Puss in Boots?
"Quatre, you can't be serious. I mean seriously man did you fall out of bed today and like smash your head on something?" Duo said as he shook his head at the items that Quatre had dumped on the kitchen table to show him. "She'll rip those things to shreds then go after you when you least expect it for even entertaining the idea of it. Plus it will be Halloween night when her evil powers will be at their maximum potential so you just have to be out of your mind."
"Have you been eating your own cooking again?" Quatre asked with a worried look as he studied Duo carefully for signs of illness because after all his friend was talking like a lunatic. "She's a cat for the last time, Duo. She's not some evil demon and since she is going with us to the Halloween party she should have a costume. She'll look adorable." Quatre added as he beamed over at the costume he'd had made for Sassy.
"Ha. You aren't even going to be able to get her into that costume much less go out into public wearing it." Duo replied as he looked at the costume again, picturing Sassy's reaction with an inner shudder. "What is she supposed to be anyway? A musketeer?"
"She's going as Puss in Boots." Quatre corrected him with a smile, glad that Duo had been close which said that the costume was as good as he thought it was. "Isn't the feather on the hat great?"
"You mean from Shrek?" Duo said as he pictured the cat from one of the many classic films he'd seen over the years involving a bad ass pussy with a Spanish accent. "But that was a guy cat and orange."
"Actually Puss in Boots was taken from a nursery rhyme, Duo and I don't think the color or gender is going to matter overly in the scheme of things." Quatre said with a roll of his eyes as he put the stuff back into the shopping bag. "And you'll see. She'll love it."
)
I'm going to kill someone shortly was repeated over and over again in Cat's head as she glared at the trick or treaters from the comfort of Quatre's arms as Quatre held her with one arm while the other held out a bowl full to the top with candy. It was bad enough that she had to come with him to answer the door for the stupid kids coming to get their sugar fixes but he had actually dressed up to do it. She was so embarrassed to be seen with him, Cat thought with a sigh as she watched him say good bye to the kids who headed over to scheme and scam more candy off others. Quatre was a grown man and grown men didn't dress up as a blonde Arabian knight or sultan or whatever he was. He really needed to get a social life, Cat thought as he closed the door and headed back into the living room.
"Those were some pretty cool costumes huh, Sassy?" Quatre said cheerfully before calling over to Duo to bring the costume over. "And now it's time to put your costume on."
Wait a he say her costume? Cat wondered with a terrified look as she began to struggle in Quatre's arms, twisting and turning wildly as Duo came in carrying a shopping bag with a rueful look on his face. Dear God it was a conspiracy. She'd been set up. Those bastards. They were gonna pay for this, oh they were so gonna pay for this.
"See? I told ya so." Duo said as he set the bag down beside Quatre, all dressed up as the Grim Reaper for the coming party. "There is no way in hell she'll agree to wear this stuff and even if by some miracle you get it on her she'll just tear it to shreds as soon as your back is turned, Q-man. You know I'm right."
"Ah but I have a plan, Duo." Quatre said with an almost crafty grin on his face that had Duo giving him a considering look. Maybe Quatre had something up his sleeve, Duo thought to himself as he sat down on the arm rest of the couch to watch. "Now listen carefully to me, Sassy before you give yourself a heart attack. I have this costume here and I'd very much like you to wear it tonight for the Halloween party as you've obviously guessed. If you agree to wear it tonight without tearing it to shreds or being nasty to everyone I will let you stay up all night with Duo and the rest of us watching scary movies and stuff on TV. We'll also let you have some popcorn AND we'll smuggle you into the movie theater to see that new movie Death Times Two if you agree to this. So do we have a deal? Stop struggling if we do." Quatre asked as he lifted a brow questioningly.
Damn it..that wasn't fair, Cat thought with a pout as she stopped struggling in his arms. On the one side she'd have to wear what was likely a really stupid or cutesy costume but on the other hand she really wanted to see that new movie and the trailer was so cool...plus she wanted to watch the horror fest the guys were having after the stupid Halloween party. Hmm, we'll she supposed..so long as the costume wasn't too bad..she could wear it. But if there was so much as a hint of pink anywhere on the thing it was going to the shredders curtesy of her claws. Giving in Cat nodded and after just sitting there quietly for a minute Quatre clued in and with a grin quickly got the costume on her before she could change her mind. When it was all down Quatre carried her into the front hallway and setting her on top of a table let her get a look at herself in the mirror behind the table. Gazing at herself Cat gapped then rolled her eyes. Good God but he'd dressed her up as Puss in Boots. Perched on her head was a green velvet hat with a big peacock feather shooting out of it. To finish the ensemble was a matching green vest and little brown leather booties on each of her paws for her boots. She even had a belt around her waist with a little dagger in a sheath. Looking at that part Cat wondered if the thing could be real then remembering it was Quatre knew that he knew better. Well at least it wasn't pink, Cat thought with a sigh then gave a startle meow when the doorbell went off. Getting picked up against by Quatre on the way to the door Cat watched as the door opened to reveal a group of three children who just had to pet her, aww over her little kitty costume and get their candy. Damn it she should have said no.
