If Only I Knew Then

Chapter 5: Monsters Under My Bed

“The Slayer always knew what she was doing.  And you know why?  It was her friends.  All those friends around her, helping her…they were why she was so great, and we’re never going to become the crime lords of Sunnydale with them always one step ahead of us,” Jonathan said nervously.

“Well, that’s why we’re gonna throw these tests at them.  Shake them up a bit. Find their weaknesses,” Warren explained impatiently.

”Are you sure with all this stuff, we’ll be able to watch them without their noticing?” Jonathan asked, gesturing to the massive amounts of equipment around them.

“Absolutely,” Warren reassured.  “They’ll never know what hit them.”

~*~

After class, Willow met Tara in the hallway.

“How was class?” Tara asked with a smile.

“Oh, great,” Willow responded, trying to sound as cheery as possible. 

“I mean, it’s a little weird being in class ag…”  Willow started, but was cut off as someone walked by briskly, bumping into her and knocking her into Tara.

“Oh, honey, are you okay?” Tara asked, helping the redhead regain her balance.

“Hey! You could at least say sorry, rude-o!” Willow yelled after the man who was quickly rushing off.

“Everybody’s in a hurry,” Tara said with a shake of her head.

“Yeah,” Willow responded quietly, trying to remember why this seemed so familiar.

~*~

Warren came around the corner, glancing up at a surveillance camera, before turning around and talking quietly into a hidden microphone in his collar. 

“Francis 7, this is Logan 5. I'm in position, do you copy?”

“Yeah, Warren, we copy that. And you're up on the monitor,” Jonathan responded from inside the van.

Warren turned around and waved at the camera, flashing a smile. 

“Runner is tagged, inhibitor is on. Repeat, inhibitor is on. Initiate omega pulse sequence.”

~*~

“My art appreciation class doesn't start for another twenty minutes, so

I've got some time to kill,” Tara told her girlfriend as they sat down on a bench.

“Oh, good,” Willow said with a strained smile.  She knew she couldn’t avoid Tara forever and had told herself it was time to make a real effort at reacquainting herself with the blonde.  She looked down at the books in her lap for a moment, and suddenly heard a funny static sound, her head snapping up and looking around.

“…didn’t think you liked my cooking, but then I realized that was your yummy face.  When your nose…” Tara was saying.

“Huh?  What was that?” Willow asked, looking distracted.

“What was what?” Tara asked in equal confusion.

“Um, that…that noise…and what were you saying about…whose yummy face?”

“Yours, silly. Mind drift off again?”  Tara asked with a smile.

“Yeah, I…I guess I just spaced out or something,” Willow mumbled.  She stood up and started looking around, suddenly hearing the static noise again.

“Sweetie, I gotta go…I’ll be late for class.”

Willow heard Tara’s voice, though it sounded distant and she looked up, seeing her girlfriend disappearing down the hall.  She looked after her, trying to understand what was going on.

From inside the van, the trio watched the redheaded witch.

“Is it working? Is it doing it?” Warren asked, his voice high-pitched with excitement.

”Dude, it's doing it,” Jonathan told him.

”And it's wicked cool,” Andrew added.

Willow ran down the hall after Tara, stopping in front of the door, as it shut behind the blonde.

“Tara!  Wait, Tara!”  She called after her.

A second later a bell rang and the empty hallway began to fill with students again.  Tara came up behind Willow.

“Hi, honey, I didn’t know you were going to meet me after class.”  She looked around in surprise and confusion.  “Did…did you wait here for me?”

“Tara, something…something going on and…” She looked up at the clock and saw that the hands were moving extremely fast.   “That’s right!  I remember this now!  Those nerds did this to Buffy, and…Tara?”  She looked back up, but Tara was no where to be seen.  Immediately, she started searching herself for the tag that she knew had been put on her.  Finally finding a small metal device, she grabbed it, ripping it off of her.  Before she had a chance to examine it, the device suddenly disintegrated in the palm of her hand.  Willow rolled her eyes.  Everything was now back to normal. She turned and headed out to the front of the building.  Immediately she spotted the black van and ran to it before they had a chance to get away.

“How…how did she know about it?” Jonathan asked in distress.  “It was like…she knew exactly what was happening.”

