Xander was only half –surprised when the Reset resulted in his shirt becoming a tight nuisance upon transition. 'A good thing I wore even this shirt a bit loose,' Xander thought. Standing up, he was glad he'd had the jacket off when he'd originally been sitting at the table or he'd really be constricted. He checked on Phil, and making sure he was fine, answered the phone and assured Joyce he'd pick up Dawn and look after her.
"I'm really thinking of staying in after we get the candy thing done tonight Dawn?" Xander asked, "Is there any costume you'd like to go as solo since I can watch out for you?"
"Well, I kinda feel grumpy with Buffy over the fight we had before the Reset thing," Dawn admitted, "She kept going on about how I had no right to dress up as her…blah…blah…blah. And Willow wasn't much better, though she didn't see anything wrong with the imaginary characters…she just asked why I didn't go as mom, or someone else. That just gave me ideas, but I'm so not going as the woman who gave birth to me. I mean, ewwww!"
"I understand that," Xander chuckled, pulling the car in front of Ethan's, "So how you wanna do this one?"
"I'm thinking, maybe Dorothy Hamill," Dawn admitted, "Buffy made a comment about my thighs being a little to small, so I thought I'd get even by going as her hero. And I won't admit it to Buffy, but I miss her shrine to ice-skating." They entered the store.
"Well, that gives me an idea, then," Xander smiled, "There's an athlete I always thought was kinda cool, and even as an old guy he managed to win a gold medal…And wearing next to nothing might just make Snyder choke."
"You're into sports, Xander?" Dawn asked, somehow surprised.
"No, but I and my new memories have always liked baseball and the idea of going to baseball games," Xander began to enthuse. "I never got to go to any games, but I have some really great memories of some of the greatest baseball ever. English Football and American football before the Age of Astroturf and giant pads, depending on team and years, and I'm embarrassed to say cricket isn't half bad as long as while you're watching it you have access to lots of refreshments, and have friends to carry on conversations with."
"Harris!" Snyder bellowed "Why aren't you wearing a costume!"
"I am," Xander replied, "Olympic medals, swim trunks? Mark Spitz?" Buffy looked blank, but Snyder begrudgingly walked off. He turned to Willow with eyes pleading for assistance. She pretended to ignore him so he removed the sheet and tried again.
"Greatest Olympic swimmer to date, Buffy, And Jewish-American," Willow remarked, blushing at her outfit under the ghost costume. Noticing Dawn, she asked as a way to turn Xander's appreciative attention away, "Ice skater, Dawn?" It was Buffy's turn to show off knowledge.
"Dorothy Hamill, Will," Buffy began, almost fawning over her sister's costume, "She was my hero when I was growing up. She was the slayer of skating. But, Dawn, why are you dressed up like her? I had the ice-crazies, not you." Dawn smiled, enjoying a side of her sister she hadn't seen in years.
"Well, I just thought it would make your day, Buffy," Dawn smiled fondly, 'Boy this extra experience thing really does help with perspective?' Buffy smiled with surprise. "And, I was telling Xander that I missed the old Buffy and her Dorothy shrine." Buffy surprised everyone, especially Dawn, by drawing her sister into a hug.
"Thanks, Dawn," Buffy replied softly, "I guess you're not always a pest."
"Hey!"
"Oh, Willow," Xander said, handing Willow an envelope, "If things get weird tonight, open the envelope, but not before, okay?" She gave him an odd look, "Trust me?"
Dorothy had watched the young man claiming to be Mark Spitz swim yet another lap with amazing grace and speed. Since…this weird experience or dream started, she'd had no idea what to do. Twenty minutes ago she'd left the building, and had been forced back to avoid a group of monsters chasing people away.
"Can I stop now?" the dark-haired youth asked her, "I think I've proven my point?" She sighed and nodded, the reflection from the water proving her own appearance to be much different as well. "Okay, now let's find out what we can about where we are. And maybe find me some clothes."
