Chapter 18

“That’s scary Buffy! No wonder you didn’t sleep last night. You should have called me. I could have come over and kept you company,” scolded Dawn.

“I didn’t want to interrupt the big date,” explained Buffy.

“Don’t be a martyr. I’m staying at your place tonight and that’s that. My date, by the way, was spectacular. Conner is really shy, but I can tell that he likes me. We are going to Imperiale’s party together by the way. Are we still on for tonight?” asked Dawn.

“Yes, only I have to meet you at the mall. I’m having a home security system put in today I’m running home at lunchtime to let them in, then I have to go back at 4:00 or so to pay them and get trained on the new system. So, you see, there’s no need for you to stay over. I’ll be all safe and sound Buffy,” she assured Dawn.

The day went by quickly. As planned, Buffy left during lunch to meet the workmen from the security company. They set about wiring all of her windows and doors, and placed motion sensors in various rooms. Buffy left them to their work, promising to return at 4:00 PM so that they could show her how the keypad worked. When she returned to the hospital there was a psychiatric patient waiting in the emergency room to be assessed for possible admission. There was also a homeless woman in labor and delivery that had just delivered a baby who tested positive for opiates.

Since the homeless women didn’t appear to be going anywhere at the moment Buffy completed the psychiatric assessment first. After getting the patient safely admitted to the unit she proceed to labor and delivery. Mother and babies charts were side by side. Buffy reviewed them both and pulled a Child Abuse Report form out of her binder. She completed the form, faxed it to the local hotline number, and then called to obtain authorization to place the infant on a court hold. Buffy filled out the hold paperwork, and taped it to the front of the infant’s chart. She pulled out a brochure about Methadone Maintenance and a card with the telephone number for Narcotics Anonymous before making her way to the mother’s room. The new mother was not at all upset to hear that her child was being taken into custody. In fact, it was just the opposite. She expressed relief and asked how soon she was going to be discharged. She wasn’t the least bit interested in giving up her heroin habit.

At 3:30 Buffy was getting ready to go home for the day. As she walked through the lobby Parker ran up to her and she heard them call overhead, “Code Trauma, Code Trauma.”

“Buffy, glad I caught you, there’s a really ugly one coming in, I’m going to need you to stay,” said Parker.

“Sorry, Parker, I can’t tonight. There’s something I have to take care of,” explained Buffy.

“It’s gonna have to wait. Bunch of kids cut school, spend the day at someone’s house boozing it up and smoking grass. There was a 911 call about an alcohol poisoning and as the 911 operators is on the phone there’s a gunshot, seems a couple of the kids decided to play Russian roulette. So there’s an alcohol poisoning and a gunshot wound to the head. They’re only 16-and the 911 call came from the Mayor’s daughter. I’m sure that the media will be here any minute. These kids were from prominent families, visible families. Dawn won’t be able to manage this alone and I don’t have time to argue with you,” concluded Parker.

Buffy nodded her consent.

“You’re with me?” asked Parker, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.

“Yeah,” agreed Buffy, following Parker to the Trauma room.

While they were waiting for the ambulance to arrive Buffy called the security company and explained her situation. They agreed to put the charges on her credit card and to lock up and secure the house before they left. Buffy asked that they leave the keys with her neighbor, Mr. James. They agreed to leave all of the instructional materials on her kitchen table and offered to schedule a time to walk her through it if necessary.

“Quite simply, if you walk into your home and the alarm is set the keypad will glow red. You will have 15 seconds to enter in your security code. We recommend that you choose a 5-7-digit sequence. The keypad is like a telephone keypad, there are letters on it as well just in case you prefer a word,” he explained.

“That probably would be easier,” said Buffy.

“Well, what will it be? You’ll also need a Security Word so that if we get a response and call you, you say it in conjunction with the password to signal that everything is fine. So, Password?” he asked.

“Spike,” said Buffy

“Security Word? Think about if someone were there, forcing you to say the password so that the alarm disabled, what word could you easily use to alert us to a problem. But don’t pick something you might automatically use and inadvertently call out the cavalry,” he finished.

“Peachy?” said Buffy.

“I like it! Good one. Okay, you’re all set. When you come in tonight you’ll see that the indicator on the keypad is red, you’ll key in Spike and it should go to green. If there’s ever a problem the company will call you. If everything’s alright, you just give the Password, otherwise you’ll tack on the Security Word,” he concluded.

Buffy next called her neighbor, Mr. James, and confirmed that it was alright for the security company to leave her extra set of keys with him. She promised to pick them up tomorrow if she wasn’t home before 9:00 PM.

By that time the 2 ambulances had arrived and they were unloading both victims. The gunshot wound went into the Trauma room and the Alcohol Poisoning into the Emergency Room. Parker was at his best. Buffy had to admit that he could be positively brilliant. He directed the attending of the Emergency Department to take charge of the Alcohol Poisoning and assigned the Head Trauma Nurse and Resident to assist. Parker had, had the forethought to page the Neurosurgeon on call as soon as he heard of the incident. Parker and Conner took charge of the gunshot wound trying to stabilize the patient until the Neurosurgeon arrived.

It became obvious very quickly that the situation in the trauma room was hopeless. The patient began seizing, and then stopped breathing. In the blink of an eye a full code was in progress. Neuro was called to stand down. The code was called. The patient declared dead. Buffy put on some gloves and looked through the patient’s wallet. The driver’s license said, Thomas Imperiale. The emergency contact was listed as Anthony Imperiale, his father. Anthony was one of the cities most prominent attorneys and Dr. Imperiale’s younger brother.

“Parker,” said Buffy, “One of us needs to page Imperiale, this was his nephew.”

“Christ,” said Parker as he pulled off his gloves, “you mind? You’re much better at this. I’m gonna go take over the Alcohol poisoning, nothing more I can do here and I should let Hank get back to his other Emergency Room patients”

Buffy picked up the phone in the trauma room and asked the Operator to page Dr. Imperiale. She next called Anthony Imperiale and was told that he was in Court. Buffy explained to his secretary that she was calling from the hospital and that he had to be tracked down. Whatever was happening in court would have to wait. After getting the name and number of the courtroom he was trying a case in, Buffy called and spoke to the bailiff. Within minutes Buffy had spoken to Mr. Imperiale and he was on his way to the hospital.

Dr. Imperiale responded to the page moments after. Buffy explained with sensitivity and compassion what had happened and listened as he broke down on the phone. He had only been in his office in the hospital and committed to coming to the trauma room immediately so that he could help break the news to his brother. The evening was emotional for everyone. The media was lurking around looking for a story, the police were they’re trying to piece together events, and the parents of the 2 children were devastated. The EMT’s told Buffy that there were 4 other kids on sight, and that they were all being taken into police custody and, at least, questioned.

Buffy spent the next several hours with the Imperiale family. She held Mrs. Imperiale’s hand as she went to see her son for the last time. Although Annette and Tony Imperiale had ended their marriage in a very public and messy divorce, they came together in grief. At their request, Buffy called their Parish Priest and stayed with them through the coroner’s questioning. Dr. Imperiale took the lead in addressing the question of organ donation, but the boy’s family decided against it. Their Priest recommended a funeral home to the couple and Buffy again made the necessary calls.

By 8:00 there was nothing more to be done except get the family out discretely, so that they could grieve in private. The exits to the hospital were blocked with reporters. Buffy picked up the phone and called over to the convent, asking to speak to Sister Rose Genevieve. The Sisters of Mercy originally ran the Hospital and there was still a small convent across the street, which housed a small number of nuns. A tunnel had been built decades ago between the convent and the hospital. It was rarely, if ever used anymore, but it was going to be used tonight. Buffy and Vincent Imperiale escorted the family through the tunnel. Vince promised to come back around in 10 minutes with the car and left the devastated couple in the good hands of the Sisters

Buffy then doubled back, through the tunnel, with Dr. Imperiale. As they approached the end of the tunnel Buffy felt him reach for her hand. She looked at him and saw his face crumble as tears began to run down his face. This man had seen war, both actual war and the everyday evidence of the war that humans, in peaceful time, wage on each other. He was a master at salvaging the unsalvageable. But, Thomas couldn’t be saved. Buffy sat on the floor with him, at the edge of the tunnel, and held him while he cried, and she cried, in silence.

The quiet was broken by the sound of a cell phone going off. Dr. Imperiale stood up and began to pull himself together, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Thank you,” he said to Buffy before walking off, “You have been an Angel, and I won’t forget this.” Buffy nodded then took a moment to collect herself before answering the phone.

It was Dawn telling her that she was wrapping up with regards to the other case, she wanted to beg off shopping and said that Parker had just gone to the Cafeteria to commandeer a table and forage for food for everyone. Buffy agreed to meet Dawn there so that she could eat something before going home.

Buffy stopped by the ladies room to splash some cold water on her face, she then made her way over to the cafeteria. Dawn and Conner were at the table with sandwiches, bags of chips, and sodas in front of them. Buffy pulled out a chair and sat down. She was suddenly exhausted and could barely even think anymore. Parker joined the table and placed a steaming bowl of Minestrone Soup and a roll in front of Buffy. “You need to eat something,” he said.

“No,” said Buffy, “this is yours, I’m not hungry.”

“I’ll get more. You were incredible tonight. I saw Imperiale for just a second, on his way out of the building. Thank you Buffy, I needed you here tonight and you were there. We make a hell of a team,” Parker concluded.

Dawn and Conner were both looking on, speechless. Parker actually seemed to be giving someone a compliment?

“Thanks Parker, it’s been a long night. The soup will be perfect,” said Buffy graciously.

“You know,” started Parker. “Since we’re on a roll, I think that we should go to Imperiale’s Party together on Saturday. You and me, what do you say?” he asked.

Buffy’s spoon stopped midway to her mouth, then she slowly set it down. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and reign in her emotions. She decided to take a page out of William’s book and simply said, “Parker, I really appreciate the soup, and your praise. It means a lot; you don’t give praise often so I’m going to consider it a great compliment. Your right, we do make a great team,” Buffy took a moment to pointedly look around at Dawn and Conner, “a great team. I already have a date for the party Saturday. I kind of wonder if Imperiale will go through with it. If he does I think that we should all go, to show our support if nothing else.”

