Banner by Noaluvjames

Chapter 18

Buffy watched as William crawled up the bed and settled his body over hers. The two emitted joint moans of pleasure as bare skin finally made contact with bare skin. Her fingers fisted in his hair as his lips teased hers into opening for him, his tongue slipping inside to mate with hers. The poignancy of the moment nearly overwhelmed her, the gentleness of his lovemaking made her fall that little bit more in love with him.

He’d played her body expertly, first with his hands and tongue as he flicked and sucked first her breasts, lavishing attention on one before moving to the other to show it equal treatment. Then, he’d slid his clothed body lower so that his tongue could torment her clitoris before parting her nether lips and seeking the treasure within.

Only after gasping his name, her orgasm having ripped through her body, had he stripped off his clothes and settled himself over her. And now, now he was kissing her as if he’d never stop, as if he was just happy to stay right here and love her this way.

But, she craved more – needed him inside her, filling her, stretching her in ways she’d not thought possible. He seemed to sense her unspoken desire, the head of his cock brushed over her opening. Then he was filling her… slowly. Savoring the feel of his length sliding deep within her inch by agonizing inch until he was fully seated.

He tore his lips away from her mouth as the sensation became too much to bear. Her name burst from his lips in gasped wonder – that one word, spoken so fervently, caused her arms to hold him tighter. That and that alone would keep him there with her.

After a few agonizing moments, he began to move. Long, slow, deep thrusts that tore at her heart even as they filled it. Their sweat-slickened bodies moved in tandem – they’d done this often enough today that they were able to judge when one would thrust deep, stopping for a moment to savor the feeling before pulling back and doing it all over again. Over and over, in and out, the slow cadence gradually built to a fevered pitch…

Then, the two gave in to their bodies’ demands. The sound of bare skin slapping together, the groans of satisfaction and whispered words of encouragement permeating the air as their pace increased. Until finally sweet release was obtained.  

Buffy felt her orgasm rip through her, her body quivering even as the tip of his cock continued to work her sweet spot until she came again, feeling the effects of his own orgasm spurt deep within her body.

Replete, and utterly exhausted, they collapsed together on the mattress. Heaving with exertion, the two breathed heavily as their bodies slowly recuperated from their headlong flight to rapture.  

~*~

The ringing of her cell phone jarred her from where she sat in the cooling waters of her bath daydreaming. Scrambling out of the tub and snatching a towel from its place on the hook along the way, she darted out of the bathroom to silence the “Scooby-Doo”-ringing of her cell phone.

“Hello?” she answered breathlessly.

“Buffy?” the male voice asked, his crisp British accent sliding over her skin like a well-known lover. She glanced down at her arm and noticed the goose bumps breaking out over her flesh at that one word.

“Yes…”

“Hi. It’s William… I… was I interrupting something? You sound out of breath.”

“No… I was just in the bathtub.” ‘Dreaming of you,’ she didn’t add. “That was just me rushing to answer the phone.”

“Do you want me to let you go?”

“Uh… no, it’s fine. I was done anyway.” ‘Although, not really because my body is still aching.’ “What can I do for you?” ‘Now there’s a loaded question, Buffy!’

“Nothing… I... just wanted to hear your voice, is all. And now I sound like a right git. Bloody hell.”

Buffy could practically see him running his hands through his hair in agitation. He’d dyed it again; the locks that had started to grow so that his darker roots were showing were gone, leaving his whole head bathed in platinum. It looked good on him, but she’d really liked the lighter tips as his natural hair color had shown through. It made him appear softer, less world-weary. Right now his look screamed “famous actor” – the kind that wouldn’t give a normal person like her the time of day.

But yet, he’d sought her out. And that, as well as the self-deprecating nature of his voice brought a reluctant smile to her lips. She climbed onto her bed, clad in only her towel, and snuggled on top of the coverlet and listened to William go on, until she finally interrupted his monologue.

“Shut up, William,” she laughed. “You’re not a bloody git, or whatever it was that you called yourself. I’m glad you called.”

“You are?” Now he sounded confused.

“Yes. You silly man. So, talk to me. What have you been up to?”

“Nothing much,” he replied. Yet, he found himself telling her about the shoot he’d been on for the last several months, Buffy laughing with him as he related some of the funnier moments on the set. When he happened to glance at his watch, he gazed at the dial in surprise – he’d been on the phone with her for over an hour.

It was late, and figuring she needed her rest for classes tomorrow, he finally let her go, telling her that he’d call her tomorrow night.

“Ok, William,” she replied. “Goodnight.”

“Buffy?”

“Yes?”

“I… I missed you,” he told her, the hesitancy in his voice causing her heart to break all over again.

“I missed you too, William,” she whispered softly into her cell phone before disconnecting the call.

‘In for a penny…’ she thought as she got out of bed and retrieved a set of pajamas from her dresser.  

For once she managed to drift right off to sleep…

~*~ *~*~*~

Across town, in the hotel overlooking Sunnydale, William also managed to sleep without the usual restlessness that had plagued him since leaving Crackington Haven.

