Tara and Hope's house after the party
"Okay, boys! We're coming out."
As all three girls flashing evil grins at the looks of disappointment on their boyfriends' faces on seeing them wearing long leather coats…white in the case of Tara, black with Hope, and maroon with Kim. Tara teased, "You boys will have to wait until we arrive at the party before you get to see what's underneath.
"Don't worry, boys…" Hope tantalized, "You'll like what you see. Right, Kimmie?"
"Yeah." Kim replied in a good effort attempt at a sultry voice, "You will."
"So…what are we waiting for?" Hope grinned, "Let's get our asses over to the party."
The Party
"You boys go on in." Tara smirked, "We'll follow in a bit."
"Okay." Josh replied with a grin as he gave his girlfriend a quick kiss, "I've got to get the band ready for our opening number anyway. Can't wait to see you in your costume. Catch you inside."
"Da." Sergei grinned, "Please do not keep us waiting long, lyubovniki."
Once they were sure their men were safely inside, the girls took off their jackets and completed their last minute preparations.
"Ready?" Hope smirked as she took station to the right of her housemate.
"Ready." Kim replied as she stood on the other side of Tara.
"Onwards!" Tara commanded, pointing to the door.
"Where are they?" Jessica asked as Sergei joined her and her fellow cheerleader, Liz, talking to their boyfriends, Steve and Kevin.
"You know my lyubovniki…" The Russian grinned, "They love to make an entrance."
"What happened to Crystal?" Steve asked as he took a sip of beer. "I thought she was coming."
"She was planning on it." Liz replied, "But had to cancel at the last minute. Out of state relatives came into town and she had to stay home and babysit while the 'rents went out."
"That sucks." Kevin, serving as designated driver for the foursome, remarked as he took a sip of his cola.
"Tell me about it." Jessica exclaimed excitedly, "She was going to introduce us to this new person she's been seeing."
"New boyfriend?" Sergei inquired as he grabbed a bottle of beer from a nearby cooler.
"Yeah." Jessica answered back, "She's been very close-mouthed about him though…she just said that we were all in for a big surprise."
"Nah…" Steve chuckled, "Couldn't be…"
"Couldn't be what?" Jessica smirked as she playfully slapped her boyfriend on the chest.
"It couldn't be Mr. Barkin…could it?" Steve joked.
Doing a spit-take all over her boyfriend's shirt, Jessica joked back, "Sorry, baby, but you deserved that." Taking a sip of wine from her cup, she speculated, "I'm putting my money on Big Mike."
"I'm thinking Brick." Kevin declared. "Him and Bonnie are about due for another one of their breakups."
"Nah." Liz shook her head. "Crystal might be breaking from the food chain, but she's not the type to go up against Bonnie like that."
"What are you guys talking about?" Oscar asked as he and Cindy joined the group.
"Who Crystal's new boyfriend is and when are the Trio going to make their appearance." Jessica laughed.
"Well…" Steve grinned as he pointed to the door just as Josh's band began to play, "Looks like right now."
"Bozhe moi!"
"Oh…my…God!"
"Wow!"
"Woah!"
"Never saw that in North Dakota."
"Damn!"
Hope, wearing a black leather bustier trimmed in silver with matching bikini bottom and micro-short-short skirt and black leather silver studded choker with gossamer demon wings on her back, smirked as she whispered to her best friend. "Mission accomplished."
Tara, in a similar outfit, but white leather trimmed in gold and with a white leather and gold studded choker with angel wings on her back, quipped, "We still have one task to perform…right, Kimmie?"
Kim, costumed similarly to her friends, but wearing dark maroon leather trimmed in copper with a maroon and copper studded choker and wearing gossamer demon wings on her back responded with a crooked grin, "Right."
"Go ahead and give Josh an eyeful." Hope urged the young redhead, "We'll be over hanging with the others."
"Okay." Kim replied as she made her way to where the band was playing. Pausing to grab a bottle of beer, she flashed a smile at the young man singing while playing lead guitar. Swaying to the music, the teen hero took a swig from her bottle, content for now to just groove with the band as it played while also giving her boyfriend a show.
"How long have you three been planning this and where the hell did you get those costumes from?" Jessica, dressed as Lady Godiva, complete with a blonde long haired wig and a just there bikini that barely covered what it was supposed to cover, gasped as she gazed on the Dirty Pair in their costumes.
