ONE NORMAL LIFE / TWO EXTRAORDINARY LIVES

CHAPTER 110 – CHRISMAS EVE, WILLIAM & ELIZABETH

William put out his hand and Buffy took it, as they walked up to the porch and into the house.

“That was fun. I’m glad you invited them back here, William.”

“Yeah, it was. Nice to have family and friends around, isn’t it?”

She nodded.

“Shall we have some more wine and look at our lovely tree, then?” he asked.

“Sure, let me clean up a bit first, though.”

“I’ll help you,” he said, going into the living room and gathering up the wrapping paper from the floor and table. She carried the wineglasses into the kitchen, while he was doing that and put them on the counter.

He walked over to the trash with the spent wrappings; “Need any help?”

“Nah, I’m not even going to wash these now. They can wait.”

“Good. I’m glad,” he said, going over to the refrigerator and taking out another bottle of wine, which he uncorked at the counter.

She held up two wineglasses and motioned for the living room. He nodded and followed her.

“Shall we move this back or leave it?” she asked, before setting the glasses down on the coffee table.

Underneath the coffee table was a nice warm rug, which they sat on often and sometimes lay upon, watching the fireplace or making love, even. Can’t do either with the table there, he thought.

“Let’s move it back into the spare room,” he said, setting the wine bottle down on one of the end tables. She set the glasses down, next to the bottle before going over to one end of the table, as he started to lift it.

“I got it Elizabeth, you don’t have to help.”

“I know I don’t have to, I want to.”

He shook his head; “Lady shouldn’t be helping move furniture when she’s all dressed up pretty like you are,” he said, refraining from adding, ‘or at all.’

She smiled at him, “Hey, I already moved it with Willow once already tonight.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have let you do it, had I known, and now, you’ll just have to defer to me. If you please, that is,” he added grinning, knowing that his ideas of womanly strength, ability, and sensibilities were different from hers lots of times, but that she didn’t mind him being a gentleman, as long as he understood that she could do things for herself.

He didn’t mind either, as long as she did let him take care of her, as best as he could, given his poor financial station in life, at present. In fact, life with her was much easier than what he ‘thought’ he remembered it being like, in what he ‘thought’ he remembered from his life before; from what it had been like between the sexes.

Buffy just grinned at him, “Have at it, then.”

“I will,” he said, picking up the table with ease.

She smiled as she watched him. She didn’t really mind him doing things for her, treating her like a lady. When she’d been the slayer, everybody just expected her to have this super strength. In fact, she’d been stronger than all of the men she knew, especially the human variety.

The stupid coffee table.

She sighed.

The first time Spike had brought her to this house, he’d said something to her about the coffee table being heavy, when she was going to move it. She’d scoffed at him, telling him that he was forgetting she could throw men, including him across the room, and in fact, had. He’d gotten this hurt look in his eyes and turned away from her, replying that at that moment, he hadn’t been thinking of her being the slayer, but a woman. She’d apologized. It had been one of many times that weekend that she really had seen the man that he’d once been. She’d seen William, underneath all the posturing, that was usually, part and parcel for Spike.

And so, Buffy chose her battles carefully, and William wanting to be the one to pick up the heavy coffee table, certainly wasn’t one of them.

Besides, considering the world he’d come from, where women needed help just to get into their breath constricting corsets, he’d been amazingly adaptable to life in the 21st century; life with her. Not just learning to drive, surf the net, and what not, but in men/women kinds of things. William really wasn’t a sexist at all. Respectful, full of good manners, breeding yes, but not chauvinistic. More men, modern men could have stood to take lessons from him.

She turned off the lights, the fireplace and Christmas tree providing enough light and atmosphere.

William returned and poured their wine, sitting down next to her, as he watched her shapely legs move back and forth, trying to remove the indentations of the rug in front of her, until they finally came to a rest. She turned to him and held up her glass, “Toast?”

“You first.”

