Standing in front of the floor-length mirror in her and Wally's walk-in wardrobe, Verosika plotted her look for tonight's trick-or-treating.
Though her pop star career was in her past, though she had embraced the casual 'mom fashion' of leggings, t-shirts, and sweaters, Verosika always loved an excuse to get dolled up and dress fancy for any occasion. Galas, girls nights out, karaoke, date dinners with Wally - you name it, she'd be there and she'd be looking fabulous. And Halloween was no exception; trick-or-treating something more whimsical and a bit more innocent than the usual events she'd dress up for.
So her wardrobe was still chocka-full with costumes and outfits from years gone by - even the ones she'd bought and then gone on to not wear. There was a veritable variety for her to pick and choose from.
However, her attention was a bit divided at the moment.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on. Run that by me again."
Phone lodged between her ear and her shoulder, Verosika scowled as she rifled through the rows and rows of clothing on her side of the wardrobe while simultaneously listening to Josh yak her ear off. She picked out a long black dress, scrutinising it, then hung it back up again. No, she couldn't go as Morticia Addams again, she'd done that last year. Too soon.
"Ace and Kat both dressed up as Freddie Mercury? And they want me to decide who gets to go as him?" She shook her head, her finger trailing over a Lady Dimitrescu gown. Maybe…maybe not.
"Well, why can't they both go as him? Kat as 70s Freddie and Ace as 80s Freddie - what? Oh, you gotta be kidding me… Outfit coordination? A 'matter of principle'?!"
Verosika skipped past a velvet bunny outfit. Okay, she was definitely not fitting in that one anymore. Anything that's more than 3 years old she can write off and probably ought to donate, cause she knows she's gone up at least a size since then. Ah, well.
"Sometimes I'd wished they'd worried about outfit coordination this much back in the day…actually, scratch that - what are you all wearing this Halloween anyway?" She listened, and scoffed. "You're Peacemaker, Apple & Coco are forest cryptids, Milky's the mascot for her own ice cream factory - oh yeah, real coordination there, my thicc ass."
"Listen, listen, just tell Ace to dye his hair blonde and go as Kevin Bacon from Footloose, or something. Generic blonde 80s male lead…or the first jock to die in a horror movie, why not?" Verosika could hear Ace griping and Kat rubbing it in over the line as Josh relayed the suggestions. Her mouth twitched "Promise to rail his brains out later if that'll make him happy."
The incubi chortled for a good twenty seconds, before asking what Verosika would be dressing up as tonight.
"You'll see." She wasn't going to give away the fact that she still hadn't settled on what to wear yet. "Alright, glad I could help you sexy things with your dilemma, can't wait to see you all later, ta-ta!"
Verosika hung up and sighed. She'd have to do a DIY costume for this year. Ah well, that was probably for the best. There was always the classic, if generic witch look she could fall back on - throw a pointy hat on top of any of her black dresses (or a black swimsuit), swathe herself in a robe, and she'd be good to go.
But ideally she'd prefer something a bit more original this year.
She started sifting through some of her more every-day outfits - t-shirts, t-shirts pilfered from Wally, crop tops and feather bolas and sequin dresses.
Her eyes fell upon a green exercise leotard, a novelty gift from Coco after Verosika had idly mentioned yoga once. She'd never worn it, but with its stretchy fabric it would still fit her. But it needed to go with something else to be a proper costume. Could she scrounge up some climbing vine cuttings from the garden and red hair dye to complete a Poison Ivy cosplay?
Chewing her lip, deep in thought, Verosika glanced over at Wally's side of the closet, where he kept some of his old outfits. Most of them definitely weren't her size, but…there. A purple jacket and a matching top hat. The jacket definitely wouldn't button up over her middle, far more bulbous than Wally's noodle torso, but otherwise it was broad enough in the shoulder to fit her.
The image of a plum-suited chocolate factory owner dishing out cruel and unusual punishments to the children who deserved it sprung to her mind, and she smirked. Oh yes, she could certainly do something with this.
"Wally!" she called. "Can I borrow one of your jackets?"
Wally stood by the mailbox, waiting for his family to finish getting dressed and troop on out.
He brushed back his thinning white hair and patted down the white labcoat and Hawaiian shirt that made up his costume this Halloween. Doc Brown…well, it was fitting that he was checking the time, then. Both Wally and Rayne had been huge fans of Back To The Future after they'd snuck up on holiday to the living world to watch it at a drive-in theatre before Tara was born.
While he waited, he took another admiring look at their decorated abode. Strings of orange lights trussed all over the walls and roof; jack o'lanterns dotted every window and nook and cranny; their replica DeLorian parked in pride of place on the driveway; skeletons and ghosts bats and all creatures foul and frightening distributed throughout the garden and in the shadows beneath the windowsills.
And of course, his and his son's handiwork. Over the front door hung the menacing head of a dinosaur; eyes aglow and smoke trailing out of the nostrils - that had been a last-minute addition, and boy was he glad they'd included it because it really completed the whole illusion . When trick-or-treaters crossed a certain point on the path, the beast would roar, and then spew a quantity of candy down to the terrified would-be victims below to pick up as they fled.
No-one could say that Wally didn't have a wee bit of a cruel streak still.
The front door creaked open at last, and Rayne emerged, a red puffer vest thrown over a denim jacket and chequered shirt. He stuck his hands in his jean pockets and trotted out to meet his father.
"Great Scott, I say!" Wally grinned and spread his arms wide. "It's Marty McFly!"