"You three have a happy Halloween." Quatre said once the kids had their candy and were done treating her like an adorable stuffed animal. "And be sure to let your parents or another adult look over your candy before you eat anything, guys. Just in case."
"We will, Mr. Winner. Happy Halloween and thank you. Bye Sassy!" The three children called out as they made their way down the block talking excitedly about the kitty and how much candy Mr. Winner had given them.
)
You are such a marshmallow, Cat thought as she watched Quatre wave good bye with a huge grin on his face. Shaking her head they were turning to go back inside when two people came out of the shadows and up the walk way. Watching them Cat blinked when she saw that the kid in the bunny costume was actually Micheal from next door and that it was the evil mom coming up the steps with him. Well, well, well...wasn't this just perfect, Cat thought with an evil look in her eyes.
"Pretty kitty! Pretty kitty!" Micheal said as soon as he caught sight of Cat and began wiggling in his mother's arms, his arms once again stretched out towards Cat with a look of pure joy on his face like he'd found his long lost best friend. "Mommy it's the kitty."
"Well you've certainly gotten into the spirit of the season..Mr. Winner." The woman said as she struggled to keep a hold of her son, her voice saying plainly that she thought Quatre an idiot for dressing up at his age. " And my word but it is that cat from before." The woman said as she got a better look at the animal dressed up as ridiculously as its owner. "You adopted that stray, Mr. Winner?" The mother said as she moved back a step to keep the cat well out of reach of her son. "I didn't think you and your friends were around enough to have a pet much less the types to take in a filthy stray."
"Well we rearrange our schedule when need be and Sassy is pretty self reliant as well as a very good cat." Quatre said with a smile though he was a little peeved off by the way she was looking at his cat, not to mention the hidden meanings in what the woman was saying. Sassy looked absolutely adorable and was as clean as a whistle but the woman was looking at Sassy like one looks at a sewer rat! Not to mention the fact that she'd dressed her son up in that awful bunny suit that the boy obviously couldn't stand, Quatre thought with an inner shake of his head. "I take it your son has met her before? While she was out in our back yard?" Quatre asked just to be polite thinking that perhaps Sassy had done something to deserve a little of the woman's venom though he would think he would have heard about it by now if that were the case. The woman struck him as the type to make any upset known to the people even remotely responsible.
"Actually she wandered onto our front yard last week." The woman said with a bad tempered look as she scrunched up her nose slightly as though something smelled bad. "She was leading Micheal straight towards the traffic when I intervened thankfully. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't been there to get him away from her."
Why you bleach blonde Stepford wife, Cat thought as her eyes flamed up in anger. How dare the woman accuse her of such a thing when she'd been keeping the kid off the road not trying to get him on it. If that..that..that woman been doing her job the kid shouldn't have even been in the middle of the driveway much less headed for the bottom of it where it connected with the road. The only thing that had kept Micheal from becoming road kill was her!
"So you're saying she was leading him out to the road?" Quatre asked with a surprised look, not even aware that Sassy had gotten out of the backyard last week. Well she must have found a way out and simply let herself back in when she was done exploring with no one the wiser. Sassy did like traffic too much but she would never lead a child to traffic and she certainly would have tried to stop the child. When the woman said once again that it was all Sassy's fault Quatre had only one question for the woman. "If I might ask then, Mrs. Trance-where were you? If Sassy got out and down to the road then one has to wonder how it was that Micheal was in a situation where he could follow her. Any child would be drawn to an animal so really it's not Sassy's fault that he went after her nor was it Micheal's fault entirely. Why was he in the front yard so close to traffic in the first place without someone there to watch him. To stop him before he could follow her?"
"Well I..how dare you...excuse us but we need to be going." Micheal's mother said in a huff, her cheeks bright red as she turned on her heels and marched down the steps, Micheal calling out for the kitty and leaving Quatre holding Sassy in one hand and the candy he'd been about to give Micheal in the other.
