Chapter Five
Buffy stepped out of the cab and stared up at the mansion before her. Her jaw dropped slightly as she looked up at the place. She had never seen a house this big before, not in person, anyway. The closest she had ever come to being in a place this big was at her Uncle Martin and 'Aunt' Henry's funeral home up in Seattle when she was a kid, and that didn't even compare.
The taxi driver slammed the trunk closed once he had removed the last of her bags. He awkwardly lifted the suitcases and whistled when he got a good look at the house.
"Nice place," he mused aloud. Glancing over at Buffy, the scruffy man asked, "Friend of yours?"
The blonde's face darkened, the awe she felt fading quickly when she remembered exactly why she was there.
"No," she said rather coolly.
After paying the man, she picked up her own bags and headed up the walk for the front door, all the while wondering exactly how she got into this mess. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. She was supposed to come to LA, get her big break, and live happily ever after; not have to take a job from a man that she hated, and who hated her in return, just because her friend threatened bodily harm for the both of them.
Oh, right, Willow was how she got into this mess. She had to get herself a bass playing boyfriend, who just happened to be in the same band as Buffy's new loathsome boss, and become friends with his band buddies. And, Willow being Willow, she just had to feel sorry for the Bleached Wonder, and try to fix both his and Buffy's problems.
God, why did she have to have such a good friend?
Why couldn't it have been Cordelia? She would have been oblivious to their problems and both she and Spike could have gone happily about their lives; him being completely ignorant to the fact that Buffy was alive, and she hating him with the undying passion of a thousand suns. Life would have been good.
But no, it had to be Willow, and her good heart wouldn't let her go about her own business without at least trying to help them.
Stupid good intentions.
Reaching up, she pressed the button for the doorbell, and listened to the musical chimes echo through the house. She waited for several seconds before a middle-aged man opened the door. A pair of wire rime glasses rested on his face, which he used to peer down at the young blonde before him curiously.
"Can I help you?" he asked, his British accent smooth as silk.
"Um, I guess," she said extending her hand out to shake his. "I'm Buffy."
The man continued to look at her, the name apparently not ringing any bells.
"You know, Buffy… Buffy Summers? The new nanny?"
Giles couldn't hide the surprise on his face. From what William had told him, he had expected some crazed, ill mannered woman with wild eyes and hair. But this girl – and he meant girl. She didn't look like she was hardly over twenty – was nothing like that description. She had a warm smile, was well posed, and appeared to be a rather likeable person.
Then, knowing William, he probably did something to the poor thing that caused her to act out. Really, the boy could drive a Buddhist monk crazy.
"Oh, yes. Do come in," Giles said, taking one of her bags before moving out of the way and letting her inside.
Drawing a deep breath, the blonde stepped into the home.
Oh, so this is what the gates to hell look like. There's even a nice little butler to show you the way to your eternal torment. How convenient.
The chilling thought of Spike making her wear some black dress, a la Mary Poppin's style, flashed through her mind before she realized the butler guy was speaking to her again.
"This way," he said, heading towards the stairs. Buffy followed close behind, still trying to take in her new surroundings. "Are these your only bags?"
She didn't seem like the type of girl to be so conservative when it came to clothing and the such. However, that question was quickly answered when the blonde started to laugh.
"Yeah, right. Two bags it? That's a good one, Jeeves."
"My name is Giles," he said rather coolly, causing Buffy to snap her mouth shut.
"Sorry," she said.
They stopped in front of a door at the end of a hallway on the second floor, and the man she now knew as Giles turned around to face her. There was a deep frown etched on his features, which made the little blonde drop her head even more.
"I hope you find your accommodations acceptable," he said, his tone not giving any indication whether he had accepted her apology or not.
Opening the door, the two adults stepped in. There wasn't much to the room; bare white walls, a twin bed, a dresser, and a closet. There was a window off to the side, which provided much of the light for the room. All in all, the place reminded her of the guest room back at her grandmother's house; not at all to the standards that the rest of the home seemed to possess.
And there was no way that all her junk was going to fit in here. She'd better call Wills and let her know to keep some of it over at her place.
"Servant quarters," Giles explained, as if reading her mind. "I'm afraid there is not much to them."
"Yeah," Buffy said dryly, crossing the room and sitting down on the bed. "But you can't beat the price."
"No, I suppose not." He placed her bags next to the dresser, then said, "The children are down by the pool. You should take a few minutes, then come down to see them."
"What about his Great Blondness?"
"Who?"
"Spike. He with them?"
"Oh. Um, I don't know. He very possibly could be, but it's more likely he's somewhere else."
"Real hands on parent, isn't he," Buffy said, standing up from her spot on the bed and walking over to the window.
She gazed outside and found that she had a view of said swimming pool that was currently occupied by three children. The two youngest were splashing in the shallow end, while the apparent oldest was laid out in one of the lounge chairs.
Well, they appeared well behaved enough. The two younger children looked a bit hyperactive, which would be normal for their age, but nothing she couldn't handle. It would be just like babysitting back when she was a teenager, only for a longer period of time.
"I'm afraid that is why he needs you, Ms. Summers," Giles said, reminding her of the fact that he was still there.
Turning away from the window, the blonde said, "Please, call me Buffy."
The older British man smiled politely, like he was just going to humor her request. "Of course, Buffy." He turned to leave, but called over his shoulder, "If you need anything, I will be downstairs."
"Thanks Giles," she called as he shut the door behind him.
Once out in the hall, the middle-aged man shook his head.
That poor girl. Those kids were going to eat her alive and pick their teeth with her bones.
**********
Spike pulled the door shut behind him as he walked out onto the back porch.
