Great. Just great. That stupid troll Snyder wants to shack us up with some kids and make us into not so voluntary babysitters for the night. Man I really don't want to do another lame cheap costume this year. I figure I can do without a couple of comic books next month in order to get something nice. I guess that leads up to where I am now in a costume shop named Ethan's with Buffy and Willow shopping.
"Willow look at this." I turn to see Buffy pointing at a dress that looks like its a hundred years out of date. "Wow that looks really nice Buffy, Angel is really going to love that." Man I still can't get over that I'm still jealous of Deadboy of all people. He's just not good enough for her, yeah like I am either though. Just get over it Xander. She made a choice and its not you.
"Yeah Willow but there is no way I can afford it." And it's a good thing I think to myself. There should be no way that Buffy would want to be caught dead in that. I guess love really makes you do the wacky, like hunting things four times as strong and as fast as yourself now there's a laugh.
"What an excellent choice if I do say for myself." Man Deadboy can take lessons from this creepy guy when it comes to sneaking up on people. "Yeah it looks great but it has got to cost too much for me." Buffy whines. "I wouldn't worry about that. Just make sure to mention that you got the dress from my store and I would me happy work out a deal with you. My name is Ethan I'm the owner of this store." At this point I decide to continue looking for my costume as I really didn't want to hear them talk about what Angel was going to think about Buff's costume anymore.
After a couple of minutes of looking I saw something that really caught my eye, a black leather vest with maroon trim and some black leather pants sitting in front of me. Man this would be great. "Man." It's almost too good to be true. "Is there something I can help you with young man." Great creepy guy is back. "Um I was just looking at this thinking I can make a great costume out of it." I reply. "Really well I wasn't really expecting to be able to sell this by Halloween so since you are interested I am sure we can come to some sort of agreement. How much money do you have to spend on a costume?" Hmm maybe this guy isn't some sort of creepy pedophile after all. "About Sixty dollars but I really wasn't counting on spending it all." Not wanting to totally break myself here. "Don't worry I wasn't counting on much more than forty dollars for it this close to Halloween. Is that acceptable?" Mr. Rayne asks. "Forty dollars? That sounds great. In that case let me grab two more things to buy."
After finishing up grabbing the last few things I can find here I make my way towards the counter. "Find everything else you needed young man?" Asks Ethan. "Yeah these and a few things I have at home should do it for me." I answer handing him a plastic ray gun and little metal trinket I had seen earlier that looked interesting. "A toy gun, I had thought you meant to go as a vampire or something."
Ethan comments. "Me dressed up as one of the walking dead? Nah I'll pass on that one." I joke. "I'm going to go as a television character. Thanks for the deal on the costume though sir." "Think nothing of it young man; just make sure to mention that you got it here." He replies. "Definitely" And with that I'm on my way to get a trim on my hair with the rest of the money I have for my costume of course. And then home to grab my boots and my dad's leather trench for the night. He'll probably be passed out by then. So that shouldn't be a problem.
A couple of hours later I'm in costume and knocking on Buffy's door. Ms. Summers answers it. "My Xander that is a great looking costume, I didn't know you liked the leather look." Contrary to what everyone thought of me I did have a sense of fashion its just kind of hard to be picky when your parents won't spring for new clothes and you are forced to pick up stuff at the Salvation Army. "Just in costume for the night but if it really impresses pretty ladies so much I might have to consider going with it full time." I comment wagging my eyebrows.
"Xander can you stop flirting with my mom please I think I'm going to throw up if I hear much more of it." Buffy yells from upstairs.
