"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."

Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker

Taking Spike trick or treating was both a pleasure and a curse as some would say. Angel knew Spike loved getting candy, and it toke all of Angel's will power when Spike pulled a puppy pout-he blames Lorne for teaching him it-so Angel would allow him to eat all the candy in on night.

Angel found it cute that at the first couple house Spike was too shy to walk up to a house and asked for candy, he'd only do it will a swarm of kids. Angel remember the moment of panic he had when he could not find Spike in the swarm of kids, normal it would be easy to spot Spike in a crowd of people but that was older Spike, older Spike could handle himself but little Spike well little Spike could possible hold his own in a fight with a human maybe even a demon, but little Spike didn't like fighting, he'd start crying if you even slightly raised your voice.

He also remember the look on Spike's face when Angel told him to call him dad or daddy in front of people, Spike didn't question it and felt it easy to call Angel daddy. Spike used every chance he could to call Angel daddy, trick or treat was over so Spike was carefully strapped into his car seat (A/N i'm sorry I had to do it!) in the back of Angel's car stretching trying to reach his candy bag that was just out of his reach.

"Spike, enough you're not getting your candy yet so stop trying." Angel said firmly trying to hid his amusement.

Spike tried to complain but his plastic fangs made his words mumbled, and even with vampire hearing Angel still couldn't hear the five year old.

"Spike I can't understand you." Angel laughed, causing the child to pout.

"I said Daddy, I want my candy." Spike stated after taking out the plastic fangs, and proceeded in crossing his arms over his chest pouting even more.

Angel's none beating heart stopped; realizing that Spike had called him Daddy even thought they were alone in the car.

"You know Spike you don't have to call me Daddy were alone." Angel stated even thought it heart a little.

"But I want to call you daddy. Can't I call you daddy Angel?" Spike asked innocently.

"Sure, kiddo if you want you can call me daddy."

"Hey, Daddy?"

"Yes Spike."

"Can I have my candy now?"

"No, Spike you can wait till we get home before you can get your candy."

"Fine,"

As soon as the two made it back to the firm, Spike began a loop of asking for his candy, never growing tired of asking.

"Can I have my candy?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"Spike, if you keep this up, Angel might just eat your candy." Harmony teased.

"No! My candy!' Spike stated, and started reaching for the bag in Angel's hand.

"Thanks a lot Harmony." Angel grumbled, only caused his assistant to laugh.

Just then Fred, followed by Wes stood above them on the upper floor.

"Hey, Angel. We need to talk, about you know who." Fred stated,

Understanding what they meant, Angel allowed Spike to grab hold of his candy.

"Harmony, can you get Spike out of his costume and cleaned up?" Angel asked.

"Sure boss now problem." Harmony stated, then went to stand by Spike. "Come on, once you're cleaned up I'll let you have some of you candy."

"Yeah!" Spike cheered, "Bye daddy."

Harmony eyes widen and did an 'aww', before she was silenced by Angel's glare.

Watching the two Angel walked up to Fred and Wes.

"What is it?" Angel asked.

"We found out how to turn Spike back." Fred said quickly.

"Were not turning him back." Angel stated fiercely, hoping it would stop them.

"Angel, you've seen the state of Spike. He woke up in that body with his adult mind, that mind is slowly deteriorating causing the bad dreams, the mood swings it's only going to get worse unless we turn him back." Wes rationalized, trying to get Angel to see that even if he didn't want Spike to grow up, Spike needed to grow up.

"How?" Angel chocked out.

"Willow, found us a spell unfortunately it has to be done tomorrow night, before the start of All Hallow's Eve." Fred stated.

"So soon?" Angel asked, not meaning to say it out loud.

"Unfortunately, or else it will be century's before the spell can be preformed again." Wes answered.

"We've got everything we need for the spell, but um during it you can't be in the same room." Fred stated quickly and quietly, thought it was wasted by Vampire hearing.

"What?"

"The spell is going to be painfully, it will be better for you and Spike if you two weren't in the same room."

Angel felt his heart break, he just gotten used to having little Spike to take care of, and now that was being ripped from him, and there was noting absolutely nothing he could do to keep little Spike. Angel didn't want to see his son suffer, with his slowly deteriorating mind. He remembered the headaches, the screaming fear of nightmares, he didn't want that to keep happening to Spike. So letting him go was the only way to save him, hopefully adult Spike would remember what happened when he was little, and the two could i don't know not hate each other?

He was pulled from his thought when he realized he had absently mindedly made it to his suite, he saw Spike fear from makeup and was now in his Clone wars pajamas, with chocolate smeared over the boys mouth.

"Where's Harmony?" Angel asked, his temper rising, mad that she had left his child allows.

"Right here boss, had to find something to wipe the chocolate off." She stated coming from the kitchen with a wet wash cloth. "And don't worry the rest of the candy is tuck away where he can't reach it, and he only ate haft of a chocolate bar and should be going to brush his teeth."

"I'm going, I'm going." The boy mumbled heading towards the bathroom.

"Thank you Harmony." Angel said, even if it wasn't fully sincere.

"If you want to thank me, then maybe I should get a babysitting bonus." She joked, not really Angel knew she really meant it.

"We'll see."

"Bye Spike!" Harmony called, before leaving the suite, Spike yelled back a replied that, that sounded like his toothbrush was still in his mouth. Angel stood in the doorway watching Spike finished, the boy didn't seem to get a sugar rush and his eye lids were dropping. Haft afraid the boy would fall asleep on his feet, Angel picked up the boy holding him closer than usual and toke him to his bed, Angel made a quick stop to Spike's room to get Coop from his bed and then to his own room.

Spike didn't say anything about sleeping with Angel, he like it being close to Angel. Spike always felt safe, warm and loved when they slept in the same bed, Spike curled comfortable with Angel arms around him like a protective cocoon.

He liked waking up like that to, Angel and he would lay there for a few minutes before getting out of bed. As Spike started to fall rapidly asleep with Angel reading to him once again, Spike felt like there was something wrong with Angel. Like his daddy was sad all of a sudden. Did he do something wrong? He didn't get too asked before sleep quickly pulled him under and snored softly.