Getting On...

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PART 13

The shrimp puffs had been a sad disappointment, tasting of far too much cardamom and far too little shrimp. In fact, he’d been planning on telling Angel as much when his brother had motioned him over.

Fortunately, Lindsey had wandered off somewhere because William truly had no interest in even looking at the man, much less speaking with him any further, and he had no idea of why he’d been so fixed on him, anyway.

Lindsey had been fun, certainly, when William had still been Spike. He’d even imagined that he’d loved the bloke.

Why he’d continued to believe that after the two years of sweat and pain while he’d defied all the doctors and forced himself to walk again was a mystery to him.

Hell, Lindsey hadn’t even been able to look at him naked and had never quite managed to keep his eyes—and the look of horror he always bore within them—from his scarred brow.

Still, that didn’t matter, he reminded himself, because Xander never looked at him like that. Xander’s eyes always reflected awe and desire when they were focused on him, and… and Xander hadn’t called him.

He shook off the worry, making his halting way to his brother’s side and giving a small smile to the truly tiny blonde nestled against Angel’s much larger form.

“Well hello,” he murmured, silently admitting that if he weren’t gay he’d find the girl more than slightly attractive. In fact, before the accident, he’d been known to swing; mostly because of the media, but… yes, he would have definitely given the girl a tumble then. “I don’t believe we’ve met, Miss…”

“Giles,” she answered with a grin, “But you can call me Buffy. Any brother of Angel’s is a bro… good guy, I’m sure.”

William laughed, catching the obviously taken expression on Angels’ face. “I believe you might be somewhat biased, Buffy, but it pleases me greatly that I’m acceptable simply due to my familial relationship to Angel.” He winked, even while hiding his surprise that a Giles would be there deliberately. He wouldn’t be if their positions were reversed, after all. Not after what his step-father had tried to do to GSI. “Perhaps you will decide later that I am worthwhile based upon my own merits, though.” His grin made it a teasing comment and only grew when the girl’s smile became larger as well.

This was the supposedly brain-damaged step-brother? This good looking blond man who—okay—had limp and a scarred brow? But he was so… together, and the limp wasn’t even that noticeable and he was talking in complete sentences and everything!

Angel shook himself, finally speaking up. “Buffy, this is my brother Spi... Uh, William. And Will, this…” His eyes got a bit dreamy as he looked down at the blonde against his side. “This is Buffy. She’s…” he forced himself to stop before he embarrassed himself further.

William laughed silently, well aware of what the look on his brother’s face meant. “I’m thinking that what tall, dark and broody here is trying to say, pet,” he said with an amused smirk at Angel, “is that you’re special. It’s not an insult or anything. He simply has a less than stellar command of the language.” He winked again, playfully, sure he was right in his assessment when Angel didn’t even blink, much less comment. “What say we wander off and compare notes, hmmm…?”

It was the teasing but still sweet smile that William directed at Angel that had Buffy nodding and squeezing Angel’s side once more before pulling away and taking William’s hand. “I’ll be back soon,” she called over her shoulder, giggling as the blond with her grumbled about the unsavory taste of the shrimp puffs one of the staff was passing about while he hung his jacket in the closet carefully before leading her outside.

Angel found himself blinking, his side suddenly cold as his girl walked off with his brother… and all he could do was hope Spike wouldn’t say anything too embarrassing about him.

Then again, he trusted his brother. No matter what kind of brain damage the younger man had.

* * * * *

“So, I don’t get it,” Buffy said bluntly a few minutes later.

She sat on the edge of the pool, her slacks pushed up to her knees while she dangled her sandal-free feet in the cool water.

William’s brow furrowed slightly, even as he gazed longingly at the shimmering aqua-blue and envied the girl her freedom. “What is it you don’t get, then?” he asked wistfully, entirely unaware of the longing on his face.

The young woman arched a curious brow for a moment before realizing that the look wasn’t intended for her, but rather for the swimming pool. “You are allowed to use the pool at your own house, right? Because if you’re not, you might want to renegotiate or something.”

A laugh left him even as he blushed. “I… yes. I simply don’t wish to… that is, my leg. The… scars.” He swallowed and shook his head. “I imagine it would feel rather nice, though. The water, I mean.”

