"No," Willow said slowly. "She was still the same old Cordelia, just in a eat costume."

She crossed her arms over her midriff. Giles looked at her, his brow furrowed deep in thought. He put his glasses on again.

"She didn't change," Giles repeated.

"No." And it was coming to Willow now, finally, in a delayed burst of realization. "Hold on," she said excitedly. "Party-Town. She told us she got her outfit from Party-Town-"

"And everybody who changed, where did they acquire their costumes?"

"We all got ours at this new place," Willow said. "Ethan's."

There was no time to lose.

CHAPTER 11.

"Hello?" Giles called softly. "Is anyone in?"

Not that they'd really expected to find anyone inside Ethan's Costume Shop at this late hour. The store was dark, seemingly deserted, and yet Giles and Willow entered easily through the front door.

Yes,Giles thought to himself,almost too easily.

Together they moved slowly through the main room. Costumes were strewn everywhere. Masks lay about on the floor and countertops, like so many severed heads. Mannequins stood within the shadows, and Willow had the distinct feeling they were watching her with flat, painted eyes. She was bravely trying to quell her overactive imagination when she noticed the open doorway in the back of the shop.

Almost at once Willow spotted the altar and the ring of black candles, the golden statue-its hideous, evil face, the glowing green eyes . . .

"Giles. . . ." she whispered.

Giles came up behind her, following the direction of her stare.

"That's Janus," he said. "A mythical Roman god."

"What does it mean?"

"Primarily, it represents the division of self." His eyes went anxiously from corner to corner. "Male and female. Light and dark-"

"Chunky and creamy style." Ethan's mocking voice was terrifyingly close. "No, sorry. That's peanut butter."

He stepped out from a shadow, smiling at Giles.

Giles stared back at him, his own face tight with shock.

"Willow," Giles said firmly. He stepped in front of her, never taking his eyes off Ethan. "Get out of here.

Now."

"But-"

"Now,Willow."

Giles seldom used that tone with any of them. And when he did, Willow knew all too well that he was deadly serious.

She turned and bolted from the room.

Now Ethan Rayne and Giles stood face to face.

"Hello, Ethan."

"Hello,Ripper," Ethan replied.

A dangerous silence fell between them.

Eerie green light played over Giles's face, accentuating its tenseness, its grim determination-and yet Ethan's manner was light. He was clearly enjoying this.

Enjoying every minute.

"What, no hug?" he taunted Giles. "Aren't you happy to see your old mate?"

Giles remained composed. "I'm surprised I didn't guess it was you. This Halloween stuntstinks of Ethan Rayne."

"It does, doesn't it?" Ethan replied proudly. He picked up a Halloween mask, rubbing his fingers almost lovingly over the surface. "Not to blow my own horn, but it's genius. The very embodiment of 'be careful what you wish for.'"

"It's sick," Giles returned. "And brutal. It harms the innocent-"

"Oh, and we all know thatyou are the champion of innocence and all things pure and good, Rupert,"

Ethan went on condescendingly. He paused, then, "This is quite an act you've got going here, old man."

Giles's shoulders stiffened. "It's no act. It's who I am."

"It's who you are? TheWatcher? Sniveling tweed-clad guardian of the Slayer and her kin?"

Ethan's smile was cold. His tone grew even more mocking.

"I think not. I know who you are. And I know what you're capable of." And then something seemed to dawn on him. "But theydon't, do they?" he realized. "They have no idea where you come from."

Ethan finally got the reaction he'd hoped for. It was obvious from Giles's expression that he felt threatened by this new line of attack. Only this time his mild demeanor began to change.

No one in Sunnydale had ever seen this side of Giles.

This was a side he kept hidden.Had kept hidden for a long, long time.

"Break the spell, Ethan," he demanded now, advancing slowly. "Then leave this place and never come back."

"Why should I?" Ethan threw back at him. "What do I get in the bargain?"

The answer was deathly calm. "You get to live."

"Ooooh. You're scaring-"

Ethan's words exploded inside his mouth.

