Although the Halloween party at Maple Grove had, initially, been Humphrey's idea, Vicki had taken over somewhat when it came to the decorations. And why not' She had an artistic bent, so much so that the Manor itself had been kitted out as a full on haunted house ....suitable for children, of course. The trail of lights led straight to the main door, surrounded by a plethora of carved pumpkins; the foyer was hung with spiders' webs and ghostly shapes pulling silly faces; the two reception rooms were decked out with comical mummies and ghosts and witches in every corner. Even the food had been themed, although admittedly that was more to do with the genius of the cook than Vicki. The same trail of lights that had led the way to the Manor also marked the paths to the various houses on the Grove that had volunteered themselves as trick or treat locations, the adult inhabitants bracing themselves for a whirlwind hour coming up.

With suitably eerie music playing in the background, it was a perfect setting for an early evening trick or treating party, and even if only the children on the Grove showed up, it would still be a good one for them. Some had already arrived, gravitating en masse to where Humphrey had been installed in his favorite chair and liberally draped with fake dust and cobwebs. The Old Man was telling not so scary stories, and the eruption of giggles from his corner of the room was more than enough to make Vicki grin as she passed through, her extremely lazy costume bobbing around above her head.

Jon's costume - or lack thereof - was even lazier, but he figured he was allowed, considering he had to dress up in a costume and makeup for a living. Besides, someone had to look halfway normal in case any of the younger ones got scared. He had planned on going as a zombie, but had decided against it when Ben had taken one look at him in makeup and wailed in terror, so the makeup had come off, and Jon had decided on a zombie t-shirt instead.

As for their children, well ....there was one female bee running around who had also insisted on wearing a crown so she was a bee princess, and one Cookie Monster using it as an excuse to fill up on as many sweets as he could cram into his mouth. But they were happy, that was the main thing. Meeting Jon out in the foyer, Vicki patted his arm. "Everything under control, Mr. A.N. Onnymouse?"

"Oh, is that who I am?" he asked with a smirk, as he finished filling the candy bowl with an assortment of various sweet treats. "I guess Ben isn't ready for Zombie Dad yet," he added with a chuckle. It didn't really matter to him one way or another, so long as the kids were having fun.

"Well, he isn't quite two yet," she chuckled, tucking her hair back over her shoulder. "He's very excited about going trick or treating, though. Question ....do we send both our nutters with the same group, and which group will that be?"

"I don't think Emily is going to let Ben out of her sight," Jon remarked. "Do you think she'll want to go with Daisy?" he asked, because if she did, then they'd probably be going with Dom's group, though of the volunteers, he probably trusted Kaylee most with his children, if only because she'd sat with them the most.

His wife laughed softly, glancing toward the other reception room, where Dom's unexpectedly dapper Prince Charming had managed to gather a collection of adoring little princesses. "Who'd have thought he'd scrub up that well?" she teased her husband affectionately. "I think you're right. We'll just have to make sure that no one ends up overwhelmed with small smalls."

"He cleans up pretty good," Jon remarked. "Think Elle will get jealous?" he asked, eyes dancing with amusement. Considering the size of the rock on Elle's hand, he didn't think she had much to worry about as far as competition went, especially where adoring little princesses were concerned. "It's kind of cute. He's not used to that kind of attention. This could be amusing," Jon said, as he watched the goings on in the other room.

"I have it on good authority that your brother is going to be virtually unrecognizable in his costume," Vicki chuckled fondly. "And that Piper is wearing tights. That's all Lynnie would tell me." She snorted with laughter as one little hand reached out toward Dom's hosiery'd backside, making him leap forward with a laugh.

"So long as Des isn't wearing tights!" Jon said with a laugh. That was more of his brother than he wanted to see. He almost regretted not dressing up this year, but someone had to stay back and hand out candy, and there would be other years. He might have said more, if the doorbell hadn't rung, distracting them from their conversation.

"I'll get that!" Vicki volunteered herself cheerfully, shooing her husband back toward the growing throng. "See if you can winkle Taylor out of the library to be sociable with his wife for a bit." She flashed him a wink and a grin, and skipped over to the door, her plumbob wobbling merrily over her head. Pulling the door open, she grinned. "Happy Halloween!"

"Yes, dear," Jon replied, touching a kiss to her cheek before going off to find Taylor.

