AN: I own nothing blah blah blah
I actually did a tiny bit of research for this story but it is still not 100% historically accurate so please don't bash me for that. Read my note at the bottom for more info because I don't like to leave too much at the top and give my whole story away!
*~*~*~*~*~
England-November 11, 2003
He stood over the grave with an old black and white photo in his left hand and two white roses clenched in his right fist. This was the first time he had actually made out to England to visit her. He moved the photo to his right hand and slowly traced the names on the tombstone. Her name. Buffy Fairfax. His blue eyes misted over, as he wondered, not for the first time, how he could love someone so much who he only from stories. He closed his eyes as he remembered the stories that his Aunt Dawn used to tell him about his mom growing up and the things that Willow used to tell him about her and how she had met his father.
It had all started in England, even though she was a California girl. That was what Willow used to say anyway. But she had passed away a few years ago and now he had to tell the story to himself just to remind himself that it was real…
*~*~*~*~*~
"Tell me about my mommy and daddy Auntie Dawn." He had asked one night when his Aunt was putting him to bed.
"Now Will. You know I don't know that story. You'll have to ask Willow when she comes over." Dawn replied giving him a kiss on his forehead and tucking the covers up to his chin.
"Why not? Weren't you born yet?" He asked innocently and she smiled at him. A sad smile, a smile filled with regret that she was getting these questions instead of Buffy.
"I was dear. But I was here in California and I never met your Daddy." She smoothed his hair back and pointed at a framed picture of Buffy's wedding. "But you'll look just like him one day." Will smiled at her sleepily.
"Yeah." He yawned. "I'll ask Willow tomorrow." He didn't see his Aunt Dawn cry because he was already asleep.
*~*~*~*~*~
He scrunched up his eyes as he remembered that conversation and an involuntary tear slipped from his eyes. He never really thought when he was younger how hard it must have been on Aunt Dawn for him to be constantly asking his parents like that. But she would always try to help him find the answers even though she herself was forced into raising her sister's son. Even if she did have Willow's help…
*~*~*~*~*~
"Willow!" The young boy cried happily and squirmed out of his Aunt's embrace as she tried to help him read a book. Willow smiled at Will and bent down to hug him and then smiled over her head at Dawn who gave her a tired smile back and sat down in a chair exhausted.
"Hey there Will! Your Aunt called me last night and said that I should come over because you had some questions for me." She looked at Will but shot Dawn a questioning glance from the corner of her eye. It couldn't be time for that yet…could it?
"Tell me about my mommy and daddy, Willow." Willow gulped. It was time. She looked down into this five year old's brilliant blue eyes and took a deep breath.
"Well, I guess that it all started because your mother got the idea in her head that we should go and help in the war…even though it hadn't started for the United States yet…"
*~*~*~*~*~
He took a deep breath as the story began to repeat in his head the scattered bits of their story. When he was around eight or nine he would lie in the backyard on the grass and watch the clouds and listen to Willow as he made her tell him again about his mom. He swore that he could see them in the clouds as she told him about their job as nurses and what it was like in England. Now, standing in Croydon, where she was buried he could see them again as he closed his eyes and let the story play out in his mind's eye.
"It all began because your mother had such a big heart. She heard about all the terrible things that were going on in the war and thought that just because America wasn't a part of it yet, we should go over to help. We had medical training you know. She convinced me to go and soon we found ourselves in England on air base…"
*~*~*~*~*~
"All volunteer nurses follow me to the dormitories!" A commanding voice greeted the two young American women as they stepped off the bus. They quickly picked up their suitcases and gathered around the tall imposing woman in a nurse's uniform. Three or four other girls soon joined the group and the nurse turned around and started walking briskly to a group of buildings a little ways off in the distance.
"Choose your roommates now and take the first empty room available." She glanced over at the girls and Buffy and Willow automatically clasped their free hands together. "My name is Cordelia Chase. That's Nurse Chase to all of you. I am head nurse at this base and just so you all know, my word is law." She paused as she threw open a door that was marked "women's dorm" and continued marching down the hall while the girls struggled with their cases.
"There are several rules that I expect you all to follow religiously." She turned around sharply and all the girls stumbled to a halt. "One. You are expected to be on call at all hours. Two. No fraternizing with the doctors. And three. ABSOLUTELY no fraternizing with the pilots." Her eyes watered slightly on the last rule, but as soon as they thought they saw it, the tears seemed to disappear and she turned around and marched down the hall again. "Report to the main mess area at 05:00. We have to get started on your training."
Willow turned to glare at Buffy who was standing there with her mouth hanging open. "Wow Buffy. I am really glad you talked me into coming here."
Buffy grinned sheepishly at her friend. "Maybe she gets better once you get to know her?" Buffy answered doubtfully. Willow merely rolled her eyes and the two went about finding a room.
*~*~*~*~*~
William smiled. He remembered when he had first met Cordelia. He had been about ten and the war had been over for a few years. She had been brash and abrupt…and just, as Willow had described her. She remembered telling him about when she had found out about his mother and father and the talk that she had with Buffy. He didn't really understand all that she meant at the time, but now looking back, it brought tears to his eyes.
"I tried to talk your mom out of it you know." Cordelia sighed. "Looking at you, I'm glad that she was stubborn and didn't listen. But I had my reasons…"
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy smiled at Spike as he pulled her into his arms in front of her dorm. He kissed her forehead and she sighed snuggling into his chest.
"I should get in there before someone sees me." She leaned back to look in his eyes. "You know how Nurse Chase gets. I'm breaking rule three right now." Buffy rolled her eyes and Spike chuckled.
"Now pet, we wouldn't want you to break any rules…would we?" He replied and gave her a mischievous smirk. She giggled at him and he leaned down and kissed her. The kiss soon grew more and more passionate. Buffy pressed herself tightly against him and Spike wrapped his arms around her trying to get even closer to her.
"NURSE SUMMERS!" A sharp voice that Buffy instantly recognized yelled. She and Spike jumped apart instantly and Cordelia marched over to the guilty couple. "Get into the dorm now!" Buffy shot Spike a look and he nodded at her. Without really thinking about it Buffy reached over to give his hand a reassuring squeeze. "I said NOW!" Cordelia yelled and Buffy yelped and scurried into the dorm with Cordelia hot on her heels.
Buffy rushed into her room and Willow gave her a questioning look as Buffy jumped on the bed and buried herself under the covers. He questions were answered though when a red-faced Cordelia came rushing in after her friend.
"Rosenburg! I need to talk to Summers alone." Cordelia said taking in deep breaths. Willow glanced between the two women before finally nodding and she practically ran from the room.
"Nurse Chase, I can explain. You see, I was, uh. At the movies and Spike, I mean
Lieutenant Fairfax, he uh…he was walking me home and he tripped and…"
"He fell on your lips?" Cordelia asked in a slightly calmer voice. A lame cover story like that could calm anyone down. Cordelia sighed and sat next to Buffy on the bed. "I know that you all think that my rules are stupid and I can't actually force you to follow them…but I. Well I want to tell you something now that no one else at this base knows about. Buffy looked at her curiously.
"What is it?" Cordelia took a deep breath and began.
"I was a nurse at a different base a while back and I was a lot like you. I was excited to help people and had a big heart." She paused and looked Buffy in the eye. "And a fondness for airmen." Buffy blushed. "Well really just one airman. His name was Doyle and he was sweet and funny and he was totally in love with me. I blew him off a few times but he just kept trying and I thought that it was so sweet. So I finally let myself fall for him and we started to get serious about each other. I was young and naive and I didn't think that there would be anything but a happy ending for us…" She trailed off and Buffy looked at her expectantly but it seemed that she was lost in the past.
"He cheated on you? You found him with another nurse?" Buffy asked and Cordelia started look at the other woman in surprise, as though she had forgotten that she was even there.
