Author's Note: Please disregard the last author's note. It seems that Nick is pushing the new season back again because they haven't done any advertising for it. This means it'll be a few more months before we get new episodes. Grrr! Oh, well, at least we still have our fanfics.
Chaper Four: Freaks Come Out at Night
A hazy full moon lay hidden behind thin strips of clouds in the inky black sky. Bare tree branches swayed menacingly in the wind, reaching out like crooked black arms with jagged claws to grab anyone who passed too close. A quick gust blew across the sidewalk, stirring the crunchy orange and brown leaves to life momentarily before dropping them across the street, where they lay quiet and still. The neighborhood looked like a familiar scene from a suspenseful horror movie. But despite the sinister atmosphere, there was light and laughter all around.
On every porch and doorstep there was a carved pumpkin with a glowing candle inside, casting welcoming golden light to the troops of children in brightly colored costumes who fearlessly wandered the streets. However, one house was dark and devoid of decorations. Mrs. Wakeman was in her living room watching a documentary on tapeworms when the door bell rang. "Not again! How many times will these greedy little monsters keep coming?!" She groaned loudly and remained on the couch, hoping whoever was outside would leave. But the visitor was persistent; after a few moments the bell rang again. Ding dong! Wakeman still did not budge.
Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong ding dong ding dong!
The doctor's clutched at her wild mess of white hair as her already thin patience finally snapped. "Arrrgh!! That does it!!" she wailed, getting up from the couch and stomping over to the door, even as the ringing continued. It didn't stop until she furiously threw the door open. She had been expecting to see a small child but instead there was a young man standing on her doorstep. The unshaved stubble on his cheeks and chin made him appear to be at least in his twenties, but his bright grin contained a boyish mischief. The fedora on his head had seen better days and bits of red bangs stuck out from under it. He wore an old brown leather jacket and a plastic gun and whip were strapped to the belt at his waist. Wakeman raised her eyebrows at him in surprise. "Bradley? Is that you?"
"Trick or treat!" Brad sang out cheerfully. "Wow! Great mad scientist costume, doc!"
Wakeman scowled and narrowed her eyes at him, not particularly thrilled about the doorbell or his comment about her normal, everyday guise looks. "Very droll, Bradley. I suppose I have you to thank for getting XJ-9 involved in this ridiculous holiday."
Brad chuckled affably and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket. The old woman's attitude couldn't bother him tonight. "Nah, that would be Sam's fault. The party was all her idea. By the way, is Jenny ready to go?"
"You bet I am!" came Jenny's energized voice. The pigtailed robot came literally flying down the stairs and landed on her feet on the bottom floor with a muffled thud! The white gown she was wearing billowed out like a parachute before settling to touch the floor. It had long loose sleeves and was decorated with bits of silver glitter that twinkled when she moved, and strapped to her back was a pair of feathery white wings. As she came bouncing up to Brad he noticed her usual aqua blue paint job was now redone in a shade of pale lilac. "What do you think, Brad? Oh, wait! I almost forgot!" The back of her head opened up suddenly. A thin metal hoop popped out and straightened itself up on a single stalk to hang just above her pigtails.
"Hey, isn't that one of your radio antenna thingies?" Brad questioned.
"For tonight it's a halo." Jenny beamed.
He gave her an approving grin and thumb's up. "Beautiful! Real nice, Jen! You better hope Sheldon's not coming to Sam's party, or he'll be all over you!"
Jenny rolled her eyes and laughed. "Sheldon would be all over me no matter what I wore!" She bent down and squeezed her mother in a firm, loving hug. "Bye, mom! I'll see you later! Be nice to the little kids, okay?"
Wakeman would have returned the hug but her arms were pinned against her sides. "Yes, dear, I will. You have a good time." Jenny released her then, allowing the small woman to give her a quick hug in return before going into one of her mini lectures. "Remember to keep your monitor on in case I need to contact you! Oh, and before you leave, Bradley, I have something for you.You said 'trick or treat,' so that means you get a treat!" She picked up a bowl that had been hidden inside the doorway and was filled to the brim with long, thin objects in plastic wrappers.
Brad simply stared in confusion as Wakeman took one of the items and held it out to him. "A toothbrush? That's the treat you're giving out?"
Wakeman's voice took on a very dignified, scholarly tone. "Quite right, young man! Studies show that cavity levels are highest at this time of year, and we must all do our part to prevent tooth decay!"
Brad graciously took the red toothbrush and pocketed it inside his brown leather jacket. "Uhh . . . gee, thanks, doc. That's really . . . hygienic of you." Jenny sighed at her mother's little lecture and said another goodbye as she joined her friend. After politely dismissing himself, Brad turned away and accompanied Jenny to the sidewalk. "Giving out toothbrushes on Halloween. She has about as much holiday spirit as I thought."
