A/N : I really have way too many ideas for fic in my head right now, and I am way too inspired to write. I have new ideas that I'm deterined not to write til I finish at least one more of my current WIPs but we'll see what happens. I really have to ask somebody about getting some extra hours put into my day cos I can't fit everything into the twenty-four currently provided! Anywho, big thanx to the reviewers, as always; Baby Girl Gellar-Green, Brunettepet, spikegothichick, spuffymonica, Spuffy2008, Moluvsumber17, Ember91, wicked-angel-413, plymn-dancer, Lifes-Slayer, Spikez-babe91, spuffygrl, Daniel Wesley Rydell, LuvzD, bella-lover, spuffygurl11, Inuyasha-xcgirl, souled-angel, and Casey . Here's the latest chapter which I hope you will like.
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 18 - The Games
"Father" Spike sneered, eyeing the man with distaste.
"Hello, son" Ethan Rayne grinned, almost evilly, "What, no hug for your old man?"
Buffy looked first at the strange, grinning man that held his arms wide like he really expected to be embraced by the younger man standing opposite, glaring daggers at him. She couldn't help but think William had never looked so worthy of a violent nick-name such as Spike as he did right now. She would be less surprised of course if she knew all that Ethan had put his children through.
Drusilla ending up in the institution was down to her father who never cared enough to look after her himself, instead preferring to drink away his money and his sanity. William had always wondered if he'd been a better man before his own dear mother died, but Giles assured him that Ethan Rayne was always wild and boisterous and far more interested in himself than anyone else. Though he had some kind of love for his wife, and even his children to begin with, on her death his life spiralled downwards and out of control.
William was happy enough to spend his time at school and then University, and at Giles House in the Summer and other holidays if he could. He saw little of dear old Dad and he liked it better that way, just as Ethan himself seemed to. The man in question hadn't been to the mansion in years and so the question that required answering was why was he here now.
"What are you doing here?" Spike asked coldly and Ethan looked him over, an amused expression forming on his face.
"Come to see my dear boy, of course" he explained, "He does look so much like me these days, doesn't he Giles?" he asked his brother in law, who did not look at all amused.
"Whatever have you done to yourself, William?" he snapped, moving from Ethan's side to his nephews instead.
"What I wanted to for a change" Spike snapped, not meaning to be so blunt with his uncle but so angry over what had happened with Buffy and now even more so because he was faced with the father he despised and who had treated him badly for so long.
"He's growing up fast, Rupert" Ethan said as he too came closer to his son, "We all have our rebellious stage you know. Late nights, loose women" the last comment was said as his eyes travelled up and down Buffy's body. She glared at him, opening her mouth to retaliate against the insult he'd thrown at her, but Spike literally stepped in before she got the chance.
"You leave her alone" he said menacingly, getting in his father's face.
Whilst a small part of him was screaming he was an idiot and he was about to get pummelled, the over-riding want to tell his father where to shove himself won out. He'd been waiting for this moment for years and suddenly he wasn't afraid anymore.
"Moderate your tone, son" Ethan advised, "Remember who you're talking too"
"Oh I remember" Spike assured him, "I remember the stupid sod that sent my sister to an institution because he couldn't be bothered to help her" he raved, "I remember the wanker that got so drunk he barely knew who I was half the time. I remember crying myself to sleep because my Mum was dead and my father didn't care and my sister didn't know what day of the week it was!" he yelled, not stopping even when tears came to his eyes and spilled out down his cheeks, "I remember you've done nothing worthwhile for the whole course of my life, and only make it more hellish than it was anyway, because you are an unfeeling, selfish bastard!" as he screamed his final insult, Ethan brought back his fist and hit him square across the jaw.
Spike reeled back but to his credit didn't fall.
"That is enough!" Giles shouted as the two men glared at each other still.
"Yeah, course it is Giles" Spike agreed, not actually turning away from his father yet, "I just got one more thing I have to say" he admitted, suddenly bringing back his arm and hitting Ethan with such force he fell back against the wall with a thump.
"Spike, don't!" Buffy called, as he advanced on his father and hit him again. The way he was going he could end up killing Ethan and that'd only make matters worse.
"William, stop, now!" Giles demanded as he came up behind him and dragged him off, "Do not rise to him, now calm down" he urged as he held his arms behind his back.
When he was certain he was calm, Giles let Spike go and he walked a few steps away before turning back to his father briefly.
"I don't know what you really came here for" he shrugged, "And to be honest I don't give a toss, but you come near me again and so help me God I won't be responsible for what I do" he threatened before storming off up the staircase.
