Notes: Yes, seriously, Jubinoh is the sweetest, honey-dripping ship ever. And it has been since its inception. (The stories we could tell of the first stories we wrote together with these two… we still have no idea where this ship came from but it's so sickly sweet we can't just NOT write them. They're sparkles and sunshine!)

Chapter 15 : "Don't Fight the Tail"

Billy had arrived at the mansion with Teddy and Tommy in tow — and they were both grinning wide and clearly in on whatever plans Kate had for her Halloween costume, though she had been insistent that no one could know what she was planning and made Billy promise not to spill her secrets.

"Okay, I get that you tell your fiance everything, but Tommy, really?" Kate teased, trying to look stern as soon as she'd finished hugging Billy, and he just laughed.

"He's sneaky when he wants to be, and he asked Strange why I was learning with amulets," Billy explained as he held up the pendant for Kate to see.

But before Kate could examine it for herself, Tommy darted in to get his hug. "Long time no see!" he said as he spun her around.

"And whose fault is that?" Kate said, laughing as she returned the hug. "Pretty sure you were invited to the team."

Tommy grinned sheepishly. "Yeah — uh. David was having a minor crisis. His future ghost self or whatever showed up again?" He shrugged. "I told him I'd help. Maybe I'll join the X-Crew after my best friend becomes incorporeal."

"Anything we can do?" Kate asked, but Tommy just shook his head.

"Nah, he's got his mind pretty well made up on becoming a ghost. He just… wants to travel the world, see the sights before he stops having a body." Tommy grinned. "And hey, I'm not usually one to take it slow and smell all the roses, but I'm really good at getting around the world."

Kate just grinned at him before she turned to Teddy. "And what about you? How's life while Billy's all holed up with Strange?"

"I've actually become pretty good friends with Ilyanna," Teddy replied with a little smirk. "And gotten most of the wedding planning done. All that's left to do is pick a date — we just have to talk Tommy and David into staying in one place long enough to come," he added with a teasing smirk Tommy's way.

"Hey, I'll stay still for my own brother's wedding!" Tommy protested, and Kate just laughed at the three of them as she led them back into the mansion.

Billy draped an arm around her shoulders with a grin as he handed her the amulet in a little leather bag. "Don't touch it with your bare hands until you're ready," he said. "Strange figured it would be better if we didn't do anything potentially permanent while I'm still — you know — learning? So whenever you're done with the costume, just take off the amulet."

"Smart thinking," Kate agreed as she put the leather pouch in her pocket and grinned at her friend. "I tried to get Kurt to tell me what he's going as so we can match, but he refuses."

"Probably thinks it wouldn't be fair, seeing as yours is secret," Teddy pointed out.

Kate just shrugged. "Only for a few more hours," she said, patting the pouch significantly. "I'm going to spend all Halloween this way. Just to get used to it before the party."

"Smart thinking," Billy chuckled. He gave her another warm hug. "See you at breakfast, Kate. We'll be up nice and early so we can't possibly miss the show."

Kate wasn't usually an early riser, but she'd slept lightly, excited all the way down to her toes about her costume, and as soon as the sun was up, she decided she just couldn't go back to sleep, so it was definitely time. She reached over to the nightstand, slipped the amulet over her neck, and let out a soft sort of gasp that turned into a giggle as the spell ran down her spine, over her skin, like a warm shower, leaving blue fur in its wake — though when she grew a tail, she cried out for just a second, because — okay. Painful. But totally, totally worth it.

She examined her hands and arms first, surprised at how much warmer she felt, even with how much she'd cuddled Kurt — it was a whole other layer of fine fur on her skin, closer even then cuddling. And she had to grin when she brought her hands up to her now pointed ears, with pointed teeth that felt a little foreign in her mouth.

This was the best Halloween idea she'd ever had, and considering her epic costume switch with Jubilee last year, that was seriously saying something.

Kurt was still dead to the world beside her, though he wasn't sleeping as deeply with her moving beside him, and she just sort of giggled as she snuggled into him, deciding it would be hilarious if he just woke up to her like this. Still, she did have to hold her tail in one hand to keep it from moving so much, seriously.

