A/N: Annnnnnd, we're off with more, umms, stuff! Yeah . . . RnR please!

Will bounced excitedly up the stairs while Angel took the lift with their things, the little blonde burst through the door and grinned at Wesley,

"'m goin' on a trip with Daddy!" He sauntered into Cordelia's office grinned at her, leaning over her desk, "Can I have a good bye kiss, Cordy?"

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, "Well, look who's all smug."

"Cheeky little brat, isn't he?" Wesley shook his head in mock reproach at the seven year-old, "Your Daddy should've taught you how to treat a lady."

Will pouted, "I was only playin' . . . "

Cordelia smiled and leaned forward, pecking Will on the cheek, "There's your kiss."

Will's bit his lip and grinned, his cheeks flushing a little and he giggled. Angel pushed the lift doors open and raised an eyebrow,

"Ready to go, sport?" He asked, picking up the bags at his feet.

"Huh? Oh, yeh!" Will snapped out of his stupor and hurried over to help Angel, struggling to pick up his own small suitcase, "I got it!"

Angel hefted his bag and glanced at them, "Okay, you guys can handle things for a few days, right? I'll be back in less than a week, I hope."

"No problem, we'll be fine!" Wesley smiled reassuringly.

"Which means if we're about to be killed by Demons and Vampires and Goons, oh my, we'll call your cell." Cordelia smiled a little less reassuringly.

"Right . . . " Angel mumbled, looking after the rambunctious Will who finally managed to lug his bag out of the offices.

"Oi, Daddy, can I drive?"

"That's my cue," Angel grimaced, "See ya."


Will strained against the seatbelt, "Daddy?"

"Yeh?" Angel looked quickly over at him.

"Can I play some music?" Will reached for the radio.

"Uh, doesn't work." Angel sighed, they'd been on the road for only forty-five minutes and already the little terror was bored.

"O-kay . . . can we play a game?" Will asked hopefully.

"Such as?" Angel adjusted in his seat, his undead ass was starting to go numb . . . numb-er.

"Ummmms . . . how 'bout 'I Spy'?" Will suggested.

"Okay, you start." Angel smiled at Will's simplicity.

"N'kay, ummms, I spy with my lil eye sumthin' . . . . pointy!" Will grinned smugly and crossed his arms in triumph.

"A stake." Angel glanced at the assorted weaponry on the floor in the backseat.

"No fair! You cheated!" Will pouted and sighed, "Your turn."

"Okay, I spy with my little eye . . . " Angel glanced about quickly and smirked, "Something blue."

Will blinked, "Is it in the car?"

"Yep." Angel nodded, eyes back on the road.

"Um, is it liddle?" Will asked, scratching his head.

"Yep." Angel smiled to himself.

" . . . Iiiiiiiiis iiiiiiiit . . . this?" Will reached down and pulled out a brightly wrapped box.

"Now, where did that come from?" Angel smiled and sat back, "I figure you've been good for about five minutes so you deserve a-"

"Ooh! Daddy got me a prezzie!" Will giggled excitedly and tore the shiny, blue paper off, " . . . wot is it?"

"A Gameboy. I know I'll probably regret buying it . . . but it'll keep your grabby little paws out of trouble." Angel explained.

Will stared in wonder at the dark purple console and then at the three cartridges, "Pokemon Gold . . . Mortal Combat . . . an' Kirby an' the Magic Mirror. Oooh!"

Angel smiled, "I bought a pack of batteries too so you can play all you like."

Will shoved a cartridge in the slot and turned it on, and the theme music and constant bleeping gave Angel an instant headache,

"Sound off, please."

Will blinked and dialed down the sound, "Okay! Thank you Daddy!"

Angel sighed in relief at the silence that followed and would hopefully continue until the end of the trip.


Angel parked the car on the street outside of the Summers residence, looking down at the snoozing Will and then at the sky, it would be light out soon. He quickly got out and went around to the passenger side, pulling the door open and pulled Will to his chest and under his trench, he ran up to the house and knocked on the door,

"Buffy? It's me, Angel, let me in quick!"

The door opened on the blonde girl and Angel felt his dead heart do a flip-flop like it did every time he saw her,

"Come on in." She moved aside quickly and let the brunette vampire in, her eyes lingering on the sleeping boy under the trench, "Is that . . . ?"

"Yeah, he's asleep now, you got somewhere I can leave him?" Angel adjusted Will's deadweight and grimaced.

"Sure, put him on the couch, we're all in the kitchen." Buffy said, watching curiously as Angel put the sleeping boy down, "Wow . . . I kinda didn't believe you but seeing him like that it's . . . "

"Takes some getting used to, yeah." Angel nodded, pulling off his coat and draping it over Will, watching as the Childe curled up into the coat, his thumb finding its way into his mouth, "Right, Scooby meeting?"

