* * Chapter 6 * *

Giles sipped his tea, glad for the break in routine. Halloween was traditionally a slow night in the demon community – something about being too commercialized, or something. He planned on spending the evening catching up on his non-Watcher duties, relishing the quiet. He knew that his Slayer was taking a well-deserved night off as well.

The library doors swinging open caught his attention. Dawn walked in, but there was something off. Her stride was smoother, nearly predatory. She looked more self-confident than normal. She also gazed about curiously, as if she'd never been in the library before. "Dawn? What are you doing here? I thought Buffy mentioned you were going trick-or-treating with Xander?"

She quirked a slight half-grin. "We've run into a bit of a problem and needed your advice."

He blinked at the perfect accent, but set it aside for the moment. "Alright," he rose from his seat. "Where is Xander? He's all right, isn't he?"

"More or less," came the cryptic rely. She pointed toward the low bookcases behind him.

Giles turned and nearly passed out in shock. There was a grin hanging in the air. Slowly, a form appeared around the grin, and soon Xander sat before him, swinging his feet. "Mr. Giles."

"What...? Who...? How...?"

"All very good questions. Xander felt this was the best, and quickest way to gain your attention and convince you. Someone has been playing a dangerous game. A good half of the costumed populous have been transformed into their Halloween costumes and are running amuck, or otherwise indulging in their persona's nature."

Giles frantically polished his glasses trying to come to terms with what he'd just seen and the explanation given. Dawn walked over and stood near Xander, leaning against his leg, the two staring at him with identical grins. He shuddered. "Which characters did Xander and Dawn go as, and how are you aware of what's happened?"

With a curtsy, Dawn answered first. "My name if Alice Liddell. Apparently I'm from the video game 'American McGee's Alice'."

Giles felt himself pale further. He'd heard of that game – it was a about a dark and twisted version of Wonderland, where Alice had to defeat creatures as dangerous as anything found on the Hellmouth. With no small amount of apprehension, he turned to Xander. "And you?"

"Cheshire Cat. At your service."

A moan escaped, 'A mad, cryptic, seer to rival Drusilla at her worst.'

He nearly passed out again when Cheshire Cat's grin widened as he responded, "Oh, no, I'm much cuter than she is."

"Cheshire Cat, behave. Dawn doesn't seem to like you picking on Mr. Giles like that."

Grateful for the reprieve, Giles turned to the girl. "S-so, you are able to communicate with Dawn? She knows what's going on?"

Alice shrugged. "She's aware, but all I get are feelings – no actual concrete dialogue. Cheshire Cat does, though."

"I take it that – that it was your unique abilities that allows you to do that?"

"You could say so," the felined teen grinned amiably at him, curling up more comfortably on the bookcase. "We're not quite sure how this occurred, but we promised Xander and Dawn we'd try to rectify the situation as quickly as possible while doing as little mischief as possible."

"That – that would be appreciated." Giles polished his glasses once more, thinking furiously. "S-so, you say only about half of those in costumes were actually affected? Has there been anything that struck you as a common denominator?"

"The spectrum was wide and varied. Monster and hero. Child, teen, and adult."

"Where did you get your costumes?"

"The clothing came from our own closets. But Alice's apron, toys and blade, as well as my ears, tails, whiskers and stripes came from the new costume shop on Elm."

Giles narrowed his eyes, "What was the name of it?"

"Ethan's."

Giles saw red. "Ethan," he growled deep in his throat. "It would be just like him to muck about like this."

"Familiar with him, are you?"

"You could say that. I knew Rayne when I was much younger." He stormed into his office, grabbing his sword, then returned to the main room. "You stay here. I'll take care of Ethan."

"I wouldn't go alone if I were you."

Giles glared a bit, "And why is that?"

Cheshire Cat pointed at the windows, "That."

Glass crashed and a swarm of demonic children entered the library, shrieking and snarling at the three occupants.

* * Chapter 7 * *

As two neared, Cheshire Cat sat up, grabbed them by their collars and bashed their heads together, dropping them to the floor. He prowled the top of the bookcase, kicking any creatures who got too close in the face with steel toed boots. He noted several scatter as Giles wielded one of the wood chairs.

