Azure Halloween

Summary: Crossover with something of my own invention Halloween fic. Things will never be the same again for Xander.

Disclaimer: Buffy belongs to Fox Interactive and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement intended. Anything not recognizable as someone else's work most likely belongs to me. Mitts off.

Special thanks to VladimirsAngel, who took time to beta this chapter (sidenote: If you like the Legacy of Kain series and have a sense of humor, go read her fics. You won't regret it)

Chapter 1- Halloween

"Ah, Halloween" Xander sighed, "the magic night of chocolate and sugar high. Brings back memories of the former manic twitching nights." He snorted to himself. "'Course, being forced into babysitting a bunch of kids by Snyder kinda takes the best out of it."

"Yeah, kinda." Willow sighed before perking up. "Hey, at least we get to dress up!"

"I kinda like Halloween" Buffy said. "What with all the joys of weird, wild and wonderful, at least for a night" She grinned at Willow and Xander. "What's this place like then?"

Willow shrugged. "It's Ethan's Costume Shop. It's new, but they've got a good variety."

Willow and Buffy entered the store, Xander lagging behind, deep in thought. He already had most of his costume, a set of old military fatigues, at home. He just needed a toy gun of some sort to complete the costume. Just call me the two-dollar Costume King.

Xander raised an eyebrow at Buffy gushing over a frilly 18th century noblewoman's dress. What's the point in dressing up as something that uncomfortable just for babysitting?

Somehow his mind brought up an image of Buffy dressed up as Xena in tight leather armor and he had to pause to get his hormones under control. Gotta hand it to her, they'd be perfect, but anyway..

Xander shook his head and looked around for a toy assault rifle. There were none in immediate sight so he delved a little further into the shop. Behind all the racks of costumes there was a high shelf filled with boxes and miscellaneous costume pieces.. one of which was a good plastic replica of an M-60 assault rifle. Bingo!

Xander picked the toy gun up and checked the price tag- it was cheap, for just two and a half dollars. Satisfied, he turned around and took a step towards the front of the store.. and stopped when he heard a low creaking sound from behind him. He turned around just to see the shelf slowly but surely toppling towards him.

Ohh boy.

"Gyaarrhh!"

CRASH!

----

"Unnhhh.. That didn't feel good." Somehow, Xander had managed to avoid the toppling shelf with barely three inches of empty space between the shelves and his right foot, although he had landed on his back. Lucky for him a pile of costumes had softened his fall. Slowly he tried moving his feet and his hands. Nothing seemed to be broken. He turned his head to the right and paled. Right next to him, barely half an inch from his face, something deep metallic black with nasty-looking silver-colored spikes had nearly imbedded itself to the floor.

"Oh my God! Are you OK, kid?"

Xander blinked and looked back up. A short man with dark and slightly balding hair had leaned over him, glancing continuously between Xander and the fallen shelves.

Xander groaned and picked himself up, gingerly rolling his shoulders and wincing when something popped. "I.. I think so."

The man looked straight at Xander with a worried expression. "I'm so sorry, I told the moving people that shelf should've been secured properly, but now look!"

The shelves had crushed several racks of costumes under them when they had fallen, paraphelia from several costumes scattered all over the floor. Shreds of torn cloth littered the floor where a shattered rack had shredded at least five different and expensive costumes.

"Uh.. this isn't going to cost me, is it?"

The man blinked and then gave a sigh. "No, of course not.. It wasn't your fault, that shelf wasn't too stable to begin with. Anyway.." He perked up, "I'm Ethan Rayne, owner of this establishment and, incidentally, of that shelf that nearly flattened you. Can I help you with something?"

Xander nodded and looked around, spotting the handle of the rifle he had found. "Yeah, I'd like to.. oh no." He had tried to pick the rifle up just to notice a heavy box had fallen on it and snapped it cleanly to three different pieces. "Uh, I needed a gun for my soldier costume. You wouldn't happen to have a second one?"

Ethan frowned and hissed. "I don't think so. That was the last one."

Xander looked crestfallen.

"Anyway, everyone and their dog is dressing up as soldiers this Halloween, you know." Ethan said. "Maybe you'd like to dress up as something slightly more inventive?"

Xander frowned. "Sure I would, but I've only got five bucks."

Ethan grinned. "I don't think that's going to be a problem. Just look around for whatever you'd like and I'll see if I could give you a discount of some type. You did nearly get flattened, after all."

