Chapter 32

Buffy stifled a yawn as she turned down the slip road which lead from the motorway and navigated her way off the roundabout. She checked her directions once more and smiled as she saw that there was a left-hand turning just up ahead, right where she expected it to be.

Spike hadn't been joking when he'd said that it would be a long journey and, with winter drawing in fast, it was fully dark now - something that Buffy quickly came to appreciate as she turned the corner off the main road.

The darkness seemed to swallow her as she drove down the winding country lane into the night. Hers was the only car on the road and she quickly flipped her headlights up to full beam in an effort to see where the lane was going. Despite the complete darkness, the road was actually in very good condition and relatively wide, at least in comparison to some of the country roads she'd driven down in the last few years. She chuckled to herself as she remembered asking Xander once why they built the walls quite so close to the roads in England. Xander had just laughed and told her that the walls had been there first.

The road widened still further and straightened out, the hedgerows at each side dropping away so that the only border between the road and the fields at either side was a low grass hummock. Buffy peered ahead and was suddenly struck by her surroundings. The darkness was total, the only light coming from her headlights, and they merely lit the road in front of her. The empty fields seemed to merge into the darkness giving Buffy the eerie feeling that she was driving on an isolated ribbon of tarmac as it twisted its way through the void. She suddenly realised that if there were a hundred foot drop at either side of the road right now it would look no different. She shivered and turned up the radio, hoping that she found her way to the house sooner rather than later.

The road started to rise and a slight glow appeared on the horizon, making Buffy hope that she may have finally reached her destination. She sat up a little in her seat and shook her head to clear it. If this were the village she was looking for, she would have to concentrate on something other than making sure she stayed on the road and didn't hit anything.

She gasped as she crested the rise and saw the little village laid out in the valley below her.

The centre of the village was marked with a medieval church, lit up against the night sky with the aid of more modern floodlights. It had the air of a beacon showing the residents the way home to this isolated village miles from anywhere. She slowly started her descent, the road winding downwards and taking a right twist into the village proper.

It looked just like a picture book with its narrow streets and old-fashioned houses and shops. Buffy laughed as she caught sight of an Indian take-away on one side of the road, its modern fronting incongruous with the surrounding Tudor-style buildings and old brick.

She ran Spike's directions over in her mind once more as she drove through the village, keeping an eye out for the large cream house set just off the main road. She smiled as she caught sight of it and indicated right to pull into the driveway.

Her tyres crunched loudly as she drove up the gravel drive and parked her car in one of the many available spaces that ran along the side of the house. She climbed out and stretched before looking inquisitively at the building in front of her.

It was definitely large, Buffy hadn't seen much of the village but she imagined that it was probably one of the largest houses here, especially set as it was in such extensive grounds. And it was old; she wasn't sure how old, but 'old' was certainly an adjective that could well be used to describe this house. The house had an air of an aged and well-loved blanket – a little frayed round the edges, but in surprisingly good condition and obviously well cared for.

She was draw from her musings when she saw the light at the side door turn on and the door open to reveal Spike, hair mussed and curly, making a change from his usual, slicked-back style.

"You made it then, pet?" he called, leaning nonchalantly against the doorpost and taking a sip from the mug which he held in his hands.

"You had any doubts?" she asked with a smile as she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and walked towards him.

"With your sense of direction? Would I be risking a beating if I said 'yes'?" he smirked and quickly stepped back as she took a playful jab at him. He set his mug down on a nearby window ledge and stepped up to her, backing her up against the doorpost. "Hello," he whispered, his breath visible in the cold of the evening. He took in her diminutive frame and felt his breath quicken as the heat from her body radiated out towards him. He slowly leaned in closer, eyes closing as he bent to kiss her.

"William?" a woman's voice called from inside the house, breaking the moment entirely. "Was that Buffy arriving? I thought I heard a car..."

Spike sighed and moved away from Buffy, who he could see was trying to hold back a laugh. "What?" he asked, scowling slightly.

"N-nothing," she giggled. "Oh, well, it's just that I've never heard anyone call you William before," she admitted, eyes sparkling at him.

"Well, get used to it – you'll have to this weekend. Come on then, s'pose I'd better introduce you."

He led her inside into the warmth of the house and down a short dim corridor, which opened out into a bright, farmhouse kitchen.

A dark-haired woman stood in the middle of the room and she smiled as Buffy entered. Spike moved towards the sink at the far side of the kitchen and busied himself washing up the now empty mug.

"Well, hello," the woman said. "I guess you must be Buffy. Glad to finally meet you – William's told us so much about you and Rupert and I have been on at him for so long to bring you down here, but he always has some excuse. You'd think he didn't want us to meet his girlfriend..." she shook her head and Buffy flashed Spike a questioning look.

Spike quickly shook his head and indicated that he would explain later and that she should just go along with it. Buffy held back a scowl, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. She turned back to his mother and smiled.

"And it's nice to finally meet you, Mrs Giles," she said, deciding that she might as well make an effort to get along with Spike's parents, never mind whether or not they thought she was his girlfriend.

"Oh, what am I thinking! Please, call me Jenny. We don't stand on ceremony round here, you know. Rupert's around here somewhere. I'm sure he'll pop up sooner or later," she shook her head and laughed contagiously and Buffy found herself smiling along.

"Well, mum. I really think I should show Buffy where to put her stuff and then I thought we'd go round to the pub for a bit." Spike said, deftly manoeuvring Buffy away from his mother towards a door opposite the one through which they had come.

"Oh, okay then. See you later, Buffy."

"Sorry about mum, she can be a bit overpowering if you let her ramble on," Spike explained as they climbed the main stairs to the upper level of the house.

"She seemed nice enough to me," Buffy shrugged as Spike opened one of many doors along the top corridor.

"This is us," he said, throwing her bag down on the king-sized bed. Buffy followed him into the room and looked around. It had very obviously once been Spike's bedroom when he'd lived at home and a few posters of the punk bands he was fond of had survived what looked like recent renovation works by his parents. The room was definitely in flux, the freshly painted walls and floral curtains contrasting strangely with the probably newly re-hung posters. She raised an eyebrow as he turned to face her, then what he had said filtered through into her consciousness and she frowned.

"Our room?" she questioned.

"Yes, our room. As in you and me," he said, slowly and slightly patronisingly. She let the latter slip as realisation dawned.

"So that's why you told you mom we were going out? Naughty boy, lying to your parents," she said, wagging a finger at him.

He caught it and pulled her flush against his body, capturing her hazel gaze with his intense cerulean stare. "Didn't lie," he growled. "They assumed, I just didn't enlighten them," he smirked. "And the perks are definitely worth it," he breathed as he pulled her in for a kiss.