CHAPTER 91 – PEACE OFFERING

Once they got home, Buffy insisted on William sleeping it off.

William was being drunkenly sentimental, going on about Clem and her, and all their friends, and how wonderful everything was. He also tried several attempts to to get her to go to bed with him, but she refused.

"Why?" he pouted, attempting yet another grab at her, "don't you love me anymore?"

"Of course I do, but I don't go to bed with drunks," she'd told him.

"I'm not a drunk, I'm just drunk," William said, followed by more idiotic laughing.

"Look, I'll stay with you for a few minutes until you fall asleep, but I'm not doing anything with you, understand?"

He nodded, "Okay, I promish I won't compromish you in any way in my inebriated state. Or shouldn't that be I won't compromish you in your inebriated state? If you're not inebriated, you could compromish me, I don't mind."

"No, they'll be no compromise. It's either this or you can just go to sleep on your own, got it?"

"Got it," he said, contritely.

She sat up in the bed and he lay down with his head in her lap. She stroked his hair as he tried to get comfortable.

"The room ish spinning," he told her.

"I'm not surprised."

"Why'sh it spinning?"

"It's not spinning, your alcohol laden head is."

"Oh. Uh-oh," he said, struggling to sit up.

"What?"

"I think I'm going to be sick!" he said, as he started to get up.

Buffy was around the bed in a flash, guiding him to the bathroom. She held his head as he threw up into the toilet over the next 15 minutes, wiping his face and lips with a damp washcloth, as he sat on the bathroom floor waiting for the next round, until at last, all he was retchin up was bile.

"Stay here," she said and went to the kichen to get something for him to stop the throwing up.

"Take this, it'll stop you from throwing up anymore."

"Why didn't you give me this before?" he croaked, his throat raw from the acid that had washed up from his stomach.

"Because you needed to get that alcohol out of your stomach, now you've nothing left to throw up except stomach lining. Here, take it," she said, handing him a small pill.

"Think I'm going to throw this up, if I swallow anything down right now."

"Well, I'm willing to take that chance," she said.

"But it's my stomach," he whined.

"Take the pill," she said sternly.

He gave her a dark look, then swallowed it with some 7-Up she'd poured.

"Let's get you back to bed, okay?"

He nodded, standing up unsteadily and leaning on her for support.

She tucked him into bed and pulled up the covers, "I don't think you need me in here right now. You'll be able to sleep now, but I'll check on you in about an hour."

"You're not going to sleep in here with me tonight?" he asked, surprise and sadness in his eyes.

"Of course I am," she said softly, stroking his forehead, "but it's way too early for me to go to bed right now, is all."

He nodded, relieved. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Nevermind that, you just get some rest, okay?"

"Okay," he said, closing his eyes. She could see him wince from the pain of having thrown up so much. She remembered a few times she'd tipped back too much with him at his crypt. Rather, with Spike, and how that felt after the drunkeness had worn off and she'd been riding the porcelain bus.

Buffy spent the next few hours restlessly trying to watch the television or read, but she couldn't get into anything she was seeing. She kept listening for William to make sure he was alright, between checking up on him every half hour.

Finally, she went out to the kitchen to see if there was anything in her cabinets that would be hangover-lite food for tomorrow. She was grateful when she found a couple of old boxes of jello in the back of one cabinet and some boullion in another. Jello, check. Instant boullion cubes, check. Aspirin, check. Alka-Seltzer, one free package that came in a magazine, check. She made the two kinds of Jellos and put them in the refrigerator to set.

She finally crawled into bed with a loudly snoring William about midnight. He’d been asleep for about 6 hours already.

Sometime around 3:00am, she woke up to him crying out from some nightmare he seemed to be having about being back in the hospital.

"William, William, wake up! It’s okay, you’re here, you’re home. I got you," she told him, shaking him awake.

He woke up, wild eyed and scared, then started to cry when he realized where he was. Buffy held him, murmuring softly to him, until he fell asleep, nestled between her breasts.

She wasn’t able to go back to sleep until it was almost light out.

She smelled coffee before she opened her eyes. When she did, she saw William standing there at the side of the bed.

"You’re up," she said, startled.

He nodded, sitting down on the side of the bed and handing her the mug, "Peace offering?"

She smiled at him and sat up, accepting the cup, "How are you?"

"Got a headache the size of The Rockies, mouth tastes like something died in it, stomach feels like it’s been turned inside out, other than that…just fine," he said, smiling sheepishly.

"Did you find the Jello I left for you?"

"Thanks, I figured you’d made that last night after I unceremoniously passed out. Found the aspirin, too, though it was sort of a toss up if I’d rather have a headache or my stomach hurt from taking aspirin without any food in it."

"Take the Alka-Seltzer then, it’s probably easier on the stomach."

"Too late, already took the aspirin, with some 7-Up."

"How long ago?"

"About an hour."

"Is it better?"

"The headache? On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, I’d say it’s down to about a 7."

"I see. What was it before?"

"About a 12."

She giggled, "I’m sorry."

He looked hurt; "It’s not funny. You’re laughing at my pain!" he said indignantly, but with a grin.

William took her hand, "I’m really sorry about getting drunk like that. It was totally inexcusable."

Buffy put her coffee cup down, and put her other hand on top of his, tracing it’s shape, "Not too healthy either, what with all the staggering, throwing up, liver damage, etc."

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you into my caregiver. Again."

She looked up at him, "Just don’t make getting drunk a habit, okay?"

He shook his head vehemently, "No habit, absolutely no habit! Don’t even want to drink again anytime in the near or distant future!"

"Come ‘ere you," she said, holding open her arms to him.

END CHAPTER 91

The next few days passed quickly. Clem also recovered from his hangover and came around over the weekend to show William how to change the oil in the DeSoto.

The eBay seller emailed William back, saying he did have a manual for the DeSoto and would be willing to just sell it to him for $10.00. Buffy said it was a fair price, set up a Paypal account in her name, since William didn't have any papers for his own, and they sent the seller the money.

Monday came and her meeting at the school. She thought of having William stay with Clem, but although they'd both apologized to her profusely, promising never to drink again (sure!) she thought it best that William not be that far out of her sight at this early in his being back with her.

There was a library across the street from the Montessori school that Buffy decided would be a good place for William to wait for her during her time away from him. He seemed more than happy with the idea,

She gave him the cell phone, the one that she'd bought especially just for her and Andrew to use. She also told him not to answer it unless her number showed up on the Caller ID.

"Okay, you've got the phone and you have my number and the school's number, plus I'm right across the street if you need me, right?"