Xander grinned back at him. "Thanks, Ethan." He took a step towards the front end of the store and his leg brushed against something. He looked down and saw whatever had nearly hit his head in the rustle. Xander whistled and picked it up. It was a heavy jet black spiked mace replica with the long spikes and other details colored shiny metallic silver. The round ball end was about as large as both or his fists put together and the thorns were at least two inches long. It was made of plastic but weighed so it could be swung around comfortably. For some odd reason it felt good holding the handle wrapped with silver and black leather strips in his hands, feeling its comforting weight. His eyes were drawn to the near-metallic dull sheen of the completely smooth orb.

"Hey Ethan.. you wouldn't happen to remember which costume belonged to?"

Ethan frowned, looking the mace over before gesturing towards the fallen shelf. "It's a part of a fantasy costume, some kind of mercenary if my memory serves me correct. It should've been on top of that shelf in a box, so the rest can't be far.."

----

After a moment of searching through the stuff on the floor Xander found an open box with black and silver decorations. Inside there was a bundle of black leather and a piece of paper.

"That should be the description of the costume" Ethan said. "Check if the mace matches it."

Xander unfolded the paper and saw the costume parts list include 'Black/Silver mace, 1 piece'.

"This is it." He read on until he got to the actual description.

Skye

Height: 182 cm/ 6'1"

Weight: 85 kg/ 170 lbs.

Hair: Black

Eyes: Gold

Class: Fighter

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Description: A mysterious dark warrior, not much is known of him. He is fiercely protective of those around him and has little use for rules or restrictions. He dresses in a black suit of leather armor, carrying with him a magical spiked mace he calls the Stormhammer, a formidable weapon in its own right and lethal when wielded by somebody as strong as him. No-one but himself knows where he hails from. A calm, mostly serious if occasionally sarcastic and smart-mouthed vigilante, his hatred of the undead and outlaws is legendary.

Xander flipped the paper around and saw a picture of a man in a black and silver leather armor leaning against a stone wall, the silver and black mace slung across his shoulder. His hair was black, short and stood up in a military-style hairdo except for a short braid that snaked down his shoulder. His eyes were an odd shade of metallic golden yellow. He had raised his left eyebrow as if giving the photographer a half-curious, half-sarcastic look that made Xander grin. Below the picture was a series of instructions how the costume should be worn. Let's see.. Quippy attitude- check, hair color-check, general size- close enough.. I like it.

"How much is this one?"

Ethan looked at the price tag and frowned. "Normally this would cost you fifty dollars, but now.. How much did you say you had? $5?"

Xander nodded.

"What do you say I rent this for the night for five dollars and you can show up tomorrow and buy it for twenty if you like it?"

Xander grinned. "Deal."

Ethan watched Xander leave the store, the box for the costume under his arm, and grinned. "Chaotic, eh? Janus will be pleased…" It was nearly time for the ritual. First he would have to clean up, though. Tomorrow he'd think of a suitably nasty curse for the idiot who had put up the shelf.

----

Back at home Xander put on a set of golden contact lenses, finishing the costume, and grinned at his reflection. His hair was the right color, near coal-black, already, so all he'd had to do was to cut it a little and it was nearly perfect. A pair of thin black rubber bands kept the fake braided ponytail that reached about to between his shoulderblades securely in place. He was wearing a pair of black leather trousers that were decorated with silvery thread and various metallic rivets, a set of sturdy leather boots with plates of silver-colored metal strengthening the toes and a kind of thick vest of hardened leather, colored black with silver linings that was slightly open at the bottom, leaving his midriff slightly bared. It had taken him a while but he had figured out a way to attach a kind of clip system with leather straps to his back and now the spiked mace- Stormhammer- was slung across his back, set so that he could actually sit down without the spikes catching onto anything. There had been a pair of metallic bracers- black and silver, of course- with the suit and he had wrapped a thick layer of medical binds he had nicked from the bathroom between his wrists and elbows to keep the cold metal from chafing. Lastly, he now had on his golden contacts and a silvery amulet shaped like a winged serpent of some kind with a tiny red fake gem for an eye hanging from a thin silvery chain around his neck.

Xander grinned again and flexed his arms, unused to the weight of the armguards, feeling how the thick, warm leather felt against his skin. His upper arms were bare and looked slightly pale against all the black clothing, but he liked the way this costume felt and looked.

----

Xander wasn't exactly expecting the sight that greeted him when Buffy opened her door for him. The long, frilly dress didn't look quite that silly on Buffy and he gaped for a second before performing a court bow. "Wow, Buff.. Duchess of Buffonia.. I swear off spandex forever."

Buffy smiled, dropping in a kind of a courtsey. "Why thank you, kind sir. Wait until you see what we got for Willow!"

There was the sound of a door opening and closing upstairs and Buffy pointed towards the stairs. "Meet Willow, the.. the.. friendly neighborhood ghost. Wil-low!"

