This is for my dear friend silverhuntresses as a late birthday present/right on time halloween gift.

"Have fun, loser." Rachel teased her best friend. She got to go to a party, and he had to go to a different, lame party where his mom was trying to set him up with some girl Sierra. His mom had been trying to set him and his brother up with the wealthy daughters of wealthier business men and women since both Octavian and Caesar were able to walk. Octavian was 20 now, but he still did as his mother required. He had told Rachel once that he wasn't going to leave home until Caesar did, just so he could keep the kid safe.

Rachel wasn't like that. She didn't have any siblings, therefore no reason to stick around. The second she turned 18 she lit out and was living on her own now. Well, not completely on her own. She was kept company by her and Ian's shared custody bulldog, Snubbull, who was the cutest and most loyal thing ever, and the only guy Rachel thought she needed in her life.

She kicked Ian out of her apartment so that he could get ready for his forced "date", as she began to put on her costume for the Halloween party she was attending. She was dressing as Misty from the pokemon cartoon, with Snubbull coming along in a pikachu costume. Ian had objected to putting their dog in a Halloween costume, until he had seen how darn cute Snubbull was. Besides, the dog seemed comfortable in the outfit and knew that wearing it would earn him dog treats after the party, and a lot of belly rubs during.

Costume donned and trick or treaters beginning to appear in the neighborhood, Rachel headed out. She didn't realize that there were actually little kids who asked her who she was supposed to be. A generation that was severely missing out. Even though she was late to the party-Octavian had once joked she would be late to her own funeral- she let all the little princesses and pirates, goblins and ghosts, wonder women and bat men, and everything in between, stop her to pet pikachu. And Snubbull adored the attention. Several times on her walk to the party she had had to stop well meaning little kids from offering Snubbull candy from their plastic pumpkins and pillowcases. But eventually she reached the party.

It wasn't one of those things where when she walked in every eye was trained on her. But one pair of eyes was. A masked monster made his way over to her as she chatted and talked with a gaggle of witches. She'd noticed him eying her for about twenty minutes, so it was clear he had needed to get up his courage to talk to her. He still seemed nervous as he initiated the conversation, the witches flying away to dance and laugh and party.

"I l-like your c-costume..." He stuttered. She smiled.

"You do? You know some people don't know who I'm dressed as? This one gurl asked me if I was the Wendy's mascot."

"You're not?" She stared at him.

"Kidding, Misty." He laughed. Then he tried the most awkward pick up line in the history of pick up lines.

"I think I need a paralyze heal, because girl you are stunning." Rachel began to snort.

"That's so dumb..." She laughed. His monster head drooped and he began to stammer.

"S-s-sorry... I'll g-go." He nearly darted off, Rachel's face falling.

"Wait!" The monster paused.

"I'm Rachel." Maybe under his mask he was smiling, but Rachel didn't know.

She disappeared into a room where Corpse Bride was playing to text Octavian for a status report.

"This dude just used the dumbest pick up line on me, listen."

"Lay it on me." He texted back a few nanoseconds later, probably miserable at his mom's affluent friend's party.

"I think I need a paralyze heal, because you are stunning."

"XD I should use that on Sierra."

"Oh yeah! How is that going?"

"She's really nice."

"Good :)"

"We should double date, me, sierra, you, and paralyze heal dude."

"lol I think I scared him off."

"g2g, Sierra just came back."

"Have fun." Rachel drifted around the party for awhile, Snubbull a lot more popular than she. Occasionally she saw the masked monster who had hit on her, and she felt kind of bad for laughing. He had probably overcome a lot of shyness to talk to her. Now he wouldn't even meet her eyes. Rachel tried to get his attention to apologize, but he had suddenly disappeared, and Snubbull was getting tired. So she picked up her little guy, and left.

Perhaps it was the fact that it was Halloween night, where weird and creepy things were bound to happen, but Rachel could swear she heard footsteps following her. She was glad she had her tough little bulldog with her... But wished he wasn't asleep. She was about to call Ian to talk to her until she got home, when a hand reached through the grim darkness and grabbed her on the shoulder.

Rachel shrieked and dropped her phone.

"I am so s-sorry!" The would-be serial killer said. It wasn't serial killer. She didn't know him though. Well... She knew his face.

"Are you the monster from the party?" She asked as he bent down to scoop up her phone. It was shattered, and he looked really sheepish.

"I'm so sorry... I can pay for this."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll get a new one." She said.

"But what about you? Are you okay? You kind of disappeared during the party." Rachel pointed out.

"Right, sorry, sorry... Um, I'm Luca. I went to go change out of my costume, because I thought you would take me more seriously out of costume. But when I got back you were gone... So I decided to go after you, which was probably a really stupid decision since I scared you and made you drop your phone and now I'm rambling..."

"I think it's kind of sweet that you decided to follow me. It's nice to meet you Luca." She smiled at him. He was pretty cute, with dark brown curly hair and black framed glasses, and a sheepish smile. And he was blushing.

"It's nice to meet you too, Rachel. I thought you probably hated me for that lame pick up line."

"Nah, it was funny. I'm not used to guys flirting with me, though." His eyes widened.

"Really? That's crazy, because you're gorgeous." He blurted, this time Rachel blushed.

"Thanks... Hey, Luca? Do you want to go on a date?" Luca's eyes widened, and he dropped her phone, which Rachel hadn't even remembered he hadn't given back yet. As he scrambled to pick it up once more a barrage of yes, of course, definitely spewed from his mouth. Rachel promised to meet him at a coffee shop the next day, and then she ran home to call Octavian and tell him all about it.

"Luca sounds amazing, Rachel. I'm happy for you, I hope it works out."

"I hope things work out between you and Sierra, too. We're definitely double dating."

"Of course. How's our puppy?"

"Tuckered out, and adorable."

"Duh. Kiss him good night for me."

"Fine. Do I not get a kiss goodnight?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask Luca?"

"Idiot." She teased.

"Goodnight, Ms. Dare. Don't let the vampires bite." Rachel laughed and drifted off, her halloween dreams, oddly enough, of Octavian, rather than Luca.