A/N : Woah, seems this fic is popular, and I'm really glad about that since I have huge plans for it and I really want to write it right now...there could be another chapter v. soon actually, in which case I may break my general updating order a little and post the third chapter of this next, we'll see what happens. Thanx so much to the reviewers of the first chapter;Moonjava, Daniel Wesley Rydell, demonica mills, sPIKEaNDmE, spikegothicchick, LiLi, Michelle, Dark Avenger, Lindsay, BiWiccanPrincess, pltnmdancer, Brunettepet, Moluvsnumber17, Freezyboncoolipants, Buffy Summmers, Ember, lil-leti, and WannaPlayKevinBacon . You have given me so much more confidence in this story. I hope you continue to like this fic and that it does not disappoint as it goes on. As I'm sure will become evident as we go along, William is looking kinda like he did in the BtVS and AtS flashbacks to 1880, etc. but later he might just turn into Spike...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 2 - The Girl

"Oh Willow, my dear, thankyou so much" Giles smiled to the young girl as she waited inside the front door to help him with his coat and umbrella. The black clouds that had threatened a downpour all morning were finally delivering and even getting from the car to the door had meant Rupert Giles ended up looking half-drowned.

"Your nephew, Mr Rayne, arrived shortly after Miss Summers" Willow informed him, "My mother was going to call you again but we thought it was best not to when you were concentrating on driving"

"Yes, yes, very sensible" he nodded as he headed for the stairs, "Erm, I shall change and then find him in his usual room I expect" he said as he went up and Willow went to continue with her chores around the house.

Giles made his way to his own bedroom and changed from one plain and smart suit into another that was seemingly identical. His wardrobe was as varied as his life and that meant very little, but he was a fan of regularity and order, and had no wish to change any time soon.

Minutes later he was strolling down the corridor to find his nephew who he was pleased to say was very like him The boy was nothing like his father, and for that the world should be eternally grateful. One Ethan Rayne was quite enough for anyone to deal with, and it was a definite blessing that William had been influenced more by his uncle than anyone else.

Giles tapped on the door to the room that was always his nephew's quarters, even when he was back at home. The boy was quick to answer with a bright smile on his face and a warm handshake for his favourite uncle.

"How are you, Uncle Giles?" he asked and the older man rolled his eyes.

"I am quite well William, but I am certain that the last time you were here we quite decided you should stop calling me uncle" Giles reminded him, "You are nineteen years old, a man in your own right now. You are quite qualified to call me simply Giles as everyone else does"

"I am sorry" William shook his head removing his glasses that he'd been wearing to read a book before, "I'm afraid I forgot"

"How is your sister?" Giles asked next and the look on his nephews face told him the answer was not as good as it might have been. Glossing over the subject, he put a hand breifly on the boys shoulder "Well, we shall have to catch up later William" he told him, "I am sorry to cut our conversation short but I think I should greet my other guest. You do remember I mentioned that my God-daughter Buffy was coming to stay, don't you?"

"Indeed" the younger man grinned in spite of himself, "I do believe I've already met her...tell me Giles, how long is it since you last saw the girl?"

"Oh, well" Giles removed his own spectacles and cleaned them thoughtfully on his handkerchief, "She was just a little girl when I left America, perhaps four or five, and then I received pictures from dear Joyce and Hank each year until they passed away, she was just nine then I believe, poor child"

William felt horribly bad for the girl when he was reminded of her past. Was it any wonder she was a little wild now, given all she'd been through? To lose both ones parents at such an age must have been almost unbearable for her. He could sympathise to a degree, he had no mother himself though in some ways he was better off. His Mum had died when he was just a year old and so he never really knew her. It was impossible to miss what you have never truly had and at least he still had a father, if Ethan could be called that.

"...have any idea where I might find her?"

William zoned back into the conversation, catching the end of his uncles question, which he guessed correctly was referring to Buffy.

"Oh, I saw her earlier, listening to some music and er, dancing in the corridor downstairs" he said trying not to smile at the strange expression on Giles face.

"Dancing in the corridors?" he echoed as he moved in the direction of the main staircase again, "I shall see you later William, when I have located Buffy" he called over his shoulder, before mumbling to himself, "Where on Earth could the girl be?"

"I want you to want me...I need you to need me...I love you to love me...and I'm begging you to beg me..." Buffy sang along to Letters To Cleo cover of I Want You To Want Me as she danced her way down another corridor, her eyes closed most of the time, completely ignoring the world around her, until she ploughed right into part of it. The door was slightly ajar and when she bumped into it she fell right into a room, only just managing to stay on her feet as she saw a surprised young man in front of her.

"Er, hi" he said nervously as his eyes travelled from her feet up to her face, stopping at a few choice areas on the way, "Can I have you? I mean, help you, can I help you?"

"Do I look like someone who needs help?" she snapped, clearly taking what he said completely the wrong way, as she turned off the Walkman for a while and left her headphones around her neck.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean..." the boy started to ramble before taking a breath and starting again, "I'm Xander Harris, I work here" he told her, "and you are?"

"Who do you want me to be?" she asked with a dangerous smile and Xander laughed nervously.

"Um, how about you just tell me your name before I take something you take the wrong way and end up with the heel of your boot somewhere painful" he said and it was Buffy's turn to laugh. She didn't do that often, unless she was drunk or someone she didn't like was in pain, or both of the above. Still, this guy amused her and he was honest and straight forward so far, she didn't feel like playing this time.

