TITLE: Willow's Experiment
AUTHOR: monotone , monotonesaga@lycos.com
RATING: R bordering on NC-17 I think
SUMMARY: Willow finds a book, Willow does magic, Willow screws up
magic, Xander suffers, Dawn comforts, Spike might know how to fix
it.
DISCLAIMER: Characters are not mine, I just like to play around in
someone else's sandbox.
SPOILERS: Story starts sometime after Giles has bought the Magic
Box and of course we have Dawn, so everything up to the beginning of
season 5?
NOTE: Will be slash sometime in the future. Will also be a crossover
of some sort (I like crossovers). Work in progress as of August 02.
WEBSITE: http://www.freewebz.com/monotone/
FF.NET: http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=119672
*****
Part 1 : Willow's Experiment
The book was completely out of place where it lay in a corner in the
basement. It looked old and when she touched it she knew it was a
book with magic. How it ended up in Xander's basement was beyond
her, but she knew she had to study it.
"Xander? Where did you get this book?"
"Huh? What book?"
"This one." She said and handed it over to him when he came over to
get a better look.
"I have no idea. It looks like a Giles book."
He handed it back her, and she started leafing through it.
"Xander, this book is just amazing. I would love to study it. Do you
mind if I borrow it?"
"Nah. Just take it Willow. It's probably Giles' book anyway. Give it
to him when you're finished."
"Sure. So, ready for ice cream?"
"Yep"
****
Tara was curled up in an armchair with a book when Willow burst
through the door bubbling with excitement.
"Tara, you have to see this book. "
Willow waved the mentioned book in front of Tara before she once
again started leafing through.
"What kind book is it?"
"Magic, powerful magic. Other than that I'm not quite sure yet, but
it looks like some kind of recipe book. Potions I think."
"Potions? What kind of potions?"
"All kinds. I can't wait to try it out."
"Honey. I don't think that would be a good idea. Magic is not to be
played with."
But Tara's quiet words fell for deaf ears, Willow was already going
through ingredients lists to see if she had any of the items
mentioned to make a potion. Tara decided to stay close to make sure
nothing went wrong.
****
After a couple of weeks going through the book Willow was
disappointed. Almost all of the potions had weird ingredients, which
she couldn't get. She also had problems with the measurements, but
she thought she'd figured it out and she determined to at least try
to make one potion.
It was actually one that sounded like fun. It would make the person
who drank the potion 10 years younger for 48 hours. Willow had
decided to test it on Xander, he wouldn't mind being a child again
for two days. She and Tara would take good care of him she thought
happily.
There was one little problem though; she hadn't been able to get
fairy dust, but elf dust. She knew that substitution wasn't always a
good thing, but fairies and elves were so close that it wouldn't
matter. Right?
****
Xander was bored. Anya was out town for a week and construction was
slow. That's why when a very excited Willow burst through the doors
at the Magic Box calling for him, he was reading a big book with big
words for Giles.
"Hey Will, what's up?"
"Xander, I've been looking all over for you. You remember the book I
found?" At his nod she continued her babbling. "It was a magic book
with potions. It was so amazing to read and you wouldn't believe
what you can do with the right ingredients. But the ingredients were
*so* weird and difficult to find, but there was this one potion I
was able to make, and would you want to test it for me? Please?"
//Uh oh, Willow in magic craze. Not good // Xander swallowed hard
before asking. "What is it you want me to test? "
"Youth potion. It sounded like fun. It makes you 10 years younger
for two days. "
Xander started shaking his head.
"Oh please Xander, it'll be fun. You get to be a kid for a couple of
days."
"Yeah, but I can't be a kid, I'd need someone to look after me. And
then there's the Xander's-bad-luck-with-Willow's-magic-thing"
"Not a problem. We'd take care of you. And this is an impossible to
mess up this kind of magic. You just follow a recipe."
"I don't know.. "
"Please Xander. *Please*! We'd take to Disneyland and feed you lots
and lots of ice cream."
Xander looked decidedly more interested now. //It would be kind of
fun to be a kid again. A kid with Willow and Tara as "parents". //
It definitely had possibilities.
"You'd take me to Disneyland?"
"Yes! I promise."
"OK then. Bring it on."