"Yup. That's my mom." Jenny replied with a joking roll of her eyes. "She gives out diagrams of human hearts for Valentine's Day. And don't get me started on her Christmas fruitcakes."
Even from a block away they could hear the muffled thumping of dance music. Familiar cars were parked in the driveway and lining the street in front of Sam's house. "Looks like there are plenty of guests so far." Jenny remarked. "I can't wait to see all the costumes! By the way, Brad, your Ohio Jones outfit looks really good! Where'd you find it?"
Brad beamed with pride and fingered the brim of his fedora. "I put it together from old stuff we had at home, even the toy weapons. You think Sam'll like it?"
The robot in angel's clothing smiled mischievously at his last statement. "I bet she will! You look really macho and rugged! But I don't think she likes facial hair."
Brad's hands shot up to the stubble on his cheeks and chin, a sudden look of panic in his eyes. "Oh, no! Drat! I knew I shouldn't have used so much of that make-up! Is it really noticeable in this light??"
Jenny snickered at the boy's frantic reaction and gave his shoulder a friendly pat. It was so obvious that he was pining for their new friend and trying to impress her. "Relax! I was just teasing you! Seriously, Sam will love your costume!"
"Yeah, sure she will." he sighed, not looking very convinced. If anything, he looked even less happy as he crunched through the dead leaves on the sidewalk. I don't know why I bothered, though, he thought. With Don Prima coming there's no way I could get Sam's attention. As they walked up to the front porch Brad began looking less glum and more worried. Jenny gave him an encouraging smile before reaching out and ringing the doorbell. Moments later the door swung open to reveal Sam dressed as the perfect replica of Alice in Wonderland. She had a blue dress, white pinafore and stockings, and a black ribbon in her blonde hair.
At the sight of the robot girl in her lavender paint job and angel costume, Sam gasped in delight. "Aaah! Jenny! You look awesome!"
"I look awesome?!" Jenny replied in a similarly thrilled tone. "Look at you!" Soon both girls had gone into peals of ecstatic giggles and were playfully hugging and gripping one another's hands. Jenny bounced up and down, causing her wings and halo to bobble comically. "Oh, Sam, your costume is so cute! You look fantastic!"
"So do you! Your dress is amazing! And I love the wings and the halo!" Sam managed to calm down when she noticed Brad, who had been quietly watching the two girls greet each other. Quickly composing herself she looked his costume over and beamed vibrantly. "Ohio Jones? Wow, you weren't kidding when you said the ladies would love it! You look great!"
Her kind words made Brad's heart skip a beat and brought his confidence flooding back. She liked his costume! Yes! Jenny was right! Tucking his thumbs into his gun belt he put on his most charming grin. "You look pretty good yourself, Sam! The perfect mix of beauty and innocence!" He wiggled his eyebrows jokingly. "But it's too bad you didn't go with the German Fraulein outfit after all!"
She laughed and stepped to one side, opening the door a bit wider and waving her friends in. They followed her inside and into the living room where a wonderfully bizarre sight greeted them. They had festooned the walls earlier with orange and black streamers, balloons, even dangling plastic bats and spiders from the ceiling. Sam had also laid out some impressive bowls of punch, chips cookies, and candy corn on the snack table. But the truly amazing part was the circus of fantastic creatures that filled the room. There were undead monsters and delicate fairies drinking punch, famous celebrities and historical figures sitting in sofas and chairs, and even animals dancing on two legs. They were all chattering and laughing at once above the music on the stereo, totally unbothered by each others' weirdness in a magnificent masquerade.
As the trio entered the room, Brad looked around anxiously for any signs of Don Prima. Meanwhile, Jenny marveled at all the incredible people and things that were her friends and classmates. "Wow! This is awesome! Look at all these costumes! Hey, Steve! Lookin' good, man!" She waved to a wolf boy in tattered rags who grinned back at her, showing an impressive set of plastic fangs in his mouth. At that moment a skinny boy covered in primary colors came bounding up to her. She stood ramrod straight as she recognized him. "Sh-Sheldon??"
The geeky boy was dressed in a tight red jumpsuit with a blue cape and matching accents. A bright yellow letter C adorned the chest, matching the belt around his waist. His hair was slicked back except for a single curl in the middle of his pale, pimpled forehead. As he gazed at his beloved robot girl his eyes sparkled with hopeless adoration. "My seraphic sweetheart! You're here at last!"
Brad and Sam snickered to each other while Jenny took a step away from her eager admirer, unnerved by his public display of affection. "Heh heh! Hi! I wasn't expecting to see you here, Sheldon!"
