CHAPTER 25 - WILL
Spike followed Buffy into the house. She'd already disappeared into her bedroom, so he decided to start a fire.
"Gonna take a shower, that alright?" Buffy said from the bedroom.
"Anything you want, pet," Spike replied, "I'm going outside to get some more wood, make sure the water heater's still on,"
"Well, if it's not, I'm sure you'll know from my screaming!" she yelled back, closing the bathroom door.
Spike rose and went over to the backpack, grabbed it, then went outside. He sat down on the porch steps and dialed up the connection to the Summer's residence. Seeing that everything was alright on the home-front, he replaced the laptop in the backpack, opened the door to the porch and house and placed the backpack on the table.
Back outside, he went over to the woodpile, on the side of the house and took the phone out of his pocket and dialed the number he'd committed to memory over the years.
"Hello," said the older voice, "McKennitt residence."
"Lawrence? That you?"
"Who's this?"
"William. Worthington," said Spike.
"William? William! How are you? Haven't spoken to you in ages!"
"I know. I'm sorry about that. How's the family? Wife? Kids?" Spike asked.
"They're mostly fine. Wife was in the hospital for surgery a few weeks ago, but nothing too serious and she's fine now. Jean is still practicing law in Boston, though she tries to visit us a couple of times a year. Lawrence III, he's practicing in Hartford. Don't hear from him much. Grandkids, all 5 are doing fine," Lawrence recited.
"You give them my best," Spike said.
"That I will, that I will," Lawrence replied.
"Now, to what do I owe this honor, Mr. Worthington?" Lawrence asked as he slipped into the more formal tone and dialogue, letting Spike know it was time to state his true reason for calling.
"I'm up in Julian," Spike said.
"I know."
"You know?"
"Yes, I spoke to Edna; my mother yesterday, she said you and a young lady were there."
They paused.
"Does this have something to do with why you're calling?" Lawrence asked, perceptively.
"Manner of speaking. I'd...I'd like to know how I would go about leaving this house and property...willing it to someone, should something happen to me," Spike said.
"That's not too difficult. Just a matter of drawing up the paperwork and naming someone," Lawrence said.
Spike hesitated, "Can I name more than one person? I mean, what if we both were to die? Don't I need another person, persons?"
"Again, not a problem, William, just name who you would first want the house and property and anything else that you have to go to, then list the other names down the line."
"There's only two people," Spike said.
"One of them the young lady that you're with?"
"Yes," Spike said, "her and her sister," Spike said.
"No other heirs? Distant family you want to include?" Lawrence asked, already knowing what the answer would more than likely be.
"No, no one else. No family. Just them; they're family...to me," he said quietly.
"I see."
Spike allowed his mind, for a couple of seconds, to think of a little impossible fantasy; the what ifs. What if he and Buffy had been a normal couple, what if they were really a family...with heirs?
He looked at the house wistfully, then shook his head.
"What happens if everyone dies?" he asked.
"Well, if nobody else is named, the property and house go into probate, which is a fancy way of saying that it would all just go to the state of California, should there be no other beneficiary."
"Bugger that!"
"Pardon?"
"What about after I name the girls, could I name an organization? Can I do that?" Spike asked.
"Perfectly acceptable; done all the time," Lawrence said.
"Good," Spike said, relieved.
"What about the Sierra Club or something like that? Or the Kumeyaay Indians? Probably their land in the first place."
"I can check on those and some others for you. Let you know if they would be willing to receive the house and property as a gift and what possible uses they might have in mind. Sure you don't want someone building a sub-division on the land," Lawrence chuckled.
"Hell no!"
"Fine, I'll draw up the paperwork and mail it to you in a couple of weeks," Lawrence said.
"No. It has to be sooner. Much sooner," Spike said.
Lawrence was silent. In all the years he'd know William and his father, he knew not to ask too many questions of them.
"Alright then, right away," Lawrence said.
"I'm giving you temporary power of attorney, like we did that one time. Draw it up, sign my name, then I want you to send it to the address I'm going to give you. I want it in her hands right away," Spike said.
"You know I don't like to do things this way," Lawrence said, "just for the record."
"I know," Spike answered, "just for the record, but I need you to do this."
"Alright. If you'll give me the address..."
"Be safe, William," Lawrence said, as he hung up, feeling somewhat unhinged by the conversation.
"You, too, Lawrence. Give my best to the family."
"I will. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
"Thank you. I know you will, you always have," Spike said. "Goodbye, Lawrence."
"Goodbye, William," Lawrence said.
"Lawrence was still sitting at his desk, staring off into space, phone in hand when his wife came into his home office.
"Who was that, dear?" she asked.
"Shirley, I just had the strangest call..."
