Part 23

**Never send a boy to do a woman's job**

Darla Penn stood on the rocks for more than an hour before finally tearing her drenched body away from its unobserved vantagepoint.

Wrapped in a blanket of darkness, the shattered young woman felt as if her whole world had come to an end that night. All her hopes for the future appeared to have crashed and burned before her very eyes.

Darla's skin crawled and she felt truly sick to her stomach but, refusing to show so much as a sliver of weakness, the petite blonde quickly blinked back the tears of frustration that burned behind her eyelids.

**Crying was for fools and for babies** She wasn't either.

Ignoring the storm still raging high above Sunnydale as it tore violently into the dark velvet skyline, Darla turned silently from the cave's entrance but her exit from the beach was short lived. Not yet ready to deal with hard reality, her feet found their way to the water's edge and her toes sank deep into the cold wet sand.

Closing her eyes, Darla couldn't prevent the memories of the last few days crashing over her tired body, almost physically attacking her small frame with the weight of their anger.

Buffy's voice was the first to taunt her head, quickly followed by her brother's sad confession.

**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**

**Darla. I need to find William, like yesterday**

**Sorry, luv, but I've fucked up big time. Buffy knows I lied to her. She's out looking for Liam right now and when she finds him, it's all over** .

With a violent crash of water, Darla's troubled mind was abruptly brought back to the present. She shivered, but the chill of the spray attacking her bare legs didn't bother her in the slightest.

Neither the storm raging high in the sky above or the cold water splashing at her skin seemed to penetrate even the first layer of her senses that night.
Filling her lungs with deep gulps of damp salty air, the lone female on the sand tried desperately to clear the confusion swimming around her head and contemplate her now uncertain future.

**A future that until just a few hours ago included the man of her dreams and the words, happily ever after stamped right through it**

"Happily ever after. What a laugh that was" Before Darla could even hear her own bitterness, the angrily whispered words were swept up by the wind swirling around her and blown far out to sea. Lost forever on the swollen tide.

Not that she needed to hear words that night to feel the bitter pain of betrayal. The open tear in her battered heart was still very raw, and a constant ache for revenge screamed its way through her blood stream with every new beat.

Fighting back the anger Darla slowly brought her breathing under control by reminding herself of one sure thing.

**No matter what she had just witnessed in that cave, her *happily ever after* wasn't over yet**

Tilting up her wet face towards the sky, she watched in awe as a lightning bolt streaked its way across the infinite heavens, Mother Nature's violence and fury matching her own feelings to perfection. For a split second, the lightning's natural energy lit up the darkness, throwing a ghostly shadow across the silver sand and further highlighting the rage of the surf.

And the rage in her heart.

At that moment, the wind picked up, attacking her small frame but even as her pale skin started to tinge blue with the cold, Darla didn't feel the chill seeping into her bones. Her body was on fire. Her shattered heart fuelled with a lifetime of hatred, pounding in her chest until she was in serious danger of combusting.

Lifting her thin arm against the driving rain, Darla swiped an annoying strand of wet hair away from her face, but she still didn't move away from the water's edge.

Strangely, she took comfort from its anger, finding solace in its rage.

As the violence from the storm washed over her, the deranged female allowed her twisted feelings of betrayal to slowly bleed into any sense of reason she might have once possessed. Once again Buffy had destroyed her one chance of happiness.

Darla painfully twisted her fingers together as her thoughts returned to her childhood rival.

Long months of scheming and planning had been ruined the second Liam had taken that bitch of a wife back into his arms.

**Arms that should have been wrapped around her. Arms that would have been wrapped around her if only Buffy had stayed lost**

Darla trembled again as the hatred she felt for Liam's wife, radiated out from every pore in her skin.

She had spent her whole life living in Buffy's shadow, always coming in second place. It didn't matter what she did, or who she loved, Buffy was always there in front of her. Stealing the show.. Stealing her life.

