Chapter 19
“Your children are so well-behaved, Buffy. Not to mention extremely adorable.”
Buffy nodded and graced Darla with another smile that she wasn’t feeling. The other woman insisted on accompanying her to the store. She claimed that she wanted to get to know the woman of the house better, but Buffy was finding that hard to believe. Darla has done nothing but suck up to her and she was starting to wonder why. No one could possibly be that nice. “Thanks, I like to think so.”
“Spike is such a great father. You’re so lucky to have a man like him in your life.”
Buffy nodded again. “Believe me; I know how lucky I am. He’s a great man, I couldn’t be happier. So, what’s your story? Is there a special someone in your life?”
Darla looked away. “Not at the moment. There was a while ago, but it didn’t really work out. He couldn’t handle the fact that I’m not able to have children and decided to look elsewhere.”
Buffy detected a bitter tone in her voice and decided not to ask anymore questions.
They just continued the rest of the walk in silence.
* * * * *
Buffy entered the house after a tiring day at work to hear laughter coming from the living room. She headed in there to see Spike and Darla sitting on the couch, both laughing about something. She cleared her throat to get their attention.
“Care to let me in on the joke?”
Darla gave her a smile. “Spike was just telling me one of his many stories. The children are so lucky to have a great storyteller like him around.”
Buffy noticed him blush and raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, he’s the best. Honey, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment? I need your opinion about something.”
Spike got up and followed her into the kitchen.
Buffy glared at him once they were alone. “What’s going on in there? You two seem pretty friendly, a little too friendly if you ask me.”
Spike shrugged. “We were just talking, Buffy. It was completely innocent. What? Would you not want me to talk to the woman that’s caring for our children at all? She seems like a nice enough bird. I think you just need to give her a chance.”
Buffy rubbed her eyes. “I’m trying, but there’s just something that doesn’t feel right about her. She was practically all over you in there and when we were out the other day, she couldn’t stop asking questions about you.”
Spike rubbed her arms to calm her. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing, love. There is no reason for you to be jealous. You know that I could never be interested in another woman. She’s just the nanny, that’s all.”
Buffy let out a sigh. “You’re right, there’s no reason for me to get all crazy about this. I’m sorry,” she said with a pout.
Spike smiled and placed a tender kiss on her pouty lips. He never could resist when she did that. “I love you, baby. You’re the only one for me. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah, just like you’re the only one for me.”
“God, I don’t think we could possibly be anymore of a mushy couple.”
Buffy slapped his chest playfully. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, planting a more passionate kiss on her lips.
* * * * *
Darla was steamed as she watched them hold each other, too wrapped up in their caress to notice her spying. She would not let anything ruin her plans, especially not a little ditz like Buffy. Darla always got what she wanted and this was no exception. Her last jobs might not have worked out, but she would not mess this one up. She wanted Spike from the first moment that she laid eyes on him. He would soon be all hers and Buffy Summers would be nothing but a memory.
* * * * *
Spike could tell that Buffy was not happy to be called into work later that night, apparently a huge shipment came in and they needed her help. He kissed her goodbye and told her that he would probably be in bed when she got home. He hated when she left for work, but knew it was important to her. He just missed having her around all the time. Spike made his way upstairs and saw that the light was on in Darla’s room. He just shrugged and was about to go to his room, but her voice in the doorway stopped him.
“Spike, I’m glad you’re there. Could you help me with something?”
He nodded and walked into her room, feeling tired and wondering what she wanted.
Darla gave him one of her bright smiles. “Sorry to bother you. I was just getting ready for bed and can’t seem to get the zipper down on the back of my dress. Could you help me?”
Spike didn’t think that was such a good idea, but figured it wouldn’t hurt. It’s not like he would actually take a peek at her. He would just help her with the dress and then leave.
She turned around and moved her hair out of the way.
Spike sighed and pulled her zipper down, taking a step back once he was done. “Right, I’ll just be going now.”
Darla placed her hand on his arm. “What’s the hurry?” She pulled away and lowered the rest of her dress, so she was just in her skimpy lingerie.
Spike gulped and knew that he was in trouble.
* * * * *
Buffy was glad that she ran into Angel at the Bronze. She got out of the shop earlier than she thought and stopped at the club for a drink. He was nice enough to offer her a ride home. She really needed to start driving more. She didn’t like the idea of Spike or her friends driving her everywhere. Walking was pretty much all she did, but she was getting tired of it.
Angel could tell immediately that something was bothering the blonde. “You okay, Buffy?” he wondered when the silence in the car became too much for him.
Buffy only shook her head. She told Spike that she was crazy for being worried about Darla, but she still couldn’t help the bad feeling that she had. She looked at Angel and realized that it might make her feel better to talk about it. “It’s not really important. Spike just hired this new nanny and I’m getting a bad vibe from her. I know I should just let it go, but I can tell that Darla’s been flirting with him. I just don’t think he realizes it.”
Angel glanced at her quickly when they were at a red light. “Did you say Darla?”
Buffy nodded and wondered why he was looking at her funny, but he wasn’t finished.
“Darla Hart?”
She was surprised by that. “Yeah, how did you know?”
Angel let out a breath. “I think you might have a reason to worry. Darla was our nanny about a year ago. Cordelia fired her because she had a habit of coming on to me. I didn’t notice it at first, either. It wasn’t until she tried to kiss me that I knew she was trouble. We were happy to get rid of her after that. I didn’t want that kind of influence around my kids. If this is the same woman, you need to do something about her fast. If she’s after Spike, there’s no telling how far she’ll go. She became obsessed with me after my wife got rid of her, constantly sending me letters and leaving notes on our doorstep. It wasn’t until Cordy filed a restraining order that she left us alone.”
Buffy felt like she was going to be sick. She just knew that woman was no good. Her eyes widened when something suddenly occurred to her. Spike was alone with Darla right now. She prayed that they would be able to get there in time. Buffy trusted Spike completely, but she did not trust that woman. One way or another, they were going to get her out of their lives for good.