Part 15.


"After spending all of your husband's money, I really think we deserve a rest."

Darla threw back her head and laughed as they descended the escalator at the mall. As she giggled her long blonde hair bobbed perfectly around her slim shoulders and her shapely figure attracted lustful glances from every passing male within a twenty-foot radius.

Darla knew she looked good. After spending countless years, and thousands of dollars, to get the right look, she knew she wore it well. For Darla, attracting men had never been a problem; they flocked around her like moths to an open flame.

All but one.

Only one man had ever rejected her advances and that, of course, had to be the only man on earth she had ever really wanted. But it hadn't stopped her. Rejection had never been a problem before and as Darla stepped off the escalator and caught sight of her and Buffy's reflections in the large store window to her left, she knew without a doubt that it wouldn't be a problem now. Buffy's pale face and skinny body looked almost childish next to her stunning appearance. The fact that she had already tricked the bitch out of Liam's life once only added to her twisted confidence.

"Come on, I know this great pasta house. You'll love it." Without another word, Darla placed her small shoe back on solid ground, turned to the right and, swinging her hips, swiftly moved away.

Lost for words, Buffy stared at her silently for a few seconds and watched in wonder as her so called *friend* slinked almost catlike across the floor of the mall. Struggling to keep up, she rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh of relief that the shopping nightmare was finally coming to an end.

By now both her small hands were filled with carrier bags and Darla's poor joke about spending all of Liam's money wasn't that far from the truth. She had tried purchasing just the basics but even doing that had left a large dent in her husband's credit card.

That was the trouble with owning nothing but the clothing she stood up in.

As much as Buffy hated shopping with Darla she knew it as an evil necessity. Until her fragile memory returned, she had no choice but to rely on the generosity of others. She hated feeling so useless and made a strong mental point to memorise every shop she was likely to need in the future.

But not everything she saw was unknown.

Shops that were vaguely familiar caused little sparks to flare in her memory but the flashes were blurred and fleeting. Family days out at the mall, with her mom and Dawn, occasionally rose up from the darkness of her shattered past and taunted her with half promises of remembering. For a few tantalising seconds they danced close to the surface of her memory but, as Buffy fought through the confusion to join the pieces of the puzzle together, they quickly faded from her reach.

As Buffy watched Darla move further away from her, she reflected on the short amount of time they had spent together and as much as she hated to admit it, she still knew absolutely nothing about this woman at all. Although the shopping trip had proved a success, Buffy was increasingly frustrated that she hadn't learned more about her past.

Darla had been quiet for most of the afternoon. Apart from the odd comment about a certain style of dress or the colour of a pair of leather pants, Darla had been content to just study Buffy from a safe distance and watch for any signs that her amnesia claim was nothing but a annoying sham.

Darla Penn was convinced that Buffy's memory loss was all part of an elaborate trick to worm her way back into Liam's affections, but she had no intention of ever allowing that happen again.

From the moment Liam had told her about the accident and the convenient amnesia that had followed, Darla had been filled with doubts about its authenticity. Darla was convinced she would see through it in a heartbeat, she had known Buffy nearly all of their lives and there was no way on earth her rival would be able to pretend forever.

But back at the gallery, when Darla had first stared into her troubled eyes, the confidant, strong, woman Buffy Summers had always portrayed now seemed lost behind a dark wall of confusion. She didn't seem to be pretending at all and it frustrated Darla all afternoon that she couldn't find a way to break through the masquerade and expose her rival as a fraud.

But she wasn't about to give up.

With a smile planted firmly on her face, she watched and waited patiently for the girl she hated with a vengeance to trip up and show herself for the liar Darla believed she was.

But it didn't happen. Darla's cunning eyes followed Buffy's every move but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch Buffy out with a single lie

By the end of the afternoon she had no choice but to accept that the little ex-cheerleader was indeed telling the truth. It was a set back and a bitter pill to swallow, but if the amnesia was true and she really had lost all of her past memory, there was always plan B. **William**

As the two women worked their way out of the shopping area and on to the main street, Buffy sighed deeply and wished with all her heart that she had stayed in bed that morning.

**Stayed in bed with Liam**

The unexpected thought of her husband brought a smile to her lips for the first time that afternoon. But, just as the warm feeling washed over her heart, a cold dread replaced it with the memory of Will Pennington's devastating revaluation.

**Was he really her lover?**

**No no no no no no no no**

Buffy fought to shut out of the handsome young man's face but no matter how hard she tried, the word *guilty* wouldn't release its sharp claws from her soul.