He nodded, "Yes to all, and stop worrying, I'm a grown man, not a child. I may have lost my memory, but I haven't lost all of my common sense, the drinking binge aside," he said, smiling.

"I know. I just...I'll miss you. We haven't been apart for over a month for more than an hour, when you and Xander went fishing."

"We haven't have we?" he said, pulling her to him and giving her a kiss, "guess it’s time then, eh?"

"Time?"

"Yeah, to be apart for a couple of hours," he said, looking at her worried face, "I'll be alright, luv. I'll be fine; I’m not a child. And, I've got a whole library full of books to look at; got your library card if I feel like using the Internet right? I've also got some pocket change if I want a coffee or something else. And you'll see me at lunch, probably around noon. And you'll call me as soon as you know exactly what time, and I should find a quiet place in which to talk to you, being as I'll be in a library. Did I forget anything else?" he asked.

"Just that I love you," she said, smiling and kissed him.

"Never forget that, that's always right here," he said, pointing to his heart.

She returned the gesture.

Across the street, the edge of a blind closed back up and the person who had been behind it sat down at her desk waiting.

"Now go, before you're late," he said, giving her a gentle push off. She nodded and walked across the street. She turned to wave as he walked into the library and her into the Montessori.

She hadn't told him that she had a meeting with her boss an hour before the general meeting. Didn't want to alarm him. He had already told her that she most definitely shouldn't quit on his account, and she most definitely was not going to work 40 hours a week, if it meant leaving him at home alone everyday.

Buffy took a deep breath and opened the door to the school. She took a left into the main office and walked toward the back to Mrs. Carpello's inner office. The door was open.

"Hello, Elizabeth, right on time."

"Good morning Mrs. Carpello, nice to see you. Have you had a good summer."

"Yes, it's been very productive. Well, would you like some coffee?"

Elizabeth pointed to her travel mug, "Brought some with."

"Need a refill?"

"No, it's fresh. Thank you for asking me, though."

Mrs. Carpello fidgeted with her desk, making an effort at tidying before finally looking up and fixing Buffy with a stare.

"What's up, Elizabeth? Oh, and before you start, let me guess that it has something to do with that young man I just saw you with across the street at the library."

Buffy didn't know whether to blush or be angry that she was being spied on.

She nodded, "As a matter of fact, he is the reason I asked for this meeting."

"Shall I make it easy for you dear? You've met someone and he's swept you off your feet, you're either running off to teach in some third world country or at the very least, in another town or state and you want my blessing, and also a good recommendation. How am I doing?"

Buffy looked at her and really wanted to wipe the smug look off her face, but that would be counterproductive at the moment. Using every ounce of self-control she possessed, she answered Mrs. Carpello evenly, "Actually, I'd say that if you were a batter, you'd have been benched before the end of the first inning."

Mrs. Carpello looked at her shocked, then laughed, "Touche, Elizabeth. Okay, why don't I be quiet and let you explain it all to me, then."

Buffy nodded, relieved.

"The man you saw me with across the street?"

Mrs. Carpello nodded.

"He's not someone I just...that man is my husband, William."

Mrs. Carpello nearly spat her coffee, "Your husband? You never told me you got married!"

"I didn’t just get married, I was married about 5 and a half years ago, but then..." she stopped a moment, "do you remember where I came from?"

"I don't. You told me you lived in Julian. I don't know if we ever discussed anything before that, I just assumed you were a long time local girl."

"Buffy shook her head, "No, I only moved here about 5 years ago. Before that I lived in Sunnydale," she said, waiting for the information to sink in.

"Sunnydale? Sunnydale?" she looked at Elizabeth, who when she saw the light go on in Mrs. Carpello's eyes, nodded at her. "Sunnydale! You were originally from there? The town that got destroyed?"

Buffy nodded.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. And you were living there then...?"

Buffy nodded again.

"It must have been horrible...but what does that have to do with...did you say your husband's name is William?"

"Yes, William. Well, you see he was there too, when it...collapsed. Only I wasn't with him when it did," she said, looking up at Mrs. Carpello, "I thought he was dead all this time, you see. It was only this past summer that I found out that he was still alive. He was in another state, in the Midwest. So I went to find him."

Mrs Carpello sat across from Elizabeth taking this all in.

"You went to find him," she repeated. "How did you find out about him still being alive?"

"A friend had read something from a local newspaper and alerted me," she said, choosing her words carefully, hoping to not have to go into the whole hospital thing if she didn't have to.

"But Elizabeth, I don't want to be indelicate, but why didn't William try to find you in California through your friends or families in all these years?"

Buffy swallowed, "Because William lost all his memories. Of everything and everyone."

Mrs. Carpello was shocked. She paused, then asked, "Even of you?"

Buffy nodded, her eyes moist, "Yes, even of me."

"And you thought him dead all this time and weren't looking for him?"

Buffy shook her head.

"So, you only found him because someone spotted his picture in the paper, because of a fluke?"

Buffy nodded, "If you want to call it that, but I think it might be more of something like a miracle," she said, smiling.

"Oh my dear, of course it is! It must have been a miracle, to suddenly...but why was he in the paper?"

"There was an accident and he was hurt. Um...he was a pedestrian."

Now Mrs. Carpello's eyes were watering, "Of all things, after all that...but really a blessing in disguise, right? I mean, he wasn't seriously hurt was he?"

Buffy shook her head, "No, just injured his arm, but because he didn't know who he was or how he got there, it became news..."

"And you found him!" she smiled at Buffy and stood up, coming around to give her a hug.

Buffy was totally unprepared for this reaction, but accepted her hug with good graces.

"Thank you," she said.

"So, tell me what you need to tell me now," she said, sitting back down.

"Well, the fact is that we've just arrived back home a few days ago, so William is just getting his bearings. I just don't know if I can bear to leave him alone 8 or 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. I just can't imagine abandoning him like that...not after I've just found him again, after what he's gone through...I just can't. I'm so sorry," Buffy said, hoping Mrs. Carpello would understand.

Mrs. Carpello sat there, wheels turning in her head, as she studied both her hands and Elizabeth's face; "Tell me, is William...is he...feeble?"

Now it was Buffy's turn to nearly choke on her coffee. She laughed, "Feeble? Oh God, no! He's terribly smart, he's..."

"Well, Elizabeth, why can't he work then? He doesn't have to be alone, he could be doing something, right?"

"He doesn't remember any recent skills, he doesn't even remember how to drive, use a computer, although he’s learning. He remembers stuff from Oxford, but I don't know if that would..."

"Did you say Oxford?" Mrs. Carpello's ears perked up.

Buffy nodded.

"He went overseas to school? How marvelous, what did he study there? Did you know him then?"

