THE BEGINNING
It was Anya's first day at playschool, she didn't want to go, she had yelled and kicked D'Hofferyn but he had insisted, if she was ever going to grow up to be a good vengeance demon first she had to learn about normal life. And so she sulked all the way in the car with the witch D'Hofferyn had hired to act as her mother. And sulked as she was pulled into the playroom. And screamed when she realised she was being left alone. Tear ran down the little girl's face.
"She looks sad, Buffy, I feel sorry for her." A neat, little red haired girl told her best friend, a slightly smaller blond haired girl whose outfit of pedal pushers and sneakers were dirty and grass-stained. "I know, Will, 'member when we had jus' came here it was so scary but then we found each other. Do ya wanna go and say hi?"
"Yeah, I like that idea." Bravely the two little girls walked over to the still bawling vengeance goddess to be.
As usual Buffy took the lead "Hi, I'm Buffy and this is Willow." Willow semi- hid behind her, peeping out to say a very quiet "Hi"
Anya looked up and deciding they looked nice replied "Hello, I'm Anya."
"You can sit with us if you wanna," Buffy said. Anya nodded and Buffy pulled her over to sit at their table.
Willow looked up at Anya and looked away, trying to work up the courage to speak to her. A commotion on the other side of the playroom drew their attention.
"Francis Doyle, Liam Angel and Xander Harris, How dare you icky boys spill that dirt on my dress, it's a one of a kind Versace junior." Cordelia Chase wiped her hands on her dress trying to get the mud of it, only succeeding in spreading it "I don't know why I helped you and now my dress is all dirty." Her face crumpled and she started to cry.
Francis looked guilty and put his arm around her while the other boys hung back looking guilty. "Sorry, princess, we didn't mean ta, it jus' happened. Right guys?"
"Yeah," "Right" the two other toddlers agreed.
"Okay, but I'm going to go sit with the other girls 'cause I don't wanna get more dirty." Cordy left to go sit with Buffy and willow. Nearing the table she noticed a new girl. Sticking out her hand she announced in her best voice "Hi, I'm Cordelia, I like your dress, where did you get it?"
Anya looked very confused "Uhh, I don't know, D'Hofferyn got it for me."
Buffy looked up from her colouring "Who's D'Hofferyn?"
"He's like my daddy but he's not my daddy, but he's really nice."
"Ohh, I got one a those. Giles is really nice."
Willow piped in with "An' he teaches me stuff I'm not supposed to know." She remembered she didn't know Anya and hunched back over her book where she was neatly writing.
"Buffy," Cordelia's voice drew the attention back to her "Do ya know what Francis, Xand and Liam did?"
"No"
"They got dirt on me, I don't like it." Cordelia wailed as if it was a massive tragedy.
Willow looked at Anya while Buffy and Cordelia we're talking about the dirt incident, she crept around Buffy so she could sit next to Anya, "Do you wanna know a secret?"
Anya nodded her head. Willow continued "Buffy and Liam are gonna get married and so are Cordelia and Francis. They made a pact an' it's gonna be so cool we kin all live in the same house an' stuff." She looked at her deciding how much to trust her "An' I'm gonna be a witch an' stuff."
Anya looked at her wide-eyed pointing at Cordelia and Buffy now fighting over the dirt "They're gonna marry those boys?" she said loudly.
Cordy and Buffy stopped their argument and looked over at Anya and Willow their responses were very different "Eeeewwww, no I'm not marrying a boy."
"Yes, when I'm big I'm gonna marry Liam."
Willow looked at Anya with a friendly yet shy smile on her face. "See I told you, they're gonna marry them."
---End the beginning---