~* Halloween *~ “Excuse me, Ms. Morgan; I need a word with you. It’s important.” “What’s up big guy?” she asked rather candidly. He glanced at me, then back at her. “Hey, whatever it is you can say it in front of Robin too.” He reluctantly sighed. “I just received a phone call from Mrs. Morgan. It’s about your father. He’s … in the hospital.” “What?! What happened?!” she abruptly leapt to her feet, and with the added height from having already been sitting on the stage stairs, she was almost able to look him in the eye.

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Author's Note:
Sorry this took me a bit longer than usual. I've been mulling over this chapter for awhile now. I wanted things to progress at just the right pace, and I think I've managed to accomplish that. I hope so, anyway. Enjoy!
~Zoe

PS: I'm trying something different and a little advanced (for me anyway!) with the HTML in this one. This is a one-time thing, but if anything breaks, please let me know and I'll pull the images, and host them in a separate blog post :-)

NOTE: Images of the girls in-costume courtesy City of Heroes Character Creator, www.cityofheroes.com

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I have to admit I had my doubts as to whether Jason would actually come or not, though at that particular moment my thoughts remained more focused on Sensei Rogers, as he gently turned my ankle to one side, then the other. I kept insisting that all I’d hurt when I fell getting out of Nicole’s Mustang was my pride, but he insisted on safety first. As he finished, reassured that the minor bruise my ankle now bore would be the only damage, Nicole appeared in the doorway.

“Look who I found in the lobby?” she grinned, pulling Maria inside. The dark-skinned girl waved, but gasped when she saw Sensei bandaging my ankle. “Robin, what happened?!”

My cheeks burned intensely as I shifted my gaze. “It’s stupid. I didn’t realize my shoelace was untied and fell flat on my face getting out of Nicole’s car. I bumped my ankle when I fell, but it’s just a little bruise. It doesn’t even hurt.”

Sensei Rogers finished tying the bandage into place and stood. “There. That should at least keep you from accidentally bumping it during practice, and making that bruise any worse. Now what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

I stood, first bowing deeply. “Thank you, Sensei. I wanted to talk to you about Jason. Maria and I… Oh!” I paused, motioning to my patient Latin friend, who herself giggled. “This is Maria. Anyway we went to see Mrs. Beaumont to talk to her about being our guest of honor at next week’s walk-a-thon. I told you about the walk-a-thon didn’t I?”

He nodded. I’d swear he seemed afraid to interrupt me while I was on a roll, so I just kept babbling, explaining how a simple visit turned into inviting my ex-‘enemy’ to take my place helping out with the dojo’s weekly maintenance.

After I finished, he exhaled slowly, turning to pace a few steps away from us. He turned back again, a reluctant expression buried somewhere in his features. “Robin, are you absolutely certain about this? You’ll be taking responsibility for the actions of another student.”

Without hesitation, I nodded. “Yes, Sensei, I’m certain. I feel like this could be a great outlet for his anger, and I believe he could learn a lot from you, much as I have. The most important lesson you taught me was always think before you act. I failed to do that the first day of school and I paid for it. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.”

He gave me a knowing smile. “You’ve come a long way from that nervous girl who could barely throw a punch a few months ago. I’m proud of you.”

“So does that mean…?” I asked hesitantly. He nodded in return, smiling more broadly.

Maria squealed. I think she was more excited than I could ever be. I’ll admit my motives hadn’t been completely pure. With Maria no longer mad at me, we could focus on the rapidly approaching basketball season, and with Jason no longer mad at me I could focus on not looking over my shoulder every time I left the gym. I wasn’t ready to forgive him completely, but I was ready to give him a chance at least.

As we lined up for practice, Sensei stepped to the center of the floor in front of us. “Who can tell me the first rule of this dojo?”

“No wearing cleats during practice?” a younger boy with sandy blond hair offered, to a quiet round of giggles.

“No, that’s the second rule,” he chuckled with a good-natured, but serious smile. “The first rule of this dojo is, ‘Check your ego at the door’. Now what that means is sometimes you’re going to get hurt accidentally, or sometimes someone will try to hurt you. Sometimes it happens outside the dojo, but within these walls, you respect yourself, you respect me, and you respect each other. Now, with that said I want to introduce you to our newest student.”

Much like my dealings with Natalie, in getting people to lighten up and give her a chance, I had a plan to help Jason too. It’d remain to be seen whether or not he deserved it, but I couldn’t very well let him swing in the breeze if he genuinely wanted to change.

Sensei motioned toward the door where Jason stood, now dressed in a simple white gi. “This is Jason, our newest student.” Jason nervously approached, and as he came to a stop next to Sensei Rogers, I made my move.

“Sensei, I would like to speak, sir.”

Of course, all eyes fell on me. Our class, though mostly teenagers or middle-schoolers, weren’t all from the same school district, but they all knew about Jason, and they knew our history. Sensei Rogers nodded. “Go ahead, Robin.”