"Gee, Doc, thanks," Rayne fluffed his hair self-consciously.
"Are we going to have to go back to the past to give your sister more time to get dressed?" Wally asked, only half-jokingly. Nobody but Tara and Verosika knew what the little impubus was wearing - they'd kept it a closely guarded secret for weeks, and she was taking her sweet
"No need," Rayne replied with a knowing smile. "She's right behind me."
A stout little shadow emerged from the entranceway; suited in crimson, with doll-like blushes dotting her cheeks, blonde highlights in her pink hair, and a cute black bowtie nestled around her collar. She beamed a toothy smile as she pranced down the front path.
"My oh my, it's Princess Charlie!" With a flourish, Wally went into a deep bow. "Your highness! I say, you wouldn't have seen a little demon called Tara, would you?"
"It's me, Daddy!" Tara cackled gleefully. Wally feigned stumbling in surprise, and his daughter laughed even harder.
"Oh, I say, you could have fooled me!" he gasped. "Does Auntie Charlie know you're out impersonating her tonight?"
"Yeah she does! Momma sent her a picture of me, and she cried!"
That would be very in character for the Princess of Hell; since she and Verosika had met and become fast friends at a charity gala over a decade ago Wally had seen Charlie get all weepy at the drop of a hat many a time.
He bent down to pinch Tara's cheek fondly, "And what about your momma, my lil' princess? She all dressed and ready too?"
"I'm right here, Wally-noodle."
Now, Wally had been in love with Verosika for so long, but he couldn't help his jaw dropping at the sight of her. It happened a lot: whenever the morning light caught in her silvering hair and silhouetted her body through her chemise just so; when she showed off a glossy new dress for one of her posse's parties; when she pulled out her guitar and sang on a Friday afternoon, wearing a singlet and daisy dukes, and her whole face glowed in musical jubilation.
It happened so often it shouldn't have been special, and yet it happened so often that it was so special each and every time. Just like now.
Verosika was wearing one of his old top hats atop her head - the one he'd worn for bartending at Ozzie's long ago - accompanied by its matching purple coat, trailing behind her like a cape. Underneath that was a yellow cropped waistcoat, also unbuttoned; and beneath that a green leotard that proudly put her plump hips and legs on display. A cane and a chocolate bar sticking out of the coat pocket finished off the magician-like ensemble.
She looked fantastic . Fun and just a bit racy- simply perfect for Halloween.
As Verosika sashayed towards him, Wally picked up his slack jaw. He took her proffered hand, and bent down to brush his lips against her fingers. "Madame Wonka, I presume?"
"The one and only," Verosika giggled at the whisper-light kiss on her hand. "Ooh, what excellent manners you have, Doc."
"Only the best, I say, for the most delectable beauty."
"Flatterer. You mustn't have tried my chocolate, then."
"I have, I say, and its sweetness could not compare."
" Mom, Dad." Rayne said pointedly, while Tara covered her eyes.
"Stoooop…" she groaned, which was quite out of character considering that Charlie went gaga over any PDA no matter how tooth-rottingly sappy.
Verosika smiled and skipped right ahead to the part where she planted a quick kiss on Wally's lips. Her lipstick did taste of chocolate - or had she been preloading on candy? In any case Wally had to shake himself out of his daze. "Alrighty-o! Shall we do the traditional family selfie, I say?"
There was a ensemble of assenting cheers; Tara's and Verosika's the loudest. Herded into place with a gesture from Wally, the four of them bunched together. Wally squished against Verosika's right and Rayne into her left as she produced her phone. Tara hopped up and down until her little head was in frame.
"Everyone say 'sweets' !"
"Sweeeeeets!" they all beamed in unison as the camera snapped.
Verosika pocketed the phone, and handed out three oversized pumpkin baskets to three eager trick-or-treaters. "House is locked up, the candy dino-thing is loaded and armed - I think we're all set, then!" She put her hands on her hips
"Ready, I say, ready!"
"Let's go Momma, Daddy, Rayne, let's go!" Tara urged, racing up and down the driveway in excitement.
"Alright, lovebug, save your energy! We're coming!"
And they were off.
Tara led the way, skipping merrily ahead of the pack; Verosika had a spring in her step too as she followed closely behind. Rayne hung back and gave the DeLorian a farewell pat before engaging his father in film reference-laiden chatter.
The first trick & treaters in their neighbourhood were starting to populate the sidewalks. There was Vortex, in his human form dressed as a famous wrestler, with a gaggle of hellhound pups and a few of his packmates in tow - Verosika waved, and her old bodyguard waved back.
Further up the street, two dots that might have been Apple and Coco were pushing a pram. They hadn't said what their little daughter Bay would be going as, but Wally was willing to bet she'd be some cute little forest being in keeping with her parents.
A scream from behind them indicated that the robo-dinosaur had jumpscared its first victims. Wally chortled, and shared a wink with an equally amused Rayne.
It wasn't very long at all before they came to the first port of call on their trick or treating voyage. Not all their neighbours participated that willingly in the season's festivities, but the up-and-coming film director (Viviana, her name might have been?) who'd recently moved in had decorated their house with just as much enthusiasm as Verosika and Wally had.
Up the path, and up the steps to the richly adorned knocked on the front door, and three…two…one…
The door opened, and a blonde-and-black haired demon appeared with a smile and a big bowl of candy.
Verosika, Wally, Rayne and Tara all held out their baskets and beamed.
"TRICK OR TREAT!"
A/N:
Three guesses who the blonde-and-black haired demon with a familiar-sounding name is… ;-)
