Because, y'know, I'm not working on nearly enough writing projects *G*
This is a rather dull and dreary part one of a story that, in turn, is part one of a series called 'Recycled' that consists of two or three alternate episodes for Season Six.
This first story is an alternative to 'All the Way', in which the events of that episode do not happen, but all previous events do.
Series: Recycled
Title: Masquerade – Part One
Author: Sassette
Feedback: Can be sent to
pink_overalls@yahoo.com Summary: An alternate Halloween episode for Season 6.
Spoiler Warning: Up to but not including ‘All the Way’ Season Six.
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters, I’m not making any money off of them, blah blah blah…
Rating: ehhh... let's go with ... R. Or maybe R+
Recycled Series
Masquerade – Part One
By Sassette
“Giles, where is everyone?” Anya said petulantly, skating across The Magic Box and behind the counter, opening the register and counting the money to calm her nerves. “The big sale is about to start – they said they’d help.”
“They’ll be here, Anya,” Giles said, glancing up briefly from the ledger, then turning back to the pages before him, blinking owlishly at the numbers.
“But they’re not here now,” Anya said. “What if they’re not here, and we don’t have the staff to support the large number of sales we’re going to make?”
“They’ll be here,” Giles said more firmly, looking up at Anya and smiling reassuringly.
“I’m here,” Dawn said, rushing into the store, the cheery bell announcing her arrival. “Where is everyone?” she asked, looking around, her large hoop earrings waving as she turned her head.
“You’re the first one here,” Anya said. “Please start bringing inventory from the back and place it upon the shelves in a prominent and pleasing display in order to induce people to make purchases,” she instructed.
“But … why haven’t you already moved it?” Dawn asked slowly, peering over at Anya.
“Because of these,” Anya said, skating out from behind the counter and pointing at the roller-skates. “I can’t carry things in these, because I might fall and hurt myself, and have to make an insurance claim that will raise our rates and cost us money.”
“What are you dressed up as?” Dawn asked, her brow furrowed.
“Oh, I’m an Angel,” Anya said earnestly, smiling eagerly. “Only I’m a special kind of Angel that has perfect hair and fights crime, and works for a mysterious man named ‘Charlie’.”
“Oh!” Dawn said, smiling widely at Anya. “I like it.”
“What are you dressed up as?” Anya asked, looking Dawn up and down.
“I’m a fortune-teller,” Dawn said, turning in place, displaying her flowered skirt and peasant blouse, the scarf covering her hair waving as she spun. “I can see the future! Besides, it was easy to put together. I just raided Willow and Tara’s closet.”
“Oh, will we make lots of money?” Anya asked.
“I see many MANY sales in your future,” Dawn said with a little grin before heading to the back to start moving inventory. “Oh, and Buffy will be here in a bit. I had to practically twist her arm off to get her to do the dress-up thing.”
“But – wearing a costume is required. It raises good-will within the community and is likely to cause people to make more purchases,” Anya said, aghast at the prospect of any of her friends not dressing up, even as she turned and glared at Giles who was wearing his customary tweed.
“What?” Giles said defensively. “I dressed up for the grand opening, and everyone laughed at me,” he pointed out, before going back to his reading.
The bell sounded, and Xander ran in, breathless. “Sorry I’m late, honey,” he puffed, his face red with exertion. “Took me forever to get my costume together.”
“Oh, Dear Lord,” Giles said, looking up at Xander and removing his glasses, cleaning them industriously. “I’m … I’m rather sure that …”
“Oh, c’mon G-Man. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” Xander said, shrugging his shoulders beneath the tweed jacket and adjusting the fake glasses on his face.
“You dressed up as Giles?” Anya said, a little frown on her face. “But how will people know you’re in costume? The costumes are supposed to look like costumes, so people will tell their friends about our sale, and how all the staff are in costumes and it’s worth a look.”
“Anya,” Xander said patiently. “People will probably think that Giles and I are >both< in costume,” Xander pointed out.
