A/N: Standard Disclaimers Apply

Chapter Three: Unwelcome Treats

"Come on, Timmy! Mister Garfield is going to notice we're gone," Melvin pleaded. Her hood fell back, and her oddly dyed hair looked purple in the moonlight.

"Yeah, but didn't he tell us that it was magic? That he now has GOT to get tricked?" Timmy said, not leaving the porch. "And didn't Miss Raven tell us that we make our own magic?"

Melvin thought back and nodded.

"So, no ghosts?" Teether asked.

"No, Teether, no ghosts," Melvin said slowly. "So what did you have in mind? Ring the bell and run?"

"Borrrring," Timmy said with a cartoon like yawn. "We're superheroes right? Let's prank this jerk good!"

"I dunno Timmy, I'm still not so sure," Melvin reasoned. "Superheroes aren't supposed to prank anybody."

"Fine. Go back to Mister Garfield and his new kissy-girl. I'll make sure this guy remembers to have candy next year," Timmy said in a huff before stepping off the porch and sidling his way around the house.

Melvin looked down at her little brother and sighed. "Come on Teether, at least we can make sure Timmy doesn't hurt himself."

The back of the house was just as brightly lit as the front, and the Tyke Titans huddled closely at the corner, trading glances. Timmy Tantrum narrowed his eyes and gave the others a "follow my lead" nod. He dropped to all fours and crawled along the foundation, getting his red sweatpants scuffed and muddied. Melvin scowled, bunched up her cloak and walked, hunched over through the recently planted bed of day lilies. Teether simply walked, oblivious to the older children's attempts at stealth.

Timmy smiled as he saw an open basement window. Even the sub level was brightly lit.

"Wow," Melvin said crowding in with Timmy and Teether. "He must be more afraid of the dark than you are, Timmy."

"I am not afraid of the dark," Timmy said defensively, and before Melvin could protest, Timmy slid through the window. The girl blew a lock of hair out of her face and frowned. She crept through the window after the red headed boy, and nearly dropped on top of him. Timmy let out a deep grunt and was about to yell at Melvin, when she suddenly rolled out of the way. Teether landed on Timmy with a large belly flop.

"Shh!" Melvin said to the boys. "Okay, Timmy, in case you haven't noticed, no one here is tall enough to crawl back up to the window. How are we going to get out?"

"Celene… duh!"

"Celene didn't want to come. She thought it was a bad idea, and I agree with her!"

"Then why are you here?" Timmy's voice began to rise.

Melvin was about to say something when she heard the interior door open. The kids hid under or behind anything they could find. Timmy crouched behind a stack of boxes, Melvin stepped into a large plastic cabinet, and Teether burrowed under a tarp with something large.

"Who's there?" the man upstairs called out.

Of course, none of the children were foolish enough to answer. Melvin looked around. She was in a plastic wardrobe with a several identical long sleeved black shirts lined up on hangers. Her feet were crowded by five pairs of heavy grey boots, and she wondered what was on the shelf above her. The girl reached out and turned one of the shirts toward her. Had she not suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, she surely would have given herself away with an "Eeep!"

Every black shirt had a stylized light bulb emblazoned on the chest.

Melvin's eyes grew wide with recognition.

Agonizing seconds stretched into worrisome eternities, and Melvin could only hope that the boys were safe. At last, she heard the man grumble, shut the door, and walk across the floor above them. She opened the wardrobe door as quietly as she could and whispered calls.

"Timmy, Teether!"

"Oh cool! Look what I found! Laser guns!" Timmy appeared from behind his stack of crates with a strange looking pistol. He provided his own sound effects as he named off bad guys before pretending to blast them to atoms.

"Give me that," Melvin demanded. She pulled it out of the red head's hands. Holding it as if it were about to explode, she carefully examined it. On the butt of the handle, she noticed the die stamp of STAR labs.

"Lookit!" Teether said pulling the tarp that he was hiding under. The youngest of the Tyke Titans had discovered a giant laser cannon.

"Cooooooool," Timmy said.

"No, not cool! That old guy's Doctor Light!"