STAKE YOUR CLAIM
Chapter 4: Part II
The letter from William Giles started simply enough:
Dear Miss Summers (notice I didn’t say Buffy? Just as you requested?)
Buffy smiled softly at this little side note from William ‘Spike’ Giles and quickly glanced over at his little brother, Connor, to see if he had noticed her blush. Connor ‘seemed’ preoccupied, staring out the Rayne parlour window and at least pretended not to notice Buffy’s reactions to Will’s letter. Reading on, Buffy tried to keep an unattached, cool demeanor and attitude to the words Spike had written her:
Miss Summers;
Please accept my sincerest apologies for my rude behaviour when we first met. I am a rude, bad man sometimes, but not because I want to be. When I gazed upon the vision of beauty that you are, my wits fled me and I had no control of my speech or thought. All I could do was try, as mere mortals do, to convey my stunned delight at seeing such a rare vision of an angel here on earth.
‘Oh, Brother,’ Buffy chuckled as she rolled her eyes. But something in Spike’s wording tugged at her heart, gently. She read on.
You ‘are’ this vision, Miss Summers and I, being a mere man, unfortunately conveyed my appreciation of you in a poor and misconstrued manner. To say I am ashamed of my response to your honest and forthwright opinions would be an understatement that would do neither of us justice. Just please accept my sincere and earnest apologies for being a fool who was taken at first sight by your beauty and quick mind. For my regret and apology comes from the bottom of my soul which is from that historic day of our first meeting, devoted to you.
My youngest brother, Connor, has told me of your valor on your trip out here, as did my Father, Rupert Giles and my Stepmother, Jennifer. I cannot thank you enough for your sacrifice, for a sacrifice it was Miss Summers, to save my Stepmother’s wedding ring.
I understand that this cad, this uncouth bandit, actually had the audacity to request your lovely golden tresses as his prize in lieu of Jennifer’s ring and your own beloved locket. I can only say that your courage surpasses most men’s I have had the honor of knowing and I hope to convey my admiration to you in person at some time in the future.
In the meantime, please accept my undying gratitude and truly devoted admiration of you and your bravery, beauty and intelligence and please say you will forgive me for any first time negative impressions I may have given you.
This ‘letter’ has become ridiculously long, and again I apologize. My young brother, Connor, has a small remembrance of my devotion to you, Miss Summers. It is nothing really, just a what I consider an appropriate (at this time) token of the esteem I hold you in.
Please allow Connor to give this to you, in my stead. By nature, I assure you, I am not a coward, but I felt that a neutral person might be the best way to send you this letter and my token.
I thank you for reading this. Thank you for your sacrifice for my family and above all else, Miss Summers, I thank you for just being the vision of beauty and compassion I know you to be.
Devoted to you, Always
William Giles
Buffy grinned like a loon once she was done with William’s, or Spike’s, as he was called, letter. She wanted to be angry with him, still, but couldn’t find it in herself to be.
‘This man has a bit of the poet in him’ she surmised with quiet delight, trying not to blush too much in front of poor, shy Connor. Speaking of Connor, Buffy darted a quick glance at him again. The youngest Giles sat in the parlour chair, still content to stare out the window at the dusty street outside.
“Connor,” Buffy called gently, “thank you for bringing me your brother’s letter.” Connor hopped up from the chair with a grin and began to search his shirt for something.
“I’ve got something for you Miss Summers,” he acknowledged, “oh, here it is.” Plucking one long stemmed red rose from his shirt pocket, Connor held it out to Buffy with a boyish grin, “my brother, Spike, he searched my Mother’s garden for over an hour. Just to find the perfect red rose, Miss Summers. He really likes you, you know?”
Buffy caught her breath and accepted the beautiful, perfect rose bud from young Connor. “Does he?” she asked ‘somewhat’ skeptically, when she could find her voice.
“Oh, yes, Miss Summers,” Connor assured her with a nod of his handsome head, “I know he likes you very much!”
She smiled at the eager young man, the one who had charmed her little sister so brilliantly back in Tennessee.
“You love your big brother very much, don’t you Connor?” she asked seriously.
“Yes, Maam,” he answered without hesitating, “Spike is my best friend, even besides being my brother. I love Angel too, and Drusilla, but Spike’s my best buddy, no question.”
When a tense silence covered them, Buffy looked about the parlor to find a nice stationary letter set and quill pen on a table by Ethan Rayne’s chair. She slid over to the table and boldly picked up the pen and began to write on the top page of the tablet. After she was finished, Buffy handed Connor a folded slip of paper and said almost shyly.
“Please give this to your brother, Spike, Connor. It’s my ‘truce treaty’ for him. I’d appreciate it if this stayed between you, Spike and me, okay Connor?”
The young man smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically, “I’m going to say my goodnights to the Raynes and Osbournes Miss Summers,” he explained happily. “My Mother and Father have sent an invitation to the Raynes and you of course to attend a supper with us this week. I hope you all accept Maam.”
Young Connor tipped his hat and made his exit, leaving Buffy to reread the letter Spike had sent her and to breathe in the rose’s lovely frangrance.
Spike Giles sat in front of Maggie’s Saloon, waiting for his messenger, Connor, to return with word from Buffy Summers. He, Spike, had not gone into Maggie’s tonight, not for beer, whiskey or the other pleasures the place offerred to him and the rest of Cheyenne. For some reason, one that Spike suspected but feared a bit, since the honey blonde school teacher from Tennessee had come to Cheyenne, Maggie’s and it’s pleasures held no interest for him anymore. From his perch on the bench, where he smoked his third cigarette, Spike could see his beloved little brother, Connor, hurry towards him, a pinkish piece of paper in his hand.