"Um...he didn't go overseas to school, he's English. I think he studied English Literature, History, think he also knows Latin and Greek. And no, I didn't know him until he moved here, or rather to Sunnydale."

"What did he do in Sunnydale? I mean, before?"

"I...um...he was doing some writing and he worked in our friend's shop, a book store," Buffy said, wishing she didn't have to keep making things up.

"I see," Mrs. Carpello was quiet thinking all this over.

"It seems it would be shame for you to quit, after all the time you’ve put into your education. And really, you’re quite good with the kids, one of the best first year teachers I’ve ever had," she said, smiling. "I’d say you’re in somewhat of a bind, wouldn’t you?"

Buffy nodded.

"You never really planned on staying for the meeting today, did you?"

"I didn’t figure there would be much point, after I told you that I wouldn’t be able to hold my position any longer because of my obligation to William. I’m so sorry, but I need to be there for him, to help him get on his feet. I just can’t let him flounder all alone, while I’m gone all day. I hope you understand. I hope this will give you adequate time to find someone else to take over my classroom."

"I see. He wants you to stay home to ‘care’ for him, then?"

"Oh, no, it’s not him at all! He doesn’t want me to quit teaching so I can stay home and coddle him, as he put it. But you see, I know that he needs me right now, so I have to."

"I see," Mrs. Carpello said, leaning back in her seat and studying Elizabeth. "Would you still attend the meeting, if I asked you to?"

"I don’t know. It would seem rather dishonest of me to, wouldn’t it? To be acting like I’m planning the year out with the rest of them and all, only to have them find out that I’d already told you that I couldn’t come back and leave William alone all day? I don’t want to deceive anyone, or have them be angry with you, either."

"I know. As far as this conversation goes, they don’t have to know that we had it today, or even the reasons that you are leaving. We could just say you had a family emergency. You let me worry about that, alright? In the meantime, I’d like very much if you would still attend today, and to think about what you told me."

"I don’t know…"

"Please? For me?"

"Okay. Just so you know that it won’t change my mind."

"I know that. Now, what time is it?"

"9:37," Buffy said, looking at her watch.

"Good. What do you say you bring William over here so I can meet him?"

"You want to meet him? Now?"

Mrs. Carpello nodded, "It it's alright with you, and William."

"Um, sure. I’ll just go get him," she said rising.

"Good. I’ll be here waiting."

Buffy ran across the street and into the library. She spotted William sitting at a table; a large volume opened up.

He smiled at her as soon as he saw her, "Hi, what are you doing here?"

"Mrs. Carpello wants to meet you. Is that okay? Can you come across the street for a few minutes?"

"She wants to meet me?"

"Yes, she does. It won’t be for long, there’s another meeting starting in about 20 minutes."

"Okay, not like I’m doing anything Earth-shatteringly important."

Buffy filled William in on what she’d told Mrs. Carpello about him, except for the part about not wanting to work if it meant him being alone all day.

They walked into Mrs. Carpello’s office. She stood up and appraised the young man. He had medium brown hair, a bit more than slightly curly, medium length. He wore glasses, which he took off and was holding in his one hand. He had on a pair of light khaki pants, and a tan polo shirt. His eyes were blue, warm and expectant, as he looked at her.

"I’m Mrs. Carpello, I’m the directress here at Montessori," she said, taking the initiative and holding out her hand.

He took it immediately, "Very nice to meet you, name’s William Worthington. William," he said, giving her a firm, but gentlemanly handshake.

"Sit down, William. Elizabeth."

They nodded, taking the two chairs in front of her desk.

"Elizabeth tells me quite a story about how you’ve been able to find each other again, after being separated all these years."

"Yes," he said, turning to look at Elizabeth with a look of pure adoration in his eyes, that she returned, slightly blushing, since she knew Mrs. Carpello’s eyes were on them both. Elizabeth made a slight nod that was only perceptible to William.

Being of a suspicious mind normally, and having been made a fool of one too many times in her life, Mrs. Carpello studied them carefully, especially William.

She talked to William a little about his education and who he thought was the best author of the 19^th Century. When it came to the 20^th Century, though, William shook his head.

"I’m afraid that’s where my memory fails me, I’ve no memory of anything that's been invented, written, or taken place in 20^th or 21st Centuries, up to the past month, that is."

"How very odd, yet you remember all you ever learned about the 19^th Century."

"Wouldn't have been nearly so bad had it been the other way around, I suspect," he said, grinning.

Mrs. Carpello laughed.

"Well, William it was charming to meeting you, I can see why Elizabeth seems so happy to have found you again. I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty of you about."

"Thank you, nice to meet you, too."

Buffy walked William back to the library, "I think she liked you."

"She seemed pleasant enough," he replied.

"Oh, but you should see her when she’s…oh nevermind. I’m just relieved that she seemed to like you. Then again, what’s not to like?"

He laughed, "That so? Even when I’m stupid drunk?"

"You have a point," she said laughing. "See you in a couple of hours, then?"

"Be right here, waiting."

They kissed goodbye and she went back to Montessori and her meeting.

They broke for lunch around noon. Buffy begged off of joining them, claiming she had a doctor’s appointment. She drove her car around the back of the library and after getting William; they bought sandwiches and drove over to eat in a nearby park.

After they’d finished he lay back on the blanket they were sitting on and pulled her with down to join him.

"Miss me?" she asked.

"Always miss you," he said, kissing her hair, as she rested against her head against his chest, hearing the reassuring beat of his heart.

"Well, see you back here in another couple of hours," Buffy told him, as she dropped him off at the rear door of the library.

"I’ll be here, waiting."

The last hour of the meeting was given over to a teacher had gone on a seminar for Montessori educators in Italy over the summer. She proceeded to tell them of some of the latest methods she had learned.

Mrs. Carpello took that time to slip out for a little while. She walked over to the library and after a few minutes, saw William. He was up at the desk talking to one of the reference librarian about some old text he was interested in. The librarian told him that a bigger library, such as in San Diego might carry it, but if need be, they could order it on loan. She heard the librarian ask him some things about himself, and the answers he gave were consistent with what she had been told by him and by Elizabeth. William went back to his seat. From her vantagepoint, she could see most of the books he had were literature, others on the Internet, electricity, home repair, and yet another on old cars. All consistent with his interests and with someone who had lost their memory. Satisfied, she went back to the meeting.

The meeting was finally over at 3:00pm. Mrs. Carpello came up and put her hand on Elizabeth’s arm.

"What did you think?"

"Oh, I thought the new program that Lily brought back was really great. It should be very helpful, especially for the kids who are still having a hard time reading fluently." Buffy said, "but it still doesn’t change my mind."

