Title: Two Weeks With William
Author: Edith Campbell
Section: 2
Relationship: Spike/Buffy
Disclaimer: Alas, they all belong to the mighty Joss, except for
the ones I made up to use in Spike's memories (ie. his sister).
Those are mine. :)
Distribution: I don't mind, but please let me know where it's being
distributed. :)
Rating: PG 15 for language
Spoilers: Up to 'The Gift' Please note that Buffy is back. How?
Use your imagination. :) Major 'Fool For Love' spoilers.
Feedback: Oh please! Yesterdays_Child4@y... Thank you for all the
lovely comments last time. :) You're all too nice!!
Summary: While fighting a pack of vampires with Buffy, Spike gets
knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, Buffy is presented with a
slight problem: Spike thinks its 1880. In order to repay Spike for
attempting to save Dawn, Buffy brings him to Giles, who determines
that he is suffering from a temporary amnesia. Will the gang be able
to accept William? What will happen when Spike comes 'back'?
Author's Notes: I am sorry about naming him 'William Ashley Wyndham,
the fifth'. I wasn't aware that the English didn't do the
whole 'fifth' thing. After this chapter, it won't happen again!

******************************************************************
Buffy pushed open the door of the Magic Shop, relieved that it was
only 8:30, and therefore still open. She stepped in before William,
only because he'd refused to budge from his spot outside of the door
until she'd done so. His manners were starting to get to Buffy.
They were a reminder of that awful night when Spike had confessed his
feelings to her. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the memory,
and wondered exactly what she was expected to do now. She had no
idea whether or not Spike's condition was temporary, or even what his
condition was. She did know that she had to help. She owed the
vampire that much. Which was precisely the reason she needed Giles
right that instant.

"Giles! Something's is majorally wrong!" she yelled, crossing her
arms. She leaned against the wall to wait for her Watcher, and was
vaguely surprised when he came running in her direction only moments
later.

"Buffy, what is it?" he cried, startled by the Slayer's
outburst, "Have you been injured?"

Buffy grimaced, but shook her head and tried not to feel irritated.
Ever since her 'rebirth', her friends had taken to treating her like
glass. The thought of a glass Slayer struck her as equally funny and
annoying, but she did wish that they would stop. Spike was so far
the only one who hadn't treated her like a fragile doll (at least to
her face. She'd caught him watching her a few times, his face full
of puzzled astonishment), and she begrudgingly appreciated it. This
reminded her of the situation at hand.

"No, I'm fine. It's Spike..." She let her voice trail off, and
looked over her shoulder to indicate the vampire. However, he was
not behind her. Confused, she turned fully around and saw him
hovering in the entrance, looking very much like a shy little boy who
felt out of place. She smiled softly, despite herself, and motioned
for him to come in.

"What's wrong with him? He looks fine to me," Giles declared,
watching the peroxide blond move towards Buffy. He noticed the
change then, and although he could not exactly place it, he was aware
that something was phenomenally different with Spike.

Suddenly remembering his manners, William stepped in front of Buffy
and offered Giles his hand.

"Good evening, sir," he said, "I'm William Wyndham."

"The fifth," Buffy added, amused at Giles' expression. His eyes had
almost bugged out of his head in surprise. Slowly, he removed his
glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. After a moment of silent
reflection, he looked to Buffy for help.

"Play along," she mouthed, making gestures at William's back.

Giles complied, stepped forward, and gave the hand that he was
offered a shake. His voice was uncertain when he replied, "Umm...
I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Wyndham. I'm Rupert Giles."

Suddenly pleased, William exclaimed, "Oh thank Heavens! Another
Brit!"

Buffy, who was slightly miffed at his comment, turned to him. "Do
you think you could go to the back, Mr. Wyndham? There's a table
there and... yeah. We'll be there in a sec." She smiled
unconvincingly and gave him a little shove in that direction. He
nodded a farewell, and did as he was bidded. Buffy hoped fervently
that Anya would not decide to stop him.

"Buffy," Giles hissed, turning back to the Slayer, "What is going on
here? Have you encountered some sort of trouble? And why on earth
are you wearing Spike's duster?"