"If it's all the same to you I'd much rather go home and put my feet up for a few hours" She tried to refuse the offer of a meal but she was quickly dismissed.

Darla spun around.

"Oh no, that won't do at all" Her bright blue eyes sparkled and although Buffy was looking straight at her, she failed miserably to read the expression the other woman wore so carefully over her gaze.

Darla Penn, like Liam, was a master at hiding her feelings and as the day wore on Buffy was beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable in her presence. The thought that they had once been close, even best friends was becoming more alien with every passing minute. There was simply nothing about this strange young woman that Buffy could relate too.

It had nothing to do with her lack of memory, Buffy's female intuition told her that Darla Penn was simply too good to be true.

"Honey, I've been dying to talk to you properly ever since Liam told me you were home. Come on, I insist we at least grab a cup of coffee, it's my treat" Darla steered Buffy through the door of the most expensive restaurant in Sunnydale and made a large fuss about getting the best table in the house.

After leaving her breakfast all over the gallery floor, the last thing Buffy wanted at that moment in time was food. Darla, on the other hand, had no intention of taking no for an answer and at the determined look on her face, Buffy felt too tired to put up any real form of resistance.

**Liam, where the hell are you when I need you?** For the second time that day, Buffy found herself asking that question.

Needing a few minutes alone to collect her thoughts, she escaped to the ladies restroom, but when she finally returned to the table, Buffy found to her horror that Darla had not only ordered coffee she had also ordered the house special for both of them.

"There you are, Buffy. I thought for a moment you had *forgotten* where we were sitting" Looking up from the table, Darla teased and grinned a row of perfect white teeth.

For some unknown reason Buffy suddenly understood how a fly would feel caught in a spider's web.

She was trapped into spending more time with a person she really didn't like very much and in such a small environment, the walls felt as if they were slowly closing in. Looking toward the exit Buffy surrendered gracefully, knowing that there was simply no way of getting out without making a real fool of herself.

"I just left a message for Liam. I told him not to worry about you; we were still catching up. I don't know about you Buffy, but after spending all that money I'm suddenly ravenous" Darla laughed again and her smile grew even larger.

**Come into my parlour said the spider to the fly**

**Stop it**

**Don't trust her**

**STOP IT! **

While the voices deep inside her head battled with each other, Buffy cringed and realised that a long tiring day was just about to get a hell of a lot longer... and a whole lot more tiring.

Slowly, she pulled out the wooden chair opposite her companion and reluctantly sat down.

"Now you can ask me all those questions I know you're just dying to ask" Darla picked up a bottle of house wine and, ignoring Buffy's refusal, she filled the two tall glasses on the table with the clear cool liquid.

"I was hoping you could fill in a few of the blanks" Buffy asked and totally ignored the glass of white wine the other woman placed in front of her.

"Sure honey" Darla purred softly, and raising her own glass to her lips, she sipped gratefully at her drink. " After all, that's what best friends are for. But let's eat first and then you can ask what ever you want to know"

"Eat? But I'm really not..."Buffy started to refuse again but was quickly interrupted.

"Sorry, I've already ordered for you. I wasn't sure if your tastes were still the same so i just took a chance" Darla explained as their food arrived.

With a frown Buffy looked up and on seeing the overflowing plates of food being brought to their table, she felt her stomach strongly protest.

"I'm sorry Darla but I'm really not hungry."

Buffy bit back the wave of nausea she felt bubble in her throat and raised her hand to stop the waitress lowering the plate of pasta and salad in front of her.

Confused by Buffy's unusual reaction, the young waitress hesitated for a moment unsure of what to do next. She hadn't been working at the restaurant very long and this was the first time a meal had been sent back before the customer had even seen it.

"Would you like something else?" She asked as she hovered with the food but Buffy firmly shook her head.

"Just a glass of water, please"

Seeing the waitress start to turn away, Darla motioned for her to lower the plate anyway.

"Just leave it" She snapped and then realising her perfect image had slipped, she tilted her head towards the young girl and smiled sweetly

"Thank you, dear"

As the food was once again placed in front of her, Buffy felt her stomach turn over for the fourth time in as many minutes. She found herself wishing with all her heart that she could just get up from the table and run as far away from this overpowering woman as she possibly could.

"Please, I really..." She raised her hand again but her refusal was quickly brushed aside.

"It doesn't matter if you're not hungry, Buffy, you look anorexic."