As Giles dropped him with a vicious punch, his unfinished sentence oozed out across the floor with his blood.

CHAPTER 12.

Xander, Cordelia, and Angel were striding determinedly down the middle of the street.

"You're sure she came this way?" Xander asked.

Angel shook his head. "No."

He'd had enough time now to change back into human form, but the damage had already been done. He knew Buffy had a significant head start on them. Secretly he wondered if they'd find her too late, or even at all.

Cordelia tried to be upbeat. "She'll be okay."

"Buffywould be okay," Angel reminded her. "Whoever she is now, she's helpless. Come on."

The three of them hurried faster, past Spike's hiding place in the shadows. A small demon and an equally small vampire hovered at his side.

"Do you hear that, my friends?" Spike murmured happily. "Somewhere out here is the tenderest meat you've ever tasted. And all we have to do is find herfirst."

Buffy was terrified.

Lost and alone, she wandered through unfamiliar streets in an unfamiliar century, her clothes and shoes muddied and torn beyond repair. Without knowing it, she had entered the industrial section of town, that place of forgotten factories and boarded-up warehouses, where even the lowest of life never dared venture.

She struggled through an alleyway, trying to climb over heaps of boxes and trash. Her eyes darted fearfully around her. Shadows crouched on every side, black and endless as nightmares. And when someone stepped out in front of her, blocking her way, she was so panic-stricken she couldn't even scream.

The pirate was gigantic. He towered high above her, eyes glittering in the darkness, leering down at her with a lascivious, black-toothed grin.

"Pretty . . . pretty . . ." he chuckled deep in his throat.

Larry's pirate costume had seemed ridiculous at the start of the evening.

But now it had become the real thing.

Savagely he jerked Buffy into his arms, laughing as she screamed and tried to twist free. When one of her fingers managed to gouge his good eye, he let out a furious bellow and flung her away.

Buffy hit the ground, stunned and whimpering. She tried to crawl away, but Larry lifted her to her feet once more.

"No," Buffy pleaded, "no. . .. "

Roughly he grabbed her face. He opened his mouth and ran his tongue slowly along his jagged, scummy teeth.

Then he moved in for a kiss.

With a yell, Xander came out of nowhere, hitting Larry with a flying tackle. As Buffy scrambled away, the two of them went at each other full force.

Buffy ran right into Cordelia.

"Buffy? Are you okay?"

Trembling violently, Buffy threw herself into Cordelia's arms. For once, Cordelia was at a complete loss how to handle the situation. She stood there with Buffy burrowed against her and watched the battle raging several feet away.

Larry had always been strong, but inthis incarnation, Xander was stronger. As Larry tried to reach for his sword, Xander knocked it away.

Buffy looked up to see Angel hurrying toward them. She shrieked and gripped Cordelia even tighter.

Cordelia ran out of patience.

"What is your deal?" Cordelia snapped at her. "Take a pill!"

"He's . . . he's avampie!" Buffy screamed.

Angel stopped and stared at them. For a split second the concern on his face was touched with deep hurt. Oblivious, Cordelia rolled her eyes. She gave Angel a long-suffering look.

"She's got this thing where she thinks-oh, forget it," Cordelia told him. Then, in her most patronizing tone, she said sweetly to Buffy, "It's okay. Angel is . . . agood vampire. He'dnever hurtyou."

Buffy faltered. "He-really?"

"Absolutely." Cordelia might have been soothing a dim-witted child. "Angel is ourfriend."

Buffy looked timidly at Angel, still not convinced. As Angel went over to Xander, Xander finished Larry off with a headbutt and two swift punches.

Larry hit the ground, out cold.

For a minute, Xander stared down at him. Then he turned to Angel with a puzzled frown.

"It's strange," Xander said, "but beating up that pirate gave me a weird sense of closure."

"Guys!" Willow shouted.

As the group turned expectantly, they saw Willow coming toward them at a dead run. Angel moved forward, already sensing that things were about to get worse.

"Willow-"

"You guys gotta get inside," Willow said breathlessly.