Days Like These Keep Me Warm

Yes I know I should update more than once a week but I don't want to rush this story just for the sake of it, or the ending could end up being disappointing, plus though I would like to write fan fiction all day I can't.

Feedback, as I say is always welcomed on this site or at outforawalkbitchuk@yahoo.com

Luv Louise

Chapter Nine: I'm The Kinda Girl Who Leaves The Scene Of The Crime.

Frozen, unable to move, consumed with fear at the knowledge that she knew who was behind her. Buffy didn't even have to turn around, she recognised that bitter, twisted voice though she hadn't heard it in four years. Perhaps she would have been able to deal with it better if she hadn't been with William, because already it had revealed to her new love that she was a 'jailbird' and
the owner of these cruel yet truthful words wouldn't stop at that. Oh no Buffy was sure William was about to find out all about her sordid past.

Yet Buffy refused to acknowledge this person, she instead gazed helplessly at William. Only moments before they had been together, she wondered how much her new and unwelcome visitor had seen, she felt almost violated that someone had been watching her blissful and perfect exploits with him. That his words of love that he had screamed out when she had performed an act of pleasure on him that William hadn't felt in so long. That these same words she was pretty certain he was trying to say to her again as they sat hand in hand on the ground. All this had been ruined by the fact that stood behind her was a woman she had tried desperately to be friends with but had always ended up being ridiculed and derided by.

William didn't have time to acknowledge what this unseen and unfamiliar voice had said; he only knew that Buffy was distressed by whoever it was. The muscles in her hands tensed up and even though he was unable to see her eyes, he knew they would show melancholy.

"Buffy what's wrong, who is it?" He whispered softly, gently rubbing the palms of her hands.

//Why the hell is she so frightened and who the fuck is this woman, I was trying to tell Buffy I love her and I do and this isn't going well//

The female walked over closer to where the couple sat and knelt down by Buffy, speaking calmly and in an almost charming way.

"Oh aren't you gonna introduce us Buffy, come on it will be swell" The woman stated, Buffy could feel her breathing in her ear but she still refused to acknowledge her.

Maybe if Buffy hadn't known that underneath the sickly charms of her old associate laid a vicious bitch that got along in life by backstabbing those she had fooled with her fake smiles and explicit use of her femininity. Yeah if Buffy hadn't met her before than maybe she would fall for it.

//But I know who the fuck she is and I don't want it to be her, I want her to go away and leave me alone//

"My oh my you have found yourself a good one" she continued and moved over to William touching his arm.

"Get the fuck of me!" William growled, damn he didn't understand why Buffy didn't just grab him by the hand and walk away from this bitch, the way she spoke reminded him so much of Drusilla, it was a memory he cared not to recall again.

"Pardon?" She answered standing up behind Buffy and placing her hands upon her shoulders.

"Back off Darla!" Buffy yelled turning around as she stood up, she reluctantly let go of William's hands. That was it she was going to tell Darla where to go, to leave her alone. However, her heart sank, she not only saw a woman she cared to forget about, looking in a far better state than herself but she caught sight of a group of three men walking over to the scene. The confidence she needed to get away from this situation had faded, she recognised these men, or as Angel had once called them 'Darla's muscles' as the same ones who had been around back in London. Darla had thought of herself as a bit of a gang leader and though she could hold herself in a fight she had these few thugs along for the ride. , Buffy couldn't remember their names, it didn't matter, they were strong and she knew she was in trouble.

//Fuck, she is going to kill me, she always hated me because of Angel and now, now, William, why hasn't he just run off, surely he heard Darla say I was a jailbird, he must realise I was in prison// Buffy panicked.

"Don't you treat your girl any manors, I guess it's hard to train that dog" Darla joked staring at William with a glint of malice in her eyes.

This was it for William, he may not be able to see this Darla girl but he knew he didn't like her and he fumbled to get of the ground "Who the fuck are you? Because you're heading for..."

