He rushed her toward the house. He practically threw her inside, slamming the door behind them.

"Cordelia!" Willow exclaimed.

Cordelia looked supremely irritated. "What's going on?"

"Okay," Willow hurried to explain, "your name is Cordelia, you're not a cat, you're in high school, we're your friends-well, sort of."

"That's nice, Willow," Cordelia cut her off. "And you went mentalwhen?"

Willow's face lit up. "You know us?"

"Yeah, lucky me. What's with the name game?"

"A lot's going on," Willow admitted.

"No kidding. I was just attacked by JoJo the dogfaced boy. Look at my costume! Think Party-Town's gonna give me my deposit back? Not on the likely."

As she was spouting off, Cordelia suddenly noticed a large rip up the side of her leotard. Xander had obviously noticed it, too, for he took off his jacket and put it around her.

"Here," Xander said.

Surprised, Cordelia stared at his pumped biceps, at the tatoo she'd never seen there before. She glanced over and realized Willow was staring at the exact same thing.

"Thanks," she murmured.

Willow forced herself back to the moment. "Okay. You three stay here while I get help. If something tries to get in, just fight it off."

"It's not our place to fight," Buffy protested fearfully. "Surely some men will come and protect us?"

Cordelia regarded her in total disgust. "What'sthat riff?"

"It's like amnesia, okay?" Willow sighed. "They don't know who they are. Just sit tight."

She didn't have time to go into it now. She hurried by Cordelia and heard the girl say, "Who died and made her the boss?" And then she passed straight through the wall behind Cordelia's back.

She didn't notice Spike out in the street.

Didn't notice him standing there amid the chaos, his long black coat drawn around him, his face a cruel vampire face. And yet his eyes shone as wide and bright as a child's on Christmas morning.

"Well," Spike smiled, taking everything in. "This is just . . .neat."

CHAPTER 10.

The night crept by.

Willow hadn't returned yet, and Xander was growing more and more restless.

He pushed a table against a window. He proceeded to check all the smaller windows, as well, just to make sure they were secure. Buffy followed him around like a puppy, not wanting to be alone.

"Surely there's somewhere we can go?" she begged him. "Some safe haven?"

Xander wouldn't be swayed. "The lady said stay put." He glanced at Cordelia and added, "Check upstairs. Make sure everything's locked."

Confused by Xander's answer, Buffy started in on him again. "You would take orders from a woman?

Are you feeble in some way?"

"Ma'am," Xander sighed, "in the army we have a saying. Sit down and shut the-whoa."

His voice broke off. He was staring down at the floor where a photograph had fallen, one which clearly showed the three of them-he and Buffy and Willow-together. He stared at it for a long time, and then he looked up at Buffy.

"She must be right," he said to her. "We must have some kind of amnesia."

Buffy drew herself up indignantly. "I don't know what that is, but I'm sure I don't have it. I bathe quite often."

"How do you explain this?" he demanded, indicating the photo.

Buffy lifted her nose into the air. "I don't! I was brought up as a proper lady. I'm not meant to understand things. I'm just meant to look good and then someone nice will marry me. Possibly a baron."

"This isn't a tea party, princess," Xander retorted. "Sooner or later you're going to have to fight."

"Fight?" Buffy looked appalled. "These low creatures? I'd sooner die."

"Then you'll die."

"Oh, good," a voice spoke out from behind them. "You guys are all right."

They turned to see Angel hurrying in from the kitchen.

He shook his head at them in amazement.

"It's total chaos out there," he said.

Buffy and Xander stared at him.

"Who are you?" they asked.

Alone in the library, Giles was immersed in his book catalog. He was used to the silence in here, especially after school hours, so when the faint screams and sirens sounded in the faraway distance, he lifted his head and frowned.

Then he remembered. Of course, it was Halloween. Screams and sirens would be the norm tonight.

But had that noise just then been something else? A stranger, softer sound-one much closer by?

Again Giles looked up, pausing to listen, thinking perhaps he'd imagined it.

A growl?

Slowly he turned from his work.

He didn't hear the sound at all now. Still, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to investigate- He was turning around when Willow ran out at him without warning, straight through the library wall.