"I know it doesn’t, but like I said, I’d like to give the matter a little bit of thought, before I officially release you from your position. Unless you have something else lined up," Mrs. Carpello said.

"No, of course not!"

"I didn’t think so."

"I’ll be in touch, then. In the meantime, go home and enjoy your summer with William."

"I will, I most definitely will!" she said, smiling, and with that she sailed out the door and went off toward the library.

She found William with a large stack of books he wanted to check out.

"The librarian was sympathetic, but she wouldn't let me use your card," he said, sadly.

"I'll just do it then," she said, as they took the books to the counter, "didn't get to use the Internet then?"

"No," he said, sighing. "She said I could get my own card, but I had to show some identification, of which I don't possess, I don't even know our address!" he said, exasperated.

"I'm sorry, I should have at least told you that. We don't really have a street address, but we do have a Post Office Box number that I use. That should set you up, as for identification, we'll take care of that, too. Promise. Don't worry, okay?"

"Okay," he said, his voice frustrated, "I just never gave much thought to how much of these type of things I need to have. I wonder what I used for the past 5 years!"

She didn't say anything. What could she say? Well, William, you really didn't need anything because you didn't exist?

She made a mental note to call Willow later that evening and see about those papers.

END CHAPTER 92

A/N Thanks for hanging in here folks, in the next chapters I’ll be working on the following:

William meets Edna for the first time, well, you know what I mean, soon. Probably, Lawrence, too.

Willow sends identification papers

Driving lessons

William’s birthday

An unexpected offer from Mrs. Carpello

Spoiler warning:

I know it’s painstakingly slow, but believe me, I’m not just doing it for my health! It’s all leading up to something, it’s just this is the part where William is learning what it’s like to live in the world. You know I’ll eventually throw the proverbial monkey wrench (ie; having to do with how William finds out all about Spike) into the mix, just when they’re all nice and comfy!

Thank you to all those who take the time to review or send me emails and to those of you (and I know who you are!) who are reading, but not reviewing.

You’re the best!

spikealicious

P.S. A special thanks to my Beta, Judy! You keep my story grounded, when I take it on flights of fancy!

July 15, 2008

Tuesday

9:00am

Buffy got up early the next morning, before William awoke, and took the cell phone with her outside so she could call Willow. She hadn't been able to call the night before, because there wasn't a time when she was alone.

"Hello?"

"Willow?"

"No, Kennedy, who's this?"

"Hi, Kennedy, it's Buffy. How are you?"

"Oh, hi. I'm fine. Glad Willow's back, I missed her. How about you?"

"We're...I'm fine," she corrected, not knowing how much Willow had told her.

"And Spike?" Kennedy asked, letting Buffy know that, indeed, she did know.

"William's fine, too, Kennedy," she said, using his real name, not denying or confirming that it was or had been Spike until she talked to Willow.

"Hold on, I'll get Will."

"Buffy?" Willow said a few seconds later.

"Hey, Willow. How are you? When did you get back?"

"About 2 days ago. Still in a bit of a fog from all the driving and jet lag, and hey, really is a bit foggy here, too."

"Huh?"

"Weather."

"Oh."

"So, how's it going with you two? Is William glad to be home? Is he getting any more memories back now that he's there?"

"He's fine. He seems like he's settling in really well. But no, he's not getting any memories back, he doesn't remember ever being here," she added, a bit sadly.

"On the up side, him and Clem got together," she said, then told her of how they'd gotten shit-faced together.

"So, that temporary spell I gave him must have worked,"

"Huh? Oh, you mean Clem, for a moment...nevermind."

"Oh," she said, laughing. "Next time you see Clem, tell him I'm going to ask the coven if they have anything else he can use to lengthen the amount of time he can stay in his human face. I figure if it's tied in with Spike, they may be willing to go with it."

"Great, I was hoping when he'd gotten drunk, that he wouldn't slip into demon face, though I think William would've just thought he was seeing pink elephants or something. Nearly did! God, he was a mess!"

They talked a while longer until Buffy said, "Um, listen, one of the reasons I'm calling you is because I wanted to remind you about those identification papers I need for William. He couldn't even get a stupid library card the other day without having anything saying who he was."

"I haven't forgotten Buffy, in fact, as soon as we hang up, I'll get working right on that."

"I'd really appreciate that. He wants to learn to drive, that means that he'll need a permit, then eventually a license. Anyway, you know how many things you need identification for. Also, about his degree...do you think you can look up what it is he has a degree in and just doctor, or mojo up the same one? Only 100 some years more current?"

"Yeah, I can probably do that, Buffy. Oxford, did you say?"

"Yes. Oxford. I don't know when he graduated, though. Of course I don't! Duh! But he was born 1852, so maybe that'll help."

"Yeah, that helps. In case I can't find anything, though, what did he study?"

"English Lit, 19th Century, not 20th, History, Latin, Greek, that's about all I know."

Willow whistled, "Cool. Don't worry, I'll keep the correct century in mind."

"Thanks."

"What else?" Willow asked.

"We need the naturalized citizenship papers."

"Complete with a real record in their databases, check," Willow said, "anything else?"

"I think that's the biggies, oh and social security number or whatever they give to naturalized citizens."

"Check."

"Oh, one other thing…I hate to ask…"

"What?"

"The car?"

"Car? What car?"

"Spike’s DeSoto. Him and Clem are going to fix it up so he can drive it again. It just occurred to me, that Spike probably stole it. If I have to go register it, I’ll probably get arrested, once they run the VIN number. Crap!"

Willow thought for a minute; "I think I might be able to help, can you give me the VIN number, Buffy?"

"Um…hold on a minute, got to walk over there," she said, walking toward the barn, "okay…where is it? Oh, okay, I see it," Buffy said, leaning up over the hood of the car. She read it to Willow."

"Better give me the plate number, too."

"Okay," Buffy said, and read it off to her.

"Great, now I’ll see what I can do about making the car legal and all that."

"Thanks, Willow."

"I'll work on everything right now…well, after Kennedy and I have dinner…and as soon as I'm done, I'll send it express, like you did when you sent me his essence in the jar before. Overnight express."

"I remember."

"Okay, I'd better go, or Kennedy will be getting irate with me, we're about to go out and get a bite to eat."

"Oh, that reminds me Willow, Kennedy mentioned Spike to me. I didn't know you told her."

There was a pause, "Sorry about that, if it's any comfort, she's under the same spell that everyone else is, if it's not a specific person who I named as a 'safe' person, she won't even remember about him or be able to answer any questions regarding him. In other words, just you, him, me, Xander, Dawn. That's basically it."

