting his leg. "Women tend to like their men a little more—clean. Now you get up and go get your girl back before you turn into one of those lonely middle-aged men obsessed with their mothers, okay?"
William cocked an eyebrow. "What, are you trying to marry me off already?"
"Just looking out for your best interests," his mother answered with a wry smile. "Now up. Stop wasting time."
"What if she won't listen to me?" William asked, feeling his fear returning. "Or what if she's realized over the past few days that she's happier without me."
"William, honestly," his mother said with a heavy sigh. "You're making up excuses and they're not at all helpful. I saw a change in you when you were with this woman. She made you happy, pulled you out of your shell. I'd rather not think about how she accomplished this exactly, but as your mother I can't begrudge the good she did for you. It was obvious the two of you had something strong between you, even watching from the side as I did, and if you're going to let that go because of a misunderstanding, well, I'm going to have to stop telling people how smart my son is."
"I just…she was so upset, and I don't know if…"
"William, get in the bloody shower and then go talk to your girlfriend. Now."
William froze for only a moment before scrambling to get out of the bed and head towards the bathroom. There was no arguing with his mother—not when she had that look on her face.
Anne smiled to herself as she got to her feet and walked from her son's room. Now all she had to do was call Rupert and make sure he let William in, and she knew those two kids would work everything out.
*** *** ***
Buffy sat on her bed trying to concentrate on her homework. She'd been in a good mood for most of the day, Cecily's expulsion brightening what would've otherwise been dark. But now when she was alone, she was unable to keep the thoughts of William at bay.
This was precisely why she hadn't wanted to fall in love again. She'd gone through this before and the aftermath from it had almost destroyed her life. She couldn't let that happen again. She knew she shouldn't have allowed herself to fall for William in the first place, but she had, and the best she could do now was take it as a lesson. No matter how good a man seemed, he would still end up only breaking your heart.
Buffy heard a knock on her door and called out an automatic "Come in" without looking up from her textbook, assuming it to be Giles.
"Hello, Buffy."
Buffy froze, her heart jumping. She'd know that voice anywhere, and it certainly wasn't Giles… She looked up, taking in her first good look of him in days and feeling her body temperature rise. With a shake of her head, she reminded herself that she couldn't want him anymore. "Get out of my room, William."
"Not until we've talked."
"I think I made it pretty damn clear that I didn't want to talk to you anymore," Buffy snapped. "Now get the fuck out."
William's jaw ticked, but he stood his ground, neither moving closer to her or retreating. "No. We need to talk. I think there's a few things that you've gotten wrong."
"The only thing I've gotten wrong was thinking you were worth my time," Buffy replied. She slammed her book shut. "And if you won't leave, then I am, because I can't stand to even look at you."
Buffy got off her bed and started towards the door. Just as she was passing William, his hand shot out, grabbing her by the arm. Buffy looked up at him angrily, trying to break his grasp. "Let me go."
"Buffy, listen to me. You're being ridiculous!"
"Ridiculous! After the way you've treated me?"
"Yes!" William yelled. "Bloody hell, I haven't even done what you think I did, Buffy! All you're doing is thinking the worst of me, never giving me a sodding chance."
"I don't have to give you a chance! You're all the same. Every man I've ever trusted has broken my heart. Why should you be any different?"
"Because I am!" William replied. "I've never done anything to hurt you, Buffy."
"You kissed Cecily!" Buffy screamed. "And don't even try to deny it, William, because I saw you."
"What you saw was Cecily kissing me," William said. "I pushed her away! I'm not interested in her, Buffy, especially after what she did to you—to us. She's nothing to me. You're everything."
Buffy paused a little at that, blinking. "What?"
"I didn't kiss Cecily. She threw herself at me and I turned her down. Told her she'd never be the woman you are."
Buffy gaped, unsure of what to say. Could William be telling the truth? It seemed rather convenient, him claiming that he had indeed pushed Cecily away, only it had been right after Buffy had left. That sort of stuff only happened in fiction, never in real life. "I can't believe you," Buffy said.
"It's the truth," William told her. He turned her so she was facing him, wrapping his free hand around her other arm. "Look at me, Buffy. I'm not with Cecily. I will never be with Cecily. You are the only woman in this world that I want to be with. I need you, Buffy, need you like I need the blood in my veins. I'm dying without you, kitten. Can't sodding stand a day of my life that you're not in."