"Thank you Xander!" Willow squealed happily before giving him a hug.
"You're a good best friend."
Xander just smiled.
Willow let go of Xander and went into serious mode. "This is what'll
happen, you just drink this", she held up a bottle with a greyish
liquid, "And then you'll feel some discomfort as your body
transforms to 9 year old. OK?"
"OK. Bottoms up."
Xander took the bottle and drained it in one swallow, grimacing at
the taste.
"Damn, Willow. That was vile, you sure ... "
He didn't get any longer before agonising pain spread out his entire
body and he started to scream. His blood felt like ice running
through his veins and bones and muscles felt like they were on fire.
He fell to the floor screaming and writhing in pain.
Willow stared wide-eyed on her friend in pain. This was not supposed
to happen. What was wrong? The screams brought Giles and Buffy
running out from the back room, both ready to kill whatever was
hurting Xander. The problem was that just as they reached Willow,
the screams had stopped and Xander was nowhere in sight.
"Willow! What happened? Where's Xander? Willow!" Buffy's voice was
trembling with fear. Where was Xander, why did he scream like that?
Willow didn't answer, she just stood there, wide-eyed watching a
spot on the floor.
"Willow!" Buffy tried again.
"Giles, why isn't she answering?"
"I have no idea." Giles said as he stepped up to Willow, grabbing
her by the shoulders to shake a response out of the shocked girl.
"Willow, Willow. Please answer! Where is Xander?"
Willow still didn't answer, but she pointed a shaky finger to a pile
of clothes on the floor.
"Willow." Buffy said in her most exasperated voice. "That's *not*
Xander, it's a pile of Xander *clothes*."
But Willow just continued staring and pointing at the pile of
clothes so Buffy and Giles stared with her. They were both starting
to lose their patience when the pile of clothes moved. Buffy jumped,
startled and Giles gasped. Willow just stared.
"It moved, why did it move? Clothes aren't supposed to do that."
"Yes Buffy, I'm aware of the fact that clothes don't move on their
own, and I have *no* idea why those clothes moved."
The pile of clothes moved again. And again. Then it started to cry.
None of the three persons watching the pile of clothes moved. Buffy
and Giles had joined Willow in her shock; they just stared at the
pile wide-eyed. Faintly they heard the bell signaling someone coming
in the door, but the sound didn't register with any of them because
of the crying pile of clothes.
When Tara entered the Magic Box, she knew Willow's experiment had
gone wrong somehow. Willow, Buffy and Giles stood still as statues,
staring wide-eyed and gaping in shock at a pile of clothes on the
floor. The pile was moving and crying. Tara frowned, it sounded like
a baby crying. She bent down to rummage around in the pile of
clothes and found a very scared baby boy. //Oh Willow, what have you
done?// she thought as she picked the baby up and cradled him
carefully in her arms.
The baby, who Tara assumed was Xander, quieted when she started to
rock him slowly in her arms. The absence of crying seemed to snap
the three statues out of their shocked haze. Willow looked at the
baby in Tara's arms, and started a soft, quiet mantra of "I'm so
sorry", Buffy just looked confused and Giles said "Oh dear.. " and
started polishing his glasses.
Tara looked at Willow with worry in her eyes, a break-down would be
a bad idea right now, they needed to find out what went wrong and
how to fix it. And Xander would need clothes, diapers and food. They
had no idea how long he was going to stay this way.
"Willow, honey", Tara said softly.
Willow raised her eyes to Tara's in acknowledgment.
"You need to tell Giles and Buffy what you've done. Hopefully Giles
will know how to fix it. OK?"
Willow nodded dumbly.
"But what about the baby? Who's is it? And where is Xander?" Buffy
asked impatiently. She was confused and the last she'd heard of
Xander were screams of pain.
"The baby is Xander, Buffy. " Willow's voice was flat.
"What?!?" came the incredulous reply from Buffy who turned to Tara
for confirmation.
Tara sighed. Giles was the one to confirm Willow's statement.
"I'm afraid as a result of Willow's experimenting with magic, Xander
has been turned into a baby. Some sort of youth spell gone wrong I
assume?"
