Chapter 6
"Drusilla, I'd prefer that you don't use that name for me. It's part of my life that I dropped on its ass. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I'm going outside." Will looked apologetically towards Buffy, then turned and stalked silently away. Both girls watched him leave, and then Buffy turned to walk back to the dressing room. Before she got more then a step, however, Drusilla's manicured hand clutched tightly at the flesh of her upper arm, squeezing it tightly.
"Look, little miss, you may be his new flavor, but he will be coming back to me. You had better not get to comfortable with him, because he always comes running back." Drusilla's eyes glittered dangerously as she eyed the blond in front of her. She let go with a bit of a shove, sending Buffy back from her. Before Buffy could refute the threat, Drusilla followed along behind William, and met up with him up near the front door. Buffy frowned, then turned, and entered the dressing room.
As she pulled the shirt off, she noticed that Drusilla's 'claws' had cut in and left scratches. There was also the very beginning of a bruise on the skin, and she knew instinctively that it would be a bad one. She was cursing them both as she pulled on her own jeans and short sleeve shirt, and continued with the litany as she hung the clothes back on their hangers.
When she came out of the small room, Will was alone out in front of the shop, dragging on a cigarette. She studiously kept her eyes off him, and went to pay for the skirt and blouse, and a necklace she found to match. After paying, Buffy turned to walk slowly through the store towards the door as thoughts jumbled themselves into her head.
Hmm. I wonder what went on with them? She thought to herself as she came out and stopped in front of William. "So. um. lunch?" Buffy thought it best to just ignore the entire situation for now, so rather then bring it up, she brought up his growling need for lunch when she had started with more clothes just 15 minutes ago.
Will looked up from the ground, where his booted foot was busy stepping on ants, and sighed almost too softly to be heard. "Yeah, pet. That sounds fine. Pizza Buffet?" He pushed his shoulders away from the glass storefront, and went to take the bag from Buffy, when he noticed the dark skin and scratches on her arm. "What the bleedin hell is that?" He pulled her arm gently towards him, and glanced darkly up at her.
"It's nothing Will, can we just go get some pizza? I'm hungry, and a hungry Buffy is a crabby Buffy." She pulled her arm from him, and walked to Will's car. She turned and saw him standing still on the sidewalk, his open hand balling into a fist and opening again several times at his side. After closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he turned towards her.
"You're not going to tell me what I already know, so I won't press it, love, but if she ever comes near you again, you tell me." He said in a very quiet tone. Without another word, he got into the car, and waited for her to do the same.
************
"She said that, and you didn't kick her ass right there?" Xander was stuffing his face with a foot long sub that night in Buffy's room. Will had been shut away in his room most the day, presumably sleeping, while Buffy had spent the day walking on eggshells before going to the shop to work for a few hours.
"We were in the middle of the shop. Besides, she walked away as soon as she shoved me away from her." Buffy had changed into a long sleeve top when they had arrived home, knowing that if Xander saw it, he'd flip. She told him a slightly edited version of the story, leaving that small part out.
"So, you think they might have something going?"
"Now? No way, but I know they did before, when she lived here. It's kinda gross thinking that I'm using a room she used to live in." Buffy glanced around at the walls surrounding her, and shivered dramatically. Xander crammed the last of the sub into his mouth, and wiped his chin with his sleeve.
"Xander, you are such a pig." Buffy said with a roll of her eyes.
"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Xander said innocently.
"It is. Now, up, we need to hang this material, so I can feel a bit more private up here. Come on, get up!" She tugged on his arm, and then grabbed the roll of thick heavy canvas he had brought home for her. She planned to paint it to look like windows, complete with flowers boxes, and a sun peeking down. In the mean time, however, it would take the two of them nearly all night just to get the thing hung up right.
*****
"What in the hell, did they just not think someone might ever use this damn room for a bedroom?" Will's eyes opened with a start at the loud crash and the subsequent curse that came from Buffy's mouth. He sat up with a bit of a curse, and swung his bare legs over the side of his bed. After glancing at the clock, he ascertained that it was still too early to be up. Bloody hell, he thought.
Tugging a pair of boxer shorts up, William stood up, and shook out the kinks he had gotten in his neck. He felt oddly drained and exhausted, and it took him a few minutes to realize that he had been reading over Dru's letters before going to sleep. They were enough to make the most hardened man ache in ways he shouldn't. Damn girl, I hope she sodden falls off a cliff. He pulled a pair of black jeans on, and left the room, leaving his upper half topless.