"Yep, come on."


Xander blinked, "Okay, so Spike is all bite-sized as well as bite-y and won't go back to normal until you and him resolve some centuries old Daddy-issues?"

"Yeah that about sums it up. But, he's not safe in LA, I was hoping we could stay in Sunnydale until I get this sorted, otherwise some of Spike's old enemies may choose to do him in." Angel explained, rubbing the mug of tea in front of him.

"And that's a bad thing how?" Xander raised an eyebrow.

"Because right now, Spike isn't Spike, he's William and William is a little boy that sucks his thumb, cries when he's upset, and likes wearing footy pajamas." Angel snapped, "He doesn't know who he really is or who you people are or why some really bad Demons want to make him into a snack, that's why, vampire or not, he's innocent right now."

"So, you want permission to raise him in Sunnydale?" Giles asked, replacing his glasses after a thorough polishing.

Angel sighed, "Yes, for a little while until I can manage to get things back to our brand of normal."

"Well, I don't see why not," Joyce said softly,"If he is a harmless little boy then I think we can manage him."

"Thank you, besides, he's not teething or anything, he drinks pig's blood, albeit with the complaining and whining, but still. And he's not a bad kid just . . . mischievous." Angel said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Okay, so, you want him here or at Spike's old crypt?" Buffy asked, glancing at her mother uneasily.

"Here if that's okay, the crypt is in the cemetery which isn't safe, especially for half-pint." Angel sighed, "I hate to impose . . . but I worry about him and the last times he was on his own it didn't end well."

"Sounds agreeable, is he still sleeping or can we talk to h-" Giles stopped and nodded toward the door.

They all turned and there was Will, clutching Angel's coat tightly, "Daddy . . . where are we?"

"Oh my God . . . isn't he the sweetest thing?" Joyce put a hand to her mouth and smiled.

"Wow," Xander blinked, "I didn't think fiends were ugly as kids and adults."

Will blinked at Xander and then went over to Angel, grabbing at his hand, "Can I bite the fat one?"

"Hey!" Xander snapped, glaring at all the giggling Scoobies.

"Uh, no, Will, you can't bite Xander." Angel grimaced.

"Who are these people?" Will asked, moving closer to Angel and ducking his head.

"These are my friends, well, some of them, we'll be staying with them for a bit, okay?" Angel picked Will up and set him on his lap, "This is Buffy and her mom, Joyce, Rupert Giles, Buffy's Watcher, Zander Harris. There's a few more but I don't know where they are right now."

"Dawn's at a friend's house and Tara and Willow are . . . I don't know. And Anya is at the Magic Box." Buffy explained.

"Magic Box? Wot's that? Is it fun? Can I go, Daddy?" Will whipped his head around and looked up at Angel with his most disarming pout, "Please?"

"No. It's daylight out, champ, can't have you become a toasty vamp, can we?" Angel shook his head, and put his hand on Will's back.

"Oh . . . that why 'm so tired?" Will yawned and slumped back on Angel's chest.

"Yep. You guys have somewhere I can stash the kid? I don't want him getting in the way and I'm bushed myself." Angel glanced at Joyce before adjusting Will's weight.

"There's a cot we can set up in the basement." Joyce offered, "I'm sure it would be suitable for you, Angel. As for William, I think we can put him in one of the bedrooms, he won't be in the way upstairs."

"Not mine." Buffy said, glancing at Tiny Spike.

"Oh, alright, I don't think Dawn would mind, Angel, you can put him in there." Joyce sighed, "Come on, Angel, I'll show you."

Angel nodded and lifted Will higher, his small head resting on his shoulder, thumb firmly in place in his mouth, "Lead on."


Angel set Will down on Dawn's bed, shoving several stuffed animals aside to make room. Will curled around one in particular, a fluffy white rabbit. Angel slipped his coat out of Will's grasp and stood back to watch Joyce. The woman gently removed Will's sneakers and set them off to the side, then she pulled the blankets carefully out from under him and tucked him in, stroking his hair fondly and stepping back,

"I've had loads of practice putting sleeping children to sleep, believe me." She smiled at Angel as she walked past.

Angel sighed, walking into the room to draw the shades and close the door gently, he ambled back downstairs and went down into the basement where he found the cot already set up and waiting for him.

He flopped down on his stomach and groaned, he was exhausted, what with driving with the little terror and now this? Staying with the Summers?

"Have I taken leave of what's left of my senses?" He mumbled, closing his eyes tightly and breathing out heavily, " . . . yep . . . long gone."


That night Will woke in a strange bed, he blinked several times as the dark room came into sharp focus, there were stuffed animals everywhere and he was all tucked in and . . . he stared at the bunny he had been holding without knowing it and immediately pushed it away because it smelled all flowery and . . .

