By PassionFish
A/N –
Dedicated to Marsters’ Girl – my never-tiring beta!
The Slayer yelped and fell back on to her bottom as
the screen in front of her flashed and began to speak. The Vampire rushed from the lower section of
the crypt to see what the problem was, growling threateningly to any possible
intruder.
He smirked as the Slayer gestured wildly to the
flashing pictures on the TV screen and sat down next to her. He watched as her hand reached out to touch
the moving people and growled loudly, slapping her hand back in caution.
She glared at him, but made no further movement as
he reached forward his own hand to touch the screen. Tentatively his fingers made contact, and he jumped back with a
growl as he got a static shock from the glass.
The Slayer giggled as he snarled at the offending
box from behind her, then turned back to the TV screen. She grinned at the characters on the show,
as they were involved in a passionate embrace, before turning to her Vampire,
who was still glaring at the newfound contraption.
With a sound close to a purr she jumped on him,
pressing her mouth to his.
---
"I don't quite understand. You say these things are happening
now?" William frowned at Buffy,
then at the box, then back at Buffy.
Buffy shrugged a little. "Kinda. There are
some shows that happen now. But most
are recorded earlier, then put on when they want."
"When who wants?" William questioned.
"Oh, uh whoever owns them, I guess...” Buffy
trailed off, not really knowing that much about the whole process.
"And then they just...appear here?" William asked, poking the screen with a
finger.
"Pretty much." She nodded.
"Is it by some form of...m-magic?"
Buffy shook her head a BIG no, "It's all
sciency - I don't really get how."
"Oh..."
"So...wanna watch a movie?" She asked hopefully.
---
Later that evening...
Willow sat at the dining table, intermittently
clicking at her laptop in front of her and checking the sources Fred and Tara
had uncovered. Giles sat with them,
attempting to help in anyway possible.
Xander and Anya shared one of the easy chairs in the
living room, absently pouring over a random tomb.
Cordy, Gunn and Wesley huddled in the corner,
quietly discussing the turn of events and the wareabouts of their way-ward
boss.
Outside the full moon shone brightly in the sky,
illuminating the quiet town streets below.
On the porch, Buffy and William sat, gazing at the stars overhead.
"Go on."
Buffy urged, softly when a long moment of silence had passed between
them.
"You don't mind?" He queried, eager not to displease.
"No."
Her words were barely audible and she shook her head to confirm them.
"Okay...” William continued to name the
constellations before them, explaining the stories' behind the ones he knew.
Once more, William grew silent and Buffy tilted her
head to face him slightly. Her eyes
travelled across his face, taking in the sharp edges and smooth planes that
defined him so beautifully. They ran
over his clothing, which did much to enhance his muscular form; giving off a
'bad-boy' image to the max. How
could a man's appearance be at such odds to his personality? She mused.
She realised she was staring and abruptly turned
away, looking up at the sky once again.
"I feel...weird” She began quietly. William said nothing, allowing her the space
to continue. "Everyone, our, uh,
friends...they're all saying that we're not complete. I mean, I get that they figure we can't hear them or something
even though we are in the room...” She rolled her eyes at that. "... but that's the gist of what
they're say, right? That there is
another half of us out there?"
"I believe so..." He murmured.
"It's just..." She trailed off, unsure of how to feel, or indeed, express her
feelings on the subject.
"It is odd..." He started. Then turned
as well to face her more fully.
"However, I-I do not feel incomplete..." He blushed slightly, and continued in a
hushed voice. "...not
anymore."
Buffy smiled warmly at him, encouraging him to
continue.
"I, uh...I know this is rather
sudden..." He began, shakily then
stopped.
She wanted to reach out and squeeze his hand; to let
him know that what she thought he was going to say was okay, but he tended to
have personal space issues and she didn't want to scare him off continuing by
crossing them. She settled for smiling
in what she hoped was an encouraging way.
"I was, uh, I was w-wondering if you would
a-allow m-me to, uh, court you."
He finally pushed the words out, his face pleasant rouge.
Buffy blushed prettily at his formal wording. She was pretty sure no-one had ever asked
her out like that before - even with the memory loss. But, his eccentricities were what made him interesting. His amazement with life in general only
enthralled her further.
"I would like that a lot, Will." She murmured, laughing lightly when he let
out a big breath of air in relief.
Forgetting her earlier assessment, she leaned over and pressed a chaste
kiss to his chiselled cheek.
His face flushed further, but he said nothing,
reaching instead to clasp her hand gently in his.
Hands entwined, William returned to his verbal
exploration of the sky. He spoke in a
calm, soft voice, and Buffy soon found herself lost in the soothing tones of
his explanation.
She wasn't sure she ever wanted to be found.
Neither noticed the Vampire standing just meters
from where they sat. A closed
expression cast over his dark features.
Continued in…Chapter Nine!