"So just a few years ago, a couple towns over, there was this girl…"

"Which town?"

Michael paused, glancing up at the question from Kitt as he worked on applying the temporary vinyl to Kitt's glossy finish. It was something that the Trans-Am protested rather loudly, so trying to tell a few scary stories to keep the vehicle's attention had been Michael's answer.

"Doesn't matter Kitt. Just, not far from here." Michael responded before going on. "She's at a football game with her boyfriend-"

"What teams are playing?" Karr asked.

Michael paused again, glancing over to Karr who was watching the man intently, his lone camera focused on Michael's every move. The two AIs were working together. There was no other explanation for both of them to be so full of questions at the same time. Usually they at least took turns being a pest.

"Karr it doesn't matter." Michael pointed out, though when that camera kept focused on him he sighed and nodded. "The Blakeny Warriors and The Stanton Bulldogs. The Bulldogs won, twenty one to three and are moving on to the championship. The town is very proud." Michael explained, pulling the team names out of thin air.

That seemed to satisfy the Rover as Karr pulled his pincher like arms in at a resting position and settled in to listen.

"So anyway, she leaves the game with her boyfriend and the two decide that they don't want the date to end so soon," said Michael and to no surprise to anyone, Kitt was the one who spoke up this time.

"That seems highly irresponsible. Did they not have a curfew?"

"You'll have to listen and find out Kitt," Michael said, quite a bit of frustration showing in his voice.

Kitt and Karr gave each other a mental high five at the barrier that formed a channel between their CPUs. Both were rather accustomed to what Michael would consider a scary story. Kitt had downloaded a few for Karr, who absolutely loved stories and any book he could get ahold of. It settled his curious nature to constantly be able to download data and other input.

At the time, Kitt thought that it would help Karr to better understand the holiday season they were coming into. The AI was full of questions, but everyone had been spending so much time getting ready for the night, they had very little time to answer those questions. The Rover did seem to understand the costumes at least. However, the sudden appearance of pumpkins and bats around the garage confused the hell out of a vehicle who had never really seen a holiday of any kind celebrated.

Wilton hadn't permitted such things in the labs. It was something that took away from the very serious work they were doing and the man had been rather particular about what Karr was exposed to. Outside of that, every time that Karr had been active again, it was during the summer months. They were in the only fall season that Karr had ever seen, outside of the lab.

As it stood, the foundation itself tended to make a big deal out of any holiday that came along. According to Michael it was a time to beg for funding from their many financial backers. Wilton had left a sizable trust fund to ensure that the foundation would continue to prosper and that Kitt would be able to stay on the road but, every little bit beyond that fund ensured future advances in technology. It also ensured the hope that at some point, Karr actually would get a body so he was all for it.

These gatherings were important to uphold relationships with financial partners. Michael and Kitt were expected to attend. In the spirit of the holiday though, Michael was carefully applying Kitt's 'costume' in the form of a gold, vinyl decal that Kitt had vehemently protested for several days before finally giving into what he considered entirely unnecessary behavior and personal torment.

Michael was trying very hard to make the whole thing fun for the pair, but when it came down to it, they were having more fun screwing with Michael and Karr was pretty sure Michael knew that.

"So… They head out to find a nice quiet spot to park the car and talk for a while," Michael went on.

"Oh sure, park…" Kitt mused, causing Michael to sigh softly.

"What else would they be doing," Karr then asked and Michael actually had to pause in applying the vinyl.

"Oh you sweet, summer child…" Michael mused, a glance given to Kitt. "Well? You started that one. Anything to say about it?"

"Coitous, Karr. The male plans to attempt to reproduce with her." Kitt explained rather matter of factly, causing Michael to choke.

"I see. I would think there are better ways to do that," Karr mused at that.

"There are… Much better." Kitt agreed.

"What type of vehicle were they driving?" Karr abruptly asked and Michael faltered for a moment.

"What?" Michael asked, briefly standing up from his crouched position to move on to Kitt's hood.

"What type of vehicle were they driving? It is important to this tale you are telling." Karr explained and Michael sighed softly.

"Oh I don't know… A Camaro."

"That is very ill advised then. A Camaro is a very small vehicle. Vastly inferior to attempt any type of intercourse." Karr reasoned.

