Chapter Sixteen
Author's note: This piece is up later than I thought it would be, I apologize. I'm back at school for my last semester (yah!) and I feel things could get crazy so please stick with the story if I don't update as often as I have been the past few weeks.
With that being said, I want to thank Brianna, BlondePunkyOne and Kristine for the kind words you left about this piece. I also want to thank Luv for the email. Thank you for your thoughtfulness (and I still can't wait to read, "This I Promise You!" When is it coming out?). I am so thrilled that people are still sticking with this story. I'm trying to make it interesting and unpredictable, which means I can't say who Buffy ends up marrying (sorry!). Thoughts, suggestions and any feed back is always welcomed! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! LA
"Where are you taking William today?" Joyce asked her daughter as she turned the coffee maker on. She had been awake for a little while and was going to start preparing breakfast for the household.
Buffy had literally just got out of bed before she entered the kitchen. She loathed sharing a bed with Dawn because she moved around a lot while she was asleep and she hogged the covers, which kept Buffy awake. She chose to get out of bed and get some orange juice. It was relatively early so she didn't expect to see anyone awake. "I don't know," she snapped as she put the juice container back into the refrigerator. "I guess where ever he wants to go." She continued as she walked out of the kitchen and into the family room and laid down on the couch.
Joyce smiled softly as her daughter left the room. She knew Buffy was not a morning person and didn't know why she attempted conversation with her so early. Between being awake and sharing her room with Dawn, she knew Buffy wouldn't be a happy camper.
Twenty-minute later Buffy returned to the kitchen. She acted as if she was a completely different person. She was in a much better mood and smiled at her mother. "Mmmmmmmm...smells waffly."
"I'm making Belgium waffles. I have to let the batter rise for a little while."
"They smell good all ready." Buffy complimented her mother. She then changed the topic. "I think I may ask William if he would like to go to the coast today. I figured the beach is really pretty. Maybe we could go swimming. It's supposed to be a beautiful day today; I don't really want to spend it in doors. I think I am going to wait to talk to him before I set anything in stone. Maybe he would like to do something else instead."
"I think that is a great idea honey, the weather is supposed to be beautiful," Joyce paused for a brief moment. She thought she was about to make Buffy mad. "Buffy would you mind taking Dawn with you? I think that she'd-"
Buffy cut off her mother and chimed in. "Sure, I don't mind taking Dawnie. After all, she really seems to like William a lot and remembers him from her visits to England. I think it would be a great idea of she came with us." Normally Buffy didn't like to take her sister anywhere with her but she didn't want to be alone with William. Even though he had apologized for the run-in at Sam Goody, she still didn't like the idea of being alone with a stranger.
Joyce was both surprised and speechless. Buffy was never so excited to watch Dawn. She had expected an argument from Buffy. She didn't expect so much cooperation. Joyce smiled as she thought that Buffy was finally appreciating Dawn.
"The beach was really lovely," William said as Buffy drove home. The three spent the entire day on the warm sands, soaking up the suns rays and galloping around in the water.
"It was a great beach day," Buffy began to explain. "The sun was bright and it was warm, you don't need much more for a good beach day."
"I know. William, aren't you glad that I talked you into putting on sunscreen?" Dawn asked. William was going to spend the day on the beach without any protection from the sun. Dawn had lectured him about skin cancer and how wearing sunscreen cuts a person's risks. Of course William knew all about it, he just wanted to humor the young girl and be polite. "You're so pale; you would have burnt to a crisp, fried up in the sun."
"Your right Dawn," William began to say as he turned around in his seat to face Dawn. "Thanks for the advice. You know, you are a smart lil bit. I bet you give big sis advice." William smiled.
"You really think I'm smart?" Dawn asked him.
"Oh yea, you are brilliant." William nodded. "You are very bright, I just know it."
With that being said, Buffy drove into the driveway and parked next to Rupert's car. Once the car was stopped, Dawn and William got out of the car. William grabbed the cooler from back seat of the car and walked into the house with Dawn to his side. Buffy followed closely, but still behind the pair.