Darla gave him and then Buffy a confused look when she noticed Buffy move over to William and guide him off the ground, then it clicked and she let out a hearty laugh "Oh I should've guess this is perfect, of course only a blind man would fuck a whore like you" she spat in Buffy's face

The rage built inside Buffy's mind and body, consuming her whole, replacing the fear and the uncertainty. This whole scene was happening so quickly, even if it felt drawn out, only a minute maybe two must have pass since she was happily sat with William. It was too much. She didn't know how Darla had found her here, though she suspected if you look and try hard enough you could track anyone down. Really for now Buffy didn't even care, she just wanted Darla to stop laughing at William for being blind and with a clenched fist she swung her right arm and successfully grazed Darla's jaw line

"Buffy" William responded, he had heard the punch but wasn't sure if it was Buffy or Darla at the receiving end of it, especially as Buffy wasn't touching him any longer. Yet when she spoke, he knew she was the one who was in control, to William he heard bitterness, anger in her voice he hadn't before and it took him aback slightly. He also for the first time realised that there were other people with them, he could smell aftershave and hear them mumble something like 'Fucking bitch'

"You haven't changed one bit," Buffy snapped squaring up to Darla again.

"Hold her back" Darla ordered to her men as two of them grabbed Buffy's arm and forced them behind her back.

"Fuck you" Buffy screamed as Darla stood in front of her nursing her throbbing jaw. Buffy realised she had made it worse and was only provoking Darla and her stupid gang further.

//All this because she still loved Angel when he went with me, all this because she had feelings for someone she couldn't have, has she really tracked me down just to humiliate me in front of William, no she didn't even know about him, she will just use to him hurt me further//

"You think I would try to touch you" Darla grimaced, squeezing her face like she had smelt something vile "You smell disgusting, and look like a tramp" She stepped back from Buffy before charging her stomach with her foot and kicking hard with the pointed three inch heal of her shoe that stabbed into Buffy's skin. Watching gleefully as Buffy cried out in pain and doubled over,
only to be kept up by the men, who didn't question Darla, didn't even say a word because they were under her thumb.

"Buffy where are you?" William called out distressed, this wasn't meant to happen, he should still be telling Buffy how much he had fallen for her, they should be going back to his place, talking, kissing. But he knew now Buffy was hurt, in danger and he wasn't prepared to just stand there like a weak, foolish coward, his disability didn't stop him from being strong.

"Well like I said he is pretty hot, kinda different from your last one" Darla remarked as she walked over to William, she run her hand down his chest and rested it on the belt loops of his jeans, before turning back to Buffy who was barely keeping her eyes open "You know he was darker more my type but you know that already, does he though, William isn't it? Kinda heard Buffy scream your name out before"

Darla stared at William and slowly undid the buckle of his belt. Buffy wearily looked over to the scene, it had the desired effect on her she felt sick with jealously, as if her physical pain wasn't enough her mind was now becoming distressed.

William stood still, he tried to look relax, he wanted to take Darla off guard and despite the fact that he felt guilty at not stopping her going as far as she was he was certain he was doing the right thing. The closer she got to him, the easier it would be for him to retaliate. Her fingers unzipped the top of his jeans, guiding it down halfway before he reached out and grabbed her wrists forcing her to stop.

"Whoever you are, keep the hell away from me!" He demanded and pushed her backwards, hearing her hit the ground. He quickly did the zip back up and just as he was about to smile at his victory, he was pushed in the back and stumbled to the ground.

//Fuck this, where are nosey members of the public when you need them, where the hell is Strummer and why the fuck is this happening? //

"Will oh Will I have been through a lot worse, through hell and back because of your Buffy" Darla sneered knelling in bringing his head up from the ground. His face was now covered in bits of grit that mixed with the trickles of blood on his lips.

"William please don't listen to her" Buffy pleaded, she began to cough and was terrified when she felt drops of blood fall on lips. She was unable to form further words and didn't know what she could say any way. What Darla would reveal was probably the truth, and even if Buffy had wanted to tell William all about her past gradually so not to scare him away, she didn't have any control over this situation.

"Not planning to" William informed her, rolling on his side, he didn't care if whoever had pushed him down was planning on hurting him again, he was ready to fight and listened attentively for the sign that Darla was in punching distance again, or at least grabbing. He heard her shift near him as she breathed on his face. Again he reached out and dug his fingernails into her flesh.

"Awww that wasn't very nice was it" Darla scowled, she was obviously hiding the fact that she wanted to cry out in agony at how he gripped tightly onto her, especially as he had drawn blood. Instead she waited like she always did for her 'boys' to do her dirty work and pull William of her.

