"Where are you meeting Mac?" Mistoffelees asked from the bathroom of Grid's room, staring at the clothes in his hands.
Grids was pulling on her dress in the bedroom, struggling with the zipper at the back, "Here. After trick-or-treating. Mom's gonna be out."
"Have you told him about your costume? And you cannot be serious about me wearing this."
"No, I haven't told him yet, call it a blast from his past. And I wouldn't have given it to you if I wasn't." She set to work getting the brunette wig on, "Come on out once you've got it on."
"You're out of your mind," he protested, finally pulling the shirt on. "And I don't have your hips, so if you want me in these pants, I'm gonna need a belt."
"I've got belts. I think I have a couple you can choose from for those pants too." The girl made sure all of her blonde hair was tucked out of sight before going and locating the belts.
"Damnit," Mistoffelees murmured, somehow thinking that might have worked. "So," he said, finally stepping out of the room. "Remind me what the hell I'm actually supposed to be dressed as?"
Grids turned, an answer on the tip of her tongue, but her eyes just widened, "I...a...wow."
"Wow?" Mistoffelees asked, shifting. Despite the fact he lacked curves, the black leather pants fit him snugly, clinging in all the either right or wrong places. The top he wore was a bit looser, but being black mesh entirely see through, so he'd insisted on a black tank top beneath it. "I can't believe your pants fit me, and can I seriously inquire, again, what the black leather pants are supposed to be for?"
"Wow. Good wow. Really good wow." She held out the belts she had, "The pants complete the outfit. Sort of kind of rock star."
He chose the plainest belt, sliding it on. "You can't be serious. Also, rock star? Really? You know how far that is from me right?"
"That's the point! Halloween is the night that not you, is you, but not you, you know?" She turned at the sound of the doorbell, "That'll be Tugger. You set?"
"I still think this is a bad idea," he replied, hunching his shoulders slightly.
"It'll be fine," she reassured before slipping out of the room and down the stairs to answer the door.
Mistoffelees muttered something, grabbing the ghost costume before he thought better of anything.
Tugger was waiting downstairs. "Private Harris reporting for..." he trailed off as Grids came down the stairs.
Grids offered him a smile, "Hey, I like the costume."
He was still gaping. "My lady..." he said, dropping to one knee. "I renounce spandex forever."
She blushed, "Thank you, kind sir. But just wait til you see Misto."
Tugger arched a brow as the ghost descended the stairs. Grids turned and sighed, "Better known as Casper..."
"Hi," Mistoffelees offered, shrugging slightly.
"Not comfortable in the set up Grids pulled out?" Tugger asked and Mistoffelees shook his head.
"Well, anyhow..." Grids shook her head, disappointed but not shocked. "We'd better get to the school."
o.o.o.o
Pouncival was at the school standing at his locker, getting his music out of it. He closed the locker and picked up his guitar case, only to be accosted by Bombalurina wearing a tightfitting leotard, cat ears and whiskers that looked like they'd been drawn on with her eyeliner, "Pounce!"
He looked her over, "Bombalurina. You're like a great big cat."
She rolled her eyes, "That's my costume. Are you guys playing tonight?"
Pounce nodded, "At the shelter club."
"Great. Is mister "I'm the lead singer I'm so great I don't have to show up for a date or even call" gonna be there?"
"Yeah. You know, he's just going by 'Devon' now," Pounce deadpanned.
"Well, you can tell him that I don't care, and that I didn't even mention it and I didn't even see you so that's just fine."
The boy blinked, "So what do I tell him?"
"Nothing! Jeeze, get with the program!" She stalked off.
Pounce watched her go, entirely unruffled and more than a little unimpressed, "Now why can't I meet someone nice like that?" He shook his head, turning to go and running smack into a ghost, "Oh, sorry!"
"S-sorry," Mistoffelees stammered, not really looking at the guy he ran into.
"My fault," Pounce murmured, stepping aside.
"Sorry," the other teen said, finally raising his eyes, finally taking in the other's appearance. "Should, be going," he mumbled, tripping over his words even worse. "Sorry."
"No, m'sorry." Pounce offered a bit of a smile, "Gotta get going. G'night." He hesitated before slipping away.
Mistoffelees shook his head, moving away quickly, passing Tugger with his group of munchkins.
"Okay. On sleazing extra candy. Tears are key. Tears'll usually get you a double-bagger. You can also try the old "you missed me" routine - but it's risky. Only go there for chocolate. Understood?" The kids all nodded. "Good. Troops... Let's move out."
Grids was quickly ushering her group out of the school so she could actually get their names, since she had a silence when it came to them enforced stringently upon her by Snyder. She offered Misto a reassuring smile as she passed him.
