Days in the Sun
July 12th, 2013 – England (2)
Lisa was practically bouncing with excitement around Giles, watching everything with interest and questioning anything that seemed strange to an American teenager visiting London. He couldn’t help but smile at her antics. No doubt whose daughter she was, certainly, even if he hadn’t seen Spike that hyperactive in many, many years. Checking the number scribbled on a piece of paper, he pointed out to a door on the other side of the street. He had been there before, but it had only been once, when Lisa was merely a couple of months old, and his memories were fuzzy around the edges. It didn’t help that all the houses in this street looked exactly the same.
“That’s the one. You still have the key?”
The question was purely rhetorical. She had been clutching the house’s key, given to her by her parents before she had left Sunnydale, ever since they had left his house. She showed it to him, a small, old-fashioned iron key, and bounced to the door. He heard her take a deep breath as she slid the key into the lock, and her hand was a little shaky when she turned the knob and pushed the door open. He gave her a minute, then followed in.
“You think they’re there yet?”
Spike gave a look at the alarm clock before returning his attention to the naked Slayer nestled in his arms. No need to ask whom she was talking about.
“Probably,” he whispered sleepily, his thumb drumming a soft tattoo on her shoulder.
It was still early in Sunnydale, but it was already afternoon in England. Giles and Lisa were certainly already in the old house where she had been born a little more than twelve years before. Spike wished it had been Buffy and him with her, but they had done all they could to make her feel that they were there with her, with a few phone calls and a couple of letters sent before their daughter had even left. It would have to be enough.
Stepping in quietly, as if afraid to awaken old ghosts, she walked into the house, barely aware of her Uncle Giles’ presence behind her. The door opened into a small entrance, and directly beyond that laid a living room. She took note of the cupboard, shelves that hosted a handful of books and even more vases, a sofa and three armchairs disposed around a coffee table made out of glass. In the center of that table was a white envelope, her name written on it in a careful penmanship she instantly recognized. Grinning, she sat down on the sofa and reached for the envelope, carefully opening it without tearing it. She pulled out the letter and started reading, glancing up at Giles for a second when he sat down across from her.
“Your parents?” he asked, and for some reason he sounded amused. She only nodded, too caught up in the words already to bother replying aloud. Following the instructions written for her, she rose and, looking around, quickly found the stairs. Giles didn’t follow her, for that she was grateful.
We wish we could have been with you today, and give you the grand tour in person; but since it wasn’t possible, we thought about doing this. We can still guide you through the house where you came to life, and make you feel, maybe, as if we were with you.
Right now, you should be in the living room. Not much to say about it. Your mum wants me to write that the day after you were born the whole place was full of red roses, which would be why there are still so many vases around. She kept some of the flowers, dried them; we’ll show you once you get upstairs.
The stairs are opposite the entrance of the room. Go ahead, now. Up you go.
He remembered the first time he had entered this same house, so happy after more than a year of misery to find Buffy alive and well. He remembered sitting – in this very same seat, if he wasn’t mistaken – and being offered a drink. An old scotch, hadn’t it been? The drink had proved to be much needed when Buffy had explained what had happened to her, and Spike had brought down the baby girl who was now exploring the second floor. Frowning slightly, Giles suddenly wondered if, maybe…
Getting to his feet, he went to the cupboard, which he had a vague memory of seeing used as storage for Spike’s liquor. He couldn’t suppress a laugh when, right between a clean tumbler and a bottle of the same scotch he had drunk a dozen years before – it even seemed to be the same bottle – he discovered a white envelope bearing his name in what he recognized as Buffy’s handwriting. Helping himself to a finger of liquor, he returned to his seat and opened his letter.
Lisa looked around, wondering briefly if she had entered the wrong room. The letter said it was a nursery, but she couldn’t see any clue to that. A large bed that seemed freshly made, a bouquet of white roses on top of a dresser, and… oh, maybe it was the nursery after all, for right there, by the window, was a cradle. There even was a plush toy inside it.
We weren’t exactly ready for your arrival, and you spent your very first night in the next room, cradled between your mum and me. But the next day we got you your very own bed. Ain’t it pretty?
She had to admit that it was. Lovely white wood, all soft curves and engraved little flowers. The linens were clean but the pastel animals printed on them were a little faded. She touched the bed lightly before giving a squeeze to the plush rabbit, wondering if it had been one of her first toys. She picked up her letter again, but couldn’t find her answer.
That’s it for this room. The one next door was your mum’s and mine. The dried roses she kept should be in the dresser.
Don’t be upset. It was Spike’s idea to put the letter there, and in no way a criticism of… anything. Not that I think there’s anything to criticize. I’ll glare at him for you, OK?
First, thank you so much for what you’re doing for Lisa. It meant a lot to her to come to England – and it means a lot to me that you were here for her, as you were always for me.
Next… I hope we’re not asking too much, but we have a request for you. We reserved a table for Lisa and you at a nice restaurant for tonight. It’s the very first restaurant she dined in, although she was too young to appreciate their cuisine! I’m sure you will tonight, though.
It’s a black tie kind of thing, so we had appropriate clothes for both of you placed upstairs. Yours should be in the third room down the hall. A taxi will come to get you at 7.30 and will bring you back to your own place afterwards. Everything is taken care of, you just have to show up there and enjoy.
Thank you.
Love,
Buffy
Now, we have a surprise for you, luv. Go back to the nursery, and open the first drawer of the dresser.
Excitement battling curiosity, she rushed back to the first room and left the letter on the bed as she went to open the dresser. She gasped when she saw what was in there, and, delighted, pulled out the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was even prettier than the gown she had worn at her parents’ wedding. Made of dark blue velvet with embroidery at the collar and around the bottom, it had short sleeves and a long skirt. There were shoes in the same color at the back of the drawer. Clutching the dress to her, Lisa returned to her letter and sat down on the edge of the bed to read.
Your Uncle Giles will take you to a restaurant you, your mum and I went to together when you were a few months old. It’s a very classy place, so you’ll have to be on your best behavior, luv. We’re sure you’ll have a lot of fun. Remember that we’re always with you.
Love,
Dad
The characters and names used in these stories do not belong to me. All copyrights remain with Fox and Mutant Enemy. No profit is made from this fanfiction.