"Maybe she's very flexible," Kitt pointed out and Michael nearly dropped the vinyl he was working with at that.

"Would you two knock that off?!" He blurted out and Kitt and Karr exchanged another quick, mental 'high five', the pair laughing softly across the network.

"Alright! So!" Michael went on, trying to ignore the pair. "They drive out to a quiet spot in the woods. And as they go they listen to the radio. Well just as they're parking, a news report comes on the radio. It says that a deranged murderer has just escaped a local prison. They described the man as tall with a lunatic smile and missing his right hand. In its place… Was a hook!" Michael said the last line rather abruptly, his intention to startle the pair of AIs. Both AIs came to an abrupt attention. Michael smirked at the way that Kitt's scanner gave a pause as he was startled, quickly going on now that he seemed to have their attention.

"Why would they give a convict a sharp object for a hand?" Kitt asked after a moment, recovering rather quickly from his startled reaction.

"Because he was Captain Hook in a past life, I don't know," Michael blurted out. "Now can I continue?"

"Oh I suppose…" Kitt offered with a fond chuckle.

"Well the pair start talking. Then things get a little heated and they completely forget about the news report. After all, it wasn't like they were going to run across the murderer." Michael pointed out as he applied the last of the vinyl and stood back to give the two AIs his full attention.

"That seems ill advised…" Karr mused and Michael smirked a bit.

"It was… Because out of the darkness, the young woman was the first to hear it. A soft little scratching. Just a faint little sound." Michael said, his voice lowering as he crouched down to be at level with Kitt's scanner and Karr's camera.

One arm rest lazily against Kitt's hood as he spoke, his voice kept low. "She asked her boyfriend if he heard that and of course he was so focused on the woman in his arms, he hadn't. But she heard it again. A soft scratch, scratch, scratch from outside. That time he heard it too."

Both AIs were finally silent, the pair listening intently as Michael leaned in so that what he said would only be heard by the pair of AIs.

"They both listened intently and there it was again. A soft scratching sound. The girl told her boyfriend that she wanted to go home. That she had a bad feeling. He of course tried to calm her down and get her to stay there with him." Michael went on. "She was hearing none of it though. So he started the car and drove away from their cozy little spot to take her home. As he pulled away there was a slow and loud, scraaaaaatch sound." Michael went on, drawing out the word with a low growl to his voice.

"Was it the murderer?" Karr asked softly, the rover finally interested in the story that Michael was telling. He was pleased to note that even Kitt's scanner had slowed considerably, a sure sign he was listening carefully and thinking something through.

"They didn't know." Michael responded, keeping his voice just as soft as he went on. "They drove home though… By the time they got home, both were feeling a little silly for how scared they had been. The young man got out of the car and like a gentleman he walked around to the other side of the car to open the door for his date. As he came around to the side of the vehicle he froze… Because there… Hanging from the door handle… Was the hook!"

He yelled the last few words, a quick clap of his hands given to startle the pair of AIs… What none of them expected though… Was for the lights in the garage to abruptly go out, throwing them all into darkness but for the eerie glow of Kitt's scanner.

There was an electronic shriek like a microwave going bad, followed by a very human yelp of surprise. The darkness only lasted about thirty seconds before the lights came back on, revealing a very amused looking Bonnie at the light switch by the door, a quick flash of a camera light revealing her true intent as she quickly snapped a picture of the scene before her and erupted into laughter..

Michael had fallen back onto his rump against Kitt as Karr clung to the man's arm with both of those pincher arms. All three of them looked as if they had no idea what had just happened. "I'm sorry," she laughed out, quickly coming into the garage. "It was just too perfect of a set up."

"Not funny Bonnie!" Michael complained as he tried to get his own heart rate to slow down.

"Oh I beg to differ… That was hilarious. I'm making this picture my Christmas card this year." Bonnie giggled, then paused. She tilted her head as if trying to make a bit more sense of what she was seeing. "What the hell are you doing to poor Kitt?"

"It's his costume." Michael explained, getting up from the ground once he pried Karr off of him and dusted himself off. Gold foil vinyl had been applied to certain points of Kitt's body. Across his hood, the same gold in the shape of Pontiac's firebird symbol.

"What is he supposed to be?" Bonnie asked, sounding entirely confused.