“I agree,” chimed in Dawn, trying to break-up the tension a bit. “Buffy, how about we reschedule our shopping spree for tomorrow. Only 3 shopping days left, not counting Saturday!”

“Sure,” said Buffy, as her cell phone rang. “Buffy Summers,” she said as she answered.

“What are you wearing?” asked William in a husky voice.

Buffy smiled and asked, “Are you going to ask me that every time I answer the phone?”

“No! Just when I happen to be horny, luv. Oh, wait a minute! On second thought, yup, that would probably be every time you answer the phone,” teased William. “How has your day been?”

“Sheer hell,” responded Buffy, “so bad, actually, that I can’t even bear the thought of reliving any of it at the moment.”

“Well, I’ll take a second to tell you that my day was positively smashing. I think I’ve found the perfect property. I took the digital camera out and shot some tape tonight at sunset and e-mailed the file to Catherine. I just heard back from her and she loves it. She has a call out to her husband, I’m just waiting for the go ahead to move forward with negotiations for the purchase. This is going to be a huge commission luv. Saturday night, I’ll take you anywhere you want,” promised William full of excitement.

“What’s your favorite color?” asked Buffy.

“Huh? ‘Afraid I need a bit of a context pet,” he responded.

“Context?” asked Buffy, “Come on, just tell me!”

“Well,” started William, “it makes a difference! Like, if we’re talking lipstick I’d have to say a dark red. If your asking about my favorite color M&M I’d go with red. If you were asking about flooring I’d go with a white or black marble, or a Dark Walnut hardwood. If you’re asking about…”

“A sexy cocktail dress,” interjected Buffy.

“Oh, well, that would be red,” said William as if he were making a proclamation.

“So, basically, unless we’re talking about flooring, red is your favorite color,” concluded Buffy.

“Kind of looking that way at the moment,” admitted William. “Are you still out and about? I called you at home and I kept getting your machine.”

“Still at work, actually. I’m about to leave though. Hope you left me lots of messages to listen to. I live for those, you know,” admitted Buffy.

“I did. I am a firm believer that phone sex is highly underrated. Once more, I am happy to do my part to raise public appreciation. Or, more accurately, I endeavor to raise your appreciation. If I do an adequate job, you may feel free to reward me in whatever way you feel would bring me the most pleasure,” said William as his phone beeped. “Hold on, pet.”

Buffy sat on hold for a minute and while she waited she took a few more bites for her soup. Parker, Conner, and Dawn seemed occupied for the most part reliving the evening’s events. William came back on the line, “Great news, Mike agreed with his wife and I’ve got the go ahead to move forward. He’s got some questions about the neighboring properties and wants to look at an aerial view…so I’ve got to ring off pet. Got research to do and I’ve got to find a helicopter and someone to take Arial photos in the morning. Call me tomorrow night? I really do miss you.”

“I miss you too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Buffy said before hanging up.

Everyone had finished their dinners and they were ready to call it a night. Parker was actually on until 11:00, so he made his way up to the floor to complete rounds. Conner offered to drive Dawn home, but Dawn insisted on following Buffy, to ensure that her place was safe from baddies. After Buffy was able to safely enter her newly secured condo and demonstrate her ability to arm and disarm the alarm, Dawn and Conner left her for the night. It was almost 11:00 and since Buffy hadn’t slept the night before she was absolutely exhausted. She set her new home alarm, drank a cup of herbal tea, put on a relaxation tape, and drifted off to sleep.

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Chapter 19

“So, where were you all day?” asked Buffy as she looked through a rack of dresses in Nordstrom’s.

“In the janitor’s closet, with Conner,” said Dawn. “Just kidding! I was busy working on a proposal to start an internship program for Social Work Graduate Students. A hospital this size should have one. We have a lot to offer. Plus, free labor.”

“It really is a great idea. How is it coming along?” Buffy asked as she pulled a red dress out and looked at the back.

“It’s coming along great. I’ve completed all of the research and I’ve completed the first draft of the proposal. I’m sure that the school will accept us as a field placement site; it’s mostly going to be about convincing the hospital that it’s worthwhile. They already have programs for nursing and medical interns….really, how can they say no?” thought Dawn.

“I’m trying this one on,” said Buffy, “have you found anything yet?”

“No. I hate my body. You haven’t come across any with built in breasts, have you?” Dawn asked.

Buffy laughed and scolded her friend, “Dawn, you have a models body! Stop being so hard on yourself. We’ll find something. You need to just start trying stuff on. I’ll meet you in there. We’re not leaving until we find something!”

Buffy took the red dress into the changing room. It was a matte jersey/lycra blend. The fabric felt soft and silky. From the front it looked like a fairly plain, conservative dress. It fit exceptionally well and had a fabulous drape. The dress ended just above Buffy’s kneecap and had a slit on one side from the hem to the middle of Buffy’s thigh. She wondered if it was too revealing for a work-related event and turned this way and that in the mirror trying to see how much of her leg was actually revealed. As she turned she caught a glimpse of the back and abandoned the cubicle she was in to look in the larger 3-way mirror located just within the entrance to the dressing room.

Buffy swept her hair over to one side and looked at the view from the back. The dress was essentially backless with a halter- top. Buffy held her hair up, pulling loose some wisps of hair. She then let is fall back down around her shoulders, shaking it out. She smiled and did a little happy dance, “First one I tried on!” she said to herself.

Buffy changed her clothes quickly then went back out to find Dawn. By that time Dawn had actually gathered 4 or 5 dresses in her hands. “Having luck?” asked Buffy.

“I don’t know,” moaned Dawn, “what do you think of these?”

Buffy told Dawn that she was going to pay for her dress, then dedicate the rest of the evening to helping Dawn. It didn’t take Buffy longer than 5 minutes to pay. They agreed to hold her purchase at the register so that she could continue to shop. Buffy took the now 7 dresses from Dawn and looked through them. “No…No…maybe… definitely sexy…good color but I don’t know about the neckline…have to see this one on…great fabric,” Buffy commented as she sorted through the dresses placing the definite “No’s” back on the rack.

Buffy took a seat in the chair just inside the dressing room by the 3-way mirror. Dawn tried on each of the dresses and modeled for Buffy. The “maybe” became and “no”. The “definitely sexy” felt “definitely silly.” The neckline, on the otherwise beautiful emerald green dress, was completely wrong. That left only the one black dress, and it was too large. Buffy remained optimistic and took the dress from Dawn, telling her to wait in the dressing room while she looked for a smaller size.

Buffy made her way back out to the floor and asked the sales lady for help since she didn’t know where, exactly, Dawn had picked the dress up. Buffy followed the sales lady and said out-loud, “You know what would look good on her? A Chinese Cheongsam, like Kirsten Dunst wore in Spider Man, it would enhance her natural long lines and delicate bone structure. Do you have any long Oriental Style Dresses?”

The sales lady handed Buffy the dress that dawn had already tried on in a smaller size, and then disappeared out back. She returned with an absolutely spectacular dress. The background of the Chinese silk was cream, with yellowish-gold brocade. The dress looked to be very fitted with slits on both sides from the floor to mid-thigh.

“That’s it!” said Buffy excitedly, “Lets find her some shoes-size 7 and a half, and some long exotic gold earrings.”

Buffy agreed to take the black dress to Dawn after eliciting a promise from the sales lady to hurry back with earrings and shoes. Buffy handed Dawn the dress and warned her that she had found one more that she wanted her to try after. She then sat back down and pulled out her cell phone. It was 7:00 and she thought she would give reaching William a try.

“H’lo sexy lady!” he answered.

“Well, I hope that you knew it was me,” teased Buffy.

“Oh course,” William assured her. “Before I forget, I sent you something today. Should be arriving tomorrow. A surprise, so, don’t ask.”

“What are you wearing?” asked Buffy turning the tables on him.

“Well, lets see, Charcoal Suit, white shirt, red tie,” said William as he unlocked the door to his room and walked in. He set his briefcase on the floor and sat down in a chair and started to take off his shoes.

“Are you in your hotel room?” she asked, her voice a low whisper.

“Just got in, pet. I was planning on ordering some room service and catching up on the news, it’s an exotic life I lead,” he said.

“William?” said Buffy almost breathless, “Are you sitting down?”

“Yeah,” he said raising his eyebrow, “I’m sitting down, and do you have news of the sit-down type?”

Dawn walked out of the dressing room and twirled around in front of Buffy. Buffy shook her head no and Dawn took a moment to look in the 3-way mirror, obviously disappointed. The sales lady walked in and held the dress up to Dawn. She grabbed it excitedly, along with the shoes and earrings and ran back to the dressing room.

“I want you to take off your tie and let it drop to the floor,” Buffy directed.

William smiled and following Buffy’s command said, “Done.”

“Then,” continued Buffy, “I want you to unbutton your shirt. Pretend your hands are mine; run them over your chest, over your abs. Baby I want to feel your muscles ripple beneath my fingertips. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” said William the anticipation evident in his voice.

“You said that just thinking about me gets you hard, are you hard now?”

“I’m always hard for you,” whispered William.

“Good boy, now run your hand over your cock on the outside of your pants. How’s that feel?” asked Buffy seductively.

“Want it to be your hand,” admitted William.

“Pretend, William. It’s my hand. Unbuckle your belt and unbutton your pants,” she instructed.

“And then?” he asked.

“Unzip your pants and free your cock,” directed Buffy. “Run your palm over the tip then squeeze the head and slowly slide your hand…”

“Buffy! Look!” said Dawn who was now standing before Buffy, looking absolutely stunning.

“Is that the bit? Where are you?” asked William, sounding a little confused and more than a little breathless.

“Sorry honey, I’m in the dressing room at Nordstrom’s. I was waiting for Dawn to try on a dress, but she’s out here now and WOW!” said Buffy.

