What is Choice?
By Melissa(dettiot@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG-13 mostly, with one NC-17 epilogue.
Spoilers: Through Chosen.
Author's Note: Spike/Buffy, but only kinda. This story is a bit odd. Also posted on my website(http://lostinwonderland.org/buffy/fanfic.html).
Chapter title taken from "Landslide", originally performed by Fleetwood Mac.
Chapter Five: Time Makes You Bolder
Will was trying to remember if he had ever been this nervous. Maybe the first time he kissed a girl. Maybe when he had first moved here from England. Maybe the first time he drove on the "wrong" side of the road. Maybe the first time he had sent a story to The New Yorker.
Nope, he was pretty sure that he had never been this nervous. And he was the one who had gotten himself into this mess.
Will rubbed his hands against the steering wheel as he drove towards his mother's house. He had been looking forward to this weekend with way too much anticipation and excitement. He was almost worried that he was gonna screw this up, because there was no way anything he wanted this much would turn out well.
As he pulled into the driveway of the small bungalow his mother lived in, he forced himself to calm down. This weekend represented a chance to see Buffy, and get a deeper look at her life. Figure out if this was a girl who was worth pursuing, worth making changes for.
"Like you don't already know the answer to that one, mate," he muttered to himself as he pulled his bags out of his trunk and walked up to the front door.
He didn't even have to ring the bell before his mother had flung open the door. "Will! I was so happy when I got your message, saying you were coming up for the weekend." She stood to the side as he walked inside and dropped his bag in the hallway.
Anne Smythe was a beautiful woman. The years of illness, now far behind her, had not altered her sweet face, or made her any less lovely to him. He gave her a quick, strong hug. "Mum." He was surprised to find that he felt almost like tearing up. Maybe all that talk with Buffy about mothers, and her loss, made him appreciate his own mother all the more, especially now that he had her here, in front of him, the scent of her perfume rising to meet him.
Will pulled away, and said, "You're looking lovelier every day. You don't have some boyfriend around here to put those roses in your cheeks now, do you?"
Anne smiled, but gave her son a knowing look. "No, but funny you should mention romance. What's she like?"
Will frowned. "What? What are you talking about? What she?"
Anne's smile widened. "The girl that's got you all happy. I could tell as soon as I saw you."
Will stared at his mother. "That's just brilliant. How do mums do that?"
"They teach us it special, darling, right after showing us how to tell when your child is lying to you," Anne smirked, patting her son on the cheek. "Come on inside--I didn't have the time for Yorkshire pudding, but I know my boy well enough to have scones. Want to spoil your dinner?" she said with a twinkle in her eye.
Will grinned back at her. "Of course." He closed the door, and followed his mother into the kitchen. Taking a seat at the island, he said, "I'll spill, but only because otherwise I'd feel guilty about staying with you and not telling you where I'd be disappearing to."
"Yes, son," Anne said, her voice serious but her eyes full of mirth.
Will rolled his eyes, but started talking. "Her name's Buffy. She's a friend of a friend; I met her when she and her friend Xander were visiting Rich. She's a few years younger than me, and she lives up here. She's got a younger sister that she's bringing up on her own--can you believe it, when their mother died, not only did their father not come to the funeral, she still hasn't heard from him in all this time? Tosser. I can't imagine how she got through it. She said her friends helped some, but still, it must not be the same, to know that your mother is gone."
Anne had drawn near with a plate of scones, and Will leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm so glad to have you, Mum."
Anne smiled at him. "And I you, dear. Buffy, you said? Poor girl. But, I guess when in Rome . . . I've always found some of these poor girls here have the most dreadful names."
Will shrugged, and tried not to blush when he said, "I don't know . . . it kinda suits her, I think. I mean, the very fact that it's such an odd name, and all. And you look at her, and you think she's your typical California girl, but underneath all that surface stuff, she's the strongest woman I've ever met. So her name fits her because it doesn't fit her." He stopped when he saw the look on his mother's face. "What? I know I was babbling, you don't have to tell me that."
Anne sighed, before placing her hand over his. "No, dear. It's just so nice to hear you talk about anyone like this. And the fact that you're so secure about it that you will talk and express how you really feel. I'm so proud of you, and happy."
Will turned his hand over, and gave his mother's hand a squeeze. Silence fell between them for a moment, before his mother squeezed back and moved to get the tea things set out. The quiet was broken when she said, "So, are you going to desert me all weekend, then?" The smile on her face told him that she was teasing.
"Well . . ." he said. "Buffy has to work tomorrow morning, until about 2, she said. And she's working today, but we had planned that I'd pick her up at work and then we'd go out to dinner, before going back to her place so I could meet Dawn--that's her sister. Tomorrow night, we're going to the Getty and walk around the gardens and such. Then, on Sunday, we're probably going to do breakfast and everything before I leave. Would you like to join us for breakfast on Sunday?"
"Oh, Will, that's so thoughtful. I'd be happy to join the two of you." She rustled around with the teacups, before speaking again. "It sounds like a lovely weekend for the both of you. How long ago did you meet?"
Will bit his lip. "Well, only about two weeks. But we've been talking on the phone nearly every day, and . . . Mum, she's just so amazing. Part of me wants to spend as much time with her as I can, because I just want to know everything about her. But another part of me says to take it slow, to not rush things, because it's so easy to bollocks things up at the beginning, and you can never recover from that."
Anne came back over to the island, and once again patted his hand. "You're thinking about this, which is always a good sign. You've been so prone to just following your feelings, when you should have taken a moment to think about things. Like with Drusilla," Anne said with a frown.
Will sighed. "Mum, can we please not talk about her? For one thing, she's in the past, and for another thing, I'm well aware of how you feel about her."
Anne sniffed. "Well, when you come home to find an older woman in the middle of deflowering your only son, your only child, on your living room sofa, you quickly form ideas of her character."
