1880 - Chapter 6

Buffy watched as the people she’d seen earlier locked the large wooden doors that were the main entrance to the building. She waited until they had walked out of sight before coming out of her hiding place in the shadows. For Watchers, they weren’t very observant.

Glancing over her shoulder, she gave William a little smile. She had to admit that he was taking the news well. He’d asked her a few questions about himself in the future and she’d answered them as openly as she could, but he had seemed calm the whole time.

She intimated for him to follow her as she began walking along the pavement that led to the building the two Watchers had exited a few minutes before. Walking hurriedly up the steps, she raised her brows as she read the brass sign beside the doors.

Council of Watchers.
Institute of scientific pursuit.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” She said as William came to stand beside her. “I really thought they would have gone for something more covert.”

William raised a brow at the sign as Buffy tried the door handle. “What are Watchers? What do they watch?”

“Ask me later.” Buffy replied as she stepped back, her eyes moving from window to window as she searched for a way in. “Would there be a back way into a building like this?”

“Most probably.” William looked up and down the street. “There, a small alleyway, it must lead to the back of the buildings.”

“Thanks.” Buffy lightly touched his arm and walked down the steps, heading for the alley.

William sighed and stared at his arm, wondering if she knew what she did to him when she touched him like that. Following her down the alley, he caught up with her as she reached the other side.

Buffy frowned at the rows of gates. She didn’t have a clue which one was the Council building.

“Bugger.” She groused and then smiled apologetically at William as he looked a little shocked. “You’re the one I picked it up off.”

“I am?” William frowned and tried it out. “Bugger.”

Buffy giggled. “You speak a lot posher than you do in my time. You’re all limp and sexy, all dangerous and punk.”

“What’s punk? And why am I limp? Is my posture bad?” William followed her as she began walking along the row of back gardens.

“Not limp as in slouchy, limp as in relaxed. You’re all stiff. Punk… I can’t explain.” Buffy answered him as she peered over each gate, hoping to recognise the building.

William blushed as he recalled what else she’d called him. Sexy. He was sexy? Did she think he was sexy now? Or was it purely the slouching, dangerous and ‘punk’ him that was sexy? What kind of girl fell in love with a vampire anyway?

Frowning, he hoped that she wasn’t this confusing in the future. All she seemed to do was tie him in knots, threading thoughts tighter and tighter in his head until he didn’t know if he was coming or going.

Seeing her struggling to find the building, he sighed and caught hold of her arm, pointing at the correct one. “It’s that one, third one in. I counted.”

“Smart, too… always came up with these plans that could have been the end of me, but you’re so impatient.” She giggled slightly. “You get bored and then you muck up.”

“I could have been the end of you? Are we enemies?” William didn’t like the idea of having to wait a century to see her, only to be always fighting her.

“Were… we were enemies. Things change. People change. It’s funny really. Of all the demons I’ve fought, you could have been the one to actually kill me… but then everything changed.” Buffy pushed the gate open and paused to look at him. “You work with me now. We patrol for demons together, make plans, research… although I’m not so good with that bit… we spar…”

“Spar?” William asked with another frown as she nodded.

“Play fight… you’re the best at it. Giles is great, but he can’t match my strength, so you fight with me. Sometimes things get a little… intense… and I don’t know if you can feel it too, or if it’s just me.”

“Intense?”

Buffy ran her fingers over the small basement window and smiled as she found her way in. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Do go on.” William watched her as she paused for a second and then kicked the window frame hard. His eyes widened as it fell inwards, smashing against the floor inside.

Buffy continued as though nothing had happened. “You stir things in me, okay? When we fight, it’s like all the feelings I keep locked inside get drawn to the surface and sometimes it goes that one bit further and I find myself considering things.”

“What kind of things?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking. From where he was standing, she seemed to have feelings for him and he released them in her somehow until she was ready to act on them.

She frowned for a second and then shrugged. “Just things.”

He watched her disappear into the window. There was a crunch of glass and a muffled ‘ouch’.

“Are you alright?” He crouched down beside the window. There was a scraping of wood against stone and then she reappeared.