"William" Buffy said quietly, she didn't want him involved in this even if he was, she couldn't see what he was trying to do you, why was he fighting her, he couldn't even see, it wouldn't do any good. Her eyes widened when she saw William being pulled of Darla and his eyes close, he was unconscious "Bitch!"

Darla ignored the comment and went over to Buffy again, who had given up on struggling against the hold of her capturers "Back to what I was saying, oh yes William very different to your last one, the biggest difference I can think off is the fact that he isn't dead"

"I didn't kill Angel, it was an accident, and you weren't even there," Buffy pointed out. She didn't care when this comment was greeted with a strong slap across her face that stung. As long as the violence was directed towards her and not William, he would survive and she would at least have the knowledge that any pain she got she deserved.

"You don't have the right to say Angel's name, he was mine" Darla shouted stamping her foot strongly on Buffy's.

"He dumped you years ago" Buffy provoked and this is what made her so fucking angry about Darla, it wasn't like Buffy had stolen Angel from her, no he had left her because he knew how psychotic she could be at times, because she wanted to start all this gang warfare bullshit up and Angel just wanted to do a spot of shoplifting, joyriding, nothing as serious as what Darla planned.

"Doesn't mean he wasn't mine and you allowed him to die" Darla hollered, she gestured for her men to let go of Buffy and grabbed her by the throat instead.

"I've paid for what happened" Buffy retorted back, choking her words, she noticed that William was stirring again and a sense of relief washed over her that he was conscious again, even if he would hear about her past, it didn't matter, they didn't have a future now anyway, not after she allowed him to be hurt.

"Three years, three fucking years in prison, that's all, you piece of shit" Another slap around face, as Darla stopped strangling her and pushed her to the ground, straddling Buffy and punching her in the stomach, across the previous wound she had gained from the kick.

Buffy continued aggravating her, she noticed that the three men, whose names she still couldn't remember had turned their attention away from William and gathered around herself and Darla instead. "Hurt me then, hurt me again and again I loved him and he loved me and you never had what we did"

//Get out of here, please William, get away, make your escape. Angel if you really are watching over me help William out, he doesn't deserve this, you know that//

"I've been looking for you since you came out, you think that one little meeting will be enough, oh no not when I have William now, he is a special surprise I wasn't expecting" Darla informed her lifting the hem of Buffy's t-shirt up slightly, and digging her finger into the wound, making the gash deeper and causing tears to cascade down Buffy's face.

"Do what you like to me leave him alone!" Buffy instantly regretted her words by showing Darla how much she cared for William inevitably Darla would try and hurt him again and on cue she turned from Buffy and smiled at William. Buffy hadn't noticed it until now but the sun had be lost beneath forming clouds and the beginning drops of rain had began to fall on her face. The weather was so unpredictable from glorious sunshine to rain, she was trying to forget about the pain she was in by thinking of mundane things but as she closed her eyes, the throbbing on her face, her bleeding stomach and her general fatigue had overcome her, she could hardly move and drifted out of the conversation Darla had started with William and into a forming blackness.

"Was she good William, was she, I used to hear her and Angel, he was my boyfriend once" Darla sat by his side and whispered into his ear "They used to fuck and scream right under my nose, didn't care about my feelings, not very fair is it, when someone you love goes off with someone else, they leave you?"

"No it isn't" William mumbled trying to sound sympathetic, so much was racing through his mind, Buffy had been in jail, why? Who the hell was this Angel and was he the reason Buffy had been sent away? Either way for now it didn't really matter; he was lost at what he was meant to do.

"I like you Will" Darla praised ruffling his hair, "You understand me, did you know about your girl being in the big house?"

"Yes, yes I did" William responded, uncertain in his answer. Off course he didn't know she had been in prison and he was still confused over why, and whether or not this changed anything between him and Buffy he was still undecided, she hadn't so much lied rather than not tell him about an aspect of her life. He was angry at her for getting him in this mess but then anger was often a short lived emotion and he wasn't prepared to forget that he had decided he loved her and he had just been with her in an act of love not just a quick fuck.

"Don't lie to me, don't like being lied to" Darla chastised hitting him around the head like he was a child.

