A/N: These are the two stories I contributed to the Tricks and Treats: The 2011 Halloween Collection that I'm finally uploading to my profile here. As is standard for me these two stories contain femslash. These are also far less gruesome than the 2010 set. I hope you enjoy them.

A GOOD PLAN AND A LITTLE MAGIC

*****'*****

Jessica carefully packed away her crystals and herbs, rolling them gently in the piece of black velvet that made up the largest part of her mage kit. Once her tools were properly stored in her suitcase she packed her clothing and other essentials. It would be a long flight from England to Kansas, where London Tipton had decided to hold her annual Halloween bash on the Pickett farm, but Jessica was excited for the trip. It had been several years since she'd had the pleasure of the company of her American friends. Her career had taken her all over the globe and further out of contact with almost all of them but London had kept her number citing that it never hurt to have a few more famous friends and that one never knows when having an international super model on speed dial could come in useful.

Though she was eager to meet up with all of her friends again she was most excited to be seeing one in particular: Bailey. The two had hit it off immediately upon meeting. Though Cody thought they'd spent much the time fighting over him, believing himself worth the jealousy and believing them full of such silly pettiness, but they'd actually gotten along famously and discovered a host of shared interests and compatible personality traits. Bailey had quickly become Jessica's dearest friend and the two had spent many hours in conversations with one another. Their friendship had been maintained through the years with letters, emails, phone calls, Skyping, and the very occasional visit (usually Jessica went to Bailey as Bailey's drive to improve the family farm, and in so doing improving farming as a whole, prevented her from traveling much outside of work). As they had grown closer Jessica realized her feelings for the young Kansas native had developed well beyond friendship. If she were being completely honest with herself she'd say she'd fallen a little bit in love with her friend but she wasn't in the habit of being quite that honest. She would admit to an attraction and a deep compatibility but dare not confess to anything more.

Shaking herself from her musings she got back to the task at hand. When her suitcase was packed she lugged it out of her room and downstairs before calling back up a different set of stairs, "Janice! Have you finished packing yet?"

Though the twins were adults and each independently wealthy enough to afford their own homes they'd found themselves much happier when living together so they'd bought a home, nearly a mansion, they could comfortably share without always being under one another's feet but still provide the comfort and security of companionship. The ground floor held all the traditional utility rooms and the rooms for entertaining company while the upper floor had been split down the middle and converted into two large master suites that were entirely separate and could only be accessed via the different staircases. The arrangement granted each young woman the privacy they craved and the company they needed.

"No! Come up," her sister commanded and Jessica obeyed only rolling her eyes a little.

"What is it?" she asked as she breezed into her sister's rooms.

"I don't know what costume to bring!" Janice wailed quietly as she indicated four different bagged costumes laid out on her bed.

Jessica raised her eyebrow and grinned wickedly, "I thought we were going as witches?"

Janice favored her sister with a sardonic look, "I know you think you're being subversive and wildly clever dressing as a witch on Halloween, but I find it just a tad silly given that we actually are witches."

"Hmph," Jessica crossed her arms, "Well, then, what are your other options?"

"Classic Harry Potter style robes complete with wand and house scarf," Janice began while lifting the bagged costume as she spoke of it, "Mary Poppins with bag and umbrella, traditional but extremely dull witch, and this bobby outfit with collapsible nightstick."

"And you complain of me not being clever," Jessica said, "What's so clever about a Brit going as a Hogwarts student, hm?"

Janice stuck her tongue out at her before putting the mentioned costume up in her closet. "Very well, and the others?"

"You're already dead set against dressing as a witch, so that one is out as well," Jessica mused as she put that costume in the closet. "Which leaves going as a bobby or Mary Poppins."

Janice looked between her choices clearly conflicted, "What do you think?"

"I think," Jessica smiled, "That the Americans would be delighted to have a truly British Mary Poppins in their midst."

Janice smiled back, "Yes, I think you're right." She managed to fit the costume in her suitcase and zipped it up.

"You remembered your mage kit, right?" Jessica asked, "Just in case?"

"The very first thing I packed," Janice confirmed, "just like I know it was the first thing you packed."

Jessica inclined her head in confirmation and began walking out the door. "Well, if that's it then, we'd best be on our way."

Janice muscled her suitcase off her bed and followed her sister down the stairs and out their door to meet their waiting cab.

***'***

One overseas flight from London to new York, a secondary flight from New York to Kansas, and a lengthy car ride later and they were making the turn onto the Pickett farm's driveway. Thanks to a call made an hour before the Picketts knew they were coming and Bailey waited on the porch with a smile on her face as they drove up under the mid-morning sunlight.