I stepped forward and smiled as I offered Jason my hand. “You’re late.” I grinned, patting his shoulder lightly as he took my hand. I think the group let out a collective, if quiet sigh as I returned to my place. Sensei Rogers nodded to Jason.

“You’ll be working with Josh tonight, and I’ll personally work with you more tomorrow morning, if you’re still interested.”

“Thanks,” he responded neutrally, which to my mind was a massive enough improvement that I couldn’t possibly fault the guy. It’s true that a leopard can’t change its spots, nor a tiger its stripes, but I like to think people are better than animals, when they want to be.

Though we went our separate ways following practice, I did catch a glimpse of Jason and Josh sparring together. I didn’t know what they talked about, but I know I saw Josh smile a couple of times, and Jason shot Maria a nervous glance while the ‘girlfriends’ (Jennifer, Nicole, and now Maria) sat off to the side and gossiped.

“So are you ready for tomorrow night?” Nicole grinned as I carefully eased myself into her car. Not only did I not want a repeat performance of my arrival earlier that evening, but I’d earned a few new bruises for my trouble. It just was not my night. I did give her a playful grin, echoing as closely as I could manage, the response one of my favorite cartoon characters would give.

“Why, Brain? Wot are we gonna do tomorrow night?”

Without missing a beat, she smiled grimly, “Try to take over the world!”

We both exploded into giggles as we pulled into Friday evening traffic, and I, being the first to manage to catch my breath enough to say anything, continued. “Yeah, I’m so excited. I’ve been working really hard on my costume. You’re going to love it.”

She giggled. “Not as much as you’ll like the surprise the girls came up with. They really are devious when they put their mind to it.”

“Like someone else I know,” I joked, squeezing her free hand. She smiled briefly at me.

“I’d kiss you if it wouldn’t result in us veering off into that street light.”

“It’d almost be worth it, but I wouldn’t want to destroy your baby in the process.”

She giggled, patting the dashboard. “Good point. I still can’t believe you actually got Jason to come. I just hope you’re right.”

I had to exhale at that. “Me too Nikki. With Natalie it was easy to forgive her. It was only words. Jason took it a step further. Maria told him about the Raggedy Man, and I think maybe that helped take the edge off, but I’m still not ready to trust him yet.”

“Still that was pretty cool what you did, heading off anyone who’d give him a hard time like that.”

“Well, I’m not ready to trust him, but that doesn’t mean I’m not ready to give him a chance to prove himself. I’m just glad it’s finally over. I can breathe again, at least until Monday when I have to deal with Brittany again.”

“Brittany? I thought she lightened up after Homecoming,” Nicole asked, a little surprised, as we pulled into my driveway. I gave her a soft nod.

“She did, at first, but it’s like she’s getting back to her old tricks again.” I paused, turning in my seat to face her. “The thing is, I think there’s more going on there too.”

She unbuckled her seatbelt, shifting her posture slightly to look back at me. Her gorgeous brown eyes reflected the front porch light back at me, adding a hint of sparkle to them. “Why do you think that?”

“I dunno. I guess I just find it hard to believe she’d act like this for no reason… Plus I felt someone squeeze my hand when I came out of the locker room after talking to Maria, and I think it might’ve been her. Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking.”

“High school’s complicated when you’re the prettiest, most popular girl in school,” she teased, kissing my cheek. I giggled a little as I returned it in kind, leaning over to hug her.

“Yeah yeah. G’night cutie,” I grinned.

“Sweet dreams vam- HEY!” She laughed, poking my arm. “See you tomorrow. Oh, you have a ride right? I’d come pick you up, but I’m kind of in the show,” she trailed off, giggling at the mere thought of getting to perform live with Heedless Despair again.

I laughed as I squeezed her hand. “Yes, Margie’s dropping Ally and me off, and Jen and Josh are going together.”

“Awesome,” she replied as I reluctantly pulled myself away from her, stepping out of the car. Even with the side windows tinted I still imagined she waved as I blew her a kiss then turned to step inside. I needed to put some last-minute touches on my Aria Blade costume, but first I needed another shower, and some dinner, not necessarily in that order. At least I didn’t have to worry about my Belle costume, I thought to myself, as I closed the door behind me. That’s the great thing about a more ‘traditional’ costume though; rental stores are always an option.

My Aria Blade costume, on the other hand, had gone through several phases over the course of the last week. We ultimately had decided to go much more boldly than first intended. Since Aria Blade would kind of become a figurehead for the new teen hero team in the scope of the comic (pretty much against her will and wishes) Margie called in a few more favors.

Apparently she’d been working on another secret project recently, so the same person that helped her with that was ready and able to help me with the chest armor portion of Aria Blade’s costume. All that remained for me now was to apply a final coat of some kind of non-toxic protectant chemical to the costume to keep it looking new and ‘authentic’ for the photo shoot next month.