"Did you get them from Cassandra's Closet?" Liz, wearing a sexy French maid's outfit inquired, then chuckling at the look on her boyfriend's face, teased playfully, "Be good, G-Man, and maybe I'll let you find out what I'm wearing underneath my costume."
"We got them from the same people who provide our equipment and all." Hope replied with a grin, "But we've found some cool shops that have websites if you're interested."
"If you're into leather, I know this smashing shop in Vegas." Tara interjected, "They have a website if you want to order online. Fire me off an email and I'll send you the link."
"We'll talk later." Jessica smirked as she gave her boyfriend a playful nudge in the ribs.
"I don't think I could get up the nerve to wear something like that." Cindy remarked with a slight blush. "At least not without a couple of beers in me first."
"That place I was telling Liz and Jessica about has outfits that aren't quite so risqué." Tara offered helpfully. "If you want, I can send you the link too."
"Okay…" Cindy grinned as her escort blushed. "There's nothing wrong with being a little naughty now and then…right?"
"Right!" All the girls nodded their heads in agreement, much to the delight of their boyfriends.
"It's a shame Ron couldn't come." Oscar remarked, "He'd have had fun at the haunted house—even with party crashers present."
"Yeah." Jessica nodded her head in agreement, "It's a shame he decided to go trick-or-treating."
"Kim tried over and over again to get him to come." Hope shook her head somberly. "She pretty much begged him to. But…" She sighed, "He wouldn't budge."
Trick or Treating—Lowton
"Trick or Treat…Smell my Feet…"
"Here you go…" A little old lady appearing at the door, passed out candy to all the little kids until she got to Ron. "Hello, young man. Are one of these little darlings your little brother or sister?"
"No, Ma'am." Ron smiled back, "I'm trick or treating."
"Oh…" The old lady gave the blond youth a pitying look as she dropped some candy in his bag, "You poor boy. Your parents must be so proud of you coming out here by yourself to trick or treat. I know it's not easy for someone special like you, but remember, you've got people who love you."
The Party
As the band finished its set, Ian, the drummer for Josh's band, The Deaf Hippos, gave the lead guitarist a nudge, "That redhead your girl?"
"Yeah." Josh replied, his lips turning up in an appreciative grin as he gazed at his girlfriend in her costume.
"Hot." Ian exclaimed, "Better get to her before someone snatches her away from you, bro."
"Yah, man." Barry, the bass guitarist interjected, "A hot number like that…better move fast, my man."
Chuckling, Josh responded as he secured his guitar. "Good idea." Jumping off the stage, the handsome artist/musician walked up to his girlfriend, grabbing a soda for himself en route.
"Hey." Josh grinned as he gave his girlfriend a kiss, "The band told me to tell you that they think you're hot."
"Oh…" Kim, her cheeks blushing slightly, responded as she placed her hand on the musician's chest. "And what does the lead singer think?"
"The lead singer…" Josh whispered as he leaned in for another kiss, "…thinks he's got a smokin' hot girlfriend."
"Mmmm…." Kim purred as she leaned into her boyfriend's arms, "How long until your next set?"
"Fifteen minutes…" Josh whispered as he nibbled Kim's ear.
"Makeout room's empty." Kim teased as she took Josh by the hand, "Wanna check it out?"
"That sounds like a good idea."
"Hey, Zoe! Over here!" Hope called out, waving at an exotically beautiful young woman of Asian descent with long jet-black hair, almond shaped brown eyes, bronze skin, and wearing a belly-dancer's costume.
"Tara…Hope!" The lovely woman called back as she joined the little group. Smirking, she joked, "I see Twinky managed to do something right for a change. Nice costumes. Might see if I can get something like that for my act at the Club. I still need a new corset after the twerp ruined mine."
"Mates…" Tara introduced, "This is our friend Zoe. She's a dancer at the Kitty-Kat Club. Zoe…the gang…except for Kim…she's probably in one of the makeout rooms swapping spit with her boyfriend."
"Hey." The exotic dancer responded with a smile.
Laughing, Hope joked back, "Du still hasn't paid you back?"
"Hell, no." The exotic dancer answered back with a snort. Glancing at the rest of the group, she asked, "They know about the Du-chebag?"
"He's that guy with a stick up his ass…right?" Jessica prompted as she handed the dancer a beer and then grabbed a bottle for herself.
