Hey, sorry about the long wait. Things have been pretty crazy and I just got back from vacation. Anyway, here's the new chapter. It's a little rushed but I hope you guys like it.

The next morning Giles waited anxiously for Buffy to bring by the clothes. In truth he was uncomfortable around the child Spike. Little William, although different was prone to tears and from the very moment he awoke began asking for his mother. So far he had been able to distract him from any new outbursts of crying but that was not easy. Food worked for a while and then television did and then fortunately Buffy's arrival provided a new distraction.

"I got you some clothes." She said, handing William a bag and sending him towards the bathroom. "Sorry I took so long, Liam wanted to come and I had to wait for Willow and Tara to come watch him. Did everything go alright last night?"

Giles fixed his glasses. "Yes, as far as I know. He slept all night.

"This is so weird. I-I mean nothing is ever really normal on the Hellmouth but still. . . kids! Are they just going to turn every Vampire they meet into kids?"

He paused. "Cordelia said Angel. . . Liam had a run in with a Vampire in Los Angeles but he was destroyed before anything could happen to him. It may be that the spell only effects Vampires that share a connection. In this instance Angel and Spike come from the same line of Vampires."

She frowned and leaned against the wall. "Do you think Spike can stay here until we can find something to do with him?"

"For a few days I suppose. So far he's been very well behaved."

A few seconds later Spike stepped out of the bathroom and came to stand in front of them. He looked up at Buffy rather shyly and then spoke. "What's your name?" He asked.

She blinked, surprised that she hadn't given it before and knelt in front of him. "I'm Buffy."

His mouth twitched and she wondered if he was laughing at her name. The thought didn't really bother her and she winked at him.

"William, why don't you go and watch television for a little while. We have to talk about adult things for a little while." She said kindly. He seemed to understand and nodded, returning to the couch.

"He hovers." Giles said, rubbing his temple. "He also cries a lot. And asks for his mother."

"Spike the cry baby." She said with a laugh.

"I have gotten him to talk about other things. A view of nineteenth century London is quite interesting but it always comes back to wanting to go home. I thought I could tell him that I'm his uncle. Perhaps that would calm him down."

"I don't know that didn't work for Cordelia and the others. Angel found out and freaked."

"That's true and eventually the two will meet and I'm sure Liam would end up saying something."

"I guess we have to tell him the truth." She glanced over to the couch where William was now seated, eyes glued to the television. "Alright, let's get it over with." She sighed, walking around to face him. "Hey buddy, we something."

He looked up nervously.

"We gotta tell you why you can't go home." Immediately his eyes went wide and Giles began to pray he wasn't going to burst into tears again. "This is your home. You had a spell put on you by a witch. You're really supposed to be a grown up. She turned you into a little boy."

He stared at her for a long moment before looking to Giles with disbelief. "I don't feel like I have a spell on me." He said softly. "Are you making this up?"

"No. We have another little boy like you. He's supposed to be grown up too."

His eyes seared the room for a moment as though he was looking for an answer. "How come I can't remember being grown up?" He asked softly.

She sighed. "That's the spell."

"Am I gonna turn back?"

"We're gonna try and find a way."

"And Mummy's not here?"

"No."

"Where is she?"

They hesitated before deciding a lie would be best. "She's in London. This is America. You work here."

"I work. . ." He looked terribly confused and again his eyes filled with tears. Giles braced himself for another crying fest. "I want my mummy!" William sniffed.

"I know. I know!" Buffy said quickly, trying to calm him down. "It's okay. You'll see her again."

He stopped crying immediately and look up. "Is she coming?" He asked, hope filling his voice.

Buffy winced. "Well. . . it's a long trip and. . ."

The tears returned and she glanced at Giles who was rubbing his forehead. "You weren't kidding." She hissed.

"Look William, It's a very long trip and she doesn't know if she'll be able to make it by herself but she sent us a letter and asked us to take care of you."

"I want her." He sniffed.

She sighed. "I know. Look, why don't we go for a walk?" She hoped she could distract him at least a little.

"Yes, fresh air would be very good." Giles said quickly. "Why don't we?"

They ushered William out of the house but he remained morose and held Buffy's hand only grudgingly.

They tried talking to him but again nothing seemed to cheer him up and instead he simply hung his head and shuffled his feet. They took him to a park which worked a little, Buffy pushed him on a swing until he got the hang of it and could be left to propel himself. After that she sat with Giles and rana hand through her hair. "He's a little moody." She said carefully.

"Yes well, this actually explains a lot about the grown up Spike."

She snorted slightly. "He is difficult. Even as a child. wonder if he'll get along with Liam like this."

"It's possible having a play mate could improve his. . . disposition."

She sighed. "I hope they get along."

They let him swing for a while more before Giles headed home to do some research and Buffy took him out for lunch.

William was not feeling better but Buffy was nice and so he tried to be cheerful for her but this was all too much. He wanted to go home and he wanted things to make sense and he wanted his mother. The food was unlike anything he had ever had before. Buffy called it a burger and his meal came with a little toy and so that wasn't too bad but it didn't matter because all he could think about was going home. Nothing made sense. He had woken up in a tomb full of bones and spider and he couldn't get the memory out of his head. It was terrifying. Why had be even been down there? What did he do as an adult? What he down there because of his job? A terrible idea occurred to him that he was a grave digger and he tried to push it away because that was just too scary.

When they were finished eating he let her lead him back to Giles house. There he lay down on the couch, wanting to take a nap and Buffy thought it best to let him.

She went out to the front step to speak with Giles who admitted to having made no headway. There was simply nothing in his books that explained what had happened.

She crossed her arms and nodded.

"I'll keep looking." He said. "There has to be something."

"Thank you."

That night she returned home to Liam who was very happy to see her. He quickly told her about his day with Willow and Tara and. She smiled and listened while they ate dinner, sliently trying to decide if the two boys would get along. Liam was a bit more energetic and didn't cry nearly as much but then again this was all new to William. She wished he had had a chance to watch Liam interact with other children but there was no time for that now.

Giles had had no real problem with William so far but she knew he wouldn't want the little boy around all of the time. She had made plans to take him for a few hours the next day. Her idea was to introduce the two boys and let them play. If it went well it would be a lot easier to take care of them for a while. If not. . . well, she could only hope the differences their adult selves had didn't stretch back to childhood.

Thanks. Liam and William meet in the next chapter.