A Few Too Many Revelations
By Jadedragon
Part 9
Name: A Few Too Many Revelations
Author: Jadedragon
Email: blm55@bellsouth.net
Spoilers: Season 4
Disclaimer: Not mine, Buffy and company belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy and the WB.
Rating: NC 17
Summary: Buffy discovers her true feelings for Giles, tells him then everything goes to hell.
Buffy had finally gotten Giles to go home for a few hours to shower, shave, and change. He told her he would also gather his weapons to start slayer training to help her control her strength. She was scared of the strength that she didn't remember how to control, and she didn't want to hurt anyone. She wondered what other powers she had been given when she had been called as the slayer, but whatever they were she trusted Rupert to help her come to terms with and understand the powers she had been given. As she went downstairs, she heard a knock on the door and went to answer it.
She opened the door and a tall young man was standing on the doorstep. He had bruises on his face and seemed familar. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"Buffy, I know you're angry with me, but can we talk?" he asked.
"Do I know you? I don't remember."
"Riley, come in," Joyce came up behind Buffy and invited her daughter's former boyfriend in.
"Buffy, this is Riley. You and he were dating before you and Rupert got together," she told her daughter.
Riley looked at Buffy, seeing confusion on her face he turned to her mother. "Ms. Summers, what happened?" he asked as she led them to the living room.
"I've lost my memory and I don't remember the last four years," Buffy told him. "I don't remember you at all."
"Buffy, it's alright," her mom told her. "Steve asked him over today to talk to him about the last year."
"Joyce," William called as he entered the room looking for the woman he loved. "Willow and Tara have breakfast ready and...." his voice went quiet when he saw Riley sitting by Buffy. "What are you doing here?"
"Mr. Summers, I just..."
"Mayfair, my name is William Mayfair," William turned to Buffy, "Buffy, why don't you go and get some breakfast and tell Steve that Riley is here."
"Why did he call you Mr. Summers? Why do I feel pain around him?" she asked.
"Buffy, your mother and I will explain that later. Right now you need to eat so you'll get your strength back," he pleaded with her.
"Ok, I'll tell Steve," she told them as she left the room with more questions than answers.
Once she had left the room, William turned to Riley, anger in his eyes. "You are one of the reasons she has lost her memory and if you know what is good for you, you will answer Steve's questions and leave. I don't want to see you back here."
"William, he cares for Buffy, too and I'm as much to blame as he is. Buffy will be all right. She is already remembering more. Joyce turned to Riley "Riley, Buffy had too many stresses the other day and has lost her memory of the last four years. Her psyche is very fragile at the moment and we are trying to help her to remember. She's remembered feelings more than people. I don't think that you need to stay here any longer than it takes for you to answer Steve's questions." Joyce told the young man as Steve entered the room. "Steve, this is Riley." Joyce introduced them and pulled William out of the room to leave the two to discuss the relationship Buffy had with Riley.
As they turned to the stairs William turned to Joyce the pain in his eyes very clear. "Joyce, I love her so much. I know that I've only just met her, but she is a part of me. I want so much to make everything all right, but I can't. I want to tell her how special she is to me. I want her to know she's my daughter and that I love her."
"William, you'll get that chance, but we have to be patient," Joyce told William as she took him into her arms and comforted him, as his tears began to flow. "Buffy is strong and she will get through this. We will help her get through this."
"Joyce, why didn't I find you all those years ago? Why did I believe your parents and not look for you? That is the greatest regret of my life. Hank spent all those years with Buffy when she was growing up and I never knew I even had a daughter," William told her as he lifted his head looking in Joyce's eyes, then past her into his daughter's surprised expression.
"William, are you really my father?" Buffy asked quietly.
Joyce turned quickly and saw the surprised expression on her daughter's face. She didn't know how to handle the situation and looked to William for help.
"Joyce, will you leave us alone for a bit?" William asked her. "I'll join the others for breakfast. If you need me, either of you, just call." she told them as she left placing her hands on their shoulders and giving both of them a brief squeeze before she left.
William took Buffy's hand and pulled her to sit beside him on the stairs. He looked into his daughters eyes and saw pain and confusion there. "Buffy, I met your mother when she was a freshman in college and was having trouble with some of her classes. I became her tutor and helped her to pass her first semester. We continued to study together and soon fell in love. She stayed the summer to take some classes to get ahead and to stay with me. Her parents came up one weekend soon after the semester started, took one look at me, saw how much older I was and took her home with them." William looked into Buffy's eyes, " I didn't know she was carrying you at the time, she had just found out and was going to tell me that night. She was forced, by her parents, to marry Hank Summers, who she had dated in high school. I tried to see her and was told that she didn't want to see me, ever again. It broke my heart, but I never forgot her. I never married, I couldn't let another woman in my life, I loved Joyce too deeply. I never knew about you until the other night." William saw tears in her eyes reflecting his own.