Morning came far too quickly. Maybe the anticipation for the coming parties had finally gotten to me, but I dreamed I was Belle, dancing across that spectacularly beautiful ballroom, only my dance partner, rather than the Beast of the movie, was instead Nicole. I at least awoke with a smile, though I squealed a little when I opened my eyes and found Allison smiling at me.

“Morning,” she giggled, sliding off my bed.

“Jeeze, Ally, you scared me half to death,” I grumbled, but paused and stared at her sleepily. “What’re you doing here anyway?”

She giggled again. “It’s after ten, goof. You slept in again. Jen and Nikki are at my house already. The party, remember?”

That woke me right up; I rolled over to check my alarm clock, its bright LED confirming Allison’s comment. “Crap! I forgot to turn my alarm back on again.”

“Just come over in your jammies. We’re going to do our hair and makeup, and get dressed for the party at my house anyway. Er, unless you need to wash your hair first or anything,” she added, stepping out again.

I pulled back the covers, exposing my mostly bare skin (as I’d chosen to sleep in a white cami and shorts) with a shiver. No way would I be going over there dressed like this! Instead I quickly threw on the jeans I’d worn the night before and the first top I could find, which happened to be a long-sleeved purple turtleneck.

I had some trouble navigating the stairs with a garment bag containing my golden ball gown slung over my shoulder, makeup kit and a shoe box containing both the heels, hose, and white gloves I’d need to complete the ensemble tucked under my arm. Mom and Margie had both left for work, so I had to struggle to get out the door. By the time I arrived on the Jones’ doorstep, I’d already given up on letting myself in, using my foot to lightly kick the door to ‘knock’.

Kelly pulled the door open, her eyes widening. She quickly stepped closer, offering her hand. “You should’ve told Allison you needed a hand,” she chided playfully as I handed her the garment bag.

“I didn’t think I would. That gown is heavy!”

“The girls took over the master bathroom since there’s more counter space to work with. Go on up, and I’ll hang this in Allison’s room for you.”

Kelly was so thoughtful. I wrapped my free arm around her, which she returned with a cheerful smile, following me up the stairs. I passed through the Jones’ master bedroom, not really paying too much thought to the surroundings since I’d been through a dozen times in the time that I’d lived next door, and quickly found Allison, Jennifer and Nicole in various states of hair and makeup.

Nicole, glancing at me via the huge wall mirror, grinned. “It’s about time you got here. We were thinking of sending a search party.”

Jennifer elbowed Nicole playfully. “That’s what you get for keeping her up all night,” she chided.

“Hey, I’m innocent… this time,” she shot back with a raspberry on the end.

“No, actually, she’s right,” I joked as I set my makeup case down on the counter. “I had this really amazing dream about you. Hang on a second while I put this in Ally’s room.” I patted the shoe box lightly and turned to step out. Not surprisingly Nicole followed me, even despite the fact only half her hair had been styled, the other half lying flat. When I turned around, I had to try hard to stifle a laugh at the sight.

“What was your dream about?” she asked, somewhat seriously, but with a curious, even innocent tone. I wrapped her in a hug as I rested my head on her shoulder. “Us. I guess I’m just really excited about the party because, remember the ballroom scene from ‘Beauty and the Beast’? The last thing I remember was dancing with you in that ballroom.”

She giggled. “So I’m a big, hairy beast now?”

I laughed, grabbing her hand and dragging her back to the bathroom. “That’s not a safe question to ask right now. Let me finish with your hair, THEN I’ll tell you you weren’t a big, hairy beast.”

She reached her free hand up, lightly touching the fluffed-up side of her hair and laughed. “Oh, duh.”

Of the four of us, we probably had the most trouble with what to do with Nicole’s hair. We had settled on a ‘Disney Princesses’ theme, but Snow White had always been depicted as having short hair, where Nicole’s was longer than even mine, and there was no way she’d let a professional cut it that short, let alone any of us. We ultimately compromised by under-tucking it to let it hang in a “fake bob” style with hair pins hidden underneath. It made for a spectacular illusion if one just saw her at a glance.

While the other three changed into their costumes, I slipped into Allison and Kelly’s smaller bathroom to change into mine. I decided to take my shoes and gloves with me, though I left the fake gold tiara in the box for now. I’d swear you could have heard a pin drop when I stepped back into Allison’s bedroom. Jennifer dressed as Pocahontas, Allison as Cinderella, and Nicole as Snow White, all stared silently at me. Nicole’s jaw fell open, but she didn’t say anything.

I could feel my cheeks burning quite intensely. “… What?”

Nicole blinked, RUNNING across the floor to throw her arms around me. I laughed as I accepted her hug, Allison and Jennifer joining a moment later. Nicole giggled. “Robin, you look… Um, wow. You look JUST like Belle. You’re gorgeous!”

