Ring on her Finger

By Nickeltaffy

Disclaimer: I would like to thank Joss for the use of his characters. They are still his and will never be mine. (heavy sigh).

Synopsis: Anyone ever notice that Buffy never returned Spike's ring from when they were engaged? What if Willow's reversal of the Will Be Done spell from the Something Blue episode was not exactly 100% effective? What if Buffy was still under a spell and still considered herself engaged to a horrified Spike?

…

Chapter 14

After sending everyone home, Giles was finally able to talk to Spike. He informed the astounded vampire about his suspicions regarding the ring. Spike brought a hand up to his head and looked around the room.

"My ring? My stupid ring is causing all this?" Spike asked incredulously.

Spike, who had already had a trying couple of days, spent the rest of the night pacing back and forth in the living room. He was tried to bring up any memory about the ring that could explain how this current sticky situation came about. He pulled at memories of his human childhood that he had not thought about in more than a hundred years. He pulled at his hair as he brought up the memories from his early childhood.

Spike or rather, William had been the third child of his parents, James and Anne. He had had an older brother, James Douglas and sister, Rose Emeline who had each died before they reached the age of two. His little sister, Lucinda Anne who he had called Lulu had lived to the age of three before she too had died of a common childhood illness. There had not been much hope for him living long as well, since he was a small for his age and always seem to be a little oversensitive. He remembered after Lulu had passed away, his mother came more often to the nursery to spend time with him. His mother, Anne would dismiss the nurse, Belworthy and take him by the hand to the small garden at the back of the house herself. She would sit on a bench and smile as her eyes followed him as he ran back and forth, yelling at the top of his lungs like small boys do. On occasion, his remote and lofty father would make a brief appearance, shake his head at his child's reckless behavior in the garden and would pause by Spike's mother.

"Where does he get that behavior? He is like a savage." Spike's father, James wondered out loud.

"From my side" his mother, Anne said simply as she enjoyed her remaining living child's antics.

One afternoon in the garden, William impulsively pulled a rose off one of the bushes and ran over to present it to Anne. She made a great deal of gift being presented to her as she took it from his hand. Smiling, she put the rose up to her nose and smelled it like it was a rare perfume, while still holding on to his hand. She looked down at the small hand and saw that he had torn his hand on the thorns when he pulled the rose from the bush for her. She gently cradled the small hand in hers as she pulled out her lace edged handkerchief and pressed it against the wound. Pulling the cloth away, she kissed the small injury delicately. Pulling him close, she cradled him in her arms against her, and then she looked down at his small earnest face and brushed her hand against his cheek. She called him her brave hero and William's heart melted. It was in these moments, that William became totally devoted to his mother.

Swallowing hard and shaking his head to dispel that poignant memory, Spike turned his attention to what he could remember about the ring. It was late in the afternoon of an unseasonably warm autumn day when the messenger arrived at the house. Father had been called away to business meeting near Bristol a day earlier. Spike's mother, Anne received the message alone. Spike remembered sitting on the rug covered floor of his nursery playing with a toy when his mother suddenly appeared at the door. There was an urgency about her that caused him to freeze as he looked up at her. She turned toward the nurse.

"Get William ready to travel. We're leaving within the hour." Anne sternly told the nurse.

"Shall I come too, mum?" Belworthy, the nurse asked.

"No, it is not necessary. William and I will be going to my father's estate. Please make sure he is dressed warmly. Pack enough clothes for several days." Spike's mother informed the nurse.

Spike remembered leaning against his mother in the back of the jostling carriage as they made the several hours trip to his grandfather's estate. Anne pulled her little son to her as she wrapped an arm around his torso as they bounced along the country roads. William watched the shadows of trees grow long as the sun set and darkness begin to overtake the interior of the carriage. Being a child, the darkness began to worry him, but he knew he had to be brave for his mother. "Wasn't he her brave hero?" he asked himself. When Anne and William arrived at the grand looming manor, it was several hours past twilight. William had never been to his grandfather's estate before. He had rarely seen the imposing man in his lifetime. He had a hazy recollection of seeing his giant foreboding grandfather at his sister, Lulu's funeral but that was all.

His mother drew him out of the carriage and held his hand as they walked into the great entry hall. William looked all around at the massive hall as he drew up his other hand to hold on to his mother's hand with both of his. From the urgent pace of his mother's stride, it was obvious that his mother was on an urgent mission. She did not look down at him as they made their way back to the grand staircase. Once she got there, an oddly familiar woman was standing there with a maid by her side. William stared at the lady who seemed so reminiscent of his mother.

"How is he?" Anne asked as she began to unbutton her coat.

"It won't be long. I see you brought the boy." The woman then motioned toward the maid with her head to assist with the removal of the coats. The maid moved forward and held up the back of Anne's coat so she could remove her arms. The maid took the coat and folded it over her arm and waited.

"Yes." Anne, now free of her own coat, bent down to unbutton the child's coat. William staggered a little bit as Anne's hands came up forcefully on the buttons of his coat.

"William, this is my sister. She is your Auntie Charlotte. Say hello." Anne said in an instructive manner, indicating the familiar woman.

"Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you, Auntie Charlotte." William looked over at the lady and parroted from years of training in Victorian manners. Anne turned William around and pulled the coat from the small body and handed it to the waiting maid. The maid turned and handed the coats to another maid who came up and then disappeared with the coats. William turned back toward the two women, who were discussing a subject he could not quite follow. After a moment, Anne looked down at the child waiting there, who was looking back at her with tired eyes.