~*~*~*~*~

Buffy felt like an idiot as she sat gazing at her professor. Apparently, she’d been called on and had no idea what had been asked of her.

“Erm…sorry, Dr. Logan. What did you ask me again?”

“Are you feeling alright? You seem to be a million miles away today,” he asked, his voice filled with concern as he came to stand beside her desk.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Logan. I’ve got a lot on my mind, what with going out of town to see my mother this afternoon.”

“It’s okay, Buffy. And, I think we can call it a day. Time’s almost up anyway,” he commented before looking at the others and announcing in a voice that carried throughout the room, “Have a good weekend everyone. Quiz next Friday on the cranial nerves.”

Cheers and groans greeted that announcement as the other nursing students gathered their things and filed out of the room – cheers for the early release, groans for the quiz.

Turning back to Buffy, the professor asked her, “You’re sure you’re okay? You look a little red. Not doing it too hard, are you?” Since letting all her professors know about her condition, they’d all turned into mother hens – making sure she got plenty of rest, exercise, and food. Secretly, Buffy enjoyed the extra attention. Not to the point where she took advantage, but it was nice that others were looking out for her. It was something that had been lacking the first go-round with Dawn. It was… nice.

“No, Dr. Logan. I really just had my mind on other things. Actually, last night, I slept better than I have in a while.”

“That’s good to hear. We just don’t want you overdoing it.”

“I know, I know. Dr. Joneson already told me: ‘nursing school is hard enough…blah blah blah.’ Don’t I know it.”

“Well, she is very overprotective of her students.”

“As if you aren’t.” Buffy snorted, rolling her eyes. She gathered her things and moved towards the door.

“Go on. Get out of here. Tell your mother hello for me.” The two older adults had met when Joyce had come down to visit about a month ago to see Buffy and tour the school. They’d immediately struck up a friendship. Dr. Logan tried to get to Los Angeles at least once a month and the two would meet up for dinner dates and such. Personally, she hoped the two would hook up. Dr. Logan was just the type of person her mother needed.

“I will. See ya around, Dr. Logan,” she called out, waving to the older man and walking out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~

The thirty-minute head start Dr. Logan gave her paid off in spades for Buffy, enabling her to remain one step ahead of the rush – first at picking up her daughter, then making her way onto the highway towards Los Angeles. As Buffy settled in for the drive, she asked her daughter about her day, anything to keep her mind off telling her mother the news.

She just wasn’t sure how Joyce was going to take it, or how she was going to tell her. It wasn’t like she could just announce out of the blue, “Hey mom, I’m pregnant again. And, you’ll never guess who the father is…No, no, no… guess. It’s William, well Spike. You know…the ‘Spike’ from Hollywood. The famous actor ‘Spike.’ Yep… Can you believe it?”

She’d played out their conversation over and over in her mind and still had yet to come up with a way to break it to her mother. Buffy pushed those thoughts aside and concentrated on her daughter. One thing at a time.

She’d be in Los Angeles soon enough.

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, mom,” she greeted as she walked through the front door.

“Hey, honey. How’s my girl?”

“Fine.”  

“No problems driving in?”

“No… Dr. Logan let us out a bit early, so I got a head start. How are things at the gallery?” ‘All right, Buffy! Way to get it out in the open!’

“Wonderful actually. I just started hosting a new artist. She shows a lot of promise. Kind of reminds me of you, in fact.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh huh. Maybe we can stop by the gallery tomorrow. I’ll show you some of her work.”

“Sounds good.”

“Are you hungry?” her mother asked.

“Just a little. Didn’t really eat a big lunch,” she began, only to have her stomach growl on her.

“Come on. Let’s go get something to eat. What do you feel like?”

“Pizza!” Dawn chimed in at last, gaining her grandmother’s attention.

“Pizza? You’re gonna turn into a pizza,” she teased her granddaughter and lifted the girl into her arms for a big hug.

“Nu uh!”

Joyce looked over Dawn’s shoulder at her daughter, raising an eyebrow in question. Buffy just shrugged.

“Why not.”

“Alright. Pizza it is. Do you want to just take your car since the seat is already in place?”

“Sure, as long as you’re driving.”

~*~*~*~*~

They ate at Rose’s, a quaint Italian restaurant that made excellent pizza, then returned home to get Dawn bathed and in bed. Now it was just mother and daughter, alone on the couch, silently watching television.

When a commercial break came on, Joyce got her daughter’s attention.

“You want to tell me what’s on your mind, Buffy?”

“Huh?” Caught red-handed, she didn’t know what to say.

“Buffy… I’m your mother. You’ve been acting like you’ve wanted to tell me something all night. So…”

“Uh…”

“It’s alright, honey. You know I’m here for you when you’re ready to talk.”

And, that was all it took for Buffy to break down and start crying. Closing the distance on the couch, she leaned into her mother and sought the arms of her parent, needing the emotional support she could provide.

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out around her sobs.

