Subject: [SpikesSalvation] Phoenix Dreams- Chapter 29 Date: Sat, 1 Nov 2003 10:26:10 -0800 (PST) From: Jerusha Hancock Reply-To: SpikesSalvation@yahoogroups.com To: SpikesSalvation@yahoogroups.com Chapter 29 "So what is this place again?" Buffy asked. She was trying to keep herself from drooling over William, who was wearing a dark blue suit and a light blue shirt. She still couldn't believe how rarely he wore black anymore, though she had a sneaking suspicion that having been married had something to do with that. "It's Lorne's," William replied simply. "He set it up about a year ago, said he wanted to have something on the side, along with what he does with Wolfram & Hart." He smiled at her. "It's considered neutral territory, so demons and humans can drink side by side without violence." "That actually works?" Buffy asked skeptically. "The handy anti-violence spell he has helps," he replied. Buffy could hardly believe her eyes when she walked in, and William was enjoying her reaction. The bar, or nightclub really, was tastefully decorated in bright colors. Along with the dim lighting, the décor gave it a festive feel. There was a live band on stage, but that was only the early entertainment. William knew that in a few hours, as drinks flowed, the karaoke would get underway. "There's our table," he murmured, directing her to a private booth where Fred and Wes were already sitting. "Hello, Buffy," Wes greeted her. "Glad you could make it." "It's an interesting place," Buffy replied, referring to the varied clientele rather than the club itself. "Lorne's is an experience," Fred agreed. "He was really excited about you coming. I think he wanted to do a reading." "A reading?" Buffy's eyebrows went up. "Lorne reads auras," Wes explained briefly. "While you sing." "I'm not singing," Buffy said flatly. William's lips twitched. He'd said the same thing, and he'd been up on the stage before the night was out. Of course, he had stubbornly waited until after closing, so there wasn't an audience. But he'd ended up singing. "Whatever you say, luv," he agreed casually. "Do you want somethin' to drink?" "Sure, whatever he's got on tap would be good," Buffy said, watching fondly as he left. "You've been good for him," Wesley said quietly, surprising her. "I'm sorry?" Wes smiled. "You've been good for him. He's happier with you around." "Now that he's actually talking to you," Fred clarified. "We've been trying to get him to go out for a while now, but he's pretty focused on Ty. Not that that's a bad thing," she hastened to add. "Because we all love him. It just wasn't that healthy." Buffy watched as he leaned against the bar, exchanging pleasantries with the bartender. "He's different," she admitted quietly. "More than I thought he was at first, you know. But it's not bad. It's like all the rough edges got smoothed out, and everything that wasn't him isn't there anymore. William doesn't pretend like Spike did sometimes." "William is probably one of the most genuine people I've ever known," Wesley stated. "Even Angel, with all their history, likes him. Sometimes it's more for Ty's sake than anything else, but I believe they balance one another. And William, more than anyone, will tell him the truth. It can be quite refreshing." And Wes's lips twitched as he recalled one particularly pointed statement William had made. Something about taking his head out of his arse and ending his brooding. It had been vaguely reminiscent of Cordelia. Buffy smiled. "Yeah, well, and some things never change." Then William came back to the table with their drinks, and they all proceeded to have a great time. It turned out that the Slayer was just as stubborn as William, and when she did sing for Lorne it was without an audience. She never told anyone what he read for her that night. All William ever did know was that it made her happy, and she seemed at peace with it. Buffy, for her part, never forgot Lorne's words. "You're on the right path, sweetheart," he said. "I don't get to tell people that very often, but you are. Stick with what you're doing and you'll get your heart's desire, and I don't think I need to tell you what that is." A good future, indeed. "But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed." 2 Cor 4:7-9 ---------------------------------