Words

~~~~~

Smile an everlasting smile

A smile could bring you near to me

Don't ever let me find you gone

'Cause that would bring a tear to me....

~~~~~

"Buffy...your phone is ringing."

She rolled over in bed. "Hmmm?"

"Your phone, sweetheart...it's ringing."

"Oh." Leaning over, Buffy grabbed the jangling instrument. "Hlo...Hi Giles...Yeah...What?...What time is it?...Are you kidding me?...No, why?...More of them where?...Uh-huh...Yeah, I guess I can...Uh, yeah...I'll let you know...What?...Yes, I did...He's very special...Okay...I won't...Giles...I'm hanging up now...Okay...Bye."

She replaced the receiver and stretched, then snuggled back down in William's arms.

"So...I'd better be that someone very special you mentioned," he said teasingly.

"Oh, you are," she assured him. "You're my some- one special...or is it my special someone?"

"Either way suits me," he replied, playing with her hair. "Who was that?"

"Giles." She yawned. "He's my watcher."

"From the restaurant?"

"Mm-hmm. He wants me to skip cemetery duty tonight and check out some carnival on the edge of town. Says there's supposed to be a lot of vamp activity there."

He nodded. "That's probably true."

She looked at him skeptically. "Vampires at a carnival?"

"Well, they're not there to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl," he said. "Carnivals are easy pickings for vampires."

"How come?"

"First, because there's so much screaming going on that people don't seem to notice a little more. Second, there are a lot of small closed off areas where they can dump a body. Third, a lot of transients work there and there's no concern if they turn up missing."

"Is that it?"

He smiled. "Then of course there's the sugar rush from feeding on people who've been stuffing themselves with cotton candy and caramel apples all day."

Buffy's eyes got round. "Oh, I LOVE cotton candy," she said. "This is gonna be a lot more fun than some stale old graveyard."

"I haven't been to a carnival in years," he mused. "I remember once that Dru and I were in New..."

He stopped when he saw the look on her face change and realized what he'd said.

But she regained her smile and said, "Go on...you were where?"

He knew a forced smile when he saw one, and he was looking at one right now. The last thing she wanted to hear about were his adventures with Drusilla in New Orleans, or anywhere else for that matter.

This was a thing he understood completely. He knew quite well how fortunate he'd been to discover this girl at such an early stage of her life, before experience stripped away her sweetness and innocent enthusiasm. He absolutely hated the idea of any other man touching her, or loving her.

But he couldn't give her that same gift in return. He'd been a grown man when he'd been turned, not over-whelmed with experience to be sure, but still he'd had more than she.

And now...well, he was old in vampire years. Most fledgling vamps didn't survive past the first anniversary of their turning, whereas he had passed more than a hundred of them.

"I was in New Orleans.." he began, groping for the right words.

But Buffy surprised him. "With your...friend? The one you brought to Sunnydale with you?"

He nodded. "That's right."

She studied her fingernails, trying to sound casual. "What's her name?"

He sighed. There would be no putting this off any longer. "Drusilla."

Buffy glanced at him. "That's a pretty name," she said, with a half smile.

Returning her smile, he smoothed her hair back from her face. "Elizabeth is a pretty name, too," he said tenderly.

"Elizabeth Anne," she informed him.

"Even prettier." Leaning over, he tried to kiss her, but she turned her face away. "Buffy...."

"You said she was sick." She sat up in bed and ran one hand through her hair. "That's why you brought her here?"

He nodded. "I was told that Sunnydale might be the best place to look for a cure."

"What's wrong with her? I didn't know vampires could get sick."

Sitting up beside her, he shoved a pillow against the headboard of her bed and leaned back. "Vampires...they can get sick in other ways. We can't catch colds or con- tract diseases, but if we're injured gravely enough, we don't always recover completely."

"Is that what happened?" she asked.

"Yes. We...you see, Drusilla is...she's a little different than most other vampires. Even when she was mortal, she had...abilities. She could see things that were going to happen..."