"No. He went out on a mission and never came back. His plan was shot down over the Channel. There wasn't even a body." This time some tears did fall and Buffy sat there in shock as she put her arm around Cordelia. "You work in the hospital and you see people die everyday. But you never think that it'll be him, because you love him and you deserve a happy ending." Cordelia wiped her hand across her face and looked at Buffy seriously. "But not everyone gets it and all those young men that we see die everyday, every time one of them dies, another happy ending dies too." Buffy looked at the other woman seriously.
"I love him Cordelia. I love him more than I ever thought possible to love another person. I do know that he might die, but so might I. I'm not going to hide from him and pretend not love him or care for him." Buffy gave her a half smile and took a box from her pocket. "He asked me to marry him." Buffy opened the box and showed Cordelia the small diamond ring that Spike had given her earlier that night. "I told him I had to think about it, but now, after what you told me, I know my answer."
"What?"
"Yes. I'm going to marry him. I don't want to lose him and become a widow or leave him but if I don't marry him…I'll regret it. I'll never find anyone else like him." Buffy looked at the ring fondly and smiled down at it. Cordelia could see the dreams practically floating around the young blonde's head. A home. A family. A loving husband. She had to choke back a sob. Cordelia reached over and took the ring out of its velvet box. She took Buffy's hand gently in her own and put the ring on her left ring finger.
"I'm not going to stop you and I do want you to be happy. I want all you girls to be happy. I just-" She broke off unable to continue. "I'll help you get special permission to live in a little house close by." She finally said after a moment's silence. Buffy looked at her in surprise and finally hugged the other woman tightly.
"Thank-you." She murmured and then Cordelia merely got up and left sending Willow back into the room so the two of them could celebrate.
*~*~*~*~*
He pulled out a letter from his pocket and knelt down in front of her grave, gently leaning the letter up against the headstone. It was from Aunt Dawn. She was too old and too sick to fly all the way out from California. She had gone before but had insisted that William take this letter to her sister. He knew what it was. It was a letter about her life and her children and her husband. She was writing to her sister now much as Buffy had written about her life back then. He brushed his hand over the date of her death, his birthday. He sniffled and smiled a little when he remembered Aunt Dawn when she found him in the attic reading the old letters his mother had sent her baby sister. It was all about her and his father. He had been eleven at the time and Dawn had scolded him for reading them.
*~*~*~*~*~
"But why can't I read them Aunt Dawn?" He whined from the corner while turning his head as far as he could as he saw Dawn carefully refold all the letters and retie them with the red ribbon. She looked over at Will.
"You can turn around now young man." She said and he did slowly and glumly. She couldn't help but smile at his pout. Dawn put all the letters back in the old trunk and closed the lid then sat down on top of it. She patted the seat next to her and Will shuffled over to her and sat next to her. "Some things are meant to be shared just between sisters." She said softly and she put her arm around him carefully. Will didn't look at her and just put his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands.
"But…" He sighed in frustration. "No one will tell me about them. I know a little bit about how mom and Willow lived over there but she never tells me about dad and you never even met him." He frowned and scuffed his shoes on the dusty attic floor.
"Will…" Dawn began hesitantly. She knew he had a right to know and it wasn't like there was anything he had to be ashamed about. "It's just. It still hurts so much to think about it…about them."
"But no one will tell me why? Were they bad people?" He asked hesitantly.
"No! They were good and kind. They were wonderful people Will. Your parents were heroes." His frown deepened.
"But…" He couldn't finish but Dawn knew what he was asking.
"I know I never met your father, but I feel like I knew him from the way that Buffy would write about him." She stood up and Will followed her. Dawn pushed the chest open once more and felt around the bottom for a bit before removing an old cardboard box filled with letters and pictures. "The letters you were reading were the ones she wrote from the first few months there. Before she met Spike. I put everything that had to do with him that she ever sent me in here." She clutched the box tightly and finally handed it over to her nephew. "I was saving it for you. For one day when you were old enough. I think that you should read it now."
"Really?" He asked hopefully and slowly reached out for the precious box.
"Yeah." She ruffled his hair fondly and gave him the box that would answer all his questions. "There's even a few letters in there from your dad. I think that Buffy made him write to me since he didn't have any family of his own at that point."
"Why not?" He looked up at his Aunt eagerly. This was the most she had ever talked about his parents.
"They died in some of the earliest bombing of London." Dawn wiped a tear from her eye and quickly straightened up. "Well I have to go back downstairs and check on your cousins. Don't stay up here too long young man. The dust isn't good for you." She bent over to kiss his curly hair and quickly left the attic. Will plopped down on the ground and began to read…
Dear Dawn,
Everything here is so different from home. No one really thinks too much about the war that is going on, but here it seems as though everyone here has lost someone that they love. It's sad. Some days it's really hard to be around all this but I like to think that I'm helping out.
Enough of me being melancholy. I have to tell you about this man I met the other day…
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy walked from bed to bed in the hospital bringing water to all the men. Soon she would have to go to the more seriously wounded patients and change their bandages. She hated that job because everyone and a while one of the young men would be dead. She shuddered to even think about that and when she did she spilled the water jog on the young man she was currently helping.
"Bloody hell!" He exclaimed and she looked at him in surprise and blushed.
"I'm so sorry!" Buffy fluttered around him trying to dry him off with the end of the apron she was wearing. "I wasn't paying attention. I'm so sorry sir…"
"It's alright pet." He replied smiling at the flustered young nurse. She was gorgeous and he felt himself inexplicably drawn to her. "What were you thinking about so hard?" He asked while taking her hand in his to stop her continued efforts to clean up her mess.
"Well. I uh, it was nothing really." And she blushed again and withdrew her hand. Buffy began to walk away but he grabbed her elbow to stop her.
"Wait. Uh. Could you…" He stopped and looked up at her again. She sucked in a breath when she saw how blue his eyes were.
"Yes?" She managed to squeak out. What were those rules that Cordelia told her about just a few months ago?
"Uh. Well. I'm sort of lonely here and was wondering if maybe you could stay and talk to me for a little bit?" He lowered his head shyly and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Then she frowned as she remembered her task.
"I can't." Buffy said softly and looked up at her with a half smile, but she could tell she hurt his feelings from the sad look in his eyes. "No I mean…I want to but I have to." Buffy gulped. "I have to change the bandages soon." Her face went pale and Spike led her over to a chair to sit down.
"Why's that making you all jumpy like?" He asked and she stood up quickly.
"I should get going."
"Well at least tell me your name." He said and she looked at him quizzically. "I need to know the name of the most beautiful girl I've ever met." He paused and then he smirked at her. "Who spilled water all over me and my plaster?" She giggled at him and looked around the ward but no one was paying attention to them.
"Buffy. My name's Buffy Summers." He smiled and took her hand to shake it.
"I'm Lieutenant Fairfax. But everyone calls me Spike." She raised an eyebrow at that and he laughed at her. "One of the men said that he would rather have a railroad spike driven through his head then get into a dogfight with me." He went on giving her a cocky grin and she laughed at him.
"Oh really? Then what are you doing here?" He rolled up his sleeve and showed her a large bandage on his arm.
"I got caught by some shrapnel, but I was pretty lucky. I'm all stitched up now and feeling good. But they said I had to stay in the hospital until the morning." He rolled his eyes and Buffy could feel herself relaxing around him. She looked up into his smiling blue eyes and she couldn't help the smile that sprung up. He was certainly a charmer. She cast her eyes downwards as she remembered what she had to do.
"I hate to change the bandages because I always find one of the men dead when I do." She shuddered and he put his good arm around her.
"Why don't I come with you pet?" She looked up at him in surprise. "I mean I don't really have anything to do is all and…" He paused and gave her another cocky grin. "Nothing bad will happen to you with the big bad around." Buffy couldn't help but giggling again as he offered her his arm. She slid her arm through his and picked up her supplies.
"I'm really glad I met you." She said smiling at him and she could practically see his chest swell up in pride.
"I'm glad I met you too." He paused before they entered the ward. "Can I see you again? I mean outside of the hospital?" And he looked shy to her in that moment, vulnerable.
