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Her feet had barely taken two steps into the ballroom when all noise ceased. All heads turned in their direction and if it weren't for Spike holding her arm she would have tucked tail and fled. Buffy could hear the blood pumping away beneath her veins, echoing in her ears. The sound only drew her attention to how nervous she was.

Spike once again gave her hand a squeeze, but it did little to calm or reassure her.

The ballroom was full of foreign people and faces she didn't recognize and she tried for a few moments to spot the familiar faces of her surrogate family, but came up empty. Spike was calm and collected as they walked farther into the room, greeting his guests with smiles and small nods of acknowledgement. A few people stepped forward to shake his hand and he returned their warm greeting in kind, indicating that he hadn't seen them in a long time and was glad that they could make it.

Her face, she knew, was a mess of nerves. Not sure where to look Buffy followed Spike aimlessly as he led her around the ballroom, introducing her to his tenants as his mate. She smiled, allowing the male guests to kiss the back of her hand in greeting while the women simply dipped their forms in a curtsy or bow.

Buffy's body was on edge. Not only was she nervous, but with all the new faces in the room came new signatures and sensations. Not everyone within the ballroom walls was human and it was sending her primal senses haywire, making the hairs on the back of her neck rise to attention.

After greeting the majority of his guests Spike, with his hand resting at the small of her back, led her to a table that was at the head of the ballroom. He smiled at her as he pulled out a chair, sending her a rush of emotions through their bond as she sat.

Sometimes he sent her clear words, but tonight he was beaming with pride. She was doing well and he was having fun showing her off. His thoughts made her blush and she smiled, ducking her head.

He remained standing and Buffy lost all thoughts, unable to hear a word of what he was saying as all eyes stayed trained on them. There was something extremely haunting in the way a whole ballroom full of people, including children stayed silent while he spoke. Spike exuded power and knew exactly how to command the attention and respect of those around him. It helped that he was a vampire and even she could feel the fierce energy radiating from him. Letting her eye's wander as he spoke she spotted Willow and Oz, who were sitting at the table closest to them. Willow was rocking little Oliver in her arms in an effort to calm his cries and she held back a small chuckle at the horrified look on Willows face. Tara sat next to them, offering Buffy a smile of her own that had her returning one in kind. She spotted Giles last, slowly and silently weaving his way through the throngs of people before sitting next to Tara and bending to whisper something in her ear. Tara's face dropped for a moment before she glanced Buffy's way, quickly spinning in her chair to whisper to Giles face-to-face.

"So here's to another year, a fantastic bloody harvest and not too much bloodshed!"

The clapping and few loud cheers from a table set to the side of the ballroom had Buffy jumping in her chair and Spike chuckling. She had been startled from her thoughts and staring, but it was a sound she welcomed. Hearing Spike laugh was a rarity, a sound that he so seldom let out, but one that she enjoyed. He slid down into his chair next to her and raised his hands to the castle staff, who were hovering at the edges of a doorway. Immediately they began pouring in through doors with trays laden with food.

The smell of cooked meats and vegetables assaulted Buffy within seconds of the trays being walked into the room and her stomach rumbled in anticipation. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, having known that there was going to be a great feast at the gathering.

"You best fill your plate, luv. This food won' last long. Not with the Dunbar's here."

"The Dunbars?"

"See the table at the end?"

Spike motioned towards a table next to the one Giles and Tara sat at and recognized it as the one where all the loud cheering had come from at the end of his speech.

"Mmm." Not wanting to draw unwanted eyes and attention their way from staring, Buffy simply nodded and began piling food onto her plate.

"Those are the Dunbars. Great tenants. Brilliant farmers. But a tad overzealous at times."

"Are they human?" Buffy was staring at the largest of the Dunbars, a man who was very broad shouldered, tall, with dark red hair and had a rather boisterous laugh. She felt herself smiling as the man tilted his head back, laughing loudly and jostling the people sitting next to him.

"No." Spike smiled, following her gaze. "Not all my tenants are... They fight amongst themselves sometimes, but this year has been good. Not too much bloodshed."

"What are they?" Buffy closed her eyes and tried to pinpoint the table's different signatures, a wave of goosebumps covering her skin in reflex.

"They're brachen demons."

"Brachen?"

"Well half brachen. Full bloods don' have the ability to revert to human form, but Deorsa and his family are half breeds."

"His wife is human." Buffy opened her eyes and stared at the small red-headed woman sitting next to the man Spike had pointed out as Deorsa.

