Disclaimer: Do not own so do not sue
A brunette squealed, leaping off a red-headed boy's lap as she raced down the hall the moment the chime went off. "They're here!" she cried, racing to the entry chamber. She couldn't wait to see her friends, it'd been far too long. "Peter! Rogue!" the girl cried the moment she saw them, leaping into her adopted brother's arms. Peter swept the girl up in his arms and spun her around before looking over her shoulder to the people gathering.
"Hey there Care Bear," Peter greeted, she'd changed so much since he'd been there last and he had a feeling the Speedster smiling fondly at them was the cause. "Kitty," Rogue beamed, pulling her old friend into a hug. The last time Rogue had seen the bubbly mutant, she'd been nervous, shy and withdrawn, she'd barely recognized her as her friend. Seeing Kitty now was like having her best friend come home. The brunette was back to her chirpy, happy little ways and from what Peter told her, she had a boy to thank for breaking her best friend out of her funk.
Kitty quickly turned to the Young Justice team and introduced Rogue, the southern girl giving them a Texan salute. "Name's Kid Flash, but you can call me Wally," the red-headed boy replied, looping his arm around Kitty as he took over introducing the team, "The shorty with the shades is Robin, M'gann's the lovely red-head but don't worry she's not sick, the green's natural. Blonde and gilly is Kaldur, while the muscly silent one is Conner. The lovely magician's apprentice is Zatanna and the blonde currently devouring Peter's face is Artemis."
Rogue and Kitty giggled, Peter had wasted no time in grabbing his girlfriend and letting her know how much he'd missed her. "Ah'd shake yer hands an' all," Rogue told them, her southern drawl ever present, "But ah'm not wearin' mah gloves, so that's probably not tha best idea." Her bright green eyes turned to Wally and Kitty, noting his casual arm around her shoulder, the way she curled into his embrace. Wally had come off a little flirty until Rogue realized he was just naturally exuberant, his emerald eyes trained solely on the tiny brunette beside him. "We need to start getting ready!" Kitty cried, breaking free of Wally, her hands reaching for all the girls. The Speedster pouted as the girls turned to leave, fixing the mutant girl with watery eyes. "But Kit-Kat," he whined, not understanding why they needed four whole hours to get ready. Kitty's steps halted, the girl running back to give him a quick kiss before racing off after the rest of the girls.
The girls had taken up residence in Kitty's room, fussing around and helping each other out while they took turns in the shower. Kitty's eyes turned to Zatanna, she was glad there was another girl living at Mount Justice, but at the same time she couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl. The young magician was a welcome addition to the team, her skills and personality blending seamlessly with the team, plus she kept Robin's interest which was something that took a load off her mind.
When Kitty and Wally had first become a couple, M'gann and Artemis had pulled her aside to discuss Dick's feeling for her. The little mutant had been so worried that he'd be hurt by her choice until Zatanna had turned up. Before she'd come to stay, they'd spend their time emailing each other, now they were pretty much inseparable, even down to finishing each others sentences.
Rogue strode out of the shower, a towel wrapped around herself as she sat down to work on her make-up. "So who does a girl have tah talk tah around here to get the details on this Wally-kid?" she asked, a smirk on her lips as her green eyes fixed on Kitty. Kitty glared back, her blue eyes piercing the southern girl as the other ladies giggled. "I got this one," Artemis told them, opting to do her own make-up beside Rogue so they could chat.
"Right, so Wally?" Artemis gave Kitty a look that just spelled trouble, "Completely head over heels for her the moment she walked into the cave, he was just way to dense to realize." Artemis continued to give the whole story of how they went from Wally slowly adjusting her to life with the team, to him taking her home with him to meet his family and eventually his rescuing her from General Stryker, with M'gann adding little details as she went. Kitty's face grew redder and redder as Artemis's voice narrated her life within the young Justice team. "Of course, they've been pretty much joined at the hips since," the blonde archer smirked over her shoulder, "Or the lips."
Rogue hooted with laughter as Zatanna helped Kitty with her hair. "Now that sounds like a guy ah've gotta meet," Rogue cackled, "So when's tha weddin'?" Kitty fell off the bed in shock, Zatanna leaning over to check on her before she finally regained enough of her senses to hurl a pillow across the room at Rogue muttering to Zatanna to kill her.
