Title: Family Fun

Author: KrisB

Rating: PG

Spoiler: Up through Season 3

Disclaimer: All BTVS characters belong to Joss, Fox, M.E., etc. Not mine. Just having fun.

Summary: Response to ODD challenge #14 - Family Fun. Xander & Willow are turned into little kids and it is up to Buffy and Giles to take care of them until they can change them back.
Must haves:

Giles telling the kids a bedtime story, bath time, someone not wanting to wear clothes, someone telling Buffy and Giles what a nice family or (if it is a lot of kids) asking them if they know what causes that, one or more of the kids scared of the dark or of sleeping alone, kid-Xander trying to look up someone's skirt, Giles watching cartoons with the kids and/or playing at the park, happy BG ending.

Buffy and Xander shared a smile as they looked at the bent head of Giles. He was researching – big surprise – and oblivious as they worked around him. They were at his apartment, helping put away the books they'd saved from Sunnydale High's library. Summer was in swing and a heavy sigh of relief was called for in their success at averting the mayor's ascension. Willow, due to arrive any minute, was late. Buffy wondered if it was because of smoochies. Which led her to thoughts of Angel. And whether or not she should try to find him while she visited her dad.

Xander laid a fresh stack of books on the shelf nearest Buffy's hand and she began her shelf work anew, putting thoughts of Angel from her mind. No reason to think about that until she was on the bus next week. When she didn't have any more books, she looked back down and found Xander staring up at her, a dazed expression on his face. He seemed to realize he was caught the same instant that she figured out what he was looking at.

"XAN-DER!"

CRASH!

Giles winced and turned from his desk, afraid to look but unable to stop himself. Xander stood looking at the floor, hands in his pockets, his face bright red. A box of books was spread in a magnificent spray across the floor, some open-faced on the ground, the pages bent. Buffy was on the top rung of the step ladder, glaring.

"Everything all right?" Giles asked, standing.

Buffy snorted and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. Contrary to her words, her entire body was rigid and her skin wore a blush to rival Xander's. Giles stepped forward and began to help pick up the books.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Xander said – a little too quickly. Buffy snorted again, drawing Giles' eyes too her from his crouched position on the floor. She was facing them both, her arms crossed. When Xander looked up as well, he winced. His blush darkened and he turned pleading eyes to Giles.

"I didn't mean to. It was an accident, I swear."

"I'm sure they're fine – "

"He was looking up my skirt!" Buffy ground out.

"I said it was an accident!" Xander said, standing and taking a step back. "I turned around and there she was."

Giles turned to Buffy, ready to be the peace-keeper even if he was angry. "Buffy?"

She glared at him, knowing that he was siding with Xander. She looked to Xander again. His eyes were wide, the puppy-eyed look something he'd perfected to get out of countless troubles with the girls. It melted her anger a little, allowing her to see reason.

"Just don't let me catch you doing it again, or we're having words." She excused herself to the restroom, ready to rinse away her humiliation and the yuck-factor of catching her almost-brother looking up her skirt.

Xander nodded and smiled, heaving a small breath of relief. That is, until he caught Giles watching him from the corner of his eye. The ex-Watcher didn't look happy.

Xander wished he'd volunteered to get the doughnuts instead of Willow.

"I shouldn't need to remind you that we treat women with respect in my home," Giles said softly. "Keep in mind that the young ladies we work with trust you, and that is a very difficult gift to regain once tarnished." Giles' hand clapped down on Xander's shoulder, squeezing to take some of the edge from his words.

"I really didn't mean to stare," Xander replied.

Giles chuckled and released his hold on the younger man's shoulder. "I understand. As tempting as it may be, it is more important to respect the boundaries provided to us by our female counterparts." He smiled when Xander met his eyes. "I'm sure she didn't dress with shelving in mind."

Xander stared as the other man turned and headed back to his desk. Giles had pretty much just admitted that he wanted to look at Buffy. That he was tempted to look, too. He'd never thought about Giles that way before. As that thought turned in his mind, others followed. Memories of some of his favorite outfits Buffy wore while training. The outfits she wore to school that looked a little too revealing, even for his tastes. And Giles was forced to deal with a scantily clad, sweaty Buffy, all glowy and physical in the library, every day.

