October was nearing its end, the Halloween decorations were out, and Marley was begging her parents to let her wear her new costume. Francie held fast to the same rule she started years ago, no new costume wearing until Halloween. Kendall even tried to persuade Francie, however his motives were selfish.

"Come on, Freckles. Let's try them on I want to see how we all look."

Francie looked up from the French toast she was making for breakfast. "You know how you look in your costume, Kendall. You know how Marley looks in hers. You're not going to see mine until Halloween. End of story."

"Party pooper." Kendall pouted.

Ever since Francie had told him she had bought a Black Cat costume, to complement Kendall's Spiderman and Marley's Spider-Girl, that's all the newly unattached man could concentrate on. He had to wait four more days, and Kendall wasn't sure he could do that.

As the three finished their Sunday morning breakfast, and were clearing the table, Francie's phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was James, her stomach clenched.

She excused herself from the room, and answered the call.

"Hi there, stranger." She smiled and tried to not let the hurt show in her voice at the word stranger, even though that's with James has been lately.

"Hey, Sweetness." James' heart was in his throat. She looked beautiful this morning, and James truly did miss her. "How ya doin'?"

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"I could be better. I could be back there, with you."

"We're here, come on home." The sadness in her eyes killed James.

"Soon, I promise. We should be wrapping up in about a week. Then, I promise, I'm not working for a long while."

Francie felt tears burning her eyes. Even though she had her suspicions of James' betrayal, she loved him, she wanted him home with her. When he got back they would sort everything out. No more lies.

"I miss you, Bello." Francie smiled sadly.

"I miss you, Sweetness."

James thought it better to change the subject before either one of them had a chance to turn on the water works. "Did you guys get your Halloween costumes?"

"We did."

"Well? Tell me who you guys are dressing up as." His smile warmed Francie's soul.

"Kendall is dressing up as Spiderman."

"The hell you say." James laughed aloud.

Francie continued, "And Marley is dressing up as Spider-Girl,"

"Definitely her father's daughter." James shook his head.

He waited for Francie to divulge the information of her Halloween costume, but she didn't voluntarily do so. "Well? What's your costume, Sweetness?"

A coy smile appeared on Francie's lips, and she raised a single eyebrow. "To carry out the theme for Halloween, I am dressing up as...Black Cat."

James his eyes widened. The image of Francie in a sexy, tight, black bodysuit, had James' imagination running wild. Dammit! I wish I was there to go trick-or-treating with them. I'd show her trick and give her a treat, that's for sure!

James released a low whistle, "Wow. Just...wow. Send me a picture?"

Francie bit her lower lip and nodded, "Of course, but don't worry, I'll still have the costume when you get back home."

The implications of Francie's statement made the blood rush from James' head. He felt a slight discomfort at the tightening of his jeans.

"Only you could turn me on during a FaceTime call, while you're still fully dressed and with no sex talk." Francie giggled as he continued, "You amaze me, you know that?"

Francie, shyly, looked down and blushed. Even after all the compliments James has given her, she still blushes, there's no avoiding it.

"I love you, Sweetness."

"I love you, too."

They talked for a few more minutes, then James had to get to the set. The conversation was the best they'd had in a while, and Francie began to feel foolish for thinking the worst about James.

Maybe, I was wrong. Maybe James was just busy and distracted by work. I just want him home. I want it to be like it was.

"So, what did James have to say?" Kendall asked, keeping his anger at James in check.

Francie smiled at Kendall with a glow he hadn't seen in too long. "He said he misses me, and he loves me. He wants a picture of me in my costume."

I'll bet he does...Kendall bitterly though.

"And, he should be finished up in about a week then he'll be home." Francie was giddy just thinking about being in James' arms again.

Kendall wasn't as excited.


"Come on, Mommy! We're going to miss all the good candy!" Marley had grown inpatient waiting on her mother to finish getting ready so she could get some candy.

"Easy there, Baby Doll. Your mom will be down in a minute." Kendall sat on the couch all dressed in his Spiderman costume the mask was laying across is his thigh. Next to him sat Logan, dressed as Batman.

"Come on, Marley, let's find some bad guys while we wait." Piper, dressed as Robin, looked as adorable as Marley did. When faced with these two cute crime fighters, the criminals wouldn't stand a chance.

"Hey, I'm really sorry things didn't work out with Tiff. I know how badly you wanted it to." Logan consoled his friend.

"Thanks." Kendall shook his head, "I did want it to work, and it may still, when she's ready." Kendall withheld the major part of the reason that he and Tiff broke it off. It would've been a little awkward for him to explain that, Tiff believed, he still wasn't over Francie.

