The Dating Game
Willow and Dawn rose to clear away the dessert plates as Xander excused himself to return a client's call. During dinner, William had kept them all entertained with stories about the rest of his trip. Buffy was surprised to find herself pleased Willow had invited him. She looked across and smiled, "So how come you decided to stay here in the states? You figure we could use all the help we can get with English, or what?"
William chuckled a bit. "That was part of it, yes, but the university made me an offer I couldn't refuse. And since there really wasn't anything to hold me to England, I felt it was in my best interests to accept. There were also some things here in this country that I thought deserved more attention than I had yet given them." He looked down, shocked at the boldness of his words, and yet hoping she would understand their significance.
"Shall we all move into the living room?" Willow asked brightly as she came back from the kitchen. "Dawn'll be out in a few -- she's just loading the dishwasher. Don't want to let her think company means she gets out of doing the dishes."
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Two hours later, William noticed Xander smothering a yawn and decided it was time to take his leave. "Thanks so much for your hospitality. It was lovely to see you all again. I'm so glad I ran into Willow on campus."
"More like I ran into you," Willow said sheepishly. "I really meant it when I said I wanted to replace your shirt. I feel so bad about that."
"Don't be silly. It will wash out quite easily, and this evening has been a delight." William rose and Buffy stood to walk him to the door.
"I'm glad you came for dinner, William. This has been fun."
"Enough fun that you'd consider having dinner alone with me some evening?" He held his breath waiting for her answer. Buffy looked over his shoulder to see the others grinning.
*Oh, why not! It's just William. He's harmless, and it'll get them off my back.* "That would be nice. Thank you for asking." *Could that have sounded any more lame? Guess I really am out of practice.*
He could hardly believe it. She had said yes. "How about Saturday then? That is, if you don't already have plans." *What are you doing? She said yes. Don't give her a chance to change her mind, you ninny!*
"Saturday? Um... no, no plans. Saturday's good."
"I'll pick you up at seven then." He turned to the others and smiled, "Thanks, again, everyone. Good night."
The others chorused their farewells and waved, and he stepped through the door into the night. As Buffy closed the door behind him, Willow, Xander and Dawn shared a three-way high five. "What are you guys, like twelve?" Buffy asked. "One date. That's it. You wanted me to go out and I am. OK?"
"Yes!!" Dawn bounded out of her chair and gave Buffy a hug. "Come on, you might even have a good time. Plus, he's cute."
Buffy just rolled her eyes, shook her head and said, "I'm going to patrol. I'll see you all in the morning."
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She'd been seeing William every Saturday night for six weeks now, and every Thursday night he came over for dinner with the gang. This week was Thanksgiving, and she had invited him to join them for the big holiday meal as well. Buffy hummed as she diced and chopped and mixed. She'd learned to enjoy puttering in the kitchen. Her meals weren't always the successes she hoped for, but there weren't as many dismal failures anymore either.
Willow breezed in looking for coffee. "Hey, Buffy, how's it going? What time are we eating?"
"I was thinking probably three. Sound ok?"
"Sure. Heather is at her parents' house already, but she said she'd come by later for pie." She decided it was a good time to ask, while the two of them were alone, "Um, Buffy, how are things with you and William?"
"Good. Comfortable. He'll be here in about an hour to help. He said he wants to 'fully experience this uniquely American holiday'. Sometimes he's so much like Giles, you know?"
"Remind you of anyone else?"
"No, why? Oh, you mean the whole Buffy-fainting-'cause-she-thought-she-saw-Spike-alive thing? Not once I got to know him. They're totally different. It's hard to see now how I could have thought that at all."
"Oh. Well, we all kinda did, Buff. It wasn't just you. So, anything long term maybe gonna happen here?"
"I don't know, Wil. I still haven't told him about the Slayer thing. I'm not sure he's ready for that. What man would be?"
"I guess. But, you know, maybe he'd surprise you. He has with other stuff, right?"
"Yeah, he's not as boring as I thought. The English professor image kinda threw me. I thought he'd be all stuffy like Giles, but he's fun."
"Stuffy? You thought I was stuffy? Silly girl," William put his arms around Buffy from behind.
"Hey! You're early. Naughty boy, sneaking up on me." She turned and kissed him in her customary spot on his cheek. Willow watched as something seemed to spark in his eyes, something familiar, then it died away.
"I'll just leave you two to the kitchen-y stuff. I finished my part yesterday." She pointed to the pies, waved and left the room with her coffee.
"Smells bloody marvelous in here. What can I do?" Buffy pointed to the other chopping board and knife on the counter next to the piles of vegetables, and William smiled as he set to work. He enjoyed how comfortable they were together now, but try as he would, he couldn't seem to awaken any passion in her. All he ever got were those pecks on the cheek, but he was willing to wait.
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Soon the Christmas season was upon them, and this year the spirit hit Buffy earlier than usual. She was settled on the floor in the living room wrapping presents for Willow and Dawn, when William tapped lightly on the door as he came in, "Buffy?"
"Hi there! Quick come in and close the door before you let all the warm out. That's one thing I still haven't gotten used to after so many years in Southern California -- the winters. Oooh, since you're still standing up, would you do me a favor? There's a bag of bows in my room on the bed. Would you mind?"
"Of course," William shrugged awkwardly out of the black leather duster Buffy had given him for his birthday. It didn't really suit him, but he wore it for her. He hung his coat on the rack near the door and headed for her room. He pushed open the door and looked around curiously. She'd given him the tour the first time he came to dinner, but he had had no reason since then to go into any of the bedrooms. He saw the bows on the bed and crossed to pick them up. As he turned to leave the room, the picture on the nightstand caught his attention. He picked it up and sank down onto the bed. *So, she's still in love with you, eh? How can I ever hope to compete with a ghost?* He sighed, replaced the picture and left the room.
That evening after dinner, Buffy walked William to the door as usual. They stood for a moment saying good night, and as Buffy reached up to kiss his cheek, Willow glanced over, "Hey you guys, mistletoe!"
They both looked at her in confusion. She pointed above their heads, "Mistletoe. I put it up when I got home. You guys have to kiss." She smiled impishly.
Buffy rolled her eyes and turned her face up to William with a tiny smile. He spared a grateful glance to Willow before lowering his head to brush Buffy's lips with his own. He was startled when the tingle he always felt when she kissed his cheek felt more like an electrical current running through his entire body. He decided to risk a second, deeper kiss to see if it had any effect on her. He drew her into his arms gently and kissed her a little more firmly. After a slight hesitation, Buffy kissed him back.
Then suddenly, feelings and memories began flooding his mind. London, his mother, Cecily, Dru, Angelus, Darla. Countries flashed by, as did the decades. Sunnydale, the Scoobies, the Potentials, the First, the final battle. Buffy -- always Buffy. Then he realized there was a second set of memories overlaying the first. Almost like a favourite book he'd read so often it was a part of him. London again, but more recent. Family memories, but a different family. University, friends, the trip to the states. Sunnydale. The road trip across America. Willow on campus. Buffy. His Buffy. His Slayer. He was kissing Buffy. He breathed in her scent and felt all his senses heighten. It was real. He shifted his weight slightly and tightened his arms around her.
Buffy felt the first brush of his lips and then the hesitation. She was sure he would pull away then, but found herself wishing he wouldn't. She had felt like she would be betraying her love for Spike if she started a physical relationship with William, so she had been holding herself away from him. She leaned into him as he deepened the kiss, and then felt him hesitate again. Had she been too forward? Had she offended him? Then he shifted his weight and pulled her closer. It felt so right.
At last, they broke apart, both breathless. They looked into each others' eyes for a long moment. He wanted to shout, wanted to sing. Anything to show his joy at being reunited with his love, his Slayer. And yet, as he looked at her in wonder, he knew it would terrify and confuse her to know he was back. He was going to have to bide his time and find a way to break it to her gently. She laughed a little, how he loved her laugh, and said, "Wow! Hey, you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
He shook his head a bit to clear it, raised an eyebrow and said, "Do I? Sorry. But if I had known what powerful stuff mistletoe was, I might have had Red put some up ages ago."
Still overwhelmed by their kiss, Buffy didn't notice the slip, but Willow's head snapped around. His eyes met hers over Buffy's shoulder and he smirked just a little. Just enough. Her eyes got round. "Uh... William, you'd better get going. The roads aren't getting any better and you have an early class tomorrow."
"Right. I'll see you on campus tomorrow," Spike grabbed his duster from the rack and slipped into with the ease of years. It settled onto his shoulders like a second skin. "Good night." He leaned forward and brushed Buffy's lips with his once again, then was out the door with a catlike grace Willow had thought she'd never see again.
Willow and Dawn rose to clear away the dessert plates as Xander excused himself to return a client's call. During dinner, William had kept them all entertained with stories about the rest of his trip. Buffy was surprised to find herself pleased Willow had invited him. She looked across and smiled, "So how come you decided to stay here in the states? You figure we could use all the help we can get with English, or what?"
William chuckled a bit. "That was part of it, yes, but the university made me an offer I couldn't refuse. And since there really wasn't anything to hold me to England, I felt it was in my best interests to accept. There were also some things here in this country that I thought deserved more attention than I had yet given them." He looked down, shocked at the boldness of his words, and yet hoping she would understand their significance.
"Shall we all move into the living room?" Willow asked brightly as she came back from the kitchen. "Dawn'll be out in a few -- she's just loading the dishwasher. Don't want to let her think company means she gets out of doing the dishes."
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Two hours later, William noticed Xander smothering a yawn and decided it was time to take his leave. "Thanks so much for your hospitality. It was lovely to see you all again. I'm so glad I ran into Willow on campus."
"More like I ran into you," Willow said sheepishly. "I really meant it when I said I wanted to replace your shirt. I feel so bad about that."
"Don't be silly. It will wash out quite easily, and this evening has been a delight." William rose and Buffy stood to walk him to the door.
"I'm glad you came for dinner, William. This has been fun."
"Enough fun that you'd consider having dinner alone with me some evening?" He held his breath waiting for her answer. Buffy looked over his shoulder to see the others grinning.
*Oh, why not! It's just William. He's harmless, and it'll get them off my back.* "That would be nice. Thank you for asking." *Could that have sounded any more lame? Guess I really am out of practice.*
He could hardly believe it. She had said yes. "How about Saturday then? That is, if you don't already have plans." *What are you doing? She said yes. Don't give her a chance to change her mind, you ninny!*
"Saturday? Um... no, no plans. Saturday's good."
"I'll pick you up at seven then." He turned to the others and smiled, "Thanks, again, everyone. Good night."
The others chorused their farewells and waved, and he stepped through the door into the night. As Buffy closed the door behind him, Willow, Xander and Dawn shared a three-way high five. "What are you guys, like twelve?" Buffy asked. "One date. That's it. You wanted me to go out and I am. OK?"
"Yes!!" Dawn bounded out of her chair and gave Buffy a hug. "Come on, you might even have a good time. Plus, he's cute."
Buffy just rolled her eyes, shook her head and said, "I'm going to patrol. I'll see you all in the morning."
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She'd been seeing William every Saturday night for six weeks now, and every Thursday night he came over for dinner with the gang. This week was Thanksgiving, and she had invited him to join them for the big holiday meal as well. Buffy hummed as she diced and chopped and mixed. She'd learned to enjoy puttering in the kitchen. Her meals weren't always the successes she hoped for, but there weren't as many dismal failures anymore either.
Willow breezed in looking for coffee. "Hey, Buffy, how's it going? What time are we eating?"
"I was thinking probably three. Sound ok?"
"Sure. Heather is at her parents' house already, but she said she'd come by later for pie." She decided it was a good time to ask, while the two of them were alone, "Um, Buffy, how are things with you and William?"
"Good. Comfortable. He'll be here in about an hour to help. He said he wants to 'fully experience this uniquely American holiday'. Sometimes he's so much like Giles, you know?"
"Remind you of anyone else?"
"No, why? Oh, you mean the whole Buffy-fainting-'cause-she-thought-she-saw-Spike-alive thing? Not once I got to know him. They're totally different. It's hard to see now how I could have thought that at all."
"Oh. Well, we all kinda did, Buff. It wasn't just you. So, anything long term maybe gonna happen here?"
"I don't know, Wil. I still haven't told him about the Slayer thing. I'm not sure he's ready for that. What man would be?"
"I guess. But, you know, maybe he'd surprise you. He has with other stuff, right?"
"Yeah, he's not as boring as I thought. The English professor image kinda threw me. I thought he'd be all stuffy like Giles, but he's fun."
"Stuffy? You thought I was stuffy? Silly girl," William put his arms around Buffy from behind.
"Hey! You're early. Naughty boy, sneaking up on me." She turned and kissed him in her customary spot on his cheek. Willow watched as something seemed to spark in his eyes, something familiar, then it died away.
"I'll just leave you two to the kitchen-y stuff. I finished my part yesterday." She pointed to the pies, waved and left the room with her coffee.
"Smells bloody marvelous in here. What can I do?" Buffy pointed to the other chopping board and knife on the counter next to the piles of vegetables, and William smiled as he set to work. He enjoyed how comfortable they were together now, but try as he would, he couldn't seem to awaken any passion in her. All he ever got were those pecks on the cheek, but he was willing to wait.
*****************************************************************************************************
Soon the Christmas season was upon them, and this year the spirit hit Buffy earlier than usual. She was settled on the floor in the living room wrapping presents for Willow and Dawn, when William tapped lightly on the door as he came in, "Buffy?"
"Hi there! Quick come in and close the door before you let all the warm out. That's one thing I still haven't gotten used to after so many years in Southern California -- the winters. Oooh, since you're still standing up, would you do me a favor? There's a bag of bows in my room on the bed. Would you mind?"
"Of course," William shrugged awkwardly out of the black leather duster Buffy had given him for his birthday. It didn't really suit him, but he wore it for her. He hung his coat on the rack near the door and headed for her room. He pushed open the door and looked around curiously. She'd given him the tour the first time he came to dinner, but he had had no reason since then to go into any of the bedrooms. He saw the bows on the bed and crossed to pick them up. As he turned to leave the room, the picture on the nightstand caught his attention. He picked it up and sank down onto the bed. *So, she's still in love with you, eh? How can I ever hope to compete with a ghost?* He sighed, replaced the picture and left the room.
That evening after dinner, Buffy walked William to the door as usual. They stood for a moment saying good night, and as Buffy reached up to kiss his cheek, Willow glanced over, "Hey you guys, mistletoe!"
They both looked at her in confusion. She pointed above their heads, "Mistletoe. I put it up when I got home. You guys have to kiss." She smiled impishly.
Buffy rolled her eyes and turned her face up to William with a tiny smile. He spared a grateful glance to Willow before lowering his head to brush Buffy's lips with his own. He was startled when the tingle he always felt when she kissed his cheek felt more like an electrical current running through his entire body. He decided to risk a second, deeper kiss to see if it had any effect on her. He drew her into his arms gently and kissed her a little more firmly. After a slight hesitation, Buffy kissed him back.
Then suddenly, feelings and memories began flooding his mind. London, his mother, Cecily, Dru, Angelus, Darla. Countries flashed by, as did the decades. Sunnydale, the Scoobies, the Potentials, the First, the final battle. Buffy -- always Buffy. Then he realized there was a second set of memories overlaying the first. Almost like a favourite book he'd read so often it was a part of him. London again, but more recent. Family memories, but a different family. University, friends, the trip to the states. Sunnydale. The road trip across America. Willow on campus. Buffy. His Buffy. His Slayer. He was kissing Buffy. He breathed in her scent and felt all his senses heighten. It was real. He shifted his weight slightly and tightened his arms around her.
Buffy felt the first brush of his lips and then the hesitation. She was sure he would pull away then, but found herself wishing he wouldn't. She had felt like she would be betraying her love for Spike if she started a physical relationship with William, so she had been holding herself away from him. She leaned into him as he deepened the kiss, and then felt him hesitate again. Had she been too forward? Had she offended him? Then he shifted his weight and pulled her closer. It felt so right.
At last, they broke apart, both breathless. They looked into each others' eyes for a long moment. He wanted to shout, wanted to sing. Anything to show his joy at being reunited with his love, his Slayer. And yet, as he looked at her in wonder, he knew it would terrify and confuse her to know he was back. He was going to have to bide his time and find a way to break it to her gently. She laughed a little, how he loved her laugh, and said, "Wow! Hey, you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
He shook his head a bit to clear it, raised an eyebrow and said, "Do I? Sorry. But if I had known what powerful stuff mistletoe was, I might have had Red put some up ages ago."
Still overwhelmed by their kiss, Buffy didn't notice the slip, but Willow's head snapped around. His eyes met hers over Buffy's shoulder and he smirked just a little. Just enough. Her eyes got round. "Uh... William, you'd better get going. The roads aren't getting any better and you have an early class tomorrow."
"Right. I'll see you on campus tomorrow," Spike grabbed his duster from the rack and slipped into with the ease of years. It settled onto his shoulders like a second skin. "Good night." He leaned forward and brushed Buffy's lips with his once again, then was out the door with a catlike grace Willow had thought she'd never see again.