The big night seemed to take its sweet time arriving, and when it finally did Buffy found herself disappointed to find that the light hearted happiness that usually accompanied the holiday was apparently not standard issue. Normally she could relax on Halloween, knowing that the demon world would be still and quiet, but this year she was feeling tense and paranoid, constantly looking over her shoulder. The air was heavy, as if there were magic hanging around, and not the fun, white kind either.

To her great annoyance and that of her friends, their snake of a principal, Snyder, had caught and volunteered all three of them to guide groups of little kids around trick-or-treating for the night. Buffy had hoped to do some candy collecting herself before heading to the Bronze for some grown-up fun. They were having their annual Halloween Bash, and if the rumors at school were anything to judge by, it was the party of the year and not to be missed. As she surveyed herself in the mirror above her vanity, Buffy shrugged. The kids had to be home early; there would be plenty of time to hit the Bronze afterward.

Picking up her mother's pinking shears, she sliced open the plastic packaging on her vampire's mask. Once it was opened, she set the scissors aside and began to pull the pieces out. She hadn't exactly read the instructions or the contents when she had made the purchase. She was far to squicked to be actually handing over money for the thing, and the look she'd received from the older, gray haired man who ran the shop didn't help at all. Consequently, she was surprised at just how much stuff had come with the costume and how much work it would take to actually put it on.

Sighing, Buffy began the process, getting it done before she could talk herself out of it. She began with the fangs. It turned out it wasn't too hard; there was a glue-like cement to mix up and spread inside the teeth, then she held them inside her mouth for three minutes to let it harden. When it was dry, she had her very own set of fangs that clicked on snugly, and with which she could talk, smile, and even eat easily. Plus, no drooling like with those cheap folding plastic teeth!

Next came the mask. Pulling her hair back from her face, she smoothed petroleum jelly over her eyebrows. It felt pretty gross, but it would keep the glue from pulling them out when she took the mask off again. Turning the appliance around in her hands, she brushed a little glue around the edges, lined it up straight and smoothed it on. Then she used her concealer to change the color to that of her own skin tone. To Buffy's surprise, a pair of golden contact lenses had been included in the pack, and she carefully stuck them into her eyes, blinking away the tears. With all of the different pieces set, she finally pulled back and allowed herself to look at the whole.

Her heart shuddered in her chest.

The face staring at her in the mirror was hers, but it wasn't. It was like… staring into the face of her other half, her opposite, her nightmare self. Deep down Buffy had always feared becoming a vampire, falling prey and being turned. But at the same time something inside her hummed when she was Slaying, made her feel connected to the vampires in a way that suggested her powers were far too related to theirs for comfort. And now, to see vampire Buffy staring back at her… it was unsettling to say the least.

The doorbell sounded, dragging Buffy from her thoughts. With one last look in the mirror, she headed down the stairs to let Willow in.

"Woah!" her friend greeted her, taking a step back. "Serious Wiggins!"

"I know right?" Buffy replied. "It's crazy weird. You wanna come in and get dressed? I won't bite, I promise." Buffy snapped her teeth at her friend.

Willow giggled nervously at Buffy's joke, but accepted her invitation and came inside. Reaching out a hand she tapped at Buffy's fangs with a fingertip. "So weird," she agreed. "Are they comfy? You don't have a lisp or anything!"

"Yeah, they're pretty high tech," Buffy smiled, reaching up to take the teeth out and show Willow. The two girls started to climb the stairs, chatting about possible routes they would take their kids on to maximize candy collectage. At the top, they paused in front of the bathroom door, Willow's nerves painfully obvious.

"Why don't you go ahead and get dressed?" Buffy asked, trying to soothe her by being casual and nonchalant. "I need to change clothes too. When you're done we can do our make-up together."

Leaving Willow to the bathroom, she went to her room and crawled into the back of the closet in search of the perfect outfit. Vampires weren't the most fashionable bunch, what with the frequent re-wearing of a single outfit and the blood-and-mud stains that were standard issue, but Buffy had no intention of dressing down for the night. She didn't want to go all-out gothic either; that was way too stereotypical… and yet so unrealistic. Sorting through her hangers one by one, she considered.

What would Angel like? She wondered.

Something a little bit slutty she decided. She had a pair of black leather pants somewhere that made her butt look great. There! And she also had a… Snatching a hanger, she pulled down a halter top made of silk in bright red that tied behind her neck. Climbing back out of her closet, she dressed carefully so as not to hurt the appliance on her forehead. Grabbing a pair of low-heeled black boots with silver studs on the straps, she tugged them on before going to the mirror.