"I know! It was so nice of Sam to invite me!" He flashed a snaggle-toothed grin at the blonde girl. "Thanks again, Sam! You're a real friend!"
"Oh, yeah. You're a real friend, Sam." Jenny's eyes narrowed into withering slits, causing Sam to fidget uneasily.
Brad quickly noticed the tension between the two girls and attempted to lighten the mood. "Great costume, Sheldon! Captain Crush, right?"
Sheldon's skinny chest swelled out with pride. "The one and only! I've been working on it all week, and it came out quite well, if I do say so myself! I even gave it a little something extra!" He pushed a button on his belt. There was a sound of whooshing air, and within seconds Sheldon's suit had inflated with absurdly huge muscles. He flexed his new, bulging biceps and grinned. "Pretty awesome, huh?"
A few surprised onlookers started whispering and snickering in the background. Jenny's jaw dropped wide open as both she and Sam stared in a totally flabbergasted state. Brad, however, was thrilled by the transformation. "Dude! Instant beefcake! That is so cool! Can you make one of those for me??" As the two boys began discussing the workings of Sheldon's suit, Sam felt a metal hand clutch her arm and give it a forceful yank. Without a word Jenny dragged the human girl to a corner of the room behind a large bookcase.
Once they were hidden she loosened her grip on Sam's arm and glared at her far too crossly for someone in an angel outfit. "Why did you have to invite Sheldon??" Jenny hissed. "You know how he always drools over me! Now I'm stuck with him and his freaky balloon suit!!"
Sam rubbed her sore arm as she tried to defend herself. "I know, I'm sorry! But I had to invite him! Sheldon's my friend and he even dissected my frog so he could come!"
Slumping her shoulders, Jenny's dropped her head in defeat. "Aww, scrap. So I would've been stuck with him either way."
"Oh, it isn't so bad." She took Jenny's hand, trying to offer her friend some comfort. "At least Sheldon's a nice guy. You know, I bet he made that suit to impress you. It's kind of sweet in weird, creepy kind of way."
Not feeling much better, Jenny rolled her eyes to the ceiling and groaned. "What am I gonna do? If I turn him down it would hurt his feelings! And if I don't everyone will be laughing at me all night!! Oh, I wish I could just turn invisible!"
A sharp pang of guilt stabbed into Sam's stomach. Seeing her dear friend so distraught made her realize how selfish she had been. She had actually invited Sheldon as a joke, not thinking that Jenny would get so bothered about having him around. Maybe there was something she could do to make up for it. The wheels in Sam's head turned faster and her lips curved into a smile. "Turn invisible . . . hmm. That gives me an idea!"
She peeked around the corner of the bookcase. Captain Sheldon and Ohio Brad were still chatting, but had gravitated to the snack table and were piling up paper plates with junk food. "The coast is clear. Come on, Jenny, I think I know how to solve your problem! We're going to the laundry room!" Before Jenny could ask any questions Sam had pulled her out from behind the bookcase and was leading her across the room. They were halfway to the other side when the doorbell rang. "Brad, could you get that?" Sam called out. "I'm kind of busy! Jenny needs my help, uh, sewing a hole in her dress!"
Brad called back an agreement as the two girls disappeared, then excused himself from his conversation with Sheldon and made his way through the crowded living up to the door. When he opened it his jaw fell open in horror; Don Prima was standing there, wearing a tunic and split cape over a suit of chain mail. He was also carrying a shield with a lavish coat of arms on it, and there was even a gleaming broadsword strapped at his side. He flashed him dazzling smile with his perfect white teeth. "Good evening, Brad! Nice hobo outfit!"
"Hobo outfit??" Brad repeated at a much higher pitch. "Are you blind?! Don't you see the whip and the gun? I'm Ohio Jones!"
Don gave him a condescending look. "Nice to see you, too. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to come in."
He pushed him aside with his shield and stepped through the door without another word, leaving Brad fuming and sputtering furiously. What an arrogant jerk! Grrr, if only these weapons were real! Then I'd show him just how much like Ohio Jones I really am!
He started pushing the door closed, but a rod snapped in the way just in time to keep it from moving. "You aren't trying to keep us out, are you?" said an amused voice with a distinctive British accent. Two girls were standing on the welcome mat, both clad in flashy blacks and crimsons. The tall thin one was holding the door open with a tall, sinister pitchfork and wore a regal black cape with a high collar. The short stocky one had a pair of black wings strapped to her back, and her skirt and fishnet tights had ornamental rips in them. Both of them wore boots and spiked jewelry adding a punkish look to their already intimidating appearance. They wore headbands with red horns on them and were grinning like hyenas over a fresh carcass.
"Hey, y'all!" Tiff announced, shoving Brad aside and charging in. "The Crust cousins are in tha house!"
To be continued . . .