"Apparently, I'm The Bandit." Kitt explained, his voice less than enthused about the whole process.

"No Kitt, I'm The Bandit." Michael explained, the man dressed in jeans, cowboy boots, a bright red button down and a cowboy hat. The mustache that was supposed to make him look like Burt Reynolds reminded them all a little too much of Garthe so he had forgone that. Still, it wasn't a bad costume. "You're my trusty Trans-Am."

"So you dressed Kitt… A Trans-Am… Up like a Trans-Am…" Bonnie clarified and Michael grinned.

"That's the beauty of it! Simplicity! You look nice, by the way." He put in, a nod given towards her.

She wore a form fitting, futuristic looking uniform made of mostly a silvery, metallic looking fabric that reminded Karr of aluminum foil but it was obviously a fabric. Some kind of insulator material. A few other metallic fabrics were added around the detailing. She had pulled her hair up into a bun and used brightly colored makeup and a bit of costume makeup glitter to give her face an almost alien look.

"Thank you" She offered with a smirk, attention then going to Karr.

"Ready for your costume?" Karr pulled in those pincher arms, his camera coming down close to the rover body and Bonnie gave out a soft laugh.

"Oh no, I don't think so. If we gotta do it, you gotta do it. Now come on. We're running short on time and I still want to get a picture of all of you in your costumes." She laughed, crossing the garage to pick up a box that had been shoved off into the corner. Karr had been rather hoping they would forget about that box…

"Take it easy Karr, this will be fun." Michael assured as Bonnie set the box down and pulled out a few, formed and banged into place, pieces of tin.

Karr didn't have anything to say to that, but he dutifully held still and allowed her to fix his costume to the Rover. This was entirely lacking in dignity.

Once she was done, the tin had enclosed around the boxy frame of the Rover, giving him a more conical shape. The first time Bonnie presented her craft, Michael had quipped that she was dressing Karr up as a trash can. Bonnie assured him that was not the case.

She fixed the dome like helmet with the square opening so that Karr could poke his camera through and see the world properly. When he turned the camera to the side, the dome moved with him, so that he still would be able to have a three hundred and sixty degree view.

"Alright Karr… Do you remember your line?" Bonnie asked once she had the costume in place.

"Danger Will Robinson, Danger." Karr repeated and Bonnie grinned.

"Perfect!"

xXx

So far as Halloween parties went, Karr wasn't entirely sure what he expected. Being ushered into the house and allowed to roll his way around the foyer and downstairs of the mansion was not it. It was entertaining though!

Normally, Devon made it very clear that Karr's space was the garage and he was not to put tread marks on the carpet in the house. That was perfectly alright with Karr, who wasn't too fond of the idea of going into a strange, enclosed place. However, with so many people in the house and the doors to each room wide open to make it easier to move in and out, Karr was finding it rather entertaining to duck around furniture and move around the crowd of people, primarily undetected.

People saw him of course. He wasn't invisible. Most people assumed he was some kind of automated unit that would turn if it detected something in front of it or perhaps was on a pre-programmed 'track' around the house.

It also meant that investors poked at him to see what made him tick from time to time and were more than a little surprised when Karr turned his camera to look at them. It usually sent them backing up rather quickly.

Still, circling around the furniture and ducking under the dining room table so that he could watch the events from the safety of a hidden spot was something he enjoyed very much.

/I'm glad you're having a good time./ Kitt commented on the private channel they had opened between them. /I was a little concerned you wouldn't./

/It is new and interesting. However, inform Devon that the investor, Mr. Ferrell is not to be trusted. These people do not seem to realize that I am an AI system./ Karr mused.

/Oh, you tell him that he'll have you at every event./ Kitt mused, a soft rush of static suggesting laughter across the channel.

/On second thought, maybe he should find this out for himself…/

/Oh you're enjoying the event and you know it./ Kitt sent with another rush of static.

/Perhaps…/ Karr admitted, moving to one of the massive, foyer windows and pressing his camera against it to peer out into the darkness. The front drive was well lit, flood lights highlighting the fountain which was decorated in orange and black streamers, a black light giving the whole thing an eerie glow. There were other things out there that Karr didn't entirely understand. A large, inflatable thing that Michael had called a Bouncy House. Stands where popcorn and candy apples were served. Different games were set up around the yard.