Well.

She looked… hot.

Now Buffy knew that she was a good looking girl. Boxed blonde or not, she could turn a few heads when she tried. But this. This was different. The contacts, the bulging forehead, the cruel curve that the fangs gave her lips, they all leant a sort of magic to her look, the dangerous allure of a Big Bad. A little makeup and an empty pillowcase and she'd be ready to go.

"Umm, Buffy?"

Turning away from the mirror, Buffy gasped at the sight of her friend.

"Willow! You look…"

"Yeah," she frowned. "You're right. It's not…"

"You're a dish!" Buffy declared. "Oh my God! Who knew that under those pigtails and knitted sweaters was a beautiful hooker?"

Silence reigned for a full minute as both girls soaked in Buffy's words. Then they both burst out laughing. Wiping away tears, Buffy looked her friend over carefully. She was dressed in a low cut, rust-colored shirt that was cropped high, showing off her midriff, and a leather skirt over fishnet tights. A pair of knee high boots and a black choker necklace completed the look. Ushering her over to the mirror, Buffy began to play with her hair, pulling it up in the back and leaving it loose around her face.

"Here," Willow said, handing something small and silver to Buffy over her shoulder. "I was going to wear it, but I'm not sure it really goes with the rest."

It was a small silver hoop, a fake nose ring. Why not? Buffy had always wanted to get something pierced, but her mother would've killed her. Sliding it onto the left side of her nose, she switched places with Willow and brushed her hair out stick-straight, It gave her a more severe look, her bangs swept to the side to show off her bumpies. Going heavy on the makeup, she gave herself a dark, smoky eye to complement the golden contacts, with thick layers of mascara and black eyeliner. Bright red lipstick finished it off.

"You should paint your nails red," Willow commented, busy finishing up her own in a dark maroon shade that matched her top. Buffy smiled and held her hands out to her friend, who happily set about fixing her nails.

"So," Buffy began, eyeing Willow out the side of her head. "Do you think Angel…"

"He'll love it Buffy," Willow smiled. "I mean, there's something… alluring about it. If I went for girls, I'd be all over you! Must be the vampire thing. Master seducers aren't they?"

Buffy giggled, trying to keep her hands still. "Well, thanks," she said. "You're pretty hot yourself! But I'm definitely on the 'yay men!' team."

Capping the bottle of polish, Willow got up from her spot on the bed and went to stand in front of the mirror. "I don't know," she frowned. "I mean, is this trying to hard?" She turned in a circle. "Xander…"

"Xander will love it," Buffy said, placing reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Xander…"

Downstairs, the doorbell rang. "Is here," she finished.

"Oh, go ahead," Willow waved her out of the room. "I've gotta grab my stuff."

Trotting down the stairs, Buffy paused in the entryway to make sure her fangs were straight, then jerked the door open.

"Grrrrrr!"

"Holy teeth!" Xander yelped, leaping backwards and almost toppling off the porch steps. Dropping his plastic gun, he scrabbled in his cargo pockets, coming up with a stake.

"Woah, Xander, chill!" Buffy placated, hands up in surrender. Snapping out the fangs, she held them out in explanation. "It's just my costume!"

The boys eyes widened comically, his face pale from his fright. Climbing to his feet, he reached out a shaking hand, but unlike Willow, he didn't touch the fake fangs. "Dang Buff," he said, his voice as shaky as his hands. "That's…"

"Wiggy right?" Buffy laughed. "None of us are sure how we feel about it."

Stepping back, Xander let his eyes roam, clearly taking in the rest of her outfit. "No, no you look great," he reassured. "You just… startled me is all."

"Uh huh."

"Hey Xander!"

Buffy turned around so she could get the full effect of Xander's first impression of hooker Willow, but felt her heart sink in disappointment. A ghost had greeted them at the door.

"Uh, hey Wills." Xander replied. "You're looking real… spooky tonight."

Stepping back inside her doorway, Buffy leaned in close to the ghost's ear. "Willow you promised," she hissed. "We had a deal! You said you'd wear the costume I picked!"

"I never said I wouldn't wear the one I picked on top," Willow mumbled sullenly.

"Fine." Grabbing her empty pillowcase from the table in the foyer, she turned to her friends with a smile. "Let's go get some candy!"