ONE NORMAL LIFE / TWO EXTRAORDINARY LIVES

CHAPTER 48 - LIKE ANY NORMAL COUPLE

Every so often throughout the day, Buffy would awaken to find herself nestled in William's arms or him in hers. She'd let out a grateful sigh that she wasn't dreaming and let the still heat of the room, her exhaustion, and relief lull her to sleep again.

William also awoke throughout the day, heart pounding in fear, until seconds later, he would also realize that he was no longer alone and strapped down in that God-awful hospital room. Instead, he was laying with his arms wrapped around Elizabeth; a woman he hardly knew, but who somehow, had miraculously known him and come to save him.

Staring at the top of her head, or her face, feeling her petite body molded to his, he would push away all questions for now, just to savor the unbelieving turn of events. He knew he was lucky, fortunate, and even without Bernie having said it, he was more grateful to Elizabeth, than he'd been to any other person in his life. He knew she; this tiny force of nature, was somehow instrumental in getting so many people together last night, with the express purpose of getting him out of the hospital, away from...no, he wouldn't think of it.

And yet she had been shy this morning, afraid he wouldn't want her to share his bed. As if! She'd saved him, said they'd been...lovers...whatever that meant...he wasn't sure. And the way she kissed him! He'd never even known what it would be like to kiss a woman, wasn't sure he'd know how to do it properly, but with her...it seemed so natural, as if he'd done it many times before. Maybe he hadn't forgotten how to kiss, even though, seemingly, he'd lost all his other memories. Well, at least that was something, he thought, smiling. He was also aware, that as he lay there, wrapped up in her arms, that other parts of him seemed to have their own memories, too. Not that he would ever propose that, expect that...but still, she made him feel so...human. So real.

He kissed her softly, and still asleep, her lips responded to his, as he went back to sleep, safe for now, in this place, this bedroom; safe in her arms.

Willow and Dawn each got up early in the afternoon. Dawn having been awoken by the sounds of children playing on the beach. She showered, then woke Willow. They made a list of things they would need in town and got ready to leave. Dawn slowly opened the door to where her sister and William were still asleep. She smiled, motioning for Willow to come have a look. Willow smiled, too seeing them wrapped in each other's arms, fast asleep.

Dawn quietly closed the door.

"Like two bugs, snug in a rug," Willow said.

"Yeah," Dawn said, giggling like a teenager that she no longer was. She was so glad that Buffy had found Spike; that she might, for once, get the happiness she deserved after all that she had sacrificed. For all of them.

"I'll leave her a note," Dawn said.

"Meet you outside," Willow said.


Buffy woke up around 6:00pm, sweaty from heat and sleep. She heard Willow and Dawn in the kitchen.

William finally seemed to be coming around, too.

"Hey," she said softly, still curled up in his arms, "think maybe we should get up now? Maybe have something to eat?"

"Okay," he said, staring at her.

"Come on," she said, and kissed him once more, a couple of seconds longer than she intended, as her fingers ran along the stubble of his cheek. Stubble? That was different! Spike had never had to worry about shaving.

“Let’s get up and go see what Dawn and Willow bought."

She started to get up, but he pulled her back, and smiling shyly, kissed her again, "Not making the getting up part easy," he said, in his proper British accent that she was finally getting used to, that is; without thinking of Giles every time she heard it. A little smile played at the corner of his eyes.

She smiled back, relieved! It was the first time 'William' had said anything even slightly humorous. Of course, given his circumstances, that was to be expected. She'd almost expected him to add a 'luv' at the end, but that would have been Spike, not William.

"Feeling better?"

Oh, if she only knew how he was feeling! Actually, part of it was a bit painful.

"Yes, I think so."

"We should probably..."

"Alright."


A few minutes later, they came out of the bedroom. Her in her sweat soaked pajamas, and William, wearing the same clothes he had.

"Hi, guys!" Dawn chirped at them.

"Hey. What smells so good?"

"I made some stew, I know it's hot out, but I figured we could all go for a good meal right about now. Also, there's a salad and some iced tea. Willow bought a picnic table cover and some plastic and paper goods so we can eat out on the deck, if that's alright."