Rupert was setting the dinning room table. He explained that Joyce was preparing a big meal that would be ready in a matter of a half hour. After talking to the three, he and Joyce were both pleased that they had a great time at the beach.
"Dawn, Janet called and asked if you wanted to go swimming at her house and then spend the night. Call her if you want to."
The young teen ran into the kitchen and called her friend. Janet's parents were going to pick her up before dinner. Dawn quickly packed an over night bag. Buffy was relieved because did not have to share her bed with anyone.
"Mom, can I use your bathroom?" Buffy asked as she picked at the almost finished vegetables. "I have to shower before dinner and William is going to use mine and Dawn's bathroom."
Joyce nodded in agreement. Buffy showed William where the towels, wash clothes, soap and shampoo were all kept before going into her room to grab her robe.
After drying off, Buffy made her way back to her bedroom. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a black spaghetti strap shirt to wear. She got dressed and then was blow drying her hair when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she said shutting off the hairdryer.
"Hi," William smiled.
Buffy returned his smile. "Do you need something?"
"I was just wondering if you were going out with your friends tonight."
Buffy continued to smile. She thought William reminded her of a much younger and way more attractive Rupert. William was so polite and considerate for the most part. "No, I'm not. Is there some place you would like to go?" She asked regretfully.
"Well, where do you guys go for fun? What do you do for fun? Clubs? Bars? What?" William inquired.
"There is one club-like place we go to sometimes, the Bronze. It isn't too much fun though on Fridays. It's more of a coffee house atmosphere than a bar scene. My friends and I don't really like to go anywhere else because Willow doesn't like all the smoke and Xander can't dance," Buffy explained as smiled briefly. In her head she thought of Xander dancing. "We only go to other clubs when our friend's band plays else where and they aren't playing this weekend."
William nodded. He wasn't expecting her to say that she didn't go to clubs. She was beautiful and expected her to be out dancing and having fun. "But you do know of more clubs, right?"
Buffy nodded. "I do know of a few more but we don't usually go there because we aren't twenty-one and-"
"Well, would you like to bring me to them?"
Half smiling Buffy tried to explain again to him. "I can't, I'm not twenty-one."
William grinned from ear to ear. "Don't worry about it, let me take care of it. What do you say?"
She knew she should say no. Buffy knew she should have said no but she didn't. "Sure but please let me handle my mother and Rupert, all right? They would flip out if they knew I was going to those places."
William agreed. They were going to talk about it after dinner.
"Wow, your good." William said as they finally got into the car to go to the club. Luckily the Bronze opened relatively late and closed in the early hours of the morning so it was a great alibi for Buffy and William.
"They trust me. I don't know why they do but they do." She explained as backed out of the drive way.
Silence filled the car. Buffy had no idea what she was getting herself into. She couldn't believe that she had said yes to go with William. She was thinking of all of the different ways she could have said no in her head when William interrupted her thoughts.
"I know Rupert isn't your real father but why don't you call him dad? Don't you think of him as your father? He's been with you for a long time right?" William asked.
Buffy sighed. She didn't want to talk about Rupert. "Well, he and my mom started dating when I was around eight and I resented him."
"Really? I can't imagine anyone resenting Rupert. He's a great person." William added.
Buffy sighed again. William seemed to have known Rupert for a long time. Buffy recalled several occasions where Rupert talked about William. She chose to tell William flat out about their relationship. "Yeah, well, I wasn't keen on him taking my father's place. Dawn loved Rupert from the start but I didn't. He fulfilled this fantasy family that she always had wanted. Me on the other hand, I was so difficult for him. I didn't do anything bad, I just didn't respect him. I was young and wanted my father, not some step-father. I always had a vision that my dad would come back home and be the family that I dreamed about." Buffy paused and thought back to the phone call that she made to Hank. She had never hurt that badly before and hadn't since, not even after she and Angel broke up. "It took us a long time to get to the point we are in our relationship where we are now. He never gave up on me though. He was always there, even when I didn't want him to be or when I wasn't so nice to him." She paused and thought of him. It was at that moment Buffy realized that even though Rupert hadn't been there for her birth, he was there for everything else. For every major milestone that she had accomplished in the first eighteen years of her life, Rupert was there for her and loved her unconditionally. If he didn't show a father's love towards both she and Dawn, then Buffy didn't know the meaning of the word father.