“Bloody hell, pet. You’re going to hang up and leave me like this. Aren’t you?” asked William.

“No,” said Buffy slowly as she smiled big at Dawn and have her an enthusiastic thumbs up.

“I’m going to suggest that you put the cell phone next to you and finish your-job,” promised Buffy, “I’ll just be patient and wait on hold until you’ve, finished.”

Buffy let Dawn hand her the dress, shoes, and earrings and she proceeded to take them out to the register while Dawn got dressed. Buffy could hear William, gasping, panting, moaning, and finally calling out her name.

“Buffy, are you still there?” asked William, his breathing returning to normal.

“Oh yes, baby. I’m still here,” answered Buffy as Dawn joined her at the register and handed the sales lady her credit card.

Dawn looked at Buffy and asked, “Buffy, are you feeling alright? You look really flushed.”

Buffy nodded to Dawn to indicate that she was fine and held up her hand to indicate that she would just be another moment.

“Flushed are you?” William asked his voice still rough, “So, I’m guessing, it was good for you too? You’re unbelievable, you know that?”

“Two more days William. Sweet dreams,” said Buffy softly into the phone.

“I’ll be dreaming of you, luv. Goodnight,” said William before hanging up.

Buffy and Dawn stopped by at a little Italian place next to Buffy’s house and enjoyed Pizza and Chianti. Buffy was home by 9:00. She hung up her new dress, undressed, and spent some time stretching on the floor of her bedroom while she drew a bath.

She pinned up her hair and leaned back letting the warmth of the water soak into her joints. She thought about her telephone conversation earlier, with William, and began to feel a slight tingle between her legs. Buffy stretched her arms up as she rolled her neck from side to side, exhaling deeply. She bought her fingertips down to her neck, slid them over her collarbone, and then used them to draw little circles around the tips of her nipples.

From where he was standing outside her bathroom window he could see her, lying in the bathtub, surrounded by bubbles and candlelight. Soon, it would be him surrounding her. He licked his lips and felt his own arousal as she began to touch her breasts. He wanted to taste them, taste her, possess her, and he would. Because he always got what he wanted.

There in the dark he unfastened his pants and began to stroke himself as he watched Buffy bring herself closer to orgasm. Once she was his, she would never do that again. She’ll never have to satisfy herself, he thought, unless it was for his pleasure-so he could watch her-like this.

He couldn’t hold on any longer as he watched her build to her own climax. As she came, so did he, shooting his seed against the back wall of the house, under her window.

As he stepped back tucked himself inside his pants he felt something brush up against his legs. It was a damn cat. It startled him and he bumped into one of the chairs on the deck. In the still of the night it sounded loud and he heard Buffy call out, “I someone there?”.

He wasted no time as he turned and ran. He stepped onto the garden bench at the far wall of her property, and then launched himself over the fence into the neighbors yard. He ran out the neighbor’s side gate and over two blocks until he reached his car. His heart was pumping from the excitement and he was impossibly hard again. It wouldn’t be long now, he thought, that look on Buffy’s face, those little noises, it would all be for him.

Buffy called the security company immediately. There response was prompt. They tested her system and then conducted a perimeter check. After examining the area outside of her window they called the police department and explained to the dispatcher what had happened. An officer came out to take a report. The security officer recommended that she have motion sensitive lights put around the perimeter of the builder and he agreed to send someone out later that day, Friday at the latest. After they left Buffy locked up and then secured the alarm. She crawled into bed and turned the television on and had another sleepless night.

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CHAPTER 20

Buffy was paged to the 10th floor nursing station. Waiting for her was a beautiful bouquet of red roses. Several of the nurses were hovering around them waiting to see Buffy’s reaction. She reached for the card and it read, “After Saturday, you’re mine.” Buffy smiled, looking forward to the weekend with William.

“They’re beautiful roses. Do you like them?” asked Parker who was now standing behind her.

“Oh yes. I love roses,” Buffy said, as she smelled one of the flowers

“You know, I seem to remember you mentioning that. You deserve them,” he said as he leaned over to smell one of the flowers himself.

“Thanks Parker, that’s sweet of you,” responded Buffy.

Parker walked away to complete his rounds and Buffy took the flowers back to her office. She picked up her phone and called William’s cell.

“H’ lo luv,” he answered.

“They’re beautiful,” said Buffy.

“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this weekend, Buffy. My head was filled with images of you, stretched out on your bed. Perhaps it was silly, or impulsive,” said William.

“Flowers are never silly. Always welcome,” said Buffy.

“Yeah, but probably not too many blokes sending you sheets,” added William.

“Huh?” said Buffy, looking over at the flowers a shiver passing up her spine. “William, did you send me flowers? Beautiful red roses?”

“No, I sent you a set of black silk sheets, for our bed,” explained William. “Did someone send you flowers? Who signed the card?”

“No one,” Buffy read the card to William as she sat in her chair.

“What happens on Saturday?” she wondered out loud. “And, did you say our bed?” she teased.

“Did I? IS?” he trailed off, not quite knowing what to say. “Do you think you have secret admirer?” William asked changing the subject.

“Or something,” said Buffy, feeling more and more uneasy. “This has been a strange week, with not much sleep, I’ll fill you in once you get back in town.”

“Have time now, to listen I mean, if you want,” offered William.

“No, I’ll wait until I have you here, in person,” said Buffy.

“Won’t be long, luv. You’ll be in my arms before you know it,” he assured her. “I think I’m going to need your help with something though, I’m a little hesitant to ask, so I need your assurance that you’ll say no if you’re uncomfortable.”

“As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with borrowing my underwear,” said Buffy as Dawn walked into her office.

“What? No! I’m a boxer man myself,” said William matter-of-factly. “At any rate, I was woken before the sun this morning by Druscilla’s doctor. She’s turning 18 in a few weeks and he says they can’t really keep her any longer. I’m not really sure what to do. I’m the only family she has. I can’t stand the thought of her living on the streets. She’d never survive. This doctor seems to think that there’s a chance Dru could live a “normal” life, whatever that means, for a girl who’s been in an institution for a decade.”

“How do you want me to help?” asked Buffy.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t really know. I’m don’t understand everything the ol’ doc is saying and I know that you speak his language, luv. Could I fax you a release and have you give him a call? I don’t think I can make any decisions or plans without understanding her condition, you know?” William concluded.

“Are you thinking of bringing her back here? Is that an option you would consider?” asked Buffy.

“Been thinking about it, pet. Can’t really help her much if she stays across the pond, can I? So, you’ll do it? You’ll speak to the doc for me?” asked William, hesitantly.

“Of course, what’s your fax number? I’ll also need the name of the place and the doctor’s name for the authorization request. I’ll fill it all out so you just have to sign it. Fax it back with his phone number and I’ll give him a call. I’ll do my best to get the skinny and we can talk it through this weekend,” she committed.

William provided Buffy with the requested information, said he would keep a lookout for the fax, and promised to talk with her later in the evening, after she got home. The remainder of the day was relatively uneventful. Buffy successfully exchanged faxes with William and managed to schedule a phone conference with Druscilla’s psychiatrist, Dr. Bernard Friedman, for 6:00 AM Friday.

Buffy stopped off at the grocery store on the way home. She didn’t want to have to stock up on Friday after work because she was expecting William back on Friday. She didn’t want to waste time at the grocers, when she could be in his arms. So tonight she bought groceries to make a nice home-cooked meal for Friday. She also picked up some wine, additional breakfast goods for Saturday and Sunday morning, and some general staples. She stopped by a sandwich shop on the way home and ordered a large submarine sandwich, planning to take half to work tomorrow.

It was close to 8:30 PM as Buffy pulled into her driveway. It was dark outside. Since there were many grocery bags she settled on first unlocking the front door, planning to make several trips into the house. The neighborhood was quiet as she walked to the door and noticed a small package waiting for her on the top step. The trunk of her car stood open. There was a porch light lighting the area directly in front of her door, and the light from the trunk glowing 15 feet away. Buffy walked up to the door holding her keys in her hands.

As she stepped up to the door, Miss. Marple came from around the side of the house to meet her. Buffy started to turn toward the cat to say hello, but suddenly the cat scampered off. In the blink of an eye Buffy found herself pinned to the door, there was a arm around her waist, a hand touching her breast, she could feel someone’s hot breath on the back of her neck, feel their heart beating rapidly through their clothes, feel their arousal against her bottom, feel complete fear and panic run through her entire being.

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Chapter 21.

Buffy moaned softly, begging, “Please, please don’t hurt me.”

The hand quickly released her breast. The arm unwrapped itself from around her waist. Buffy took this opportunity to push against her attacker. Hard. She took off running towards her neighbor’s house. Buffy was running across Mr. James’ front lawn before she realized that no one had reached for her, no one was chasing her. She turned back to see William standing in her doorway. Buffy felt the world start to spin around her, and then suddenly it all went dark.

“Buffy, luv, are you okay? Buffy?” William said as he held Buffy in his arms.

Buffy came to and could feel someone’s hands on her; she immediately started struggling against her captor.

“Buffy! It’s okay! It’s me, William,” she heard him yell.

Buffy began to remember the image of William, standing in front of her home. Her eyes began to once again focus, her breathing slowed and she realized that she was cradled against William's chest on Mr. James’ front lawn. Buffy immediately tried to stand up, but was surprised by another dizzy spell. As she swayed a bit William was there to catch her and scooped her up, into his arms.

“Still a little dizzy? I think your head hit pretty hard when you fainted. Thank goodness you were on the grass,” said William.

“I fainted?” asked Buffy while she was playing with the collar of William’s shirt.

“Yep. Just like in the movies. Have you ever fainted before, luv?” William asked her as he started to carry her across the street to her condo.

“No. And, I think you can put me down now,” said Buffy as she started to feel embarrassed.

“Nope, not yet,” William declared.

“Really, I’m alright. I think it was a combination of fright and not eating since breakfast. That’s all. I just thought he had come back-” Buffy trailed off.