“There’s no way she could have known,” Warren stated.

“Yeah, she just got lucky,” Andrew agreed.  “It’s Willow.  She’s smart with that kind of stuff.  I told you we should have used that trick on

Xander and used mine on the witch. Mine is so much cooler and when…”

“Whatever,” Warren interrupted.  “Score me.”

“Rrrright,” Jonathan said, thinking carefully. “Fifty points for ingenuity, another thirty since it involved actual contact with…”

Suddenly, the back door of the van was ripped open and a very angry

Willow was standing there, staring at them.

“Oh, crap!” Warren shouted. “Jonathan, go...now!”  Jonathan moved to jump into the driver’s seat but was stopped as Willow raised her hand, her eyes slightly blackening, freezing them in place.

“Why don’t you boys stay right where you are.  We need to have a little talk,” she told them.  “I know what you’re up to.  All of it.  I know about the little wonky time thingy, I know about the “loop-de-loop” trick you’re planning on pulling, I know about the invisibility laser you’re making…I know about all of it.  And I’m going to tell you, just this once, stop, right now.  Do NOT try to mess with us anymore.  You stay away from us, we stay away from you.  IF however, you step out of line even once…” she paused, and glanced over near the dashboard, seeing a Star Wars figurine sitting in front of Jonathan who was watching her with wide, terrified eyes. Levitating the toy, she smiled slightly and it suddenly cracked in half, right down the center.

“Oh god! Nooooo!!!” Jonathan shouted, grabbing the broken pieces.  “Not my 1983 Limited Edition Darth Vader Action Figure!”  He looked down as though he were about to cry and then raised his eyes, anger and hatred mixing with the overwhelming fear.  “The force is strong in that one,” he mumbled to himself.

“Do I make myself clear?” She questioned.

“Yeah, we get it.  We get it,” Warren assured her. 

With a nod and smile she turned and walked away.

“How…how did she know?” Jonathan asked after the witch was gone.

“I don’t know.  I mean, we haven’t even finished designing the invisibility laser.  There’s no way she could have known about that.”

“She has super-powers,” Jonathan surmised.  “She can read our minds! 

She knows our every thought!  She knows about my crush on…” at that he stopped and clamped his mouth shut.

“She can’t read minds, moron,” Warren argued.  “She’s a witch and she’s a computer nerd.  She probably just knows some of the same tricks that we do.  Actually, that just makes the game all the more interesting.”  He grinned slyly at his two friends who both looked back, doubt in their eyes.

Pt 2

The next few weeks were a blur.  Very little happened, much to Willow’s relief.  She was still struggling with jumping back into her life as well as with Tara, but was starting to feel slightly better about the situation…or more resigned to it at least.  She hadn’t seen Spike at all and was actually beginning to wonder if he was avoiding her, after everything that she had told him about herself.  She wouldn’t blame him, really, but the idea that the vampire could be ashamed or disappointed in her upset her more than she would have expected.  For now, though, she forced all thoughts of him to the back of her over-crowded mind.

Willow was filling a bag with candy for a little girl in a witch costume that she just couldn’t say no to, when Anya came skating by.

“Willow, when you’re done giving that little girl all the candy in my store, check the basement. We're running low on mandrake root,” she told her, before skating off to another part of the store.

Willow rolled her eyes and stood up, heading for the basement.  Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Spike emerged from the other side, startling her.

“Oh!  Spike!” She glared at him, trying to fight off the apprehension she was feeling at seeing him again.

“Did ya every think of getting yourself a little bell for around your neck?” She asked in annoyance.

“Come with a nice leather collar, does it?” He countered with a smirk.

“Spike, what are you doing down here?” She questioned.

He sighed.  “Came through the tunnels. Running low on burba weed. Stir it in with the blood. Makes it all hot 'n spicy.” He held up a handful of vines. 

She rolled her eyes and turned away, setting the box in her hands down.

“What? I was gonna pay for it,” he insisted. 

She gave him a look, clearly not believing him and he let out another sigh.

“I mean, no. I was gonna nick it, 'cause that's what I do. I go where I please and I take what I want, and what's your excuse anyway? Thought you were avoiding the whole group activities thing.”

