[Reviews - 814]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 4535 times

- Text Size +




Storming into the office building, Buffy punched the elevator key so hard, she thought maybe she’d break it. And, if the elevator went 50 m.p.h., she was sure that wouldn’t have been fast enough to get to Pryce, O’Connor & Madden, P.C.

She was so angry, she was shaking with it. So angry, she nearly had tears in her eyes from wanting to throttle something – or rather someone.

When the elevator doors finally pinged open and Buffy had resisted the urge to pry them open quicker, she stormed out and zeroed in on Harmony who was filing her nails at her desk.

“What do you know?” Buffy barked at her.

Harmony jumped a mile and in the process, knocked over a can of Coke that had been resting on the desk next to her. “Jesus Buffy!” she yelped, “You scared the crap out of me.”

“I’m going to beatthe crap out of you if you don’t tell me what you know,” Buffy said, standing menacingly over Harmony.

Harmony looked at her strangely – oh if she only knew just how beyond pissed she was at the moment – she wouldn’t be acting like. . . Well, herself.

“What are you –oh, you mean your dad. I’m so sorry about that Bu—“

“Not that Harmony!” Buffy yelled.

“What are you—“

“Buffy? Do you think you should be here?” Drusilla.

Buffy’s eyes traveled to Drusilla’s. “You. Stupid. Fucking. Bitch.”

Despite the intensity and rage she felt coursing through her, and the way she felt she couldn’t have gotten there fast enough, Buffy approached Drusilla slowly; calmly even. Only her hands balled in fists with her fingernails digging into her palms leaving crescent marks and the fact that she was red faced and literally shaking from head to toe would have given away the fact that Buffy was about ready to knock Drusilla into next week.

“What did you do? Why did you have us followed?”

Drusilla had the audacity to look surprised. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you fucking play innocent with me, you stupid fucking bitch. You tell me right now that you did this, that you sent my father photos of me and William – that you were sick enough to have us followed – tell me!”

Harmony gasped.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Buffy. I know you’re upset dear, and you’re looking for something – or someone to blame—“

“Don’t lie to me!” Buffy screamed at her. “You put my father in the hospital!” Buffy started to lunge at her when she felt strong arms grab her and pull her back from behind.

“Buffy, stop!” William.

“Let go of me!” she shouted, “I’m going to rip her arms off and beat her with them! She did it, William, she did it!”

“Drusilla go home,” William told the dark haired woman angrily as he struggled to keep Buffy in his arms and stop her from attacking.

“But, William I—“

“Go home!”

Dru’s eyes widened and she sprinted to the elevator.

“Harmony, go with her.”

Harmony, not needing to be told twice, jumped up and followed, looking shocked and frightened and muttering to herself about ‘crazies’.

“Let goof me!” Buffy shouted at William, still struggling to get free. He held her about the waist and she was clawing at the air in front of her, reaching for the already departed Dru, her legs flailing, but somehow still missing William’s shins.

“Not until you calm down!” William shouted back.

“Elizabeth, stop, please.”

Buffy looked to see Wesley standing before her now, his expression sympathetic and worried. Angel stood behind him, looking the same.

Buffy burst into frustrated tears and her body went limp in William’s arms. “She did it,” she said weakly, “She did it. I know she did it.”

“Buffy, baby, please, calm down,” William said, gently.

“I know she did it Will. She did it,” Buffy pleaded with him to understand. Twisting her around, he gathered her in his arms and stroked her hair. “Buffy, ssshhh.”

Pushing at him with a growl, she moved back away from him. “You can’t keep her here,” she told him strongly.

“Buffy, I’m going to talk with her—“

“No! You don’t talktalk to her, you fire her!” She pointed to the closed elevator doors, “He had a heart attack because of her William. You can’t possibly be defending her now after that!”

“Elizabeth, he’s not,” Wesley said, placing a hand on her arm. “He’s not defending her. He can’t do anything without proof.”

“She’s hated my guts since I walked inhere. She somehow found out that we’re together and had us followed. She sent those pictures to my father, what more proof does he need? Did he need to die for him to see what she’s done?”

