The Shy Librarian

A/N thanks for the comments they are appreciated!


Chapter 18

William ran out into the corridor, but it was empty. Wherever Buffy was, it was not here. He ran a hand through his hair and sagged against a wall. She had been upset. He just wanted to find her and make sure she was okay.

The bell rang and class ended. Hundreds of students filed past him on the way to their next lesson. He looked up as a red headed girl stopped in front of him. He recognised her as Buffy’s friend.

“You okay? You don’t look so good,”

“Have you seen Buffy?” he asked her urgently.

“Nope, she told me she was coming to see you,” frowned Willow.

“She did, but she’s gone…”

“Did you two have a fight or something?” she asked.

“You know about us?” he asked.

“Er yeah, I was the first person Buffy came to when she realised she was falling for you,” said Willow awkwardly.

“I see. The thing is…er what’s your name?” he asked.

“Willow,”

“Well the thing is Willow, Buffy’s mother just turned up at the school and the long and the short of it is this, Buffy found out her mother has been spying on her and reading her diary,”

“Oh no, poor Buffy,”

“She was rather upset, she ran off in fact,” sighed William.

“I don’t blame her. I would be pretty pissed…er…mad if I ever caught my mom doing that,”

“Don’t hold back on the bad language for my sake. I just got my arse fired from this school,” he said.

“Have you tried her cell phone?” asked Willow.

“That was my next course of action,” William replied as he took his phone from his jacket pocket. “Damn she’s got it switched off,”

“I’ll go find my friend Xander and we can go look for her,”

William quickly scribbled his number on a piece of scrap paper.

“Call me the moment you find out anything,”

“Buffy can take care of herself…it will be okay,” said Willow soothingly, putting a hand on William’s arm.

“Thanks, I have to go,” said William distractedly.

Willow watched him as he walked off down the corridor.

m, Im, I can see why Buffy likes you…bad Willow focus on Xander,” she grinned as she went off in search of the aforementioned.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“So where you going in such a hurry the English impatient,” sneered Riley.

William looked at him in distaste.

“Is that some poor attempt on your part at humour?” he enquired.

Riley ignored the insult.

“It’s just that I might have seen what you are looking for,”

“How do you know I am looking for anything?” asked William.

“You have that keen desperate look about you,” laughed Riley.

“If you have seen Buffy you’d bloody better tell me,” snapped William.

Riley looked around the deserted corridor, before looking back at William. He leaned forward, looking down at him “Wh “What’s it worth?”

“What do you mean?” asked William nervously.

He didn’t like the way the other man was looking at him…almost like he…no he must be mistaken.

“You’re a smart boy, you figure it out,”

He could feel the warmth of Riley’s breath on his cheek. William’s awkwardness at the other boys proximity turned to horror as Riley crushed his lips against his. He struggled against him, giving Riley a hard shove in the chest and slamming him into some lockers. Riley’s passion turned to rage, not used to being rejected. He lunged at William, but he was re for for him and Riley ran into William’s fist. He collapsed on the floor with a bloody nose.

William removed his handkerchief and wiped at his grazed knuckles.

“You are gonna lose your job for this,” said Riley as he spat blood on the tiled linoleum.

“Too late for that mate,” said William, as he walked off leaving Riley where he fell. Musing at the intense satisfaction he felt in punching the other boy.

Angel stepped out of the shadows, his face pale and stricken. He looked down at Riley.

“Are you gonna help me up or just look at me all day?” asked Riley.

Angel’s fists clenched at his sides.

“Nope, shit belongs on the ground,”

“What’s that fucking attitude for?” asked Riley, as he struggled to stand.

“I saw you…don’t even try to deny it,”

“I don’t get what you mean,”

“You…sticking your tongue down Buffy’s guy’s throat, or at least trying to. I was right all along wasn’t I? It was always about Buffy. Why do you hate her so much?” demanded Angel.

“I don’t hate her…I,”

Angel sucked in a painful breath.

“Love her?” he finished. “That’s a pretty twisted idea of love…what the fuck are you doing with me?” asked Angel.

“Couldn’t have her, she always disliked me. You were there and obtainable and you were Buffy’s, that just made it sweeter,”

“You tried it on with her and she rejected you,” said Angel in a rush of revelation.

Riley looked at the ground, silent.