She felt William stiffen immediately. He pulled the key to her place out of his pocket and unlocked the door using the hand that was behind Buffy’s back. He turned the knob and walked into her apartment turning on the entryway light.

“Wait,” shouted Buffy as she reached forward and punched some numbers into a keypad.

“That’s new,” said William neutrally.

“Yes,” acknowledged Buffy. “It’s been, a hard week,” said Buffy as tears started to leak out of her eyes.

“Shhh,” hushed William. “You’re alright, pet. I’m here. I won’t let any nasties get to you.” William carried Buffy back to her bedroom and set her down onto her bed. He kissed her forehead and left the room but for a minute. He returned with a glass of wine, turned on the television and handed her the remote control. “Here, you watch some telly while I unload the car and lock up. Can I order some dinner for you? Or, I could whip something up?”

Buffy sniffled and reached for a tissue, “No, thanks, I picked up a sandwich on the way home, it’s big enough we could split it if you haven’t eaten.”

William nodded and left to finish doing as he promised. Twenty minutes later he returned to the bedroom with a tray laden with submarine sandwich, potato chips, and a second glass of wine for him. He climbed in on the other side of the bed and set the tray down between them. Buffy looked over at him and simply said, “Thank you.”

“Well,” started William, “Have to say I feel like a stupid git for scaring you the way I did. I’m sorry Buffy, just wasn’t thinking.”

Buffy took a bite out of her sandwich and leaned her head back onto her pillow. She closed her eyes for a moment suddenly realizing how hungry she had been. She swallowed, then started to explain, “Monday night, when I came home from work, that back door was wide open,” Buffy indicated the door leading from her bedroom onto the back deck. “I shut and locked the door, then got into the bath. When I got out of the tub it was ajar again. I called the police and they were great. They thought I surprised a burglar and that he just hid until I was in the bath and he could escape. I had the security system installed Tuesday. Last night, while I was in the bath I heard a noise. I just knew someone was out there and I called the security company. They said that someone was watching me while I was in the bath and there was evidence-” Buffy trailed off.

“What, did they get fingerprints or something?” asked William trying to contain his own anxiety.

“No, apparently the guy was watching me while sharing a special moment with his own hand,” clarified Buffy. “Then, today I got the flowers. When you came up behind be I thought you were the guy. It could be that it’s not even all the same person, you know? Maybe I just freaked. Anyways, motion sensitive lights going up tomorrow.”

As William listened to Buffy he could feel his anger rising. “You tell me this like it’s nothing! This is NOT a nothing. This is a SOMETHING!” William said as he jumped up from the bed and began pacing in the bedroom obviously angry.

“Are you mad at me?” asked Buffy feeling confused.

“Damn right!” shouted William. “You need to be more careful! “Please don’t hurt me?” What the hell is that? You think if I was some badass out to get you that would convince me?”

“Why are you yelling at me?” Buffy shouted back as she started once again to cry. “Besides, I got away-”

William struggled to rein in his anger. He purposefully took some slow breaths and walked over to sit next to Buffy on the bed. “I didn’t mean to yell. It’s not you I’m angry at, not really. I think that this is all the same guy, Buffy. It’s too much of a coincidence otherwise. You need to know that I released you as soon as I could tell you were afraid. If I had wanted to hurt you, I’m certain I could have. If you have someone stalking after you, you need to be prepared. I know what I’m talking about. Believe me. You’ve taken some good steps, with the security and all. But it could just come down to you. What if you were the only weapon? If stripped of the alarms or access to call the police. What could your do?”

“Why do you even care? You barely know me!” Buffy demanded. Her nerves felt frayed beyond belief.

William’s eyes met hers and as he looked into them he realized the simple truth of the matter and knelt before her, “I don’t know. What have you done to me Buffy? Since the moment I laid eyes on you-this isn’t me. I don’t form attachments like this! I take care of myself and that’s it!”

“No one asked you to get attached! I don’t need a puppy dog, William. I certainly don’t need you! I’ve learned to live quite well without a man in my life. Don’t think for a minute that a few sexual encounters and seemingly intimate conversations would change that,” yelled Buffy.

The room was deafeningly quiet save for the sound of the television as

William and Buffy glared at each other. William picked his keys up off of Buffy’s dresser and put them in his pocket. He refused to make eye contact and said softly, “It seems, pet, that I’ve made a mistake,” and he walked out of her room, down the hall, and out the front door.

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Chapter 22.

Buffy heard the front door slam and without a moment’s hesitation jumped out of bed, ran down the hall, and opened the front door. “That’s it? You’re leaving?” she asked.

William was standing car keys in hand, in front of his car door, his back to Buffy. “It’s what you want, isn’t it?” he asked.

“No!” said Buffy. “It’s not what I want. Things, this past week…Look, I’m tired, hungry, stressed out of my mind and…and I think that we just had our first fight. Now, it’s been awhile, but I think that following the fight phase comes the apology phase. So, I’m sorry. Can we just move onto the make-up phase?”

William smiled and turned back around to face Buffy. Her eyes were wide and still brimming with tears. William reached out and gently cupped her cheek. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to see you hurt. I need to be honest with you Buffy. I do feel attached, I feel the need, no, I want to protect you. These aren’t feelings that I’m use to and I’m not quite sure what to do here. Am I allowed to express how I feel? I know that you said you wouldn’t ever love me. I don’t want to push you away, but I can’t pretend that you don’t mean something to me,” William finished.

The tears spilled over and ran down the sides of her cheeks. He brushed them away with the pads of his thumbs and stepped closer to her. “Buffy? Say something,” he begged.

“That was a really good apology. Are you sure you haven’t had a lot of experience with this?” she asked.

William started laughing and Buffy quickly joined in. It felt good to laugh. She intertwined her fingers with his and pulled him back into the house. As Buffy turned away to close and lock the door she said, “It’s not that I won’t ever love you. It’s that I’m not sure I can ever love anyone. I’m afraid, afraid that I’m… too… broken. But, I can honestly say that you mean something to me too. When you walked out of here tonight, it hurt. I don’t want you to discard me, I want…”

“Tell me,” he said as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist in a close embrace.

“It’s, it’s ridiculously unfair,” she whispered.

“Tell me,” he encouraged.

“What I want is to feel love again and be positively assured that I will never be hurt or abandoned. The only way I can think of to ensure that is to hold something back, to shield myself so that when the inevitable happens I can go on, living. Losing Angel and the baby, it almost killed me. I can’t, I won’t go through that again,” finished Buffy.

“Buffy, what Angel did to you, was unforgivable. He deceived you. You trusted him completely. He was your husband, and you should have been able to trust him. I am not Angel. I can’t promise that I will never say or do a hurtful thing. But I can promise that whatever we have won’t be a lie. It will be real.” William turned Buffy around and looked steadily into her eyes, “Tonight, when I walked out of your house, it was just that. I wasn’t planning on walking out of your life forever. This past week, you're all I bloody thought about. Dreamt about. You're in my gut ... my throat ... I'm drowning in you, Buffy, I'm drowning in you. Just ... give me something ... a crumb ... a barest smidgen ... tell me ... maybe, someday, there's a chance.”

Buffy leaned in and softly kissed William on the lips. As she pulled back slightly he heard her say in the softest of whispers, “Maybe”, before she pressed her lips again to his. She trailed kisses over to his right ear and he felt her breath form the word, “someday”. William stepped back, a bright smile splitting his face. He grabbed her hand and began to tug her down the hall towards the bedroom.

“Are we now moving on to the Make-up Phase of tonight’s program?” teased Buffy.

“Well, yeah, but I need to feed you first. Otherwise you’ll be no good to me at all, will you?” asked William.

“Right, nourishment first, ravishing later,” agreed Buffy. “How about we eat on the back deck. We can light a few candles…I think it’s safe with you here.”

“You’re safe,” said William. “And the back deck sounds great, luv. How about a bath after?”

“Were you hoping to work a bath in before or after the ravishing Mr. Crawford?” Buffy asked as she carried her sandwich and wine to the back deck.

“I was thinking between ravishings,” responded William as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Buffy laughed and leaned back in her chair to look up at the night sky. Buffy worked on her sandwich and chips until she was close to finished. She then slid her plate across the table so that it was closer to William’s and stood up. Buffy walked over to William’s chair and motioned for him to slide it away from the table. He did so and started to stand. Buffy placed her hands on his shoulders, stilling him in his chair, then crawled into his lap. She picked up her sandwich and took the last bite. William began playing with a strand of her hair as he searched her face.

“What?” she asked. “You were too far away. I was lonely was over there. This is much better, don’t you think?” she asked wiggling her hips a bit.

“Couldn’t be happier,” said William, as he smelled her hair and took a sip of his wine.

“Are you sure?” asked Buffy seductively. “Because, I have a feeling I could make you much, much, happier.”

_____________________________________

Chapter 23.

William ran his hand through Buffy’s hair and kissed her softly on the lips. “What time is it, luv?” he asked.

“Huh? I must be doing something wrong if you’re wondering what time it is,” pouted Buffy.

“It’s not you, luv. There’s a call I need to make yet tonight. I have what I hope to be a final offer in on that property I’ve been looking at. They have to respond by 10:00PM, so I was going to ring up the seller’s agent for the response,” William explained.

Buffy got up and walked to her bedroom so that she could look at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s 9:45,” she said, “Can I get you some more wine?”

“Yeah, sure,” answered William.

“If you think you might be awhile on the phone I’m going to take a quick bath,” suggested Buffy.

“Take as long as you want in the tub, luv. Why don’t you start your bath and I’ll get the wine,” William offered.

As William returned to the back deck with their glasses refilled he could hear the water running in the tub and the sounds of the television in the background had been replaced with some sultry Spanish Guitar music. He stopped, briefly, to watch Buffy through the bathroom window. She was dressed in her blue silk robe and she had her back to him as she pinned her hair up, then poured a generous amount of bubble bath into the tub. She started to make her way back out to the back deck and he met her at the door, handing her a fresh glass of wine.

