A/N : Wow, it's been a week and a half since this fic got updated. I guess that's not too bad since I am writing four fics at once. Here's hoping you lovely readers are still reading despite the slower updates. Thanx muchly to; Moonjava, Daniel Wesley Rydell, Ape18, wicked-angel-413, XspikeXbuffyX, boeketjebloemen, Brunettepet, EMBER91, demonica mills, axlgroupie91, Spikez-babe91, littlewiccan, funkydevil206, spuffygurl11, Moluvsnumber17, Freezyboncoolipants, and Baby Girl Geller-Green for the reviews on the previous chapter. You guys make me smile.
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 8 - The Road-Trip
As he stood before his uncle, William felt decidedly like the accused on trial, though he'd done nothing at all to feel guilty about. He didn't intend to do anything so very awful on this trip with Buffy they had planned. Just go to see Dru and then on to London where the blonde told him she would 'introduce him to the other side' or at least the British version of her world. They'd left off that last part of course, only mentioning Drusilla and sight-seeing for Buffy.
Now a couple of hours after their plans had been made, they stood in Giles' home-office awaiting his approval.
"Well you're both adults, albeit young ones, but still" he said removing his glasses and polishing them furiously, "I have no problem at all with you going together to see Drusilla, but this trip to London afterwards..."
"It's perfectly safe Giles, I assure you" William interrupted him as Buffy stood patiently at his side, checking her nails for lack of something better to do, "Your car will come back in one piece and neither Buffy nor myself should come to any harm. I know my way around as well as anyone could" Will assured his Uncle, desperate to have his permission to take this trip with his new friend.
"Indeed, I have complete trust in you, William" Giles told the boy as he replaced his glasses on his nose "I just..." he glanced at Buffy and then back, "well, I'm not certain you've thought about this"
"Translation, you trust Will, but you don't trust me" Buffy said looking increasingly pissed off about it. Giles didn't like the dangerous look in her eyes and tried to placate her.
"Now really Buffy that's not it at all" he tried to tell her, but she interrupted.
"Sure it is" she waved an arm emphatically, "He told me he made the same trip last Summer. You're only all wiggy about this because he'll be gone a little longer and because he wants to take me with him" she said, knowing it was true, "You think I'm gonna murder him half way down the highway, Giles?" she asked him with a look, hands on her hips.
"Buffy don't be so ridiculous" he said agitatedly, knowing what she said was actually at least half true, "I merely wish to keep you both safe. Your Aunt and Uncle have entrusted me with your safety and I will not have it jeopardised"
Buffy looked daggers at him as he made her feel so young and stupid.
"Y'know I was actually starting to feel like..." she started, before realising William and Giles were both staring at her and the defensive walls flew back up, "Doesn't matter, I don't feel it anymore" she huffed, turning and storming out of the room. The door slammed behind her loud enough to wake the dead and the two men winced as it did so.
"Oh heavens" the older man sighed, sitting down on the edge of his desk, removing his glasses once again and rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"Giles, reconsider, please" William pleaded with him, "I know Buffy comes across as, well, a bitch I suppose" he said uneasily "but she's not so violent or even as unpredictable as she seems"
"It is not her I worry about so much, William" Giles told him, though his eyes remained mostly on the floor, "it is you in her company that concerns me"
He'd never had to worry about bad influences on his nephew before. His father barely spent any time with him and he came in to contact with few other people that would get him into any kind of trouble, until now of course.
"If this is about yesterdays...episode" said William, "then I apologise if we shocked you. We were having fun Giles, it's what young people are supposed to do" he realised.
Yesterdays event may have been different to his usual behaviour, but for the most part he had enjoyed himself, and come to realise that this was what he'd been missing in his life, Buffy was the missing piece.
"I'm fighting a losing battle aren't I?" Giles sighed, knowing that the only way William was going to grow up into a decent sort of man was to be allowed to be an adult and make his own decisions - even if he made a few wrongs ones along the way.
"I do believe you might be, yes" William smirked, something that was slightly unusual in itself. He turned and headed for the door but paused and turned back to his Uncle.
"You know we didn't have to ask permission" he pointed out, gaining Giles attention, "I'm nineteen years old after all, I could've just taken off in one of your cars, consequences be damned, but I didn't...Does that not bring you some comfort?"
"I suppose so" his Uncle smiled, but called after his nephew as he made to leave, "I want to know what's going on. You must call me at regular intervals, and if either one of you gets yourself in any kind of trouble..."
"We won't Giles" William called back to him, "You have my word"
As William put his bag into the back seat of the car he couldn't stop smiling. It was two days ago that he and Buffy shared a very odd yet life-changing conversation. She was an incredible young woman and like no-one else he'd ever met. Her aim in life at first glance seemed to be to go through the world wreaking havoc wherever she could, but on closer inspection William had found she was actually a very deep and insecure person who just wanted a friend, and someone who cared.
The day of 'the conversation' had led to Buffy's promise to show her new friend the way things really were in the world. She was certain he could be this amazing person and though he was less convinced of that, he didn't mind experiencing something a little different, especially if it pleased Buffy.
"Woah" her voice outside the car startled him, almost making him bump his head "and here was me thinkin' Giles was all straight-laced and boring, and the guy owns a Viper" she grinned, taking in the sight of the beautiful silver-coloured car. William pulled his head out of the back to look at her and found himself completely at a loss for words.
Clearly the small amount of effort she'd made to cover her skin before had been for Giles' benefit. The skirt she wore now barely earned it's title and Will was fairly sure he'd seen belts that covered more. In contrast her high-heeled boots were almost to her knees, whilst her halter neck top adequately covered her chest but left her back open to view.