While Kurt had slept through Kate's sudden transformation, the same was not true of the bamfs, who were watching her curiously to see if she was upset by the change. When she didn't seem to be freaking out or anything, they just fell into giggles, laughing hysterically as they gestured at their own tails, chattering away and trying to give her instructions that she wasn't quite sure she understood except maybe to tell her to stop holding it — which wasn't going to happen until she was sure she wouldn't knock over the lamp by their bed.

Of course, as soon as the bamfs were in on what was happening, there was no hope of a quiet wakeup call for Kurt as about four of them pounced on him at once, pulling on his pajama shirt, his arms, poking him and prodding him with insistent jabbering that sounded way too fast and excited for even him to understand. As soon as Kurt was even partway awake, they started to pull on his face to turn him toward Kate, while the rest were behind her making presentation hands.

Kate was giggling madly by then as Kurt looked over at her in alarm, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, tail completely still, fur a bit on end and everything. She fell apart laughing and just managed to gasp out, "Halloween cat. Logan was so right about the look."

Kurt had moved on from alarm to confusion as he just kept staring at her. "Liebchen," he said cautiously, "was ist los?"

She just kept giggling as she kissed his cheek and finally let him in on the joke. She tapped the amulet around her neck. "I had Billy cook me up a Halloween costume," she explained. "What do you think? Do I rock the blue, fuzzy look?"

He grinned at her at last before he pulled her down and kissed her. "Du siehst fantastisch aus," he whispered in her ear with a little, low growl before he started to kiss the edges of her newly pointed ears, and she let out a gasp of delight.

Noh-Varr was in the middle of putting the finishing touches on his Hobbes costume — a few stylized whiskers. He could control his hair growth and had managed a wonderful little beard that looked very tiger-like and just needed to be dyed with stripes, and then of course, there were the stripes around the rest of his face… but other than that, he was nearly done with his costume. He simply had to change into the uniform that he and Jubilee had repurposed and decorated with tiger stripes.

Jubilee was in the bathroom of the room that they shared putting the finishing touches on her Spaceman Spiff costume as well. She looked absolutely darling, her hair sprayed-on blonde and sticking up in just the way that Calvin's did in the comics.

So when the high-pitched whine started up from the band, Noh honestly got mad about it.

He was done. He was done listening to Hill, taking her orders, keeping her secrets. He was tired of being separated from Jubilee, of not being able to keep his promises to her — just done with all of it.

He glanced to where Jubilee was and zipped over behind her, scooping her up in both arms to kiss her passionately, grinning when she giggled at his tiger whiskers tickling her face. "I'll be right back," he whispered to her, and when she looked mad for a moment at the familiar refrain, he added quickly, "I'm going down to see your Doctor McCoy."

It was the truth, after all. Henry had told him to come see him before he got himself in any more trouble. And Noh was trying — he really, really was — to make up for the distress he was causing, so he would of course try to follow Henry's instructions as best he could.

She relaxed the slightest bit and nodded as she popped up to kiss him, but he could see from the look on her face that she didn't entirely believe him.

He let out a long breath. "Jubilee," he told her quietly, "I love you." He kissed her a little longer and then rushed off to Henry's lab.

He was honestly disappointed to see that the fuzzy blue doctor wasn't there when he arrived. Noh glanced around but didn't see a sign of him — likely he was upstairs with the others celebrating Halloween — so he grabbed up a pad of paper and pen.

I am going to fix what should have been fixed long ago. Will tell you everything upon my return. -Noh-Varr

Noh stared at the note for a moment before he nodded, though he'd hardly taken a step back from the desk before it seemed his SHIELD handlers had gotten tired of waiting, and he very nearly crashed to his knees as this time the much more insistent whine started up.

He reached for the comm at his hip irritably. On my way, he wrote in response to the message with the coordinates, though this time the relief from the noise was not as immediate as the last time he'd taken this long to get where he was 'supposed' to be, and he could see the skin underneath Hill's arm band splintering where the strain was fracturing his tympanic membrane there.

When the sound did let up, he took in a shuddering and steadying breath, nodded once to himself, and then took off — but not for the coordinates that had been set.

He didn't know precisely where Maria Hill would be. It was possible she was on the helicarrier, and as that was always moving, he didn't know where he could find it. But he did know where the SWORD station was, and that was where he was headed, setting his ship to autopilot once he was aboard the Marvel so that he would still get where he needed to be even if his SHIELD handlers started up that infernal noise again.