“Tell me about this property that has you so, distracted,” she asked as she took the glass of wine and fingered one of the buttons on his white silk shirt.

William took her by the hand and led her back into the bedroom. He took off his suit coat and laid it on the bed, then sat on the chaise, pulling her down next to him so that she was reclining against his chest.

“It’s lovely, really. Nine Acres of cabernet already established and there’s an existing agreement with a local vineyard to maintain and harvest. There’s a main house that’s 5400 square feet, a tennis court, and a pool with a 1500 square foot pool-house/guesthouse. The main house has five bedrooms, five baths, and a 5000 bottle capacity wine cellar. Once we close I’ll move into the pool house and stay there while I work on decorating the main house,” William explained.

“How long will it take?” asked Buffy.

“Hard to tell. Depends on a lot of factors, really. I can tell you that I’m motivated to get the job done,” he said as he tilted his head and smirked.

“Are we still talking about the house? Oh! The Bath!” shouted Buffy as she jumped up and ran to the bathroom.

He could see Buffy turn off the taps, light the candles, and step into the bath. He removed his shoes and socks, then picked up the cordless phone, walked into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. Then ever so slowly, he leaned forward to kiss her lips, her nose, and her eyelids.

“Mmmmm, feels nice,” moaned Buffy.

“Yeah,” said William, “be right with you luv.”

William dialed the phone and waited for an answer.

“Crawford here, what’s the word? Good work Sara! Yes! What am I going to do to celebrate? I think I’m going to celebrate tonight with a hot bath and some cold Champagne. That’s what your doing? I see, well I’ll let you get the little one off to bed then. Is she sleeping through the night yet? Well, with $100,000 you could take the rest of the year off. You should think about it. What am I going to do with my commission? That’s none of your business, you nosey bint. Night, Sara,” concluded William.

“Champagne?” asked Buffy.

“Brought some just in case and popped it in the fridge, I’ll be right back, we have to toast,” said William as he jumped up enthusiastically.

He returned but a moment later with two glasses, and the champagne open and in ice. He poured them each a glass and handed one to Buffy. He knelt by the side of the tub and held his glass up, “To this being the beginning of, something,” he said as he searched her eyes. “Can you toast to that, Buffy?”

“To the beginning of something,” agreed Buffy as she lightly touched her glass to his, and then took a sip. William handed Buffy his glass of champagne then slowly unbuttoned his shirt, letting it slip off of his shoulders, onto the floor. Buffy could feel her arousal start to build as she watched him remove first his shirt, then his trousers. The flame flickered over his body. A body that was truly exquisite. Lean yet muscular, and hard, for her. William motioned for her to make room for him in the bath. She slid forward and he stepped in behind her. She could feel his erection pressing up against her lower back as she leaned comfortably into his embrace.

“God, this feels wonderful. I have officially decided that I am never leaving this bath,” declared Buffy as she took another sip of champagne.

William nuzzled into her neck and then poured a trickle of champagne down Buffy’s shoulder. The cold champagne trickled over her collarbone and between her breasts. She instinctively arched up as William began to lick the champagne off of her shoulder. His hands moved to her breasts and began to knead them softly. Buffy tilted her head further back, exposing more of her neck. William took one of her hands and brought it slowly to his lips, kissing her fingers. He pulled her index finger into his mouth and let his tongue circle around the tip. He released her finger and as he raised her arm slowly into the air he kiss his way down, to her shoulder, then up her neck. His tongue then outlined the shell of her ear as he continued to tease her nipples. He could hear Buffy’s breathing catch as he bit down on her earlobe, tugging it gently and pulling it into his mouth. Buffy moaned and William released a soft growl. The vibration against her ear seemed to penetrate through her body. It felt primitive, and possessive, and passionate.

“I want you, now,” demanded William as he reached down to test her readiness. He felt her slickness as he stoked between the folds of her lips. He placed his hands around her waist and lifted her, lowering her onto him.

“Wait,” said Buffy, and William froze.

Buffy curled her right arm around Williams’s neck and brought her right knee up close to her chest. “I want to look at you,” she said as she pivoted, still impaled on him, so that she faced him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and then lifted her champagne glass to his lips. After giving him a sip she poured the remainder of the champagne over her neck and breasts. She arched back so that he was now buried to the hilt inside of her. He kissed her soundly, exploring the inside of her mouth with his tongue. He licked down the length of her neck then latched onto her breast as he began to move in and out of her. His thrusts were gentle at first. Her moans encouraged him to increase his pace. He released her breast and looked up into her eyes. Her eyes were half-closed, hooded in desire. They became wide with recognition as she realized that he was watching her. Their eyes connected as they continued to silently rock back and forth against each other. Buffy could feel her orgasm building and her breathing became more and more labored. As William kissed her deeply she could feel the insides of her thighs start to tremble. As she pulled back from the kiss he tilted his head back, his breathing now ragged as he continued to penetrate her again and again. Buffy feeling slightly dizzy leaned down to rest her head on the crook of his shoulder.

William didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. The sound of her panting against him was driving him over the edge. He could feel her thighs begin to tremble. Then he felt it, her inner walls start to squeeze him as her entire body tensed and she bit down onto his shoulder. William let go then; his release was complete as he came with one final thrust.

“Buffy?” William asked as he ran his cheek against the side of her face and down her neck.

“Mmmmmm?” she responded.

“Can I have some more?” said William with a smirk.

Buffy laughed out loud before unwrapping her legs and sliding off of him. “I’m all yours,” Buffy said as she softly kissed him before moving to the other end of the tub.

“I need to give you fair warning, pet, I could get used to that. I may never want to let you go-” William trailed off as he picked up a sponge, poured bath-gel onto it, and began to wash Buffy’s feet and legs.

“Keep treating me so well and I’ll never want you to,” admitted Buffy.

William finished washing her, and then used the sponge to wash himself. He then stepped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his waist. “More hot water, luv?” asked William.

“Nope, I’m plenty pruney, thank you very much!” said Buffy standing in the tub. William held out a hand and helped her get out onto the floor. Buffy wobbled slightly, “Oops, I’m not sure that my legs are working again vet.”

William wrapped a large bath towel around her and lifted her into his arms, carrying her back to the bed. The covers were turned down, and he left her reclining against the pillows to go and refill the champagne glasses. As he came back into the room he took a moment to drink in the image of her. She had let her hair loose from the hair clip and her golden tresses were splayed across her bed pillow. Her skin was flush pink, partly from the bath, partly from their earlier lovemaking. Her eyes were closed and he could barely detect breathing. She looked angelic and he realized that he wanted her again. He wanted her still. He set the champagne down on her nightstand, and then went back into the bathroom return with two candles, which he set next to the champagne. William went about the house, dousing all the lights, before crawling into bed.

He watched her as he crawled up from the end of the bed. He had removed his towel and began to gently tug on the edge of the one that we still wrapped around Buffy. Buffy stretched luxuriously, opened one eye, and smiled up at him. “Are you trying to take advantage of a half asleep Buffy?” she asked playfully.

“Well, I figure if you’re only half asleep, it’s only half taking advantage of. Wouldn’t your agree?” reasoned William as he unwrapped the towel from around her body.

Buffy wrapped one arm around Williams back and ran her other hand over the side of his face. “I’m sorry, not much sleep this week. But, you’re not taking advantage of me here William. I want this. I want you.”

William hovered over her, his arms supporting him; his body now nestled comfortably between her legs. She could feel his erection again begging entrance and reached down to guide him in. William cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “Your so beautiful, I-”

William was interrupted by the sound of a loud crash as a garden statue was thrown through the bedroom window showering the chaise and the floor in front of the window with glass. William’s instincts kicked in immediately as he grabbed Buffy and pulled her off the far edge of the bed, covering her body for a moment with his. “Stay here and don’t move,” he said as he started to get up.

“Where are you going? Your totally naked-and there’s glass all over the floor-and please don’t leave me,” cried Buffy.

William took Buffy in his arms before murmuring, “I won’t leave you sweetheart. I’m right here, baby. I’m sure the asshole is long gone. Let’s get our clothes on and call that crack security company of yours. Them and me, we’re going to have a conversation.”

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Chapter 24

“H’lo, this is William Crawford. I am going to say this once, so listen carefully. I am at the home of Buffy Summers, 1630 Revello Drive. An intruder has just thrown something though her bedroom window. This is the third incident this week. We are NOT happy with your services thus far. I need a clean up crew out here and an armed security officer within the hour. The security officer will patrol the property. Tomorrow morning someone WILL be out here installing the automated security lights around the perimeter of the property. If my request is not carried out as I have specified, and to my complete satisfaction, we will cancel our agreement with your company. If any of this is unclear, in any way, I will expect a call from you superior to clarify my needs within the next 15 minutes. Goodnight.”

Buffy sat on the sofa in her living room wearing her blue silk robe. William was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace and was once again dressed in his trousers and silk shirt, although it remained unbuttoned and he was barefoot. As hung up the phone he immediately dialed the police department and reported the incident. Buffy looked as him a little surprised, “You don’t think you were a little rough on them?”

“Are you kidding me? Buffy, I don’t want to frighten you needlessly. But, I think this is serious! I hate to think about what you have been through in the past week. More importantly, I hate to think of what might have happened to you. My instincts tell me to take you away from here-now. If they can’t send a security officer here to patrol tonight I am taking you to my boat, or a hotel. If you refuse, I will stay up all night patrolling. And, gear up, luv, I am going to try to steal you away and take you to London with me next week. I have to go for a few days and I want you to come with. We don’t need to discuss it now, but we will tomorrow, when this is more settled,” William finished.

Buffy looked up at him with almost no expression on her face. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and she seemed so small, so fragile. He stopped his pacing abruptly and sat down along side Buffy on the sofa, pulling her into his arms.

“It’ll be alright, pet, you’ll see,” William assured her.

Buffy leaned into his embrace and confessed, “I hate to admit this, but I’m frightened, I’m afraid that-”

“What, luv?” William asked.