"Do you still love my mom?" Buffy asked hesitantly.
"With all my heart. I hope, after you're better, to marry her. Buffy, I want to get to know her again and to get to know you. I thought life had passed me by and now I find the woman I have loved for so long and a daughter I didn't even know I had. I know that we are strangers, I just want a chance to know you. Do you think you can give an old fool a chance?"
Buffy looked at William, the tears in his eyes trying to spill down his cheeks. She knew he had told her the truth. She could look back and see all the hints that Hank Summers had given her. He did love her, but she knew that he was not her father.
"William, I don't know what exactly to say. I've always wondered why Hank felt so distant at times. I guess I know now," she told him as she reached out to hug him.
**********
As Joyce walked to the kitchen she heard a knock at the front door and went to open it. There was Hank Summers, finally showing some interest in Buffy.
"Joyce, how is she? I got back into town last night and got the message."
"Come in Hank," Joyce told him. "She is as well as can be expected, her whole world was shattered, she was shattered and we are trying to put the pieces together again."
"Where is she?"
"Talking with William on the stairs."
"William?"
"Yes, Hank, William Mayfair, her real father."
Hank Summers walked away from his ex-wife toward the stairs.
**********
"Buffy, I don't want to take Hank's place in your life, I know he has been your Dad and raised you to be the fine young woman you are. I just want a chance to get to know you, and maybe we can be friends."
"William, you could never take Hank's place because over the last years he hasn't had a place. He makes plans with me and cancels them. As for raising me, mom did more of that than he ever did. He's never around when I need him. He has been around even less since we moved to Sunnydale.... I remembered," Buffy reached out to hug William. "I remembered!" She started crying in William's arms and he held her tightly.
William felt a presence and looked up in to Hank Summers surprised face.
"What's wrong with Buffy? Why is she crying?" Hank asked William.
"She has remembered something else about her life here in Sunnydale. She has started remembering bits and pieces." William told him before turning back to Buffy. "Are you alright?"
"William, I've remembered a lot about Angel, could you have mom call Rupert. I need him," she told him in a small voice.
"Buffy, I'll go call him. What have you remembered?" her mom asked.
"Angel," she sobbed, "and what he did to Rupert!"
Buffy was crying so hard, William picked her up and took her up stairs and sat her on her bed. He held her as she cried as if the world were coming to an end. Hank watched as William soothed his daughter and tried to calm her down. He saw Joyce and grabbed her arm and pulled her down the stairs.
"Joyce, why is he here?"
"He came to see me."
"Why, I thought he didn't want your baby!"
"Hank, where did you get that idea? He never knew I was pregnant. I never got the chance to tell him. I told you that."
"Your dad said that he knew and threw you out. He said that you didn't want to believe he didn't want you so you pretended he didn't know."
"They lied. I now realize that they did anything they could to keep me from William. They told me that he called to say that he was moving and never wanted to see me again."
"They lied to both of us."
"Yes, Hank; they did, but right now that's not important. Buffy has lost her memory of the past four years and has just remembered a very tramatic time for her and Rupert. I have to go call him." Joyce told him as she reached for the phone.
Hank watched as Joyce spoke with the man on the phone. "He will be here shortly, he lives close."
"Who is Rupert?"
"Buffy's boyfriend." Joyce told him, not mentioning the age difference.
Joyce entered the room and saw Buffy still crying in William's arms. Steve entered the room with a syringe and gave Buffy a shot to calm her. As she started to drift off, Hank saw a man around his age come into the room and take William's place.
"Luv, it's alright. I'm here. What did you remember?"
"Angel, he became Angelus after we made love, he killed Jenny and he tortured you, and I ran away leaving you all alone," she cried.
"Shh, Buffy, it's alright. Your safe, I'm safe. That was a long time ago. We'll work through all of this. Just remember that I love you. Now lay down and go back to sleep." he told her as he kissed her forehead.
"Will you hold me as I sleep?"
"Luv, I'll hold you until you go to sleep. I think that I need to talk to your dad and mum. If you wake up, I'll be just downstairs. Tara and Anya will stay with you." He told her as he stroked her hair and lay beside her holding her as she fell asleep. When he was finally he was able to get her to go to sleep he gently covered her with the comforter before motioning the others out of the room.
Hank couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing. This man was telling his daughter he loved her. He was old enough to be her father. It was a good thing he had come when he did. He would get this mess straightened out and get this Rupert out of Buffy's life for good! She needed a nice college boy, like the lad he had seen downstairs.
End Part Nine
