[Reviews - 135]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 1643 times

- Text Size +




STAKE YOUR CLAIM


Chapter 26: ‘1914’


A/N: Sigh…I wish more people would review this. I am going to submit the next chapter ‘1917’ right after this fluffy little chapter here. Only a couple more chapters to go. Thanks, Luv, Spuf


‘Wyoming, 1914’


“So,” Spike Giles was smoking his pipe as he flipped to the next page of his newspaper ‘The Cheyenne Tribune’ what’s new from London?” He asked this of his wife, Buffy, who was perusing the latest letter from their youngest child, daughter Cynthia ‘Cindy’ Ann Giles.

“Well,” Buffy began, a little snip in her voice, “if you’d put down that darn newspaper and listen a little bit, I’d read you the whole letter.”

Spike raised his left, scarred brow and set the Tribune on the nearby end table, the one by his favorite chair. They were sitting in their parlor, Buffy and him, on this Thursday afternoon in the later part of the month of July.

“By-the-way, Old Man,” Buffy quipped, saucily, “as much as you like to think you resemble Sherlock Holmes, your literary hero, with that pipe and all, it’s still not good for your health. Pipes, according to your good friend Dr. Wilkens, the Jr. that is, are as hazardous to your health as regular cigarettes.”

“Buffy,” Spike sighed in frustration, “I gave up whiskey, at least on a daily basis, five years ago. I stopped smoking cigarettes when Doc Wilkens, Jr. gave me that ‘long’ face of his the last time I went to him for a stupid cough last Spring. Now, I refuse to give up beer, no chance of that and besides a pipe to smoke once in a while I have no other vices, anymore. Okay,” he smirked wickedly, “I still make love to you, on a regular basis, but that’s hardly a vice, now is it? Anyway,” Spike pouted as he ran his left hand through his now, entirely silver head of hair, “I can smoke a damn pipe if I want. I’m fifty-four-years-old and I’ll be…”

His wife gave him a ‘patient’ loving look, “yes dear,” she murmered as she held up Cindy’s letter. “Ready now?” she asked sweetly, “to hear what our darling ‘baby’ has to say?”

Spike settled back into his chair and nodded, “go ahead. Read to us, what the ‘great actress’ on the London West End Stage has to write. Which by-the-way,” Spike grumbled lowly with a scowl, “I thought you once told me that this acting nonsense was ‘just a phase’ for our Cindy?”

Buffy shook her head, her honey blonde hair, now slightly streaked with silver itself, fluttered airily around her as she shrugged.

“Okay, here goes,” Buffy began patiently as she read her youngest child’s letter to her darling husband, William:

(Cindy Gile’s letter will have an apostrophe around the beginning and end of each of the sentences and paragraphs. Buffy and Spike’s ongoing conversation will be in regular script).

‘Dear Da and Mummy,

Sorry it’s been way too long since I last corresponded with you both.’

“Oh for Christ’s sake,” Buffy heard William mutter, “she does two or three plays in London and she’s talking like a bloody Brit. Da and Mummy, for the love of God!”

“Will, please,” Buffy shushed her Old Man, “I’m continuing.”

‘I have been so busy, with our Company’s new production of William Shakespeare’s: Romeo and Juliet that I have not had time to write anyone at all. I do hope, truly, that you, Mummy and Da have seen at least some of the fabulous reviews that our troupe has received for our performances on the West End in London. I am so very sure that Da would enjoy the fact that his youngest offspring is treading the planks of the old West End Theatre, especially in the role of the beautiful, tragic and immortal Juliet Capulet. Da must appreciate the fact that I am in his homeland, right in the middle of his birth city of London.’

“Actually, Princess,” Spike interjected to his wife, “As you know, I was born in the countryside, outside of old London and…”

Buffy shot him a warning look, “shush, Will, please. You won’t let me finish and there’s two pages here.”

Spike crossed his left leg over his right one and sulked for a moment at Buffy then nodded, “oh, go ahead then,” he huffed.

‘However, I am writing for reasons more then just to herald my own success as the Bard’s tragic teenage lover, Juliet. I have the most wonderful news! Mummy, Daddy…I am in love!’

Buffy smiled softly, “our baby, she is in love, Will, finally,” she whispered happily.

William snorted loudly, “if that little chit’s gone and tied herself up with some poof of an actor, I swear Buffy, I’ll take the next ship over and…”

Buffy looked over at her Will and frowned at him, “Will,” she hissed, “if Cindy’s in love, then she’s in love. Do not ruin this for her, for me, please darling?”

William eyed his wife and lost the frown he had had just a moment before, “go on, sweet,” he murmered, “I’ll be good. Just sit here and listen to Cindy’s dramatic prose. Oh,” he sighed, pretty dramatically himself, “if she wants to go and muck up her life more then she already has? What the bloody hell can I do about it?”

Holding the letter up in her hand, once again, was Buffy’s signal for Will to hush and listen.