Willow stood at the top of the stairs, covered in a large white sheet with a pair of holes for her eyes and the word 'Boo!' painted to the front with a red color.

"Hey Wills" Xander grinned. "Ah.. nice boo you got there."

"That isn't her costume" Buffy fumed, "C'mon Willow, you're always a ghost."

"But.. But I like this and Ireallydon'twanttowearacostumelikethatinpublicandthinkofeveryonewhocouldseeandwhat'sXanderwearing?"

Xander blinked twice and tried to translate from Willow-ese to English in his mind. Stop..Rewind..Play, speed 25.. "I'm Skye, mercenary and Undead hunter extraordinaire!" he said, reaching behind his shoulder and pulling out the fake mace with a flourish. Buffy stared at it. "Ooo.. Cool mace, Xander. Can I borrow that?"

Xander raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought you were a gentle-lady, not Xena.. not that I'd be complaining, but.."

Buffy swatted him in the arm.

"Ow! Watch with the Slayer-strength, Buffs!"

----

"Spikey, Miss Edith says that everything's switching. Outside to inside." The insane vampiress Drusilla complained to Spike in a sing-song voice as he held her in arms. Her expression could be described as a vacant smile, but her eyes.. they were entirely empty of all thought and emotion, the living embodiment of the saying 'the lights are on but no-one is home'. "It makes the Slayer weak and my Kitten strong.", she purred.

"Really?" Spike asked interested. "Did my pet have a vision?"

"Do you know what I miss? Leeches." Dru said, going off subject. Spike frowned slightly at the insane vampire-Seeress.

"Come on, talk to Daddy." Spike said, shaking her. "This thing that makes the Slayer weak? When is it?"

"Tonight." Drusilla said.

"Tonight's Halloween." Spike said. "Nothing happens on Halloween."

"Someone's come to change it all." Dru assured. "But Miss Edith said don't go, Kitten will fight you."

"If it's my chance to bag me a Slayer, no little lapdog of the Slayer is going to stop me."

Drusilla pouted but said nothing.

----

Wandering around town trying to keep a group of pre-teen kids ambling for candy together wasn't anyone's idea of fun. Still, Willow grinned, it was kind of amusing. It was fun to watch the reactions of the kids to the candy and to see the adults step back in mock shock from a bunch of painted ten-year-olds in costumes that started off neat and then turned disarranged. At least if she couldn't have any fun of her own she could make sure the kids did.

She looked around and saw Xander giving hints and tips to his own group on how to get extra candy. Guessing from the glowing faces of the kids Xander had now his very own fan club. Willow had to admit, his costume looked way cool, what with all the 'dark, brooding hero'-routine. His eyes flashing gold, Xander looked up and grinned at Willow before leading the kids a little further down the street.

----

Ethan sat in front of a blood-covered statue of Janus, looking at the blood pooling at his hands with a dark expression. "I hate this part.. Father Janus, the world that denies thee, thou inhabit."

He drew a circle over his right eye with the blood from his left hand. "The peace that ignores thee..."

He drew a second circle over his left eye with his right hand. "...thou corrupt."

He drew a cross on his forehead with his left hand. "Chaos. I remain, as ever, thy faithful, degenerate son."

The blood symbols lit up with a mystical fire for a moment and somewhere in his mind he heard dark laughter echoing as a warm wind picked up, spreading Chaos over the city and activating the 'blessings' on his special costumes. "Showtime!"

----

Willow felt dizzy for a moment and when she came to, she was lying on the ground. She realized her ghost sheet had somehow gone missing and blushed intensely, picking herself up.

Something growled behind her.

She turned to see a goblin-like creature of some sort snarl at her and pounce. She yelped and closed her eyes only to feel a strange windlike sensation as the creature passed straight through her like she wasn't even there. A cacophony of snarls, growls and yelps sounded around her as the children who no longer looked like children either ran off or started to fight among each other.

"What's going on? Xander!"

Xander had frozen a little further away with an odd expression on his face. Suddenly the silvery decorations on his suit looked a lot more authentic and the thorns on his mace looked a lot sharper than moments ago. As Willow watched his golden eyes took a decidedly more wild look and his face turn into a mask of.. despair?

"Sher'auch'na!" He called out in a voice that was a lot deeper than it should have been. "Serena, sher'auch'na, beloved, where are you?! Answer me, please!"

----

A sudden wave of nausea washed over him and when he opened his eyes he was not where he had been moments before. Skye stood up and surveyed his surroundings swiftly, finding himself in a place he did not recognize. What happened? Where are we?

No answer came to his unvoiced question.

Serena?

Deathly silence answered him. Suddenly he had a cold feeling down his stomach.

