Darkness Into Light

Chapter One

Elizabeth “Buffy” Summers sat on the red eye plane to London from California filled with trepidation. An adventure was before her, she could feel it in her bones, she just wasn’t sure if she was ready for it.

Her sister, Drusilla, had deemed her ready though it seemed.

“Do you have family in London, dearie?” the old woman next to her asked.

Buffy smiled, “I do. My sister.”

“Oh, that’s nice. She have a family and a home there for you to visit?”

“A home, not a family. I hear she has a friend.”

“A man friend?”

Buffy nodded, “A man friend.”

“Are you very close to your sister?”

Buffy fought to keep the tears at bay that wanted to come from that question. “We were, sort of, even with the distance.”

“I’m sure she missed you,” the old woman said, and patted her hand. “Does she know you’re coming or are you surprising her?”

“She sent for me actually.”

“Oh, isn’t that nice. A nice vacation for you then.”

“Oh. . . not really.”

The old woman’s brow furrowed, “Not really? Why not dear?”

“I am being put to work it seems. I have to put my sister’s estate in order.”

“Is she sick?”

“No. She’s dead.”

********

Drusilla’s mansion in Devonshire was a rumbling monstrosity of rock. It was gigantic and not at all homey. She remembered visiting her in the past and having a sense of foreboding upon turning onto the gravel driveway that led to the estate. Her sister would smile knowingly at her when Buffy would complain to her of feeling cold and unsettled in the mansion, like she knew why she felt so unsettled and cold.

And she did know why. Buffy just refused to discuss it.

“You must be Miss Summers. Welcome, Miss. We are happy to see you.”

Buffy looked up from her ponderings to find a whole staff of people waiting for her on the stone steps leading up to her sister’s home. The woman who had officially greeted her was a small, stout woman with frizzy brown hair and large welcoming big brown eyes. She wore a maid’s uniform, as did all the women. And all the men were dressed in suits.

Oh, this would not do.

She didn’t know how Dru managed to stand it. Her husband had been a Lord, and therefore had earned money the old fashioned way – through inheritance. He’d had a staff on hand since he was a child, so to him, this was not a big deal. Buffy remembered the times she had visited though, feeling quite out of sorts when a maid would enter her room to ‘turn down her bed’. When she’d asked Dru how she could stand it, Dru had merely told her that ‘one got used to it’ and that it fit anyway since she always knew she was such a princess.

“Please,” Buffy implored the woman, “Call me Buffy. You are?”

“Edina, miss.”

“Buffy.”

“Sorry, miss, my place does not require that I call you by your first name.”

“Well, your place is to work for me, right?”

“Yes, miss.”

“Then you call me Buffy or you’re fired, how does that sound?”

Edina paled and nodded profusely. “Yes, miss---I mean, Buffy. Buffy it is.”

Buffy smiled, “Thank you.”

“Shall I show you to your room?”

“Yes, please. It’s been…years.”

********

“Is it always cold in this house?” Buffy asked Edina later, rubbing her arms with her hands, as she drew back the heavy brown curtains from the doors that led out to a veranda.

“It’s actually quite warm, Buffy. It’s a nice warm spring day here in Devonshire. Shall I open all the windows on the estate?”

Buffy nodded absently, watching the BMW that was coming down the gravel path. “Yes, please. Edina, is someone supposed to be coming?”

“Oh, yes, Buffy. William, your sister’s dear friend and attorney is coming today for you.”

“Ah, yes. The William. I suppose I’ll be deciding whether or not I stay today, isn’t that right?”

“It is your home now.”

“Is it?” Buffy murmured. “Well, then. Guess I should get this over with. . . “

********

The estate ran like a well oiled machine. By the time Buffy had gotten downstairs to greet William; he’d already been shown into the formal room and was waiting for her.

Running a hand through her blond tresses, she took a deep breath before entering. She was petrified. She didn’t know anything about settling estates and all that rot. She didn’t even know what she wanted to do at the present moment. She felt in limbo. Much like some of the people Dru helped.

The man that greeted her was somewhat shocking to her. Shocking because of how incredibly handsome he was. Gorgeous, really. For some reason, she didn’t expect that. Then again, Dru would of course only keep those that were beautiful around her. He was tall, lean with bleached blond hair and striking blue eyes. He had a full mouth and cheekbones that could cut glass.

“Hi,” she said and held out her hand, hoping she didn’t sound as breathless as he’d left her.

He smiled broadly, “Hello Miss Summers.”

“Buffy. Call me Buffy, please.”

“Buffy it is then. How are you? Good flight?”