‘Before Daddy has three or four fits, Mummy, please finish reading this letter to him. My love is named Byron Barrington and no, Daddy, he is not an actor. In fact, he has no ties to the acting community whatsoever. Well, he has me, but that is different, is it not? My wonderful Byron B. (as I call him!) is employed at a personal and stock bank situated here in London. I know you will approve of that Daddy! Byron (now is that not a poet’s name?) has quite a prestigious position with the Bank and the sky is the limit as to how high in the business he may go!’

‘As to how we met? Well, Byron, who has had family situated in London for well over two hundred years, had accompanied his married sister, Louise and her husband (get this Da!) Lord Sutton Amherst, along with some other family members to one of our first productions of Romeo and Juliet. Apparently, much like young Romeo Montegue, my darling Byron B. was smitten at first sight with ‘yours truly’ and hung around the stage door exit like a romantic young poetic swain!’


Buffy dared a glance at her husband who was giving her his best ‘oh, hell’ expression, even as he tried not to look too excited about the prospect of a respectable business man as a future son-in-law.

“Where in the name of God does that girl of yours get her dramatics, Princess?” Will asked in mock despair.

“Oh, I wouldn’t know,” Buffy chuckled as she continued the letter:

‘Anyway, Mummy and Da, I just wanted to let you know that I am taking my dear Byron B. to Auntie Drusilla and Uncle (Lord) Wesley’s home this weekend. To meet at least some of the family. Get their (Auntie and Uncle’s) once over and approval of my future husband! Yes, this is serious Da and Mum, dear Byron B. ‘is’ the one and only for me!

Please give my love to the Gile’s tribe and all of the Harris brood, also. Tell that young nephew of mine, Trace…oh by-the-way, as to the nick name of “Trace.” Tell my big brother Will that I think “Trace” is a magnificent name for his son, William Rupert III!!! The idea that Will and Alice used the English variation of the Latin ‘Tres’ for three is ingenious!! I cannot wait to meet my nephew, again, as I have not seen him for what seems like forever.’

‘In fact, Mummy and Da, I am considering coming home to Wyoming, quite soon. I thought that Byron B. would love to see the wilds of Wyoming and the whole, or as much as is available anyway, of the Gile’s clan! Of course, be assured, that by the time we arrive in our beloved Wyoming, Byron and I will legally be man and wife. Byron and I felt that Wyoming would be a lovely, rather avant garde site to Honeymoon at!!! Mummy, wouldn’t you just love that? Just think…the possibility of another Gile’s offspring being conceived in our Wyoming!’


Spike smirked at Buffy as she finished that last sentence, his wife was blushing quite red with embarrassment by this time.

“That’s our little untamed colt, luv,” Spike chuckled, “that’s are Cindy. Never minces words, does she?” Buffy scrunched up her face and quickly finished the letter, silently.

‘Perhaps, Mummy and Da, I will forfiet my career on the stage to be a full time wife and mother myself. Da, wouldn’t you just love that, though? Tee hee…

I send all of my love and kisses to you. Please be in good health and I cannot wait to bring my Byron to meet you’

All of my love,
Cindy


Spike watched as Buffy folded the letter back up and set it on the coffee table in front of her.

“Well,” she paused for a moment, “it seems that perhaps I ‘was’ right all along, dear. Maybe the acting thing was just a phase for our Cindy. She seems quite smitten with Byron Barrington, yes?”

Spike thought, silently, for a moment, then lit his pipe again and took a drag from it. “Well,” he stammered, “maybe yes. With Cindy, you never know. But,” he continued, his mood a little lighter then before, “sounds like she’s got herself a good, steady Brit for a mate. That’s the ticket, my Cindy settled down with an Englishman. Certainly did wonders for you, Princess,” he winked at Buffy, affectionately.

“Marrying a good, steady Brit that is.” His wife crossed her arms in front of her chest and tilted her head to one side, a habit she had picked up from Spike, over the years.

“You know, Old Man,” she murmered across the room to him, “if what you say didn’t make so much darn sense, I’d fall off of this chair laughing and break my neck.”

Spike grinned at Buffy, lovingly, “well, you know, school teacher,” he added with a wink, “that would be a pity. Because you still have such a fine, lovely little neck. It’d be a shame for it to break.”

Buffy leapt up from the sofa and scurried over to her husband, flinging her tiny body down on his lap.

“You are so flirting with me, Will,” she purred as she nuzzled her face into his own, fine neck.

“Yup, I am, baby,” he purred, stroking her gold and silver hair, affectionately.

“Will,” Buffy whispered softly, “wanna’ go upstairs and ‘take a nap’ with me?”

Spike grinned and stood up, carrying Buffy with him, “yeah,” he replied, happily, “but I’m not sure either of us will be ‘napping’ any time soon.”


A/N: Maybe two more chapters for this fiction. I’ve almost got everything written down I need to! I am going to concentrate on A Murder In Sunnydale. It’s going to be a long one, I assure you. Thanks, for reading, please review. Luv, Spuf





You must login (register) to review.