A/N Newest chapter! Hope you enjoy it!


Halloween Part 3. Little Girl

She looked around scared tears coming to her eyes. "Where's Spike?" She asked sniffling. "Where's Dru-Where's momma?"

Buffy stared at Aisling for a long moment before she knelt and stroked her cheek. "Don't worry sweetie," Buffy said. "I'll take you back home alright?"

Aisling nodded once sat at the kitchen table and stayed as still as possible so as not to bother anyone. She stayed silent and quiet her hand holding a knife in her hand in case something got passed Buffy.

She looked at Willow, "What are you going to do?" Aisling asked scared. "Who are you?"

The redhead smiled. "I'm Willow. I'm a ghost."

Aisling's eyes widened and she grinned. "Cool!" She said giggling. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm… I'm going to get Giles." Willow said.

Aisling tilted her head confused. "Is he a wizard or something?"

Willow hesitated for a moment. "Something like that." She finally said.

"Cool!" Aisling said. "Can I come? Please? I'll be good. I don't want to wait for… for her to come back."

"Sorry sweetie." Willow said, "But… I'm a ghost if something happens to you, I can't protect you as Buffy and Xander can."

Aisling sniffed. "Do you know where Spike is?" She asked softly. "He… he said he was going to bandage me up but then he was gone, and I was here."

Willow knelt in front of the girl, "I don't know exactly where he is…" Willow said as Aisling stared at her wide-eyed. "But I promise no one here will let anything happen to you alright?"

Aisling sniffed. "Promise?"

Willow smiled and nodded, "Promise." She said just as the door opened and Cordelia ran inside.

"Cordelia!"

"What's going on?" Cordelia demanded. "I was just chased, Captain Hook!"

"Okay, your name is Cordelia, you're not a cat, you're in high school, and we're your friends. Well, sort of." Willow said.

"That's nice, Willow. And you went mental when?" Cordelia said exasperated.

Willow stared surprised, "Wait, you know us?"

"Yeah. Lucky me. What's with the name game? And what's with the 8-year-old?"

"I'm Aisling."

Cordelia blinked surprised and turned to Willow confused.

"A lot's going on," Willow said.

"No kidding. I was just attacked by Jo-Jo, the dog-faced boy. Look at my costume!" She shows Willow her torn sleeve. "Do you really think that Party Town's gonna give me my deposit back? Not on the likely."

Xander upon hearing that took his shirt off and put it on Cordelia's shoulders.

"Here," He said.

"Thanks," Cordelia said surprised.

"Party town?" Aisling asked confused.

"Yeah… it's a costume store." Willow said, "Which… given you almost a decade younger than you used to be… you wouldn't know that." Willow said. She turned back to Cordelia and Xander and Buffy, "You guys stay here, while I get some help." She turned back to Aisling. "You'll be safe with these three." Willow paused, "Well, with Xander and Buffy anyway. Ok?"

Aisling nodded her expression (or as hard as it could be for a seven-year-old), "I deal with scary all the time. I'll be ok."

Willow paused for a moment and reached out before remembering that she couldn't touch anyone. "I'll be back as soon as possible." She said before she turned.

"We'll hold them back Will," Buffy said. "Go, get help we'll survive until then."

Willow nodded and turned to go.

"Will!"

Willow paused and turned back to Buffy.

"I was right… you are rocking that outfit."

"You look pretty." Aisling agreed with a smile.

Willow smiled uneasily before she walked through a wall and left. "What now?" Aisling asked.


"You. Check upstairs and make sure everything's locked up." Xander said.

Aisling nodded and hurried upstairs.

Buffy helped block the doors, "Her medallion really works." Buffy said… "sort of. I can still feel that 18th-century woman trying to break through. Like a voice in my head," She tapped her head. "Scared and frightened and asking me to sit and let the men save the day." She huffed, "I have no idea why I wanted to be in this costume."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Xander said, "But I'm glad you are unaffected by whatever…" Xander looked down to see a photograph on the ground, a picture of Xander Willow and Buffy together. "Woah…"

"Yeah." Buffy said, "We're friends… you and Aisling have some kind of Amnesia."

"Is that little seven-year-old our friend too?" Xander said skeptically.

"Yes… sort of." Buffy said. "She's normally 16."

"She looks 7 maybe 8 if I'm being generous. And what happened to her arms."

Buffy opened her mouth to answer before Aisling bounded back down the stairs.

Buffy watched as Aisling hurried back downstairs. "Everything's locked and closed upstairs," She said. "I checked everything twice."