"I'd like that." She murmured.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Buffy spotted Cordelia out of the corner of her eye and froze. "But we have to be careful…" He followed her gaze and smirked at her.
"Don't want the boss to know?" She laughed at his assessment.
"She'll get really mad." Buffy said earnestly and Spike frowned thinking he had already lost her before it even began. Then she took his hand tentatively in her own. "But I have a feeling that you're worth the risk." He smiled at her and proceeded to help her for the rest of her shift.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
I just have a feeling about him Dawnie. He's the one that I was meant to be with. It hard to say why. You know I never really believed in love at first sight before and I don't even know his real first name. But there's something special about Spike. Willow thinks I'm crazy and that he's just some scandalous airman out to have a good time with one of the nurses, but if you could see his eyes and the way he looks at me…I know you'd like him.
Well write soon and let me know how things are going with Connor. Seems just like yesterday I was babysitting the two of you and now you're going steady. Love you bunches!
Buffy
~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow frowned as Buffy arrived home late from her hospital shift for the third time in as many days. She knew that something was up and she had a feeling that it was with this Spike that Buffy had been mentioning for the past two weeks. She had to confront her friend. Tonight.
"Buffy?" Buffy turned from the mirror where she was brushing her hair and smiled at Willow.
"Yeah Wills?"
"I need to ask you something. Something serious." Willow fiddled with the thin blanket on top of her bed that served as a comforter.
"What is it? Are you ok? Did you get bad news from home?"
"No. I just…Buffy. It's about Spike." Buffy couldn't stop the smile from forming and Willow frowned at how smitten her friend seemed. Buffy quickly stood up and pulled a red dress from her closet.
"He's pretty great. We're going out to the town tonight. He got the night off and everything. It's not often he can get a Friday night off." Willow's frown deepened.
"Actually I was going to say that I think that you might want to cool it with him." Buffy turned and looked at her in surprise.
"But, I thought that you liked him Wills." She had introduced Willow to Spike the other day when he had come by the hospital to take her to lunch. Willow said that he seemed like a nice man and that he was very attractive.
"He's nice Buffy. But you know what Cordelia said about getting involved with the airman." Buffy rolled her eyes but Willow pressed on. "I know you think that it's silly and Carpe Diem and all that…but. Buffy he could die tomorrow and then where would you be." Buffy sighed and sat down on her bed.
"I know Willow. But I have to believe that it'll work out for us. And if he did die and I didn't spend every moment I could with him, I would never be able to forgive myself. For hurting myself and for hurting him." Willow sighed. She should have known better than to try to reason with Buffy once she had her heart set on something.
"Ok."
"Ok?" Buffy repeated.
"Yeah. I won't give you a hard time about it. But do you think that you should go to town with him all alone? People will talk." Buffy smirked at Willow and walked over to the red head's closet and tossed her the green dress that she had just bought.
"I never planned on going alone. Now c'mon! Spike and his friend are going to be waiting for us and we have to get ready!"
"Now hold a minute missy! I am not-"
"You don't want me to go all alone do you Willow?" Buffy asked giving her friend puppy eyes, which was ruined because Buffy couldn't help but grin at her.
"Oh! You owe me big time!" And the two laughed as they dressed and walked over to the motor pool to meet up with their dates.
*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Dawn,
I had the best time with Spike last night. He took me out to a little Italian restaurant and Willow came too. Spike's friend Xander was her date. He's American too and came over because of all the things that he heard the Germans doing to the countries they conquered. He said it was only a matter of time before America joined England in the fight.
But enough about that. I know what you really want to hear about. It's been two weeks since I met Spike and he finally told me his real name! We were driving back from the restaurant and Willow and Xander were in the back of the jeep arguing about wartime propaganda (you know Willow!) and he finally told me! His name is William and you would not believe the begging that I had to do to get him to admit to it.
Later, when it was just us, and he was walking me back to the dorm he told me that he wanted me to always call him William when we were alone because it was something just between the two and that he wanted the woman he loved to call him by his proper name and not by some stupid nickname. I swear to you that he blushed.
At first I was so surprised that I stopped walking and I think I made him nervous because he didn't think I felt the same way and that he was being crazy and rushing things. But I told him I love him too and he was so happy. You should have seen his smile, not that I would have wanted you there because it was really private. But I know that when you tell Connor for the first time and the smile that he gives you will melt you into a puddle of goo. That is just how it was between William and I.
I had better go. I am going to enclose a picture of the four of us at the restaurant that we had taken. Just in case…well never mind. Miss you Dawnie and I'll write as soon as I can. Keep writing to me and telling me everything that is going on back in Sunnydale. Tell mom and dad that I love them and ask them to write me too. I want to tell them about William too and. Tell them I miss them and I hope that they can understand better now why I felt like I needed to help.
Love, Buffy
*~*~*~*~*~*
William stood back up and looked at the photo he held in his hand. Their wedding. They looked so happy together and who could guess that it would be so short lived? His father looked so proud and happy and his mom, she was beaming.
*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy smiled at her reflection in the mirror as Willow moved about fixing her hair. Today was the big day. She was getting married to the most wonderful and exciting man she had even met. Sure, they had only known each other for two months but it seemed like so much. She heard Willow sniffle behind her.
"What's wrong Wills?" Buffy asked.
"Oh! I'm just so happy! I mean you're getting married and I'm your maid of honor and…" Willow broke off.
"I'll miss you too Wills." Buffy said and turned around to hug her oldest friend.
"I know I'm being selfish. But I'll miss you when you move into the little place that Spike found you two." She paused and made a face in the mirror. "Plus, I have to room with Anya." They giggled and turned back to finish fixing Buffy's hair and make-up.
"I wish that my family could be here." Buffy said quietly. "I mean I know that mom and dad are still upset with me about leaving but they would love W-Spike. They would love him so much." Willow smiled and put the last pin in Buffy's hair.
"Yeah. And when we go home you know that Dawnie is going to chew you out for not having her be your maid of honor." They laughed again but there was a little bit of stress to it this time. When we go home seemed to echo around ominously. Buffy looked at the clock anxiously.
"Willow! We have to get going! We're supposed to start soon! And we still have so much to do!" Willow hushed her and led her out of their room and out of the dorm where Cordelia was waiting for them in a jeep. "How did you-"
"Well Summers, we all know how your internal clock works and thought it would be best if you weren't late for your own wedding so we got you ride to the chapel." Cordelia smiled at the two girls and couldn't help but feel a pang, as she looked at the young blonde in her wedding dress, simple as it was. She brushed a tear aside. "Hop in!" She said perkily.
"Thanks Cordy." Buffy said and climbed carefully into the jeep with Willow behind her.
They reached the chapel just in time and the ceremony was short and small. Willow and Cordelia were the bridesmaids and Xander and Dalton were Spike's groomsman. The rest of Spike's squadron was there and most of the nurses from Buffy's dorm. They danced and laughed together and Willow insisted on taking picture after picture, even though film was rare. Finally, it was night and time for them to get back
"Well my wife and I are going to head out." Spike announced to the crowd with a proud look on his face. Buffy turned to him and grinned happily at hearing him calling her his wife. Willow snapped the picture.
"Willow!" Buffy said with a mock scowl on her face. "That picture is going to come out awful!" Spike laughed at her.
"It'll be great love." She glared at him. "It will." He turned her chin up and kissed her nose. "It has you in it so it has to beautiful." She smiled sweetly at him again and he leaned down to kiss her but everyone groaned.
"C'mon you guys are married now! Get out of here!" Xander said smacking Spike on the back. Spike smirked at him and grabbed Buffy's hand pulling her out to the jeep, which had been decorated while they had been busy dancing.
"Bloody hell! You pounces are going to make us drive around in that!?" Spike exclaimed when he saw the jeep that had the words 'just married' spray painted all over it and 'honk to see us kiss' sign on the back. Buffy just laughed and pulled him towards the car.