"Trick or Treat!" a young voice shouted as Vicki pulled open the door to find a little Princess Elsa accompanied by a woman in a skin-tight Catwoman costume. The identity of the child was obvious, but the woman's face was partially obscured by a mask that covered her eyes. "Hullo, Vicki!" Daisy greeted her soon-to-be-aunt. "Do you like my costume?"

Vicki let rip with the most convincing gasp she could. "Oh, my goodness," she declared cheerfully, bowing. "Queen Elsa! What an honor for us that you've come to our little party! Do come in, your majesty, and bring your kitty with you." She stepped back, ushering them both inside with a snicker for the just about disguised Mummy in tow.

"She's not my kitty," Daisy told Vicki with a giggle. "That's just Mummy dressed up as Catwoman."

"Yes, thank you for giving me away, darling. Now, go on and join the other children while I gossip with your Aunt Victoria," Elle said as she ushered her daughter into the house and shooed her further inside before turning back to Vicki. "I have to thank you and Jon and Humphrey for inviting us," she told the other woman. "I've never been able to give Daisy a proper Halloween before."

Waving Daisy off, Vicki chuckled as Elle spoke. "Well, it was Humphrey's idea," she said, laying all the credit at the Old Man's door. "The Grove's a pretty safe place, we can make sure that every house has someone we know and trust in it to give out treats. It seemed like a good idea. And look at you! Are you planning on ripping a hole in Prince Charming's tights tonight?"

"Prince Charming?" she echoed, perfectly plucked brows arching upwards, her head turning toward the main room where a very handsome man in a Prince Charming costume was surrounded by a plethora of small princesses, her own daughter now among them. "Oh, my. That outfit doesn't leave much to the imagination, does it?" Look who was calling the kettle black on that one. "Do you think he'll bust out of those pants if he sees me?" she asked, an evil little smile touching her lips.

"He's been surrounded by little princesses since he got here," Vicki laughed. She drew back to look her friend over. "I think you and he might have to relieve a little pressure before we can let him be seen in public again when he sets his eyes on you, yes. The obvious reaction will be at eye level for a lot of the guests."

"I wonder why," she murmured, though there wasn't much point in getting jealous of a bunch of pint-size princesses who didn't stand a chance against the likes of her. "Think he'll recognize me?" she asked, knowing he would. She'd picked this costume on purpose, just for him, not realizing he'd be the center of attention with the younger female crowd. "I think I'll just let him wonder," she said, that evil little grin on her face again. She reached up to touch the thing bobbing above Vicki's head. "I don't mean to be dense, but what - or who - are you supposed to be, by the way?"

"Mmm, you're a cruel woman," he growled under his breath, squeezing her close for a long moment. "I'm going to enjoy peeling you out of this later." As his hands descended toward her rear end, he flinched as a resounding smack hit his knuckles.

"Little guests, Dominic," Vicki reminded them with a snicker as she was tugged past by what looked like an over-excited pint-sized fireman.

"And I'm going to enjoy letting you peel me out of it," Elle replied, touching her fingers to his cheek in a gentle caress. "Party pooper," she teased, sticking her tongue out at her friend, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well, I suppose I should let you get back to your admirers. Just don't forget who you're going home with tonight." She leaned close to quietly "meow" into his ear.

"Oh, I won't," Dom promised her, shooting a good-natured glare at Vicki's back. "She's beautiful, she's slinky, she's a goddess in bed ....and she's about to get her tail pulled by a pair of princesses." His grin widened as small hands tugged gently on Elle's tail, drawing her attention to Daisy and Lyneth.

She smirked as she felt the tug at her tail, knowing one of the tuggers had to be Daisy, which meant the other was likely to be Lyneth. She turned slowly around, baring her teeth and fake claws and hissing playfully at the pair of them.

What she got for her hiss was boinked on the nose with Lyneth's wand. "Bad kitty, no hissin'," the imperious little madam declared, oblivious to the way Daisy abruptly cackled and made a creditable attempt to hide her giggles. Lynnie looked Elle right in the eye. "Bad kitties don't get fun stuff like fingers to eat," she informed the woman seriously.

Elle blinked in surprise and wrinkled her nose at the fairy princess, returning that look with one of her own, just as serious. "Good little princesses don't pull cat tails, unless they want to be scratched!" she countered, hissing loudly and coming at them both, poised to claw them both with her fake claws.

Whatever they'd been about to tell her was abruptly lost in a loud squealing retreat, two little girls in sparkly dresses running as fast as they could for the safety of Uncle Humphrey while various adults around the room laughed.