Serena? Shar'rann?

There was no answer and he reached out with his mind, feeling through the unique bind of energy in his very soul. Cold sweat pooled on his forehead as he did not find the essence he was looking for.

Serena!

There was a cold, dead hole within him, Skye realized with a near physical pain. She should have been there but was not. A sense of indescribable, crushing loss washed over him. It felt like his arm or leg had been torn out but far, far worse: something had torn out half his soul and his entire heart.

"Sher'auch'na!" Despair and pain made his voice unrecognizable. "Serena, sher'auch'na, beloved, where are you?! Answer me, please!"

The deathly silence without her made him want to weep, to scream or roar but he could not find the strength to do so.

Something growled near him and he opened his eyes he didn't remember closing. Something not even four feet in height that resembled a troll snarled at him. Rage filled him, a blinding red-hot fury that made his vision swim and burn and as the creature dashed at him he snatched it up easily by the neck and hurled it away with a single massive swing. It flew in an arc that would have been graceful had the flier been any less ugly and landed in a large, thorny bush of some sort. It struggled for a moment, then picked itself up and bared rows of rotting yellow teeth, growling at him.

He bared his own teeth in an expression that would have sent a lich running in fear and let loose a deep, rumbling growl of his own. The creature yelped and fled, probably to look for something less dangerous -like an adult red dragon- to annoy.

"Xander!" Skye heard an unfamiliar voice from behind him. It seemed that much was happening behind his back these days. He turned around and saw a young, red-headed woman in a.. revealing costume.

"Xander! There'ssomethinggoingonandweneedtofindBuffyandIcanwalkthroughstuffandohgod.."

Skye blinked once. She sounded suspiciously like he did after a pot.. or four.. of coffee.

"I beg your pardon, miss?"

She cut off her tirade, confused, and then gave him an irritated look. "Xander, knock it off, this is serious. We've got to find Buffy, there's.."

In any other situation he wouldn't have fallen as low as interrupt a lady in speech.. but this was not any other situation. "Miss, first off, I am not a Xander, whatever that may be. Second, my name is Skye, I am standing on a street in a town I have never seen before, my.. companion-" he couldn't help bot feel a sharp sting somewhere in his chest region- "has disappeared, I'm being attacked by three-foot-tall goblins of all things and I would like to know what by the Dragon Lord's horns is going on in here!"

There was an odd half-snarling, half-growling sound from behind him- Serach'ai'a'Dachar, why can I not smell anything?!- and he spun around and reached for the Stormhammer, gripping the handle that felt warm with energy to his hands and pulling it free with a swift yank. He saw a creature that resembled a werewolf- or a lupine, his inner voice nagged at him- and pulled his arm back, ready to hurl the mace in a massive swing..

"Xander NO! That's a kid in there!"

A child?! He had already swung the Stormhammer forward and tried desperately to reach for the handle but couldn't get a good grip again, only managing to nudge the weapon. His fumbled attempt managed to alter its trajectory so that, luckily enough, the spiked crushing end didn't hit although the handle of the spinning weapon grazed the creature's furry temple. The blessed mace sailed through the air in a gracious arc that would've sent any Human athlete to a complete fit, spinning wildly with the air whistling between the spikes with a bone-chilling wail, and smashed into the side of a parked vehicle, shattering glass and punching in the metal side like tin foil.

Both the girl and the creature stared as the force of the collision actually shoved the vehicle a good ten feet away from them.

Skye looked at the creature, raising a single black eyebrow, and struck his gauntlets meaningfully together with a clash of metal against metal.

The creature took one good look at him, rubbing the side of its face, and turned tail with an indignant whine.

The girl looked at the now wrecked car, then at the retreating creature, and then at Skye with a dumbstruck expression. "Well.. That was new.."

His voice was very close to an irritated growl now. "Can you now tell me what is happening before something larger comes this way?"

She was looking at the heap of crushed metal again, but turned to face him. "Ok.. you look like Xander, but are definitely not him.. I'm Willow, like the tree, and I was watching over a group of kids.. Something's happened, I don't know what, one moment they-" she gestured towards the street corned where the creature had disappeared- "were children with costumes and the next the were the costumes… Oh God, that's it, everyone's become their costumes, I was a ghost and now I am one, I can walk through walls and stuff.." She prodded him in the chest only to have her entire hand pass through his flesh like a cheap illusion.

He raised an eyebrow and scanned her with a look, eliciting a blush on her insubstantial face. "The ghost of who, exactly?"