"Yep." Zoe, after opening the bottle, took a swig. "That's the loser. Some of his pals paid me to give him a lap dance to work that stick out. Well…we go into one of the private rooms and I was just getting started and doing my thing and then he starts moaning. That should have warned me right there, but I figured he was just getting into what I was doing and I kept going. I had my back to him at the time, so he had a good view of my ass and I couldn't see anything or I'd have called the bouncer then and there and had his ass thrown out—Max doesn't put up with bullshit like that. But…I didn't see what he was doing and then…boom! I'm out a pair of panties and a corset, and Twinky's banned from the Club until he pays me back."
"Bozhe moi!" Sergei exclaimed, shaking his head. "The man must be a total zadnitsta!"
"Da." Zoe replied, "And also a total mudak."
"Didn't you say that you were going to introduce us to your girlfriend tonight?" Tara inquired as she lit a cigarette and then offered one to the dancer who took it and after lighting it, inhaled.
"She had to cancel at the last moment." Zoe replied, exhaling a stream of smoke before taking another swig of beer. "Sudden emergency."
"So…" Kevin politely probed, "What do you do when you're not dancing at the Club?"
"I'm a freshman at Middleton Community." The exotic beauty responded, "Once I get my A.A., I'll probably transfer to Upperton College and major in computer science."
"Sounds good." Oscar commented, "I'm hoping to go into engineering myself once I graduate and start college. I'll probably have to go to Middleton or Upperton College…I don't think I'll have the grades to get into MIST."
"You still planning on dancing tonight?" Hope asked, "I remember you telling us you were going to do it as a surprise for your girlfriend."
"Yeah." Zoe nodded her head, her lips turning up in a crooked grin, "I'll set up a tip jar for anyone who wants to contribute to my college fund. I've also brought Brad, Jack, and Carl to dance for the girls." She leered as she pointed to three buff looking men attracting a crowd of giggling high school and college girls.
"Zoe…for that, we are going to make you an honorary Middleton High cheerleader." Jessica quipped as Liz giggled.
"Yeah…I don't think Kim will have any problem signing on to that." Turning to her boyfriend, the carrot-topped cheerleader playfully teased, "I might look, but you're the only one I wanna bump and grind with."
"Long as the look, but don't touch rule works for me too." Kevin bantered back as he gave his girlfriend a quick kiss.
"Deal."
"Same deal, Steve?" Jessica smirked.
"Deal." The baseball shortstop replied as he also gave his girl a kiss.
Stoppable House
Setting his candy bag down on the kitchen table, Ron smiled down at his naked-mole rat companion who had already begun munching on a piece of candy. "Pretty good haul tonight—eh, Rufus?"
"Yah." The little rodent responded as he munched on the piece of hard candy.
"It would have been more fun if Kim were with us." Ron sullenly remarked as he opened a candy kiss and popped it in his mouth. "Her loss if she's decided she's too old for trick or treating—right?"
"Yeah." The little pet answered back, but without the enthusiasm of his earlier reply. "Her loss."
After popping another piece of candy in his mouth, the blond youth forced a grin to his face, "Let's check and see if we've got any email and then we'll go on a candy binge, okay, pal?"
"Okay."
Booting up his computer, Ron glanced at the new Everlot game he'd purchased. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned to his companion, "Wanna give it a shot, Rufus? See what it's like?"
"Yah!" The little rodent responded, this time with enthusiasm.
"Okay…let's see if this game's as good as everyone says it is." After logging in and registering, Ron went to the character creation screen. "Hmmm…what should I be? Warrior? Nah. Wizard? No. Spritekin? Nope. Nature Scout? No way. Knave? Yeah! That's perfect! Okay…let's see…I'm a boy, so I'm gonna play a boy. Blond hair, face…yeah…that one's perfect." After several minutes of switching out different styles, Ron finally found a look he liked. That's it. That's Ronicus. And now…hit play…and here we go!"
The Party
"Someone's been in the makeout room!" Jessica teased in a sing-song voice as Kim sauntered over to the group with a smug grin on her face.
"Gonna have to wear a scarf for a few days, girl." Hope joked as she pointed to a spot on the young redhead's neck.
"Josh is too." Tara jibed as she lit a cigarette.
"I guess we did get a little carried away in there…" Kim, blushing deep scarlet, admitted with the sly grin she had earlier still on her face.
"Room's empty, Liz…" Kevin growled playfully as he inclined his head in the direction of the makeout room.