But not this time.

**It simply wasn't fair that Buffy Summers would win again**

Darla sighed and closed her eyes. Everything had been going so well until, out of the blue, all of her hopes and dreams crumbled into dust. William's fight with Liam, and his confrontation with Buffy were bad enough, but this sickening reunion was almost the pink icing on a very sickly cake.

Standing in the middle of the raging storm, Darla let the violence fuel her own anger and only one thought whispered in her head

She really had no other choice now but to wipe out the plague that had blighted her life for more years than she wished to remember.

The plague of Buffy Summers.

**Buffy was a bug, an annoying little insect that continually gnawed at her flesh, and there only way to deal with bugs that wouldn't go away.**

** You exterminate them... Once and for all**

Turning her head back towards the crashing waves that ripped across the soft pale sand, Darla stared so intensely into the violence of the sea, that the dark vision slowly blurred in front of her eyes.

**Could she really kill Buffy?**

The question repeated over and over, echoing deep inside her head with each thunderous roll of water. Her rival's face danced in front of her eyes. Laughing at her pain, taunting her stupidity.

**Buffy wins again**

Cutting out all other sounds from her mind, Darla let her imagination run wild.

** Could she really kill her rival in order to secure her own *Happily ever after* ?**

**Sending the bitch away was one thing, but could she take her life?**

**Could she kill for Liam?**

After a few seconds a small smile curled the corner of the woman's cool lips.

The answer was almost too easy.

"Yes. "

Darla's voice was barely a whisper but the sea heard her answer and almost in response, it roared.

*****

"Don't do anything stupid and try not to worry. I'll fix it. I did before and I'll do it again.. Trust me."

Darla sighed deeply and regretted her decision to tell William the scene she had witnessed on the beach, the very second she put down the phone. Her brother had been devastated by the news that Buffy was once again sleeping with her husband and even though she couldn't see his face, Darla felt his tired spirit crack underneath the painful information.

Trying to ignore the heartbreak she heard in his voice, the dripping wet woman had promised to call around as soon as she had showered and changed her clothes. They had plans to make. It really wouldn't be that difficult. Darla already knew Liam's agenda off by heart, she remembered that he would be in court most of the afternoon, leaving the vulnerable little wife at home all alone. Even before the receiver was placed back on its catch, Darla Penn's evil little mind was turning over the possibilities. If she was going to stop all of her dreams from slipping through her fingers, like sand through an hourglass, she and Will had to move fast

**Buffy and Liam's sickening little reunion wasn't long for this world. One way or another, that marriage was over.**

Darla smiled as she kicked off her wet clothes and stepped into a shower of hot water. Lathering her body and shampooing a beach full of sand from her tangled hair, she tried to block all negative thoughts from her head.

William needed her to stay strong and in order to do that; she needed to stay positive.

**After all, between them they had broken Buffy and Liam apart once before, there was no reason why they couldn't do it again.**

**Okay, so William was feeling down but he would soon bounce back.**

Darla knew her half brother too well; he had the same lust for life running through his veins that she did. Will was a romantic at heart but he wouldn't quit, he was a survivor, just like she was.

**But what if he does throw in the towel. The lovesick fool really does have strong feelings for the ex cheerleader. If the siblings couldn't split them apart, would he stand in her way? **

Darla shook the thought from her head.

**Maybe it wouldn't do to tell William everything she had planned after all. **

******

Two hours later.

"What on earth are you doing?" Darla asked as her widened eyes swept over the devastation that had once been her brother's living room. The broken glass and splintered furniture from his fight with Liam was still scattered all around the once stylish room but it wasn't the destruction that caught Darla Penn's attention. Everywhere she looked, the room was scattered with personal belongings.

Not even bothering to turn his head, William answered the question with hardly a trace of emotion in his voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I've had as much as I can take of this bloody freak show. I'm going home"

With a casual shrug of his shoulders, William threw open a large packing case and without even looking, he dropped the armful of shirts he was carrying into its depths.