“Yeah, well, can’t stay in hiding forever,” she told him. She reached out to grab the mandrake root which was out of reach. 

Spike reached above her head and easily pulled the jar from the shelf. 

“Careful with those.  Cram too many together…tend to go a bit wonky,” he told her.

“Yeah, I know that, Spike,” she said, sounding irritated.  “Witch, remember?”

“So, tonight, you feel like a bit of the rough and tumble?” He asked. 

She looked up at him in shock, feeling red heat rush over her face.

“Me…you…patrolling?  Hello?”

“Oh, uh…I should stay.  Maybe…uh, maybe tomorrow,” she told him.

“We used to patrol together all the time, you know,” he reminded her.

“Yeah, well I’m not the only one that’s been staying away,” she countered.

“I THOUGHT that you would want some space,” he explained, his frustration beginning to build.

“I…I do…just, not so much from you,” she admitted quietly.

“That right?” He asked with a smirk.  The truth was he had been missing talking to the witch.  There was something about her…something about the new darkness evident within her that drew him to her.  She could be so caring, so self-sacrificing, and then at the same time…he could see the darkness bubbling just below the surface.  He was pretty sure that had he looked before, he would have seen it, but it was buried much further then and he hadn’t been looking.  Now though, it was clearly evident and he was more than looking.

“Yeah, well…you’re…I can talk to you, you know?  And not worry about what you’ll think or…or if you’ll judge me,” she explained.

“Oh…so I’m just a good sounding board then, that it?” He asked, suddenly becoming angry again.

“No! Spike…it isn’t just that.  I…I can’t explain it.  I just…being around you, things seem slightly more bearable, I guess.”  She let out a heavy sigh.  “Which I shouldn’t be saying and it shouldn’t be the case!  It should be Tara that makes me feel that way, not you.  But it isn’t and it is, and…argggg…I don’t know what I’m saying anymore. Just forget it, okay?” 

Before she gave him a chance to response, she turned and quickly headed up the stairs. Later that evening, after the store was closed, Xander and Anya announced their engagement, not at all to the surprise of Willow.  She would have to be sure to talk to Xander, find a way to make him see that he WOULD be a good husband and explain that it was not wise to listen to evil demons who try to convince you that they are an older version of yourself, so that the wedding didn’t end up the same as last time.  Everyone left to go back to the Summer’s house for a small engagement party.  Willow volunteered to stop at a store and pick up a few decorations, while Tara took Dawn to get a cake. 

Walking down the street, Willow quickly became distracted by her own wandering thoughts and didn’t notice the woman approaching her until she ran right into her.

“Oh, I’m sorry..I…”  Willow looked up, surprised to see Halfrek standing in front of her.

“Oh, no, entirely my fault,” the vengeance demon said with a bright smile and a chuckle.

“What are you doing here?” Willow asked in a deep, accusing voice.

“Well, I…” Halfrek began, startled at the girls apparent dislike for her.  “I’m in town on business and I thought I’d stop by to see my old friend.  I think you might know her…Anyanka?”

“Yeah, I know who…” Willow stopped herself, remembering that she wasn’t

supposed to know who Halfrek was yet.  “I…I know Anya.  She…uh…she works down the street, at the…uh…The Magic Box,” she amended.

“Oh, well then, how lucky that I ran into you,” Halli stated.

“She’s not there now, though,” Willow explained.

“Well, do you happen to know where I might find her?” Halli asked.

With a sigh, knowing she probably shouldn’t be inviting a vengeance demon, especially this vengeance demon back to her house, she gestured toward the direction she had been walking in.  “She’ll be at my house tonight.  We’re having a little party.  You can come if…”

“Oh great!  Thanks so much,” Halli responded with a little too much excitement. 

Willow gave her a slight, strained smile. They walked for a few blocks, neither saying anything, before Halfrek finally had to break the silence.

“You seem awfully down,” she told the redhead. 

Willow rolled her eyes and didn’t respond. 

“Tough day?”

“Try tough year,” Willow responded.

“Sometimes it helps to talk about it,” Halli told her. 

Again Willow rolled her eyes. “No thanks,” she told her.

“Life can be really tough at times, I know,” Halli said.  “Especially living on the Hellmouth, dealing with all the demons on top of the regular trials of life.”