"Sure, sounds good. How long?"

"Till food? About another 45 minutes."

"Time for a shower?"

“I’d say so,” Dawn answered.

“Oh, William, you probably want to take a shower, too, don’t you?”

He looked embarrassed, not used to discussing his bathing habits in front of a woman. In the hospital, the nurses would take him down the hall to a shower at a specific time and come back for him at a specific time, but he had no control of that.

“Um, Buffy, there’s men’s and a woman’s showers for the campground that you could use. It’s only down the road about, I don’t know feet; probably 6 trailers between here and there, so close by. You have to turn the timer on the outside of the door. That turns the lights on for up to 15 or 20 minutes. There’s privacy doors on each shower.

“Oh, William, I almost forgot,' she said, motioning to him to follow her, "I hope you don’t mind, Elizabeth knew you didn’t have anything else besides the clothes you’re wearing, so we bought you some stuff.”

He looked at two large Walmart bags on the dining table.

Dawn nodded to him, "The one on the left is yours, the one on the right is for Elizabeth.”

He pulled out one pair of blue jeans, one pair of khaki pants, and one pair of nicer black pants. There was also a Detroit Tiger’s T-shirt, and 4 other T-shirts of various colors: light blue, tan, black, and gray. Then there were gray and navy blue, lightweight sweat pants. Dawn figured that would suit him to sleep in, better than the goofy, checkered pajama bottoms she saw.

Next, he pulled out a couple of packages of underwear, which, once he recognized what they were, shoved them back into the bag. The rest of the bag contained shampoo, conditioner, a comb and brush, socks, shorts, swim trunks, No Ad Sunblock #45, a pair of water shoes and sandals, deodorant, a set of towels for the shower and beach, a shaver, and other personal items. Lastly, an overnight bag, in which to store them, and a dck. ck.

He looked at Dawn, shaking his head, “I…this is so much here, it must have cost you so much. I can’t, I don’t think I have any money to pay you,” he said, looking terribly embarrassed.

“William,” Buffy said, “you have money. Don’t worry, when I thought you were…gone…I…don’t worry, okay? I have; that is, you have money to pay Dawn back. I’ll pay her back. When we get home, I’ll explain it all to you,” she stammered.

He looked at her questioningly.

“Really,” she nodded, “trust me, okay.”

“Don’t worry, William, I trust you and Buffy to pay me back,” Dawn said, smiling and patting his arm.

“Then I thank you very much for having purchased all these things for me, as I appear to be quite…without, at present,” he said, humbly to Dawn.

Dawn couldn’t believe this man had once become the swaggering, smirking Spike that she had known. William was…so different in mannerisms, speech, everything. Yet, still…there was something about William that reminded Dawn of how Spike had been, when he’d finally come to live in their basement, after Buffy had rescued him from The First.

“You’re most welcome, William. I’m just so glad you’re back with us,” she told him and gave him a quick hug before walking into the kitchen.

“Um, so how do you want to do this? You can shower here or down at the campground one.”

“Maybe I’ll stay here,” William answered, though he didn’t fancy being near to the kitchen, where people might be going about their business, still going to a public shower, made him much more ill at ease.

“Okay then. I’ll be back in 20 minutes. Do you know need any help with any of these?” she said, motioning to all the items on the table.

He sort of scowled at her, “I may have lost my memory, but think I can still read directions,” he said, with as much dignity that he could muster. He picked up a shampoo bottle. “Lather, rinse, repeat,” he read.

“Well, you really don’t have to repeat,” she said.

“Then why would they say that?” he asked, innocently.

“I don’t know, it’s just to get you to use more…” she started, then saw him roll his eyes.

“Don’t have to get shirty about it,” she said, but with a smile.

“Not shirty, and besides, you’re using the word wrong, making a mess of the English language,” he replied.

“That so? Well, now I think you are being shirty,” she answered, smiling, with a feeling of déjà vu.


“Okay, I’m off to shower,” she said, breaking out of the deja vu moment and grabbing a handful of things out of the other Walmart bag.

“Dawn, I’m going. William is going to shower here,” she said, walking through the kitchen to the front door.

