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.

Chapter 8

The Magic Box, the next day.

"Darla! No, put the dagger down! Anya, leave the cash register alone. You can't play with the money. Tara, no, that book's not for little girls. Drusilla . . ." Giles looked around the Magic Box, panicked. "Where are you and what are you doing?"

From her perch on the ladder, absorbed in a book of fairy lore, Drusilla either couldn't hear him, or was ignoring him.

Since she wasn't engaged in a dangerous or troublemaking activity, Giles wisely decided to leave her be.

Had he had a time machine in possession, he would have gone back to that morning and throttled his past self for agreeing to take responsibility for all four girls at once.

Spike had been the first to approach him with a request to take charge of Drusilla while he was researching with the books at the Magic Box, backing up his request with a solemn promise to refrain from taunting him for at least a month.

Clinging to the slight hope that, with Drusilla on her own, he might be able to get some information from her, the Watcher had agreed.

When Willow, explaining that she had an exam, had pleaded with him to keep an eye on Tara for a few hours, he had agreed, thinking that, as the little girl was so quiet, she wouldn't be any trouble, not knowing that where Tara went, Darla insisted on going.

Anya, finding out that her three companions would be at the magic shop, had asked Xander to let her stay with Giles – neglecting to mention that he was already burdened with the care of three children – and he had been more than happy to agree to her request, dropping her off without so much as a by your leave.

The cellphones of the four relieved of babysitting duty had been switched off for some reason.

Thankfully the shop was closed.

He didn't even want to think about how difficult it would have been to cater to customers while keeping an eye on the children.

"Can I play shop – pleeeeeeease?" Anya stretched out the word into as many syllables as she could. "I'll be the capitalist and you can be the dupes. . .i mean customers." She finished sweetly.

"Hey, Anya, I want to go horse riding. I wish I had a . . ."

"No wishing." Giles hurriedly clapped a hand over a furiously indignant Darla's mouth.

"Can't we even wish for an ice-cream?" Tara asked, her lower lip trembling. "I'm hungry."

"Why don't I buy you ice-cream?" The last thing Giles wanted to do was to encourage any of the little girls to use their powers.

"I've got a better idea." Anya practically danced with excitement. "I'll make the ice-creams appear and you give me the money that you would have spent on them."

"Or you buy some, and Anya magicks some and we see which tastes better." Darla suggested.

"I'll make a deal with you;" Giles suggested desperately. "If you can sit down and be quiet and not get into any trouble for ten minutes while I do my research, you can have ice-cream."

"That doesn't sound like fun." Anya wrinkled her little nose in distaste.

"How do you know if you don't try?" He pressed.

"We know." Little Darla's no-nonsense tone left no room for argument.

Giles drew himself up to his full height, glaring at the young girl.

Deep down, he knew that intimidation tactics would be worse than useless where Darla and Anya were concerned, but he had to try every angle.

"I am an adult." He announced impressively. "Children should obey their elders."

"My Daddy says that." Tara murmured softly.

"You're not my elder." Darla told him scathingly. "Or Anya's or Dru's. And I won't let you pick on Tara."

"I'm not your elder?" Giles pounced on her words eagerly. "How old are you?"

"That's none of your business." She told him grandly.

"Do you remember about where you were before you came here?" He pressed her.

"I've already told you that I won't talk about that."

"And we won't either." Anya spoke up on her own behalf, as well as Tara's and Drusilla's.

Giles sighed, taking off his glasses and cleaning them. "Girls," His voice was calm and gentle. "It's very important for you to tell me anything that you might know about why you came here."

"It doesn't matter." Drusilla spoke up in a soft, singsong tone. "Your books can't tell you and neither can we. That's not where the answer lies."

"Don't worry, Mr Giles." Tara patted his hand gently. "It's not hopeless – and don't be thinking bad things about Willow and the others." She added sternly.

"Did he think something bad about my darling boy?" Darla demanded indignantly. The five year old looked fully prepared to tear him to pieces if that was the case.

"No, I didn't. . ." Giles, faced with the glares of four little girls, knew that only one thing was going to get him out of trouble. "Who wants ice-cream?"

An hour later.

"Giles is a lifesaver!" Willow declared, flopping into the booth next to her friends.

"You heard that he let Spike talk him into taking Drusilla, huh?" Buffy snorted with laughter at the thought of the still slightly stuffy Watcher dealing with the fey five year old.

"Dru?" Willow's eyes widened. "He's taking care of Tara for me. And Darla too."

"He's taking care of three of them!"

"Uh. . ." Xander raised a sheepish hand.

"Xander." Buffy's tone was low and dangerous. "Where exactly is Anya?"

All she could hear was an indistinct murmur.

"What?"

"At the Magic Box." He muttered.

"Giles has all four of them?" Willow looked horrified. "Poor Giles!"

Buffy shook her head in mock sorrow. "He'll never agree to help us again."

TBC.