Chapter Ten: Hello, Goodbye
All the ingredients were gathered, and the circle was set. It had been deemed easy to leave the children in bed, as they hadn't needed to be close to be affected earlier by the spell. Buffy hovered outside the bathroom door, frowning.
"Now, how did they all become children again?" she asked. He paused, glancing over his shoulder at her.
"The stone turns a person back physically to a time when they were hurt the most in childhood." Staring down at the ground, he decided it was better to tell her the truth. Meeting her eyes, he continued, "Xander used to spend a lot of nights on my couch before he had his own apartment."
"Yeah, I kind of guessed that," Buffy answered, thinking back to the times she had found Xander back at the apartment when she had checked in after patrols. Understanding intuitively that Xander didn't want to talk about it, she had never mention it to anyone.
Giles continued, his face darkening with pain and something akin to anger. "The boy was a restless sleeper, and I woke him from more than a few nightmares. When he felt like talking, I listened. Willow and he were fellow play mates at the local daycare, and became fast friends. She was allowed to spend the night with him when her parents decided that having a child along on one of her mother's psychological conferences would be too much of a hassle. That night when she stayed over, he thought it was very early, even before kindergarten, he did something to anger his father."
Her shoulders tightened. "He hurt Xander."
"In front of Willow. It was quite bad, apparently, and he was taken to the emergency room." Giles ran a hand over his eyes. "It was the first of many such punishments, I gather. Xander didn't like to talk about it much, but I surmised as much."
There was silence, and he finally looked over at her. Buffy's eyes were filled with tears, and she seemed to be barely holding them in check." "And so they were all turned three because...?"
Shaking his head, he readied the spell in front of him. "I can only guess that since Willow was the caster, and Xander was nearest to her physically in the living room as she began to speak, at least from what we saw when we came in, that her feelings and his domineered the group. They became a product of their first intense fears at the age of three."
"I think I might just run into Mr. Harris coming out of a bar some night soon," Buffy grated. Giles smiled grimly.
"I might just accompany you. I almost went over myself for a little...justice....But Xander always stopped me from going." His face took on a Ripper-ish glow, and Buffy shivered at the suppressed violence in his tone.
"Well, why don't we get this show on the road? I'm beat," she said, trying to sound chipper. Taking her cue, he nodded vigorously.
As Giles spoke the incantation, Buffy waited out in the hall, arms crossed and breathing in meditatively.
There was a bright flash as Giles finished the incantation, and then silence. Buffy frowned and then peeked into the bathroom. "Did it work?"
He stood up, working out the kinks in his back. "Feels like it did." As one they went into the bedroom. Tara's legs and head were thrown over both sides of the bed, no longer able to fit the small space with her adult body. Willow and Xander still cuddled close to each other. Anya chose that moment to stretch out again, knocking both Tara and Dawn to the ground with a careless leg and arm. The falling girls yelped, and Anya sat up quickly.
"Whaaa..." Xander murmured, staring at Willow as she blinked her eyes open slowly. There was a pause, and then they leapt away from each other, throwing Anya to the ground in an undignified heap onto Dawn.
"Ow!" the girl cried in pain.
"Why am I on the floor? And why am I wearing such tiny clothes?" Anya demanded, irritated. "Yeah, it's a bit drafty here," Xander said, glancing down to see the sparkly pair of shorts barely holding him in check. He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around his waist.
"Welcome back, all of you," Giles said, amused despite the gravity of the situation. Willow pulled herself up and glanced around, her eyes filling with guilt. Catching the look, Buffy moved to the end of the bed, her arms on her hips. Her face was pinched with anger, but personally, Giles was glad to see the old fire burning in her eyes. It was a good start.
"I'll just explain quickly that Willow did a spell that went kablooey and changed you all into kids," Buffy stated, her jaw clenching.
"Another spell?" Tara cried out, dismayed. She pulled a sheet over herself and stood, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Willow avoided her eyes and stood up.
"It's not what you think, guys," she began quickly. Buffy held up her hand and stooped over to help Anya and Dawn to their feet.
