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 12

"Are you sure about this?" Angel asked.

"Positive." Tara's tone was determined. "If Darla goes back to the way she was before the spell, she'll die. I won't allow that to happen."

"I meant about her living with you." He pressed. "You don't have to take her if you don't want to, I could. . ."

"I want to." She cut him off firmly.

Angel was quiet for a moment. He couldn't shake his feeling that little Darla was his responsibility, that he should be the one to take care of her if she remained young, but his life in LA didn't exactly put him in the best position to raise a child and he knew that Tara would take good care of her.

"Thanks." he said softly. "If you need anything. . ."

"We'll be fine."

"Wow." Willow's tone was awed as she watched the dark-haired vampire leave the room. "This is really nice of you." She smiled at the other blonde. "You're going to be a wonderful mom. Darla's really lucky."

"I'm the lucky one."

"Is Tara going to be your new mummy?" Drusilla asked, her dark eyes wide with wonder.

"She's my friend." Darla corrected. "And I'm going to live with her."

"You'll be her little princess." The other girl smiled wistfully. "She'll be your queen-mama and love you forever and ever."

"If you want, you could stay with us too." Darla offered, sensing the other child's vulnerability. "Tara said that she'd like you to."

"No." Dru spoke pensively. "I'm not going to be living with you and Tara." Her tone indicated that she knew this to be an established fact.

"Are you going to live with Spike?" Darla wouldn't have found the prospect of living in a crypt in the least bit appealing, but who knew with Dru?

"No." Little Drusilla smiled dreamily. "I'm going to live with the fairies."

"I don't want to talk to you." Little Anya glared up at Xander, who regarded her pleadingly.

"Come on, Ahn, I said I was sorry."

"Well it's not good enough." She scowled. "You hurt me."

"I know."

"I haven't ever been so happy as I was on our wedding day. You made my happy day horrible."

"I got scared."

"Why didn't you talk to me about it then? Why didn't you try to make it work?"

"Would you really have wanted me to marry you when I wasn't completely sure that it was right?"

"Well. . ." Little Anya frowned, unwilling to concede that he might have a point.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you." Xander said seriously. "But if I had gone ahead with the wedding when I wasn't sure about it, I could have ended up hurting you a lot, lot more in the end. I'm not going to apologize for not doing that."

"I'm not going to forgive you." Anya warned. "I'm not going to go back."

"Fine." Xander responded unexpectedly. "Stay a kid - a kid who can't own a business or have a job or make any money."

Little Anya froze. While she was enjoying the fun of being a kid, she couldn't deny that it had it's disadvantages. Part of her wished that they hadn't wished to know what was going on, that she couldn't remember the pleasure she took in totting up the profits of her store at the end of each day.

Yes, there were some things about being an adult that she missed, at least one of which should not be spoken of in polite company, but she wasn't about to let Xander off the hook that easily.

Not a chance.

"Maybe I'd feel better if I got to have some vengeance." Anya pondered aloud.

"I'll make the wish if the fairy wants me to." Drusilla offered sweetly.

"Thanks." Anya beamed at her friend. "Let's see. . .we could 'viscerate him, or maybe give him boils or a rash, or make something happen to. . .No, I like Xander's penis the way it is." She chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. "Any ideas?"

She was going to do something to Xander, something that'd hurt him like she had hurt, something that would make him look as sad as he had on their wedding day.

The five year old paused in her train of thought.

Yes, Xander had been hurting that day, and ever since, perhaps even as much as she had. Maybe he'd suffered enough, maybe it was time for her to. . .

"No!" Little Anya bellowed aloud, realizing what she had been thinking and what was going to happen now. "No, I don't want to! I didn't mean it!"

"Too late Anya-fairy." Drusilla smiled sweetly as her friend morphed into adult form.

Anya had barely registered the fact that she was now nearly two feet taller and, physically if not chronologically, sixteen years older before a small voice posed a tentative question.

"Will you be my Mummy?"

TBC.