Heeey all, I'm brining Summer and her group back from The Hardest Goodbye for some Halloween hijinx!! Kids, costumes, apple cider. In the spirit of the season I felt the need to post something Halloween related and people seemed to want to see these guys back to find out what happened with the guys and Hope. Well, Hope's here along with her sister and brother and a whole crazy group of cousins! So enjoy! A special thanks to Mikell for not only being my awesome, incredible beta on this but also for giving me the inspiration on Summer's costume ;) And Happy Halloween to everyone!! I'll be taking my little Sammy out trick-or-treating for the first time. If anyone else is braving the neighborhoods, stay safe and have a great time!!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of TMNT and make no profits from the writing of this story. All other references to the Halloween Movie, It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Disney Princess', Dragon Ball Z , the Addams Family and any other mentioned costume are used strictly for tv viewing and costume purposes and belong to their respected creators, not me!
A Super Hero Halloween
"Man, rugrats everywhere," Michelangelo muttered, his eyes straying from the TV screen to the three children sprawled on the floor playing with, and he couldn't help but cringe at this, Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards. They'd tried so hard to keep the kids away from those. But not even one week into school this year and Leo and Amy's oldest son Isacc had come home with a handful of the vile cards, proudly announcing that he'd slaughtered the competition to win them. The adults had all groaned inwardly, knowing despite their best efforts, they'd been defeated.
"Speaking of rugrats, where's yours?" Raphael asked from his spot beside him on the couch.
Michelangelo shrugged. "Cat's got Eve down for a nap and Bryce….hm, not sure where that kid ran off to. I think…" he drifted off and with lightning quick speed, reached over the side of the couch and grabbed what he could only assume were the straps of his son's favorite jean overall's. Shrieks sounded, laughter filled the living room of the old farm house and children of all ages scattered from behind the couch. All except the one caught, of course.
Chuckling, Michelangelo hauled his son over the side of the couch. A sandy blond haired six year old with his father's bright blue eyes and quick, goofy smile, giggled as he toppled into Michelangelo's lap. "You know I was there! No fair, Dad!"
"Course I knew you were there. Ninja, remember?" He tickled the little boys sides, pulling more peels of childish laughter from him. "Try it on someone more gullible with slower reflexes. Like your uncle Raph!"
"Ha ha," Raphael remarked with his usual sarcasm that had only partially faded in the nine years that he'd been married to Summer.
"So, where's your mom, kiddo?" Michelangelo righted his son and ruffled his hair.
Bryce's tanned features screwed up in concentration. Bryce, just like the rest of the children that belonged to Michelangelo and his brothers, resembled his father in only a few ways – the eyes, the personality and the smile. The rest was all his mother.
The human genes of the wives had overpowered the mutant ones of their husbands and of course the women just loved this. It thrilled them to know that they were stronger than their husbands in at least one way.
"Mom's takin' a nap. She said that she wanted you to wake her up in about two hours so she'd have time to feed Evie and help us get ready for tonight."
"Tonight? What's tonight?" Michelangelo mused innocently. "Thought we were all staying in tonight."
"Daaad," Bryce bemoaned, rolling his eyes. "It's Halloween. We're going trick-or-treating, remember?"
"Oh yeah, that's right." Michelangelo grinned, dropping the act. "So you got your costume all picked out? You and your mom never told me what you were going to be this year."
Bryce bounded gracefully from his lap and struck a heroic pose the minute his stocking feet hit the floor. "I'm gonna be," he took a deep breath and dropped his voice, trying to sound as manly as possible at the age of six, "The Turtle Titan!!"
Raphael released a snort of laughter. Ignoring him, Michelangelo smiled down at his son, proud as any father could ever be. "That's awesome, buddy! You know what to wear, right?"
"Umm," Bryce's dramatic pose faltered and he scratched his head. "Mom's got some stuff but you're probly gonna have to help her out," The little boy clambered back into his father's lap and looked curiously at the TV. "What're ya watchin?"
"Halloween Two."
"And now, we're watching something different," a feminine voice sounded from the doorway. Amy, a beautiful, deeply tanned woman with long raven tresses that fell past her shoulder blades stood with her arms crossed, a patient smile on her face and three children milling about slightly flared jean skirt. "You guys wouldn't mind humoring the kids and letting them watch something a little less scary, would you?" she asked sweetly.
"Aw, come on Ame's, this ain't scary," Raph complained, although he knew it was pointless. A quick head count showed that it was two against seven…not good odds. And one of those kids was his daughter, Hope, who knew for a fact that her daddy could never in a million years, say no to her.
"Tell ya what, Raph," Amy said, her green eyes sparkling. "You can keep watching this…but then its Uncle Raph and Mike taking care of any kid who has a nightmare tonight."
"You win."
"Thank you." She handed a movie to her son Robbie, a six year old with a mop of unruly black hair and his father's eyes. "Go ahead, sweetie."