"Buffy Summers" she told him, "and you're that girl I met's brother, right?" she frowned thinking that Xander sounded familiar.

"If you mean Willow, then yeah, that'd be me" he nodded, "but if you're Buffy Summers, as in God-daughter to Giles, why are you down here? This is where us lower beings live, y'know like servant type people"

"To be honest I don't know where I am" she shrugged, "Kinda slave to the rhythm, know what I mean" she gestured towards her Walkman but Xander shook his head.

"Not so much a rhythm slave" he told her, "but hey, I could help you find your way back to the land of the rich people. Giles should be home by now and he's probably looking for you"

"Guess I should make the effort" Buffy sighed, knowing she wouldn't ordinarily bother but then she spent enough time complaining that her Aunt and Uncle didn't pay her any attention, it made little sense to protest about a guy who actually wanted to spend time with her.

She walked with Xander back the way she'd come, up a couple of flights of stairs she'd almost forgotten she'd come down until they arrived back in the main foyer again.

"Now this looks familiar" Buffy nodded, "but how the hell do you keep track of everyone in this place. It's almost big enough to qualify as it's own city!" she pointed out, causing Xander to chuckle.

"You kinda get used to it" he assured her, "and I don't think Giles would've gone far..."

"Indeed" said a voice behind him, "in fact I am right here" the older man said as Xander turned around, and Buffy did the same, "Thankyou for finding my God-daughter for me, Xander"

"You're welcome, sir" the boy smiled, heading back down where he'd come from. Buffy watched him go before her attention returned to Giles and she managed half a smile. He looked almost exactly like the guy she'd met earlier, William, only clearly older and without the interesting scar or potential for hotness.

"Hey" she said uncertainly, wondering why he was looking at her like she had two heads. She looked down at herself, wandering what his deal was, but she found just her black boots, fishnet stockings and black skirt just as they should be.

"Hello, Buffy. I'm Mr Giles" he told her with a shake of his head to stop himself from staring, "You can call me Giles though, most people do"

"Okay, Giles" she nodded, "er, thanks for inviting me here, the house is cool" she tried to sound grateful without overdoing it but he was still staring at her in that weird way.

"I'm terribly sorry" he said suddenly, it seemed he'd just noticed he was doing it, "You just, well, you're a little to different to what I remember...but then it has been several years" he laughed slightly at how stupid he'd been to assume that between the ages of nine and seventeen the girl could not have changed all that much. He'd expected her to be taller and slightly more of a woman naturally, but he'd also assumed she'd be a similar type of person, with pretty pastel coloured clothes and neatly brushed hair. The harsh expression, black and red attire, and slightly wild hair was all quite a shock.

"I don't remember you at all" Buffy told him, perhaps a little too harshly, but she got the distinct impression he didn't like what he saw when he looked at her, and immediately went on the defensive.

"Well, you were very young when we last met" Giles conceded, as they still stood several feet apart in the foyer. It would be a little inappropriate for them to hug, and it seemed to formal to shake hands so instead they stood with the distance between them, eyeing each other warily.

"You've met my nephew, William, I hear" Giles tried desperately to make conversation, hoping things would get more comfortable any moment now. If they were to spend three months in the same house together, they had to find some common ground between them.

"Yeah, he seems...okay" came her reply, complete with a fairly uninterested shrug, "I er, I've been looking around, and I met Willow and Xander"

"Oh yes, we do have an American family living hear, Mrs Harris is my housekeeper" he smiled, "her husband unfortunately passed away and her family had already moved to the UK so she followed with the children. Willow is a year younger than you, I believe, and Xander a year or two older"

Buffy nodded along with what he was saying but she was fairly bored and kind of uncomfortable still. She figured it'd take a while for her, Giles, and William, to all get used to each other, if they ever did at all. There was only twelve weeks after all, and Buffy knew she wasn't the easiest person in the world to get along with - she made being difficult her art.

"Well, er, I do believe dinner will be ready in less than an hour, and I do have some business to attend to" Giles smiled, "I shall see you later then"

"Sure, whatever" Buffy shrugged, completely at ease with being left alone to her own devices. It'd been that way for the past eight years of her life - why would things change now, just because she was in England?

William stood in his room, looking out at the scenery beyond the window. Grey clouds had broken and rain was pouring down as it often did in this country. The view was hills, trees and fields, so far from building after building that dominated the view from the windows of his home in London. Cars, filth, and general bustle, were replaced by peace, serenity and calm for the duration of his Summer spent at Giles House.

Of course, it wouldn't do for things to be too quiet, not when Buffy Summers was around. William had the feeling the calm of the country would be of no use to the girl with the black knee high boots and angry-girl music. This he completely believed until a figure came into his view. Now without her shoes or her Walkman present, the girl he'd met just a couple of hours ago, thundered past the house at an alarming speed, yelling at the lightening filled sky to give her it's best shot.

"Is she completely crazy!" William asked himself as he watched her with astonished eyes. She stopped running directly under his window as she looked up and noticed him watching her. She smiled as she pushed her soaked hair off her face and blew him a kiss a dangerous twinkle in her eyes that he swore he could see even from that distance, before she ran off again.

"Crazy? Perhaps" William smiled as he strained his eyes to see her retreating figure disappear, "Extraordinary, intriguing, and someone I want to know better? Definitely"

To Be Continued...