Lowering her glass, Darla raised her hand and pointed her finger across the table.

" Look! I really didn't want to have to say this but you look dreadful, honey. I can see the bones in your throat sticking right through your skin."

Much to Buffy's embarrassment, Darla's voice seemed to carry across the whole restaurant. For a few seconds the noise level dropped considerably and heads at nearly every table turned in their direction. Buffy felt as if a dozen pairs of eyes were suddenly scrutinising her less than perfect appearance.

Unconsciously, she raised her hand to her throat and although she hated to admit that the damn woman was right, the small bones in question were easily felt beneath her fingertips. Before she had a chance to defend herself, Darla's loud voice was booming across the table once again.

"Whether you want the food or not, you need to eat. I promised Liam that I'd look after you and I never beak a promise" At that point Darla turned on her most concerned smile and almost sounded sincere.

With a tiny apologetic grin, the young waitress finally placed the plate of hot pasta back in front of the anorexic looking woman and silently slipped away.

With a sigh of defeat Buffy stared down at the food on her plate and while she really couldn't face eating anything, she didn't want to argue either.

Lifting up a fork she proceeded to move a small amount of the food around her plate and hoped that Darla was too busy with her own meal to realise what she was doing.

"Liam told me we've known each other for a long time"

The first question came easily. Now they were sitting only a few feet apart Buffy knew Darla could no longer avoid giving her the answers she so desperately needed to know.

Darla laughed as she split open a bread roll and lifted the butter knife.

"You could say that... We were five and you stole my boyfriend"

Buffy lifted a skeptical brow.

"I thought you broke my Barbie doll and I beat the crap out of you in the school yard" The spontaneous reply brought an unexpected glow of warmth and Buffy couldn't resist a tiny smile.
Just knocking that smug look from the other woman's face felt surprisingly good.

"You remembered that?"

Darla raised her eyes suspiciously and studied Buffy's face for fresh signs of deceit.

Leaning forward she demanded an answer of her own.
" You're not faking this, are you?" Her blue eyes flashed a quizzical look.

Suddenly fresh hope sprung up that Buffy was playing a scam after all, but when Darla looked deeply into the hazel orbs directly opposite her she knew with a pang of disappointment that they only shone back with the truth.

Buffy took serious offence at the accusation.

"No, I'm not faking it, and I'm not playing games. Dammit, Why does every one keep asking me that." She snapped. Buffy was sick to death of that question. First Liam had been suspicious and then William and now Darla.

The question was not only an insult it was extremely cruel.

"Why the hell would anybody want to fake amnesia? " Buffy demanded angrily. Her eyes flashed and she only cooled her temper when she realised that her voice had risen and the occupants of both surrounding tables had stopped eating again and were now looking across with renewed curiosity.

Leaning back in her seat, Darla dropped the suspicion she was showing and replaced her expression with laughter.

"Honey, calm down, I believe you. You're right. Why would anybody want to fake amnesia?" In the blink of an eye Darla's* I really am your best friend* voice was firmly back in place.

The last thing she wanted was for Buffy not to trust her. Everything she had planned rested with the foolish girl believing and trusting her completely. Just as she had done the last time their paths had crossed. On that small thought Darla knew the amnesia story had to be on the level. There was no way Buffy could have faked not remembering that little encounter.

That time everything had ran so smoothly that Darla could hardly believe her luck. It had played out just as she had planned. By the end of the evening she had tricked Buffy into believing her marriage was over and the stupid girl had fled into the night never to been seen again. It was perfect. Or it would have been if she had just stayed lost.

**Bloody accident** Darla silently cursed the event that had brought Buffy home.

Although she was now ninety-nine percent convinced that the amnesia was true, Darla still needed to delve a little deeper.

" So, how much do you remember?"

Buffy sighed, letting out a long, deep breath.

"When I first woke up after the accident, my mind was almost a blank. I could remember a few ordinary, everyday things but almost nothing about my personal life." The frustration she felt returned to her voice as Buffy recalled the first few hours after waking in hospital.

It had been such a difficult time. When asked she had recited the name of the president with ease but for the life of her she hadn't been able to remember her own name.

"Liam said you hit your head?" Still needing her own answers, Darla continued to prod.

Buffy chewed down on her lower lip and considered the question.

"That's what the doctor told me. I guess it must be true because I've still got the lump to prove it." She raised her hand slightly and let her fingertips slide across the slight swelling that was still on the side of her head. After a week it was much smaller now but there was still enough of a bump left to prove the accident hadn't been a complete figment of her imagination.

