Disclaimer: I do not own anything in relation to DC Comics, Challenge of the Super Friends, any movie regarding simians of any kind or Marvel Comics.

The night is crisp and clear and Lex tugs his coat closer around him as he gazes out onto the scene before him. "I can't believe that I allowed you to talk me into this idiotic scheme! Don't you think that I have better things to do?"

"Apparently not since you're here with us," replies Captain Cold with an amused smile as he rests his elbows on the wooden fence. "Besides, it's Halloween, Lex! When else can we go out and let down our guard without being caught?"

Scarecrow gives up his vantage point from the tree that the others are standing under and jumps down to the ground beside Lex. "What's wrong, Luthor? Are you upset because there's no Halloween equivalent for 'Bah, humbug?'"

Lex's gaze slides away from their target to glare at Scarecrow. "I don't know how you manage to appear so smug while wearing that cloth mask but knock it off!" He narrows his eyes at the man across the street before turning his frustration to Sinestro. "This is what you introduced him to, how to steal candy from a baby?"

They all watch Solomon Grundy approach the costumed children, point to their bags, and receive candy from them. "As you're familiar with the concept then I assume that it's considered an acceptable and practiced form of villainy," he defends with an offended sniff. Everyone merely spares him a glance of disbelief before returning to their watch. Sinestro shrugs dismissively. "Or perhaps it's simply frowned upon."

"Why did you teach him about Halloween, anyway?" quizzes Riddler.

Sinestro creates an armchair in the shape of a ghost and settles in comfortably. "I was feeling puckish and you know how much I love your Terran sweets." He waves a hand in Grundy's direction. "He promised me fifty percent of his take."

"Whatever," huffs Black Manta. "Where's all the hot chicks dressed in cheerleader outfits?"

"Only in your warped imagination," answers Giganta dryly.

Turning to Toy Man, Black Manta accuses, "Jack, you lied to me!"

"I didn't lie!" insists Toy Man. "I didn't say hot cheerleaders, I said hot moms!"

Captain Cold leans in towards Cheetah and whispers, "You know, at first I felt sorry for the kids but now I feel sorry for the moms."

Cheetah gives a quick nod before nudging Captain Cold in his side. "Looks like you have a fan."

He rises to his full height as he takes in the small boy walking past him wearing a parka and a pair of goggles. "Hey, kid, cool costume! I'm sure that Captain Cold would be really impressed."

The boy's face scrunches in distaste. "I'm not Captain Cold, it's just freezing out here!" He hurriedly removes his parka and goggles to reach into his bag of candy for his see-through helmet and shoves it down on his head. "See? I'm Mr. Freeze! Why would I want to be Captain Cold?"

"First off, your costume is stupid, and secondly, because he is obviously the greatest criminal genius of all time!" asserts Captain Cold while Cheetah and Giganta gently restrain him with a hand on each shoulder.

"First off," the little boy mimics with a snort, "you're stupid, and secondly, you're only proving your ignorance with your second statement as that title belongs to Lex Luthor! Duh!"

Captain Cold growls before flicking his gaze over to a shrugging Lex. "What can I say? He makes sense." He looks down at the smug little villain in training and asks, "What's your name, boy? It's not often that I meet someone who impresses me."

"My name's Joey," he answers as he hears rapid footsteps coming up behind him, "and that slow-poke is my little brother, Bobby." Lex's eyes widen in surprise at the little boy's costume. "He's Albert Einstein."

"He's my idol," whispers the boy in a reverent hush while nervously poofing out his white wig and smoothing down his fake moustache. "He's a genius, a pacifist and he thought that you didn't really need school or a college education in order to learn facts. Mom hates that he said that, but I think it's awesome because he's my hero!" Barely stopping to take a breath, he quickly continues, "He's just so wonderful and he's so smart," he leans forward conspiratorially, "he's right up there with Lex Luthor!"

Ignoring Captain Cold's disgruntled, "Oh, come on," and the others' snickers, Lex beams at the children and notes, "It's nice to see that they're finally growing kids smart out here!"