Quickly, Buffy explained about the vampires in the cemetary, and the
one who had knocked Spike over the head. She told him how she'd
dusted him, and returned to find a quieter Spike who thought that it
was January 15, 1880. She laughed, partly embarrassed, through the
part about the duster and the car, and told him how they'd taken the
back alleys to the shop, to avoid other vehicles, or any form of
present day technology that might startle him. When she finished,
Giles looked partially amused.

"Spike would hate this," he announced. He took a moment to laugh at
that, and then turned serious again. "What do you want to do, Buffy?"

"We have to help him... don't we?" she asked. She'd given it a lot
of thought on the way to the shop, and had decided that that was her
only option. She thought it would be cruel to turn him away after
the effort he'd made to keep Dawn safe during her... absense.

"I suppose," Giles said, with a shrug, "Does he know he's a vampire?"

"I'm thinking not. But you can tell he's worried. I mean, he thinks
he should be in London, and here he is in America. It's way weird."
She nodded to emphasize her words.

"I'm going to make a telephone call," Giles announced, suddenly. He
stepped around Buffy and moved to the desk. "We need to find out if
Spike's... amnesia is temporary, and whether it will do any damage to
let him in on the truth."

Buffy nodded, tuned Giles out as he left the room, and idly let her
gaze wonder to William. Where had the confident, cocky Spike they
all knew and loved to hate gone, she wondered. The man sitting in
front of the table wasn't him, that was for sure. He looked so out
of place and uncomfortable that the Slayer felt a tiny inkling of...
pity? No, that was wrong. Pitying Spike was something she couldn't
do, she reminded herself instantly. He was a killer, after all.

He'd kept Dawn safe.

She shook her head in frustration and was happy to see Xander and
Willow approaching. They'd take her mind off of things.

"Hey!" she called.

"Yeah, you could say that," Xander greeted, his voice full of
sarcastic shock, "Or you could say 'why the hell are you wearing the
evil undead's jacket'?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. So much for taking her mind off of things!
Quickly, she gave her friends the abridged version of the events in
the cemetary, and then decided for all of them that it was time to go
and see Giles.

*****

William watched the petite blonde- was her name Buffy Summers?- pull
her friends in the direction that the British gentleman had left in,
and swallowed an annoyed sigh. Could it be that they planned to
leave him there all night? He needed answers, and, although he was
far too timid to ever go about demanding them, he was beginning to
feel as though he had no other choice. He was dreading that
immensely, but he knew he had to get home. It must be getting late,
and his mother and sister would worry.

He was almost certain that if he could just figure out where in the
hell he was, he'd be able to get home without trouble. True, he'd
never travelled alone, but he had listened to his cousin's tales many
times, and it didn't seem to be too daunting of a task.

The girl had been American, he knew that much. But, that didn't
necessarily mean that he was IN America, as the man had been
English. He was fairly certain that his presence in America was
impossible. He clearly remembered going to bed in London, and waking
up in that damned cemetary. It must have been the same night, he
concluded, reaching for his pocket watch to determine the time.

He'd forgotten, of course, that his pocket watch was nowhere to be
found. It had disappeared with the rest of his clothing, and that
chagrined him. He didn't understand how he'd gotten into the black
pants and shirt he was in now, and he couldn't figure out why his
nails were black.

Had the blonde girl changed his outfit so that he'd fit in with his
surroundings? Her clothes had been horrifying. The memory of what
he'd gotten a glimpse of made him feel embarrassed, and he shifted
uncomfortably. He needed to concentrate on the matter at hand.
Remembering Miss Summers'... assests most certainly wouldn't get him
anywhere. Groaning, he wished they'd all hurried back.

****

"There's a doctor on the way," Giles announced, when the Scoobies
came to the register where he'd chosen to make his call.

"Doctor?" Buffy gasped, "Have you forgotten something, Giles? The
patient doesn't have a pulse!"

Giles looked insulted. "No, Buffy, I haven't. This doctor deals
with demons, to put it frankly. He's one himself. I took the
liberty of making sure he had a human facade. I don't think learning
the world is full of monsters is exactly what Sp- err, William needs."

"What about learning that he is one?" Willow pushed, gently.

"The doctor assured me that it would most likely be safe to assume
that Spike's amnesia is only temporary. It's up to us then. Do you
want to tell him?"

"No!" Buffy and Xander cried, in unison.