As her fingertips touched a nerve, Buffy winced slightly in pain and for the first time since coming face to face, Darla felt a small jolt of pity.

"The crash must have been pretty horrific"

She didn't really need to ask; Darla already knew the answer. The New York coach crash had been so dreadful that footage of the accident was even covered on the Sunnydale evening news. The irony was, Darla remembered watching the pictures on her TV screen without even knowing that the girl she had tried to destroy a few months earlier was now amongst the victims.

Not that it really mattered. If Buffy Angelus had died that day all of Darla's problems would have died along with her.

Buffy's death meant only one thing. Liam would be free. Free for her.

If Buffy could have read her thoughts she would have been horrified to learn just how much this woman, who pretended to be her friend, really hated her. Sadly mind reading wasn't one of her talents and in her state of ignorance, Buffy let her guard down and the two women started chatting like they really could have once been friends.

Without noticing it, Buffy's anger slipped away.

"At first I was terrified that I'd never recover any of my past, but the last few days have brought back a few memories. Feelings more than anything else but there was also a few family faces." Buffy smile sadly as she remembered her mother and Dawnie's happy faces grinning across the breakfast table each morning. When she started talking again her voice was much softer, almost distant.

"The hardest thing is not knowing who I am, or who I was. It feels like I have this huge shadow hanging over me and it's suffocating me with frustration." Buffy opened her heart and revealed the true extent of her pain.

That was just how she felt. There were so many blank pages of her lost life she needed to fill in before she could even hope to reclaim her past. Until that past was returned, the shadow of not knowing would remain, and haunt her every waking moment.

As she continued to push the food around her plate with the back of her fork, Darla reached out across the table and unexpectedly gripped her hand.

"That must be so creepy" she sympathised with all the skill of an award winning actress.

At the act of concern Buffy started to forget her earlier fears that this woman could not be trusted and felt her body relax. She was so in need of somebody to talk to that common sense was pushed to one side.

"It is, it's like I'm living in limbo. All my dreams for the future have disappeared into a deep black hole "

Darla didn't have time to smirk, because Buffy's next words sent a bolt of cold fear straight to her heart.

"But luckily Liam's been wonderful"

As Buffy proceeded to explain everything that had happened since returning to Sunnydale, Darla fought with all her might to keep her seething face expressionless.

Outside her body language portrayed the very vision of concern but inside, Darla was frantic to destroy the newfound feelings Buffy was confessing she had discovered.

"But what about poor William, I bet he didn't take being forgotten too well."

"William?" Buffy choked slightly as the pasta she had attempted to swallow got stuck in her throat.

"Why would William be upset?" She asked, nervously hoping the question sounded innocent.

Inside her chest, her heart was beating so fast Buffy swore the word *guilty* shone brightly in her terrified eyes.

Raising her glass of wine once again to her lips, Darla stopped and repeated Buffy's question.

"Why?" She laughed.

"Because the guy's madly in love with you. He has been for nearly two years"

Buffy felt sick. She had hoped with all her heart that William had been lying, but suddenly with Darla mentioning his name, the forgotten affair started to feel terrifyingly real again.

For reasons she wasn't quite sure of Buffy wasn't about to admit anything.

"Who told you that?"

Darla rolled her eyes.

"Duh! Buffy, William Pennington's my brother. He tells me *everything*" When she look up, her cool blue eyes were now positively twinkling with mischief.

"Penn. P.Pennington?" Buffy stuttered as the name fell into place.

" Half brother actually. Same father. William lived in England until two years ago, which is why he speaks with that silly accent. But he's my darling brother all right. He changed his name slightly because he thinks in his line of work it sounds more romantic." Darla laughed and her smile grew as she noticed how uncomfortable Buffy appeared.

"Brother" Buffy couldn't think straight as she ran her eyes over the small blonde woman facing her and took in the family resemblance.

It suddenly hit her like a bolt out of the blue.

The hair colour was slightly different but there was definitely something around the eyes.

Buffy went cold. The affair was no longer a dirty secret. She knew, William knew and now Darla.

Although the facts were staring her plainly in the face Buffy still wasn't about to confess.
Especially to an affair she couldn't remember.

"What did he tell you about us?"

Darla laughed again.

"Please, do you really want me to go into all the sordid details while we're eating"

"Tell me" Buffy repeated as calmly as possible. She didn't care if Darla was eating, she needed to know the truth and she needed to know it now.