Jennifer giggled. “Just one thing missing.” She ran back to my accessory/shoebox, returning a second or two later. “Nik-I mean, Snow White, will you do the honors?”

Nicole grinned as she accepted the tiara from ‘Pocahontas’, carefully placing it on my head. “There.”

“Thanks you guys. Honestly you guys look amazing too. I still can’t believe we talked Nicole into that dress though.”

Nicole laughed. “It’s for a good cause. But if someone takes a picture of me in this thing I swear I’ll break their camera.”

“Oh,” Jennifer spoke, even as she stepped away. She knelt to retrieve a plastic replica of Pocahontas’ mother’s necklace from her purse. “That reminds me, I invited a photographer from the yearbook staff to come take pictures at the party. I think Trina’s bringing her camera to your party tonight too.”

“You mean there’s going to be photographic evidence in the YEARBOOK?” Nicole sounded nervous, but she just couldn’t keep a straight face and started giggling, causing the rest of us to crack up. Laughter among the four of us was contagious. No matter how hard one of us tried, if at least two others started laughing, we were all doomed.

“I forgot Trent’s on yearbook staff,” Allison commented as she placed her own silver tiara into her perfectly styled blonde hair. Jennifer had done an amazing job with her. She looked like the real Cinderellie. All she needed was a pumpkin and a prince.

“Yeah, Laura convinced him to take photojournalism with her last year I think, and then she decided not to keep going with it.”

“She’s going as Trina, though?” I asked, a little surprised. Going out as a group was one thing, but a lot of kids from school would be at Nicole’s party. Nicole addressed my concerns with a reassuring smile.

“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s okay. This is Halloween. The best part is I heard from Laura that Trina’s going as a cheerleader, so it’s double-awesome.”

We giggled and chatted for another short while, and before long the four of us were cruising downtown. Having a school employee as a den mother to our troop had its definite advantages. Coach Greer had managed to get permission for us to use the high school cafeteria to host the annual Halloween party, and as a bonus, it was already decorated, so all we had to do was hang the “Happy Birthday!” banner to honor our founder after school the day prior.

Ghosts, goblins, witches, fairy princesses, angels, and ballerinas among other, more original costumes greeted us as we entered the cafeteria. Even Coach Greer had gotten into the spirit of things. She stood at the entrance dressed in an elegant black evening gown and black opera gloves, but what really gave away what she was ‘supposed to be’ was the dark makeup: well, that and the fangs, when she grinned at us.

“Girls, you look amazing! Let me guess — Pocahontas, Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle?” We giggled and nodded almost in unison, causing her to laugh. “Amanda loves Disney movies almost as much as I do,” she smiled sheepishly. “Come on inside. Pizza’s being catered, and the cafeteria ladies have generously volunteered their time to make an extra-large double-layer chocolate birthday cake too.”

Although the turnout had been somewhat less than we had hoped, I was happy to see Elaine, dressed like a hobo, and I barely recognized Tracey with her blonde wig and Marilyn Monroe dress. She seemed to be smiling and enjoying herself, chatting with a couple of younger girls. As I grabbed a slice of pizza and found a seat, I couldn’t help missing a few faces though, but they at least had their reasons.

“I wish Natalie and Rachel could be here,” Allison echoed my thoughts, as she sat at the round lunch table beside me.

“Yeah, me too,” Jennifer offered. “I also wish Pocahontas wore pants. It’s cold in here!” she laughed.

Just before we were about to go our separate ways to mingle with our fellow scouts, the yearbook staff photographer Jennifer had invited, who just happened to be the mousy girl who took our picture on Hawai’ian Lei Day approached us. She snapped a few pictures then sat down at our table. “You guys are so amazing,” she had an almost longing tone in her voice.

We looked at each other and giggled a little as I spoke up, “We didn’t have much to do with this. The Scouts hold parties like these every year.”

“Oh, I know,” she replied with a sheepish smile. “I guess I’m just kind of jealous. You’re all really outgoing and I’m … well, not.”

Allison glanced at me and grinned. “You should have met Robin before this last summer. Girl Scout camp REALLY changed her.”

The short girl, whom I had decided to nickname ‘Mousy’ officially because she kind of reminded me of a timid mouse, always afraid of a slumbering cat close by, stared at me in surprise. “Seriously? You weren’t always this laid-back and outgoing?”

I laughed. “Believe it or not, before I moved here I used to be the kid who hid in the school library to avoid bullies. I still got dropped in the occasional trash can for my trouble.”

She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. “What changed all that? I mean, what happened at camp?”

“A lot of things happened, but I think the big thing was that camp helped me come to terms with who I am, and who I want to be. I enjoy helping people, and I love fashion.”

“Where she used to be an introverted tomboy,” Nicole chimed in.

