"GOOOHAAAANNN!" Leelee called, cracking the door to Lindsey's room open and sticking her head in. "You ready?"
Gohan was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, looking absolutely miserable.
"Gohan?" Leelee asked again, stepping into the room, followed closely by Seventeen.
"I don't think I'm gonna go," Gohan answered without looking up at them.
"But you have to!" Leelee protested.
Gohan shrugged.
"C'mon now, mate," Seventeen said in a fake British accent. "We needs ourselves a Will Turner and you needs to get out of this room, ya savvy?" He grinned and put his arm around Leelee's shoulders, pushing back the long heavy dreadlocks with his free hand.
Leelee eyed the fake goatee with the two long, thin braids hanging from his chin. "Don't you ever grow one of those for real."
"Nobody tells Cap'n Jack Sparrow what to do!" Seventeen proclaimed.
Gohan looked up at Seventeen in shock.
Seventeen snickered. "I may have gotten into the rum just a wee bit…"
Leelee put her hand up to her mouth and whispered loudly, "He's taking his costume very seriously."
"I see that," Gohan said. "I see you are, too."
Leelee's Tia Dalma costume was an exact replica from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. From the highly detailed corset to the dreadlocked wig, the dots on her face and even the graying teeth, no detail was missed. Gohan had never thought about it much before, but somehow through the rough, raggedy pirate costume, Leelee looked exceptionally pretty tonight. Her dark skin seemed to glow in the low light of the room and her eyes were dancing with excitement.
"I really don't feel like it," Gohan sighed.
Seventeen flopped down onto the bed next to Gohan. "Now listen 'ere, mate. The way I see it, you can either sit around feelin' sorry fer yo'self and continue being miserable all night long like you 'ave the past month, o' you can put on tha' costume, come downstairs with meself and Calypso 'ere, and try to 'ave one night o' fun."
"Tia Dalma!" Leelee protested. "Dead Man's Chest! That's the movie we're doing!"
Seventeen held his hands up and moved them about in a perfect Jack Sparrow imitation. "Tia Dalma." His eyes grew wide and he muttered, "Should'a given 'er the rum."
"This is her favorite holiday," Gohan mumbled, thinking of Lindsey. "It doesn't seem right without her."
"But she don' wan' you bein' lonely an' sad today," Leelee said, mimicking Tia Dalma's accent extremely well. "Come wit us. You'll feel betteh."
"Oh, all right," Gohan sighed and grabbed up his costume. "I'll go. But I'm not gonna like it. And you two are really taking this whole pirate thing way too seriously." He stomped to the bathroom and shut the door. Maybe a night of not worrying was exactly what he needed. He peeled off his normal clothes and started to dress in the Will Turner costume Leelee had provided. Since Lindsey wasn't coming to the party, he'd had no one to dress up with and Leelee had decided that he could join her and Seventeen.
"Gosh, there's a lot to this costume," he muttered to himself as he pulled on the dark colored pants, the off-white shirt, the belts, the boots, the gray coat, the sword… He could hear Seventeen and Leelee singing a loud chorus of "A Pirate's Life for Me" in the other room. He slicked his hair back and pulled the silly-looking hat with its large white feather on his head. He looked himself over once in the mirror. "Good enough, I suppose," he said with a shrug. He reentered the bedroom.
"Oh my god!" Leelee squealed. "You look awesome!"
"Ya think?" Gohan laughed nervously, his ears burning. He hated it when girls gave him compliments. It always made him blush.
"It's missing something," Leelee said thoughtfully, dropping her fake accent for the moment. She considered him for a good long moment before snapping her fingers. "Got it!" She pushed past him and into the bathroom and began to dig around in the vanity drawers.
"What are you looking for?" Gohan asked.
"Makeup!" she answered.
"Makeup?!"
Seventeen threw an arm around Gohan's shoulders and leaned heavily on him. ""s not so bad, mate. See?" he gestured to his own face, specifically the heavy black eye-liner. "I'm wearin' it."