"Like kissing you is such a chore!" She laughed at him when he started the engine and they drove off into the night towards their house.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
He knew that they had laughs together. They were happy until the end, well as happy as they could be around all the death during the battle of Britain. He slipped their wedding picture into his pocket and held up the roses. Unconsciously his grip tightened around the roses and his hand began to bleed from the thorns as they dug into his fist. He could feel the tension all through his body and he gritted his teeth together.
William looked down as he felt a familiar hand on his arm. He looked down into his wife's worried face and his expression softened. He bent down and placed the roses on the grave and stood up again. She took his bloody hand in her and pulled out a napkin to stop the bleeding.
"You've never told me how they died." She said quietly and he put his hand over hers to stop her from wiping up his hand.
"Willow told me when I was eighteen. She said that she had waited too long to tell me and that I should know, but that it was tragic and she wanted me not to brood about it too much." He chuckled. "She said that my father was always going on about this one guy in his squadron who would 'brood' and that he'd be damned if his son was going to be a brooder." She laughed as well but soon turned serious.
"Can you tell me?" He took a deep breath and smiled down at her. Drusilla was truly beautiful and probably the sweetest girl he had ever met. She even got along with his Aunt Dawn and she hated all of his other girlfriends, especially Harmony. He met her on a break from college. She had just moved into town and his oldest cousin Winifred had befriended the girl even though Drusilla was a junior and Fred was a freshman. Even though he had been four years older than Drusilla when they had met, it was love at first sight and he finally understood how his parents must have felt when they first met.
"I'll tell you." He said quietly. "Mom was about eight month along with me when dad went out on a flight. She went with him to the base so she could meet up with Willow on her lunch break so they could catch up. As they were walking back from the mess hall, dad's squadron came back. Willow found out later that his plane had been hit and that one of the engines had died. They looked up and saw him and waved and a few seconds later the other engine exploded and the plane crashed to the tarmac." Drusilla gasped.
"Will…"
"Wait. Let me say it all." His grip on her hand tightened and she nodded. "Willow said that mom was screaming and trying to go to him and it took her and some other soldiers who were passing by to hold her. The stress brought on her labor and they rushed her to the hospital. But there were so many others and the day before the base itself had been bombed so they were understaffed. Well, Willow delivered me. She said that mom held on just long enough to see me and name me William after my father and then she died because they couldn't stop the bleeding." Drusilla pulled him to her in a hug. "It's my fault that she's dead Dru." He whispered to her and she just held him tighter.
"No it's not Will." Her voice was slightly muffled by her face being pressed into his chest. "It was the war. Terrible things happen during wars and both your parents knew that. Everyone around them did. From the letters you let me read…they were wonderful people and they died because of the war. Not because of you. I'll never forget that one letter you father wrote to Aunt Dawn." He smiled knowing which one she was talking about.
"Yeah."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Dear Dawn,
Hi. I feel bloody awkward writing you all these letters since I've never actually met you. But I feel like I know you pretty well from everything that your sister's told me about you. I hope that you feel the same way and weren't too surprised by getting these past few letters from a guy named Spike. You know Buffy can be pretty bossy when she wants to be.
Buffy's pregnant. I didn't really know how to come out and say that all polite and nice so I thought I would just say it. I think that she wanted me to write you about this because she's embarrassed to write about it and she knows that it takes a lot to embarrass me. How she knows that? You're too young to hear that story little bit!
I'll let you in on a little secret though. I'm so bloody scared. I think your sister can tell. She tells me I'll be a great dad and I know she'll be a great mom. But that's not really what we're scared about. I mean, yeah I am worried about that. Like if I have a daughter and she starts dating boys and such (I don't know how your dad went through that twice) or how good of a role model I'd be for a son. But we're scared that we might not ever know our child.
I told your sister that I want to send her back home to you and your parents but she is a stubborn one. She told me that there's no home for her without me there to rub her feet. Maybe I can convince her once the baby is born. I know she'll do anything to keep the baby safe and that she would do the same for me if she could.
War is a nasty business and I almost hope that America doesn't enter because when you do I know that a lot of your friends and maybe even Connor will have to come over here to fight it. But then I also hope that you do join up with England so that we can end this blasted thing sooner and we stop being so bloody scared and just be happy that we're going to have the most perfect baby in the world.
I'll write again Bit and try to get your sister to tell you about our kid in her own more eloquent words. It's nice to talk to you though and don't tell her I said this but I am glad that she insisted I start writing to you. Sometimes I miss my own little sis and the rest of my family so bloody much. Well, I had better say good-bye before I sound like more of a pounce than I already do.
Your brother- Spike
*~*~*~*~*~
"It was their choice Will. Your father joined up after his family was killed in that bombing and your mother joined because she wanted to make a difference in the world. Try to help out."
"And did she? All she got was to be dead. Dead and buried in a different country and my dad's body was burned to ashes by the time they got the fire out on the plane. Willow told me that she went to the site of the wreck and scooped up some of the ashes in a coffee can and buried it with my mom."
"Will…" She stopped and took in the hard line of his jaw and the tension that had crept back into his form. "Tell me how you got back to California. That couldn't have been easy during the war and all." It seemed to be the right thing to say because he smiled at her and put his arm around and kissed her head.
"You're too good to me." He murmured and she smiled at him softly.
"No more than you deserve. I know it's hard." He tightened his hold but his hands were gentle around her and she could feel his love for her in his embrace.
"Well, after I was born and mom…died. Willow went to Cordelia and Cordelia helped her pull some strings and got Willow aboard a ship that was going America. It was dangerous with all the U-boats about but somehow we managed to sneak through. Willow said that the other passengers on the ship kept giving her cold glares because they thought she was a single mom." He chuckled a little. "She told off this one man who tried to get a bit frisky with her though and things were easier on the trip after that." She smiled at him and they stood together for a few minutes silent over his mother and father's grave.
He gave his wife an affectionate squeeze and then released her, taking her hand in his before turning away from the headstone and walking towards the cemetery gates. She pulled him to a stop.
"Are you sure you want to go so soon Will?" She asked anxiously.
"Yeah." He turned to look at her and gave her a kiss. "I'm glad that you made me come here though. I should have come earlier." She squeezed his hand and they continued to walk out of the cemetery.
"We can come again next year if you want to sweetie." He smiled at her.
"I think I'd like that." He looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe we can convince the kids to come too. Get that daughter of ours to actually take time off from work." Drusilla laughed happily.
Truth be told she had been getting worried about him as she had watched him from behind when he was clutching those roses. But he was a strong person, the strongest she had ever met. She looked up at him now and kissed his cheek. He looked down at her and smiled.
"What was that for?" He asked her smiling as he opened the car door for her. She smiled enigmatically at him.
"I need a reason now to kiss my husband?" He laughed again as she slid into the car. He went around to the driver's side and started up the engine.
"No." And they drove off together towards London feeling better than he had in a long time. Looking in the rear view mirror at the gates of the cemetery he realized that he could stop being angry about what had happened to them. They had spent the short time that they had together happily and while he would always miss them and wish that he could have met them, it was only their death that was tragic. Their lives had been beautiful.
*~*~*~*~
Hi thanks for sticking with me even though I KNOW that I was really sappy at some points. I started writing this for Veteran's Day (which is November 11 in the US) and I meant it to only be about 3-4 pages tops. So I went a little over board. Hee hee.
Anyways I just wanted to say that I don't know a lot about the military or what it is like living on a base or how the dorms would be set up. But, I did do research and I know that there was an airbase at Croydon during WW2 (don't know if it's there now) and so that is where this takes place. I am pretty sure that Croydon is a city in between London and Brighton (if I am wrong I'm sorry).
Also, the Battle of Britain, (which is when the WW2 part of this story takes place) took place in 1940 and that WAS before America entered the war, even though the war had been going on for a while before that. I also know that it's true that American's did go over to fight in the war prior to December 1941 but I don't know if any volunteered as nurses. Probably some did but I have no backing whatsoever.
That all said I hope that you all liked this story and if you want to write me a review please do because I am always interested to hear what you have to say about it (negative or positive). Thanks for reading my stuff!