"What happened to your arm?"

Aisling blinked as she stared at her arm. "Oh. Mummy got mad that I played a game with Spike without her. She scratched me when Spike went out for food."

Buffy stared at Aisling stunned. "Mummy?"

"She's not really my mummy." Aisling said, "My real mummy died in a fire a few months ago. But She doesn't like it when I call her by her name so… she's mummy."

"And Spike?"

Aisling grinned, "He plays with me when Mummy is sleeping." She said, "He taught me how to play poker. I won against him firsthand because I lied about the kind of hand I had."

"This Spike doesn't sound very responsible," Xander said as he continued blocking the doorway.

"I like him," Aisling said defensively kicking Xander in the thigh.

"Ow." Xander said, "Hey… don't kick me."

Aisling scrunched up her nose. "Don't insult Spike."

"Ok…" Buffy said stepping in, "Cordy can you…"

Cordelia rolled her eyes but came forward, picked Aisling up, and dragged her out of the room.

"Gosh Ash, knock it off," Cordelia shouted at her.

Aisling blinked and stared at her wide-eyed but otherwise didn't move.

Cordelia hadn't been planning on going on a tirade but seeing Aisling's frozen look had her rethinking her entire way of dealing with her. "Aisling?"

Aisling was stalk still. Not moving. Not saying anything just frozen as a statue.

Cordelia knelt beside her, "What's wrong?"

Aisling didn't say anything, and Cordelia sighed, "I'm sorry I shouted, but you can't be kicking people if they upset you."

Aisling stared at Cordelia but before she could say anything the back door opened, and Angel walked through (That Aisling didn't recognize him).

"Angel!" Buffy said having come into the kitchen she hurried to him and saw him.

"It's chaos out there." Angel said, "And… why are you wearing that dress, what happened to your hair and why is there a seven-year-old here?"

Buffy looked at Aisling, "That's Aisling Pratt she was affected by the spell that turned everyone into their costume. I decided to be a 17th-century girl and the wig I was wearing happened to be brown."

Angel looked at little Aisling, he could just make out the blood seeping through her bandages. She was half hiding behind Cordelia. "Who are you?"

"Ok… why do you know who you are, but she doesn't?"

Buffy gestured to the Medallion hanging from her neck. "She gave this to me to help keep my mind. The side effect was that Aisling mind succumbed to her seven-year-old self."

Angel looked at little Aisling, "She can't stay here it's dangerous." He said even as he did, a monster came through the door and attacked them Cordelia held Aisling back while Buffy and Angel worked to defeat the vampire that had come through the door.

"What happened to the invite?"

"Whatever spell that affects our costumes must have done something to the invite Spell." Buffy said. "or it's not a real vampire just a kid's costume and that's also messing up the invite spell."

Angel lifted his head in vamp face Cordelia gasped and backed away subconsciously pulling Aisling back with her.

Aisling wasn't scared. Sure… he was a vampire just like mummy was, but Spike was also a vampire and Spike was nice, and right now he was trying to protect them, so she just stood there and watched.


Finally, they staked the vampire before Angel stood and turned to her. "Aisling," Angel said kneeling in front of her. "Are you alright?"

"Are you a good vampire or a bad vampire?" Aisling asked softly.

Angel smiled, "I'm a good vampire, and I know Spike." Angel said, "Do… do you want me to call him, and you can speak to him on the phone?"

Aisling looked at him wide-eyed. "Ok!" She said.

Angel smiled and ruffled her hair before heading to the phone and dialling the number.

"Where am I?" Aisling asked.

"My house," Buffy said.

"You talk funny," Aisling said wrinkling her nose. "What's your accent?"

"Accent?"

"American," Angel said from where he was. "You're in America Aisling."

Aisling eyes widened. "I… Spike kept his promise?" She said earnestly. "Hey got me out?"

Angel chuckled as the phone rang and rang. "That he did, sweetie."


Spike all but ran to the phone when he heard the phone ring and had he been at full strength would have ripped the phone off the wall the moment he got there. "Hello?"

"Spike."

Spike's expression darkened, "Angelus." He hissed, "What do you want?"

"Spell was cast over Sunnydale. Aisling… well… something happened to her."

Spike's heart dropped into his stomach. "What?"

"She was turned into her seven-year-old self… apparently a lot of people were transformed into their costumes this Halloween."

Spike all but stopped breathing, Aisling… relieving the worst year of her life.

"What of her Medallion?" Spike asked, "It should have protected her against mental attacks."