"Can I ask you how you know Rupert?" she asked William as she made a turn towards their destination.
"Well, it's kind of a long story but I'll just give you the basics. He has always been around. He has done so much for my mum and I. I don't know what would have happened if he wasn't around.
"When I was growing up, my mum loved me very much. I think she would have done anything for me, I think she still would. I was definitely a mama's boy," William began to smile. His smile faded as he continued his story. "I loved my father but he, he wasn't like most fathers that I knew. He liked his scotch. He drank so much of it that he smelt of it. I never wanted to be near him. He would argue with my mother when he drank and a few times I think he hit her. I know of at least two times because I was scared. I called Rupert and he broke things up before checking on me. He often would let me stay at his place for the night and I would forget all about what happened, at least for the night.
"My father would start drinking after work, on his way home. He would stop at bars and spend most of the nights there. Other times he would hide a bottle and drink it on the way home from work so by the time he got home he smelt it. I don't know how but most nights he would drink almost an entire bottle." William was silent. Buffy didn't ask any questions. She didn't know if he was going to continue or stop. She most certainly didn't want to make him talk.
William looked out of the window and continued. "Rupert and my father were best friends. They had grown up a few houses away from each other and went through school and university together. After they completed university my dad met my mum and they married. Before I was born my dad's dad died suddenly and it hit him hard. My mum said that's when he began to hit the scotch. It just snow balled and got worse and worse until one night when I was eight or nine my dad didn't come home. He had gotten into a car accident. He was killed. Luckily he didn't kill anyone else, it was just him."
Buffy thought for a moment while William stopped again. She didn't think by asking how William knew Rupert that it would turn into such an emotional retelling of something that obviously William was very emotional about. She felt bad. She felt bad because his childhood was so hard. He felt bad because his father was an alcoholic. Again, she didn't expect him to continue but he did.
"Rupert was always around before my father died. He was like an uncle to me. I would ask him to go to things with me instead of my father. I always wanted him to be my father. After my father died, he helped my mum with a lot of things. He helped her by watching me and helping her financially, even though she was stubborn for a while and wouldn't want his help. He was and still is a good friend to her, and me. I know my father loved me but Rupert actually showed me love. He moved shortly after my father died and even after he moved to the US, he would still come back home and visit and still make time for me and my mother. We wanted to come to the wedding when he and your mother got married but her sister was getting married and that took priority over Rupert. I was so mad, I really wanted to be there and see him get married. Now I think of him more of a father. He lives in another country and he still has always made time for me." He paused before he looked at Buffy. "That's why I don't understand how you could resent him. He is the kindest natured man."
William continued talking about good times he had with Rupert while Buffy began to feel bad. Rupert was a good person, and from William said it seemed like he was always a nice person. She felt horrible for the way that she treated him through out the years.
Buffy didn't respond, she didn't even try. What could she say? William saw the discomfort on Buffy's face and changed the subject.
"Are we almost there?"
"Oh, what? I'm sorry. Yes, we are a few blocks from there."
A few moments later Buffy parked the car in a parking a garage and began walking with William to the club. They aren't going to let me in, she thought to herself.
"Hi, William said as he handed the bouncer an id.
When the bouncer asked for Buffy's she didn't know what to do. "I forgot it at home," Was all she could manage to say.
"Are you twenty-one?" The bouncer smiled.
Before Buffy could answer William calmly answered for her. "Yeah she is, she just twenty-one a few days ago. I'm her cousin treating her to her first drink. Hey mate; do you remember when you turned twenty-one? It's a big day in a person's life." William explained.
Buffy was nervous. She would have never bought that story. It sounded too generic. The bouncer looked at William and then looked at her.
"Is that true sweetie?" He asked.
Smiling, Buffy nodded.
"All right, go in, have fun, don't drink too much and happy birthday. Sweetie, don't forget your id next time, all right?" The bouncer said as he stamped her hand.
"No sir, I won't. Thank you." She said as she followed William into the club. "I can't believe that worked."