Willow sighed, watching a little girl in a witch’s costume, trick-or-treating across the street.  Momentarily she forgot who she was talking to.  “You know, sometimes I just wish I could go back to the way things used to be…when I was little and the only demons I knew about were the monsters under my bed.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her head flew up and she stared at Halfrek in horror.  “No! I didn’t mean…” But it was too late. 

Halfrek’s face had changed and with a nod and a grin she said, “Done.”

Pt. 3

Walking along the quiet street, Spike took the last few puffs off of his cigarette before tossing it onto the ground, stomping it out.  He had decided to stop by the Summer’s house, check in, and see how everything was.

Not only had he not been seeing much of Willow lately, but he had been neglecting his promise to watch over Dawn as well. As he walked along, a soft noise suddenly caught his attention.  Looking up and around, he finally noticed a little girl sitting on a bench along the walkway, huddled with her knees bent up to her chin, crying.  He should just keep walking.  He knew he should.  He was a demon after all, chip or no chip.  He was the big bad, and the big bad didn’t care about some little chit crying on the street.  But for some reason, he stopped just the same. 

Letting out a self-aggravated sigh, he looked down at the little girl, who slowly turned her head up to look at him with big, watery green eyes.  They both stared at each other for a few moments before either spoke.

“Little thing like you shouldn’t be sitting out here all alone,” he told her gruffly.

“I…I got lost…I think,” she responded.  “I was going to my friend’s house.  He stole my Barbie and I was gonna go get it back but I…I don’t know where I am now.”

“You seem awfully familiar,” he mumbled more to himself than to her. 

“Remind me of someone…” His voice drifted off as he took in her big green eyes and red hair.

“Who?” She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Huh?  Oh…just this girl I know…”  He let out another sigh and rolled his eyes, feeling like the complete ponce that he was. He held out his hand to her.  “What’s your name, luv?”

“I…I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” she responded, shrugging away from him.

“Right…good rule, that.  Better rule though, don’t sit out alone at night in Sunnydale.”  His patience was already running thin.

She nodded.  “Weird things happen here,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Very true,” he agreed, holding his hand out again.  “So why don’t you tell me your name and we can get you home.”

She nodded again before speaking.  “My name’s Willow.  Willow

Rosenberg,” she said with a proud smile.

Spike’s hand dropped down as his jaw fell open in shock.

“Well, lookey what we have here.” 

Spike spun around, hearing the voice behind him and saw a vampire in full attack mode behind him.  Clearly he was a freshly risen demon, still covered in the dirt from his grave.

Spike rolled his eyes.  “Bugger off, mate.  The girl’s with me.”

“Yeah?  Well, I say that I saw her first and she’s mine,” the vampire countered. 

Spike let out a sigh, not wanting to waste time with this right now.  He was just about to lunge forward and dust the vampire when he thought of something and quickly glanced back at the girl.

“Luv, do me a favor and cover your eyes for a sec.” 

She quickly did as he asked, covering her eyes with her hands, and Spike moved forward, connecting a solid punch with the vampire’s jaw. He watched as the demon’s head snapped back and then came back around.  Again Spike punched him before dodging a counter punch.  He managed to dodge several swings and land several of his own before the demon finally managed to connect a solid kick to Spike’s side, causing him to growl and his demon visage to slip forward.  He attacked at full force, pulling a stake out of his coat pocket and quickly dusting the other vampire.  He shook himself off, pulling his human mask back into place, before turning back to the little redhead, never having noticed as she peeked through her fingers throughout the fight.

“You can uncover your eyes now, luv,” he told her, holding his hand out to her. 

She smiled sweetly and tucked her tiny hand into his, following him as he led her down the street.

Pt 4

“I still say we should have gotten a bigger cake,” Dawn said, struggling with the large sheet cake she was holding.

“I don’t think we would have been able to get anything bigger home,”

Tara responded, trying to gesture toward the cake with her hands full of grocery bags. 

When they reached the front door, she set the bags down and took out her keys.

“Yeah, but you know how much those guys eat.  I mean, Xander alone could eat this whole cake, and Buffy, after patrolling she is…” Dawn paused, her face falling slightly.  “…WAS…such a pig…I mean.”