He was going to have a chat with Brand. And, if he could find her, Hill — though that would not be nearly so friendly a chat as what he planned to say to Brand. After all, he was fairly sure that Brand was his ally — and since she already had some understanding of the situation, she was safer to turn to than the others, who might be in danger if Noh told them what was going on.

He sent a message ahead for Brand to expect him, so when the inevitable happened and the band started up again — this time so intense that he simply sank down and blacked out — he fully expected to be greeted by Brand and SWORD personnel when he woke up.

And he did, in fact, wake up in SWORD. But Brand was not there, and he realized with a sinking heart that his message must have been intercepted when he heard Hill's voice, through a screen, the moment he picked up his head.

"I see you're not too happy with our little arrangement," she said as Noh carefully picked himself up. He was sore everywhere from the hit that had knocked him out entirely, and he wasn't entirely sure what it was that he'd been hit with — just that it hurt.

"As I told you before — it is captivity, plain and simple," Noh said with a glare as he got himself upright — though he sank back down again almost the very next moment as it seemed Hill had just been waiting for him to stand up so she could hit him again, the frequency cutting through him and sending him to his knees.

"I think you're underestimating how lenient we've been so far," Hill said evenly when the sound finally let up and Noh was left gasping. "Objectively speaking, you're still a free agent when you're not on a mission for us. We don't tell you what to do with your free time… or who to spend it with."

Noh glared at the screen through narrowed eyes. "We have very different definitions of freedom, you and I."

"Maybe," Hill allowed with a small shrug, matching his narrowed-eyes glare with one of her own. "But consider the alternative." She paused for a moment and considered him. "We still have all of the notes from the Cube's old warden," she said at last — and Noh felt his heart drop into his stomach at the pronouncement. "He was very ... detailed," she continued. "Apparently, your people specifically engineered you to follow orders. It wouldn't be hard at all to take control where there are actual handholds engineered into your DNA and biology for exactly that purpose."

Noh just glared at her for an answer.

She smirked the slightest bit at that. "Of course, we could do that now," she said, which just had Noh baring his teeth at her. "We could return you to that cell in the Cube and send in a team to do your job instead while we adjust your attitude."

"That was not the deal," Noh practically growled out.

"Wasn't it?" she challenged. "You become an agent for me, and I let you roam free except for assignments. I'm not the one who broke the agreement coming here."

"I never agreed to a life filled only with servitude and barely enough time to recover my own health!"

"Fine." Hill glared at him. "That's easily addressed. We'll just send in a SHIELD team to the mansion for this mission. I'm sure there will be minimal arrests and casualties."

Noh glanced up at her with obvious fury in his gaze. "What?"

"It would be a simple enough mission for you to handle alone, since you're already there, but if you insist on a new arrangement, we can put you back in the Cube and send in a team in your place while we renegotiate. Of course, if anyone tries to stop them, we'll have to arrest the offenders…"

"You can't—"

"Of course we can." Hill watched him with her chin thrust out, and it was clear from her expression that she knew she'd won. "I've already got the team on standby. Given your recent behavior, we can't exactly trust you to do this mission properly without a little motivation, can we?"

He held her gaze with narrowed eyes for as long as he could before he had to drop it, his tone utterly defeated as he all but whispered, "There's… no need for that." He closed his eyes. "I will do it."

"Stop trying to fight it," Kurt whispered in Kate's ear as they made their way down toward the party and she very nearly tripped over her tail — again. He had one arm around her waist and was holding her tightly, and not just because she had almost fallen over.

"This thing," she said through gritted teeth, "has a mind of its own!"

"Yes, and you are making things worse by trying to fight against it," Kurt said patiently before an impish grin spread over his features and he just pulled her close and kissed the very tip of her ear, which had her almost instantly melting into his arms as her tail stilled and relaxed behind her.

"That's just… not even fair," Kate said softly, and Kurt just chuckled deep.

"Ah, but it makes us even, Vögelchen," he said.

"De visas slutligen bara att behöva återvända. Till avskildheten stängda dörrar," K muttered with a little smirk as they finally made a stop nearby.

The two of them glanced over at her to see the fully realized Viking costume, complete with furs and leather, that K and Kate had found after some serious shopping, and Kate smirked her way without taking a single step away from Kurt. "Are you going to talk in Swedish all day?" she teased.

"I could," K said. "But I'll keep to it just when I need it. Unless … do you have anyone else that speaks Svenska?"