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, okay, then. Guess it would be sort of strange to be doing all this and have to hide it from her. Especially since you were away almost a month."

"I knew you'd understand."

"Yeah, I get it. Okay, that's it from here. Talk to you later. Call me if you've got any questions I can help you with."

"Okay, I will. Bye…wait. What's William's middle name?"

"I don't know, he never said. Maybe he doesn't have one."

"That would be highly unusual. Listen, don’t worry about it, unless there’s a whole ton of William Worthington’s who attended Oxford around then, his records will probably have it."

"You’re probably right, but if I can find a way to bring it up, then I’ll get it for you."

"Okay, don’t worry though. Bye Buffy."

"Bye Willow. Thanks."

A few days later, Willow emailed her to let her know that she’d sent the papers, and that as far as the State Department was concerned, William Worthington was a naturalized citizen since 1999. She told her that she could pick up the package from the Fed Ex office in San Diego, the same one she’d gone to before.

Clem had just picked up her mail from their Post Office Box the day before, and the manual for the DeSoto had arrived, so she asked Clem if he would work with William on the car, while she went out for a couple of hours.

"Sure, that would be great, Buffy."

"Oh, and Clem…"

"I know, no drinking and watch what I say."

"You got it."

"I’ll go to the auto store today and pick up some fluids and other stuff the cars going to need," Clem said.

"That would be great.

"…so, Clem is going to come over while I’m gone, so you guys can look over the DeSoto."

"Oh…okay," William said.

"And there he is," Buffy said, as she saw Clem coming up the walk.

"Alright, gotta run," she said, kissing William goodbye, "I’ll miss you."

"I’ll miss you, too," he replied.

She got into the car and giving them a wave, she drove off. She hadn’t wanted to leave him alone for that long, but she had no choice. How would she have explained getting a package from Willow in England that just happened to have all of his documents?

As it was, she told him that she was going to the San Diego County Government Administration Building to pick them up. She’d warned him of large crowds and long lines, enough to keep him from asking to go along. Luckily, it didn’t occur to him, that his personal presence would’ve been necessary in order to get such things.

Buffy arrived at the Fed Ex office, near the airport around noon and signed for her package. She hurried back to the car and opened up the package. There was the naturalized citizenship papers, a social security card, Oxford transcripts, along with his diploma and degree, doctored to reflect a much newer date of graduation and current type of degree. She took out the letter from Willow and read:

18 July 2008

Dear Buffy,

Here are all of William’s papers. This should allow him to do anything that he’d like to do, from getting a library card, to a driver’s license (permit first, of course!) to going back to college, to well…anything.

Funny to think how Spike never needed these things at all, isn’t it?

I also sent you the ‘title’ for the DeSoto under William’s name and old registration card with the VIN and plate numbers you gave me, using your old address from Sunnydale. You’ll have to get a new plate and registration card, before William can start to drive. Just give them the old registration card and show them the title, if they ask for it. Don’t forget about insurance, either. Shouldn’t be a problem, as ‘William,’ has a clean driving record in the state of California.

As for the marriage license, well, you already got that from Lawrence. As for making it real, as we spoke of briefly while we were on the way to the Grand Canyon, I hesitate to take this next step, because of something Xander told me. Maybe I shouldn’t be repeating this, but you are my best friend, so here goes:

William told Xander he really wants to marry you. I think you already know that he would in a heartbeat (and hey, heartbeats…of the good, right?).

You should just do it, Buffy. Don’t wait for his memories to come back, don’t be afraid. Sure you’re scared and given the history of…well, everything in your life and his, I would be, too. But, so what? There are no guarantees in life, and you guys have been given a freakin’ mind-blowing, incredible second chance at love, so just go for it! No holds-barred, 100%, jump off the cliff, go for it. Okay?

For that reason, I have not made the marriage ‘real’ as far as the databanks in California’s registries go. Yes, you both have the same last name, and yes, you have the pretend marriage license from Lawrence. If you are just looking to put him on your insurance at work, that should be sufficient. Who checks these things anyway? In fact, if it came down to it, I could fix that…because I am a powerful she witch, witch to be more accurate. <grins>…ahemm…or for real, I could change it so that you really are (legally married). Somehow, though, it seems wrong to take that away from William, that is, you really marrying him, and it seems wrong to take it away from you too…your free-will decision and all that.

Sorry if I’ve overstepped my bounds.

Think about it.

Love,

Willow

P.S. Check out William’s middle name…and the answer to the question I know you’ll probably have, without me further researching it, is…maybe, probably, most likely. Pretty funny, huh?

Buffy sighed. She wished Willow had just done the thing, making them all legally married. Would’ve just been easier to accept the fact than to actually think of getting married. Crap. She already felt married, didn’t she? Darn Willow and her conscience. Darn William for telling Xander he wanted to marry her. Darn her stomach for all those butterflies that are flitting around in there, just thinking of it! Darn it!

Buffy looked at the papers again; she’d only briefly paid attention to his middle name. *Spencer. Spencer? Why did that seem familiar?

Oh, no…she started to laugh. Yeah, that was a good one, wasn’t it?

END CHAPTER 93

*Refers to Lady Diana Spencer, ie; Princess Diana and her family. Just a little, 'With everything else about Spike/William, wouldn't that just take the cake, too?' idea. However, since it means nothing in his life what-so-ever, whether or not he's related will neither be confimed or denied. Just that Willow thought she'd throw it in pass it onto Buffy. And I passed it along, and you'll pass it along....LOL!

She made two phone calls once she was on the highway heading back. One phone call was to William to see how he was doing. He’d told her he was fine. Clem and him were just finishing lunch, and were heading back outside to continue working on the car.

An hour later, she got off the highway in Santa Ysabel and went past their road and headed into town. She had one more thing to do, before going home.

She pulled up in front of The Rittenhouse Restaurant and went in. It was between the lunch and dinner hours, so the restaurant was empty. She walked through the kitchen toward the back office. She heard rustling inside through the partly closed door. She knocked lightly.

"Come in," a voice called.

Buffy opened the door and looked over at the desk, there she was. A little older looking than when last she’d seen her, but still capable of running the restaurant.

"Elizabeth!" Edna said, rising slowly from her chair. Her expectant eyes asked it all.

Buffy smiled and nodded at her as she walked toward Edna, who had stood and was now coming around the desk. She held out her hands and Buffy took them in her own.

"William…?"

"Yes," Buffy nodded, "he’s very much alive and he’s home."

They embraced, Edna hugging Elizabeth tight. As they came apart, they both had tears in their eyes.

