As she ran, Willow realized that her plan was a bit backwards – she would no doubt find Giles already at the library atop the Hellmouth. Because really, did the guy have a life outside of those books? It would save her a bit of a run; she'd still have to go out and grab Xander from in front of the Bronze, but at least she wouldn't have to go all the way to the other side of town to the Watcher's apartment. Regardless of cutting her route short, she was still out of breath when she reached Sunnydale High. Stupid fake ghost rules.

Not bothering to slow down to use the doors – it wasn't like she could open them anyways – she went right through the walls, feeling like she was being slurped through a straw. Sliding into the library with a small wooshing sound, she couldn't help but grin when the greying librarian yelped and tossed a handful of cards into the air at her sudden appearance.

"Willow!" he cried shakily. "What… how…"

"Giles," she interrupted, "We have a serious problem."

"But… what… how… you just…" he pointed dumbly at the wall she'd entered through.

"Giles!" Willow cried, snapping her fingers under his nose. "Focus!"

"Yes, yes you're quite right. Now, please do explain exactly what is going on here."

"Well you said that all the baddies stayed in on Halloween," Willow replied in an accusatory tone. "So we took the night off. All we were doing was going around getting some candy. But then there was this weird wind, and a crackle, and then there was screaming, and all of a sudden, everyone was turned into their costumes!"

"Wait, so… let's review," Giles said slowly, pulling off his glasses and polishing the m on his shirttails. "Everybody became what they were masquerading as?"

"Yes! There are little kid monsters running around, and Xander's a soldier, and I'm a ghost."

"Erm, the ghost of what, exactly?"

Willow gave Giles her best hairy eyeball.

"Yes, well… Um, you didn't mention what Buffy has dressed as."

"Yeah, about that…" Willow said, picking at her fingernails. "She's… sortofavampire."

"What?!"

"She's a vampire?"

"Dear lord," Giles whispered, falling heavily into a chair. "Buffy…"

"But don't worry!" Willow hurried on, waving her hands. "She's with Angel, he's making sure she's not hurting anyone. And he says she still has her soul, even though she has a demon too. It's really weird Giles. It's like, part of the time she's normal Buffy, but sometimes she's… well…"

"Yes, I can imagine," Giles muttered quietly, a look of sheer fear on his face. "Well, as you've said, it is imperative that we discover the cause of this immediately. There's no telling what side effects this may have on Buffy, and the longer she stays the way she is, the more chances that…"

"Yeah."

"So you say that everyone turned into their costumes at the same time?"

"Well, no," Willow said slowly, thinking back. "Not everyone. Cordelia was a cat…"

"Dear lord, you mean she actually became a feline?"

"No. She was the same old Cordelia, just in a cat costume. Wait a minute." Willow held up a finger, some detail pricking at the back of her brain. "Party Town. She got her costume at Party Town. We all got ours from a new place. Ethan's."

Giles's face went white. "E, Ethan's?"

"Come on Buffy!" Angel grumbled, hauling the writhing, growling girl behind him. "Would you just walk!"

Buffy turned on him and growled, her eyes shining gold in the night, and Angel felt him demon rise in him, urging him to snarl right back. He felt a terrifying compulsion burning in his chest, the desire to take this wild, aggressive thing in his arms and crush her to him in a fanged and bloody kiss. She was terrifyingly beautiful. But it wouldn't be right. She wasn't herself, and he shouldn't take advantage of her that way.

They were almost to his apartment now, and had he not been so preoccupied with Buffy, he might have noticed the strange electricity around them. This was a true All Hallows Eve; magic hung heavy in the air, black and ravenous things skulked in the shadows, and the forces that normally stayed hidden beneath the earth came to the surface, intent on doing dark damage. They sent little tingles zipping over Buffy's skin, making it hard for her soul to keep control. With sharp teeth, she fought against the older, stronger vampire who dragged her across town, even though something in her knew that it was pointless.

Eventually he threw her bodily into a small apartment with a few heavily-shuttered windows, stepping in and locking the thick door behind him. Her mind screamed trap, and she immediately ran to the walls, scrabbling for an escape. Angel watched silently from the doorway as she clawed at the windows, finding them steadfast. Whipping around, her eyes flashed and she snarled viciously, blonde hair flying. Taking two long strides forward, she leapt at Angel with fangs bared.

She went for his throat. Catching her by the shoulders, he let her momentum carry them both over, flipping them in a backwards somersault. Landing on top of her, he wasn't prepared for her to flip them again, throwing a barrage of punches into his ribs and jaw. Roaring in hot fury, Angel bucked violently and threw her off. Flying across the room, she crashed into a bookcase, smashing it on impact. It didn't keep her down for long; she jumped right back into the fight.

It was hard and brutal and dirty. Older than she, Angel had experience and vampiric strength on his side, while Buffy kept the instincts and drive for weakness that her Slayer lineage afforded her. They were evenly matched. Punching, kicking, twisting, biting. Sinking her fangs deep into Angel's forearm just below his elbow, where the thick pads of muscle sat, Buffy shook her head savagely, tearing his skin and spraying blood until it ran hot and red down her chin. Howling with pain and rage, Angel's demon snapped its chains and lashed out, hurling Buffy against the wall and wrapping a fist around her throat. He held her there, six inches off the floor as she fought and gasped for the air that her body still needed, his fury pounding through him the way a heartbeat might, until suddenly she turned frightened hazel eyes on him and her face melted back into her human visage.

"Angel?" she choked.

He dropped her instantly, collecting her into his arms as she collapsed against him, sobbing for air. "Oh God, Buffy!" he moaned. "Are you ok? Are you… are you you?"

"Angel?" she gasped, tears in her eyes. "Angel?"

Clutching her close to his chest, he rocked her softly back and forth, murmuring into her hair. "It's ok Buffy, shhhh, it's ok."

"Oh God Angel, what's happening to me?" she whimpered, pulling back to look at him with wide and fearful eyes.

"It's a spell Buffy," he urged insistently. "It's just a spell. You're still you!"

Suddenly Buffy shook hard in his arms, her eyes flickering between gold and hazel, her fangs emerging and retracting from her gums as she fought for control, to keep the darkness inside her at bay.

"Fight this Buffy!" Angel growled, gripping her upper arms tightly and giving her a shake. "Fight! You can do this. You're still you!"

"Distract me!" Buffy demanded suddenly on a desperate whisper, staring him directly in the eye. Grabbing his face in both her hands, she crushed her lips to his in a searing kiss. For a moment he was lost in it, in the warm softness of her mouth on his. The fight had aroused the demon in him, and the man had always been attracted to the golden innocence that was the young Slayer. Fighting miserably against his own impulses, Angel pushed her back.

"Mmfff! B… Buffy! Buffy stop!" he said half-heartedly. "Buffy this isn't you!"

"Yes it is!" she declared, her eyes still flickering as she fought herself for control. "Angel please. I love you! I love you Angel! Please, don't let me go back there. Don't let me hurt anyone."

Launching herself into his arms, she began to kiss him frantically, crawling into his lap and getting as close as she could, her hands everywhere at once. Angel moaned as she nipped at his neck, standing swiftly and lifting her into his arms. He knew this was wrong, that it shouldn't be happening like this, but she had said she loved him. And he loved her. He had to keep her safe, had to keep her from hurting anyone, and if this was the only way to do it, he would play the martyr and fall on the proverbial sword. Carrying her to the side of the bed, Angel's demon purred.

Out on the streets, another vampire silently tracked his prey.