"Are you okay, Dawnie?" she asked tenderly. The look on her face gave Dawn pause, and they stared into each others eyes for few moments. Finding what she was looking for, the younger girl's eyes filled with tears, and she leapt into her sister's waiting arms.
"You're back, you're back," she sobbed in relief. Buffy soothed her hair and glared over at Xander.
"Hey, quit checking out my sister!" The color rose in his cheeks, and he turned his face to the wall.
"I didn't see anything, Buff."
"Yeah, right." Pulling back, she smiled at Dawn, brushing her tears away gently. "It's been a long night. Would you mind giving me a couple minutes alone with the gang?"
Dawn's eyes darted over to Giles, and he nodded to her. Breathing out slowly, she shrugged. "Sure thing, sis. Just come say goodnight before you hit the sack, okay?"
"You betcha." Buffy smiled again and walked her to the bedroom door. When the younger girl's bedroom door closed, she paused and then drew in a deep breath.
"It's been a long night, like I said," she sighed. Turning, she faced the group with darkened eyes. "I need some time alone, and I'd like to ask if Willow and Tara could stay with you guys tonight, Xander?"
He nodded slowly, rising to his feet. "Sure thing, Buff."
Willow stood up as well. "Buffy, we are so sor - "
"Save it." The redhead closed her mouth and stared at her best friend in abject misery. Buffy shook her head tiredly.
"Look, guys, I just want to sleep for, like, a hundred years."
"Maybe we could gather for dinner tomorrow and discuss things?" Giles spoke up, making it a question as he looked down at her. She smiled at him gratefully.
"Sounds like a plan. Except no dinner. Let's meet here around five." The others nodded, in various states of apprehension. "Goodnight." She turned and left the room, knocking on Dawn's door and going inside.
Giles faced the gang and nodded grimly. "You heard her. Please gather your things and be off. It's been a rather trying night for us."
In Dawn's room, Buffy perched on the edge of her bed. "Do you remember anything that happened tonight?" she asked her sister. Dawn frowned from under the blankets.
"I remember splashing Giles with lots of water. And Spike carrying me all around the house..." Her eyes widened. "That is so totally weird."
"You have no idea," Buffy remarked. Leaning over, she pushed a lock of dark hair from her brow. "How are you doing, kiddo?"
"How did this happen, Buffy?" she asked in lieu of answering her question. "You seem...almost like yourself again." Her cheeks flushed at the words that came out of her mouth, but she continued to watch her sister, searching for an answer.
Buffy shrugged, unable to articulate all that had happened tonight. "I can't really explain, Dawn. Giles helped a bit, and even Spike."
"Is everyone gone?"
"Yeah." Off her look, she frowned. "Is that okay? I mean, if you want them to come back..." She couldn't finish the sentence, unable to ignore the pang it gave her to think of Willow under the same roof as them for another moment.
"No way," Dawn said angrily. "I don't want any of them living here. They're a bunch of jerks, and I hate them!"
"You don't mean that."
"I do. You don't like them either," she said hotly, sitting up in bed. "I can't believe you just asked me if it was alright for them to leave! I'm glad they're gone."
"So am I."
They smiled at each other for a few moments. "And, Dawn, if there's anything you need to talk about..." She looked away. "I'm not okay yet, I know it. But I want to try and help. I have to."
"Cause you're my sister."
"Yeah, that, and because I love you."
Dawn lunged forward and hugged her surprisingly hard. After a beat, she pulled back, alarmed. "You didn't make Giles go, did you?"
Buffy shook her head. "But if you want me to, I'll tell him to go." The girl shook her head, and Buffy let out a relieved breath.
"I like having him here," Dawn confided. "He's the only one who made me feel safe when you were gone." She picked at her bedspread, embarrassed.
"I know what you mean." They hugged again and then Buffy pushed her away gently. "You need to get some sleep."
"Stay with me until I fall asleep?"
She nodded, and watched her for the next half hour, staying past the time she knew the girl had truly gone to sleep, watching the way her eyelashes moved over the curve of her cheek, the peaceful smile curving her lips. Finally she stood, and left the room, closing the door behind her.