AN: This was an idea that just popped into my head.

Disclaimer: I don't own, sadly.

It was a Friday, which meant dodgeball day. The sun was drifting in and out of the clouds, and the wind came out every so often, delivering a splash of cool over the fifth-grader's faces.

Twelve-year-old Willow glanced at Buffy Summers uneasily. "Do we really have to do this, Buff?" Her voice quivered slightly as she watched a pale, blonde-haired boy slam a red dodgeball into another, pale, spikey-haired fifth-grader. It hit him with a painful thud, and he yelled out, tackling his sibling. "Spike!"

"Stop it, Peaches!" He screamed, trying to push the other boy off of him as a teacher with a flashy whistle around her neck tried to stop the fight.

Buffy laughed and pulled Willow along to her group of friends. "Hey, guys, this is Willow. She's new." She flashed them a white smile and motioned towards the red-haired girl.

"Hi, I hope you don't die today." A tall blonde said, pointedly.

"Anya..." The curly-haired boy with a purple 'Shake It!' shirt on rolled his eyes.

"I'm Xander."

"Were playing dodgeball. But Xander mostly tries to stay away from it."

"Anya!" He looked desperate.

"Umm, I'm sorry..." Willow glanced over, at the dodgeball pit, noticing the two boys had stopped fighting and had gathered a team. It consisted of themselves, a curly-haired girl who was swaying and singing, and a blonde who was just standing there, arms crossed.

"Come on, Wills. It's not that bad. Didn't they have recess at your old school?" Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Well..." Willow regretted all those times she refused to play with the lower grade children. She could've used the practice, the way the eighth graders talk about it here.

"Come on, it'll be funnnn!" Buffy tried to talk her into it, as Xander and Anya went to meet up with the opposing team.

"Oh, fine. But if I got knocked out and go all... kaplooey I'm blaming it on you!" She said, allowing Buffy to drag her along, kicking up dirt as she went.

"Hey guys... we have a new player. That's fine, right?" Buffy asked, glancing at Angel, the supposed leader.

"Sure." Angel said sheepishly, blushing under her gaze.

Spike shrugged halfheartedly and bounced the ball a couple of times.

"Well, Willow, that's Angel," She pointed to Angel. "Spike," She glanced at the short blonde. "And that's Darla and Dru," Buffy motioned towards the two girls standing off to the side.

"It'll make the teams unfair, Spike." Dru cooed, dancing around. She had always been a little bit... off, I daresay?

"Don't worry. We could take them even if Red's as good as Buffy, here." Spike said knowingly. Buffy had always been a rather strong girl for her age, and it never came as a mystery when she slammed a ball into one of the other boy's noses causing them to fall to the ground in pain.

Xander stomped his foot. "Hey! Big macho man over here!"

"Riiight..." Spike inwardly chuckled.

"Lets do this, then." Darla said, finally emerging from behind Angel, but not before giving Buffy a cold glare.

Both teams lined up, and after much silence, Spike finally aimed the ball at Anya, the easiest target. She squealed as the ball hit her in her thin leg.

"Uhh, XANDER! You're supposed to get hit for me! I'm your girlfriend, remember? I kiss you, and in return you -"

"Enough!" Darla didn't want to hear it. Anya sulked over to the grass and plopped herself down.

Xander aimed the ball at Angel, who easily cought it.

"Nice try." Darla said, her eyes dancing with game. Dru, on the other hand, was still swaying as she gracefully avoided any balls thrown her way.

Angel regretfully pitched the ball full speed at Buffy, who dodged it without a second glance. Instead, it hit Willow off guard... and squarely in the face. Buffy gasped as her newfound friend fell on her butt, her hands flying over her nose.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" She repeated, holding her bloodied face.

"Oh, ahm, I'm sorry!" Angel was trying to figure out what to say as Buffy glared at him.

"Great, Peaches, you ruined the game!" Spike yelled at Angel.

"Oh, I ruined the game?"

"Yeah!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

So it went on like that for a couple of minutes before Buffy rolled her eyes and picked Willow up by her freckled arm.

"Come on."

The same teacher who had broken up the fight came racing over to the new student and her blood covered hands.

"Thank you, Buffy. I'll take her to the clinic, now." She threw Buffy a crooked smile and tried to guide Willow towards the clinic. She still hadn't opened her eyes.

"Hey, Wills!" Buffy called after her.

"What, Buffy?" She turned around, and the Whistle Lady looked annoyed.

"So you're coming back for a rematch, right?"