“Okay, Buffy. Wait, let me show you where it is,” she walked outside with Buffy and pointed the way.

Buffy looked worried, back toward the cabin.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep watch over him. Go ahead, he’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. He does seem to be doing a lot better, doesn't he?”

Dawn nodded and walked back into the cabin. She heard him rustling around the bathroom.

“Everything okay, William?”

“Fine. Just getting ready…”

“Okay, just call if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

Dawn stirred the stew, then went into the living room and sat down on the couch, after hearing him turn on the shower.

About 15 minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom, showered, shaved, and wearing a light blue T-shirt and the khaki pants she’d bought.

“Felt good, huh?” Dawn asked.

“What?”

“The shower.”

“Oh. Yes, quite nice,” he answered, although uncomfortable discussing such things.

Dawn started to make another comment, but noticing this, let it drop.


Buffy came back a few minutes later from her shower, having changed into a new pair of light colored jeans and a small, sleeveless, peasant top. Her hair was loose.

“Where is he?” she asked Dawn, concerned.

“He just went to put some things away,” Dawn motioned to the bedroom.

She let out a sigh of relief, going to the door, just as William opened it. They looked at each other’s new clothes.

“You clean up nice,” she said, smiling at him.

He looked at her questioningly, then nodded, realizing what she meant. As for him, he’d never seen her hair down before. He stared at her and at the tiny top, which showed her belly, before realizing he was doing so.

“Um, you look nice, Elizabeth,” he said, looking down, shyly.


“Hi,” Willow said, coming in from the deck. She had a bathing suit top on and a towel around her waist.

“How was the water?” Dawn asked.

“It was wonderful, nice and warm. It’s weird getting used to swimming in fresh water, though. I’m used to swimming in an ocean. This is like swimming in a pool, almost. Well, at least the no salt part. Is dinner ready?”

“Yeah, it’s done. Want to help me get the bowls and stuff?” Dawn asked.

“Sure,” Buffy said, still looking at William.

William was looking at Willow, shocked at seeing a woman in so little clothing.

“You’re staring,” Buffy whispered to him.

“What? Oh, sorry,” he said, turning to look at Buffy, then walked back in to the bedroom and sat down on the bed.

“What’s the matter?” Buffy asked, sitting on the bed next to him.

“Nothing. It’s just…Willow…she was hardly wearing any…clothes!”

“Oh,” she said, understanding his discomfiture now, “William, it’s quite normal, I mean now-a-days, we’re at a beach resort, so women and men, they wear bathing suits and walk around in them quite a bit.”

“I see,” he said, trying to reconcile the old memory he had of old fashioned swimwear, that almost totally covered up men and women, to what he saw Willow wearing.

“It’s okay, you’ll get used to it. Pretty soon, you won’t even think twice about it,” she said, getting up to help Dawn.

He doubted that!

“Do you want to come out in the living room or just have us call you when dinner’s done.”

He nodded.

“Okay, I’ll call you then,” she said, and closed the door, leaving him sitting there.

Buffy sighed. He’d seemed to be feeling so much better when she’d gone to take a shower, now he’d retreated again.

She met Willow on her way out of the kitchen. She motioned her back in, “Willow, maybe you ought to put something over your bathing suit top, um, I think you just freaked William out.”

“Huh? OH!” Willow said, her face blushing.

“Sorry. He’s just not used to seeing women dressed, well, not dressed, I guess,” she said sheepishly.

“I’m sorry, I totally spaced before walking in, I should’ve remembered…”

“No, he’ll…he’s going to have to get used to it, after all, we’re at the beach. I just don’t want him having a heart attack over dinner,” she said, giggling.

“No, I think we’ll let you give him that, Buffy!” Willow said, grinning devilishly.

Buffy blushed, “There were clothes last night! Lots of clothes, two fully dressed people, in fact,” she stammered.

“Yeah, how long is that going to last Buffy?” Dawn asked, as she took some bowls down from the cabinets.

“Indefinitely, I think. Stop, would you, two? Besides, even if we…I mean, we’re not, but even if, he still would probably be freaked seeing all the scantily clad girls about. But he’ll deal. Eventually,” she said, hoping she was right.