Kitt was parked at the head of the drive and Michael was moving around out there. He had been in the house a while ago, but had since been placed on what Devon called "Candy Duty" after he pissed off one of the investors.

Michael seemed to enjoy that task much more than entertaining investors…

It seemed to involve a lot of walking and sitting around though as he didn't actually seem to be doing anything. That is until Karr's cameras caught a dot of light coming up the driveway. It was obviously people walking… A lot of them. Small and low to the ground…

Karr focused on those lights, some of them blinking and some of them holding the soft glow of a glow stick. Small people in masks! Some of them wore masks, some of them did not. The presence of a creature that had the look of some kind of demon caught Karr's attention. There was no such thing of course… It still had him ducking down so that he would be primarily out of sight. Kitt and Michael would handle them. There were many, but they were small! Kitt was indestructible. He could take them.

To his surprise though, Kitt seemed to have no interest in chasing these invaders away from their home. They came right up to Kitt, bouncing and running around him. Perhaps Kitt was overwhelmed? Did his brother need help?

He reached out across the channel but Kitt was distracted. He didn't want to take his brother's attention away from a possible threat. So he left him alone.

"Everything alright Karr?"

Karr gave a brief start, his camera turning towards the source of that voice. Eddie was standing just behind him, the young tech dressed as Einstein.

"We have an intruder." Karr announced, once more focusing on the window.

Eddie gave a blank look for a moment, entirely confused until he glanced through the window himself. A smirk crossed his expression, the man far too amused for his own good.

"Oh no, they're invading early this year!" Eddie exclaimed as if truly worried. "We thought we would have more time to prepare…"

"Prepare for what?" Karr asked, watching intently as those small figures shrieked and ran around Kitt.

"They didn't want you to know this part. They were protecting you. Every year on Halloween… Small creatures rise up from the depths of the Earth. They wear masks to hide their hideous faces… They come to take sacrifices from each home and if they are not pleased with the offerings… They take someone from the home instead…"

That… Sounded horrid… Kitt had not mentioned any of this! Why would they celebrate such a terrifying holiday?

"That is ridiculous." Karr stated firmly, though after a moment he had to wonder if he was so entirely certain. "What offerings are they being given?"

"Well… That's the thing. Usually we have a lot of offerings for them but this year? Michael is getting bold… He's just giving these little sugary things for them to eat, all in that little bowl out there." Eddie explained.

That sounded like a very high risk to gamble on…

"They wanted to protect you from this part, because they take the ones who are outside… Why do you think they let you come into the house?" Eddie pointed out. "Devon would never allow that normally… They didn't want those creatures to take you. That's also why they made you wear that costume. It confuses them and makes them think you're one of them when you wear a costume. It doesn't fool them for long though… They didn't want you to be afraid, but I think you deserve to know the truth. Tonight, they hunt!"

Eddie half yelled the last part with a quick clap of his hands.

Karr gave out a shrill, startled electronic sound. This could not stand! Both Kitt and Michael had to remain safe! They were part of his family and surprisingly… His programming for self preservation seemed to extend to his little family these days. Perhaps it was the knowledge he could not survive without them.. Perhaps he would just miss them… Either way, this could not stand!

Granted, he wasn't going to defend anything at the moment. He couldn't even reach the doorknobs!

He quickly backed away from the door, turning and took off as fast as his treds could carry him. "Danger Dr. Barstow! Danger!" Karr called, trying to get Bonnie's attention, wherever the hell she was in the house.

As Karr disappeared into the house, Eddie gave a soft laugh and shook his head. "That'll teach ya to play Eddie on a Chair." He said with a snort. He then opened the front door, putting on his best German accent as he stepped outside. "Welcome children! My what scary costumes!" He announced, stepping out to help Michael pass out candy to the Trick or Treaters.

xXx

Bonnie glanced up as Karr made a beeline for her, a soft sigh let out. They had been wondering how long it would take before Karr had enough of this. Granted she didn't expect the altered line she taught him in the form of a repeated "Danger Dr. Barstow, Danger!" when he did find her.