As six o'clock finally rolled around, the boys finally stopped playing video games and pulled their costumes on, meeting each other back in the main hall just before the clock hit the designated time. Conner stalked out, tugging self-conciously on his collar while Kaldur adjusted his plastic blade. "Okay, seriously?" Robin sniggered, his facial mask doing nothing to hide his laughter, "Couldn't you think of anything more original then a vampire and a pirate?"
Conner shifted uncomfortably. Being unsure of what to wear, he'd thought of asking the girls for help but he hadn't wanted them to tell M'gann what he was planning, so he'd asked Red Tornado for assistance in what would be considered appropriate. After scanning images over the net, he'd finally decided that a vampire would suit him the most.
Kaldur had a similar dilemma. Being his first Halloween above ground, he hadn't quite known what to expect. Fortunately, Kitty and Zatanna had been more then willing to help him search for costume ideas. Upon seeing the images of pirates, he'd been quite taken with the watery theme, using the costume as a way to both hide and celebrate his heritage.
"Seriously Robin?" Wally's voice rang out as he stalked in to the hall, "You wear a mask every other day, I'd have thought Halloween would be the chance to scare us all with your real face." Dick gave Wally a pointed huff, fixing his hat to rest on a jaunty tilt. Clad in all black, Dick had opted for a more roguish hero for his costume choice. With the mask over his eyes and the black hat resting low, he'd once again managed to keep his anonymity from the group. "Zorro is a historical figure," Robin retorted, "He dedicated his life to helping those in need, besides, what exactly are you meant to be?"
"I am original, that's what." Wally told them proudly, stepping into the circle of men. Robin shook his head, Wally was wearing orange pants with a matching long sleeved top, the sleeves having been pushed up to his elbow. Over his shirt was a brown, sleeveless, fleecy sweater with a high collar and yellow detailing either side of the zip. Ever practical, Wally had opted for brown runners just in case he needed to race for some reason. The whole look was topped off with a long, whippy tail and a pair of what could only be considered ears perched on his carefully messed hair. "I'm Raichu!" Wally told them, beaming brightly, "A Pokemon? Jeez, remind me to add anime to your list of education."
"I think it's awesome," Peter told them, dropping to the floor in his Spiderman suit. He stared reproachfully at their round of protest over him using his hero suit, his mask in his hand, not wanting to put in on until they were about to leave. "What? It's the perfect costume," Peter told him, smiling at his own genius, "No one would ever suspect I'm the real deal, plus if there's an emergency I'm already good to go!"
"Good to go where?" Artemis asked, stepping into the hall. Clad in plain black pants, combat boots and a short-sleeved shirt, her bow hung in one hand while her quiver was slung over her shoulder. Most notable was her blonde locks had been traded for a dark brown braid. "Katniss Everdeen?" Wally crowed with delight, "You dressed as Katniss?" The archer quickly fired off a bolt the speedster dodged, proving her bow and arrows were in fact real. It seemed like Peter wasn't the only one ready to take action if required, they really were good for each other. "And what are you meant to be? A deranged Oompa-Loompa?" Artemis's eyebrows rose as she took in Wally's costume, "Wait, did you two plan that?" At Wally's look of confusion she dropped the subject, sending a telepathic message to M'gann to make sure Kitty walked out last.
Rogue joined them next, the boys eying her caramel colored buckskin pants and jacket. She'd pulled her hair back into a neat little ponytail at the nape of her neck, a raccoon-fur hat resting on her head. "Did none of ya'll pay attention tah Westerns?" Rogue sighed, "Ah'm Calamity Jane!" She shook her head, re-adjusting her gloves while muttering about heathens under her breath.
"They didn't get it, did they?" M'gann asked softly, giving Rogue an apologetic look. The martian girl had shifted her natural green to a human skin-tone. Her red hair had been lengthened and pinned back with a big blue bow. Smiling softly, her hands smoothed out her blue skirts. She hadn't known how this would work as a costume, but the girls had loved the idea of her taking on the iconic look so she'd run with it. "Holy mermaids," Wally crowed with glee, "We got ourselves a Princess. Nice look Ariel."
"I told you that costume was a good idea," Zatanna commented, stalking out in a pair of flat silk slippers. Dick whistled low as he caught sight of the cream peasant blouse slung low on her shoulders, the colorful under-bust corset drawing attention to her neckline. Bright silk skirts hung with even more colorful sashes draped with coins swirled around her waist. Kitty had kept Zatanna back to fluff her hair into curls before pinning a coined bandana into her hair. More strings of coins wrapped themselves around her ankles and wrists. "And so is your Gypsy Queen," Dick told her, openly appreciating the costume.
