Chapter 9: The Meeting

Spikes first reaction to the place was a deep frown. And a somewhat disgusted shake of the head. After he poked around a bit they settled in to the front room and started drinking. It was pretty quiet at first but after a few glasses, they both loosened up a bit but the conversation remained minimal.

3 hours and 2 bottles of tequila later they were still sitting in William's living room. His living room had a overstuffed couch with matching lazy-boy style chairs on each side a coffee-table in front of the couch. With an entertainment center across from the seating. Buffy was sitting cross legged on the floor with her back against one the lazy-boy chairs, while Spike was sprawled out on the couch. His duster draped over the back of the other lazy-boy chair.

Buffy was telling Spike all about the William she knew. Spike swallowed down the last of the tequila in his glass and grabbed the bottle as he rolled his eyes, "Bloody Hell! I'm tired of hearin about that soddin ponce. The more you tell me the less I can believe, I can have been such a bleedin poofer!"

Buffy frowned, "First, if your gonna say somthin do it in English cause I'm like huh?." she sat up and like a new born fawn struggled to the standing position. "But! I pretty sure from your tone it was full of badness." Now standing she pointed down at Spike, or at least his direction as she tended to be a bit wobbly, "So I say on the behalf of William…Bite me!"

Spike put down the bottle as he pushed up off the couch and wrapped his arms around her. "All ya have to do is ask pet." He smirked at the shocked look on her face. From what she's told him and what he's put together himself. That was a very un-William reaction.

After a moment she recovered and started to squirm out of his embrace, "I didn't mean….oh!" she'd made the mistake of looking up in to his eyes. Those blue eyes, she'd wanted to see up close from this position for the longest time.

Spikes smirk slipped from his face as her eyes locked with his. He'd meant to tease her and was pretty sure she'd pull away by now. Instead she looked at him with those big green eyes. He leaned a bit closer to test the waters, and sure enough her eyes slipped closed as she waited for him to kiss her. To which he was happy to oblige.

Her lips were soft and her mouth sweet. Her arms slid around his neck. One hand caressing the back of his neck the other straying into his hair. Has he dipped further in to her mouth one of his hands slid to her hip as the other ran threw her silky hair. She let out a soft moan against his mouth.

Suddenly pain shot threw Spike's head. He tore away from Buffy and fell to one knee as he grasped his throbbing scull. "Bloody Hell!" was all he could get out just before a voice boomed threw his head 'Don't touch her!' the pain finally subsided.

It took her a minute to realize what was happening but soon she was by Spike's side, "Are you ok?" she saw his face grimaced in pain as his hands clenched his scull.

As the pain lessoned his head began to spin making him feel nauseated. "Bathroom…" he choked out as he tried to keep the retaliating tequila at bay. Buffy helped him to the bathroom where he made his offering to the porcelain god.

Buffy looked concerned from the doorway, "Should I call the doctor? Maybe it has something to do with your head injury…"

Spike shook his head as he spit the remnant taste out of his mouth. "No, pet, Just too much drinking… I'll be out soon…" she nodded and stepped away from the door.

He flushed the toilet as he stood up. He made it over to the sink and began to rinse his mouth out. Thinking to himself, 'I'm not alone am I?' there was a moment on silence in his head when a voice answered, 'No' it was so quick and soft the couldn't be sure he didn't just imagine it. Spike smirked at his refection in the mirror, "This William?" he asked his voice barely audible. There was silence. Spiked shrugged, "Got better things to do anyhow, nice warm Buffy too…" he didn't finish his sentence as pain rang threw his head again, 'Lever her alone!' the pain subsided again and Spike rolled his shoulders and looked hard at his own reflection, "Then maybe you should start talkin mate, Cause as I'm told, You're the soddin coward that ran away putting me in your bloody place. So I'm figurin you need me." again it was quiet. "Bugger this!" he started to turn away when the voice returned.