“Oh… honey!” she responded, pulling her daughter close as she sobbed in her arms. Joyce ran her hands down Buffy’s hair in a soothing gesture, whispering comforting words as she tried to get her daughter to stop crying.

“It’ll be okay.”

And strangely enough, Buffy knew it would be.

~*~*~*~*~

The ringing phone jarred the two women apart, and Buffy reluctantly left her mother’s embrace to answer the phone.

“Hello,” she answered somewhat shakily, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Buffy? Are you alright?”

“William. Yes…”

“You’re crying!”

“Well, um…not anymore.” She attempted to laugh. “Just girl talk. Me and my mom…”

She glanced over at her mother, and noticed the assessing look. Damn. So much for keeping the father out of it.

“Oh…okay. I’m sorry. I’ll let you get back. You said plans, and I don’t know why I thought… Never mind. You and your mum have a nice visit. I’ll call you tomorrow, alright?”

“Uh… alright.” ‘Just what had he thought?’

“Goodnight, Buffy.”

“’Nite.” Then, Buffy just stared at her phone as she heard the dial tone sound in her ear.

She pushed the off button and took her seat next to her mom. Joyce draped an arm around her daughter’s shoulder and pulled her close.

“So…”

“Um… yeah. See… the thing is… remember how you told me to live a little? Well, I did… I was, living, that is.”

Beside her, Joyce just coaxed her daughter to continue.

“And, well… you see. I met this guy. William. My next-door neighbor at the cottages in Crackington Haven. And… oh mom… he was wonderful. Nice. Funny. Ya know? All the things you want but never hope to get in a man?”

“Uh huh.”

“Well… it’s funny. When I first met him, I took one look at him and wanted nothing to do with him. See… he was gorgeous, and after my dealings with Angel, suffice to say, looks no longer appealed. But, oh boy…”

“A hottie?” Joyce asked, glancing at her daughter.

“Definitely a hottie,” Buffy answered, giggling at her mom’s terminology. Then, she proceeded to tell her mom all about her time in England, from her meeting Jake the pub owner that first day to when she’d finally left for her return flight – just glossing over the more intimate parts – as well as him finding her on campus yesterday and their subsequent lunch “date” at McDonalds.

When she was finished, Joyce asked her daughter, “So, not once did birth control enter into your mind.”

Buffy flushed. Actually, birth control had been the last thing on her mind.

“Yeah, well, that’s not even the best part.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Buffy sighed heavily. “William? The father? Is none other than ‘Spike.’”

“Spike?”

“Uh huh. You know, Spike? The big-time movie actor Spike?”

“No… can’t say that I do know. But, then, I don’t get to the movie theaters like I used to.”

“Well, he’s probably the most famous actor in Hollywood right now.”

“And, that’s why you slept with him,” she asked her daughter, already knowing the answer.

“No. No! I…”

“Love him?”

“Yes…” she whispered.

“So, what’s the problem?”  

Leave it to her mother to make things seem so easy.

“Well, it was bad enough that it was just William’s child. Now… I… it’s just… difficult.”

Joyce sat beside her and let out an unladylike snort.

“Why?”

“Why what?” Buffy asked, confused.

“Why is it difficult?” Joyce asked patiently.

“I dunno. It just is.”

“Does he love you?” her mom asked.

“I don’t know,” Buffy whispered. “We never did talk about it before… and then I just left…”

“What do you mean you just left?”

“I just… couldn’t deal with it being just a thing for him, and I didn’t want him to know… it was… I just…”

“You ran,” her mother stated plainly.

“Yes. But, you know my history. And here’s this gorgeous guy who could have anybody. Why would he want me?”

“Oh, honey. Just because Angel was a prick…”

“Mom!”

“Well, he was. But, as I was saying… it doesn’t mean that all men are.”

“What about dad?”

“Probably from the same gene pool as Angel,” she muttered under her breath.

“I heard that,” Buffy giggled.

“Yes, well. But, look at Dr. Logan. He’s a nice man.”

“But, how can you be sure?”

“You can’t, Buffy,” her mother told her, squeezing her arm in a brief hug. “But, some things worth having are worth taking the risk to experience.”

“Yeah, but.”

“No buts. If you constantly close yourself off from others, the only person you’re really hurting in the long run is yourself. Don’t you think you deserve a second chance?” 

A second chance…

“But…”

Joyce leaned away from her daughter so that she could look her in the face.

“What about the baby?” Buffy asked her mother.

“Honey, if this man cares about you, I don’t think the fact that you’re going to have his baby is going to signify.”

“But, how will I know that he wants me for me, and not because I’m carrying his child.”

“Listen to yourself.”

“What?”

“You said yourself that you ran. Obviously you didn’t leave him any kind of forwarding information, right?”

“Yeah…”

She loved her daughter, she really did. But, sometimes Joyce wished her daughter wasn’t so thick.

“Do you think a man that cares nothing about you would manage to use what little bit of information you gave him about yourself to track you down? Would he practically stalk you on campus to find you?”

Buffy didn’t have an answer. And, it wouldn’t be the last time over the weekend that her mother’s words didn’t play back in her mind.

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