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She met up with the others at the burger joint and found them all laughing. Xander was giving Liam the full plot of Invasion of the Body Snatchers from memory and seemed to have him convinced that he had created the story himself. The boy was hanging on his every word.
"Well hey Buffy." He said, breaking off mid story.
She smiled. "Oh don't let me interrupt."
"He was tellin' me a story about monsters from the sky!" Liam said excitedly.
"I heard." She sat down next to him and folded her arms."Feel free to continue."
"What did Spike have to say?" Willow asked.
"He was pretty forthcoming actually. I'll swing by Giles's tomorrow and tell him what I found out."
"I got a toy." Liam said, holding up his fast food trinket.
Buffy took it from him and pretended to examine it. "Very neat."
He smiled brightly and took it back, holding it tightly and sat playing, kicking his feet against the booth.
Xander grinned. "I like him better this way."
She ran a hand through Liam's hair. "It has it's perks."
"I don't know, children are a lot of trouble. Vampire children probably more than others." Anya said, although she was now fixing the top back onto Liam's toy for him.
"Well it's a good thing he's human." Buffy said.
"Hmm."
They talked for a while more, letting Liam play before leaving the restaurant. "You ready to go home?" Buffy asked, taking his hand. He nodded and she gave it a squeeze.
He hurried to keep pace with her, humming off tunedly as he did so. She lead him back to her house where they were eventually greeted by Joyce. "Buffy, I just got home. How was. . . you know?" She mimed staking something and made face.
"No-" Buffy copied the motion. "Just burgers."
"I got a toy!" Liam said, holding his new toy up excitedly.
"You'll have to show me how it works." She said. His eyes widened in excitement and he hurried past her to the couch, waiting expectantly.
"You better get in there." Buffy said with a grin. "I'm gonna run up to my room and change. I'll be back down in a minute."
Joyce squeezed her shoulder and turned to the couch. "You show me your toy and then go get changed."
He nodded seriously and demonstrated the top a few times before hurrying off to put his pajamas on. When he came back she was waiting with the Harry Potter book and had the blankets back on the couch. "Are you ready for bed?" She asked.
He nodded and climbed up next her to to listen. He had had a very good day. He thought that Xander and Anya were very likable. Xander had known some very good stories and as he listened to her read the book he thought that he would have to ask for the ending to the alien story next time he saw the older boy. It was terribly frightening and compelling at the same time.
Eventually however his eyelids drooped and he drifted off, hearing only that Harry Potter had learned he was a wizard and that he would be going to a magical school and that many good things would be coming.
When the boy's head hit her shoulder Joyce set the book aside and readjusted him so that his head was lying on the pillows. She had experienced many strange things since moving to Sunnydale and she took them in stride, not always understanding but always trusting that Buffy knew what was going on. This was just one of those things but it was an odd mix of normal and strange to her because she knew this wasn't how things were supposed to be and she knew that magic had made a man a child but he seemed so ordinary like this. She fixed the blankets over Liam's shoulder and thought of Buffy as a little girl. And Dawn. She thought of her own children and the times she had tucked them in. She would have to spend more time with them she decided. It was the only thing to do.
When she turned away from the sleeping boy she spotted Buffy leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and a slight smile on her face. "You're really good with him Buffy." Joyce said.
"Yeah well, I had a good teacher."
Joyce smiled. "Did you get any closer to turning him back?"
"I got a lead."
"That's great news!"
"Yeah." They paused for a moment. "Thanks for letting him stay here mom."
"I don't mind. It's kind of fun having a kid in the house again. Well a little kid."
They watched Liam shift slightly and swipe a hand across his face before laughing slightly and hurrying up the stairs. Even if it wasn't the Angel she knew and loved it was nice having him around. Buffy sneaked one last look over her shoulder at the boy before heading to bed. It really was nice having him around.
The next morning she left Liam with Dawn and hurried over to Giles's to tell him what she had found out. He was rather troubled by the news. "A demon that steals youth?" He said thoughtfully. "Demons like that can be quite tricky to kill. Are we sure it's actually dead?"
"I can give Cordelia a call but she seemed pretty sure. Do you think you could find out what kind it was?"
"I can do some digging I'm sure we have something on it. I'm rather surprised Spike just told you."
"Yeah well, maybe he was in a good mood."
"Oh that's a pleasant thought. Anything that puts Spike in a good mood is bound to be bad for the rest of us."
"I don't think so. He can't hurt Angel like this."
"Still. Oh well I suppose he would have found out sooner or later anyway. Is Angel adjusting to modern times?"
"Well he likes TV and fast food toys that's about as modern kid as you can get."
"Oh that's wonderful. Two hundred years old and all he wants to do is watch cartoons."
"Well we wanted him to fit in."
"Well he needn't do it so well."
She laughed. "Well as soon as we turn him back he'll forget how to use a TV. He never liked them much."
