******************************************************************************
THIS STORY IS COMPLETE, SO I'LL BE POSTING IT UP VERY QUICKLY. PLEASE REVIEW.
******************************************************************************

CHAPTER ONE-                 THIS IS HALLOWEEN

“Trick or Treat!” The chorus of children’s voices greeted Buffy as she opened the door to six little monsters- literally.

Well, almost.

“Oh, my God, look at you guys!” She gracefully adopted the enthusiasm her mother used to show, immediately rewarded by the ecstatic smiles of the kids as they held out they’re bags. “Your costumes rock!” Grinning, she dropped handfuls of candy into the waiting bags of a goblin, werewolf, two Dracula-wannabes, a princess and a ghost. Slipping the sheet-covered kid a few extra on account of his lousy costume, she waved them off the verandah.

An hour and half later, the huge bowls of candy were empty, largely with the help of Dawn, who was now looking slightly green, and the doorbell had finally stopped ringing. Dumping the bowls in the kitchen sink, Buffy dusted off her hands dramatically.

“Job well done, don’t you think?” She smiled at Dawn, who was leaning on the kitchen island. “Cavities and stomach aches well dispersed?”

“Absolutely, queasiness and dentist bills for the whole neighbourhood,” Dawn replied, rolling her eyes for her sister’s benefit before touching a hand to her stomach and groaning. “You even managed to hit your own house.”

“Oh, poor sugar-filled Dawnie,” Buffy laughed before adding teasingly, “Does that mean you’re not still up for tonight?”

Dawn straightened up immediately, something near panic in her eyes, “No! I’m up. Definitely up! Totally for it!” She tried to hide the small burp that followed.

Buffy smirked at her sister, before heading for the door, throwing over her shoulder, “Then you better hurry up, Willow and Tara are already there, and Xander and Anya can’t be far behind.”

 
*                             *                             *                             *                             *                             *                             *
 

Pulling the paper bag out from under her bed, Buffy upended its contents onto the duvet. Tugging off her shirt and stepping out of her jeans, she smiled to herself. Dawn had been saying all week that Halloween was for kids, but since the invitation to Bronze-bound fun yesterday afternoon, she’d been practically giddy with excitement.

The town’s best and only club was having its annual Halloween Spook-Fest Party, all the patrons required to come in costume if they expected to get through the door. With that, and the two amateur, plus a mystery band appearing, it was promising a super fun time. And with Anya and Xander’s brand new engagement, they had plenty to celebrate… and what better way than to do so than party it up to loud music and half-price drinks?

Checking herself in the mirror, Buffy admired her costume. She wore tight, black leather pants and a red and black lace corset that pushed her breasts up and together, accentuating her cleavage. Black boots with a dangerously high spiked heel completed the outfit, her hair hanging in loose waves and curls over her bare shoulders.

She had a choker around her neck, a simple, black leather collar with a chain trailing from the front, the end disappearing between her breasts. Dragging a bright red lipstick over her mouth she applied the final touch- two press-on fangs that glued seamlessly to her canines.

Grinning at her reflection, the Vampire Slayer, minus one vital word, grabbed her jacket- a tight leather one, and headed for the stairs.
 

*                             *                             *                             *                             *                             *                             *
 

The music blared from the speakers, the first band of the night causing the floors to vibrate with each thump of the base. Buffy minced into the club, shedding her jacket in the process. Spotting the gang seated comfortably at their usual table about halfway between the bar and the stage, she waved to Dawn to follow, flashing a grin at a nearby table of gawking men.

Sidling up next to Willow, Buffy grinned with pleasure at the shocked faces of the Scooby gang, flashing them her fangs. Xander actually lifted his eye patch to get a better look, something that usually would’ve earned him an elbow to the ribs from Anya if she wasn’t too busy gaping to notice.

Tara was the first to recover, squeezing Willow’s hand pointedly, snapping her out of her shock, before rearranging her face into a smile. “Wow, Buffy, you really went all out with the costume!”

Xander literally shook himself, pulling his eye patch back into place and clearing his throat. “Yeah Buff, we hitting the ironic note a little hard here?”

“Can you think of a better costume?” Buffy laughed, looking down at herself. “I figured, hell, if I was going to wear a costume, might as well have fun with it, add a little inside-joke.”

“Let’s just hope we don’t all turn into our costumes again,” Willow mused, smiling through her Raggedy-Anne makeup at the littlest Summers. “Hey Dawnie, I love your costume.”

Dawn curtseyed, giggling, before adding a spin to show off her outfit- a long, flowing dress and intricately fashioned gossamer wings of green, pink and white. “Really? Thanks Willow! I wasn’t really sure if I should go with the fairy look, but I did anyway… You can’t have two vampires.” She rolled her eyes in Buffy’s direction.

“Wise choice, I think.” Tara agreed, nodding gravely before grinning. She’d gone with a similar look- that of a long white dress and feathery wings. She’d, thankfully, skipped the halo however.

“And Anya, also rockin’ the angel-look, I see” Buffy laughed, Anya sporting a red top and extremely short red and white striped shorts. She’d skipped the roller skates for a pair of white go-go boots.

“Yes, but I’m a special kind of angel,” Anya explained proudly, finally ceasing the staring she was doing at Buffy. “Called a ‘Charlie’.”

Xander hugged her shoulders tightly, smiling at the rest of the gang. “She’s been watching cable a lot recently.”
 

*                             *                             *                             *                             *                             *                             *
 

Half an hour and several beers and “Halloween cocktails” (fancy name for a regular drink with a shot of red coloring), the table had long been abandoned, Dawn having melted into a crowd of other kids from school, Tara and Willow were playing pool, (no cues required), and Xander, Anya and Buffy had joined the crowd on the dance floor to show their appreciation for the second band of the night.

Gladly giving the newly-engaged couple some space, Buffy moved her way into a throng of dancing men, smiling coyly at them as they moved around her. She’d come to have fun, and hell, she was going to.

Men moved around her, wolf-whistles and grinning faces showing their appreciation for her movement. She danced without responding, other than adding a few more hip shimmies to her movements, her eyes half closed as she enjoyed the attention.

It felt good, to be admired. Sure, she spent most of her time fighting off men, but they wanted to kill her. She never seemed to be fighting off men who wanted to date her. A little harmless flirting, and she felt like she was beautiful again. Since Riley, she hadn’t had any relationships, and Ben was the last guy she had really considered dating. And technically, part of him did want to kill her, so that probably wasn’t a good thing.

She let her arms out to slide against the men’s shoulders and arms as they danced around her, grinded against her. Shaking her hair back, she moved away from them, through them, none of them able to claim her.

She jumped as an arm managed to snake easily around her waist, pulling her flush against a cool, hard body. The warm, familiar scent of cigarette smoke and something… headier, filled her senses, and she opened her eyes to find herself staring straight into a pair of clear blue ones, looking back at her with pure, almost unnerving, adoration.

“Spike?”
 

*                             *                             *                             *                             *                             *                             *