Spike was halfway through the file folder on his betrothed’s formative years and still hadn’t read anything shocking enough to have his uncle’s knickers in a twist; although he fully believed Faith’s stories about their high school years now. Glancing over the folder, he warily eyeballed his uncle and asked, “What’s the big deal, Rupes? So she was a bit mischievous in her younger days, so what? And do I even want to know how you managed to snag a copy of her juvenile records?”
“A friend owed me a favor.” Rupert replied in response to his nephew’s last question. “That’s all you need to know.” Grimly, he continued, “However, while her juvenile records are colorful to say the least, that wasn’t quite what I was referring to. Turn to the last page, Spike.”
Curious, Spike flipped through a couple more pages of juvenile infractions to locate the page in question, but made a mental note to inquire as to how Buffy and Faith managed to get themselves out of trouble after breaking in to a sporting goods store on a dare. On the last page, Spike skimmed over it before settling on what was obviously causing a great deal of worry for Rupert. Closing the file, he placed it back on the desk and chewed on his bottom lip for a minute before looking at his uncle. “Well, that explains why she won’t talk about her family.”
“I imagine having a father in prison is rather embarrassing, and when it’s for swindling several influential people in Hollywood out of millions of dollars it would be extremely uncomfortable to talk about to someone in your line of work.” Rupert paused to take a sip of bourbon before continuing, “Now the question remains, do you think she has any idea about the child he allegedly fathered prior to being sentenced? She would have been very young at the time and since she hasn’t mentioned a sibling, there’s a chance that her mother might have not told her.”
“I doubt she knows. Buffy’s made several remarks as to her friends being her only family and not wanting to leave them in Sunnydale when I mentioned moving in with me. I believe if she knew about a sibling, she’d have a relationship with them regardless of the situation.” Spike was a hundred percent sure that Buffy would relish the idea of having a sibling no matter what the details surrounding the situation were. His main concern at the moment was what to do with the information. While he knew the media would have field day with the information regarding Hank Summers, Spike knew that it would eventually blow over once something else juicy happened in Tinsletown. His only worry was how all of it would affect Buffy.
As if reading his nephew’s mind, Rupert said, “This isn’t going to be good in the media. In fact, it will be a firestorm of coverage, but it will eventually blow over. This is most certainly what you pay me the high dollars for. However, you need to consider what you’re going to say to Buffy. If she is, in fact, clueless about possibly having a sister or brother out there, then finding out through the news is going to be very difficult for her. While we aren’t a hundred percent as to the validity of the source, I figure it would be best to go ahead and prepare her for the possibility. After that, she can take the course of action that she decides will best.”
“ ‘m in total agreement with you.” Spike felt the itch of a cigarette creeping up, but knew that his uncle had a strict rule against doing so in his house, so he got up and walked over to the patio door. “I’ll talk to her about it tonight.”
“Of course, that leads us to the next course of business,” Rupert edged away from the desk, stood up and followed Spike onto the adjoining patio, “which is clearly how we are going to go about announcing to the media hounds your recent nuptials and the subsequent breaking of millions of hearts of teenage girls worldwide.”
“I do believe I caught a sense of humor in that statement somewhere, Rupes.” Spike replied with a smirk. “You’d better watch out, old man, I hear it’s contagious.” Leaning against the nearby railing, he took a long drag from the much needed cigarette. “I want to hold off on it for as long as possible, if we can. M’blushing bride is about as skittish as a wild horse on the matter and I’d like a bit of time to let her settle in to the idea before it’s released. And, judging by the way the media has their teeth dug into the topic of our sudden romance, I’d likely bet I’ve got about a day or so before it’s leaked. So, let’s try to get through the charity ball tomorrow night and see how things go, yeah? 'm sure the vultures will have plenty to chat about when I show up with her on my arm, instead of going stag like I normally do.”
“Very well then, holding off on all media notifications other than the typical ‘no comment’ until further notice; this should go well, I expect.” Rupert replied with only the slightest hint of sarcasm. “Now that that’s out of the way, I’d very much like to get to know your wife. I’m very interested in finding out more about how she managed to burn down the school gym. Quiet an interesting young lady you’ve brought home this time, William. And she looks so down to earth on the surface, too. Very unexpected, indeed.”
“Why don’t we hold off on the Spanish Inquisition for the time being, mate. She’s nervous enough about being here and really doesn’t like to talk about her past.” Spike followed his uncle down the pathway that led to the rear patio where their wives were having lunch. As they rounded the corner, he nudged Rupert with his elbow and winked, “Plus, her cohort, Faith, already filled me in on the details of that evening. We’ll have a drink later and discuss it, yeah?”
“I’m going to hold you to that promise.” Rupert replied with a chuckle before crossing the stone patio to take a seat next to Anya. “Sorry for the delay, dear. How was lunch? Have you managed to get Buffy to spill all of her deep, dark secrets yet?”
“Lunch was excellent, as always, and no, I haven’t.” Anya pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. “She’s got a serious case of the tight lip going on.”
Buffy’s cheeks turned bright red, which tended to be her usual reaction to having the attention planted firmly in her direction. Thankfully, Spike changed the subject and for a moment she thought she was rescued and no longer under the microscope when he mentioned the upcoming charity ball that was all the talk on the gossip show on television last night. When she heard him say that she needed a dress for the event, she choked on her water and gaped at him. “What with the huh?” She managed to spit out oh so elegantly.
“”What? You didn’t expect me to go alone did you, pet?” Spike asked, managing to look both amused and offended with Buffy’s exclamation.
“Yes!” Buffy all but shrieked, which had Rupert and Anya red faced with laughter. Even further embarrassed now, she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down and then proceeded to convey her thoughts in a clearer manner. “I just figured you’d go alone. It’s such a public event and I am so very much not a public dance kind of event type of girl, Spike. Unless, of course, you count high school dances, which I obviously have to go to, but I’m there in a more wallflower kind of presence. This, it’s just too big. Too soon! I am so not ready!”
“You’ll be fine, love.” Spike assured her as he reached over to take her hands in his before she ripped the skin clear off of them with the way she was wringing them nervously. “Plus, you agreed we’d try this dating thing. In fact, it was your idea, yeah? You’d better get used to being in public with me if we’re going to do so.”
Realizing she was defeated in her argument against going, she sighed. “Fine, but when I inevitably pull a ‘Buffy’ and embarrass you in front of everyone, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Tickled pink, Anya clapped her hands together and announced, “You know what this calls for, right? A makeover! Tomorrow morning you are all mine Buffy?” Satisfied with the way the day had turned out, she headed inside to make a few preparatory phone calls with a smile on her face, despite the look of horror on Buffy’s face.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
As with the other chapter I posted today...there are no excuses for my tardiness. I just hope that my readers are still out there. Thanks for reading! Also, technically this story is still at my beta's house, but I was impatient and posted anyway. Any errors will be corrected shortly. Thanks!
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks for reading...hope you enjoyed!