The boy shot a dubious look at the two turtles lounging on the couch. "You sure, Uncle Raph?"
"Yeah. Go for it, kid."
Mikey shifted his son to the side, setting him between himself and Raphael. "So, what are we watching?"
Emma, Leo and Amy's little five year old, danced around the room, sparkling wand in one hand and a crown of white and purple flowers perched at an angle on her head. It's pale purple and white ribbons trailed over a mass of black, wavy hair. "We're gonna watch the Great Punkin!" she sang, doing a pirouette on her blue stocking clad toes.
Amy caught her just before she collided with the couch and redirected her to where all of the other children were gathering in front of the television. "So, where's Don and Charity?" she asked, leaning against the cushy arm of the couch.
"Downstairs, helping Genius finish up on his science project for school," Mikey answered. "Where's Leo?"
"Outside, getting firewood. It's supposed to get kind of cold tonight. Hopefully we'll have all of the trick-or-treating done before that happens."
Squeals of laughter interrupted them and the three smiled, watching Bryce do a perfect impression of Snoopy dancing.
"You heard what he's going to dress up as, didn't you?" Amy asked, glancing in askance at Michelangelo.
"Yup. And I couldn't be more proud. Not many kids out there that would get all excited about dressing up like their dad for Halloween."
They fell silent, watching the movie. It was always surprising to them how easy it was to get sucked into the TV shows and movies their kids watched. Michelangelo once said, "It's because we lost control over the remote. They have it now and we're so TV deprived that we'll watch anything." And since Michelangelo's theory made so much sense, oddly enough, they never questioned it. Well, Summer did, but only when Rugrats was on. She would never deny loving that show for a minute.
"Raph, honey?'
Pulling his attention away from the television, he turned towards the sound of his wife's voice. Summer stood in the doorway, dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a maroon and cream knit sweater with a deep 'v' neck that brought out the rich highlights in her wavy, auburn hair. On her feet were a pair of black socks stripped with purple and decorated with jack-o-lanterns. The colors clashed with her sweater, but she didn't seem to mind at all. "Can you help me out in the kitchen?" she asked softly.
"Sure thing, babe. Be there in a bit."
After casting a doting smile at the group of children laying around the television, Summer disappeared back into the kitchen and Raphael turned back to watch poor 'ol Charley Brown get picked on for thinking he was invited to a Halloween party. After a minute or two, he stood and went to the kitchen. The spicy scent of apples and cinnamon met his nose and he smiled, fully anticipating a cup of Summer's should-be-famous apple cider.
The sight that greeted him on the other side of the swinging door made his smile widen. Chloe, his little four year old firecracker, sat at the kitchen table, her legs tucked underneath her. Her thick auburn hair was pulled into haphazard ponytails that had, at one point earlier in the day, been meticulously positioned in just the right place. Her little feet were wrapped in bright red, yellow and black stripped socks, her little toes wiggling every now and then. She cocked her head to the side, the hand holding a crayon pausing over her work. The momentum pulled the edge of the scarf she wore free from the ledge of the table and it fell to the floor, the hot pink and orange tassels brushing the wooden surface.
Moving to stand behind her, he braced his hands on either side of her coloring book and leaned down, brushing the top of her head with his mouth. "Hey there Chloe-monster."
"Hi daddy monster!" Coloring forgotten, she tossed the crayon aside and whipped around, standing at the same time. Had Raphael not been quicker, he would have caught a head to the chin. One thing he had learned and learned fast about parenting-you had to be quick once they started moving around.
"What's up, kiddo?" he asked, propping her slight weight easily on his arm.
"I think I'm gonna lose a tooth." She opened her mouth and started to wiggle one pearly white with her tongue. "Is on ight er."
"Ah, I see that. Want me to just yank it right out for ya?"
He made a move to grab at her tooth and she veered back, giggling and slapping at his hand. "Daddy, no!" Her giggling suddenly tapered off and her amber eyes went wide. "Daddy, what if it comes out tonight? Does the tooth fairy work on Halloween?"
"Not sure, hun. How 'bout we ask mom. Hey mom?"
Summer paused in cutting potatoes and looked over her shoulder. "Yeah?"
"Chloe wants to know if the tooth fairy works on Halloween."
Exchanging a sly smile with her husband, Summer turned fully around, leaning back against the counter and tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Hm, I'm sure she does. Why? Is that tooth of yours finally starting to fall out?"
"I think so." Chloe wiggled it with her tongue, concentrating hard so that she could determine whether the tooth was looser now than it had been a few minutes ago. "It feels more wiggly."
"Well, if it falls out tonight, we'll just have to put it under your pillow and see, now wont we?"
"Uh huh." Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "Mommy, can we light punkin's now?"
Laughing softly, Summer turned back to her task. "Not yet, baby. We have to wait until it gets dark."
"So, what did ya need me in here for?" Raphael asked as he set Chloe back down on her chair.
