ONE NORMAL LIFE / TWO EXTRAORDINARY LIVES
folder
BtVS AU/AR › Het - Male/Female › Buffy/Spike(William)
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
210
Views:
11,897
Reviews:
182
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
BtVS AU/AR › Het - Male/Female › Buffy/Spike(William)
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
210
Views:
11,897
Reviews:
182
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
SETTLING IN
CHAPTER 176 - SETTLING IN
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
THURSDAY
12:45PM
Giles maneuvered the car through London traffic, trying to avoid the busiest roads, a feat none-too-easy at this time of day.
For his part, William answered Giles' mild questions, all the while looking out on a city, that to his mind, he'd only been away from for only a little more than a year, but which now showed over a century's change.
Where are we going?" William asked,
"Greenwich."
William nodded absentmindedly. "Was there once or twice, when I was a youngster. Saw the docks."
"Still there," Giles answered, with a smile. The park, too. A lovely place, really, and I'm only a few blocks away, should you want to take a walk some time. Giles went on describing to William the neighborhood’s antique stores, bookshops, museums and parks, and other points of interest in, and around, the area.
“Were crossing the river now,” Giles said, he headed southward. He didn’t have to mention the name; there could be only one river.
“The Thames,” William whispered, mostly to himself. He stared out at the majestic river, which served as a natural boundary, dividing the city north from south, poor from rich, industry from mercantile, monarch from subject. At least it used to more so in his day. Not that the monarchs didn't have castles, property, and other vast holdings, over the whole of London, as well as the rest of the country.
Wesley informs me you attended Oxford,” Giles said. If someone had told Giles back in Sunnydale that Spike had attended Oxford, he would’ve laughed right in their face. However, having met William last April as a human, and very much as he had been over one hundred years ago, this new knowledge didn’t surprise him much. “Great school, though I’m a Cambridge man myself. Perhaps while you’re here, we could take a day trip to Oxford, so you might have a look around again, if you’d like.”
William nodded distractedly, but didn’t comment. At this point, he was on sensory overload. Giles noticed William's responses grow more and more reticent and finally stopped asking questions, or narrating. That suited him fine, as he'd had to work extra hard because of the novocaine anyway. He wasn't sure what he was even going to do with the former William the Bloody, except most likely drive a very big wedge between him and Buffy, for his not letting her know of William staying with him.
Giles drove on in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Almost there,” Giles said, as he turned off the main road, and onto a quiet, residential neighborhood. The brick houses all seemed fairly large, though nearer to its neighbor than what he had been used to growing up. Still, this was part of London, and historically, space was at a premium. Mr. Giles explained to him that some of the larger houses, were actually two or three family dwelling flats. His, on the other hand, was formerly a flat for two families, but he’d bought the building, and over the years, converted it to a single residence.
“Here we are,” Mr. Giles said, pulling in front of the converted flat on Winforton Street.
At first glance it seemed like a rather large house, symmetrical on each side, but on further inspection, it did rather seem like two separate residences stuck together by a central door and middle section. Each side had it’s own peculiarities and differences, from the windows, to the shape of the roof above the upper floors.
Giles smiled wryly on noticing the perplexed look on William’s face.
“Bit of an oddity, isn’t it?”
“Almost optical illusion.”
“Yes, quite. Well, let’s get your bags and get you settled.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3:00PM
The main hallway, brightly lit from natural light from upper floor windows, contrasted with the dark honeyed bronze color of the walls. In the center of the hallway was a gracefully curved, cream colored stairway leading to the second and third floors; its light color set off by a dark tapestry runner, and dark wooden banister. A strange feature was the presence of a fireplace, or at least the remnants of a former one, in the hallway. It looked as though cream colored trim, matching that of the doorways, had been added around and above the former fireplace. The rectangle area above now used as a serve-through to the kitchen area.
One doorway on the right lead to the study/office area, the other, the first floor bathroom. On the left was a small parlor; the walls were dark, almost olive green, while the baseboards, trim, and ceiling was done in a soft yellow-cream. A mirror above the small, ornate gas-log fireplace made the room appear larger. An old-fashioned clock, the only thing to grace its mantle. The dark wood, Victorian styled furniture sat along the edges of a rich, Persian carpet in the room’s center. The only thing modern was a chandelier, which was one of those made to appear old. Framed pictures of famous Englishmen out of history completed the look.