"Smart, Mister? Lame is more like it!" shouts a larger boy dressed as Jason from the Friday the 13th as he runs past them. "What's your favorite candy again? Oh yeah, Nerds!"

Without missing a beat, Bobby reaches into his plastic pumpkin and pulls out a hard rubber ball and throws a fast pitch right onto the back of Larry's head. "Nice pitch," congratulates Riddler while he watches the bully struggle out of the bush that he fell into.

"Thank you," Bobby returns with a proud smile. "I'm also a Babe Ruth fan."

"Velocity plus accuracy equals bringing Larry down to the ground!" cheers Joey with a fist pump into the air. "High-five, Bobby!" He notices the boy crawling out of the bush and heading their way. "Now, let's get out of here!"

"Goodbye!" calls out Bizarro to the boys as they run off down the street. "Me hope I never see them again."

"Yes," notes Brainiac as he watches the larger boy follow them and give chase, "I've heard that children often have that effect on people."

Returning his attention back to Solomon Grundy, Grodd observes, "I find it hard to believe how well he's interacting with them and yet none of them have the slightest clue of his true identity." His head shakes in bewilderment as one of the parents pull out his cell phone while Grundy poses for photos.

"Unbelievable!" complains Black Manta. "Here we are standing in the shadows trying to keep a low profile and he's becoming the next Universal Monster!" His tone reflects his disgust. "He's not even doing scary faces."

"David, take a good look at him. Does he really need to?" inquires Captain Cold offhandedly. "So, what should we do now?"

Scarecrow scans the area and announces, "Well, I don't know about any of you but I'm going to grab some candy."

"Seriously, Jonathan?" asks Lex with a small laugh. "Are you that desperate for attention?"

"No, I'm that hungry. I skipped lunch." He suddenly leaps over the fence and jumps in front of teenager dressed like Pikachu. "They say that the greatest thing to fear is fear itself and I'm all about fear. That being said, what would you say if I wanted your candy, young man?" A flicker of shock flashes in his eyes before morphing into an angry glare at the teen boy hurriedly turning on his heel and racing away. He spins back around to face the others. "Did you see that? Did you see what that hooligan did?"

"Perhaps he was merely directing you to the next house in your search for candy," offers Sinestro while using his ring to create a pair of pincers to grab some candy out of the bags of passing children. "And simply utilizing that particular finger to do it."

Fuming, Scarecrow watches Pikachu join the group of Pokemon down the block, Riddler advises, "Let it go, Jonathan. After all, you can't catch them all."

Sparing him a dry glance, Cheetah straightens and hisses, "What is that oaf doing now?"

"It looks like he's juggling the kids in the air," answers Captain Cold with a bob of his head as he follows the flight of the children. "No worries though, the parents aren't complaining and as long as he doesn't start lobbing the kids around, we should be fine."

"I'm bored," grumbles Black Manta. "Let's egg someone's house."

"I believe that would receive unwanted attention," opines Brainiac. "Might I suggest that you consider an idea that will not end in our incarceration?"

Grodd's first to walk through the small wooden gate in the yard and onto the sidewalk. A half dozen costumed children race past him and one of them shouts, "Great costume, I love King Kong!"

Everyone watches Grodd with great trepidation as to his response. Finally, he simply sighs and mutters, "I hate that movie."

Giganta comes up alongside him and offers a sympathetic pat on the back. "I hear that Harley and Joker are having a costume party. We could drop in on them and catch up with some old friends. It should be fun."

"I do not believe that would be a very good idea," states Brainiac. "After we escaped from the Super Friends at Penguin's wedding reception, the other villains were left to face them. Surely, the Legion of Doom is currently not welcome on any villain's guest list."

"How about the movie theater?" suggests Riddler as he hops over the fence. "They have a pretty good line-up of monster movies including my favorite, Godzilla vs. King…," his voice trails away as Grodd gives him a cold stare over his shoulder. "Never mind," he apologizes with an abashed smile.