“Um, I’m fine, considering.” Her eyes darted around the room, hearing a slight tapping on the wall behind William.

“Yes, I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“Wasn’t it your loss as well, Mr. Giles is it?”

He nodded, his eyes sad, “Yes. Dru was a good friend. And please, call me William.”

“Can I ask you a question, William?” Buffy asked, trying to ignore the incessant tapping that was still going on behind him.

“You may.”

“Were you and my sister…romantically involved?”

He looked at her startled, “You just cut right to the chase, don’t you?”

“Sorry. I’m curious. I’d heard her talk of you, and she’d written to me of you, but she never made any inkling as to what the exact nature of your relationship was.”

“Just friends. She was a great deal of help to me when my girlfriend died in a car accident last year.”

Suddenly, the room felt too small and the air felt sucked out of it. “Oh, well, I’m glad to hear that she could help.”

He eyed her, “Are you all right?”

“I’m not really good at this sort of thing. The fact is William, I’m not sure if I’m going to be staying here or not. So if you’re here to have me sign some papers to keep this monstrosity, then you made a wasted trip.”

“She knew you’d hesitate.”

“Of course she knew. She knew everything, didn’t she?” Buffy said, feeling suddenly quite overwhelmed. And now, cold again.

“She made other arrangements in case you decided not to keep the estate, a relative of her late husband’s, but she was quite adamant in wanting you to take over the estate.”

“Why me?” she asked, and the tapping grew louder.

He stared at her. “Surely you know why, don’t you, Buffy?”

“She’s persistent, even beyond the grave,” Buffy muttered.

“Buffy, do you have it?”

Buffy eyed William warily. “Have what?”

“You know. Do you have the gift?”

“No, I most certainly do not,” she said emphatically, angry even.

“She thinks—“

“Well, she’s not here, is she? Just like her…always bringing it up…Goddammit! Do you hear that noise?”

William looked around the room and then at her. “What noise?”

“That tapping. That incessant tapping.”

“Buffy—“

“I don’t want to hear you! I don’t want to know!” Buffy shouted. Breathing heavy, she looked down at William who was staring up at her with wide eyes. “Well, there you go. I have the gift. I can hear them and sometimes I can see them. All the pretty dead people. I just don’t wantto.”

Chapter Two

William Giles thought Buffy Summers was completely off her bird. And considering she appeared to have the same gift as his dear friend, whom was also her sister that was saying a lot. Drusilla had always gone on about how together Buffy was. It didn't appear that way to him. Buffy was unraveling before his eyes right there in her designer suit.

“Buffy, are you all right?” he asked her, standing up and grabbing her arm to steady her. She was shaking like a leaf. She was also cold to the touch and considering it was quite warm in the room that was worrisome.

She looked at him with wild green eyes and he thought, Beautiful. She was quite striking; he'd thought so when he'd first clapped eyes on her. So very different from her sister. Dru was dark – dark hair, dark eyes—and Buffy was light – golden blond hair, and green eyes. Her skin knew the sun quite well it seemed, as she had a healthy golden tan. She looked warm to the touch, and perhaps under different circumstances, she would be. Dru had been pale, tall, and almost gangly, while Buffy was shorter, slender, but with womanly curves.

She shut her eyes and held onto his arm, steadying herself. “It’s gone,” she whispered.

“What’s gone?”

“The tapping.”

“Oh.”

“You didn’t hear it?”

“No.”

She released him suddenly as if he was burning her. She looked up at him, “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

"I'll bet this isn't what you came out here for." She eyed him warily and sat down. "Though, you were friends with my sister, so who knows."

"I admit I was curious to see if you had the same gift."

She snorted, "Stop calling it a gift."

"Your sister--"

"I'm not her and I don't consider it a gift. I consider it a burden, something I wish to be rid of."

"Maybe if you accepted it--"

"Maybe you should mind your own business," Buffy snapped. "That's what those who don't have it say. They wish they had it, or maybe they don't wish they had it, and instead are thankful they don't have it and someone else does. Those that don't have it just want to be able to use you for their own selfish purposes. They don't care what it does to you--"

"Do you think I only became your sister's friend to use her?" William asked, highly insulted. His anger was starting to rise. After all the things that Dru had told him about her "dear sister", William was beginning to find most of that to the contrary.

"I don't know you well enough to make that judgment, William," she said wearily.

"Perhaps you shouldn't stay then."

Buffy's head jerked up. "Oh?"

"Why should you? You'd only be defaming her good name--"

"Why? Because I don't want to sell myself out as some kind of sideshow freak for the populace--"

"She helped people!" William nearly roared. "She was a good woman that wanted to help people. You're just a... pampered princess!"

