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Buffy looked up at him wide-eyed. “What do you mean this ends now? Are we going to get someone here to exorcise them out?”

William shook his head, his face a mask of regret, as if he hated what he was about to tell her. “No, luv, this means that you have to give a little.”

She shoved him away from her. “Me? I have to? I have to –what? Let them in? Hell, no,” she shook her head and walked away from him, annoyed.

Grabbing her arm, he hauled her back to him, startling her. “No, Buffy, that’s not going to work. See? You push me away and I just come back for more. Well, they’re the same way. Why do you think they got so loud, hmm? Because they are begging you to acknowledge them. You can’t hide from them forever.”

“Wanna bet?” she challenged and tugged her arm back to her person. “You can leave now, William.”

He grabbed her again. “It doesn’t work that way, pet.”

She spun to face him. “You just want me to be her. Admit it, you were in love with her and you just want me to be a carbon copy of her!”

“Buffy, that’s not true,” he said evenly.

“Isn’t it? It’s why you want me to stay, it’s why you want to spend time with me. It’s not really me, it’s her.”

He shook his head, “You’re wrong. This is about you. About what you need, about what is good for you.”

“Then go away and let me handle this on my –“

“Except you’re not handling it, are you? Instead you frighten those around you—“

“It’s better than being frightened myself!” she burst out, and was horrified when the tears started. Such a weakness, she heard her mother say in her mind, You’re such a baby. You’ll never be a woman. She was fighting to keep them in, and losing horribly. Instead, they came out in choked sobs and she tried desperately to free herself from William’s iron grasp.

But he wouldn’t budge. He held on.

“Let go of me!” she yelled at him.

He shook his head, “No.” Instead, he brought her closer and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her close to him.

She froze in his arms. What was he doing? What was this?

“It’s a hug, Buffy,” he said as if reading her thoughts. “And now you put your arms around me and hug me back.”

She did nothing except stand there, her arms awkwardly bent and tilted up, kind of like a mannequin or Barbie doll. She stared over his shoulder, feeling utterly out of place.

“Buffy,” he said demandingly, “hug me back.”

“No.”

“Then I’m going to hold on to you until you do.”

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him, and once she did, he chuckled into her neck, sending pleasant vibrations through her body and making her shiver.

“Why?” she whispered.

“Why what?”

“Why are you hugging me?”

“Because I want to prove to you, it’s not your sister I’m here for, it’s you.”

“Okay, then. Point taken. Point driven home, you can let go now.”

“No.”

“Why not?” she demanded.

“Because you need this. You never got held did you?”

She said nothing, just shut her eyes. No, she never had. Only Dru hugged her, and Buffy would always nervously push her away.

“You need to be held,” he murmured. “You need it. . . see how you fit in my arms as if you were made to be… You should be held. Cared for.”

“William?”

“I wish I could have been around to see you grow up. Your parents are monsters, you know that?”

“Yeah, I think I got that memo.”

“The fact that they never showed you how special you are…” he shook his head and pulled back slightly to look at her.

His blue eyes were piercing straight into her. “Have you ever been in love before, Buffy?”

“What do you think?”

He smiled and pushed some hair from her face, “I’ll take that as a no.”

“You think I’m crazy.”

“You keep thinking I think that. Would it make you feel better if I thought that?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because then maybe I’d have some kind of proof that I am.”

He shook his head, “You’re not crazy. You’re stubborn as hell is what you are.”

“I can’t help it.”

He nodded, keeping his gaze intent on her. “I know. But you see, I’m stubborn too and I’m not going to let you fight me and win all the time. Some things, like acknowledging these ghosts here, I won’t let you win on.”

“William—“

“However, I will allow you some space from it.”

“You’ll allow me? Obviously Dru never told you that I don’t take orders well.”

“Oh, she did,” he said lightly, smiling. “Look, I have an idea.”

“Do any of those ideas have to do with you letting me go at any time?”

“In the immediate future? No. Here’s my idea: Why don’t you pack a bag for a couple nights and come stay with me. Just for a couple nights. I have a spare bedroom—Why are you shaking your head?”

“Why do you think? The answer is no.”

“Give me one good reason. You want to stay here and have them all badgering you again? This time Edina won’t call me, she’ll call the men in the white suits to take you away.”

She took pause and he saw that opening and forged ahead. “Just come for a couple days. That’s all. Get away from the stress. You said this place depressed you, so get away from it and come stay with me. Some time away will give you some perspective.”

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, and he had the urge to take that bottom lip in his mouth and suck on it. Not being able to do that, he just held her tighter.

She looked up at him, studying him thoughtfully. She was weighing it in her mind, he knew.

“You’re not weak, Buffy,” he murmured. “You’re not. You need a break. You’re human. Humans need breaks. Pardon my language, but fuck your bloody parents. They didn’t know what the hell they were doing.”

“Sad how normal Dru turned out, and how fucked up I turned out huh?” she commented dryly. “Well, as normal as she could be anyway.”

“You’re not fucked up.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You were just conditioned one way for so long—“

“Thank you, Freud.”

“So, what will it be?”

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Okay, I’ll go. For two days. But, none of this.”

“Of what?”

“This hugging thing.”

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Releasing her, he opened his arms wide at his sides. “Better?”

She eyes him wearily. “Yes.”

“Okay then. Come, I’ll help you pack,” and now he took her hand. He couldn’t help himself, he just felt the urge to touch her, if not for him and his own selfish needs, than to help her get used to it.

He was going to hug her, all right. He was going to hug her often. Beyond that, he didn’t know, but it’d be baby steps for both of them.

And, after struggling with him a bit to get her hand back, she finally relented and let him just hold it. He nearly felt like whistling some lovestruck sod, but instead, opted to not draw attention to that victory.

He was a man on a mission to get her to stay before. Now, he was a man on a mission to break down her walls, and break them down he would.





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