"Hey, Urko! I loved your work in Planet of the Apes!" yells a ballerina from across the street. "Nah, he's obviously Ape from George of the Jungle," argues an astronaut who points at Giganta. "See? He's standing next to Ursula." "How about Donkey Kong?" questions a Power Ranger. "Definitely not," concludes a much smaller version of Sherlock Holmes chewing on his plastic toy bubble pipe. "He is obviously Mighty Joe Young." "Seriously?" quizzes a tiny witch. "I thought he was Rafiki." She assesses Grodd once more. "He's so not Cheeta."

"You're telling me," whispers Cheetah under her breath while Grodd lets loose with a roar worthy of a pride of lions. "Rafiki was a baboon, you imbecile!"

The kids swiftly scatter as he starts to move towards them and Lex bellows, "Grodd! Quit making a display of yourself and calling attention to the rest of us!"

"What? Did all that Kryptonite finally poison your mind?" rages Grodd. "I have done absolutely nothing to draw the attention of these uncouth and ill-mannered wretches!" He turns his gaze to Grundy who is fake scaring the children gathered around him as he pokes his head out from behind a tree. "This is insane! Taking out a fully grown unliving man out for a night of trick-or treating! This isn't the Legion of Doom, it's a madhouse!" Grodd's anger begins to dissipate as the hush that fell over the group promptly erupts into muffled laughter over his Planet of the Apes reference. "And you can keep those snide remarks to yourself," he warns with a snarl, "I know what I said."

"Don't worry, I know who you're supposed to be," reveals a small voice at Grodd's knees belonging to a little girl covered in balloons from head to toe. "My name is Lucy and that is an excellent costume, Sir, and an excellent choice. I love King Solovar." She clutches her plastic pumpkin as she assures, "The gorillas of Gorilla City are almost as smart as Lex Luthor."

"Oh, really?" queries Grodd with a fiendish grin. "And where exactly are your parents, child? Not anywhere nearby, I hope."

"Lay off her, Grodd, she's just a kid," chastises Captain Cold. "Besides, as an expert on the Flash and his foes, I can assure you that you're right, honey." He barely manages to duck Grodd's arm which pops one of the little girl's balloons causing her to burst into tears.

"You big bully," reprimands Sinestro with a pout, "I wanted to be the first one to do that."

"There, there, sweetheart, there's no need for tears," soothes Cheetah. "You have plenty of other balloons and you still make a beautiful bag of…jelly beans?" she guesses before looking to the others for help discerning the child's costume when her tears quickly morph into a scowl.

Giganta thoroughly scrutinizes her outfit and conjectures, "No? Are you a bunch of grapes?"

"Perhaps," submits Brainiac while he takes in her severe frown. "Her expression is quite sour."

Toy Man laughs delightfully and announces, "Naturally, to a man with my precise expertise it's quite obvious. She's a bag of marbles!"

"And it's obvious that you've lost all of yours," assures Lex. "If any of you had even the minutest hint of my genius then you would know that she's a mole." The others stare at him in confusion as the little girl beams up at him. "For the feeble-minded, such as yourselves, she's more commonly known as a group of molecules!"

"Yes, yes, that's right!" she squeals as she bounces up and down. "I wanted to be Madame Marie Curie for Halloween but my mom said that nobody would recognize my costume. I fooled her though," she spins around and points at the tiny writing on each balloon. "She thought they were just squiggles but they're the symbols from the elemental table." She points to a small pink one over her heart with the writing Ra and 88. "See? Radium is my favorite."

"Yes, but maybe not Madame Curie's favorite, poor woman." He shakes his head sadly. "The greatest scientists always have to pay a price for progress."

"Uh huh," agrees Riddler in a bored tone before turning his attention to the little girl. "So kid, riddle me this, what's the fascination with all the science," his gaze quickly slides to Luthor and then back, "and with Lex Luthor?" He aims a no-nonsense gaze onto her. "It can't just be because he's from Smallville," he posits with his arms stretched out to indicate their surroundings.