"Have you gone insane?"

Darla quickly crossed the room and with a flash of anger, she slammed down the lid of the expensive packing case, preventing the pile of poetry books that her brother was now holding from being added to his shirts.

"This. Is. Your. Home" Her voice was so cold it sent an icy chill right through the room. This was the last thing she had expected.

William sighed deeply with frustration as the books he had been about to deposit tumbled down onto the closed lid and then bounced onto the floor. Without even looking at his sister he bent his knees and started to retrieve his property.

"Darla, I'm through with this bloody town, its caused me nothing but aggravation" His voice was still quiet but the tone was now deadly serious. He simply couldn't carry on living like this.

After receiving his sister's bad news about the state of Buffy and Liam's marriage, the poet's vivid imagination had run wild. Sinking to the floor of his broken home, all he could see was his golden girl, laying naked in arms that weren't his.

**Poetic justice really**

**She was never really your girl**

**It was never you**

At first he had raged, breaking what was left of any still standing furniture. Glass, wood, marble, nothing was sacred as the anger in his blood flooded his body and he ripped loose with a vengeance. But the rampage didn't last for long, once the fury in his heart had burned out; all that was left was the pain. Sitting alone and feeling like a small child who had lost his favourite toy, for the first time in remembrance William Pennington cried.

He cried for Buffy. He cried for what might have been if fate hadn't been such a cruel bastard. But in all honesty, as the tears rolled freely down his perfectly chiselled cheekbones, William cried for what he had become.

**God, what have I done?**

Finally, sated and exhausted, William took a real good look at his future and reluctantly accepted that the picture staring back at him wasn't Sunnydale.

"I'm going home"

**

William glanced back down at the book he was holding in his hands and after reading its flowery title, he decided that he wouldn't take the romantic reminders with him after all.

He was exhausted, both physically and mentally. As the emotions attacking his heart flicked across his swollen face, he silently swore that he was finished with love and all the pain it had brought him.

For a second he actually meant it

He remained silent and as Darla watched the emotions flicker across his face, she started to panic slightly.

"And what about Buffy?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

A painful shudder went through William.

Darla's words sliced through the poet's misery and his broken heart clenched deep in his chest. Just the sound of her name caused the blood in his veins to run icy cold. Lifting his badly swollen eyes for the first time, William stared into his sister's face with a look of disbelief.

"Are you taking the piss? You made it perfectly clear that Buffy and that bastard she married are screwing each other again..." The pain in his eyes almost took her breath away. But it wasn't the pain that made her worry. It was the look of defeat that bled into it

Feeling her gaze sweep over his darkening bruises, William turned away. Slowly standing to his feet, his tired eyes swept around for the half empty bottle of scotch he had earlier placed by his packing case.

"Do you want a drink?" He asked holding the amber bottle in one hand and twisted the lid with the other.

Darla shook her head. The solution to their problems wasn't going to be found at the bottom of a whisky bottle.

William shrugged his shoulders.

"Suit yourself"

"That's not going to help."

"Yeah, well I happen to think it just might." Not bothering with a glass, William gulped the burning liquid straight from the bottle.

The first mouthful stung as it found the small cuts inside his mouth and as much as he hated to admit it, Darla was right, It didn't matter how much of the stuff he poured down his throat, it wasn't a magical cure, it wouldn't make Buffy love him. No matter how much he drank, It wouldn't take away the pain or the continuous ache in his chest, but if nothing else, it would numb it for a while.

That had to be better than nothing.

William desperately needed something to help him forget. Something to help him move on before the feelings inside him burned and consumed him until there was nothing left.

"It's over, Darla. " He continued, no longer disguising the fact that his heart was broken and his pride was ripped to shreds. He really couldn't play this game any more, because there was only so much pain a person could stand before it sent them insane. William understood only too well that he had crossed the line with Buffy the night before and standing there in the cold light of day, he knew that nothing they did could ever fix this mess now.