“Oh, right,” Anya said, nodding. “Carry on then, and help Dawn carry things from the back. Toodle-pip!”
“Cheery-o,” Xander said with a little wave, heading to the back of the store.
“I have never said ‘toodle-pip’ OR ‘cheery-o’,” Giles muttered to himself, sighing as he turned back to the ledger.
The cheery bell sounded again, and a sheet-clad figure entered slowly, the word ‘Boo!’ scrawled across its chest in black marker, two holes for eyes cut in the sheet.
“Oh, the sale hasn’t started yet,” Anya said. “Please come back in … fifteen minutes.”
“Oh, it’s Willow,” Giles said, looking over at the figure fondly. It was really rather … sweet, how Willow was so uncomfortable with revealing clothes, and even on Halloween tended to make sure she was completely covered up. “Where’s Tara?”
“Willow and Tara are getting dressed now,” Buffy’s voice came from behind the sheet. “They should be here in a bit.”
“Oh, Buffy,” Giles said, his eyebrows raising. “You’re a … ghost.”
“Yup,” Buffy said, turning in place. “Last minute choice.”
“Yes, well, Dawn said she talked you into it just today. I’m sure you didn’t have much time to prepare,” Giles said.
“So what are Willow and Tara dressing up as?” Anya asked. “Thelma and Louise?”
“I have no idea,” Buffy said, her shoulders lifting into a shrug underneath the sheet. “They’re being all secretive about it.”
“Corky and Violet? Peppermint Patty and Marcie?” Anya pressed.
“Who are Corky and Violet?” Giles asked.
“Anya, honey … let’s never speak of that movie, okay?” Xander said, coming out of the back with a large box in his arms. “Private stuff for private time,” he said slowly.
“But I bet Willow and Tara have seen that movie. Isn’t that part of the reason to watch movies? So you can discuss them with other people who have seen them?” Anya asked, a little frown on her face.
“Well, yeah, but … let’s just not talk about >that< one, okay?” Xander said, his eyes glazing over as visions of Willow and Tara watching ‘Bound’ together ran through his head.
“Fine,” Anya said with a little shrug, turning back to the money.
“What are we talking about?” Dawn asked, pausing to adjust the load in her arms before shuffling into the room under the weight.
“Willow and Tara’s costumes,” Anya said.
“They’re being secretive,” Buffy pointed out.
“Well, Willow said something about Miss Kitty,” Dawn said with a little shrug. “Though I have no idea how she’s going to dress up like a cat without spandex. Willow >so< doesn’t do spandex.”
“Spandex?” Xander asked, his ears perking up. “Ow!” he said, rubbing his arm where Anya had hit him so fast he hadn’t noticed her move.
“No thinking about other women in spandex,” Anya said with a little frown.
“I wasn’t – besides ... Willow in spandex? I really can’t see it. There’s no way she’d wear anything like that, even for Halloween,” Xander said with a little shrug.
The bell rang yet again, Willow hurried in, and everyone stopped to stare.
“What?” Willow asked, stopping up short and looking at everyone gaping at her. “Is my feather crooked?” she asked, reaching up to check the black feather attached to the red headband around her hair. “It took me forever to get it to stay right,” she muttered, scowling.
“I … uhhh … Will?” Xander said, looking Willow up and down slowly. “You’re ummm… what are you wearing?”
“I’m a saloon-girl!” Willow said proudly, the deep red low-cut dress, fishnet stockings, garters and old-fashioned buttoned black boots making the answer rather obvious.
“A cat?” Anya asked, looking over at Dawn and raising an eyebrow.
“She said ‘Miss Kitty’,” Dawn said defensively.
“Well, I’m not actually ‘Miss Kitty’, but it’s like Miss Kitty … from Gunsmoke,” Willow said slowly. “So what’s first?” she asked, looking around the store.
“Xander and Dawn were, uhh … just bringing things from the back up front,” Giles said, mentally readjusting his assessment of the type of Halloween costumes Willow was likely to wear.