“Fine and dandy. Just landed a little funny.” She smiled at him and then crooked her finger. “Your turn.”

William gave the small window a fearful look and then swallowed down his nerves. If she could go through it, then he could. He wasn’t the one that broke into the building. He was just following her.

Sitting down, he gave a thought to how he was going to ruin his clothes and then began to ease himself through the window. Landing on the cabinet she had moved to beside the window, he dropped to the floor and then held his hands out to her, offering to help her down.

Buffy closed her eyes as she placed her hands on his shoulders and felt his on her waist holding her tightly. Falling into his arms, she gave herself a few seconds to enjoy the feeling of his strong embrace as she landed on the floor and then opened her eyes.

She was looking straight into passionate blue ones that were full of fire.

“William…” Buffy breathed his name and then backed off a step as she thought about Spike. “We really should get a move on.”

William released her waist and watched her as she walked towards the door. He wondered if that was one of those intense moments that she had spoken of, because he’d certainly found himself considering doing things that he didn’t usually.

Things like kissing her.

Buffy grabbed the little lantern off the side table as she exited the basement. She felt so confused as she walked up the steps, holding the little oil lamp by her side and listening to William following her. Being in William’s arms had felt like coming home but at the same time, it felt wrong. She’d felt as though she was cheating on Spike. They weren’t together, but she knew all that was going to change when she got home, and it had felt as though she was with another man.

Which she supposed she was.

William was Spike as much as Spike was William. They both shared similar qualities and memories, both looked the same, but they were so different too. Spike wasn’t a man, he was a vampire. She didn’t fool herself about that.

“Would you like me to light that for you?” William asked as they came out in a wide dark hallway.

“Thanks.” Buffy held the lamp out to him and watched as he took a box of matches from his pocket and lit it. She hoped that they’d find a way to get her home soon. Everything here was so confusing and everything back home seemed so simple now that she was looking at it from a distance.

She let her eye trace William’s profile as she thought about the vampire he’d become in a few months time.

God she missed him. She’d never thought it was possible to miss anyone as much as this. She ached whenever she thought about Spike, whenever William did something that reminded her of him.

Taking the lamp from William, she waited for him to pocket the matches again before beginning to walk up the corridor. She checked each room as she passed, sighing as each one was revealed to not be the one she was looking for.

“Where do you need to go?” William asked in a hushed voice as he watched her staring at a lounge.

“Library.” Buffy said and he pointed to the stairs.

“Most libraries are upstairs. Reception rooms are downstairs.” He smiled slightly as she thanked him with a smile and started in that direction.

Walking as softly up the stairs as possible, William felt an odd thrill of excitement as it hit him that he could go to jail for illegally entering this building with Buffy. He wondered if she did things like this often, or whether this was a first for her too.

Something told him it probably wasn’t.

Buffy pushed open the first door she came across and smiled broadly as she was greeted by a long room full of books.

“Bingo.” She almost bounced on the spot as she held the lamp up and showed William.

“Do you know where to look?” He asked as he eyed the thousands of books.

Buffy pulled a face as she looked at them too. “No. I’m kinda hoping that books on amulets will be grouped together. I don’t think we have time to go through every book. Just look for titles that mention charms, amulets, time travel, those kinds of things.”

William nodded and picked up a small lantern off the table, lighting it and letting it burn for a few seconds before carrying it over to the first bookcase.

Holding the lamp up, Buffy sighed as she let her eyes scan over the books. She got the feeling she was in the wrong section. It was all demon books here and she knew she was dealing with a man this time. Moving along, she began to hum to herself in an attempt to alleviate her boredom. Books had never been her thing.

He frowned as he stopped, pulling a book off the shelf and staring at the label.

What were incubi and succubae? Opening the book, he almost dropped it when he was faced with pictures of naked people writhing passionately with demons.

Fumbling with the book, he pushed it hastily back onto the shelf and then straightened his clothes out as he tried to compose himself.

“You okay?” Buffy asked as she appeared beside him and he jumped.

“I’m… I’m… perfectly fine, thank you.” William sniffed and ignored the rapid beating of his heart and the way his cheeks were burning up.