She bounded to her feet, her eyes flashing, and he thought, Breathtaking.

"I am not a pampered princess. I've had to work for everything I have. Some might say Dru was the pampered one, getting this house--"

"She also lost a lot when her husband died and had to go without. It didn't make her as callous and cold as you seem to be. She still wanted to help."

"Well throw her a goddamn party and celebrate the fucking thing that killed her!" Buffy shouted. "See yourself out," she said over her shoulder and stomped off, slamming the door behind her.

William stood in the center of the room, completely bewildered. What had just happened? How had their conversation gone so terribly wrong? It wasn't supposed to happen that way. He'd promised Dru he'd get her to stay. He promised her that he'd help Buffy find her place. Dru saw a bad outcome for Buffy if she stayed on the path she was on. Saw destruction and pain, and she had even hinted at Buffy being killed horrifically. She'd begged William to make Buffy stay, to keep her on the straight and narrow. William wasn't sure what she'd meant by that, Buffy Summers seemed as if she wouldn't know a wild time if it came up and bit her in the ass. And, something about her told him that she wouldn't take too kindly to knowing that Dru had asked him all of this after she was dead.

********

"Miss Buffy--" Edina was hot on her heels after she'd slammed the door shut on William.

Buffy whirled around, "I told you--- never mind. Look, I just want to be left alone, okay?"

Edina nodded and looked down at the ground, clearly hurt and yet wanting to make Buffy happy.

Growling, Buffy tore up to her room before the tears came and everyone in the free world knew that she, the Ice Queen, was crying.

Last week, she'd known exactly what she was doing and where she was headed. Then, news came of her sister's death -- an aneurism in her sleep -- and life had gone downhill from there. Her mother had called, and Buffy still remembered the chill in her voice.


"Yes, hello dear. Your sister is dead."

Buffy gripped the phone, feeling her world plummeting, "What?"

"She died in her sleep. Since her last wish was to have her body cremated and scattered across the Pacific, her body will be transported. Your father and I will be making arrangements for a memorial. You're welcome to come."

"I'm welcome to come? This isn't a formal party here, mother, this is Dru. Your daughter. My sister. God, can't you be a mother for once in your li--"



Her mother had hung up on her. Such was the way it had always been, and now Dru, the only real family she’d ever known was gone. She was gone and Buffy was alone in the world. She had felt the loss heavily and fought hard to keep the fallout at bay. She had to keep it together, she had to keep moving, keep going, and keep trying. She couldn’t fall apart.

Dru was ten years older than she, and as soon as she’d turned eighteen, she moved out of the cold environment they’d grown up in. She’d tried to get custody of Buffy, but that had ended in a shambles where Buffy was not allowed to see Dru for many, many years. In fact, she hadn’t seen her until she was sixteen and had contacted her secretly. After Buffy had moved out of her parent’s home, she’d moved in for a spell with Dru on the east coast where she attended college, studying art history. It was in Rhode Island that Dru had met her future husband, and it was shortly thereafter that she’d moved to England. Buffy understood all too well – get as far away as you can from Mom and Dad.

After school was done, Buffy landed a job in a museum in California and taught art history at night for Berkley. She still stayed as far away as she could from her parents. She worked hard for everything she had, saving her money like a squirrel, never once asking for help from the people that would never give it to her to begin with. She’d gone to school on scholarships and had worked her way through college, Dru insisted that she put money aside for a place of her own once school was finished, and that’s exactly what she’d done.

When she could, she’d gone out to visit her sister, Dru always being the one to send for her. At the young age of thirty-nine, her sister had passed, and now Buffy, age twenty-nine, had no one. She had a mansion, a bunch of memories, a hidden ‘talent’ for seeing the dead that she didn’t want, and anger at the world for taking her sister from her. Not to mention the anger she felt with herself for not having made it out to see Dru for the past four years, her busy life too hectic to have made the time.

She was thankful that she’d at least gone peacefully. She wished though, that she had gotten the chance to say goodbye to her; even if that meant visiting her and telling her as a specter. It seemed though that her sister had found other ways to communicate. Her estate had been left to her. It was all up to her now. Buffy just didn’t know what she wanted to do with it, if she wanted it at all. So, she’d gone on sabbatical from teaching and had taken an extensive vacation from work to come out to England and make arrangements. Arrangements for her life.

Buffy flung herself on her bed and had herself a good cry, the cry that had been vaulted up inside her since the funeral. She sobbed out her frustration and her anger and soon, cried herself to sleep, and had herself a dreamless sleep to rest her tired mind.