Kurt took one last look in the mirror, straighening his top hat. Seeing
Ororo reflected behind him, he twirled around, posing for her. "How do I
look, liebechen?"
"Positively devilish," she said with a grin. "And myself?"
He looked at her with appreciative eyes. Reaching over to adjust her halo, he replied, "Perfect."
He wrapped his tail around her waist, and they made their way downstairs. Most of the younger students had already assembled in the living room, where Scott was watching them with a half-amused, half-wary expression. "You're sure you want to do this?" he asked them again.
"Of course! I have never gone Trick and Treating before!" said Kurt.
"Besides, the kids need a chance to do some normal kid-stuff," Ororo added. Scott still looked unconvinced, but Kurt said, "Oh, it'll be fun! What's the worst that could happen?"
--
They packed the kids into a van, and drove them to downtown Salem Center. "Remember, guys, NO powers," warned Ororo.
"We know," they chorused. Much to Kurt and Ororo's relief, the night progressed uneventfully. It was (of course) a perfect night, and no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary about the kids-Piotr got a few stares, but most people seemed to assume he was a football player. And Kurt stopped counting the number of compliments he got on his 'costume'. Disaster almost struck when Kitty, dressed as Princess Leia, walked through a fence, but no one noticed save Kurt. He gave her a warning glance, but she just smiled and him and said, "Relax, it's Halloween. Anything can happen and it's okay."
At the end of the night, loaded with sugar, the kids climbed back into the van, and they began the short drive home. While Ororo drove, Kurt turned around and began speaking to the kids. "You know, this reminds me of a story I heard once. it was All Hallow's Eve, and a group of remarkable people were enjoying themselves. There was a giant, and a princess, and a pirate, and a wizard, and a musician-"
"What kind of musician? " interrupted Rahne, who was dressed, rather inexplicably, as Bonnie Raitt, and was very defensive of this decision.
"A very talented one," Kurt replied. "Where was I?"
"Was there also a Catwoman in this group, by any chance?" Jubilee asked.
"There was indeed a woman of remarkably feline grace, yes." By this point they had reached the mansion, but they all followed Kurt into the living room, where he continued the story. "So, this remarkable collection of people is sitting around a mansion, having a good time, eating some snacks, when they hear this voice. Feed me, it said. And this voice, it was the most horrifying sound imaginable. deep and cold and spooky, this voice was like frozen smoke. Well, of course our protagonists are a little unnerved, but they decide they all must be hearing things, and they continue with their celebrations. A little bit later, though, they hear it again. Feed me!" So they decide to look around the house, and make sure no one is there." He paused for a moment, and just then, the students heard a voice. "Feed me!" Kurt looked startled. Pietro laughed. "Nice try, Kurt."
"No, that was not me," Kurt said. He shrugged. "This is an old house, maybe it is haunted, no? Maybe it is even the one where this story first took place? Anyway, as I was saying, there were frightening voices, so these people decide to look around the house, and make sure they are alone." More insistently this time, Kurt was interrupted by the same voice. "Feed me!" echoed around the living room. He raised an eyebrow. "How odd. Anyway, just then it suddenly begins to rain very hard. Before that, it had been a beautiful evening, and the already edgy group was terribly startled." Outside the window, they heard thunder. Lightning struck, and a frightening torrent of rain began hitting the windows. "So. The Princess decides to try ordering whatever is causing this to leave them alone. But the voice just insists, louder still, feed me!" Once more, another voice was echoing Kurt's, and the students were trying to pretend they weren't afraid. "So then the pirate offers to fight the voice. But it replies feed me! Then the giant challenges the voice to a game of chess. And the voice still answers the same, feed me!" The voice in the mansion was getting insistently louder, and, it seemed, closer.
"Then the musician sings a song, hoping to soothe whatever is in their house. But it only replies, feed me! The wizard then casts one of his spells, trying to drive a spirit out. And once more they hear the voice, feed me! By now, the storm is completely raging, and the group is very frightened." A particularly impressive bolt of lightning strikes, just outside the mansion's window, and the power flickered out. Kurt was pleased to hear a few student voices screaming.
"So, the last member of the group wants to try to appease this voice before it does anything else. So she says, 'Well, I'm not a princess, and I'm not a pirate, and I'm not a giant, and I'm not a musician, and I'm not a wizard. But. would you like some of my candy?"
The students held their breath.
"And the voice said, Yes, please. So they left all their candy out on the table, and left the room. When they came back the next morning, it was all gone, and the voice was never heard from again."
Outside the mansion, however, the tempest continued to rage, and the voice, which sounded as if it had to be right behind them, said "Feed me!" Jubilee shrieked and ran upstairs, abandoning her candy on the floor. The others soon followed suit, though to save face most made quick excuses about homework or being tired.
Ororo flicked the light switch back on and grinned at Kurt. "A job well done, elf!"
He smiled. "Couldn't have done it without you!" He turned on the TV, and the two curled up together and watched Dracula.
Amused, Logan watched from the doorway. "You know, if you wanted candy, you could have just gotten some at the store."
