I do not own Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

Rated T to be safe. Mention of attempted assault, but nothing graphic.

Happy Halloween!

My White Knight

"Marco! Do you want to see my costume?"

Star hovered in the doorway of her bedroom, listening intently for her best friend's reply. After a moment, when she did not receive one, she set off in search. She reached Marco's bedroom door and she called, "Hey, are you in there?"

Her hand just brushed against the brass doorknob when he cried, "Don't come in!"

Perplexed, Star retracted her hand and stared at the closed door. Her eyebrow arched as grunting and the sound of what she thought to be clanging metal came from the other side of the door. "Um…do you need any help?" she asked hesitantly.

"No! I'm good!" There was another minute of the odd sounds before it became silent. The door was thrown open a second later and Marco stood in the doorway, face flushed and a sheen of sweat on his brow. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "What's up?"

"Oh, right!" All confusion fled Star's expression as a bright smile lit up her face. "Okay, so you know how you told me about Halloween and trick-or-treating and all that fun stuff?"

"And how humans dress up as monsters for fun and all of the spooky stuff you'll see during this month is super fake?" added Marco pointedly.

"Right." Star nodded.

"Cool," said Marco in relief, glad that his two-hour lecture on Earth's scariest holiday had not gone in one ear and out the other. "Just making sure we're clear. I don't want you narwhal-blasting an eight-year-old dressed up as a vampire or something."

"I'm glad you brought up vampires!" said Star cheerfully. "I was doing some research on your computer, trying to see what kind of Halloween costumes Earthlings wore. I found one I really like!"

She tapped her wand lightly against the top of her head. Swirls of glittery blue magic surrounded her for a brief instant before disappearing. Star admired her costume before striking a pose. "What do you think?"

She wore a short black dress, which stopped just above her knees. Tied loosely around her neck was a long, thin black cape with a silver spiderweb design. A pair of black flats adorned her feet and red-and-black striped leggings covered up her legs. Her blonde hair was in an elegant up-do, held together by black pins. Tying the outfit together was a silver crown with a bat adorning the center, a pair of fangs, long red nails and dark eyeshadow.

Marco felt his mouth go dry. "Um…uh…nrrk."

Star's face fell. "You don't like it?"

"No!" said Marco quickly, managing to find his words again. "You look fantastic. Vampire princess, right?"

"Yup!" Star did a little twirl that caused Marco's heart to thud madly in his chest. "So what are you going to be?"

"Oh. Well, I actually just got it in the mail today," he replied.

Star blinked. "But…today is Halloween."

"I know. Talk about your last-minute delivery. Guess they were completely swamped with orders. Partly my fault for ordering it so late." He grinned. "For a moment I was afraid I'd have to wear one of my old costumes."

Star tilted her head to the side. "What costume did you order?"

Marco smiled secretively. "It's a surprise."

She set her hands on her hips, a slight pout on her lips. "But the Halloween dance is in a couple hours!"

"Then you'll just have to wait," teased Marco. "Until then, I'm sure my mom has gotten more pumpkins for us to carve. How about it?"

Star squealed and grabbed onto his hand. "Yay! More Steve o' lanterns!"

Marco laughed. "Jack o'lanterns, but you were close."

…

Three hours later Star once again found herself outside of her best friend's bedroom door, listening in bemusement to the sounds of him struggling. "Marco, seriously, the dance is starting. We're going to be late!"

"Relax!" called Marco. "We can show up whenever we want. It ends at midnight and it's only eight."

Star bit on her bottom lip and twirled her wand around, which was now disguised as a long scepter with a shiny red orb so it would fit in with her costume. "But I kinda wanted to go early so I wouldn't miss any fun."

"Well, if you want, you can go right now," offered Marco. "I'll be right behind you, promise."

Star thought for a moment. "But I don't even know what your costume is."

"Don't worry, I'll find you. And I'm sure Jackie will be there."

She did not need any more convincing. "Okay!" she said cheerfully, eager to see how humans celebrated this awesome holiday. "But don't be late!"

"I won't. Do you remember where the dance is being held?"

"Yup! Community Hall! See you there!"

Star skipped down the stairs, bid goodbye to Marco's parents and headed out into the cool fall air. Her eyes lit up at the sight of so many children dressed up as various creatures, moving from house to house with their friends and family.

"Maybe Mewni can have Halloween," she mused aloud. She would hate to have her home dimension miss out on such fun.

It took a few minutes but she reached town and was immediately greeted with the town's community center, covered in cobwebs, pumpkin lights and floating ghosts. She could hear music thumping from inside and as people filtered in and out she could see brightly coloured lights pulsing within. With a wide grin she hurried into the building.

A thin layer of fog covered the floor and at the right side of the room were long tables stocked with Halloween-themed treats. Next to the sandwiches shaped as bats was a familiar figure. "Jackie!" Star said excitedly, hurrying over to the girl.

"Hey," greeted Jackie, looking up from her half-eaten cupcake with a smile. "Rocking costume."