William followed Giles through another doorway to the dark, copper hued kitchen. Here, the trim work was rough looking in comparison to the parlor; a knotty pine look, reminiscent of the Wild West, in William's mind. However, the small, brick fireplace on one wall reminded him of English, rather than American homes; at least what he knew of them. All in all, it was a modernized kitchen, with a nod to the West.
Off the kitchen, was a small, enclosed porch leading out to a large, communal green space, connecting all the other bordering residences in the neighborhood. Mr. Giles told him that it was called The Knoll, due to the rise in the middle, and that although technically, it belonged to the town of Greenwich, the residents took care of it, more or less. However, since the town's ordinance prevented anyone from fencing in their backyards; he didn't bother planting much of a garden.
“Not to be confused with The Grassy Knoll. Never mind,” Giles said; realizing William wouldn’t have any memory of that, although Spike surely would have.
“The Kennedy assassination? I saw a documentary once; a terrible thing,” William said, shaking his head. Softly he added, “Elizabeth thought I should catch up on common knowledge.”
“Ah, of course,” Giles said clearing his throat. “Well, actually our knoll is also referred to as Mini Point. The Point being a much larger grassy knoll a block or so over. You can see it from the upper floors,” Giles explained. “You can also see beyond all the way to Black Heath. You’d be able to even see Greenwich Park, except that the house’s windows aren’t facing that direction.”
Off the other side of the kitchen, was the dining room. As the kitchen had no table of it’s own; this was where all meals were taken. The dining room walls were dark mahogany, trimmed with the same soft yellow-cream as the rest of the rooms.
After the tour, Giles took William up to the third floor. "It's bright now," he said, referring to the two sets of windows - one facing The Knoll, the other, larger one facing the front; under which sat a decorative settee. "At night though, you'll need these," he said, flipping a switch, which turned on the light in the center of the hallway, as well as two sconces, one next to each door.
“This is your room,” Giles said, opening the door on the left.
William's eyes swept around the bright room, which was a good size, despite the walls slanting on two sides, as they conformed to the gabled shape of the roof. The cream, patterned wallpaper, which covered the walls and ceiling, offset the dark wood furniture. On the lower half of the walls, were reproductions of masters such as Renoir, Matisse, and Monet, also framed in dark wood for the most part. The wood floor was almost fully covered by a dark green Persian rug, with a large cream and maroon flower design throughout.
Across the room was the bed. Between the window and the foot of the bed sat a regular dining table, and three chairs. A lace tablecloth hung over the edge; in the middle sat an old-fashioned light, the sort that held fuel in its base. A dresser with a tall mirror sat further back in the corner, and next to it, some smaller tables, and of particular interest to him, a bookcase, with what looked like many, many volumes of old classics.
Against the nearest wall was a large wooden steamer chest, a small night table, on top of which was a pitcher and bowl, the sort used to wash and shave with, before bathrooms; the sort he'd used daily as a young man. He wondered if they were still used in England, and if he was expected to use it, as there was no bathroom, or loo, as Mr. Giles had referred to it, on this floor. He was thinking he was only glad that there were no longer any chamber pots, having been happily spoiled by modern plumbing, when he saw something next to the bed.
"You'll have to excuse the hodgepodge of furniture in here. I gave you the larger room, and moved out what I could, but I didn't have room for everything across the hall, and downstairs.”
"It's very nice," William assured him quickly, hoping he hadn't done anything to give Mr. Giles the wrong impression.
“If you need an extra blanket, there are some in the trunk. Oh, and if you’d like a desk up here, rather than the table, I think we could arrange that.”
“No, it’s fine,” William said, then hesitatingly added, “I have a question.”
“Yes?”
William nodded towards the object next to his bed.
Giles looked towards where William was directing his glance, and grinned.
“I bought it at an estate sale, just as an antique, an object ‘d art, if you will. You’re very welcomed, and most encouraged to use the regular loo on the second floor,” Giles said, with a chuckle.
“Oh thank God,” William said, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Why don’t you take some time to relax for a while? You’ve had a long journey, and you’re bound to have jet lag.”
“I guess I am a bit tired,” William conceded.
Giles nodded knowingly. “Why don’t you come downstairs in about an hour? I’m sure Mrs. Greeves won’t mind serving an early dinner,” he said, referring to the housekeeper who William had met briefly, when they’d come in.
“Thank you,” William said.
Giles nodded and left William alone.