“Yeah. Camp was the first time I had a chance to actually help someone else-”

“Crystal, right? Elaine told me that story, but I didn’t put two and two together until recently when she was going on about an article she wants to write.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s where Jen taught us to Hula, as part of the big camp luau. You should go next year. I’m sure Director Meredith will lift the ‘no electronics’ rule to let you bring your camera too.”

“I’m a little old to be signing up for Girl Scouts this late though,” she frowned, causing us to giggle.

“No you’re not. This last summer was my first year ever, and Nicole hasn’t been a scout since she was little. And believe me, badges aren’t everything either. I got the important ones as a first-year CIT, and the rest kind of fall into place as they will. You don’t even have to like the outdoors. It helps though because hiking and canoeing are a lot of fun.”

“Okay, okay!” she laughed. “You convinced me. I’ll talk to my mom about it next Spring. … Maybe I’ll talk to Mrs. Greer about joining too. Oh, I’m Kathy by the way. My friends call me Mouse.”

Hah! I nailed that one. I giggled. “Nice to meet you Mouse.”

“Likewise. Robin, Jennifer, Allison, and Nicole right?” she pointed to each of us, and we nodded as she listed off our names. “Kewl. Between Elaine and Trent I feel like I already know you guys, so I figured I’d just kind of take the plunge and say ‘Hi’ for once.”

“Hey, you’re welcome to hang out with us anytime,” Jennifer offered, with her trademark, laid-back smile. Mouse’s eyes widened slightly. “Seriously?”

Allison laughed, “Seriously! Hey you’re coming to Nikki’s party tonight aren’t you?”

“I, um... I mean I…”

Nicole giggled. “You’d better. Heedless Despair are making an encore appearance, but that’s all I’m permitted to say.”

“You mean the rumor’s true?! Awesome! Yes, I’ll come! Oh, I’d better get back to snapping pictures! My uncle’s friend writes for the local paper and asked if I’d give him a copy of my contact sheet to pick out the best prints, so I need to at least use a full roll.”

As she bounded off again, the rest of us split off to hang out and chat with the other Scouts. I found myself the subject of praise for my costume more than once, but the highlight of my afternoon had to be little Amanda, Angela’s daughter. Dressed like a little Princess herself, she hadn’t noticed the four of us at all yet until I slipped up behind her. Her friends all turned to stare at me, and in an almost cartoonish moment, she slowly looked between them, turned around to look up at me, smiling down at her, and squealed excitedly. “Spirit!”

I laughed as I knelt to hug her. “You look just like Belle!”

I giggled as her friends moved over to let me sit with them. “You look like a little princess yourself. I love your costume.”

“Thanks!”

“Are you guys having fun?”

“Yeah!” they cheered in unison. It’s funny. Before I met Amanda I had virtually no interest in kids, but from the moment I saw her, that little girl absolutely stole my heart. If I’d had a little sister myself, I’d have wanted her to be exactly like her.

The party seemed to last for hours, though really it had only just reached half-past one when the first parents started trickling in to pick up their children. The “Princess Brigade” as we had jokingly become known, stayed behind to make sure all the younger girls’ parents picked them up. Even Amanda’s dad came by to get her to give Angela a few minutes to catch her breath. As the last girl waved goodbye, leaving with her elderly grandfather, Angela approached us.

“You know, when I was first approached about being the new Den Mother, I was a little apprehensive. You four have really stepped up and shown me why Mer was so proud of you as CITs though. It’s not just planning events, but you really know how to connect with the younger girls — all of you.” We all kind of gathered around her in a group hug.

“I’m glad you took the job,” Allison said, though I think we all agreed with her.

“Ditto that,” Jennifer added, then grinned, “Plus Amanda idolizes Robin.”

I giggled, blushing a little. “If I’d had a sister I’d want her to be just like Amanda.”

“You know I could use a steady babysitter, if you’re interested. It’d just be one or two nights a month for my husband and I to get out of the house. I love Amanda with all my heart, but we haven’t gone out just the two of us since my mother-in-law passed away. She used to watch her once in awhile, and we just didn’t want to trust anyone else.”

I giggled. “My sister used to babysit me almost nightly when I was Amanda’s age, while my mom worked on her nursing credentials. I’d love to pay it forward as long as it’s not a basketball game night. I have Kenpo on Fridays too, but my mom’s kind of dating my Sensei so I think I can work around that if you need,” I grinned.

She laughed. “Mondays were our usual date night. One Monday a month to get us through the other three.”

“Sounds great. This Monday’s probably bad for me because we have the walk-a-thon that Friday, but the Monday after I should be free.”

“Great! I’ll let my husband know. I’m sure Amanda’ll be thrilled too.”

As she walked away, Nicole glanced between the two of us and giggled. “What… just happened?”