"Ugh!" Will grimaced, "Everythin' smells girly!" He pushed the blankets off and swung his short legs over the side of the bed.

Then he blinked again, where was he?

"Daddy?" He called softly, pulling his shoes on quickly, "Daddy? Where are you?"

Then he could hear voices, he snuck down the hallway until he found the stairs and slowly made his way down them, he sidled toward the kitchen and froze behind the half-closed door, there were new people behind the door, two women, one with long brown hair and the other with shoulder-length red hair and then another woman standing next to the Fat One, her hair was blonde and then there was the Buffy girl and the Joyce lady and that Watching Person. He blinked slowly, he couldn't see Angel at all . . . Will was just backing up when he felt someone come up behind him,

"Eep!" Will whirled around and glared at the girl that managed to sneak up on him.

"Whoa, easy Nibblet!" the girl had long blondish-brown hair and she raised an eyebrow at him, "Aw, you're so cute!"

Will blinked at her and flushed, " . . . Ya think 'm . . . cute?"

"Sure, you're little enough I could pick you right up!"

Which she proceeded to do, much to Will's annoyance, but he conceded when she started to cuddle him and coo at him, he smiled a bit and purred softly, then she turned and carried him into the kitchen,

"Look what I found listening at doors!" She smiled and presented Will to them all.

He blinked uncomfortably at having the spotlight put on him so abruptly and blushed, "Umms, I was . . . I was lookin' fer Daddy . . . "

"Isn't he adorable?" The girl beamed, pressing their cheeks together like Will was a puppy.

"You can put him down now, Dawn." Joyce raised an eyebrow but then Tara and Willow flounced over and started cooing over the tiny vampire.

"Aw, he's the sweetest little thing I've ever seen!" Willow smiled and patted Will's head.

"I didn't think he'd be so cute." Tara smiled softly and didn't look like she knew whether to snuggle Will or not.

Will squirmed and blushed from all the attention, "Umms, Umms . . . 'ang on a tick, I- Where's my Daddy?"

"I'm right here, Will."

Will turned and breathed out with relief, holding his hands out for Angel who immediately rescued him from the females,

"Daddy, I'm hungry." Will said, hugging Angel's neck and peeking over at all the girls.

"When are you not? Joyce you wouldn't happen to have some blood on hand, would you?" Angel smirked and turned to Mrs. Summers.

"As a matter of fact, Giles brought some over earlier." Joyce went to the fridge and pulled out a bag of dark red liquid, "Would you like some too, Angel?"

"No, I'm fine for now, thanks." Angel set Will down and smoothed his hair, it was turning back slightly to the reddish blonde it had been before.

"Alright, I'll get some warmed up."

"So, you say that Cyprus did this spell?" Giles asked, polishing his glasses.

Angel grimaced, "Um, Will, why don't you go sit in the living room? I'll have your breakfast brought in, okay?"

Will blinked, "Why?"

"Because I said so." Angel rolled his eyes.

"Why?" Will pressed.

"Do it or Daddy is going to lose his patience!" Angel snapped, that sent Will scurrying out of the room, Angel turned to Giles irritably, "Try not to mention any spells around him? He has no idea he's even under one."

"Sorry," Giles sighed, "Alright then, so as to my question."

"No, Cyprus ordered it done, but he didn't do it himself. He had Zephyr, his psychopathic Childe do it." Angel explained.

"And Zephyr is a magic-using vampire? How is that possible?" Tara asked.

"I don't know, he just can. Part of me thinks he's into the Black stuff and Blood Magicks, which would explain quite a bit." Angel sighed, "But Cyprus said that the spell was extraordinarily complex and the only way it can be broken is by reaching certain 'benchmarks'. Look, I didn't come here to lift the spell with a counter spell or anything, I came here to work through it in a relatively safe environment."

"Over the Hellmouth?" Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Better over the Hellmouth where an experienced Slayer, a Watcher, two powerful witches, and an ex-Vengeance Demon live than in LA where we got . . . me." Angel shrugged, "I just need him somewhere that would have more of a powerbase than I can offer on my own."

"Okay, that makes sense," Xander nodded, leaning back tiredly, "So what, Tiny Bad gets to run loose as a baby vampire?"

"He still has the chip, so it isn't like he can hurt anyone," Angel pointed out, "And he's a child, how much do you think he'll want to-"

CRASH!

They all blinked, and Angel sighed, turning to the living room doorway, "Will, what happened?"

"Umms, it was an accident!"

They all looked at Angel who just shook his head, "I'll compensate for anything he breaks, Joyce, I promise."

A/N: And they've relocated to Sunny D! How nice . . . anywhoser, we carry on!