“You couldn’t have Buffy so you got the next best thing. You wanted to see if William was so easily led too, didn’t you? Guess you didn’t count on him having a spine,”

“Angel…”

“Thanks Riley, for making me wake up to myself…oh and I thought you might want to know…I got accepted to Stanford. So, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll transfer to another university and preferably somewhere far from here,”

Angel walked off in the other direction his shoulders slumped in defeat.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Buffy ran and ran until her legs and lungs could take her punishment no longer. She got as far as the kids playground, before seating herself on a swing. She sat there staring at the ground and digging the toe of her shoe into the sand. Wiping at her eyes as she slowly calmed down. Sobs still wracked her slender body.

She was starting to regret her hasty flight from the school. She hadn’t even stopped to think that William might be worrying about her at that moment. She just wanted to put some distance between herself and her mother.

Buffy still couldn’t believe that Joyce had done that…

She sat there staring at the sand as if it held all the answers to her current situation. It wasn’t until she shivered with the cold and noticed the long shadows around her that she realised it was getting late. Buffy got off the swing on stiff legs, and put her hands in her jacket pocket. She touched her cell phone, took it out, and switched it back on. She was immediately alerted to a text from William.

Buffy where the hell are you? I am out of my head with worry.

Buffy dialled his number and waited as it rang.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

William had been driving for hours, searching everywhere on foot and in the car. He hadn’t found her anywhere. He was on the near side of frantic by now. He ran a hand tiredly through his hair causing it to go into further disarray. The cell phone on his dash rang; he started at the sound and almost hit the other car in front of him. He knocked the phone to the floor of the car in his haste to pick it up. He finally got his hands on it as it stopped ringing. He let out a grateful sigh, as he saw was it was Buffy’s number.

He dialled her number with shaky fingers.

“Buffy! Oh, thank God you are okay. I was imagining you murdered and in a ditch somewhere,”

“William, I‘m so sorry, I shouldn’t have just ran off like that. What happened?” she asked.

“They fired me Buffy, but that’s to be expected. I just hope it doesn’t cause trouble for my uncle there,” he sighed regretfully.

“I need to see you…I’ll come over to…”

The phone went dead.

“Buffy…Buffy…are you there?”

He rang her number again, but there was nothing.

“Dammit!” he turned the car around and headed for Buffy’s house.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Fuck it,”

Buffy looked at her phone…it had died on her. The battery was flat. She just hoped William had heard the last part about meeting him at his home. Leaving the playground, Buffy took the short walk to Mr Giles’s house. The lights were on so maybe William was already home, she mused. She walked up the path and rang the doorbell. At least she could use the front door now instead of sneaking around. That had to be a plus. Buffy smiled as the door opened.

“Hello? Can we help you?” asked the unfamiliar female.

Buffy looked at the elegantly dressed woman whom could be no other than William’s mother. She bore a striking resemblance to her son, even down to the blue eyes…except where Williams were warm, hers resembled chips of ice as they looked her over.

“I…I am Buffy, is William here?” she asked.

“Not at the moment, no,” Grace replied stiffly.

“Oh okay, I’ll try later,” she said as she turned to go.

“Wait…I have been inexcusably rude. I am Grace, William’s mother. You are perfectly welcome to come in and wait for him,”

Buffy beamed at her. Maybe she wasn’t as bad as William had painted her after all.

“Thanks, I am a bit cold,” said Buffy as she huddled into her jacket.

Grace closed the door behind them with a big smirk on her face. She led Buffy to the lounge. Buffy was surprised to see an attractive dark haired girl, seated in an armchair. She looked like the girl from the car the other day.

“Hi, I’m Buffy,” she introduced herself to the other girl.

“Buffy? Buffy…isn’t that the name…”

“Hush girl,” said Grace firmly. She could always sense when Drusilla was getting worked up for one of her outbursts. “Now where’s your manners Drusilla?”

“Hello,” said Drusilla quietly.

“Can I get you a drink Buffy…a cup of tea perhaps?”

“Thanks, it’s really great to meet you both,”

“Yes…you too William has told us so much about you, hasn’t he Drusilla dear?” asked Grace.

Grace exited the lounge briefly.

“My William says he likes another, but I can live with that. After all that’s what men do, sow their wild oats before settling down with their woman,” giggled Drusilla.

“I’m William’s girlfriend and I can assure you that I am more than wild oats to him,” Buffy replied her cheeks suffusing with colour.