Buffy and Giles shared a worried glance before the girl sprinted off after the bleached blond. Her God-father called after her to stop so he could talk to her, but she didn't, she just ran til she caught up with Spike on the landing.
"Hey" she said as she grabbed his arm, but he shrugged her off.
"Piss off, Buffy" he told her sharply, "Just bloody well leave me alone, alright!" he yelled as he continued to stride away. Buffy watched him go, almost growling with frustration. She could hardly believe what had just happened, but she was immensely proud of Spike and planned on telling him so as soon as he would listen. She had no doubt it took a great deal of strength for him to stand up to his father that way. He had told her of various occasions when Ethan had hurt him, mostly emotionally, occasionally physically, but he always clammed up fast and changed the subject at those times.
Buffy was still standing in the same place on the landing, leaning back on the bannister rail when Giles found her.
"Where is William, my dear?" he asked tiredly as he removed his glasses and polished them.
"I don't know" Buffy shrugged, "I was going to follow him but, he kinda wants to be alone right now"
"I see, yes" Giles nodded, "Understandable I suppose, though I have got rid of Ethan, and I doubt very much he'll be returning"
"Why was he really here?" the blonde asked him curiously and her God-father seemed to consider the situation before deciding to answer her honestly.
"For money" he admitted, "Ethan Rayne has a less than charming habit of drinking and gambling all of his own funds and then coming to me for more. Usually I give in and let him have what he needs, since I know it would be William that suffered if I did not" he sighed, "When he turned up today I was about to do the same thing when the two of you came through the door and... well, you're all too aware of what happened next"
"I know he treated him badly when he was a kid" she told Giles, "Spike's told me..."
"Spike?" Giles echoed with a frown and Buffy realised that he didn't know about the new name she'd given William.
"Goes better with the image" she shrugged, "Which I'll bet you don't like either" she rolled her eyes, suddenly remembering how old and sensible Giles was.
"It's certainly... different" he admitted, thinking of the black leather and bleached blond look his nephew had adopted, "But his appearance is not my concern at the moment" he shook his head, "I'm much more worried about that outburst downstairs. Whilst I'll admit Ethan deserved everything William said to him, it is very unlike him to speak so"
"He's changed" Buffy said thoughtfully as she looked down the corridor in the direction Spike had gone, "I think maybe we both have" she frowned a little as she realised how true it was.
They'd been gone from the house just a week and yet two different people had come into Giles House than had left it those few days ago. Spike looked the most changed of course but Buffy felt different, to such a degree it scared her half to death.
Buffy hadn't really heard what Giles said to her before he turned and walked away. Her head snapped round and she called behind him when she realised he was leaving. He turned back at the sound of her voice and stared at her confusedly when she said no more for several moments.
"I wondered... I wanted to ask..." Buffy stumbled over what she mean to say before finally saying it, "Have you ever been in love?" she asked, feeling stupid and wishing she hadn't said anything at all almost as soon as the words left her lips.
"Only once" Giles told her with a half-smile that was almost dreamy as he remembered the lady in question.
"How did you know?" was Buffy's other question that she felt she might as well ask since she'd already let out the first one.
"I don't know really" the man admitted with a slight shake of his head, "I think perhaps it was just the little things" he said after a while, "Silly things that they write songs about, my heart speeding up when she walked into the room, and electric currents when our fingers touched, feeling so happy when she laughed and devastated when she cried... Why do you ask?" he frowned slightly as he seemed to zoned back in from some fairytale world from his memory banks.
"No reason really" Buffy lied as she turned away and walked towards her room. He'd given her something to think about that was for sure.
Another night of little sleep, Buffy thought as she checked the clock and realised it was already ten in the morning. She'd have missed breakfast but that didn't matter, she wasn't hungry. There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach and she knew already what it was.
Spike wasn't happy, last night he'd been so angry and upset and when he wouldn't talk to her about it, that was when the lead weight had taken up resident in her gut. It wasn't going to move, not until she'd found him and made him talk to her, made him feel better, she realised as she got up and got dressed. Subsconsciously she was dressing for him, she knew it only when she glanced in the mirror and saw what she'd put on, a skirt that reached her knees and a top that covered both her back and chest as well as her shoulders. Pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail and abandoning her make-up because she simply couldn't be bothered, Buffy ventured out of her room and faced the row of doors along the landing. Spike could be anywhere on this floor or any other, she could spend all day looking for him and still not find him.