They finished setting up the picnic table on the deck, putting the pot of stew out there, along with the huge salad bowl, and a pitcher of iced tea.

Buffy went to get William. He was sitting there, as she’d left him.

“Hungry?”

He nodded.

“Good, come on,” she said, holding out her hand.

He allowed her to take pull him to her feet, then followed her outside to the table.

Willow was now dressed in a top and jeans.

“Evening,” William said.

“Evening,” Willow and Dawn returned.


Buffy, Willow, and Dawn made small talk around the table about mostly neutral subjects having to do with school, work, clothes, and food.

“Think we’ll try to barbecue tomorrow,” Willow said, “wish Xander was here, he always did that stuff.

“Yeah, he did, didn’t he?” Dawn asked, and brought up the many times he’d cooked out for them in Sunnydale.

William had been quiet, listening to them speaking as he ate his stew. He hadn’t been much for the salad, although he did eat the tomatoes and cucumbers out of it.

“Is that where you’re from? Sunnydale?” he asked Willow and Dawn.

“Uh, not anymore. I live near L.A. and Willow lives in England now.”

“Really? You live in England?” William said, perking up, “Where?”

“In Bath.”

“I’ve been there many times. It’s quite nice. Lovely really.”


Buffy listened as they discussed the university, some of the historic landmarks in the town itself, as well as some of the surrounding villages and Stonehenge, not too far away.

“Amazing, how these huge, ancient rocks came to be placed there, and to be aligned along the rising of the sun at the midsummer solstice,” William said.

“Yes, but I think there’s some controversy whether this was because the builders came from a sun-worshipping culture, or because the circle and its banks were part of a huge astronomical calendar,” Willow added.
“There always will be.”
Him and Willow shared a laugh, as Buffy and Dawn looked on. It felt good to hear him laugh and to participate in conversation.
But she also knew that during the conversation, he would start to say something like, “Back when I was there…” then catch himself, just as Willow would stop herself from asking, “Really?” In other words, try to not confirm or deny what his memory was, at least, not what year it was.
Willow had caught herself more than once, and quickly looked to Buffy with a quick guilty or sorry expression. Sometimes it was Buffy trying to give Willow a warning look. William noticed and didn’t quite know what to make of it.
On the one hand, Willow would be talking to him about the changes in Bath, and the other places, as if he knew what he was talking about. Then, all of a sudden, she’d either change the subject, or try to turn it around by saying something like, “You must really have done a lot of research into that period of time,” or some other such words.
And at times, he would try himself, not to say words like, “Back when I lived in England…” instead, he would try to cloak them in more neutral terms like, “I believe,” or “A long time ago,” so as to not feel that he was upsetting Elizabeth. To not remind her that his only memories seemed to be more than a hundred years out of sync. But he knew…that the most honest conversation that he’d had with Willow, was when neither of them was censored in their dialogue, by something he couldn’t quite understand. It was exhausting.
“William, I forgot, I got a couple of books for you!” Willow said.
“You did?”
“Yeah, let me go get them,” Willow said, going back into the cabin.
“We went to Barnes & Nobel in Niles,” Dawn said to Buffy.
“Oh.”
“Here,” Willow said, coming back outside and placing a bag in front of him.
He opened it and took out two books. One was 1000 Inventions & Discoveries by Roger Francis Bridgman. He turned the back over and read the jacket back to himself Next he looked at the other book. Technology's Past: America's Industrial Revolution and the People Who Delivered the Goods by Dennis Karwatka, and read it also.
"Thought you might like to catch up, er, jog your memories," Willow said.
"Thank you, Willow," he said, as he opened the first book and looked in the index.
"Thanks, Willow," Buffy said, as well, grateful that at least he'd have some place to start. Some place, where she wouldn't have to explain everything.
"Um, Spike, I mean, William, when you're up to it, I can show you how to find all kinds of stuff on the computer, too. You can read almost everything about everything on the Internet. Do research, find out all sorts of stuff."
He just shook his head. So much, so much stuff. How could he have forgotten every single thing he must have ever known?
Buffy looked over at him worried. He seemed to be getting to the saturation point.
"I have something for William, too," Dawn said.
"Nothing like inventions," she said, seeing the look on Buffy's face. "Be right back."
She came back a few moments later and gave him another bag; "Go ahead," she encouraged, seeing him looking a bit overwhelmed.
He took out the books, the first was, "An Anthology of Twentieth -Century British & Irish Poetry." The second was, "The Comedies of William Shakespeare."
He smiled at those, "Thank you, Dawn," he said, gratefully.
"You're welcome, I hope you like them."
"I'm sure I will. Yours, too, Willow," he quickly added.
Buffy breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least he would have something pleasurable to read, something that wouldn't further freak him out.
"Come on, Dawn, let's get the table cleared," Willow said.
"Sure. Hope dinner was good."
"Very," he said.