"Okay kiddos, let's get our Halloween on!" Nikki descended the staircase in a snug, green bodysuit with ivy winding up her left leg, around her trim torso, and trailing down her right arm. Her long red wig was topped with an ivy headband. Over her arm she carried a variegated cape, red at the bottom then turning various shades of green to the darkest at the top.

She sashayed to the couch, her heels clicking on the hardwood floors. Logan watched her walk towards him, and his eyes lit up with excitement at seeing Nikki in her costume for the first time. Even Kendall appreciated the beauty in front of him.

"Wow, Niks, you look great."

"Thanks, Bats. You look pretty good yourself." She bent down to kiss Logan giving him an excellent view of her chest.

Kendall quickly looked to the stairs wanting to see Francie in her Black Cat costume, he's been waiting days for this. As she appeared, Kendall held his breath. His eyes, ran up her tight, leather bodysuit, to her white wig. Fluffy white fur, trimmed the collar, and ran down the side of each arm, from elbow to wrist, and the side of each leg, from knee to the top of her leather ankle boots. The plunging neckline, free of fur to not distract from the beauty of her cleavage, was a joy for Kendall to behold. Just enough of her soft, pillowy breasts were exposed to send Kendall's thoughts down an inappropriate, but - recently - often visited, road.

Since James had been gone, and Kendall had spent more time with Francie and less with Tiff, he had begun to think more about his former love than he should have, considering she is James' girl.

Even after discovering James has been hiding something from all of them, in Kendall's mind, Francie was still off limits. He may not make a move on her, but could sure as hell think about her, remember his time with her, and dream about her, and Kendall had certainly done plenty of that.

As Francie stood before him, Kendall looked up at her, and released a steady breath,

"Wow, Fay, you look great."

He concentrated, focusing on Francie's eyes, with dark makeup and a delicate black mask, instead of her cleavage which is, in all honesty, where he wanted to look. He allowed his eyes to lock on Francie's perfect red lips, as she smiled and spoke.

"Thanks, Spidey."

She pulled on her black, leather gloves and turned around to call the girls. When she did, Kendall took advantage of the view. Her hips were beautifully accentuated by the clingy leather, and Kendall noticed no trace of a panty line.

Although familiar to him, both covered and not, he studied the curves of a woman, not the girl he remembered. Whether it was due to eight years maturity, or the birth of a child, Francie's hips were fuller, her bottom more feminine and rounded. He licked his lips, remembering the way it felt to caress the seventeen year old Francie's bare body, and nearly moaned aloud at the though of such intimacy with the twenty-five year old.

Logan, also enjoying the view of the comic book vixen, tore his gaze away from her before his own beautiful girlfriend could tear out his eyes. He noticed Kendall shamelessly studying Francie and elbowed his friend before anyone else noticed.

Kendall's head snapped to the side, to the culprit guilty of disturbing his fantasy. Logan glared at him, conveying a silent 'What the fuck?' with his expression. Kendall, caught red-handed, had the decency to look contrite.

"Mommy, I love your hair." Marley played with the end of the long, white wig. "Can I have a wig next year?"

Francie crouched down to get closer to Marley's eye level. "Sure, baby, if you want."

Kendall's eyes were, once again, drawn to the taut bodysuit stretched, unbelievable to Kendall, even more than before, over Francie's derrière.

Kendall was having a difficult time trying to convince his body to not betray his desires. His costume wasn't providing enough coverage to hide his growing arousal.

Shit! There's no way I can stand up now! Concentrate, Kendall...bunnies and clouds, bunnies and clouds...BUNNIES...AND...CLOUDS, DAMMIT!

"Are we ready?" Nikki asked, rubbing her hands together, "I want candy!"

"Me, too!" Logan grabbed Nikki around her slim, ivy-wrapped waist, and nuzzled her neck.

No! Not yet! Oh shit! Think, Kendall, think!

"Wait a minute," Francie threw her hands in the air. "I need pictures to send to James."

Oh, thank Christ! Francie had just bought Kendall some extra time to fix his issue.

She bounced up from her crouched position and rushed out of the room to grab her phone, returning as quickly as her heels would allow. Unfortunately, the jiggling movement of her body did nothing to aid Kendall's situation.

Aw shit! That didn't help any! Bunnies and clouds, bunnies and clouds...

"Okay, Sis, gimme a sexy kitty." Nikki focused the camera on Francie.

Nikki?! Not helping...

"Nikki?!" Francie echoed Kendall's silent protest.

Nikki grinned, "Fine, then be adorable, that's just as hot to Pretty Boy." She snapped a picture, zoomed in, adjusted the camera, and snapped a few more.

"Okay, now the girls." Nikki took more photos.

Francie took her phone from Nikki. "I want one of you three together."

Logan stood tall, and puffed out his chest. Nikki folded her hands on his shoulder and lifted her knee to Logan's waist, where he held it in place, and she pulled her foot back toward her other leg, in a flirty manner. Piper flexed her muscles and stood in front of the adults.