Tara and Andrew were happily splashing in the shallow end of the pool, careful to stay away from the rope that divided the two halves. His youngest niece floated in the water, thanks to the help of an oversized, orange inner-tube. Andrew ran his arms along the top of the water, causing a wave to wash over her and soak her. She giggled mercilessly, returning the wave with much less power. He avoided it by diving underwater.
Dawn was lying out in a lounge chair, choosing to spend the warm day baking in the sun. A pair of dark sunglasses, which were much too large, covered most of her face. The bathing suit she wore was a two piece, and Spike was grateful for that damn privacy fence that the previous owners had installed. Dawn was a pretty a girl, but she was still just that, a girl. And the last thing he needed was for some creepy neighbor to take an unnatural interest in his twelve-year-old niece. Still, it was a rather amusing sight, a little girl trying to look so grownup.
Spike had heard the doorbell earlier and knew what that meant; Willow's psychotic friend, and his new nanny, had finally arrived. He had left Giles to greet her and show her to her room. The last thing he wanted right now was to deal with her, but he also knew he needed to be present when she was introduced to the children, if for no other reason than enjoying the show when Dawn sent her screaming out of his life.
Giles came out to join them shortly after. "She should be down soon," he informed Spike, careful to try and keep a low tone.
"Who should be down soon?" Dawn asked.
Damn. The girl had hearing like a dog.
Tara and Andrew stopped their splashing and turned their attention to their uncle. As they did so, Dawn sat up in the lounge chair, took off her sunglasses, and placed them to rest on the top of her head. The twelve-year-old watched him suspiciously and waited for his answer.
And he thought Anya was scary.
Before Spike had a chance to answer his niece, the French doors opened, and a young woman trotted outside. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back and over her shoulders, shaping her innocent-looking face. The short sleeve shirt she wore clung tightly to her, and the short, matching skirt showed off her nicely toned legs.
Spike would admit, she really was a beauty to behold. Too bad she had to ruin the illusion by opening her mouth and speaking.
He watched as Buffy's hazel eyes scanned over the group, before coming to stop on him. Those same eyes narrowed a bit, but she plastered on a large, faux smile as if it might cover up her clear distaste for him.
The young woman walked towards him, her high heeled shoes causing an echo as they struck against the brick. They sounded like gun shots to Spike.
For a split second, her smile turned genuine as she turned to the older Brit that stood at his side. "Hey, Giles," she said pleasantly, before her tone and her expression went back to the hardness from before. "Spike."
The singer's eyes narrowed. He'd have to remember to talk to her about how to properly address him from now on. Yeah, he would enjoy that conversation. Really put this bint in her place.
"Who's this?" a child's voice cut in.
He turned his attention away from Buffy to find that all three of the children had gathered for introductions. Dawn was the one who had spoken and already had that same curious, yet cool, look on her face. Andrew stood beside his sister, soaking wet, with water dripping off his shorts and splattering on the ground. Next to him was Tara, a large beach towel wrapped around her body as she attempted to hide behind her brother.
Spike watched as Buffy smiled brightly at the three, unknowing that she had just come face to face with unadulterated evil.
Clearing his throat, the singer tuned into the tone his father had always used when introducing a new member of the staff and said, "Children, I would like you to meet Buffy, your new nanny."
"Hi," the blonde said, extending her hand towards the eldest child.
Dawn raised an eyebrow as her eyes scanned over the woman before her. "You're the new nanny?"
Buffy stood there awkwardly for a moment, her hand still extended out to girl before she withdrew it but continued to smile. "Yes, I am."
"You are?"
"Um, yeah."
"The new nanny."
"Uh-huh."
"Our new nanny."
"Ah…yeah. That's what I've been told."
Dawn stood there, just staring at her new nanny like she had grown a third head. Then the child began to laugh. Hard. And from deep within.
After several seconds passed with only Dawn laughing, Andrew began to as well, first very awkwardly before apparently getting the joke. Not wanting to feel left out, even Tara began to giggle, still hiding behind her brother. And because he understood, a ghost of a smile passed over Spike's lips.
Oh, this bird had no idea what was coming.
Buffy could only stand there looking at the three before glancing over at the two men for answers. Giles dropped his gaze from her, like he knew what was going on, but couldn't tell her. And Spike just smiled and raised an eyebrow as if to challenge her to whatever it was they were laughing about.
Finally, Dawn's laughter died down, and she had to literally wipe the tears from her face.
Still smiling, she turned to her uncle and said, "Thank you. This is going to be so much fun."
Buffy watched the girl carefully as she turned the smile to her new nanny, then headed back to the sun lounge she had been laying on before.
"What was that about?" Buffy asked.
Giles was still doing his best to avoid eye contact with her at all cost, and Spike still had that amused, smug smile on his face.
"Yes, um, nothing to worry about," the non-butler stammered, trying to look convincing and failing at it miserably. Before she could press the issue any further, he reached over, grabbed her by the arm, and began to lead her back into the house. "Come along then, Ms. Sum – I mean, Buffy. I'm sure you would like to get settled in as quickly as possible."
"But-."
Before the new nanny had time to protest, Giles already had her back in the house and helping her up to her new room. Spike stood there, looking at the path they retreated on for several seconds before a large splash drew his attention away.
Andrew was back in the pool, diving below the surface as if he were looking for something underneath. Tara, however, was still standing in front of Spike, looking up at her uncle with big, innocent eyes. The bleached blond singer couldn't help but grin at her as he knelt down to her level.
"Let the games begin, aye, little one?" he asked mischievously.
Her response was a giggle before she darted away to join her brother.
**********
AN: Okay, so, after an extremely long wait, you just get a short little chapter. Sorry about that. I'm going to try and get the next one out as quickly as I can, but I can't make any promises on that. Hopefully it'll be longer than this chapter. Well, thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really love hearing from you guys.