NOTE: Okay... I promise that the first part of DAA will be posted this weekend. I just wanted to do a Halloween special. Originally, this was going to be a one-shot, but now it's a two-shot. This takes place a bit before DAA would.

Review and Enjoy!

Halloween Special: Monster 10 (1)

Teal eyes stared down at her breakfast as if it was the absolute bane of her existence. Bella Maplewood blinked slowly, poking her eggs as if they were some small dying animal. She wasn't the only one as her twin sister shared the same emotions as her.

Their adoptive family watched the two with concern, trying to figure out what was wrong. Joan knew there would be times the girls would get unresponsive, usually when they were busy thinking about their father, but this felt different. Maybe she should try speaking to them before they head out for school. "Uh, girls? Are you not feeling well today?"

Alice responded first and saw the concern in both Todd and Joan's eyes. Feeling slightly guilty for the way she and her sister were acting, she tried to brush it off. "There's nothing wrong, Joan. We're just tired is all."

"You two look a lot more than just 'tired'." Todd spoke up.

Bella spoke up next. "You've never seen me tired."

"I have-"

"You've never seen me this tired!" Bella huffed a little louder, slightly bending her fork. Alice intervened before anything else could happen.

"Don't worry too much about it, Todd. Everything's just fine, okay? We should hurry so we can get to the bus on time." Alice said, pushing away her uneaten breakfast.

"You haven't even finished your breakfast yet." Joan reminded her daughters.

"I'm not hungry." Bella mimicked her sister, getting up from the table. The two left the dining room in a hurry to finish getting ready for school.

Todd furrowed his brows at their retreating backs. "What's up with them, mom? I ain't never seen them look this troubled. Maybe, except for when you first brought them home."

Joan hummed in thought, agreeing with her son. "I've been trying to figure that one out myself, son. As their mother, it's my job to figure out what's wrong with them, but I can't for the life of me figure it out."

"Well…can I eat the rest of their share?" Todd pointed at their leftovers.

"Go ahead, then get your tail ready for school." Joan stood up from the table, ignoring her son's excited noises. She took her plate to the sink, cleaning it off with the water. Her eyes subconsciously looked up at the calendar she had put up to remind herself of important dates whenever she was doing chores. Today was the 31st of October meaning that it…was… "Halloween…" Joan thought back to the words of the adoption center, where she had read over the girls' files.

"I hope you're sure about this, miss. Those two aren't exactly easy cases, especially with their past. Their hometown, Halloween Town, wasn't exactly a comforting place for them."

"Oh dear…" Joan muttered, feeling terrible for not remembering. How could she forget that her adoptive daughters held some form of trauma when it came to Halloween? Joan knew she had to do something, anything to help those girls not feel alone or uncomfortable.

But she didn't know what exactly had hurt those girls to make them hate the holiday so much, she was never told the full specifics. She could ask the girls, but would they even want to talk about it? What could she possibly do to help them…?

Bella, dressed in a red blouse underneath a pair of blue overalls, felt her anger increase as she watched all of the Halloween decorations set up around the school. Watching as kids arrived in their own costumes, ready to take part in whatever party their classes had decided to put together. Her own class had done the same, but she refused to assist in any way, silently ignoring anyone who tried to give her shit for it. Then there was the one green eyed idiot who was looking forward to the day for some reason! It was as if he had forgotten the day they met, and why she was so venomous towards Halloween in the first place! "I swear, if I see him in some ridiculous costume, I'm going to-"

"BOO!"

"KYA!"

SCRATCH!

"GYAAAHHH!" Bella heard the familiar cry of pain and realized who she had scratched. Holding his face as it stung from the pain of her sharp nails, Ben Tennyson gave her a heated glare.

"The heck was that for!?" Ben cried.

Already irritated, the boy's gall to act as if he hadn't done something wrong had pissed her off more. "For scaring me like that, you moron! Who just jumps out at someone like that!?"

"You do that when you want to scare someone, duh!" Ben crossed his arms. "Figured even your slow brain would get that."

A cartoonish tick mark appeared on her forehead. "Want me to punch you this time instead?" Bella held up her fist as a warning. Luckily, Ben realized his life was in danger.

"Chill! No need to get all worked up this early." Ben surrendered.

The wolf girl looked him up and down, noticing he was in his regular clothes. "I'm surprised you're not dressed up like the rest of these idiots."

Ben shrugged. "I was, but then I realized I don't need to. Why waste time buying or making a costume when I got like 16 guys on my wrist to be my costume?" Ben held up the Omnitrix to further his point.

"Y'know, for the guy who calls himself 'Ben 10', you don't exactly stick to the number 10." Bella mused.

"Eh, I started with 10, so I don't think it matters too much." Ben smiled.

As much of an annoying brat he could be at times, Bella genuinely enjoyed being around Ben. It was like she could forget her troubles for the moment as she hung out with him. Even on a day like this, it felt nice to have people she could be comfortable around, other than Alice.

Suddenly, her thoughts drifted to the Maplewoods, causing her to frown. It made Bella wonder if she could share moments like this with them as well.