Upon hearing her voice I make my way over to the bottom of the stairwell and look up. Man she looks like a complete airhead in that. Why she would want to go dressed up like that and why she thinks that would impress Captain Hairgel is beyond me. Putting these thoughts to the side I remark. "Wow Buff looking good." She blushes slightly and looks down at her dress. "Thanks Xander you don't look so bad yourself." Well I'll admit it I was hoping for a bit more than not so bad. Not wanting to let her see that I reply. "So are you and Wills ready to go?" Man I really hope she doesn't decide to go as an Eskimo or something like that again. "Yeah she's on her way out here right now, let me present Willow the… the Ghost?!" Buffy sounded kind of surprised at that. "Well Wills decided to go with a time honored classic huh?" My only reply is a slight shrug at first and then she faces me. "Xander oh my god you look almost just like him wow I can't believe how real it looks I mean wow why didn't you tell me you were going as him I can't believe it." Probably being the only one who was totally fluent in Willow babble I replied. "Well Wills I kind of wanted it to be a surprise. So are you guys ready to get to it? There is plenty of candy and fun to be had tonight." Might as well enjoy it seeing as I get to try and be someone else for the night instead of Alexander Harris loser and slacker extraordinaire. "You bet Xan lets go get the brats and get this over with." Yeah I can so tell Buffy's heart is in this. I wonder when she is going to figure out the world doesn't revolve around her. Yeah right probably not in my lifetime.
At Ethan's Costume shop he is meanwhile preparing to start his spell for Janus.
They had split up to finish off the trick or treating faster so that they could meet up at The Bronze later. One minute Xander Harris is strolling down the street thinking of how much of a bust this Halloween is. Joyce and Willow thought his costume was cool but that's about it. All Buffy could talk about all night was how she couldn't wait for Angel to see her.
The next minute it felt like something hit him. He actually was knocked off of his feet. Upon picking himself up off of his feet he took a look around and muttered. "Oh hell this is just what I needed, another mind frell."
"Man somebody must have went to a bunch of trouble for little ole me again. I mean they got the whole Earth look right and everything."
Just great I can't believe this. What's going on around here is it just me or are there little demon running around everywhere. "It's not just you John." Harvey says. "Not exactly the best time for a pow wow Harvey. I really need to get the frell out of here and get back to Moya." Moya I think to myself instinctively grabbing Wynona and my comms immediately afterwards. "Yo Pilot are you there?" Pause and no reply great. "Aeryn, D, Pip, Anybody?" Nothing, no reply at all. "I do not think they can hear you John." Harvey comments. "Way to go captain obvious, how long did it take you to come up with that?"
"Xander, Xander!" some redhead comes running up to me screaming. "Oh my god Xander are you alright?" She can't be more than 16 years old by the look of her.
"Look girlie my name isn't Xander and I'm not up for playing any of you're games. You're not getting what's inside my head so frell off." I say pointing Wynona in her face. What happens next I'll have to admit creeps me out and for someone who has seen as much as I have that's saying a lot. She walks right through me and out the other side.
"What are you some sort of hologram?" I ask. "No I'm you're friend Willow." She replies. "I don't know anyone named Willow." I practically spit back. "John I think it would be prudent to listen to her for a minute." Harvey comments. Then the redhead starts speaking again. "Ok just listen to me a minute. Everyone in this town seems to have been possessed by their costumes for Halloween.
My name is Willow and I went as a ghost and all these little kids have been possessed by the things they went as demons monster you name it. You my friend Xander went as John Crichton a character from a television show we like to watch. Right now we need to find Buffy. "Wow that's a lot to try and take and still sounds like a load to me. "I would think we should go along with her for the time being John. At least she is the only person we have encountered so far that has made an attempt to talk to us. "Harvey pipes in. "Ok let's say for one minute I buy that who is this Buffy person you're talking about? "I reply. "She's our friend Xander err John err you want me to call you John right? "Jeeze does this girl ever need to breathe? Well if she's a ghost maybe not. "Ok what does she look like? "I ask "Well she's a little over five feet tall and she has blond hair oh wait tonight she is wearing a brunette wig. And she is dressed as an 18th century noble woman. "Again with the babble, man and I thought Stark was hard to follow sometimes. "You mean like her over there. "I reply pointing behind her. Her response is to run at her screaming. "Buffy, Buffy are you ok? "The poor girl she is rushing at almost collapses. "Who is this Buffy you are looking for? And can you help me I am trying to get home I don't know where I am at. "The girl replies with some sort of haughty accent. "Great she's been possessed by her costume too. "Willow says. "Xan err John we need to get somewhere safe if you can help get her to come I'll take us to her house." Her house? Well this should be interesting.
