This was written as part of a picture challenge at Halloween 2004. The picture was of Adrian Paul as Aaron Grey from the film "The Breed", showing his fangs. The costume Methos wears was one that Peter Wingfield wore in the film "Halloween Town II". The song Richie plays is called "Rupert and the Frog Song", which was released by Paul McCartney originally in 1985. (to hear the instrumental version, go to "beatleshelp. Highlander is not mine, and no monies made. Un-beta'd, all mistakes are mine.

Rating: K Pairing: Duncan/Methos

Halloween Party

Joe sat back in his chair and looked around him with a smile, the evening was going off like a bomb, he couldn't have asked for a better party. He was just a little surprised that it was working out so wonderfully. When he had first mentioned having a Halloween party to Duncan, he had thought that Duncan or at the very least Methos would have protested about having to dress up. But no, they had both said that they'd be happy to join in the fun for the evenings celebrations. So, armed with that knowledge, Joe was determined for it to be come a party to be remembered.

Of the resident Immortals that frequented his place, Amanda and Richie were the first one to arrive. Amanda, with her newly cropped platinum blond hair, had decided to come as a pixie. When Joe had asked her later why a pixie? Amanda, bless her, had smiled with an innocent shrug, and kissed him on the nose saying, "What else could she go as with a Pixie haircut?" The very short outfit she was wearing, which Joe strongly suspected was one of her circus costumes, had gained the attention of almost every breathing male in the room, much to the annoyance of the better halves. But then again, Joe mused, what else would he have expected from the Immortal flirt!

Richie, on the other hand, was also not going to be out done either. So much for there only being one Boy Scout in these parts, Joe noted with a smile, Richie, had just taken the "be prepared" motto to a new level. And prepared, he certainly was, whether they be of the Immortal kind, or the many women that were now getting their own eyeful, gazing up over black leather boots, tight buff coloured breaches, and flowing white Pirates shirt. Complete with a trusty sword at his side, which, Joe noticed with a smile, was his own, and not a cheep costume replica.

Joe did what he did best, watching. Whether it was watching Amanda trying to dodge the many chat-up lines and phone numbers coming her way, or watching Richie, doing the opposite, and seeing him work his charms and chat-up lines on some of the women, and getting phone numbers as well, was amusing. But the evening truly took off for Joe once Duncan and Methos had arrived.

When they finally arrived, Joe, who had been behind the bar at the time, looked up to see his friends walk in, and heard the whole room fill with laughter. But with the crowd around the bar, it wasn't until the laughter stopped, and the crowd started moving away that Joe realised what had caused the commotion.

Duncan was dressed in what could be best described as a dark look, maybe even gangsterish, and he wasn't the only one either that had thought that. Several people had come up to him and had even asked him where his

Tommy gun was. Joe conquered, that that was probably all he was missing to complete the look, for he had swept back his hair and had a thin moustache. The only thing that confused Joe, was why he had yellow coloured contacts in, it was the only thing that actually distracted away from the gangster theme.

Methos, had completely gone OTT on the Halloween costume, Joe had expected maybe a toga, or even

a tongue-in-cheek costume of Death, just for the hell of it. But what he hadn't expected was a

six-foot green frog to walk through the door! That was what had erupted the bar into laughter five minutes before.

Richie, who by then had had more than enough to drink, was just coming out of the bathroom when he spotted Methos across the room. Moments later, with tears of laughter watering his eyes, Joe watched him as something akin to pure mischief swept across his face, and he shot behind the bar next to him.

Joe watched him as he grabbed the collection of 45's from behind the counter and started desperately looking through them. Having found what he was looking for, Richie stood up with a huge mischievous grin, and switched off the CD player, much to every dislike.

"Hold your horses, will ya!" Richie muttered under his breath, at the complaining that came his way from all over the room, while he turned behind him and switched on the turntable. Slipping the 45 out of it's sleeve, he carefully placing his prize onto the deck, and smiled at Joe as he set it going.

Just as the music started, Richie turned and stared at Methos, with a grin he couldn't contain.

"Bomb-bomb bomb, Aye-e-ya,

Bomb-bomb bomb, Aye-e-ya,

Sink or swim, win or lose..."

"RYAN!" Methos bellowed from the other side of the room. "TURN.IT.OFF! NOW!"

