Title: Haven't Changed A Bit

Author: mistymidnight

Rating: PG-13 (for Anya's sex talk, once again.)

Disclaimer: I have been told to write one disclaimer and use it in all my stories, but I don't really feel like it. Joss owns. gidgetgirl owns. mistymidnight does not own.

Timeline/Spoilers: Up to "Selfless", in season seven.

Summary: Anya is reverted to her former self…that is, herself at age six.

Author's Notes: Challenge, gidgetgirl, blah, blah, blah. Sorry about the ton of mistakes in the last chapter. It was written quickly and I'm altogether too lazy at the moment to go back and fix it. I know that Dawn's name isn't Dan. Really.

Pigtails are for Pigs

"Anya's gone?" Xander asked.

"I though I covered that," Dawn muttered.

"She was using the cartoon noise as a cover," Willow remarked. "Not bad, for a six-year-old."

"Not bad?!" Xander demanded. "Very bad. There's a six-year-old horror out running around Sunnydale somewhere with vamp—"

"BOO!" screeched a little voice behind them. Everyone jumped, even Anya, because she was startled by so many grownups jumping at once. It reminded her of sex. Everything reminded her of sex.

"Anya! Don't ever do that again!"

Anya chewed on a little fingernail. "Are you mad at me, guy? You're a sexy guy."

Coming from a six-year-old, this greatly disturbed Xander. He knelt down to Anya's height. "An, let's not talk about sex, okay?"

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because it's not polite."

"Why?"

"It just isn't."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Why?"

Xander gave up and pulled out his wallet. He fished around until he found a five dollar bill. He held it in front of Anya, who made a grab for it. Xander pulled it out of her reach. "Five dollars if you don't talk about sex anymore."

"Make it ten and you've got a deal," Anya said, still jumping to try to reach the money."

"How about…" Xander checked his wallet. "Seven?"

"Seven?" Anya scoffed. "Ten."

Xander frowned at the little girl who was quickly getting on his nerves. "Seven is my final offer."

Anya folded her arms across her chest in a gesture of stubbornness and chanted, "Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex."

"Fine," Xander crumbled. "Ten."

"Okay," Anya said. "Thank you." She tucked the money into her shoe. As she bent down, her brown hair fell in her face, giving her a mouthful of hair. It was unpleasant.

"Yuck," she said, spitting it out. "Pthhft. Hair."

"Here," Dawn said. "I'll get it out of your way. I'll put it in pigtails. Oh, you're gonna look so cute—"

"Silly person," Anya interrupted. "Pigtails are for pigs!"

"Isn't it 'Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids'?" Willow inquired.

As soon as the second word left her mouth, Anya wailed, "Stoooooppp! No rabbits!!!"

Dawn knelt down. "Anya, why don't you like rabbits?" she asked.

"They're…" Anya dropped her voice to whisper. "…evil."

"Are not," Dawn disagreed.

"Are too," Anya said. "Times infinity. So there."

Dawn glared at the six year old for having a better argument than she did.

"Well," Buffy said. "It's getting late, and some people should be in bed."

Anya waved to Dawn. "Good night, person."

"She's talking about you, munchkin," Dawn said flatly.

"Oh! Me!" Anya said. "I like beds. Beds are where—" she looked at Xander and then at her shoe. "—you sleep," she finished lamely.

"Glad you think that way," Buffy said. "'Cause that's where you're going. Right. Now."

mistymidnight