Jessica took a long moment to study Bailey and liked what she saw. The young woman had developed a trim and subtly muscular figure, doubtless from her work here on the farm, which bore a solid and confident air that Jessica found indescribably attractive. Her skin was tanned from hours under the sun though it lacked the rough weathered look farmers often had. Jessica took in the worn blue jeans, comfortable looking boots, and fitted plaid shirt Bailey wore and mentally approved of how decidedly fit it all made her friend look.

Stepping out of the car they were greeted in Bailey's cheerful voice, her accent a little more prominent due to her time at home, "Long time no see!"

"Too long," Jessica agreed as she stepped up to her friend and wrapped her in a hug. "It's so good to see you."

"Mhm," Bailey agreed, giving Jessica a squeeze then releasing her, "It's nice to see you in person instead of on a magazine cover."

Jessica heard Janice laugh behind her and then say, "Did you see the GQ shoot she modeled for?"

Bailey blushed bright red, "I may have seen one or two pages from that."

That made Jessica blush, too. That shoot had been a particularly salacious one. It wasn't that the clothes showed off any more of her body than she was comfortable with but she'd been posed in extremely suggestive ways both alone and with other models. She knew that magazine's reputation and hadn't wanted to do the shoot, but since she'd become a minor television celebrity and two of her co-stars had posed for this same magazine she couldn't talk her manager out of it. It wasn't work she looked on with any particular pride but it wasn't work she'd be ashamed of either.

Janice snickered and that brought Jessica out of her thoughts and she lightly swatted her sister's stomach. "Wicked beast," she teased as Janice merely stuck out her tongue.

"Well, we've got a room ready for you two," Bailey informed them, "That is, if you don't mind sharing for the few days you're here?"

The twins communicated with just a look and shrugged at the same time, "Of course we don't mind."

"Great!" Bailey clapped. She reached out and picked up one of the two suitcases and gestured for them to follow, "I'll get the other bag after I show you to your room. I'm sure you want to sleep off a little of your jet lag."

Both nodded in agreement and trudged after her to their room.

Bailey left them there to get the other bag and when she returned they were already asleep in their respective beds. She set the bag down quietly, closed the door, and left them to rest.

***'***

When Jessica woke it was dark outside. She frowned when she realized she must have slept most of the day and wasted the opportunity to spend more time with Bailey. She looked to the other bed and saw Janice was already out and about. She made use of the en-suite bathroom to freshen up and then made her way downstairs.

"-and London had us design a corn maze in the shape of her face big enough to see from the Tipton Space Station," Jessica heard Bailey telling her sister when she came to the bottom of the stairs and turned towards the living room. "We had to rent out a couple of the neighboring farms to pull it off but we did it. London's face in all its corn stalk glory."

Jessica silently slid up and looked over Bailey's and Janice's shoulders to see the photo Bailey was showing, obviously taken from the same space station Bailey had just mentioned. "Goodness!" she exclaimed, making both other women jump, "how long did that take to design?"

Bailey, hand still pressed over her heart from startlement, answered, "About two weeks to set the design. But it took several months to rent out the other farms and get the right corn planted in the right places. London and I have been planning this since last year."

"It's quite remarkable," Janice said while studying the picture.

"Yes," Jessica agreed with a smile, "It looks just like her. You should be proud."

Bailey smiled back and blushed a little, "Well, it wasn't just me. We had a lot of help from the other farmers. Even old Mr. Weevil helped out."

Jessica, having heard many tales of Mr. Weevil's generally intractable nature, was duly impressed. "So, what else have I missed while I slept?"

Janice shrugged while Bailey said, "You weren't down for that long. It gets dark early here around winter time. It's around six now. People ought to be arriving for the party soon. Momma made some supper for all of us. Why don't we eat and then get into costume."

The twins agreed and they all trooped into the kitchen to eat with Bailey's parents, three younger sisters, and grandmother.

***'***

An hour later knocking started at the door and guests were arriving in droves. Many of their masked faces making it impossible to tell who was in what costumes. It appeared, though, that London had invited every person she'd ever met.

Janice and Jessica were still getting dressed upstairs. Well, Janice was still getting dressed and Jessica was helping her. Apparently the Mary Poppins costume was time period accurate and required a bit of lacing up and buttoning down. Jessica's own mostly shapeless black robe and black hat had simply required finding the correct holes to stuff herself through and she'd been done in moments.

Jessica waited for Janice to finish putting the final touches on her makeup and glanced around the mess Janice had managed to make of the room. She began to tidy, putting Janice's things back in order and in her bag, when her hands met another costume package. "Jan," she asked, "what is this?"