He offered her a returning smile, though it was unable to be seen beneath his costume. "Good luck," he murmured before heading out with his own group.
o.o.o.o
Mistoffelees watched his herd of children go up to the last house, only have paying attention. He was feeling tired and a bit on edge, and didn't really notice anything wrong until the woman at the door screamed. Blinking his eyes back open, his entire pack of children had turned into demons and gargoyles and were running around. "Wait, no, come back!" he yelled. Going to grab one of the demons, he stopped, grasping the railing.
"I can't," he gasped. "I can't breathe, I..." He collapsed against the porch, lifeless.
Moments later, as havoc continued along the streets, he pushed himself up, leaving his body behind. "Oh, god, what..." he looked around and down at himself. If he'd had any breath left he would have lost it. "Oh. God."
He stood, leaving the ghost costume body behind, wearing only what Grids had dressed him in.
Griddlebone, meanwhile, was staring around her in horror at the noise and lights and houses. She brushed a lock of her brunette hair behind her ear as she made her careful, tripping way down the street, trying to seek out someone who could tell her where she was and what was going on. Her skirt was gathered in one hand, the other reaching out to balance her against fences and trees as she needed.
Swaying, and his hands going through everything he attempted to touch, Mistoffelees shook his head, trying to get his bearings, finally seeing Tugger backing toward him from across the street. "Tugger!"
The taller boy whipped around, shoving a gun in Mistoffelees' face. "Whoa! That is... suddenly a very real machine gun, ohmygod." Mistoffelees shook his head. "Come on Tugger, it's me, Misto."
"I don't know anyone by that name," the solider replied. "And I suggest you find cover," he added, looking up and down at Misto's clothing.
"You don't know me?" Mistoffelees asked, voice pained and ignoring Tugger's look.
"As I said, find cover," he replied, moving to shove him aside and stepping through Mistoffelees instead, who shuddered.
"Ooooh."
Tugger whipped around again, gun up. "What are you?"
"You're friend," Mistoffelees replied, recovering. "And I'm on your side, I promise. Look, it's Halloween and you were dressed up as a solider and me a ghost," he started, trailing off as he looked across the street. "Grids!"
The girl looked up, stumbling toward them, "You know me?"
"Of course I know..." Mistoffelees started and stopped. "You don't know me, do you?" he sighed. "What year is it anyway?" Tugger looked at him like he was an idiot.
She looked at him as though he'd grown another head, "Seventeen seventy five...I believe. I don't understand. Who are you?"
Looking around, Mistoffelees saw several demons and vampires advancing. "Ah, hell. Look, we're, I'm your friend. I promise."
"Friends of whom? Your clothing...Everything is so strange," Panic could be seen rising in her eyes, "How did I come to be here?"
"Look, that is a long story that I don't feel like going over, and hey, you put me in these clothes," he added, crossing his arms over his chest self-consciously.
"I never!" she exclaimed indignantly.
"Oh you ever," he replied and realized snapping was probably the wrong solution. "Okay, okay, sorry, moving on. We... oh god, what are we gonna do?"
"It's not my place to make the decision," Griddlebone replied, primly, smoothing down her skirt.
"Then who's-?" he started to yell and stop. "Alright. We'll get you... someplace safe. A friend's house even."
"Why should I listen to you?" Tugger demanded.
"Cos I sorta have my memories still?"
"I have memories," Tugger muttered in protest.
"And I certainly have my memories," Grids nodded decisively.
"Of course you do," Mistoffelees sighed. "Right, as I said, somewhere safe."
"You never told me what you are," Tugger protested.
"A ghost, okay? And she's from the past," the shorter teen replied.
Tugger stared at him along moment. "I'm taking a lot on faith here."
"Yes," Mistoffelees agreed. "You are. Can you take a little bit more now? We need to get off these streets, somewhere safe."
The three of them retreated to the Summers' residence. Mistoffelees looked around the darkened house, calling to make sure Jenny was actually out. "Great, alright."
Tugger twitched, looking around the house before taking up a defensive position near the door. "Careful," Mistoffelees told him. "All those... at least I'm pretty sure all those demons running out there are humans. Don't shoot them."
"What if they attack us?" Tugger demanded.
"Do. Not. Shoot. Them."
Grids wandered absently through the front room, pausing and picking up a photo of her and her mom, staring at it. She looked up to where Misto and Tugger were, "This-this could be me. I don't like this."
"It is you, actually," Mistoffelees replied, looking out the window.