A wrinkle of concern crossed Anne's face as she said. "I think William should get his supper and be put to bed. It has been a long day."

"Of course. One of the maids will take care of him." Charlotte turned toward the maid with the coats. "Hibbs, please take care of Master William. See that he is fed and put to bed. Put him in one of the bedrooms on the second floor. Please have one of the hall boys light a fire in the room, so the child does not get chilled."

He remembered being fed a simple supper and being tucked into a large ornately decorated bed with dark fearsome carvings that seemed in the firelight to want to enclose him like a hand closing upon him. It was situated in an imposing, almost sepulchrally grand bedroom on the second floor. He was not use to such a big bed that hovered almost four feet above the floor; he was so small that the stool beside the bed had been insufficient to assist him in climbing on the bed. He had had to be lifted onto the bed and was now stranded on it like a top of a tower. As William peered out as ominous shadows being thrown about by the gigantic fireplace in the room; he thought he would never get to sleep. He could hear people moving about in the hallway, the sound of footsteps and low conversations were creeping in underneath the door. It was very different from the small bright nursery at the top of the house that always had a nurse in attendance. William curled himself up against the back of the bed, tightly pulling the blanket around his body. Despite the fear and unease, William did not realize he had fallen asleep until he was woken by his mother.

Suddenly, in the dark, his mother appeared. She smoothed his hair and pulled back the covers as she said, "William. William, wake up!"

She sat up the half dazed boy and turned him so his legs were over the edge of the bed. He blinked slowly at his mother, not quite awake. Anne stood up and set William on his feet. She pulled his hand to walk with him in a strangely urgent, but tensely restrained manner. She was so intent on him coming with her, she had not realized that she had rushed him out of the bedroom. William became aware that he was not wearing a robe or slippers as they moved down the hallway. He trailed behind his mother's fast moving gate in only his nightshirt. William was being embarrassed about being seen in it. He was old enough for trousers now and didn't want anyone to mistake him for a baby. Luckily, it seemed that the household staff had gone to bed, so there were no witnesses to his mortification. His child's mind focused on the feel of the cold floor underneath his feet and the small slapping sound they made as they went down the hall.

Anne and William entered a grand bedroom at the end of the hall. It was lit by gaslight which gave it an eerie golden light to the room. In the middle of the room was a bed with a massive canopy hanging over it. Lying against the back of the bed, with his eyes closed was his formidable looking grandfather. Anne walked up with William by the hand till she stood about ten feet away from the gentleman. Spike's grandfather opened his eyes and looked over at the pair.

Spike's grandfather looked at his renegade daughter with strange regret. She had run off to marry the man she loved despite the consequences. It had caused a great rift in the family. James was considered highly unsuitable, but the two had been adamant about their love and had run off to Greenwich to marry without consent. It also turned out to be the saving factor for this family. Now that his son had died, there would have been no one in the bloodline to accept the boon, if his daughter had been obedient. Maybe, the stars were right to ingrain such a gritty determination in his ever surprising daughter. She had brought her child to accept the boon and continue the stewardship.

"Let the child come forward." Spike's grandfather intoned.

Anne looked down at her little boy and smiled. She pulled her hand from his and place it on his back, urging him forward to the bed. William didn't understand exactly what was going on, but he managed to walk over to the bed that held his grandfather.

"So, let's see what we have here." Spike's grandfather said gently. He tilted William's chin up to look in the child's eyes. His grandfather's brilliant blue eyes looking deep into William's.

"I see a warrior. Good. We will need one. He will follow his own path of stars, quite different than anyone else has." As he said it, Anne's father looked over at her. Anne smiled but a nervous twist of her lip gave away her concern for her little boy.

"I have a gift for you." The grandfather said gravely to the little boy. "You have to promise to be brave and strong. Do you think you can do it?"

William nodded, with an honesty in his gaze that only a small child can bring.

"I have this ring for you. You must promise that you will only give it to one you love with all your heart. Do you promise?" His grandfather spoke directly to him.

"Yes." William said solemnly.

"There is a great secret that goes with this ring. I will tell you but we have to see if the ring will accept you first. Hold out your hand. "

William held out his hand and his grandfather placed the ring in his palm. The man closed the child's hand around the ring. The ring began to get very hot inside William's hand, and a hum began to come from the ring. A red glow began to envelope his fist as the vibration got louder. The red glow left his hand and moved over to his heart. Then, suddenly, William reared back in pain. Anne had to keep herself from charging over to grab her child away. Then, just as suddenly, William seemed to relax. His eyes were closed and seemed to have a distant expression on his face.

Spike's grandfather leaned over and whispered something in the child's ear. William nodded in response. The old man then brought a finger up to the child's lips in a gesture not to talk. At that touch, William's eyes flew open wide. They were now the same bright blue as his grandfather's.

Late the next morning, when Giles came downstairs, he found Spike asleep sitting up on the sofa, his head resting back and his arm flung across the back. Shaking his head at a kind of sympathy for the beleaguered vampire, Giles made his way over to the kitchen to make some morning tea. Giles suspected that it was going to be another tough day for Spike. Giles decided to let Spike get all the rest he could.

"Lord knows, he is going to need it."