"Oh, Mum," Will groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "If you want to dredge up embarrassing incidents from my life, can't we confine them to the ones where I'm also kind of sweet and charming, like the poetry? Wait, no--the poetry was crap . . . um, what about that time with the teacher that I tried to bake cookies for?"
Anne smiled at her son. "Never fear. I promise that when I meet this vision of perfection known as Buffy, I'll keep the embarrassing stories and the baby pictures to a minimum." At his look of relief, she tacked on, "At first."
Will groaned again, and she laughed as she brought the kettle over and poured the hot water over the tea in his cup. "Let your mother have some fun. Now drink your tea, eat your scone, and tell me more about this new idea you were telling me about, the one that's developing into the perfect book. Then you can go fetch your young lady."
**
Will tugged a bit at his shirt as he walked through the elaborate department store. He felt underdressed, in his well-worn jeans and black t-shirt. But after all, it wasn't like he had to dress up for Buffy . . .
Besides, he knew he looked damn good.
With a smile, he saw the sign for Ladies' Eveningwear and moved towards the registers. Although he wasn't tall, he was able to spot her blonde hair, and his heart tapped out a few quick beats.
Her back was to him as he approached, and he nearly went with his first impulse of wrapping his arms around her, only stopping because he noticed she was talking with an attractive redhead that he assumed was a customer. Until he drew near and heard what Buffy was saying.
"God, Willow, you have no idea how happy he's made me. We've been talking so much, and you know how much talking is not a normal Buffy thing."
The redhead nodded and said, "Talking and Buffy, like oil and fire: mix at your own risk."
Buffy groaned. "I'm not that bad, Will. Sheesh. Anyway, he's just so great, and have I mentioned he's gorgeous?"
Will stood behind Buffy, and caught the redhead's eye. Buffy, babbling away, didn't notice when Willow winked at him and interrupted Buffy's stream of words. "Buff?"
Buffy paused, sounding dazed when she said, "Yea-huh?"
"When you say gorgeous, what kind of gorgeous? Tall, dark and handsome? Brad Pitt-esque? Based on the way you've been babbling--"
"I do not babble." At Willow's look, Buffy said, "Much."
Willow continued. "Based on the way you've been babbling, I'd say not too tall but very fit, curly hair, cheekbones you could cut glass with, and the most beautiful set of blue eyes you've ever seen."
Buffy sounded surprised when she said, "How'd you know . . ." only to trail off when Will placed his hands on her shoulders. She whirled around, and the look on her face made his heart beat even harder.
"Will!" she exclaimed, before she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. He nearly winced at the grip she had on him, but instead just enjoyed how close she was to him. God, it had been way too long since they had kissed . . .
Buffy pulled away, but kept one arm wrapped around his waist. The smile on her face nearly blinded him. "You're early! I wasn't expecting you for another half hour. Don't tell me you skipped out on your mom to see me, because that is just not nice."
He chuckled. "Don't worry, Mum's all taken care of. She's already promising to pull out the baby pictures and all the cringe-worthy stories when she meets you."
Buffy grinned. "Awww, I bet you were a cute baby. All curly-haired and dimpled."
Buffy's friend suddenly cleared her throat, and Buffy jumped. "Oh, Willow! Will, I want you to meet Willow; she's one of my best friends. Will, this is Will . . . oh, this could get confusing. Um, well, anyway, Willow, this is Will."
Will smiled and held out his hand to Willow. "Thanks for helping me surprise her."
Willow grinned at him. "My pleasure. And goodness, I can see why she babbled."
Will tried very hard not to blush, as Buffy giggled.
"Willow! You're impossible." Buffy turned to Will and said, "Do you mind just hanging around for a bit? I've got a few things to take care of before I leave, but I can't really talk to you unless you're an actual customer."
"I can take him to the food court. Tell him all the things he really wants to know about Buffy Summers," Willow offered, an evil gleam in her eye.
Will grinned at the deer-in-the-headlights expression on Buffy's face, but before she could start sputtering out some answer, he stepped in. "That's nice of you, Willow, but I think I'd rather just hang around here. But can you give me a raincheck?" he said, giving her a quick wink.
Willow laughed. "Of course." She gave Buffy a quick hug and whispered something in her ear, before dashing away with a laugh when Buffy went to give her a quick slap on the arm.
Buffy looked at Will, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "I'd tell you that I stay friends with her only to keep her from talking, but it appears that the plan isn't working." Will smiled at her, and she continued. "Anyway, give me about twenty minutes, and I'll be good to go. Now shoo--I can't concentrate with you here."
Will took a step towards her, and leaned down into her personal space. He could hear her breath catch, and he worked hard to keep his own breathing under control. Would really spoil the effect if he was gasping like a sprinter after the hundred-yard dash. "Well, we can't have that, love. I'll be back in twenty." He hovered in front of her for a moment, before dropping a kiss on her cheek and walking away.
As he walked towards the escalators that would take him to the second floor and men's apparel, he heard her let out a huge breath and say, "Wow."
He spent the next twenty minutes with a huge smile on his face.
**
As Will followed Buffy to her apartment, he couldn't help thinking that Buffy was just a fantastic girl. During dinner, she had kept him laughing with her one-liners and her unusual perspective on life and society. More than once, he had just wanted to pull her onto his lap and kiss her breathless, because she was just so delightful that a kiss seemed to be the only way he could tell her how he felt. Somehow, he had managed to restrain himself to large smiles and a few hand squeezes. But it was getting more difficult as the evening went on . . .
Buffy's apartment was in a large, well-maintained building not that far from where she worked. When he pulled into a parking space next to hers, he noticed that she was still sitting in her car. She seemed to be gripping the wheel, breathing forcefully like she was having a panic attack. He quickly got out of his car and went over to hers. She noticed him standing there, and got out of the car.
"Sorry," she said, keeping her eyes averted. "Just . . . it all got to be too much for me."