Summer pointed a hand towards the end of the table. "If you could help out that mess right there, that would be great."
Their youngest, 16 month old Jacob, sat in his highchair, gram cracker stuck to his face, his eyes fixed on the plate of food Summer had set down just out of his reach.
"I have to finish getting supper ready for everyone else, so if you could feed Jakey, that'd be great."
Raphael sat down in front of his son, giving him a grin. "You know, you're a lot better at this than I am, babe. I'm just gonna make more of a mess out of him." Picking up a fork, he loaded it lightly with a helping of chicken and rice and held it up. True to his statement, half of the food ended up on the floor and half on the highchair tray when Jacob took a swipe at it.
"The trick," Summer said as she set a mug of hot apple cider beside Raphael, "is to be quicker than he is." She took the fork, scooped up a small portion of food and shoveled it quickly and efficiently into her son's waiting mouth. "See? Nothing to it."
"Easy for her to say," Raphael muttered, taking the fork from Summer and ignoring her smirk. "You two got some kind of unspoken bond goin' on here." He shoveled up a fork full of food and held it up between himself and Jake. "Alright kiddo, we're doin' this. You're lil' momma bond ain't got nothin' on my ninja skills." He saw his opening, took it and grinned as his son's mouth closed around the bite of food. Jake stared at him for a moment, his mouth not moving. He seemed to be thinking it over – chew, don't chew. His jaw shifted and immediately, Raphael declared victory. "Alright! One bite down, let's keep it-ah, crud."
Summer turned around at the sound of her sons sneeze and quickly slapped her hand over her mouth to stop her giggles. Poor Raphael was scowling, a mix of rice and chicken stuck to his face. "Aw honey." She grabbed a dish rag, wet it from the tap and went to Raphael, wiping away the mess. "You're doing great," she encouraged softly.
He glared at her, then grabbed the hand dabbing at his face and gave it a tug, pulling Summer down into his lap. "You know, I'm better at this kind of thing," he murmured, nuzzling her neck.
Summers breath hitched as she made a lame attempt to push away from him. "Raph, the kids…" But she was already melting against him, draping one arm lazily around his neck.
The sound of the back door creaking open effectively dampened the mood and as Raph glared towards the back of the house, Summer gave him an apologetic look and slid from his lap, going to the pot on the stove where her cider was simmering. She pulled a mug down from the cupboard and had it filled just as Leonardo walked in, pulling the hood of his thin parka back. He set the load of firewood he'd carried in with the rest of the firewood in the small alcove just off the entrance into the kitchen.
"Getting cold out?" Summer asked, crossing the room to him and handing him the mug of cider.
"Not too bad yet." Taking the mug, he hummed appreciatively. "Been waiting all year for this stuff. Thanks Summer." Going to the table, Leonardo looked over Chloe's shoulder, stroking her hair affectionately. He wouldn't admit it out loud and he certainly didn't try to play favorites when it came to his nieces and nephews, but it was common knowledge among the adults that there was a very soft spot in the eldest ninja's heart for his little niece. "That looks great, Chloe."
She smiled up at him. "Thanks Uncle Leo! I'm gonna lose a tooth!"
"Is that so?" Leo sank into the chair next to her, returning her infectious toothy grin. "Which one."
She stood up on her chair and poked a finger in her mouth, wiggling the offending tooth. "Dis one. Daddy said he could yank it out but I told him no.
"Chloe, sweetie, don't stand on the chair," Summer reprimanded softly.
The swinging door to the kitchen opened to admit Michelangelo's wife Cat and Summer immediately reached for the top cupboard beside the stove, anticipating the younger woman's needs. The youngest of their group shuffled into the kitchen wearing a pair of pink and gray flannel pants and one of Michelangelo's hooded sweatshirts. She pushed her mass of layered light brown hair out of a pair of chocolate brown eyes that were still bleary with sleep.
"Someone feed me!" Cat groaned, her hands settling on the large swell of her stomach.
Laughing, Summer threw a zip lock bag stuffed with a combination of candy corn, cheezits and cheerio's at the younger woman. Out of all four of them, Cat had the strangest cravings – from mustard with oatmeal cookies to charred steak with strawberry jam. Luckily, her husband wasn't as effected by this as everyone else was. He, at least, could remain in the kitchen and make sure she didn't inhale any of her disgusting concoctions too quickly whereas everyone else usually had to leave the room. "You know, we're going to be eating in about 30 minutes here, Cat. You could have just waited."
"When have I ever been able to wait for food when I'm pregnant," Cat said around a mouthful of candy corn. "Besides, I can get away with it now. Two and a half more months and I'm going to have to go back to eating like a normal person."
"Instead of suckin' everythin' up like a friggin' vacuum cleaner," Raphael muttered, ducking away from his wife's had as she swatted at him.
