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: A warning to all who read this chapter – I think that this is the first time I've ever written anything resembling action.

Chapter 15.

Angel's office.

"You're insane!" True to form, Xander was the first to break the silence that followed Buffy's announcement of her plan to the combined Scoobies and Fang Gang. "I always knew that you were a little crazy but this . . ."

"Seriously, Slayer," Spike's expression combined incredulity with a grudging admiration. "What exactly were you smoking when you came up with this?"

"It'll work." Buffy was adamant. She turned to Wesley, who was still silent after the bombshell she had dropped. "You said that if we killed the Kra' Ma'han, we'd make him into a martyr and that his followers would worship him more than ever, right?"

"Yes, but . . ."

"So how keen would you be to worship someone who was beaten by a toddler?"

"She's got a point." Gunn admitted grudgingly.

"Once he loses face before his followers, his influence over them should dissipate." Wesley conceded. "But your plan involves placing an innocent child in mortal danger."

Buffy exhaled impatiently. "It's the blonde hair, isn't it?" She glared at her friends. "How stupid do you guys think I am? Of course I'm not planning on sending Livvie off to battle a demon by herself! She just needs to finish him off for show, to strike the final blow – I'll soften him up for her and we can finally put Angel's commando team to good use. Besides, Livvie's not your average two year old. She's a Slayer." Buffy smirked. "We're a tough breed."

"You want us to let a two year old child fight our battles for us?" Angel couldn't decide whether he was more amused or offended. "What about his followers? You don't expect them to just stand there while you hold their leader down so Livia can cut his head off, do you?"

"Nope." Buffy responded cheerfully. "Spike is going to help us with that."

"Me?" The blond vampire looked up, startled. "Why me?"

The daycare centre.

Despite knowing that it was essential for her plan, Buffy couldn't keep herself from grimacing as the juvenile Feoral let out a thunderous sneeze, filling the bucket Spike held with slimy mucus.

Livia, who was probably the most enthusiastic pupil she had ever taught, was happily demonstrating her newly learned fighting skills to a select audience of David, her stuffed bunny and Delia's doll, patiently explaining what she was doing, in a rather patronizing tone, as she kicked at imaginary foes.

Sarah kept looking over at the blonde Slayer with a knowing expression in her blue eyes and Buffy had no doubt but that the young telepath was relating all of her secrets to Delia, who glared at her with ever increasing resentment.

"Miss Buffy?" Bradley approached the young woman he had hoped would be his future sister in law, a wary expression on his freckled face.

"What's up?"

"Is it true that Livvie's going to get to fight a bad guy?"

"Who told you that?"

"Delia."

"I see." Mistaking the motive for his query, Buffy patted the boy's shoulder understandingly. "Livvie's going to help us fight the bad guy." She told him gently. "But don't worry, she's not going to get hurt or anything. Mr Spike, my friends and I will take good care of her."

"That's not what I mean." Bradley shrugged away impatiently. "I want to fight too."

"Bradley, is this about Dawn?" Buffy knew that her younger sister had done her best to let the little boy down gently but, all the same, Bradley's first crush had ended in heartbreak.

He kicked the carpet moodily. "She said that if I was seventeen she'd have loved to go out with me but that she's too old for me. I tried to get Morgan to cast a spell to make me seventeen but she said no." Buffy did her best to hide a smile. She suspected that the four year old sorceress had her own motives for refusing. "So I want to fight." An aggrieved Bradley continued. "To show Dawn that even though I'm five, I'm still way better than all the seventeen year old's out there."

"I'm sure that Dawn would be flattered to know that you want to impress her," Buffy began. "But I can't let you come with us when we fight. It's dangerous. You're too young."

Bradley's eyes blazed and she knew that she had said the wrong thing.

"I'm five." He scowled at her. "That's very old. That's almost a grown up. Livvie's only two. Why can she fight if I can't?"