I actually did a tiny bit of research for this story but it is still not 100% historically accurate so please don't bash me for that. Read my note at the bottom for more info because I don't like to leave too much at the top and give my whole story away!
*~*~*~*~*~
England-November 11, 2003
He stood over the grave with an old black and white photo in his left hand and two white roses clenched in his right fist. This was the first time he had actually made out to England to visit her. He moved the photo to his right hand and slowly traced the names on the tombstone. Her name. Buffy Fairfax. His blue eyes misted over, as he wondered, not for the first time, how he could love someone so much who he only from stories. He closed his eyes as he remembered the stories that his Aunt Dawn used to tell him about his mom growing up and the things that Willow used to tell him about her and how she had met his father.
It had all started in England, even though she was a California girl. That was what Willow used to say anyway. But she had passed away a few years ago and now he had to tell the story to himself just to remind himself that it was real…
*~*~*~*~*~
"Tell me about my mommy and daddy Auntie Dawn." He had asked one night when his Aunt was putting him to bed.
"Now Will. You know I don't know that story. You'll have to ask Willow when she comes over." Dawn replied giving him a kiss on his forehead and tucking the covers up to his chin.
"Why not? Weren't you born yet?" He asked innocently and she smiled at him. A sad smile, a smile filled with regret that she was getting these questions instead of Buffy.
"I was dear. But I was here in California and I never met your Daddy." She smoothed his hair back and pointed at a framed picture of Buffy's wedding. "But you'll look just like him one day." Will smiled at her sleepily.
"Yeah." He yawned. "I'll ask Willow tomorrow." He didn't see his Aunt Dawn cry because he was already asleep.
*~*~*~*~*~
He scrunched up his eyes as he remembered that conversation and an involuntary tear slipped from his eyes. He never really thought when he was younger how hard it must have been on Aunt Dawn for him to be constantly asking his parents like that. But she would always try to help him find the answers even though she herself was forced into raising her sister's son. Even if she did have Willow's help…
*~*~*~*~*~
"Willow!" The young boy cried happily and squirmed out of his Aunt's embrace as she tried to help him read a book. Willow smiled at Will and bent down to hug him and then smiled over her head at Dawn who gave her a tired smile back and sat down in a chair exhausted.
"Hey there Will! Your Aunt called me last night and said that I should come over because you had some questions for me." She looked at Will but shot Dawn a questioning glance from the corner of her eye. It couldn't be time for that yet…could it?
"Tell me about my mommy and daddy, Willow." Willow gulped. It was time. She looked down into this five year old's brilliant blue eyes and took a deep breath.
"Well, I guess that it all started because your mother got the idea in her head that we should go and help in the war…even though it hadn't started for the United States yet…"
*~*~*~*~*~
He took a deep breath as the story began to repeat in his head the scattered bits of their story. When he was around eight or nine he would lie in the backyard on the grass and watch the clouds and listen to Willow as he made her tell him again about his mom. He swore that he could see them in the clouds as she told him about their job as nurses and what it was like in England. Now, standing in Croydon, where she was buried he could see them again as he closed his eyes and let the story play out in his mind's eye.
"It all began because your mother had such a big heart. She heard about all the terrible things that were going on in the war and thought that just because America wasn't a part of it yet, we should go over to help. We had medical training you know. She convinced me to go and soon we found ourselves in England on air base…"
*~*~*~*~*~
"All volunteer nurses follow me to the dormitories!" A commanding voice greeted the two young American women as they stepped off the bus. They quickly picked up their suitcases and gathered around the tall imposing woman in a nurse's uniform. Three or four other girls soon joined the group and the nurse turned around and started walking briskly to a group of buildings a little ways off in the distance.
"Choose your roommates now and take the first empty room available." She glanced over at the girls and Buffy and Willow automatically clasped their free hands together. "My name is Cordelia Chase. That's Nurse Chase to all of you. I am head nurse at this base and just so you all know, my word is law." She paused as she threw open a door that was marked "women's dorm" and continued marching down the hall while the girls struggled with their cases.
"There are several rules that I expect you all to follow religiously." She turned around sharply and all the girls stumbled to a halt. "One. You are expected to be on call at all hours. Two. No fraternizing with the doctors. And three. ABSOLUTELY no fraternizing with the pilots." Her eyes watered slightly on the last rule, but as soon as they thought they saw it, the tears seemed to disappear and she turned around and marched down the hall again. "Report to the main mess area at 05:00. We have to get started on your training."
Willow turned to glare at Buffy who was standing there with her mouth hanging open. "Wow Buffy. I am really glad you talked me into coming here."
Buffy grinned sheepishly at her friend. "Maybe she gets better once you get to know her?" Buffy answered doubtfully. Willow merely rolled her eyes and the two went about finding a room.
*~*~*~*~*~
William smiled. He remembered when he had first met Cordelia. He had been about ten and the war had been over for a few years. She had been brash and abrupt…and just, as Willow had described her. She remembered telling him about when she had found out about his mother and father and the talk that she had with Buffy. He didn't really understand all that she meant at the time, but now looking back, it brought tears to his eyes.
"I tried to talk your mom out of it you know." Cordelia sighed. "Looking at you, I'm glad that she was stubborn and didn't listen. But I had my reasons…"
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy smiled at Spike as he pulled her into his arms in front of her dorm. He kissed her forehead and she sighed snuggling into his chest.
"I should get in there before someone sees me." She leaned back to look in his eyes. "You know how Nurse Chase gets. I'm breaking rule three right now." Buffy rolled her eyes and Spike chuckled.
"Now pet, we wouldn't want you to break any rules…would we?" He replied and gave her a mischievous smirk. She giggled at him and he leaned down and kissed her. The kiss soon grew more and more passionate. Buffy pressed herself tightly against him and Spike wrapped his arms around her trying to get even closer to her.
"NURSE SUMMERS!" A sharp voice that Buffy instantly recognized yelled. She and Spike jumped apart instantly and Cordelia marched over to the guilty couple. "Get into the dorm now!" Buffy shot Spike a look and he nodded at her. Without really thinking about it Buffy reached over to give his hand a reassuring squeeze. "I said NOW!" Cordelia yelled and Buffy yelped and scurried into the dorm with Cordelia hot on her heels.
Buffy rushed into her room and Willow gave her a questioning look as Buffy jumped on the bed and buried herself under the covers. He questions were answered though when a red-faced Cordelia came rushing in after her friend.
"Rosenburg! I need to talk to Summers alone." Cordelia said taking in deep breaths. Willow glanced between the two women before finally nodding and she practically ran from the room.
"Nurse Chase, I can explain. You see, I was, uh. At the movies and Spike, I mean
Lieutenant Fairfax, he uh…he was walking me home and he tripped and…"
"He fell on your lips?" Cordelia asked in a slightly calmer voice. A lame cover story like that could calm anyone down. Cordelia sighed and sat next to Buffy on the bed. "I know that you all think that my rules are stupid and I can't actually force you to follow them…but I. Well I want to tell you something now that no one else at this base knows about. Buffy looked at her curiously.
"What is it?" Cordelia took a deep breath and began.
"I was a nurse at a different base a while back and I was a lot like you. I was excited to help people and had a big heart." She paused and looked Buffy in the eye. "And a fondness for airmen." Buffy blushed. "Well really just one airman. His name was Doyle and he was sweet and funny and he was totally in love with me. I blew him off a few times but he just kept trying and I thought that it was so sweet. So I finally let myself fall for him and we started to get serious about each other. I was young and naive and I didn't think that there would be anything but a happy ending for us…" She trailed off and Buffy looked at her expectantly but it seemed that she was lost in the past.
"He cheated on you? You found him with another nurse?" Buffy asked and Cordelia started look at the other woman in surprise, as though she had forgotten that she was even there.