Unfortunately for Prince Charming, Catwoman left him behind to chase after the two little princesses until they took refuge behind Humphrey. Elle glared at them both with hands on her hips. "That's cheating," she told them, turning a charming, if sexy, smile on the Old Man. "Hullo, Mr. Granger. Would you mind if a harmless little black cat curled up on your lap?" she asked him sweetly, feigning a purr.

The Old Man grinned as two little people hid behind him, looking up at the sexy catwoman who was chasing them. "If you can promise not to bite or scratch, or get me run through by Prince Charming, of course you can, Little Miss Kitty," Humphrey chuckled, patting his leg invitingly.

For a woman who wasn't married into the family yet, she was certainly a bold one, and though Humphrey had invited her, she didn't want to break the poor man. Instead of his lap, she perched on the arm of the chair, crossing one leg seductively, but it was mostly for Prince Charming's benefit. She leaned in to whisper something in Humphrey's ear, for his ears alone, green eyes dancing with mischief behind the mask. What she said was between her and Humphrey alone.

Whatever she said, it was enough to hold Humphrey's attention for a long moment. Then, with a burst of volume that carried easily through three rooms and out onto the grass out front, he let rip with a loud guffaw of laughter that set nearly every Granger in the place laughing along with him.

Kaylee snickered, whirling her hat around on one finger as she looked at her own husband. "And you thought it wouldn't be any fun," she teased him gently.

Taylor chuckled at Kaylee's question. "Your family certainly is lively," he said, which was a good thing, considering the alternative. Halloween was not one of his favorite holidays, but maybe it was better to spend it being around people who knew how to have fun.

"They're good to have around," Kaylee agreed with Taylor fondly, hooking her arm about his waist as she leaned into him. "I can't believe how much some of these guys have grown, though. Seriously, I was babysitting them when they were actual babies, and now look!"

Taylor looked around him, chuckling a little. "They're still not much more than babies, Kay!" he told her.

"Not all of them," Kaylee pointed out with a grin. "Some of them cheated, admittedly." She smiled at him, leaned in close, and lowered her voice. "Shall we steal one?"

Making Humphrey laugh was a good thing, or so it seemed most of the family thought. Taylor smiled as he turned away from the goings on around them and back to the Granger in his arms. "We could, but ..." He trailed off a moment as the subject of children came up. It was something they hadn't really discussed yet; something maybe neither of them had been ready to discuss. "Wouldn't you rather have some of your own?" he asked, tentatively.

She shrugged, smiling up at him. "That'd be preferable," she said thoughtfully. "I mean, I don't think anyone can arrest you for getting your wife pregnant, but they definitely can for stealing your cousin's kids." She grinned up at him; no, they hadn't discussed it before, but she'd made no secret of how much she loved children. It was natural that she would expect them to start their own family at some point.

"Well, we could borrow one. There's no crime against that," he replied with a smile. Children was a bit of an iffy topic, but they'd had time to process the nightmare they'd been through and who better to raise a family than two people who knew how precious life really was"

"There's no rush," she promised him, leaning in close to brush the tip of her nose against his fondly. "We've got all the time in the world. But maybe if it happened, it wouldn't be the disaster now that it would have been a few years ago, huh?"

"Are you trying to tell me something, Kay?" he asked, curiously, wondering why she hadn't mentioned this before. He wasn't against having kids, but it would mean making some changes in their lives and probably to their place of residence.

She laughed, shaking her head. "No, I'm not pregnant," she assured him cheerfully. "I'm just saying ....we're in a place where it could happen now, aren't we" I'm not jumping at shadows anymore; even if I don't like the dark, I can handle it. And you're so much better than I am."

"I think we are," he replied, not having really thought about it that much, or at least, not enough to have brought it up on his own. Just because they hadn't discussed it didn't mean they didn't want it to happen someday though. "We'll have to move. The apartment is too small for a family," he mused aloud, though it would probably be fine to start out.

"So maybe that's the next thing we do," she suggested with a soft smile. "We move into a house somewhere. That's what couples are supposed to do, isn't it' They get together, they make a home, and then they start thinking about filling it. One at a time, though. I don't think even you, Superman, could handle twins."

"Superman?" he echoed, laughing. "Do I have an S on my chest?" He glanced around at all those who were filling the big house tonight - family, friends, and invited guests. There was a time when she didn't seem to want to spend too much time here at Maple Grove, but that time seemed to have passed. Rufus and Miranda were here, and her uncle and brother and cousins were here. "Would you like to live here?" he asked. "I mean, in a house of own own ....here at Maple Grove?"