He saw Buffy perched on top of the thin wall, and Xander standing below her, picking up a hammer from the floor. Xander looked up and smiled at him. "Hey you look. well, dead. Get some color, pasty boy." Buffy turned her head towards the sound of the voices as she held the roll of canvas up. She stopped moving, and she was pretty sure she stopped breathing as well, when she saw Will standing there shirtless. She must have made a noise, because both guy's attention turned towards her.
"Guys, some help?" Buffy nodded up to the unrolled canvas she was supporting, all while perched on scant inches of wall, over looking a good 12 foot drop. Her arms dropped a bit more, and the canvas rolled towards the ground. She gripped it tighter, but she didn't look like she could much longer. William ran up the steps, taking them two at a time, and had his arm firmly wrapped around her legs as she lowered the canvas to him. Afterwards, she lingered for a moment as he held on to her. He was staring up towards her, and those damn fluttery feelings were hitting her again.
He tugged her, and she came down towards him. William loosened his arms so that she slid against his body, until she was looking up at him, rather then down. The muscle in his jaw twitched slightly as he clamped his teeth together in a vain effort to stop him from wanting to lean in and kiss her gently. Just as she leaned up a bit, and he started to lean down slightly, Xander cleared his through. Loudly.
With a slight groan, and a definite will power that was not his own, he set Buffy away from him, and glanced around at what she had managed to do to the room since moving in. He stepped back from the clutter, and sat the canvas down on the ground. "So, what's this project?"
Xander walked further into the room, and kept casting odd glances towards Buffy, but she just turned away from him, and looked down at the canvas. "I am attempting, with Xander's help, of course, to put up a divider, so I don't feel so exposed up here. I love the space, but I don't ever feel private up here, I guess."
"Well, then, I'll help, and you can supervise, cause I really don't want to see you up on that wall again. Ever."
Buffy smiled and sat on a chair, delighted that she didn't have to do any of the actual work. She stretched back, and enjoyed the view that was William topless.
"Drusilla, I'd prefer that you don't use that name for me. It's part of my life that I dropped on its ass. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I'm going outside." Will looked apologetically towards Buffy, then turned and stalked silently away. Both girls watched him leave, and then Buffy turned to walk back to the dressing room. Before she got more then a step, however, Drusilla's manicured hand clutched tightly at the flesh of her upper arm, squeezing it tightly.
"Look, little miss, you may be his new flavor, but he will be coming back to me. You had better not get to comfortable with him, because he always comes running back." Drusilla's eyes glittered dangerously as she eyed the blond in front of her. She let go with a bit of a shove, sending Buffy back from her. Before Buffy could refute the threat, Drusilla followed along behind William, and met up with him up near the front door. Buffy frowned, then turned, and entered the dressing room.
As she pulled the shirt off, she noticed that Drusilla's 'claws' had cut in and left scratches. There was also the very beginning of a bruise on the skin, and she knew instinctively that it would be a bad one. She was cursing them both as she pulled on her own jeans and short sleeve shirt, and continued with the litany as she hung the clothes back on their hangers.
When she came out of the small room, Will was alone out in front of the shop, dragging on a cigarette. She studiously kept her eyes off him, and went to pay for the skirt and blouse, and a necklace she found to match. After paying, Buffy turned to walk slowly through the store towards the door as thoughts jumbled themselves into her head.
Hmm. I wonder what went on with them? She thought to herself as she came out and stopped in front of William. "So. um. lunch?" Buffy thought it best to just ignore the entire situation for now, so rather then bring it up, she brought up his growling need for lunch when she had started with more clothes just 15 minutes ago.
Will looked up from the ground, where his booted foot was busy stepping on ants, and sighed almost too softly to be heard. "Yeah, pet. That sounds fine. Pizza Buffet?" He pushed his shoulders away from the glass storefront, and went to take the bag from Buffy, when he noticed the dark skin and scratches on her arm. "What the bleedin hell is that?" He pulled her arm gently towards him, and glanced darkly up at her.