A short time later inside what Willow says was Buffy's house I find myself getting a good look in the mirror. "It doesn't appear to look like you John." Harvey comments as he appears behind me in my reflection. "And from those pictures on the table it would appear that the three of you are indeed friends." He adds. "That doesn't mean it isn't another mind frell Harv." I reply but only half heartedly. Something really fishy is going on here. At about that moment willow escorts some girl in a cat costume through the front door. "Ok your name is Cordellia and you aren't a cat you're a friend of ours. Well not really a friend but we know each other."
Man I'm starting to wonder if they have translator microbes just to understand her. "Well duh and when did you decide to go mental. Man my costume is ruined; Party Town is never going to give me my deposit back." The brunette replies. "Huh you know who you are."
Willow stammers out. Well that does it I'm starting to get pissed if not everyone is possessed. "I knew something was frelled up here. So what's going on is it Scorpy? Is it the Scarrans? Or somebody new.
Who is screwing with me this time? "I practically shout at them. The brunette glares at me and asks Willow. What's Xander's problem?" to which Willow replies "Him and Buffy were posses by their costumes, Xander thinks he's a character from a television show and Buffy thinks she's an 18th century noblewoman." Great just great again with the possession stuff. "Ok you guys go hide upstairs and I'm going to go find Giles and see what he can do to help. Whatever you do just make sure to stay inside." She says "Well I got no plan to sit tight and let whoever is after me come take me. " I reply. "Jeeze paranoid much." The brunette pipes in. "John I think it would be best if we bide our time momentarily. If what she is saying is true and you were possessed by a Halloween costume then she might be able to fix it. Give her a couple of arns before you come up with one of your crazy plans." Well I'm getting it from every direction so I finally cave and turn towards the redhead. "Ok you have thee arns to come up with something after that point I'm going solo." She looks at me funny for a second and then replies with an "Ok" before she turns around and walks right through the wall. That in turn terrifies Buffy to no end who immediately turns around and runs out the back door of the house.
"Oh that's just frelling amazing!" I say turning towards Cordellia. "You go upstairs and I'll go get her ok?" She looks at me crazy for a second before nodding and heading up the stairs.
I finally managed to catch up with the girl they called Buffy in an alleyway being attacked by a pirate of all things. I draw Wynona and fire a warning shot at this feet. "Get lost" I tell him and he decides to run away. "Ok lady why don't we head back to the house now." I tell her. "I don't think you two will be going anywhere mate." I hear off to the side and upon turning towards the sound see three men and some smaller freaky looking things walking towards us. "Why don't you guys just beat it before I get really pissed?" I tell them. "Oh I don't think so we are here for the slayer but I think we can have some fun with you too. Get them." At that the two men beside him start to run towards me. Reacting I shoot both of them in the chest. That's when it starts to get really strange. They start to burn up in front of me and pretty soon all that's left is ashes. "Oh bloody hell." the other man mutters before turning and running the other way with the smaller things following him. That done Buffy and I start to walk back towards the house we were at.
Along the way the same feeling that Xander earlier comes over John. As he gets his bearings Buffy walks up to him and asks. "Xander?" I reply "Yeah it's me Buff. That was really strange it's like I could see what was going on but couldn't do anything about it." "Yeah tell me about it. That was definitely one strange ride."
The next day at school things were going really good. I had actually made an A on a pop quiz in math class and Willow was talking to me about it as we walked in to the library.
"Xander I don't think I have ever seen you make an A on a math test. Do you think it might be something that was left from last night?"
At that I glance over at her. "I don't know about that Wills. I mean maybe but who knows." And I turn to find Giles and Buffy. "Oh I think she is right Alexander." I can only stop and stare as the spitting image of Scorpious is standing in front of me dressed in a Hawaiian shirt.