Restive Nature
Rated NC-17 (Eventually)
Chapter Four
Dreams Coming True
Angel caught Buffy’s eye not long after the last gift was opened. He jerked his head to the side, silently asking to talk to her for a minute. She nodded, then squeezed Spike’s hand that was dangling over her shoulder. "I’m going to go talk to Angel for a second sweetie," she smiled up at him. He just nodded, having seen Angel’s actions and took another sip of the coffee he was holding. As he watched her walk to the other side of the room, he noticed the newest whelp in his life, Connor. While Buffy was away, he could play.
"You look happy," Angel smiled down at her as she made her way to his side. Buffy couldn’t refute his statement, having caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror earlier.
"I am," she agreed, the grin broadening. "I really, really am. For the first time in a long time." She paused and glanced back at Max, who was conversing with Cordy. She had a matching grin on her face. "I don’t even think I need to ask how you and Max are. It’s pretty obvious."
"Yeah, it is," Angel sighed, glancing at his wife of less than twenty-four hours. He turned back to his ex-lover. "Who ever thought it would end up like this?"
"I did," Buffy giggled. "Not this exact moment. But I knew that happiness was out there, waiting for us."
"You did?" Angel teased. "Is that why you were so angry all the time?" She smacked him once on the arm, pleased with the small ‘ouch’ he gave.
"No, seriously Angel, it was something I had to relearn after the whole Heaven thing," she explained. At her words his face became serious. It was rare for her to talk about the experience with him, always fearing that she was hurting him by illustrating the differences in their nature. He was sent to Hell, she to Heaven. But he’d always known in some part of him that he never examined that that was where she would one day belong. "For so long, I felt dead inside still. I had to remember that happiness isn’t something that pounces on you. You have to take chances on opportunities. That’s the only way to get what you want."
"Well said," he murmured. "Did you learn anything else when you were there?"
"You mean besides the obvious?"
"The obvious?" the puzzled look on his face was so familiar, she almost burst out laughing right there.
"Yeah," she spoke slowly, "you know, what God looks like."
"You saw God?" he was incredulous. She couldn’t stand it any longer and the laughter flowed.
"No silly," she guffawed. There were many special faces that she knew up there, but that was not among them. "I didn’t. What I meant was the obvious lesson that there is love for everybody. There is a love waiting for each of us, if we just have the courage to find it. I think once I finally remembered that, then it was possible for me to take a chance on loving Spike."
"You didn’t want to?" he probed, unsure how she meant it. Over the last few years, he’d been able to take a long hard look at what their relationship had been. What Buffy and Spike’s relationship was and his own and Max’s. Of the three, he understood why the young love they had shared was doomed. The relationship’s they had now dealt with the bleak periods in their lives and weathered the storm. He and Buffy hadn’t done that. They’d scurried from one another. They never learned how to weather things and that’s part of the reason why they hadn’t lasted.
"Oh, I wanted to," she assured him, glancing back at her boyfriend. "I just had to get past certain issues." She didn’t give voice to them because it was like beating a dead horse. They were past that now. "And look at us, could we get any sappier?"
"Nope," he chuckled. "We’re the sappiest." He snapped his fingers suddenly, as he recalled why he’d called her over. "Oh, Giles."
"Giles is sappy?" she narrowed her eyes.
"He can be," Angel quipped. "Actually, he had to make a phone call, but he needs to talk to you."
"So that’s where he disappeared to," she nodded. "I tried to talk to him last night. But obviously I didn’t try very hard. Should I go up now?"
"Probably," he confirmed. "I think he has a surprise for you," he grinned, already privy to the secret.
"Ooh, surprises good," she almost squealed. "What is it?"
"You’ll have to ask him," Angel laughed. He noticed Max gesturing to him. He acknowledged her with a tilt of his chin. "Oh, and Buffy, you, Spike and Dawn are more than welcome to stay at the hotel as long as you like," he offered magnanimously. "Not that you might need to," he muttered under his breath, but knowing she would her him.
"What does that mean?" she demanded suspiciously. He shrugged apologetically.
"Sorry, wife is calling me," he grinned and bolted away. She stared after him, their good moods having bolstered each other. She glanced back to where she’d been sitting with Spike. He wasn’t there now and Dawn and Willow were engaged in animated conversation. She figured she’d better go talk with Giles while it was fresh in her mind.
She found his room easily, mostly by the door hanging ajar and his excited voice. She knocked softly and the door swung open. He was pacing the room, between the bed and the dresser, carrying clothes with the cordless phone pressed against one ear. "Yes, that would be fine," he agreed to whomever he was talking with. "All right," he paused to wave Buffy in. "Thank you very much." He ended the call and let the pone fall to the bed. "Hello Buffy," he greeted cheerfully.
"Going somewhere?" she asked softly, a little disappointed. She’d just arrived yesterday and he was leaving today. It hardly seemed fair to her.
"England," he confirmed, resuming his packing. "Just got off the phone with the airline."