"Medallion?" He heard another female on the other side of the line speak up for a moment. "Oh, Aisling decided that Buffy would need her mind more than Aisling needed hers, so she gave it up. Apparently, the spell is still pressing on her, but the Medallion helps her fight back.

"Hmmm." Spike said, "What's happening to Aisling then."

"She's confused," Angel said softly. "She wants you."

"I do. But first. Where are you?" Spike asked.

"Revello." Angel said, "Buffy's house."

"Good. Keep her there. I don't want her out and about while multiple kids are running around transformed into their costumes causing havoc. Especially if she's a scared seven-year-old. And despite the traditionalist in Dru, we all know she's likely walking around drinkin' in the chaos. I don't want to risk Aisling running into Dru, especially when she likely will fall back into survival mode the moment Aisling sees her."

"Survival mode?"

"Just trust me, Angelus," Spike said. "Let me talk to my girl please."

There was a moment of silence and then a small, tiny voice he heard for years crinkled over the speakers. "Spike?"

His heart was broken at hearing his moniker over her lips. He'd been 'Da' for so long.

"Hello, Bit," Spike said pulling out his soulless version of kind. It would have been what she was used to. "How's it going? Bet Angelus is there makin' eveythin' right borin' for you."

Aisling giggled, that cute innocent little giggle she used to have. "It's so strange." She whispered, "One minute you're in my room holding bandages to take care of my arm and the next I'm in a strange house surrounded by people I don't know with my arm already bandaged."

"You'll see me again very soon," Spike said earnestly. "Very. Very. Very. Soon. It's just… it's very, very imperative that you stay with Angelus right now."

There was a moment of silence before Aisling spoke again. "Isn't he the one that created mummy?" Aisling whispered. "How do you know you can trust him?"

Spike hated to admit it. "He has a soul now, Bit. He won't hurt you, because the guilt from the soul makes it hard for him to even contemplate it."

"Oh…" Aisling said, "Do you have a soul too."

Yes. But not at the time she was in. "No. Bit. I won't hurt you 'cause doing so would mean I lose the only decent fun around 'ere."

Aisling giggled, "I am a lot of fun. I cheated you at poker."

Spike rolled his eyes, "No, you didn't. You bluffed. That's the way the game is played." He told her fondly. Even though mentally she was right in the middle of the psychologically tortured girl she was, there was a part of him that missed this girl. This young innocent little girl.

Aisling chuckled. "OK."

"Stay there for now. And then when it's safe Angelus will take you home."

"You promise he can be trusted?"

"course Bit," Spike promised. "I promise. And when we get home, we can have all the ice cream you want alright? Be good for Angelus and Buffy and all the rest that are there."

"Ok, Spike," Aisling said. "I trust you."

Spike sighed against the phone. "Can you give the phone back to Angel now?"

"Ok." Aisling said, "HE wants to talk to you." She said before the phone switched again.

"What?"

"I am only telling you this cause I want you to make sure Aisling gets home safely." Spike growls. "If my girl gets hurt at all bringing her home, I am holding you personally responsible."

"Understood."

Spike sighed. "IF this spell wears off before she gets home…she's probably going to be bitter it's you. If she doesn't remember the conversation, I had with her… have her call me if it's a problem."

"Spike…" Angel sighed, "About Dru…"

"Don't," Spike growled. "Don't you dare? Not now."

"But…"

"No," Spike said. "Don't you dare cause Ash more pain by mentioning her when you don't need to."

"What is Aisling to her anyway?"

"Drusilla's version of Drusilla." Spike said, "Failed of course. Drusilla never got to the point of turning her, but you know still…"

"So… she's Aisling's…"

"You?" Spike said. "Yeah. The reason she doesn't like you is because you're the reason Dru is who she is,"

"Also, because you had stories."

"Hey, you know me Captain Forehead," Spike said. "I will never, ever say anything nice about you – ever."

"Lie?"

Spike laughed, "I don't have to lie about you to make my daughter hate you, Liam." Spike said, "And all I knew about your soulful human self was that you were lying whoring layabout – something you're soulless self was quite eager and proud to admit on more than one occasion."

"Listen-" There was another crash and a scream on the other side of the phone.

Spike's heart clenched. "Go protect my girl."

Angel, to his credit, didn't need to be told twice the line went dead. Spike stared at the phone as the dial tone blared. He dropped the phone and fell to the floor.

It's Halloween. Nothing ever happens on Halloween.

"Should never have let you sweet Bit," Spike said as he leaned tiredly against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor. Wishing that he had his vampiric strength again.