"No. He went out on a mission and never came back. His plan was shot down over the Channel. There wasn't even a body." This time some tears did fall and Buffy sat there in shock as she put her arm around Cordelia. "You work in the hospital and you see people die everyday. But you never think that it'll be him, because you love him and you deserve a happy ending." Cordelia wiped her hand across her face and looked at Buffy seriously. "But not everyone gets it and all those young men that we see die everyday, every time one of them dies, another happy ending dies too." Buffy looked at the other woman seriously.
"I love him Cordelia. I love him more than I ever thought possible to love another person. I do know that he might die, but so might I. I'm not going to hide from him and pretend not love him or care for him." Buffy gave her a half smile and took a box from her pocket. "He asked me to marry him." Buffy opened the box and showed Cordelia the small diamond ring that Spike had given her earlier that night. "I told him I had to think about it, but now, after what you told me, I know my answer."
"What?"
"Yes. I'm going to marry him. I don't want to lose him and become a widow or leave him but if I don't marry him…I'll regret it. I'll never find anyone else like him." Buffy looked at the ring fondly and smiled down at it. Cordelia could see the dreams practically floating around the young blonde's head. A home. A family. A loving husband. She had to choke back a sob. Cordelia reached over and took the ring out of its velvet box. She took Buffy's hand gently in her own and put the ring on her left ring finger.
"I'm not going to stop you and I do want you to be happy. I want all you girls to be happy. I just-" She broke off unable to continue. "I'll help you get special permission to live in a little house close by." She finally said after a moment's silence. Buffy looked at her in surprise and finally hugged the other woman tightly.
"Thank-you." She murmured and then Cordelia merely got up and left sending Willow back into the room so the two of them could celebrate.
*~*~*~*~*
He pulled out a letter from his pocket and knelt down in front of her grave, gently leaning the letter up against the headstone. It was from Aunt Dawn. She was too old and too sick to fly all the way out from California. She had gone before but had insisted that William take this letter to her sister. He knew what it was. It was a letter about her life and her children and her husband. She was writing to her sister now much as Buffy had written about her life back then. He brushed his hand over the date of her death, his birthday. He sniffled and smiled a little when he remembered Aunt Dawn when she found him in the attic reading the old letters his mother had sent her baby sister. It was all about her and his father. He had been eleven at the time and Dawn had scolded him for reading them.
*~*~*~*~*~
"But why can't I read them Aunt Dawn?" He whined from the corner while turning his head as far as he could as he saw Dawn carefully refold all the letters and retie them with the red ribbon. She looked over at Will.
"You can turn around now young man." She said and he did slowly and glumly. She couldn't help but smile at his pout. Dawn put all the letters back in the old trunk and closed the lid then sat down on top of it. She patted the seat next to her and Will shuffled over to her and sat next to her. "Some things are meant to be shared just between sisters." She said softly and she put her arm around him carefully. Will didn't look at her and just put his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands.
"But…" He sighed in frustration. "No one will tell me about them. I know a little bit about how mom and Willow lived over there but she never tells me about dad and you never even met him." He frowned and scuffed his shoes on the dusty attic floor.
"Will…" Dawn began hesitantly. She knew he had a right to know and it wasn't like there was anything he had to be ashamed about. "It's just. It still hurts so much to think about it…about them."
"But no one will tell me why? Were they bad people?" He asked hesitantly.
"No! They were good and kind. They were wonderful people Will. Your parents were heroes." His frown deepened.
"But…" He couldn't finish but Dawn knew what he was asking.
"I know I never met your father, but I feel like I knew him from the way that Buffy would write about him." She stood up and Will followed her. Dawn pushed the chest open once more and felt around the bottom for a bit before removing an old cardboard box filled with letters and pictures. "The letters you were reading were the ones she wrote from the first few months there. Before she met Spike. I put everything that had to do with him that she ever sent me in here." She clutched the box tightly and finally handed it over to her nephew. "I was saving it for you. For one day when you were old enough. I think that you should read it now."
"Really?" He asked hopefully and slowly reached out for the precious box.
"Yeah." She ruffled his hair fondly and gave him the box that would answer all his questions. "There's even a few letters in there from your dad. I think that Buffy made him write to me since he didn't have any family of his own at that point."
"Why not?" He looked up at his Aunt eagerly. This was the most she had ever talked about his parents.
"They died in some of the earliest bombing of London." Dawn wiped a tear from her eye and quickly straightened up. "Well I have to go back downstairs and check on your cousins. Don't stay up here too long young man. The dust isn't good for you." She bent over to kiss his curly hair and quickly left the attic. Will plopped down on the ground and began to read…
Dear Dawn,
Everything here is so different from home. No one really thinks too much about the war that is going on, but here it seems as though everyone here has lost someone that they love. It's sad. Some days it's really hard to be around all this but I like to think that I'm helping out.
Enough of me being melancholy. I have to tell you about this man I met the other day…
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy walked from bed to bed in the hospital bringing water to all the men. Soon she would have to go to the more seriously wounded patients and change their bandages. She hated that job because everyone and a while one of the young men would be dead. She shuddered to even think about that and when she did she spilled the water jog on the young man she was currently helping.
"Bloody hell!" He exclaimed and she looked at him in surprise and blushed.
"I'm so sorry!" Buffy fluttered around him trying to dry him off with the end of the apron she was wearing. "I wasn't paying attention. I'm so sorry sir…"
"It's alright pet." He replied smiling at the flustered young nurse. She was gorgeous and he felt himself inexplicably drawn to her. "What were you thinking about so hard?" He asked while taking her hand in his to stop her continued efforts to clean up her mess.
"Well. I uh, it was nothing really." And she blushed again and withdrew her hand. Buffy began to walk away but he grabbed her elbow to stop her.
"Wait. Uh. Could you…" He stopped and looked up at her again. She sucked in a breath when she saw how blue his eyes were.
"Yes?" She managed to squeak out. What were those rules that Cordelia told her about just a few months ago?
"Uh. Well. I'm sort of lonely here and was wondering if maybe you could stay and talk to me for a little bit?" He lowered his head shyly and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Then she frowned as she remembered her task.
"I can't." Buffy said softly and looked up at her with a half smile, but she could tell she hurt his feelings from the sad look in his eyes. "No I mean…I want to but I have to." Buffy gulped. "I have to change the bandages soon." Her face went pale and Spike led her over to a chair to sit down.
"Why's that making you all jumpy like?" He asked and she stood up quickly.
"I should get going."
"Well at least tell me your name." He said and she looked at him quizzically. "I need to know the name of the most beautiful girl I've ever met." He paused and then he smirked at her. "Who spilled water all over me and my plaster?" She giggled at him and looked around the ward but no one was paying attention to them.
"Buffy. My name's Buffy Summers." He smiled and took her hand to shake it.
"I'm Lieutenant Fairfax. But everyone calls me Spike." She raised an eyebrow at that and he laughed at her. "One of the men said that he would rather have a railroad spike driven through his head then get into a dogfight with me." He went on giving her a cocky grin and she laughed at him.
"Oh really? Then what are you doing here?" He rolled up his sleeve and showed her a large bandage on his arm.
"I got caught by some shrapnel, but I was pretty lucky. I'm all stitched up now and feeling good. But they said I had to stay in the hospital until the morning." He rolled his eyes and Buffy could feel herself relaxing around him. She looked up into his smiling blue eyes and she couldn't help the smile that sprung up. He was certainly a charmer. She cast her eyes downwards as she remembered what she had to do.
"I hate to change the bandages because I always find one of the men dead when I do." She shuddered and he put his good arm around her.
"Why don't I come with you pet?" She looked up at him in surprise. "I mean I don't really have anything to do is all and…" He paused and gave her another cocky grin. "Nothing bad will happen to you with the big bad around." Buffy couldn't help but giggling again as he offered her his arm. She slid her arm through his and picked up her supplies.
"I'm really glad I met you." She said smiling at him and she could practically see his chest swell up in pride.
"I'm glad I met you too." He paused before they entered the ward. "Can I see you again? I mean outside of the hospital?" And he looked shy to her in that moment, vulnerable.