Janice poked her head out of the bathroom and grinned when she saw what her sister held, "That's your other costume."

"What?" Jessica scoffed, "I don't need another costume. The one I'm wearing is just fine."

Janice finished up and stepped fully out of the restroom, "Trust me, Jess, you'll be in that costume before the end of the night."

Jessica looked down at the sailor's outfit in her hands and tossed it onto her bed, "Not likely."

Janice shrugged, "Believe what you will. But I know you'll be in that costume sooner or later."

Jessica eyed her sister suspiciously, "What have you done?"

"What have I done?" Janice parroted back innocently, "Why, nothing. I'm completely innocent."

"You brought along a second costume for me, that doesn't speak well to your innocence." Jessica pointed out.

"Perhaps I just know something you don't," Janice turned her nose up, grabbed her umbrella and carpet bag, and escaped the room before Jessica could question her any further.

Jessica took one last glance at the sailor costume before shaking her head and closing the door behind her as she left.

***'***

They arrived downstairs to a party in full swing spilling out of the house, across the yard, and deeply into the corn fields.

Jessica didn't see Bailey, or anyone else she knew, and so she made her way to the snacks table for some bubbling green punch she'd seen one of Bailey's sisters making after dinner. The drink was pleasantly alcoholic and Jessica felt it warm her with each sip she took. She had drunk down two cups of it as she people watched, delighting in the costumes the guests had come arrayed in.

Her eyes scanned the crowd and finally picked out London dressed seductively as Cleopatra in gold and linens with elaborate jewelry and kohl lined eyes. Jessica vacated the snacks table with a third glass of punch in hand and made her way over to the beaming heiress.

"London!"

London turned her head slowly, regally, and smiled even more widely than she had been before. "Jessica! It's so good to see you!" London squealed a bit and grabbed Jessica in a quick hug, "I'm glad Janice already came to see me, I'd have never been able to tell you apart if you'd approached me at the same time."

They both chuckled over that before Jessica said, "It looks like you've got a successful party on your hands."

London preened, "Of course it's a success. It's a London Tipton party!"

Jessica smiled, "Has Bailey shown you the photo of the corn maze taken by the Tipton Space Station?"

London clapped her hands and bounced a little, reminiscent of the way she'd done as a teen, "She did! It looks just like me!"

"It does," Jessica agreed, "It was a fantastic idea."

London nodded, "And it's good marketing. It cost a lot to set up, but the photos of it in every major paper across the country got the Tipton name out there in a big way and will cover the expense three times over."

Jessica smiled, "Well played, London. That was an excellent bit of advertisement."

London puffed up a little with pride, "Thank you, I thought it was too."

Jessica saw many guests queuing to speak with London and excused herself saying, "I won't keep you from your other guests any longer. Congratulations on this roaring success. Happy Halloween, London."

"Happy Halloween, Jess," London said as she hugged her, "Thanks for coming." Jessica hugged back and then stepped away. She was turning to go when London called her back, "Janice told me about your other costume. You'll want to put it on before I start judging the costume contest. What you're wearing now does you no justice and I'm a sucker for paired costumes."

Before Jessica could inform London that she had no one to pair her costume with the heiress was whisked into a boisterous conversation with a handful of other celebrities.

Jessica mingled among the party-goers for a while making conversation and new contacts, while keeping an eye out for people she knew. She'd spotted Zack dressed as the Big Bad Wolf to his girlfriend's Red Riding Hood. Cody had come dressed as Einstein, though most thought he was just dressed as a mad scientist. She'd seen Miss Tutweiller, dressed as Jessica Rabbit, on the arm of a woman dressed as a cheerleader and having a conversation with Mr. Moseby, who was dressed as the White Rabbit. Carey Martin was having a blast with Arwin, the two costumed as Frankenstein's Monster and the Bride of Frankenstein. Kurt Martin was living it up as the King, Elvis Presley. She'd seen a woman, Addison she thought, dressed as a mime and holding a mostly silent conversation with another woman who'd come as Xena. She'd seen Bailey's parents dressed as the Wizard and Glinda the Good with their three youngest daughters dressed as the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow (they'd dressed their pet pig as Dorothy and had a stuffed dog velcroed to its back to be Toto). There were plenty of green-faced wicked witches, some Robin Hoods, and a whole host of superheroes and comic book characters. There was even a group of people who'd attended dressed as characters from a cartoon show; Rugrats, Jessica thought it was called.

All of that and she still hadn't laid eyes on Bailey. She wondered if Bailey was wearing a mask over her face and that's why she couldn't see her. She could hardly believe that she'd forgotten to ask what Bailey intended to dress as for this party.