She was turning an interesting shade of red to match her hair and twisting her hands. "This is what I had under the costume.. never mind, look, we need to find Buffy, she's the Slayer.. a great warrior, she hunts down demons, she's short, blonde- no, wait, tonight she's a brunette- and she's wearing a really long dress.. and this is way too freaky for words."

Skye nodded and walked over the wreckage, spotting the familiar handle wedged between the seats within. He took a good grip with both hands and propped his left boot against the side. He turned and pulled and with a loud wail of twisting and breaking metal the Stormhammer came free. He then proceeded to bash the mace repeatedly against a handy stone wall to clear off the debris that had snagged onto the spikes before clipping it against his back.

Willow stared at him. He spread his arms in an exasperated expression. "What?!"

----

They trekked through the town, Willow keeping an eye out for this 'Buffy' character and Skye 'dispatching' the creatures they came upon- 'dispatching' mostly meaning clobbering them over the head with an improvised club and dragging them off somewhere. They'd wake up with a headache but at least they would wakeup.. hopefully. He could sense there was something wrong with this 'Sunnydale' place.. his less Human senses could feel a sense of foreboding, a shroud of darkness that enveloped the entire city. If he could feel it even in his current form, it had to be powerful enough to attract demonic forces from halfway across the globe. 'Sunnydale' indeed. For such a small town they sure had plenty of graveyards.

Speaking of strange, he felt somehow different as well. He was quite sure he had used to be taller and more muscular and his senses felt oddly.. dulled somehow. His normally acute eyesight was reduced to more normal levels, his hearing was sub-par and his sense of smell was practically nonexistent. Perhaps it was an aftereffect of losing.. her.. or something else but he hoped it was not permanent. A wave of impotent fury and pain washed over him at the mere thought of her and he had to hold back a wince. Willow gave him an odd look.

"Are you all right, Xan.. Skye?"

He tried to keep his voice normal.. with heavy emphasis on the word tried. The result was a sound more than half a growl. He hated being fussed over, especially by people he didn't know. "I am fine."

Willow gave him a look and he felt instantly ashamed. "Forgive me. It's just.. I was just minding my own business when everything goes dark and I find myself here" he made a vast gesture, "attacked by children-turned-demons with no memories of how I ended up here, of what happened, I feel odd all over and.. and.. my companion is not here. I'm just as fine as I can get under the circumstances."

Willow gave him a sympathetic look and opened her mouth to say something when a feminine shriek was heard nearby. Willow's eyes widened. "That sounded like Buffy!"

Skye frowned. Wind, buildings, hedges, follow the echoes.. that way! "Follow me!"

The first thing he saw was a young woman- he guessed she was not even twenty yet- in a intricate dress on her back on the ground, screaming and scampering away from something that made his senses go haywire. It looked like a human but its face was twisted with bony ridges on its forehead and its teeth had elongated into sharp fangs. He could feel a kind of darkness emitting from it that made every hair on his neck stand up. Demon!

"That's a vampire!"

Skye assumed that Willow meant that it was not one of the demon-children and thus a free target.

"Cthol'Na! Shadowspawn! Fight someone your own size!"

The vampire turned to look at him and snarled, amber eyes much like his but still so different blazing. He drew the Stormhammer and felt it hum in his hands, resonating with his power. In a single fluid move he drew his arm back, then swung the mace forward with all his strength, releasing it at just the right time to send it spinning through the air. Bluish-white tendrils of energy arced between the spikes and a rumbling sound filled the air.

It was a good throw, one of his best even in his weakened state, and it hit the vampire dead-on. There was a bright flash of blue-white light and a horrible electric sizzling, crackling sound and the vampire didn't even have time to scream before the charge gathered in the weapon was unleashed directly into it. The impact hurled it at least twenty feet, smoking. It crumbled into dust before it had even stopped entirely, the Stormhammer gleaming among the gray-brown ashes, still crackling with energy. He retrieved the weapon, grinning slightly as he felt it humming in his hands in a way that could only be described as 'satisfied'.

There was a groan from behind him as Buffy- What kind of mother would name her offspring 'Buffy', of all things?, he asked himself- stirred, then stared at him and Willow with terrified eyes.

"Who are you people," she whimpered, "Where am I? This isn't Boston, there are strange things here.. I was at the Colonel's mansion, and there was someone from the Black Watch and Quebec had fallen to General Wolfe and there was a celebration and.. I was here. What is this place? What happened to that.. that thing?"

Skye looked at Willow, raising a single eyebrow. "This is your 'great warrior'?"

"She's not exactly herself, but neither are you.." Skye glared at Willow, who made an 'eep' sound before turning to Buffy again. "Okay," she said, "Calm down. Your name is Buffy, and I am Willow and this is..." She hesitated and looked up at Skye. He sighed and bowed formally, but not before giving Willow a look of his own.