Will frowned, feeling a bit insecure and very nervous. "Are you all right, love? Is there anything I can do?"
Buffy looked up at him. She seemed to be trying to decide what to say. Suddenly, she said, "Kiss me."
Before Will could think things through, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his own. Her request had sent all his thoughts scattering like the wind, and then the feel of her lips . . . well, it was no wonder all the blood had left his brain.
This kiss was a little sloppy, their noses bumping, as they got reacquainted with each other. He let his hands rest on her hips, rubbing small circles there, as her hands wrapped around his neck. When he finally pulled away, he found that he had pushed her against her car, and she seemed to be leaning heavily against it, like her legs didn't support her.
He smirked a bit. 'Oh, yeah, still got it,' he thought to himself, especially when he took in her flushed face.
She sighed, then smiled sadly. "I needed that." She made to move away, but Will held her in place.
"Love? What's really wrong?"
Buffy sighed again, and rested her forehead against his chest. "I don't know. Just, all of a sudden, I felt this wave of . . . I don't know, I guess sadness. Like I once had the chance to do something, and didn't, and I regretted it. And when I saw you, it got stronger. So I thought a kiss would help."
He raised one of his hands, and brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. "And did it?"
Buffy smiled, a proper one this time. "It did. Really, Will. I'm sorry for freaking out like that. Just never felt anything like that before."
Will dropped a quick kiss on her lips, and then moved away, taking one of her hands in his. "Nothing to apologize about, love. Feel free to ask me to kiss you whenever you need it. Not a hardship for me to do that." He grinned at her, and she grinned back.
"Come on, oh cocky one. You're about to be cut down to your own size," she said, pulling him toward her building.
"How's that?" he asked.
She flashed him a truly evil smirk. "You're about to meet my sister."
Will quickly discovered that Buffy wasn't joking. As soon as they walked into the apartment, Dawn was on them like a Man U fan attacking Beckham.
She was standing in front of the door, and watched them walk in. Will gulped when he saw her. She was nearly as tall as him, with long brown hair and a set of huge blue eyes. Said eyes were currently zeroed in on her sister and this guy she had brought home. Buffy paused when she saw her sister.
"Hey, Dawnie. I want you to meet Will. Will, this is Dawn, although I'm sure her voice will be familiar to you, from her many phone interruptions." Buffy shot a good-natured scowl at her sister, before dropping Will's hand to shrug out of her jacket.
"So, this is the guy who's made my sister all giddy." Dawn took a step towards him, and then walked around him, studying him like he was a bug under a microscope. "Well, he's certainly promising in the looks department."
"Dawn," Buffy warned from the hall, where she was hanging up her jacket and flipping through the mail. "Be nice, or we might have to have a talk about that leather jacket you've been eyeing . . . "
Dawn snorted. "Oh, please. I'm so badder than you. I have no worries. Besides," she said, looking at Will. "If he crumples with me, you know that any relationship would have been doomed."
"Because the Dawn is all-knowing," Buffy shot back flippantly.
Will decided that he had to take at least a bit of control before he was lost in the shuffle. He stepped forward and extended his hand. "Dawn, it's lovely to finally meet you."
"Polite. Good," Dawn said, as she shook his hand. "Accent, always a plus, and like I said, you're attractive and have made Buffy unbelievably happy lately. She's very nearly human." Dawn's serious expression broke, and a huge smile covered her face. "Okay, you pass. Buffy, come put him out of his misery."
Will sighed and rolled his eyes. "You could have warned me," Will said, leaning down to whisper in Buffy's ear when she rejoined him. "Or at least watched my back! I was ready for her to set me on fire or something."
Buffy whispered back, "Classic interrogation technique. I had to leave you alone with her, or else I'd never hear the end of it from her. About how I had to protect the poor little man. Don't worry, you passed with flying colors. Now let's go make with the hanging out, and she'll get bored after a while and leave us alone."
Will gulped a bit as he followed Buffy into the living room. Buffy seemed to be all smiles and flirtatious winks now, a huge contrast from her behavior in the parking lot. But since he currently felt enough of an endorphin rush that he could run a marathon, after that little grilling from Dawn, he knew he wasn't thinking too clearly. Besides, she wanted to be alone with him. Any blood that had returned to his brain had made a quick exit at that phrase.
The three of them sat together in the living room. Dawn had taken a wing chair, and she sat with her legs over one arm as she rapidly channel-surfed. Will and Buffy sat on the couch, and it wasn't long before Buffy had leaned against him, letting her eyes droop. Dawn looked up, and smiled at Will.
"Works like a charm every time. Feed her, and then subject her to flashing lights, and she drops off like a baby," Dawn said in a low voice.
"Good to know," Will said, shifting a bit so that Buffy could lay down more on the couch and use him as a pillow. "So, you're in your last year of school?"
Dawn nodded. "I've got four more weeks of school, and it can't end soon enough. I'm planning on taking some classes at UCLA in the fall, but I'll be getting a job, too, like Buffy. We were lucky to get some help from a family friend, after we left Sunnydale, so we're doing all right."
Will nodded. "Any thoughts about what you want to study?"
Dawn grinned. "It drives Buffy crazy, but I want to study landscaping and garden design. She keeps muttering something about 'checking the shrub box' when I bring it up."
Will chuckled softly, before becoming serious. "Landscape design, huh? I suppose you want to travel some, places like Versailles and what all."
Dawn turned towards him, losing interest in the TV. "Yeah, how'd you guess? If I can get into the program at UCLA, I can do an internship in England and France for my junior year. That's another reason Buffy was all twitchy about it at first; her baby sister, on her own in another country. But she's seemed more laid-back about it lately. I suspect that's 'cause she's spending all her worrying time thinking about you."
"Huh?" Will said. "I didn't think we were at a worrying stage yet . . . "
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Guys. All the same. Girls start worrying about five minutes after meeting a guy--two, if he's really cute."