She took a deep breath, “Here’s to you William, for your being home with me this Christmas…the first Christmas I’ve really had any reason to celebrate in so long. So here’s to you and me and home and Christmas,” Buffy said, looking at him as they clinked glasses, took a sip of wine, then kissed.

“My turn,” William said, clearing his throat.

“Elizabeth, I don’t know how you found me 6 months ago, after I’d gone missing for 5 years. All I knew was that, all of a sudden you were there and even without any memories, the world was now that much brighter, a place that I felt I wanted to be in, because you were. I don’t remember ever being close to anybody, to loving anybody, even you, before, which are really the only memories I regret not having. To me, you are my first love, my last love, and my only love. You’re the one, Elizabeth. So, I make my toast to you and to us and to this Christmas and to many more,” he said, holding up his glass.

Buffy had started to cry long before he had finished. She sniffled and clinked her glass with his, never taking her eyes off his beautiful face. As soon as they had drunk their toast, she put down her glass and turned back towards him.

“William,” she said, her voice a whisper. And then she was in his arms and he was kissing her eyes, her nose, her lips. All the while, she’d gotten to her knees, pulled up her skirt a bit and climbed onto his lap, where she now settled down, facing him.

He put his arms around her, sliding them underneath the lace of the green top she wore, underneath the silky fabric of the spaghetti strap tank top. His hands caressed her back as she ran her hands through his hair, over his face, his neck, his ears, her mouth closely following their path, then back to his mouth.

“Ever since I saw you in this top this evening, I’ve wanted nothing more than to take it off you and touch you all over,” he said, his voice filled with desire.

She moaned, shivering at his words, his touch, at the feel of his hardness rubbing against her.

He stopped and looked at her, his hands slowly moved to her hair, where he gently removed her hair clips and chopsticks, and pulled her ponytail loose, so that her hair now cascaded down her back. She didn’t say anything as she watched him concentrate on not pulling her hair as he went about freeing it. His eyes locked onto hers again and she felt overwhelmed by the openness to his soul that she found in his eyes.

Eyes still on hers, he took hold of the sleeve of her lace top and tugged gently on it, easing it off her, one arm at a time. Then he pulled it up over her head, followed by the tank top, which he first had rubbed his hands down the sides of. His arms went around her back, unlatching her bra, which he also slowly took off her.

His eyes now wandered to the rest of her, his breath coming faster, as did hers, her chest rising and falling, her body now aching for his touch.

He looked up at her, his eyes partly glazed over; a combination of awe and desire, moments before she crushed her mouth to his, opened it so that their tongues could dance erotically with each other’s once more.

William’s hands roamed through her hair, onto her back, and around her front to grasp a breast, which was pressing against his sweater. He lowered his head to her breast, teasing her nipple with his tongue as he pulled it into his mouth.

Buffy gasped, grounding down on him, as her desire grew. Her hands blindly pulled up on his sweater, the need to feel his warm skin against hers, her only thought.

They broke apart just for a moment, so she could pull the sweater up over his head. It fell out of her hands behind the couch somewhere.

“Floor, floor!” she gasped, between kisses. Hands around her waist, he lifted her up, then down to the floor as she clung to him, bringing him down with her.

He moaned as he rubbed his length against hers. Her hand now was at his waistband, undoing his pants, finding little space to undo the zipper, so he moved up a bit until she succeeded. Lips still locked together; he pulled her skirt up around her waist and found that all that she wore were old-fashioned nylons, with a red, sexy garter and nothing else.

He looked down at her and grinned, “Not wearing any undies? You saucy wench!”

“Moi?” she asked, feigning surprise, “I’m not wearing any underwear? Damn, must have forgotten. Wait, I’ll go get…”

William crashed his mouth to hers; pushing her back down, as his hand went between her legs, “God, you’re so…” he got up and scooted back, until his face was on her stomach.