Buffy felt hot tears pricking her eyes. "I can't, William," she said, shaking her head from side to side. "I can't get hurt again. I can't…"
"You won't. Buffy, I promise you that the last thing I will ever do is hurt you. I'd die before I'd let that happen. You've worked your way into my heart until all that's there is you."
"I can't," Buffy repeated.
In desperation, William pulled her to him, crushing her mouth with his. Buffy's eyes widened, her body staying stiff for a moment before she gave in and melted against, unable to resist any longer. Feeling her grow pliant, William released his grip on her to wrap his arms around her and pull her close.
It didn't take long at all for their kiss to become desperate, their bodies rubbing up against each other as they sought what they'd been denied for these cold, lonely nights. William knew that nothing had really been resolved and that what they should be doing right then was talking, but he couldn't quite get himself to care. Feeling her in his arms made his brain take an immediate backseat.
He broke away from her mouth, panting for air. "I want you, Buffy. God, I want you."
"I want you, too, William," she replied. "I've missed you so much…"
That was all the go-ahead William needed. Talking could come later. He glanced to his side at the few feet separating them from the bed and decided it was too far, pulling Buffy down with him to the floor instead. Their hands tore at each other's clothes until there was nothing left to separate them. "Buffy, can't…" William panted. "I have to be inside now…"
Buffy knew what he was trying to say and agreed. Now was not the time for teasing and foreplay. That could come later when they'd taken the edge off of the raging desperation caused by their separation. She wrapped her legs around his hips, showing him that she welcomed him inside. "I know. I need you, too."
William wasted no more time in sliding in to the hilt, filling Buffy with one long stroke. They both froze at the feeling of being joined again, their eyes locking. He felt his feelings for Buffy rising to the surface, and William knew he couldn't hold them back anymore. He rested his weight on one hand, stroking her cheek with the other.
"I love you, Buffy."
Buffy gasped at his words, seeing them reflected in his crystal blue eyes. It was almost too much, the moment so intense she felt as if she could shatter. Any words she might have said got caught in her throat, and she thrust her hips, desperate to relieve both the pressure in her body and her heart.
William began to move then, his eyes still looking deeply into hers. Buffy found herself almost fighting for breath, both her emotions and his weighing on her. She held on to his arms hard enough to mark him, feeling as if she let go, she'd slip away.
William ducked his head down, his mouth against her ear. She could hear him whispering something repeatedly until it finally pierced her fogged brain. Love you…love you… over and over again. Buffy gasped, bucking beneath him, tears streaming down her cheeks, though she was unaware of them. He made her feel so much.
Buffy screamed when her orgasm hit her, her nails scoring William's pale skin. He followed her over soon afterwards and Buffy continued to cling to him, needing to keep him close, to keep the connection.
Finally, they collapsed in a heap, their ragged breaths seeming almost synchronized as they pushed against the silence in the room. Buffy's heart was beating so rapidly it frightened her as her thoughts whirled through her mind.
William loved her…he'd said the words. Oh god, William loved her, too!
She wasn't sure if that filled her with happiness or dread. He'd said the words…did he mean them? Could she trust him with her heart after it had taken so long to patch it up the last time it had broken? Would she be able to handle it if she accepted his love now and he took it away from her later? She opened her mouth to speak, though she stopped as she caught something out of the corner of her eye.
"William?"
"Yeah?"
"We forgot to close the door."
He glanced up, a chuckle rumbling though his chest as he saw that it indeed was open. "Yeah, we did. Sorry, got a little…distracted."
"It's okay. I think Giles is down in his study anyway."
"Actually, he was headed out when I came in," William said. "Didn't say where he was going."
"Oh."
William dropped a kiss to her forehead before standing up, going over to the door and shutting it. He walked back to Buffy then, picking her up and cradling her in his arms as he carried her over to the bed. Buffy let him, welcoming his embrace as he slid under the blankets with her, holding her close. Her school books slid to the floor, but she ignored them, turning to bury her face against William's chest, breathing his scent in deeply.
Words were still left unsaid on both sides, and they knew it. But for the moment, neither one cared. For the first time in days, they felt complete.
*** *** ***
So how was the reunion? Worth the wait? Please review!
Need by Addie Logan
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Over 70 reviews for the last chapter...Wow...I can't even being to tell you all what it meant to me to see so many people so supportive of me and this story. That just made my day...my week...hell, possibly my month. lol Thanks to each and every one of you. I appreciated your kind words so much. Thank you.