"I don't think so," Kurt said, shaking his head.

"It's a shame that Deutsche doesn't cross over more," K said with a shrug. "But I doubt you'll miss everything I say."

"They are similar," Kurt agreed as he reached up to adjust the wide brim of his Musketeer hat. "But I could always feign deafness if you need it," he added with a widening, cheeky grin.

"No, it's more fun when you catch little bits and pieces," K replied. "It leaves the rest to your imagination."

He laughed and nodded his agreement before he looked around the halls. "Have you seen Jubilee yet?" he asked curiously. "I thought she would be the first one at the party — since her Hobbes is setting up music."

"I have not," K said with drooped shoulders. "I was looking forward to Spaceman Spiff giving me dirty looks."

Kate giggled at that. "Take heart, fair Viking warrior. I'm sure you'll get your Spiff fix soon. Maybe she's just adding finishing touches."

"I'm only going to appreciate it if Hobbes tackles her with a flying leap," K replied before she readjusted one of the furs at her shoulder.

"He will so do that if you ask him to," Kate promised, grinning wider as her tail swished excitedly.

"We'll see," K replied as she gestured for them to lead the way.

But when they got into the party, they were surprised to see that there was no Hobbes at the DJ table and that, instead, David and Tommy were there as David seemed to be explaining to Tommy what half the records were.

"Noh's gonna be mad if they get his records out of order," Kate said with a small frown, though Kurt's was much deeper as he scanned the room for Jubilee — who was also conspicuously absent.

But they were distracted as they reached the edge of the room when — bamf — Logan appeared just beside them holding a beer, with three little bamfs wearing Musketeer hats prodding him forward so he could see the three others in front of him.

"Hey Elf," Logan said with his face tipped down at the little bamfs. "Tell your little imps to back off. I was getting ready to play poker with Hank—" He looked up and just stopped speaking as he took in the three people in front of him. "Why are they — Kate?"

Kate had absolutely dissolved into giggles again, holding onto Kurt for support as she finally managed to ask, "Do you like it?"

"Well, you match," Logan said shaking his head. "But where are your costumes, girls?" He opened the beer can and finally looked away from the two women to give Kurt a once over. "What are you supposed to be?"

Kurt tipped his head at Logan. "Aramis," he said with a smirk. "And these are my fellow Musketeers," he added as the bamfs giggled and showed off their hats and little sashes.

"And this is the proud Valkyrie K," Kate added, trying to point with her tail and instead just managing to wave it in the air.

K just gave her a look and totally missed the little smile Logan shot her way before she reached over and took the beer out of his hand. "Du tog mig en öl? Tack så mycket, vacker." With that, she tipped up the beer and drank about half in one go.

Kate just giggled at her new friend, her arm still around Kurt's waist as she shot K a thumbs up.

"I think she just raided you," Kurt teased.

"Watch out; I'll be headed to your monastery next to steal your valuables," K laughed with a troublemaking look Kurt's way.

"You two look awfully tight tonight," Logan pointed out as he took his beer back and put his arm around K's back. "You get your tails knotted up?"

"Earlier, yes," Kate said with a shameless grin that had Kurt shaking his head at her. "But ... ah, the tail is hard to navigate. And… I maybe fell. A few times."

"Every time I let her walk a few feet without me," Kurt laughed. "She is fighting the tail," he added with a little smirk Logan's way.

"Can't fight the tail, She-Elf," Logan teased.

"Apparently," Kate agreed with a little sigh as she looked behind herself to stare at the tail in betrayal. "I thought this would be easier."

"Never as easy as you think it will be," Logan said with a sigh before he turned from the hip-joined elves for a moment and held his beer out of K's reach. "If you want your own beer, you'll have to take a walk downstairs with me."

"Fair enough," K nodded. "I doubt I can add much to the fur-pile here with these two."

"Not sorry even a little bit," Kate sang out as she just grinned over her shoulder.

"He's just trying to get you liquored up," Kurt teased.

"And he calls me an evil seductress," Kate agreed, illustrating her point by kissing Kurt's jaw.

"That ... is not how you evil seductress," K criticised before she let loose a scandalized sounding stream of nearly breathy Swedish. "But it'll take more than beer to get me liquored up — so you two have fun. I'm going to raid the poker game."

