'Ready to go then?' William asked, kneeling down placing a hand on his son's shoulder.

'Yeah yeah in a minute,’ he replied offhandedly, eyes riveted on the screen in front of him, hands busily occupied with the game controls. ‘I gotta finish this Da' Sighing, William Giles stood up again, running one hand through his platinum blonde curls, icy blue eyes fixated upon the screen. Running the same hand down his high and sharp cheekbone, William decided he really needed to shave again. Soon. Pulling out of his reverie, he once more addressed his son.

'Okay kiddo, save your game. 'M gonna be late for work otherwise. Gotta take you over to Mrs. G's place'

Sighing, Sean put the game away and looked up at his father with an expression that clearly showed minimal anticipation at the fact.

'Great…' Sean muttered, 'Can't I go to work with you Da?' he asked, eyes pleading. Ruffling the boy's dark curls, William shook his head.

'What's the matter with Mrs. G?'

'Puh-lease Da!' he begged off impatiently, 'She's like five million years old. And she smells' he declared with a nod.

'Well, isn't that a shame for you?' William teased, laughing at the boy's resulting theatrical sigh. Picking up the Pokemon backpack that lay on the floor, William shooed Sean out of the house. Trudging slowly to William's old black Mustang convertible, Sean looked over his shoulder pitifully at his dad. Immune to his son's puppy eyes, William resolutely shook his head and pointed meaningfully at the car. Pulling open the door, William leant inside and tossed the pack carelessly into the backseat before settling into his own seat. After several tries, the car reluctantly spurred into action, which elicited yet another sigh from the boy.

Slowing the car at a set of red lights, William looked over. 'It can't be that bad mate, can it?' he raised an eyebrow at his somewhat overdramatic offspring.

'Da...you have no bloody idea' the boy retorted.

'You know, for an eight year old, you've got a pretty sharp mouth' he warned. Sean took the hint and sat quietly for the remainder of the drive, staring dolefully out of the window.

Tires crunched on gravel as the car pulled into the driveway of number five Elm Avenue, lair of the dreaded Mrs. G. *Is she even married still?* William thought briefly, looking up at the old house before glancing at dull red numbers, barely visible on the old car's clock.

8:27 am

'Buggering...sodding...' William cursed at the time and quickly reached over for the bag. Tossing it into Sean's lap, he then gestured to the door that was slowly opening. Mrs. G tottered out onto the front porch, thankfully wearing a long blue dressing gown that seemed to cover anything worth seeing. *Or perhaps not-seeing.* William thought darkly with a shudder. Her worn fuzzy slippers scuffed the floorboards as she shuffled along. With a hideous grin - that only the very elderly seemed to be able to manage - she beckoned to Sean with a gnarled finger. Suddenly, William felt very, very sorry for his son.

'I'll pick you up tonight kay?' William promised.

'Tonight?' Sean repeated in dismay, 'You're working late again?' The disappointment was evident in both voice and expression.

'Sorry mate. I got dinner with a colleague. Promise I'll make it up to you?' Sean nodded dejectedly and left the car, only to be soon swept up in the somewhat smelly embrace of the old woman. Shaking his head, William willed the car back into motion. Crunching it into gear, and once more cursing the time, William hurriedly pushed the limits of his old steed, knowing he would regret it later.

***
'Cutting it a little fine, aren't we Spike?'

‘Spike?’ William Giles raised an eyebrow before tossing a nearby ball of paper at the offender. Missing the target by inches, William shrugged and dumped his briefcase onto his desk, then consequently slumped into his chair, rubbing his temples, eyes closed.

‘Yeah, Spike! You know, the good ol’ days?’

‘Yeah’ William scoffed, ‘And you were “Xan the Man”. I remember it well Xander. Unfortunately, that was about seven years ago now.’

Xander made his way over to William's desk and sat carefully on the edge, avoiding the untidily piled stacks of paper that threatened to topple.

‘Aye, true that. You know, you don’t look too good, you haven’t been, you know…?’

'No, it's not an 'angover.' William sighed, peering up with one eye at a somewhat skeptical-looking Xander. 'I swear!' he took his hands off his head and offered them palms up.

'Then what is it mate? Cause you really look like you've got the hangover from hell'

'Xander...' William began, ‘Ah, I just feel like I need to do more for Sean' he admitted to his oldest and best friend.

'What do you mean? You're bought him that game whatsit didn't you?' Xander looked confused.

'Yeah, but, I think I should be, y'know, spending more time with 'im. Stead of sendin' 'im to that house of 'orror every bloody day' William sighed again.

'It's not just that is it?' Xander pressed, with a knowing glance at the two photos sitting on the desk. One pictured Sean in his earlier years - a mass of dark curls with piercing blue eyes and a cheeky grin - and the other pictured a raven-haired beauty with dark eyes and a wicked smile. Growling at the implication, William slammed the latter down on the desk.

'This is NOT about Dru' William declared, his face setting into a resolute stubbornness.

'Course not mate. But it has been a while hasn't it?' he placed a heavy hand on William's shoulder before moving away and back to his own desk. William glanced down at the picture that was now facing down on the desk. Lifting it slightly, he looked at the picture of the woman he had once loved.

'My princess...' William murmured, lifting the backing; he carefully pulled out the photo, staring one last time into the eyes of his ‘dark princess’ before ripping the photo into pieces and tossing it into the wastebasket, officially leaving the past behind.

***

'Alexander Harris!!!' Willow cried out in a voice that was a hybrid of shock and amusement, her face now matching her copper colored hair, as she tried to straighten her gray a-line skirt and once more tuck in her white blouse. The result of some inappropriate groping on Xander’s part.

'Yeeeeees?' he replied whimsically, blinking innocently at her.

'We're, we're at work!’ she stated whilst Xander simply blinked.

‘And?’ he asked.

‘And, we must maintain a, a professional, liaison' she continued more calmly.

'Whatever you say dear' he agreed complacently, then patting her familiarly on the bottom as she hurried over to answer the phone.

'You're incorrigible' she declared with a pink tongue darting out at him before picking up the receiver.

'I know' he smiled to himself.

'Harris Realty, Willow Rosenberg speaking' she greeted the caller. Turning to face William who was staring blankly at a word document that comprised of 'Dear Sir,' Xander grinned.

'Oi. Spike!' he called out, trying for his attention. When William didn’t respond, he raised his voice. ‘Spiiikey…’ he whined. William frowned as he came out of his reverie, looking at Xander.

'What is it?'

'Maybe you should look into getting a nanny' he suggested, then winked suggestively.

'A nanny?' William's face remained blank.

'You know, a live-in nanny? Not usually good for much till you want a babysitter…or sex. Should be perfect for you' he concluded enthusiastically, patting William on the head and scurrying away, leaving William once more to his contemplation as his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.





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