"No. It can't be." She shook her head firmly, setting the picture down, "This is some other girl. I would never wear this-this low apparel and I don't like this place and I don't like you and I want to go home!" Her tone held all the whiny indignation of a girl spoiled and pampered by servants and raised to be a brainless socialite her entire young life.
Mistoffelees' eyes widened when she said she didn't even like him, before shaking his head. "Whatever," he managed, looking out the window abruptly at the sound of a scream. Tugger was already throwing the door open and running to the rescue.
The scream belonged to Bomba, whose cat costume was torn and whose hair was matted. She was running as fast as she could from some sort of hairy creature that was loping after her. She nearly ran smack into Tugger, shrieking again before she registered, "Tugger?"
"Come inside," he said, hefting his gun and leading her into the house.
Her eyes widened at the gun and the order, but she followed him, slipping inside the house and looking around, "God...What's going on?"
"Okay," Mistoffelees said, speaking quickly. "Your name is Bombalurina, you're in high school, not a cat, and we're friends. Well, not really, but we'll call it that for now."
Bomba smiled belittlingly, "That's nice, Misto, and you went mental when?"
"You know us?" Mistoffelees asked. "Oh thank god. Well, you wouldn't be my choice to retain all your memories, but I'll take it." He considered what she just said and his face twisted slightly but he brushed it aside.
"Great. Wonderful. You care to tell me what's with the name game?"
"Look, a lot is going on," he started.
"No shit. I was just attacked by Jo-Jo the dogfaced boy. Look at my costume! Think Party-Town's gonna give me my deposit back? Not likely."
"Here," Tugger said suddenly, taking his coat off and laying it on her shoulders.
She glanced at him, offering him a smile after a moment, and pulling the coat closer, "Thanks…"
"Alright, you know what? I'm gonna try and find help," Mistoffelees said. "You three, stay here, and try to stay safe."
Grids' eyes widened at that, "Stay safe? How? Surely we aren't to fight, it's not our place."
Bomba's brows rose sharply at that, "What's that riff?"
Mistoffelees rolled his eyes. "It's like... amnesia or something."
"Great. So you're leaving me with Tugger with a machine gun and miss amnesiac. Gee, thanks," Bomba shot him an unimpressed look.
"Oh, he doesn't remember either," Mistoffelees said. "He's just functional, that's all. Sit tight, guys, and don't do anything." Shaking his head at the entire group, he walked abruptly through the wall.
Bomba startled back as Misto walked through the wall.
o.o.o.o
Coricopat was in the library, he'd opted to stay late tonight rather than deal with trick-or-treaters. He was working on reorganizing the card catalogue and cross referencing when he thought he heard something, he glanced up, looking toward the windows and turned back just as Mistoffelees walked through the wall.
The librarian startled, catalog cards flying everywhere, "I-I...th-that..." His grey gaze skimmed over Mistoffelees and the outfit he was wearing, more than slightly grateful that his thoughts were his own because he wasn't entirely certain he could keep his job if anyone heard them. He reached up to remove his glasses to clean them.
"Hi," Mistoffelees managed, suddenly even more aware of the black leather pants there were perhaps a shade too tight for him and black mesh overshirt Grids had dressed him in.
"Wh-what on earth? You just walked through the..." he returned his glasses to the bridge of his nose, glancing away briefly, but finally looking back at the student, "What's happened?"
"As far as I can tell? We turned into our Halloween costumes. And I can't even turn the pages of a book, so you'll have to do most of that."
"Then let's see what we can find. I don't believe I've herd of this happening before, though..." He turned toward the stacks, considering where to start, "You say you all were turned into whatever you were masquerading as, correct? When did that happen?"
"At sundown."
"At sundown. I suppose that explains the sounds of chaos outside..." He moved over to the shelves, skimming titles and starting to set books on the study table.
"Grids was dressed up as an eighteenth century noblewoman, and Tugger a soldier."
"Oh dear God." He paused, glancing at Misto, "A-and your costume?"
"I was a ghost," he offered, voice quiet, crossing his arms over his chest to provide more cover though it was hardly effective.
Cori's gaze flicked over him, but he drew it quickly back to the books mentally berating himself, "Yes, but a ghost of what, exactly?"
Mistoffelees saw him look away and cringed. "T-this was Grid's idea. She say Halloween was about being what you weren't and dressed me as I think a rockstar but I put the ghost costume over it, and hey, it looks like I'm stuck in these clothes now which is just great and..."
"Well, it is Halloween," Coricopat reasoned, "And costumes aren't supposed to be you, I suppose." He looked up from the book he was skimming, carefully making sure his gaze stayed on Mistoffelees' face, "So, back to the subject at hand..."