I laughed. “Apparently, I just got a part time job. Hey, can you give us a ride home? It was fun playing Belle for a couple of hours, but these shoes don’t fit quite right. My feet are killing me.”

She giggled at that, and nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready to get out of this dress and into something black. And no, that’s not a hint at what my costume is!” she chided, as we left the cafeteria. Thankfully someone else had the foresight to bring paper plates, so clean-up was basically ‘put the recyclables in the right bin’.

With a little convincing along the way we managed to get Nicole to join us at Allison’s for a few hours to unwind before the party. Guests wouldn’t start arriving until after dark anyway; anyone who decided to ‘crash early’ would be swiftly introduced to Bruno, the Morgans’ private security guy that they hired specifically to ensure the evening went without a hitch. I guess having a big-name band play a private party on private property required some extra security, but it would so be worth it!

“See you soon cutie,” Nicole whispered just before she gave me one last parting kiss. I giggled as I watched her head up the stairs. We had cleverly hidden our costumes in Kelly’s room, and after waiting the requisite minute or so to be sure she had left, we dove over the sofa and raced upstairs to start changing.

“This is so cool,” Jennifer giggled. “I know I never was all that into comics like you two, but when Margie asked me to model for the new Volcaness, how could I say no?”

Allison laughed, “Oh I know. I love the Coronal Rose costume she helped me design. I think Robin’s is the best though. Have you seen it yet?”

Jennifer shook her head. “Not yet. I’ve seen the preliminary sketches though,” she added, as we reached Kelly’s bedroom. Allison pushed the door open and stepped inside to retrieve our duffle bags while we waited in the hall.

“It’s great. I did all the leatherworking myself, but Margie called in a professional to do the heavier pieces.”

“Wow. How did she pull that off?”

Allison appeared, holding out a white duffle bag to me and a red one to Jennifer, with a green one slung over her shoulder. “Apparently they were working on another project together, so she asked if he’d help with Aria Blade too.”

I slipped into the bathroom to change, but only into the leather armor portion. I was really quite proud of the work I’d done on it too. The chest piece and leggings were matched dark purple and white alternating, and despite being really lightweight, thin material, held just enough stiffness to them to look like they’d provide some protection.

When I returned, Jennifer and Allison had already changed, since their costumes required the least work to get into (since both their comic book analogues relied more on deterring an opponent from getting too close). They both giggled when I stepped inside.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” Jennifer gasped. She stood and started pacing around me, inspecting it. “And this is JUST the first part?”

“Yeah. Stabbing myself all those times in that leather tooling class really paid off.”

Allison laughed as she reached into my duffle bag, pulling out the chest piece, a well-crafted roughed PVC piece in white and gold, along with a matched, plated battle skirt, holding them out. “Come on, ‘Aria Blade’, let’s see the full outfit!”

With Jennifer and Allison’s help, as there was no way I could get into the full ensemble alone, Aria Blade stood proudly in the middle of Allison’s bedroom a few minutes later, armored from neck to toe, a winged white ‘headband’ adorning her blonde hair, and a purple mask carefully guarding her features.

Admittedly I felt more than a little overdressed, but these were Margie’s specifications for the battle pieces for Aria’s new look. I couldn’t help picturing Nicole’s head poking out of Raven Wing’s new armor. I’d ask her tonight to model for the once-Villainess’ posters. I wanted to ask her sooner, but didn’t want to spoil the big surprise she’d been planning for us either.

Not surprisingly, quite a few vehicles were already either parked or in the process of being directed to where they could park. This party was going to be huge. A rather large man with broad shoulders and dark sunglasses, wearing a black t-shirt and faded jeans stood at the gates. Kelly had just dropped us off so the three of us walked up the sidewalk. He held up his hand for us to stop, ignoring the car he’d just flagged down to approach us. “You three, names. Now.”

“Uh, Robin, Jen and Ally?”

He raised his sunglasses, staring intently at us. “You don’t match the descriptions. You’re the right height, wrong hair color.”

Allison giggled as she raised the red-haired wig she wore, and I my blonde mane. “We’re superheroes; of course we’re hiding our secret identities!” she teased. I just knew he was going to deck us for that, but surprisingly, he let out a deep belly laugh.

“Okay, go on in. Ms. Morgan’s expecting you.”

“Thanks!” we chimed in unison, heading on up the long, winding driveway together. The trees that flanked it on either side had already turned, some of the fall foliage scattered across the otherwise perfectly manicured lawn. The front of the Morgans’ house remained mostly as we remembered it, save for the twin Jack-O-Lanterns perched atop the pair of bronze lion statues that proudly guarded the front door.

The door itself, a gorgeous, hand-carved wood of some dark red varnish or other always felt so imposing, though somehow the lions getting stuck with Jack-O-Lantern duty made it seem more welcoming and less ‘scary people live here’. We stepped in through the foyer, ignoring the sign that declared to take the garden path around the back. A second man of about the same height and relative bouncer type build turned to face us. He took one look at us and grinned. “Ms. Morgan’s special guests, right?”