Darla placed her fork down on the table with a loud sigh.

"He told me that you were lovers, that you had been for awhile" She kept her face expressionless and prayed Buffy couldn't hear the rapid beating of her excited heart.

She needn't have worried; Buffy was too troubled to hear anything.

The tiny speck of hope she had held in her heart that the affair was all in William's mind was being completely blown apart.

"But did *I* ever tell you we were having an affair?" Buffy pleaded, still clinging to the belief that Will had been lying about their relationship. He might have boasted to his sister that they were lovers but unless she had told Darla herself, Buffy still refused to believe it.

"Not directly, but the two of you were hardly discreet"

"What are you saying?"

Darla rolled her eyes. She could see that Buffy was already falling for William's lies and it warmed her heart. She wanted to come right out and tell her every word her brother had told her was true but that was too easy. Darla wanted Buffy to suffer with the knowledge that she had cheated on her husband. She knew Buffy would never be able to hide that kind of secret and the pressure to tell Liam would rip them apart.

**But let her suffer for a while before that happens. Let her beat herself up with the fear of the affair becoming public**

"What are you saying?" Buffy repeated her question.

"I'm saying that William was at your gallery nearly every afternoon Buffy. I'm sure if you ask the staff they will confirm this?"

"But that doesn't mean.." Buffy started to protest but Darla cut her off with a wave of her hand.

"Oh sure. Do you expect me to believe you were only having tea and crackers when you locked yourselves in that little office for all hours" she smirked with satisfaction

At Buffy's pained look Darla knew she had hit the mark. Buffy was well and truly suckered.

**I've had you on that office floor more times than I can count **

Buffy looked down at the food on her plate. She didn't have any appetite to start with but now the smell of the food was making her sick again. Despite the warm day she felt cold. Forcing herself to look up Buffy asked the question that had burned in her mind from the second William had first dropped his bombshell.

"Do you think Liam knew?" Buffy shuddered at the idea. **Was that where the underlying anger she sensed in him came from**

"Liam?... To be honest Buffy, if he knew about you two he never said anything to me. Of course he might have covered it up after you left him. After all, Liam is a proud man"

**You left him once and now you're right back where you started**

"So I did leave him?" Buffy asked quietly, although William's earlier words had already confirmed that suspicion.

Her companion frowned for a second before carefully hiding the expression.

"He never told you?"

Buffy shook her head.

Darla chewed her lip; she hadn't been counting on that. She had expected Liam to throw that little detail right in her face.

"I really walked out on him?" Buffy found that piece of information the hardest to deal with. She hope against hope that the statement was wrong but when Darla finally nodded her head, the last fragment that a mistake had been made was lost.

Darla waited for a moment, giving Buffy just enough time to get used to the lie. From the ghostly colour of her face she knew it wouldn't be too long before Buffy's shattered life imploded

"What now? Will you leave him again?"

Buffy shrugged her small shoulders and her face crumbled into a mask of confusion. The only thoughts that danced in the dark corners of her mind were **Did she want to lose Liam again so soon after rediscovering him ** and **Would her life be better without him?**

Both questions brought more pain than she wanted to admit. At the hesitation Darla started to get nervous.

"Buffy?" She spoke just loud enough to break through the lost woman's reverie.

Buffy looked up and her eyes flickered.

"I don't know, I wish I did" She finally replied and even as the words left her mouth she started to feel her heart ache.

**Maybe she would be better off running away from all this madness and starting a new life. What did the past really matter, she could reinvent herself and start all over again. No ties, no problems.. No strong arms to hold you in the dark. No sweet lips to kiss away your tears.. No Liam.**

Without even trying, the questions answered themselves. Buffy didn't want a new life and she didn't want a forgotten lover. She wanted the man that made her heart race with just a single glance. She wanted the man she had fallen in lust with at first sight.. Twice, if she was being honest. From the moment she had opened her eyes in that hospital room, Liam Angelus was all she had been able to see.

Darla felt real panic now as she watched the play of emotions cover Buffy's face. She knew precisely what her rival was thinking, she was losing her battle to send the girl running and it scared her to death.

"Buffy, my brother loves you and inside your mind, underneath all that confusion, you feel the same way about him." She argued, vainly trying to recover some lost ground.

"But that's the trouble, I don't. I'm sorry but don't feel anything for your brother at all. I might have forgotten nearly all my life but my feelings are returning faster than my memories and one thing I'm very sure about, when William kissed me I felt nothing."

