Part 10
"Where the hell is she?" Spike muttered to himself as he began pacing the length of the room. He knew sunrise was coming soon and Buffy was taking entirely too long with the memory spell. "Maybe she just couldn't part with her bleeding William," he said, sounding bitter. Seconds later, Buffy entered the room, looking breathless.
"So what took you so long?" Spike asked angrily. "Had to say good- bye to your boyfriend?" His tone was mocking.
"Oh please!" Buffy scoffed. "I had to go back and get you this!" She thrust her hand toward him. In it was a long black cloak. "Don't want you to get all toasty when the sun comes up," she added indignantly.
"Oh." Spike was suddenly contrite. "Thanks." He reached for the proffered garment. "We'd better get going."
They headed down the long hallway to the central staircase. Buffy glanced curiously at several portraits that were hung on the wall. There was one of William that appeared to be recent and another of a young woman whom she assumed was his younger sister Emily. She smiled as she noted that the artist had captured a slightly mischievous look in Emily's expression. Yet another picture appeared to be of William's mother. She was a very striking woman and Buffy saw a strong resemblance to her son. The last portrait Buffy spotted was of a very serious-looking man wearing wire frame glasses and a brown tweed suit. Buffy stopped to examine the picture. Spike had already gotten a few steps ahead of her when she asked, "Is this your father?"
Sighing, Spike turned around and glanced at the portrait. "Yeah, that's my Dad." He sounded impatient.
"He looks kinda like a Watcher." Buffy commented. "You know – he's like a dead ringer for Giles."
"Yeah, well – he owned a bookstore. How's he supposed to look?" Spike replied, dismissing her observation.
"You mean you never noticed the resemblance?" Buffy persisted.
Spike slapped his palm to his forehead in a mocking gesture. "Now that explains that whole 'father-son' bond I've always felt for good old Rupert. And all this time I just thought it was the English thing. Now – are we going to go or what?" Buffy could hear the annoyance in Spike's voice so she decided to stop the inquisition and get going.
As they slipped quietly out the front entrance Buffy turned back to get one final look at the house. "I never even got to meet your parents," she remarked softly.
Spike glanced back at the familiar old house. "Yeah, well maybe we should come back one day…before we get married," he said sardonically. "You know – get their approval and such."
"You wish!" Buffy replied hitting him playfully on the arm.
"I do," he said, half-seriously. He glanced at Buffy and their eyes met for a second before she looked away uncomfortably.
After leaving the house, they picked up the pace walking purposefully, without speaking. Spike found himself thinking about Buffy's comment about his father resembling a Watcher. He remembered the night he had risen from the grave; waking up in total darkness feeling cold and very, very thirsty. He had felt the soft, satiny lining of the coffin and realized where he was. His first thoughts had been of Drusilla – of her draining him to near death and then of his drinking her blood. It had been almost surreal and at the time he hadn't fully comprehended what had been happening to him. His baser instincts had taken over as he clawed his way out of the grave. Still feeling disoriented, he had fought his way to the surface only to find a man waiting for him. A man wearing a brown tweed suit, carrying a large wooden cross in one hand and a wooden stake in the other. His father.
Spike recalled the horror in his father's face as he had encountered his son fully transformed into a vampire, baring his newly developed fangs and glaring at him through yellow, demonic eyes. His father had raised the cross toward him and forced him back against the gravestone. Instinctively, Spike had known somehow that the cross could hurt him. He had cowered as his father raised the stake above his head. In the last second before what seemed like an unavoidable death, Spike's vampire face had dissolved back into his human façade. His father had hesitated. "William!" he had said uncertainly as he backed away, giving his son the chance to escape. "May God forgive me."
Spike had looked up into the face of the man he had respected and loved his entire life and had run. He had kept running until almost daybreak, finally seeking shelter in an abandoned building. He had always wondered how his father had known what he was going to become. The idea that his father may have been a Watcher seemed absurd. But was it? Spike decided that he would have pay a visit to Buffy's former Watcher sometime in the future to clear the matter up.
At last they reached a familiar alley and spotted the strange, misty portal waiting for them in the darkness. Buffy paused and looked at Spike. "Did you ever think about just staying here?" she asked impulsively, almost wistfully. "Just getting lost in the crowd. Forgetting about all the stuff that we normally have to worry about in the present?"
Spike gave her a weary smile. "Yeah," he said as he affectionately stroked her hair. "It'd be kind of nice wouldn't it?" He then thought about the kill he had made earlier in the evening and felt a chill. "But you've got people waiting for you in the present. You've got a life to live…a sister to take care of. We've got to go back."
"You're right." Buffy smiled sadly. Acting on impulse, she gave Spike a quick kiss. "I know it." She looked into his eyes and saw surprise and then sorrow. She took his hand and together they entered the time passage back to Sunnydale and the lives they both knew they could not leave behind.