"You mean like ESP?" Buffy asked.

"Something like that," he nodded. "Mentally, she wasn't always right on the beam. And, um...when she was injured, it got worse. We were in Prague..do you know where that is?"

"No, I guess I don't," she admitted, feeling stupid.

"It was the capitol city of what used to be Czechoslovakia, in eastern Europe. It's on the Vltava River."

"Why were you there?"

"No reason. Just traveling. Anyway, Dru was never very circumspect about her activities. She had a bad tendency to overdo things and take unwise chances. To put it plainly, she killed too many people in too small an area. They figured out what was going on..and one night when I was away...they caught her."

"And they're the ones who injured her?"

"Yes. She came close to dying that night, and it was touch and go for a long time after that. They drugged her and tried to drain her blood...I guess they thought they were showing her what it felt like to feel your life being drained out of you. As though she didn't already know that."

Buffy frowned. "So...you came back and saved her...and brought her here?"

"Well, not right away," he replied. He wanted desperately to touch her, but she was making it clear with her body language that it would not please her.

Buffy took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then turned to look right at him. "Do...do you love her?"

He stared at her, helplessly. "Yes."

Tears filled her eyes, and she began to cry.

"Buffy," he said urgently. "I love YOU, sweetheart."

He didn't know how to explain this to her. She was simply too young to understand the vagaries of love in all it's many forms, the subtle differences in scope and measure.

The love he felt for Drusilla was not the same as it had once been. Time and circumstances had

changed it from a dark passion they'd once shared to a gentle caring between two people with a long history between them. It was a melange of tenderness, familiarity, and responsibility.

With Buffy though, everything was new and fresh. He could look at the world through her childlike eyes, and reaccquaint himself with all it's wonders. Her sweetness and innocence intoxicated him, like champagne bubbles racing through his blood stream.

And her passion...oh, that set the world on fire. He would never drink his fill of it, not if he supped for a thousand years.

This girl brought out feelings in him that he'd consideredto be buried ages ago. She had stolen his heart so completely..so effortlessly..that he hadn't realized it until it was in her little hands.

He wanted to be everything to her. Her protector, her teacher, her friend and her lover. No other man but him would ever have this girl, would ever know her as he did.

"Buffy, please don't cry," he begged. "I hate it when you cry."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to," she sniffled, wiping her cheeks on the back of her hand. "It was just...it was hard to hear you say that...that...what you said."

Trying to put himself in her place, he could only imagine how hard it must have been. He knew how HE would feel if she'd said she loved another man..but also loved him. He'd want to track the other man down and break his neck, he'd be so jealous.

"I'm sorry, angelface," he said, trying to pull her hands away from her face. "Please don't be upset. I love you...you know I do. I loved you the minute I saw you."

She finally looked at him, searching for the truth behind his words, and trying to form a response. After swallowing the lump in her throat, all she could come up with was, "Me too."

Pulling her into his arms, he cuddled and caressed her, stroking her hair and babying her until she was calm.

Then, she laid her head on his shoulder and allowed him to rock her in his lap, sighed deeply and muttered, "Boy, being the other woman is for the birds."

And his heart melted with love and laughter, as he held her face in his hands and kissed her.

"That's my girl," he said. "A humorist in all situations."

~~~~~

This world has lost it's glory

Let's start a brand new story

Now my love

Right now, there'll be no other time

And I can show you how...my love

~~~~~

"William?"

"Hmm?"

"I...I was reading this book a couple of months ago, and...well, I was wondering..."

Since her cheeks were deliciously warm and pink again, he was pretty certain in which direction she was heading.

"Wondering what, angelface?"

They were sitting in the windowseat in her bedroom, enjoying the slight breeze that ruffled the curtains. He had his pants on, while she wore only the shirt that she'd rescued from the dryer, which, not surprisingly, now fit her better than it did him.