“So where’s Tara?” Buffy asked, looking around.
“Buffy?” Willow asked, looking at the sheet-clad form. “She wouldn’t let me see her costume – but she’ll be here soon. And, umm … didn’t you say Halloween was for dressing up and showing off?” she asked, confusion evident in her voice as she took in a Willow-Chicken-Original-Costume gracing Buffy’s form.
“Kind of a last-minute thing here, Wills. I wasn’t planning on dressing up at all,” Buffy explained.
“Oh, okay,” Willow said with a little shrug. “And, umm … I’m not sure how practical this outfit is for carrying stuff,” she said, looking down at her exposed cleavage with a thoughtful frown on her face. “In fact, it’s probably safer if I don’t. These things have a mind of their own today.”
“So is Tara doing the saloon-girl thing, too?” Xander asked.
“I think so,” Willow said with a shrug, quickly checking her bodice to make sure nothing had been exposed by the movement that wasn’t meant to be exposed. “She said she’d be going with the Western Theme, so y’know, it’s either saloon girl or pioneer woman.”
“Or maybe a schoolmarm,” Dawn said, cheerfully placing items on shelves.
The bell sounded, and the door swung open, the setting sun casting a strange figure in silhouette. The jingle-jangle of spurs matched the clip of the boots as the person moved in a manner that could only be called ‘swaggering’ into the shop.
Willow blinked twice, the glaring sun in her eyes leaving an after-image that impaired her vision. The blue-green blob cleared, and she blinked again, wondering if it were possible to get sunstroke and have hallucinations from that brief bit of sunlight that hit her. Of course, that was ridiculous, because she had walked all the way to the shop in the sunlight, and she certainly hadn’t seen anything as interesting as Tara in a gunslinger outfit swaggering her way.
Tara stopped in front of Willow, her eyes firmly on the ground, her hat pulled low over her eyes. Still, she knew it was Willow – she’d know those legs anywhere. Resting her thumbs in her gunbelt, she slowly raised her head, hoping Willow liked the outfit.
“Howdy, ma’am,” she drawled slowly, a half-smile lifting the corner of one mouth as she tipped her hat.
“I, uhh … oh! Howdy!” Willow said, looking Tara up and down, her eyes widening as she wondered where on earth she had gotten ahold of chaps. Or spurs. Or a white Stetson. But most importantly, a completely authentic gunbelt and two very realistic-looking six-shooters. She was absolutely certain she had never seen anything of the sort in their closet, and nobody had anything that good at any of the costume shops she had been to when she had found her own outfit.
“Gosh, you look purty,” Tara said quietly, her half-smile growing into a grin as she took in all the skin Willow was showing.
“And you look … wow,” Willow said, her voice equally hushed. “Where did you - ? I mean, this is all great – you look great. With all the stuff and everything, and I know we didn’t have any of it, y’know, just lying around the house being all ‘Hey – I’d make a great costume!’ so, you couldn’t have just had all of this somewhere, unless there’s some kind of secret compartment at Buffy’s I don’t know about, but that’s a silly thought, because I helped you move all your stuff, and I didn’t see anything like this when we did. Move your stuff. And the costume shops had some gunslinger things, but nothing this good – not that it was bad, but it wasn’t this good, and so I was wondering –“
“One of the guys at the stables does reenactments,” Tara said, explaining before Willow ran out of breath and passed out – which she had only seen happen once, but didn’t really care to see again. It had scared her half to death. “I borrowed a few things.”
“Well, great!” Anya said, interrupting the two from talking any further, and the rest of the room from staring longer. “We’re all here, so let’s get to work.”
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Tara with a swagger; well, she's got the hips for it. But will she steal Riley's lines from "Restless" - "I'm cowboy gal!"
Oh Sass... thank you, thank you for putting Willow in more fishnet stockings. Never can there be enough of that. 
Aly xxx 
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at: 8/19/02 4:41:14 pm