William laughed. “So somehow I ended up in 2005? A full hundred and twenty-five years in the future?”
Buffy nodded.
“Then tell me Pet, how did I get here?” he grinned widely at her.
Pet again… “We’re trying to figure that out.”
“We?”
“You know, me, Giles, Willow – the gang.”
He burst out laughing. “That’s rich! Bloody super joke! You all are talented, I must admit.”
Buffy was stunned. “You…you don’t believe me?”
“Oh, I believe you alright. I believe that you and the gang were bored last night and decided to find some poor bloke to play an elaborate trick on. And I was just the right sort, wasn’t I?”
Buffy cringed hearing the sharp tone in his voice.
“Did they send you? Hamilton, the Thomas brother, hell, most of the elite men in my society have it in for me. I can just see it now. “Let’s play a little game with William the Bloody Bad Poet, boys.” Or maybe it was Cecily. Are you one of her friends then? Was she so embarrassed by my heartfelt sincere declaration that you and she cooked up this scheme to humiliate me? Another lesson showing me that I’m beneath you beautiful, snotty women?”
“Cecily? N-no, I’m n-not her friend.” Buffy stammered.
William’s eyes blazed in anger. “So you do know her then!”
“No. Yes. I mean, I know of her.”
“Know of her? How is it she’s so popular in 2005?” William sneered.
“You were talking in your sleep when I went to checked on you last night.”
William was not convinced. “Okay then, if not Cecily, who hired you?”
“No one William! You really are in 2005. I can prove it to you. Look around you!”
William looked. “You mean all these contraptions? They could be falsified items...” he said, uncertain.
Falsified items? “Oh, and the toilet? Was that fake?” she asked.
“I’ve seen a model of those things. You’ve somehow managed to get a fancier one.”
Buffy was pissed. “Okay then Mr. Lumphead, watch this! She stomped over to the television and turned it on. She then proceeded to turn on the radio at full blast.
William was stumped. What was this? These things seemed beyond a simple joke or even a cruel one, but there was no way he was in the future. Was there?
Buffy returned from the den with her arms full of newspapers. “Look at them.” She demanded.
They were all dated 2005. None of the stories or names were familiar either.
William felt a chill up his back. Could she be telling the truth?
Someone rang the doorbell. Buffy opened it to find Giles, Xander, Willow, and Dawn, all looking anxious. Giles and Willow had apparently filled the others in.
“Did you tell him?” Giles asked Buffy.
“Yeah, he seems to be coming around but not taking it well at all. At first he thought it was a joke.”
Willow nodded. “Anyone would.”
William was walking around the room, a terrified look in his eyes. “William?” called Dawn softly.
“Is this for real?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m afraid it is,” said Giles.
“I…I can’t stay here.” William panicked. “I have to go.”
He rushed past them and out the door before any of them could react.
“William wait!” Buffy yelled, grabbing her coat.
They all went after him.
William felt as if their air had been forcibly squeezed out of his lungs. How could this have happened? He glanced around desperately looking for any sign that it was really a joke. Stores and eateries were all around him, but none he recognized. He kept walking, becoming more upset by the minute. How did he end up here? Could he ever return? Who would care for Mother? Mother was so weak she could hardly get up these days. He felt sick to his stomach. He had to find some way home. He wondered if Buffy and her friends could be trusted. They’d been gracious to him thus far, but how long would they stand it? And why wasn’t his sudden time travel strange to them? Anyone he knew – hell, he himself-would have been a little disconcerted. Did this sort of thing happen often in this century?
“William.” Giles had a hand on his shoulder.
“Look, I appreciate all of your concern but I just need to think right now.”
“I understand, but there are some things you should know.”
William didn’t reply.
“William, we believe that you were sent here.”
“Sent here? For what? What makes you think so?” William demanded.
“I really can’t say yet, we’re working on it. However, there are signs that suggest that you aren’t out of place.”
“What signs?”
“There are records kept by your family that say you lived out your natural life in the late 1800s and early 1900s.”
“I want to see them.”
“Of course, we can go to the library right now if you wish.”
William was staring ahead at something in the distance.
“Fine. I will return here shortly. There is something I must do.”
Giles relented and let him go. He watched as William walked away and then contemplated his own actions. He hated to lie to William this way. While he had never quite been a Spike fan, he had grudgingly understood Buffy’s support of him and later had even felt some gratitude to the vampire for closing the Sunnydale Hellmouth for good. Gratitude and maybe some forgiveness and remorse too. If there was ever a reformed vampire, Spike was he. The worst part of it all had been watching Buffy grieve. He had known long before she had that she loved Spike. Buffy was the closest thing to a daughter he had and his fatherly instinct had told him that. But he had let her make her own decisions; decisions that were correct and that she regretted. He sighed. This was his second chance perhaps. A chance to help the man who had helped save them all. If that meant keeping William in the dark about his days as Spike for now, maybe it would be for the best.
“Giles, any luck?”
Buffy interrupted his thoughts.
“Yes, I told him of the records and he requested a few moments. He went off in that direction.” Giles pointed.
Buffy followed suit. She knew he probably wanted privacy but this was an alien world to him. She saw Spike enter a building and something struck her as odd. Why do I still think of him as Spike? It’s William, damn it! Then her eyes widened. William was entering a church! More importantly, it was the one in her dream. Suddenly feeling woozy, she fainted.
