"Rustic Chivalry…"
Summary: William and his son are plagued by a curse from the recent past…The very recent past…Using a rather ironic tool…
Disclaimer: Would Joss want his name associated with this? I think not...But anyway all BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series...Though his brother Mort gets nothing...
Archived at the Normalverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse,
Part VI…
"Well, can't I even see her?" Angel fumed…Nina patting his arm, forebearing expression. We be above such petty things as blind jealousy here…For the moment and as long as Summers is crazy and Will Jr's in danger.
Though afterward, if he doesn't simply wish Will and Buffy happiness and a long relationship far from us…The weregirl may out.
"Will thinks it's best you don't for now. She did say she was sorry to have lost it with some part of her now blames you for everything." Harmony explained, carefully trying to avoid any expression of agreement with Buffy's sentiments. The group standing in the hallway outside Will's apartment…Inside which things seemed to have quieted for the moment…
"What?!" he exploded. Nina as well losing her forebearant posture…That lil'…
"Listen, Harmony…" Nina, red-faced, grim. Ummn, dear? Angel looked at her. "You tell that crazy, self-righteous little…Her boyfriend is William the Bloody and …"
"Nina…I'm sure Buffy meant no harm. She can't help herself just…" Angel tried.
"Oh, she seems much calmer now. It's just that you caused the death of her husband, baby, and her previous self by creating Drusilla. You were actually the root focus of the vendetta thing, they just managed to diffuse her rage onto any vampire, including William until she finally recognized him. It's just luck they wanted William dead first, not you. She'd probably have been utterly unstop…"
"Thanks, Harmony…" Angel sighed. Interposing himself between her and the now dangerously raging Nina… "That's all for now. Why don't you go see how Buffy is and have Connor come back and let us know. I'll see if I can get our people on the trail as to Will Jr."
"Arrrgghhh….GRrrr…" Nina growled, face distorting…
"Really Harm, go…" Angel pointed. "Now?"
"Right…I'll have Connor let you guys know." she hurried back into the apartment.
"Sweetheart? Really not the time and place." Angel patted the half-transformed Nina…Who calmed at his touch. "Though I really appreciate the sentiment…"
"Tell them to send Connor out…Or I swear I'm goin' all the way." she hissed. Now nearly reverted…
"Sure…" he nodded. "But here he comes now." Pleased tone. As Connor emerged, looking perturbed…
"Everything ok, now?"
"She seems a little better…" Connor nodded. Eyeing Nina who'd completed her reversion…
"Don't be upset, Mom. There's kinda a history here…"
"Your dad never killed any babies or…" she began…
Ummn…Angel gave a glum look.
Actually, in the physical sense…But completely without my participation in the spiritual sense…
"Well, looks like Angelus did have a role here." Connor sighed. "No offense, dad…"
"I'd bet her demon would slaughter millions of kids…After seducing their fathers…" Nina fumed. "And as for Spike…"
"Sweetheart…" Angel, plaintively.
A few moments before…
Connor watching, standing by the sofa as William knelt, holding Buffy's hand. She lying on her back, head resting on sofa arm, sipping a glass of water Harmony had brought her.
"I wanted to know who you were. I had dreams…" Buffy looked at William. "I couldn't stop seeing you at Sunnydale. Even in the daytime I kept seeing you. Standing there, telling me 'No, you don't…'… 'No, you don't…'…I couldn't bear it. I knew there was more, there had to be. So I tried to get into the archives and Giles…"
London…One year ago…
"Buffy…"
"They tell me the records are intact. Caleb never reached this place…"
"True, but…" Giles sighed. "What would be the point of hunting for information on Spike? He's dead and at peace. You did what you could for him. He died with his soul red…"
"Why did you try to kill him?" she interrupted, waving fiercely to cut him off. "Post-soul, when he wasn't a monster? You never tried to kill him before, when he was William the Bloody. Even when the chip left him helpless, you never tried to kill him. Why then?..." she looked at him.
"You were involved, it was too dangerous…"
"I was involved before he got a soul. It wasn't too dangerous then." she noted calmly but with hard stare. "Why did you want a souled man dead?"
"Man?" Giles frowned.
"With a soul, he was a man again. Regardless of his physical differences…And you were ready to commit a murder. Why? For my good? Or for the Council's good?"
"The First had a hold over him…" Giles pointed out.
"And we…He and I…Broke it. With no help from you. No, Giles…You are keeping something from me…" she eyed him narrowly. "You've been lying to me about William for years, haven't you?"
He sighed…
"I want access to the archives, Giles. I want everything we have on William."
"Or else?" he eyed her coolly.
"Or else…" she nodded.
"And still he refused. So I looked for a way in. And anything I could get on you…" Buffy frowned at Will. "And there you were, you jerk. Still kicking in LA all the time… That thing, Signore Leonato, approached me in London. Said he had access to information on you. And could even offer me a chance to see you again… That you were being kept from me…By the Council's order…"
"I didn't have any other choice. Willow wouldn't help me either and I suck at magics. I did try though…Séance things and all that."
Will startled by her pleading, apologetic look…As if she'd…
"You didn't kill me, Buffy. The First and Drusilla did that."
But…That does explain those episodes of vertigo I had over the past years…He thought.
"He gave me the book of your stuff. As proof he could deliver… And the minute I saw it..." she lifted the book to her cheek, pressed it. "…held it in my hands…I knew…Something…And had to know more, no matter what it cost…"
"And being an Italian demon he drove quite a bargain, eh?"
"Seemed little enough at the time…I'd owe him a favor."
"Lovely…But how did they get a hold on you magically?"
"Ceremony to make me remember. It worked but I guess they threw in a bit extra…"
"Like that mating ritual and the vendetta mind-control?"
"Mating?..." she stared.
"That's what he…Your friend with the gray skin…Called it. They use it to bind folks to the clan. Though he said something about your particular mate being long dead…" he added hastily at her rather anxious expression. "I don't think you've been demonically raped. Though we'd best check you out asap."
"I don't care…" Buffy shook her head. "At least now I know. He wasn't lying as to our past. It was there, in the archives…You, me, our baby…"
He blinked…
Baby?
"They murdered us, Will. All because they didn't want me to leave. Wouldn't, couldn't let me quit…"
He rubbed his face.
"And you were a big help, abandoning me like that." she frowned at him. "Poor Andrew Wells, I nearly took his head off when he told me he'd known all along you were alive in LA with Angel. I think Dawn'll never quite get over it. She was terrified, I was so outta my skull when I came to Rome and made him tell me. And that poor kid playing me…That actress…"
"What?"
"It wasn't me in Rome, stupid. Giles and Andrew arranged cover for me and got the Immortal to agree to play along…" she sipped again at the water. "They claimed it was for my protection. I was stupid enough to believe it. Until I found out it was to keep you away. Giles knew all along you were alive. He hoped you'd be killed with Angel by the Partners."
William stared at her set face…
"Rupert never cared for me, true. And I could understand him fearing me back in your life…" he began.
"The Council knew all about us. Giles knew all about us." she replied, bitter tones. "He had orders to terminate you. But only if you got the soul back…Or I recovered Cicely. You were too valuable to kill as Spike…Too useful to them…If you left the world your soul might leave and I might've sensed it and followed. And they couldn't have that…No…They needed me to save the world for them, the bastards."