"Raph, Leo…could you guys please set the table. I'll get the food out and Cat, if you want to call downstairs and see if Charity and Donnie are finished up yet?" Summer went around the table and picked Chloe up, directing her out of the kitchen. "Why don't you go tell everyone else supper is ready so we can get you all dressed and get out of here before all the good candy is gone, okay sweetheart?"
"Kay, mommy!" the little girl sang, skipping off with pigtails bouncing.
Raphael and Leonardo moved to get the dishes out of the cupboards and Cat started for the open basement door. The sound of voices moving up the stairwell and the floorboards creaking told her it was an unnecessary task and she sat gingerly in the chair Leonardo had vacated instead, content to munch away at her snack and not have to carry her bulky weight any further.
Gideon, or Genius as everyone had a tendency to call him, was the first to burst through the open doorway. At the age of seven, he was Donatello and Charity's oldest. He had a mop of crazy red curls and his father's dark brown eyes. At that moment, every red curl stood on end and his face was smudged with god only knew what. "I knew I smelled cider! Aunt Summer, can I have a cup?"
"Only if it's okay with your mom and dad," Summer answered, looking past Gideon to watch Charity and Donatello come through the doorway, heads together, hands clasped, and whispering like a pair of teenagers. Summer called Charity's name and the redhead looked up, smiling brightly, her cheeks flushed. Summer was almost positive that Donatello had been lavishing her with compliments as he had a tendency to do. "Yeah?"
"Is it okay if Genius has a cup of cider?"
"Oh, sure. One should be fine. Are we going to be eating soon?" she asked, watching Raphael and Leonardo work together to lay out dishes.
"Yeah, I sent Chloe in to get the others. Hopefully she didn't get side tracked by the movie they're watching."
"I'll go make sure they all know," Charity offered, patting Donatello's arm and leaving the kitchen.
Noticing that his brothers had been put to work, Donatello quickly opted to follow his wife. He wouldn't hesitate to help. It's just…he didn't really want to at the moment. He and Charity had been helping Gideon with is science project all morning. He was due for some downtime which, from the way things had been going today, wasn't going to happen until all of the kids were down for the night.
He walked into the living room behind his wife and came to a stop, smiling. Michelangelo sat on the couch, his arms draped over the back. On one side of him was Bryce, on the other, curled up against his side with her little hand resting on his chest was Michelangelo's beautiful blond haired daughter, Eve. The rest of the kids were sprawled in various positions on the carpeted floor.
Donatello's five year old, Madison, sat cross legged in front of Hope who was carefully plaiting her wild red hair into two braids on either side of her head. Leonardo's two boys, Isaac and Robbie were laying on their stomachs, feet kicked up in the air and swaying gently back and forth. Donatello's four year old, Rory, laid beside them on his back, tilting his head back at what looked to be an uncomfortable angle so that he could watch the movie upside down. Leonardo's five year old Emma lay beside him on her side, drawing indistinguishable patterns on the carpet with her wand.
Even after all these years, the sight of all the children had a profound impact on Donatello. He'd done the research, had made countless efforts towards discovering whether or not he and his brothers would be able to father children. Nothing had added up to anything conclusive or helpful so when Amy and Charity had both gotten pregnant at the same time with Gideon and Isaac, to say he was shocked was an understatement. Their pregnancies had defied all of his logic so Donatello was forced to do as Charity suggested and admit that there was a higher power at work in the grand scheme of things and that this higher power wanted them to have children.
All of them were such blessings, such perfect combinations of their mothers and fathers. All of his children had acquired some level of scientific interest, though Madison seemed to be more interested in science on an artistic level. She enjoyed mixing oils with pastels, finding different art medium combinations that went against the norm. Rory may have only been four, but he always wanted to help his dad out in his lab and was a constant source of questions and amusement. His interest tended to veer more towards his mothers line of work though and he had declared shortly after his fourth birthday that he was going to be the world's most brilliant doctor.
Michelangelo's children carried with them his optimistic personality and boundless energy. Bryce was a perfect incarnation of his father, always getting into trouble, never quiet, always in ten places at once. Eve was only three so she couldn't quite keep up with her brother, but was already showing promise for being just as irrepressible as Bryce.
Leonardo's children all seemed to have that same sense of leadership. They were calm, reasonable. Isaac took his role as the oldest next to Hope very seriously. Almost too seriously at times. Leonardo had to sit down with him every now and then and remind him that it was okay to be a kid and to have fun. Leonardo's three caused the least amount of trouble. Granted, they still caused it – just not as often as the other children did.
And Raphael's children….they may have looked just like their mother, but the only one who seemed to carry her personality traits was Hope. Chloe was her father, through and through. She hadn't even been in school for more than two days before the principal had been on the phone with Summer demanding that she come pick up her daughter for trying to take on two bullies in the fifth grade. Jacob was too young to really show much of which parent he took after, but there was an occasional flash in his amber eyes every now and then that told all of them he was going to be a force to be reckoned with when he got older.