William laughed as he grabbed Buffy's hand. "I told you it would work."
The two spent hours dancing and having fun. They sat at the bar and drank water and soda while they tried talking to each other. At two thirty they left the club and walked back to the car.
"I had a lot of fun tonight." She smiled as she unlocked the Jeep Cherokee.
William entered the car and reached for his seat belt. "Me too. It was fun."
The two continued to talk until they pulled into the driveway at three-fifteen. There were no lights on in the house, which meant that no one was waiting up for them. They continued to talk in the car for a little while so they wouldn't disturb anyone sleeping in the house.
They both were giggling when William brought something up. "I have to apologize once more."
"For what?" She asked not knowing what He was talking about.
"For the incident at your work. I had no idea that you were related to Rupert and-"
Buffy interrupted him and playfully hit him. "That again? That was so long ago! Don't even worry about it! Your family now, it doesn't matter! And don't bring it up again!"
The two shared a few more laughs before they entered the house. William and Buffy tip-toed up the stairs said good night to each other once again and went into their perspective rooms.
Once in her room, Buffy got ready for bed. She was unwinding by reading a magazine. About twenty minutes later she shut off the light and went to bed.
Once in bed, Buffy could not sleep. She tossed and turned for a half hour. Many things were running through her head. She first began to think about William and his respect for Rupert. She then thought about something she had been thinking of doing for a long time. She then thought back to William's conversation. She finally got out of bed to see if that sentiment was keeping her awake.
At four-seventeen, she walked over to her vanity and picked up her dictionary. After several moments she grabbed her stationary and her black Winnie the Pooh pen and began to scribble some things. Finally, she formulated a letter.
I found several definitions for father that I thought I'd share with you. Here they are.
father- a male parent
fatherhood- the state or time of being a father
fatherless- without a father.
fatherly- describes a man or male behavior typical of a kind and caring father
Do you know how many of these definitions you fit? One. You left Dawn and me fatherless. You don't deserve to fit any other definition. I don't care how many children you have and how good you are now 'with the children you want', you are not a father and never will be. You have burned your bridge with me and Dawn and you know what, you probably don't even care.
I resented the fact that you were gone and I naively wanted to wait for you to come back home and didn't want mom to marry someone else. I hated her new husband for years. You know what he did while I spent my time hating him? He loved me, he showed me love. He made time to pick me up after school or to cart my friends and me all over the town. He went to parent's nights and he has been there for my school functions. He bought me a bracelet with my initials on it, he purposely had an 'S' for Summers engraved on it instead of a 'G' for Giles. That showed a lot of love and I know it hurt him to do it but he would never say anything because he isn't like that. He loves me unconditionally.
He loves Dawn too. He went with her to those stupid father-daughter girls scout outings and helped her with her science projects and was there for her dance recitals and her school conferences. You know why? He loves us. He is a fatherly man. Rupert Giles is our father, not you and I thank God for that every day that I am a live.
I guess this has been building up for years and years. I had to let this out. I can honestly say I hate you and I am truly thankful that you are not in my life, my baby sister's life or my mother's life. My mother had to work extremely hard to provide for us after you left us.
I guess it took me over ten years to tell you that I hate you.
Buffy
Buffy picked up her small address book and looked under's' for Summers. She found Hank's address. Joyce had no idea that Buffy knew Hank's address. Buffy had looked through her mother's papers before Angel drove her back to LA to see Stacy's grave and she had held onto it after then. After addressing the envelope, she quietly walked down the stairs and out the front door. She walked two blocks to the neighborhood mail box and stared at the letter. She knew what she had stated in the letter was harsh but Hank was a harsh person. He had caused Buffy, Dawn and Joyce so much pain. Buffy didn't realize that she was the only one of the Summers women still holding on to that pain. She wanted to let go of it for so long, and she finally was.
She watched in what seemed like slow motion as she let go of the letter. It slowly danced from her hand and gracefully fell down deep into the box. She quietly closed the lid to the mailbox and began to walk back home.
Quietly, she climbed her stair case not wanting to wake the slumbering people. She walked into her room, quietly closed her door and took off her sneakers. She was lying in bed as she began to think again. She silently thanked William for making her think.
