A'N: Thank you winterschild11, Sassyascabe14, BookWorkKendall, misslittlemaslow21, texaskid, lillygirl42001, Jewel Princess 1992, AkireAlev, LazyLazyWriter, KendallsCoverGirl804. Anybody still out there? LOL!

I do not own Big Time Rush, big or small.

Hey, check out my goofy Halloween one-shot with Jett and Logan, W T UFO (rated T)!

12. Spooked (Halloween Part II)

The moms had everyone gathered at Mrs. Knight's house. They found themselves doing that more and more, with Mrs. Knight about to give birth. That way her overnight bag would be ready to go with her to the hospital. First on the evening's agenda, was trick-or-treating, because they promised the boys they could all go together.

"When will Donald be home?" Mrs. Garcia asked. "Antonio couldn't get out of his shift, because they need the extra eyes to watch out for troublesome teens, as he tactfully put it. He's so sad that he can't take Carlos this year."

"I can imagine. He loves doing that! Don..." Mrs. Knight shrugged, and didn't give her any eye-contact, "could turn up any moment, but there isn't a set time."

Mrs' Garcia tried to hide her surprise. She knew her friend was due to have the baby, literally at any moment. Her eyes followed her to the kitchen cabinet, where she rummaged around for something.

Mr. Knight told his wife he would be back to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids, but since he still wasn't home, she took her largest salad bowl and dumped all the bags of candy in.

"What are you doing, mom?" Kendall asked, watching her curiously with wide green eyes.

"Well, if daddy doesn't come home in time, the kids can take one themselves."

"What if they take all them?!" Carlos asked.

"That would be wrong!" Logan said, his dark brown eyes round at the thought.

"I'm sure they'll do the right thing and be fair," Mrs. Knight said with a grin.

The moms tried not to laugh. James noticed his mother writing on a poster-board and he raced over to see what she was doing. He loved markers and he wanted to help if it meant making fancy pictures.

"What are you making, mother?"

"A sign that says 'take one', so the kids will know it's okay," she explained. Carlos immediately ran over and snatched one from the bowl.

Every one looked at the little boy, who shoved the entire mini snickers bar in his mouth and happily munched. "What? You said we could take one!" he said through a mouthful of candy.

"She meant, other kids!" Logan pointed out.

"Oh," Carlos said guiltily, wiping his chocolate-covered lips on his sleeve.

"That's okay," Mrs. Knight said, "why don't you each have one." They didn't waste any time in running over and grabbing a piece of their own.

"Okay boys, it's about time to get into your costumes, trick-or-treat starts in a half-hour," Mrs. Mitchell announced, giving Logan a little push.

"Oh boy!" Kendall cheered. "I'm finally gonna' be Spiderman!" He grabbed himself between the legs, and pretended to shoot webs from there, at his friends. Logan screamed and ran away to hide behind his mom's legs.

"Kendall Donald Knight! What did I tell you young man? That costume was inappropriate, and your webs will come from your wrists!" she scolded, trying to keep a stern face.

"Sorry, mom," Kendall said sheepishly, looking down at the floor. "I forgot."

The other moms stifled their own laughter, and got busy helping their sons pull out their costume pieces.

James eagerly stepped into his Captain America costume, and proudly adjusted his muscled foam torso. "Someday I'm gonna' have muscles like this, mother!"

"I believe you will, Jamie," his mom said, patting him on the head.

When Carlos put on his Hulk costume, he immediately roared and spun around, accidentally knocking Mrs. Knight's Halloween decorations down. The stiffened cheesecloth ghost, lantern, and stuffed witch, all hit the floor with a clatter.

"Carlos! Not yet! Save it for outside! I'm sorry Jennifer," Mrs. Garcia apologized.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a smile and a shake of her head. "Nothing broke anyway." She leaned over to pick the items up before anyone else had the chance. She let out a slight gasp and everyone turned to stare.

Mrs. Garcia stopped smearing the green face paint on Carlos to turn to her friend, helplessly looking at her green fingers.

"Are you all right, Jennifer?" Mrs. Mitchell asked. Her and Logan rushed to pick the items.

"Are you gonna' have your baby?" Logan asked curiously.

"I-I don't think so honey," she said, righting herself with a groan, and ruffling his dark hair. "But, I'll let you know if I need your help, Batman." He grinned up at her.

"What about me, Captain America?" James asked with an indignant pout.

"Oh you too, sweetie. And Hulk, and my Spiderman," she said tearing up a bit. "I have all my superheroes right here with me."