"Mmmm…so it is…" The other redheaded cheerleader purred as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand. "See you all in a bit!"
"Wanna dance?" Steve asked, offering his hand to his girl.
"Thought you'd never ask." Jessica responded with a grin as the pair headed off to the dance floor.
"Lyubovniki?" Sergei gallantly offered, extending his hand to his girlfriends.
"Sure, studmuffin."
"Cindy?" Oscar asked.
"Lead the way." The dark haired cheerleader responded with a grin as the pair headed out on the floor to join the others.
"Enjoying the party, Zoe?" Kim asked, turning to the exotic dancer whom the redhead had met shortly after getting her platinum card and had instantly befriended once they'd found out that they had a lot in common with each other—most notably a loathing for Will Du.
"Yeah." The Asian beauty responded. "Your boyfriend's a good singer and his band's got potential. You should get 'em to play next Talent Night at the Club."
"I will." Kim replied as she took a swig from her beer. "So…when am I gonna meet your new girlfriend?"
"I was hoping it'd be tonight, but she had an emergency situation suddenly pop up and had to cancel." Zoe responded. "I was gonna cancel out too at first, but she made me go."
"Well, I'm glad she did." Kim said with a big smile as she handed the dancer a fresh beer. "I just wish I could have gotten Ron to come."
"From what you've told me about him…" Zoe remarked, her lips turning up in a crooked grin, "He doesn't seem to be the type who'd enjoy a party like this."
"Yeah..." Kim laughed merrily, "You're right. He wouldn't. But he would have enjoyed the haunted house at the Medical Center we were at earlier and he could have hung out with Oscar and Cindy and maybe made a few new friends here."
"He's got to find his own road." Zoe commented, "You can't force him to be something he's not…you'll only make him miserable and lose him if you do. That's what happened with me and my parents."
Sighing, Kim replied, "You're right…I just keep on doing that. For some reason, I can't help myself. I did it when I made him get that haircut and I did it in middle school when I pushed him to buy a new outfit." Taking another swig of beer, the young redhead confessed, "I guess it goes back to when we were in pre-school. He saved me from those bullies, and ever since then, I've kinda felt like I had to look after him. At first, he was kinda the big brother…then I became more a big sister…and now…I guess I've become more…"
"Mommy?" Zoe smirked as she lit a cigarette.
"Yeah." Kim affirmed as Tara and Hope joined the conversation.
"Talking about Ron?" Hope interjected as she and the others returned from the dance floor. "Private convo or can anyone join?"
"Join in." Kim replied with a smile to her two BFFs. "Zoe reminded me that I tend to mother Ron sometimes."
"Well…his own mother doesn't do that good a job of it." Tara sourly noted.
Responding to Zoe's raised eyebrow, Kim explained, "He told me once that his mother wanted a daughter and was disappointed when she had him."
"Damn." The exotic dancer shook her head.
"Yeah." Hope tersely commented, "I don't think I've ever seen the two of them together at any school events."
"She doesn't go to them unless she absolutely has to." Kim replied, "She's never done anything to help him out in school. She doesn't help him with his homework…doesn't take any interest in what he does. So…"
"You've stepped into the mum role." Tara interjected.
"Right." Kim nodded her head. "Add to that what Ron calls my inner 'Kimness'…" Her lips turned up in a wry grin, "In case you're not aware of it, I tend to want to take charge of everything."
"No, Kim!" Jessica exclaimed as she joined the conversation, "Who would have guessed!"
"Ha…Ha, Sundstrom!" Kim's lips turned up in a brief smirk before returning to a frown, "The only time I ever saw her going out of the way for Ron was when she answered his call when I locked braces with Walter Nelson and even then, I gotta wonder if she did it for him or me."
Before Zoe could ask about the brace locking incident, Josh called out to the partiers. "Attention everyone! The following number is a special song dedicated to a special girl. Kim! This song's for you!"
"Whoa, girl!" Hope grinned as Josh began singing a touching love ballad.
"That must have been the secret project he was working on all week." Kim sighed.
"The lad deserves a special treat for that, Kimmie." Tara quipped as Sergei drew both her and Hope into his arms.
"Tell me about it." Kim replied. Lowering her voice, she told her friends, "I'm not ready for second base yet, but I guess giving him an 'accidental' peek of coming attractions wouldn't be out of line…would it?"