"Where the hell is she?" Spike muttered to himself as he began pacing the length of the room. He knew sunrise was coming soon and Buffy was taking entirely too long with the memory spell. "Maybe she just couldn't part with her bleeding William," he said, sounding bitter. Seconds later, Buffy entered the room, looking breathless.
"So what took you so long?" Spike asked angrily. "Had to say good- bye to your boyfriend?" His tone was mocking.
"Oh please!" Buffy scoffed. "I had to go back and get you this!" She thrust her hand toward him. In it was a long black cloak. "Don't want you to get all toasty when the sun comes up," she added indignantly.
"Oh." Spike was suddenly contrite. "Thanks." He reached for the proffered garment. "We'd better get going."
They headed down the long hallway to the central staircase. Buffy glanced curiously at several portraits that were hung on the wall. There was one of William that appeared to be recent and another of a young woman whom she assumed was his younger sister Emily. She smiled as she noted that the artist had captured a slightly mischievous look in Emily's expression. Yet another picture appeared to be of William's mother. She was a very striking woman and Buffy saw a strong resemblance to her son. The last portrait Buffy spotted was of a very serious-looking man wearing wire frame glasses and a brown tweed suit. Buffy stopped to examine the picture. Spike had already gotten a few steps ahead of her when she asked, "Is this your father?"
Sighing, Spike turned around and glanced at the portrait. "Yeah, that's my Dad." He sounded impatient.
"He looks kinda like a Watcher." Buffy commented. "You know – he's like a dead ringer for Giles."
"Yeah, well – he owned a bookstore. How's he supposed to look?" Spike replied, dismissing her observation.
"You mean you never noticed the resemblance?" Buffy persisted.
Spike slapped his palm to his forehead in a mocking gesture. "Now that explains that whole 'father-son' bond I've always felt for good old Rupert. And all this time I just thought it was the English thing. Now – are we going to go or what?" Buffy could hear the annoyance in Spike's voice so she decided to stop the inquisition and get going.
As they slipped quietly out the front entrance Buffy turned back to get one final look at the house. "I never even got to meet your parents," she remarked softly.
Spike glanced back at the familiar old house. "Yeah, well maybe we should come back one day…before we get married," he said sardonically. "You know – get their approval and such."
"You wish!" Buffy replied hitting him playfully on the arm.
"I do," he said, half-seriously. He glanced at Buffy and their eyes met for a second before she looked away uncomfortably.
After leaving the house, they picked up the pace walking purposefully, without speaking. Spike found himself thinking about Buffy's comment about his father resembling a Watcher. He remembered the night he had risen from the grave; waking up in total darkness feeling cold and very, very thirsty. He had felt the soft, satiny lining of the coffin and realized where he was. His first thoughts had been of Drusilla – of her draining him to near death and then of his drinking her blood. It had been almost surreal and at the time he hadn't fully comprehended what had been happening to him. His baser instincts had taken over as he clawed his way out of the grave. Still feeling disoriented, he had fought his way to the surface only to find a man waiting for him. A man wearing a brown tweed suit, carrying a large wooden cross in one hand and a wooden stake in the other. His father.
Spike recalled the horror in his father's face as he had encountered his son fully transformed into a vampire, baring his newly developed fangs and glaring at him through yellow, demonic eyes. His father had raised the cross toward him and forced him back against the gravestone. Instinctively, Spike had known somehow that the cross could hurt him. He had cowered as his father raised the stake above his head. In the last second before what seemed like an unavoidable death, Spike's vampire face had dissolved back into his human façade. His father had hesitated. "William!" he had said uncertainly as he backed away, giving his son the chance to escape. "May God forgive me."
Spike had looked up into the face of the man he had respected and loved his entire life and had run. He had kept running until almost daybreak, finally seeking shelter in an abandoned building. He had always wondered how his father had known what he was going to become. The idea that his father may have been a Watcher seemed absurd. But was it? Spike decided that he would have pay a visit to Buffy's former Watcher sometime in the future to clear the matter up.
At last they reached a familiar alley and spotted the strange, misty portal waiting for them in the darkness. Buffy paused and looked at Spike. "Did you ever think about just staying here?" she asked impulsively, almost wistfully. "Just getting lost in the crowd. Forgetting about all the stuff that we normally have to worry about in the present?"
Spike gave her a weary smile. "Yeah," he said as he affectionately stroked her hair. "It'd be kind of nice wouldn't it?" He then thought about the kill he had made earlier in the evening and felt a chill. "But you've got people waiting for you in the present. You've got a life to live…a sister to take care of. We've got to go back."
"You're right." Buffy smiled sadly. Acting on impulse, she gave Spike a quick kiss. "I know it." She looked into his eyes and saw surprise and then sorrow. She took his hand and together they entered the time passage back to Sunnydale and the lives they both knew they could not leave behind.