"Huh," Will said, a bit surprised. "Well, she's got nothing to worry about."
Dawn flashed a Mona Lisa smile at him. "I know. I can tell." She turned back to the TV and her surfing. "Oh, look! Notting Hill! Hugh Grant, and a garden. Perfect."
Will snorted. "Nancy boy tosser."
Dawn screwed around in her chair to look at him. "That sounds like an insult from your tone, but since I'm not sure that combination of words means anything in English, I'll just have to go with my gut instinct."
Will grinned at her, before scowling at the screen. "You Americans, you hear an accent coming out of that pretty boy and you get all fluttery. I can assure you, pet, that Hugh Grant does not represent your Englishman on the street."
"Uh-huh," Dawn said. "You're probably just jealous. You wish you could talk like him, because British people are all stuffy and class-conscious. 'Oh, my accent is so polished and upper-crust'."
"Hey, now," Will said, "I can talk like him."
Dawn looked at him. "Five bucks says you can't."
Will straightened up. "My word, this is a fine flat. Just lovely. Your sister and yourself keep it so well, it's truly a wonder."
By the end of his speech, Dawn was trying to muffle her giggles. "Oh, you sound so funny! Too bad Buffy was asleep for that."
Will snorted. "Yeah, because that was her only chance of hearing it. She'll just have to make do with my normal voice."
Dawn grinned at him, sensing that she had ruffled his feathers. "Don't worry, Buffy is quite taken with your voice. I heard her telling Willow about it."
Will grinned at Dawn. "So, since I passed the inspection, I get to pump you for info?"
Dawn nodded. "Yep. All part of the sister code. So what do you want to know?"
And as the evening drew to a close, Buffy dozed on Will's lap, Will introduced Dawn to Monty Python via a re-run on the local public television station, and Dawn gave Will several interesting tidbits about Buffy's behavior over the past two weeks.
Will looked at the two women that were sharing this small apartment. At the angel sleeping by his side, and the little devil who was currently watching MTV and making quiet observations on the state of music today. And he thought to himself, 'There is no place I'd rather be.'
**
By 11:30, Will could feel his own eyelids dropping shut more often, and he decided it was time to go. Dawn had gone into her bedroom, leaving the two of them alone. But Will hadn't had the heart to wake Buffy, so he had remained where he was, occasionally watching a bit of any program that caught his eye, but watching Buffy more.
She looked so peaceful in her sleep. He wished that he could stay here, and curl up next to her. Let their bodies fall into the same rhythyms as they both slumbered, perhaps even sharing the same dreams. But he knew that not only was that enough to send Buffy skittering away, he also knew his mother would be worried. So, he leaned down, and dropped a kiss on Buffy's cheek. "Love, wake up."
Buffy mumbled, before rolling over and looking up at him. She blinked a few times, and said, "Oh, what a crappy date I am. I fall asleep on you." She scrambled up, running a hand through her hair and wiping the sleep out of her eyes. "I've just been working so much, and between that and classes and getting ready for your visit, I guess I was more tired than I thought."
Will smiled, and kissed her again. "No worries, love. Dawn and I were able to entertain ourselves just fine. Besides, you look like a princess when you're sleeping."
Buffy smiled at him, moving closer towards him. "A princess, huh? Pretty nice."
"Gotta make sure you get your ration of sweet talk," Will said, raising his hand and running it lightly over her face. She closed her eyes and sighed, and Will took advantage of this and leaned forward, kissing her deeply.
The kisses they exchanged were soft and warm, with small sighs and moans slipping out from both of them. After a few minutes, though, Will pulled away. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to get going. Have to make sure my girl gets her beauty sleep." He stood, and had turned the TV off and dropped the remote on the table, before he realized she was still sitting on the couch, staring up at him.
In a small voice, she said, "I'm your girl?"
Will dropped back down on the couch. "Of course, pet. I'm a monogamous type; I find someone I like and I stick around until she throws me out on the street."
Buffy smiled at him, and she cupped his face in her hand. Her thumb brushed against his lips, and she dreamily said, "And you're my guy."
Will's breath caught. He understood, now, why she had seemed so knocked for a loop a minute earlier. He cleared his throat, and said, "It sounds good."
She nodded at him, a bit amused. "It does," she said, before she placed a delicate kiss on his lips. "I'll walk you to the door."
She tugged him up off the couch, and together they walked down the hall. As they approached the door, Will felt his heart clenching. He really, really, really wanted to stay. Every impulse he felt, every muscle in his body, seemed to push him towards her and not the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he choked out.
"Around four," Buffy confirmed, smiling that lovely, peaceful smile at him.
Suddenly, he just had to kiss her. Had to wrap his arms around her, and push her against the door, letting his mouth devour her. She came closer to him, standing on tip-toe, and then her body was pressing against his. He felt frantic, like he had to take in as much of her essence as he could. Like this could be his last chance . . .
And just as quickly as the feeling had come over him, it faded away. The kiss slowed and gentled, and they finally pulled away, their chests heaving and their eyes glazed.
Buffy was the first one to speak. "If that's the way you always say goodbye, it almost makes your leaving a good thing."
Will shook his head, and let out a rueful laugh. "Sorry, love. Don't know what came over me. But I assure you," he said, letting a smirk come through, "I'll make the hello kiss even better."
Buffy smiled back at him. "I look forward to it. Good night, Will." She leaned up and pecked his lips, before opening the door.
"Night, Buffy. See you tomorrow," he said, and he walked out the door.
As Will walked down the stairs, he shook his head at how the evening had gone. And that kiss at the end . . . amazing, but a bit terrifying. He had never felt that way with anyone. Not even Drusilla, whom he had loved with a burning passion. It made him wonder.
But as he left the building, and headed towards his car, he let his thoughts drift away from that odd experience, and look forward to the future. The future he knew he was going to share with Buffy.