"Take them for everything they're worth," Kate said.

"I will — I'll come back with all their valuables and all their clothes," K promised.

Kate just laughed and waved at her friend before she turned back to Kurt. "Apparently, my evil seductress still needs work," she teased him. "Any pointers?"

"Learning to walk might help with that," Kurt teased. "Though the desperate clutching and tripping over your own two feet brings out the valiant hero."

"I may never walk again," Kate said with a dramatic sigh.

"Oh — okay. Did you two — is this what happens if you—" America had shown up to the party at last and was clearly laughing but trying to decide on which joke to tell first. "Kate, is this some weird demon pregnancy symptom?" she asked at last.

"No," Kate said, flushing the deepest purple she'd ever worn.

"Are you sure? Have you taken a test?" America was grinning ear to ear. "I mean — as your best friend, you know this means I'm now obligated to kill the boyfriend, right?"

Now that was the deepest purple Kate had ever worn. "America."

"It's okay. I'll hold your hair when you're having morning sickness of smoke and brimstone."

"It's a costume!" Kate half-shouted.

America looked her over with an ever-growing smirk. "Looks pretty real to me."

Kate and Kurt were both fairly flushed now, and it took them both a long moment before either of them could respond. "It's a spell," Kate tried. "Billy's spell."

"So, like, the opposite of the pill?"

"America!"

"Seriously, I'm here for you. I'll start cutting tail holes out of baby clothes."

"That's not…" Kurt was clearly trying to help, but neither of them could manage much when America was just grinning triumphantly.

America turned her attention to Kurt and stuck her finger out to wiggle it in his face. "Shame on you. Ruining my princess's reputation like that."

"I assure you—"

"You're just going to have to marry her now. There's nothing else for it," America said, grinning mercilessly. "D'you think you could teleport us to Vegas? I'll be the flower girl."

"That's so not happening," Kate tried to cut in.

"What, you don't think I could pull off the dress and the pigtails?" America said.

"No."

America just cackled and settled back to lean against the wall as she tried to get control of her laughter. "I so could. I could be flower girl and maid of honor AND play the organ."

"Is there even any need for us to be there?" Kurt asked with a weak smile, and America burst into laughter again.

"I'll even get Clint to be the angry dad with the shotgun. He'll go all Iowa corn farmer on you. Trust me. This will be perfect."

"America, please," Kate said, shaking her head.

"What, you don't think he'd do it?"

"He would, but—"

"That's right he would."

"America—"

"Gee, Kate, you look like you need to sit down," America said with as much seriousness as she could muster. "You're all purple. I mean — moreso than usual."

"Please—"

America just started laughing again before she kissed Kate's cheek. "Ooh, fuzzy," she teased before she zipped away and called out over her shoulder, "I have to fill up my dance card. I'll leave you two to work out the colors and the decorations."

Both Kate and Kurt stared after her before both of them simply had to shake their heads. There was just no stopping America when she was on a roll like that.

It wasn't too long before Henry came up into the costume party, a purple blush to his cheeks as he gave Kurt a tight smile. "I suppose it's not too late to join your festivities?"

"I thought you were playing poker," Kurt said with a laugh. "You can't be done already."

But Hank just shook his head slowly with a growing smile. "That, my friend, was no casual, friendly poker game," Hank told him. "That was a massacre where no prisoners were taken."

"I take it our viking took her costume too literally?" Kurt laughed.

"Indeed; all she needs to do now is burn the village."

"Oh, don't let her do that," Kate laughed. "I promised Storm and Annie we wouldn't burn the house down."

"Well that's boring," America said as she rejoined them, red-faced and grinning as she had been sure to try and show up the whole dance floor at once. "Where's the fun without any serious destruction?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to turn you loose on Clint's place and let you deal with Deadpool," Kate joked. "If you really want a fight this year."

"He's fun," America agreed with a laugh. "All I have to do is pick him up by his red and black pajamas and tell him we're fighting."

When Logan arrived a short while later, with K on his arm, and both of them quietly joking about something with their heads together, Kate had to tease.

"You had the whole lab to yourself — and you left? I thought for sure you'd want some privacy!"

"He was a little nervous about being alone with a viking," K explained. "You know. Vikings and their reputations. Take what they want. And steal your valuables before they burn down the place. More blunt than pirates."