She hated that it was getting more difficult to control her emotions, but between the spike in hormones, and the fact that her husband and her were not on the best of terms lately, it happened. They finished dressing the boys and posed them in front of the big picture window.

The same picture window, where many memorable photos would be taken throughout the years.

Mr. Mitchell pulled into the driveway and whistled as he headed to the door. Logan recognized the familiar tune and raced to the door to greet him.

"Dad!"

"Ha Ha! Look at you!" he said with a serious expression, scooping him up in his arms. "You look like you could take on all the town's villains with the help of your friends!" He smiled over his son's little shoulder, and the moms smiled back.

"Well, we should get going before the doorbell starts ringing and we never get away," Mrs. Diamond suggested.

"Wait, I'm the only fella?" Mr. Mitchell asked, feigning fear.

"'Fraid so," Mrs. Garcia said. "Antonia couldn't get away tonight."

Mr. Mitchell studied the small boy's sad green face which was staring at him wistfully. He set Logan down and knelt by Carlos, pulling Logan on one knee and Carlos on the other.

"Looks like us men will have to stick together and protect these dames," he whispered. He motioned the other two curious boys over. "Let's bond together now, and keep an eye out for villains. These dames won't admit it, but they need our help."

The four tiny heads nodded vigorously. "Hey, who you callin' dames?" Mrs. Mitchell joked.

"Not you, honey," he said, winking at the four boys. They winked back.

Mrs. Knight left the outside light on, and set the candy bowl with the note on a table on the front porch. She sighed as she descended the steps to fall in step with the others. It was getting harder and harder to hide her despair from the others.

"Which way men?" Mr. Mitchell asked.

"Thatta' way!" James called, pointing left and toward the school. He remembered that some of the best houses were that direction. Big houses like his own that gave out full-sized candy bars.

"Right ! Onward!" he said.

"Daddy, why are you talking so silly?" Logan asked, in a giggly voice.

Mrs. Knight felt another slight cramp as they made it to the first house, but she decided not to mention. After all, they had just started. She wanted to share this Halloween with Kendall before the baby came. He couldn't be without either one of them.

"We think you boys are big enough to go up to the doors yourselves this year," Mrs. Garcia informed them.

"Really?" James asked excitedly, giving his mom a sideways glance through his mask to be sure she was on-board with the idea.

"Yes," they all said at once.

The first house they came to certainly went all out for Halloween, with cobwebs, ghosts and eerie lights. The brave little superheroes paused to stare. "Go-go on Kendall," James said, expecting him to lead as usual.

"You can go, James," Kendall said, nudging him back.

"Why don't you go first, Carlos?" James urged.

"No way!" Carlos said. "I didn't bring my helmet."

They all turned to Logan, who looked back at his dad, still standing on the sidewalk. His dad smiled and waved. Logan took a deep breath, spun around with a flip of his black cape, and bravely started up the walk. Impressed with his courage, they followed.

The door opened and a woman in a witch costume came with a bowl of candy. Logan, who had led the way to her door, had second thoughts and tucked himself snugly between the two biggest boys. They instinctively placed an arm around their smaller friend.

"Trick-or-treat!" the four little voices chorused.

"What strapping young fellows we have here to protect us!" she cried, letting them pick out their own candy bar.

Carlos' face lit up when he saw they were full-sized. He chose a snickers, and flung it in his sack. "Thanks, lady!" he said, trying not to bounce up and down with glee.

Kendall and James pushed Logan forward first, and he choose the Reese's cups, having a hard time seeing what he chose through the eye-holes of his mask, he went for the bright orange wrapper. James grabbed a Hershey's bar and Kendall a Payday.

They strutted proudly back to the waiting parents, and showed them what they collected. They made it all the way to that door alone, refrained from bolting from the witch who answered, and now felt a new sense of heroism, worthy of the suits they wore.

xxx

The group made its way around the neighborhood square, and the little boys were getting accustomed to going to doors by themselves. There were a couple of houses that made them nervous enough to almost pull Mr. Mitchell along, but they stayed linked together and made their way alone.

"Carlos," Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell said, "how about stopping downtown of the businesses, and then we can visit the police station as well?"

"Oh, boy! Can we mommy?" Carlos beamed.

His mom smiled. "That would make Papi so happy!" she said.

"Sweet! I love the police station!" Kendall squealed.

They entered the station and saw a couple of officers filling out paperwork. "Antonio Garcia in?" his wife asked with a grin. "His little Hulk and team of superheroes would like to pay him a visit."

"Sorry, just missed him Mrs. Garcia," one officer said apologetically. "He was called out on a vandalism case. Something about a pack of spooks spray-painting a fence."