"What?" Richie asked innocently, as Joe also tried to contain his mirth, as the sound of Paul McCartney's "Rupert and the Frog song" filled the air. Trust Richie to find that old thing, Joe mused with a shake of his head. The only reason he had it was purely because it was a Paul McCartney track, he'd picked up in some junk store in the UK while he was there a few years ago.

Joe glanced over at Methos, and he could see that despite what he and everyone else thought, Methos wasn't finding the joke that funny. Even dressed as a six foot green frog, Methos' face could still morph into Death.

"Richie!" he called loudly to get his attention.

"Yeah, Joe," Richie said with a grin.

"How many times have I told you," Joe said as he walked over to the turntable and switched it off, and hit the play button on the CD player. "Methos baiting is like bear baiting. It's mean, it's inhumane, and above all," he said leaning in close so Richie would understand his meaning clearly, "it's also very dangerous. For your own safety, and mine, don't do it, please. I don't exactly want to have to try and explain to the Watcher's what four Immortals were doing in my bar at a Halloween party that I had arranged, and how your headless body was found in here, after he's ripped your head off with his bare hands and spat down your throat for upsetting him, once too often. Now do I?"

Richie glanced over at Methos as Joe was speaking to him, and could see that he was wearing his "we are not amused" expression, but whether that was for him, or for Joe about his baiting comments, Richie wasn't sure. But he decided not to push it.

"Yeah, Joe, I understand whatcha saying," Richie slurred, as he moved away from the bar. "I'll be more careful in the future, don't worry."

Joe stood back and shook his head, "The impetuousness of youth!" he muttered as he watched the red-headed pirate throw a "Hi" at Methos as he passed him. Luckily for him, Methos just glared at him, as he walked passed, heading for a pretty blond over in the corner.

A short time later, the party was in full swing when an even more drunk Richie accompanied Amanda up to the bar. "Hi, Joe." A tipsy Amanda said, "can I have another drink please?"

"Hey, what about me?" Richie complained, swaying about as if he really was on a ship.

"I think, darling, that you've had more that enough to drink at the moment." Amanda stated straight faced. The reprimand might have worked if she hadn't hiccoughed at least twice as she gave it, and then burst out laughing on the last one.

"Well," Richie said, still swaying about, "why don't we just ask Mac what he thinks? Say, where is Mac anyway?" he asked, as he unsuccessfully scanned the crowd for his teacher.

Joe frowned, good question, where was he? He hadn't seen him for a while. The last time he had seen either Methos or Duncan, they had been standing somewhere over the back near the stage, near his office….Oh, they wouldn't! Not tonight, please, Joe silently prayed, but knowing them, they would!

Half an hour later, Joe was coming up out of the cellar, from changing a beer barrel over, when he saw Duncan standing talking to Amanda. Methos, on the other hand, he couldn't see. That was until he saw Richie walking across the floor, as if a force ten gale was battering the sides of his ship, and he couldn't walk straight. As Richie staggered this way and that, making some progress across the room, he suddenly stopped and bellowed, "Hi Adam" at the top of his lungs.

There stood Adam Pierson aka Methos, in a new costume that looked like it was straight out of a fairytale book. "Adam, you've changed," Richie slurred, before changing into his best Yoda voice, "Changed you have, why you have changed?" Only to burst out laughing at his own joke.

Methos just shook his head at him, and replied when he finally stopped laughing, "What do you expect," he said trying to sound indignant. "A frog always changes into the handsome prince once he's been kissed!"

"Oh yeah, and who exactly is your saviour?" Richie asked sarcastically, eye up Methos' Prince Charming outfit, not seeing Duncan coming up quietly behind him,

"ME!" Duncan growled loudly, making Richie not only jump, as he scared the shit out of him, but also physically pale at the sight of his yellow eyes glowing and his sharp teeth flashing, as he stood over him in full vampire mode.

For a moment Richie looked like he was going to pass out, or be sick. If it wasn't for Methos standing behind him, holding him up, he would have surly ended up on the floor when Duncan had launched his attack.

Joe was laughing so hard he had to hang onto the bar to stop himself from falling over, he couldn't help it, the look of shock on Richie's and everyone else's face, for that matter, as Duncan finally revealed his true costume. So much for the gangster theory, Joe thought wiping the tears from his face.

