Chapter 5

“You actually kicked her in the face?”

Buffy dodged the vampire’s blow. “She was talking shit about me; I just wanted to shut her up. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

William laughed, kicking his opponent in the leg, and then landing a punch on the chin. There was nothing like a good spot of violence, and as much as he loved to watch Buffy in action, she was bloody poetry in motion; he wouldn’t stand back while she faced her assailants alone. William would always be there to lend a helping hand whenever she needed one. Although, this was probably not the best time to be having a conversation, as he was distracted enough for his vampire to get the upperhand, causing William to fall to the ground, the vampire jumping on him a second later. Before he even knew what happened, a cloud of dust was currently in the vampire’s place, Buffy now on top of him after having staked his attacker.

They stared at each other for what felt like forever.

He cupped her cheek, brushing some of the ash away.

Buffy’s eyes lowered to his mouth, and without thinking of the repercussions, she pressed her lips to his.

William was surprised by her bold move, but soon found himself returning her kiss. It lasted mere seconds before Buffy was yanked away from him; they were too lost in each other to notice the approach of another vampire. William was up immediately, attacking the vampire for his rude interruption, but was also grateful at the same time. He punched him repeatedly, pulling out his stake when the vampire’s eyes widened in sudden recognition.

“Hey, I know you…”

William thrust the stake in his heart, cutting off whatever he was about to say. “I hate when they always have to talk.” He brushed himself off, and then went to help Buffy up. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, shaking away the dizziness from hitting her head on a tombstone. “Yeah, I can’t believe I let him sneak up on me like that. I can always sense when a vamp is near, guess I was a bit distracted.”

William avoided her gaze. They were both distracted, and that nearly got her killed. This was why he couldn’t let himself get too close again. He lost Aria, and he wasn’t about to lose Buffy as well. That just wasn’t an option. “Right, you should be getting home now. I think that’s enough for one night.”

Buffy was confused when he walked away, wondering if she did something wrong.


* * * * *


She was getting beyond frustrated. William hardly said anything to her when he walked her home, and he’d been ignoring her at school. Buffy didn’t handle rejection well. She was the most popular girl at Hemery High, and yeah, that obviously wasn’t in the cards anymore, but she wasn’t about to take William’s unexpected cold shoulder act. He was going to give her some answers, and Buffy knew just how to get what she wanted.


* * * * *


William’s jaw nearly dropped when he opened his door to see Buffy standing there, wearing barely anything. It was a lacy negligee that was basically see through, something you would wear if you were about to go to bed, not to walk around town. He immediately hauled her into his apartment, so the neighbors wouldn’t get an eyeful.

“What the bloody fuck are you wearing? I can’t believe you actually left your house in that.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t have any clean clothes. Mom forgot to do the laundry this week, and I meant to grab my jacket on the way out, but I guess it just slipped my mind.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Somehow I doubt that. What are you doing here?”

Buffy moved further into the apartment, turning back to him after a moment. “I wanted to talk, and I knew this would get your attention. Why have you been avoiding me? Is it because we kissed?”

“It’s more than that, love. We can’t get carried away like that on patrol. One wrong move could end in your death, and I won’t be responsible for that. I’m already getting too bloody attached, and I told myself that wouldn’t be happening again. I can’t get involved with you. All we can ever have is a strictly professional relationship.”

“That sounds pretty boring to me. I know you feel what I do, William. Hell, I felt it when I was lying on top of you. I know you want more, and you don’t exactly work for the Council anymore, so it’s not like they could fire you.”

“You are missing the point,” he said, trying to make her understand. “There is a lot you don’t know about me, Buffy. I’m too fucking old for you.”

“I’ll be seventeen soon, it’s not that big of a difference. What else don’t I know? If you’re so concerned about it, then just tell me.”

William shook his head. “I couldn’t bear the thought of you hating me.”

“I could never hate you,” she responded with complete sincerity.

He rubbed his eyes, desperately needing a drink. “It’s late, you should go home now. I’ll see you in school tomorrow for your study session.”

“William…”

He held his hand up, effectively cutting her off. “Please, Buffy, just go home. I can’t do this right now.”

She felt hurt at his rejection again, but decided to leave him alone for the time being. She headed to the front door, but was startled when he suddenly pulled her back, draping a leather coat around her shoulders.

“Keep that on until you get to your house, all right? I’ll retrieve it the next time I come over.”

Buffy nodded, pulling the coat firmly around her, inhaling the scent that was all William. She mostly only saw the tweed during school hours, but had a feeling there was a whole other side to him that she had yet to discover. Maybe some day, he would finally come clean about what he was hiding. No matter what it was, though, it wouldn’t change the way she felt about him.