Darla on the other hand didn't want to see the cold light of day; Darla didn't want too see any negativity at all.

"No.." The word tore from her lips like an explosion.

"We can still do this. Last night you were begging me to help you and now you want to run back to London with your tail between your legs.. It's not going to happen that way. It's time you grew a backbone little brother"

He jerked as if she had physically hit him.

Darla felt a knot of fear in her chest grip tight but the pained statement that slipped into William's sad blue eyes indicated that she had hit her mark.

William raised his hand to his face and when his fingers touched the dark purple bruise on his jaw, he winced in pain. It was true, he had spent the whole night plotting how he could turn this mess around and make Buffy understand that he was the only chance she had for a happy life. But Darla's revelations about the fuckfeast on the beach had destroyed his last remaining hope. He had to get away, he was simply too tired of playing Darla's games and of finding himself on the losing side.

"Why don't you just give it a bleeding rest, Darla. I should never have agreed to this crap in the first place and I'm not staying around Sunnydale to get my bloody heart cut out day after day." Anger flashed across his face. Sunnydale was too small a town to hide in and there was no way he was going to watch Buffy and Liam playing happy families everyday.

Ignoring the outburst, Darla pushed the contents of a leather armchair onto the floor and dropped into the seat

"I can still make this happen for us. I'm so close, i just need a little more time" Her fingers played nervously with the folds of her skirt..

William looked at his sister and for the first time he thought about her sadness. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he slowly crossed the room and crouched down in front of her.

Taking his sister's small hand between his large fingers, he softly rubbed her skin.

"No, luv, you were never close. Look, do yourself a favour and give it up. Come back to England with me because Buffy will never leave him now. I know it and in your heart, you know it as well"

His sad eyes sought hers and they held for a moment. For a split second William thought he was breaking through her denial but the moment passed and when Darla met his eyes again, she smirked.

"Well maybe its time to stop playing games and get rid of the little bitch once and for all"

William shook his head and sighed heavily.

**Darla and her schemes**

Keeping his voice as free from emotion as possible, even though it was an effort to do so, he continued in a quiet tone.

"You tried that once before and it failed. You sent her running and look where it got us, she came right back. Don't you understand, pet. As long as Buffy can breathe she will always find her way back to Liam" The resentment at the simple fact once again tore deeply into the poet's heart.

**As long as Buffy can breathe she will always find her way back to Liam**

Darla's smirk grew wider as her brother's words mirrored her own earlier thoughts

"Stopping her from breathing? Good idea little brother. That works just fine for me."

William rolled his eyes at the ridiculous notion.

"Stop being so dramatic" Pushing away from her, he stood up again and turned away. This conversation was going nowhere.

Darla rose from her chair and followed him. A war of emotions raged within her as she slowly walked across the room.

"I'm not being dramatic, I'm just saying, maybe it's time I got rid of the bitch once and for all"

William spun around and grabbed her arm. His dark blue eyes were like pinpoints, boring into her flesh. Darla opened her mouth to protest, but clamped it shut as her brother's gaze drilled into every inch of her face, hunting for the real meaning behind her words.

"If you so much as touch a single hair on her head, I'll make you sorry you were born" His gaze darkened and the promise was very real.

Darla swallowed the slight lump that had risen in her throat and almost as an act of defiance, she lifted her chin.

"Now who's being all dramatic?" She smirked and a flicker of playful mischief danced across her cool eyes.

William knew that look only too well. Dropping her arm he slowly backed away.

When he spoke again it was in a deadly quiet voice.

"I mean it, Darla."

To cover her frustration, Darla changed the smirk on her face into a full-blown smile.

"And when did you become so damn righteous, it never bothered you the last time. You were happy to help then."

Turning away from his sister, William's eyes searched the wreckage of his home for a bottle of anything that would numb his pain. He was sobering up far too quickly and the agony in his head was pounding.