Kurt grinned back at him. "Oh, but this was much more fun! . candy corn?"
"Positively devilish," she said with a grin. "And myself?"
He looked at her with appreciative eyes. Reaching over to adjust her halo, he replied, "Perfect."
He wrapped his tail around her waist, and they made their way downstairs. Most of the younger students had already assembled in the living room, where Scott was watching them with a half-amused, half-wary expression. "You're sure you want to do this?" he asked them again.
"Of course! I have never gone Trick and Treating before!" said Kurt.
"Besides, the kids need a chance to do some normal kid-stuff," Ororo added. Scott still looked unconvinced, but Kurt said, "Oh, it'll be fun! What's the worst that could happen?"
--
They packed the kids into a van, and drove them to downtown Salem Center. "Remember, guys, NO powers," warned Ororo.
"We know," they chorused. Much to Kurt and Ororo's relief, the night progressed uneventfully. It was (of course) a perfect night, and no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary about the kids-Piotr got a few stares, but most people seemed to assume he was a football player. And Kurt stopped counting the number of compliments he got on his 'costume'. Disaster almost struck when Kitty, dressed as Princess Leia, walked through a fence, but no one noticed save Kurt. He gave her a warning glance, but she just smiled and him and said, "Relax, it's Halloween. Anything can happen and it's okay."
At the end of the night, loaded with sugar, the kids climbed back into the van, and they began the short drive home. While Ororo drove, Kurt turned around and began speaking to the kids. "You know, this reminds me of a story I heard once. it was All Hallow's Eve, and a group of remarkable people were enjoying themselves. There was a giant, and a princess, and a pirate, and a wizard, and a musician-"
"What kind of musician? " interrupted Rahne, who was dressed, rather inexplicably, as Bonnie Raitt, and was very defensive of this decision.
"A very talented one," Kurt replied. "Where was I?"
"Was there also a Catwoman in this group, by any chance?" Jubilee asked.
"There was indeed a woman of remarkably feline grace, yes." By this point they had reached the mansion, but they all followed Kurt into the living room, where he continued the story. "So, this remarkable collection of people is sitting around a mansion, having a good time, eating some snacks, when they hear this voice. Feed me, it said. And this voice, it was the most horrifying sound imaginable. deep and cold and spooky, this voice was like frozen smoke. Well, of course our protagonists are a little unnerved, but they decide they all must be hearing things, and they continue with their celebrations. A little bit later, though, they hear it again. Feed me!" So they decide to look around the house, and make sure no one is there." He paused for a moment, and just then, the students heard a voice. "Feed me!" Kurt looked startled. Pietro laughed. "Nice try, Kurt."
"No, that was not me," Kurt said. He shrugged. "This is an old house, maybe it is haunted, no? Maybe it is even the one where this story first took place? Anyway, as I was saying, there were frightening voices, so these people decide to look around the house, and make sure they are alone." More insistently this time, Kurt was interrupted by the same voice. "Feed me!" echoed around the living room. He raised an eyebrow. "How odd. Anyway, just then it suddenly begins to rain very hard. Before that, it had been a beautiful evening, and the already edgy group was terribly startled." Outside the window, they heard thunder. Lightning struck, and a frightening torrent of rain began hitting the windows. "So. The Princess decides to try ordering whatever is causing this to leave them alone. But the voice just insists, louder still, feed me!" Once more, another voice was echoing Kurt's, and the students were trying to pretend they weren't afraid. "So then the pirate offers to fight the voice. But it replies feed me! Then the giant challenges the voice to a game of chess. And the voice still answers the same, feed me!" The voice in the mansion was getting insistently louder, and, it seemed, closer.
"Then the musician sings a song, hoping to soothe whatever is in their house. But it only replies, feed me! The wizard then casts one of his spells, trying to drive a spirit out. And once more they hear the voice, feed me! By now, the storm is completely raging, and the group is very frightened." A particularly impressive bolt of lightning strikes, just outside the mansion's window, and the power flickered out. Kurt was pleased to hear a few student voices screaming.
"So, the last member of the group wants to try to appease this voice before it does anything else. So she says, 'Well, I'm not a princess, and I'm not a pirate, and I'm not a giant, and I'm not a musician, and I'm not a wizard. But. would you like some of my candy?"
The students held their breath.
"And the voice said, Yes, please. So they left all their candy out on the table, and left the room. When they came back the next morning, it was all gone, and the voice was never heard from again."
Outside the mansion, however, the tempest continued to rage, and the voice, which sounded as if it had to be right behind them, said "Feed me!" Jubilee shrieked and ran upstairs, abandoning her candy on the floor. The others soon followed suit, though to save face most made quick excuses about homework or being tired.
Ororo flicked the light switch back on and grinned at Kurt. "A job well done, elf!"
He smiled. "Couldn't have done it without you!" He turned on the TV, and the two curled up together and watched Dracula.
Amused, Logan watched from the doorway. "You know, if you wanted candy, you could have just gotten some at the store."
Kurt grinned back at him. "Oh, but this was much more fun! . candy corn?"