I nodded this time. “That’s right. How’d you know?”

He laughed, “She warned me you’d probably be the only ones brave enough to ignore the sign after meeting Bruno down at the gates.”

“Yeeee-ah, that guy was scary!” Jennifer added with a giggle.

“Naw, he’s only scary if you make him mad. I once saw him toss a dude like a Frisbee. Anyway, you can go on in. Band’s gettin’ ready upstairs, but the party’s already in full swing out back.”

“Awesome,” Allison answered, as we continued across the marble foyer.

There were days when I wished I had a map of the Morgans’ house. As many times as I’d visited, I still found myself getting lost so easily in the long halls and large sitting areas. When Nicole told me over dinner on our first date that her parents ‘were loaded’, I never dreamed she meant ‘We live in a mansion’. Apparently it used to embarrass her that her parents were so well off. You wouldn’t know it by just talking to them. They didn’t do their shopping in Europe or ride around in a limo, although they did have that awesome private jet on call.

“Man, this place looks amazing,” I heard someone comment off to the side. I turned in time to see a pretty, tall cheerleader with long red hair, and … a camera? “Trina?” I asked. She spun around to see who called her name.

“… Robin?!” she gasped. “NICE costume!”

“Thanks. It’s the new Aria Blade. You look so cute!”

She blushed, even as she raised her camera. “Thank you. Hey, normally I don’t do candid shots, but if you three could strike a heroic pose I think it’d be awesome. Smile!”

We posed for a couple of pictures, then disappeared off into the crowd to mingle and dance. I followed Trina back to where Laura, dressed as some sort of really attractive lady devil, stood off to one side, sipping a glass of punch with Mark.

Mark’s zombie makeup looked so authentic I’d have sworn he just crawled out of the grave. We giggled and chatted for a few minutes as I tried to downplay how I could possibly know what the new Aria Blade would look like, when I suddenly realized I hadn’t seen Nicole yet.

“Has anyone seen Nikki?” I asked. Before anyone could answer though, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around, coming face to face with someone who, at least superficially, kind of resembled Nicole, except that she was dressed as Raven Wing — that is, the version Margie had been using for her past comics, minus the wings of course. Like Aria Blade, Raven Wing would be getting some new armor next issue.

Mark shouted, “Hey check this out! Aria Blade and Raven Wing! This party is AWESOME!”

‘Raven Wing’ didn’t say anything. She simply grinned, grabbed me by the hand, and pulled me to the makeshift dance floor. I followed, trying to get into the swing of things, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why she wouldn’t talk to me.

“Nikki is everything okay?”

She grinned again, nodding a long, but emphatic nod.

“So… Why won’t you say something?”

She patted her throat gently.

“Oh… You lost your voice?”

She nodded quickly.

“Oh jeeze, I’m sorry. Listen, my mom’s got a great home remedy for sore throat. I’ll-”

Before I could continue, the music abruptly stopped, and a loud, piercing howl shot across the PA system. ‘Raven Wing’ grinned as she took my hand, pulling me closer to the stage. As if on cue, a brilliant flash and a loud explosion foreshadowed the appearance of Scarlet, Demona, and Solace. Shadow seemed mysteriously absent again. Scarlet scowled.

“NOW where is that girl. SHADOW!” she bellowed, glancing across the gathered collective student body. She stopped abruptly as her gaze settled on us, and she grinned. “Ah, what have we here? Raven Wing, is it not?”

Raven Wing nodded emphatically, but a second explosion caught us both, as well as Scarlet, Demona and Solace by surprise and ANOTHER Raven Wing, this one dressed in the full body armor that I had only until now seen in sketches stepped forward.

Her eyes widened as she stared down off the stage at us. “Aria Blade?! What are you doing here?!” I knew that voice. THAT was Nicole! But who was… I turned to stare at the fake Raven Wing, who simply grinned back at me.

I turned back to the ‘real’ Nicole onstage. “I came to see you, Raven!” The show must go on, even if we were both just making it up as we went along at this point.

She smiled fondly. “That’s so sweet, but that doesn’t explain HER!” she pointed at the imposter, who finally giggled, a dark, Shadowfang-like giggle as she ascended onto the stage.

“Yes, it’s true, I am not your precious Raven Wing, little hero. I am the darkness that lurks in mortal souls. I am that which goes bump in the night.” With a third flash, the lights dropped. By the time they came back up again, Shadow, clad in her normal ‘Mummy wraps’ costume stood before us, holding her new casket bass guitar in-hand.

“I am Shadowfang,” she paused, staring Nicole in the eye with a creepy smile. “And I believe you owe your girlfriend a dance.” She turned back to the others with a nod. “Hit it, Solace!”