“Ah, but I wear his ring. Isn’t it a pretty ring?” asked Drusilla absentmindedly. She thrust her left hand in Buffy’s face.

The colour that has so quickly flooded Buffy’s face left it. Buffy reared back as if the ring would burn her.

“That doesn’t mean anything. You could have gotten that anywhere,” said Buffy uncertainly.

“Yes, but maybe this will convince you,” said Grace as she returned from the kitchen with a piece of paper in her hand.

“What’s that?” asked Buffy suspiciously.

“Read it,” said Grace.

“And weep,” Drusilla giggled again.

Buffy took the piece of paper from her hand and looked at it.

“A marriage licence?” she asked.

“More importantly William and Drusilla’s marriage licence,” answered Grace.

“You lie!” said Buffy, as she read the names on the certificate in her hand.

“Its aherehere in black and white Miss er what did you say your name was?” drawled Grace insultingly.

“See my Willy’s been playing with the blond princess, but he always comes home to his dark Angel, Buf Buffy looked at the girl, no longer hearing anything either of them was saying. A hysterical deafness was taking over her. She totally missed the smug smile on his mother’s face.

“It’s all been arranged, William is coming home with us on the Friday night and they are to be married next week,” said Grace.

“But…”

“Look dear you aren’t the first or last woman to be taken in by pretty words from a man. You live and learn,” shrugged Grace.

“I don’t believe you!” Buffy screamed at them both.

Grace planted her hands on her hips.

“You think I am going to let some little nobody get their hands on his money?”

“What money? I don’t know what the hell you are talking about,” sobbed Buffy.

“I can see where he’s been getting his new vocabulary from,” sneered Grace.

“My William’s a rich boy,” said Drusilla.

“Buffy already knows it darling, why do you think she wants him in the first place.” Grace turned back to face Buffy. “Either he marries Drusilla or I will disinherit him. He will be left with nothing but the clothes he stands in,”

Buffy rose from her seat and walked over to Grace.

“William said you were a piece of work, of course I thought he was exaggerating at the time, but I see I was wrong,”

She turned and walked towards the door.

“Remember he’ll lose everything,” Grace called after her.

Buffy opened the door and exited the house with her head held high.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Buffy walked away, barely thinking about where her feet were taking her. She was taken by surprise as she walked into a solid object standing in her path.

“Angel?”

“Buffy,”

“What are you doing in this part of the neighbourhood?” she asked.

“Can’t a guy be taking a moonlit walk?” he asked.

“Sure, but you have that broody look about you. What’s up?”

Angel sighed.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

“Sure, lets go for a coffee,” Buffy was inwardly relieved to put her mind to other things.

They walked in companionable silence to the Espresso Pump. Finding them a seat, he went up to the counter. It gave Buffy a chance to study him. He was every bit the handsome quarterback type that you saw in the movies. She cared for Angel, she always would, but her heart was irrevocably another’s. Buffy sucked in a breath as she thought on William. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall and she pasted on her best smile for Angel.

“So what’s bothering you big guy,” she teased.

Angel sat down opposite her.

“Riley and I split up,”

“Sorry to hear it, are you okay?” she asked.

“I’ll get by, I have Stanford…”

“You got in!” Buffy leaned over the table and hugged him.

She sat back down in her seat and regarded him.

“Want to know why I broke up with Riley?”

“Apart from him being an arrogant dick?”

Angel looked at her in surprise.

“Love really is blind isn’t it?” he asked

“It can be. So gonna tell me what happened between you two?”

“I caught him trying to kiss another guy…in fact it was your…”

A waiter put himself between them as he leaned over the table and took their empty cups.

“You were saying?” asked Buffy.

“What I was trying to say Buffy, is sometimes when you love someone you have to let them go…”

“No matter how much it hurts?”

“Yeah,” he replied sadly.

“Thanks Angel,”

“For what?”

“Helping me make some decisions of my own,”

“I won’t even pretend to know what you are talking about. Buffy I know you are seeing someone, but is there any chance you would consider…”

“Yes?”

“Coming to the prom with me, although I am no longer with Riley I would still like to put things right for you,”

Buffy sighed heavily. She looked up and caught the look of vulnerability on his face.

“None of that really matters any more Angel,”

“Please?” he pleaded.

“Okay,”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at eight,”

TBC