Author's note: This piece is up later than I thought it would be, I apologize. I'm back at school for my last semester (yah!) and I feel things could get crazy so please stick with the story if I don't update as often as I have been the past few weeks.
With that being said, I want to thank Brianna, BlondePunkyOne and Kristine for the kind words you left about this piece. I also want to thank Luv for the email. Thank you for your thoughtfulness (and I still can't wait to read, "This I Promise You!" When is it coming out?). I am so thrilled that people are still sticking with this story. I'm trying to make it interesting and unpredictable, which means I can't say who Buffy ends up marrying (sorry!). Thoughts, suggestions and any feed back is always welcomed! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! LA
"Where are you taking William today?" Joyce asked her daughter as she turned the coffee maker on. She had been awake for a little while and was going to start preparing breakfast for the household.
Buffy had literally just got out of bed before she entered the kitchen. She loathed sharing a bed with Dawn because she moved around a lot while she was asleep and she hogged the covers, which kept Buffy awake. She chose to get out of bed and get some orange juice. It was relatively early so she didn't expect to see anyone awake. "I don't know," she snapped as she put the juice container back into the refrigerator. "I guess where ever he wants to go." She continued as she walked out of the kitchen and into the family room and laid down on the couch.
Joyce smiled softly as her daughter left the room. She knew Buffy was not a morning person and didn't know why she attempted conversation with her so early. Between being awake and sharing her room with Dawn, she knew Buffy wouldn't be a happy camper.
Twenty-minute later Buffy returned to the kitchen. She acted as if she was a completely different person. She was in a much better mood and smiled at her mother. "Mmmmmmmm...smells waffly."
"I'm making Belgium waffles. I have to let the batter rise for a little while."
"They smell good all ready." Buffy complimented her mother. She then changed the topic. "I think I may ask William if he would like to go to the coast today. I figured the beach is really pretty. Maybe we could go swimming. It's supposed to be a beautiful day today; I don't really want to spend it in doors. I think I am going to wait to talk to him before I set anything in stone. Maybe he would like to do something else instead."
"I think that is a great idea honey, the weather is supposed to be beautiful," Joyce paused for a brief moment. She thought she was about to make Buffy mad. "Buffy would you mind taking Dawn with you? I think that she'd-"
Buffy cut off her mother and chimed in. "Sure, I don't mind taking Dawnie. After all, she really seems to like William a lot and remembers him from her visits to England. I think it would be a great idea of she came with us." Normally Buffy didn't like to take her sister anywhere with her but she didn't want to be alone with William. Even though he had apologized for the run-in at Sam Goody, she still didn't like the idea of being alone with a stranger.
Joyce was both surprised and speechless. Buffy was never so excited to watch Dawn. She had expected an argument from Buffy. She didn't expect so much cooperation. Joyce smiled as she thought that Buffy was finally appreciating Dawn.
"The beach was really lovely," William said as Buffy drove home. The three spent the entire day on the warm sands, soaking up the suns rays and galloping around in the water.
"It was a great beach day," Buffy began to explain. "The sun was bright and it was warm, you don't need much more for a good beach day."
"I know. William, aren't you glad that I talked you into putting on sunscreen?" Dawn asked. William was going to spend the day on the beach without any protection from the sun. Dawn had lectured him about skin cancer and how wearing sunscreen cuts a person's risks. Of course William knew all about it, he just wanted to humor the young girl and be polite. "You're so pale; you would have burnt to a crisp, fried up in the sun."
"Your right Dawn," William began to say as he turned around in his seat to face Dawn. "Thanks for the advice. You know, you are a smart lil bit. I bet you give big sis advice." William smiled.
"You really think I'm smart?" Dawn asked him.
"Oh yea, you are brilliant." William nodded. "You are very bright, I just know it."
With that being said, Buffy drove into the driveway and parked next to Rupert's car. Once the car was stopped, Dawn and William got out of the car. William grabbed the cooler from back seat of the car and walked into the house with Dawn to his side. Buffy followed closely, but still behind the pair.
Rupert was setting the dinning room table. He explained that Joyce was preparing a big meal that would be ready in a matter of a half hour. After talking to the three, he and Joyce were both pleased that they had a great time at the beach.