Tara turned and looked at the younger girl.  “I know it’s hard, Dawn. 

Sometimes I forget that she isn’t here anymore, too.” 

Dawn simply nodded her head and Tara turned, opening the door before they walked in. Giles and Anya were in the living room and she was showing him her ring, telling the former Watcher about when Xander gave it to her.  Giles turned toward Tara and Dawn, a look of desperation on his face.

”Oh good! You’re here.”

“Oh, look…a cake.  How lovely,” Anya said, looking very pleased.

“Is Willow here yet?” Tara asked, looking around.

“Uh, no…not yet.  She should be along any time, I’m sure,” he responded. 

“Dawn, would you like help with that?”

The teenager shook her head no, still struggling with the cumbersome cake.  “Nah, I got it.”  For a minute she looked as though she was going to drop it, but quickly regained her balance, holding on tight.

Just then the door opened again, and everyone looked up to see Spike walking in, a small girl huddled close behind him.

“Giles?  Giles!” He called out, rushing in past Tara and Dawn, nearly knocking Dawn and the cake over.  She glared at him as she struggled to rebalance the box in her hands.

“I’m right here, Spike, there’s no need to shout.  What is it?” Giles said, his voice filled with annoyance.

“Oh! How nice of you to come to our party,” Anya chimed in.

“I think we have a problem, a big problem.” Spike told him, feeling

Willow peeking out from behind his black coat.

“Yes, well, Spike, when don’t we have a problem?” Giles responded, taking off his glasses and cleaning them.  “I mean…”

”What’s with the kid?” Anya asked, interrupting the Watcher.  “Why did you bring a child to my party?”

“A…a what now?” Giles asked, not having noticed the little girl before. 

He quickly put his glasses on and looked over, seeing the small redhead behind Spike.

“A child,” Anya repeated, pointing toward Spike.  “Spike, traditionally, children come AFTER the wedding and really, a child is not an appropriate engagement gift.  Cash would be much more preferable.”

“Well…that would be the problem,” Spike told them, gesturing toward the small redhead.

“Is she some sort of demon child?” Anya asked. “A cute little hell spawn sent to destroy the Earth?” 

The girl gripped Spike’s hand tightly and whimpered a little.

“Anya!” Dawn yelled at the former demon, still struggling to balance the cake.  “I think you’re scaring her.”

“Nothing like that,” Spike explained.  “At least, I don’t think. I just found her, outside on the street, and she was lost, but…”

“She looks awfully familiar, now doesn’t she?” Giles said as he looked more closely at the girl.  “She actually…she looks very much like…well, like…Willow.  But that can’t…”

“I am Willow,” the girl spoke up, suddenly feeling a little braver at hearing him say her name.  “Willow Rosenberg,” she said again, still sounding very proud. 

The room went silent as they all stared in shock; the only other sound being a tiny squeak from Dawn as she lost hold and dropped the cake.

Pt. 5

The tiny redhead looked around at the stunned group of people before moving back a bit behind Spike again, still holding tightly to his hand.

“Oh, my, but…but, how…” Giles muttered, finally finding his voice but having no idea what to say.

“Well, hey now, that was my response,” Spike complained.  “You’re supposed to have something much better and more intelligent to say.”

“Ah, well, normally…I would say that Willow has been playing around with magic, except…”

“What kind of spell would change her like that?” Tara asked quietly, no spells coming to mind that could do this.  “I…I mean, Willow wouldn’t do this on purpose and really it’s been a very long time since she’s botched a spell up.  Especially lately…she’s…she’s become so much more powerful and centered.”

“Well, perhaps someone else performed a spell…on her,” Giles thought out loud.

“Yes, because you know how often people go around turning other humans into small children,” Anya said sarcastically.

“Well, this is the Hellmouth, and we all know that just about anything can and WILL happen,” Dawn responded.  “So, you think a spell?  Then it should be an easy reversible kind of fix, right?”  She looked hopefully at Giles.

