Chapter 19a
AN: This chapter came out short, and I was a bit skitter brained to come up with anything more at this point. I figured it'd be better to at least post this bit, than to wait for more to come to me.
"Spit it out, then, Dru. I 'aven't got all day. Tell me what the bloody hell you want, and leave." Will scowled at the two of them as he held a rag to his face.
Drusilla's lips curved into a smile, something that looked almost out of place on her darkly made up face. Angel leaned into her, and kissed the side of her face while keeping his eyes on Will.
"We're getting married, Spike, baby. Angel and I want you to join us at the nuptials. Won't it be lovely? A midnight ceremony in a garden of lovely white moonflowers, blooming under the full moon. And we can dance, pet, dance and dance and dance…" Drusilla's eyes were clouded over as she stared off into space.
Will glaring at the pair, and opened his car door. Scowling at the broken window, he slid into the seat.
"Bloody fanaticals. Enjoy life. Leave me out of it." Will started the car, and threw it into reverse as he stomped the gas pedal, and pealed out of the drive. The car tossed up wet gravel as he drove out the front gates.
Buffy was pacing around her loft, and glancing at her alarm clock every 20 or 30 seconds, then cursing Will again. He still wasn't here, and it was nearly ten in the morning. She couldn't figure out why he wasn't, and why he hadn't called. Her belly was doing flip flops from the nerves as she paced.
Will sat down in the cheap plastic booths of the small diner, and looked at the menu, which was part of the table. His mood was black, nearly as black as the bruises on his body from the fight. He hadn't gone home, even though he knew he should have. Instead, he drove around, until he ended up in some podunk town in the middle of nowhere.
"Special's eggs and ham, with toast, for $3.99. What'll it be?" A tired looking middle aged waitress stood looking down at a small scribble pad in her hands. Will looked up and down the column's on the menu, and finally ordered some strong coffee and the special.
While he waited for the food to come, Will dug around to find some change in his pocket, and then made his way over to the pay phone he'd spotted in the rear near the restrooms. With a quick glance at the clock, he picked the phone up, and plunked his two quarters in.
The ringing shrillness of the phone jerked Buffy from her pacing. She stood staring at it for a moment, then practically pounced on the noisy object.
"Will? Hello? Is that you? Where are you, why aren't you here, what the hell happened?" Buffy practically yelled into the receiver.
"Buffy, love, slow down. I've had a bad morning, and I needed to do some driving around. I don't know where the bloody hell I am right now. I'm sorry I wasn't there this morning. I'll be back late tonight, likely. Maybe not before I go to work. I'll try to call, though."
Before Buffy could respond at all, the phone clicked a few times, then a dial tone sounded in her ear. Frowning, she held the phone out in front of her, and eyed it in confusion.
After a moment or two, Buffy sat the phone back down, hanging it up. She watched it for a moment, then finally got up and stomped around the room, talking to herself as she went.
Will drove into the parking lot, his eyes trained on the dark apartment as he pulled up front. He waited late into the day, knowing that Buffy had to work at the magic shop until 9. Will had to be to the factory at 10, so he'd just make sure to leave right at 9, so as to avoid her.
It wasn't her that he was avoiding; so much as it was her questions. He fancied himself well and over Drusilla, but her announcement that morning had left him feeling unsettled and anxious. Old feelings clashed with new ones as he remembered the ill-fated romance between Dru and himself.
Once inside the apartment, Will quickly grabbed a bag of chips, and sat down at the computer. With a bit of hesitation, he finally pulled up a file where he saved all the things he had of hers, of Drusilla.
Buffy glanced at the clock as she waited for the older man to finish picking just the right herbs for some love incantation he planned to do on his wife. She smiled and nodded when appropriate. Mr. Giles was waiting in back for her to finish up, so they could go through and do inventory.
Buffy still didn't know how she managed to get roped into it, but at this rate, she wouldn't be home until around midnight, possibly later. They had roped Tara into coming in as well, though she said she might not be there until 10, as she had a study group until around 9:30. Will hadn't answered the phone, much to Buffy's consternation.
The little troll of a man finally came to the register, a perpetual scowl on his face even as Buffy smiled at him while ringing up the items on the counter.
"That will be $18.56, sir." The man scowled as he slapped down a $20, and she quickly handed him his change. Without a word, he left.
Buffy followed him out the door, and taped up the closed early sign, and turned the lock before turning the flashing neon 'open' sign off. Another long night, she thought.