Buffy stood and motioned for him to follow. She slowly walked back into the bedroom. She walked to the edge of the bed where they could witness the damage without stepping through the glass. She pointed to the statuary that had been thrown through the window. It was a ceramic Angel. One of its arms and the harp it had held now broken. “What if it’s Angel? I mean, do you think it could be? Do you think it’s some kind of message?

“No,” said William. “I think Angel is long gone. Whoever this is, we will find him. I will find him.” He leaned down over Buffy and kissed her softly on the lips.

The phone rang. “Shall I get it, luv?” William asked. Buffy nodded and he pressed the talk button on the phone, “Summer’s residence, Crawford here.”

“Mr. Crawford, this is Steve Thompson with Sunnydale Security. I understand that there’s been an incident. We have a Security Officer on the way. That’s the routine response and it’s fully covered by the existing contract. Was there an additional service that you wanted to discuss adding?”

“Thank you for calling Mr. Thompson. Yes, we are in need of some additional services. Let me outline what I have in mind, and then you can let me know if you can accommodate my request. I want someone here within the hour to clean up the glass from the broken window and to repair said window so that it’s again secure. I want an armed security officer patrolling the property for the remainder of the night. First thing in the morning I want the crew out here installing those motion sensitive lights. If anyone steps foot within one inch of this property line I want the place to light up like a bloody Christmas tree. Can you do this Mr. Thompson?” finished William.

“Well, yeah. We can get the lights up tomorrow, but a guard on short notice like this, I don’t know, it’s really late,” hedged the voice on the phone.

“Fine,” said William an edge creeping into his voice. “Effective immediately your contract is cancelled. I will contact Dalton Essex and have him assume responsibility for the properties security. I’ve been referring clients to Dalton’s company for years and his service has been flawless, I have every confidence that he could get someone out here tonight. Although I appreciate your efforts thus far Mr. Thompson, it seems that our present needs have surpassed what you can provide-”

“I didn’t say we couldn’t do it, just that it would be difficult. We can accommodate all of your requests Mr. Crawford, no problem. I assure you that we can handle this job. If everything is not done to your complete satisfaction I want you to let me know.”

The next two hours went by in a blur for Buffy. The police arrived and they looked at the scene, took some photos, asked some questions, and left with the garden statue. They expressed doubt that they would find any fingerprints on it, but assured William that it would be checked. The security company made good on their promise to send out someone to clean up the glass and place a board over the window. The security officer that responded related that he was directed to remain on patrol for the rest of the evening and that he would be walking the perimeter. Finally they were alone again.

“You need to call in sick for tomorrow, pet. You’ll be too exhausted to work,” observed William as he locked the front door.

“I can’t believe its 2:00AM already. I have that conference call with Dru’s doctor in four hours. I’m not going to sleep. I just know it. Why is this happening?” Buffy asked with fresh tears in her eyes.

William walked over and pulled Buffy into his embrace. “I don’t know. Let’s make some tea, cuddle up in bed, and watch movies for the next few hours. If you’re not up to it, I’ll cancel the call with Dr. Friedman. You’ll stay home tomorrow and we can spend the entire day in bed. We can even sleep some if you insist,” William finished with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Buffy smiled, “That sounds like a marvelous plan. You make tea and I’ll call work. There’s tea in the pantry.”

Buffy called and left a voice-mail message for her boss, explaining what had happened and that she need to stay home to both secure her home, and get some much needed rest. She then walked down the hall to her room. As she entered the first thing that she did was close the curtains. Because her bedroom looked out onto her back yard, it usually felt private. Suddenly Buffy felt-exposed. She tried to shake it off and started to sort through her collection of DVD’s.

William walked into the room and looked over her shoulder as he handed her a cup of tea. “That one,” he suggested. She removed the DVD from the case and joined William in bed.

“I love this movie,” said Buffy as she inched closer to William.

He wrapped his arm around her as she rested her head on his once again bare chest. “I haven’t seen it in years. I remember it being long,” said William as he toyed with a strand of her hair.

Buffy pinched his side playfully making him jump a bit. “Oi, hot tea here!” William exclaimed.

“William?” Buffy asked as she sat up so she could look at him.

“Yeah?” he asked searching her lovely hazel eyes.

“Thank you, for being here. It’s been a strange night. I feel a bit like I’m getting off of a roller coaster. If we hadn’t of been interrupted, earlier, I know that it would have been wonderful. And, after, I would have lain in your arms and told you so. I’m sorry,” finished Buffy.

“Shhh,” said William as he reached behind her head and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. As he pulled back he murmured, “No need to be sorry. You make me very happy. You excite me beyond reason Buffy.”

Buffy snuggled back down against William’s chest as the opening sequence to “Dr. Zhivago” began to play.

________________________________________

Chapter 25

William and Buffy woke to the sound of the telephone ringing. Buffy looked at the clock and said, “Shit!” as she reached for the phone.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Summers? This is Bernard Friedman, calling about Drusilla Bennett.”

William got up out of bed, grabbed a pad of paper and pen out of his briefcase and handed them to Buffy, kissing her hand. He then left the room promising to return with coffee.

“Yes, Dr. Bennett,” said Buffy, “thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with me.”

“What would you like to know about Drusilla, exactly?” asked the doctor.

“I was hoping that you could give me a brief overview of her case history, diagnosis, key dynamic issues, medications, current functional status, prognosis, the works. William is thinking about bring Dru back here to the states and he would like me to help arrange suitable accommodations for her here. So, as much information as you can tell me,” concluded Buffy.

“Well, it’s a very sad story, really. Dru’s biological mother was a heroin addict and sometimes prostitute. There were lots of “Daddies” in young Drusilla’s home. Leon Bennett moved in when Dru was five. He was a drug dealer, very violent. Drusilla witnessed lots of spousal abuse and was a victim of physical abuse and neglect. At the age of six Drusilla’s mother became pregnant. It was around that time that Leon started to sexually abuse Drusilla. Her mother was obviously aware and did nothing. There were pictures found at the scene of the crime. It’s a miracle that she survived at all.

Somehow she spiked their afternoon tea with common household rat poison. In some macabre way it seemed an appropriate finish. Drusilla spend some time recovering physically and emotionally in a psychiatric hospital. She was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It was determined that she didn’t fully comprehend the consequences of her actions and that the circumstances were isolated. After a period of observation she was released into the foster care system.

William had been in the system for years at that point. He was currently in a very successful placement and when those foster parents were approached about accepting Dru they agreed without hesitation. For months things went along swimmingly.

Then, she killed them, the Crawford’s, I mean. It appears that she overheard the Mrs. Telling her husband that she was with child. Drusilla offered to make the afternoon tea to help celebrate and again added the rat poisoning. In her mind, she linked her mother’s pregnancy to her own abuse. Upon hearing of Mrs. Crawford’s condition she became convinced that they cycle of abuse was about to repeat itself. When William came home that afternoon she was still sitting at the table, her own tea, of course, untouched. She was completely catatonic. It was months before she spoke again and then only to William when he visited. Almost two years before we were really able to start working in therapy.

She appears very delicate physically and she is very fragile emotionally. She evokes a desire to shelter and protect. At other times she can be seductive, edgy, abrasive, even seemingly wicked and perverse. When stressed she can slip into psychosis easily, very easily.”

“Sounds like Borderline Personality Disorder on top of the PTSD,” reflected Buffy.

“Very definitely. At times they have called her Schizophrenic, Schizoaffective, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Bipolar, you name it,” concluded Friedman.

“But you don’t think so?” asked Buffy.

“I have reviewed her records thoroughly and I have spent a great deal of time with her. I haven’t seen any evidence of Manic episodes. Of course there’s been depression, she has a depressing life-but not what I would call a clinical depression. There has been a history of psychotic symptoms, thought distortion, and hallucinations; and those symptoms wax and wane. But, I just haven’t seen evidence of the functional impairment that typically comes with schizophrenia. Her interpersonal relations, school performance, attentiveness to her dress and grooming are all pretty unaffected. She’s a bit of an enigma. I believe that she is simply a Borderline with PTSD,” he explained.

“Have there been any other episodes of extreme dangerousness or violence?” she probed.

“Four years ago. An orderly attempted to sexually assault her. She poked one of his eyes out with her thumb. It was a horrible incident. It came to light that he had assaulted several of the girls on the ward. They came forth once it was clear that he wasn’t going to be coming back to work. Drusilla became a bit of a hero to them then and they started to call her the Dark Princess. Somehow it suits her, I must say,” he added.

“Medications?” asked Buffy as William handed her a cup of steaming coffee and sat down next to her to listen.

“That’s been tricky. There have been many trials over the years, as you can imagine. When I took over her case she was on about six different medications with about as many different side effects. I started slowly weaning her off of everything so that I could see her baseline. I have her on a little Zyprexa to target the psychosis and a low does of Ativan to curb her anxiety. The combination for the most part seems to give her sufficient ego glue to ward off the psychosis,” said Friedman.

“You said for the most part-” observed Buffy.

“Yes, there have been a few episodes and normally we just use Haldol/Ativan as needed. It pretty much puts her out. Drusilla then takes a nap and when she wakes up she is fine. We can without fail trace those episodes back to a specific stress trigger,” explained Friedman.

“Functional Status and Prognosis?” Buffy asked.

“Well, she has been completely institutionalized for over half of her life. She’s not prepared to enter into mainstream society on her own, that’s for sure. She’s had an education and is actually quite bright. Could take some college classes. She’s an exceptional artist, although her work is a bit on the dark side. She’s lacking in the life-skills department. No real understanding of money, can’t cook, never had to do her own cleaning or laundry. Those things have always been done for her. Also, having been here as long as she has, has afforded her this certain unusual-how shall I put it-status,” he finished.

“The Princess,” said Buffy.

“Yes. I’m afraid we’ve all fed into that a bit. Unfortunately I don’t believe that there are any openings presently within the royal family and we can’t keep her here. So, what do you think Ms. Summers?” asked Friedman.