"And yet I think I'll keep the pirate I've got," Kate said with a wide grin as she finally — finally — managed to get her tail around Kurt's waist.

"That's because vikings are more direct and thus — scarier," K said with a confident slow nod.

"I'll take dashing over scary any day," Kate countered, laughing.

"Seriously, you two. Vegas. Anytime. I'll wear the dress and everything," America said.

"Ooh, who's going to Vegas?" K asked.

"We're not. She's just being a pain," Kate said, shooting America a glare.

"You should," K replied as Logan just started to chuckle at the obviously ongoing joke. "You know. Before the baby comes."

"I told you it was a weird pregnancy symptom!" America said before she reached over to high-five K.

"Totally a weird pregnancy symptom," K said as she nodded slowly. "She's been craving lost souls too."

"When she starts having morning sickness with smoke coming out her ears, we know it's twins," America chuckled.

"No, no, it's not smoke," K said with a frown. "She's belching fire."

"Now that means triplets," America said.

"Ooooh, and there are your three musketeers," K said to Kurt, who was a magnificent purple again. Logan smiled and tipped his head her way to ask her to be nice, but K just returned the smile and kissed his cheek as she shook her head. "Why would you want me to do that?"

"Natch," Logan replied, smirking to himself as K suddenly seemed to realize there was something off. She looked toward the DJ booth and whipped around to face Kate.

"What gives? Where are Calvin and Hobbes?" K asked, one arm outstretched to where David was getting to work.

Kate looked back to see that, in fact, David was still running the booth. "I guess ... they haven't shown up yet," she said with a little frown.

"Who?" America asked. "Maybe I saw them on the dance floor and your Hawkeyes have been affected by the yellow smoky whatever thing."

"Sparkles and sparklier," K replied as Logan frowned to himself as well. Jubilee should have been there long before he showed up.

"Oh, you mean Noh and his Glitter Queen?" America asked, smirking. She looked around the party. "Yeah, I haven't seen them all day. Did they opt for a private star-viewing?"

"Många sovrum spel," K said with a suspicious look on her face, and her eyes narrowed before she just smirked Logan's way and chuckled to herself.

"Estas hablando sin sentido," America grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Where'd you come from anyway?"

"North," K replied before she looked her up and down with a raised eyebrow. "And I am not." She gave America a little smile and leaned a little closer to her with one hand to the side of her mouth. "Probablemente están jugando juegos de dormitorio, hermoso. Sí?"

"Sí," America chuckled. "America Chavez, by the way."

"K, viking conqueror of all things with an 'X' on 'em," K teased.

"Well now you have to marry Kate too," America replied easily. "Seeing as she has two of them on her hips half the time."

"That's just where she wants her kisses," K shot back.

"Explains why she's dating a pirate," America agreed. "Wonder if she's marked any other places with an 'x'."

"Yep, saw her making plans for the tattoo parlor last week," K agreed. "I offered my sharpie, but …" she let it end in a shrug.

"I officially regret letting you two in the same zip code as each other," Kate said, shaking her head at them both.

America just laughed and waved her hand at Kate. "C'mon, Princess, she's fun. Where have you been hiding her, and is she single?"

"How old are you?" K asked, with one eyebrow raised.

"In this universe's years?" America asked with a smirk as K nodded. "I'd say… about Kate's age. I think."

K looked over at Kate, clearly waiting for the answer.

"Going on twenty-five," Kate said. "But I'm older by at least a year or two," she added with a glance America's way. "She just thinks she's cute when she sounds other-dimension-y."

K just clutched at her chest for a moment and closed her eyes to shake her head. "No no, no. No." she turned to Logan and gave him a little smile that looked fake. "Take me away from these children, please." Though her comment got a chuckle from him as he put his arm around her.

"Which ones? The ones Kate's carrying around?" America said, grinning, with her hands on her hips.

"That too," K said. "You — you are all babies. I love you but … oh my Gosh, no."

"I think I broke your new friend," America stage whispered to Kate.

"Yeah, please don't do that. I like her," Kate stage whispered back as the door opened to admit Scott and Annie.

Annie looked amazing in the Maid Marian outfit, which shimmered and looked like something right out of a fairy tale — but it was the self-conscious grin on Scott's face as he rocked the Robin Hood tights that had Kate laughing outright at the expression on K's face.