"You're getting good, pet. We'll have you being able to sense the beasties a long way off soon."

Buffy blushed under Spikes gaze and comment and simply sat back to enjoy her meal.

True to his words the food didn't last long and before she knew what was happening plates were being cleared away and trays of drinks being set down in their place. A small cluster of people disbanded from their tables and made their way to a corner of the ballroom where a simple elevated platform had been set up. They begun setting up instruments, some sitting in chairs while others stood and soon the great room echoed with their sounds.

Her heart lurched in her chest, stomach dropping at what the music meant.

Dancing...

She let out a whimper, slinking down further into her seat while cradling a large glass of wine. Spike simply raised an eyebrow to her movements, bringing his own glass to his lips in amusement, sipping it through a smirk.

"Ceannard!"

Her fear of being asked to dance was broken by a loud accented voice. The large man; Deorsa, was making his way to their table and Buffy for the first time was able to see him at full height. He stood easily over six feet tall, his body built of solid muscle that rippled with strength as he moved. He wore firm fitting clothing that only accentuated the power beneath. Overall, he struck a very intimidating figure.

"Deorsa," Spike nodded his acknowledgement. "I see you've been keeping Aileen busy."

"Aye! She's a bonnie wee lass, the bairne isnae but four months old now." He beamed proudly, casting a glass towards the table he had just vacated.

Buffy followed his eyes towards the woman to whom they were both staring at. A thin red-headed woman; Aileen she surmised, sat cradling a small baby in her arms while another handful of children of all different ages sat surrounding her.

"Who's this lassie then? Did ye finally get yerself a wifie?"

"In a way." Spike smirked and met the man's wide smile.

"Huh?" Buffy glanced between the two, feeling slightly lost in their conversation due to Deorsa's thick accent.

"Dinnae fasch yerself, lassie. I dinnae think ceannard would ever get over that awfy pie-faced lass-"

"Watch it." Spike growled and Buffy jumped in her seat.

Pie-faced lass?

She scrunched her face up in confusion and glanced at her mate, who was glaring at Deorsa.

"I dinnae mean te offend ye, ceannard." Deorsa rushed to apologize, smiling at Buffy while extending his hand for her to shake. "I'm Deorsa, but ye ken call me George."

"It's a pleasure to meet you George." Buffy took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Aye she's a strong lassie then! And bonnie too!" George grinned, pulling back his hand.

"She's unique." Spike agreed, placing a palm on top of Buffy's knee underneath the table and giving it a squeeze.

"How long have you been one of Spike's tenants?" She blushed under Spikes compliment, lifting her head to meet George's wide smile.

"Spike is it? Nae, that's William te me. He disnae like it when I call him that ye ken. So Ceannard wi do." George nodded with a small grin, pulling up a chair to sit opposite them so that he wasn't standing towering over them.

"What does ceannard mean?"

"It means leader, pet."

"Aye, leader."

Buffy decided that she liked George and his loud and boisterous personality. His general stature was tall and intimidating and his personality just as large, but she found that he made her smile. His forever beaming face had her muscles relaxing and nerves easing.

George's statement however, had her mate sitting back into his chair and reaching for the wine in front of him to pour a rather large amount into his glass. She knew that Spike's real name was William. Her father's books on the Aurelius vampire lineage were full of numerous tales of bloodshed and terror that William the Bloody had wreaked, but she hadn't known how much he really didn't like to be called it.

For the briefest of seconds she recalled the flashes of memories from their shared dreams and sent her mate a questioning gaze. His face remained hardened and unreadable, their connection still. She pushed the thoughts from her mind. He was known as William the Bloody for a reason and he clearly wanted those memories left in the past. She wasn't going to pry, so instead, she turned her attention back to George as he opened his mouth to answer her question.

"How long have I ken ye?" He glanced towards Spike. "Say, going on four years. He's a cannie lad, kept my arse outta trouble more then once."

"And it better stay that way."

"Aye folk hae convenient memories."

People only remember what they want to remember.

Buffy couldn't help but chuckle at the translation Spike sent through to her. While she could pick up bits and pieces of their conversation there were some words and phrases George used that eluded her.

What does a pie-faced lassie mean?

It describes a plain looking girl.

"Oh."

Buffy hadn't realized she'd spoken out loud until George tilted his head to the side in question. Glancing towards Spike she noticed his hard set jaw and tense face. Clearly any mention of his ex from his tenants was a subject he was not willing to discuss, but she suspected that Spikes connection with George ran deeper than most. He leaned forward to talk directly to George and she sat further back in her chair to survey the ballroom and its inhabitants, letting them talk privately.