The little boys' eyes grew wide when they heard there were spooks up to mischief, but the only ones eyes that could be seen, were Carlos', and he was hiding behind Kendall.

"Aw, that's too bad," said Mrs. Diamond, giving Carlos' shoulder a squeeze.

"How would you heroes like a treat bag, though?" the officer asked.

Curious office workers and other staff gathered around to admire the young boys. They smiled and murmured about how cute they all were together.

The boys nodded enthusiastically about the goodies, and he reached below the counter to pull out a box of small paper bags with police shields printed on them.

"Trick-or-treat!" they all chimed automatically. They held out their sacks and containers for him to drop one in.

He chuckled and tossed one into each opening. "Oh, can I get a photo of the little guys for the station bulletin board?"

"Sure," said the moms.

He snapped a few pictures of the boys as they posed in superhero stances. Mrs. Knight rubbed her tightening belly as she waited, and took a cleansing breath. The intensity of her discomfort was growing, but it was nothing she couldn't handle, she told herself.

"Bye Officer!" the boys called.

"Bye!" the employees and other officers called back.

"Bye now, and look both ways before crossing the street!" he warned.

"We will!" four small voices replied.

They did not get far from the station, when a horn sounded behind them and the automatic window of the black and white car, slid down. "Could I borrow your heroic skills?" a toothy Officer Garcia asked cheerfully.

"Papi!" Carlos cried happily.

All four boys ran to him when he exited the vehicle. He threw his arms around his son first, then around the remaining three.

"I have something special for my boys," he said with a shuffle back to the squad car. He came back with four tote bags that said 'Police Dept.' on them.

"What are those, Papi?" Carlos asked with round eyes, that glowed white within his bright green face.

"Well, let's see..." he said, peeking inside one. "Badges, flashlights, identification cards to fill out, glow-sticks, whistles-"

Kendall cut him off with a cheer. "Can I use my glow-stick now?!"

"Sure," he said, taking the blue one out and giving it a good snap. Kendall spun around with it, shooting webs from his gloves as he went.

"Wow!" Logan cried. "That looks neat! Can I have my flashlight?"

After all four boys had either a flashlight or a glow-sick in hand, they left Mr. Garcia to do his job. They headed back toward home, stopping at houses along the way. Before they knew it the boys were slowing down, their bags growing heavy, and stifling sleepy yawns.

Mrs. Knight was just about to give in, and concede that she was having pains at regular intervals, when she became determined to make it the rest of the way. She waddled along gingerly, until the boys arrived at the very last house.

It was the scariest house of all...

The one that Kendall feared all year long, and that all his friends knew to avoid...

It belonged to his neighbor, Mr. Habner.

"Shouldn't we just skip this house?" whispered Logan, while the parents were all talking to one another.

"But, I wanna' know what kind of candy he has," Carlos said, already shoveling another piece from his bag, into his puffy cheek.

"Carlos, you won't have any good candy to trade when we're through if you eat it all now," Kendall scolded. "and, I wanna' shoot him with my webs!" he said impishly, raising a wicked eyebrow.

"Yeah!" James agreed, "and I'll use my shield on him!"

"Won't we get in trouble?" Logan asked in a squeaky little voice.

Kendall rolled his eyes. "How does Spiderman, Batman, Captain America, and the Hulk get in trouble? We're superheroes for crying out loud!" he scoffed.

"Yeah, it's not like we can get spanked or grounded!" James said haughtily, puffing up his chest, adjusting his foam torso again.

Logan was skeptical, but followed behind his leaders. Carlos flexed his foam arms and grunted ferociously once, before continuing up the walkway. The door was on the side of the house, and Logan swallowed nervously when he realized hat they could no longer see the parents.

Spiderman rang he bell, flanked by Captain America and the Hulk. Logan stood behind hem. "Trick-or-treat!" they shouted. They could hear a horror movie blaring from inside, so they shouted louder.

"Trick-or-treat!"

There was no reply, even though the television lights were clearly flickering inside and they could make out he silhouette of an elderly man in a rocking chair against the wall. The shadow outlined his still form, head thrown back and mouth gaped wide.

"Do-do you think he's dead?" James asked.

Logan's knees begin to knock. "D-dead?"

Meanwhile, Mrs. Knight felt a stab of pain through her abdomen, and clutched Mrs. Mitchell's arm. "Are you all right, Jennifer?"

She let out a yelp of pain with the next one, and Mr. Mitchell rushed to support her folding body.

"I'll get her overnight bag!" Mrs. Diamond offered.