"Er, yes" he coughed a little, trying to keep his eyes on her face, "I thought this would be a little more your style so to speak" he gestured to the car as she strutted over, pulling her sunglasses from on top of her head and putting them where they belonged on her face.
"It rocks" she said of the car as he opened the door for her, causing her to stifle a giggle, "and anyway I thought my style was gonna be your style by the time we got back" she said as she climbed into the car, apparently not worried by the fact she showed her underwear when she did so, or the fact that it took William several moments to get over the incident.
"Perhaps" he said eventually as he moved round to get to he drivers seat, "Although I think I'd look awful in that outfit" he smirked, eyes glittering with fun as he pulled on his seatbelt and waited for her to do the same.
"Sarcasm, huh?" Buffy grinned, "That's a start" she commented as she threw her small bag into the back, "So, what are we waiting for?"
"Nothing at all" William realised, turning the key in the ignition and making the radio blare loudly with something distinctly punkish.
"What is this?" Buffy seemed highly amused as she adjusted the dial slightly so they could hear themselves think.
"Er" William listened for a moment before answering, "I do believe it's the Sex Pistols"
Buffy let out a hearty laugh at that one.
"Giles listens to the Sex Pistols in his Viper?" she chuckled, "Okay, did I just enter Bizarro World?"
"If you did I think I must've joined you" William told her, unable to stop from laughing himself as he drove out of the garage.
"Y'know this is actually pretty good" Buffy decided a she got into the rhythm of the music and William smiled at her enthusiasm for it.
"Yes, it's not bad at all is it" he grinned as they swung around the side of the house and sped down the driveway.
"I do believe I may be insane" Giles sighed as he stood in the front doorway of his house and watched his nephew and God-daughter go tearing off in one of his most expensive cars, the music blasting so loud he was positive their ears must be bleeding.
"Will and the Buffster headed off for London, huh?" Xander commented as he finished up washing the ground floor windows.
Giles nodded bsently as he watched the tail lights of the car disappear.
"I know it's ridiculous and William is a sensible lad, but that girl..." he sighed.
"For what it's worth, sir" Xander began carefully, not wanting to cause offence, "and I know it's none of my business but...those two have spent a lot of time together and every time you see them they're laughing and getting along. I think maybe given a shot she can be an okay person" he told his boss, always willing to give everyone a chance, much like his sister would.
"I do hope you're right, Xander" said Giles as he went back inside the house, "truly I do"
"This is so wild" Buffy laughed as she pulled the rest of Giles CDs out from the glove compartment, "AC/DC, The Ramones...who knew Giles liked this stuff"
"I certainly didn't" William admitted, "but I must say I can see the appeal" he went on to say. Buffy gave him a look of disbelief.
"Perhaps it is a little loud but I think it would be a good way of escaping, driving a little too fast with his kind of music playing"
"You don't know the half of it" Buffy grinned, hitting a button that slid the sun roof back.
"Er, Buffy" William said nervously as she undid her seatbelt, "What exactly are you doing?"
"Having a good time" she told him with a grin as she stood herself up.
With the top half of her body outside the car, the fresh air blowing her hair back and her arms waving wildly, Buffy had never felt so alive. William sat inside the car, trying not to be petrified for both their lives, since she was hardly in a safe position right now and the view he had when he glanced to hisleft was in danger of taking too much of his attention off the road and causing them to crash.
After a minute or so, Will decided enough was enough. They were nearing the institution and he didn't fancy the staff thinking his passenger was on the 'to be admitted' list. Just as he opened his mouth to tell Buffy to get back inside she did so anyway, coughing strangely.
"You alright, pet?" he checked as she swallowed hard and reached into the back to get her bottle of water from her bag.
"I think I ate a bug" she told him with some distaste as she gulped down more water.
It was all William could do not to laugh hysterically and he had to bite his lip to prevent it.
"William Rayne, tell me you're not laughing at someone else's misfortune" she said in a distinctly Giles tone, "Whatever would your Uncle think of you?" she smiled.
"Doesn't matter, does it?" he shrugged, "He's not here, and aren't you supposed to be teaching me how to live on your wild side of the tracks?" he reminded her, glancing across to see her smile dangerously.
"Believe me, it's only gonna get better, baby" she winked, sipping her water as both she and William turned their eyes back to the road ahead. A short distance away, a large building loomed and the atmosphere in the car turned serious as Will shut off the radio.
"It's bigger than I thought" Buffy commented as she stared at the building they were approaching, "And y'know that's not a phrase I use a lot" she smirked, in the hopes of lightening the mood, actually just causing William to blush at the implications of her innuendo.
"You sure you want to do this, pet?" he asked a moment later, "I mean, Dru can be...unpredictable" he said as he pulled the car into a space outside the institution.
"In case you hadn't noticed" she told him, "I do okay at unpredictable myself"
"This is different" he told her firmly. Jokes were all well and good but this was serious, this was his sister and her sometimes-frightening mental state. Underneath it all William was sure Buffy was a decent and compassionate girl but this was a big deal and the last thing he wanted was to upset either her or poor Drusilla.
"Will, I said I wanted to meet your sister, and I do" she said, looking over him, the hand she put on his arm felt as if it burnt but he couldn't move, "I promise to behave in there, okay? And whatever she does, even if I get seriously freaked, I won't show it"
"Thankyou Buffy" he said more sincerely than he'd ever said anything, as he put his hand on hers and squeezed it gently.
"So let's get going already" she said, uncomfortable with all the serious looks and declarations by now. They both climbed out of the Viper and Will checked three times it was locked and alarmed correctly before they went inside.
To Be Continued...