“Well, we really have no idea what happened here…what kind of spell, if it was a spell at all.  I mean, I suppose it is also possible that it’s just a coincidence that she looks similar and happens to have the same name, but…”

“Same name as who?” Xander’s voice suddenly called out as he came in from the kitchen, carrying a bowl full of pretzels.  “And hey!  What happened to the cake?” He exclaimed, looking down to see the squashed cake on the floor. He stopped short about half way across the room as he noticed Spike and the little girl holding his hand. “Oh my god,” he mumbled, his mouth falling open and the bowl slipping from his hand. “That’s…that…that’s Willow.  That’s….Willow…little….Willow…”

Everyone just slowly nodded.

“But, how…h-how?”

“Well, I think we can safely say that it is actually our Willow,” Dawn said in response. 

Xander made his way over to them and knelt down in front of her.  She was looking at him in confusion.  Tears filled her eyes as she tried to understand what was going on.  He seemed so familiar, but she didn’t know who he was.

“Willow, what happened to you?” He asked out loud, although more to himself than to anyone else.

“I…I got lost,” she said quietly, pressing back against Spike nervously.

“Oh, god, Wills,” he said, suddenly grabbing her and pulling her into a tight hug.  He remembered that look of fear and confusion on her face.

He’d seen it so many times before.  When he was younger and he would see that look, he would simply wrap his arms around her and it would all go away.  Instinct took over and he just wanted to hug her and make it all better.

The tears brimming in her eyes began to fall as she let little whimpers escape her lips.  Here was some strange man hugging her, and yet it felt so right, so much like…Xander, only bigger.

“Hey!” Spike yelled, pushing Xander away and pulling the trembling redhead back against him.  “You’re scaring her, moron.” 

Xander looked with a pained expression as the little girl that was once his best friend hid away from him in the arms of a demon he despised.

Anya stepped up behind him.  “Xander…”

“Xan-Xander?  You’re name is Xander?” The girl said suddenly, a small smile on her lips.  “My best friend’s name is Xander.  I was supposed to be going to play with him, but I got lost.”  She furrowed her brow in confusion, trying to remember just how she had gotten lost.  “Can you take me to his house now?” She asked, looking up at Spike hopefully.

The engagement party was temporarily put on hold due to smooshed cake and the need for research.  Giles headed home to see what he could find in his collection of books, taking Dawn along with him for help.  Xander and Anya headed out for The Magic Box.  Tara had offered to stay and watch over Willow, not really wanting to leave the fragile young girl, but it had been decided that she should instead be looking into finding a counter spell, and so she had very reluctantly gone along with Xander and Anya to the shop.  That left Spike to watch Willow, which turned out for the best, since she seemed most unwilling to let anyone else near her and had yet to let go of Spike’s hand for longer than a minute or two at a time.

Finally, the blonde vampire was able to extract himself from the redhead’s grasp long enough to head into the kitchen and find a small snack for the hungry child.  Coming back into the living room with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, he sat down on the couch and motioned to the spot next to him.

"Pet, why don't you come sit down here and watch a movie?" Spike called over to the little girl, who was picking curiously through a shelf full of magic books that, ironically enough, belonged to her older self. 

She was examining the old covers and unfamiliar words carefully. Looking over at the blonde vampire, considering the invitation for a moment, she dropped the book she was looking at and ran over to the couch, jumping up onto it, bouncing on the cushions. He grabbed her and pulled her down next to him, tickling her tummy. 

She squealed and giggled, trying to pull away. "You're hands are cold!" She yelled at him, just before he relented and let her go.

"That they are, pet," he conceded. "Sorry 'bout that."

Settling down next to him, she looked up, her expression pensive as she regarded him carefully. "I know what you are," she said finally.

"That right?" He responded, curious as to what the little redhead was thinking.  "And what is it that I am?"

"A vampire," she whispered.

His eyes widened slightly.  "You know what a vampire is, luv?"

She nodded.  "I looked it up in a book, once."  She paused and looked down at her hands in her lap.  "And once I think...I killed one." 

His eyes widened further at her last statement.

