DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the following characters...just using them for my own personal enjoyment. (Dance, puppets, dance!) They are the property of Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, Mutant Enemy, and several other associative bodies.

DEDICATION: I dedicate this story to Molly, Skyler, and all the Buffy/Angel 'shippers out there. Love is immortal.





ADOLESCENCE
Time passes and death is inescapable, but love, if we are fortunate enough to find it or create it, sustains us through it all.





PROLOGUE:


"11:58 PM. Almost time," Darien said as he glanced at his watch, maneuvering a twisted route through the skyscrapers made of crates. He was a short but stout man, aged 70 years, but his appearance suggested 40 or so. His portly build was encased in a mauve-colored ceremonial garb, lined intricately with gold weave, it's wondrous appearance drawing attention from his bald head. As he managed his way in the darkness, he happened upon a candlelit area, hidden from view by the boxes. He glanced to the floor, noting the ritual symbols in red chalk.

"Damn it, Kathleen. Did it have to be in an abandoned warehouse? It's so...clichè."

The woman, dressed similarly, slowly turned her diminutive form around to face him. Her eyes were sunken in with age, heavy wrinkles adorning every inch of exposed skin, some hidden by wispy white hair. She raised a frail, vein-laden hand up at him, an emaciated finger extending to silence her complaining companion.

"Shut up and just do it, Darien."

Darien sighed, reaching inside of his tunic, retrieving a book bound in gnarled, no doubt ancient leather and a thin pair of reading glasses. A slight glare from the candlelight hid his tired green eyes as he slipped the bifocals on. "Did you prepare the elixir?"

"Of course, I am no fool!" Kathleen exclaimed, silenced by the sudden tolling of a nearby clock that stood on the small wooden table. Beside it was an eyedropper, but what went unnoticed was the bubbling pink substance that rested in an immense cauldron, big enough to contain Kathleen herself. It was obstructed from view by a bulky crate, the concoction gurgling ominously.

"It's midnight! Recite! Recite!"

Darien rolled his eyes, beginning to narrate several enchantments in Latin. His bowed head was immersed in the book before him, so he didn't notice Kathleen slip behind the crate. With trembling difficulty, she managed to pick up the eyedropper, lowering her deformed hand to the brew and filling the cylinder completely. She slowly shuffled back into the ritual circle, struggling to lift her hand and hold it steady at the same time. She squeezed the bulb gently, a bead of the mystical cocktail falling out. However, it missed and hit the concrete, seeming to disappear into the floor. A pink glow spread within the circle, then dissipated.

On her second attempt, she was successful, catching the droplet in her mouth. She swallowed the bittersweet morsel, eyes surging with the same pink tint before returning to their normal dark hue. Darien's chanting slowly halted as the last chime sounded, his eyes lifting upon Kathleen. He heard an appalling crack, realizing that her spine had suddenly straightened. His eyes grew wide with awe as wrinkles gave way to creamy skin, new and healthy as her veins disappeared beneath the vibrant membrane. Liver spots and other blemishes vanished, her form suddenly elongating.

Darien was speechless as he saw her flimsy white hair strengthen and grow, turning into lush black tresses that cascaded down her back and shoulders. Her derriere filled out and lifted, legs toning and growing longer. Breasts enlarged and rose, full and perky as nipples stood out clearly behind the fabric that had constricted around this new fit body. Hips widened, lips grew as curvy as the rest of her, long lashes accenting now-vigorous brown eyes. He stuttered as he tried to address this new creature of beauty, until his eyes caught sight of the eyedropper.

"Y-You sh-should let me neutralize the rest. It can have drastic effects if overused."

Kathleen grinned. "Nonsense, my dear boy. I'm young again, but I won't be forever. I plan on having a little...extra lying around. Just in case."

Darien tried to speak again, but noticed his body beginning to slowly expand. "No...you...you didn't..."

"What?"

"I was severely overweight as a youngster! You bitch, you've changed me too!" He screamed sharply as his gut burst out of the tunic, the fabric also tight on him, though in a far more unattractive manner. Massive breakouts of pimples burst out all over his now-chubby face, his plumpness spreading to even his feet. They ruptured his shoes, sending him plummeting to the floor. In his descent, he bumped into the nearby crate, which in turn crashed down upon the cauldron, causing it to topple and spill its contents. Darien watched in helpless horror as the fluid was absorbed into the earth, the faint pink radiance quickly sweeping over the entire planet.

"God help us all."
-----

"Do you think she needs help?"

Buffy Summers was suddenly thrown to the graveyard soil, angrily flipping back to her feet. Her green eyes blazed beneath her disheveled blonde locks as she lunged back into the fray between herself and two vampires. Xander Harris turned to his redheaded companion.

"No, Willow, I think she's got it."

"Still, maybe a little-..." A pink fluorescence coursed through Willow's petite body, interrupting her and almost causing her to fall. The same wave hit Xander. He blinked and shook his head, looking down at his friend.

"What the hell was that?"

Willow was about to respond, but noticed the blonde on the ground again, the vampires moving in on her.

"Buffy!" she exclaimed, running over to help, Xander at her heels. As she got to her friend's aid and pushed the vampires away, Xander quickly tried to relieve them with a stake, but both of their bodies evaporated into thin air before he could try. They heard a meek voice say the words "Help me..." and looked down at their fallen companion. To their shock, they saw a frightened fourteen-year-old girl, who was shivering and hugging herself.

Buffy looked up at her friends, tears beginning to fall from wide, innocent eyes. She slowly stood up, arms still around herself, finding that she wasn't as tall as she used to be. She also discovered that her friends were the same stature.

"Somebody want to tell me what just happened...?"
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