Donatello felt that age old emotion of parental pride well up in him and reached forward, sliding his arms around Charity's waist and pulling her back against him.
"Donnie, what-."
"I love you," he whispered, nuzzling the soft skin just below her ear. "Thank you for marrying me."
Charity turned in his arms, smiling up at him. "Thank you for marrying me, Donatello," she whispered, bumping her nose lightly against his. "And thank you for giving me such beautiful children." Her smile turned to a lop sided grin and she laughed softly. "Isn't this the kind of talk that we usually save for Christmas or Valentine's day? You're supposed to be concentrating on scaring me here, Donnie."
"Scaring my wife? Not a chance," he said with mock severity.
Charity hummed softly. "Don't think I forgot about how you and Mikey drug a bunch of dry ice into the house that one year after the kids were in bed, had Casey dress up like some kind of creature of the dead that rose up out of the fog to scare the crap out of all of us."
"Ah, one of my finer moments," Donatello murmured, chuckling when his wife gave him a dirty look.
A faint tap-tap drew their attention and they turned to look down the hallway, smiling as Splinter shuffled in to join them.
"Good evening, sensei,"
Charity moved out of Donatello's arms and went to Splinter, leaning over to hug him. "Happy Halloween, father."
"Thank you, my daughter." Splinter looked into the living room, chuckling softly. "I see my grandchildren have been properly distracted."
"Don't get used to it," Donatello warned with a wry smirk. "Once they're all done eating, chaos is inevitable." He sighed softly, knowing that he had to be the one to break the silence and begin said chaos. There was no point in prolonging it. Might as well get everything started now and hope that the kids would wear themselves out before it got too late. "Alright guys," he called out, biting back a laugh as all eyes turned expectantly towards him. "Supper's on. Come and eat."
An hour and a half later and the beginning of total and complete chaos…
Raphael leaned against the doorframe that lead into the living room, shaking his head at the flurry of endless activity. He wasn't sure whether he should feel slightly ill, amused, or complete full on dread. "It's like Disney Land exploded all over our livin' room," he muttered, suddenly wishing he had a beer instead of a half empty mug of lukewarm apple cider.
"Aw, come on Raph. It's cute!" Michelangelo said, joining him to watch the five Disney princess' run around the living room. The boys had at least strayed from the norm with their costume choices. Gideon had opted to play mad scientist, Isaac was strutting around in a bright orange training gi with his black hair spiked up in all directions, Robbie had gone with the zombie look and Rory had decided that the pirate look was his to rock this year. Michelangelo had joined in on the festivities, unlike his brothers who had all decided that dressing up really wasn't all that necessary.
Raphael gave him a bored once-over. "Sasquatch, Mikey? Really?"
"Heck yeah, dude!" his younger brother exclaimed, nudging him with a little too much enthusiasm. "I was going to go as Silver Sentry but I'm really not a tights kinda guy."
"That's not even an image I need stuck in my head," Raphael muttered.
"Isaac, you're wearing a sweatshirt under that," Amy said, striding into the room. Her lithe figure was encased in a dark black gown that fit around her upper body and thighs, then flared out at the bottom. She'd taken a flat iron to her hair, making it impeccably straight and her dramatic black makeup was a stark contrast to the pale white of her face.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Michelangelo asked, stalling her in her attempt to get to her oldest.
She turned to him and one dark brow arched up. "You're kidding, right?" At the blank look, she grinned and struck a pose. "Morticia Addams." The two mutants nodded, their little "ah's" telling her that they knew who she was talking about and she rolled her eyes before continuing on in her mothering. "Isaac, sweatshirt, now."
"Aw mom, Goku doesn't wear sweatshirts!" Isacc complained, ducking his mothers attempts to grab him.
"Yes, well, little boys who aren't fictional characters do. Especially when their mom's tell them to."
"But mom," Isaac tried again, adding a whiny edge to his voice.
"Leo?" Amy entreated, turning as her husband made his way into the room.
"Sorry kid, but I'm with your mom on this one," Leo said with a shrug. He took the sweatshirt from Amy and went to Isaac, squatting down in front of him. "A true ninja's strength lies in more than just his ability to weather the elements. It lies in his ability to listen to the women in his life as well. Just put it on under your gi."
With that done, he stood and turned to Amy, grinning appreciatively. "Cara mia," he murmured, going to her and taking her hand.
Amy smiled, going into his arms, forgetting that they weren't the only ones in the room. "Mon amour," she murmured in return, winding an arm around his neck.
Raphael and Michelangelo's sudden chorus of gagging noises effectively dampened the moment and Leonardo turned to glare at them. "Yeah, because I've never walked in on you two doing a variety of things to your wives."
Laughing, Amy moved out of her husband's arms. "No, no, Leo. It's okay. We have to get everyone into the cars anyway. I think Casey and April just pulled up with the boys."