After unpacking, William stretched out on top of the white down comforter that lay on the bed. He took out the pocket watch and flipped it open. Although he’d changed his wristwatch, he’d kept that one on California time. It was now just a little past eight in the morning in Julian - almost exactly a day to the hour since he’d left; only a day since he’d seen or touched Elizabeth, but the distance made it already seem like so much more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3:30PM
He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, only close his eyes for a while, just in order to alleviate the headache that had once again come back to plague him. He awoke with a start and looked at his watch. He got up quickly and went down to the second floor to use the bathroom, and freshen up, then down to the main floor.
He didn’t hear anything, as he looked throughout the rooms. The dining room table was set, but there was no evidence of any food being eaten recently. The kitchen likewise, was empty. He walked through it, and came out into the main passage. He heard soft music coming from what Mr. Giles had called his office/living room.
“Ah, William,” Giles said, seeing him tentatively stick his head in the doorway. “Have a nice nap?”
“Um, yes. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to fall asleep for so long.”
“That’s quite alright. Mrs. Greeves wasn’t happy, but then again, I don’t believe she ever is,” he said with a slight smile. “However, I did make her keep your meal warm. It’s in the oven. You must be hungry, yes?”
William nodded.
“Good, why don’t I get that out, then?”
William followed Giles to the kitchen, where he pulled out a crock full of a hearty beef stew, covered by a heavy glass lid. As soon as Mr. Giles took it off, the aroma assailed his senses, and his stomach gurgled in anticipation.
Giles ladled out a big bowl for William, and took it over to the dining room table. On the buffet, he cut some slices of sourdough bread and brought that, along with some butter to the table.
“Would you care for a beer?”
William started to accept, then thought better of it. “Could I bother you for some tea, instead?”
“Certainly. You go ahead and get started, while I fix that; no need to wait.”
Giles brought the pot back in a few minutes; smiling when he saw that William had made short shrift of the stew. He refilled his bowl from the pot, then sat down and drank his own cup of tea, as he watched William.
“I was thinking that after your dinner, I might show you around Greenwich a bit, while there’s still a bit of daylight left, if that’s alright with you. Unless you’d just rather stay in; I’ll leave it up to you.”
“That would be alright,” William said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5:30PM
For over an hour, Mr. Giles had driven around both Greenwich and Black Heath, stopping to show William the various sites, some of which he’d seen in his day, some much newer, such as the monstrosity known as Millennium Dome.
“This is where the world starts,” Mr. Giles had said, when he stopped in front of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park. “It’s where East is divided from West at the Prime Meridian; longitude 0° 0' 0'', and Greenwich Mean Time is the basis of every world time zone which sets the time of day and is at the center of the time zone map.”
“I thought I remembered my father telling me that it was in France,” William remarked.
“He was quite right; it was in France, until they moved it here in 1884, when they changed the coordinates then. I don’t suppose the French were very happy with it, I’d dare say,” Giles said with a chuckle.
“I don’t suppose so,” William agreed.
Now they sat in the popular Trafalgar Tavern; Giles having ended the tour here, after pointing out the building a few blocks away, which now housed the New Council of Watchers.
“Here you go,” Giles said, handing William a draught as he took his seat opposite him.
“Thanks,” William said, pensively looking out the windows at the river.
Giles studied him across the table. “So, what do you think, William?”
William turned to look at him; “It feels like I’m starting all over...again. When I first came back, I didn’t know any different. I just thought all my memories of being a young man were purely some sort of fabrication my mind had invented. After all, how could they have been true? Being here now...it feels as though I've only been away a short time, but everything is different, as if I'm some sort of time traveler."
“Well, I guess in a way, you are. Being human once again, and not remembering anything in between; that makes you very much like a time traveler.”
William didn’t respond.
Giles took off his glasses, polishing them on a napkin, before replacing them. “If I may say so, you’ve done remarkably well. You caught up to your contemporaries in only...”
“Contemporaries?” William said, bitterness creeping into his voice, “I have no contemporaries, my contemporaries are dead and buried!”
Giles took a deep breath. With William looking so much like Spike, it was an effort he was well aware he was making not to say something sarcastic out of years of habit. Whereas, William needed to be treated with kid gloves, Spike never deserved any such treatment; at least as far as he saw it.
“Yes, that’s true. However, you know that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean your true chronological contemporaries from when you were born, but from the age that you came back at now. You are very much capable of being in step with them in every way. I’d say Buffy was a very fine teacher in that regard, but I’d also venture to say, she had a good student to work with.”