“Buffy!” William yelled at her and grabbed her arms, making her face him. He was red-faced and angry. A side to him she’d never seen, but she didn’t much care at that moment in time. All she could see was that Dru had nearly killed her father and she was stillthere and William was doing nothingabout it. To her, it was plain as day that Dru had done it. She didn’t need so-called ‘proof’; she could feel it in her very bones.

“I suspect Drusilla just as much as you and I’m certain she did it, just as much as you. But I want a confession out of her first. I want her telling me to my face that she did it,” his voice was surprisingly calm despite how angry he looked.

“I want to sue her,” Buffy blurted out. “I don’t want her to think she can get away with this. She messed with lives here.”

“We figured as much,” Wesley said behind her.

William released her and Wesley placed a hand on her arm comfortingly. Buffy looked up at him, suddenly feeling very tired. “Honey, how about we work something out with her instead okay? Such as, she pays for the hospital bills? That way we don’t have to put your father through a court procedure which would just put undue stress on him. As long as Drusilla admits to what she did, we can settle out of court. I’m sure she’s well aware – if she in fact did it – that she is facing a law suit from you. This way, there are no court fees as well. Though, we’d do it pro bono anyway for you and your father. But instead of going through a long drawn out procedure, we can do this right quick and be done with it.”

Buffy looked at William curiously, looking him up and down and noticing that he hadn’t changed and appeared no different than when she’d left him earlier. “Have you been home?”

He shook his head, “No. I was on my way home and I was thinking about Hank and how he was going to be all right and of course that made me think of yesterday and the pictures. I came here to speak with Wesley and Angel about my suspicions.”

“You thought it was her too?” she asked in a small voice.

William nodded and took a deep breath. “Yes, Buffy, I did. She’s the only one I can think of that would care enough to do such damage.”

Buffy rubbed her forehead, tiredly. “I just completely went postal didn’t I?”

“You had reason to, Elizabeth,” Angel chimed in. “You’ve been under a lot of stress in the past twenty four hours. It’s understandable under the circumstances. I don’t think anyone in their right mind wouldn’t be understanding of going ‘postal’ on someone who’s hurt someone you love.”

Buffy nodded, “Thanks. It seems all I’ve done is cry and freak out.” She looked over at William. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, “It’s okay.”

“No it’s not.”

“Buffy, it is. You’re upset—“

“Upset doesn’t seem to cover it. I feel crazy,” her eyes roamed over the men staring at her, “and on display,” she finished on a murmur. “I’m uh, going to go home now. See my mom.”

“Buffy, did you get any rest when you went home?” William asked, taking hold her now, gently.

“No, I went to school to get my homework. I couldn’t relax.”

“Nervous energy,” Wesley said, nodding.

Buffy smiled gently, “Quite.”

William’s hand slid to her hand where he curled his fingers around hers. “I was heading out when you came in. Come on.”

Feeling like a colossal moron for her display, Buffy waved shyly at Angel and Wesley and allowed William to pull her to the elevator.

Once inside, she slunk to the ground and buried her face in her hands. “I’m a mess.”

“No, you’re human. And even if you were a mess, you’re mymess,” William said with a smile in his voice.

She looked up at him. “I saw red.”

“Trust me, I understand. I made a beeline for Wesley’s office. I’d never hit a woman Buffy, but trust me, if I saw her; I doubt I would have been able to restrain myself.”

“Then why did you stop me? I could have hit her for you too.”

“Because she’d probably turn around and sue you instead,” William pointed out.

“Good point.”

“Buffy, do you want to come home with me for a while? We could take a bath and go to bed for a bit then swing by and get the car and Joyce and see Hank.”

She shook her head and climbed to her feet. “No, I want to go home and check on her. She didn’t look well this morning.”

“She was probably up all night worrying.”

“I left her a note telling her where I was so I should get home. Maybe I could make us dinner before we see my Dad.”

William gathered her in his arms. “Will you at least call me before you go over there? I’ll meet you there.”

She nodded, “Will do.”

He leaned in and kissed her gently. She could sense a need in him to deepen it, but he held himself back and she was grateful for it. She needed his comfort, not his overwhelming passion. “I love you, Buffy,” he told her softly, meeting her eyes and stroking her hair with his hand.

She didn’t know what the correct response to that was so she kissed him quickly, thankful when the elevator dinged open. “I’ll call you later,” she told him and hurried to the car to get home.





You must login (register) to review.