"How long will you be gone?" she gulped. She’d been looking forward to spending a little time with him.
"Uh, I’m not certain," he sighed. "I do have some good news though." He pushed aside a stack of shirts so that she could be seated on the end of the bed.
"Angel said you had a surprise for me," she grinned.
"Y-yes," he seemed caught off guard. "Well, I-I’ll come to that in a moment. You do know that one of the standard policies for Watcher’s with no families was to bequeath their wealth to the council, should some ill befall them?"
"No, I didn’t know that," Buffy shook her head, suddenly wondering what this had to do with her. Had someone bequeathed her something? Another thought occurred to her. "Hey, didn’t your will state that your stuff was supposed to go to Dawn and I?"
"Rule doesn’t apply to active Watcher’s," he explained with a grin. He sobered again. "The whole purpose of that was to keep the potentially dangerous artifacts and books from becoming public knowledge. Many Watchers’ with families even signed over the majority of their lucre to the council. And finally, after these past few years, the lawyers assigned to handle the probate have sorted everything out."
"What does that mean?" she asked, still wondering how this applied to her.
"It means simply, that everything is ready to go where it is supposed to go," Giles reiterated. Buffy rolled her eyes. "The books and artifacts will be transported to the New Watcher’s council headquarters to be sorted. Property is being assayed. The money and stocks, going into their respective accounts."
"And this has to do with me because why?" she frowned. With a huge grin, and all the pomp of a stage magician, Giles produced a long, thick white envelope from nowhere. He handed it to Buffy, who took it skeptically. "This is my surprise."
"Yes it is," Giles grinned. "Go on, open it up. I think you’ll like it." He paused as she tore open the sealed flap and withdrew the folded sheaf of papers. She unfurled them, her eye catching her name in bold print. She scanned the document once, then again with dazed eyes. "You see," Giles continued, "Alfred Wolfsham liked to keep a house wherever he had frequent business. And as this was the last city he contracted in, he naturally had no chance to dispose of it before his unfortunate accident."
"Giles," Buffy breathed, still staring down at the papers. "It’s in my name. This deed is in my name."
"Well of course," he rolled his eyes affectionately. "You certainly can’t move into someone else’s house." He could say no more as she launched herself at him. He barely managed to brace himself as he arms flew around his neck. A grunt escaped him as she gave in to the giddiness that had been building up in her. "Air Buffy!" he quickly reminded her. She let loose and sat back, awe covering her face.
"But how?" was all she could think of.
"Mmm," Giles mused, relishing that his surprise had gone over so well. "The newer council members agree with me that it was prudent for you and Spike as well as Faith and Robin to have a base of operations. You’ll still be required to move about somewhat, but as we get girls trained and sent off, it won’t occur as much."
"Faith and Robin get a house as well?" Buffy asked with a grin. Every once in a while, she missed her longtime sister slayer. Not much, just a little.
Giles nodded, "yes, I was hoping to tell her as well. It’s a shame she was injured so close to the wedding. At least it wasn’t overly serious. I suppose I shall have to make a pit stop in Denver to inform them. Perhaps when I return from England…" he thought aloud.
"So I still don’t get why you’re going to England," Buffy interrupted his train of thought.
"Oh, er, sorry," Giles smiled. "I’m to be part of the team researching the artifacts. Basically a lot of chanting, throwing sand, say a magic word and see if it’s enchanted or not. The mundane will be put up for auction, the enchanted will move on to the next series of research. And hopefully, when we are done, I’ll have another surprise for you and Spike."
"Another?" Buffy squealed. "What?" At the stern glare she received, she sighed. "I know, no telling of surprises to the Buffy cause then it wouldn’t be a Buffy-Surprise!"
"Er, precisely," he agreed. He rose and began to pack again. "So, about the house. It’s yours to do with, as you like. Completely furnished. You can keep it, or sell it and buy something else."
"Completely furnished?" Buffy’s jaw dropped. "How many rooms?"
"It’s not large," Giles shrugged. "Three bedrooms upstairs plus bath," he paused a moment to recall. "Kitchen, dining room, half bath and living room on the main floor. And the basement is done. Sounds about right for a young couple."
"Yeah," she agreed softly. "Just perfect." She glanced up at him. "Thank you so much Giles. You don’t know how worried Spike and I have been about this. And especially since Dawn is out of school now. At least until college starts…"
"Think nothing of it Buffy," he ducked his head. "I was just the bearer of glad tidings."
"Bear or not, I’m glad you’re in my life Giles," she wrapped her arms around him once more. He responded in kind, pleased to see his other girl so happy. With a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sniffle, she pulled back. "So, what time is your flight?"
"Six o’clock tonight," he answered quickly. "So, if you’ll let me finish my packing, then I’ll be able to spend some time visiting before I must go." Buffy nodded with a grin.
"Sounds good," she agreed. "I have to go find Spike any way." With that, she hurried from the room, feeling as if she were walking on a floating cloud. Her day just could not get any better!
A Talk With The Boy
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