Instead of angered like before it was calmer, 'Don't hurt her.' now he could make out the voice as his own, but the tone and lack of accent told him who he was talking to. Spike sighed and responded in whisper yet again, " 'nd why'd you think I'd go an do that mate?" the voice was harder with a trace of disgust. 'She's Drunk' Spike smirked at this "Bullocks! So am I…. admit it… yer jealous!" wrong response the pain slashed threw his head, 'Leave her alone!' Spikes ears started to ring at the intensity of the pain. "Bloody hell! Alright…" Spike ground out threw gritted teeth. The pain subsided. Growling Spike stood up strait and made his way back in to the living room.

There he found an unconscious Buffy laying on the couch. Spike looked at her peaceful innocent face and he felt a stirring deep inside. He reached down towards her when William popped back in his head, 'Leave her alone!' He grumbled softly to himself, "Give some bloody credit mate, not gonna molest her in her sleep. Jus gonna put her in the bed where she can rest with out becoming pretzel Buffy…"

He waited for a response but got none. So he slowly scooped her up so not to wake her. Carefully carrying her to the bedroom where he deposited her on the soft bed. He then took the quilt from the foot of the bed and put it over her.

He pushed a stray hair back away from her face as she cuddled in to the quilt. He then looked over at the empty space on the other side of the bed. 'couch!' he frowned and let out an exasperated sigh, "ya ya… whatever.." he grumbled as turned to leave the room.

He settled down on the couch and soon was slipping into unconsciousness. It was one of those dreams where you knew you were dreaming. The room was pitch black except for a bright light in the center of the room. It illuminated a circle. There a figure stood deep in thought.

Spike approached the figure cautiously. His footfalls echoing with each step. The closer he came to the person the more he made out the curly mousy brown hair. The preppy way of dress and wire rimed glasses. He knew who he was looking at a split second before the figure looked up acknowledging his presents. The moment their eyes met his theory was confirmed. He was in the presents of none other then William himself…

"so yer the soddin poof that invented me huh?" Spike reached into his duster which he was still wearing in the dream and pulled out a cigarette. He then light it with a silver Zippo that seemed to appear in his hand. 'I already know I'm dreaming so might as well go with it.' He thought to himself as he took a deep drag off the cigarette.

William frowned at Spike, "That's another thing we need to discuss…. Do you have to smoke so much?"

In answer to William's question Spike blew smoke in his face. "Look if you think I'm here fer a rundown of your do's n don'ts save yer breath cause, I… don't… giva... toss." he punctuated his response with a deep drag off of his cigarette.

William sighed and took off his glasses and started to clean them, "I don't suppose reminding you that I created you will help any…" again William got smoke in his face.

"look yer to much of a ponce to deal with yer own life fine. But as long as I'm here I'm do things my way." he took another drag of his cigarette blowing the smoke out threw his nose his eyes daring William to say otherwise.

William frowns at him, "Just leave her alone, I don't care what you do with whomever else just leave her alone!" he placed his glasses back on as he glared at Spike.

"whatever mate, your just jealous cause she likes me where you never got anymore then a pat on the head from her…" taking a long drag he smirked, " 'n fact I bet I got further with ol Buffy tonight then you have in all the bleedin years you've known the chit"

The look on William's face said it all. Spike's words were right on the mark. But instead of giving in he just took a haughty pose "Please, she was drunk! She wouldn't want someone like you, she's a respectable girl… which is why I refuse to let you take advantage of her!"

Spike smirked as he flicked his cigarette away, "you sure about that mate? Cause I don't think it was just the liquor I think she wants me and it's killin you…" he leaned in his eyes flashed like a predator going in for the kill, "Tell ya what mate, I won't do a thing… But if she comes to me, well all bets are off… never been one to deny the ladies…"

William rolled his eyes, "not going to happen, but if by some slim chance it does, well I'm not gonna stand in the way."

Spike nodded. He turned to leave cause as far as he was concerned they were done, but stopped short. He turned and looked at William curiously, "One question mate… why all the hiding, why are you in here and made me for out there?"

William looked away, "you couldn't understand, but I needed time, this just presented me with the opportunity to do take it. So don't get comfortable, I will be back…"

The next thing Spike knew he was waking up with an all too familiar dull pain behind her eyes. Uk! Hangovers….