"Oh wait, my keys are in my pocket,"she said.

The boys heard panicked voices and became nervous. They decided to hide in the bushes.

"You're shaking like a leaf!" Mrs. Garcia noticed.

"I'm a bit cold," she said.

"I'll go with you and grab a blanket!" Mrs. Mitchell said.

"How can we get a hold of Don?" Mr. Mitchell asked, still holding her up."

Mrs. Knight let out a loud moan when the next pain caught her off-guard. She shrugged and bit her lip.

"Okay, we'll all drive you over!" he said, trying to keep his own stress out of his voice.

Mrs. Diamond came running with the overnight bag, and Mrs. Mitchell wrapped the white fleece throw around her friend's trembling shoulders.

"I have her now!" his wife said, "just pull up the car, honey!"

When the boys heard the running footsteps nearby, they hid further behind the neighbor's house in terror. There was a dead man inside and now something was after them.

They clung to one another. Logan whimpered into the side of James larger body. "What if it got our mommies and your daddy?" Carlos cried.

"Shhh!" Kendall whispered, pulling them further from the house to hide behind the shed.

"Let's go!" Mrs. Garcia called, as soon as the car jolted to a stop at the curb. The women began to tug her to the backseat of the car.

"Wait! What about the boys!" she cried.

"Oh my God!" Mrs. Diamond wailed, "where are they?"

Mrs. Knight fought the helping hands, and made her way to the side of Mr. Habner's house, with the others trailing along.

"Kendall!" she cried, unable to hide her fear and pain.

"Something has my mom!" Kendall cried.

The chaos woke Mr. Habner from his slumber, and he stumbled to the back door, crabby and mumbling about how much he hated Halloween with all the little hoodlums.

James screamed when he saw the shadow of the man looming in the doorway, just as Kendall saw a white figure running toward them moaning. He screamed in unison with James, and the two smaller boys, understanding that their bigger protectors were terrified, ran willy-nilly to the alley, screaming as they went.

"Do you think it's the old man's ghost?!" Carlos cried.

The two taller boys chased after the them and before they knew it they were lost, panting for a breath and sobbing.

'I want my Papi!" Carlos wailed, the tears leaving tear tracks through his green make-up.

Logan was on the ground, curled up in a Batman ball, cape pulled tightly around his wee body, and hands placed protectively over his head as he shuddered.

James was spinning frantically around in circles, looking for evil-doers, shrieking as his shield shook violently. Kendall was shooting a maze of silly string in the direction of the shouts, eyes filled with tears of fear.

The shouts were nearing, and the boys helped one another run from it...further and further down the alley and further and further away from Kendall's house.

Mrs. Knight was forced to recline in the backseat of Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell's car when she could no longer stand.

"Don't worry Jennifer, we'll find the boys and I'll bring them by the hospital when we do. Maybe Don will be back too!" Mrs. Garcia said. Mrs. Diamond stayed behind to find their sons.

They waved them off and went inside the house. Mrs. Garcia phoned the station immediately, and explained what happened. Mrs. Diamond was at Mr. Habner's door.

"Have you seen four little superheroes, about this tall?" she asked through a sea of tears.

"'Course not!" he shouted.

"But they were here, last!" she shouted back, catching on that he was hearing-impaired when he fiddled with his hearing aid.

"You need to keep track of your own little monsters!" he shouted. "Sound too young to be running around unsupervised!"

"You don't understand! We were right there the entire time, but they got spooked and ran-" she tried to explain.

"SPOOKED?! DON'T CARE!" he shouted, and promptly slammed the door in her face. She sighed in frustration and stomped her foot.

"The boys are right about, you know!" she yelled at the closed door. "You are a-a horrible old man! Jamie!" she called into the darkness of his back yard.

He turned the porch light off on her. She stormed down the walkway, tripping over the various landscaping, and saw to another group finishing up their trick-or-treating.

"Yoo-hoo!" she called, "Have you seen four little boys in superhero costumes without adults?"

They shook their heads. "Jaaaaamie!" she called more desperately.

She returned to Mrs. Garcia to see if she had any hope that her husband could help them find the boys. "Antonio is on his way, but I'm worried Brooke," she said.

"Me too! That horrible old coot next door, Mr. Habner, wouldn't even let me search his yard, but I called, and they didn't respond!" she cried. The women held each other for a moment.

"Let's go," Mrs. Garcia said, "Antonio will just have to find us too!"

xxx

The boys were petrified. Teenagers in scary costumes were roaming the streets. Carloads of them were hitting their brakes, skidding to leave wavy tracks of burned black rubber behind. The boys hid in the shadows in a huddle, tears streaming down their faces.