"Is everything alright Karr? What's wrong? Did someone mistake you for a trashcan again?" She asked, a little concerned. She hadn't thought the costume looked that much like a trash can until someone lifted the dome and threw a napkin in there with Karr.

Karr had been highly insulted and she would have actually paid money to see the expression on that investor's face when he casually tossed a napkin into what he thought was a trash can, only to have the napkin thrown back at him.

"We have intruders. Many of them. We are being invaded!" Karr insisted and Bonnie frowned, confusion clear across her face.

"Invaded?" She asked, glancing around at the investors. They had a fairly wide array of costumes. She looked for one in particular though, waving a hand to catch Devon's attention. He nodded quickly and true to his nature, he still managed to look stuffy and very British in the colonial costume he wore, complete with a powdered wig. Ironic considering how American that costume actually was.

"By small beings! Eddie has informed me of their true intent! They are small but they have numbers to their advantage." Karr reported and Bonnie gave a confused frown as Devon approached.

"Karr, you know better than to believe anything that Eddie tells you… Remember Oscar the Grouch? I turned that trash can upside down for you and there were no grouches." Bonnie pointed out.

"I still believe that Oscar the Grouch is very unsettling and I wish to take no chances that he lives in the lab trash can. However, I was able to process the arrival of these beings with my own scanners and processors." Karr pointed out and Bonnie frowned again, clearly confused.

"Do you mean the Trick or Treaters Karr?" Devon asked as a dawning realization crossed Bonnie's face, the tech having to lift a hand to hide her amused expression.

"If that is what these invaders are called, then yes." Karr insisted and Bonnie couldn't help but let out the laugh she had been holding.

"Alright Karr, let's see these invaders." Devon urged, humoring the vehicle for the moment.

Karr turned and took off through the crowded space, towards the front door once more.

"My God, he's like having a Cocker Spaniel…" Devon mused and Bonnie shot the man a smirk.

"I told you, we should have just gotten a guard dog." She pointed out, a soft laugh given as she headed off in the direction Karr had taken.

As expected, Karr once again had his camera pressed against the glass of the front windows that framed the doorway, though the Rover moved from one window to the other, trying to get a better look. Bonnie side-stepped around Karr and glanced out into the darkness herself, a smile crossing her expression. That was about what she expected. Eddie was now passing out candy and Michael was being chased by a gaggle of children, the man acting like a big kid himself.

Another staff member was happily passing out candy apples and the parents of the children were mostly sitting around a large, outdoor heater that had been set up with a few chairs, sipping on hot apple cider or hot chocolate as they watched their kids run around, playing games and diving their way into the bouncy house. Wilton had always liked children. Before he died, the man started the tradition, trying to bring some joy into a household that was so sad and quiet as Wilton grew sicker and sicker. It was something he asked them to keep up.

The screams and laughter from the children were loud enough that they could be heard in the house. Granted, Karr didn't entirely understand facial expressions yet, nor did he always understand certain reactions for emotions. The idea of things like happy tears or laughing at inappropriate times or even shrieks of joy from running children, confused the vehicle entirely.

"Are we being invaded, Bonnie?" Devon asked with an amused smirk.

"If we are, I think Michael is about to fall in battle." She mused, a flinch given as the man really did hit the ground, rolling as a gaggle of children jumped on him, the man's cowboy hat claimed as a trophy of war by a fairy princess.

Karr let out a short electronic whine, the sound one of concern as he switched windows again. That put a little pang of guilt through Bonnie. As hilarious as this was, Karr was actually concerned for Michael's safety.

The moment of concern put into perspective just how far they had come. Not so many months ago, Karr came at Michael like a Pit Bull, intent to end the man's existence in his run for freedom. Look where they were now…

"We must plan a counter attack, Dr. Barstow. We must assist Michael Knight." Karr insisted and Bonnie gave out a soft sigh.

"Karr… Please don't eat the children." She requested, causing Karr to pin his camera on her, confusion rolling off of the AI.

"I do not plan to ingest any humans. I can not as I do not possess a digestive system. A fact that you are well aware of. However, we need a secure plan of attack. I suggest a flanking maneuver." Karr insisted.

"And don't make war plans against the children either. It's alright… They're not going to hurt you." She explained, reaching over and opening the door. "Go on, if you're so worried about them go outside. But don't say I didn't warn you. Kitt will tell you, they have sticky hands."