Leelee returned and shoved Seventeen away playfully. "Here, look down at me," she said to Gohan as she twisted open a small tube.
"Why do I have to wear make up?" Gohan protested.
"Because Will Turner has facial hair and you don't," Leelee answered. "I'm gonna paint some on."
"Fine," Gohan said, "But no eye-liner."
Leelee grabbed his chin and tilted his head down towards her. "Now hold still."
Ten minutes later, they were making their way across the crowded dance floor. The tiered room had been lavishly decorated with cobwebs and dripping candles, skeletons lined the balconies and here and there were full-sized coffins. The whole room was filled with fog at about knee-level that swirled and mushroomed up as people moved through it. While the dance floor was always dark, tonight it seemed exceptionally so.
"Jenny!" Leelee called and waved.
Jenny turned and smiled, waving back. "I love your costume!"
"Thanks," Leelee grinned, grabbing the skirt and swaying side to side.
Jenny wore an orange and white striped T-shirt, a black jacket, brown skirt, jeans and sneakers. She was holding a gallon of orange juice in one hand. Her brown hair had been pulled into a ponytail.
"Oh my god, you're Juno!" Leelee laughed.
"I thought it was appropriate," Jenny smiled, rubbing her large baby-belly. She tipped up the nearly-full gallon of juice and took a swig.
Leelee nearly died laughing. "It's brilliant."
"Where's Piccolo?" Gohan asked.
"Hiding," Jenny snickered. "I made him dress up as Bleeker."
"There's Trunks and Catie," Gohan nodded across the floor.
Catie bounced up to them, a curly blonde wig on her head, dressed head-to-toe in a skin tight black outfit and red heels. Trunks stood beside her in a black muscle shirt and black jeans with his hair greased.
"Who are you guys?" Seventeen asked.
Catie stared at him in surprise. "You don't know Sandy and Danny?"
Seventeen shook his head.
"What a sad life you live," Catie said, shaking her head.
"I'm just waiting for you two to break out in song and dance," Jenny teased.
"Anyone seen Sabriena?" Leelee asked.
"Yeah, she's around her somewhere," Trunks answered. "We saw her a little bit ago."
Catie was staring up at the bar, a look of horror on her face.
"What's wrong?" Gohan asked.
"Oh… oh my… oh good god!" Catie stammered, pointing at the raised bar.
They followed her gaze. Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw.
Kolya was standing there with a drink in hand, wearing nothing but a pair of tight gold shorts that barely covered his bum. He was laughing loudly and teasing Yelena, who wore a gold sequined top hat, sequined corset, striped shorts and vaudeville makeup. But it was Yorgi who astounded them all. His dark hair was exceptionally curly. He had shaved his face, but was still recognizable through the heavy makeup. He wore a black lace-up vest, a necklace of thick white pearls, black arm warmers, a black speedo, garter belt and thigh-high fishnet stockings, finished off with sparkly, six-inch high heels.
He saw them staring and waved them over.
"I love your costume," he complimented Leelee as they approached.
"Yours is, um," Leelee stammered, not quite sure what to say.
Yorgi smirked, his ruby red lips accenting the expression. He cocked an eyebrow at her, his eyes heavy with smoky eye shadow. His right bicep sported a temporary tattoo of a dagger-stabbed heart with the word "BOSS" above it.
"You are so hot," Catie breathed before she could stop herself.
"Catie!" Trunks scolded.
"Sorry!" she yelped and blushed.
"Thank you," Yorgi laughed. "Did not expect that response."
"What… uh, what are you exactly?" Gohan asked, embarrassed to even be near a man in heels.
"He's a sweet transvestite," Leelee answered before Yorgi could open his mouth.
"Dr. Frankenfurter," Yorgi answered.
Gohan raised his eyebrows and shook his head.