He had been prepared for hysterics, but she'd surprised him when she'd taken the shirt out of the dryer, by staring at it openmouthed, then bursting into giggles so infectious that he'd laughed until his side ached.

"I guess I wasn't meant to be a laundry lady," she had said ruefully.

He had agreed wholeheartedly. "No, you were meant to be a queen of seduction," he had told her, picking her up and carrying her upstairs to a bed that had still been touseled from previous lovemaking, and a pillow not yet dry of her tears.

"Well...in this book...the two main characters were in love and..."

"And what?" he prompted.

She squirmed in his lap. "Never mind," she said, ducking her head to avoid his inquiring look.

"Now, come on...tell me," he coaxed her. "Don't be a tease."

"I can't," she said, with a negative shake of her head. "It's too...embarrassing."

He chuckled and squeezed her tight. "Angelface..you can't possibly still be embarrassed after everything we've done."

"We haven't done THIS" she said under her breath.

Now he was intrigued...

"So..the two main protagonists..." he began.

"Main...whatamists?"

"Characters...they were in love, and doing something to bring up the color in your cheeks," he mused. "Was this a romance novel that my innocent little slayer was reading?"

"Sort of," she giggled when he tickled her.

His imagination was running riot. He'd glanced through one or two of those type of books before, and they were erotically explicit. He wanted very much to know just what had led Buffy to open this line of discussion, something, he wagered, that she would never have done up until two days ago.

Something they had not done, she'd said. Since he was fairly certain that she wasn't referring to anything ex- travagantly kinky involving restraints or riding equipment, he had to assume that her bashfulness was caused by some sort of variation on traditional sexual positions.

Since they had already made love in a bed and on the kitchen counter in the time honored face-to-face manner, then she probably meant....

Oh. OH!

He was definitely interested in this!

Placing his lips close to her ear, he whispered, "Tell me."

But she just shook her head again.

"Shall I tell YOU?" he asked.

He heard her inhale sharply, although she didn't speak a word of either agreement or dissent.

"This couple you were reading about..was the woman on her hands and knees?"

Her breathing deepened, and she nodded.

"And was the man...behind her?"

Another nod.

He slipped his hands up and squeezed her breasts. "Do you want to try that?"

She turned her head and looked at him. "Do YOU?" she asked.

He smiled and kissed the back of her neck. "I would love to," he replied. "Stand up."

Without a moments hesitation, she did.

He stayed where he was, on the window seat. "Unbutton my shirt," he directed her.

She gave him a sassy smile. "You mean MY shirt?"

Although thrilled by her flirtatious demeanor, he wondered how long she'd be able to maintain it before her natural reticence kicked in.

Well, he'd best take advantage of it now...

"Yes. Unbutton YOUR shirt...now pull it open...good..let me see your breasts." His hand moved down and un-zipped his fly. "Put your hands on them."

Now, she looked confused. "Put...MY hands...?"

"That's right," he affirmed. "Touch your breasts...while I watch you..come on, don't be shy. There's no one here but us, babe.." His erection felt like a steel bar when he removed it from it's silk prison.

Wrapping his fingers around it, he moved them slowly up and down.

Staring at him in amazement, Buffy wet her lips and cupped her hands over her breasts, turning red to her hairline.

"Good girl," he said, still stroking himself. "Now wet your fingers.."

She actually looked around the room for a source of water. "I'll have to..." she gestured towards the bathroom.

"Just put them in your mouth, angel...suck on your fingers and make them wet."

Buffy looked at him as though he'd suggested that she scrub the toilets at the bus terminal with her hairbrush.

"My hands are.." she gestured helplessly.

Okay, maybe she wasn't quite ready for this level of sex play.

Reminding himself again how young she was, he smiled, "Your hands are fine, angel...but if you want to go and wash them first..."