"When I got your message, I didn’t know if you were bringing William or not, I was so excited!"

"I’m sorry, I thought I mentioned it. I just wanted to drop by and see you by myself today, first."

"You probably did, I just…would you like some tea, dear?"

"Um…sure, if it’s not a bother."

"No bother," Edna said, motioning Elizabeth to take the seat in front of her desk.

Edna went over to the corner of the room, which had a small coffeepot full of hot water. Placing two tea bags into the cups she’d taken down from the cabinet, she poured the hot water over them, placed them, along with sugar and creamer on a tray and brought them over to the desk.

"Now, tell me everything," she said, as soon as Elizabeth had fixed her tea the way she liked it.

Buffy took a deep breath and proceeded to tell her the story, starting with when she last had spoken to her. She told her about the hospital, skipping the worst parts, but still, Edna’s eyes filled with tears and anger as she learned how William had been almost lost to them.

She gave Edna the short version of the past month, how they’d stayed at a friend’s cottage in Michigan while William recovered from his ordeal and the drive across country.

"And his memory? It’s come back?"

Buffy shook her head, "No, it hasn’t."

Edna’s eyes spilled over, "How very awful for you. And for him…poor dears…how is he then?"

"Please don’t cry. Actually, it’s not as bad as it sounds, I’d say that he’s doing remarkably well, considering…" she said, then went on to explain more of the specifics of his condition.

"He’s learning about computers and cars? That’s marvelous. Always knew 'me William' was a smart one," Edna said, lapsing back to a thick Irish brogue, when using ‘me,’ in the fondest of ways.

"Edna, that’s why I came over to see you today. I knew that you’d want to see him and he knows about you and wants to meet you, too. But he doesn’t have any memory of his ‘father,’ or ‘grandfather,’ having had connections to you and to the area. Or that his bro…er his grandfather’s brother bought up acres back when it was being mined for gold. William just knows that he owned the house before he…was lost. I think it might upset him if you mentioned them, or much of his distant past, at this point."

Edna nodded, "Of course I won’t. I’m glad you told me, I wouldn’t want William to be getting upset because of what comes out of an old lady’s mouth."

"You’re not old," Buffy said, smiling at her.

Edna just laughed, "Oh, but dear, I am. I’ve lived a very long time and I’ve seen a lot of things. Some things I can’t even explain…our William being one of them, but I suspect you know all about that," she said, looking steadily at Elizabeth, a bit of a twinkle in her eyes.

Buffy nodded. She didn’t know exactly how much Edna knew, or even what she might suspect. Best leave that under the heading of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’

Buffy left a short time later, promising that she’d bring William there for either lunch or dinner in the next few days.

She arrived home a short while later. She walked in and found William sitting at the kitchen table looking over the DeSoto manual.

"Hey."

"Hi," he said, coming over to her and giving her a kiss.

"Where’s Clem?"

"He went home a while ago. We have to get a part before we can do anything else on the car. But it’s coming along."

"I see," she said, "when did he leave?"

"Right after the last time you called to tell me you’d be home in about half an hour. Told him he needn’t stay to baby-sit me, if he had other things to do."

"Alright," she said. She would have to talk to Clem about this, about sticking around when she wasn’t there, but for now she let it drop.

"So, did you have to wait around much?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"For my papers?"

"Oh, no," she said, covering, "it was pretty quick, actually. None of the departments were too busy."

"I’m glad. Don’t like the idea of you having to stand around all day on my behalf. I felt guilty that I let you talk me out of going with you."

She kissed him, "Don’t be silly, William. It wasn’t a big deal. You had the car to work on anyway, and I got to blast my radio all the way to San Diego," she said grinning. They’d had some discussions about music and what was good music. It was sadly, an area where they were going to have to agree to disagree.

"Why don’t I go get out of these heels, put some of my junk down, then I can show them to you if you want."

"Okay," he said.

Buffy went into the bedroom and closed the door. She took all the papers out of the envelope from Willow, except for his university transcript. She couldn’t very well explain how she’d gotten a hold of that right now. She’d think up something later, when he needed it. She quietly opened the closet door, stood on a footstool and put it into the box that she’d moved off her bed the night they returned.

She stuck the new ‘old’ car registration and title in William’s name, in her dresser drawer. She’d give him this when they needed to go to the DMV.

William was waiting for her on the couch when she came out. She walked over to him and sat down, then gave him the manila envelope she had put the remaining documents into.

He took them out and studied them.

The paper read:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

STATE DEPARTMENT OF NATURALIZATION

Name: William Spencer Worthington

Date of Birth: 08/15/80

Place of Birth: London, England, U.K.

Date of Naturalization: 06/01/99

Next he took out the Social Security card, brand new attached to a rectangle piece of cardboard.

He read the directions on it and slowly folded the serrated edges around the card back and forth, until it would tear easily off of the surrounding card.

Buffy got up and went to the desk, bringing him back a pen and a notepad that he could put the card on.

He nodded at her and signed his name.

"Does this mean I’m not a citizen of England?"

"I guess not."

He shook his head; "None of it ‘feels’ right. I just wish I could remember…something, anything."

"I’m sorry," Buffy said, putting her head on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, "but it’s not like you can’t ever go over to England again, or something. Just nice that you’re all legal here, so you can…do whatever you want to do."

"And be with you," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Well, that has nothing to do with you being naturalized or unnatural…ized," she said, rolling her eyes so that he didn’t see.

"I still can’t drive, but at least I can get my own library card, eh?" he teased.

"Well, we’ll get you a driver’s manual, so you can start studying the rules, so that you can pass the test and get a driver’s permit. Then I can teach you to drive. In the meantime, yep, you can check out books to your heart’s content."

"And don’t forget about CD’s and Videos, books on tape…" he said, naming off half a dozen other uses for the library that Buffy rarely partook in.

"I see you learned a lot the other day," she said.

"Yeah, made friendly with the librarian," he said, smiling.

She jabbed him in the ribs.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Making friendly with the librarian. You’re not supposed to be ‘makin’ friendly’ with anybody but yours truly," she said, pulling his head down towards hers for a kiss.

He chuckled, "Do you count 70 year old librarians in with that, ‘anybody’ but yours truly?"

"I don’t know. Think I’ll have to check her out," Buffy said.

"I already checked her out, quite a dish, for her age," he parried, causing Buffy to dig her fingers into his side, tickling him.

"Oh, she’s really a good lookin’ old gal. Quite well read," he went on teasing, while trying to squirm away from her fingers.

"You are so going to get it," she said, and flung herself onto him as they tussled on the couch.

"981. 82," she whispered into his ear.