"I suppose there's no harm in it. He's getting along with everyone else?"
"Yep."
"I don't suppose he's showing any signs of his old self?"
"No, not that I've seen. I left him with Dawn today. She said they were just going to hang around the house. I'll see if I can't get her to watch him tonight too so I can get a bit of patrolling in. Or you could watch him. That's what you do isn't it? Watcher. Watch things."
"Yes I'm afraid children aren't really our jurisdiction."
"Worth a try."
They talked for a while more, going over papers and old documents before Buffy headed home for lunch.
She found Dawn and Liam having a carpet picnic in front of the tv with toys and childish drawling spread out all over the place. She laughed a little. "You two look like you're having a good time."
"He's been drawling me pictures." Dawn said. "Look, he drew you." She searched for a minute before holding up a picture with a yellow and blue scribble girl on it. Buffy took it and thought that if she squinted she could see herself. His talent at drawling she thought, must have developed over time.
"It's great." She said. "Better than a mirror." He beamed and she was struck my the thought that there were no pictures of him at this age and she made a note to pick up a camera later. Maybe when he was turned back he would even want copies.
"What's on the menu for lunch?" She asked, sitting down next to them.
"We're eating cereal." Dawn said, pointing to an empty bowel.
Buffy cringed a little but figured she didn't really have room to talk and Liam seemed happy enough. "Works for me." They sat talking and playing for a while more. Liam did have some of the traits the adult Angel had. He didn't take criticism well, even in mild forms. He tended to stew and mope when told off and he had a habit of becoming pensive and drawn up after such incidents. As a child however these were very short lived and he could be quickly talked out of them. For the most part however he was having far too good a time to indulge in any moping and as the afternoon wore on and they moved to the back yard and then back to the living room he eventually wore himself out and fell asleep on the couch, freeing Dawn and Buffy up to clean up and relax a little.
"I wish we could keep him like this." Dawn said with a giggle, leaning around the corner to catch a glimpse of the sleeping boy in the next room.
Buffy laughed, setting the cereal bowls in the sink. "Well we might be getting closer to turning him back but we're not quite there yet so you'll get a few more baby sitting opportunities."
They talked for a while more before Dawn took off and Buffy was left to mind the house and the still unconscious child.
He slept like a log, only occasionally turning over in his sleep. When he did finally wake he was groggy and little grumpy and his hair stuck up at odd ends. He sat blinking and rubbed at his eyes before wandering from the couch and finding her in her room. She let him sit on the end of her bed while she folded her laundry. She talked aimlessly, but he seemed to like listening and she occasionally reached over and brushed a hand through his hair.
When he talked he liked to tell stories about himself and his friends. They were rather timeless children's activities. Swimming, playing, running about. He seemed to have a great number that ended with him getting in trouble which made her laugh.
When she heard her mother come home for the evening they headed down stairs to greet her. Liam was in a very good mood as he had been allowed to talk as much as he wanted and even more than that, Buffy had seemed actively interested in what he had to say which was true, she was. She clung on to every sentence, eager to hear all of the things the adult Angel had never told her. It was a window into his life and some of the things even he might not remember. He was over two hundred years old, did he remember swimming with his friends? Did he remember going on walks with Tommy and playing at stick sword fights? He never spoke of these things. Maybe he didn't.
She watched him show her mother some of his drawings and smiled a little. Her mother had never really gotten to know Angel and it was nice to have them interact.
When evening rolled around she left Dawn and her mother to watch Liam and went out for a bit of patrolling, wondering the streets and church yards, looking for stray vampires. She dusted two and stopped off in a corner shop to grab a camera before sweeping back through the park. It was a relatively quiet evening. Two vampires early on and not a lot else. She wondered if there was any point to staying out but opted to finish patrolling before heading home.
A sweep through Spike's cemetery proved only slightly more yielding. The vampire himself was engaged in his own fight with two others.
"Need some help?" She asked, stepping into his line of sight.
"Bloody well might!" He snapped, ducking a punch.
She paused for a moment, assessing the situation and wondering how he had managed to get himself into it before launching into battle.
"Wanna- tell me what's going on?" She asked, dodging a swing mid sentence.
"Owe 'em a bit of money." Spike said, slugging one of the vampires across the face.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Of course." She jammed her stake into vampire chest and a second later he burst into a cloud of dust.
Next to her Spike took a phenomenal blow to the face and stumbled back. She tossed him the stake and he lunged again, this time taking the vampire down and dusting him.
With the two gone they both took a moment to scour the area for any more before relaxing. "You owe them money, Spike?" She asked in disbelief. Well, maybe not disbelief, more like exasperation.
He shrugged and fixed his jacket. "Little bit of gambling here and there. It's not all kittens and puppies."
"Great."
"Yeah well, gotta make a living and I don't see myself working nine to five."