"I'd like that." She murmured.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Buffy spotted Cordelia out of the corner of her eye and froze. "But we have to be careful…" He followed her gaze and smirked at her.
"Don't want the boss to know?" She laughed at his assessment.
"She'll get really mad." Buffy said earnestly and Spike frowned thinking he had already lost her before it even began. Then she took his hand tentatively in her own. "But I have a feeling that you're worth the risk." He smiled at her and proceeded to help her for the rest of her shift.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
I just have a feeling about him Dawnie. He's the one that I was meant to be with. It hard to say why. You know I never really believed in love at first sight before and I don't even know his real first name. But there's something special about Spike. Willow thinks I'm crazy and that he's just some scandalous airman out to have a good time with one of the nurses, but if you could see his eyes and the way he looks at me…I know you'd like him.
Well write soon and let me know how things are going with Connor. Seems just like yesterday I was babysitting the two of you and now you're going steady. Love you bunches!
Buffy
~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow frowned as Buffy arrived home late from her hospital shift for the third time in as many days. She knew that something was up and she had a feeling that it was with this Spike that Buffy had been mentioning for the past two weeks. She had to confront her friend. Tonight.
"Buffy?" Buffy turned from the mirror where she was brushing her hair and smiled at Willow.
"Yeah Wills?"
"I need to ask you something. Something serious." Willow fiddled with the thin blanket on top of her bed that served as a comforter.
"What is it? Are you ok? Did you get bad news from home?"
"No. I just…Buffy. It's about Spike." Buffy couldn't stop the smile from forming and Willow frowned at how smitten her friend seemed. Buffy quickly stood up and pulled a red dress from her closet.
"He's pretty great. We're going out to the town tonight. He got the night off and everything. It's not often he can get a Friday night off." Willow's frown deepened.
"Actually I was going to say that I think that you might want to cool it with him." Buffy turned and looked at her in surprise.
"But, I thought that you liked him Wills." She had introduced Willow to Spike the other day when he had come by the hospital to take her to lunch. Willow said that he seemed like a nice man and that he was very attractive.
"He's nice Buffy. But you know what Cordelia said about getting involved with the airman." Buffy rolled her eyes but Willow pressed on. "I know you think that it's silly and Carpe Diem and all that…but. Buffy he could die tomorrow and then where would you be." Buffy sighed and sat down on her bed.
"I know Willow. But I have to believe that it'll work out for us. And if he did die and I didn't spend every moment I could with him, I would never be able to forgive myself. For hurting myself and for hurting him." Willow sighed. She should have known better than to try to reason with Buffy once she had her heart set on something.
"Ok."
"Ok?" Buffy repeated.
"Yeah. I won't give you a hard time about it. But do you think that you should go to town with him all alone? People will talk." Buffy smirked at Willow and walked over to the red head's closet and tossed her the green dress that she had just bought.
"I never planned on going alone. Now c'mon! Spike and his friend are going to be waiting for us and we have to get ready!"
"Now hold a minute missy! I am not-"
"You don't want me to go all alone do you Willow?" Buffy asked giving her friend puppy eyes, which was ruined because Buffy couldn't help but grin at her.
"Oh! You owe me big time!" And the two laughed as they dressed and walked over to the motor pool to meet up with their dates.
*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Dawn,
I had the best time with Spike last night. He took me out to a little Italian restaurant and Willow came too. Spike's friend Xander was her date. He's American too and came over because of all the things that he heard the Germans doing to the countries they conquered. He said it was only a matter of time before America joined England in the fight.
But enough about that. I know what you really want to hear about. It's been two weeks since I met Spike and he finally told me his real name! We were driving back from the restaurant and Willow and Xander were in the back of the jeep arguing about wartime propaganda (you know Willow!) and he finally told me! His name is William and you would not believe the begging that I had to do to get him to admit to it.
Later, when it was just us, and he was walking me back to the dorm he told me that he wanted me to always call him William when we were alone because it was something just between the two and that he wanted the woman he loved to call him by his proper name and not by some stupid nickname. I swear to you that he blushed.
At first I was so surprised that I stopped walking and I think I made him nervous because he didn't think I felt the same way and that he was being crazy and rushing things. But I told him I love him too and he was so happy. You should have seen his smile, not that I would have wanted you there because it was really private. But I know that when you tell Connor for the first time and the smile that he gives you will melt you into a puddle of goo. That is just how it was between William and I.
I had better go. I am going to enclose a picture of the four of us at the restaurant that we had taken. Just in case…well never mind. Miss you Dawnie and I'll write as soon as I can. Keep writing to me and telling me everything that is going on back in Sunnydale. Tell mom and dad that I love them and ask them to write me too. I want to tell them about William too and. Tell them I miss them and I hope that they can understand better now why I felt like I needed to help.
Love, Buffy
*~*~*~*~*~*
William stood back up and looked at the photo he held in his hand. Their wedding. They looked so happy together and who could guess that it would be so short lived? His father looked so proud and happy and his mom, she was beaming.
*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy smiled at her reflection in the mirror as Willow moved about fixing her hair. Today was the big day. She was getting married to the most wonderful and exciting man she had even met. Sure, they had only known each other for two months but it seemed like so much. She heard Willow sniffle behind her.
"What's wrong Wills?" Buffy asked.
"Oh! I'm just so happy! I mean you're getting married and I'm your maid of honor and…" Willow broke off.
"I'll miss you too Wills." Buffy said and turned around to hug her oldest friend.
"I know I'm being selfish. But I'll miss you when you move into the little place that Spike found you two." She paused and made a face in the mirror. "Plus, I have to room with Anya." They giggled and turned back to finish fixing Buffy's hair and make-up.
"I wish that my family could be here." Buffy said quietly. "I mean I know that mom and dad are still upset with me about leaving but they would love W-Spike. They would love him so much." Willow smiled and put the last pin in Buffy's hair.
"Yeah. And when we go home you know that Dawnie is going to chew you out for not having her be your maid of honor." They laughed again but there was a little bit of stress to it this time. When we go home seemed to echo around ominously. Buffy looked at the clock anxiously.
"Willow! We have to get going! We're supposed to start soon! And we still have so much to do!" Willow hushed her and led her out of their room and out of the dorm where Cordelia was waiting for them in a jeep. "How did you-"
"Well Summers, we all know how your internal clock works and thought it would be best if you weren't late for your own wedding so we got you ride to the chapel." Cordelia smiled at the two girls and couldn't help but feel a pang, as she looked at the young blonde in her wedding dress, simple as it was. She brushed a tear aside. "Hop in!" She said perkily.
"Thanks Cordy." Buffy said and climbed carefully into the jeep with Willow behind her.
They reached the chapel just in time and the ceremony was short and small. Willow and Cordelia were the bridesmaids and Xander and Dalton were Spike's groomsman. The rest of Spike's squadron was there and most of the nurses from Buffy's dorm. They danced and laughed together and Willow insisted on taking picture after picture, even though film was rare. Finally, it was night and time for them to get back
"Well my wife and I are going to head out." Spike announced to the crowd with a proud look on his face. Buffy turned to him and grinned happily at hearing him calling her his wife. Willow snapped the picture.
"Willow!" Buffy said with a mock scowl on her face. "That picture is going to come out awful!" Spike laughed at her.
"It'll be great love." She glared at him. "It will." He turned her chin up and kissed her nose. "It has you in it so it has to beautiful." She smiled sweetly at him again and he leaned down to kiss her but everyone groaned.
"C'mon you guys are married now! Get out of here!" Xander said smacking Spike on the back. Spike smirked at him and grabbed Buffy's hand pulling her out to the jeep, which had been decorated while they had been busy dancing.
"Bloody hell! You pounces are going to make us drive around in that!?" Spike exclaimed when he saw the jeep that had the words 'just married' spray painted all over it and 'honk to see us kiss' sign on the back. Buffy just laughed and pulled him towards the car.
