Not a thug… but a Hood!

Xander winced at the outfit Cordelia pointed out but nodded. "You won, I'll wear it."

Ethan forced himself not to laugh, as the brunette set a bundle of red cloth and a picnic basket on the counter.

"We'll hide it at my house until it's time," Willow told him.

"Why-" Cordelia began then stopped. "Oh yeah, the whole covered head thing. This isn't going to be a big deal, like when Harmony tried to trick Rosenburg into eating bacon, is it?"

"No, it's my parent's deal, not mine," Xander said.

"Covered head thing?" Buffy asked.

"He's not allowed to cover his head, ever," Willow explained.

"I thought the whole point of religious views was to make people wear hats," Buffy said. When everyone turned to look at her she shrugged. "OK, and scarves and coasters."

"Yarmulke," Willow said dryly.

Buffy shrugged. "All I know is religion has a lot of head coverings."

"It's not religious," Xander said. "One of the few things my parents agree on is that only thugs cover their heads."

"They won't even use umbrellas," Willow added.

"It's just water boy, you won't melt," Xander quoted.

"Just another reason you're a freak," Cordelia said cheerfully.

Ethan bagged the outfit and gave Cordelia change. "And your outfit?"

"As if," Cordelia snorted. "I reserved my outfit at a reputable place." The bell over the door rang as she sauntered out.

Xander turned to Ethan. "Sorry you had to see that, but she's in season and her breed, rather than piss on everything, just pisses off everyone."

"Xander!" the girls chorused, while Ethan burst out laughing.

"That's a good one," Ethan said wiping tears of laughter out of his eyes. "Look around for some accessories and see if you can man it up a little, just to spoil her fun. It's on me."

"Thanks man," Xander said going to look through the odds and ends section, in a faint hope of finding something that would reduce the humiliation of dressing as Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween.

"And what can I help you ladies with?" Ethan said.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Joyce opened the door and stared in surprise.

"That bad?" Xander asked.

"Not bad, so much as surprising," Joyce said. "You look like a pirate version of Little Red Riding Hood, which is something I never expected to see."

Xander grinned. "White poufy shirt and fencing sword makes all the difference."

"Also the weapons sticking out of the basket," Joyce agreed.

"I lost a bet and have to wear the red cloak and carry the picnic basket," Xander explained. "I tried to man it up a bit."

"Well you succeeded," Joyce told him waving him in. "The girls should be down any minute now. Would you like something to drink?"

"None for me, I'm driving," Xander instinctively replied.

"Good answer," Joyce said. "However you walked here and I'm offering soda."

"In that case, I'll take a coke."

He was halfway through his coke before Buffy made her appearance at the head of the stairs. "Ahem."

Xander looked up. "Lady Buff of Buffington, I completely, well thirty seventy, renounce spandex. You look like a Disney princess."

Buffy came down the stairs in her princess gown. "That was about what I was shooting for. Why are you dressed like Angel?"

Xander just stared at her, like she'd just told him the cat had eaten the toaster and he was wondering what drugs she had taken.

Before Buffy could ask Willow came down the stairs dressed in a white sheet with the word BOO printed across the front. "Are we ready? That looks better than I thought it would," she told Xander.

"Really?" Xander asked. "Cause Buffy just asked why I was dressed like Angel."

"You aren't dressed remotely like Angel," Willow said confused.

"Sure he is, he's wearing…black pants?" Buffy offered suddenly unsure.

"Yeah, lots of people wear pants, even black ones," Xander said.

Buffy frowned. "Dressed like that you… remind me of Angel. I have no idea why," she admitted.

"Better than reminding you of Elvira, I guess," Xander said deciding to take it positively.

"Seriously male," Buffy agreed.

"And on that note, we're off," Willow said sticking an arm out from under the sheet to grab Xander's free hand.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

"Are you sure we shouldn't at least make a play for the Slayer while she's weakened?" Spike asked Dru.

Dru clutched him tightly. "One of them walks the street tonight, staining the ground beneath him red!"

"Sounds like my kind of guy!"

Dru whimpered, "He grits his path with ashes as he hunts for the wolf!"

"And then again, a night in sounds just like what the doctor ordered."

Typing by: The Last Primarch!