Buffy did not see William as he burst through the ballroom doors but she certainly heard him. A familiar shiver ran through her as she straightened up from her position. He looked hot, but that was usual. He also looked royally pissed. His eyes were still scanning the room; it looked at though he was ranking everything he saw in order of making him mad.
Buffy had feared this kind of reaction, Willow and several of the staff had warned her of ”Master William’s” reaction but she didn’t care. That was not exactly true, she did care, and she wanted to upset him as much as he had her on their last conversation. However, standing there watching his ire grow, she was regretting her decision not to warn him.
She had been going over her explanation in her mind so she could tell him with the least amount of friction. That was one of the reasons she had not scheduled a Friday evening class so she could break the news gently. Which posed the question…?
“What are you doing here?” She asked as she made her way towards the back of the room. As scared of William as she was, there was no way she was going to show it.
“Don’t answer my question with a question Elizabeth,” at this point she knew she was in major trouble she would have preferred Miss Summers than that. “So again let me ask what the hell is going on in here?”
Buffy grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the room and into the hallway. She could see the anger in his eyes, face and as much as it scared her, his blatant passionate display was doing something else to her as well.
“It’s a yoga class William.”
“Well I can see that, I didn’t think you had moved on to teaching the Karma Sutra.”
“Karma Sutra? What are you going on about William? I can understand how this is a surprise.”
“A surprise is finding an extra doughnut in the pack when you ask for six. Not walking into your home seeing a re-enactment from the musical Hair,” he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“William, I was going to tell you but you came home early and didn’t give me a chance. I don’t see how this is my fault.” Buffy folded her arms across her chest.
“You were going to tell me? How considerate of you. This is my house Buffy. You should have asked me.”
“You told me to treat this house as my own. So, when Riley got stuck for a place for classes, I thought this would be the perfect place.”
“Now we get to the real reason. Your boyfriend says jump and you say how high,” Buffy noticed the change in his voice and stance if she had known better she could have sworn he was …
“Are you jealous of Riley?” she asked.
“What? No this is not about me. This is about you and your blatant disregard for anyone’s feelings but your own.”
“What has this got to do with feelings? All I have done is hold a few yoga classes in the ballroom. Which I am sure it has not been used since the phrase ballroom was coined.”
“Because he asked you to.”
“What is your problem with Riley?”
“I don’t have a problem with Riley.”
“Then why are you acting like a jealous school boy.”
“Because he is taking what is mine.”
“The ballroom? William you have lost your mind,” she turned to go back into the room.
William grabbed her arm and kissed her with all the passion that she had stirred within him. When they broke for air, she looked up at him with questioning eyes.
“No Buffy, not the ballroom.”
It took her a minute for what he was saying to click into her mind. Was he saying –?
“Are you saying I’m yours?” she demanded, trying to get herself out of the haze that he had produced from his kiss.
He did not answer her, but the look on his face told her all she needed to know.
She raised a brow, “I’m yours? What am I cattle now? You want to brand me? How did I get the honor of being yours all of a sudden?”
“You’re—" he shook his head, frustrated, “You’re my family, Buffy. You and Ella.”
“Yes, William, I agree. We are family.”
“And that also means I don’t want you cavorting around setting a bad example for Ella with some prat who—“
“Whoa, whoa whoa!” Buffy interrupted. “First of all, Riley is not a prat—whatever the hell that is. Secondly, we’re teaching yoga, I’m not dating him – and even if I was, that is none of your business -- and thirdly, you want good examples set for your niece? Why don’t you try staying home through the week instead of being a weekend uncle?” With that, Buffy spun on heel and stalked off.
She was a mess. Half of her wanted to turn and run back to him to finish what he had started with that kiss, and the other half wanted to kick him in the shins. Keep one foot in front of the other she told herself. You’ll be fine. Ignore the incredibly hot man watching you walk away.
William sat in his study, sipping some Jack. He was not inebriated, close, but not yet. He definitely needed to unwind after his blowout with Buffy earlier that day.
He was really under it, wasn’t he? Shaking his head, he buried his face in his hands. What was happening to him? What had she done to him? She had done something to him; put him under some kind of spell. He had not been himself since she came into his life. He kept trying to be himself, but this new irrational side of him kept coming out. The irrational side that made him sleep with his sister-in-law and then leave her. That made him go medieval at the idea of said sister-in-law with some other man and made him kiss her and growl out mine, thinking she would take it all in stride.
The thing that killed him though, most of all – he did consider her his. She had gotten under his skin somehow and burrowed there, making this protective, primal male part of him come out. That primal male wanted to rip Riley to bits for even daring look in Buffy’s way.
He was going completely mad.
Imbibing the last of his Jack, he staggered to his feet and ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. Taking off his tie, he discarded it across the room and unbuttoned his dress shirt. Cracking his neck, he started for the door. He would go up and talk with her before passing out. He needed sleep. He was positively wiped.
Rapping softly on her door, he called her name softly. No answer. He had just heard her padding around not long ago up here…was she deliberately ignoring him? That would not do. Pushing on the door, it gave way and opened, revealing Buffy and Ella in bed together. The only light in the room was the soft light of the moon pouring into the room and across her and his niece.
He stopped and stared at them thinking, 'This is what I want'. Unable to stop himself, he made his way over to the gigantic bed and crawled in on the other side of Ella. He stared at his niece, sleeping peacefully next to her aunt, and then his eyes travelled to the aunt. Watching her sleep, the steady rise of her chest, he had flashes of their night together, of her sleeping so peacefully in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
As if she heard him, she let out a little moan.
Smiling softly, William closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep.