A/N : Thanx to everyone who reviewed; fashiongrrl, aphelant, SweetBitter, SpIkEs AnGeL, SlayGal, fictionfreak2, SouthernRain, buffspike, Michelle, Aleesha, courtney, Leanne8582. I am trying to keep the essence of the true characters in here despite them all being human, it's not an easy task, especially when I'm trying to write more or less the same characters in three different fics and all at the same time! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, now that everyone is older and all back together...I have plans for it to all get more interesting...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 13 : You'll Never Believe... - 7th&8th November 2003
So, where was I?...oh yeah, unconscious. Not something to be proud of, I know, getting so drunk that I couldn't even remain awake was not the plan but it happened and there's very little I can do about it now. From what Willow and my parents told me, I figure this is more or less how it happened once we got into the house that night...
"Mom! Dad!" Willow yelled as she came in the door, her parents belting down the stairs at a rate of knots when they heard their daughters somewhat anguished cries.
"Willow, whatever's the matter...?" Giles began but soon noticed what the problem was as the red-head was followed into the house by a man carrying his other daughter who was in quite a mess.
"Oh my God, Buffy!" Joyce gasped running to the side of the couch as her daughter was laid her down there by he who carried her.
"It's alright, I think she'll be okay" the apparent stranger told the panicked woman as she attempted to bring her daughter around.
"Someone spiked the punch at the dance" Willow told her parents, almost guilty, despite the fact none of it was her own fault.
"Oh heavens..." Joyce shook her head as Buffy stirred "I'll put the coffee pot on" she decided, moving toward the kitchen as Giles took her place seated on the edge of the couch beside Buffy.
"And you are?" he asked the bleached blonde man who stood beside Willow still. William half smiled as he looked at the man he hadn't seen in almost eighteen years.
"Did sort of wonder if you'd recognise me...Dad" he said slowly and Giles' eyes went wide as dinner plates. He glanced to Willow who grinned delightedly and nodded madly, as the truth really sunk in to her father.
"William?!" he gasped, smiling now, the realisation that his son had come home of his own accord, well, it was not something he'd ever thought could happen. Getting to his feet, he faced his son, only a little shocked that they had the same eye level these days. Both unsure of what to do they eventually fell into a hug, bringing tears to both their eyes as well as Willows.
"Oh God" Buffy groaned bringing her hand to her head, making sure she was not forgotten for too long, though in all honesty she had no clue what was going on around her.
Joyce re-entered the room, just as her daughter stirred again and just after the two men had finished embracing each other. She had no clue what had just occurred.
"Buffy, come on, wake up" she urged as she again took her position on the couch beside her little girl.
"What happened?" the blonde wondered "Mom?" she guessed as the older woman leaning over her, came into better focus. Joyce was about the answer when she noticed the tears in her husbands eyes and the strange way he was staring at the other man in their living room.
"Rupert, are you okay?" she checked.
"Oh, Joyce...this is..." he stammered, unable to form the sentence.
"Mom" Willow got her mothers attention and made the explanation herself, "it's William" she smiled, gesturing toward the uncomfortable-looking bleached blond.
"Oh my goodness!" Joyce gasped, hand over her heart in a gesture of surprise. Buffy strained her neck to see the man everyone else was looking at but found it only made her feel nauseous. Realising though that it was probably the same guy that caught her when she almost fell she pulled on her mothers arm to get her attention.
"He, er, he saved me" she explained, still unaware of who she spoke about "I almost fell down..." she stopped momentarily before asking "Mom, why is the room spinning?"
Joyce rolled her eyes and turned to Giles, who honestly wasn't listening all that much.
"I can't believe she got drunk at a school dance, it's appalling"
"She'll be okay" William assured her "probably have a hell of a hangover in the morning if she's not used to the booze, but it'll pass" he explained "Been known to have a few myself..." he added cockily before realising it was his father he was saying this to and then felt somewhat ashamed. Giles didn't seem to notice.
"It's so wonderful to see you, son" he smiled but William's own grin had disappeared.
"Is it?" he asked with a slight frown, glancing between his feet and the man he had been given little opportunity to call Dad "I half wondered whether you'd want me here...you never did before"
"Oh no" Giles frowned, shaking his head violently "that's not true, not the way you think it is..."
"I think" Joyce interrupted "maybe the girls should go on up to bed...especially you, Buffy" she told her blonde daughter who didn't have the brain or body functions left to reply never mind argue.
"Here, I'll help" William offered, his own problems with his father momentarily forgotten as he came to the aid of the damsel in distress, again. He picked her up off the couch and followed Joyce and Willow up the stairs where he laid her on her bed and promptly left to go and have the talk with his father that had been many years coming.