"Xander? You have an opinion on the matter?" Giles asked. He knew
the Slayer had one.

"Well yeah. If Spike's as much of a... well, how would he put it?...
poofter as you seem to think he is, think of the blackmail! Think of
the blackmail, people!"

Buffy groaned, and punched Xander's arm lightly.

"Oh, don't pretend that that exact same thought hasn't crossed your
minds," Xander replied, faking insult.

"No, actually it hasn't," Buffy lied, before turning to Giles, "I
think it would be kind of cool to see what Spike was really like. I
was sure that he'd 'always been bad'-" she rolled her eyes "-but this
is new."

"I was thinking along the same lines," Giles agreed, nodding, "I
would love to be the first Watcher to correctly write about William
the Bloody before he was famous, if you will. Think how the Watchers
Council would like that!"

"No!" the Slayer cried, her refusal so vehement and firm that it
surprised even her. Her friends turn to stare.

"No?" the Watcher echoed.

Buffy laughed uneasily, and looked at her feet. The answer wasn't
there however, and she was forced to look back up.

"It's just that, if I'd spent a century getting a reputation as The
Big Bad, I wouldn't exactly want it stepped on, you know?" she
supplied, weakly, "And, anyway, his reputation is pretty much the
only thing keeping him safe from all the baddies out there anyway.
Not that I care if he's safe."

Giles noticed that both Willow and Xander were going to protest this,
but he shook his head slightly. He didn't agree with Buffy, but she
seemed firm on that fact.

"Okay," Willow said, "So now what do we tell him?"

****

"We are a group of Pinkerton's finest private investigators, and our
contacts in London have sent you here- to Sunnydale, California- to
keep you safe," Giles recited. When he finished, all the Scoobies
complimented his lie with a smile so chipper, the ill-fated Buffybot
would have been proud.

"You don't say," William said, somewhat dryly. He arched his
eyebrow, and it was glaringly apparent that he didn't believe a word
he'd been told.

So, William wasn't stupid.

"We have to keep you safe here," Buffy interjected, nodding, "You
saw... a-a crime."

"I am fairly certain that I did not. I do not condone violence, you
see. It's much too dark and unpleasant. And also I do not remember
seeing any such thing." It was a big speech for him, and William was
proud. His voice hadn't even shook. He hadn't exactly voiced his
annoyance, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Oh, but you did," Giles continued, "It is common for you not to
remember, you see."

"Post traumatic stress disorder," the Slayer supplied.

Off the vampire's confused look, Willow hissed, "Buff, that hasn't
been discovered yet." Louder, she added, "It's for your own good.
You were in danger in London."

There was an incredibly long silence, during which William processed
the information. He didn't believe them, but for the time being, he
decided to play along. "I see. And so rather than making me leave
the city, they made me leave the continent?"

Buffy blinked in surprise, although why she did so was beyond her.
For a second, she had glimpsed a tinge of Spike in William's eyes.
He was irritated, and she knew it.

"It was a very serious crime," Anya piped up. Everybody turned to
look at her, surprised at her sudden entrance.

She rolled her eyes. "I was standing here all along."

"Very serious, indeed," Giles added.

"I see," William said again, examining his hands. After a pause, he
tacked on, "And my sister and mother? Are they... aware of my
whereabouts?"

"They know why you have gone away. We could only tell them so
much." Giles smiled companionably at William. So far, he didn't
mind the softer side of Spike.

"Please... I don't wish to be rude," he said, quietly, "But I'm
rather weary. It's been a long... while. Post tramautic stress
disorder." He shook his head in confusion, stood up, and was halfway
to the door before he remembered that he had no idea where he was
meant to go. This was all starting to feel rather humiliating.

The blonde Slayer was already on her feet. "Giles, he'll stay with
Dawn and me. Send the doctor over there." She turned to William and
smiled. "Just wait at the door, I'll be there in a second."

She waited until he was out of hearing distance before turning to
Willow. Suddenly, she felt like the old Buffy again. She was in
control.

"Wil, I need some sort of spell. He won't drink blood. Can you make
it not red and tasteless or something?"

Willow smiled at her friend. "I'm on it."

"Good. I guess I'll just tell him it's too dangerous to go out
during the day. Thanks guys." She smiled wearily, and turned to
take William home.