Quietly making their way through "Sunnydale High' buildings, they watched as a man and two girls came toward them, one of the girls in an antiquated dress. The other, a pretty enough red-head, called out to them, somewhat unsure.
"Hello, uh, Mark? Dorothy?" she said, waving to attract their attention. They two looked at each other and shrugged, stepping forward.
"Yeah, that's us," Mark responded, water still dripping from his body, "You'd be?"
"I'm Willow, and this is Giles," Willow introduced, ignoring the sulking blonde as they headed away from the school buildings and toward some cars, "And weird things are happening. We…received a note saying where you'd be, so we wanted to make sure you're safe before going to find the person responsible for this, uh, weirdness."
"A letter?" Dorothy asked, "And why us?"
"Well, maybe we'll find out when we find the guy?" Willow remarked as they continued to walk toward the parking lot, "Now, it looks like you're in the bodies of two friends of ours, so do you have any car keys on you?" Xander found a set of keys. "Okay, that's probably parked in the lot next to Giles car."
Around nine o'clock, the group left the ice rink, Buffy mostly undressed as the large skirt would have prevented her from skating. Dawn and Xander had both enjoyed the looks of shock when after the spell Dawn had turned to Xander, "Okay, I watched you swim, Xan. Can we go skating now?" and had nearly choked as he walked out with Ethan's cashbox.
The evening had progressed. Giles had been compelled to accompany out of curiosity regarding skill retention and the out of character behavior of the two children. Buffy had nearly turned them down when Xander offered to go fetch 'Dead Boy' and make him go along. The evening had gone well enough from that point on, the night had been enjoyed by everyone, and Xander ice-skating in damp swim trunks had meant a lot of joking at his expense. It made him feel good again, if only for a while.
Everything was going fine until the others overheard Dawn ask him, she thought softly enough, "Can we go dancing next repeat, Xander?" Buffy had turned around and had taken a step toward them.
"Next repeat?" Buffy asked carefully. She turned to the others and repeated Dawn's words as Xander became a bit edgy. "Spill?" Xander looked around and gestured the group toward the door.
"Dawn and I are caught in a time loop," Xander replied tiredly, "By night we become and then retain the memories and skills of the costume, and by day we've started researching ways out of it, including the ravings of a mad vampiress seer." They reached the cars and Xander looked up to see generally disbelieving looks. He held up a finger to indicate they should wait, reached into the front seat, put on the fedora he'd added at Ethan's 'I love that hat.'
"Well, Irish," he addressed Angel in a flat mid-western accent, "Are you gonna to tell 'Ripper' here about Drusilla, or just mope around and not practice the sax like you're supposed to." Both Angel and Giles stepped back with widening eyes. Xander smirked, and opened the door for Dawn, and offered her a hand, "Lady Croft, if you'd do me the honor of chauffeuring you home?" She smiled at her 'cousin' and winked.
"Giles, Angel?" Buffy asked the suddenly reticent men, "What's the what, here?" Both looked at her a moment.
"E-either Xander has extremely good intelligence sources…" Giles considered uncomfortably. Angel finished his thought.
"…or he's telling the truth about being in a time loop, in costumes of people who knew us before."
"And," Xander added, smirking at Dawn, "I'll be getting a suite, room service, and maybe a massage tonight, and worrying about this tomorrow. I'll think about a certain blabber-mouth when she's stuck at home with her mom, while I'm soaking in the Jacuzzi and eating brunch."
"Xa-a-a-a-nder," Dawn whined, "Come on, it was an accident, honest." She attempted the puppy dog eyes of doom to no available. He snickered as Buffy and Angel climbed into the car. Then she tried to make the best of it, "And since you're Mister Education, remember, though, I still want to go dancing next go-around. Think of it as…fine arts credit."
"Fine, but I'm still heading for the hotel after dropping you off," Xander agreed. "And you'll have to come up with a place we can safely dance without ridicule or demons bothering us."