"It doesn't bother me, I don't' care" William muttered and this is when he started to get really angry at this Darla woman, as if it wasn't bad enough that she was hurting Buffy and himself she was acting like this just because she was dumped by someone. He felt like screaming 'at least your ex didn't leave you foad, ad, made you go blind'. Sure jealously could make you go mad but
he got the impression Darla was a psycho already. It spurred him into action though because once again she reminded him of Drusilla and he was determined to stop that

//Yet how the hell I am meant to be do anything, I want to get her to shut the hell up, but//

William stopped his negative thinking suddenly because even as he laid on the floor, getting wetter from the increasingly heavier rain and felt weaker from his injuries he was certain he could hear voices come nearer, he hoped these people would realise what was going on and would do something about it.

"Well it bothers me because she was responsible for the death of the man I cherished, I adored and three years is not enough, so I'm here to claim my vengeance" Darla said grinning.

"What?" William asked rolling on his back, he knew what he needed to do and that was to gain the attention from the people he thought he could hear. In order to do this he decided he would have to make his voice louder to draw them closer, but do it so Darla wouldn't notice. Then there was the issue of Buffy, she had been quiet for far too long and the fact that he couldn't see her injuries made him unsure at the state she was in.

Darla was concentrating exclusively on spurting her bullshit off to William, Buffy as far as she was concerned could be dealt with in a minute, she liked to tease and torture this man with what she planned to do "Good question, what do I plan to do, well I've been.."

William interrupted her "No, I mean what the hell are you on!" He screamed, straining his throat, his body shivering due to the rain that lashed down on him.

"Pardon" Darla said amazed that he had dared to interrupt her.

"Beating the hell out of a woman" William tried to sit himself up and went to continue his loud rant but was stopped by who he figured must have been one of those dickheads who seemed to abide by every word Darla said

"Darla" one of them grunted.

"What!" Darla snapped before looking towards where her henchman pointed, coming through the ruins of the castle where two student looking lads, who had been alerted by William's shouting.

"Friends of yours" She growled getting off the ground, this wasn't part of the plan.

"Hey, is everything okay around here love, we heard shouting" One of the guys shouted as they came nearer.

"It may be a cliché but this isn't over" Darla warned William before running off quickly with her 'mob'

"Mate, what happened" The man who approached the scene asked, he took one look at William and then at Buffy and turned to his friend "Owen phone 999 now!"

"Is she okay?" William mumbled, she still wasn't speaking; she could be in serious pain.

//I don't give a shit about her past anymore, she needs to stay alive// he mused sombrely

"I don't know" The man responded truthfully, he helped William onto his feet and over to where Buffy laid and then took his jacket off to lay over her, trying to shelter her from the rain.

"Please, I'm blind I can't see. Is she awake, is she alive? William exclaimed horrified, looking around wildly.

"Keep calm lad, it will be fine, wait till the ambulance gets here before we make any rash statements" The man advised looking to his friend who had finished his conversation on his mobile phone.

"It will be a few minutes Huw" Owen informed them, looking down at Buffy's body somewhat gravely, he was meant to be having a joint out here with his mate, celebrating the grand task of actually finishing an essay on time and here he was dealing with all this bullshit.

"See, fine" Huw reassured helping William knell by Buffy's side and placing his hand on her arm.

"Thank you" William whispered.

"Shall we chase after the lads who did this?" Owen stated

"They be long gone" Huw observed "Sorry lad, I hope your girlfriend pulls through"

William nodded, as the two Welsh blokes started talking about why the men and Darla had run away and not tried and fight them. William thought about this briefly as well, but he guessed Darla didn't want to risk being caught by the police not when she aimed to hurt Buffy further.

"It doesn't matter, just, can you see if you can find my dog, he was tied up near the war monument" William asked them and thankfully they agreed, he was worried about Strummer but he wanted time with Buffy before the ambulance and paramedics arrived.

He squeezed onto her hand as the sirens wailed nearer and he began to cry, "Buffy please wake up pet, I'm scared, your too quiet love please wake up"

TBC>>>> Eek will Buffy be okay, I'm not even sure yet. Thanks for reading, now review please. More next week. And its fact that Welsh people are very helpful and kind.