William looked around the church. A large Cross stood at the altar and the evening light was reflected off the stained glass windows. This, finally, was familiar. He was comforted to know that a house of God was always a house of God. He moved closer to the altar and raised his head to look at the paintings on the walls. He had been a steadfast Christian since childhood.
“Welcome my son. I have not seen you here before. Are you new to the area?”
William turned to find the priest behind him.
“Yes I am. My name is William Morgan.”
“Well, my son, you are welcome here. I am Father Timothy. Pardon my saying so, but you look quite troubled. Perhaps I could help. Sometimes the hardest resource to find is an open ear, and at least I can offer you that.”
William studied him. His own priest, Father David, had always been one of his strongest supporters. When he had found out about his mother’s illness, Father David had come to check on them every night, offering prayers and advice. Before that he had often played a fatherly part in William life, as his own was long gone. As a result, William’s belief in the church was profound and his trust in the servants of God complete. But in the space of a day, his whole world had changed and he had no idea how. He was in a completely different time and place, how was he to know who to trust? He sighed. He needed someone, and at least he could explain it in vague terms.
“Father Timothy, I…” He took a deep breath, and then started over. “I am new to the area, having been sent to…” Suddenly, he had an idea.
“I was sent here to do some research, but I am unfamiliar with this place and its customs.”
“You sound English.”
“I…I was born here, but my family moved away when I was young. We lived in…the desert. The, uh, Sahara Desert.” He silently asked God to forgive his lies and hoped that the lie would work.
“The Sahara! And you’ve been away from Civilization?”
“Yes, Father.”
Father Timothy looked at the newcomer. William was lying to him, or at the very least, keeping something from him, but he looked desperate. Perhaps he needed to be patient.
“I see. Well, I would be pleased to explain anything to you. What can I do?”
William began pacing in frustration. “The toasters, the streets, the…chamber pot! What are these inventions? Are they real?”
Father Timothy blinked. What was going on?
“My son,” he said putting his hand on William shoulder. “These are all modern tools, but these you can surely learn. Something else is bothering you.”
William hesitated, then began “I…hit my head, and when I came to I was lying in an alley. All I could remember was my past and that I was sent here for research but I didn’t know how I got there or what happened. Then Buffy came – “
“Buffy?” Father Timothy asked, trying not to show his surprise.
William didn’t notice. “A very strong young lady. You won’t believe this but vampires really exist! And she can fight them! She saved me and then gave me shelter for the night. She and her friends are working to help me…remember what happened.”
Father Timothy nodded. “Vampires are certainly a problem here and Buffy’s one of our greatest protectors.”
“Father Timothy, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, William.”
“I am uncertain about it all, this place, why I’m here, Buffy, why she and her friends are helping me, and – I guess I just don’t know.”
“Understandably. And I could tell you that they are most trustworthy, but really it’s up to you. What does your heart tell you?”
“My heart?”
“The heart often has an intuitive feeling about a person and their motives long before the mind realizes it. What does yours say?”
“I am inclined to trust them but I ..”
“Trust them. Your heart, like the Almighty, will never lead you astray. Perhaps there is a reason that you’re here, one deeper than you know. And perhaps they can help you find it. ”
William relaxed. “Thank you, Father. I will for now.” He turned to leave then turned back, a blush creeping up his face.
“Ah, Father?”
“Yes, my son?”
“Buffy…she is quite pleasing. Is she ah…”
Father Timothy’s eyes twinkled. “I am quite sure she’d be receptive to your friendship and gentlemanly attentions. There has not been someone in her life for quite some time I’m told.”
William walked out whistling.
Buffy was free, and she could be trusted. They’d find out what happened. Maybe she’d even…
“Buffy!” he shouted, running to her.
She was on the ground holding her head.
“I’m okay. Did – did you do what you needed to?” She asked.
“Yes, but what happened?”
She looked at him. He was okay and not angry with her... What did the dream mean then? And then it dawned on her.
“I just felt faint for a moment. It’s been a busy few days. Come on William, let’s find Giles and go.”
“Are you sure you’re alright? He looked so concerned that Buffy’s heart melted. “I’m right about this,” She thought.
“I’m ok William, but will you give me your arm?”
William grinned widely.
“Certainly. But on one condition.”
“Oh?”
“You personally teach me all about 2005 and your strange customs.”
Buffy gave him a teasing look. “And you trust me now, suddenly?”
“Completely. I had a revelation, Luv.”
“Oh?”
“What could it hurt to trust you? You’re the most beautiful and resourceful girl I’ve ever met.” He winked.
Buffy leaned against the door. Her body screamed for rest but her mind was racing again.
Willow and Giles looked at her quizzically. She had insisted that Xander take William grocery shopping, and they knew something was up.
“Ok we know he hasn’t been pulled from the past, so there’s some other way he got here.”
“Right.” Willow agreed.
“So we don’t have to send him back right?”
“I suppose. But what are you getting at Buffy?” Giles asked.
“We’re not going to tell him.”
“Tell him that he doesn’t have to go back? I already sort of did.” Giles said.
“No, that’s not it. We’re not gonna tell him he was Spike. From this moment on, he’s William and always has been William.”
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