William smiled a bit at the former statement. Elizabeth had showed him the world, and what it felt like to be a man in it. At least he thought he’d had it all figured out, until he’d found out he’d not been a man, but a monster for over one hundred years.
They finished their beer in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After they’d returned from the pub, Mr. Giles had invited William into the study for a nightcap. Not wanting to offend, he’d accepted. His stomach now painfully reminding him that it would be best all the way around for him to find another way to be sociable in the future. The two men had talked of the differences between The States and England, about the different sports, and about general topics. Thankfully, the conversation had stayed light, even when it turned towards Elizabeth and her friends.
“Well, William, it’s been a long day for you, and I suspect you’re more tired than you’re letting on. What do you say we call it a night?”
At the thought of sleep, an unbidden yawn escaped William’s mouth. “Guess I am at that, Mr. Giles.”
“Please, call me Giles.”
“Giles,” William repeated, getting up and starting toward the hallway after his host.
“You’ll probably still be asleep when I leave in the morning, William. I’ll instruct Mrs. Greeves to let you rest. If she’s not here when you awaken, you’ll find your breakfast in the oven.”
“Thank you,” William said.
“I just like to suggest, if you haven’t already done so, though there’s no rush; you might try to put into writing, the exact things you hope to accomplish while you’re here, and what it is you would like from me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1:00AM
NOVEMBER 21, 2009
FRIDAY
Once in his room, William sat at the table for nearly an hour, trying to organize his thoughts enough to write them down in the journal he’d found on top of the bookcase. A note indicated it was for his use. . However, the words wouldn’t come, and all he could do was to sit there, dumbly staring at the blank pages. Now, almost two hours later, William lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as he thought about the last twenty-four hours, the man from the plane and his accusation, and the question Mr. Giles had posed to him.
Getting up, he walked across the room, and reached into his coat, retrieving what he was looking for, and brought it back to the bed with him. Before leaving the house in Julian yesterday morning, he’d spotted one of Elizabeth’s camisoles lying on the bathroom floor, and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, stuffed it into his coat's pocket. Closing his eyes, he lightly ran the silky garment over his face, inhaling the lingering scent of her it held. The words Giles had spoken earlier that evening ran though his mind as he drifted off to sleep; “This is where the world starts.”
END CHAPTER 176
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
THURSDAY
12:45PM
Giles maneuvered the car through London traffic, trying to avoid the busiest roads, a feat none-too-easy at this time of day.
For his part, William answered Giles' mild questions, all the while looking out on a city, that to his mind, he'd only been away from for only a little more than a year, but which now showed over a century's change.
Where are we going?" William asked,
"Greenwich."
William nodded absentmindedly. "Was there once or twice, when I was a youngster. Saw the docks."
"Still there," Giles answered, with a smile. The park, too. A lovely place, really, and I'm only a few blocks away, should you want to take a walk some time. Giles went on describing to William the neighborhood’s antique stores, bookshops, museums and parks, and other points of interest in, and around, the area.
“Were crossing the river now,” Giles said, he headed southward. He didn’t have to mention the name; there could be only one river.
“The Thames,” William whispered, mostly to himself. He stared out at the majestic river, which served as a natural boundary, dividing the city north from south, poor from rich, industry from mercantile, monarch from subject. At least it used to more so in his day. Not that the monarchs didn't have castles, property, and other vast holdings, over the whole of London, as well as the rest of the country.
Wesley informs me you attended Oxford,” Giles said. If someone had told Giles back in Sunnydale that Spike had attended Oxford, he would’ve laughed right in their face. However, having met William last April as a human, and very much as he had been over one hundred years ago, this new knowledge didn’t surprise him much. “Great school, though I’m a Cambridge man myself. Perhaps while you’re here, we could take a day trip to Oxford, so you might have a look around again, if you’d like.”
William nodded distractedly, but didn’t comment. At this point, he was on sensory overload. Giles noticed William's responses grow more and more reticent and finally stopped asking questions, or narrating. That suited him fine, as he'd had to work extra hard because of the novocaine anyway. He wasn't sure what he was even going to do with the former William the Bloody, except most likely drive a very big wedge between him and Buffy, for his not letting her know of William staying with him.