Alice hopped onto a table throwing her cards, glad that only one was needed to stun and knock out the possessed children. She quickly cleared the area around her.

Finally, the last child was dropped. Silence flowed back into the library.

"Alice? Are you injured?"

"No, Cheshire Cat. I'm fine."

"Good. Mr. Giles?" No response. "Mr. Giles?" The two found Giles half under a table, a large lump on his head, out cold.

"Well, that's inconvenient." Alice checked the library for any other visitors. "We can't leave him here by himself and I have a feeling we don't have long enough to wait for him to wake."

"Correct." He glanced out one window, noticing the increased number of creatures out on the lawn. "I suppose we could mirror travel. Take him home, then see about tracking down the center of all this madness."

She glanced at him in curiosity. "You can do that?"

"You can as well, if you focus on it." He hoisted the unconscious Watcher in a fireman's hold and headed out of the library and towards the gym. "There's a large full length mirror in the gym. We can open a pathway as long as he has a full length mirror at his place." He paused, then grinned, "Which Xander says he's seen hanging in the washroom." They arrived after dodging a couple of children and ducking the attention of some overly enthusiastic 'heroes.'

The two stood before the mirror. "Hold my hand, close your eyes. Don't open them no matter what. Either clear your mind or focus on me and Mr. Giles, otherwise I can't guarantee you'll arrive in the same place as we will." Alice solemnly nodded and grabbed his hand. Cheshire Cat focused on Xander's memories of Mr. Giles' apartment. The mirror clouded over, then cleared to show a very neat and tidy bathroom.

They stepped through the mirror.

* * Chapter 8 * *

"Spike, the stars have been singing ever so loverly to me. Seems the chaos man let the costumes out to play. What was outside is now inside."

"Really, pet? And what about the Slayer?"

Drusilla stoked her doll's hair humming softly to herself. "Miss Edith says the nasty Slayer is watching the picture box and ignoring the world for the night."

"In that case, me and the lads are going for take out." Spike leaned over to kiss her cheek.

The vampiress seer clutched his arm as he went to move away and stared up at him with surprisingly lucid eyes. "My dark kitten and his morning girl are quite mad. I don't fancy your chances if you cross them."

He gently removed her hand. "No problems, pet. They can be as angry as they wish. I still aim to have me some fun tonight." He turned to a minion. "Oi! Gather up the lads. The Slayer's takin' the day off."

Drusilla stared after him and sighed softly. She looked at her doll, tilted her head as if listening, then nodded solemnly. "I agree, Miss Edith. Snicker snack."

* * Chapter 9 * *

Giles was placed comfortably in his bed, an ice pack on his head and a note beside his elbow in case he woke before anyone could return to him.

"More mirror travel?" Alice's tone was not very enthusiastic.

Cheshire Cat grinned, "No, my dear. Mirror travel is only when you can see or visualize your destination. Plus, there must be an unobstructed mirror at the other end. Ethan either removed or covered his once he started the spell. No, we're going to have to track down the source of the spell in a more mundane manner." He led her out of the house, making sure to lock the door behind them.

A mental nudge caught his attention, {We aren't the only ones traveling within the mirror world, Cheshire Cat. I'm pretty sure I saw something lurking as we stepped through.}

'You're correct, Xander. When we were awakened others came along for the ride. Rabbit was there. As well as some Card Soldiers. Though they didn't notice us.'

An apprehensive pause. {Jabberwock?}

'I hope not, but I'm not counting against it. Hopefully, they'll stay in Wonderland. If we don't do anymore mirror travel, we should be fine.'

{Knock on wood.}

Cheshire Cat nodded in agreement, then turned his attention to sensing the largest concentration of madness in the town, not including outside the Hellmouth itself. He was pleased to see that Alice was already pointing in the correct direction.

The pull was getting stronger. Cheshire Cat and Alice had rescued various people from their attackers – one pirate was beat down with a laugh of glee from Xander.