"In point of fact, you were MORE than happy to help last time" Darla continued, cruelly pushing her point home.

Forgetting his need for alcohol, William's eyes filled with guilt as he remembered only too clearly how he had helped destroy Buffy's once perfect life.

Watching his body tremble at the memories Darla continued.

"I might have set the stage little brother but you led the audience right to her seat" She smirked and knew she had scored an important point. Walking closer, Darla laid a hand on his tense arm, but he shook her off, deliberately moving away from her

William closed his eyes, acknowledging her words. He didn't need her to remind him. He'd lived with that little deception for the last four months.

"And what did it get me? Your bloody plan worked too well, Darla. Buffy ran and I lost her." The anger was gone from his voice. Sadness and regret had replaced it.

"Sending her away won't help me this time. I can't go with her... She doesn't love me" His voice trailed off in remembrance.

"Then we might be both better off with her out of our lives once and for all" This time Darla didn't even bother to hide the hostility in her voice.

William's jaw tightened and his skin drew flat over his features. His gaze darkened but Darla stared right back at him, not backing down

"I can't let you hurt her. I love you, pet, you're my only family, but I won't let you hurt Buffy". A sliver of fear clouded his eyes at the thought his little sister might actually be serious.

Darla looked into her brother's face and wished she could shake some sense into him. Somewhere over the last few weeks, he'd changed from the ruthless young man she had always known to a sickly lap dog. The look disgusted her. It was the same look it had taken her weeks to remove from Liam's face after Buffy first fled.

**Men**

Darla knew better than to continue in that direction, the last thing she needed was William spoiling her plans. She wanted his help not his hindrance. With a forced smile to her lips she moved closer to him again and placed a hand back on his arm. He stayed still this time, their eyes locking in understanding

"Okay, okay. I won't touch a hair on the cheerleaders head, I promise"

William's head lowered, resting against her forehead.

"I really worry about you sometimes. Darla come back to England with me, just for a few months until this all dies down." The anger was gone from his voice. William's hand gently stroked her back. She might act like a cold heartless bitch but at the end of the day she would always be his sister and, for all her faults, he would always love her.

Pulling slightly away, Darla looked into his tired swollen eyes and tried one last time.

"You know I can't do that. Stay here and help me. I have a great idea that will split them apart once and for all. Please Will, I need you.."

William shook his head and ignored the pain the jerky movement created.

"If I thought for one second that I could really have Buffy, I'd march into Hell and sell my soul to the devil himself, but it doesn't work that way. We tried, we lost. His voice rose, frustrated, his whole body vibrating with the pain of defeat

"I can't do this without you" Darla's voice rose as well, frustration stiffening her body.

At any other time in his life, Darla's pleading would have melted his resolve, but not today. William Pennington was simply too tired of picking up the pieces of his broken heart and shoving them back into his chest. He had no choice this time. He had to get as far away from Sunnydale as possible.

Neither spoke and the room fell deadly silent while the two lost siblings struggled with their own inner turmoil. In the end it was William's soft voice that broke through the stillness.

"I'm on the midnight flight to London. If you change your mind you are always welcome to join me"

Darla sighed and shook her head.

"I can't. I can't give up Liam; I have to try one last time. I can still make it right" She replied sadly, still refusing to admit defeat.

William tried one last time to make his sister see sense.

"You're a fool Darla. Don't you understand, yet? It's too late to make it right. The past has a way of catching up with us, we can't change what we did and we can't make it right" He took a breath before continuing with his last words on the subject.

"This can only end in tears" The words were so low that she had to strain to hear them

When they finally registered, Darla merely nodded, her face expressionless

"I know.. " she turned her head and knowing it was useless to continue the argument, she started for the door. Walking away, her final words were missed by the dejected young poet

"There will be tears all right.... But they won't be mine"

Go to Part Twenty Four