Kendall, Logan and James abandoned their masks in their candy containers, so that they could see any would-be attackers. "I d-don't even know where we are," Kendall admitted, his stomach clenched with panic.

"Are-are we going to die?" Carlos asked in a tiny shrill voice.

"No," James assured him, hazel eyes wide with fear. He rubbed the smaller boys back.

"Are you sure?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know!" James finally sobbed, falling to his knees. "I don't want to die!" He threw his head into his hands and blubbered.

"Pull yourself together, James! We need to stay united!" he said, raising a finger to the sky.

The maniacal laughter of a Halloween decoration went off when his booming voice triggered the sensor. He screamed and sprinted down the alley, the other boys flailing and screaming behind him.

A bright light momentarily blinded them, and they shielded their eyes. The sound of tires on gravel crunched closer. The boys were still screaming, when strong arms reached down and scooped them up. They kicked and screamed and fought like true little superheroes in order to protect themselves and one another.

"Let us go!" James shouted.

"Leave him alone!" Kendall yelled.

"Call 911!" Carlos screamed, remembering what his Papi had told him about signaling for help.

"Stranger danger!" Logan squeaked.

"Boys! Boys!" the officers shouted, "It's okay now! We have you!"

The still-sniffling boys opened their eyes warily to find that the vehicle was in fact a squad car, and the men were indeed some of the city's finest.

"Boy, is your daddy going to be glad to hear from me," the blond officer said to Carlos, with a warm smile. They placed the little boys in the back of the patrol car, and climbed in the front.

The passenger immediately picked up his phone. "Antonio! Guess who we found!" he said happily.

xxx

Mr. Knight snored in the chair next to his wife at the hospital. He told her over and over again, how sorry he was that he chose to stop at the pub that night, instead of coming home as he promised. He stayed awake as long as he could before succumbing to sleep, smelling of beer.

Mrs. Knight sighed, and smiled weakly at her handsome boy. "Mom, are you gonna' be okay?" he asked with a worried wrinkle of his brow.

"I'm going to be just fine, sweetie. The baby isn't ready to come yet, but she fooled me into thinking she was," she said with a tired smile. "It's called false labor."

"Mom?" Kendall said, just as she was about to go back under.

"What sweetie?"

"Is she gonna' be the kind who plays a lot of tricks on us?"

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"'Cause she's not even here, and she's already doing that!"

xxx

James insisted on sleeping between his parents that night. They both stroked back his silky bangs and smiled down at their son. He was the best thing the two of them ever created, and he was the reason they were still together. They fought often, but James was the glue that held the marriage together.

They knew that for his own good, they had to send him back to his own room the following evening, but for tonight, it was the most content they felt as a family in a long time. Their bundle of joy was growing up strong and tall, and he was safe between them. Almost losing him made them realize what was truly important, James. They clicked off the light and each held a tiny hand as they slept.

xxx

Logan asked his dad to leave the light on again. Mr. Mitchell did not question it, just snapped on the batman nightlight and sat on the edge of his son's bed. He handed him the stuffed dog and kissed his forehead.

Mrs. Mitchell entered the room and took her place beside her husband. "Did you want me to read you a story Logie-bear?" she asked. His eyes drooped and he shook his head with great effort.

"Okay baby, good-night," she said, kissing him on the cheek. He blinked, his eyes already lost in another world. They stood and watched the dark lashes meet the pale cheeks, and stay there.

They looked at one another and smiled. He was sound asleep already, worn out from his adventures. He twitched once and his breathing evened out. She wondered what he would dream about, but she imagined he was dreaming that he was leaping through Gotham City, saving damsels in distress.

xxx

Carlos fell asleep in his father's arms. Mr. Garcia had to admit that he wanted to hold him safely in his arms as much as Carlos wanted to be held. It had scared him deeply when he received the call that he and the other boys were lost.

Being a police officer he knew of all the dangers out there, and it was all he could do not to leave the accident scene that he was over-seeing, and find his son. He sighed long and deep, and kissed his tiny boy on the top of his wavy dark hair. He wished he could keep him small and safe forever.

Mrs. Garcia came to see both her boys, and kissed them both on the cheek. She felt so lucky to be Carlos' mom, and the wife of such a wonderful caring father. He scooted over to make room for her in the big leather chair, and she managed to squeeze herself in. They sat quietly for a long while, enjoying being a family, before finally rising to put their son in his bed and call it the most frightening Halloween ever.

Everyone got spooked.

Happy Halloween! =^.^=

Crumpet