"What’s that?" he asked.

"It’s part of the Dewey Decimal System, how they organize books, or well, at least how they used to on little cards…think it’s all computerized now anyway. Isn’t it?"

He nodded; his eyes half-closed underneath Elizabeth, with her breath in his ear.

"I think I like the old system better, especially if sexy librarians read them to you," he said in a low voice, "tell me more."

She licked the outside of his ear and sucked on his earlobe, "549.73," she said in a soft, sexy voice.

"Um…again," he murmured.

"721.69," she said breathlessly into his ear.

"I think I’m in love," he said, and kissed her hard, as together, they melted into the leather couch and each other.

END CHAPTER 94

A few days later, William came into the house, excitedly calling her name.

"What is it?" she asked, coming into the kitchen, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, come see!" he said, and dragged her outside with him. In front of the house was Clem, sitting in the driver's seat of the DeSoto.

"Wow, you guys did it!" she said to William and Clem.

"Yep, good as new," Clem answered, "wanna go for a ride?"

"Um, sure. Hold on, let me get something," she said, running back into the house. She went to her dresser drawer and got out the registration.

Buffy got into the backseat and handed William the registration, "Have to have this," she said, "just put it in the glove compartment."

William looked at it thoughtfully as he read through the vital stuff. It was registered to him, with the name of a former Sunnydale insurer. The registration said it was from 2003.

He opened the glove compartment and pulled out another one, "What's this, then?" he asked, "This one says..."

Buffy reached around and grabbed the old one, crumpling it in her hand, "It's nothing. A mistake with the DMV, they sent you the wrong one, we just never threw it away."

"But why was that in here and not the other one?"

Buffy shrugged, "I don't recall. Don't worry about it, okay? Just put that one into the glove box."

A frown crossed William's face, but he did what Elizabeth asked him to do.

They took a ride into town, with Clem explaining to William all about the car, the gears, road signs, and general stuff he would need to know when he started driving.

"It rides well, you guys did a good job," Buffy said.

William beamed, "Yeah, we did, didn’t we?" he said, as he looked over at Clem, then over his shoulder at her.

Clem nodded.

The next day, Clem stopped over with a driver’s manual he’d picked up from the DMV.

"Thought you might want to start looking this over."

William nodded, "Thanks, I will."

"The test is done on a computer, just to let you know. Think it’s a touch screen."

"Oh. What’s a touch screen?"

"Nothing to worry about," Buffy said, "you just touch the right answer on the screen with your finger, and it registers it. Don’t even have to type."

"Sounds easy, then. At least the test taking part. Don’t know if I’ll be able to learn all this."

"Sure you will!" Buffy and Clem both said.

William grumbled something to himself as he looked through the booklet. "Glad you both think so. Right then, I’d best go and study up," he said.

"You don’t have to do it right now," Buffy said.

"Yes, I do," he said, as he walked into the living room.

"He seems excited," Clem said.

"More like scared," Buffy replied, "I hope we’re not pushing him too fast."

"He’s alright Buffy, he really is. He’s got a lot of hopes."

"Hopes?"

"Yeah. Guy stuff," Clem said, clearing his throat, "but in order to have any independence, he really does need to learn to drive. Unless you’re planning on driving him around the rest of his life…oh sorry, I didn’t mean to say…"

"It’s alright, Clem. I know what you’re saying. I just…I just worry, ya know?"

"I know."

"Aren’t you coming to bed?" Elizabeth asked around midnight.

"In a little while, I just want to go over this one more time."

She came up to him and shut the booklet; "You’ve done enough for now."

He moaned, "Elizabeth!"

"Come on. You already passed the practice test online. Twice. And you probably know more of the rules than I do. You’ll do fine. Besides, there wasn’t any rush, you don’t have to take the test tomorrow."

"I know that, I just want to. I want to be able to…do stuff…drive, take you places, too," he said, looking up at her in his most charming, ‘why-don’t-I-just-melt-you-where-you-are-standing?’ way he had when he wanted her agreement.

"I know," she sighed, "but there’s no use in over-studying this stuff. You went to college, you should know cramming isn’t the best way. Get some sleep first; then your brain will be nice and fresh to look it over in the morning.

He laughed, "Nice and fresh brain, huh?"

She rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean. Come on," she said, holding out her hand to him, giving him her most winsome female look. He wasn’t the only one who could play that game.

"Okay," he said, and allowed himself to be dragged off to bed. As if that was a bad thing.

July 23, 2008

Wednesday

8:00am

Buffy opened her eyes to see William standing next to the bed, fully dressed in his nicest clothes and holding out a breakfast tray.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," he said.

"What time is it?"

"It’s already 8:00am."

"And you’re waking me up this early, because why?"

"I want to take my permit test," he replied.

She moaned and pulled the covers over her head.

"Elizabeth! Come on!" he begged, pulling the covers back off.

"William, do you know they probably don’t even open for another couple of hours?"

"Nope, they open in one hour. I checked," he said, "and if we get there early, then we won’t have to wait in a line for long, if at all."

She sat up in bed, shaking her head, and allowed him to put the tray down over her lap. She picked up the coffee cup and sipped it.

"How long have you been up?"

"Um…got up about 6:30. Showered, dressed, looked over the booklet again. Took the test online again. You were right, much fresher today. Didn’t miss any! Oh, and then made you breakfast."

She grinned, his enthusiasm contagious, "Okay, you win. Just let me get some coffee in me, then we can go."

"No, you’ve got time to eat, too. Don’t want you going on an empty stomach. If we leave in 40 or 45 minutes, we’ll get there by 9:00am right when they open."

"Anal, much?" she muttered.

"What?"

"Nevermind. Did you eat?"

He nodded, "Had some coffee and a muffin already."

Buffy stopped in midair with a drink of coffee.

He cocked his head at her, "What?"

"I was just thinking about your car. We need to get it insured before you can drive it. If we do that now, then we can get a new plate on it and register it today, too."

"That’s good," he said.

"Can you bring me the phone?"

"Sure," he said, going to get it.

"Oh, my purse, too," she called.

"Okay."

Buffy took the phone from him, and looked up her insurance agent’s number in her phone’s memory log, then pressed the corresponding number.

"Hello, Allstate, this is Barbara Macintosh."

"Barbara? This is Elizabeth Worthington."

"Hi, Elizabeth, what’s up?"

Buffy told the agent about needing to insure the car. She had thought she might need to put it under her name, since William wasn’t yet licensed, but that wasn’t the case. Barbara told her anybody could own and insure a car, even if they didn’t drive it. She gave Barbara all the vitals on William as far as his age, Social Security number, car model, VIN number, and other stuff. They decided on what sort of coverage was needed and the deed was done.