Even in her unschooled mind, Buffy knew that the mood he was setting would be unpleasantly broken if she excused herself to the washroom. So, wiping her fingers as unobtrusively as she could manage on the side of his shirt, she followed his earlier request and licked them until they were quite wet.

He felt his shaft twitch in his grasp when he saw her little pink tongue dart out and slide wetly over her fingers, and he groaned softly.

"Good Christ, girl," he ground out. "How can you make something so simple look so erotic?"

She had no idea and, being the literal girl that she was, she shrugged.

He chuckled and stood up, dropping his pants and stepping out of them. Reaching for her, he slipped his hands under the silk shirt and around her small waist.

Her arms came up and twined around the back of his neck, as she raised her face for his kiss.

Giving her what she wanted, he picked her up and carried her to the bed, then turned and sat down with her on his lap.

He eased the shirt down one shoulder and followed the path with his mouth, dotting her skin with brief kisses as he stripped her.

Moving into the middle of the bed, he arranged her so that she was straddling his waist. Lying beneath her, he took her hands and placed them on her breasts.

"Play with them a little," he said, not taking his eyes off her. "That's it..they're nice and full, aren't they? So soft and round..touch your nipples with the tips of your fingers..squeeze them..good girl..."

It was a pleasant enough feeling, but Buffy wanted more, so she decided to take a little initiative. Before she could chicken out, she grabbed his hands and cupped them over her breasts, making him squeeze them.

He hissed between his teeth. "Thank you, baby," he said softly. "I've been wanting you to do that."

Buffy's head dropped back as he fondled her, molding her flesh with his hands. He played with her nipples, gently pinching them and tugging at them, until they were berry red and achingly sensitive.

She looked down at him with her desire showing plainly in her eyes.

"Do you want my mouth?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Then tell me..tell me what you want."

Staring into his eyes, she licked her lips nervously.

"You can do it, angel" he encouraged her. "Tell me what you want. I want to please you."

Her lashes came down, hiding her eyes.

"No, look at me," he said firmly, surprised when she obeyed. "You wanted to learn to talk this way...remember? You asked me to teach you."

"I know," she whispered.

"Well, that's how is starts...you tell me what you want me to do...what feels good." He slipped one hand up her back, making her lean closer. "What do I do to you, that you like?"

"I..I like when you touch me?"

"When I touch you where?"

"My...my breasts." Her voice was so soft that even he had to strain to hear it.

He tightened his hand on her breast. "Like that?"

"Yes...and..."

"Tell me...."

"When you kiss me...when you kiss my breasts...I like it."

He urged her down a little more, gently placing a kiss on the upper curve of her right breast.

She strained towards him, but he refused to give her what she wanted until she said the words. "Please..." she whined.

"Please...what?"

Her voice was taut with frustration. "Please...use...use your...tongue..."

He smiled, then leaned forward and ran his tongue wetly over the soft mounds. "What else?" he whispered hoarsely.

Buffy was becoming too desperate to be shy. "Suck them," she begged.

"Suck your nipples?"

"Yes...yes..."

"Say it!"

She swallowed hard and looked right into his eyes.

"Suck my nipples...suck them now...do it!" she demanded.

Instantly, he sat up and took her into his mouth. Running his tongue around and around the hard tip of her right breast, he suckled it, making husky little grunting noises as he went at her.

She wrapped her arms around his head, moaning softly as her eyes drifted shut.

"Don't stop," she protested, when he released her from his mouth.

"I'm not," he replied. "I want the other one, too."

He wanted it...and he took it.

After tonguing both nipples to diamond hardness, he placed his hands on the sides of her breasts and pushed them together, burying his face in her lush cleavage.

"I'll teach you something new...later," he promised. "But right now...is there anything else you want me to do?"

She nodded. "Yes," she gasped. "The...the book."

"Oh, yes," he grinned. "The book. Sit up, then."

They knelt together in the middle of the bed, kissing passionately as their bodies strained to connect.