"Youth potion actually. " Tara shot in. "Willow will explain and
show you the book. I'll take Xander with me to get baby supplies; I
think he's hungry. " Xander had started crying again.
Just then the doorbell rang again, and Dawn entered.
"Hey. What's going on? Who's crying?"
Curious Dawn let her eyes sweep over the persons standing there.
Willow looked like she was going to break down any minute now, Buffy
seemed confused and had a look of disbelief on her face, Giles was
polishing his glasses furiously. //Ah.. Something's wrong. Either
end of the world kind of thing or Willow's played with magic again.
And who is that crying?// She turned to Tara and saw her rocking a
baby in her arms.
"Who's this?" Dawn asked as she stepped up to Tara and tried to take
the crying baby into her arms. Tara let her after instructing Dawn
to support the head. The baby immediately stopped crying, Dawn
cradled him closer. //He's *so* cute.//
"Willow claims that it's Xander. Giles says that too." Buffy said,
still somewhat disbelieving.
"Oh. What did you do Willow?"
"I .. I .. " Willow stuttered. "I made a.. a youth potion, Xa..
Xander drank it. H..he screamed and then he was a .. a.. a ba..
baby."
"I take it he wasn't supposed to become a baby?" Dawn asked already
knowing the answer.
Willow shook her head.
"Ah well.. Giles knows how to fix it right? He'll fix it in no time
and in the meantime we'll have a completely adorable baby Xander to
take care." Dawn said confidently.
Giles looked unsure, he'd never experienced anything like this; he
didn't even know where to start looking for a way to fix it. "I'll
certainly try my best, Dawn, but to be honest I have no idea where
to even start. Maybe when I've heard the details from Willow... " He
trailed off.
Dawn nodded and turned to Tara. "Where you going somewhere when I
came in?"
"Yes. We need to get baby supplies like diapers, food, clothes."
"I'll go with you." Dawn smiled and picked of one of the Xander-
clothes and wrapped the baby up in it. She then hooked her arm in
Tara's elbow dragging the other girl with her out the door.
"Bye, we're taking the baby shopping. Have fun working out a
solution." She called before closing the door. Tara just followed
quietly with a small smile on her lips.
*****
AUTHOR: monotone , monotonesaga@lycos.com
RATING: R bordering on NC-17 I think
SUMMARY: Willow finds a book, Willow does magic, Willow screws up
magic, Xander suffers, Dawn comforts, Spike might know how to fix
it.
DISCLAIMER: Characters are not mine, I just like to play around in
someone else's sandbox.
SPOILERS: Story starts sometime after Giles has bought the Magic
Box and of course we have Dawn, so everything up to the beginning of
season 5?
NOTE: Will be slash sometime in the future. Will also be a crossover
of some sort (I like crossovers). Work in progress as of August 02.
WEBSITE: http://www.freewebz.com/monotone/
FF.NET: http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=119672
*****
Part 1 : Willow's Experiment
The book was completely out of place where it lay in a corner in the
basement. It looked old and when she touched it she knew it was a
book with magic. How it ended up in Xander's basement was beyond
her, but she knew she had to study it.
"Xander? Where did you get this book?"
"Huh? What book?"
"This one." She said and handed it over to him when he came over to
get a better look.
"I have no idea. It looks like a Giles book."
He handed it back her, and she started leafing through it.
"Xander, this book is just amazing. I would love to study it. Do you
mind if I borrow it?"
"Nah. Just take it Willow. It's probably Giles' book anyway. Give it
to him when you're finished."
"Sure. So, ready for ice cream?"
"Yep"
****
Tara was curled up in an armchair with a book when Willow burst
through the door bubbling with excitement.
"Tara, you have to see this book. "
Willow waved the mentioned book in front of Tara before she once
again started leafing through.
"What kind book is it?"
"Magic, powerful magic. Other than that I'm not quite sure yet, but
it looks like some kind of recipe book. Potions I think."
"Potions? What kind of potions?"
"All kinds. I can't wait to try it out."
"Honey. I don't think that would be a good idea. Magic is not to be
played with."
But Tara's quiet words fell for deaf ears, Willow was already going
through ingredients lists to see if she had any of the items
mentioned to make a potion. Tara decided to stay close to make sure
nothing went wrong.
