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 Scorned Lover Challenge (details below).

The Scorned Lover Challenge (A massive throwback)

After Xander leaves Anya at the alter and Tara finds out that Willow has spelled her, the two become unlikely friends... between Anya's former vengeance demon status, and Tara's magical abilities, the two scorned lovers attract a ghost who also mourns the man she lost: Darla. Dru, still stinging over losing Spike to Buffy, casts a spell to try to bring Grandmummy back to life, resulting in all four scorned women: Tara, Anya, Dru, and Darla, being turned into small children.

Requirements:

- Each of the children must, as children, want to seek out the lover who scorned them...ie, little Tara must like being with Willow, little Anya must bond with Xander, Darla with Angel, and Dru with Spike.
- The four little girls forming a 'club.'
- A little cat fight.
- Someone kicking an adult in the shin.

Bonus:

- Little Tara developing telepathy.
- Tara talking about her mommy and daddy.
- Tara and Dru bonding.
- Darla being overprotective of Tara.
- Anya teaching the others about sex.
- Anya having a little 'boyfriend.'
- Anya and Darla fighting.
- Darla bossing adult Buffy around.
- Dru still having her visions.
- Darla still having super strength
- Little Anya being able to grant wishes.

Author's Note: Although the four little girls are all physically five years old, they have some memories of their adult lives, depending on how old they were when they were transformed. For example, Anya was, as near as I can tell, eleven hundred and twenty three while Tara was twenty one, so Anya will retain much more of her adult personality and memories than Tara does. Darla and Drusilla will fall between the two.

Chapter 1.

"Why am I here?"

"Because somebody up there has a very twisted sense of humour?" Spike suggested.

Angel glared at his grandchilde. "Shut up, Spike." He returned to the blonde Slayer, who scowled at him. "Buffy?"

"You are here," Buffy spoke in a slow, precise tone. "Because what is happening is your fault."

The previous night.

Only one of the four little girls had been willing to talk to the Scoobies about what had happened. The other three hung back, two of them shy and one of them decidedly grumpy.

Unfortunately, even after she had started talking, it was hard to get the information they needed from her.

"My name is Anya and I'm this many years old." She proudly held up one hand, displaying five digits. She wrinkled her little nose. "I have another name too but I don't like it very much." She commented. "I like here better than where I was. It smells nicer. Not like sh. . ."

Xander clapped a hasty hand over her mouth to prevent her from finishing.

The little girl pulled away, frowning at him. "I remember you sorta." Her childish voice was both puzzled and indignant. "You hurt me. That's why we're here. 'Cause people hurt us."

What do you mean?" Buffy asked, bewildered.

The little girl popped her thumb in her mouth and looked up at the Slayer with an adorable expression of confusion on her small face. "I don't know."

The four little girls were thankfully still sleeping, lined in a row on the big bed.

They hadn't woken since they had been carried into the house yawning and put to bed nine hours earlier, after little Anya had given the gang her seal of approval, and there wasn't an adult in the place who wasn't dreading the moment when the sleeping children began to stir.

"So far, the only connection I can think of between them is that they've all had partner trouble." Dawn reported.

Willow, Xander, Angel and Spike all had the grace to look uncomfortable.

"What exactly were they doing out there?" Buffy shuddered. "Just the thought of Darla and Drusilla being in my garden at night gives me the creeps."

"I think that they were trying some kind of resurrection spell." Willow volunteered. "But they didn't do it right."

"You think?" Xander couldn't keep the edge from his voice.

"A spell? That's your department, Wills, can't you . . ."

Willow sighed. "Without knowing exactly what spell they cast, or I should say tried to cast, I can't reverse it and since they can't tell us what they were doing . . ."

"We're stuck with them like this." Buffy finished dourly.

"Hello? Old people?" Little Anya, dressed in a long T-shirt borrowed from Buffy's closet appeared in the living room, where the adults had congregated, rubbing her eyes plaintively. "I'm hungry."

"I'm hungry too." The little blonde girl they had identified as Darla announced, following Anya into the room. "I want food." She smiled at little Tara, whose hand she held tightly in hers. "So does Tara. And Dru."

The last named ducked her head, hiding behind her curtain of dark hair.

"Come on." Dawn, trying to ignore how weird this was, gathered the little girls together and ushered them into the kitchen. "I hope you guys like Choco Puffs, 'cause I think that's all we have."

"So what now?" Angel asked, his eyes fixed on the door little Darla had passed through.

"Somebody's going to have to take care of them until we can fix this." Willow suggested practically. "We can call Giles, maybe he can help, but until then we can't leave them to their own devices."

"I agree." Buffy said, acknowledging the wisdom of her friend's words. "I've got work and patrol, so I'm out." She said hastily. "And Dawn's got school. Anyway," She fixed Willow, Xander, Angel and Spike with a glare. "Since this could be interpreted as being your fault, I think it's only right that you guys take responsibility for them."

"I agree." Dawn seconded, exiting the kitchen in time to hear her sister's last sentence.

"But I don't know anything about taking care of kids!" Xander protested.

"I'm not exactly nanny material either, Slayer." Spike pointed out.

Buffy gave them her own version of Willow's resolve face. "Then I suggest you learn." Her voice was firm. "Quickly."

"What do you think they're talking about in there?" Darla asked between mouthfuls of sugary cereal.

"I think they want to send us home." Anya said sagely.

Drusilla shook her head fiercely, tears springing to her dark eyes. "No. I don't want to go home."

"Me neither." Tara's voice was soft.

"I like it here." Anya said decisively, scooping another spoonful of slightly soggy Choco Puffs into her mouth. "This tastes better than yucky porridge."

Darla and Drusilla, both having had experience of that hated food, gave a collective shudder.

"And it'll be fun to play together." Anya added.

"So we're agreed." Darla said, taking charge. "We're not going to let them send us anywhere. Not unless we decide to let them." She put her hand into the centre of the small table, grinning as three other hands were placed on hers.

"So how do we work this out?" Angel asked the other three unfortunate individuals conscripted for babysitting duty. "One each or do we take turns looking after all four?"

"No way are you leaving me alone with four rugrats." Spike objected.

"I agree." Willow seconded him. "If we keep them together, we'll need to have more than one of us with them. How about we each take charge of one, and if we're doing anything as a group, we all watch them."

"Sounds okay." Xander said dubiously.

"So who gets who?" Spike demanded.

"How about we each take the one we know best?" Willow suggested slyly. "I'll take Tara, Xander gets Anya, Spike and Angel get Dru and Darla." She paused for the briefest of moments. "Great, so it's agreed." She sped out of the room in search of her small charge before anyone could object.

It took a few seconds for the guys to realize that Willow had just managed to take the only child not likely to cause trouble.

"Bugger."

TBC.

Next Up: The Buffyverse version of 'Take Your Daughter To Work Day'.