Buffy and William were alone; she got up and stood at the railing, looking out at the calm lake, listening to the soft chatter of the few people on the dock fishing.
William sat there for a few minutes looking at the anthology, then sighing, got up to join her. He wanted to ask her so many things, but was afraid of the answers that she would give. Or the ones she wouldn’t.
She felt him near her. Not in the way that she used to be able to sense Spike, but in a way that she’d begun to sense him after they’d first gone to Julian together. In a more-than-Spike, but not quite human, sort of way. This was how she sensed him now, and it confused her. He was clearly William, clearly human, and yet still…there was something else of him there.
She feared he would ask her questions that she barely had answers to, and others that she dared not tell. At least, not yet. Please, don’t let him insist on those now, she prayed to a God she didn’t even really believe in. Just let him…be here, with us, adjusting. Was that a word that could describe what someone, such as William would feel after what he’d just been through?

“We’re going to the little store for an ice cream cone before it closes, want to come?” Dawn asked, popping her head outside.
Buffy looked at Spike, questioningly.
He looked at her, her eyes expectant eyes, yet such a simple thing, seemed so hard.
“Come on, William, it will be fun,” Dawn said.
He hesitated.
“Dawn, why don’t you and Willow get us one? What flavors do they have?”
“I don’t know, I’ll run there and come back and tell you.”
“Okay.”
A few minutes later, Dawn appeared in front of the deck, taking the little trail behind the smaller set of public bathrooms, and around the wooden swing to rattle off a list.
“I’ll take the strawberry no-fat,” Buffy said.
Dawn snorted, “Figures. William?”
He chose Rocky Road, after hearing what it was.

They were back about 10 minutes later with the cones.
“Thanks, guys,” Buffy told them.
“How is it?” she asked William, who was busy licking.
“Umm. Good.”
“Would you like to swing, while we finish these?”
His heart started pounding for some reason, though he had no idea why, just the idea of leaving the confines of the deck, even though the swing was only 25 feet away. He looked at Elizabeth. She must think him the biggest Nancy-boy of all time.
He gave a nod, which made her smile. She took his hand and led him off the deck. They walked over toward the chair. Their neighbors in cabin 1, sitting outside in front of their fire, called out a greeting to them. Buffy answered for them, but they both waved.
They sat down on the swing, enjoying the rest of their cones, while a person in cabin one, had brought a fiddle oue ane and started to play an Irish folk song.
William smiled, hearing it, “I know that song,” he said.
“Name-y?”
He smiled at her funny speech, “I don’t remember, but I’ve heard it played before.”
Sitting to his right, she took his hand, as his left was busy with the cone. She’d almost forgotten he was left-handed. Didn’t they say that left-handed people were artistic? Thought with different sides of their brains about things that right-handed people thought with she wondered, thinking of the poetry and paintings he’d done. Sensitive, too. Probably why she’d fallen for the only sensitive vampire in the world. Well, one of the only ones, she thought letting her thoughts go dark to Angel, for a minute.
William let go of her hand, and taking a chance, moved closer and put his arm around her shoulders, instead.
She took a breath, and leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.
They sat there like that for the next hour, just swinging, not talking. Anybody looking at them would think they were like any normal couple, having a normal evening, in the midst of a normal life.

END CHAPTER 48