"Thanks!" Star studied Jackie, who wasn't dressed differently from what she usually wore. Her skateboard was even tucked under her arm. "Are you a skateboarder?"

"You got it." Jackie peered over Star's shoulder before looking back at the girl. "Where's Marco? You two are normally attached at the hip."

"Oh, he was running a bit late, but he should be here soon."

A fast-paced pop song suddenly throbbed throughout the hall and Jackie grinned. "Yo, this is my jam! Come on!"

She abandoned her cupcake and grabbed Star's hand. Together they waded through the dance floor and started to shake to the beat. Star laughed and swung her hips, and kept up the rhythm for the next few songs. When a slower song started to play, Star felt a pang when she realized Marco still had not arrived.

"I'm going to outside for a minute," she said to Jackie before making her way to the door. She knew Marco had said he would find her, but there were so many people that she thought maybe he was having trouble locating her. She stepped out into the darkness and moved further away from the hall for some quiet so she could make her phone call.

Before she could even fish out her compact mirror, she heard a sound coming from the alley two doors down from the hall. Curious, she went to investigate. She stepped cautiously into the alley and peered around, wondering if Ludo was once again on a mission for her wand.

"Hello?" she ventured.

"Hey there, doll."

The blonde stumbled back as three burly guys stepped out of the shadows, leering at her. Immediately on guard, she started to back away. "Sorry. Wrong place."

The blonde teen shot out a hand and grabbed her arm, yanking her roughly forwards. "Well, I don't know about that. I'm feeling pretty lucky."

Star's heart pounded in her chest, tendrils of fear curling through her. "Let go!"

She raised her wand, but before she could do anything the brunette lunged forwards and knocked it from her hand, sending it scattering across the pavement. "Feisty," he sneered. "I like that."

"What were you going to do?" laughed the raven-haired teen. "Hit us over the head with it?"

Star lashed out with her other arm but that too was restrained. When she started to kick ferociously, they forcefully lifted her into the air. A firm hand fell on her thigh and as Star opened her mouth to scream, an enraged voice echoed through the alley, causing them all to freeze.

"Hey! Leave my girl alone!"

Lips snapping shut, Star craned her neck around. She stared with wide eyes at the figure standing in the entrance of the alley, face obscured by a gleaming white knight's helmet, which matched the rest of the armour covering his body.

Star grunted as she was dropped harshly to the ground. "Who do you think you are?" snorted the raven-haired male.

"Your worst nightmare."

He launched into a kick, sending the guy flying. Star pressed against the brick wall, watching with wide eyes as her saviour easily took down the unprepared males, sending them crashing to the ground.

"Hey!" A security officer suddenly appeared; voice sharp. "What's going on?"

Star thrust a finger at the three males, who were struggling to their feet. "They tried to assault me!"

The officer was quick to come to her side. "Stay down!" he barked at the teens. Aware that they had been caught, they grudgingly obeyed. The officer knelt next to Star and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she assured, taking his outstretched hand and standing up.

"We'll take care of this, then." The officer pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt. "What's your name?"

"Star Butterfly," the girl introduced. "I live with Marco Diaz and his family."

"I'll need you to come down to the station with your guardians tomorrow and make a statement."

They arranged an appointment and the officer went to confront the teens, radioing for some backup. The knight extended his arm and Star linked up with him. She retrieved her wand and together they left the alley and back towards community hall.

"You know, those moves looked really familiar," she said casually.

"You don't say?"

Star giggled as she flicked up the visor, revealing Marco's face. With a warm smile she said, "Thank you, Marco."

He blushed. "No problem. Sorry for letting you come here alone. A true knight wouldn't do that."

"You're the best knight ever," assured Star. She paused before saying, "You called me your girl."

The redness in his cheeks flamed up and spread across the rest of his face. "Oh. Um. I was hoping I didn't really say that out loud."

"It's okay." She stood on her tiptoes and leaned closer, blue eyes sparkling. "I like being your girl."

She pressed her lips softly against his, her plastic fangs digging lightly into his bottom lip. Marco's eyes went wide for a split second before they closed. He wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer as he returned the kiss. For a moment they stayed that way, and only separated when they both needed some air.

"Wow," breathed Marco, his heart fluttering madly in his chest. "Wow."

Star smiled. "So…does that mean I'm your girlfriend now?"

"Please."

She laughed in delight, giving his cheek a sweet peck. "Best Halloween ever."

Marco smiled in amusement, hand lowering to entwine with hers. "It's your only Halloween."

"I doubt this one can be beat." Star beamed at him. "Nice costume, by the way. Very fitting. My knight in shining armour."

"Yeah. That's kind of what I was going for."

Star cocked her head to the side, eyes twinkling. "I bet you're the only knight who's ever saved a vampire princess before."

Marco grinned, giving her hand a light squeeze. "Probably. I bet you are only vampire princess who has saved a knight before. Several times, in fact."

What he knew for certain was that he was the luckiest knight in all of history. As far as he was concerned, no girl in any galaxy or any dimension could compare to Princess Star Butterfly.