Giles drove on in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Almost there,” Giles said, as he turned off the main road, and onto a quiet, residential neighborhood. The brick houses all seemed fairly large, though nearer to its neighbor than what he had been used to growing up. Still, this was part of London, and historically, space was at a premium. Mr. Giles explained to him that some of the larger houses, were actually two or three family dwelling flats. His, on the other hand, was formerly a flat for two families, but he’d bought the building, and over the years, converted it to a single residence.
“Here we are,” Mr. Giles said, pulling in front of the converted flat on Winforton Street.
At first glance it seemed like a rather large house, symmetrical on each side, but on further inspection, it did rather seem like two separate residences stuck together by a central door and middle section. Each side had it’s own peculiarities and differences, from the windows, to the shape of the roof above the upper floors.
Giles smiled wryly on noticing the perplexed look on William’s face.
“Bit of an oddity, isn’t it?”
“Almost optical illusion.”
“Yes, quite. Well, let’s get your bags and get you settled.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3:00PM
The main hallway, brightly lit from natural light from upper floor windows, contrasted with the dark honeyed bronze color of the walls. In the center of the hallway was a gracefully curved, cream colored stairway leading to the second and third floors; its light color set off by a dark tapestry runner, and dark wooden banister. A strange feature was the presence of a fireplace, or at least the remnants of a former one, in the hallway. It looked as though cream colored trim, matching that of the doorways, had been added around and above the former fireplace. The rectangle area above now used as a serve-through to the kitchen area.
One doorway on the right lead to the study/office area, the other, the first floor bathroom. On the left was a small parlor; the walls were dark, almost olive green, while the baseboards, trim, and ceiling was done in a soft yellow-cream. A mirror above the small, ornate gas-log fireplace made the room appear larger. An old-fashioned clock, the only thing to grace its mantle. The dark wood, Victorian styled furniture sat along the edges of a rich, Persian carpet in the room’s center. The only thing modern was a chandelier, which was one of those made to appear old. Framed pictures of famous Englishmen out of history completed the look.
William followed Giles through another doorway to the dark, copper hued kitchen. Here, the trim work was rough looking in comparison to the parlor; a knotty pine look, reminiscent of the Wild West, in William's mind. However, the small, brick fireplace on one wall reminded him of English, rather than American homes; at least what he knew of them. All in all, it was a modernized kitchen, with a nod to the West.
Off the kitchen, was a small, enclosed porch leading out to a large, communal green space, connecting all the other bordering residences in the neighborhood. Mr. Giles told him that it was called The Knoll, due to the rise in the middle, and that although technically, it belonged to the town of Greenwich, the residents took care of it, more or less. However, since the town's ordinance prevented anyone from fencing in their backyards; he didn't bother planting much of a garden.
“Not to be confused with The Grassy Knoll. Never mind,” Giles said; realizing William wouldn’t have any memory of that, although Spike surely would have.
“The Kennedy assassination? I saw a documentary once; a terrible thing,” William said, shaking his head. Softly he added, “Elizabeth thought I should catch up on common knowledge.”
“Ah, of course,” Giles said clearing his throat. “Well, actually our knoll is also referred to as Mini Point. The Point being a much larger grassy knoll a block or so over. You can see it from the upper floors,” Giles explained. “You can also see beyond all the way to Black Heath. You’d be able to even see Greenwich Park, except that the house’s windows aren’t facing that direction.”
Off the other side of the kitchen, was the dining room. As the kitchen had no table of it’s own; this was where all meals were taken. The dining room walls were dark mahogany, trimmed with the same soft yellow-cream as the rest of the rooms.
After the tour, Giles took William up to the third floor. "It's bright now," he said, referring to the two sets of windows - one facing The Knoll, the other, larger one facing the front; under which sat a decorative settee. "At night though, you'll need these," he said, flipping a switch, which turned on the light in the center of the hallway, as well as two sconces, one next to each door.
“This is your room,” Giles said, opening the door on the left.
William's eyes swept around the bright room, which was a good size, despite the walls slanting on two sides, as they conformed to the gabled shape of the roof. The cream, patterned wallpaper, which covered the walls and ceiling, offset the dark wood furniture. On the lower half of the walls, were reproductions of masters such as Renoir, Matisse, and Monet, also framed in dark wood for the most part. The wood floor was almost fully covered by a dark green Persian rug, with a large cream and maroon flower design throughout.