"I let him borrow one of the quivers from my class," Kate said to K with an impish grin. "Enjoy."

"That … that is so lovely," K said quietly to Kate before she called out to Annie. "Come here, I want to see your dress!"

Annie beamed over at the assembled group as she had her arm through Scott's and pulled him toward them. "I love your Viking outfit," she said with a smile before she let out a little 'oh' of surprise when she saw Kate, who just waved.

"That ... is impressive," Scott said as he looked over the elf couple. "How did you do that? It doesn't look fake."

"It's totally real," Kate said, tapping the amulet around her neck. "Temporary spell, courtesy of Billy Kaplan. Don't worry — it won't turn me into a little brat. It only lasts until I take off the necklace."

"That's a shame," Scott said with a small smirk. "I bet Katie would have loved Storm's setup. We could have gone trick or treating."

"Get your own kids, boss man," Kate shot back, sticking her tongue out at him, which had him looking ever more self-conscious than before.

"Okay," K said with a smirk. "I'm going to need you two to twirl for me. I need the whole effect."

Annie laughed and tried to pull at Scott's arm, but he had turned slightly pink. "Come on, Scott," Annie said. "Twirl me."

"Come on, Robin of Locksley," K teased. "Don't be so shy. My skirt's shorter than yours, and I'm not worried."

Scott gave her a very dry look, but Annie was laughing, so he sighed and gave her a little twirl — very quickly.

K just grinned and leaned America's way "Fine attention to detail, but … it falls short of expectations," she said very quietly, which got a laugh from Logan anyhow.

"That's what happens when they settle down and retire," America whispered back.

"Put out to pasture," K nodded.

"Such a waste," America agreed.

"Ignore them," Kate told Annie, rolling her eyes. "They're being horrible tonight."

"Well, at least they're having fun," Annie said, shaking her head before she looked Logan's way. "And what happened to your costume? I thought everyone was coming dressed up."

"The bamfs brought him here," Kurt explained. "He was in the middle of a poker game with Henry — but they seemed to think he should attend the party instead, costume or no."

"Plundrade bybo," K said giving Logan a little smirk. "I'll get around to it later."

"Not sure what you said, but I'll go along with it," Logan shot back, which only got a broader smile from K.

"Yes you will."

Kate just laughed. "Careful, Logan. In the mood she's in, that could mean you're her personal manservant for the rest of the night."

"I can think of worse ways to spend the evening," Logan replied without missing a beat.

Scott looked between the two of them for a moment and then just… took Annie by the hand. "What do you say we find some of the others? Or—"

"Or how about you dance with her, you goon," America shouted, which only had Annie laughing at Scott's expression.

"She's right — you should dance with me," Annie said, grinning as she pulled Scott out to the dance floor, as America flashed her a double thumbs up.

"Well that's them taken care of," America said, making a show of brushing of her hands. "I'm on a roll — who else needs a dance? We find the Glitter Queen yet?"

"She hasn't shown," Kurt said, his smile slipping slightly as he glanced around the ballroom. "I can send the bamfs to find her and bring her back, though."

"Not if she's doing the tango with her alien boyfriend," America said, shaking her head.

"No, but then they would see it — and none of us would," Kurt pointed out.

"Fair point," America agreed. She looked at the nearest bamf, who was trying to help Kate keep her tail from knocking into anything. "Hey, Cupid — you want to find the Glitter Queen?"

The little bamf looked up at her quizzically and with wide eyes simply disappeared in a poof, followed quickly by the rest of the little cherub-demons. The group more or less went back to their teasing for a few minutes before Jubilee appeared — not in costume and looking very miserable as she nibbled at a Twizzler.

"I was promised Spaceman Spiff," Kate said with a disappointed sigh. "Where's Noh? Did the Hobbes costume take too much time?"

"Who knows," Jubilee said with a shrug. "The costumes were done, but he just ... cut out. Again."

"And left his gorgeous girl?" America asked, shaking her head with a tut. "That's just — that's just stupid."

Jubilee just snorted at that. "Yeah, well. Whatever, his loss," she replied before biting a little harder into her Twizzler.

"Is my gain," America said decisively, not even asking as she picked Jubes up by the waist. "Come on, chica. Let's go dancing." Jubilee started to protest, but America just pulled her along until she gave in and danced with her, the frown slowly slipping into a smile as they twirled awkwardly through the crowd.