"That's actually the reason he is so famous here! I mean sure he's an evil villain, and really raw deal on his hair, but even though he's evil, he's an evil genius." She straightens her shoulders back and continues solemnly, "We all love our family and our farms but not every kid wants to stay here and be a farmer. Some of us want to explore the world and a few of us want to explore it with science." She looks around the group of adults whose countenances are a mix of curiosity and mild interest, Lex being the most interested of all. "He didn't just show the people around here that we could do more than what was expected of us, he showed the whole world!" Lucy nods emphatically as she concludes, "Smallville isn't just known as the 'Home of Superboy' like it says on the billboard before you enter town, it means a lot more now!" Her expression softens as she wears a broad smile. "At least it does to me."

"That was very eloquently put, young lady," praises Lex as he gazes down at her thoughtfully. He kneels down to meet her at eye level. "You remind me of Madame Curie in terms of your thinking. In fact, you might be familiar with some quotes of hers that suit you extremely well." Lucy seems to hold her breath as he quotes, "We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained. Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. I am one of those who think like Nobel, that humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries."

She briefly closes her eyes before opening them with a slight shine to them. "That's why I'll never give up on science, I'll never give up on my dream." Lucy tentatively reaches out her hand and places it in Lex's much larger one as she returns her own quote from Madame Curie. "One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done." She pulls back when she hears her mother calling out for to come over and take a picture with the albino version of the Incredible Hulk. "I have to go now," she notes with a soft sigh before perking up and winking, "I have a lot to do." She rapidly darts forward and kisses his cheek. "Thank you for your inspiration too, Mr. Luthor," before running over to join her mother.

"Well…," he clears his throat as he attempts to clear his heart of any sentiment, "that was very unexpected," he chuckles softly, "and surprisingly welcome."

"Should we be on alert?" questions Brainiac. "She knows your identity and by association, ours as well." His eyes seem to dim and brighten as he processes the situation. "Except for Grodd. Odd that one so clever would make such an obvious error."

"She was making fun of me, Tin Man," explains Grodd with an offended grunt. "It's a common and idiotic human characteristic, like the trust that Luthor's placing in that child's unspoken word."

"An unspoken word?" repeats Bizarro confusedly before turning to Riddler and asking, "Is that a riddle?"

The Riddler merely laughs while Lex remains unusually silent as his gaze travels across the street to see Lucy repeatedly being thrown high into the air by Grundy just to be caught by him moments later. "That fool better be careful with her or I'll toss him into the air!"

"Really?" quizzes Sinestro skeptically. "And how do you propose to accomplish that minor task?"

"I have a power suit," he returns with a blatant stare that is obviously calling the Qwardian's intelligence into question.

"The unspoken word that was mentioned earlier," he notes with a glare aimed at Lex, "I have a feeling it's being used now and quite unkindly." He turns to the others, full of indignance. "He thinks that I'm an idiot!"

Bizarro walks over to the duo and examines Lex's expression. "Yes, that the look. Me see it all the time."

Lex turns his attention back to Lucy and releases a small sigh of relief when Grundy finally sets her back down on the ground. "That little girl really got to you, didn't she Luthor?" notes Giganta.

"I should say so," he agrees with a quick and determined nod. "I had completely forgotten about that old billboard." His grin widens to wicked glee. "I want to do something to it before we leave; I just need a minute to figure out what would be best."

"A whole minute?" mock gasps Riddler. "And here I thought you were a mastermind." He ponders a moment and suggests, "How about painting 'Lex Luthor Was Here' across the Superboy photo? You could get one last laugh and prove them all wrong when they say that you can't go home again."

"That's not a bad idea, Ed," commends Lex as he hears the carnival music starting up further up town. "I suppose we could go visit the carnival. The food's not bad and we can still entertain Grundy and keep hidden by going through the Monster Maze."

"A Monster Maze? Pulling out all the stops, aren't we Luthor? Just one hair raising experience after another," quips Cheetah.

"Ha, ha, and yet another instance that I wish the cat had your tongue. What's the matter, Priscilla? Upset because Jack hasn't asked you to go the Tunnel of Love?"