Can't tell you what they said to each other, and believe me when I tell you I wish I could. If I'd have been more, well, conscious, I'd have been at the top of the stairs, ears wide open, absorbing everything that was said, but given my state of drunken-ness all I could do was follow the uneasy route to sleep, as my mother had quite clearly decided there was no point to the coffee and trying to sober me up at that time of night after all. I really wish Willow, for once in her life would have done the invading privacy thing but she's just too sweet and decent, I guess. Anyway, it didn't matter. What's more important is what happened in the morning and, despite the fact I almost wish I didn't, I remember that with perfect clarity...
Buffy opened her eyes only to promptly close them again as the sun streamed through the crack between her curtains and half blinded her. Her head was pounding less now but her stomach churned badly as she attempted to get from her laying down position, onto her feet. She was out of her homecoming dress now, she guessed that either Joyce, Willow or both had assisted her there but so far everything beyond dancing with Riley and more importantly drinking punch was a blur.
With slow and wobbly movements, Buffy tried to swallow back her nausea, as she pulled on her dressing gown and headed for the door. She opened it and stumbled over the threshold, feeling worse as her stomach jolted with the sudden movement.
"Mornin' sunshine" said a cheery, English voice, though she was pretty sure it wasn't Giles, "You feeling any better?" the same voice asked as she looked up into a pair of gorgeous blue eyes. For a second there was recognition. She knew those eyes, that voice, this man, but why and how and what was he doing outside her bedroom door?
"What...?" she began but soon realised opening her mouth was a bad idea.
"You do remember last night, don't you?" William asked her with a tilt of his head as she braced herself with a hand on the wall.
"I...oh God" she suddenly shoved her hand over her mouth and ran for the bathroom.
"Buffy!" Willow called as she emerged the other side of her brother and witnessed her sister disappearing into the bathroom.
"Don't fret, princess" he told her, "she'll feel better afterwards"
"Princess?" Willow looked strangely at him as she realised what he'd said, he looked a little nervous and worried that she'd noticed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to..." he stammered, looking away.
"No" Willow cut him off "I like it" she assured him with a smile, as he looked at her again "it's all...big brother-ly"
"Oh God" Buffy groaned, holding her head as she emerged from the bathroom, interrupting the sickly sweet brother-sister moment that was happening.
"Oh sweetie" Willow sighed, moving past William to put an arm around her sister "you feel better now?"
"Actually, yes" she realised "er, I'm sorry, who is he?" she whispered to her sister, almost as if the man wasn't standing right in front of her. Willow held back a laugh at the fact Buffy didn't seem to realise it was their brother that stood before them now.
"Buffy Giles" she introduced "this is William Giles"
"Er, it's Spike actually" he decided to tell the girls his nickname, being called William was making him strangely uncomfortable, he really wasn't that person anymore "no-one calls me William, 'cept the grandparents"
"I can't believe it" Buffy gasped, picturing the photo from the mantlepiece in her mind and comparing it to the man that stood before her. Could this really be the same guy?
"It's for real" Willow smiled, answering the question in Buffy's head, without even realising.
A smile past between the 'siblings' until Buffy's memories of the night before hit her like a punch in the face. She'd found this man attractive, her supposed brother! And truth be told, if she didn't know better, she'd still feel that way now.
"Hey, you got a hug for your sisters now?" Willow asked, realising that despite their status as family, they'd yet to get within a couple of feet of each other.
"Course, luv" Spike smiled, wrapping an arm each around both the girls. Willow hugged him back and although Buffy did too she was still a little dazed by everything.
"Breakfast for anyone who wants it!" a voice interrupted, it was Joyce who stood at the bottom of the staircase, reminding everyone it was time to eat.
"Food, now that sounds like a plan" Spike nodded, still keeping his arms around the girls as they headed for the stairs "bet you're hungry, right pet?" he asked Buffy who nodded as she realised she actually felt much better for throwing up and was now decidedly hungry. The three went down to breakfast and so their first full day as a family began, but could they really be that fantasy family they'd all thought they might be one day?
And there it is, how I met my brother who had turned from geekish, sweet-looking William, in the photograph on our mantle, to black-leather-clad, sexy-as-hell Spike, standing right in front of me. But he was my brother and despite the fact he was obviously attractive and gave me all kinds of worrying feelings just by looking at me, I was determined to get to know him and accept him as part of our family...now that was easier said than done...
To Be Continued...
[Next update will be; One Wild Night - Chapter 13]