Karr backed up a few inches, his programming at war with the barriers. Bonnie likely hadn't meant to make that an order but the finality in which she said it was causing one of his barriers to buzz to life. He brought his camera and pincher arms in close, his way of trying to appear smaller as he rolled forward slowly, edging his way out of the front door.

As loud as it seemed inside, it was much louder out there. The shrieks of children set his audios off to an unpleasant whine. High pitched screams that poured out as they ran from the front porch, around Kitt and back to the games that were set up in the front drive.

The Rover stopped in the doorway, scanning the surrounding area, slowly trying to get an idea of just how badly screwed they were. Michael made it out of the dog pile he had been under and was once more on the go. Though now outside and able to better scan the area with his limited resources, he could pick up that it was laughter and not screams of terror or war cries.

He rolled forward a little more, out onto the porch, where Eddie was passing out what he could now tell was candy. Eddie usually kept it on his desk in some way or another and Bonnie was prone to keep a bit of chocolate in her drawer for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Bonnie shut the door behind him and he twisted his camera around to look back through the window that framed the doorway. Bonnie smiled at him and waved pleasantly. Somehow, he felt he had just been betrayed, but he hadn't entirely placed just how that was…

/Karr? What are you doing out here?/ Kitt asked him across their channel, finally paying attention to it as a group of kids who had been poking at him, took off across the yard to chase Michael.

/I feel I have been lured into some sort of trap…/ Karr mused, a deep sigh given out. /These small beings are not invading are they…/

Amusement answered that, a soft burst of static that formed into a laugh, coming across the channel as Kitt answered. /No… No they are not. They're just human children. They have sticky little hands and like to poke at you, but they won't hurt you. Some of them can be very nice. What would make you think we were being-/

Kitt faded off in his question, for a moment taking note of who else was on the porch.

/I see… Want to play Eddie on a chair later?/

/I think we must./ Karr grouced, causing Kitt to give another burst of static like laughter.

/I will inform Michael./ Kitt assured.

"Come to join the battle, Karr?" Eddie laughed, causing Karr's camera to focus on the man.

"You shall rue this day, Eddie. Rue it!" Karr announced, causing Eddie to erupt into laughter.

"Sure, Karr. Sure. What the hell are you gonna do-" He stopped, mid-sentence with whatever he was about to say as he turned, looking over Karr, rather than directly at him. Just behind Karr, Bonnie was still standing in the window, arms crossed, her expression stern as she stared directly at Eddie. Slowly, she brought two fingers up, gesturing to her own eyes, then turning them back to Eddie in a clear 'I'm watching you' gesture.

"Er… Never mind. Want to help me pass out candy?" Eddie stammered out, Karr a little taken back by the change in tone.

"Wow, what's that?" Karr cringed as someone approached from the right, the vehicle backing up until he was bumping up against the front door, part of him hoping that Bonnie would take pity on him and let him back in the house.

"Your costume is awesome!" Another small child announced, the rover finding himself surrounded rather quickly.

"How can you see out?" Another asked and another child was quick to correct her.

"Well duh! Look there's a camera. That's how he can see. What's your name, kid? My name's Brian."

Did they think he was one of them? Apparently they did…

"Karr." He stated softly and all of the gathered children gave out an impressed round of awws.

"It comes with a thing that changes your voice! That's so cool!" Brian announced as he tried to get a look under the dome that covered Karr's camera. The boy had a mop of brown hair and was currently dressed as Superman, though the costume was just a little big and obviously having been pulled on over other clothing to chase back the cold.

"That's a cool name. Is it short for Carson? A kid in my class was named Carson last year and sometimes we called him Car." A young blonde girl mused softly, who was dressed up like a fairy princess… And suspiciously was in possession of Michael's hat. "My name's Rachel."

"Do you want to be our friend Carson? You can go Trick or Treating with us. My Mom is drinking some cider and we're gonna go down to the other neighborhood later!" Another child with red hair and a cowboy outfit announced.

"Yeah, Ralph's Mom is real nice. She's gonna drive us over to the neighborhood where they have full sized candy bars, not the little fun sized." Explained Rachel. The red headed boy, or Ralph as he was apparently named nodded enthusiastically.

