Disclaimer: Since my name is not Joss Whedon, neither 'Buffy: The Vampire Slayer', 'Angel', or any of the amazing characters associated with either show belong to me. I also don't own the story line - that is taken from gidgetgirl's 'Mr Spike Challenge' (details below). The kids at the day care centre belong to me.

~*The Mr. Spike Challenge*~
Set in Angel season five. When the head of the Wolfram and Hart daycare service for employee children (both human and non-human) dies, Angel decides to kill two birds with one stone by putting Spike in charge of the daycare.

Requirements:
One of the kids must be a slayer. One of the kids must do magic At least two kids must be entirely mortal. One child should remind Spike of someone he saw a hundred years ago.

Words in / / = Thoughts.

Chapter 7.

Fifteen minutes later.

Spike smiled grimly as he regarded his small charges.

Sarah and Damien were sitting on one of the couches, exchanging a telepathic conversation. Bradley and James were engaged in some kind of wrestling match, refereed by Chad. David was hungrily devouring a snack. Livia, after an unsuccessful attempt to stake Harmony with a crayon, was hugging her bedraggled stuffed rabbit to her chest and prattling to it. Delia was drawing and Morgan – Spike didn't even want to know what she was plotting.

Harmony was huddled in a corner, watching the children apprehensively and close to tears.

/Yup, / Spike thought to himself. /Just another day at daycare. /

* * *

An hour and a half later.

"I just don't know what to do, Blondie Bear!" Harmony complained tearfully.

Bradley gave a snort of laughter. "Blondie Bear?" He raised a quizzical eyebrow.

If Spike could, he would have blushed. "For starters, Harm, don't call me 'Blondie Bear' in front of the platelets, alright. And they're not that bad – once you get to know them." He lied through his teeth. Although he had no great love for Harmony, he didn't want her to have a nervous breakdown, not on her first day anyway.

"Not that bad?!" Harmony gave him an incredulous look. "The little one tried to stake me! And that other little girl is creeping me out!" She nodded in Delia's direction. "Doesn't she remind you of . . .?"

"Yeah." Spike cut her off. "We've got her for the night, I'm afraid." He added glumly. "Her Mum's at some big meeting halfway across the country. Don't worry about the tiny bit," He said, getting off the disturbing subject of his sire. "She takes two naps a day and once you give Livvie some candy, she'll love you. And the others aren't too bad – just avoid Chad if he gets a cold."

"Why?"

Spike shuddered. "You don't want to know."

"Right." Harmony said brightly, her brow furrowing as she made mental notes. "Chad – colds. Livia – candy. Delia – creepy." She failed to notice the little Seer look up with a glare. "Anything else?"

There was a deafening crash as Bradley and James's exertions ended up bringing the bookshelf down on top of them.

"Not really." Spike said dryly. "You'll pick it up as you go along."

* * *

Two hours later.

After an early lunch of pepperoni pizza, followed by a dessert of jelly and ice cream, the kids were energized and ready for some fun.

"Can we play music for Mr Angel again?" James asked eagerly.

"He really hated it." Sarah informed Spike. "It was fun for us." Her twin, for whom she did most of the talking, nodded confirmation.

"If we do it again, we might be able to make him cry!" Bradley was enthusiastic. "Can we?"

Spike badly wanted to say yes, but even he didn't have the heart to put his grandsire through that ordeal a second time. "How about we play a game instead?" He suggested coaxingly.

"Hide and Seek?" David asked, his eyes brightening at the thought.

"No!" Spike was not, under any circumstances, going to put himself through a repeat performance of yesterday's fiasco. "How about . . ."He combed his brain, trying to remember another of the games Fred had suggested. " . . . Duck, Duck, Goose?"

The children nodded their approval.

"Good." Spike's smile faltered. "So do any of you know how to play?"

"I do." Morgan spoke up. "Mrs Murray used to play it sometimes."

"Good." Spike grinned at her. "You guys get started, while Miss Harmony and I get our lunch – and no leaving the room!" He added warningly.

"Yes, Mr Spike." His charges chorused sweetly.

Spike watched suspiciously as his charges sat down in a ring and started the game, with Chad as 'It'. He half-expected some particularly appalling mischief and so was pleasantly surprised to see the game proceeding without incident.

/The little blighters must be coming down with something. / He mused. "Come on, Harm." He threw his assistant a wry smile. "Let's grab some blood while the peace lasts."

Harmony needed no further prompting. She charged in the direction of the kitchenette, Spike following at a more dignified pace.

/Surely they can stay out of trouble for two minutes! /

* * *

Two minutes later.

Harmony drained the last of her mug of blood with a contented sight. "I needed that." She turned to Spike with a plaintive expression. "Are they always this bad?"

Spike chuckled. "Love, this is a quiet day by their standards!"

Harmony stared at him in horrified disbelief.

Spike would have elaborated with details of their charges antics, but he didn't have the heart to do it.

She would learn in time.

A cacophony of quacking burst forth from the playroom.

"Bollocks!" Spike tossed his mug aside and ran into the playroom, harmony hard on his heels.