"And Liam..?" Darla struggled to keep the bitterness she felt from her voice but inside her veins, her blood was beginning to freeze.

The smile that flickered at the corner of Buffy's lips was all the conformation she needed to fear the worse.

"When Liam's around... it's like the lights dim everywhere else. I don't remember him yet but I already know I still love him." With the words came the relief.

**She loved him. There were no longer any doubts in her mind. She loved Liam. She wanted only Liam**

"But you left him. You couldn't have loved him if you ran away" Darla started to lose control as all her well thought out plans started to crumble around her. Buffy wasn't supposed to fall in love with Liam, she was supposed to run off with William leaving her to pick up the pieces of his broken heart all over again.

Of all the scenarios that had played out in her head, this was the last one she had considered.
After successfully destroying their marriage the last time, Darla had almost convinced the heartbroken man that Buffy was the worse mistake of his life. But just as Liam was beginning to respond to her, the accident had sent him running back to New York and weeks of turning him against Buffy had collapsed.

The smile that was growing on Buffy's face was starting to make her feel ill. Snatching up the wine bottle, Darla refilled her glass and swallowed the contents as if she was drinking water on a hot day.

In her ignorance, Buffy was still too caught up in her own new plans to notice the change in her companion.

As Darla finished her drink, the wine rushed straight to her head but it did little to help her mood. For her, the conversation was about to go from bad to worse.

"I was thinking, If Liam came all the way to New York to bring me home, then maybe he still loves me too. Darla, I want to make it up to him, whatever pain I caused him I want to make it right. If there's anyway to save my marriage I'm determined to find it." As she finished the rush of words Buffy sighed with relief. She now knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to make a life with Liam and she wanted to tell him how she felt as soon as possible.

Not sure of how to proceed Darla played the last card she could think of.

"And you really think that William is going to let you?" She asked sympathetically but inside she was seething with rage.

**William really did love the little bitch so it wouldn't be too hard convincing him to make as much trouble for Buffy and Liam as was possible**

With that thought, Darla started to feel a tiny ray of hope. If Buffy wouldn't leave her husband then maybe she and William would help Liam leave Buffy.

**Why would he want to stay with her when she was screwing another man?**

The ray of hope started to grow.

**As long as Buffy couldn't remember the truth she couldn't deny the affair.** Darla realised. Suddenly the amnesia she so wanted to be a lie was becoming her best ally. Liam was far too proud to stand by a cheating wife. **The ink on the divorce paper was almost dry and Buffy would never see it coming**

With the new plan taking shape Darla felt better but she wasn't home and dry yet.

"William seemed like a fair person. I hope he understands" Buffy spoke wishfully, hoping she had read William Pennington's character as well as she thought.

Darla looked across the table and reached out her hands to clasp Buffy's fingers.

" Don't worry about Will, Buffy. I'll talk to him and explain everything. I'm sure I can make him see things from our perspective" The happy woman was purring again as her confidence returned.

"Thanks, Darla. What would I do without you" Buffy replied and for the first time she felt as if a large weight had been removed from her small shoulders.

**If William really cared about her surely he would want her to be happy? **

Buffy suddenly felt very tired. It had been a long day and all she wanted to do was head for her home and try and put the mess that had over taken her life into some sort of order. She and Liam needed to have a long talk and maybe then they could decide where their future lay.

When their bill was settled, the two blonde women walked to the door of the restaurant. Before leaving Darla turned and smiled as she hugged Buffy close.

"Try not to worry, Buffy. Everything will work itself out for the best. Believe me" She whispered her reassurances with almost believable sincerity.

With the nod of her head, Buffy smiled her thanks again and pulled way.

"When you see William, please tell him that I'm sorry, but whatever we had is over. It has to be" Buffy turned and before Darla had a chance to reply she climbed into the back of a waiting cab and was gone.

As the taillights disappeared around the corner taking Buffy back to her husband, Darla started to laugh.

**When you see William, please tell him that I'm sorry, but whatever we had is over. It has to be**

**Yeah, right**

Standing in the doorway of the restaurant, the real hatred Darla was feeling broke free and flashed dangerously across her face.

" If you think for one second that I'm going to stand back and let you and *my* Liam live happily ever after, you couldn't be more wrong. I'm going to rip you two so far apart that you'll never become a problem again. That *my dear girl* is a real promise."

**And I never break a promise**

TBC... soon :)