***'***

She looked up from her sixth glass of punch in time to watch Janice leap from the top of a stack of hay bales with her umbrella open above her and float gently to the ground to the amusement of crowd of onlookers. Jessica knew, instantly, that Janice had enchanted her umbrella. And when she saw Janice begin pulling things from her carpet bag she knew that had been enchanted too. Shaking her head in wry amusement at her sister's antics she laughed and hoped Janice could convince her adoring fans that it was all some great trick of the light.

***'***

Later she wandered into the corn maze with a map in hand, amused that she'd be walking all over London's face. In her slightly drunken haze, eight mugs of punch beginning to take their toll, she had forgotten to bring a flashlight into the maze with her and as a consequence gotten herself well and truly lost. She sighed at herself in annoyance and tugged her crystal necklace from beneath her robe. She whispered a soft command into the stone and it glowed brightly enough that she could use it to light her way. Her map was now quite useless and she tucked it into her pocket as she continued to wander. She popped out from between a row of corn stalks and found herself at what must have been the edge of the property given the barbed wire fence she was suddenly pressed against. She turned to re-enter the corn maze and heard a horrendous ripping sound. She looked down at herself and found her robe neatly torn in two, half snagged on the barbed wire and half dangling limply off her shoulders.

"Bugger this," she growled and yanked the robe off the fence. She wadded the whole lot into a ball and tucked it under her arm then threw herself back into the maze. Irritation and a beginning sense of panic working to sober her up. She held her crystal before her to light her way but she was still lost. She pulled the map out of her pocket and laid it flat on the ground. She crouched over it and dangled the crystal above it to scry for her location. Once she'd found herself on the map she was able to use it to guide her way out. She made sure to call the light out of her crystal before she emerged from the maze with her ruined robe in hand.

Janice caught sight of her as soon as she stepped out of the maze and laughed. "Had a bit of an ordeal in there, did you?" she asked as she pulled the split fabric out of her sister's hands and stuffed it into her enchanted carpet bag. She led Jessica behind a stack of hay bales for privacy and said a spell which called the sailor costume from their room and made it materialize in her hands, "Well, go on and put this on then. Can't have you wandering about without a costume."

Jessica once more eyed her sister with suspicion, "I'm not convinced of your innocence in all of this."

"Nonsense," Janice said agreeably, "I couldn't have possibly done a thing to make any of this happen. So what if I brought an extra costume? Or the punch was particularly irresistible to you? Or you somehow 'forgot' to take a torch into the maze and got lost? It wasn't all part of some grand scheme of mine. No, indeed."

Jessica laughed, "You are wicked, Jan. Did you use a befuddlement charm on me? How'd you manage to put it on without my noticing?"

Janice smiled while she helped her sister into her new costume, "You, sister dear, sleep like the dead." She stuffed all of Jessica's regular clothes into her carpet bag and surveyed her sister with a pleased air about her.

Now arrayed in her new blue sailor's costume, tailored beautifully to her size courtesy of her sister's planning, she had to admit it was a wonderful choice in costume. The outfit was a classic United States naval uniform of a 1940s style complete with white cap and black shoes. It hung off her in a way that made her gender indeterminate, only her long hair and painted nails gave her away. "Well, while I'm not pleased about you using magic on me I do have to say this was a rather splendid choice in costume on your part."

Janice smiled, "It wasn't entirely my idea."

Jessica furrowed her brow, "What do you mean?"

Janice was saved from answering by London's voice projecting over speakers placed strategically all over the farm, "Okay, boys and ghouls, it's time for the costume contest! Contestants will come up on the stage when I call your names and let everybody see your costumes!"

"Oh! Come on!" Janice grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her back out into the crowd and towards the stage.

London started calling people's names, some individuals, some pairs, some groups, all eliciting pleased cheering from the crowd. London would occasionally make a note on her cards while looking everyone over with a critical eye. The more famous guests getting snapshots taken by the press all of London's events attracted.

Suddenly Jessica's name was called and she looked to her sister in shock, "I didn't enter this contest!"

"Nope," Janice grinned, Jessica's exclamation had covered the announcement of her partner's name, "I entered it for you. Now get up there!" She slapped her sister's back and shoved her towards the stage.

Jessica felt a tingle in her spine when Janice slapped her, but dismissed it as she dazedly climbed the steps to the stage and met a smiling London, who whispered "much better" to her, and a nervous Bailey. Jessica felt her jaw drop as she finally saw Bailey in her costume, one well matched to her own. Bailey was dressed all in white as a nurse from the same era Jessica's own uniform had come from with her hair curled and coiffed under her own white cap in a style appropriate for the costume. Bailey smiled hesitantly as Jessica approached and took a single step closer and somehow tripped (Jessica suspected Janice's hand at work). Acting quickly Jessica moved to catch her and overbalanced but she caught herself and Bailey coming to a stop in a pose almost an exact duplicate of one of the most iconic images of World War II, one known by many titles but most frequently as The Kiss. The action was seamless and looked as though they'd planned it all along even though it was a total accident (unless Jessica's suspicions about Janice's witchery prove true).

