Chapter 10

They arrived in London and pulled up in front of a small house. Buffy got out of the car and looked around. Spike joined her a few seconds later and they both walked to the house. He opened the door and let her in first, closing the door once they were inside. "Mum, you here?" Spike said when an elderly woman then made her presence known.

"William, I'm so glad you're home." She said as she embraced her son and he hugged her in return. She turned her gaze on Buffy, who felt a little uncomfortable. Spike then introduced them.

"Mum, this is Buffy. She's the girl I was telling you about." The woman smiled at Buffy and she was starting to feel a little better.

"She is just lovely, William. Would you like some tea, dear?" Buffy nodded and graced her with a smile also.

"Yes, please." She said and Spike was glad that they seemed to be getting along. They walked into the kitchen and his mother placed a cup in Buffy's hands.

"It's nice and warm." She told her.

"Thanks," Buffy replied as she took a sip of the hot drink.

"You may call me, Anne. I can tell that you're someone very special to William. He talks about you so fondly." Anne said and Buffy looked a little shy as she gazed at Spike. He only gave her a smile. "You two are welcome to stay here for as long as you need." She told them as she let out a cough that didn't sound so good. Spike went to her side.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked with concern in his voice and Anne gave his hand a squeeze.

"I'll be alright. I'm probably just coming down with a cold. You know how I can get around this time of year. Nothing to worry about." She said and Spike wasn't convinced, but he let it go. "It's just great to have my little pumpkin home." Spike's face turned bright red at that.

"Mum, not in front of Buffy." He grumbled and Buffy smiled as Anne laughed.

"He always hates when I call him that." She said to Buffy, who kept the smile on her face.

"I think it's cute." Buffy replied and Spike blushed even harder. Buffy found it absolutely adorable when he did that.

Buffy and Spike were alone in his room later that night. They were both lying in bed and kissing. Spike's hand moved lower and Buffy then pulled away to breathe. "Spike, we can't go any further tonight." She told him.

"Why not?" He said with a pout and Buffy had to stop thinking about what she wanted to do with that lip.

"Your mother is a few doors down." Spike only shrugged and let a smile form on his lips.

"We can be very quiet. She wouldn't even know." Buffy sighed and pushed away from him.

"I would know. I would feel weird having sex in your mother's house. Just like I would have felt weird having sex in a tiny airplane bathroom. I'm not that kind of girl, Spike. Is that all you think about?" Spike ran his fingers through his tousled hair.

"I'm sorry, baby. That's not all I think about. I would love you even if we never had sex. You're not thinking about that, are you?" Buffy slapped him playfully on his arm.

"Hey, I never said I was a nun or anything. Just because I don't like to do it certain places, doesn't mean it's never going to happen. I would just prefer it if we were alone. I mean really alone and not in your mother's house. You are her little pumpkin after all." Buffy said with a smirk as Spike groaned and buried his head in his pillow.

"I knew you wouldn't have let it go that easily. My mother has ruined me." He mumbled and Buffy placed a kiss on the top of his head.

"I still think it's cute. My mom used to call me her little pumpkin belly. Imagine how that felt." Spike then looked up at her.

"You miss them, don't you?" Buffy looked away from his gaze and shrugged.

"Maybe a little. I was finally starting to get along with Dawn. She'll be going to high school soon and would probably need my help. I guess I miss my parents. My mom anyway, she wasn't as bad as my dad. I just hope they understand why I had to leave." Spike nodded as he caressed her cheek.

"I'm sure they will, love. I'll take you back to see them one day. I would never keep you away from your family." Buffy gave him a small smile.

"I know you wouldn't. I really am glad I came here, Spike." He moved closer and placed a kiss on her lips.

"I'm glad you're here, too. We should probably get some sleep now. Mum will have us up early for breakfast." Buffy nodded as she lay back on the bed and Spike did the same, wrapping his arms around her in the process. She rested her head on his chest and they both soon drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Buffy woke up the next morning and noticed that Spike was still asleep. She didn't have the heart to wake him, so she got off of the bed very carefully and walked out of the room. She headed to the kitchen to see Anne having what she figured was another cup of tea. Anne smiled at her when she walked in. "Good morning, Buffy. How did you sleep?" She asked as she poured Buffy a cup and set it down on the table. Buffy smiled also and sat down across from her.

"Very well, thank you." She replied as she picked up the cup of tea and took a sip.

"I don't suppose my son would be up yet. He tends to sleep like the dead sometimes." Buffy laughed as she put the cup down.

"That he does. It was really nice of you to let me stay here." Anne grasped Buffy's hand in hers.

"Think nothing of it, child. You being here means a lot to William. I don't think I have seen him smile this much in a long time. You are very good for him." Buffy felt her cheeks get red at the gratitude Anne was giving her.

"I really do love him." She said as an even bigger smile graced Anne's features.

"I can tell that you do. You are much better than his last girlfriend. That Cecily Underwood, she was never good enough for my William. She broke his poor heart." Anne said with a pained expression and Buffy wondered why Spike never mentioned that.

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking." Buffy told her and Anne shook her head.

"William has always been such a sensitive boy. He used to write poetry constantly and he always loved to read them to me. Most of the poems were about Cecily, but she never appreciated them. She talked him out of writing and convinced him to change if she was going to be with him. I still have an urge to throttle that woman if I ever saw her again. He changed and did anything she said basically, but it still wasn't enough. I don't know much about what happened. I only know that William came home one night heartbroken because he found Cecily with another man. After everything he did for her. He locked himself in his room for days after that. I was so worried about him. He pulled through and decided to move on, he wouldn't let her destroy him. I never saw him serious about anyone else again, until you came into his life. I want to thank you for what you've done for my son. He seems like his old self again." Buffy started to feel tears in her eyes at what Anne was saying. She couldn't believe that anyone could treat Spike like that. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. She knew that she would never break his heart. He was hers now and that's how it was always going to be.