"I...I was walking home from playing at Xander's house, and mommy always said to be home before dark, but I kinda forgot, so it was already really dark out.  I knew she wouldn't notice if I wasn't home and I'm not at all scared of the dark," she proclaimed proudly with a smile.  "And just when I reached the front door, this man jumped out...only, he looked...different.  He had a bumpy face and yellow eyes and sharp teeth...like you did." The last part of the sentence was no more than a tiny whisper, barely audible even to him.  "And I dropped the books and pencils I was holding, 'cept for one pencil.  Then he jumped on me, and just before he bit my neck the pencil poked him in the tummy...or...or the chest and then...poof!"  She held her arms out wide in demonstration.  "He was gone, just like that.  I told

Xander, and I think he believed me, but I didn't tell any of the other kids, 'cause they just would have made fun of me more than usual, and I told mommy about it, but she just said that I had an 'over-active imagination' and that ‘vampires were no more real than the monsters under my bed'.  'Cept, she was wrong, wasn't she?"

Spike thought for a moment, before answering.  He could probably convince her, as her mother had, that she had imagined what she had seen earlier that night, but he didn't like the idea of lying to this little girl who seemed so willing to trust him. "Yes, pet, she was wrong."

She nodded slowly.  "I knew it," she whispered to herself.  Once again she looked to be deep in thought.  Finally, after several moments, she spoke again.  "Do it."

He raised an eyebrow in question.  "Do what?"

"Make your face change," she requested, shocking him even more than before.

"Luv, I don't think that's a good idea.  You might..."

"Please, Spike...do it," she pleaded.  She looked up at him with big, hopeful eyes and jutted out her lower lip, and he knew he had lost. 

With a quick shake of his head, he let his demon visage slip forth.  He expected her to scream, or jump up and run away, but instead she inched closer to him, examining his face closely. Reaching up with a tiny hand, she very slowly reached out and ran her fingers gently over the ridges on his face.

"Pretty," she whispered with a sweet smile. 

He felt his cold heart melt at her words.  Here was this little girl, completely lost and alone, and she was willing to give this demon...this monster, her total trust.

"You're not afraid?" He asked.

She shook her head.  "You won't hurt me." 

He gave her a questioning look and she explained further. 

"I can just tell...I just know, you won't hurt me.  I trust you."  She smiled at him again, and he couldn't believe what he had heard. "Change back," she said a minute later. 

Obligingly, he let his human mask slip back into place. 

Again, she looked his face over carefully. "You're very pretty,” she told him. 

He smiled down at her and she snuggled up against him, wrapping her little arms around him and leaning against his chest.  “I like you.  You’re sweet.”

“I am NOT!  Take it back, Red, right this instant,” he shouted, appalled at the thought that he could be seen as sweet.

She shook her head.  “Uh-uh.  You are.  You try to act all meany-ish and stuff, but you don’t fool me.  Do you have a girlfriend?"

He chuckled at her question.  "No, pet, I don't."

"Maybe...maybe I could be your girlfriend?" She said hopefully.

"I think I might be a bit old for you, Willow.  Besides, you should like little boys, not mean old vampires," he said, making a goofy "scary" face.

She shook her head.  "I like you," she told him decidedly.  "Will you at least be my friend?  I don't have lots of those."

"Of course I'll be your friend," he told her.

"Goodie.  And maybe, someday, when I'm older, like you...then I can be your girlfriend," she said with a content smile, before adding, "I like your hair.  It's neat."

"I like yours too, pet," he told her as he lazily ran a hand through her long, red hair.  "Reminds me of the sunset...or what I remember it lookin like, anyway."

She yawned and snuggled further into his chest. Closing her eyes she mumbled, "Yours reminds me of my barbie doll's hair," not seeing the vampire's shocked and outraged expression.

Pt. 6

The next day the group congregated at The Magic Box to try a general counter-spell that Tara had found.

“If she’s under a spell, even one she cast, this should end it,” Tara said with a smile, closing the book she had been looking it.  She hopped up onto the round table and sat cross-legged, closing her eyes and centering herself.

“You’re sure this will work?”  Anya asked, slightly nervous.

“Yes, now shhh,” Tara told her, opening one eye for a moment before closing it again.  “I need to concentrate.”

“And you’re sure this won’t hurt her at all?” Spike questioned, looking down at the little redhead holding his hand and playing with one of her braids nervously.

The blonde witch opened an eye again and looked at Spike.  “Of course

I’m sure it won’t hurt her,” she told him. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and began to chant softly. 

Soon, the others saw a ring of blue light float up around her before there was a quick, blinding flash and the sound of something crashing. 