He seemed to have infiltrated their ranks. Did that count as making war plans against the children? They accepted him as one of their own without question… He had to wonder about their common sense as well as their sense of self preservation, that was clearly lacking.

/Karr are you alright?/ Kitt sent to him and Karr considered that. Was he?

/I believe I am gaining their trust. They have no fear of me…/ He replied back.

/No they wouldn't. They don't know what we are and even if they did they wouldn't see us as a threat. Adults are the ones who see us as a threat because they are afraid of what they don't understand. Children are more curious and accepting./

Karr considered that, before his attention would return to these children. Interesting…

"I am not permitted to leave the premises, therefore I can not go Trick or Treating with you." Karr informed them which brought on a round of rather disappointed faces.

"Yeah, I get it." Ralph mused softly. "I'm not allowed to cross the street either."

The door behind Karr abruptly opened and Karr resisted the urge to quickly back up through it as Bonnie stepped out onto the porch.

"Hey kids!" Bonnie called happily and Karr's camera focused up at her for a moment, uncertainty flooding his CPU. Was it alright to talk to these children? Was that what she wanted? As much as he cared for his new, found family they did confuse him at times.

"Hello! Are you Carson's Mommy?" A younger girl who hadn't said much before asked, bouncing her way up to Bonnie. She was dressed in a very small lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck.

"Well… I'm the one who takes care of him. What's your name sweetie?" Bonnie asked, glancing over to Karr with a smirk.

"My name's Jessica!" The young girl announced, a grin crossing her expression. "See?" She pointed proudly to her lab coat, her name having been neatly embroidered on it. "My Mommy made it."

"I really like your costume." Bonnie assured, a smile crossing her expression.

"It's not as good as Karr's. He has the best costume ever!" Ralph announced. "He's our new best friend too! Can he come Trick or Treating with us? Karr says he's not allowed to cross the street, but my Mom is with us! She's over there if you want to talk to her."

"I'm sorry kids, it's getting a little late for Karr." Bonnie explained with a soft chuckle. "He can't go with you, but if you ask him nicely, maybe he'll help you get some candy." She ignored the round of disappointed groans from the children as she stood up a little straighter and waved Michael over.

"I do know where the candy is, yes." Karr assured, happy to finally have something that he could do. "I will assist them."

"You talk kinda funny Karr. It's cool." Brian mused and behind Karr, Bonnie gave a smirk.

"He's from another country, kids. He's still learning."

A round of understanding 'oohs' sounded out and Bonnie gave a soft laugh.

"Now if you'll excuse me kids… I need to have a word with Einstein over there. Oh Eddie!" She called in a pleasant, sing-song voice. "Come here." She stated, the last bit a little more stern.

"Ooooh, somebody's in trouble!" Rachel called, the child grinning as she bounced up and down.

"I'll say he is." Bonnie agreed with a quick nod.

Eddie gave a deer in the headlights look, but Bonnie was having none of it as she snagged his labcoat and drug the man into the house.

Something did stick out in Karr's CPU though, the AI turning his focus towards Kitt once more.

/I talk funny?/ The Rover questioned, a little bit of concern floating through his CPU as he repeated what the child said. /What is wrong with the way I speak?/

/Nothing Karr. You are you and that is just fine. You speak properly./ Kitt pointed out. /Many of these children, you will notice, haven't grasped grammar yet. Bonnie claiming you were from another country was just a quick explanation to make them stop asking./

/I see…/ Karr mused softly. That was an interesting point and something he certainly hadn't considered.

Karr's thoughts were interrupted as Karr made his way up onto the porch, more than a little out of breath. He reached into the bowl of candy, quickly doling out a few bars to some of the kids who had been chasing him and sending them running off to their parents or some other game around the front drive. He was getting attention from his own, though it wasn't from the children. He was warding off attention from a few of the mothers. Granted, Michael being Michael it was doubtful he would be fending them off for long… It was more likely the man would be getting a few of their phone numbers for later…

"Oh is that your child?" One of them was asking Michael, the woman clearly flirting as she rest a hand on his arm. "That's an amazing costume he's wearing. You're so good with the kids."

Well of course Michael was good with kids… He was a big kid himself. As it was though, Michael excused himself from her company and made his way over to where Karr was parked, giving the Rover a fond pat.