Her breath came labored as he ran his hands up and down over her thighs and lightly underneath the rim of her nylons. His fingers played with the buttons on the garters, as he decided if he wanted to take them off her or leave them on. He decided on the latter.

William’s mouth moved further down, and he met with the end of the lace of the garter, which just covered the front of her pubic area. He pulled it down a bit further, then licked at her clit through the lace, causing Buffy to moan louder than usual.

“Okay luv?” he asked.

“Uh-huh, uh-huh…feels good, friction…”

He did it again that way and again she halfway raised herself up to him, hands starting to pull at his hair already.

“Uh-uh,” he said, teasing, as he put her hands down at her sides, “no helping.”

He went back to it, his tongue once again, licking her through the lace. She moaned and tried once again to put her hands into his hair, but he held fast, not an easy thing, in his position. He licked circles around her clit and suckled it; it’s hard nub throbbing under tongue and lace, as the extra friction drove her the the edge. She cried out his name, as her fingers curled and uncurled within his, finally gripping him so tight, he could barely feel his circulation.

Finally he stopped. Her hands relaxed, now flopping back and forth in his, like a fish out of water. When she could breathe again, she put her hands on the sides of his face and pulled him up towards her, catching his mouth in hers, her tongue tasting herself on his, reaching to guide him in; wanting him there, needing him there.

“Love you, love you, love you,” she gasped, as he thrust into her, feeling waves of pleasure, as the beginning of another orgasm began to build.

“Elizabeth,” William cried out, a few minutes later, coming, too, as he felt her walls tighten around his cock.

They lay in front of the fire, spent, wrapped in the throw from the couch.

Buffy looked down at their feet sticking out, playing toesies with his.

“So,” she asked, “you want to go to midnight mass?”

He looked over at her, “Do you?” heed, ed, surprised.

“I’ll go anywhere with you, William,” she said, her hand brushing back a lock of his hair from his forehead, then coming to rest on his cheek.

He smiled slowly at her, “Okay.”

“Okay,” she said softly.


They arrived at the church just before midnight and parked their car in the grocery store lot across the street, which was already full.

Buffy looked over at the brick church, it’s tall steeple standing sentry against the night sky. Holding William’s hand, they walked up the stairs to the church door.

“Good evening,” said a young man, not much older than they were, wearing the long robes and collar of the clergy.

“Evening,” William and Buffy said together.

“I haven’t seen you two here before, I’m Father Michael, I hope you enjoy tonight’s service.”

“I’m William, and this is Elizabeth. Worthington. Thank you, I’m sure we will.”

Once inside, they were handed a program of songs and prayers by what appeared to be a choirboy. They thanked him and walked in to where the congregation was seated.

“Wow, we’d better get a seat, or it will be standing room only soon,” Buffy whispered. Looking around it seemed that almost the whole town was there, no matter their religion.

Mrs. Carpello saw them and waved as they walked up the aisle, looking for two seats. They spotted Edna about somewhere towards the middle, on the right side.

“Hi Edna,” Buffy said, waving to her.

“Elizabeth! William! You made it! I’m so glad.”

“Are those seats taken?” William asked a man behind her.

He shook his head, and motioned for them, half of the row standing up to let them get in.

Buffy and William sat forward talking to Edna for a few minutes before services started.

“You know my grandson Wally,” Edna said.

“Oh hi Wally, I didn’t see you there,” Buffy said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

“Hi William, you want me to teach you how to parallel park over winter break?”

“Thanks, that would be great. I’ve been putting it off, but I guess I’d better, eh?”

“Remember, I got THE METHOD for it. No problem.”

“Okay, I’ll take your word on that.”

“Hello Elizabeth,” said a man next to Wally.

“Oh, hello, nice to see you, Lawrence,” Buffy replied, shocked.

“Hello William, it’s been a long time. It’s very good to see you,” Lawrence said, extending his hand.

William put his hand out to shake the man’s, but looked over at Buffy, helplessly. She put her hand on his opposite arm, “William, this is Lawrence, Edna’s son. He’s also our lawyer.”