****
After a couple of weeks going through the book Willow was
disappointed. Almost all of the potions had weird ingredients, which
she couldn't get. She also had problems with the measurements, but
she thought she'd figured it out and she determined to at least try
to make one potion.
It was actually one that sounded like fun. It would make the person
who drank the potion 10 years younger for 48 hours. Willow had
decided to test it on Xander, he wouldn't mind being a child again
for two days. She and Tara would take good care of him she thought
happily.
There was one little problem though; she hadn't been able to get
fairy dust, but elf dust. She knew that substitution wasn't always a
good thing, but fairies and elves were so close that it wouldn't
matter. Right?
****
Xander was bored. Anya was out town for a week and construction was
slow. That's why when a very excited Willow burst through the doors
at the Magic Box calling for him, he was reading a big book with big
words for Giles.
"Hey Will, what's up?"
"Xander, I've been looking all over for you. You remember the book I
found?" At his nod she continued her babbling. "It was a magic book
with potions. It was so amazing to read and you wouldn't believe
what you can do with the right ingredients. But the ingredients were
*so* weird and difficult to find, but there was this one potion I
was able to make, and would you want to test it for me? Please?"
//Uh oh, Willow in magic craze. Not good // Xander swallowed hard
before asking. "What is it you want me to test? "
"Youth potion. It sounded like fun. It makes you 10 years younger
for two days. "
Xander started shaking his head.
"Oh please Xander, it'll be fun. You get to be a kid for a couple of
days."
"Yeah, but I can't be a kid, I'd need someone to look after me. And
then there's the Xander's-bad-luck-with-Willow's-magic-thing"
"Not a problem. We'd take care of you. And this is an impossible to
mess up this kind of magic. You just follow a recipe."
"I don't know.. "
"Please Xander. *Please*! We'd take to Disneyland and feed you lots
and lots of ice cream."
Xander looked decidedly more interested now. //It would be kind of
fun to be a kid again. A kid with Willow and Tara as "parents". //
It definitely had possibilities.
"You'd take me to Disneyland?"
"Yes! I promise."
"OK then. Bring it on."
"Thank you Xander!" Willow squealed happily before giving him a hug.
"You're a good best friend."
Xander just smiled.
Willow let go of Xander and went into serious mode. "This is what'll
happen, you just drink this", she held up a bottle with a greyish
liquid, "And then you'll feel some discomfort as your body
transforms to 9 year old. OK?"
"OK. Bottoms up."
Xander took the bottle and drained it in one swallow, grimacing at
the taste.
"Damn, Willow. That was vile, you sure ... "
He didn't get any longer before agonising pain spread out his entire
body and he started to scream. His blood felt like ice running
through his veins and bones and muscles felt like they were on fire.
He fell to the floor screaming and writhing in pain.
Willow stared wide-eyed on her friend in pain. This was not supposed
to happen. What was wrong? The screams brought Giles and Buffy
running out from the back room, both ready to kill whatever was
hurting Xander. The problem was that just as they reached Willow,
the screams had stopped and Xander was nowhere in sight.
"Willow! What happened? Where's Xander? Willow!" Buffy's voice was
trembling with fear. Where was Xander, why did he scream like that?
Willow didn't answer, she just stood there, wide-eyed watching a
spot on the floor.
"Willow!" Buffy tried again.
"Giles, why isn't she answering?"
"I have no idea." Giles said as he stepped up to Willow, grabbing
her by the shoulders to shake a response out of the shocked girl.
"Willow, Willow. Please answer! Where is Xander?"
Willow still didn't answer, but she pointed a shaky finger to a pile
of clothes on the floor.
"Willow." Buffy said in her most exasperated voice. "That's *not*
Xander, it's a pile of Xander *clothes*."
But Willow just continued staring and pointing at the pile of
clothes so Buffy and Giles stared with her. They were both starting
to lose their patience when the pile of clothes moved. Buffy jumped,
startled and Giles gasped. Willow just stared.
"It moved, why did it move? Clothes aren't supposed to do that."
"Yes Buffy, I'm aware of the fact that clothes don't move on their
own, and I have *no* idea why those clothes moved."
The pile of clothes moved again. And again. Then it started to cry.