"Eeny, meeny, miney, mo" she muttered as she began walking down the corridor, trying to remember what some of the doors had behind them and peering around the edge of a few others. As she stepped back from looking into one particular room she bumped straight into Xander who shrieked like a girl from the shock.
"Oh, hey Buffy, welcome back to Giles House" he smiled when realised it was her, "How was London, you like the sites of the fair city?"
"Er, yeah, I guess" she said, not really caring about the vacation nevermind the answer she gave, "Do you know where Spike is... I mean William" she corrected herself when she realised she'd done it again, used that name no-one knew him by.
"Oh you mean Mr I-Went-To-London-As-A-Geek-And-Came-Back-A-Bad-Ass Guy?" Xander smirked and for a brief second Buffy considered knocking that look of his face.
"I think he looks hot" she admitted, immediately wishing she hadn't, but so often her mouth ran off without her, she just didn't think.
"Whatever" Xander shrugged, not loving the blonde's hostile glare right now, "Er, William is shooting some pool I think, three doors down on the right" he gestured, not getting so much as a thanks as Buffy pushed past him and disappeared down the corridor.
When she reached the door she knew Spike was behind, Buffy suddenly felt ridiculously nervous. Telling herself she was being an idiot she took a deep breath and let herself in, but stopped abruptly just inside the door.
"Oh, it's you" Spike sighed, leaning over the table to make his next shot, "What can I do for you, pet?" he asked as she stood back up again and watched the ball drop into the pocket.
"I wanted to talk to you" Buffy shrugged, taking in his appearance. He still wore black but the jeans and T-shirt were gone, replaced by smart pants and a buttoned shirt, he still looked gorgeous.
"Yeah, well, no offence, luv" Spike told her, "but I'm really not in the talking mood"
He tore his eyes away from her in order to pot another ball, but he was a little stunned by her appearance. Gone were the revealing almost slutty clothes she seemed to like so much, and in their place almost lady-like apparel that at least bothered to cover those areas that ought to be covered in his opinion. Without her make-up her natural beauty shone through and with her hair back off her face she was pretty as a picture, he thought, though right now he didn't feel like telling her. He was still hurt by how she'd treated him, and angry about his father. He wanted to be left alone, truth be told, but it seemed like Buffy wasn't going anywhere as she walked around the table in the opposite direction to that in which he was going. She watched as he made a couple more shots before speaking again.
"This isn't pool" she thought aloud.
"Did I say it was?" he asked with a raised eye brow before potting another red ball. A couple more red ones still remained, and a multitude of other colours. Off Buffy's confused look Spike sighed.
"'S called snooker, luv" he told her, "British game, centuries old. Has it similarities to pool but it's a whole different thing"
"You always play it alone?" she checked, thinking it was unlikely and that it was probably a two person kind of a thing.
"No, it's a two player game" he smirked, thinking he already knew where she was going with this, "Don't tell me, you want a go, right?" he asked with a slightly amused expression.
"That okay with you?" she checked, smiling back at him, glad of any glimmer of a grin she could get out if him right now. He sighed as he put down his cue and replaced all the balls where they needed to be.
"Right then" he said when he was happy the table was set-up correctly, "Lesson the first..."
It was a couple of hours later when Buffy really started to get the hang of snooker. She was pretty good at pool back home and the point was very similar, get the balls in the pockets. Though she was good, she wasn't really good enough and Spike was beating her fairly easily, despite the fact he was helping her quite a lot.
"No, luv" he said as she tried to line up her next shot, "You're never gonna get it at that angle" he told her with a shake of his head, "Here" he said, coming up behind her and putting her into the right position for the shot. They were ridiculously close and it didn't occur to them just how close until she took her shot, potted the ball, and turned around grinning at her accomplishment. There were mere millimetres between their bodies and their lips and Buffy so wished Spike would kiss her. A voice in her head, not unlike Faith, screamed at her to just do it herself, kiss him, touch him, make it happen, but she couldn't do it. For the first time in her life, Buffy didn't feel like adopting her usual policy of want, take, have that her cousin had drummed into her. She wanted Spike to want her, wanted him to kiss her and love her like he had back in the hotel in London two days ago when she'd been such a scared little fool and rejected him. Now it looked as if it was too late.
"I... I think I'm going to go and see about some lunch" Spike said awkwardly, turning away from Buffy and heading for the door. Though she called after him, he didn't turn back and she cursed herself for everything going so wrong. It was, after all, mostly her own fault.
To Be Continued...