"Not at all, luv." Tara grinned, "And I know the perfect way to give him his 'accidental' peek."
"Go on…" Kim grinned as the blonde cheerleader outlined her plan to a giggling Kim and Hope.
Everlot—Serenity Vale
Ron saw his character on the screen in the middle of a small hamlet. "Okay, Rufus…I'm supposed to be a knave, so let's try to pick someone's pocket. Sneaking up on an NPC, he clicked the pickpocket command only to have a critical failure.
"Surrender Thief!" An NPC guardsman, brandishing sword and shield and accompanied by three other guardsman demanded as he approached.
"You'd best do as he says newcomer."
Looking at his screen, Ron saw a female warrior garbed in what looked like heavy plate metal and bearing a glowing sword and shield standing near him.
"If you don't resist, you'll just be fined and take a minor reputation hit in town, but if you fight, most likely they'll kill you and you'll respawn with nothing except a staff and a big negative rep. hit. You won't be able to go to any merchants or get much in the way of quests until you grind for a while to get your reputation back up.
"Do you yield?" The guard called out as he drew close enough to engage in combat.
Ron pressed the surrender button and winced as he saw his coin purse emptied and his reputation meter drop five points.
"Behave yourself or next time you will find yourself in the stocks." The guard NPC declared as he and his fellows moved off.
"The game takes it easy on newcomers such as yourself here." The warrior woman explained, "But once you leave this area, it gets tougher. If you'd like, I can show you around and explain how things work here. I am Zara, She Woman of the Ice Mountains, and I belong to a role-playing heavy guild that helps newcomers.
"Thanks." Ron typed, "I'm Ronicus."
"Well met, Ronicus. You'll earn a title as you adventure. First off, let me show you where all the shops are, and then we'll check out the tavern to see if we can find a local quest or two so that you can get some experience and build your reputation back up. You only took a little hit, so you should be able to get it back up again pretty quick. Then, if you want, we can check to see if some friends of mine are online and we can go into a beginner's dungeon so that you can get yourself some decent gear."
"Sounds cool. Lead on."
The Party
"So…what do you think?" Cindy asked after she and Oscar had left the dance floor.
"To be honest…" Oscar grinned as he handed his date a soda, "I thought the party would be wilder than it is. So far it's not too bad. Dad wouldn't care too much for the drinking, but no one's getting smashed and there hasn't been any fights and I haven't heard of any girls being groped or anything like that—yet."
"I was worried about that too and talked to Kim and the Dirty Pair about that a couple of days ago." Cindy admitted. "They told me that they were collecting keys from anyone without a designated driver and they and some friends of theirs are going to make sure that no one gets out of line. Someone does…" She pointed at a college aged student being quietly, but firmly escorted from the party by two burly men wearing suits.
"I keep forgetting…" Oscar chuckled, "Those three are connected to some pretty hard case people. They shouldn't have any problems getting a few friends to act as bouncers when necessary."
"Yeah." Cindy snorted. "Hope told me they exchanged favors and paid them off with some expensive booze and stuff like that, and when I asked Tara what they did for a living she told me I was better off not knowing."
Before Oscar could reply, Josh's voice carried through the room.
"Hey partiers! Everyone having fun?" Waiting for the cheering to die down, Josh called out, "We've got a special treat for you tonight! Fresh from the Kitty-Kat Club—Zoe! Tonight she will be dancing the dance of the seven veils!"
Middle-eastern music came from the speakers as Zoe came out in front of the stage dancing a sensual belly dance. Taking off the first veil, she draped it over Sergei, giving him a playful wink as his girlfriends laughed. Her dance growing progressively more erotic, she slowly took off veil after veil until all she was wearing was a top that barely covered the critical areas of her breasts and a veil covering her bottom.
"Tell me she's not going to take off that last veil." Cindy groaned.
"She took it off." Oscar chuckled.
"Tell me she's wearing something underneath." The dark-haired cheerleader then pleaded.
"Yeah." Oscar grinned, "She's wearing a g-string. It's covering everything it's supposed to…just."
With a final flourish, Zoe ended her dance and, after blowing kisses to her audience, raised her voice, "Thank you, everyone! Thanks! And girls…we haven't forgotten you! Here's the Spy Guys—from the Kitty-Kat Club to you with love! Enjoy! And if you liked us…please show us some love by dropping some green in our tip jars. Some of us are working our way through college and we can use all the help we can get! Love ya!"