He was William the Bloody. Slayer of Slayers. And he didn't even have the strength to walk out of his apartment and get his little girl.

His little girl, his little brave girl, who was probably scared, and wanted to her Da' and he could only just sit in the apartment twiddling his thumbs like some kind of Nancy boy.

Spike sighed he should never have let Aisling use that costume. He'd figured that it might be traumatizing to do the girl, but he'd never expected that he'd be mentally regressed into that little girl.

Spike covered his eyes. This was all his fault.


It was like a wave had passed through her.

One minute she was sitting on the kitchen counter doing everything she could to both help and stay out of the adult's way.

And the next moment she's back to her original 5'5" self the memories of the past nine or so years flooding her brain so quickly she felt lightheaded.

"Woah," Aisling said blinking rapidly. "Headrush."

"You, ok?" Angel asked.

"For the most part," Aisling said she turned back to Buffy. "Can I have Medallion back?"

Buffy stared at her before looking at her neck and pulling the necklace hesitantly as though afraid that she'd lose her mind. Aisling wasn't worried, Buffy's wig, which had changed to be her actual hair was back to the wig it used to be.

Still Buffy hesitantly removed the Medallion and when it appeared that her mind was still her own handed it back to Aisling.

Aisling quickly put it on before turning to Angel annoyed. "Take me home?" She said annoyed, "You promised Da.'"

Angel looked once at Buffy; Buffy looked from Angel to Aisling. "She should be brought home safely." Buffy finally said. "I don't suppose you'll tell me where your apartment is."

"Bringing the slayer around is liable to get Dad and I kicked out," Aisling said. "Prove you won't kill demons who aren't a threat and then we'll talk."


It couldn't have been an easy commute.

At first, it had The demons were put right, Aisling even managed to scrounge up the kids she had misplaced during the whole debacle and wrestle them all back to the sky before everything went bad.

It was when Angel and Aisling had left the school and were walking to the Desoto that everything went to shit.

Drusilla appeared, along with the newly turned Sheila.

"Buffy told me you'd been turned." Aisling quipped resolutely ignoring Drusilla. "A pity you wound up as her flunky."

"Mistress wanted to see her precious dolly." Sheila giggled.

Angel growled, "You're not getting your hands on her."

"Oh, silly Daddy," Drusilla said stepping forward while Angel tensed. "I already have my hands on my sweet little Dolly." She said, she stopped a few feet away not daring to get anywhere near Angel. "She won't kill me."

"Get out of town."

"Or what?" Drusilla said suddenly sounding very young. "You'll hurt me?" Drusilla shook her head. "You can't." Drusilla turned back to Aisling. "You had such a pretty song when you were mummy's little dolly," Drusilla said. "How did that song go?"

"Fuck off." Aisling choked out, the words had sounded more badass in her head, out loud it had sounded more like a whimper."

Drusilla laughed, "I could take the girl now." Drusilla said. "She was almost ready last time. If I hadn't been such a bad student, my precious William wouldn't have turned on me."

Aisling winced as she rubbed her arm.

"You could be my little sister."

Aisling didn't growl at Sheila. But she desperately wanted to. "Not happening Sheila."

Sheila shrugged "You don't know what you are missing."

"I think I'll be fine."

Drusilla stepped forward again her hand held out but before she could touch Aisling Angel reached out her hand. "Take your flunkies and get out of Sunnydale." He hissed.

Drusilla laughed. "My dear boys have gone away. For their little sunshine." Drusilla said. "For their girls. They're broken dollies."

"I'm not broken," Aisling said.

Drusilla laughed, "Oh little Dolly, you are the most broken one here." She said. "I had you well-trained before I gave you those pretty scars. I told you to sing and you'd sing that pretty song."

Go mbristear do chosa, do chosa.

Go mbristear do chosa 'bean Pháidín I flinched as the song entered my mind.

"Could you sing it again, Dolly? Sing it for your mummy."

"You're not my mother," Aisling said as she tried to swallow back the instinct to give Drusilla what she wanted. "You're my monster."

Drusilla tsked, "Mummies often have to punish their little girls when they misbehave." She said. "Spike should have, but he was too soft."

"No." Aisling said, "He was perfect."

"Too human," Drusilla said. "He could never have taught you how to survive as a vampire. My knight would have indulged you. Grand mummy would have straightened you out."

"Must rile you to know she's dead," Aisling said.

Drusilla hissed at Aisling; Aisling flinched again. Drusilla's anger tended to mean physical and emotional torture until she calmed down. "I should take you." Drusilla said, "Chain you up, and finish what I started."