"Dawn, Janet called and asked if you wanted to go swimming at her house and then spend the night. Call her if you want to."
The young teen ran into the kitchen and called her friend. Janet's parents were going to pick her up before dinner. Dawn quickly packed an over night bag. Buffy was relieved because did not have to share her bed with anyone.
"Mom, can I use your bathroom?" Buffy asked as she picked at the almost finished vegetables. "I have to shower before dinner and William is going to use mine and Dawn's bathroom."
Joyce nodded in agreement. Buffy showed William where the towels, wash clothes, soap and shampoo were all kept before going into her room to grab her robe.
After drying off, Buffy made her way back to her bedroom. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a black spaghetti strap shirt to wear. She got dressed and then was blow drying her hair when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she said shutting off the hairdryer.
"Hi," William smiled.
Buffy returned his smile. "Do you need something?"
"I was just wondering if you were going out with your friends tonight."
Buffy continued to smile. She thought William reminded her of a much younger and way more attractive Rupert. William was so polite and considerate for the most part. "No, I'm not. Is there some place you would like to go?" She asked regretfully.
"Well, where do you guys go for fun? What do you do for fun? Clubs? Bars? What?" William inquired.
"There is one club-like place we go to sometimes, the Bronze. It isn't too much fun though on Fridays. It's more of a coffee house atmosphere than a bar scene. My friends and I don't really like to go anywhere else because Willow doesn't like all the smoke and Xander can't dance," Buffy explained as smiled briefly. In her head she thought of Xander dancing. "We only go to other clubs when our friend's band plays else where and they aren't playing this weekend."
William nodded. He wasn't expecting her to say that she didn't go to clubs. She was beautiful and expected her to be out dancing and having fun. "But you do know of more clubs, right?"
Buffy nodded. "I do know of a few more but we don't usually go there because we aren't twenty-one and-"
"Well, would you like to bring me to them?"
Half smiling Buffy tried to explain again to him. "I can't, I'm not twenty-one."
William grinned from ear to ear. "Don't worry about it, let me take care of it. What do you say?"
She knew she should say no. Buffy knew she should have said no but she didn't. "Sure but please let me handle my mother and Rupert, all right? They would flip out if they knew I was going to those places."
William agreed. They were going to talk about it after dinner.
"Wow, your good." William said as they finally got into the car to go to the club. Luckily the Bronze opened relatively late and closed in the early hours of the morning so it was a great alibi for Buffy and William.
"They trust me. I don't know why they do but they do." She explained as backed out of the drive way.
Silence filled the car. Buffy had no idea what she was getting herself into. She couldn't believe that she had said yes to go with William. She was thinking of all of the different ways she could have said no in her head when William interrupted her thoughts.
"I know Rupert isn't your real father but why don't you call him dad? Don't you think of him as your father? He's been with you for a long time right?" William asked.
Buffy sighed. She didn't want to talk about Rupert. "Well, he and my mom started dating when I was around eight and I resented him."
"Really? I can't imagine anyone resenting Rupert. He's a great person." William added.
Buffy sighed again. William seemed to have known Rupert for a long time. Buffy recalled several occasions where Rupert talked about William. She chose to tell William flat out about their relationship. "Yeah, well, I wasn't keen on him taking my father's place. Dawn loved Rupert from the start but I didn't. He fulfilled this fantasy family that she always had wanted. Me on the other hand, I was so difficult for him. I didn't do anything bad, I just didn't respect him. I was young and wanted my father, not some step-father. I always had a vision that my dad would come back home and be the family that I dreamed about." Buffy paused and thought back to the phone call that she made to Hank. She had never hurt that badly before and hadn't since, not even after she and Angel broke up. "It took us a long time to get to the point we are in our relationship where we are now. He never gave up on me though. He was always there, even when I didn't want him to be or when I wasn't so nice to him." She paused and thought of him. It was at that moment Buffy realized that even though Rupert hadn't been there for her birth, he was there for everything else. For every major milestone that she had accomplished in the first eighteen years of her life, Rupert was there for her and loved her unconditionally. If he didn't show a father's love towards both she and Dawn, then Buffy didn't know the meaning of the word father.