"Skye of Deathwing Clan, son of Dragoroth," -not that his old clan name -or that of his father- had any meaning here, but they had been enough to raise respect at his first home- "a mercenary-for-hire at your service, m'lady. The creature is no more.. you need not fear."

She perked up. "A mercenary? You mean a hired soldier? Did my father send you to find me?"

Skye shook his head. "No, m'lady.. I was merely close enough to aid you when needed. Perhaps we should seek for a safe haven until we can send a message for your father that you are safe?" Nobility in general usually made Skye's teeth hurt, with their superior attitudes and general soft weakness. Sadly enough often the fastest way to deal with them was to give them what they wanted, and this Buffy seemed like the prime example of a pampered noblewoman. Thus, he went along with her, although he did not have to like it.

Willow looked at them and seemed to come to a decision. "Okay, we need to get to safety.. Buffy's house – abode, place of residence or whatever. Follow me? Sheesh. Why couldn't she have dressed like Xena?"

----

The first thing Skye saw as he entered the Summers house was a large mirror across the hall. He nearly lost control of himself at the first glance. The face that looked at him was completely unfamiliar: that of a teenaged, dark-haired boy. Suddenly he finally realized the full extent of his predicament and everything seemed to click in place. At some level he had thought someone had managed to summon him into this world- although he had no idea if there even was a ritual for summoning a Sojourner- but instead.. by sheer dumb luck or by some twist of Fate (Fate has a twisted sense of humor, he remembered saying once) someone had dressed up as him. That explained why he couldn't sense her- she was still where she and the real him had been when the spell had activated. The real him.. he was nothing more but a mask, a failed copy of what he could have been..

The realization hit hard and he had to sit down, suddenly afraid his knees wouldn't hold him anymore. He took time to examine his 'new' face; save for the eyes, which were still the metallic gold he had been born with –to his relief- and hair color it was quite different from what he had been used to. After a moment he gave the his mirror image a good glare- not quite as impressive as before, but close enough- and then bared his teeth in a silent growl. Rows of completely smooth, entirely normal human teeth greeted him and he frowned, feeling them with his tongue. Unlike before, they were completely normal, whereas before the canines had been slightly elongated as to resemble fangs. He then frowned and flexed his arms, watching the movements of the muscles. It appeared that whatever transformation spell had been used had not been perfect- instead of being completely himself his current form seemed to be something from between his own and that of the boy- 'Xander'?- who had decided to dress up as him. That explained how his senses were been oddly dimmed and why he felt weaker.

He barely realized that the girl in the red dress- 'Buffy', he reminded herself- was wailing something about not looking at all what she should have looked like. He buried his face in his hands, feeling suddenly far more vulnerable than he would have liked.

"What has been done to me.. to us?"

Willow gave him a sympathetic look- he seemed to be getting a lot of those tonight. "That's what we're trying to figure out. I'll go get Giles- he's a librarian, a scholar, he knows a lot about things like this. You stay here and keep an eye on Buffy, OK?"

With that, she walked straight through the wall.

Skye looked up and saw a dark-haired man in a leather jacket and a brown-haired young woman in a feline costume- that had, apparently, not been transformed for some reason- staring at him. He took a closer look at the man, realizing there was something wrong with him. His skin looked oddly pale, and he stood completely still- he was not even breathing, he noticed. Skye had an odd dualed feeling about him.. he felt partly dark, like the monster he had destroyed, but something was keeping the shadows within repressed.

"You.. are not human" Skye stated.

The girl in the cat-costume stared at him like he had grown a second head, then rolled her eyes and disappeared into the bathroom, muttering something about Harris losing it completely.

The man looked at him with a perplexed expression. "Neither are you.", he said doubtfully.

Skye shrugged. "Not entirely, no." He didn't care to elaborate at this point. "What are you?"

The man shrugged. "A vampire with a soul. They call me Angel."

Skye raised and eyebrow. "Costume or original?"

"Original."

Skye reached a hand out. "Skye of Deathwing Clan, traveler and mercenary."

Angel looked at his outstretched hand for a moment with an odd expression, then shook it hesitantly.

Suddenly the constant feeling of darkness around him intensified and Skye stood up fast, reaching for the Stormhammer. "We have company!"

----

"Willow, are you saying that the people wearing costumes have been transformed into their costumes?!" Giles repeated incredulously.

Willow nodded emphatically. Giles took his glasses off, wiped them against his napkin and put them back on, muttering 'oh dear'.

"I'm a ghost, Buffy's a noblewoman and Xander's some mercenary. We've got to find a way to turn them back!"

