Not Mary Poppins

Jason Westlake picked up his buzzing cell phone and checked who the incoming caller was. Damn. He'd told the rest of the coven often enough not to call him at work. It was risky enough just meeting with them. If his place of business ever heard that he was a practicing member of a witch's coven, he'd be out on his ear. At least the idiot had enough sense just to text message him. No chance of anyone else hearing the inexplicable conversation. He read the message. 'A lead on a vampire with a pure heart. Call me soonest.' Well, that was something. For news of that magnitude he'd be willing to overlook the intrusion. He just hoped that the lead panned out. Time was running short, and another chance wouldn't come for years.

&&&&&&&

He felt a little awkward, going up to a secretary in a law firm to ask about a babysitting job. Not that it showed. There were some people that had speculated as to whether or not he even had emotions, so little showed on his face or in his voice.

"I'm here about the nanny's job," he said quietly. Not that he ever got all that loud.

"I'll just call and see if Ms. Powers can see you now," the secretary assured him. She wasn't the usual one, Harmony was off on vacation this week. She rang up the senior partner's suite. "Ms. Powers? I have an applicant here for your nanny's position. Shall I bring him up?" There was a brief pause, then, she hung up the phone. "She can see you now," she said with a smile. "Right this way, Mr...?"

"Osborne," he replied. "Daniel Osborne."

&&&&&&&

Rose was just managing not to pace the floor. A male nanny? Well, if he could do the job, and the children liked him, why not? She hoped he would be the one. So far, she had had twenty interviews, and each and every one of them had proved to be unsuitable in one way or another. There had been one memorable one who she'd been interviewing when the twins had emerged from the kitchen from their mid-afternoon snack, faces smeared in blood. That one had bolted out the door without another word. Some had been plainly unqualified. And one had even been planning to steal her children to sell them. That one hadn't made it out of the building. Once the children had read it in her mind, they had telepathically informed her and all she'd had to do was call security. She'd better take a look at the twins now, see if they were presentable.

&&&&&&&

So far, Rose liked what she had seen of Daniel Osborne. Quiet, mild-mannered and close enough to her own size as to not seem intimidating. He sipped at the glass of mineral water that she'd pressed on him while waiting for the next question.

"I guess that you ought to meet the children," Rose remarked. She hoped the children would like him. She hoped he didn't have any dark secrets that would make him unsuitable. She had about had it with interviews. "They tend to have very strong opinions."

"At eighteen months old?" He raised his eyebrows. An actual expression. "I know you said they were precocious, but..,"

"You'll see," Rose replied, half-warningly. "Alaric, Ariel, come meet Mr. Osborne."

The children trailed in obediently enough and immediately scoped out the newcomer. Checking out not only his appearance, but what he was thinking as well.

Alaric, always the boldest of the two, was the first to speak. "He's afraid that you won't hire him," he stated.

"Because he's a werewolf," Ariel added.

He sat and stared at the tiny children that had just uttered his deepest secret. He'd had it under control for so long now that he seldom even thought about it consciously. But it must have been on his mind. "They read minds?" he asked weakly, seeing his chances of getting some eating money go down the drain.

"That's one of the things that I kind of fit under the 'special needs,'" Rose said apologetically. "But don't think I'll hold being a werewolf against you. I'm seldom held up in the office until after dark, and I'll certainly make a point of getting home on time during the full moon."

He was still having a little trouble assimilating all this. Especially the way that Ms. Powers took the fact that he was a werewolf in stride. "What else fits under 'special needs'?" he asked cautiously.

"Their father is a vampire," Rose explained. "Unlikely as that sounds. So, they drink blood." She waited for him to walk out after that. Although she'd think that a werewolf wouldn't be as narrow-minded as most humans.

"You're right," he agreed. "It does sound unlikely." He looked at the toddlers, still standing there, regarding him with blue and gray eyes that were starting to work on him. He knew what it was like to be different, and how different could you get than kids that were half vampire? "But I've seen a few unlikely things in my time."

Rose looked expectantly at the children.

"I like him," Ariel said, giving him a heart-melting smile. Always the little charmer.

Alaric was a bit more conservative in his opinion. "I 'spose he'll do," he said grudgingly. "I'd rather have you, mummy."

"You need to learn to get along with other people besides us," Rose pointed out. She turned back to her new nanny. "It looks like you're hired then, Mr. Osborne. When can you start?"