"What's wrong?" Ben noticed her somber mood.

"Can you not tell?" Bella said.

"I'm not a mind reader."

"You really can't figure it out?"

"Nope."

Sighing loudly, Bella spread out her arms. "Look around, Mr. Hero! Do you really not remember the day we met!?"

Ben blinked at her with that dumbass look he usually gets as soon as he figures something out. It seemed to finally click in his head as his mouth made an "O" shape. "Oh…sorry."

Dropping her arms, Bella rolled her eyes. "It's fine or whatever. Nothing you can do about it anyway. Let's just hurry up to class so this stupid day can end already." Bella turned towards their class, leaving Ben to stand by himself in the hallway.

Now that he realized why Bella was so upset the past few days, he felt like a complete idiot. As a friend, he should've realized what her problems were and try to make her feel better. Ben was still pretty new to this whole having 'friends' thing, and not being a complete selfish doofus.

"If Yukiko was here, what would she do?" Ben wondered.

INABA:

"KYAAAAAAAA!" Chie and Rise ran for their lives through the empty halls of the Amagi Inn. Right behind them was the familiar heiress, dressed as Jason Vorhees with a fake(?) chainsaw in her hands.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jason-kiko's voice changer disguised her voice as she laughed like a maniac.

Behind them were the boys and Naoto, the detective doing her best to stay hidden from Jason-kiko's terrifying rampage. Hopefully Kanji would prove to be a reliable cover for when Jason-kiko eventually turned her eyes on her.

Yosuke scratched his head. "How long does Yukiko-chan plan to keep this up?"

"Until she catches them, I guess." Kanji shrugged.

"Are we certain that she doesn't have an actual chainsaw?" Naoto asked quietly.

"I…hope so." Yosuke did not sound confident in his answer.

Teddie sighed, happily. "Yuki-chan is so cute when she's acting like a deranged murderer! I wonder if I'll be able to snag a Halloween kiss this year!"

BRRRRRR!

The four of them tensed up as the sounds of a chainsaw suddenly got closer. Slowly turning around, they froze in fear as Jason-kiko loomed over them with the chainsaw…

…That was currently on fire as well.

"Seems like I'm going to be shaving a bear this Halloween…!" Jason-kiko revved up the flaming chainsaw, the mechanical whirring of the rotating saw blade scaring them even more.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Ben shook his head, certain that Yukiko would want him to help Bella and Alice overcome their hatred for Halloween! "But…how am I going to do that?" He thought about it for a few more seconds before realizing he could simply ask the third smartest person he knew.

"How am I the third smartest person you know, doofus!?" Gwen asked. The two were currently sitting at a lunch table while the Maplewood sisters were off on their own for the moment. "Who are the other two!?"

"Grandpa and Yukiko." Ben answered.

"Okay, Grandpa, I can understand. But there's no way Yukiko is smarter than me." Gwen huffed.

"She's older than you, though?"

"That doesn't mean she's smarter. Even you can understand that I was the brains behind our team last summer." Gwen puffed her chest.

"Brains of being a doofus-ow!" Ben winced after Gwen punched his arm.

"Shut it! Now, what was it that you wanted to ask me about?" Gwen crossed her arms.

Rubbing his arm a bit, Ben sighed. "So, you've noticed how Bella and Alice have been recently, right?"

"Oh, you want to help them move past their trauma of Halloween, right?" Gwen figured it out instantly.

Ben gaped at her. "How did you figure it out so quickly!? I didn't even finish explaining!"

"Anyone with half a brain cell would've noticed how those two have been. We also know the reason behind their hatred of Halloween." Gwen's explanation made the boy burn with embarrassment.

"Okay, I get it! I'm a bad friend for not noticing!" Ben grumbled, turning away.

Feeling a bit bad, Gwen scooted closer to him. "You're not a bad friend. A bad friend wouldn't have tried to even help them with their issues even after noticing. You're a good friend, Ben, so don't think too much about it."

Ben smiled at his cousin. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Aw! What a sweet little scene!"

The cousins frowned as an annoying voice interrupted their moment. Turning around, Ben and Gwen saw J.T. and Cash walking over to them. "Gonna get all kissy too~!" J.T. mocked.

Gwen gave the two her best "Yukiko glare" after the insinuation made. "Buzz off, morons! Don't you have puppies to kick or something?" She never fully understood how annoying these two were until she enrolled in Ben's school. J.T. and Cash couldn't leave them alone ever and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"We don't kick puppies, nerd, we laugh at them!" Cash declared.

J.T. shifted nervously. "W-well… I kinda like puppies."

"Shut it, J.T.!" Cash hissed at his friend, causing him to flinch.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Wow, that's so impressive, Cash. How about you go do something good for once, like leaving us alone?"

Cash hissed, annoyed at the smaller boy. "Talk all you want, Tennyson. Just know that we didn't come here just to make fun of you and your nerdy cousin."

"Then, what?" Gwen raised a brow.

Smirking at their interest, Cash nudged his partner. "Show them, J.T."