Xander shook his head. He never would've survived in Giles' place.

He walked up to Giles and patted him on the back. When Giles looked up, Xander's eyes were expressing an understanding sympathy he didn't quite know how to interpret. "I am so glad I'm not you."

With that enigmatic statement, Xander turned and headed to the kitchen. Giles opened his mouth to question the odd declaration when his apartment door opened and Willow entered, a box of doughnuts tucked in one arm. She fumbled with the door, her other arm encumbered with a few bags of what looked like food.

"Hey, Giles!" She smiled when Xander emerged from the kitchen to rush at her. "Hey, Xand."

"Willow! My favorite doughnut delivery girl!" He plucked the box from her, as well as the bags of lunch items from her arm. "Here, let me get that."

Giles nodded in approval.

"Is he okay?" she asked, when Xander was out of earshot.

"He's fine. We just had a-a talk."

Willow's brow furrowed, but her attention shifted as she spotted a gemstone amulet on Giles' desk. "What's that?"

Giles thanked the deities he didn't have to explain just what he'd discussed with her life-long friend. He stepped back to his desk, knowing she would follow.

"I'm not sure, actually. Buffy retrieved it from a group of demons last night on patrol." He indicated the texts on his desk with a small wave. "I was just researching it while Buffy and Xander worked on shelving my books."

Willow leaned down, staring at the amulet with awed interest. "It's pretty," she said, her voice breathy and low. Her eyes roved over the deep purple of the stone, the bright shine of its silver casing, and the intricate rope-work of the heavy silver chain that held it. She reached forward to touch it.

"Willow." Giles gently grabbed her hand to still its progress. She didn't look at him – her gaze remained fixed on the stone. He repeated her name, and she dragged her eyes up to his, her brows raised.

"I'm not comfortable with anyone touching it until we know what it is."

Willow looked back down to the amulet. "Okay. Gotchya, Giles." He released her hand, satisfied when it lowered to her side. Xander looked over Willow's shoulder and let out a low whistle.

"Woah, Giles, who's the lucky lady?" he joked. Willow glanced up at him and grinned.

"You've got powdered sugar on your face." Xander struck a haughty expression, not even attempting to wipe the offending substance away.

"Are you implying that I look anything other than handsome?"

Willow chuckled and shoved him. Giles moved into the kitchen, shaking his head, listening to their good-natured teasing as he set a kettle on the boil. As he prepared a tray, he heard the tone of their voices change.

"Xander, no! Giles said we aren't supposed to touch it," Willow said.

"Oh, I didn't know –"

"Be careful!"

THUMP

Just as Giles looked up through the breakfast bar opening, a bright flash of purple light burst out, and he heard an out-of-place popping noise. He tried to force his eyes to focus.

"What was that noise?" he heard Buffy ask, somewhere to his right.

He staggered and his hand shot out to grab the wall for balance. Instead he got a fist-full of soft flesh, and two small hands grabbed his shoulders. He released his hold on whatever it was he'd grabbed, too confused to succumb to mortification at the moment.

"Giles, are you okay?"

"I can't see a blasted thing," he groaned, shaking his head. He regretted the action at once and started a slow, downward journey to his knees.

"What's going on?"

A small wail sounded from the living room just as he opened his mouth to answer. "I. Want. My. Maaaah-meeeeeeee!"

A matching set of sobs joined the first and Buffy looked down at Giles, unsure of what to do. He removed his glasses and offered them to her. Once she took them, he pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes winced shut. After a moment, he opened them and blinked. He could still see spots, as if he'd stared at the sun a second too long, but he could see somewhat better. His eyes took in the blurry vision of his Slayer above him.

She was staring out at the living room, her jaw open in shock.

"Buffy?"

She started and looked down, her eyes wide. "Giles, you gotta see this!" She grabbed one of his forearms and helped him stand. He winced as he looked into the living room. Something poked his chest and he looked down to see Buffy holding his glasses up for him.

"Thank you," he murmured. Once on, the scene that met his eyes was something he'd never have believed possible.

Two toddlers stood in his living room, clothes draped on and around their little bodies as they sat on the floor and cried their little hearts out. A dark-haired boy and a red-headed girl.

Xander and Willow.