"You should have seen Bomba's. She was supposed to be a feline, this unitard and cat ears and stuff," he said, still babbling and unsure what he was even saying.
Coricopat's eyes widened, "Bombalurina...she turned into an actual feline?"
Mistoffelees paused, blinking. "No, no, she didn't. She was just the same Bomba, only in a cat costume. Said she got it from Party Town..."
"And everyone who did change obtained their costumes, where?"
"A new place. Franklin's? It was run by this sorta creepy British guy."
"Franklin's? British?" Cori frowned, "Where is this shop?"
"O-off Third Street," Mistoffelees replied.
"Good." He started for the door, "Go check on the others, would you?"
"Huh? And leave you alone?" Mistoffelees blinked after him.
"I'll be fine." Cori slipped out of the library. If his suspicion was correct then anything needed to remedy this would be at the costume shop with the perpetrator.
Mistoffelees stared after him a long moment, before just going through the wall. "I'm not sure that's such a great idea."
Coricopat glanced at him, but didn't slow down as he headed for the exit. Still frowning, Mistoffelees went after him.
o.o.o.o
Griddlebone moved over to where Tugger was checking the windows, "Surely there is somewhere we can go? Some safe haven?"
"The lad told us to stay put," he replied, turning to Bomba. "Check upstairs and make sure everything's locked."
Bomalurina nodded, heading upstairs to check really quickly.
"You would take orders from a youth? Are you feeble in some way?" Grids frowned at him
"Look, he seems to know what's gonna on, and with a determined face like that, I wasn't inclined to argue so long as what he was saying made sense and whoa..." he paused, taking down a picture of the three of them from the wall.
"What is it?" the girl came over to him.
"Us," he replied, showing her the picture. "Maybe the kid's right. We might not actually have our memories."
"That's ridiculous. I am certain I have my memories." She looked away from the picture.
"Then how do you explain this, your ladyship?" he demanded, waving the picture in front of her.
"I-I don't! I was brought up as a proper lady. I'm not meant to understand things. I'm just meant to look good and then someone nice will marry me. Possibly a baron." She drew herself up, her chin rising imperiously.
"This ain't a tea party, princess. You're gonna have to fight sooner or later."
"Fight? These low creatures? I'd sooner die."
"Then you'll probably die," he replied as another voice suddenly spoke.
"Oh good, you're all okay," Mac said, slipping into the house.
Grids turned at the appearance of the other person, "Who are you?"
"It's total chaos out there and... what?" Mac frowned. "Come on Grids, huh?"
Bomba came down the stairs and spotted Mac, "Oh, Mac, hello."
"Anyone care to fill me in? You know me," he said, frowning at Bomba. "But they don't?"
"Do you live here?" Tugger asked hopefully.
"No, Tugger, he doesn't live here." She rolled her eyes, turning to Mac, "They don't know who they are, everyone's become a monster, it's a whole big thing. How are you?"
Mac opened his mouth just as all the lights suddenly went off.
Grids shrieked and grabbed Bomba's arm. The redhead shrugged her off, "Do you mind?"
"Take the princess and secure the kitchen," Tugger told Mac who raised his brows high. "Catwoman, you're with me."
Bomba gratefully handed Grids off to Mac and followed Tugger. Grids protested, "But I don't want to go with you. I like the man with the musket."
"Oh come on," Mac said, shaking his head and heading into the kitchen, looking around in the dark.
"Do you have a musket?" She asked as she trailed after him.
"I have something better," he replied and frowned. "I didn't leave that door open..." He stopped in front of the back door which was left wide open.
Grids eyed the open door, "Maybe we should go back?"
He shut the door just as a vampire lunged from the shadows, shoving him to the ground. He growled, punching the other vampire in the gut. "A stake!" he yelled, not remembering the fact she no longer knew what that was.
"A what?" she asked, eyes huge.
"A... nevermind," he growled, breaking the vampire's neck, turning to her, his vampire face having come on during the fight.
She recoiled in horror and screamed, bolting for the door.
He blinked. "Grids... oh hell," he muttered, taking off after her.
Bomba whirled at the scream, grabbing Tugger's arm and pulling him with her, "Come on, you're the one with the gun."
Tugger followed. "Where'd the noble go?" he asked.
"Out," Mac replied, already heading out the door himself. "Come on, we gotta find her."
Bomba rolled her eyes, but followed Mac, "Great, now we get to scour Sunnydale for her." This had not been how she planned on spending her Halloween.
Oh, Halloween... This one is just too much fun to play with. Thank you everyone who's been leaving us feedback! It's greatly appreciated!