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: To C'est Magnifique - Forgiveness is a factor, but its not the only one.

Chapter 11

"Do you remember anything? What do you remember?"

"Giles!" Willow frowned reprovingly at him. "She just aged sixteen years. Give her a chance to breathe."

"Sorry." The Watcher had the grace to look sheepish. "But if we know how Tara came back, we can bring the other three back."

"Forgiveness." Willow's voice was soft as she slipped her hand into Tara's. "You told me that you forgave me."

The blonde's answering smile made her feel happier than she had in what felt like eons.

"So I'm going to need Anya to forgive me?" Xander looked crestfallen. "Well, I'm screwed."

"It's not just that." Tara said softly. "I forgave Willow, yes, but I wanted to give us another chance too, I wanted to come back."

"How did you know?" Giles fiddled with his glasses, perplexed. "How did you know what you needed to do to come back?"

Tara smiled wistfully. "We wished it."

Two days earlier.

"They're talking about us again." Darla announced, peeved.

"What are they saying?" Tara asked, hugging her kitten to her.

"Do they want to send us back?" Anya's eyes widened. "I'm not going back."

"No, no, no, no, no, no." Drusilla chanted. "Never go back, never go back, never, never."

"I don't want to go back either." Tara looked frightened. "I like it here."

"We're not letting them send anyone back, remember?" Darla reassured her friends, automatically taking charge. "We promised." Her brow furrowed in confusion. "I think they don't like having kids around, though - I heard the dumb one telling my darling boy that she wanted us to be grown ups."

"Willow keeps thinking about stuff I don't understand." Tara complained. "She keeps saying that she's sorry for something. I don't understand what, though."

"They're hiding something from us." Darla said. She locked eyes with each of her friends in turn, waiting for them to guess what she had in mind, and once she had recieved a nod from each of them, she turned to Anya, a determined expression on her small face. "I wish we knew what was going on."

"This is not good." Spike said glumly. "Dru never forgives."

"What about Darla?" Angel looked concerned. "If she goes back, she goes back to being dead. Drusilla goes back to being an insane vampire and Anya. . ."

"Will punish me in a suitably grotesque manner the second she's back." Xander finished for him.

"They seem pretty happy as kids." Dawn pointed out. "Maybe they should stay like that."

"Are you volunteering to babysit, Little Bit?"

"No way!"

"They're a sly bunch, aren't they?" Spike's tone was grudgingly admiring. "They knew what was going on the whole time but they never let out a hint of it."

"It would have made my job considerably easier if they had seen fit to share their knowledge." Giles said sourly.

"Maybe we shouldn't try to send Darla or Dru back," Dawn said, feeling sorry for the two little girls and the fates they faced if the spell was reversed. "But what about Anya?"

Xander quailed under the looks the others were giving him. "What should I do?"

"I suggest grovelling." Spike suggested, grinning. "Lots and lots of grovelling."

"Hi guys." Tara's smile was tentative as she approached the three five year olds. Only Darla returned her smile. "What are you playing?"

"Snakes and Ladders." Darla informed her.

"Slithering, slippering snakes." LittleDrusilla elaborated, doing a remarkably good impersonation of a hissing snake.

"Can I play?"

"It would be a good game for you." Anya glared at her. "Seeing as you're a snake!"

"Anya!" Tara was surprised and hurt by the venom in the little girl's voice.

"It's true." Anya sprang to her feet, planting her hands on her hips. "You're a snake and a traitor and a. . .a Communist!" She declared, using the worst insult she could come up with.

"I'm sorry. . ."

"You made a promise. We swore that we were going to stay friends forever. Just wait until I think of something bad enough to do to you - you'll be sorry."

"You're not going to do anything to Tara." Darla told her fiercely. "Or I'll find all of your money and burn it!"

"We can still be friends." Tara tried to soothe the angry little girl, who was temporarily silenced by Darla's awful threat.

"I'm not friends with traitors." Anya announced scornfully. Come on, Dru."

Drusilla, whatever her own feelings were,was given little alternative but to follow as the other girl took her arm in a vice like grip and all but dragged her out of the room.

"Don't be sad." Darla sat down next to Tara on the couch, putting her little arms around her neck. "I'm still your friend - right?" She looked desperate for confirmation of this.

"Of course." Tara hugged her tightly.

"I don't want to go back." Darla confided quietly. "I know that I'll be dead if I do and I'm scared."

"It's okay." Tara soothed. "Nobody can make you go back if you don't want to, you know that."

"I know." She looked up at her with appealing eyes. "Tara? Can I ask you something?"

"Always." Tara smoothed the little girl's hair tenderly.

"If I stay little, can I live with you?"

TBC.

Author's Note: Not long to go now until the end of this story. Please don't forget to review.