"The family is sure growing," Des remarked, as he took another look around, just managing to catch a glimpse of a yellow gown before it scooted behind his cousin. "Is that Emily?" he asked curiously regarding the bee who seemed to be pursuing the elusive princess before she distracted him with the mention of her ample assets.

Beside her, the Mad Hatter rolled his eyes, which only made him look at the madder. "Don't remind me," he muttered, half tempted to give her his coat. "You could have at least let me dress as one of your guards, instead of this silly getup," he complained, though if there was a contest, he was likely to be in the running to win. He thought he'd look a little less silly as a playing card than as the Mad Hatter, and the kids seemed more terrified of him than amused.

Des only laughed at his friend's annoyance. "Wanna trade" I get to wear this silly hook all night!"

"Well, the bee is Emily, I think," Beth chuckled, yelping a little as whoever was in the Belle get up was manhandled out from under her skirt. She rolled her eyes back at Jason. "Oh, stop complaining. It was this or the Rabbit, and you chose this," she reminded him with a smirk. "Besides, imagine how much fun it'll be getting you out of that later. No hooks." Her finger waggled in Des' direction as she laughed, glancing up to find the Prince Charming Granger bowing low to a little Princess Mulan and her Queen Elsa adult. "This is all really cute."

"I'd look pretty ridiculous in a rabbit suit," Jason replied, as if that could be any worse than what he was already wearing.

"Oh," Des smirked, bending the fake hook back and forth. "It's not real. It's made of rubber, see?" He poked the hook at Jason, but all it did was bend a little. "Perfectly harmless!"

Both men followed her glance to the Disney-costumed trio. "Isn't that Dom?" Des remarked with a smirk. "Where's Elle" I heard he popped the question."

"Oh, did he?" Beth's eyes lit up. "It's about time. We were sure he'd have her signing her name Granger before the end of a month - what took him so long?" She nudged Des teasingly. "C'mon, you're married to one of the English posse, you gotta have all the info. Don't make me set Detective Daly on them, I might never be forgiven."

"Cold feet, I'd guess," Des replied. "I mean, considering what happened to Gwen." Des hadn't really been part of the family then, but it was true, he got most of his information from Piper. "I should go over and say hello," he said, with a small frown. Like everyone else, he just wanted his cousin to be happy.

"They're engaged now, that's the important bit," Beth nodded. She glanced between Des and Jason, rolling her eyes. "Boys, boys, boys ....this is a party. Frowns and complaints about your costumes are not allowed. Don't make me find the small people's committee of funtimes and set them on you."

"I'm not complaining!" Des replied, a little too defensively. "I'm going to go mingle. I'll catch up with you two later!" And off he went, to congratulate Prince Charming on his engagement, leaving Beth and Jason alone once again.

"Where are Miranda and Rufus?" he asked, though he wasn't quite sure if they were attending or not. They did have a small bundle of their own to take care of now, and if everyone on the Grove was at the party, there wouldn't be anyone around to pass out treats.

"Oh, they're staying at the house for the trick or treaters," Beth reminded him with a smile. "You know, if they do this next year, we should get Rhys and Nat to come with Ana. And their friends, you know - the professor and his wife, and Gina and Adam."

"Do you think it would be wise for them all to know about Rhy'Din?" Jason asked, trying to keep his eyes from drifting to his wife's more than ample bosom. Instead, he steered her toward the cider and donuts. He knew Rhys had been to Rhy'Din, but he wasn't sure about the others.

"Oh." Beth's expression went distant as she considered that. "No, you're probably right. Okay, well ....we should do something for Halloween, then. Just us and them, for the kids. Next year." She flashed him her optimistic grin. "Plenty of run up to get it right."

"We have a whole other year to worry about it," he agreed, smiling finally. He was glad she'd made friends in New York - they both had. They'd talked about moving to Rhy'Din, but for them, New York would probably always be home. "Too bad that hook isn't real," he murmured, for her ears alone. "I'd like to borrow it later to get that dress off you."