"Can I ask you how you know Rupert?" she asked William as she made a turn towards their destination.
"Well, it's kind of a long story but I'll just give you the basics. He has always been around. He has done so much for my mum and I. I don't know what would have happened if he wasn't around.
"When I was growing up, my mum loved me very much. I think she would have done anything for me, I think she still would. I was definitely a mama's boy," William began to smile. His smile faded as he continued his story. "I loved my father but he, he wasn't like most fathers that I knew. He liked his scotch. He drank so much of it that he smelt of it. I never wanted to be near him. He would argue with my mother when he drank and a few times I think he hit her. I know of at least two times because I was scared. I called Rupert and he broke things up before checking on me. He often would let me stay at his place for the night and I would forget all about what happened, at least for the night.
"My father would start drinking after work, on his way home. He would stop at bars and spend most of the nights there. Other times he would hide a bottle and drink it on the way home from work so by the time he got home he smelt it. I don't know how but most nights he would drink almost an entire bottle." William was silent. Buffy didn't ask any questions. She didn't know if he was going to continue or stop. She most certainly didn't want to make him talk.
William looked out of the window and continued. "Rupert and my father were best friends. They had grown up a few houses away from each other and went through school and university together. After they completed university my dad met my mum and they married. Before I was born my dad's dad died suddenly and it hit him hard. My mum said that's when he began to hit the scotch. It just snow balled and got worse and worse until one night when I was eight or nine my dad didn't come home. He had gotten into a car accident. He was killed. Luckily he didn't kill anyone else, it was just him."
Buffy thought for a moment while William stopped again. She didn't think by asking how William knew Rupert that it would turn into such an emotional retelling of something that obviously William was very emotional about. She felt bad. She felt bad because his childhood was so hard. He felt bad because his father was an alcoholic. Again, she didn't expect him to continue but he did.
"Rupert was always around before my father died. He was like an uncle to me. I would ask him to go to things with me instead of my father. I always wanted him to be my father. After my father died, he helped my mum with a lot of things. He helped her by watching me and helping her financially, even though she was stubborn for a while and wouldn't want his help. He was and still is a good friend to her, and me. I know my father loved me but Rupert actually showed me love. He moved shortly after my father died and even after he moved to the US, he would still come back home and visit and still make time for me and my mother. We wanted to come to the wedding when he and your mother got married but her sister was getting married and that took priority over Rupert. I was so mad, I really wanted to be there and see him get married. Now I think of him more of a father. He lives in another country and he still has always made time for me." He paused before he looked at Buffy. "That's why I don't understand how you could resent him. He is the kindest natured man."
William continued talking about good times he had with Rupert while Buffy began to feel bad. Rupert was a good person, and from William said it seemed like he was always a nice person. She felt horrible for the way that she treated him through out the years.
Buffy didn't respond, she didn't even try. What could she say? William saw the discomfort on Buffy's face and changed the subject.
"Are we almost there?"
"Oh, what? I'm sorry. Yes, we are a few blocks from there."
A few moments later Buffy parked the car in a parking a garage and began walking with William to the club. They aren't going to let me in, she thought to herself.
"Hi, William said as he handed the bouncer an id.
When the bouncer asked for Buffy's she didn't know what to do. "I forgot it at home," Was all she could manage to say.
"Are you twenty-one?" The bouncer smiled.
Before Buffy could answer William calmly answered for her. "Yeah she is, she just twenty-one a few days ago. I'm her cousin treating her to her first drink. Hey mate; do you remember when you turned twenty-one? It's a big day in a person's life." William explained.
Buffy was nervous. She would have never bought that story. It sounded too generic. The bouncer looked at William and then looked at her.
"Is that true sweetie?" He asked.
Smiling, Buffy nodded.
"All right, go in, have fun, don't drink too much and happy birthday. Sweetie, don't forget your id next time, all right?" The bouncer said as he stamped her hand.
"No sir, I won't. Thank you." She said as she followed William into the club. "I can't believe that worked."
William laughed as he grabbed Buffy's hand. "I told you it would work."