At her cue, Nicole leapt off the stage and into my waiting arms. I couldn’t help myself, and kissed her. “Nikki, this is amazing!”

She giggled. “Isn’t it? But holy crap, you look awesome! How did you… Margie. That little sneak!” she laughed.

“’Volcaness’ and ‘Rose’ are here too … somewhere.”

“Right here,” Allison giggled as she and Jennifer rushed over to catch us both in a group hug. “Nikki, this is SO cool.”

Nicole laughed as Mark, Laura and Trina came over to join us. “The original plan was to have an epic battle between the ‘good’ Raven — me, and Shadow as the ‘evil’ Raven, but when we found out ‘Aria Blade’ was here, we made some quick last-minute adjustments. I hope you don’t mind?”

“Not at all! That was so much fun! I’ve told you before, I really enjoy this kind of thing.”

Mark added, while Trina took another picture of us chatting more naturally, “You’d be great at improv Robin. It’s all about spur-of-the-moment responses like that. I seriously thought you guys planned all of this.”

“Oh, you guys know Jen and Ally right?”

Mark offered Allison his hand first, smiling down at her. “Nice to finally put a face to a name.”

Allison blushed, giggling a little. “You too. So, um… want to dance?”

He grinned, offering his hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t rot all over you or anything,” he teased. God, that was a terrible joke, but Allison still giggled. As we watched them walk away, Nicole laughed.

“Oh. My. Gawd. Ally and Mark? I never saw THAT one coming.”

Laura and Trina giggled, the former adding, “Oh, I dunno. Opposites attract, or something. Anyway, Trina, I believe you owe me a dance for your ‘cousin’.” She grinned.

Later in the evening, while the band were taking a ten minute break to catch their breaths, Nicole and I wandered into the large dining hall she colorfully liked to refer to as the ‘ballroom’ for some punch. She offered me the first glass, pouring one for herself a moment later. “I can’t believe how well things have gone so far,” she sighed dreamily.

“Probably has to do with all this extra security. That Bruno guy’s built like a linebacker,” I joked.

Nicole giggled, taking my hand and leading me back out, where we sat on the stairs leading up to the stage together. “There’s just one more set. Shadow had so much fun with our little bassist-battle thing last time though, that they’ve asked if I’ll do it ag-” she suddenly paused, staring up. I turned to look at who she was staring at, to see Bruno, the head security guy, frowning down at us.

“Excuse me, Ms. Morgan; I need a word with you. It’s important.”

“What’s up big guy?” she asked rather candidly. He glanced at me, then back at her. “Hey, whatever it is you can say it in front of Robin too.”

He reluctantly sighed. “I just received a phone call from Mrs. Morgan. It’s about your father. He’s … in the hospital.”

“What?! What happened?!” she abruptly leapt to her feet, and with the added height from having already been sitting on the stage stairs, she was almost able to look him in the eye.

“She told me to tell you that he’s ‘okay’, but that the doctors believe he’s had a mild heart attack. I’ve been instructed to tell you to go ahead and finish your party, but-”

“Like hell! I’m going to see him right now!” she shot back, running inside and right past the band. Shadow approached me, offering her hand. As she pulled me up, she asked, concerned.

“What was that about?”

“Nikki’s dad… He had a mild heart attack.”

She frowned at me. “So what are you still doing here? Go after her. We’ll handle the crowd if anybody asks.” She leaned forward to hug me lightly. “Go on, go.”

“Thanks Shadow,” I offered and turned to run after Nicole. She had just started back our way. Bruno followed me inside, smiling at her.

“Forget something?” he asked candidly, this time.

“Directions,” Nicole grumbled.

“That doesn’t hurt. You should’ve let me finish. I was about to say, ‘but if you want to go see him, I’ll have one of my guys take you’. I may look like a New York bouncer, but I DO have a heart. Just wait out front for a black mini-van.”

Nicole turned to me as he left, shaking her head. “Robin… You don’t have to come. I don’t want your first Halloween here ruined just because of me.”

“Nikki, this is your dad we’re talking about. It’s not ‘ruined’. This is the most fun on Halloween I’ve had in my entire life,” I told her, even as I grabbed her hand, dragging her along as best I could remember toward the front door. “This Halloween would’ve been better than all the ones I’ve had before now if we’d stayed home and watched scary movies because I’d be spending it with you.”

She smiled a little, squeezing my hand tightly. We found Allison and Jennifer waiting for us out front, and a few minutes later, we climbed into the back of the mini-van. As we pulled away, I couldn’t help thinking about the night I got that 9-1-1 call back in June, when all this began for me.

I knew how much I needed a friend that night, and had only Kelly, an almost complete stranger to turn to. Nicole had the three of us, even if we did look a little silly at the moment. I removed my mask and wrapped my arms around Nicole, holding her close as we sped toward the hospital.