“I think I’d like to meet Dru. My impression, correct me if I’m wrong, is that Drusilla could function adequately if continued on medications in a low-stress, and supportive environment. You think she’s bright and could be eased into learning additional social or life-skills. Perhaps even taking some college or art classes, as long as it’s kept to a minimum,” Buffy finished.

“Yes, I do believe that we are on the same page. Are you going to? Come meet Dru I mean?” asked Dr. Friedman.

“Yes, I think so. William will get back to you with the details. I need to get some time off from work. Perhaps I will be there sometime this coming week. Thank you for your time doctor. Drusilla’s been lucky to have you for the past few years,” Buffy added before hanging up the phone.

“London, pet?” asked William with a huge smile splitting his face.

________________________________________

Chapter 26.

Their breakfast was interrupted by the arrival of workmen at 7:00AM. William suggested that Buffy finish her breakfast, take some melatonin, and go back to sleep for a few hours. She left a message regarding the vacation request for her boss then, gratefully; she left him to speak with the workmen. She retired to the quiet of her room. Now that it was light outside she felt safer and quickly fell into a peaceful slumber.

William spent the day conducting research so that his trip would be maximally advantageous. His client, Mrs. Douglas, was Welsh, so he planned on acquiring some paintings from Welsh artist Geraint Dodd. He also had contacted Catherine’s mother and planned to pick up a box of old baby clothes. He had already had some shipped to him from Michael’s parents and intended to use them to make a quilt for each of the children’s rooms. Then, there were the stained glass windows that he wanted to get from St. Mary’s in Swansea. He had read recently that the church was being renovated and he had contacted the diocese to purchase three of the old windows for the wine cellar. He was having the drywall and flooring covered in stone slate and was going to have three windows cut in the exterior wall. They would have triple-paned insulated glass, with the stained glass inset. The final effect would be glorious.

After lining up those meetings William set about booking tentative flight and hotel reservations. Around 2:00PM the ringing of the phone interrupted him. He answered it promptly so as not to wake Buffy.

“Hello? Summer’s residence, Crawford here,” he said as he answered.

“Hello, this is Lorraine, is Buffy available?” asked the voice on the other end of the phone.

“No. Buffy’s sleeping at the moment. I could take a message or have her call you back,” William offered.

“Yes, that would be fine. This is her boss. She had called in and requested next week off. It sounded like there was some family business that she hoped to take care of. Anyhow, tell her that it’s fine. She should go ahead and make her plans,” said Lorraine.

“Thanks Lorraine, I really appreciate you being so flexible. I know this was short notice. It’s actually my family emergency, so, thank you,” confessed William.

“Oh, you must be the fellow Dawn was telling me about. I understand you’ll be escorting her to Imperiale’s party tomorrow night. We’ll get to meet in person-” Lorraine trailed off.

“Bollocks, I completely forgot the party! I managed to get all wrapped up in work and forgot about needing to pick my tux up for tomorrow night. It’s a good thing you mentioned the party,” admitted William.

“Well, see you tomorrow night, goodbye Mr. Crawford,” said Lorraine.

“Please, call me William,” he quickly responded. “Could I ask you a favor? Before you ring off, could you transfer me to Dawn?”

“Sure, I’ll page her and have her pick up. I’ll put you on hold. If she doesn’t pick up in a couple minutes you can press the star key and the system will accept a voice-mail message,” offered Lorraine.

William heard silence for a few moments. Then, suddenly, “This is Dawn-”

“Dawn? It’s William. Listen, I know it’s short notice, I’m wondering if you and Conner can come to dinner tonight at Buffy’s,” William asked.

“No, absolutely not. Buffy can’t cook. We could order in or go out and that’s my final offer. It’s been the day from hell here and all I’ve had to eat all day was a Pop-tart from a vending machine. By the time dinner comes around I’ll be ready to chew my own arm off,” declared Dawn.

“I’m cooking,” offered William.

“What time?” asked Dawn.

“Come right from work. I think Buffy could use the company. What about Conner?” asked William.

“He’s in. As luck would have it he’s assigned now to Parker and Parker has the weekend off- so that he can get ready for the party, go to the party, recover from the party. Conner’s off today at 3, I’ll pick him up when I get off and we should be there, like, 5:30ish?” checked Dawn.

“That’s great, see you then,” answered William before signing off.

William checked Buffy’s refrigerator, then wrote her a quick note before walking out the door, locking it behind him.

Buffy woke up around 2:30 PM. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then made her way out to the kitchen in search of William and a soda. His laptop was on the kitchen table and there were various photos of paintings scattered about. As she went to get a soda from the refrigerator she saw the note.

Buffy,

Lorraine called and we are on for London. I have been busy making arrangements and will fill you in tonight. I’m off to pick up my tux from storage. I invited Dawn and Conner to dinner tonight. Hope you don’t mind. I thought it would be fun. I’m going to stop by the grocers and pick up a few extra things-don’t worry about a thing-I’ll do the cooking and cleaning up. I should be back no later than 4:00 or 4:30-depending on traffic.

Love,

William

Buffy grabbed the soda, and then reread the note, “Love, William”, she said out loud, then smiled. Buffy decided to shower and get ready for dinner. She spent the next hour primping. She washed and conditioned her hair. Then, she meticulously applied make up aiming for that “natural-I’m not wearing any make-up look”. Buffy then chose a pair of faded, extremely comfortable blue jeans and a white peasant top. Some little white sandals and gold hoop earrings completed her outfit. She then grabbed the latest Jim Butcher novel that she had picked up and went to sit on her back deck. Although the workmen seemed to have cleared out, it was still very light outside and she felt safe. That is where William found her when He returned at 4:15.

“You’re looking much happier, luv” he said.

Buffy looked up to find him leaning in the doorway that leads from the kitchen to the back deck.

“I feel much better. Thanks for suggesting I get some sleep. I certainly needed it,” she confirmed.

“Want to keep me company while I cook?” asked William.

“Sure! And, by the way, what did you have to promise Dawn to get her to come and eat here? She always wants to go out,” asked Buffy.

“I promised her an unforgettable meal. Oh, and I used my sexy, persuasive voice-gets them every time,” said William.

Buffy picked a dishtowel up off of the counter and snapped it across

William’s ass, “Hey!” he shouted, “You’re supposed to kiss the bloody cook!”

Buffy tossed the dishtowel nonchalantly over her shoulder and said, “My mistake,” before stepping in to wrap herself around William for a resounding kiss which left them both breathless and panting for more.

“William?” asked Buffy as she lightly traced his lips with her fingertips.

“Hmmmm?” he answered.

“Can I keep these forever? They seem to be able to do the most amazing things,” said Buffy.

“You better mind what you wish for, pet. You’re going to fill my head with ideas and then you’re going to be stuck with me,” he teased.

“Can I help with the dinner?” offered Buffy.

“Set the table? Wash and drain the lettuce?” he asked.

Buffy nodded and said with mock seriousness, “As you wish.”

The aroma in the kitchen was marvelous. William had cubed steak and browned the meat in extra virgin olive oil. He then sautéed a medium onion, added some chopped tomatoes, some water, and a generous amount of curry paste. Sweet basmati rice was cooking on the stove. After Buffy washed the lettuce, he prepared a mixed green salad with mandarin orange slices, coconut and almonds. For dessert he had brought home an orange sorbet. He was in the process of actually slicing oranges in half, extracting the meat, adding scoops of sorbet, and placing them in the freezer.

“Are you really Martha Stewart?” Buffy asked as she came in from setting the table.

“What? No! Just trying to put together a simple meal is all,” he explained.

She could tell that he was a little offended and pressed it, “Cause, I would swear, if I didn’t know any better, that you were Martha. Maybe you secretly want to be-”

William pulled Buffy out of her chair, aggressively. He placed one of her hands over the bulge in his jeans and curved the second behind her waist.

“It’s true,” gasped Buffy, “you are always hard for me.”

“Damned right,” answered William as he squeezed her breast and began raining kisses down the side of her neck. “The question is-what are you going to do about it?”

As the doorbell rang Buffy started to pull away, “Ignore it,” whispered William as he nibbled on her ear.

“You’re the one that invited them for dinner. We can’t leave them standing outside,” said Buffy.

“Ok, let them in and come meet me in the bedroom,” suggested William.

“What? No! We’re going to be good,” declared Buffy.

“Oh, I know we’ll be good,” said William grinding his erection into her.

“Stop it! Bad!” scolded Buffy, as she pulled free from William’s embrace. As she reached the door to the kitchen she turned around and blew William a kiss.

_________________________________________________

Chapter 27

Buffy brought Conner and Dawn back through to the kitchen. Dawn immediately walked over to the stove so that she could take a closer look at what William was stirring.

“Oh, my God! That smells fabulous. I am truly impressed. Did you really make it?” asked Dawn.

“With my own little hands. Slaved away on it all day too,” responded William.

“He did not. He just threw this together like it was nothing. And, don’t get any ideas. He’s mine and you can’t have him,” said Buffy as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

William turned around in Buffy’s arms then lifted her chin up so that he could kiss her softly on the lips. “You’re a demanding little chit, you know that?” William asked.

“Not demanding,” pouted Buffy, “I’m just comfortable expressing my needs.”

William poked Buffy in the ribs making her giggle as he returned his attention to the meal. “There’s drinks in the refrigerator. Conner, do you mind handing me a beer?”

“Not at all, I think I’ll join you. Ladies? Want anything?” asked Conner.

“I’ll just have a soda since I volunteered to be your designated driver for the weekend!” teased Dawn.

“I’ll have a glass of the white wine if you don’t mind pulling the bottle out,” said Buffy.

Conner pulled out a couple beers, a soda, and the wine. Dawn and Buffy retired to the deck to catch up and Conner decided to hang back in the kitchen with William.

“What’s up with this? Aren’t the girls supposed to be the one’s slaving over the hot stove while we’re just hanging out outside?” asked Conner.

William shrugged and simply answered, “There’s certain advantages.”