He moved his hands down, caressing the inward curve of her waist and the flare of her slender hips, then slipped them around and squeezed her pretty bottom.

Delightfully surprised when she returned the favor, he pulled away slightly, and moved one hand between her thighs.

"You're wet," he informed her, breathing in the scent of her femininity.

She nodded. "I know..it's because of you." Looking down, she lightly touched his erection. "You're hard," she observed, quite seriously.

"I know," he grinned. "It's because of YOU."

Buffy stared down, fascinated as his shaft began to release drops of semen. She lifted one away on her finger, feeling the sticky consistency of it. "It's hard to believe that this is where a baby comes from," she murmured, then glanced at him. "Except...they don't for you."

He smiled at her. "Who told you that?" he asked.

She couldn't have frozen any faster if she'd suddenly been dumped into the Arctic Ocean. "What?"

"I said who..."

She grabbed his shoulders. "What do you MEAN, who told me that? Everyone knows that. It's like...like the first thing you learn in slayer school."

"You have a school?"

"William! It isn't funny!" She looked at her hand in horror, then wiped it on the sheet. "Vampires can't make babies...cause...well, they just CAN'T! Right?"

He was sorry he'd started this now. "Calm down, angel..."

"Calm down? CALM DOWN??" she wailed. "My mother's gonna kill me if I have a baby!"

"All right, listen to me," he said firmly, holding her face between his hands. "Vampires can't make babies..unless..."

"Unless WHAT?" she demanded.

"Unless..." He couldn't help himself. "..they have sex with a girl on a kitchen counter...no, wait...come back here. I'm teasing you...come here. I'm sorry, babe..listen, vampires can't make babies without some magic involved."

"Really?" She looked doubtful.

"Yeah. Really." Her agitation had flushed her skin becomingly, and her hair tumbled wildly around her face as her eyes flashed emerald fire.

She looked incredibly sexy, and he hoped he hadn't pissed her off so badly that she wouldn't allow him to touch her.

But, apparently, the little upheaval had aroused her inner bitch. She shoved him down onto the bed and jumped on him. Holding him down, she treated him to his first exhibition of her in slayer mode.

"That wasn't funny," she said in measured tones. There was nothing girlish about her now. She was all woman, direct and forceful...hot and angry...and punishing....

He wanted her so much he couldn't stand it.

Grabbing her shoulders, he pulled her down on top of him, then rolled her over.

"I want to fuck you," he said roughly.

Her breasts rose and fell with her harsh breathing, and she opened her mouth and spoke before thinking, shocking herself as much as she did him.

"Fuck me," she said, challenging him.

His mouth crashed down on hers, kissing her so hard that her lip was bloodied. He smelled the copper aroma, and his demon reared up inside of him.

Plunging his hand into her hair, he tugged on it until her neck was arched. "Are you mine?" he grated.

"Yes, I'm yours."

He stared at her, his eyes flashing blue and gold. "No," he said, shaking his head. "There's only...one way."

"I don't care," she said. "Whatever way..it's all right."

Struggling for control, he sat up. She had absolutely no idea what she was inviting, and he was in no state to explain it to her calmly. His hold on the demon was tenuous at best, the slightest provocation would bring it screaming to the surface.

He tried to leave the bed, but she grabbed his arm. "Don't go."

"I have to" he said. "Let go...."

"No," she almost shouted. "You...you can't. You promised to teach me..everything."

He pulled harder. "That was before," he panted. Oh, God, it was so close to the surface.

"No...stop!" She caught his arm and wrenched him back. He shoved her away, and she banged her head on the wall her bed lay against.

Buffy knew something was going on with him. He looked different and he definitely sounded different, but she didn't care. Whatever it was, she could deal with it. She could deal with anything...as long as he was with her.

She had a vague idea of what he wanted to do. Giles had explained to her about vampires claiming a mate. That's what he had meant, when she'd declared herself to be his. He'd said there was only one way....