She went to the front door just as Bryce came careening down the stairs, hopping the last two and landing at the bottom in front of his father and uncle with a dramatic pose, his black masked cape fluttering around him. "I am…the Turtle Titan!!" he yelped, propping his fists on his hips.
"Right on!" Michelangelo whooped, picking him up and tossing him in the air. "Your mom did an awesome job, buddy! You look just like me! Well…mutation aside," he added with a grin as he set Bryce back on his feet.
Two rambunctious miniature Casey's dressed up like professional wrestlers, came barreling into the room, nearly knocking Raphael and Michelangelo over.
"Whoa," Raphael said, quickly moving out of the way. "Guess Case and April are here." He and Michelangelo retreated to the entry way, eager to get out of the whirlwind of activity. "Hey Case, goin' vigilante tonight?" Raphael remarked, nodding to the mask dangling from the dark haired man's hand.
"Sure thing, Raph. Thing's been collectin' dust on the shelf so figured I'd break it out."
"It's the only time I'll allow him to wear it," April said with a smirk, pulling her thin gloves off and tucking them in the pockets of her coat. "He traded vigilante in for father of twins."
"Got my hands more full with those two than I ever did with any street punks," Casey added with a chuckle. "So we gettin' this show on the road, or what?"
It didn't take long to get the kids out the door. Getting them situated in vehicles however, was another matter entirely. Charity and Cat showed up in time to help out, Cat dressed up as a true southern belle and Charity in dusty purple scrubs splattered with fake blood. They split the kids into groups, sending half with Casey, April, Donatello and Charity in April's van and the other half with Cat, Leonardo, Amy, Raphael and Michelangelo in Summer's mini-van.
Raphael stalled over the threshold of the old farmhouse, turning to his wife who stood in the open doorway with Jacob propped on her hip. "You sure you don't want to come with, babe?"
Summer moved forward, taking one dangling bandanna end in her hand and wrapping it around her fingers. "Yeah, I'm fine sweetie. Jacob's too young to keep up with the rest of the kids and I don't want to leave Splinter alone in the house. Go, have fun." She moved forward, pressing a kiss to his waiting mouth. "Get me some candy."
"Smartee's, right?"
"Mmm, you know it." She laughed when his arm came around her waist and he told Jacob to butt out so that he could steal another lingering kiss before leaving them.
"Be good to your ma, kiddo," he commanded lightly, ruffling his son's hair. He looked past Summer into the house where Michelangelo was sitting on the steps with a sullen Bryce. "Hey, you guys comin?"
Michelangelo looked up, a pained expression taking the place of the joyful one he had been wearing earlier. "Just a sec, Raph."
Sharing a concerned look with his wife, Raphael went back into the house and over to the stairs, Summer trailing behind him. "What's goin' on guys?"
"Bryce doesn't want to go," Michelangelo said softly, putting an arm around his son. "I guess Casey's kids were making fun of his costume so now he's embarrassed and…doesn't want to go."
Hunkering down, Raphael tipped Bryce's chin with his finger, drawing the boys gaze up. "Hey, don't let Zack and Devon get to ya, kiddo. You're costume's great."
Bryce's wide blue eyes filled with tears and he sniffled loudly. "But…but Zack said that the Turtle Titan is just some made up super hero and that no one knows who he is."
"Well, that ain't true. Lots of people know who the Turtle Titan is."
"Yeah buddy," Michelangelo quickly agreed, tightening his hold on his son. "He just likes to keep a low profile. He's one of those 'if ya got it, don't flaunt it' kinda guys."
That explanation served no purpose as far as Bryce was concerned. Dropping his head, he pressed himself closer to his father. "I don't wanna go."
Michelangelo turned a helpless look on his brother and sister-in-law, his eyes clearly saying "help me!"
"I have an idea," Summer offered, handing Jacob to Raphael as he stood up. "You guys sit tight. I'm going to tell the others to hang on for a minute. I'll be right back."
She went into the kitchen, grabbed her cell phone off the counter, then went out to where the rest of their family was eagerly waiting to be off trick-or-treating, dialing a well known number as she walked. It rang twice before a deep male voice answered and Summer came to a stop several feet from the vans. "Hey, Terrance! It's Summer!"
"Hey Summer! What are you up to this evening? Thought you all were taking the kids trick-or-treating tonight?"
"Oh, I'm not going but everyone else is already piled in the vans and waiting." She held up her finger when Casey gave her a confused look, indicating to give her a moment. "Listen, the reason I'm calling is because we're having some problems with Bryce. You see, he wanted to dress up as the Turtle Titan and now he's catching some flak from the other kids for doing it. He's inside with Michelangelo now saying he doesn't want to go. I was wondering…do you have any plans for the evening?"
A deep, melodic chuckle sounded form the other end and Summer smiled. "What were you thinking?"
"Well, I would be eternally grateful if maaaybe a certain silver super hero showed up to go trick-or-treating with Bryce?"
"Hm…I assume candy will be used in some form of payment?"