"Like kissing you is such a chore!" She laughed at him when he started the engine and they drove off into the night towards their house.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
He knew that they had laughs together. They were happy until the end, well as happy as they could be around all the death during the battle of Britain. He slipped their wedding picture into his pocket and held up the roses. Unconsciously his grip tightened around the roses and his hand began to bleed from the thorns as they dug into his fist. He could feel the tension all through his body and he gritted his teeth together.
William looked down as he felt a familiar hand on his arm. He looked down into his wife's worried face and his expression softened. He bent down and placed the roses on the grave and stood up again. She took his bloody hand in her and pulled out a napkin to stop the bleeding.
"You've never told me how they died." She said quietly and he put his hand over hers to stop her from wiping up his hand.
"Willow told me when I was eighteen. She said that she had waited too long to tell me and that I should know, but that it was tragic and she wanted me not to brood about it too much." He chuckled. "She said that my father was always going on about this one guy in his squadron who would 'brood' and that he'd be damned if his son was going to be a brooder." She laughed as well but soon turned serious.
"Can you tell me?" He took a deep breath and smiled down at her. Drusilla was truly beautiful and probably the sweetest girl he had ever met. She even got along with his Aunt Dawn and she hated all of his other girlfriends, especially Harmony. He met her on a break from college. She had just moved into town and his oldest cousin Winifred had befriended the girl even though Drusilla was a junior and Fred was a freshman. Even though he had been four years older than Drusilla when they had met, it was love at first sight and he finally understood how his parents must have felt when they first met.
"I'll tell you." He said quietly. "Mom was about eight month along with me when dad went out on a flight. She went with him to the base so she could meet up with Willow on her lunch break so they could catch up. As they were walking back from the mess hall, dad's squadron came back. Willow found out later that his plane had been hit and that one of the engines had died. They looked up and saw him and waved and a few seconds later the other engine exploded and the plane crashed to the tarmac." Drusilla gasped.
"Will…"
"Wait. Let me say it all." His grip on her hand tightened and she nodded. "Willow said that mom was screaming and trying to go to him and it took her and some other soldiers who were passing by to hold her. The stress brought on her labor and they rushed her to the hospital. But there were so many others and the day before the base itself had been bombed so they were understaffed. Well, Willow delivered me. She said that mom held on just long enough to see me and name me William after my father and then she died because they couldn't stop the bleeding." Drusilla pulled him to her in a hug. "It's my fault that she's dead Dru." He whispered to her and she just held him tighter.
"No it's not Will." Her voice was slightly muffled by her face being pressed into his chest. "It was the war. Terrible things happen during wars and both your parents knew that. Everyone around them did. From the letters you let me read…they were wonderful people and they died because of the war. Not because of you. I'll never forget that one letter you father wrote to Aunt Dawn." He smiled knowing which one she was talking about.
"Yeah."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Dear Dawn,
Hi. I feel bloody awkward writing you all these letters since I've never actually met you. But I feel like I know you pretty well from everything that your sister's told me about you. I hope that you feel the same way and weren't too surprised by getting these past few letters from a guy named Spike. You know Buffy can be pretty bossy when she wants to be.
Buffy's pregnant. I didn't really know how to come out and say that all polite and nice so I thought I would just say it. I think that she wanted me to write you about this because she's embarrassed to write about it and she knows that it takes a lot to embarrass me. How she knows that? You're too young to hear that story little bit!
I'll let you in on a little secret though. I'm so bloody scared. I think your sister can tell. She tells me I'll be a great dad and I know she'll be a great mom. But that's not really what we're scared about. I mean, yeah I am worried about that. Like if I have a daughter and she starts dating boys and such (I don't know how your dad went through that twice) or how good of a role model I'd be for a son. But we're scared that we might not ever know our child.
I told your sister that I want to send her back home to you and your parents but she is a stubborn one. She told me that there's no home for her without me there to rub her feet. Maybe I can convince her once the baby is born. I know she'll do anything to keep the baby safe and that she would do the same for me if she could.
War is a nasty business and I almost hope that America doesn't enter because when you do I know that a lot of your friends and maybe even Connor will have to come over here to fight it. But then I also hope that you do join up with England so that we can end this blasted thing sooner and we stop being so bloody scared and just be happy that we're going to have the most perfect baby in the world.
I'll write again Bit and try to get your sister to tell you about our kid in her own more eloquent words. It's nice to talk to you though and don't tell her I said this but I am glad that she insisted I start writing to you. Sometimes I miss my own little sis and the rest of my family so bloody much. Well, I had better say good-bye before I sound like more of a pounce than I already do.
Your brother- Spike
*~*~*~*~*~
"It was their choice Will. Your father joined up after his family was killed in that bombing and your mother joined because she wanted to make a difference in the world. Try to help out."
"And did she? All she got was to be dead. Dead and buried in a different country and my dad's body was burned to ashes by the time they got the fire out on the plane. Willow told me that she went to the site of the wreck and scooped up some of the ashes in a coffee can and buried it with my mom."
"Will…" She stopped and took in the hard line of his jaw and the tension that had crept back into his form. "Tell me how you got back to California. That couldn't have been easy during the war and all." It seemed to be the right thing to say because he smiled at her and put his arm around and kissed her head.
"You're too good to me." He murmured and she smiled at him softly.
"No more than you deserve. I know it's hard." He tightened his hold but his hands were gentle around her and she could feel his love for her in his embrace.
"Well, after I was born and mom…died. Willow went to Cordelia and Cordelia helped her pull some strings and got Willow aboard a ship that was going America. It was dangerous with all the U-boats about but somehow we managed to sneak through. Willow said that the other passengers on the ship kept giving her cold glares because they thought she was a single mom." He chuckled a little. "She told off this one man who tried to get a bit frisky with her though and things were easier on the trip after that." She smiled at him and they stood together for a few minutes silent over his mother and father's grave.
He gave his wife an affectionate squeeze and then released her, taking her hand in his before turning away from the headstone and walking towards the cemetery gates. She pulled him to a stop.
"Are you sure you want to go so soon Will?" She asked anxiously.
"Yeah." He turned to look at her and gave her a kiss. "I'm glad that you made me come here though. I should have come earlier." She squeezed his hand and they continued to walk out of the cemetery.
"We can come again next year if you want to sweetie." He smiled at her.
"I think I'd like that." He looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe we can convince the kids to come too. Get that daughter of ours to actually take time off from work." Drusilla laughed happily.
Truth be told she had been getting worried about him as she had watched him from behind when he was clutching those roses. But he was a strong person, the strongest she had ever met. She looked up at him now and kissed his cheek. He looked down at her and smiled.
"What was that for?" He asked her smiling as he opened the car door for her. She smiled enigmatically at him.
"I need a reason now to kiss my husband?" He laughed again as she slid into the car. He went around to the driver's side and started up the engine.
"No." And they drove off together towards London feeling better than he had in a long time. Looking in the rear view mirror at the gates of the cemetery he realized that he could stop being angry about what had happened to them. They had spent the short time that they had together happily and while he would always miss them and wish that he could have met them, it was only their death that was tragic. Their lives had been beautiful.
*~*~*~*~
Hi thanks for sticking with me even though I KNOW that I was really sappy at some points. I started writing this for Veteran's Day (which is November 11 in the US) and I meant it to only be about 3-4 pages tops. So I went a little over board. Hee hee.
Anyways I just wanted to say that I don't know a lot about the military or what it is like living on a base or how the dorms would be set up. But, I did do research and I know that there was an airbase at Croydon during WW2 (don't know if it's there now) and so that is where this takes place. I am pretty sure that Croydon is a city in between London and Brighton (if I am wrong I'm sorry).
Also, the Battle of Britain, (which is when the WW2 part of this story takes place) took place in 1940 and that WAS before America entered the war, even though the war had been going on for a while before that. I also know that it's true that American's did go over to fight in the war prior to December 1941 but I don't know if any volunteered as nurses. Probably some did but I have no backing whatsoever.
That all said I hope that you all liked this story and if you want to write me a review please do because I am always interested to hear what you have to say about it (negative or positive). Thanks for reading my stuff!