~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Benton looked around nervously across the room, his eyes jolting from side to side as he managed to slode the bag into the box without incident.

Slyly, he put the box in a safe and raised it over his head, into a space of closet where he immediately snatched a key, locked it and closed the wall panel, hiding the storage area even more.

As he was about to get away with his crime, he backed up, ever on guard, and walked right into his son who bore holes into his father's head as he stared, tapping his foot dangerously.

"Dad, what are you hiding?"

Dr. Quest quickly gagged the boy and dragged him to the next room out of ear shot from everyone else in the household. "It's a surprise, for our costume party."

Jonny looked him over calculating. "So why is it hidden?" Jonny glanced behind his father trying to peak at the long-since-sealed away object.

Benton swore under his breath, that boy became more of a brat each day he wained deeper into the territory of teen-years. "Because it is."

"Is it a trick or a treat?"

Benton smirked, THAT would be how to silence his son. "Why, it all depends on who you are, Jonny. AHAHAHAHA."

Jonny backed away slowly, frightened by his father's outburst.

~*~*~

Later that night, Jonny and Hadji decorated the house in orange and black as is customarily done during the latter days of October. With a pumpkin chucked and face malformed and set aflame on the table, they called their duties done and walked to their seperate rooms to prepare themselves for the festivities.

Hadji exited first in his apparel, dressed as a she-devil he knew he'd get some stares, and probably lots of eggs. Jonny was only a hair better, dressed in a black cloak with false gory wounds dripping down his stomach, making him look like a pirate brought all too near a cannon as it discharged.

They walked to the outside of their father's door, halting at the strange noises that came from within.

"Hold still." Benton beckoned.

"Ow! That hurts!" A woman noted.

Each the children's eyes growing deeper into their skulls.

"Just a little bit deeper..." Benton finished. "Ah. Yes! Great! I'm exhausted after that!"

Jonny's face grew to a shade of red Hadji had never seen Race wear or Dr. Quest's hair shine at it's brightest.

"Maybe we... should... a... come back later?" Jonny thought.

Hadji smiled all too daringly though. "No. I think we will just go trick or treating."

Jonny nodded, walking away from the door only to hear Hadji knock loudly and surreptitiously.

"Hadji! What are you doing..."

Hadji rushed from the door just as Benton came full swing to open it.

Jonny choked back and replied, "Trick or Treat?"

Benton glared at the boy, then softened, patted his head and handed him a candy. "You really SHOULD wait for the party. Hun- almost ready? They kids seem to be getting impatient..."

The woman walked out of the master bath, a mask on which covered her upper extremities of her face and hair, leaving a wig trailing from underneath the rust toned leather mask, her lips painted in red and a mole drawn on to the side, Jonny looked down, embarassed until he noticed his father's hands.

lines of tension were drawn out across his palms and wrapping between his thumb and pointer, raising a brow at this Jonny's head met the woman's apparel.

A full-fledged lace-up black leather bodice outside of a white Renaissance styled shirt with a long flowing skirt and ankle boots, stalkings of a dark grey between them.

He glared at his father, whose hair was tied up within the confines of a loose blue linen, white shirt similar to the woman's style, half undone showing off the strength of his chest. His shirt not tucked in, passed his pants waistline and continued to mid-thigh, where, from that point a belt hung with a sword attached to the side dangling from a set of black capris with his legs covered by white tights and a dark brown slipper.

"..." Jonny walked out of the room now afraid the blush would never go away, and if it did, only in death as he died from stroke with all the blood vessels in his head bursting from the strain.

Dr. Quest said, as he left, "We'll be down in two more minutes... I have to put on my eyeliner and earring. Yargh."

He closed the door and looked back upon the woman. "Think he suspects anything Sweetie?"

"Nope. But I think you just bought us another five minutes." She winked and pulled him close for another make out session.

On the bed sat precariously a bag labeled: "Costume for Her." and next to that, "Costume for Him." The box sat open with some well placed though, a blue ribbon dangled there with a sign that read: "For the After-Party. -Ms. X"

~Fin~