"Papa, that looks like a weenie," a small voice piped up, and whatever Beth might have said in answer to her husband was lost as she spluttered into her cider, fighting to swallow her giggles as the Princess Belle from earlier pointed at the bone-shaped breadsticks on the table. To be fair, not all of them had come out looking like bones exactly, but there was no reason for Liane Rogers to be pointing it out quite that loudly, surely"

It was too bad Lyneth wasn't nearby, or she'd likely pick up the thread of that conversation and run with it. Or maybe she was. Jason had to stifle his laughter, a sidelong glance at the man in a Robin Hood costume who had the pleasure of explaining. "A weenie?" Steve echoed, misunderstanding his young daughter. "I think it's supposed to be a bone, LeeLee," he replied, picking one up to examine it further.

"I don't think she means a hotdog!" Jason called toward the man, who he mistook for Johnny Storm at first, though he didn't recognize the child.

"But it looks like your weenie," Lianne insisted, although any parent in the room knew it was impossible to keep a small child from interrupting their fathers when they were in the toilet. "And Mama says that weenie means hot dog and a boy's thing," she added to Jason, beaming cheerfully. Her English was definitely improved, but there was still a trace of her accent lingering.

"Did Mama mention that it's not good manners to discuss weenies in public?" Steve asked, flushing with embarrassment. "Apologies," he said to Beth and Jason. "She's just learning the language, and she's excited about the party," he told them, though in reality, kids would be kids, and there wasn't much he could do to change that.

Jason narrowed his eyes, studying the other man a moment, realizing from his mannerisms and speech that he wasn't Johnny Storm, after all. "I'm sorry. I don't think we've met. I'm Jason, and this is my wife Beth. Well, tonight I'm the Mad Hatter," he corrected himself with a laugh.

"Salut!" the little Belle declared, ignoring the lessons on good manners to be a part of the introductions. She smiled up at the other couple. "You are a good Mad Hat, and you have a majeste! My name is Lianne, and this is my papa, Capitaine Am"rique."

Beth smiled, crouching down to shake hands with the little girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lianne," she told her. "But isn't your papa Robin Hood?"

Just to confuse things further, in strolled a man clad in a Captain America costume, who looked suspiciously like the Robin Hood standing in front of them. "Don't panic! I'm here!" the man in the Cap costume announced to anyone who'd pay him any attention. "Let's get this party started!"

Steve rolled his eyes at Johnny's abrupt arrival. "Oh, good grief," he muttered.

"Oh' Hmm ..." Liv looked around, trying to pinpoint her eldest daughter and her boyfriend. "Oh! Over there, next to the window," she pointed. "The wings are real, by the way. And Fliss is wearing a wig." She bit her lip, trying not to grin too widely. Johnny's reaction to seeing his daughter kitted out as the Black Widow had been funny enough, but Steve actually knew the real deal.

Steve swung his gaze around until he spied the redhead dressed all in fitted black leather - or at least, what appeared to be a redhead in black leather. He whistled low. "Has Johnny threatened to lock her up yet?" he asked with a grin. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about teenagers for many years yet, or so he hoped. "How's she doing?" he asked further, glancing to the blond boy in the warrior get-up, unable to miss the pair of wings he was trying to keep folded against his back in these close quarters. "So, what?s his story?"

"Johnny almost combusted on the spot when she came downstairs," Liv laughed. She wasn't going to forget that for a long time to come. "I think she's doing all right. She's joined a local theater group for kids, testing it out for Alex and Mar, and it's her last year at Harkers. She's settled." Lucas, on the other hand ...."I don't actually know his story," she mused quietly to Steve. "The most we've got is that mutations and powers are something very much out of the ordinary on his Earth, and his parents sent him here to keep him safe. It turns out he's loosely related to Humphrey, but he's very alone here. I'm glad he and Fliss are close."

"Hmm," Steve mused quietly, contemplating the boy and wondering if it would do any good for him to try talking to him, though he didn't want to step on Johnny's toes. "So, you've invited him to stay with you and Johnny?" he asked, thinking the boy needed some family to keep him grounded. He knew what it was like to feel all alone.

"Yes, we have," Liv nodded. "That was the point of the extension you and Lucy are testing out for us this weekend. Personal space for him without being too far away from people, and he spends virtually every day with Fliss and us anyway. We've been feeding him almost since the first day he came home with her. He's comfortable with the kids, and to be honest, he'll be an extra pair of hands when the baby arrives."

"Sounds like you've practically adopted him, too," Steve observed, though he wasn't condemning that decision. "I can't imagine sending any of my kids away, whether it was for their own safety or not," he added, with a small frown as he watched Fliss and Lucas from afar. He felt sympathetic for the boy, just as he had for the other children they'd taken in between them. "If we're not careful, we're going to end up adopting half of Rhy'Din between us," he said with a smile.