End, Chapter Five
By Melissa(dettiot@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG-13 mostly, with one NC-17 epilogue.
Spoilers: Through Chosen.
Author's Note: Spike/Buffy, but only kinda. This story is a bit odd. Also posted on my website(http://lostinwonderland.org/buffy/fanfic.html).
Chapter title taken from "Landslide", originally performed by Fleetwood Mac.
Chapter Five: Time Makes You Bolder
Will was trying to remember if he had ever been this nervous. Maybe the first time he kissed a girl. Maybe when he had first moved here from England. Maybe the first time he drove on the "wrong" side of the road. Maybe the first time he had sent a story to The New Yorker.
Nope, he was pretty sure that he had never been this nervous. And he was the one who had gotten himself into this mess.
Will rubbed his hands against the steering wheel as he drove towards his mother's house. He had been looking forward to this weekend with way too much anticipation and excitement. He was almost worried that he was gonna screw this up, because there was no way anything he wanted this much would turn out well.
As he pulled into the driveway of the small bungalow his mother lived in, he forced himself to calm down. This weekend represented a chance to see Buffy, and get a deeper look at her life. Figure out if this was a girl who was worth pursuing, worth making changes for.
"Like you don't already know the answer to that one, mate," he muttered to himself as he pulled his bags out of his trunk and walked up to the front door.
He didn't even have to ring the bell before his mother had flung open the door. "Will! I was so happy when I got your message, saying you were coming up for the weekend." She stood to the side as he walked inside and dropped his bag in the hallway.
Anne Smythe was a beautiful woman. The years of illness, now far behind her, had not altered her sweet face, or made her any less lovely to him. He gave her a quick, strong hug. "Mum." He was surprised to find that he felt almost like tearing up. Maybe all that talk with Buffy about mothers, and her loss, made him appreciate his own mother all the more, especially now that he had her here, in front of him, the scent of her perfume rising to meet him.
Will pulled away, and said, "You're looking lovelier every day. You don't have some boyfriend around here to put those roses in your cheeks now, do you?"
Anne smiled, but gave her son a knowing look. "No, but funny you should mention romance. What's she like?"
Will frowned. "What? What are you talking about? What she?"
Anne's smile widened. "The girl that's got you all happy. I could tell as soon as I saw you."
Will stared at his mother. "That's just brilliant. How do mums do that?"
"They teach us it special, darling, right after showing us how to tell when your child is lying to you," Anne smirked, patting her son on the cheek. "Come on inside--I didn't have the time for Yorkshire pudding, but I know my boy well enough to have scones. Want to spoil your dinner?" she said with a twinkle in her eye.
Will grinned back at her. "Of course." He closed the door, and followed his mother into the kitchen. Taking a seat at the island, he said, "I'll spill, but only because otherwise I'd feel guilty about staying with you and not telling you where I'd be disappearing to."
"Yes, son," Anne said, her voice serious but her eyes full of mirth.
Will rolled his eyes, but started talking. "Her name's Buffy. She's a friend of a friend; I met her when she and her friend Xander were visiting Rich. She's a few years younger than me, and she lives up here. She's got a younger sister that she's bringing up on her own--can you believe it, when their mother died, not only did their father not come to the funeral, she still hasn't heard from him in all this time? Tosser. I can't imagine how she got through it. She said her friends helped some, but still, it must not be the same, to know that your mother is gone."
Anne had drawn near with a plate of scones, and Will leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm so glad to have you, Mum."
Anne smiled at him. "And I you, dear. Buffy, you said? Poor girl. But, I guess when in Rome . . . I've always found some of these poor girls here have the most dreadful names."
Will shrugged, and tried not to blush when he said, "I don't know . . . it kinda suits her, I think. I mean, the very fact that it's such an odd name, and all. And you look at her, and you think she's your typical California girl, but underneath all that surface stuff, she's the strongest woman I've ever met. So her name fits her because it doesn't fit her." He stopped when he saw the look on his mother's face. "What? I know I was babbling, you don't have to tell me that."
Anne sighed, before placing her hand over his. "No, dear. It's just so nice to hear you talk about anyone like this. And the fact that you're so secure about it that you will talk and express how you really feel. I'm so proud of you, and happy."
Will turned his hand over, and gave his mother's hand a squeeze. Silence fell between them for a moment, before his mother squeezed back and moved to get the tea things set out. The quiet was broken when she said, "So, are you going to desert me all weekend, then?" The smile on her face told him that she was teasing.
"Well . . ." he said. "Buffy has to work tomorrow morning, until about 2, she said. And she's working today, but we had planned that I'd pick her up at work and then we'd go out to dinner, before going back to her place so I could meet Dawn--that's her sister. Tomorrow night, we're going to the Getty and walk around the gardens and such. Then, on Sunday, we're probably going to do breakfast and everything before I leave. Would you like to join us for breakfast on Sunday?"
"Oh, Will, that's so thoughtful. I'd be happy to join the two of you." She rustled around with the teacups, before speaking again. "It sounds like a lovely weekend for the both of you. How long ago did you meet?"
Will bit his lip. "Well, only about two weeks. But we've been talking on the phone nearly every day, and . . . Mum, she's just so amazing. Part of me wants to spend as much time with her as I can, because I just want to know everything about her. But another part of me says to take it slow, to not rush things, because it's so easy to bollocks things up at the beginning, and you can never recover from that."
Anne came back over to the island, and once again patted his hand. "You're thinking about this, which is always a good sign. You've been so prone to just following your feelings, when you should have taken a moment to think about things. Like with Drusilla," Anne said with a frown.
Will sighed. "Mum, can we please not talk about her? For one thing, she's in the past, and for another thing, I'm well aware of how you feel about her."
Anne sniffed. "Well, when you come home to find an older woman in the middle of deflowering your only son, your only child, on your living room sofa, you quickly form ideas of her character."