Giles nodded. "Yes, we do.. Is everyone effected or are there some 'normal' people left?"

Willow frowned. "Well, Cordelia went as a cat and didn't change.."

Giles suddenly had one of his 'Eureka' moments. "Willow, did you get your costume from the same or different store than Cordelia?"

"Cordelia said she got hers at Partytown, but.. That's it! We got ours from that new shop, 'Ethan's'!

Giles blinked suddenly and when he spoke his voice had something in it that made Willow shiver. "Ethan's.. Tell me, the proprietor wouldn't happen to have been named Ethan Rayne, would he?"

Willow nodded slowly. "Actually.. he would. Do you know him?"

Giles gave her an odd half-smile. "He's an old.. accomplice of mine. Go get Buffy and the others. I'll take care of this myself.."

Willow gulped.

----

Ka-SMASH!

There was an enormous crash and something huge with an odd orange-purple-blotched, warty skin, far too many teeth to his liking and long claws came straight through the door. Angel's face twisted, his brow and forehead twisting and creasing, his teeth lengthening into sharp fangs. As he leapt at the creature Skye hurled the Stormhammer at it, then bared his teeth in a feral snarl and lunged. An enormous clawed limb came at him and he deflected the blow with his bracers. He squeezed his hands into tight fists and lightning crackled around them before he drove his knuckles into the monster's side, the energy gathered into his fists surging through its flesh enough to down an elephant.

The demon bellowed like an ox someone had just lobbed a fireball at and swung again at him. Skye had barely time to think something to the effect of 'this will hurt' before a well-aimed blow took the air from his lungs and hurled him clear across the hall. Instinctively he curled into a tight ball and used his control over the Air element to lessen the impact. The moment his heavy boots slammed into the wall he kicked out, his entire body uncoiling like a spring. There was a crack of splintering and shattering wood as he practically ricocheted off the wall directly into the demon, his entire body crackling with electricity. There was a second pained bellow that made his ears whistle as a second surge of pure thunder crashed into the demon- then there was a sharp crack and an odd gurgle as the demon collapsed. Angel reached out and smashed his boot down on the demon's neck and it shuddered, then laid completely still.

Skye picked himself up, his hair and skin still tingling with electricity, and proceeded to yank the Stormhammer out of the demon's side with a sickening squelching sound not unlike a plunger pulled from a toilet bowl. "What of the Nine Hells was that thing?"

Angel shook his head, his vampiric visage still in place, and wiped his slimy boot on the carpet. Skye realized the demon had been covered in a thin layer of foul-smelling mucus, and, consequently, now he too was splotched with the vile stuff. Thank Dachar I can't smell as well I should.

"A Gavarn demon" Angel said. "They absorb energy with their claws- mainly electric energy. What it was doing here I have no idea."

Skye frowned. Maybe Angel had no clue but he had. Air was his 'Dominant Sphere'- his natural element, the abilities granted by it including control over the weather, wind, sound and electricity. Apparently the demon had been attracted to him because of his natural control over thunder. Brilliant, just what I needed- Skye-seeking demons. Why me?!

It was then that he heard footsteps and Buffy's voice from- again- behind him.

"What was that noise? How-Eeeeeek!" She stared at the demon corpse and Angel still in his vampiric face in horror and before the vampire or Skye could react she had dashed off through the house, screaming all the way.

Skye cursed. "Please tell me there is no back door in this house."

The sound of a door slamming answered him.

He groaned. "I hate my life."

----

The door slammed open and Ethan looked up to see his old friend storm in, looking considerably miffed. "Why hello, Ripper! So nice to see you too! Enjoying my chaos for tonight?"

Giles glared at him. "I left that name behind long ago, Rayne. Cancel that spell- now."

Ethan grinned at him. "Oh come on, old chap, don't tell me you can't feel the chaos around you? Just like old times, isn't it?"

If looks could have killed there wouldn't have been anything left of Ethan except for a smoking crater. "Those 'old times' have passed. Tell me how to undo the spell."

Ethan's grin took on a darker shade. "Why?"

He never knew to expect the punch that broke his nose and hurled him a good ten feet backwards onto his rear.

"That's why!"

----

Spike passed a dark alley, admiring the havoc the mini-monsters were causing, when he heard a whimpering sound and spotted a familiar scent. He took a few steps backward and peered into the alley. "Well, well, who do we have here?"

The Slayer looked up at him with a frightened, tear-streaked face. "W-who are you? What do you want?"

Spike grinned. "Nevermind that.. You're coming with me now!"

In a single fast move he snatched the Slayer's wrists in an iron grip and pulled her against him. Her eyes widened.

"P-please! My father will pay you handsomely if you return me to him!"