Toy Man's eyes eagerly light up until Cheetah informs him, "Forget it, Jack, you're not coming anywhere near my tunnel." Refusing to give up, he promptly observes, "I notice that you didn't ban me from your love."

"Ugh," groans Cheetah. "Where's the Super Friends when you need them? I could use the one who turns into a bucket right now."

"That's an ice bucket, Cheetah, and Zan's not here right now," declares Wonder Woman from the shadows of the house next door. "Will we do?"

"That's too bad about the boy," notes Giganta as she takes a threatening stance and grows a few feet. "I love crushed ice."

"Easy, Giganta," orders Lex before turning to the heroes. "All right, Super Friends, how did you find us?"

Superman tilts his head to indicate Grundy's current antics of playing strong man for the children while their parents film him. "Even I've heard of YouTube, Luthor."

With a grunt of disgust, Lex turns to Brainiac. "I thought you were monitoring all social media detecting our presence."

"I am," the android readily assures him, "we almost have a million hits."

"Well, congratulations, Superman! From farm gates to Bill Gates, you must be so proud." Lex narrows his eyes and notes, "Still though, despite its name, Smallville is large enough that you shouldn't have found our exact location this quickly."

"One of the cheerleaders who saw you is Chief Parker's granddaughter. He called us and then we found you." A slight red tint shines in Superman's eyes as he aims a furious stare at Lex. "That was pretty clever hiding out at the Kent farm, Luthor."

"What can I say? It's simply another stroke of my brilliant intellect. From what I hear, Clark rarely visits since the Kents passed away." He bears a slight frown as he notes, "The Kents were kind and generous people, I made sure that nothing on their property was disturbed."

Watching the red light fade from Superman's eyes, Batman relaxes slightly and assures, "Good to know but we'll make sure of that ourselves. Now, any last words before we take you in?"

Black Manta is the first to respond. "Yeah, never trust a cheerleader."

"What?" questions a confused Aquaman.

"Never mind," he dismisses with an unseen pout. Captain Cold comes up behind him and claps his shoulder. "So much for that pyramid scheme with the cheerleaders, pal. Better luck next time."

"It wasn't a scheme, it was a cheerleading pyramid and the hot chicks were falling all over me," he muses wistfully. "And then you woke up?" discerns Captain Cold. "Yeah," agrees Black Manta with a heavy sigh. "Stupid alarm clock."

"Well, I'm glad that we didn't bring the Wonder Twins," states Aquaman with a sad shake of his head. "Quit making it weird, you two!" he instructs them before looking towards the Legion. "Let's go, you guys."

"I'm afraid that we won't be going anywhere, Aquaman," insists Lex as he and the others begin to fade away with the help of Brainiac's dematerialization device. "How fitting is it that it's Halloween since you're left holding the bag. Enjoy a sugared-up Solomon Grundy, Super Fools!"

Wonder Woman and the others stare at the empty space formerly occupied by the Legion. "That could have went better," she proclaims resignedly. "Who wants to go get Grundy?"

"I'll do it," offers Superman. "I have some pent-up energy that I want to get rid of."

"Hey! Afterwards, do you want to do something in honor of Halloween before we head back to the Hall of Justice?" poses Aquaman with a hopeful note in his voice. "With the exception of Chief Parker's call, it's been a quiet night."

"Come on, Superman," urges Batman as he tries to cheer up his best friend. "We'll be back in plenty of time for Robin and the Wonder Twins to go out and enjoy themselves."

Seeing his indecision, Wonder Woman sweetens the deal by suggesting, "We can go and find the Legion and egg the Hall of Doom. Once Grundy realizes that he's been left behind, I'm sure that he'll be willing to help us locate them." She meets the others astonished stares with a shrug. "What? Just because I come from a race of peaceful Amazons, you don't think we know how to deal with our enemies on Paradise Island?"

The group shares a hearty laugh before Superman relents and sports a mischievous grin. "Alright, we'll do it right after we take care of Grundy. And don't worry about the ammunition, I know just the farm where we can find plenty of eggs."

The End