"It's difficult to understand," Liv agreed quietly. "Johnny can't get his head around it. I can, in a way. If it was safer for my children to be as far from me as was possible, I would send them away, no matter how much it hurt. I hope I never have to make that decision, though." She bit her lip, waving to the Harker family as they meandered past, all steampunk awesomeness. "I think we're going to have to concentrate on the ones we've got right now," she added to Steve, laughing. "Four children, a guest, and a dog is about as far as my sanity can reach at the moment!"

"I can see us having a few more," Steve replied, though not for a while yet. For now, they were perfectly happy with the little family they had and neither he or Lucy saw any reason to upset the applecart, just yet. "Is he gonna stay here permanently, then?" Steve asked, further. It didn't look like those wings were going anywhere, and Steve guessed that was the main problem. Something like that would be very hard to hide - and very painful to remove.

"I don't know," she sighed softly, shrugging. "I suppose it all depends on what he decides to do, and right now, I think Fliss is a big part of that. I think, if he's comfortable here, it would make sense to stay, but only he can make that decision, when the time comes." She glanced up as a loud bang on the gong called for attention, swallowing a snort of laughter at the sight of Dominic, Kaylee, Caroline, and Fiona O'Neill all lined up, each with a large pumpkin shaped cauldron in hand. "I think it's trick or treat time."

He glanced over to find a few faces he sort of recognized and a few he didn't lined up and working on splitting the kids up into groups. "Luce and I can handle the kids, if you want to stay back and relax," he volunteered. He figured that between him and Lucy and Fliss and Johnny and whoever else was going along, she might as well stay and back relax, considering how far along she was in her pregnancy. "I'll make sure they get back here safe and sound," he promised her.

"Oh, I've been told to stay put," Liv chuckled softly, watching as Jon and Vicki herded together the various groups of children, be they family, friends, or the groups who had come along from the different organizations in the city, and began the process of dividing them into manageable numbers for the adults who had volunteered to lead. "Johnny's going to rush on ahead so there's someone at the house to answer the door, but I think Fliss and Lucas are going along, too."

And speaking of Johnny, he was out of the door like a flash, hopefully not fast enough to ruin his costume in his rush to get back to Willow Manor in time to hand out candy. "And there he goes now," Steve said with a chuckle, as he moved to his feet. "I had better go help manage the troops," he said, leaning over to touch a kiss to Liv's cheek. "We can talk later," he said, hoping someone was staying behind to keep her company, though there was always Humphrey.

"I'm sure we will," Liv smiled, almost immediately accosted by Peter Pan and a crocodile, who appeared to be staying behind themselves.

Under Jon and Vicki's supervision, the children who wanted to go trick or treating were split into a several groups, each with at least one adult in charge. Several of the parents had also volunteered to help out, and with a few older kids there, too, it was turning into a very civilized affair. As the various groups headed out into the illuminated darkness, Vicki grinned, waving off Lirssa and her collection of hyperactive kiddies as she leaned into Jon. "Well, that went well," she mused cheerfully. "Now we just have to wait for them to come back."

"I think we may have started a new tradition here," Jon replied with a grin, sweeping an arm around his wife's waist and touching a kiss to her cheek. So far, everything was going well, and everyone seemed to be having a great time - and that was what really mattered.

"Lucky us," she chuckled, turning her head to kiss him fondly. "So ....alcohol." Patting his cheek, she drew him back inside, to the party that remained, secure in the knowledge that there was nothing on the Grove to worry about tonight. Aside from a few small hordes of costumed children high on sugar, that is.

He grinned at her suggestion. "I like how you think, Mrs. Granger," he said, closing the door behind them. With the children safely making their rounds, the adults at the big house were left to amuse themselves with their own tricks and treats - at least, until they returned.

Who knew" Jon might well be right that they had just started another Granger tradition, and it wasn't a bad one, at that. Besides, it was lovely to have the house brimming with children, certainly for the Old Man himself. If they had started a tradition, it was definitely one Jon and Vicki would continue until they were old and gray, and surrounded by grandchildren of their own. Still given some of the costumes on display tonight, it was probably just as well that Humphrey had had most of the private suites in the manor soundproofed a few years before. When the children were asleep, there were going to be a few private unveilings ....it was certainly one way to stave off the darkness on the Night of the Dead.