Spike followed Buffy into the house. She'd already disappeared into her bedroom, so he decided to start a fire.
"Gonna take a shower, that alright?" Buffy said from the bedroom.
"Anything you want, pet," Spike replied, "I'm going outside to get some more wood, make sure the water heater's still on,"
"Well, if it's not, I'm sure you'll know from my screaming!" she yelled back, closing the bathroom door.
Spike rose and went over to the backpack, grabbed it, then went outside. He sat down on the porch steps and dialed up the connection to the Summer's residence. Seeing that everything was alright on the home-front, he replaced the laptop in the backpack, opened the door to the porch and house and placed the backpack on the table.
Back outside, he went over to the woodpile, on the side of the house and took the phone out of his pocket and dialed the number he'd committed to memory over the years.
"Hello," said the older voice, "McKennitt residence."
"Lawrence? That you?"
"Who's this?"
"William. Worthington," said Spike.
"William? William! How are you? Haven't spoken to you in ages!"
"I know. I'm sorry about that. How's the family? Wife? Kids?" Spike asked.
"They're mostly fine. Wife was in the hospital for surgery a few weeks ago, but nothing too serious and she's fine now. Jean is still practicing law in Boston, though she tries to visit us a couple of times a year. Lawrence III, he's practicing in Hartford. Don't hear from him much. Grandkids, all 5 are doing fine," Lawrence recited.
"You give them my best," Spike said.
"That I will, that I will," Lawrence replied.
"Now, to what do I owe this honor, Mr. Worthington?" Lawrence asked as he slipped into the more formal tone and dialogue, letting Spike know it was time to state his true reason for calling.
"I'm up in Julian," Spike said.
"I know."
"You know?"
"Yes, I spoke to Edna; my mother yesterday, she said you and a young lady were there."
They paused.
"Does this have something to do with why you're calling?" Lawrence asked, perceptively.
"Manner of speaking. I'd...I'd like to know how I would go about leaving this house and property...willing it to someone, should something happen to me," Spike said.
"That's not too difficult. Just a matter of drawing up the paperwork and naming someone," Lawrence said.
Spike hesitated, "Can I name more than one person? I mean, what if we both were to die? Don't I need another person, persons?"
"Again, not a problem, William, just name who you would first want the house and property and anything else that you have to go to, then list the other names down the line."
"There's only two people," Spike said.
"One of them the young lady that you're with?"
"Yes," Spike said, "her and her sister," Spike said.
"No other heirs? Distant family you want to include?" Lawrence asked, already knowing what the answer would more than likely be.
"No, no one else. No family. Just them; they're family...to me," he said quietly.
"I see."
Spike allowed his mind, for a couple of seconds, to think of a little impossible fantasy; the what ifs. What if he and Buffy had been a normal couple, what if they were really a family...with heirs?
He looked at the house wistfully, then shook his head.
"What happens if everyone dies?" he asked.
"Well, if nobody else is named, the property and house go into probate, which is a fancy way of saying that it would all just go to the state of California, should there be no other beneficiary."
"Bugger that!"
"Pardon?"
"What about after I name the girls, could I name an organization? Can I do that?" Spike asked.
"Perfectly acceptable; done all the time," Lawrence said.
"Good," Spike said, relieved.
"What about the Sierra Club or something like that? Or the Kumeyaay Indians? Probably their land in the first place."
"I can check on those and some others for you. Let you know if they would be willing to receive the house and property as a gift and what possible uses they might have in mind. Sure you don't want someone building a sub-division on the land," Lawrence chuckled.
"Hell no!"
"Fine, I'll draw up the paperwork and mail it to you in a couple of weeks," Lawrence said.
"No. It has to be sooner. Much sooner," Spike said.
Lawrence was silent. In all the years he'd know William and his father, he knew not to ask too many questions of them.
"Alright then, right away," Lawrence said.
"I'm giving you temporary power of attorney, like we did that one time. Draw it up, sign my name, then I want you to send it to the address I'm going to give you. I want it in her hands right away," Spike said.
"You know I don't like to do things this way," Lawrence said, "just for the record."
"I know," Spike answered, "just for the record, but I need you to do this."
"Alright. If you'll give me the address..."
"Be safe, William," Lawrence said, as he hung up, feeling somewhat unhinged by the conversation.
"You, too, Lawrence. Give my best to the family."
"I will. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
"Thank you. I know you will, you always have," Spike said. "Goodbye, Lawrence."
"Goodbye, William," Lawrence said.
"Lawrence was still sitting at his desk, staring off into space, phone in hand when his wife came into his home office.
"Who was that, dear?" she asked.
"Shirley, I just had the strangest call..."