"Oh, Mum," Will groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "If you want to dredge up embarrassing incidents from my life, can't we confine them to the ones where I'm also kind of sweet and charming, like the poetry? Wait, no--the poetry was crap . . . um, what about that time with the teacher that I tried to bake cookies for?"
Anne smiled at her son. "Never fear. I promise that when I meet this vision of perfection known as Buffy, I'll keep the embarrassing stories and the baby pictures to a minimum." At his look of relief, she tacked on, "At first."
Will groaned again, and she laughed as she brought the kettle over and poured the hot water over the tea in his cup. "Let your mother have some fun. Now drink your tea, eat your scone, and tell me more about this new idea you were telling me about, the one that's developing into the perfect book. Then you can go fetch your young lady."
**
Will tugged a bit at his shirt as he walked through the elaborate department store. He felt underdressed, in his well-worn jeans and black t-shirt. But after all, it wasn't like he had to dress up for Buffy . . .
Besides, he knew he looked damn good.
With a smile, he saw the sign for Ladies' Eveningwear and moved towards the registers. Although he wasn't tall, he was able to spot her blonde hair, and his heart tapped out a few quick beats.
Her back was to him as he approached, and he nearly went with his first impulse of wrapping his arms around her, only stopping because he noticed she was talking with an attractive redhead that he assumed was a customer. Until he drew near and heard what Buffy was saying.
"God, Willow, you have no idea how happy he's made me. We've been talking so much, and you know how much talking is not a normal Buffy thing."
The redhead nodded and said, "Talking and Buffy, like oil and fire: mix at your own risk."
Buffy groaned. "I'm not that bad, Will. Sheesh. Anyway, he's just so great, and have I mentioned he's gorgeous?"
Will stood behind Buffy, and caught the redhead's eye. Buffy, babbling away, didn't notice when Willow winked at him and interrupted Buffy's stream of words. "Buff?"
Buffy paused, sounding dazed when she said, "Yea-huh?"
"When you say gorgeous, what kind of gorgeous? Tall, dark and handsome? Brad Pitt-esque? Based on the way you've been babbling--"
"I do not babble." At Willow's look, Buffy said, "Much."
Willow continued. "Based on the way you've been babbling, I'd say not too tall but very fit, curly hair, cheekbones you could cut glass with, and the most beautiful set of blue eyes you've ever seen."
Buffy sounded surprised when she said, "How'd you know . . ." only to trail off when Will placed his hands on her shoulders. She whirled around, and the look on her face made his heart beat even harder.
"Will!" she exclaimed, before she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. He nearly winced at the grip she had on him, but instead just enjoyed how close she was to him. God, it had been way too long since they had kissed . . .
Buffy pulled away, but kept one arm wrapped around his waist. The smile on her face nearly blinded him. "You're early! I wasn't expecting you for another half hour. Don't tell me you skipped out on your mom to see me, because that is just not nice."
He chuckled. "Don't worry, Mum's all taken care of. She's already promising to pull out the baby pictures and all the cringe-worthy stories when she meets you."
Buffy grinned. "Awww, I bet you were a cute baby. All curly-haired and dimpled."
Buffy's friend suddenly cleared her throat, and Buffy jumped. "Oh, Willow! Will, I want you to meet Willow; she's one of my best friends. Will, this is Will . . . oh, this could get confusing. Um, well, anyway, Willow, this is Will."
Will smiled and held out his hand to Willow. "Thanks for helping me surprise her."
Willow grinned at him. "My pleasure. And goodness, I can see why she babbled."
Will tried very hard not to blush, as Buffy giggled.
"Willow! You're impossible." Buffy turned to Will and said, "Do you mind just hanging around for a bit? I've got a few things to take care of before I leave, but I can't really talk to you unless you're an actual customer."
"I can take him to the food court. Tell him all the things he really wants to know about Buffy Summers," Willow offered, an evil gleam in her eye.
Will grinned at the deer-in-the-headlights expression on Buffy's face, but before she could start sputtering out some answer, he stepped in. "That's nice of you, Willow, but I think I'd rather just hang around here. But can you give me a raincheck?" he said, giving her a quick wink.
Willow laughed. "Of course." She gave Buffy a quick hug and whispered something in her ear, before dashing away with a laugh when Buffy went to give her a quick slap on the arm.
Buffy looked at Will, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "I'd tell you that I stay friends with her only to keep her from talking, but it appears that the plan isn't working." Will smiled at her, and she continued. "Anyway, give me about twenty minutes, and I'll be good to go. Now shoo--I can't concentrate with you here."
Will took a step towards her, and leaned down into her personal space. He could hear her breath catch, and he worked hard to keep his own breathing under control. Would really spoil the effect if he was gasping like a sprinter after the hundred-yard dash. "Well, we can't have that, love. I'll be back in twenty." He hovered in front of her for a moment, before dropping a kiss on her cheek and walking away.
As he walked towards the escalators that would take him to the second floor and men's apparel, he heard her let out a huge breath and say, "Wow."
He spent the next twenty minutes with a huge smile on his face.
**
As Will followed Buffy to her apartment, he couldn't help thinking that Buffy was just a fantastic girl. During dinner, she had kept him laughing with her one-liners and her unusual perspective on life and society. More than once, he had just wanted to pull her onto his lap and kiss her breathless, because she was just so delightful that a kiss seemed to be the only way he could tell her how he felt. Somehow, he had managed to restrain himself to large smiles and a few hand squeezes. But it was getting more difficult as the evening went on . . .
Buffy's apartment was in a large, well-maintained building not that far from where she worked. When he pulled into a parking space next to hers, he noticed that she was still sitting in her car. She seemed to be gripping the wheel, breathing forcefully like she was having a panic attack. He quickly got out of his car and went over to hers. She noticed him standing there, and got out of the car.
"Sorry," she said, keeping her eyes averted. "Just . . . it all got to be too much for me."