“Nice to meet you,” William said, “um, see you again, too. It’s…I’m sorry, I just don’t remember…”

“I’m sorry William, that was thoughtless of me,” Lawrence said, apologetically.

Edna turned around to say something to William, and Lawrence turned around to talk to Buffy.

“Elizabeth, I’ve been meaning to call you…”

“Me, too. Sorry, I know I shoud’ve…”

“About the house, now that…”

“I know…I want to change the deed…”

Father Michael came up to the pulpit.

“Call me soon.”

“I will.”

Father Michael gave the blessings and started the service. About halfway through, everyone was asked to light the little tapers, which the choirboys passed down each row.

After they’d been lit, the singing of Christmas songs began.

Buffy had to have William hold her candle, while she found her place on the song sheets they’d been given at the door. It was kind of a challenge making sure nothing caught on fire, like the music pages, or the hair of the person in front of you, or your own, for that matter. Must be practice, Buffy thought, as nobody else seemed too concerned with the logistics or hazards of hundreds of burning candles.

Looking over at William, who seemed so happy and relaxed, singing along with hundreds of other voices, made her feel incredibly…wonderful. He smiled at her, as she held the words for the both of them, while he held onto the candles. He had a nice singing voice, and she felt herself giving her own vocal cords an honest work out.

He faced her as he sang one of the songs and she just stopped to listen to him. The look in her eyes warmed him and he felt at that moment, the pure bliss of happiness and joy, in the both receiving and giving that was their love.

For Buffy, it was a sacred moment, one of many that they had shared together. In their physical unions, at the moment their hands caught fire and their souls forever united, and now, together on hallowed ground, in a church on Christmas Eve.

William lifted her hand, which held the music sheets up to their faces, and they shared a kiss behind them, hidden from all those in front, open to all those in back of them, of course.

Surprisingly, she felt at peace here, given her history. She looked up at the cross, symbol of pain and suffering, death and resurrection, life and holiness, and couldn’t help remembering that it was in that dimly lit, old church in Sunnydale where she’d found Spike. In a church, where he first told her of the soul he’d gotten…for her. The soul, that then burned inside him and William. William - who had reemerged as the heart of Spike’s soul. In a church where he’d draped himself over the cross, tormented, wanting only to rest.

After services were over, they took a couple of minutes to wish Edna and her family Merry Christmas. She gave them an open invitation to supper at her house the next day, if they so desired.

The church had partly emptied and they walked up the aisle, hand in hand, greeting people they knew from the school, from the community.

Father Michael was at the door. They told him what a lovely service it had been, and he thanked them, telling them he hoped he’d see them again sometime.

They stopped at the top of the stairs, looking out at the street. It had snowed about an inch while they’d been inside, and the whiteness blanketed everything, making all the pretty Christmas lights look even lovelier.

They turned and smiled happily at each other, then made their way across the street to their car.

“It’s pretty,” Buffy said.

“Yeah, ‘tis,” William answered, kissing her before she got into the car.


It was after 1:00am when they arrived home.

They walked in, William went to start the fireplace again, but Buffy stopped him.

“Getting kinda late for that, how about just turning on the tree. That way you don’t have to mess with making sure it’s out, when you want to go to bed.”

He looked over at her, raising his eyebrow slightly, as a small smile grew, “Other plans for me, then?” he asked, his smile now turned to an almost full-blown smirk.

Buffy blushed, and slapped him lightly on the arm; “I didn’t mean that. I mean, not that I didn’t mean that, I just…”

He kissed her, “I know what you meant. Still think a little fire would be nice and all,” he said, looking over at it, wistfully.

“No, go ahead then. Really, I just thought maybe you’d be too tired to bother, if we weren’t going to be up for long.”

William walked over and turned on the Christmas tree lights, then decided to just have a small, rather than roaring fire.