Giles let out a yell.

He jumped back, arms flailing, knocking into shelves and sending books flying in all directions.

Willow stood there sheepishly. She held up one hand.

"Hi," she said.

"Okay," Angel said, "does somebody want to fill me in?"

He stared at Buffy's old-fashioned dress, the lowcut neckline, the delicate lace. Something stabbed at his memory, and for one split second he felt as though he were falling back through time, through centuries . . .

Xander's voice yanked him roughly back to the present. "Do you live here?"

"No! You know that. Buffy . . ." Bewildered, Angel took a step toward her. Itwas Buffy, he was certain, and yet somehow,not Buffy at all.Someone I knew,someone forgotten a long time ago . . .

"I'm lost here," he mumbled. "You . . ."

Buffy drew back fearfully. Angel squinted at her long dark wig.

"What's up with your hair?" he asked.

"They don't know who they are," Cordelia said impatiently, coming back downstairs. "Everyone's become a monster. It's a whole big thing." She stopped and collected herself. She gave Angel a smile.

"How are you?"

Pounding erupted all around them. As the lights went out, plunging the room into total blackness, Buffy shrieked and grabbed Cordelia.

"Do you mind?" Cordelia snapped, shoving her away.

Xander turned to Angel. "Take the princess here and secure the kitchen. Catwoman, you're with me."

Cordelia gratefully handed Buffy over to Angel and followed Xander into the living room.

"But I don't want to go with you!" Buffy protested, trying to wrench from Angel's grasp. "I like the man with the musket."

"Come on," Angel ordered her.

Buffy's voice was tiny and hopeful. "Do you have a musket?"

She clung to him as they entered the kitchen. The back door was standing wide open, and Angel slowly shook his head.

"I didn't leave that open."

He moved cautiously and silently toward the door. Fearful, Buffy watched him as she cowered back against the wall. She didn't hear the cellar door opening right beside her. She didn't notice the vampire slinking out from the shadows . . .

Angel shut the back door and turned around.

"Look out!" he yelled.

As Buffy spun, the vampire grabbed at her. Amazingly, she managed to seize the door and slam it back on the creature's arm. But the vampire was much more powerful than she was. Almost immediately it flung the door wide again, sending Buffy sprawling to the foor. Angel made a dive for the creature, tackling it and wrestling it into the dining room. As Buffy staggered to her feet, she looked around frantically for a weapon. Taking a big knife from the counter, she peered timidly through the doorway and saw Angel on top of the vampire, his back to her, struggling to hold the creature down.

"A stake!" Angel yelled.

"What?"

"Get me a stake!"

Without warning he turned in her direction, and Buffy screamed.

Angel's face was contorted, hideous, an enraged vampire face. Buffy screamed again and raced out the back door.

"Buffy,no!" Angel shouted.

It was just the opportunity his opponent needed.

Throwing Angel off, the other vampire twisted free and came around on top of him.

Giles still wasn't certain he'd entirely recovered from his shock. But, as he'd soon learned from Willow, there was plenty of work to be done tonight if they wanted to save Sunnydale.

Now the two of them were surrounded by piles and piles of books. Looking for something-anything -that might give them a clue as to what was happening this wild, unforgettable Halloween.

Willow gazed at Giles in frustration. "I don't even know what to look for. Plus," she added lamely, glancing down at her ghost arm, "I can't turn the page."

"Right." Giles nodded understandingly. "Okay, then, let's review. At sundown, everyone became whatever they were masquerading as."

"Right. Xander was a soldier, and Buffy was an eighteenth-century girl."

Giles took off his glasses. He stared blandly at Willow's outfit. He raised both eyebrows.

"And your costume?"

"I'm a ghost," Willow said.

A faint smile played over Giles's mouth as he took in her very non-ghost attire. "Yes, but a ghost of what, exactly?"

Willow shifted, embarrassed about the midriff-baring top and leather miniskirt. "This is nothing," she defended herself. "You should have seen what Cordelia was wearing. Aunitard. And these little cat things. Ears and stuff."

"Good heavens. Cordelia became an actual feline?"

Willow stared back at Giles. Something was beginning to nag at her, far back from a corner of her mind.