The Way We Were

London, late 1800's

She looked at the boy in the corner breathing new life into the dwindling fire and stood, her hands smoothing down her skirts. Angelus looked up from his chair by the fire and watched her as she elegantly crossed the room to the fledgling vampire's side as he added more coal to the fire, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"You're going to snuff the fire completely if you keep adding those" Darla warned peering down at him as he wiped a sooty hand across his brow and looked up at her in a mixture of apprehension and annoyance.

"I'm trying, Madam" Will addressed her, cringing as her satin heel kicked his hand knocking the coal from it.

"You're not trying hand enough then" she remarked and turned to her childe, "Angelus, show the boy how to rekindle a fire, it's getting a bit frosty in here"

Angelus let out a growl of annoyance and shoved Will aside roughly as he quickly blew into the fire and then added coals slowly as the flame rose from a wispy blue glimmer to an orange blaze.

Darla watched, satisfied at Angelus worked and kicked her sooty grandchilde again for good measure, "I trust you now how to make a fire now Will?"

"Yes, Madam"

"So you'll do it correctly the next time" It wasn't a question but a statement as Darla expected no less from him. She turned and walked back to her chair, sitting down and arranging her skirts around her in a dignified fashion.

Angelus got to his feet and dusted off his hands before resuming his seat across from her, "Go find your sister, boy. Make she she's not getting herself into too much trouble"

Will nodded, happy to have a reason to go find Dru and get away from his sires. They'd been beating him with more frequently now, and Darla was even taking part which was unexpected since she'd always said she was too much of a lady to deal with disciplining childer.

Darla glanced sharply at Angelus, her lip curled in slight annoyance, "Don't you teach the boy anything?" she asked, "He doesn't know how to build a fire, he doesn't hunt on his own because he can't be trusted not to go get himself hurt and he talks back when he's reprimanded. Really Angelus, we need to just stake him and get it over with. Let Drusilla pick another boy, and this time I'll approve him."

Angelus shifted in his chair uncomfortably, he knew Will was useless at the moment, but he would learn, it would just take longer then it had with Dru. Why did Darla always have to question him? "You said the same for Dru when she was first sired and look at her now, she's your pet" he reminded her calmly.

"Yes" Darla agreed and stayed silent for a moment, staring into the fire, looking like she was lost in thought while she watched the pale yellow flames jump and dance against the brick fireplace. "But how many childer do we need? It was so much simpler when it was just us, we could just pick up and go somewhere, we stayed out almost until the sun rose and then we'd spend the night in one of our victims homes. Now we've become so…domesticated" she said with disgust.

"You want to leave London?" Angelus asked with a look of surprise, "And go where, live underground like The Master? I believe he's still in the sewers if you'd like to look him up" he replied with satisfaction as stood up from her chair angrily.

Darla's fists were clinched at her sides as she looked Angelus up and down before saying with an eerie calm, "Remember your place, boy"

Angelus's amused grin turned into a scowl as he rose from his chair as well, he hated to be called 'boy' like he was some common fledgling. "Of course" he replied with a condescending bow, "What is it Will calls you? Oh yes, Madam." He grinned, "Whatever you say, Madam"

"Don't talk down to me, Liam" Darla snapped, "Don't forget your place, and who made you. You've been getting a little too lippy to me lately and I don't appreciate it. You're setting a bad example for our childer and damn it Angelus, I won't tolerate your insolence, God knows I have enough of that with William!"

"Leave the boy out of this" Angelus snarled, towering over Darla by at least a few feet, his hands clinched in fists by his side as well.

"Oh, is that a sore spot?" she taunted, "You don't like it when I speak poorly of the boy?"

She glared at him and then looked toward the stairs and called, "William! Come down here, boy"

Will looked up at Drusilla with fear in his eyes, they'd been listening to Darla and Angelus argue, but now that he was being called into it, this couldn't end well. "Yes Madam" he called back, and then took Dru by the hand and walked down the stairs slowly as Dru skipped behind him.

"Daddy's going to get a beating" she sung and then giggled as they reached the bottom of the stairs, "Daddy's getting punished" she said in wonder as they rounded the stairwell in time to see Darla strike Angelus hard across the face.

Will stayed silent, and squeezed Dru's hand in a motion to quiet her as well. Darla was in a mood and when she was like this if the slightest thing displeased her about them, they'd both be beaten until the sun rose.

Angelus stood still when Darla hit him and spit out a mouthful of blood into the fireplace, he wouldn't look like it had hurt, or that he was losing. His childer were watching after all.

"Boy, I am going hunting, you will stay here with Dru" Darla said and for a moment Will assumed she was talking to him, until he realized with sickening certainty that the 'boy' she was referring to was Angelus. They were sure to get into a row after this.

Darla forced a smiled on her face and then turned to William who was unaware he was slowly edging back up at the stairs as she and Angelus argued. "William" she said calmly, "You'll come hunting with me tonight instead of Angelus. Hurry and go put your boots on, the sun's been down for an hour and I'm hungry."

Will stood motionless for a second staring at her in compete and utter surprise. He'd never been hunting alone with Darla. Ever. He was almost filled with a since of pride until he realized she was only taking him to make Angelus jealous and more then likely Will would receive a beating from him for it later.

Darla raised an eyebrow at the frozen William and said, "Boy, don't make me tell you again."

Her comment must have sparked something in his mind because then he was off like a shot, trying to find where he'd laid his boots.

Darla turned back to Angelus, "You won't be eating tonight. Hopefully your hunger will make you think twice about how you speak to your sire."

"What about me, Grandmum?" Drusilla asked, "Can't I eat? I've been an awfully good girl. Really, I have."

Darla smiled at her indulgently, "Of course, precious" she answered. "But William and I are going to get the food. I'll bring you back someone delicious" she promised.

Drusilla's mouth turned downward in a pout and she stuck out her lower lip, "But Grandmum, I want to go hunting too"

Darla frowned, "Don't call me that, and don't whine Dru. We shan't be long, and someone needs to stay and entertain Angelus. Be a good girl and I might even bring you a special treat" she told the younger vampire before tuning an irritated glare at Will. "Are you ready yet, boy?"

"Yeah" he grunted, putting on his other boot and walking over to her. Angelus smacked him on the back of the head as he passed and Will automatically changed his answer to "Yes, Madam."

She looked him up and down and then nodded her head, satisfied. "Very well then, come along boy" she said walking briskly to the door. Angelus grabbed Darla gently by the arm, stopping her. His thumb brushed a curl of her hair out of her face and kissed her. She grinned into the kiss and allowed her fangs to slip down momentary, nipping him in the lip, drawing a pearl of blood onto her tongue. "I'll be back, love" she promised and then held out her hand to Will who kissed it and wrapped it around his own, leading her out the door, and escorting her into the night.

A/N: Please review!