"Sorry. I forgot my ears," Kitty called out, racing to greet the rest of the group. The tiny mutant fiddled with the hem of her yellow shirt, the tight-fitting top doing wonders for her curves. Yellow cut-off tights were covered by a black, pleated skirt that just passed her bottom. A yellow belt patterned with black lightning bolts held a matching yellow tail with a blackened base pointing straight up behind her. Her brown locks had been tamed into two ponytails toward the back of her head held in place by yellow scrunchies and a headband with two long, pointed yellow ears with blackened tips. The girl blushed slightly, not that anyone would notice with two red circles painted on her cheeks. "Damn Kit-Kat," Wally breathed out, staring at his girlfriend. Smoothing out the invisible wrinkles in her skirt, she asked him quietly if he liked it. "Love it," Wally told her, beaming brightly.
"Okay, seriously," Artemis cut in, looking back and forth between the pair, "Did you two plan this?" Wally and Kitty stared at each other, taking in the others costume before bursting into fits of laughter. Throwing his arm around the brunette he finally composed himself to answer the archer. "Are you kidding me?" Wally asked, "She'd been super-secretive about what she was wearing. She wouldn't even let me peek at the bags when she went shopping." The speedster always accompanied Kitty whenever she went shopping, mostly because it was just natural to spend their time together, but partially because the first time Kitty had been in a store without him, girls had made fun of her. Since then he had made himself her unofficial bodyguard, gently steering her away from the girls who looked like trouble. He hadn't wanted her to go out at first, but having Artemis, Zatanna and M'gann with her made him worry less. Besides, the surprise had totally been worth it.
The red-head looked to his Pikachu girlfriend. "You ready Sparkle Mouse?" he asked, his green eyes glittering with glee. He couldn't believe they'd ended up dressing up as Pikachu and Raichu. Admittedly he'd chosen his because the colors matched his hero suit, but looking at Kitty's, hers matched her suit pretty well too. "Sparkle Mouse?" Kaldur asked, wondering if the pair had developed new pet-names for each other. Kitty giggled while Wally rubbed his nose to hers, enjoying that they picked matching costumes, even though they hadn't known what the other would wear. "Pikachu is Sparkle Mouse in Japanese," Robin explained, giving the water-hero a basic understanding of Pokemon.
The group left for the town of Happy Harbor, partnering off for some Trick or Treating. Conner and M'gann walked off together, more interested in spending the afternoon together then actually trying to gain candy. Peter and Artemis bent their heads together, discussing the best route to take through the town, while Robin used his wrist computer to show Zatanna the map he'd carefully drawn up for them, taking into consideration which houses would have more sweets to give then others. Wally held out his hand, fingers entwining with Kitty's as they walked toward the first house on the street. Seeing the others partner off, Kaldur turned to Rogue, offering her a slight bow before extending his arm. He was glad Kitty had invited a friend to join them, he hadn't relished the idea of spending the evening either alone or tagging along with one of the other couples. Rogue smiled warmly, accepting his arm as the pair made their way towards their first destination.
Wally grinned, watching Dick pull out his tricks and gadgets to try to get himself and Zatanna to as many houses as possible and laughed. While it was true that Robin's analytical mind and tricks were invaluable assets in completing a mission, he had something the bird-boy didn't, Kitty. The mutant girl had a sweet, disarmingly innocent smile that combined with her costume were sure to score them more sweets. Her smile had already been tried and tested on the cafeteria ladies and numerous faculty members at their school, the brunette flashing her baby blues and murmuring a few soft words to either score more food, or bail Wally out of detention.
"Trick or Treat." Wally and Kitty sang as the first door opened for them, a kindly old lady greeting them with a bowl of candy in her arms. Her eyes took in the teens before her, Wally's arm slung around Kitty's shoulder, Kitty's arm around his waist as she curled into his touch. "Well aren't you both adorable," she told them, her fingers reaching out to pinch Wally's cheek, "I guess you better have some of this." The little woman stuffed a handful of colorful wrappers into each of their plastic pumpkins, giving them a generous helping before offering them some home-made gingerbread as well. Kitty thanked her for her kindness, preventing the speedster from gaining more than two biscuits, which earned them another handful of candy in their buckets before moving on to the next house.
