"Rustic Chivalry..." Part VII...
reg...@aol.com
Summary: William and his son are plagued by a curse from the recent
past…The very recent past…Using a rather ironic tool…
Disclaimer: Would Joss want his name associated with this? I think
not...But anyway all BTVS characters remain the property of Joss
Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the
Vampire Slayer series...Though his brother Mort gets nothing...
Archived at the Normalverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse,
www,buffyrebecca.com...
Part VII…
Well…Thought Willow, as she stood beside Connor, with Angel and Nina …
Harmony allowed by reason of possible thrall necessity to stay inside
at what instinctively the others had sensed…And Dawn had demanded,
just in case instinct failed…Was a private family moment…
At least I don’t have to pick pieces of William out of his…Very nice,
from what I can see, she peered in…Condo walls…
A distinct possibility when Dawn burst into my room telling me Buffy
had run off after appearing in her bedroom, shoving poor Sarah about
while mouthing insanity about “vendettas” and “killing the one who’d
killed me and my child”…In Italian and Latin as well as her native
Californian, no less…According to the native building super anyway…
And here me, assuring Giles I had “everything” under control after we
got Buffy tranquillized and in spell stasis in the archives…Poor kid…
Raving like a loon, waving that book and box of papers…
Ok…She sheepishly admitted…I didn’t mind a chance to do a little
turnabout-is-fair-play, putting her in stasis…But I really thought I’d
quenched the spell…And she seemed so much calmer, asking for Dawnie…
Telling us the guys who’d spelled her were in Rome…And Dawn might be
in danger…
“So you’ve been on the hunt for three weeks?...” Angel looked at her…
She nodded…
“They had her well hidden, wherever their place is…We thought she was
still in Rome…Until Dawn read the letters…Then she knew exactly where
Buffy was gonna end up…One way or the other…Though it took a while to
get someone at your office to give us the address…By the way, I
apologize to the nice cleaning lady for the mind control…” Willow
sighed…
“Cicely’s letters…?”
She nodded… Yeah…
“But who is this… ‘Cicely’?...” Nina asked…
“I am…” Buffy, weary voice…On William’s arm, emerging from the room…
***
Dawn, overcoat buttoned, frowned impatiently at the group…
Explanations could surely wait…My brother whom I’ve never met is about
to be sacrificed, people…
“So let me get this straight…” Harmony, providing a supportive arm to
Buffy…Attempted to pierce the muddle… “Buffy was Cicely in 1880…And
married Will?...And lost him to Drusilla after being tricked into
using a vengeance demon to impersonate her and drive him off to
protect him…?”
“Halfreck…Yeah…” Dawn nodded… “Could we get moving, please?...I don’t
want to lose my baby brother again…And Mom’s not completely free of
those jerks and their crap…”
“Wait…” Nina put up a hand… “How can Will Jr. be your brother if
you’re the soul of the baby daughter who died with Cicely in 1880…?”
“Simple…” Dawn frowned… “He was born to Buffy’s alternate self,
Margaret, in the 30’s…After she had a little, you know…With Dad’s
alternate…Human self…”
“Boris Karloff, no less?...” Angel blinked…
“But why didn’t Buffy just stay with…Boris?...” Harmony asked…
Hmmn…Well, perhaps a foolish question… But…
“Margaret wasn’t fully Buffy…Her soul just traversed with her briefly…
Long enough though to pull Daddy’s soul to her in a host body and…You
know…” Dawn explained… “And naturally Spike and Dru showed up…
Probably
some kind of weird summoning…”
“Actually we were just trying to get Charlie Chaplin’s autograph…”
Will noted…
“And all of this was in the Council archives?!...” Angel fumed… “All
these years, Giles knew this?...”
“Noooo…” Willow shook head emphatically…
Buffy eyeing her…
Ummn…Well… “I’m sure he didn’t…He say it was reserved to Inner Council
members only…He was just warned to keep an eye on William…er, Spike…”
“And kill him if he managed to latch back on to his wandering soul…”
Dawn noted, coolly…
I may go in for a little “vendetta” myself after we get Will Jr. safe…
She thought…
“They didn’t tell him the details…” Willow tried…
“Great…He’d kill an innocent man without knowing why?...” Dawn glared…
“I’m sure he thought it was for the best…Dawn, it was a rough time…And
the First still had hooks in me…” Will noted…
“But if Will Jr was born in the 1930’s…?” Nina looked at Willow, then
Dawn…
“I…We…Lost him a few months after birth…” Buffy said quietly… “I’d
been through a minor bout with death and a transformation…Not good for
a developing kid…After little Will died, the Council happily noted I’d
faded from Margaret but for a few trace memories…”
“You were ‘Boris Karloff’…?” Harmony eyed William…
God…I did Boris Karloff?...Now I’m never gonna be able to watch “The
Grinch” again…”
“I guess…” he sighed… “The memories are a bit scrambled though between
Spike and Billy…”
Billy Pratt…The real name…He explained… “Though it does explain some
odd dreams I’d been having since the soul returned…”
“Since you won it back…On your own…” Buffy cut in…Firmly, if still a
bit wearily…
“No offence, Angel…” she briefly glanced his way…Avoiding a direct
look…
“There better not be…” Nina replied, coolly… “’Cause he’s as innocent
of any wrongdoing here as Will is…”
“Guys…” Willow, hastily…
No need to do anything right now to start any spell tendrils
regenerating, please…I already underestimated this thing once…
“But why did they think you’d go after William…?” Connor asked…
“People…” Dawn fumed… “Baby brother…Ritual sacrifice…Lets move!...”
“She’s right…” Buffy noted… “Lets…” she started to move…Sagging a bit…
“Lets get you to bed…” Will said… “And then we’ll…”
“No…” she waved a hand, pulling away… “I’ll be fine… Lets get our
boy…”
She staggered a bit then straightened before an anxious Will or Connor
next to her could help her… “Come on…Lets put this ‘vendetta’ on the
right foot…”
“Sounds like a plan to me…” Angel nodded, wry smile to her wan one…
“Thanks…” she nodded… “I’m sorry…Really…”
“If Angelus were here, I’d say, let him have it…” he grinned… “It’s ok…
Cicely…”
“Just…” Will sighed… “I’m fine…” Buffy patted his arm…
“Though if you want to carry your bride over several thresholds…” she
smiled… “I don’t believe I ever did have that pleasure…”
He picked her up… “Fine…” Wobbling a bit…
Dad…Dawn, anxious…
“How’s about a wheelchair?...” Willow suggested…
“No…Fine…” he groaned a bit… “He’s fine…” Buffy nodded, clasping him
tightly about the neck…
Put me down as soon as you get to the elevator…she hissed…
With…Pleasure…he whispered back…
“Anyway…They just substituted Spike for Angelus somehow…” Buffy
replied to Connor as the group made their way to the elevator, Angel
and Harmony mutually standing ready to make a catch if necessary… “His
soul was
the mate for their ritual, then somehow they used Spike’s demon aura
to make Will my target…For a little while…
It was mainly just rage, I think…They just had to focus it…But that’s
gone now…”
We hope…The others mentally noted…
William halted in mid-step…Wavering…
“Sweetheart?...Should I…?” Buffy, anxiously…
“I’m a father?...Twice over?...” William blinked…The numbling effects
of life-or-death activity having faded…
“With a daughter enrolled at the University of Milan…” Dawn noted
proudly…High-fiving Buffy as she still lay cradled in Will’s grip…
“But all paid for by the Council…” Buffy hurriedly insisted to Will’s
staring face… “Really, honey…If I’d known before she was accepted, I’d
have pushed for Cambridge, I swear…”
***