“Just started a small one, luv,” he told her, when she returned from the bedroom.

“It’s all of the good,” she said, handing him a present she had behind her back, “Merry Christmas, William. You can open this now, since it’s technically Christmas Day, or you can wait until tomorrow morning; your choice.”

He looked up at her in delighted surprise, “Something else?”

“A little something.”

“Now’s good,” he said, shyly, “You?”

She nodded.

“Wait right here,” he said, going into their bedroom. She could hear him opening the closet and rustling about, as she sat down on the couch.

He came back in a moment, but she didn’t see anything in his hands, until he put his hand into his pocket and handed her a blue velvet ring box, a mini gold bow, placed on top, “Merry Christmas, Elizabeth.”

Buffy’s heart sped up, as she took it. She looked up at him, her mouth dry all of a sudden.

He smiled encouragingly at her, “Open it.”

Her hands shook slightly as she opened it up. Buffy gasped as she saw the ring. It was gold and made open styled, so that you could see your own finger through the designs. Thin bands of gold ran along the top and bottom, with little ribbons of tiny ridges along the inner edge. The centerpiece was two lovebirds on either side of a heart, with a delicate scroll underneath it and on either sides of the lovebirds, was a flower, a leaf, and another heart. The birds were in white gold.

Buffy had taken it out of the ring box and was holding it in her hand, looking at it.

“It’s lovely, William,” she said, trying not to cry.

“You like it? I wanted to get you something that would match your necklace, but it’s not exactly like it. Not the colors, or style even.”

“I love it, I really do, I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

He smiled happily at her.

She shook her head; “Where on earth did you get this?”

He smiled even broader, “You remember when you sent me off with Dawn that day at the mall? Well, she told me she’d seen an antique store a few blocks away, so we left the mall for a while and did some shopping there and that’s where I found it!”

“Sneaky!” she said, smiling at him, also feeling a bit concerned that he’d left the mall and she hadn’t even known it. If something had happened to him or Dawn…

“I’m glad you did, though. It’s really wonderful,” she said, giving him a warm kiss.

He took the ring from her hand and turned it over, “Look,” he said. She squinted and then she saw that the letters W E had been engraved on the inside, solid part of the bottom of the band, next to the 14K markings.

“Thank you,” she said, again, “I love it even more now, if that’s possible.”

He took her hand, putting it on her ring finger. They looked down at it together, then up at each other smiling.

“Now you,” she said, “though it’s not nearly as nice as this, I’m afraid.”

William undid the wrapping paper, glancing up at her every so often, then hurriedly opened the box.

“A watch!” he exclaimed, excitedly.

“I know I already got you the watch fob, but I figured sometime, you might want to wear one on your wrist…”

“I do. I mean…yes! This is very nice,” he said, of the gold-rimmed, black leather banded watch, “very nice, indeed. Thank you, Elizabeth!”

William took it out of the box and undid the strap. He turned it over and sure enough, the letters W E were engraved on that, and the date 12-25-08.

“Thank you, luv,” he said, kissing her.

“You like?”

“Very much.”


An hour later she stood in front of the mirror in her nightgown, brushing her hair. William stood behind her, hands on her waist. She put the brush down and he wrapped his arms around her tighter.

“It’s a lovely mirror, William. Thank you again.”

He kissed her neck and she shivered watching herself and him in it.

“Hmm…”she said.

“Hmm…what?” he asked, distractedly.

“Possibilities…this mirror, us…” she said, with a mischievous grin.

He looked up at her in the mirror, his eyes widening, “Oh? OH!”

>

Buffy sighed in contentment; it had been a perfect Christmas Eve. She was nestled in William’s arms, almost asleep, when she looked up at him.

“What?” he asked, softly, seeing the question in her eyes.

She put her hand on the side of his face, as she looked into his blue eyes,
“How is it that you love me so well?”

He smiled then kissed her gently, “Because I love you so much.”

END CHAPTER 110