"Anytime you like, Ms. Powers," he assured her.

"Please," she said with a smile. "Call me Rose."

He gave her his version of a smile. "I will if you call me Oz."

&&&&&&&

Spike opened the door to the flat, and as usual, was set upon the moment the door opened.

"Daddy!" The twins rushed him.

He scooped them up in his arms, giving and receiving kisses. "Have you two been good today?" It was a standard question.

"We got a nanny," Ariel informed him. "He's a werewolf."

"He's staying for dinner tonight," Alaric added. "Mummy said he didn't look like he'd been getting enough to eat."

"What, he hasn't been out gobbling people up?" Spike asked, teasing them. A werewolf indeed. Couldn't imagine one looking for a nanny's job.

"He doesn't eat people," Ariel said seriously. "He doesn't like to hurt people. I like him."

"You like everybody," Alaric remarked, a little scornfully. "He's okay." He turned his attention from his sister back to his father. "Can we watch him turn into a wolf?"

Spike was searching in his head for a diplomatic, and unprofane way to say that there was no sodding way that they could watch the new nanny turn into a wolf when he heard the faint murmur of voices from the kitchen. "He in there with your mum?" he asked.

Alaric nodded, and Ariel said, "He's helping."

Spike kept on moving towards the kitchen. There was something familiar about the voice, but he couldn't quite yet hear it well enough to identify it. When he arrived at his destination, the slight figure of the new nanny turned from where he'd been retrieving something from the fridge for Rose. "Well bugger me," Spike said softly.

Oz had heard the children greeting their father as he got home. He wondered what sort of vampire did the nine to five gig. But Rose was nice, and the children were downright adorable, even if they did take a little getting used to. Maybe someone the initiative had chipped, like Spike. He turned to look and see what the other half of his pair of employers looked like. And just stood there, barely managing not to let his jaw drop to the floor.

The twins wriggled until Spike set them down. They both went over to their new nanny. Ariel tugged at his pants leg until he looked down at her. "It's all right," she assured him. "Daddy won't hurt you."

"He has a soul," Alaric added. "Like Uncle Angel."

"Spike darling, please watch your language in front of the children," Rose admonished. "Why don't you say hello to Mr. Osborne? Excuse me, Oz."

"Hello Oz." Spike at his most nonchalant, though the appearance of the werewolf, he'd have to admit that the kids weren't having one on him this time, had thrown him for a bit of a loop. "Long time no see."

"Likewise," Oz agreed. Spike with a soul? Well, why not? Then, something else hit him. "Uncle Angel?"

"You didn't know?" Spike inquired. "Runs the place now."

"You already know each other?" Rose was the one left out in the cold now.

"You meet some interesting types, living on a hellmouth," Spike replied. "Just one more of the old Sunnydale gang. That's me, him, the ponce, Wesley and Harm."

Oz sat down suddenly. "I never thought I'd say this," he muttered. "But this is just too weird."

&&&&&&&&

Jason met Nathan Wayne in a little out of the way coffee shop. Ironically enough, the same one where Oz had read Rose's help wanted ad.

"I don't like meeting in a public place like this," Jason muttered. "It's too exposed. Someone could see us."

"And what would they see?" asked Nathan with his supercilious British accent. "Just a couple of chaps sitting in a cheap diner drinking lousy coffee and talking. Nothing that would connect you to.., anything. So why don't you just relax and stop acting like you've got something to hide? It makes you terribly conspicuous."

Jason sat up a little straighter and tried to act more normally, but it was a stretch. "You said that you had a line on a vampire with a pure heart," he reminded his companion. "So when are you going to tell me about it?"

"He has a soul," Nathan murmured. "He's currently running the L.A. branch of Wolfram and Hart. But it may be a little tricky getting him to the location at the right time."

"Wait a minute," Jason protested. "If he has a soul, wouldn't killing him for the spell be wrong? The whole idea behind this spell is to make things better."

"There are a lot of people running around with souls right now that are totally evil," Nathan pointed out. "And have you ever heard of anything good coming out of Wolfram and Hart? The place itself stands for pure evil."

"You have a point," Jason conceded. "Have you told any of the others yet?"

Nathan shook his head. "You're the coven leader," he replied. "I thought I should tell you first. Besides, we need to think of a plan to get the vampire where we want him."