Spike grinned even wider, allowing his vampire face to show. "Oh, but it's not always the gold the thief is after, Slayer.." he growled.

The Slayer screamed.

----

Angel was leading them in a considerably fast run, following Buffy's scent trail. Being undead, most mortals would've long since tired following him, but Skye was not like the most. "Are you sure this is the right way?!" He hollered at Angel.

"Would you like to try to scent her?!" Angel snapped at him, not even bothering to slow down.

Skye scoffed. Normally he could have smelled a single drop of blood from a hundred yards, but now..

A scream tore through the air and Angel nearly froze, Skye having to swerve and hop to avoid running straight into him. Skye could sense the individual sound waves bouncing off walls and other obstacles, locking onto their source with a frightening accuracy using his mastery over the Air element.

"This way!"

This time he had to slow down so that Angel could keep up with him.

----

His chest was on fire, his cheekbone felt broken and two of his fingers were sticking out at odd angles. From his position on the floor Ethan Rayne spat out a glob of blood and saliva and grinned. "There's the Ripper I know," he chuckled. A boot thudded into his left kidney and he hunched over it, retching. Giles leant over him.
"I'm tired of asking this: how kick do you kick stop the kick spell?" he ground out between clenched teeth. "Ethan..."
The tip of the boot came back again and Ethan realized that enough was enough.
"Enough! Smash the.. Smash the statue!"

----

Spike leaned in for the bite when he heard a shout. He looked up and saw the old poof and the Harris kid in a tacky leather costume running at him. "Harris?! Angelus? What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

Angel growled. The kid's eyes flared suddenly a shade of deep metal gold and Spike suddenly had a sinking feeling.

"My name is not Harris.. I am Skye of Deathwing Clan, mercenary and Sojourner! Release her at once, parasite, and I might decide to end your sorry existence in a swift manner!"

Spike snorted. "Lots of talk, but you've got no muscle to back it up, Harris. Back off, the chit's mine."

A deep rumbling sound filled the air and too late Spike realized something was very wrong about the kid. In an impossibly fast move Harris reached behind his shoulder and pulled something loose with a nasty clicking sound. Instinctively Spike tossed himself down onto the pavement and heard a nasty SMASH! from behind him. He looked back and saw a gigantic spiked mace protruding from the wall, still quivering from the force of the throw. A spider-web pattern of cracks ran through the bricks from the mace.

Spike grinned. "Good throw, Harris.. but you missed."

Harris suddenly grinned and held his right hand out. "Thrall!"

A crunching sound was heard as the mace suddenly vibrated in the wall, then wrenched itself out and flew through the air, spinning to Harris' outstretched hand. He grinned darkly and swapped it to his left hand. "Maybe so.. but I don't need this to destroy you, cthol'na." He held his right palm up and white and blue sparks jolted above his fingers, forming an orb of energy that spread a thick stench of ozone around it.

Spike's mouth ran dry. "Oh bollocks."

----

Giles took a good grip and raised the bloodstained statue high above his head before throwing it to the floor, shattering it to hundreds of tiny pieces. A thin wailing sound rose as the energy supporting the chaos spell ceased to exist with no font to channel it through.

----

Harris grinned and the thunderball zoomed towards Spike. Right before it hit him there was a 'pop' much like a falling lightbulb and the ball shattered into dozens of tiny sparks that stung but didn't hurt Spike. Spike growled at Harris, who made a sound very much like 'eep' and backed off.

"I'm gonna kill you, Harris.."

Something suddenly took his feet from under him. The slayer stood up and tore her wig off, revealing her blonde hair.

"Guess what, Spikey? Normal service has returned."

Spike scrambled up and ran for dear life.. dear death.. dear undeath.. You get the point.

----

The others were downstairs, trying to figure out how to repair the damage the chaos mage had caused, trying to wrap their heads around the fact that Giles- G-man, of all people!- had such a dark past, and, most importantly, how the Hell were they going to explain Mrs. Summers that she needed a new carpet and that there was a pair of deep bootprints five feet up her wall. Xander, however, had bigger problems to deal with.

He was sitting in the bathroom, staring at the mirror. He still hadn't taken off the leather costume and he still had his boots and bracers on. He reached a hand to the back of his head and tentatively yanked at the braided ponytail. The pain made his eyes water and he let go, rubbing his scalp. He sighed and looked his mirror image into the eyes..

Into the fierce golden eyes.

"This.. could be a problem."

He looked down and saw the spiked mace propped against the wall.. the now solid, fifteen-pound-hunk-of-solid-steel morningstar mace that still occasionally jolted with electricity.

"Oh boy."

----

Please read and review! I need to know if I should bother writing more of this!