Did I fall asleep on him? Did he drug me? Okay, moron, if he drugged you to take advantage of you, he wouldn’t have left you with your dress on. She pondered that. Or would he have to throw her off? Get a grip Summers. You’re out of your mind. Are you that paranoid that you’d think William would actually do something like that?
It wasn’t as if she knew him well enough to make that judgment call, however, he had been friends with her sister, and yet her sister was –
Get a grip, Buffy!
Climbing out of bed, she changed quickly into a pair of running pants and a t-shirt. Pulling her hair back in a ponytail, she set off to the kitchen. Her stomach was loud and in charge.
Padding to the kitchen, she burst in, rubbing her belly at it growled and yawning.
“Sleep well?”
She nearly jumped out of her skin as she let out a screech and found William munching on cereal. “I sent Edina away,” William told her. “I don’t like anyone being around me first thing in the morning. Well, not strangers anyway. How are you?”
She stared at him, “What are you doing here? You came over for breakfast? Don’t you have food in your place?”
He chuckled, “Buffy, I spent the night.”
“Where?” she demanded, her heart racing.
“In one of the guest rooms,” he stood, “Did you think we--?”
She suddenly had dry mouth. She shook her head, “Just forget what I think.”
He came over to her, carrying his bowl. “Buffy, if that happened, trust me, you would remember for certain,” he said huskily in her ear.
She said nothing, her eyes widening as what he said settled in her mind. “Uh, so, what made you stay? What happened exactly?”
Placing his bowl in the dishwasher, he turned, leaning his bottom against the counter. “You fell asleep last night on the ride home and I – I didn’t want to leave you.”
“Why not? You could have. Was I drunk or something?”
“No, well, maybe a little tipsy.”
“And you carried me up to bed?”
He smiled, “I did. And tucked you in. Didn’t look at your goodies, so don’t worry. I didn’t want you to think I’d just dropped you and ran, so I stayed in a guest room.”
Buffy blinked, “Why?”
“I just told you why. I didn’t want you to think I ran out on you.”
“But, William, why? I mean, I wouldn’t have thought you were rude in fact it was pretty chivalrous of you to carry me upstairs. I must weigh a ton.”
“On the contrary, you’re light as a feather. You need to eat more.”
She raised a brow, “You a doctor now too?”
He grinned, “No, just a friend.”
“Oh, really,” she said warily.
“Yes, really. So, can I make you some breakfast?”
In response, her stomach growled. She looked up at him sheepishly.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“William, really, you don’t –“
He put a finger on her lips, shushing her. “I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
She furrowed her brow, “Okay.”
Now he tapped the space between her brow with his finger. “Why the crease?”
She stared up at him, at the blue of his eyes, thinking just how incredibly blue his eyes really were. He was cute, she decided. Well, hot, but cute this morning. His clothes were all rumpled, his hair all tousled, and he just looked so cute.
William didn’t think she realized that she was leaning into him as she peered up at him. He felt her body heat, so close was she. Gazing into her eyes, he saw uncertainty and sadness.
“Buffy,” he murmured.
“Hmmm?”
He smiled gently and while he didn’t want to frighten her, he also found he couldn’t resist how cute she looked, how vulnerable and sleep rumpled. Leaning in, he quickly pecked her cheek. “Eggs? Bacon? Sausage? All of the above?” he asked quickly, not wanting to give her time to think about what he’d just done.
She jumped back and touched her cheek; as if she wasn’t certain that he’d kissed it. She opened her mouth to say something and he was sure it was about the kiss.
“Or do you want pancakes? Ever have pancakes from scratch? It was Dru’s favorite when I made them for her.”
“What were you doing making Dru breakfast?” she nearly sputtered.
He grinned; he got her off the kiss right fast. “She often liked pancakes for dinner.”
“Oh.”
“And if I had made her breakfast?” he asked, unable to resist teasing her.
She glared at him. “Do you need any help?”
He smiled, “Sure. You want to grab the eggs and milk, and I’ll grab the rest?”
“Sure.”
Heading to the fridge, Buffy opened it and once again pressed a hand to her cheek where he had kissed her. Dru’s voice came into his mind, her teasing from last night. You’re smitten with her!
He supposed he just might be.
The voices were getting louder and more persistent. Buffy had been doing so-so at keeping even their whispering at bay, but today they seemed louder than ever. William had gone home some time after breakfast and Buffy didn’t want to admit it, but she was sad to see him go. The pang of loneliness she felt as she watched him walk to his car was sharp.
“That won’t do,” she’d said to herself and ran up to her room to shower.
She’d gone for a walk on the grounds after, then discovered the library and selected a book. She had settled into a chaise lounge to read when the chattering began. Ignoring them, she moved out of the library and down the hall. Silence greeted her for a few blessed moments until they started up again. She ran down the hall and into her room, and still they continued. Frustrated, she ran to the formal room, the dining room, and the sitting room until finally she ran outside, screaming. Literally screaming her frustration. Putting her hands over her ears, the hot tears cascaded down her cheeks as images came unbidden to her mind. Faces, faces she knew were of the ghosts that haunted her, that followed her, that wanted her to recognize them. Among them – Dru. That made her let out an anguished cry and she sobbed even harder. The one thing she hated was what her sister had become – how was that for a cruel twist of fate?
“Miss!” Edina was shouting to her.
“Leave me alone!” Buffy screamed at her and rocked as she sat and cried.
She didn’t know how long it took, but finally the images in her mind stopped, and she’d squeezed her eye so tight, she thought her eyelids would bleed. Slowly, she took her hands off her ears and took a shuddering breath.
William’s car was barreling down the driveway. She watched him, mesmerized, as he skidded to a stop, cut the engine and jumped out. She watched him, wide-eyed, run to her. He looked panicked.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, standing up.
“You! What’s wrong with you?” he exclaimed, grabbing her arms and studying her.
“What?” she asked, completely bewildered.
“Edina called me in a panic. She said you were out here screaming and crying, rocking back and forth. She said you’d been running through the house, acting like a madwoman. What the bloody hell is going on, Buffy?”
Swallowing, she cursed the fresh batch of tears that were coming. She shook her head, letting the lump form in her throat.
“Tell me,” he demanded.
“Th-the ghosts. They were so loud in my head and they wouldn’t leave me be. I kept running and trying to get away and they wouldn’t let me,” she shook her head. “And then I saw them in my head. I saw them and I – I saw Dru. I just wanted them to go away and I miss her so much and I...I didn’t know what to do!”
She sobbed and he pulled her in his arms, cradling her against him. When her sobs quieted, her forced her to look up at him, placing his hand under her chin. He looked straight in her green orbs and said definitively. “This ends now.”