darla
Darla, an Anglo-Saxon derivation meaning "Dear One", is anything but dear to those among the living. The young woman who came to be called Darla was a prostitute in the Virginia Colony. In 1609, she was sired on her deathbed by the Master, the self-proclaimed lord of the vampires and leader of the clan of vampires known as the Order of Aurelius. In a short period of time, Darla became a creatively scheming, not to mention deadly vampire in her own right, and also became the Master’s personal favorite.
Masquerading as an Irish noblewoman in Galway, Ireland in 1753, Darla transformed Liam into Angelus, the Scourge of Europe, training him, teaching him, and loving him for over 150 years. The two spent every deliciously bloody moment together, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. Darla and Angelus even created their own special little family of vampires throughout the centuries, first with James and Elizabeth, an undead Romeo and Juliet. The two gained the most notoriety when they paired with the deadliest members of their bloodline, Drusilla and Spike, in the latter half of the 19th century.
In 1898, fate came in the form of a beautiful gypsy girl, just one of Darla’s many inventive and carefully thought out gifts for her beloved Angelus. Little did Darla know that as a result of her gift, the girl’s family would restore Angelus’ soul. As a result, Darla rejected Angelus when his soul was returned just when he needed her the most throwing him out into the streets of Romania to fend for himself. Angelus unsuccessfully tried to get back in Darla’s good graces over the next two years. During the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900, he refused to kill a baby Darla kidnapped for him. They would never meet again until nearly 100 years later.
Parting ways with Drusilla and Spike, Darla rejoined the Master’s Order of Aurelius. She arrived in Sunnydale, California in 1997, in an attempt to free her sire from the Hellmouth. At the same time, Angelus now called Angel also was in Sunnydale and in love with Buffy Summers the Vampire Slayer. Failing to bring him back into the fold, Darla attempted to trick Buffy into believing Angel fed off her mother, when in reality, she did. Her plan failed miserably, however, and Darla was killed by Angel’s hand.