"It's nothing Will, can we just go get some pizza? I'm hungry, and a hungry Buffy is a crabby Buffy." She pulled her arm from him, and walked to Will's car. She turned and saw him standing still on the sidewalk, his open hand balling into a fist and opening again several times at his side. After closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he turned towards her.
"You're not going to tell me what I already know, so I won't press it, love, but if she ever comes near you again, you tell me." He said in a very quiet tone. Without another word, he got into the car, and waited for her to do the same.
************
"She said that, and you didn't kick her ass right there?" Xander was stuffing his face with a foot long sub that night in Buffy's room. Will had been shut away in his room most the day, presumably sleeping, while Buffy had spent the day walking on eggshells before going to the shop to work for a few hours.
"We were in the middle of the shop. Besides, she walked away as soon as she shoved me away from her." Buffy had changed into a long sleeve top when they had arrived home, knowing that if Xander saw it, he'd flip. She told him a slightly edited version of the story, leaving that small part out.
"So, you think they might have something going?"
"Now? No way, but I know they did before, when she lived here. It's kinda gross thinking that I'm using a room she used to live in." Buffy glanced around at the walls surrounding her, and shivered dramatically. Xander crammed the last of the sub into his mouth, and wiped his chin with his sleeve.
"Xander, you are such a pig." Buffy said with a roll of her eyes.
"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Xander said innocently.
"It is. Now, up, we need to hang this material, so I can feel a bit more private up here. Come on, get up!" She tugged on his arm, and then grabbed the roll of thick heavy canvas he had brought home for her. She planned to paint it to look like windows, complete with flowers boxes, and a sun peeking down. In the mean time, however, it would take the two of them nearly all night just to get the thing hung up right.
*****
"What in the hell, did they just not think someone might ever use this damn room for a bedroom?" Will's eyes opened with a start at the loud crash and the subsequent curse that came from Buffy's mouth. He sat up with a bit of a curse, and swung his bare legs over the side of his bed. After glancing at the clock, he ascertained that it was still too early to be up. Bloody hell, he thought.
Tugging a pair of boxer shorts up, William stood up, and shook out the kinks he had gotten in his neck. He felt oddly drained and exhausted, and it took him a few minutes to realize that he had been reading over Dru's letters before going to sleep. They were enough to make the most hardened man ache in ways he shouldn't. Damn girl, I hope she sodden falls off a cliff. He pulled a pair of black jeans on, and left the room, leaving his upper half topless.
He saw Buffy perched on top of the thin wall, and Xander standing below her, picking up a hammer from the floor. Xander looked up and smiled at him. "Hey you look. well, dead. Get some color, pasty boy." Buffy turned her head towards the sound of the voices as she held the roll of canvas up. She stopped moving, and she was pretty sure she stopped breathing as well, when she saw Will standing there shirtless. She must have made a noise, because both guy's attention turned towards her.
"Guys, some help?" Buffy nodded up to the unrolled canvas she was supporting, all while perched on scant inches of wall, over looking a good 12 foot drop. Her arms dropped a bit more, and the canvas rolled towards the ground. She gripped it tighter, but she didn't look like she could much longer. William ran up the steps, taking them two at a time, and had his arm firmly wrapped around her legs as she lowered the canvas to him. Afterwards, she lingered for a moment as he held on to her. He was staring up towards her, and those damn fluttery feelings were hitting her again.
He tugged her, and she came down towards him. William loosened his arms so that she slid against his body, until she was looking up at him, rather then down. The muscle in his jaw twitched slightly as he clamped his teeth together in a vain effort to stop him from wanting to lean in and kiss her gently. Just as she leaned up a bit, and he started to lean down slightly, Xander cleared his through. Loudly.
With a slight groan, and a definite will power that was not his own, he set Buffy away from him, and glanced around at what she had managed to do to the room since moving in. He stepped back from the clutter, and sat the canvas down on the ground. "So, what's this project?"
Xander walked further into the room, and kept casting odd glances towards Buffy, but she just turned away from him, and looked down at the canvas. "I am attempting, with Xander's help, of course, to put up a divider, so I don't feel so exposed up here. I love the space, but I don't ever feel private up here, I guess."
"Well, then, I'll help, and you can supervise, cause I really don't want to see you up on that wall again. Ever."
Buffy smiled and sat on a chair, delighted that she didn't have to do any of the actual work. She stretched back, and enjoyed the view that was William topless.