Watching as three well-muscled and handsome men danced on stage with tuxedoes and prop pistols, Cindy's lips turned up in an evil grin as she ogled the dancers and licked her lips. "Turnabout's fair play."
Everlot—Serenity Vale
Ron: Thanks for the tour and helping me on those quests, Zara.
Zara: Don't mention it, Ronicus. You interested in doing that dungeon? I can check my guild list and see who's online to help us.
Ron: Yeah. That would be badical.
Zara: Okay…give me a moment. Found some…just a sec, I'll see if they want to group up with us. Okay…they should be appearing now.
Looking at his screen, Ron saw a human male with brown hair wearing blue wizard's robes and bearing a staff with a glowing crystal on the end and a human female with golden armor and auburn-brown hair and wielding a crystal mace and golden shield appear beside him.
Hello, I'm Fenrial of the North Castle and I'm a Wizard Master of the Evocation School. The male introduced himself with a wave emote.
Hi. I'm Cassandra, Priestess of Galatea. I specialize in the healing arts and in combatting necromancers and the undead. The female declared with a curtsy emote.
Ron: Hi. I'm Ronicus…I'm just a knave, I guess.
Fenrial: Don't worry, Ronicus. Once you reach fifth level, you get to choose a specialty like assassin or bard or something like that.
Cassandra: Quick piece of advice: Don't leave Serenity Vale until you've done all the quests and hit level five. This is a no PvP zone so you won't get jumped by griefers. Go outside, and you're fair game.
Ron: Griefers?
Zara: Yeah. They like to jump newbies like you who wander outside the Vale before they're ready. There are a few of 'em. We'll point 'em out to you, but one in particular you've got to always watch out for.
Fenrial: The Wraith-Master. He likes picking on new players and looting them, but he'll also go after high level characters like us.
Cassandra: We think he's cheating and running a hack, but we can't prove it so he gets away with it.
Ron: Okay…stay here and level up. So…what now?
Zara: We're going to temporarily level down. What that means is that we'll be fighting at your level—it's better than you leveling up to ours. That way you'll be able to handle any monsters we encounter so you'll get your fair share of XP. Once we're in the dungeon, we'll work our way to the boss and we're gonna take our time. We're not speedrunning. Anything we get in the dungeon or on the boss is yours.
Fenrial: Yeah. All our gear's higher level anyway, so you should have it.
Ron: Thanks.
Zara: Cool. Let's get started.
Tara and Hope's—After the Party
"We're going to get changed out of our costumes and into our nightwear…" Tara said as she and Kim made their way into the her bedroom, Tara making sure to leave the door open a crack. "When we're all done, you guys can change."
Hope, after fixing a nightcap for everyone, maneuvered Josh to where he could get a good view through the crack into Tara's room as she engaged him in idle conversation about the party while Kim, with Tara's help, made sure to position herself where Josh could clearly see her. After Tara had taken the demon's wings off her back, Kim made a production of slowly unlacing her bodice until she was able to remove it, revealing her Kimness in all their glory to her stunned boyfriend.
"What's wrong, Josh?" Hope asked with an innocent look on her face, "Everything okay?"
"Ummm…uhhh…Just fine, Hope." Josh replied as the raven-haired cheerleader continued the conversation.
After making sure that her boyfriend had gotten a clear view of her front, Kim turned so that all he could see was her back and then she slowly removed first the skirt and then slowly stripped off the bikini bottom, making sure to keep her back turned as she did so. Smirking inwardly at her boyfriend's reaction to seeing her bare bottom, the cheeky redhead grabbed a pair of regular cotton panties and slowly slipped them on. Then, turning so that Josh could once again get a look at her front, she sensuously put on a long sleep shirt.
"You sure you're okay, Josh?" Hope asked, barely keeping herself from giggling at seeing the expression on the young man's face.
"I'm…uhhh…I'm okay." Josh replied as his heart raced, "More than okay."
"Hope, darling!" Tara called out, "You better come in here and get changed for bed."
"On my way, bestie." The olive-skinned cheerleader smirked as Kim exited the bedroom.
"You okay, Josh?" Kim asked with an innocent expression on her face as she made her way to the bar and picked up a couple of beers for herself and her boyfriend. "I'm glad your parents said you could stay over here tonight."
"I kinda told them a little white lie." He confessed, "I told them I was staying with Ian."