The two spent hours dancing and having fun. They sat at the bar and drank water and soda while they tried talking to each other. At two thirty they left the club and walked back to the car.
"I had a lot of fun tonight." She smiled as she unlocked the Jeep Cherokee.
William entered the car and reached for his seat belt. "Me too. It was fun."
The two continued to talk until they pulled into the driveway at three-fifteen. There were no lights on in the house, which meant that no one was waiting up for them. They continued to talk in the car for a little while so they wouldn't disturb anyone sleeping in the house.
They both were giggling when William brought something up. "I have to apologize once more."
"For what?" She asked not knowing what He was talking about.
"For the incident at your work. I had no idea that you were related to Rupert and-"
Buffy interrupted him and playfully hit him. "That again? That was so long ago! Don't even worry about it! Your family now, it doesn't matter! And don't bring it up again!"
The two shared a few more laughs before they entered the house. William and Buffy tip-toed up the stairs said good night to each other once again and went into their perspective rooms.
Once in her room, Buffy got ready for bed. She was unwinding by reading a magazine. About twenty minutes later she shut off the light and went to bed.
Once in bed, Buffy could not sleep. She tossed and turned for a half hour. Many things were running through her head. She first began to think about William and his respect for Rupert. She then thought about something she had been thinking of doing for a long time. She then thought back to William's conversation. She finally got out of bed to see if that sentiment was keeping her awake.
At four-seventeen, she walked over to her vanity and picked up her dictionary. After several moments she grabbed her stationary and her black Winnie the Pooh pen and began to scribble some things. Finally, she formulated a letter.
I found several definitions for father that I thought I'd share with you. Here they are.
father- a male parent
fatherhood- the state or time of being a father
fatherless- without a father.
fatherly- describes a man or male behavior typical of a kind and caring father
Do you know how many of these definitions you fit? One. You left Dawn and me fatherless. You don't deserve to fit any other definition. I don't care how many children you have and how good you are now 'with the children you want', you are not a father and never will be. You have burned your bridge with me and Dawn and you know what, you probably don't even care.
I resented the fact that you were gone and I naively wanted to wait for you to come back home and didn't want mom to marry someone else. I hated her new husband for years. You know what he did while I spent my time hating him? He loved me, he showed me love. He made time to pick me up after school or to cart my friends and me all over the town. He went to parent's nights and he has been there for my school functions. He bought me a bracelet with my initials on it, he purposely had an 'S' for Summers engraved on it instead of a 'G' for Giles. That showed a lot of love and I know it hurt him to do it but he would never say anything because he isn't like that. He loves me unconditionally.
He loves Dawn too. He went with her to those stupid father-daughter girls scout outings and helped her with her science projects and was there for her dance recitals and her school conferences. You know why? He loves us. He is a fatherly man. Rupert Giles is our father, not you and I thank God for that every day that I am a live.
I guess this has been building up for years and years. I had to let this out. I can honestly say I hate you and I am truly thankful that you are not in my life, my baby sister's life or my mother's life. My mother had to work extremely hard to provide for us after you left us.
I guess it took me over ten years to tell you that I hate you.
Buffy
Buffy picked up her small address book and looked under's' for Summers. She found Hank's address. Joyce had no idea that Buffy knew Hank's address. Buffy had looked through her mother's papers before Angel drove her back to LA to see Stacy's grave and she had held onto it after then. After addressing the envelope, she quietly walked down the stairs and out the front door. She walked two blocks to the neighborhood mail box and stared at the letter. She knew what she had stated in the letter was harsh but Hank was a harsh person. He had caused Buffy, Dawn and Joyce so much pain. Buffy didn't realize that she was the only one of the Summers women still holding on to that pain. She wanted to let go of it for so long, and she finally was.
She watched in what seemed like slow motion as she let go of the letter. It slowly danced from her hand and gracefully fell down deep into the box. She quietly closed the lid to the mailbox and began to walk back home.
Quietly, she climbed her stair case not wanting to wake the slumbering people. She walked into her room, quietly closed her door and took off her sneakers. She was lying in bed as she began to think again. She silently thanked William for making her think.