“Like what?” asked Conner, curiously.

“Well, a happy, relaxed, well-fed Buffy will be a grateful Buffy. And, a grateful Buffy makes for a happy William,” he responded wiggling his eyebrows. “Plus, my cooking I know we can eat.”

“What happened here last night?” asked Conner, changing the subject.

William turned the rice off. He climbed up and sat on the counter and took a long pull from his beer. “Some ponce threw a garden statue through Buffy’s bedroom window. We were in bed, sharing a-moment-when it just came crashing through.”

“Man! Did you see who it was?” Conner asked.

“No. I was about to give chase, but Buffy was scared and wasn’t about to let me go. I don’t want to frighten her further, but there have been several incidents and things seem to be escalating. First someone broke in here and apparently spent time poking around in her bedroom. Then he jacks off while he’s peering in her bathroom window watching her bathe. The next day she gets flowers at work with an unsigned card inside. That brings us to last night,” finished William.

“-and that brings you up to date,” said Buffy.

“Wow. You really think it might be Angel?” asked Dawn.

“Dawn, I have no idea, none. But when I saw the angel statue on the bedroom floor the thought crossed my mind. Anyways, the security has been improved and with William here I feel safer,” concluded Buffy.

“Yeah, but isn’t he going back to the Bay Area Sunday?” Dawn asked.

“Actually,” interjected William as he came onto the deck carrying a large bowl of salad, “Buffy and I are heading to London on Monday.”

“What?” Conner asked as he sat a tureen of beef curry on the table. “When did this happen?”

As William returned with the rice and started serving Buffy started to explain, “Well, last night, actually. William kind of insisted I let him take me there next week.”

“I don’t want her here, alone. I am hoping that getting Buffy out of this guy’s line of sight for a bit will help him cool off it’ll be a fun trip. Much better with you for company, pet. I was going to take care of some business related to the project I’m working on. But, now I’ll make sure to work some of the pleasure stuff in there too,” he finished as he reached over and grabbed her hand.

“And don’t forget, Dru,” added Buffy.

“Dru?” asked Dawn, “This is every bit as fabulous as it smelled by the way”.

William suddenly let go of Buffy’s hand and picked up his napkin to wipe his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” said Buffy quietly as she reached out to touch his arm. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned-”

“S’alright, I’m just not used to talking about her.” William looked directly at Buffy covered her hand with his and said, “It’s OK. You explain. She’s going to be a bigger part of my life, I need to get used to this.”

Both Dawn and Conner were hanging on their every word. “The anticipation is killing me here,” complained Dawn.

“Well, William has a younger sister that lives back in London. She’s going to be 18 soon and he’s the only family she has. So, were going over there to start making plans to bring her back,” finished Buffy.

“So, is she coming out here to go to college?” asked Conner.

“No,” said William. “You see, Drusilla’s, not well,” finished William awkwardly as he ran his hand through his hair. He looked over to Buffy for help and after she received a brief nod, she continued.

“Drusilla and William both grew up in the social service system. Drusilla was horribly abused as a child and has spent most of her life institutionalized. She remains extremely fragile emotionally. She can’t continue to stay where she has been now that she is turning 18. They want to release her. We’re going to go meet with the doctors and spend some time with Drusilla to get a sense of what we would need to have in place to bring her back here-where she could be closer to him,” Buffy concluded.

“Here?” asked Dawn.

“We don’t know exactly where yet. That will depend on what her needs are. But, someplace in or around Sunnydale,” explained William.

As the two couples enjoyed the remainder of the meal, conversation eventually turned from the upcoming trip to London to Imperiale’s big party. Buffy and Dawn told stories from parties past and their excitement about the upcoming event rose. Conner and William listened on as they chatted about everything from earrings to what shade of stockings they would wear.

Finally William interjected, “Hey Conner. I’m going to wear my black tux and a white shirt? How about you?”

Conner looked horrified, as he said, “Oh No! I was going to wear a black tux and a white shirt. Do you think anyone will notice that we are like practically wearing the same out-fit? That would be so embarrassing.”

Buffy giggled and said, “Ok, I get it, enough with the fashion talk.”

“What?” Conner asked as he realized that Dawn was just staring at him.

“Huh?” she asked.

“You just looked like you drifted off for a moment-,” said Conner with a shrug.

“Oh, just enjoying the visual,” answered Dawn. “You know, handsome man, tux, beautiful moonlight, champagne, dancing under the stars,” Dawn finished dreamily.

Conner swallowed hard and paled a little before asking, “Dancing?”

“A huh,” she said.

“Dawn, I’m sorry, I don’t dance,” revealed Conner.

“What do you mean? Do you mean you don’t know how? Or, do you mean you know and won’t? Or, are you afraid to? Or, what?” asked Dawn.

Conner scratched the back of his head and said, “I guess I never learned. And, I don’t think that I want to try to figure it out at a huge party like that. I’ll look like a fool.”

“Well,” said Buffy, “Welcome to the Summer’s dance academy. Lets get these dishes in the dishwasher, then we’ll move this table off to the side and practice.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Conner, hesitantly.

“Conner, think about this,” William said softly as he bent over Conner to retrieve his plate, “You get to hold Dawn in your arms, flush against you. You get to glide your hands over her body as you move, together. Think of it as foreplay, mate. And it’s perfectly acceptable to do it in public, in front of all those people.”

“Ok, Dawn” Conner said as he stood up and started carrying plates into the kitchen, “for you I’ll give it a try.”

“What do you think William said to him,” asked Dawn as she started rinsing the dishes and adding them to the dishwasher.

“Don’t know, seemed to work though,” mused Buffy.

Within fifteen minutes the dishes were in the dishwasher, the table and chairs had been pushed to the side of the deck, and Dawn was in the process of making a pot of decaffeinated coffee.

“Buffy, why don’t you pull dessert out of the freezer, I’ll find some music,” suggested William as he headed over to the stereo cabinet. He saw a CD in a blank case that simply said “Dance Music” on it and popped it into the CD player. He walked back into the kitchen as the music began to play. He noticed Buffy stiffen as her hand moved to her stomach.

“Are you alright, pet,” William asked.

“Just bad memories,” explained Buffy, “Wedding music, mine and Angels.”

“Well, its time we created some new memories,” he said as he entwined her fingers with his and lead her onto the back deck.

Conner followed them out dessert in hand, and said, “Ok, man, show me what you know.”

“This is a waltz,” William started to explain. “It’s slow, elegant, in 3/4 meter, there is basically a 1-2-3 rhythm with an accent on the 1. The waltz caused quite a scandal in the early 1800’s when it was first introduced in England. A man, holding a woman in his arms, close to his body-denounced by the Church it was.”

William stood in front of Buffy, “Shall we assume the position and demonstrate?”

Buffy stepped into Williams arms, one hand still entwined with his, the other rested softly on his shoulder. His hand moved to her waist. William was able to follow Buffy effortlessly. His eyes locked into hers as he led her across the deck. She could feel the strains of the music flow through her body and she soon forgot her audience.

“I’m not getting the 1-2-3 part,” said Conner bring Buffy out of her reverie.

“Oh, watch, here’s the count-1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3,” offered Buffy. “Come on, you try.”

William released Buffy’s waist as the song ended. He then bowed slightly, kissing her hand before releasing her to Conner. Conner stiffly placed one hand on Buffy’s waist as she took his other in hers as the music started up again. “You’re the guy in this scenario, that means you start. Don’t worry, you’ll do fine, start on the second count, 1-2-3, 1-”

Conner began to tentatively lead Buffy in what was initially a very awkward dance. As William and Buffy encouragingly coached him he gradually improved in both confidence in skill. After a second song William politely tapped Conner on the right shoulder, “May I cut in?” asked William.

“No,” said Conner, teasing, and resumed the dance.

William tapped Conner on the shoulder again this time saying, “First off, the answer to that is always supposed to be “yes”. Second, get the hell away from my woman and go find your own.”

As William reclaimed Buffy, Conner walked over and politely asked Dawn to dance. As the song ended, Buffy noticed that William was trying his best to suppress a yawn. “You’re tired,” she observed. “You didn’t catch up on any sleep today at all, did you?” she asked.

“Afraid not, luv,” answered William.

“I think we should call it a night,” said Conner. “Thanks for the great dinner, and the lessons, now I can wow them tomorrow night,” Conner said as dipped Dawn slowly and kissed her. “Take me home.”

“You go get ready for bed, I’ll see them out,” offered Buffy.

After cleaning up the few remaining dishes, Buffy locked up for the night, set the alarm, and made her way back to her bedroom. William had unmade the bed, and was fast asleep still propped up against the pillows. Only the nightstand light was on. He had removed his shoes and socks, and unbuttoned his shirt. It was obvious that he had intended to wait up for her. He held a pen in one hand and a legal pad sat on his chest. Buffy removed the pen from his hand and set it on the nightstand. She then picked up the legal pad and caught a brief glance at what he had been working on. She flipped back a few pages and saw various other versions of the same thing-some with words or lines crossed out-changed. She then returned to the final version and sat on the edge of the bed to read.

My love, how long will this paradise last?

Like the springs breeze you have renewed my faith.

First, you looked into my eyes, then my heart.

Now, love, it is my soul that you have reached.

My lonely soul had so long lain dormant,

Now it sings, each sunrise a joyous song.

Its soft, sweet melody with you I share.

Under the summer’s sky, together, we love.

The stars witness the joining of our bodies-

Glowing, glistening, giving approval.

Like others I’ve loved will you leave me soon?

Like the heavens stars will you be beyond reach?

I thank God for you, for the time we have.

My love, how long will this paradise last?

Buffy felt overwhelmed. The last line blurred as her eyes filled with tears. She brushed them away and again read the sonnet. She felt suddenly self-conscious as she wondered if he ever met to share it with her. She stood up and placed the pad on the nightstand next to his pen. Then she turned out the light, undressed, and climbed into bed. As she molded her body to his she whispered quietly in the darkness, “How does forever sound, William?”

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