Pushing the thought of Drusilla away, Buffy drew and slapped him as hard as she could.

"You promised!" she yelled in his face. "Now, are you a man...or a...a..." She rolled her eyes, at a loss for a suitable word. "...a mouse?" she finished lamely.

His eyes zeroed in on her lower lip, seeing the drop of fresh blood on it. "I'm a vampire," he stated boldly. "And you're mine!"

Grabbing hold of her, he turned her until she was facing away from him, then shoved her down on her hands and knees.

Although she was afraid that he was about to force himself into her with no thought of how she felt, he seemed to collect himself, and he pulled her back until she was up on her knees, pressed intimately to his naked body.

One hand moved to her breast and the other dove between her thighs. "Buffy..." he moaned. "Don't be angry with me..I won't hurt you, I promise."

"I know," she whispered. "You won't hurt me...because I'm yours.."

He massaged her between her legs, making her wet and needy in a matter of moments. He used his finger on her clitoris, rubbing it gently, then slipped that finger inside of her.

Buffy gasped, grinding herself down on his hand.

"Mine," he whispered. "You're mine...you're mine...."

He fondled her breast and nudged her legs apart. Thrusting his shaft between her thighs, he didn't try to put it inside her yet, he just rubbed it against her moist sex, back and forth, until they were both dizzy with the pleasure.

His hands were gentler as he once again moved her to her hands and knees. Holding his shaft firmly, he placed it at her wet opening and began to push it inside her.

Buffy's eyes flew open wide. For the first time, there was absolutely no pain involved with his entry. There was only a full, sliding sensation and the delicious pressure he exerted on her sex.

She couldn't keep quiet. "Oh, God...oh...William...that's just...it feels so good..."

He threw his head back, squeezing his eyes shut tight.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Oh, yeah...baby, you're so tight... so hot and wet..but, Christ...that tight little pussy of yours is just...fucking amazing.

Buffy braced her hands beneath her, and pushed back.

"That's it," he praised her. "Do it...fuck me back...yeah," he grunted. "Oh, yeah...."

They fell into an easy rhythm, as he pumped smoothly in and out of her, muttering soft words of love and the coarser words of sex. Her arousal was climbing to meet his, ratcheted higher with every word he spoke.

Suddenly falling forward, he supported himself on one hand and used the other to play with her breasts.

"Mmmm.." he moaned. "Beautiful...soft and warm..you have luscious tits, baby...and the creamiest pussy I've ever been in...fuck...yeah..."

Buffy was nearly undone by these words. Even the books she had read, the ones she kept a secret even from her closest friends, had not been so raw.

It was wildly arousing, and she searched her lust ridden brain for a response of some kind. "Umm...harder," she said. Tentative at first, it got easier to say when she repeated it. "Come on...harder. Yes...I like that...don't stop."

Unable to use the anatomical "dirty words" he uttered so casually, she had to settle for moaning loudly and begging him not to stop.

"Oh, William," she crooned. "Please...more....fu...make love to me...forever..."

He yanked her up until she was pressed full length against him. Her hand found the back of his neck, and her nails sank in deeply.

The stinging pain matched the intense pleasure, and he buckled under the onslaught. His demon finally burst free, golden eyes shifting from side to side.

"Forever?" he asked, his voice deeper and his tone more seductive. "Are you sure?"

Buffy nodded convulsively. "I'm sure."

Licking his lips, he located the delicate pulse point on her throat. "Don't be afraid," he whispered. Setting his fangs against her fragile skin, he bit down.

Buffy's eyes opened wide and she sucked in a harsh breath, releasing it back out on a scream of mixed pain and pleasure.

He held firm, biting deeper to intensify the erotic sensation, and thrusting himself into her as deeply as he could.

The contractions of orgasm began to jerk and twist in her vitals, and she consciously clamped down on his shaft, squeezing it until he released his hold on her throat and bellowed with his satisfaction, flooding her womb with bursts of creamy fluid.