Looking down into Bailey's eyes as they held onto each other for balance Jessica once more felt that tingle in her spine and couldn't resist the temptation. She sealed her mouth to Bailey's, kissing for all she was worth, and completed the image to the deafening cheers of the crowd and punctuated by the flashbulbs of the photographers.

She didn't want to stop but London's amused commentary and the sudden awareness that in front of a crowd of hundreds of people was not the way she'd wanted to have her first kiss with Bailey eventually prevailed over her sensory overload and she pulled away with one last nip at Bailey's lips. Flushed and breathless the two young women left the stage hand-in-hand to the hooting and applause of the crowd.

They passed Janice on the way down, her twin making her way up the stairs to showcase her own costume, and Jessica heard her laughingly say "You're welcome" in a sing-song voice. Jessica simultaneously felt the urge to slap and hug her sister but settled for rolling her eyes and finding she and Bailey some privacy.

"So," Bailey chewed on her lip, "that was...something, huh?"

Jessica chuckled self-deprecatingly, "It certainly was that. Bailey," Jessica turned serious and apologetic eyes on the other woman, "I'm sorry about that. I had no idea-"

Bailey interrupted, "Janice didn't tell you?"

Jessica tilted her head, "Tell me what?"

Bailey covered her mouth with her hand and groaned. She dropped her hand, "I thought you knew!"

"Knew what?" Janice asked, baffled.

Bailey rubbed her temples and took a deep breath. She reached out and caught Jessica's hands in her own, "Janice and I planned all this. She said she'd tell you."

Jessica shook her head, "She didn't tell me a thing. Rarely does, the wicked thing. So this was all a plot?" she asked. "The party?"

Bailey nodded.

"The costumes?"

Another nod.

"The contest?"

Again, Bailey nodded.

Then, hesitantly, "The kiss?"

Bailey licked her lips, looked directly into Jessica's eyes, and deliberately shook her head. "I'd hoped," Bailey whispered, "I've wanted to for a long time, but I wasn't sure if you-"

"I've wanted to," Jessica confessed, cutting Bailey off, "I think I've always wanted to."

Bailey bit her lip again and smiled bashfully, "So..."

"So?" Jessica queried.

"So, maybe we could try that again?" Bailey offered, "Without the audience?"

Jessica grinned, "Smashing idea."

Without further ado the two came together in a much less public but no less passionate embrace. Years of suppressed desire pouring between them and making their hearts race. This was much more in keeping with what Jessica had wished their first kiss would be.

Oblivious to the world around them, lost in one another, they missed the rest of the contest and Janice taking the prize for her costume with Woody as her chimney sweep.

***'***

When they finally managed to separate the party was winding down.

Jessica pulled them back out into the real world so Bailey could say farewell to her guests, which didn't take as long as she thought it might. The sun was just peeking over the horizon by the time they managed to drag themselves into the house for some rest.

Before they parted company to rest in their respective rooms Bailey took Jessica by the hand again and placed a chaste kiss to her lips, whispering "Happy Halloween" against them and disappearing into her room.

Jessica practically floated into the room she and Janice shared and flopped happily onto her back on her bed.

"Good night, Jess?" Janice teasingly asked, looking at her sister's completely enamored expression.

"The best," Jessica breathed out. "Thanks, Jan, for all of this."

Janice smiled, her plan had come together beautifully with the help of just a smidgeon of magic and had worked even better than she'd supposed. Satisfied, instead of smugly giving her sister an I-told-you-so, she contented herself with saying, "Happy Halloween, Jess."

"Happy Halloween." Jessica replied, nearly drifting off.

Janice was almost asleep herself when Jessica's voice floated over to her, "And no more casting magic on me. Nearly made a drunken mess of myself."

Janice snorted, "I won't have to magic you now you and Bailey are finally on the same page. Now I won't have to listen to you pine for one another."

Jessica laughed, "No, now you get to listen to us moon over one another instead."

Janice groaned for her sister's benefit but she was smiling as she fell asleep.

THE END

*****'*****

A/N: The Kiss is a real image taken by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. It can be found under the titles V-J Day in Times Square, V-Day, and The Kiss. Google image search and wikipedia will find it for those of you interested in seeing.