Summer's smile grew and she laughed softly. "As much as you can carry."
"Well, as luck would have it, my schedule is clear for the evening. Give me five minutes. Are you out at the farm house?"
"Yes, we are."
"Alright, I'll be there soon."
"Terrance, thank you so much. You're a true friend." Hanging up, Summer trotted over to the van where Casey was waiting. "Hey, think you can keep these guys busy for five minutes?" she asked. "We're having some problems getting Bryce to come out but Terrance is on his way over to help." She left out the part about Casey's children being the cause of Bryce's sudden phobia. She didn't want to ruin the evening. She would tell them later so that they could take care of the situation on their own time.
"Five minutes, huh?" Casey cast a dubious look towards the back where the children were all talking over one another, bouncing in their seats and paying no attention to the adults. "Yeah, I think I can do five minutes."
"Great, thanks Casey." Summer turned and went back inside. Michelangelo was still sitting on the steps with Bryce. Raphael had joined them, propping Jacob on his leg and making attempts with Michelangelo to talk Bryce into going trick-or-treating. She ducked back into the kitchen, putting her phone back on the counter and grabbing one of Bryce's favorite juice drinks from a shelf in the fridge before returning to where the foursome sat.
She knelt before Bryce, holding out the small box and he looked up, rubbing his sleeve under his running nose and sniffling loudly. He took the juice box with a small thanks. Reaching forward, Summer brushed the tears from his cheeks, then looked up at Michelangelo. "Hey, no worries, dad. Help is on the way."
"Help is…what are you talking about, Summer?" Michelangelo asked, his brows lowering in confusion.
The second the question was out of his mouth, a muffled thump sounded form outside. Smile widening considerably, Summer stood up and went to the front door, pulling it open. "Hey Terr…I mean…Silver Sentry! Happy Halloween" she greeted, winking at the tall super hero standing under the dim glow of the porch light.
He returned her smile and bowed his head. "Happy Halloween, Summer."
"Why don't you come in?" She moved aside, trying not to chuckle when Silver Sentry moved through the doorway, ducking his head to avoid contact with the top frame.
"So," he said, raising his voice. "I hear there's a young man here who doesn't want to go trick-or-treating."
Bryce's head jerked up, his eyes went impossibly wide and his jaw dropped. "Si-Silver Sentry?" he squeaked.
"That's right." Moving to where Bryce sat, Silver crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the young boy. "That's an impressive costume you have on. The Turtle Titan, hm? You know, he's a partner of mine. Helped me save a lot of people."
"He…he did?" The young boy was in awe, unable to tear his gaze away from one of his favorite super hero's next to his father.
"He sure did." Hunkering down, just as Summer and Raphael had done so that he could be at eye level with the boy, Silver grinned. "You should be very proud of that costume. As proud as I am to have worked beside your dad."
"I am," Bryce quickly said, adding a solemn nod. "My dad's the coolest. I mean, you're pretty cool too, Silver Sentry but my dad…" Bryce turned to look at his father and smiled shyly. "He's the best."
"Thanks, buddy," Michelangelo murmured softly, humbled by his son's admission. Wanting to dress up like him for Halloween was one thing, admitting that he thought his dad was the best was another entirely.
"Would you…would you go trick-or-treating with me, Mr. Sentry?" Bryce asked hopefully, standing up, the eagerness he'd been wearing earlier quickly returning. "We're going to hit up the really rich people's houses where all the best candies are."
"Well, I'd be happy to join you," Silver agreed, sharing a conspiring smile with Summer as he rose. They both knew that the appearance of Silver Sentry would quickly put a stop to any teasing on any children's part.
"Thanks again," Summer murmured as the super hero passed by her, holding her nephews hand.
"Any time, Summer."
She watched them disappear outside, Bryce's excitement returning in full force as he bounced along beside Silver Sentry, talking at usual Bryce speed. "There, problem solved," she said, turning back to Michelangelo and Raphael.
"Summer," Michelangelo stood, pulling his sister-in-law into his arms. "You're a life saver. Thank you so so much."
"You're welcome, Mikey." Pulling away from him, she patted his cheek affectionately. "Why don't you go join them? I'm sure that Casey's running out of ways to keep the kids happy."
Michelangelo gave her a goofy grin and reached back, snagging his mask from the steps. "Thanks again, Summer. See ya later!" He took off at a slow jog, the screen door banging lightly behind him.
"Quick thinkin' there," Raphael said, wrapping an arm around her waist.
Summer leaned against him, taking Jacob when he started to wave his arms at her and leaned out of his father's hold. "Thanks, hun. You know, you should go to."
Raphael groaned, tightening his arm around her. "Yeah, yeah. I'm goin'. You're on trick-or-treat duty next year though and I'm gonna be the one sittin' home."
Chuckling, Summer kissed his cheek. "Deal. Go on. Get out of here."