His hand on her breast tightened almost to the point of pain, and he collapsed, taking her down with him.

They lay there as they'd fallen, still joined, their bodies aching and sated.

~~~~~

Talk in everlasting words

And dedicate them all to me

And I will give you all my life

I'm here if you should call to me...

~~~~~

"Buffy? Buffy, did I hurt you? Are you all right, angel?"

He was trying to move away from her, and she couldn't let that happen.

Slipping one hand behind her, she grabbed his arm. "I'm okay," she panted. "Don't leave me."

He smiled, brushing her hair back from the side of her face. "I'm not leaving you, angelface. I'm right here."

He pressed a kiss between her shoulder blades and then moved to one side, raising his weight off of her.

As he watched her sit up, he saw the bite marks he'd left on her throat. Feeling a combination of shame and self disgust at his lack of control, he couldn't suppress the possessive pride that was overshadowing every other emotion.

He had made her "his" officially. From now on, whatever happened between them, she would be his mate..his bride.

As pleased as he was about it, he had to make sure that she understood what had happened, and understood all the implications of it as well.

"Buffy..you know what this means...don't you?" he asked, gesturing at the bite marks.

Her fingers flew up to her neck, examining them carefully. "Well, it means I need a band-aid," she replied, wiping the blood away.

"No," he shook his head, charmed as always with her naive sweetness. "It means more than just that, love. It means that you're my mate now. I've claimed you, and I did it while we were making love. It's final after that. There's no going back."

Buffy was thrilled by this information. No going back? For HIM as well as her? That could only mean one thing.

Drusilla what's-her-name was on her own now.

She rolled over and presented him with a huge smile, then wrapped her arms around his neck. "You mean that you're my...what?...my husband?"

"Something like that," he replied, kissing her forehead.

"But I'm too young to get married," she said, with a sassy look. "Especially to a guy over a hundred years old."

He laughed. "Well, it's too late now, little girl. You gave me permission and I took you. You belong to me."

She smiled sweetly. "That's okay. I want to belong to you."

As they rearranged themselves on the bed, Buffy gave him a curious look. "I don't get one thing," she said. "How come you never did that with Drusilla...I mean you guys were together a lot longer than....." Her voice trailed off when she saw the look on his face.

"You...you didn't marry her, too...did you?" she asked, very afraid of what his answer was going to be.

"Buffy...it was a long time ago...and we haven't really been together...not the way you and I are...."

"Oh, God," she gasped, wringing her hands. "You are...you're already...already married...to her..."

"Buffy," he reached out one hand. "Please, baby...let me explain this to...."

"How could you?" she asked, then burst into tears. "How could you do that...to me...when you knew...you knew...that...that I..."

She whirled around and ran for the door, but he caught her before she could escape.

"Baby, please..." he begged her. "Don't cry..it's not what you think...I swear."

"Let go of me," she sobbed, shoving him away.

"No, I won't," he said. "Not until I make you understand."

"Understand WHAT?" she nearly screamed. "That you're a...a...pygmiest?"

He clapped one hand over his mouth, quickly.

She glared at him. "Are you laughing at me?"

He shook his head, without moving his hand. If she saw him laughing, it was all over.

"You are so!" she said, stamping her little foot.

Biting down on his inner cheek, hard enough to draw blood, he moved his hand away from his mouth. "I'm not...I swear it."

He had forgotten how emotional teenage girls could be.

"Listen to me," he said calmly, reaching for her hand. "I'm not a bigamist. When I claimed you, it cancelled out my claim on Drusilla. Not that we've exactly been close for some time now, but still..."

Her lovely green eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. He could actually see her trying to act mature about her situation.

He reached for her again, and this time she allowed him to hold her. When he felt she was ready for it, he moved her back over to the bed and made her get in, then followed her and held her until she was almost asleep.

He had never, in any part of his existence since he'd become a vampire, been so unsettled and uncertain of what he was going to do next.

