He slept on his left side, his hands under the pillow. The lamp was still on, but he was out. Buffy crept in, and sat watching him. He looked so content, so at peace, that she had to smile. His light curls are beautiful, she thought. She reached out to touch them.
He opened his eyes. “Hello Buffy. Is it morning already?” he asked shyly.
“No, no, William. I was just…checking on you. Nothing creepy stalkerish I promise, although it seems that way.”
“Excuse me?” he asked confused.
“Nothing, sorry to disturb your sleep. I’ll go now.” Buffy got up to leave.
“Buffy?”
She turned around. “Yes?”
“This Spike fellow, he was very dear to you wasn’t he?”
Buffy looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. “Yes, he was.”
“He was your beloved?”
“He was in my heart.”
“He courted your hand in marriage?”
“No, we – ah, well, we were close. Things are different here, William.”
“But did he return your affection?”
“He loved me. But I wasn’t ready to love him. We were…inappropriate for each other, or so I was convinced at the time.”
“Why?”
Buffy was quiet for a minute. What should she tell him? What would be too much? Would he think her cruel?
“Spike and I met as enemies. He was a different person then, one I could not admire. Later, circumstances caused him to change into a better person, but I didn’t see him for what he had become until much later. By then, our relationship had changed, although still friendly, and we were working toward an important common goal…” she broke off.
William looked at her sympathetically. “What happened to him Buffy? Did he die? When you found me you mentioned something…”
Buffy was at a complete loss at how to tell him he was Spike. Or that he was supposed to have become Spike. Or that…she just didn’t know!
“I think he died. We were fighting a major battle. He was the only one who could end it in our favor and he did it. I had hoped though when I saw you that somehow he had survived.”
She began to cry.
Suddenly, Spike’s arms were around her.
“Don’t cry Pet. It sounds like he knew what he was doing and did it willingly. I’m sure he’s fine, wherever he is.”
She stiffened. “I have to go William’
“What is it, Buffy?” Was I too forward? I’m sorry. I know I don’t know you well enough to ask these things but you have been good to me, and I wanted to help. That’s all.”
“No William, it’s okay. I just don’t want to talk about it okay?”
“Alright Buffy.”
She left, and William lay awake lost in his jumbled thoughts. What had just happened? There was something about this woman he had only met today that got to him, but he couldn’t fathom why. She amazed him with her beauty and her resolve – he had never met anyone like her, not even Cecily Underwood. Strong women like Buffy were unheard of in his circles. Cecily had been breathtakingly beautiful, she still was but there was coldness about her that he had not realized until meeting Buffy. Most of the women he had met were expected to act heavy-handed and coy and he had believed this was what Cecily was doing. But Buffy was different. She looked at him as if he were a part of the world, as if he mattered to her, and it got to him. No one save his mother had ever cared about him before. How could he be starting to feel this way about Buffy? All the strength, beauty and concern were fine, but he had just met her! And that look in her eyes wasn’t exactly for him, he thought as his fists clenched, it was for Spike.
Something about Spike (aside from the fact that Buffy had such regard for him) bothered him too. He felt as if there were something he should remember, maybe even someone he should remember but couldn’t. He apparently resembled Spike so much that Buffy and her friends had all been convinced until a little while ago that he was Spike. Was Spike a relative of his? Some distant cousin perhaps? He made a mental note to ask Mum when he went home. As far as he knew they were the only two in his family left, but maybe he was wrong. There was something else however. Everyone had gone silent earlier when he said the date. He hadn’t noticed it then, being overwhelmed, but he wondered about it now. Did they still perhaps think he was Spike with a damaged memory? He knew differently – he remembered everything from his childhood up till now and he had never met any of them until now. So how to convince them? He was getting tired again. This would have to wait until morning.
Buffy tossed and turned all night, bombarded by her memories. Finally at 6 am, she rose and climbed in the shower. Whatever her problems were, she had to be calm right now for William. Hopefully, they could all sort the mess out soon and things would get back to normal. Not that normal was great either. At least this way she got to see him even if he remembered nothing about her. He had surprised her last night by his embrace. It was such a Spike thing to do that she couldn’t stand it. He had called her Pet too, like spike had. She missed him so much. And William wasn’t her Spike.
She finished dressing just as her cell phone rang. It was Giles.
“Buffy, Willow and I have discovered some things. Can you come over here? I don’t want Spike, er William, to overhear.”
Buffy glanced upstairs. William would probably be asleep for a little while longer. The sooner they figured this out, the better for him.
“Sure Giles, I’ll be right there.”
“So what did you guys find out? How did William get here?”
Giles and Willow exchanged glances.
“No, oh no, it’s bad isn’t it? What is it? He came here before he became Spike so none of the other stuff ever happened? Is Glory back? Or the First?” Buffy voiced her worst fears.
“Well not exactly Buffy,” said Willow. “It’s not as bad as all that.”
“What is it then? Is he in danger? Come on, spill!
“Buffy,” Giles said taking her shoulders and sitting her down. “We don’t yet know why he’s here. But according to our research, if this were the same Spike who became a vampire, fought against us, and joined us, we’d be in a different world. We would not have ever met him and yes, the First might still be around. All our memories and records indicate that nothing changed.”
“So then, is he Spike, I mean, our William, at all?”
“We don’t know. I’m inclined to believe he is. All of his clothes and mannerisms resemble what you told us of Spike’s former life as William. He doesn’t seem to be an actor or impostor either. Until we know otherwise, let’s assume so. I also suspect it would be a good idea to ease him into this century since he will probably be here awhile. We should probably explain that he ended up in the future somehow and that we are trying to get him back. Perhaps that will satisfy him until we find out what’s going on. ” Giles said.
“I’d better get back home then. He might be up soon.” Buffy said, picking up her purse.
William was up already. Upon waking he had gone in search of a chamber pot and finding none, he tried to wait. If she doesn’t return soon, I may have to go on the floor…that would be a bloody shame.
He went down to the kitchen. What are these things here? He wondered eyeing the fridge and microwave. Where is the food? Should I touch anything?
He looked around. There was a picture on the wall of a mountain with a calendar beneath it.
2005, it read.
‘2005? What kind of idiot calendar is this? Is it some kind of joke?” he said aloud.
“I’m afraid not William.”
Buffy took a deep breath before continuing.
“You’re in the future. It is 2005.”
She waited for an answer as William turned pale.
“Show me where your chamber pot is. NOW!”
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