Disclaimer: Do not own.

Willow dresses up as a ghost for Halloween. It is safe and comfortable under her "Boo" sheet where no one can see the far too revealing clothes that Buffy picked out and somehow talked her into putting on. (What is this costume even supposed to be? she wonders. A hooker?) She wants to catch Xander's attention, but it feels wrong to do it by putting her flesh on display like that.

Then Ethan's spell takes hold and she really is a ghost, and everyone can see her, and she can't even put on a jacket to cover herself. Worse still, she seems to be the only one who actually remembers who she is, and the dangers that lurk in the darkness. It's up to her. So she fights down the bubbling rage at Buffy for putting her in this situation, and Xander for not remembering her, and Giles for his comments on her clothes which weren't her fault anyway, and does what she has to.

Its weeks before she stops running into things, and longer before she (mostly) regains her emotional equilibrium. She never does lose her new need to take risks just because she's alive and can affect the world around her. But that's not so bad (usually) and is even useful (except when it's not) and gets them out of trouble sometimes (when it hasn't caused it in the first place).

On the whole, it could have been worse.

Buffy dresses up as an 18th century noblewoman. She feels beautiful, like a princess. She does not feel like herself. She doesn't feel like the Slayer. She hopes her costume will succeed in catching Angel's attention. She wants him to see that she is grown up, that she is refined and elegant like the ladies he must have known when he was alive.

When the spell takes hold, she is afraid. The world is suddenly dark and dirty, and she is lost in this place full of monsters and ruffians. The only decent gentleman she meets turns out to be a demon. She is assaulted, and nearly murdered.

Afterwards, she gets to beat up Spike a bit. He gets away, but the hits she gets in mean that the night isn't a total loss. Angel reassures her that he likes her just the way she is, which is nice too. Buffy retains enough memories to pass her French class without really trying. She also remembers table settings and the names and uses of (literally) hundreds of pieces of silverware and dishes. She remembers the proper way to write and respond to various forms of correspondence, how to properly greet guests of various stations, how to properly interact with servants and peers and those above her in society. She knows embroidery and lacework and dozens of dances that are absolutely useless in this day and age. In fact, most of what she remembers is pretty useless.

It could have been worse, Buffy decides, and tries to put the whole thing behind her. But she never quite loses the feeling of being the damsel in distress.

Xander dresses up as a soldier for Halloween. Because it's cheap (and he can't really afford anything else) and not any more emasculating and uncool than dressing up for Halloween is in the first place. In fact, since most of his costume came from an army surplus store and is therefore pretty authentic, it is in fact kind of cool and masculating.

When the spell takes hold, he is suddenly on his own in the middle of a war zone, without any intel on the situation or terrain. He follows the ghost girl because he doesn't have a better option. He doesn't have any mission or orders to follow, or any way to contact his base or his unit. She, at least, seems to have some idea of what's going on. And since what's going on seems pretty unbelievable, he'll take what he can get and do his best to keep himself and his allies alive.

Afterwards, not a lot changes. Xander has some new stuff in his head – rules and regulations and procedures. The weapons and tactics knowledge will probably be the most useful in the long run. Xander goes over and over it in his head, trying to retain as much of it as he can. Anything to keep himself and his allies alive.

And maybe Xander has new nightmares, full of bullets and blood and the strain of the battlefield. It's not like he didn't already have nightmares of vampires and blood and his friends, dead and turned before his eyes. And maybe there's some signs of PTSD, but between living with his parents and living on the Hellmouth, that's not exactly new either. And if these new memories help keep them alive…

Well, Xander decides, it could have been worse.

Author's Note: I have a few chapters written up which will post up as I have time. Future chapters will be crossovers, with someone dressed up as something different. Something with worse lingering effects than their in-series costumes. (Mwahaha! ... Ehem.)

So far I've got two chapters for Xander and one each for Buffy and Willow. After what I've written is all posted, I'll mark the story as complete. However, I'm always open to further suggestions. Just leave it in a review. ^_^