Drusilla was waiting for him and, mated or not, he still had a responsibility to look after her.

But here and now, holding the slayer in his arms and listening to the comforting sound of her heart beating, he couldn't see any future without her.

So, what the hell was he going to do now?

~~~~~

You think that I don't even mean

A single word I say

It's only words, and words are all I have

To take your heart away.....

~~~~~

An hour later, he glanced at the clock and frowned.

Buffy had fallen asleep in his arms, and he'd been enjoying the pure contentment of holding her as she dreamed.

He had hurt her once tonight already, and now he was going to have to wake her up and do it again.

Because he had to leave. Dawn wasn't far away, and if he didn't go soon, he would be trapped here all day. It would be difficult enough to explain to Dru where he'd been, but staying away all night AND all day would raise questions he wasn't prepared to deal with.

But, God...she was sleeping so sweetly. And he wanted so much to hold her a while more, then wake her and make love to her sleepy, warm body and winsome mind.

Carefully, he disengaged himself from her em- brace, and she sighed softly as she turned over on her stomach.

"William," she whispered softly in her sleep, smiling tenderly.

Regretfully, he pulled his pants, socks, and shoes on. His jacket was still downstairs. His shirt

of course, was a write off, but he had some things in the trunk of the car that had never been unpacked and he'd no doubt find something.

Sitting on the side of the bed, he leaned over and kissed Buffy's cheek. "Wake up, angel," he said, giving her a gentle shake.

After a moment, he saw her eyelashes lift, revealing slightly confused green eyes. She rolled over on her back and gazed up at him.

"I have to go, sweetheart," he said, stroking her hair.

"You do? But...but it's not morning yet." She sat up in bed, holding the sheet over her naked body.

His shy little slayer was back.

"But it will be soon," he explained. "And if I don't go now...." He let the rest of the sentence trail off.

"Oh," she murmured, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Okay."

She began to climb out of the bed, but he stopped her. "Don't get up, baby. You stay here and keep warm. I'll lock the door downstairs."

Buffy nodded mutely. She wanted to cry and stomp her feet, to do whatever she had to do that would keep him here. But she was too afraid that such theatrics might send him running for the hills permanently.

"Goodbye," she said, trying for a brave smile.

He hesitated a moment, then smiled back at her. "Hey what if I come and pick you up tonight and take you to that carnival," he said, hoping to see the light come back to her sad eyes.

She looked at him doubtfully. "You know what I'm going there to do," she warned him.

He brushed it off. "Well, I'll just hide my eyes whenever you pull out your stake," he replied.

Finally, she giggled. That little girl laughter he loved to hear on her lips.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"You bet I am," he assured her. "And when you're all done, I'll take you on the ferris wheel, if you let me kiss you at the top."

Buffy sighed happily, a young girl easily diverted from the tragedy she'd imagined her life to be a while ago.

"And cotton candy?" she asked.

"As much as you want, angelface," he promised. "Kiss me goodbye now....."

~~~~~

It's only words

And words are all I have

To take your heart....away....

~~~~~

He pulled the front door closed behind him, then walked around to the trunk of his car.

As he'd thought, there were several shirts and sweaters he hadn't bothered with since they'd been purchased.

Grabbing a dark blue one, he tugged it over his head, then closed the trunk.

As he slammed it shut, his eyes went automatically to her bedroom window. She was standing there, watching him go, her body outlined in the golden glow of her bedroom lamp.

His unbeating heart constricted in his chest as their eyes met and communicated without words.

For a count of five, they stood absolutely still.

Then, at the same moment he moved from around the back of the car, she turned and ran from the room, grabbing her robe and slipping it on as she pelted down the stairs.

When she yanked open the door, he was standing there waiting for her, and without a word he stepped inside and slammed the door.

Picking her up in his arms, he once again carried her up the stairs.

End of part 10

Part Eleven....

Ever Since The World Began

     ~~~~~