"That's a keeper," Francie said as she snapped the picture. She looked at Kendall on the couch. "Okay, Spidey, family picture time."

Kendall, more comfortable to stand now, rose from the couch and allowed Nikki to pose him, as he slid his mask on his head.

"Okay, squat," Nikki pushed down on his shoulders, bringing him to an awkward position in front of her. He dropped his head and chuckled as Nikki turned to look over her shoulder at Logan with a devilish smile.

"Batty, looks like you have some competition," she teased Logan in a sing-song voice, causing Francie to merrily laugh at the lighthearted play.

Logan played tough, "I'd batarang his ass, and he knows it!"

Nikki bent down close to Kendall's ear. "I love it when he gets all possessive...makes for an interesting evening." She stood up, grinning.

"Spider-Girl, come stand here, Sweetheart. Okay, give me web hands, you two. Perfect."

Nikki turned to her sister, "Alright Kitty, stand here and put your foot on Spidey's knee." Francie followed Nikki's direction. She stepped back to admire the scene. She decided it was missing something.

"Oh, I know." Nikki stood behind Francie and bent her forward at the hips. She placed one of Francie's black-gloved hands and brought it behind Kendall's neck, resting it on his shoulder. Francie's other hand, Nikki placed on Kendall's chest. She pushed Francie's shoulder down towards Kendall, causing Francie's butt to teasingly jut out, just so, and her chest to brush against his arm. Kendall shut his eyes tightly, silently cursing Nikki Mancini.

Francie rolled her eyes at her sister. "Seriously, Nik? Isn't this a bit-"

"Shush! I'm creating, here!" Nikki certainly had a flair for the dramatic.

"Kitty, turn your left shoulder away from Spidey." That movement caused more friction between Francie's bosom and Kendall's arm.

Dammit, Nikki, take the freaking picture!

"Great, tilt your head toward Kendall and lower you chin. Perfect! Now, look up through your lashes and purr for the camera." Nikki snapped the picture, none too soon for Kendall.

"Okay, let's go!" Logan shouted as the group rushed the door for their night of fun.

Francie held back as the others walked out, and Kendall held the door open.

"After you, Kitty," he spoke through his mask.

Francie rolled her eyes, smiling. "Not you, too?"

He reached out and stroked the fur on Francie's collar, just where it ended and the plunge of the neckline began. She looked up at him, knowing he was smiling behind his mask.

With a small grin tugging at the corner of her mouth, Francie asked, "What are you doing?"

Torturing myself... He licked his lips, "Wondering if you'll purr for me."

Francie felt her womb tighten. "Any lower, and I will." Oh my God! Did I just say that out loud?

Kendall was thankful for the cover of his mask as his eyes widened. He was speechless.

Francie recovered her wits first and laughed, trying to play the whole awkward moment off. "Let's go, Spidey." She grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. The door slammed shut, and locked behind them.

Francie briskly walked to catch up to her sister and Logan who were walking behind the girls. The tension of the moment between her and Kendall still slightly hung in the air. She felt there maybe safety in numbers.

Playful flirtation, that's all it was. I mean, I know Kendall and I have gotten closer since James has been away. Kendall has been so sweet and kind, I missed that, more than I realized. With James acting so distant lately, things have been weird for a while, but our conversation tonight was a great one...it was like it used to be. James is coming home soon and I'm thrilled. I was just messing with Kendall because he was messing with me, that's all. At least, I think he was just messing with me...

Kendall watched Francie rush to catch up to Nikki and Logan. He was grateful for, both, time to sort his thoughts, as well as, the view in front of him.

Was she flirting with me? Surely not...but I definitely was with her. I need to quit that, especially with James coming home soon. If I find out he was playing around on her, the gloves come off, and Francie's fair game.

Wait! No, I can't do that. I can't. I told Tiff that I was over Francie, she was my past, and Tiff was my future. God, did I lie to her? Have I been lying to myself?

I have a pulse, I enjoy beautiful things. Even happily married men admire a beautiful woman, don't they? Am I supposed to go through life with blinders on?

When I was with Tiff, these feelings and thoughts I had for Francie seemed to disappear. Maybe the fact that I've let go of Tiff has brought Francie to the forefront of my mind again.

Alright, enough! The facts of the matter are, Francie is with James, for the time being, Tiff and I are not a couple, and the real focus of my life is Marley. There...clear as mud...damn, why has this whole mess been so difficult?

"Kendall!" Logan twisted the cap off the beer bottle and raised in high in the air for Kendall to see. Logan looked at the label and shouted back at Kendall, "Hey man! This one's got your name on it!"

Kendall laughed, "Logan, you, my friend, are a genius!" He ran to catch up with the rest of his group.