Will frowned, feeling a bit insecure and very nervous. "Are you all right, love? Is there anything I can do?"
Buffy looked up at him. She seemed to be trying to decide what to say. Suddenly, she said, "Kiss me."
Before Will could think things through, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his own. Her request had sent all his thoughts scattering like the wind, and then the feel of her lips . . . well, it was no wonder all the blood had left his brain.
This kiss was a little sloppy, their noses bumping, as they got reacquainted with each other. He let his hands rest on her hips, rubbing small circles there, as her hands wrapped around his neck. When he finally pulled away, he found that he had pushed her against her car, and she seemed to be leaning heavily against it, like her legs didn't support her.
He smirked a bit. 'Oh, yeah, still got it,' he thought to himself, especially when he took in her flushed face.
She sighed, then smiled sadly. "I needed that." She made to move away, but Will held her in place.
"Love? What's really wrong?"
Buffy sighed again, and rested her forehead against his chest. "I don't know. Just, all of a sudden, I felt this wave of . . . I don't know, I guess sadness. Like I once had the chance to do something, and didn't, and I regretted it. And when I saw you, it got stronger. So I thought a kiss would help."
He raised one of his hands, and brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. "And did it?"
Buffy smiled, a proper one this time. "It did. Really, Will. I'm sorry for freaking out like that. Just never felt anything like that before."
Will dropped a quick kiss on her lips, and then moved away, taking one of her hands in his. "Nothing to apologize about, love. Feel free to ask me to kiss you whenever you need it. Not a hardship for me to do that." He grinned at her, and she grinned back.
"Come on, oh cocky one. You're about to be cut down to your own size," she said, pulling him toward her building.
"How's that?" he asked.
She flashed him a truly evil smirk. "You're about to meet my sister."
Will quickly discovered that Buffy wasn't joking. As soon as they walked into the apartment, Dawn was on them like a Man U fan attacking Beckham.
She was standing in front of the door, and watched them walk in. Will gulped when he saw her. She was nearly as tall as him, with long brown hair and a set of huge blue eyes. Said eyes were currently zeroed in on her sister and this guy she had brought home. Buffy paused when she saw her sister.
"Hey, Dawnie. I want you to meet Will. Will, this is Dawn, although I'm sure her voice will be familiar to you, from her many phone interruptions." Buffy shot a good-natured scowl at her sister, before dropping Will's hand to shrug out of her jacket.
"So, this is the guy who's made my sister all giddy." Dawn took a step towards him, and then walked around him, studying him like he was a bug under a microscope. "Well, he's certainly promising in the looks department."
"Dawn," Buffy warned from the hall, where she was hanging up her jacket and flipping through the mail. "Be nice, or we might have to have a talk about that leather jacket you've been eyeing . . . "
Dawn snorted. "Oh, please. I'm so badder than you. I have no worries. Besides," she said, looking at Will. "If he crumples with me, you know that any relationship would have been doomed."
"Because the Dawn is all-knowing," Buffy shot back flippantly.
Will decided that he had to take at least a bit of control before he was lost in the shuffle. He stepped forward and extended his hand. "Dawn, it's lovely to finally meet you."
"Polite. Good," Dawn said, as she shook his hand. "Accent, always a plus, and like I said, you're attractive and have made Buffy unbelievably happy lately. She's very nearly human." Dawn's serious expression broke, and a huge smile covered her face. "Okay, you pass. Buffy, come put him out of his misery."
Will sighed and rolled his eyes. "You could have warned me," Will said, leaning down to whisper in Buffy's ear when she rejoined him. "Or at least watched my back! I was ready for her to set me on fire or something."
Buffy whispered back, "Classic interrogation technique. I had to leave you alone with her, or else I'd never hear the end of it from her. About how I had to protect the poor little man. Don't worry, you passed with flying colors. Now let's go make with the hanging out, and she'll get bored after a while and leave us alone."
Will gulped a bit as he followed Buffy into the living room. Buffy seemed to be all smiles and flirtatious winks now, a huge contrast from her behavior in the parking lot. But since he currently felt enough of an endorphin rush that he could run a marathon, after that little grilling from Dawn, he knew he wasn't thinking too clearly. Besides, she wanted to be alone with him. Any blood that had returned to his brain had made a quick exit at that phrase.
The three of them sat together in the living room. Dawn had taken a wing chair, and she sat with her legs over one arm as she rapidly channel-surfed. Will and Buffy sat on the couch, and it wasn't long before Buffy had leaned against him, letting her eyes droop. Dawn looked up, and smiled at Will.
"Works like a charm every time. Feed her, and then subject her to flashing lights, and she drops off like a baby," Dawn said in a low voice.
"Good to know," Will said, shifting a bit so that Buffy could lay down more on the couch and use him as a pillow. "So, you're in your last year of school?"
Dawn nodded. "I've got four more weeks of school, and it can't end soon enough. I'm planning on taking some classes at UCLA in the fall, but I'll be getting a job, too, like Buffy. We were lucky to get some help from a family friend, after we left Sunnydale, so we're doing all right."
Will nodded. "Any thoughts about what you want to study?"
Dawn grinned. "It drives Buffy crazy, but I want to study landscaping and garden design. She keeps muttering something about 'checking the shrub box' when I bring it up."
Will chuckled softly, before becoming serious. "Landscape design, huh? I suppose you want to travel some, places like Versailles and what all."
Dawn turned towards him, losing interest in the TV. "Yeah, how'd you guess? If I can get into the program at UCLA, I can do an internship in England and France for my junior year. That's another reason Buffy was all twitchy about it at first; her baby sister, on her own in another country. But she's seemed more laid-back about it lately. I suspect that's 'cause she's spending all her worrying time thinking about you."
"Huh?" Will said. "I didn't think we were at a worrying stage yet . . . "
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Guys. All the same. Girls start worrying about five minutes after meeting a guy--two, if he's really cute."
