Chapter 2
Grown-up Discussions

A/N: Hey, thanks for the reviews! Wow... I already have more than I ever got for my HP fics ; Any way, I'm really pleased I got some feed back!! Yay!

You'll notice most of the main fang gang in this one, but really only cameos from Gunn, Lorne and Harm. I'm focusing on Spike and Angel (oviously) for their various father/son issues (with each other and others) and on Fred and Wes because they're cute, and Spike could do with a mother figure.

There will be some cuteness this chapter! But much more cuteness next chapter, I'm trying to spread out the little-Spike-sweetness with some actual plot. )

Angel gave Spike a worried look, "Well, um, yeah, ok." He mumbled, looking around the hospital ward for assistance, "I could get you some juice. For now. But, uh, the thing is. Maybe, there's...something else you want?"

Spike looked confused, "Can't I have juice?" He asked.

Angel reached out a hand to pat his tiny leg, "Yeah, of corse you can." He said, catching sight of a nurse. "Ah Miss, can we have some, er, juice?"

The nurse smiled, "You want something to drink?" She asked Spike, who nodded. "Ok, I'll fetch you something," she went into a side room, and returned with a plastic cup filled with dark liquid.

"Is that..."Angel began, as Spike took a long sip.

"Well, he is a vampire isn't he?" She said. "The doctor will be with you shortly." And the nurse left them alone again.

Angel looked over at Spike, who grinned at him, revealing his upper lip, covered in blood. Angel smiled awkwardly, and reached over to wipe it away. There was the sound of advancing footsteps as the door to the room opened and the gang walked in.

"We came right away," Wes said, walking briskly over to Angel.

"The memo said Spike was in hospital," Said Fred, her eyes falling on the blond boy in the hospital bed, "Where...?"

"You're looking at him." Angel said, getting to his feet and awkwardly running a hand through his hair.

The gang just stared at Spike, unable to speak.

Finally Fred took a tentative step towards Spike, "Can we...is he ok?" She asked.

Angel half shrugged, "I don't know why he's like this, but he seems alright. He asked for something to drink." Wesley shot him a questioning look, "Juice." Angel elaborated, "He asked for juice."

Fred knelt down beside Spike's bed, and shuffled closer to him, "Hi," she whispered, giving Spike a wave. He gave her a bashful wave back, shyly turning his head away. Fred giggled, "He's so cute."

Wesley coughed, "Cute, I'm sure, but we don't know anything about his condition. What ever made him this way might have done other things to him, bad things. We can't be sure. As such, we should treat him as a danger."

Fred scoffed, "Oh c'mon Wes, look at him! He's not a danger! Are you?" She asked. Spike gave her a nervous look. Fred patted his hair and Spike grinned shyly. The simple exchange over, Fred beamed back at Wesley, who smiled a small smile for her benefit.

"He's a cutie-patootie that's for sure," Lorne said, walking towards the bed too.

Fred caught her breath, "Lorne, I dunno, maybe you shouldn't get to close. He might... get frightened."

But Spike didn't seem phased by the green horned man before him. On the contrary, he extended his hand in a wave. "Hiya." He said, obviously getting over his original state of shock at waking up in the hospital beside strangers.

"What did the doctors say about his, uh, condition?" Wes asked.

"They didn't. I got here and the nurse said some one would be with me shortly. I was just waiting when he woke up."

As if on que, Dr Mordred appeared at the door. "Ah, Mr Angel, I see you got my message."

"What's going on?" Angel demanded, "Why is Spike…"

"All cute and little" Fred finished for him.

"After a short consultation with the patient, it became apparent that he had some turmoil in his youth," the Doctor began, "So I introduced a regression re-immersion therapy."

Gunn took a menacing step towards the doctor, "You did this?" He asked.

"Yes. It's a medical procedure." He assured them calmly, "The patient expressed feelings of abandonment and rejection in his youth. I instigated the regression re-immersion therapy to help him deal with these feelings."

"You keep saying that, but it's not making anymore sense." Said Gunn.

Dr Mordred sighed and said, painfully slow, "I turned Spike, into, a child." The doctor sniffed distastefully, "The man already acted like a child, I'm sure this will be an easy adjustment."

"How long will he be like this?" asked Wes.

"Just until he gets over his emotional trouble at this age."

"Which will take how long?"

"Anywhere between a day and years. He will psychically age, so if he never gets over his feelings, he can always grow out of it" There where a few panicked looks at this statement, which the doctor took an obvious delight in.

"Is he still all fangs and blood drinking?" Lorne asked.

The Doctor nodded "The spell doesn't change that. He probably doesn't realise it though. He doesn't have a complete memory, a lot of things had to be hidden in his regression. Tell him what you like. He'll still need blood. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of other patients to deal with." He said and strode briskly out of the room.

Angel furrowed his brow. "This can't be good." He sighed, slumping into the nearby chair.