"Hope you don't get in any trouble." Kim worried as she sipped her beer.
"Ian said he'd cover." Josh grinned, "He goes to Middleton Community and lives in an apartment in town."
"That's good." Kim smiled as she placed a hand on her boyfriend's, "That was sweet…you writing that song for me."
"It just came out." The sensitive artist/musician said. "I was strumming my guitar and all of a sudden the words just poured out, so I stopped playing and wrote them down as fast as I could. That was the easy part." He laughed, "It took all week for me to come up with the music to go with the words. I tried everything…rock…rap…techno…even country! Then…it hit me. My dad was playing his Frank Sinatra records and that was the sound I was looking for."
"So…you got the inspiration for my song from Strangers in the Night." Kim chuckled.
"Actually…" Josh grinned as he drank his beer, "It was Witchcraft."
"Sergei?" Two female voices called out seductively from the bedroom. "Can you come in here? We need you to help us take care of something…"
Smiling at his two friends on the couch, the handsome Russian said goodnight. "Sleep well, moi druz'ya."
"You too, Sergei." The pair on the couch both responded.
"He's not going to get much sleep is he?" Josh snickered as Sergei entered the bedroom and closed the door.
"Nope." Kim deadpanned, shaking her head. "So…" She asked with a coy smile as she wriggled her way into his arms, "When are you going to kiss me?"
Serenity Vale—Everlot
Fenarel: Unleashing Fiery Fireball of Farenax!
Zara: Hold back, Ronicus. Let our mage and cleric do their thing and then I'll go in and tank the boss. Take out the adds first and then start backstabbing the lich. Be careful…you don't want to draw too much aggro…that's my job.
Ron: Got it!
Cassandra: Armor of Starlight!
Zara: Going in. Ronicus…take out the skeletons and zombies.
Fenarel: Beam of the Sun!
Cassandra: Undead to Final Rest!
After a stirring battle where Cassandra's healing and turning spells were used to the max, as was Fenarel's magic, the boss lich, and his minions lay defeated.
Zara: The loot's all yours, Ronicus.
After the adventurers returned to the Hamlet of Serenity and Ronicus had sold what loot he didn't keep to outfit himself with, they gathered together at the tavern.
Zara: Did you have fun, Ronicus?
Ron: Yeah. Can we do this again?
Fenarel: Sure. We usually get together on Saturday nights for adventuring, but we're flexible—some of us have jobs and commitments.
Ron: So…what do you all do in real life.
Zara: I work part time at a movie theater and just started at a new school
Fenarel: I go to school too, but my family's going to be moving this summer, so I'll be starting a new school next fall
Cassandra: I go to school too.
Zara: I didn't think you were going to be able to make it tonight, Cassandra. Didn't you say that you and Zina of the Deep Wood were going to a Halloween Party in RL
Cassandra: I couldn't go…family emergency, but I told Zina to go. No reason she shouldn't have a good time because I'm stuck taking care of kids.
Zara: Hopefully, Ronicus, next time you'll get to meet Zina. She's an elf ranger and Cassandra's RL girlfriend.
Ron: Cool. So…I guess I'll see you next Saturday?
Zara: Yeah. Be sure to add us to your friends list and we'll add you to ours. That way, you can tell when one or more of us are online. Just send us a group invite and we'll team up with you. Also, if you want to join our guild, I can send you the details on your account email. Interested?
Ron: Yeah! Thanks! Well…I gotta go now, I think I'm about to fall asleep. See you all later!
Ronicus, Zara, Cassandra, Fenarel logging out.
Tara and Hope's House—The Next Morning
Waking up, Kim sensed warm breath tickling the back of her neck as she also felt a hard body lying next to her, his arm wrapped around her waist.Glancing down, she saw that she was fully clothed and that Josh's hands were not on any sensitive places. Her lips turning up in a warm smile, she turned around until she lay face-to-face with him.
"Good morning." She murmured as she gave him a quick kiss on his lips.
"Morning." Josh replied as he slowly awakened. Then, as he realized the position he was in, he sat up in a panic, "I didn't…I mean…I didn't do…did I?"
"No, Josh." Kim smiled warmly as she also sat up. "You were a perfect gentleman." Getting up, she stretched, "I don't remember when I slept so well…but I've got to go to the bathroom now. Back in a bit."