)
"So you've been getting out of the back yard have you?" Quatre finally said after they'd gone back inside and he'd set the candy down on the table until the doorbell rang again. "Well looks like I'll have to go looking for your escape route tomorrow and board it up so you can't get out and play on the street. Plus I wouldn't put it past that woman to accidentally run you over with the car or her lawn mower." Quatre said sarcastically and with a dark look as he sat down on the couch beside Cat, absently stroking her back. "There are some people who should just never have children and she's one of them. You'd likely be a better mother then she is and you're a cat!"
You're damn right I'd be a better mother, Cat thought in agreement as she sprawled out on the cushion with a bad tempered scowl. I'd like to run her over with a mower and then we'd just see who was the filthy one.
"What's wrong, Quatre?" Heero asked as he came into the room wearing a black suit, black sunshades and an ear piece. Going as a member of the secret service was the closest Quatre had been able to get to having Heero dress up.
"Mrs. Trance and Micheal were just here. She was rude as usual, especially to Sassy." Quatre said with a bad tempered look on his face that he forced into a smile. "Are the others ready to go as well? We need to be going in twenty minutes or so."
"Everyone's ready to go." Heero said with a shake of his head as he helped himself to some of the candy on the table, popping a bubble gum into his mouth. "Though I still don't see why we have to dress up."
"Because it's Halloween and we're going to a Halloween party." Quatre pointed out dryly with a hint of a smirk on his face. "Besides dressing up is fun. Even Sassy is."
"Only because you bribe her, Quatre." Duo pointed out as he came into the room, automatically heading to the candy bowl to help himself to some candy too. "And we aren't at the party yet and ten says she goes on a rampage and that costume edges up in rags."
)
Ah hour later
Cat sat in Maia's lap and watched the various grown ups dance by in some truly messed up costumes. She'd been with Heero a few minutes ago but Relena had insisted on pulling him onto the dance floor for at least one dance so she'd ended up getting passed over to Maia. Not that she cared overly but you'd think Maia would want to be over with kids her own age instead of baby-sitting her. Maia was dressed up as Peter Pan too so everyone was coming over to ask if the kitty was one of Maia's Merry men and Cat was so close to killing them all it wasn't funny. She was never Merry and she damn well wasn't some brainless guy in tights. Looking up at Maia Cat noticed that Maia seemed to be looking to their left rather intently and turning her head in that direction Cat had no problem seeing who the girl was staring at. It was that cadet that had helped them in the fire.. Cadet Alex Branson if she wasn't mistaken. Wearing a really stupid pirate outfit but he was a guy so to some extent it was forgivable since only gay guys had good taste in clothes in her opinion. Hmm now wasn't that interesting Cat thought to herself when she noticed the cadet was trying as hard as Maia to pretend not to look at the other. And they were both too idiotic to do anything about it, Cat thought as she mentally rolled her eyes. Children today really had no sense when it came to getting what you wanted. Things don't always just come to you, sometimes you have to reach out and grab it was what she wanted to say to Maia but since she couldn't...well she'd just have to help a little. Tilting her head to the side thoughtfully Cat tried to come up with a plan then realizing that simple was usually best jumped out of Maia's lap then hot footed it over to where Alex was, slipping and sliding a bit on the waxed floors thanks to her stupid booties. Coming to a halt in front of the cadet Cat had no intention of moving even as Alex leaned down to pick her up into his arms as Maia came to a grinding stop in front of him. "Hello, Maia. I see she got away from you."
"Yeah, thanks for grabbing her." Maia said with a hint of pink to her cheeks. "Especially since we're such enemies." Maia added with a hint of spunk as she motioned to his costume.
"Huh?" Alex said with a confused look followed by understanding seconds later. "Oh ya..well luckily I've never served under a Captain Hook so I think it's safe to be seen with you, Pan. I don't think I'll end up having to walk the plank anyway."
"Well that's good." Maia said with a smile on her face.
"Hey, kid. Thanks for watching her." Heero said as he came over then raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him. "Cadet if you wouldn't mind handing me the cat so that I can use her as an excuse not to get on the dance floor." Heero said as he turned his attention to the cadet currently looking at Maia the way Maia was looking right back at him. Well, well, Heero thought as he took the cat back. "Thanks. Well I'll just leave you two to whatever." Heero added then headed off to get some punch and hopefully the cadet would take a hint.
"So uhmm....speaking of dancing..uhm..would you like to?" Alex said after a moment of awkward silence. "I can't fly but I'm pretty light on my feet."
"I'd..okay." Maia said as she blushed then let the pirate lead her out onto the dance floor.
)
"Well you know you lost me twenty by tolerating your costume this long. I think you did it just so we'd all owe Quatre money at the end of the night." Heero told Cat with a shake of his dark head. "You are one weird cat."
Heero, you have no idea was Cat's silent reply.