She rolled her eyes. "Stick to money, not kittens."
He shrugged and began to follow her out of the cemetery. "Been doing that. Thinkin' of getting myself a new tv. Soemthin' posh. Maybe with stereo. Been readin' up on surround sound."
"You'll never need to leave your cript." She said dryly.
He shrugged it off and followed her down the street. "So how's baby Angel? Does he cry?"
She turned and gave him an incredulous look. "Really? No! He doesn't cry. He's well behaved and. . . and very sweet."
Spike made a noise of disgust. "Bit of a nance, eh?"
"He's six!"
He made a little movement, jerking his head defiantly. "So?"
"Would you drop it?!"
"I was just curious, you know someone for over a hundred bloody years you've got questions."
"No you don't. You've got insults."
He shrugged and changed tactics. "What's with the camera?"
"It's for Angel. I'm gonna take his picture."
Spike made another face. "Keep him lookin' all cutesy on film?"
"That's the plan."
They walked for a moment. "What are you gonna do if you can't get him back?" He asked, a little more seriously.
She paused, hugging herself. "I don't know. We haven't really been working on that. I don't even have a plan for it."
He looked at her, giving her one of his rarer, more considerate looks. "You could get rid of him, you know?" She shot him a look but he continued. "I don't mean kill him or anything. But he could go live with some nice people somewhere and live out his human fantasy life for real."
She hugged herself more tightly but kept walking. "I guess."
They walked for a little while more, not really speaking. She was thinking about what she would do if they couldn't turn Liam back. She had gone out of her way not to think about it before.
Spike swung his arms and fished for a cigarette. "Personally, I'd be glad to see the end of him. Get him out of my unlife."
"Spike. . ."
He shrugged again and removed the cigarette from his mouth. "Have one of them watchers take him. Get him out of the country. Maybe an outpost in Peru."
"I'm not sending him to Peru."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Just making a suggestion."
They stopped outside her front door and he craned his neck to try and see into the living room. "You got him in there?"
She groaned. "No. Go home."
"Bollocks. He's right there."
The door opened and Liam stood smiling. "You're back!" He said happily.
Spike snorted with laughter. "Oh this is just great!" He laughed. "You had better send me a copy of those pictures."
She grit her teeth and stepped between them. Liam smiled up at her and then looked at Spike. "Who's this?" He asked.
"This is no one." She said quickly. "In fact he's leaving."
Spike was still laughing. "I'd almost forgotten the accent. God I thought I'd never have to hear it again."
Liam's smile vanished and he looked up at Spike in annoyance. "What do you mean?" He asked.
Spike snorted then he glowered down at the boy. "I mean, Peaches when you talk my ear drums want to kill themselves."
Liam's face turned red and Buffy couldn't tell if he was going to yell or cry. Instead he squared his shoulders and made a face. "Well I don't like you either!" He announced. "And. . . and. . . your hair's a stupid colour!"
Spike narrowed his eyes. "Well you've got an over sized forehead."
Liam's eyes widened in offense and he gasped. He had never been picked on by an adult like this but for some reason he was perfectly at ease arguing with this one.
Feeling vindictive Spike leaned down and flicked Liam in his forehead. He didn't cause any actual pain but the intent was enough to send him reeling backwards clutching his head. Liam stood looking shocked and a little confused.
Buffy groaned. Whatever she had expected, this was about it. Liam was angry, Spike had said stupid things. She groaned as the blond vampire skitted backwards and glared at them. "Spike, get out of here." She said cooly, letting Liam cling to her side. He was glaring back and looked furious.
Spike paused for a moment and looked down at his hand, frowning before looking back up. Whatever it was he seemed to get over it and instead turned and left in a huff.
Buffy directed Liam back inside where he put a hand to his forehead and sat frowning. "Did he hurt you?" She asked, annoyed.
He shook his head and continued to pat his forehead with his hand. "It's not over sized." He muttered sourly.
She blinked. That had not been what she was expecting but why not? Of course it was what he was upset about. Angel could be so touchy about how he looked. "It's not, he was just being a jerk."She said gently. "That's what he does."
He looked up at her and nodded. "But Jackie Garvan says I have a big forehead too." He said sadly.
She sighed and brushed a hand over the top of his head. "He's just trying to hurt your feelings. So was Spike. You can't listen to them."
"Am I hansom when I grow up?"
She paused feeling a little unsure of how to answer. "Yeaaah. Really. Really. Really."
He looked very much relieved at this. "I am?"
"You're good looking now."
"But I'm only six so I can't be handsome yet." He said, sounding much more cheerful.
She laughed a little. "Well you're very good looking for a six year old."
He smiled a little and they settled down with Dawn to listen to Joyce read the next Harry Potter chapter.
So two people answered my question about Spike becoming a kid too and they seemed in favor so it's gonna happen! I already started a chunk of the next chapter!