They'd agreed to meet back at the cave at 8:30 pm to drop of their haul before moving on to the Happy Harbor School Halloween party. The heroes slowly made their way back, each peeking in the others buckets to see how much candy they'd managed to score. Conner and M'gann's bags held a modest amount of treats, proof the pair had done more then sit on the beach together. Rogue and Kaldur had scored a surprising amount considering they hadn't had much time for planning. Peter and Artemis had filled their buckets to the brim, the sweets in danger of overflowing. Dick had the forethought to take spare buckets for both himself and Zatanna, the pair holding two full bags of candy each. Wally and Kitty walked in holding hands, bright grins on their faces yet their pumpkins were only two thirds full of colorful wrappers.
"You know, I'd actually expected more," Robin commented, smirking as he saw their buckets. Wally merely smiled in reply, taking Kitty's pumpkin and walking over to a large container, lifting the lid and adding the contents to the colorful wrappers already threatening to flow out on to the floor. "We hit a Retirement Village," the Speedster crowed with delight, knocking the lid of another container bursting with sweets, "They all thought we were adorable." Robin shook his head, admitting defeat with their candy war. Wally had made use of his super speed to ferry the full buckets back to Headquarters before he and Kitty moved on to the next house, the steady supply of baked goods doing wonders for his need for energy.
The Happy Harbour Halloween Dance was in full swing by the time the heroes arrived. Conner stood awkwardly beside the punch bowl as M'gann tried to convince him to dance while Kaldur, seeing Rogue's apprehension at being so close to other people grabbed a couple of cups of punch before escorting her outside to sit by the trees. Peter dragged Artemis out to the middle of the floor, eager to show off his dance moves, Robin not far behind them as Zatanna decided she wanted to dance too.
Wally smiled, his green eyes flashing as he turned to the girl beside him and offered his hand. It just felt so natural for them to fall in to each other as the red-head spun them gently on the spot. Occasionally the Speedster spun her out, twirling her around before pulling her back to him. They had become so lost in each other, they didn't realize everyone else was clearing the dance floor until Robin tapped them on the shoulder.
Once they returned to the cave, the tired heroes dropped to the couch in the lounge room, too tired to do anything more, but too excited to sleep. There had been prizes for best costume,which the students of Happy Harbour had tried to give Peter, but considering he wasn't wearing a costume Artemis had made him decline meaning the prize had fallen to one of the students. The archer had, however, let him claim the prize for best dancer. The rest of the team had smiled when Wally and Kitty were voted 'cutest couple', the pair looking at each other speechless before Rogue had shoved them both hard, forcing them towards the stage. Rogue and Kaldur had spent their night outside talking or dancing to the faint music filtering out of the hall only joining them when the thumping beats had halted.
After a long night, they all bid each other 'good night', Peter and Artemis leaving to stay in her room for the night as everyone else started to head to bed. Rogue raised an eyebrow when Zatanna told her she'd be staying on a spare matress in her room until she saw Wally follow Kitty to her room. The southern mutant had been more then ready to march in there and give the Speedster what-for until the magician pulled her aside and forced her to stay put.
"I had a great time tonight," Kitty whispered as Wally slid into bed beside her. She'd always loved holidays growing up and even though her parents kicking her out had tainted them with a bitter sadness, she'd still enjoyed them at Xavier's. Experiencing a holiday with the Young Justice team she'd expected to feel the same melancholy, yet spending the day with Wally she hadn't had a single thought about her parents. Maybe it was because the team felt more like a family than a team, or maybe it was just the red-head's bright attitude, but she was beginning to look forward to spending Christmas with them too. "Me too," Wally told her, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her gently, "Good night Sparkle Mouse."
Zatanna tugged Rogue down the hall to Kitty's room, opening the door quietly so they could poke their heads in. The Texan girl looked at her friend, wrapped up in the Speedster's arms, the boy subconsciously placing himself between her and the door, Lockheed curled up at their feet. Chuckling, she nodded to the magic girl, letting her lead them back to her room. Rogue was glad her friend had found someone who made her happy, someone who would put her first. Coming to Mount Justice had been a good idea and now she could report back to Charles and Kitty's old friends that she was doing well and had found her heart in the process.
May your thoughts and creativity flow,
Lady Ami DragonHeart