"We'll discuss it at tomorrow night's meeting," Jason answered, getting out of the booth. "This plan was made by all of us, and we're all going to be in on every stage of the planning." He walked away leaving Nathan sitting there. He turned around for a moment, thinking of something else, but his fellow coven member had already left. It suddenly occurred to him to wonder how a vampire could be evil enough that it wouldn't be wrong to kill him and still be pure of heart. He'd ask Nathan at the meeting tomorrow night. Nathan always seemed to have an answer for everything.

&&&&&&&

It was Rose's first day back on the job, and Angel was feeling a little fidgety. He loved the twins as dearly as if they were his own. And Rose had had enough trouble finding someone suitable that he was afraid that she might have settled for someone that wasn't up for the job just to end all the interviews. He made an executive decision and decided to take a break and go visit the kids. He was passing by Harmony's desk, and though he might not admit it, he kind of missed having Harmony there. He'd gotten used to her presence. Suddenly he turned around and to the surprise of her temporary replacement, started going through the desk drawers.

"Excuse me, sir," she said. "But if I knew what you were looking for, maybe I could find it for you."

"I found it." Angel pulled out a bag of candy and took a couple of pieces out. "Harmony's stash."

"I didn't know that vampires ate candy," the secretary replied, looking puzzled.

"She keeps it there for Rose and Spike's kids," Angel explained. "If something important comes up, call me on my cell. But if you call, make sure it's important." He walked away, leaving the desk drawers hanging open.

&&&&&&

Oz had brought his guitar along with him, and the children were delighted to find that he was a musician. Somehow, before he knew it, they were having a sing along, and all three of them were having a good time. The music had stopped for the moment, while he was showing the kids how to make chords, although they'd have some growing to do before their little fingers could reach. But they watched him and listened to his explanations, absolutely fascinated.

The door buzzed, and both twins stopped and just seemed to concentrate on something for the moment. Then, they both broke out in smiles. "It's Uncle Angel," they chorused, and ran to the door.

Oz felt a little awkward about seeing Angel again, but, he reflected, it couldn't be more awkward than it had been seeing Spike again. He'd cope. He usually did. He opened the door. "Better than a burglar alarm," he remarked. "Having people who can tell who's at the door before you open it. Hi, Angel."

"Oz?" Angel was beyond stunned, but his attention was momentarily taken away as the little ones descended on him.

"Did you bring us something, Uncle Angel?" Alaric demanded.

"Al'ric," Ariel warned. "Mummy said that wasn't polite. You're supposed to wait till he gives us the candy."

Angel smiled at the twosome, and bent down to get some hugs and kisses. "Can't keep anything from you two," he observed. He gave them each a piece of candy. "This is our little secret, right guys? I don't need another lecture from your mother about rotting your teeth out."

"We won't tell." Ariel giggled and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Manners, Ari'l," Alaric admonished, getting his own shot in. "Thank you, Uncle Angel."

"Thank you," Ariel echoed.

"You're welcome," Angel replied. He didn't want a lecture on not setting a good example, either. "Could you two find something to do for a few minutes? I want to talk to Oz."

"He's a werewolf," Ariel informed him.

"Uncle Angel already knows that," Alaric commented. "He already knows him." He and his sister communicated silently for a moment, then departed for their room.

Angel stood. "You're looking good, Oz," he remarked, suddenly at a loss as to what to say to him. "Maybe a little on the scrawny side."

Oz shrugged. "I've kind of been bumming around for a couple of years," he admitted. "I never got around to going back to school or anything. Hooked up with a couple of bands, but they broke up."

"And you just drifted into L.A.?" Angel started to smell something contrived about the whole thing.

"Now that's the weird thing," Oz replied. "And, in a life that has not been without some weird things happening. I was half-way across the country, and I just started feeling like I was being pulled to come here."

"What do you know about them?" Angel nodded towards the children's room where the buzz of little voices could be heard.

"Pretty much everything," Oz answered. "I stayed to dinner the other night, and Rose and Spike filled me in on the whole deal after the kids had turned in."

"Including who Rose is?" Angel pressed. He just had a sneaking suspicion.

That one threw Oz for a loop. He could tell that Rose was a little different than most people, but he'd been around quite a bit, and met a lot of unusual people. He would have considered Spike the more remarkable member of the team. "Okay, so I know she's a bit, unworldly, I guess you'd call it," he admitted. "So what didn't they tell me?"

"For starters, unworldly just about covers it," Angel said. "Do you think I could get a cup of blood? My temp. doesn't get it for me like Harmony does."