Gunn smiled down at the beaming Spike, "but you gotta admit, he's a lot less annoying like this."

"Spoken like a man without children." Lorne said.

Spike didn't know which way to look, everyone in the room was so new and exciting. People kept patting him on the head, and giving him big smiles. They all seemed very interested in him, and they had been nice enough to get him something to drink. "I'maa Spike." He said proudly, pointing to his chest.

The big square man with spikey black hair stared wearily at him. "Well, looks like he remembers that at least."

Spike didn't much like the way the man was frowning, so he turned to the smiley woman kneeling beside him. "I'maa Spike" He said again.

She grinned at him, "Hi, I'm Fred." She giggled.

The man with spiky hair grumbled, "Fred, this is hardly the time for introductions. We have to figure out what to do with him!"

"What can we do?" Asked Wes, "He has to 'work through his issues at this age'. We don't even know what these issues are. Spike will be no help. He's too young to understand."

Spike felt something cold slip down his spine. There was something unpleasant, less than warm, in what the last two men had said. The room, once full of happy exciting people, now seemed cold and scary, and the people around him where mean. The spiky haired man was the meanest, Spike was afraid of the way he kept glaring. He couldn't understand a lot of what they were saying, but he knew now they were mad at him for some reason. This realisation filled Spike with fear.

"Maybe there's a spell? Or, a counter curse? This is a magical medical procedure, there's gotta be a way to reverse it." Gunn suggested.

"Not necessarily," Wesley sighed, "Not every spell can be reversed."

Spike's hands shook as he took another gulp of his drink. They weren't happy with him. He had done something wrong. They were deciding what to do with him. He felt scared and alone. He tried to steady his hands, but they kept shaking, and his cup overturned, spilling red liquid down his front. Spike burst into tears.

Everyone stopped talking, and looked nervously at the crying child, "Hey, hey," The nice woman, Fred, said, throwing her arms around the boys bowed head, "It's alright. No use crying over spilt...blood."

Spike choked on sobs and blood. Around him, the grown-ups looked worried and awkward, but no one looked angry, and he liked being hugged. "I'm sorry" He sobbed. "I di'nt mean'a be bad."

Fred hugged him tight again, "You're not in trouble Spike, it's just a bit of a spill is all." She looked up nervously at the spiky haired man.

"Fred, why don't you take Spike to my room and get him cleaned up." He suggested. "I'll call Harmony, have her send some clean clothes up. I'll, uh, be up later. We'll just work some things out here."

Fred nodded and pulled Spike into her arms. "C'mon Spike. We'll go get cleaned up ok?" He nodded into her shoulder as she walked toward the door. "You're not in trouble," She whispered into his ear. Spike clutched the fabric of her collar in his hands.

"Mother-hen Fred seems to be tapping into those famous maternal instincts." Lorne said once she had left with Spike.

Wesley furrowed his brow, "Yes, she does seem to have taken a shine to the boy."

"That boy is Spike," Angel reminded them, "He's not just any little orphan we're looking after. He's the same old Spike that makes trouble everyday. Only younger. We shouldn't treat him any different."

"That's a bit harsh," Said Lorne, "blaming the son for the sins of the... older version."

"It's not harsh," said Gunn, "It's realistic. Just because he's little, doesn't mean he's any less of a problem."

"He'll be more of a problem," Angel sighed, "What are we going to do with him?" Letting him 'work through his emotional trauma' is all well and good, but how long will that take? And in the mean time, who's going to look after him? Kids need watching all the time. They need feeding and cleaning. And even if we found a counter spell tomorrow, he still needs somewhere to stay tonight."

Wes shuffled nervously, "Well, Fred appears to be comfortable with Spike, I dare say... we could watch him, just for one night."

Angel rubbed his forehead but the frown lines didn't go away. "No, no, I'll take him" Wes let out a sigh of relief. "This... is my fault," Angel continued, "He can stay with me tonight and we'll figure out what to do tomorrow. We all need some sleep, especially me." Gunn and Lorne nodded, and slowly left the room. Wes stood there a moment longer, before he nodded curtly and left as well.

Angel collected Spike's big clothes, wondering if they where allowed to leave. Doubtless no one would mind, Spike wasn't sick after all, he was just small. Angel didn't try to think about it, but the thoughts kept coming. Why did I agree to take Spike? Why do I feel like this is my burden? And there was a simple answer. He needed a second chance; to do it over again, to make it right this time, to make up... He tried to push the thoughts away. Thinking like that could only lead to one place, one person, and it was too hard to go down that path, and come back again to a world that knew nothing of it. "This, Spike, is not my son." He whispered, and he knew it was true. But still, something told him, Spike was his chance, to try again, and maybe then...It would be better. It wouldn't be though. Angel tried to assure himself. This wasn't a divine test, it was just Spike. And he wasn't Conner.