"Rocky Horror Picture Show," Yorgi continued over the loud music. "Is a movie. You must watch. It a classic."
"O-kaaay," Gohan answered, reaching for a cocktail that was sitting on the bar.
"You really think he's hot?" Trunks asked Catie in a scathing voice.
"Hey, I admire any man who's confident enough to pull off heels and fishnets," she responded, picking up a drink of her own.
Trunks shook his head and tried not to laugh. He simply couldn't be mad at her.
"You even shaved your legs!" Jenny exclaimed with a laugh, running her hand down Yorgi's shin as he sat on a barstool.
"No he didn't!" Kolya laughed.
"Shut up," Yorgi growled.
"You didn't?" Jenny asked.
"We talk about something else," Yorgi said, swallowing down his drink. He turned back to the bar and ordered another.
Jenny blinked questioningly at Kolya. Kolya leaned close and said softly in her ear, "He lost a bet to me. He had to wax his legs."
Jenny clapped a hand to her mouth and held her breath, then scurried away from the bar as quickly as she could. Reaching a side door, she banged through it, slammed it behind her, and doubled over, screaming in laughter.
"You saw Yorgi's costume, huh?" came a voice from the shadows.
Jenny jumped and looked around. "Lindsey!" she cried.
"Shh!" Lindsey hushed. She stood with her hands in the pockets of her ripped jeans, her white coat unzipped over her purple tank top. Her hair barely brushed the tops of her shoulders. That was one thing she liked about herself – her hair grew pretty fast.
"You're not supposed to be here!" Jenny hissed.
"I know. Goku left to take Goten trick-or-treating, I just wanted to come and see everyone's costumes," Lindsey answered.
Jenny eyed her skeptically.
"I promise, Jenny," Lindsey said, pulling her hands from her pockets and showing them to Jenny. "I'm clean. I haven't gotten anything. You can search me if you want."
Jenny stared at her for a moment, then smiled. "I believe you."
Lindsey rushed forward and hugged her friend. "Jenny, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."
"I wish you would have talked to us," Jenny admitted. She swigged from her juice jug again.
Lindsey nodded. "I know. I tried to handle it myself and I couldn't." She reached for the jug and took a swallow of it herself.
"Well don't do that anymore," Jenny scolded as she twisted the cap back on her juice. "That's what we're here for."
Lindsey looked guilty.
"There's been something bugging me, though," Jenny said thoughtfully. "When you were missing and even afterwards, with all this stuff, why couldn't I sense you? I mean, any other time that any of us were dealing with something bad, we could sense each other. This time, there was… well… nothing."
"I know," Lindsey answered. "I… I think I've lost my powers. I think something in me's broken."
Jenny blinked. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah. I can't power up or anything anymore."
"But, I thought you were training with Gohan's dad?" Jenny asked.
"I am," she answered. "And I'm getting stronger physically. Mentally, too. Do you know how miserable it is to sleep in a tent in this kind of weather?"
Jenny snickered. "You snuck up here just to warm up for a minute."
"That too," Lindsey giggled. "But seriously, I can't use my powers anymore."
"Keep working at it," Jenny encouraged. "You'll get 'em back."
Lindsey gave a half-hearted smile. "I hope so."
"Have you –" Jenny started to ask another question, but the door to the hallway they were standing in banged open and Kolya stood facing back towards the dance floor, yelling something in Russian. Jenny threw Lindsey a terrified look and shoved Kolya back out the door, slamming it shut and leaning her back against it. "RUN!"
"Jenny, I…"
"Go! If Yorgi catches you here now, you're dead!"
"Don't tell anyone I was here," Lindsey commanded in a harsh whisper. She ran forward, planted a kiss on Jenny's forehead and whispered, "I love you, girly." Then she turned and ran down the hall, disappearing around the corner.
Kolya banged the door open again, causing Jenny to stumble forward. "What happened?"
"Sorry, Kolya, I tripped," Jenny answered. "I didn't mean to bump into you."