Across the room was the bed. Between the window and the foot of the bed sat a regular dining table, and three chairs. A lace tablecloth hung over the edge; in the middle sat an old-fashioned light, the sort that held fuel in its base. A dresser with a tall mirror sat further back in the corner, and next to it, some smaller tables, and of particular interest to him, a bookcase, with what looked like many, many volumes of old classics.
Against the nearest wall was a large wooden steamer chest, a small night table, on top of which was a pitcher and bowl, the sort used to wash and shave with, before bathrooms; the sort he'd used daily as a young man. He wondered if they were still used in England, and if he was expected to use it, as there was no bathroom, or loo, as Mr. Giles had referred to it, on this floor. He was thinking he was only glad that there were no longer any chamber pots, having been happily spoiled by modern plumbing, when he saw something next to the bed.
"You'll have to excuse the hodgepodge of furniture in here. I gave you the larger room, and moved out what I could, but I didn't have room for everything across the hall, and downstairs.”
"It's very nice," William assured him quickly, hoping he hadn't done anything to give Mr. Giles the wrong impression.
“If you need an extra blanket, there are some in the trunk. Oh, and if you’d like a desk up here, rather than the table, I think we could arrange that.”
“No, it’s fine,” William said, then hesitatingly added, “I have a question.”
“Yes?”
William nodded towards the object next to his bed.
Giles looked towards where William was directing his glance, and grinned.
“I bought it at an estate sale, just as an antique, an object ‘d art, if you will. You’re very welcomed, and most encouraged to use the regular loo on the second floor,” Giles said, with a chuckle.
“Oh thank God,” William said, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Why don’t you take some time to relax for a while? You’ve had a long journey, and you’re bound to have jet lag.”
“I guess I am a bit tired,” William conceded.
Giles nodded knowingly. “Why don’t you come downstairs in about an hour? I’m sure Mrs. Greeves won’t mind serving an early dinner,” he said, referring to the housekeeper who William had met briefly, when they’d come in.
“Thank you,” William said.
Giles nodded and left William alone.
After unpacking, William stretched out on top of the white down comforter that lay on the bed. He took out the pocket watch and flipped it open. Although he’d changed his wristwatch, he’d kept that one on California time. It was now just a little past eight in the morning in Julian - almost exactly a day to the hour since he’d left; only a day since he’d seen or touched Elizabeth, but the distance made it already seem like so much more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3:30PM
He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, only close his eyes for a while, just in order to alleviate the headache that had once again come back to plague him. He awoke with a start and looked at his watch. He got up quickly and went down to the second floor to use the bathroom, and freshen up, then down to the main floor.
He didn’t hear anything, as he looked throughout the rooms. The dining room table was set, but there was no evidence of any food being eaten recently. The kitchen likewise, was empty. He walked through it, and came out into the main passage. He heard soft music coming from what Mr. Giles had called his office/living room.
“Ah, William,” Giles said, seeing him tentatively stick his head in the doorway. “Have a nice nap?”
“Um, yes. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to fall asleep for so long.”
“That’s quite alright. Mrs. Greeves wasn’t happy, but then again, I don’t believe she ever is,” he said with a slight smile. “However, I did make her keep your meal warm. It’s in the oven. You must be hungry, yes?”
William nodded.
“Good, why don’t I get that out, then?”
William followed Giles to the kitchen, where he pulled out a crock full of a hearty beef stew, covered by a heavy glass lid. As soon as Mr. Giles took it off, the aroma assailed his senses, and his stomach gurgled in anticipation.
Giles ladled out a big bowl for William, and took it over to the dining room table. On the buffet, he cut some slices of sourdough bread and brought that, along with some butter to the table.
“Would you care for a beer?”
William started to accept, then thought better of it. “Could I bother you for some tea, instead?”
“Certainly. You go ahead and get started, while I fix that; no need to wait.”
Giles brought the pot back in a few minutes; smiling when he saw that William had made short shrift of the stew. He refilled his bowl from the pot, then sat down and drank his own cup of tea, as he watched William.
“I was thinking that after your dinner, I might show you around Greenwich a bit, while there’s still a bit of daylight left, if that’s alright with you. Unless you’d just rather stay in; I’ll leave it up to you.”
“That would be alright,” William said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5:30PM
For over an hour, Mr. Giles had driven around both Greenwich and Black Heath, stopping to show William the various sites, some of which he’d seen in his day, some much newer, such as the monstrosity known as Millennium Dome.