Tara opened her eyes, smiling and looking around. “That should do it,” she said.  Her eyes fell on Willow and her smile immediately disappeared.  There, standing next to Spike was still the younger redhead. “I don’t get it,” Tara said, shaking her head.  “That should have worked.  I felt it working, ending all magical holds.”

“Ah, crap,” Anya mumbled, and everyone looked over at her.  The former demon was standing next to a display of books and potions that had collapsed.

“What happened?” Xander questioned.

“Oh, the spell worked,” she told them.  “I had used a little magic last week to keep this old display case from falling apart.  Your spell worked great.”  She motioned toward the broken merchandise.  “Now put it back, please.”

Tara ignored her and looked toward Giles. “I guess it isn’t a spell, but then, what…” Before she could finish her sentence, the bell over the door chimed and everyone looked up to see a woman walking in.

“Halli!” Anya exclaimed, running up to her friend and giving her a hug.

“Anyanka!” Halli responded with a smile. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, well I had to come into town on a little business, thought I’d stop by and say hello.”

Xander cleared his throat and Anya turned around. “Oh!  Halli, let me introduce you to my fiancé,” Anya squealed, pulling her friend toward Xander.

“Fiance?  You’re getting married?  Why, Anyanka, I never would have thought…”

“Hi, there,” Xander greeted her, shaking her hand.

“Oh! And this is Giles…he owns the shop…” she leaned in a little closer to Halli but still spoke loud enough that everyone else heard her.  “He says he’s leaving and the shop will be mine, but he never actually does.”

“Ah, um…yes, well, hello there,” Giles said, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

“And this is Dawn, and Tara and…” she paused, turning toward Spike. 

“This is Spike.” Again she leaned in but still spoke too loudly. “We don’t really like him, but he’s a good fighter, so we keep him around.”

Spike frowned at her.  “Watch it, demon girl,” he growled. 

Willow giggled.

“Oh, and hello there, Willow.  Aren’t you just the cutest little thing,” Halfrek said with a smile, leaning over and ruffling the little girl’s hair.

“Hey, uh…how did you know her name?” Dawn asked.

“What do you mean?” Halfrek asked with a nervous giggle.

“Wait a minute. Halli, how DID you know her name?” Anya asked. “I didn’t tell you what it was, and there was no way for you to know that was Willow…unless…” suddenly it all started to make sense to Anya and she sighed, rolling her eyes.  “Halli! What did you do to Willow?”

“What?” Xander asked in confusion.  “An, what are you talking about?”

“Halli’s a vengeance demon,” Anya explained. 

Halli looked around, waving a little hello and flashing everyone a nervous smile.  The rest of the group took a cautious step away from her.

“What did you do to Willow, Halli?” Anya asked, her voice full of accusation.

“Well, you of all people know how it works, Anyanka.  The girl made a wish, I made it come true.  Simple as that.”

“What kind of wish?” Spike asked with a growl.

“Well, uh…she wanted things to go back to the way they were before she grew up.”

“Change it back!” Xander shouted.  “Undo it, right now!”

“Sorry, no can do.  Once a wish is granted, no going back.”

“Well, that’s not really entirely true, Halli, and you know it,” Anya told her.

Halli made a face, clearly not wanting Anya to say anymore.  “You can undo it, if you have to.”

“Yes, well I supposed if I HAD to, I could, but it isn’t like it’s a life threatening situation so…”

Before she could finish the sentence, Spike stood up and had her shoved hard against a wall, his hand wrapped around her neck.

“Consider this a threat on your life,” he growled.  “Undo the damn spell, NOW.”

“Well, fine then,” Halli said, struggling for breath. 

He let go of her neck, still keeping her pinned against the wall. 

“Why didn’t you just say so?” She asked with another nervous giggle before pronouncing “the curse is lifted” and giving a little flick of her wrist, for added flair. 

Spike stepped back and turned to look over at a now fully grown Willow, sitting on the couch, looking around in confusion. They all watched her, waiting for her to say something before Dawn finally lunged at Willow, wrapping her arms around her neck.

“Oh, Willow!  I’m so glad you’re back…or…well…back to normal…or, well you know what I mean,” Dawn squealed.

Willow looked up and around the teenager at her other friends questioningly. “Uh…guys?  Did I miss something?”

 

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