She groaned as her rump made contact with the floor.
“What the –“ William was awake and peering down at her. “What are you doing?”
“I fell off the couch, what are you doing?”
“I’m – what do you mean what am I doing?”
“How did we end up on the couch together like that? Sleeping together.”
William stared at her as if she’d gone mad. “You fell asleep, and then I did. We fell asleep together on the couch you daft cow.”
She blinked and pointed at him, “You just call me a cow?”
He rolled his eyes and sat up, “It doesn’t mean that I think you’re an actual cow, Buffy. Far from it with how – Would you get up off the floor?”
She scrambled to her feet. “Why are you angry with me?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not.”
“Yes! You are. You called me a daft cow and you’re all . . . snappy. Why are you so angry with me when I’m the one who fell off the damn couch.”
He stood and placed himself in front of her so that there were mere inches between them. “And why did you fall off the couch, Princess?”
“Because I woke up and we – we were –“
“Sleeping together on the couch. Is the idea so horrendous to you?”
She started to take a step back from him and he reached out and held her fast where she was. “Well?” he demanded.
“Let go of me!” she exclaimed and shook him off. “What’s gotten into you?”
William sighed heavily, and ran a hand through his wild curly locks. “Nothing. I don’t know…I’m sorry. Just forget it. I should have…I should have brought you to bed, but I didn’t want to wake you since you’d just fallen asleep and without the aid of alcohol. I ended up falling asleep too.”
Buffy nodded, looking down and swallowing hard. “Well, I mean, I slept really good if that’s any consolation.”
“Buffy—“
She looked up at him and was startled to find such a tender expression on his face. His eyes spoke of longing and it frightened her. She took one full step back, nervously running a hand through her hair. “Yeah?”
He shook his head again and sighed. “Why don’t you shower and whatnot? I’ll make breakfast. What would you like?”
Looking up at him sheepishly, she smiled slightly. “Could you make those pancakes again?”
He grinned, “I sure can.”
“Lost it a bit this morning huh?”
William nearly dropped the eggs he was carrying to the counter when Dru appeared, sitting on said counter, swinging her ghostly legs.
He glared at her. “Must you scare me? Just because you’re a ghost doesn’t mean you have to scare me to death – no pun intended – every time you decide to show yourself.”
Dru laughed. “It’s not always up to me when I show up, William. Spirits are energy, and I use a lot of it when I appear. I have to gather that energy back to show myself again. Kind like recharging my batteries.”
“Oh.”
“So, lost it this morning?”
“Lurking were you?”
“I was passing through.”
“Right. Dru, do me a favor?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t lurk.”
“I said I was—“
“You heard me.”
“Yes, sir,” she grumbled.
“I didn’t lose it…I…yeah, okay I lost it.”
“Because…?”
“I don’t want to tell you,” he muttered, cracking the eggs into the bowl.
“Tell me!”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
“Okay, let me guess…you liked sleeping with my sister and you were offended that her ‘delicate sensibilities’ had been disrupted by your sleeping together.”
“Add in an erotic dream about her, and you have it.”
Dru giggled, “I knew it! Will you admit it now?”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No. If and when I admit anything, Dru, it will be to your sister first.”
“Oh, yes, I can see that going over well. Maybe you should run it by me first and I can tell you how it sounds.”
“No. I don’t want to have to run something by you in every step of my relationship with Buffy—“ he stopped and glared at her.
Dru was laughing, “Got you to admit it! A relationship with my sister?”
He continued to glare. “I admitted nothing. A friendship is a relationship, no?”
“Do you have erotic dreams about all your friends?”
“Oh, shut up,” he grumbled, massacring the mix with his whisk. Then he stopped. “Dru. Buffy told me something quite interesting last night and if you can get off of me and Buffy for a minute, I’d like to run it by you.”
“Shoot,” she shrugged.
“She said you were crappy at pin pointing futures.”
Dru wrinkled her nose, “Said that, did she?”
“Yeah, and it’s got me wondering – is she going to be all right if she stays? You only see what happens if she doesn’t, but what if she does – and were you just setting me up?”
“Hmmm…that’s a long list of questions,” Dru murmured, “Where would you like me to start?”
“How about with her safety?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I don’t. Everything is up in the air right now. She hasn’t decided whether or not she’ll stay.”
“Christ.”
“So, let’s add this up shall we?”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Dru merely smiled and held up her hand. “You rush over to see her yesterday,” she said and ticked off a finger.
“And you’d do well to tell your friends to leave her the bloody hell alone until she’s ready. And that goes for you as well.”
Dru ticked off another finger, “You brought her to your home.”
“Dru…”
“And you had an erotic dream about her, and then you were offended when she didn’t share your sentiments this morning.”
“The lurking, Dru. I mean it.”
“I know, I know, I know. But we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you and – oh, here she comes!” And with that, Dru evaporated.
Buffy came storming into the kitchen, her eyes wild, looking about her cautiously. William watched her, his heart racing. “You all right?” he asked.
“I thought I felt … heard…” she shook her head, “nevermind.”
“Heard….felt….what?”
“Dru,” she murmured.
William opened his mouth, thinking he might just tell her, but then thought better of it. If he told her that Dru visited him, that she had implored his help, Buffy would be outraged. She’d accuse him of only helping her because of her sister and not because of her. And while it had started out that way, it wasn’t that way anymore. Dru could beg him all she wanted to help Buffy, but it had nothing to do with Dru’s wants for her sister at this point. It had to do with wanting to help Buffy because he cared for her.
How it happened, and how fast it was happening still, stunned him, but he couldn’t help it. She was burrowing under his skin and he couldn’t seem to stop it, no matter how hard he tried. He was drowning all right, and fast. There were things about the world, about people and their compassion, about love and about relationships and caring that he wanted to teach her; show her. She’d been locked up in the ivory tower of her own fear for far too long and he wanted nothing more than to release her.
“Do you think she’s followed you here?” William asked.
“I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s very persistent.”
“As persistent as you are stubborn?”
She smirked, “Some might say.”
“Do you feel comfortable here, Buffy?”
She nodded, “I do.”
“More than at the mansion?”
Her nose wrinkled, “Yes.”
He smiled, “Then I have an idea.”
“Oh?”
“If you feel Dru here, then maybe it’s because she’s…lurking.” He was going to get it for that one, he knew it. “So, maybe instead of taking on all the ghosts that haunt the mansion, you could start with her. Here. Talk to her here and –“
She held up her hand, “Just…stop, William.”
“Will you at least consider it?”
Pursing her lips together, Buffy told him tightly, “Sure.”
“Are you saying that just to pacify me?”
“Maybe.”
“Guess I’ll have to settle with a ‘maybe’ then.”
“Guess so. So, where are the plates? I’ll set the table.”
William sighed inwardly and directed her to where the plates and utensils were. She was a stubborn one all right, but that was all right. He was stubborn too, she just didn’t know how stubborn yet.