Buffy arched a brow at the section of books he was standing in front of and smiled. Taking him by the arm, she led him away from them and tried to find him a less sexual area to explore.

“Some areas of demonology can be a little disturbing. I fought a demon once that had a huge…” She trailed off as William looked a little sick. “Let’s not go there.”

Leaving him in the section about charms, Buffy moved further along the bookshelves, her eyes scanning the little labels and hoping something would jump out at her.

She smiled as she found a small section on inter-dimensional and time travel. Pulling as many books off the shelf as possible, she flicked through them, trying to find any mention of amulets that carried those powers.

Placing a few of the better books on the table in the centre of the room, she looked up at the balcony that surrounded the room. Carrying her lamp with her, she ascended the winding metal staircase and then began searching along the bookshelves.

“I think I have something.” William said to her a few minutes into her search and she looked over the balcony at him as he held up what could only be described as a tome. “It has all sorts of amulets in it.”

Buffy abandoned her search and hurried down the staircase to him. She smiled at him as he held it proudly out to her, a wide smile on his face.

Flicking through the pages, she saw each of them were full of pictures and descriptions of amulets and charms.

“Thank you!” Buffy pressed a brief kiss to his cheek and then put the book down on the table, checking it further to see if it would contain the information they needed.

William touched the spot on his cheek that she’d kissed. It felt as though it was burning up. He stared blankly at her as she looked through the book he’d found and sighed.

It was no wonder he helped her in the future. Who could kill such a sweet woman, such a beauty as her?

Going back to the shelves, he searched for more books on the subject, hoping to receive another kiss as a reward if he succeeded.

Buffy looked at the pile of books that was building up on the table. They’d have to call it quits soon. They already had more than they could carry and it was a long walk back to the hotel. As William placed another book on top of the pile and eyed it up with a concerned look, she smiled.

“We should probably get out of here.”

“Good idea, because I think I just heard someone enter the building.” William grabbed an armful of books and watched as she did the same.

Buffy extinguished the two lamps and grabbed the one that she’d taken from the basement.

Hurrying out of the room, they crept down the stairs and moved swiftly along the hall. They both froze as they heard voices in one of the rooms they passed and their hearts pounded sickeningly fast as they almost ran towards the basement.

Leaving the lamp where she’d found it, Buffy hauled herself up onto the cabinet she’d placed below the window and put her books on the grass outside. Crawling out onto the grass, she took William’s books and then grabbed his hand to help him. He thanked her with a little smile as he straightened up and then grabbed his pile of books again.

Moving as quickly as possible along the rows of gates, they headed back down the alley and away from the building.

Buffy finally let herself breathe when they were a few blocks from the Council headquarters. She didn’t know how she was going to get the books back, but she had to somehow. She couldn’t leave them in her room when she was gone, it would be dangerous to let just anyone have access to the information they contained.

William felt his heartbeat evening out as they walked and the adrenaline that had been racing through his veins the whole time they’d been in the building rapidly disappeared, leaving him tired.

Trekking across London, they quickly found themselves back at the hotel and rang the bell for someone to let them in. Buffy took the pile of books from William.

“You should get home.” She said with a smile. “But thanks for coming with me. You always were the one person I could rely on.”

Tiptoeing, she kissed his cheek and smiled as he blushed.

William smiled and nodded. “I’ll be back as early as possible. You should get some rest. It’s been a long night.”

“Nah, think I’ll crack some spines.” She said and then giggled when he looked mortified. “Book spines, not real spines, dummy.”

He gave her an uneasy smile as she playfully boxed his arm.

Sometimes she was so feminine, and others she seemed like a boy.

He was enthralled by how she applied herself to researching. She had proven herself to be clever and well educated, but had now surpassed that by showing him how dedicated she was to looking into the amulet, to the extent of staying up well into the night to go through the books.

Waving goodbye to her, he watched her as she walked into the hotel and the door closed behind her.

Buffy hurried up the stairs and into her room. Locking the door behind her, she placed all the books down on the little table and dragged it over to the armchair.

She placed a few logs onto the fire and then settled in front of the books.

Research.

How hard could it be?

Opening the first book, she began to read.

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