As Kim disappeared into the bathroom, Tara's bedroom door opened and the lovely blonde emerged wearing a negligee and gossamer thin white robe. "Morning Josh. Kim in the loo?"
"Yeah." The young artist responded as his host made her way into the kitchen.
"I'll put some coffee on. Hope and Sergei should be out shortly. "Can you stick around for breakfast before heading back home?"
Nodding his head, Josh responded, "Yeah. Thanks."
"No problem, luv." Tara grinned as the sound of a toilet flushing filled the air. "Coffee's brewing, Kim!"
"Thanks, Tara!"
"Morning!" Hope said as she made her way to the kitchen, followed by Sergei who began setting the table. "How does everyone like their eggs?" After taking everybody's requests, she said, "We have bacon and turkey bacon."
"Coffee's done! You can get your own." Tara grinned as she came out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee. Sitting down in the living room, she lit a cigarette. "Sorry, but I don't function without my morning cup of coffee and cigarette."
"Breakfast will be ready soon." Hope called out from the kitchen. "Kick back and take it easy. Kimmie…Josh…just let us know when you need to get home and we'll be sure you get back in time."
"Thanks!" The young couple answered back as everyone enjoyed their coffees and then breakfast. After breakfast, the group of friends spent a few hours just idly chatting before Kim announced that it was time for her to go.
"Come on, Kimmie." Tara exclaimed, "I'll drive you home."
"Thanks, Tara." Kim replied. Turning to her boyfriend, the lovely redhead hugged him close. "Thanks for a great time. See you tomorrow at school. Call me this evening?"
"You bet." Josh smiled as the couple kissed. Turning to the others, he waved, "I better get home too. Thanks for the hospitality."
"Drive safe!" Hope and Sergei answered back, "See you tomorrow!"
Kim and Ron walking to school—Monday Morning
"Did you have a good time trick or treating?" Kim asked as she walked side-by-side with her best friend.
"It was okay…I guess." Ron replied, "But…" He shook his head, deciding not to complete his original sentence. "It was okay."
"That's good…" Kim drawled, concerned at the look of disappointment that had momentarily appeared on her friend's face. "You should have come to the haunted house. Drakken and Killigan attacked."
"They did?" Ron exclaimed, his mouth agape. "Was anyone hurt?"
"No." Kim shook her head, "Thank God. Nothing worse than a few bruises, but it could have been worse. They threw robotic Scottish terriers, Bebes, henchmen, and exploding golf balls at us—all to get that Centurion Project prototype which ended up being battle armor."
"Wow!"
"Yeah! Dad used it to take out the Bebes and then capture Drakken and Killigan. He was totally badical! I was so proud of him."
"Looks like I did miss something." Ron remarked, "So…how was the party?"
"It was great!" Kim enthusiastically replied, "Zoe from the Club came along with some friends of hers and they danced for us and Josh's band was great and…" The young teen squealed, "Josh wrote a song about me!"
"Oh…That's…uhhh…cool, Kim. Real cool." The young man declared, trying his best to be enthusiastic for his old friend. Changing the subject, he announced, "I played Everlot after I got home…"
"That's the MMORPG that everyone's talking about, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I played a knave and met a really good group. We went adventuring together and they asked me to join their guild."
"That's terrific!" Kim declared, genuinely happy for her friend. "So…tell me about your adventures."
"Okay…" Ron smiled as the pair walked together, the tensions driving the two old friends apart momentarily forgotten as the young man regaled his companion with stories of conquering skeletons, zombies, and finally a lich in his lair. The problems would return, as they always do, but, for now at least, it was just two old and dear friends walking to school together as they've done since pre-school. For now, all was right with the world.
A/N: As you can see, I made some serious changes to the plotline of the canon Halloween episode to make it fit better into this AU continuity. Since Kim is now officially going out with Josh and because in this universe, her and Monique are not friends, there was no need for her to lie to Ron, Monique, or her parents. As a result, I shifted the conflict to Ron's efforts to hold on to those last vestiges of his childhood as he is struggling to stay in that bubble that Kim has recently burst out of. Don't worry, Ron WILL break out—with the help of a special someone—later on, but, for now, he is still somewhat clinging to the past while reluctantly coming to realize that things are changing. In other words, like Kim, he's growing up—he's just taking a bit more time to do it, that's all.
Also, this episode marks growing tensions between another pair—Drakken and Shego—that will have important ramifications in the future.