Watching Richie slowly recover was also amusing. The way he snatched his hand back as he automatically extended it, when Duncan offered his, to help him stand on his own two feet again. The wary looks that Richie kept on giving him as Duncan spoke to him, trying to get the intoxicated Immortal to realise that it was only a costume. The sheepish look that came over Richie's face as he realised how badly he had and was still reacting to Duncan.

It took a little while, and a few more drinks down Richie's neck to settle the young Immortal and get him back into the swing of things. Richie had bounced back by the end of the evening, as he always seemed to do, and even he could see the funny side of what had happened. But whether he would still see the funny side of it when the pictures Joe planned to take off of the CCTV camera of that fateful moment, had been shown to Duncan and Methos, he would have to see.

Later that night after the party had finished, there was just Joe and the Immortals left sitting around quietly enjoying each others company. As they sat there in companionable silence, Joe looked around at his friends. Methos had taken off his white powdered wig, and looked much better for it. The clothes Joe noted were not that much different to what he would have worn a little over two-hundred years ago, the clothes really suit Methos, he would have made a dashing fellow back then.

Duncan was sitting at the table next to Methos, nursing his coffee, with an amused look on his face, while he kept his eyes on Richie's sleeping figure, lying across the back bench, hoping he wouldn't roll off of it.

Amanda, like Duncan, was drinking coffee, but whereas Methos was shedding items of clothing, she had gained Duncan's long coat to ward off the night chills that she was feeling. Which, Joe speculated, was hardly surprising, considering the outfit that she wasn't wearing!

The silence stretched on for a while as the finished their drinks, and then Duncan got up and stretched. "Joe, leave this until the morning, I'll come over and help you clear up. Won't we Methos?"

"Yes Joe," Methos answered sarcastically, looking at him, "we'll be right over and help you."

Which Joe knew meant that Duncan would be over long before Methos was even out of bed.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it. What are you going to do with sleeping beauty over there? Joe nodded towards Richie.

"I'll take him with us," Duncan answered. "I'd better, if I leave him like that, he'll only fall off of it. Thanks Joe, for a wonderful evening, it's been fun." Duncan said, pulling Joe into a hug.

"You're welcome Mac." Joe said returning the embrace.

"Yeah, thanks Joe," Methos said getting up and giving him a quick hug. "So, Amanda," Methos said, looking over at her when Joe had let him go, "where are you staying?"

"I've booked a hotel for the night, so if you guys can drop me off, on your way, I appreciate it."

"Manda, instead of going to your hotel tonight, why don't you stay here? I've got a spare room upstairs, you more than welcome to stay." Joe offered.

Amanda considered it for a moment, before answering him. "Thanks, Joe, that's very thoughtful of you," She said kissing him on the cheek. Then kissing both Methos and Duncan goodnight, "Good night everyone." she said going through the door that led upstairs.

"Good night Amanda," came the chorus back from the others.

Methos then went outside, and came back a few minutes later, "Car's open for you Duncan." he called out to him as he held the front door open for him.

"Thanks Methos," they both heard him grunt, as he lifted the still sleeping Richie in his arms, and headed out the door with him. Muttering as he went, "You really are getting too big for this Tough Guy." Duncan's only answer was Richie wrapping his arms around Duncan's neck and muttering something that he could understand.

It still amazed Joe that despite everything that they had been through over the last few years, he could still see the love and trust Richie showed towards his best friend/teacher.

A few moments later Duncan was back, to get his coat that Amanda had shed before going up stairs.

As Duncan picked up the coat Joe looked over at him with a grin, "You know Mac, that was a pretty mean thing you did to poor Richie."

"Yeah, well, it'll teach him not to wind Methos up while I'm around! Duncan replied with a grin to match Joe's. "Don't worry, Joe, I'll make it up to him."

With that Duncan started out of the door, until Joe's voice stopped him, "Hey, Mac."

"Yeah, Joe?"

"I know you were a Vampire, but what Vampire?"

Duncan smiled mischievously, "I was Aaron Grey, from that film "The Breed," he was played by some guy call Adrian Something-or-other, why?"

"Just wondered that's all. Night, Mac."

"G'night, Joe."

Yup, Joe decided with a tired smile, all in all, this had to be one of the best Halloween parties that he'd ever been to.

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