“She read the letter!” Connor crowed happily, he appeared to be thrilled that Buffy had even acknowledged his note and it warmed Spike’s tough twenty-two-year old heart.
“I made sure she read it, Spike,” Connor nodded excitedly, sticking out his hand that held the pink paper, presumedly from Buffy Summers herself. “She even took the flower and sniffed it! I tried real hard to look away, but I saw it Spike, all of it! I think she likes you too!”
Connor looked so happy for him and Buffy that Spike had to restrain himself from hugging the younger Giles in affection.
“Thanks, Conn,” he smiled at his brother, deciding to refrain from the hugging stuff. “What’s this then?” he asked the boy pointing at the paper in his hand.
“Oh, this is from Miss Summers. A kind of truce thing, she said. Here.” And the boy handed Spike the note from Buffy, he seemed to be just happy to be a part of the whole thing.
“Can I ask you something, Spike?” the younger man asked the older. Spike nodded in silent consent to his brother. “When you find someone, you know like Miss Summers,” Connor began carefully, unsure of how to put his words together, “when you find a woman that makes your heart speed up and even race like runner horse. Is it love, Spike?”
Connor looked so big eyed and sincere that Spike chuckled despite himself. The fair haired Giles eldest slapped his young brother on the back as they strode off to their horses and home.
“Well, Conn,” he began trying to form his response carefully, “I guess you and me, we’re kind of like Dad. We’re Giles men through and through and when we find love; real, lasting love, not just first sight lust, well, we’re doomed, boy. We’re hit like a ton of bricks and it’s not going to go away, this love we have for our women. But truth be told, I don’t want it to go away, this ‘feeling’ I have for Miss Buffy Summers of Tennessee. Do you want your love at first sight for Dawn Summers to go away Conn?” he asked his young brother as they cinched their horses for the ride home to the ranch.
“No,” Connor answered honestly, “I don’t want to ever forget the feelings or thoughts I had when I first saw Dawn at her folks place down South.”
Spike chuckled good-naturedly and headed out of town with his younger brother in tow. ‘We’ll tame each other Miss Buffy Summers,’ he thought smugly to himself. ‘We’ll be a pair, won’t we though and God help anyone who tries to stop me from winning you.’
Connor had left just minutes before and Buffy had joined the Raynes and Osbournes in the dining area for some more brandy and conversation. The group had just begun a discussion about the chance of Wyoming becoming a real State of Union, when another knock at the door interrupted them.
Ethan again answered and announced, somewhat unimpressed, the arrival of one Riley Finn, Deputy Sheriff and his good friend Reverend Caleb Montgomery of the local and only Baptist Church in the town limits.
“Miss Elizabeth Summers,” Ethan began somberly, “this is our Reverend Caleb Montgomery and Deputy Sheriff Riley Finn. This gentlemen, is Elizabeth Summers of Greenville Tennessee.”
Buffy remained seated as the two rather large, brown-eyed men stumbled towards her to extend their hands in welcome.
‘They might as well be twins,’ Buffy thought to herself as she reached out to offer her hand. This Riley fellow grabbed it first and actually kissed it in greeting, affording nothing more to Buffy then a mere moment of embarrassment.
Reverend Montgomery was less impetuous and more sedate, he just nodded at Buffy with pious dignity and gave her a dignified smile of obvious ‘I’m holier than thou’ arrogance. Buffy took an immediate dislike to Reverend Caleb Montgomery and less then an eager interest to Riley Finn.
“Gentlemen,” Buffy sighed in her most Southern genteel manner, trying not to yawn in obvious disinterest to this turn of events. It’s not that Buffy found these two men boring, exactly, but after dealing with the Gile’s boys, especially Spike’s poetic letter of apology? Well, who could blame a young woman for flights of fancy, the ones that Buffy now experienced.
Where this Riley Finn and Caleb Montgomery’s eyes were brown, expressive yes, but impressively passionate like Spike’s? Hardly.
“I thought,” Mr. Finn stammered with uncertainly, “well, we thought, Caleb and I that you, Miss Summers, would want to know that we are here for you. As gentlemen, I mean,” the big man continued, somewhat unsure of himself, “we’ll be at your service Maam,” Finn finished while the good Reverend nodded with affirmination.
“Thank you Mr. Finn, Reverend Montgomery,” Buffy acknowledged reluctantly, “I’m sure I’ll be fine, but I do appreciate your offer of service.”
Finn grinned like a silly mule while the Reverend Montgomery just nodded like a clueless oak.
Cordelia came to the rescue, finally, offering the two men a piece of apple pie and coffee. They both accepted, even as they stared with open admiration for Buffy who was quite mortified by all of this instant attention she’d received in the last few days. Well, maybe mortified, but mostly pleased, and mostly by the Gile’s end of attention.
A/N: Okay, I am just going to say this…..the letter was hokey, I know! But, I wanted to capture the ‘gentlemanly/courtly’ side of William while retaining the snarky, but sincere side of Spike. This story is going to be long…so, I’ll write short/medium/long chapters for it and probably go into detail, detail, detail. Hope that is okay! Thanks for reading, please review if you like (all constructive criticism is welcome!).
Luv, Spuf
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