She watched him leave, disappearing into one of the vans, then went to the front door and closed it to keep the cold out. "Well, Jakey, what do ya say we go see what Master Splinters up to, hm? Maybe he'll let you watch that Blue's Clues Halloween special we picked up at the store."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The evening, as far as the children were concerned, had been a monstrous hit. Once the trick-or-treating was over with and the kids candy bags were bulging, some nearly ripping at the seams, Raphael and Casey talked to other adults into letting the kids go to a not-so-haunted haunted house in an effort to further deplete their energy. While Michelangelo, Silver Sentry and April took the kids through, everyone else checked through the bags of candy to ensure that it was all safe, stealing a few pieces in the process. Cat had claimed, when they had first started taking the kids out for Halloween, that snagging a few pieces of candy here and there was like payment for having to keep up with the kids as they ran about the neighborhoods from door to door.
They returned close to eleven to a dark house with ten glowing jack-o-lanterns arranged on the porch and steps. Michelangelo carried his daughter Eve who was fast asleep as Bryce trudged tiredly along beside him, regaling him with stories that Silver Sentry had told him over the evening. Donatello and Charity followed close behind, Donatello carrying Madison and Charity carrying Rory. Both children were starting to doze, their eyelids heavy. Leonardo was carefully cradling Emma in his arms and the rest of the children all swarmed around Cat, Raphael and Amy, telling them for the ten millionth time that evening what the multiple kinds of candy each had received.
As they entered the quiet house, Amy and Charity reminded the children to be quiet. Coats were removed, shoes left on the carpet in the entry way and everyone made their way back to their rooms to get the kids down for the evening. Raphael took his kids to the room across the hallway from them, helping Hope and Chloe into their pajamas, then sat down on Hope's bed to wait for them to finish brushing their teeth.
"Daddy, daddy!" Chloe exclaimed as she rushed back into the room, her long nightshirt flowing around her tiny legs.
"Keep it down, Chloe-monster. Your mom and Jakey are sleeping," he reminded her, helping her as she attempted to climb into his lap.
"Sorry. But, Daddy! I lost my tooth!" She help up her hand, proudly displaying the tooth laying in her palm.
Raphael laughed and gave her a hug, then picked her up and walked her over to her bed. "About time, huh? Just make sure to put it under your pillow." He pulled the covers back and set Chloe down, waiting for her to tuck the tooth carefully under her pillow and lay down before tucking the covers up around her chin. He leaned down, brushing her forehead with a kiss. "Nigh Chloe-monster."
"Night Daddy-monster," she replied, yawning in the process.
Turning, Raphael tucked Hope in, kissing her forehead as well and telling her goodnight. He then made his way back to his and Summer's room. He was surprised to find the room empty, their bed still somewhat made from that morning. "Summer?" he called softly, not wanting to wake Jacob sleeping in the adjoining room. "Hey, baby. You in here?"
"Right here."
He turned and his jaw dropped. Summer was standing in the doorway of their bathroom, leaning against the frame. Blood red heels adorned her feet, her legs were encased in a pair of black fishnet stockings, her long hair was unbound and flowing around her shoulders and she was wearing nothing more than a fireman's jacket. The look she gave him was sultry, her smile slow and seductive. "Trick-or-treat," she murmured, pushing away from the door frame and crossing the floor to him.
"Mmm, babe." He wrapped his arms lazily around her waist. "And here I thought you weren't gonna dress up for Halloween."
She dropped her head back, smiling as Raphael's mouth moved over her neck. "I didn't think my costume was appropriate to be wearing out around the kids. Or out in the cold for that matter."
"Probably right." His fingers worked at the snaps of her jacket, slowly undoing them. "Thank's for savin' it for me." He started to push her back towards the bed when a knock on the door interrupted them. Raphael swore violently, glaring back at the source of the offensive noise. "What?"
"Don't you what me, Raphael!" came the angered voice of Amy from the other side of the door. "You're on nightmare duty, pal. Three of the kids won't go to sleep because some scary guy with a mask is going to come and hurt them if they do."
Raphael swore again as Summer laughed softly. "Better go play hero, babe," she told him, patting his arm as she moved out of his embrace. "I'll be waiting."
"Yeah," Raphael rubbed a hand over his face. "Don't go changin' or anything. Oh, and you're also playin' toothfairy tonight." He turned and walked out of the room. He could already hear Michelangelo's voice drifting through the hallway, his overly cheerful voice going on about two happy monsters that loved children. He stopped, sent a longing look back at the closed door to his and Summer's room, then groaned and continued on towards happy story exile, knowing it was going to be a long night.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Sorry if this felt rushed guys but, well, it kind of was! But I've been wanting to write a holiday story for this particular group for a while and had the beginning of it waiting for me in a notebook.
I'm actually taking votes on whether or not you guys want to see them back for Christmas so read, review, let me know if you guys want to see them back for a much less rushed Christmas fic and what you'd like to see! Enough responses and I'll get right on it! Thanks!!