"Okay, Elizabeth, I’ve got the DeSoto insured in William Worthington’s name now, effective at noon today," Barbara said.

"Really? That quick?"

Barbara laughed, "Yes, it would be even quicker, except Allstate’s doing some system maintenance until around then. But as soon as the system boots back up, his insurance will be in effect. He ought to receive his insurance card in about a week."

"Won’t the DMV need to see it, though?"

"I don’t know. Just give them the policy number that I gave you, it should be okay. Here’s the verification number, too. That should do it."

"Come on!" William called from the doorway.

"I’m coming, I’m coming! Sheesh!"

She started walking out to the car and was just about to get in when she remembered the title was still in her drawer, "Wait," she said.

He groaned.

"Impatient much? You do want me to get the title so we can get it all taken care of today, don’t you?"

"Yesss," he said, rolling his eyes and tapping his foot impatiently.

"Yesss," she mimicked him once back in the house, retrieving the title. God, he could be so infuriating in his one-tracked mind. She grinned. "Obviously, some things never change, huh, Spike?"

They arrived at the DMV at 9:15am. There was already a line. They took a ticket; it read ‘10’ on it.

"See, I told you we should have gotten here earlier," William said, exasperated.

"Well, maybe you should’ve gotten me up earlier then. In fact, maybe we should’ve just pitched a tent here overnight so we would be first in line," she said, smiling at him, although her eyes were anything but.

He swallowed, "I’m sorry for being such a prig…I’m just nervous and wanted to get it over as quickly as possible," he said, taking her hand.

"It’s okay. Don’t be nervous, you’re going to do fine," she said, relenting, and squeezing his hand back.

"You sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

Half an hour later, they were called to the counter.

"He’s here to take his test for a permit," Buffy said first.

The girl looked over at him as if to ask what a guy his age was doing just now getting a permit, but she quickly hid it. She’d seen all kinds of people of all ages getting permits. Just this one looked more or less normal, and like he should’ve been driving at least a dozen years. Oh well, maybe he’d been in prison since he was a teenager or something.

"Um…miss?" Buffy said.

"Oh, sure, fill this out, then take it over to the lady behind the green counter over there. It cost $10 to take the test. Afterwards, they take your picture and then they’ll give you your permit."

"Thanks," Buffy said to the girl.

"William, why don’t we fill this out, then you can take the test? Afterwards, we’ll get back in line for the car stuff."

"Shouldn’t we do it all now?"

"No, you should probably go and get the test over with. As soon as you start taking it, I’ll grab another number, that way by the time you’re all done, it will probably be time for us to go up to the counter again."

He nodded, absentmindedly, his thought on the papers in front of him and on the upcoming test.

They stood in line another 10 minutes before they could pay for the test. The woman who took their money showed William the bank of computer terminals and had him choose one. As soon as he was seated, she came over and explained to him what to do. She smiled at Elizabeth as she walked back behind the counter, "Don’t worry, he’ll do fine," she said.

"I know."

Buffy went to get another number and to wait until William was done with the test.

Ten minutes later he came back around the partition. He looked nervous, as he came and took a seat beside her.

"How’d you do?" she asked.

"Don’t know yet. I think I did okay."

"I think so, too, just…"

"William Worthington," called the woman behind the counter.

They got up and went to the counter.

"Congratulations, you passed your permit test," said the woman, smiling, "in fact, you aced it. You didn’t miss any!"

William let out a sigh of relief, "Whew!"

Buffy reached over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I knew you would," she whispered.

He put his arm around her, giving her a squeeze and looked at her, smiling.

"You ready for your picture?" asked the woman, "sign this first. Good. Now, go sit down over there," she said, motioning him to a chair in front of a blue backdrop.

"Okay, ready, set…" Click went the camera, and it was done.

A few minutes later, William was the proud owner of a new driver’s permit. And he did look mighty proud of himself, Buffy thought as she watched him turning over the permit in his hands, as they waited to be called again.

Part 2 of ‘Fun at the DMV,’ was not so much…well, fun. Buffy had to practically strong-arm the clerk, to get her to believe that indeed, William Worthington did have insurance coverage for the DeSoto, only they didn’t yet have a card to prove it.

"Well, why don’t you just come back with the card next week?" the girl had asked.

"Because we want to get the car plated today. And why don’t you just call this number if you need proof?" Buffy had suggested, none-too-kindly.

"We aren’t allowed to make phone calls to prove if you’ve got insurance, that’s what an insurance card is for."

"But he does have insurance, and we should be able to get plates today. I have the policy number, the verification number, even! Surely, there’s got to be some way we can do this!"

And so it went back and forth for a number of minutes.

William pulled gently on her arm, "Come on Elizabeth, we can just come back after the card comes."

She shook his arm off, "No, we shouldn’t need the card, if we’ve got the number and our insurance agent said you’re insured today."

Finally, the clerk’s supervisor came over and talked to Buffy and after a few minutes of discussion and one phone call, they were able to plate and register the car.

Another clerk did have to come outside to take a look at the actual car, verify the VIN number, and do some quick, visual safety checks.

Buffy held her breath while the VIN number was cross-referenced with the DMV’s databanks. Silently, she thanked Willow, when it all checked out fine.

By the time they finally left the DMV, it was almost 11:30am. They’d been there a little more than 2 hours. Pretty par for the course. Buffy had to admit that if they hadn’t gotten there as early as they had, they probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day until it was late afternoon. The last time she’d looked up at the sign, it had been on number 39, but when she went by the ticket thing-y, the next number was 84. That would have been a really, really long wait!

Buffy opened up purse and took out a small screwdriver that was attached to a Swiss army knife that she carried, "Here," she said, handing him the new plate, "maybe we should change the plate, before some policeman notices that the date on it is about 6 years old."

He looked the Swiss army knife, "Interesting contraption," he said, taking it from her.

"Former Girl Scout, here," she said.

He wasn’t sure what that was, but he imagined that if it meant that Elizabeth was always prepared, then he believed it. He knew that the only reason that he was standing there right now with a new license plate and registration was because of her insistence and determination in the face of a ‘clerk,’ who didn’t want to go the distance necessary.

For that matter, the only reason he was here, with her, and not stuck in some mental ward was because of her, too.

He attached the new plate, and she gave him the sticker that said, ‘08’ to affix to the little square after the ’20.’

"There, all done," he said, pushing the screwdriver back into it’s slot in her gadget, "now, when can I start learning to drive?"

END CHAPTER 95

CONT. CH. 96 - 100

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