"You okay?" he asked, concern actually showing on his face for once.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Jenny waved him off. God, she was sick of being babied. She was pregnant, not breakable.
"Then let's party!" he grinned, linking arms with her and dragging her back to the dance floor as she glanced over her shoulder down the empty hallway.
Gohan sat at the bar, leaning his elbow against the polished top, staring at his reflection. He was bored and lonely. While he'd said he didn't want to come to the party tonight, a small part of him was hoping for a night of fun. At this point, he'd take anything as a distraction from the worry he constantly felt. He spun around on the barstool and stared across the wave of elaborately-costumed bodies occupying the dance floor. Everyone around him seemed happy and all he felt was as though he was missing a piece of himself.
From the crowd came a curvy girl with purple hair, wearing hugely poofy furry striped arm and leg warmers, a black and purple bra, and tiny black shorts. She had painted a somewhat creepy-looking grin across her face that stretched from one corner of her jaw to the other and whiskers were painted across her cheeks. Large black cat ears stuck up from her hair.
"Hey you," she crooned at Gohan.
"Hey," he muttered back, not paying her much attention. He was in no mood to be hit on.
"You're looking awfully sad," she said, reaching for a drink.
He shrugged.
"You wanna dance?" she asked, sipping her drink.
"No thanks," he answered flatly.
"You can be such a killjoy, Gohan," she scolded.
Gohan jumped and turned to the girl. "You know me?"
She stared at him with a bored expression on her face. "Uh, yeah."
He looked closer at her through the dim light and blinked. "Sabriena?"
"Yeeessssss," she drawled.
"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you!" he laughed.
She shook her head. "So come on, let's go dance."
"Uh, won't Tumbler be upset?" Gohan asked nervously. "He's been giving me dirty looks since the last time I danced with you."
"Nah, he's sick," she answered. "He's got the fluuuu. I'm here alone, you're here alone… We might as well have some fun."
Gohan looked unsure.
"Or we can sit here together and mope. Your call."
"Alright, I'll dance with you," Gohan agreed.
Sabriena grabbed him by the wrist and led him to the dance floor near Catie and the others as "Blow" by Ke$ha blared over the speakers.
"'bout time you showed up, mate," Seventeen smiled.
Gohan shrugged as Sabriena turned her back to him and began to dance. It had been weird enough to him to dance with her once before, but she was so scantily clad this night, he felt really awkward. He placed his hands on the bare skin of her waist, trying to maintain at least a little bit of distance between his body and hers. He felt guilty for admiring her curves and for liking the warm feel of her in his hands a little too much. He could feel himself blushing again.
Catie watched Sabriena, suspicious at first, but mentally slapped herself. She knew Sabriena would never betray a friend. And even if she would, Gohan was most definitely not Sabriena's type. Still, Catie wasn't sure that it was the wisest move on Sabriena's part when she leaned forward and wiggled her ass against Gohan's hips. Gohan actually froze then, his face going completely red. Sabriena glanced over her shoulder at him and laughed out loud. She stood up straight and turned to face him.
"You are too easy to get to, Gohan," she laughed. "I'm just teasing you!"
"Yeah, and not in a good way," he answered, his stomach churning. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his hands shaking. He just couldn't handle flirting.
Sabriena rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself. You are so not my type."
Gohan sighed in relief. "Good. I wouldn't want to be counted in with that type of guy anyway."
Sabriena gasped and slapped his chest. "You're such a jerk."
"Nah, that would make me your type."
She smiled and shook her head, then snagged two shots from the tray of a passing waitress that had been hired for the night. She handed one to Gohan. She held hers in the air and shook her purple-tinged locks off her shoulders. "To not being interested in each other, even on the tiniest level."
"Cheers to that," Gohan answered heartily, clinking his shot glass to hers and swallowing it down. "I'm gonna need more of those if I'm hanging out with you for the night."
"My sentiments exactly."