William didn’t know just what kind of game Drusilla was playing at the moment, but was determined to make his point and be out of there as soon as possible. For some reason, her acting all civilized made him feel uncomfortable, not to mention convinced that she was up to something. “We need to talk, Dru. This has to stop.”
She made her way over to them, coming to stand next to Liam and slipping her arm around his waist. “Whatever do you mean?”
He noticed the look of surprise on the other man’s face, but didn’t comment. Instead, he rolled his eyes. “You know bloody well what I’m talking about.” William pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and held it up in front of her. “Forty-six soddin’ missed phone calls over the last twenty-four hours, all of ‘em coming from you. Got something to say, here’s your chance. Then I want you to leave me alone.”
“Oh.” Drusilla smiled a little. “I was very eager to speak with you. Perhaps I got a little carried away.”
“A little?!” Buffy let out a snort, staring at the dark-haired woman in disbelief.
Drusilla ignored her and went on; “A true miracle is growing inside me, and it is a part of you, whether you like it or not. All I want is for you to accept it. Then I won’t bother you anymore.”
William gave her a doubtful look. “No offense, Dru, but I find that a bit hard to believe. Tell you what. Give me a ring when the kid’s born, and I’ll be happy to take a paternity test. Until then, just stay the hell away from me.” A part of him almost cringed at the hard words coming from his mouth, but he forced himself to stay strong.
After all, he didn’t owe Drusilla anything. He realized that now. She had only been using him for her own selfish reasons, and he had a sinking feeling she wasn’t finished with him yet. Too bad for her. He sure as hell was finished with her. Still, he was starting to suspect that Drusilla’s life wasn’t nearly as perfect as she wanted people to think.
Well, that wasn’t his fault, now, was it? She clearly hadn’t trusted him enough to confide in him. If she had, he would have been supportive. He didn’t want to admit it, but the fact that she had told Liam about her past and not him actually hurt a little. Whether he had been in love with her or not, he had always been there for her during their short relationship.
Drusilla’s eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists in fury. Although she struggled not to let her anger show. She needed William to believe she had truly changed. So, she managed to squeeze out a single tear. “You hurt my feelings. My heart is telling me you are the father, and if taking a paternity test is the only way for you to believe what I already know, then so be it. You will get the proof you so desperately want.”
She was pleased with how confident she sounded, like she didn’t doubt her words for a second. Of course, she knew perfectly well that William wasn’t more likely to be the father than Liam, or any of the other men she had been with over the past months. Still, she wasn’t worried. William would never get a chance to take a paternity test. But she had to make him think she was all for it.
Now she could feel Liam’s eyes on her, and she knew she had some explaining to do as soon as William and his little girlfriend had left. But she wasn’t worried about that, either. Liam was so eager for her to forgive him, that he would gladly swallow any white lie she could come up with. Actually, he would be the least of her problems.
Drusilla was fully convinced that her plan would work. She would make William believe that she genuinely wanted the baby. If she knew him half as well as she thought she did, he would – despite his words – be there for her all the way, as long as there was even the slightest chance that the baby belonged to him. He was that noble, after all.
If she could convince William that she wanted to get back with Liam, and wouldn’t try to get between him and his precious Buffy, then he would most likely be a lot less hostile towards her. And given some time, she didn’t doubt that she could get him to find the idea of being a father quite appealing. He would come to look forward to it, just as much as he would think she did.
Then came the tricky part. She would have to secretly get an appointment for having an abortion, preferably out of town, and make sure she could do it without anyone ever finding out. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be too hard. Then she would simply claim to have miscarried. She knew a male doctor in LA who owed her a favor for not telling his wife about his secret affairs; it would be quite easy to blackmail him into backing up her story.
Everybody would think she was truly crushed about losing the baby, and William would feel so sorry for her that he would do just about anything to make her smile again. She would play the part as a grieving mother perfectly, and it was just a matter of time before she would have him wrapped around her little finger. It was perfect.
Only, somewhere inside her head, a persistent little voice kept telling her that maybe she was taking things too far; that she should forget about this plan of hers before it would seriously blow up in her face. But she stubbornly pushed the voice to the farthest back of her mind. She wasn’t about to back down now.
“You’re being awfully quiet, pet. Care to let me know what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” William hoped he didn’t sound as worried as he actually felt. He couldn’t quite explain it, but he suddenly feared that his new-found happiness was about to slip away from him, and he wouldn’t be able to do a thing to stop it.
Maybe he was just being paranoid. God, how he hoped that was the case. Drusilla had insisted that she wasn’t interested in them getting back together, that she and Liam were going to start over. She just wanted him to promise to be there for the baby if – or as she had put it; when – it would turn out to be his and he couldn’t deny the truth any longer.
William didn’t like to admit it, but Drusilla had seemed so convinced in her belief that he was the father of her unborn child that he was starting to wonder if she could be right after all. Of course, deep down, he realized that she couldn’t know for sure. It was more likely that – like Liam had said – she had already been pregnant when they had first started going out.
But if he was wrong, and the child would turn out to be his, then what? William had always wanted children, so it wasn’t the idea of becoming a father that scared him. But he also wanted a family. He wanted to get married some day. And more importantly; he wanted to have all of that with Buffy, not with Drusilla. Never with Drusilla.
He also felt a little guilty for hoping he wouldn’t be the father, for not wanting this baby. After all, the child was innocent and deserved two loving parents. And he honestly couldn’t see Drusilla putting someone else’s needs before her own. He swallowed, knowing that this kid deserved much better parents than he and Dru could ever be.
“I don’t know, I just...” Buffy hesitated, not sure how to explain. When Drusilla had told them she wanted to get back together with Liam, she had been relieved, but still, a part of her couldn’t help but think that it just seemed a bit too good to be true. Liam’s face had been a mixture of happiness, surprise and confusion, and Buffy got the feeling Drusilla hadn’t even bothered to discuss it with him before bringing it up.
And there was something else that didn’t quite add up. When William had broken up with Drusilla, she had been furious. And now, it was like she didn’t even care anymore. All of the sudden, she had come to the realization that it was in fact Liam she wanted. And yet she kept insisting that this baby of hers belonged to William. No, Buffy had a bad feeling about all of this.
“Having second thoughts? ‘Bout us, I mean?” William clearly tried to keep his tone light, but didn’t quite succeed.
“What? No! God, no.” The relieved expression on his face made her heart ache and she walked right into his arms, buried her face against his chest and tried to keep the tears from falling. It was just not fair. She and William deserved some happiness at last, didn’t they? So why did the entire world suddenly seem to be against them?
She was taken by surprise when William crashed his lips against hers, but didn’t complain. Instead she returned the kiss almost desperately, clinging to him like she was afraid he would suddenly disappear into thin air. And when he pulled her shirt over her head and gently pushed her up against the wall, she immediately started tugging on his jeans.
“Please,” she gasped as he started pressing feather light kisses down her neck, before letting his tongue softly trace her collarbone. “William, I need you. Now!”
She didn’t have to tell him twice.
TBC