J.T. moved a bit closer and pulled something out his backpack. It was a flier with a Halloween theme. "Tonight the older grades are hosting a courage game in the old cemetery. Apparently, there's a legend that after every 100 years, on Halloween night, the spirits of the dead will rise again to curse those who trespass."

"And you're telling us, because…?" Gwen looked unimpressed.

"Because! Everyone in our year is gonna be there too, but I know Tennyson is too much of a wimp to show up!" Cash taunted.

Gwen could see her cousin's eye twitch. "Ben…" She warned, but it was already too late.

"Wimp!?" Ben jumped to his feet, glaring at Cash. "I'll show you a wimp, Cash!" Ben took the flier from J.T. "I'll be there, but you two losers are the ones who are gonna get scared!"

Cash smirked. "See you tonight then, shrimp."

Ben glared at their backs as they left back to their table, clutching the flier tightly. Gwen stood up, looking a bit concerned. "Ben, you know they're just trying to get a rise out of you, right?"

"I know." Ben responded.

"Then, let's just not go. You don't need to prove anything to those two, Ben. I thought you and Yukiko had already talked about this." Gwen said.

Ben looked at her with an air of seriousness. "I know that, because this isn't about them."

"Really?" Gwen raised a brow, not entirely convinced.

"I want to give Bella and Alice the first good Halloween they've ever had. But, I'm kinda blanking on what I could possibly do to give them some happy memories. However, J.T. and Cash just handed me the perfect opportunity." Ben explained.

"The opportunity to do what?" Gwen asked.

"To make this the best Halloween ever!" Ben held up the Omnitrix, already filling Gwen with some shred of dread.

"I really don't like that look in your eyes…" Gwen groaned.

Walking through the old Bellwood cemetery was a short man, covered by a cloak, with a hunched back. His misshapen eyes scanned the graveyard until he reached the gravestone he was looking for.

'IN LOVING MEMORY, SCROOGE RICKLY'

The hunchback smiled sickly, pulling out a strange green vial. "Master, after 100 long years, it's time for you to awaken. The miserable fools who have tainted this day will regret ever forgetting your name." He poured the vial's substance onto the grave without wasting another second. Stepping back, the hunchback watched as the dirt below the gravestone burned with a loud hiss.

Soon the ground shook with strong vibrations until it came to an abrupt stop. The hunchback simply folded his arms behind his back, licking his lips in anticipation.

CRACK!

The stone and dirt pulled apart, white skeletal bones pushing the ground with newly awakened strength. Once enough space had been cleared, the skeleton rose from the dead, much to the delight of the hunchback. He watched as his newly revived master stood in front of him, the skeleton examining everything around him. Then, he stared at the one who had brought him back to life. "Dutch."

"Master! It's an honor to be blessed by your presence once again!" Dutch bowed down to the skeleton.

"You revived me?" Scrooge asked.

"Yes, master! Just as you instructed me 100 years ago!"

Scrooge would've blinked if he had eyelids. "I see…so it's been 100 years."

"I apologize, master. It took such a long time to gather the correct components for the juice." Dutch apologized.

Scrooge ignored the apology, choosing to simply observe his surroundings. He could see the city lights, hear the noise, and smell the flesh and blood of humans. "Even after 100 years, the vitality of the human race grows even larger?" Then, he saw the Halloween decorations that were set up everywhere. "Halloween?"

"Yes, master! The humans created this day, this holiday to celebrate the day that monsters were eradicated. Over time, the true meaning was lost to time and transformed into some commercial advertisement for children!" Dutch explained. His eyes widened as the ground shook and it didn't take much for him to realize that it was coming from his master. "Master?"

"Wretched fools…" Scrooge shook with rage, ancient power rising from his old body. Dutch watched with amazement as meat, veins, and flesh began to emerge from the cracks of the skeleton's body. "To mock that horrid day…the day that…!" Within seconds, standing before the hunchback was no longer a skeleton. A well-defined man stood naked in the middle of the graveyard. His blood red eyes pierced the hunchback's very soul, his long black hair blowing softly in the wind, two sharp fangs protruding slightly from his mouth. "I'll ensure these foul humans pay with their very lives!"

"M-master!?" Dutch cried.

"Dutch."

"Y-yes!"

"When will the moon be at its peak?"

"Tonight, master! On Halloween night, the moon will be at its peak and the humans will come flooding." Dutch explained.

"Then, we have time to prepare." With a snap of his fingers, Scrooge's naked form was covered by a black cloak. "Tonight, this cemetery will be covered in the blood of these humans!"

To Be Continued

NOTE: I hope you guys liked part 1 of this Halloween special! The villains for this were created by me and more about them will be explained in the next part.

1. Bella and Alice are the focus here, and I felt it would be cool to give them some attention. Ben wants to be a good friend and help them come to understand that Halloween doesn't have to be such a terrible day. Will he succeed? We'll see.

2. Yukiko chasing her friends down with a chainsaw was a spontaneous choice that I will never regret. How they reached that point? You'll never know.

Stay tuned for more!