Buffy groaned softly. “God, you have no idea. Don’t get me wrong, okay, because I love my Jimmy Chou’s, but after a few hours I can’t say my feet are happy. So yeah, the water feels divine.” Her next grin was cheeky. “I’m pretty sure I won’t be scared away from it by a few scars, William. Now get those boots off and dip your feet. If mine hurt, yours must be screaming!”

He wasn’t sure of whether he was amused or upset by Buffy’s insistence. He hadn’t ever been comfortable with people seeing his damaged leg but she had no way of knowing that and it would be foolish to hold it against her, wouldn’t it? Not to mention rude; especially if she was as special to Angel as she seemed to be.

Well, yes. It decidedly would, he told himself, even as he worked slowly at the laces of the special boot and then the regular one. And even more so, he admitted, when the girl was so clearly concerned for his comfort.

“If you’re certain, Buffy, then I believe I will join you. However, if it proves to be too upsetting a sight, you must tell me and I will be happy to cover it again, alright? I have no wish to distress you even slightly.” Xander was the only one who hadn’t seemed sickened by it, after all, so why wouldn’t this young woman find it just as disgusting as Lindsey and even Angel did?

The girl blinked before a soft, bell-like laugh tripped from her lips. “”You know, I didn’t think anyone but Daddy and Uncle Ethan could use so many words for a simple thought. It must be an English thing. It’s… it’s like a little bit of home,” she smiled.

Buffy tried not to look too closely as William rolled his slacks up, but… “I’m sorry,” she added, “I know I’m being really rude for staring but… you’re so worried about scars that I can’t help looking…”

William sighed and finished rolling the fabric up on his bad leg before steeling himself and turning under the soft lights around the pool. “I… please do. I know it’s not… attractive. I…” He frowned.

Buffy frowned as well when she saw the seams of mended flesh, not because it was so terrible but because it reminded her of… something. She couldn’t remember what right then but it would come to her; she knew it would.

“You’re right,” the girl said after a moment of studying the scars. “I wouldn’t call it pretty but it’s not likely to send me screaming off into the night, either.” She dimpled up at him. “It must have hurt really badly, too. You know, after you stopped nearly dying from it. How far up does it go, anyway?”

It was while he was telling her an edited account—carefully led by her questions—of his accident and some of the things that had happened afterward that she suddenly found herself remembering the incident in question… and everything William had lost.

“Oh… my… God! You… you’re Spike Martin! God, I am so dim! Angel even almost called you Spike and I was too distracted to catch it!” She could feel herself blushing bright red even as she noticed the look of shocked horror on William’s face. “Oh… shit. I wasn’t supposed to say anything, was I? Shit.”

“N-no… y-you w-weren’t… I never thought… Angel promised me…” He could feel his eyes hardening, his face drawing tight as he realized “He’s betrayed his word.”

* * * * *

“Okay,” Willow was saying while Xander wracked his brain, trying to figure out how to tell William the truth without making it sound like he’d deliberately kept it from him… even though he had.

“Okay,” the redhead said again, “I figure you have two choices, Xan. You know, two good choices. You can either call him up and tell him tonight while he’s still in Texas and you’re here—which of course means you’ll have a ton of ass-kissing to do when you go back…”

Xander sighed. “And not even the good kind. What’s my other option?” At least Willow wasn’t telling him how stupid he’d been for not telling William the truth from the beginning but then again, he was telling himself that enough for the both of them.

Willow grinned, her eyes sparkling a little bit wickedly. “Go home, Xander. Blow off this whole week and just… go. Take him out somewhere nice and treat him like a Quee… uh, King. Remind him that you love him and then… tell him about Daddy and the dare. Make sure you tell him everything. If he’s anything like what you say, he’ll understand.” She giggled a little bit at her brother’s baffled stare. “You’ll still be kissing a lot of ass, but you’ll probably enjoy it more.”

She was right. Xander knew she was right. He wasn’t sure of how she’d gotten so smart about men, and he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. Ever. She was still his baby sister, after all, and therefore automatically virginal and completely inexperienced, even at the age of twenty.

“Dad would kill me,” he finally said with a deep sigh. “This one week a year is all he asks for, sis. If I leave… well, you know what the Board will think.” His eyes closed as he thought. “But it’s a good idea and if it’d work right now, it’ll work when I go home, too. I… thanks, Willow.”

Red-painted lips smiled as Willow was wrapped tightly in a strong hug. “You’re welcome, Xan. Any time. And I mean that. I miss you.”

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tbc... in a few days...