"Wow, your family is cool Karr." Brian announced. This was apparently Karr's new best friend. He should probably make a note of that. "This isn't even the full sized candy bars, these are king sized!"

Michael plopped himself down on the porch step, a foot propped up as he motioned the kids towards him. Karr pulled up just behind the man's back, discreetly scanning him to make certain that he truly was alright. His pulse was up as a result of running around the yard like a fool but, otherwise the man was healthy. Kitt pulled forward from his parking spot, much to the amusement of the gathered children, the Trans-Am pulling up until his prow was pressed against the lower step.

"Alright kids, it's getting late. So gather 'round, let me tell you a story… And then you can go beg for candy somewhere. How does that sound?" Michael asked with a grin, which had a very excited group of kids, half climbing around Karr as they gathered in.

"Come on Karr! Come sit with me!" Rachel pleaded, taking Karr's pincher hand in her own and pulling him forward so that she could plop herself down on the porch, a good half a dozen young children piling in around him. He was hemmed in on all sides, though it didn't bring on the feeling of panic it normally did.

If he had to admit it to himself, they were not that bad. Rachel was patting his pincher arm so that he wouldn't be afraid of the story. His new 'best friend ever' was telling him about his dog at home and who held the honorary title of 'best dog ever.' It was good to know he was apparently in good company when it came to being the best ever. Ralph had decided that since Karr could not go trick or treating he would sneak Karr some of his own candy by dropping it under the dome that covered his camera. That would be interesting to explain later…

Karr decided then and there that he liked children. They were honest and open. More than any adult had ever been to him. They were kind to him without any prompt. They accepted him as one of their own without question. For the first time in his life, he didn't have to fight for the trust of someone around him. They just willingly gave it. He hoped only the best for these children.

/Awww, you have friends!/ Kitt sent across the channel as he pulled up to the stoop.

/It is good to have allies. Besides, they are apparently the world's future. It is good to be on their good side./ Karr grouced, pulling a laugh from Kitt as Michael leaned over and gave Kitt's hood a pat before he launched himself into a story about a scarecrow that Karr was half convinced would give most of those kids nightmares that night…

xXx

"Alright, what do you think guys? Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th?"

"Neither!" Bonnie scolded Michael later that night, hands on her hips as she flopped down on the couch in the garage. "Karr already thought we were being invaded once today, those movies will give him nightmares."

They had finally managed to chase away the last of the party goers. The mansion was a disaster area but they would start cleaning in the morning. Rather, likely in the afternoon as neither of them had any intention of getting out of bed before then. They were exhausted but still a little wound up, which was why Michael suggested a scary movie night to begin with, despite the fact that it was just after midnight.

"Oh come on, you have to watch a scary movie on Halloween!" Michael protested.

"Technically, it's not Halloween anymore." Kitt pointed out, the Trans-Am taking note of the time.

"Nobody has gone to sleep, it's still Halloween!" Michael protested.

"I think Devon is asleep…" Karr pointed out.

"Well, it's over for him then. But we're gonna get every bit out of this holiday."

"You know we do have to clean up after the party tomorrow, right?" Bonnie pointed out. "We should probably all get some sleep."

"I don't," Kitt pointed out with a soft chuckle. "No hands. Karr, I'm afraid you are doomed though…"

Karr gave an electronic whine as he pulled up beside the couch, near Kitt's parking spot. Curse his pincher hands!

"You know, let's not clean up at all. Let's just move." Michael decided as he glanced back at Bonnie. "Oh come on, live a little. Pick a movie."

Bonnie gave out an exasperated sigh, head dropping back against the couch as she thought for a moment. "Alright, if you insist… Poltergeist." She decided and Michael grinned.

"You got it!"

Halloween, Karr decided, was a very interesting holiday. It had strange rules that seemed to shift between scaring the crap out of one another, to festive fall colors. Children dressed up and ran amok though that seemed like fun. Now one of its many traditions apparently involved scary movies.

In retrospect… Showing a couple of keyed up AIs, a movie where someone was pulled into the TV was probably not the best move.

As Michael trudged back down to the garage at four in the morning to remove the TV from Kitt and Karr's garage, he decided right then and there he was never letting Bonnie pick the movie again…