* * Chapter 10 * *

"Well, well, what have we here? The Slayer's sister and her lapdog. Must be my lucky day." Spike stepped out into the street light, a contingency of fifteen minions backing him.

"A lapdog? Feline, if you please, and I'd watch for my claws."

"Ha! No way you'd ever be more than a mild nuisance, whelp. Your drained and lifeless bodies on her doorstep would be just the thing to shatter the Slayer. Making it easy to finish the bint off in her grief."

Spike felt a shiver of fear race down his spine as the boy's eyes flashed a green gold and a deep growl emanated from his throat. The dark look in the nibblet's eyes also took him aback. Neither had ever looked so vicious. An idea hit him and he grinned, "Of course, turning you both would have merits as well. You know the Slayer's strengths and weaknesses. She'd never be able to bring herself to kill the ones she loves."

"We'd create our own Pack and would own this town by week's end," the boy stated coldly. "If that were to ever happen, it's too bad you won't be around to see it."

Dawn reached into her pocket and tossed a pair of dice onto the concrete.

The vampires were still laughing as the Demon Dice ripped them to shreds. The demonic creatures she'd unleashed returned to their containers as the last flake of dust drifted to the ground. Spike, having taken off the moment the dice began to glow, cursed steadily to himself as he ducked down an alley. "What the bloody Hell!?" He peeked around the corner to see Dawn calmly pick the dice up and replace them in her pocket, a grin on her face. She began humming to herself, swaying slightly as she scanned the street, reminding him of his princess. "Okay. Mad. I get it now, Dru. Mad. Bloody Hell."

"She also said she didn't fancy your chances if you crossed us. I would have listened, Spike."

Spike whirled about. His last sight: a wildly grinning Xander swinging a glowing blade. A sharp pain in his neck accompanied a near whispered 'snicker snack.' Dust.

Drusilla stared up at the stars, her doll clutched tightly to her chest. "My poor Spikey. Snicker snack. We warned him, Miss Edith. But he didn't listen. My dark kitten took care of him for good." She sighed, then danced through a beam of moonlight singing softly to herself. Slowing, she looked back out the window. "Well, Miss Edith, should we find someplace else to live? Things aren't going to be the same without our Spike." She sighed again.

Cheshire Cat stared down at the pile of ash that used to be one fourth of the Scourge of Europe – face blank – as Xander processed what had just occurred. To the feline's surprise, Xander merely sighed, {We should get going. I'd hate to know how many people are going to be permanently affected by this spell.}

'Alright.' He called to Alice and they continued down the street. Cheshire Cat returned the vorpal blade with a grin of thanks. "Wonderful weapon, that."

She nodded back, grinning. "I've been quite pleased with it, myself."

'Xander, can we talk?'

A sigh. {About?}

'That surge that occurred when Spike threatened to kill the Slayer. What exactly was that? It was pure instinct. It gave me a boost, with the mental flavor of an Alpha, but felt like it wanted to support us rather than take over.'

Another sigh. {Hyena. I was possessed by a Hyena spirit last year. She was never completely banished. At the time, Hyena wanted a strong mate and Buffy's the Slayer – the strongest around – we tried to claim her.} A shrug. {Now... Well, she's a packmate and both the Hyena and myself are extremely protective of our friends. We don't take kindly to threats to them. This is the closest she's come to coming completely out since the original possession.}

'How well does she interact with your others?'

Silence, a bit of panic. {How...? How'd you know?}

'Xander, there is a reason we are able to communicate as well as we do. I've a fractured psyche as well. It's what enables me to mirror walk as well as my other abilities. Alice is only slightly mad – which is why she can sense Dawn's emotions. The other transformed probably have no idea they are merely costume personas.'

More silence.

'Part of why I'm asking is that there is a good chance that I, or part of me, may remain behind.'

A third sigh. {Hyena originally fought constantly with me – the dominant personality – two Alphas, you know. But we came to an arrangement. I let her out when we're patrolling. It's one of the reasons I haven't been killed, or even hospitalized after some vicious fights. She also makes sure that some of my less ... accommodating ... fragments don't cause problems at inopportune moments and she protects the cub.}

'If I stay – I'll do what I can to help as well.'

