Willow abruptly appeared thru a wall in the library, startling Giles, who had been enjoying a quiet evening, secure in the knowledge that Halloween was a quiet night. Boy, was he ever wrong.
"Giles! We have a major emergency! Something's happened and Xander and Cordelia think they're married!"
Giles starred at her for a moment and then said. "Willow, please start at the beginning."
"Okay, we were doing kiddie escort duty. Then two of the kids I was escorting attacked an old woman, then they turned on each other. I couldn't breath and then I was a ghost."
"A ghost of what?" Giles asked, eyeing her outfit. She immediately put her arms over her midriff.
"Giles! Pay attention. I saw Xander and I ran over to him. At first I thought he'd turned into his costume, like I had. He dressed as a soldier from a tv show. His name tag said Colonel Mitchell, but he said his name is Alexander and he is the Captain of the Congeria. He only recognized one piece of equipment that he was carrying, he also had an energy pistol and it works, seriously works, Giles, he shot a stop sign with it to make sure it works. Then he agreed to help me find Buffy. Buffy dressed as a noblewoman and fainted when we found her. Xander carried her and we went to her house, which was close by. Then there was the sound of another energy pistol and he went to check on what was happening. He brought Cordelia in, she was the one with the other energy pistol. Her name tag said Colonel Carter, but she said her name is Corda, first officer of the Congeria and Xander said she's his wife. And then Angel came in and Xander scanned him and called him a blood daemona and Cordelia shot him with the energy pistol and he dusted. I tried to explain that he had a soul and they said if someone was stupid enough to restore a human consciousness to a body animated by a blood daemona then they should pray the gods are in a good mood when they get to the after life and just give them oblivion or they'd be tortured for such a crime and how the blood daemona feeds on negative psychic energy as well as blood."
"Interesting, they understand what vampires are even in their altered state and have their own terms for them. Apparently they became something other then their costumes. Was there anything the costumes had in common?"
"Well yeah, they were both from the same tv show, a male and a female soldier. They had the same equipment. Xander was using a scanner that he'd told me the clerk at the store told him was an actual prop from the show, everything else was just a costume based on the show. Cordelia had one too, I saw it on her belt."
"Interesting, the prop may be why they became something other then the costume. They must have gotten the costumes from the same place. Where did they get them from?"
"A place called Ethan's, downtown."
'He wouldn't.' Giles thought, then swore. 'Yes, he would!'
"Willow, I'm going to go to that shop and see if there are answers there. Go back and let the others know, I'm checking into it."
"Okay. Giles, is bickering a form of flirting?"
"It can be, yes, if both parties enjoy it. Xander and Cordelia certainly enjoy bickering, although I'm not certain they realize they enjoy it. But they are young, they'll figure it out eventually." Which didn't improve Willow's mood any. She did what Giles had asked and returned to Buffy's.
"Giles is investigating. He thinks he knows who's responsible and is going to their place now. Hopefully this will all be over soon." She said once she got back to Buffy's.
"Oh bless the Saints!" Buffy as Elizabeth said. "The sooner I return to my father's estate, the better. I really do not like it here."
"I can't blame you for that. This place is very different from what you describe your home as. It is quite different from ours as well. I too, wish to be back home. Hopefully with Alexander's injuries fully healed."
"Yes, that's the second time I've nearly lost an arm in this war."
"You're at war?" Willow asked.
"Yes, against the Wraith, for nearly a century and we are losing unfortunately. Our leaders never fully committed to the war and it has cost us dearly." Corda said.
"Polititans, apparently they don't evolve." Alexander said dryly. Suddenly another wave of energy washed over them and Willow disappeared. Buffy reached up and pulled off the wig from her head. "Gods, Lady Useless. Are you two alright?" She turned to look at Xander and Cordelia, but was startled to find, they were both unconscious on the floor. What was wrong?