Title: Through the Eyes of A Child
Author: Cath
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing: Spike/Xander
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Kid Fic, Hurt/Comfort, De-Aging
Warnings: Mentions of past child child abuse.
Word Count: Approximately 23,000
Summary: Xander is affected by a demon and regresses to his abused six year old child-self.
Why you should read this:
Kid fic only… not. Xander is attacked by a strange demon resulting in his mental regression to six years of age. Spike volunteers to take care of him, though only Giles is aware that Xander and Spike are Mates in the beginning. Childlike Xander slowly reveals his past abuse from his parents to his new caretakers who are appalled on his behalf and seek to give him a happy childhood while still searching for a cure for his regression.
Cath deals with the though processes of an abused child quite well. Especially how the thought that they were somehow responsible for their abuse and how those thought processes can follow the abused into adulthood. Despite this there are moments of genuine humor, especially in how Angel reacts to Xander during his regression.