{ ... Thank you.}

* * Chapter 11 * *

It took another half an hour before the two made it to Ethan's Costume Shop, pausing periodically to take care of problems as they encountered them. The air practically vibrated with chaos energy – their hair and fur gently moving in the waves emanating from the store. Peering through the window they could see a dim glow that lit the back end of the store, the silhouette of a kneeling figure clearly spotted. Cheshire Cat nudged Alice and pointed toward the right. A blanket over one of the full length mirrors had shifted and a portion was visible. "Think you could do a bit of mirror travel?"

She glanced about the room, memorizing it for a lock. "Yes. And I spotted a mirrored window a few shops back."

"Good. I'll meet you inside then. But be careful, Alice. We're not the only ones who were brought across from Wonderland. I noticed during the last trip. Try not to get spotted."

She kissed his cheek, grinning, "For luck," and dashed off.

* * Chapter 12 * *

Ethan knelt by the statue of Janus, chuckling to himself. His scrying dish gave him such wonderful views of the Chaos he had created. He'd been careful to sell an equal amount of hero costumes to balance out the villains he sold – it wasn't his fault that those who bought accessories used them for villain costumes, was it? A soft humming from the front of the store caught his attention. He rose stiffly to his feet – he wasn't as young as he used to be. Grabbing a baseball bat, he cautiously made his way toward the front of the store. The tune seemed familiar; he couldn't place it, but felt it meant something.

He froze in shock; a large grin floated in the air above the checkout counter. Ethan had seen many strange sights in his years of being a Chaos Mage – but he'd never seen anything like this. The form of a teen appeared, perched on the edge of the counter.

"Now I enjoy a bit of madness as much as the next bloke," the boy purred. "But really, Mr. Rayne, don't you think you've gone a bit too far?"

Shocked a moment, Ethan blinked at the teen. "How..?" he shook his head. "Chaos, my dear boy. You can never have enough of it."

"You really need to stop the spell, Mr. Rayne."

The voice in upper British tones coming from behind him had him whirling. The sight of a young girl dressed in a blue Victorian-style frock stepping out of the mirror, the blanket in a heap on the floor – shocked him speechless a moment. Once in the shop, she stood off to the right of the mirror, her hands behind her back as she rocked gently back and forth on her heels. She stared up with brilliant green eyes that bored holes into his soul and found him wanting.

"I wasn't planning on stopping the spell until dawn arrived. I'm having entirely too much fun."

"What happens when Dawn arrives?" the boy asked, flashing an impressive set of fangs in a knowing grin.

Ethan shrugged, it wasn't as if these two transformed children could stop his spell. "Only at that time can the bust be broken, the spell won't stop until then."

The mirror began to cloud over behind the girl and something lurched within the depths heading toward them. The girl tilted her head to keep both Ethan and the mirror in her sight.

The teen hopped off the counter with feline grace. "So, you're positive that the bust can only be broken when Dawn arrives?"

"Yes," his gaze shifted to the mirror of their own accord. A snarl echoed from the mirror as the figure moved closer to the surface. Ethan's gaze shifted to the mirror. Burning red eyes glared hatefully out of them, sibilant mad-tinged whispers flowed from a gaping maw that sported teeth that were a hand length long. "Um... what's that?"

"Jabberwock. You see when you activated the spell, you didn't take into consideration any side effects. We are connected to another world via mirrors. That world is now aware of this world." He pointed to the mirror. "They're coming through and would rival anything you already have here."

Ethan stared blankly at the mirror. 'Jabberwock? Where have I heard the word before?' He nearly missed the dark haired teen slipping around him and toward his small altar for Janus. "What are you doing?" Ethan shouted over his shoulder, panicked, unable to take his eyes off the mirror in which the creature was slowly gaining startling clarity. A clawed hand pushed it's way through the mirror. 'The jaws that bite, the claws that catch. Oh, shite! It's real?' He took a step backward, "There's no way to stop the spell until dawn. We – we need to get out of here!"