"No," Angel said stepping in front of her. "Take your flunky and get out."

"I'm not a flunky," Sheila said.

"It's alright, pet," Drusilla said caressing Sheila's cheek. "They can't stop what's coming." Drusilla shared a look with Aisling. "In fact, this girl will be making sure I stay alive for the foreseeable future."

Aisling tried not to be bothered by the loud and unnerving laughter as they walked away.


Angel didn't say anything as they drove back to the apartment he didn't need to.

"You're worried." Aisling said as she made a sharp turn."

"Drusilla's insane, but that doesn't mean her visions should be discounted." Angel said, "She's evil she should be put down."

Aisling looked at him. "She knows something about Spike's affliction."

"She's goading you giving you a bright golden apple to stare at."

"I know." Aisling said, "I spent a year dealing with her mind games I'm perfectly aware of what she's capable of."

"Then—"

"You want to know her favourite thing to do when I misbehave?" Aisling said with a forced cheer. "She'd force me to relive the day my house burned to the ground."

Angel stared at her.

"Sometimes she'd fuck with my mind because she was bored, make me see mundane things for fun. I had trouble on good days figuring out what was real and what wasn't. It took me two months after Spike got me out before I realized that it wasn't one of her mind games. Because being saved and removed from her presence was another she loved to do."

"Aisling"

"Don't tell me what your masterpiece is capable of Angel." Aisling resolutely ignored his flinching. "I am well aware of how dangerous she is."

She waited for a moment to see if he would add anything else, but he didn't.


"Ash," Spike said with relief hugging her tightly when she finally made it through the door.

"Da'" Aisling said returning the hug. "I'm sorry I worried you."

Spike tightened his grip on her "I was worried."

Aisling hugged him tightly. "I'm ok."

Spike sighed and kissed her forehead. "I should never have let you go. Should have told your wanker of principal where to stuff it."

Aisling laughed, "It was fine for the most part." She said, "Aside from being a useless seven-year-old."

"You're not useless," Spike said lightly knocking her on the head. "Not even at 7."

Aisling laughed, "Come on." Aisling said rolling her eyes. "I know you loved me when I was that young but… it's not like I could do anything."

"You cleaned me out at poker." Spike said, "You were young and innocent, but had an intelligence about you."

Aisling rolled her eyes. "Yeah but…"

"And even if you didn't," Spike said cutting her off. "You were a child. Children deserve love and care – because of their children. Even if they're young and silly, they don't know better. They don't know how to be different."

Aisling sighed. "So why did you like me?"

"I don't know." Spike said, "I didn't at first. You know that."

Aisling nodded, she did.

"But there was something about that just… spoke to me. You were innocent and scared and it tugged at my dead-beating heart even back then."


"So… Halloween was a fun trip. I heard."

Aisling smiled tightly at her Therapist, "Yep. Was turned into my seven-year-old self literally."

Her Therapist raised an eyebrow. "You Chose to be a kid for Halloween?"

Aisling shrugged, "Thought it be… I don't know. Thought it helped me figure out the good things about my 'inner child.'

"Interesting." The Therapist said. "And did it?"

Aisling shrugged, "I don't know… sometimes I still think she's useless but… without her, I wouldn't have Spike. MY Da' as much as I hate the little girl sometimes. How weak she was how cowed she was made… Da' loved that little girl first. I wouldn't be who I am now without her."

The therapist nodded.

"There are days where I look back at the things I did as a seven-year-old, and I cringe. But I didn't know better. I was just a little girl, trying to survive a world she didn't understand."

"You're not at fault for what happened." His therapist said, "You were lured away and taken advantage of during a very scary time. People older and wiser than you have been lured away for less."

I sigh. "I was smart… out maneuvered Da' during a poker game during that year – namely by lying through my teeth."

The therapist cracked a smile. "Did you now?"

Aisling smiled, "It's one of the few good memories of my time imprisoned."

The therapist nodded and leaned back in her chair. "Anything else you wish to discuss?"

Aisling thought about it then sighed, "Drusilla showed up during Halloween."

The therapist stared at her, "Are you alright?"

"She does what she always does, gives just enough info so I don't kill her." Aisling sighed, "She claims she knows of a way to cure my da' and…" Aisling closed her eyes. "The thing about her is that she gives just enough of the truth to have you follow her – right before tossing you off a cliff."

"But you can't help but listen."

"It's me da'" Aisling said. "Could you?"

The therapist had nothing to say to that.


A/N So... yep. This is going to be an interesting ride, isn't it? Let me know what you think.