"Huh," Will said, a bit surprised. "Well, she's got nothing to worry about."
Dawn flashed a Mona Lisa smile at him. "I know. I can tell." She turned back to the TV and her surfing. "Oh, look! Notting Hill! Hugh Grant, and a garden. Perfect."
Will snorted. "Nancy boy tosser."
Dawn screwed around in her chair to look at him. "That sounds like an insult from your tone, but since I'm not sure that combination of words means anything in English, I'll just have to go with my gut instinct."
Will grinned at her, before scowling at the screen. "You Americans, you hear an accent coming out of that pretty boy and you get all fluttery. I can assure you, pet, that Hugh Grant does not represent your Englishman on the street."
"Uh-huh," Dawn said. "You're probably just jealous. You wish you could talk like him, because British people are all stuffy and class-conscious. 'Oh, my accent is so polished and upper-crust'."
"Hey, now," Will said, "I can talk like him."
Dawn looked at him. "Five bucks says you can't."
Will straightened up. "My word, this is a fine flat. Just lovely. Your sister and yourself keep it so well, it's truly a wonder."
By the end of his speech, Dawn was trying to muffle her giggles. "Oh, you sound so funny! Too bad Buffy was asleep for that."
Will snorted. "Yeah, because that was her only chance of hearing it. She'll just have to make do with my normal voice."
Dawn grinned at him, sensing that she had ruffled his feathers. "Don't worry, Buffy is quite taken with your voice. I heard her telling Willow about it."
Will grinned at Dawn. "So, since I passed the inspection, I get to pump you for info?"
Dawn nodded. "Yep. All part of the sister code. So what do you want to know?"
And as the evening drew to a close, Buffy dozed on Will's lap, Will introduced Dawn to Monty Python via a re-run on the local public television station, and Dawn gave Will several interesting tidbits about Buffy's behavior over the past two weeks.
Will looked at the two women that were sharing this small apartment. At the angel sleeping by his side, and the little devil who was currently watching MTV and making quiet observations on the state of music today. And he thought to himself, 'There is no place I'd rather be.'
**
By 11:30, Will could feel his own eyelids dropping shut more often, and he decided it was time to go. Dawn had gone into her bedroom, leaving the two of them alone. But Will hadn't had the heart to wake Buffy, so he had remained where he was, occasionally watching a bit of any program that caught his eye, but watching Buffy more.
She looked so peaceful in her sleep. He wished that he could stay here, and curl up next to her. Let their bodies fall into the same rhythyms as they both slumbered, perhaps even sharing the same dreams. But he knew that not only was that enough to send Buffy skittering away, he also knew his mother would be worried. So, he leaned down, and dropped a kiss on Buffy's cheek. "Love, wake up."
Buffy mumbled, before rolling over and looking up at him. She blinked a few times, and said, "Oh, what a crappy date I am. I fall asleep on you." She scrambled up, running a hand through her hair and wiping the sleep out of her eyes. "I've just been working so much, and between that and classes and getting ready for your visit, I guess I was more tired than I thought."
Will smiled, and kissed her again. "No worries, love. Dawn and I were able to entertain ourselves just fine. Besides, you look like a princess when you're sleeping."
Buffy smiled at him, moving closer towards him. "A princess, huh? Pretty nice."
"Gotta make sure you get your ration of sweet talk," Will said, raising his hand and running it lightly over her face. She closed her eyes and sighed, and Will took advantage of this and leaned forward, kissing her deeply.
The kisses they exchanged were soft and warm, with small sighs and moans slipping out from both of them. After a few minutes, though, Will pulled away. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to get going. Have to make sure my girl gets her beauty sleep." He stood, and had turned the TV off and dropped the remote on the table, before he realized she was still sitting on the couch, staring up at him.
In a small voice, she said, "I'm your girl?"
Will dropped back down on the couch. "Of course, pet. I'm a monogamous type; I find someone I like and I stick around until she throws me out on the street."
Buffy smiled at him, and she cupped his face in her hand. Her thumb brushed against his lips, and she dreamily said, "And you're my guy."
Will's breath caught. He understood, now, why she had seemed so knocked for a loop a minute earlier. He cleared his throat, and said, "It sounds good."
She nodded at him, a bit amused. "It does," she said, before she placed a delicate kiss on his lips. "I'll walk you to the door."
She tugged him up off the couch, and together they walked down the hall. As they approached the door, Will felt his heart clenching. He really, really, really wanted to stay. Every impulse he felt, every muscle in his body, seemed to push him towards her and not the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he choked out.
"Around four," Buffy confirmed, smiling that lovely, peaceful smile at him.
Suddenly, he just had to kiss her. Had to wrap his arms around her, and push her against the door, letting his mouth devour her. She came closer to him, standing on tip-toe, and then her body was pressing against his. He felt frantic, like he had to take in as much of her essence as he could. Like this could be his last chance . . .
And just as quickly as the feeling had come over him, it faded away. The kiss slowed and gentled, and they finally pulled away, their chests heaving and their eyes glazed.
Buffy was the first one to speak. "If that's the way you always say goodbye, it almost makes your leaving a good thing."
Will shook his head, and let out a rueful laugh. "Sorry, love. Don't know what came over me. But I assure you," he said, letting a smirk come through, "I'll make the hello kiss even better."
Buffy smiled back at him. "I look forward to it. Good night, Will." She leaned up and pecked his lips, before opening the door.
"Night, Buffy. See you tomorrow," he said, and he walked out the door.
As Will walked down the stairs, he shook his head at how the evening had gone. And that kiss at the end . . . amazing, but a bit terrifying. He had never felt that way with anyone. Not even Drusilla, whom he had loved with a burning passion. It made him wonder.
But as he left the building, and headed towards his car, he let his thoughts drift away from that odd experience, and look forward to the future. The future he knew he was going to share with Buffy.
End, Chapter Five