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.

Author's Note: To kit and Darklight – Don't worry, the Scooby gang have no intention of taking Livia away with them. I hadn't seen 'Damage' when I decided to have Buffy visit – Sky One are ages behind - so I had no idea what Andrew was going to do.

Author's Note II: I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed this story. I'm really pleased with the amount of interest in the story so I'll try to update as fast as I can.

Chapter 10.

'Bollocks!" Spike scowled up at the new arrivals. This was certainly not how he had planned his reunion with the blonde Slayer.

"Bolly!" Livia clapped her hands, delighted with the new word. "Bolly! Bolly Bolly!"

Xander grinned. "Are the parents aware that you're corrupting their innocent children?"

As embarrassed as he was, Spike couldn't let that remark slip.

"Innocent?" He gave a less than elegant snort of laughter. "After five minutes with these kids, even a moron knows that the word 'innocent' doesn't apply!" He nodded in Buffy's direction. "Slayer."

Livia looked up eagerly. "Slayer?" Her words were muffled by the thumb in her mouth. "Livvie Slayer!"

Spike rose, setting the toddler on her feet. "So, what're you lot doing here?"

"Angel called." Buffy explained awkwardly. "He said that you guys were expecting trouble, big trouble."

"Nice of Captain Forehead to let me know we were expecting company!" Spike grumped.

Harmony and the other children had started to drift towards the new arrivals. Delia held Spike's hand possessively, glaring at Buffy. Livia had fallen prey to a sudden attack of shyness and hid behind Spike's leg, peeping out every once in a while. Chad and David quickly dismissd the Scoobies as objects of interest and headed back to their game, taking James with them. Harmony followed, preferring to supervise the activities of three mischievious small boys rather than exchange pleasantries with people she had tried to kill. Bradley gazed at Dawn with open admiration while Morgan regarded Willow intently. Spike figured that the little sorceress knew another witch when she saw one.

/If Red teaches that child more spells than she already knows, I will kill her! / Spike resolved inwardly.

Sarah and Damien watched Buffy and Spike carefully for a few moments before dissolving into gales of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Spike frowned down at the two little telepaths.

Sarah took a few seconds to stifle her giggles before answering.

"Miss Buffy is remembering what you looked like with no clothes on." The four year old announced brightly, giving her carer an angelic smile.

Buffy's face turned a bright shade of scarlet and her unsympathetic friends made less than successful attempts to smother their laughter.

Spike glared down at the little girl.

/I wonder if anyone would really hold it against me if I strangled the little blighter! /

* * *

"So what're you lot doing here?" Spike had tried and failed to persuade Livia to run off and play with Harmony and the other children whil he spoke to the Scooby gang but the toddler had refused all of his pleading and coaxing and the blond vampire had resigned himself to having the little girl by his side.

"Angel called.' Buffy's voice was soft. "He said that you guys were expecting trouble and would need help."

"What happened to nobody on your side trusting him now that he's the king of Wolfram and Hart?"

"We don't." Giles responded bluntly, overhearing Spike's query. "But, if it's as bad as we're expecting, we'll have to put our differences aside."

"Angel said that one of your kids . . ."

"They're not mine!" Spike cut Buffy off before she could continue.

"Sorry. One of the kids that you take care of." Buffy amended. "He said that she was the one who had a vision of what was going to happen and told you."

"I don't suppose that there's a chance she might have been making it up, is there?" Xander asked hopefully.

"Not a chance." Spike answered decisively. "Delia might have a bit of an imagination, but no three year old makes up something like that." He gestured to the picture on the table. "Not exactly something you want to tape to your fridge, is it?" He quipped.

"Is there any chance that we could question her about her vision, see if she knows anything else that could be of use to us?" Giles asked, taking off his glasses and polishing them in a true Giles-like manner.

"Not a hope in Hell!" Spike was adamant. "The kid's had a hard enough time already with that bloody vision, I don't want you reminding her."

"But if she can tell us anything else, surely we . . ."

"I said no." Spike's voice was firm. "You'll have to do your own research. Leave the little bit alone."

Buffy studied him for a few moments.

Although he had died – sort of – saving the world, and had done many hero-worthy things, Spike seemed to have evolved a great deal since their last meeting.

The self-styled 'Big Bad' she had known would not have been so protective of a child and, though he had been fond of Dawn, she could never have imagined the old Spike with a two year old child attached to his leg.

"You've changed.' Though admiring, her tone held a faint tone of regret. "You've changed a lot."

* * *

"Are you here to take our Mr Spike away?" Chad folded his arms across his chest and glared at Xander.

"I'll bite you if you do." David declared, baring his collection of milk teeth in a less than threatening manner.

Xander raised an eyebrow. "Your Mr Spike?"

"Mr Spike is part of the daycare centre." Bradley explained in a no nonsense tone. "That means that he belongs to us."

Dawn smiled, amused despite herself. "Does Spike know that?"

Bradley gave her a bashful smile before nodding.

"He's ours." Morgan told them firmly.

"He's my champion." Delia's tone was dreamy.

"So if you try to take him away, we'll have to teach you a lesson." Morgan continued, not missing a beat. She smiled sweetly. "You wouldn't want that."

Sarah giggled. "Just ask Mr Angel."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Angel's office.

"Could you lose the kid, Spike?" Angel's question came out sounding far more impatient than he had intended.

His grandchilde shot him an annoyed look. "You think that I don't want to?"

Livia tightened her grip on Spike's leg.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" She stamped her foot for emphasis at each 'no'. "Livvie want Mr Spike. Livvie no go!"

Spike knew the beginnings of a Livia Tantrum when he saw them.

Sighing, he bent down and lifted her up in his arms, wishing with all his heart and soul that he didn't have an audience for this exchange.

"I'll be with you soon, luv." He said gently.

"Promise?" Livia plumped her lower lip in an adorable pout.

"Cross my heart."

Livia studied his face for a moment, deciding whether or not he was sincere.

She must have been satisfied, because she started to wriggle in his arms.

"Livvie down!" She looked up at Spike, her hands on her hips. "Miss Harmy give Livvie candy?" She bargained shrewdly, wrangling to get the best possible deal.

"Sure." Spike agreed. /At least she doesn't want me to sing Bloody Teddy Bear's Sodding Picnic! / "Be a good girl for Miss Harmony."

"Okay." Livia lifted her arms for a hug, which Spike awkwardly gave. She planted a wet kiss on his cheek. "Love you Mr Spike." She said, with the easy affection of a two year old.

"Love you too, pet." An embarrassed Spike managed to choke out. He waited until Livia had trotted off with a security guards before turning to the combined Scooby and Fang Gangs with an intimidating glare. "Not a word." He warned, in a low growling tone. "Don't any of you say one word."

* * *

Half an hour later.

". . . My team and I have only just begun to research the demon in Delia's vision." Wesley informed them, bringing the briefing to a close. "But what little information we have tells us that he is capable of doing more damage than almost every foe we've ever dealt with – put together!" He cleared his throat before reading from the translation on his paper. "He will gather together the dark, the unclean and his legions will lay waste to that which is good, washing the City of Angel's in a river of blood." Wesley looked up from his papers, worry creasing his handsome face. "It will be a war."

TBC.

Crappy prophesy, I know. Don't worry, I won't be forgetting about the kids. This story is about them, the demon will play, at best, a very secondary role. Please keep the reviews coming, and let me know which Scoobies you'd like to see pulling daycare duty or any activities you'd like to see.