"Duck. . . Duck. . . Duck . . .Duck. . .Goose!" As Morgan touched the heads of Damien, Delia, James, Livia and Bradley, the children were transformed into whatever animal she had named. Another three ducks Spike assumed were the other children were flapping about the room, making more noise than they ever could have made in their human state.

Spike turned to the other vampire with a grimace. "Like I was saying, Harm, this is a quiet day for them."

* * *

Forty minutes later.

"Miss Harmy?" Livia sidled over to where Harmony was sitting. "Do Livvie hair please?" She turned a beseeching smile on the hapless vampire. "Livvie want pretty hair like Miss Harmy."

"Ahhh!" Harmony was a sucker for compliments, even if they were from a two year old. "Aren't you sweet!"

Livia climbed up onto the couch next to the vampire and held out he chubby hands. "Nail too, please."

"Will you do my nails please, Miss Harmony?" Sarah, overhearing Livia's request, joined them, smiling expectantly at her new caregiver.

"And mine?" Delia requested, proffering her hands.

"Sure!" Harmony smiled happily. /Maybe this new gig won't be so bad after all. / She thought, running to her handbag and unearthing, among other things, a comb, a tube of lipstick and several small bottles of nail polish and almost sprinting in the direction of the bathroom. "Who's first?"

* * *

Twenty minutes later.

Spike had to admit that he had underestimated his ex.

He would have been willing to lay odds that the ditsy blonde would have been even worse with the kids that he was but she had succeeded in keeping their four female charges and Damien, who was never far from his twin's side, occupied while Spike attempted to break up the free for all fist fight that had started between Bradley and Chad, ably seconded by James and David, over a Candyland dispute.

Mr Spike?" A tiny hand pulled on the hem of his shirt.

Spike could barely keep from laughing when he looked down.

Livia's hair was piled into a high ponytail on top of her head, secured with an assortment of glittery hair slides and scrunchies, the nails of her small hands were painted in sparkly hot pink nail varnish and there was a dab of lipstick on her tiny rosebud mouth.

"Livvie pretty!" The two year old announced, holding out her arms for Spike to lift her up. As soon as she was securely held in his arms, Livia rested her head on Spike's shoulder and yawned. "Livvie sleepy."

"Alright, pet." Spike rubbed her back gently, checking the clock on the wall. "It's almost twenty-five past two, nearly naptime."

"Nap for Livvie." The toddler was coming close to drowsing off in his arms.

"I think its naptime for everyone." Spike looked over at the four boys. "Pack it in, lads, it can wait until later."

He considered it a great sign of progress that they obeyed him, making only a few half-hearted grumbles.

"Harm!" Spike called, frowning when the only answer he received was a collective giggle. He looked down at Livia. "What are they up to in there, pet?"

"Make up!" The toddler announced gleefully, clapping her hands.

/Surprise, Surprise! /

"Harm!" Spike called again. "It's naptime!" He headed into the bathroom. "What's going . . ." Spike dissolved into gales of laughter. "Oh, this is just too good!"

"Morgan gave Miss Harmony a magic makeover." Delia announced cheerfully.

"So I see." Spike grinned. "Interesting look."

"What?!" Panicked, Harmony whipped a compact out of her purse, squinting at the small mirror! "I can't see anything!"

"You're a vampire, you twit!" Spike snorted in derision. "Look at your hair!"

"What's wrong with my . . ." Harmony pulled a long strand of her hair out to inspect it.

She screamed.

"BLUE!!!!"

* * *

An hour and a half later.

"How much longer do we have to stay here?" Harmony moaned, for the tenth time in as many minutes.

"Rough day?" Spike asked dryly.

"Don't start!" Harmony glared at him. "I could stake Angel for giving me this sucky job!"

"You and me both, love." Spike responded wearily. "Still, there are times that it's not so bad here."

"Really?" Harmony raised a sceptical eyebrow. "When?"

"When they've gone home."

"Oh." Harmony brightened for a second. "At least they're being quiet." She said hopefully, looking over at the children, who were all engaged in various art forms. "There hasn't been a peep out of them in half an hour." Her face fell as she realised the impact of her words. "That's probably not a good thing, is it?"

Spike laughed. "Hell no, the little wankers are plotting our doom!"

"You know," Harmony looked thoughtful. "You're really good with children."

"I'm what?!" Spike was horrified. "No, I'm not! You take that back!"

"You are." Harmony insisted. "They really like you."

Spike shuddered. "Hate to see what they'd do to someone they didn't like!"

"What did happen to the old daycare supervisor?" Harmony asked dubiously.

"I've been afraid to ask."

"Mr Spike?" The blond vampire looked down to see Delia tugging at his shirt.

"What's wrong, luv?"

The three year old thrust a sheet of paper into his hand. "I drew a picture for you." She told him sweetly.

"Great!" Spike plastered an enthusiastic smile on his face. "It's lovely. It's . . ." His face turned pale as he looked down at the drawing Delia had presented him with. "Harm," It was a struggle for him to keep his voice calm. "Get Angel on the phone. He's going to want to see this."

TBC.

Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up and running. Please keep the review coming and let me know if there is anything you would like to see.