The toddler, overhearing this, gave Bradley her smuggest smile. "Livvie Slayer." She said simply. "Bradley not. Bradley no fight."

The boy's normally pale face turned a disturbing shade of red. "IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"Sorry." Buffy genuinely felt sorry for the boy. "Maybe next time." She surreptitiously crossed her fingers behind her back.

"That's fourteen." Spike announced, emerging from the dormitory armed with two full buckets. "And Fred and her science-types can stretch it to ten times that without putting a dent in the potency. It should do us."

"Great." Buffy gave him a smile, ignoring the poisonous glare Delia gave her. "It's all coming together. Livvie?" The little girl looked up at her. "Want to learn to use your first weapon?"

The two year old Slayer's eyes lit up. "Weapon for Livvie?"

Three hours later.

"I still say we need more time to prepare." Giles fussed nervously.

"We can't." Dawn hissed. "If Buffy's plan doesn't work, the fewer minions we have to deal with, the better."

"Gee." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Alright." Angel placed a hand on the blonde Slayer's shoulder, motioning for silence. "We've faced worse than this. We'll manage." He gave them a crooked smile. "We always do."

"Damn right!" Buffy clapped a hand over her mouth. "I mean darn right." She corrected, for the benefit of the littlest member of the team. "You ready Livvie?"

"Livvie slay."

"That'd be a yes, then." Spike, who carried the toddler, elaborated. "Why don't I carry that, luv?"

Much to his relief, Livia cheerfully handed over her 'sword' – one of Angel's daggers. It was pretty blunt but it was tipped with silver, which Wesley and Giles both swore would finish the Kra' Ma'han off.

"Ready?"

Hefting their water pistols filled with Feoral mucus, Giles, Wesley, Xander, Gunn, Dawn and Fred nodded confirmation.

Acknowledging them with a curt nod, Buffy took on the role of general to give the traditional cry –

"Charge!"

Eighty six seconds later.

The Kra' Ma'han, the Bringer of Discord, the entity responsible for the extermination of race after race in transdimensional conflicts, was close to wetting himself in terror.

Paralyzed from the neck down, his followers could only watch, their horror and indignation quickly turning to disgust as their 'fearless' leader dropped to his knees, whimpering in terror, like the coward he truly was.

"Mercy . . . Mercy."

Buffy stepped back hurriedly as the demon, shorter than she was and powerless without his allies to aid him, tried to clutch the hem of her jeans.

"Don't trust him." Wesley's voice was hard. "If spared, he will go on to do this again, in other dimensions."

Buffy sighed. It went against the grain for her to kill a helpless being.

She looked into the eyes of the Kra' Ma'han, trying to see some spark of goodness in him.

All she saw, behind the veil of terror and submission, was cold calculation, as the demon already tried to find a way to turn this to his advantage.

Sighing, she motioned towards Spike, who stood to the sidelines, a fascinated Livia held securely in his arms.

He set the child to her feet, trying to fight the pride he felt as she confidently approached Buffy, her little 'sword' clutched to her chest.

"Livvie slay?"

/Damn, I hope this doesn't traumatize you for life! /

Nodding grimly, Buffy reached out and shoved the Kra' Ma'han onto his back, fighting the sinking feeling of nausea as the toddler Slayer lifted her weapon and, as she had been taught, buried it in his paper thin chest.

There was a low whine from the slain demon and then silence.

"Our leader is dead." One of the demons, who looked as though he had been carved from rock, glared up at the podium where Spike, Buffy and Livia were still standing.

Spike's eyes widened in alarm. "Yes, but . . ."

"All hail our new Leader."

Much to the horror of the watching Slayerettes and Fang Gang, the demons fought the effects of the paralysis, dropping to their knees awkwardly, gazing at little Livia as though she were their Messiah.

"Hail!"

Spike looked from the assembled demons to Buffy, to his friends, to the two year old standing between them.

There was only one word to adequately express his emotions.

"F--k!"

TBC.