"Better hurry, Cheshire Cat. It's almost through."

Cheshire Cat raised the bust over his head. "May I introduce you to Miss Alice Liddell, otherwise known as Dawn Summers."

Ethan, pushed past the bounds of sanity, swung his bat at Alice, too frightened to think, giving an inarticulate shout of denial. Alice's hands moved from behind her back in an impossibly fast move, the hidden vorpal blade glowing eerily as Cheshire Cat threw the bust to the ground, shattering it into a million pieces.

A wave of energy washed over them. Screams – Howls of Pain – Darkness.

* * Chapter 13 * *

Xander slowly rolled over onto his side and levered himself into a sitting position. He ached in places he didn't know he had. Ignoring his own discomfort, he searched the room for Dawn. She lay unconscious near the mirror, the bloodstained blade clasped in her hand. He crawled over to her, relieved to see no injuries. Paranoid, he shifted her away from the mirror and the mess on the floor. As his hand came into contact with the plastic blade it began to glow, once again gaining a wicked sharp edge. "Oh, man," he whispered. Putting both blade and reaction aside, he set about making Dawn comfortable, using leftover costumes as a pillow and blanket to ward off the chill.

Turning, he stared at Ethan Rayne a long moment, expression inscrutable before a dark grin with no hint of humor crossed his face. Tossing the store, he located a first aid kit. The vorpal blade had taken the Mage's hand off at the wrist. Luckily, the sheer speed and sharpness of the blade had cauterized the wound – otherwise the man may very well have bled to death before Xander had awoken. Of course, had he managed to harm or cause harm to Dawn, Xander would have gleefully left him for dead. Instead, he cleaned and bandaged the stump, covering Ethan with a Dracula cape to ward off shock, getting a few pained moans for his trouble. He also pocketed the contents of the register – shredding any and all checks and credit card receipts. Payback.

Below the mirror, in a pool of metallic red blood, lay the clawed hand of the Jabberwock.

"Can't leave that here. No telling what Ethan could do with it. Definitely don't want to take it with me. What to do, what to do?" A wide grin crossed his face and he nodded to himself. With thumb and forefinger, he gingerly picked the grisly claw up. After staring into the mirror for a moment, he tossed the claw – the image rippling as the hand passed through. Xander mopped the blood up with paper towels found in the back, getting rid of the soiled sheets the same way.

Studying Ethan another moment, Xander turned his back on him and gathered Dawn up, pocketing the blade. "C'mon, sleepy head. It's been a long evening. Time to get you home before your sister kills me."

Dawn yawned, snuggling up against his chest. "Weird dream."

"Oh, yeah? What about?" he stepped out of the shop and headed down the street.

"I dreamed I was really Alice and you were really Cheshire Cat."

Xander nodded, the ghost of a grin on his lips. "Sounds like an interesting dream. Did you have fun?"

She murmured assent. "'Scool. We saved people and got rid of monsters. Just like Buffy does." She looked up at him, one hand caressing his cheek. "You were scary, but in a good way."

"Scary, but in a good way?"

"Yeah. Like, I knew, no matter what happened, you'd do everything and anything to protect me."

"Yup. Anything for my Dawnster."

She smiled, resting her head against his shoulder. "We heading home?"

"Yup. It's getting late. There's a movie and a tray of cookies waiting with our name on it."

She giggled. "Nightmare Before Christmas?"

"Sounds like a plan."

She frowned, glancing about. "We kinda went off the beaten path a bit."

"We showed Ethan our costumes like he'd asked."

"We did?" she frowned again, confusion in her eyes.

"Yup. He was shocked speechless," a grin grew on Xander's face.

"Oh. Why don't I remember?"

"You weren't all there. Kinda out of it. Too much candy, I guess. So I cut the visit short." He looked down at her. "Think you're okay to walk?"

She pouted a bit, but nodded. "Yeah. I can walk."

He swung her to the ground, holding her steady until she had her balance. He laced his fingers with hers, getting a brilliant smile.

Xander grinned in response.