“This is where the world starts,” Mr. Giles had said, when he stopped in front of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park. “It’s where East is divided from West at the Prime Meridian; longitude 0° 0' 0'', and Greenwich Mean Time is the basis of every world time zone which sets the time of day and is at the center of the time zone map.”
“I thought I remembered my father telling me that it was in France,” William remarked.
“He was quite right; it was in France, until they moved it here in 1884, when they changed the coordinates then. I don’t suppose the French were very happy with it, I’d dare say,” Giles said with a chuckle.
“I don’t suppose so,” William agreed.
Now they sat in the popular Trafalgar Tavern; Giles having ended the tour here, after pointing out the building a few blocks away, which now housed the New Council of Watchers.
“Here you go,” Giles said, handing William a draught as he took his seat opposite him.
“Thanks,” William said, pensively looking out the windows at the river.
Giles studied him across the table. “So, what do you think, William?”
William turned to look at him; “It feels like I’m starting all over...again. When I first came back, I didn’t know any different. I just thought all my memories of being a young man were purely some sort of fabrication my mind had invented. After all, how could they have been true? Being here now...it feels as though I've only been away a short time, but everything is different, as if I'm some sort of time traveler."
“Well, I guess in a way, you are. Being human once again, and not remembering anything in between; that makes you very much like a time traveler.”
William didn’t respond.
Giles took off his glasses, polishing them on a napkin, before replacing them. “If I may say so, you’ve done remarkably well. You caught up to your contemporaries in only...”
“Contemporaries?” William said, bitterness creeping into his voice, “I have no contemporaries, my contemporaries are dead and buried!”
Giles took a deep breath. With William looking so much like Spike, it was an effort he was well aware he was making not to say something sarcastic out of years of habit. Whereas, William needed to be treated with kid gloves, Spike never deserved any such treatment; at least as far as he saw it.
“Yes, that’s true. However, you know that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean your true chronological contemporaries from when you were born, but from the age that you came back at now. You are very much capable of being in step with them in every way. I’d say Buffy was a very fine teacher in that regard, but I’d also venture to say, she had a good student to work with.”
William smiled a bit at the former statement. Elizabeth had showed him the world, and what it felt like to be a man in it. At least he thought he’d had it all figured out, until he’d found out he’d not been a man, but a monster for over one hundred years.
They finished their beer in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After they’d returned from the pub, Mr. Giles had invited William into the study for a nightcap. Not wanting to offend, he’d accepted. His stomach now painfully reminding him that it would be best all the way around for him to find another way to be sociable in the future. The two men had talked of the differences between The States and England, about the different sports, and about general topics. Thankfully, the conversation had stayed light, even when it turned towards Elizabeth and her friends.
“Well, William, it’s been a long day for you, and I suspect you’re more tired than you’re letting on. What do you say we call it a night?”
At the thought of sleep, an unbidden yawn escaped William’s mouth. “Guess I am at that, Mr. Giles.”
“Please, call me Giles.”
“Giles,” William repeated, getting up and starting toward the hallway after his host.
“You’ll probably still be asleep when I leave in the morning, William. I’ll instruct Mrs. Greeves to let you rest. If she’s not here when you awaken, you’ll find your breakfast in the oven.”
“Thank you,” William said.
“I just like to suggest, if you haven’t already done so, though there’s no rush; you might try to put into writing, the exact things you hope to accomplish while you’re here, and what it is you would like from me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1:00AM
NOVEMBER 21, 2009
FRIDAY
Once in his room, William sat at the table for nearly an hour, trying to organize his thoughts enough to write them down in the journal he’d found on top of the bookcase. A note indicated it was for his use. . However, the words wouldn’t come, and all he could do was to sit there, dumbly staring at the blank pages. Now, almost two hours later, William lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as he thought about the last twenty-four hours, the man from the plane and his accusation, and the question Mr. Giles had posed to him.
Getting up, he walked across the room, and reached into his coat, retrieving what he was looking for, and brought it back to the bed with him. Before leaving the house in Julian yesterday morning, he’d spotted one of Elizabeth’s camisoles lying on the bathroom floor, and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, stuffed it into his coat's pocket. Closing his eyes, he lightly ran the silky garment over his face, inhaling the lingering scent of her it held. The words Giles had spoken earlier that evening ran though his mind as he drifted off to sleep; “This is where the world starts.”
END CHAPTER 176