The ballroom was loud with over eighty people crammed inside, all of different ages and as she closed her eyes, she recognized different species. Spike had mentioned that not all of his tenants were human, but with so many of them showing human features she had no idea of knowing what they actually looked like in their true form. While the room was full of adults content to drink and celebrate another year passing, there were the younger few who ran about in order to entertain themselves. Children seldom sat still for long and she watched as a few ducked under tables, small giggles and shouts coming from different directions. Amusement covered her face when more than once parents raced after their misbehaving offspring.

It was hard to hold a conversation without shouting over the noise and she wondered how Spike and George were doing it. Letting her eyes scan the room further it was getting harder to keep herself closed off from her mate and not feel every emotion that he was sending her. Whatever George was saying was clearly unsettling him.

Just as she was reaching forward for her glass of wine a small red-headed boy of about six years old ran up to their table.

"Da!"

"This is my wee lad Angus." George pulled the boy up onto his lap and wiped the mess of red curls from his eyes that were drooping across his face.

"Hello Angus." Buffy didn't know what else to say, smiling and staring blankly at the child.

I'm so not good at this.

"Mister Ceannard. Mister Ceannard's wifie."

Spike let out a chuckle at the small boys greeting, watching as he wriggled in his fathers lap.

"Dinnae footer so much eh. Awae ye go!" George set him on the ground, patting his bottom and motioning for him to go back to his mother.

"How many nights ago was it?" Spike growled after Angus had scampered off, resuming their conversation.

"Nae but two. I was gonnae tell ye sooner, but"

"You should have told me right after it happened."

"Aye! And leave my wife and bairnes alone in te freezing cold wi naeone te pretect them!" George sat up straight in his chair, shoulders widening. "I'm tellin ye nae."

"You're right." Spike closed his eyes, letting out an unnecessary breath.

"Whatever it is, it needs a fixing, ye ken. I'll nae let anyone hurt me or mine. Including you, ceannard."

"It's not safe right now. You got my message? Good. I'll come out tomorrow to fix your barn and see who or what did the damage. The horses will be replaced. Righ' now though, Rupert is summoning me." Spike almost groaned out loud, seeing the waving 'come here' gesture Giles was giving him. "You better not start another figh' with Clem or I'll never hear the end of it."

"He started it last time!"

"I still don' believe you. Just don' go starting fights when you have no evidence that it's actually him doing the damage."

"Fine wi me."

George held his hands up in defeat as Spike stood, bending down to kiss Buffy on the cheek before he made his way over to Giles. She watched him leave with a heavy heart. She could feel that he was already drained from just one conversation. Being the landowner to so many tenants meant that he was constantly trying to keep the peace between them and gathering from what she had overheard someone or something had destroyed George's barn and taken his livestock. Her mates following weeks were going to be long and tiresome and she sent him a rush of strength through their bond which had him standing up straighter as he walked.

There was a fleeting moment of silence after Spike left, broken when George spoke.

"Will ye care te dance wi me?"

"Oh, I can't dance! Sorry." Buffy blushed crimson, shaking her head no. "T-thank you for the offer though." She stammered, seeing the look that fell across George's face at her rejection.

"Ye ken fight no?"

"Yes..."

Buffy raised an eyebrow, glancing towards her mate in an attempt to get him to come back and rescue her from the inevitable. Spike, if he felt her through their bond or not didn't turn around, he was too lost in his conversation, talking animatedly with Giles.

"Aye well it's te same wi dancing. Ye dinnae teach yer granny tae suck eggs."

"What?"

"Come on, on ye feet lassie!"

"What does my grandmother and... and eggs have to do with dancing?"

"It means ye cannae teach someone something they already ken. Ye ken?" George stood towering above her with his forearm held out waiting for her to take it.

God help me!

Her stomach filled with dread and trepidation at the thought of dancing in front of all these people, but she knew she had no choice but to accept George's offered arm. Any further rejection to his person wouldn't only embarrass him further, but it would embarrass Spike.

What kind of mate would she be? What kind of lady of the house would she be, if she didn't get to know her mate's tenants.

Their tenants.

"Kinda." She laughed at George's confusing statement and stood, placing her palm on his arm.

"Aye, you'll do fine lassie. I'll teach ye."

He grinned, placing his hand atop hers and giving it a few pats of reassurance before he led her to the center of the ballroom where a few other guests had begun to dance.





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