None of the three persons watching the pile of clothes moved. Buffy
and Giles had joined Willow in her shock; they just stared at the
pile wide-eyed. Faintly they heard the bell signaling someone coming
in the door, but the sound didn't register with any of them because
of the crying pile of clothes.
When Tara entered the Magic Box, she knew Willow's experiment had
gone wrong somehow. Willow, Buffy and Giles stood still as statues,
staring wide-eyed and gaping in shock at a pile of clothes on the
floor. The pile was moving and crying. Tara frowned, it sounded like
a baby crying. She bent down to rummage around in the pile of
clothes and found a very scared baby boy. //Oh Willow, what have you
done?// she thought as she picked the baby up and cradled him
carefully in her arms.
The baby, who Tara assumed was Xander, quieted when she started to
rock him slowly in her arms. The absence of crying seemed to snap
the three statues out of their shocked haze. Willow looked at the
baby in Tara's arms, and started a soft, quiet mantra of "I'm so
sorry", Buffy just looked confused and Giles said "Oh dear.. " and
started polishing his glasses.
Tara looked at Willow with worry in her eyes, a break-down would be
a bad idea right now, they needed to find out what went wrong and
how to fix it. And Xander would need clothes, diapers and food. They
had no idea how long he was going to stay this way.
"Willow, honey", Tara said softly.
Willow raised her eyes to Tara's in acknowledgment.
"You need to tell Giles and Buffy what you've done. Hopefully Giles
will know how to fix it. OK?"
Willow nodded dumbly.
"But what about the baby? Who's is it? And where is Xander?" Buffy
asked impatiently. She was confused and the last she'd heard of
Xander were screams of pain.
"The baby is Xander, Buffy. " Willow's voice was flat.
"What?!?" came the incredulous reply from Buffy who turned to Tara
for confirmation.
Tara sighed. Giles was the one to confirm Willow's statement.
"I'm afraid as a result of Willow's experimenting with magic, Xander
has been turned into a baby. Some sort of youth spell gone wrong I
assume?"
"Youth potion actually. " Tara shot in. "Willow will explain and
show you the book. I'll take Xander with me to get baby supplies; I
think he's hungry. " Xander had started crying again.
Just then the doorbell rang again, and Dawn entered.
"Hey. What's going on? Who's crying?"
Curious Dawn let her eyes sweep over the persons standing there.
Willow looked like she was going to break down any minute now, Buffy
seemed confused and had a look of disbelief on her face, Giles was
polishing his glasses furiously. //Ah.. Something's wrong. Either
end of the world kind of thing or Willow's played with magic again.
And who is that crying?// She turned to Tara and saw her rocking a
baby in her arms.
"Who's this?" Dawn asked as she stepped up to Tara and tried to take
the crying baby into her arms. Tara let her after instructing Dawn
to support the head. The baby immediately stopped crying, Dawn
cradled him closer. //He's *so* cute.//
"Willow claims that it's Xander. Giles says that too." Buffy said,
still somewhat disbelieving.
"Oh. What did you do Willow?"
"I .. I .. " Willow stuttered. "I made a.. a youth potion, Xa..
Xander drank it. H..he screamed and then he was a .. a.. a ba..
baby."
"I take it he wasn't supposed to become a baby?" Dawn asked already
knowing the answer.
Willow shook her head.
"Ah well.. Giles knows how to fix it right? He'll fix it in no time
and in the meantime we'll have a completely adorable baby Xander to
take care." Dawn said confidently.
Giles looked unsure, he'd never experienced anything like this; he
didn't even know where to start looking for a way to fix it. "I'll
certainly try my best, Dawn, but to be honest I have no idea where
to even start. Maybe when I've heard the details from Willow... " He
trailed off.
Dawn nodded and turned to Tara. "Where you going somewhere when I
came in?"
"Yes. We need to get baby supplies like diapers, food, clothes."
"I'll go with you." Dawn smiled and picked of one of the Xander-
clothes and wrapped the baby up in it. She then hooked her arm in
Tara's elbow dragging the other girl with her out the door.
"Bye, we're taking the baby shopping. Have fun working out a
solution." She called before closing the door. Tara just followed
quietly with a small smile on her lips.
*****