#piperxpierre

[cryptid-killjoy]

The ladies loved the charm. Some people were turned off by it because they could sniff it out so easily, but these ladies didn't mind being razzle dazzled. Clotho had no doubts he'd be back up to 100 percent charming in no time.

As for Zero going emotional overload on Pierre at the last minute, he couldn't help himself. The anticipation made him burst. It all flooded out.

The guilt had been eating Zero alive. Fear of hurting more than he already apparently was stronger than guilt. It won out in the end. Luckily, Pierre smoothed it over quickly. "Thanks Pierre. You know how to make a guy feel better." Maybe he was still his aftercare guy after all? He just didn't know everything he was going to need aftercare from. Guilt counted. So did confusing internalized feelings he'd never be able to discern. All he knew was he felt better now.

Well, he'd feel better about the moment both Pierre and Seven were back. Seven down, Pierre to go.

After Pierre had disappeared on and he was left with Seven the number boys had their own private conversation while Piper and Pierre were off getting an eye full of self porn from their multi-verse doppelgangers.

This is where Pierre got explained the whole plan. He seemed to get the gist of it. Piper supposed it was enough.

"Yeah, maybe so." She said smoothing her hands over his shoulders in such a sensual way it could only seem like she might just be getting aroused by the scene before them, or by Pierre's suggestion. "Maybe we should."

Then she leaned her forehead against his. "I really have missed you." She smoothed her thin long, graceful arms around his shoulders. "I once wondered if it was just the idea of you. Then I realized we were never a couple, so that didn't make sense. The idea of what? Right? We were always just us. That's when I knew for sure it was just you. Not some idea in my head of who I thought you might be. I just missed the times we did have. Wished for simpler times maybe. But nah, no farfetched fantasies. I know what was missed."

As she spoke her eyes would glance over at the pair in the bath gauging the moments knowing the routine because she'd seen it before. What a world it was when this was one of the last things Pierre would do before his last breaths. He wasn't so lucky in their timeline. She'd look fondly at Pierre and say, "It's almost time. When I so go, we're going to follow out behind them, but stay low."

She kept staying close though. She kept running her fingers through his hair, her nose against his neck, hands would smooth up and down his arms. She was remembering Pierre. It'd been so long. She kept having little flashes of their times in the forest or at the party in Funkytown. Fun times. Easier times. Times when he was just a boy, and she was just a girl. Neither one of them were anybody special that either of them really knew of.

Then her muscles would start to tighten as time drew near. She readied herself. She looked up. "I wanted to thank you for saying yes." She knew damn well he could have said no. "It was the most purple thing you could have ever done for me." Then she kissed him deeply, a high vibration thank you with all the energy she put into it. He would be able to feel it fuzzing off the edge of her skin. It took all herself control to not have her groove kick on in a moment like that. She might not have been as high strung with the music as Kuzco, but when emotions were high even Piper had a difficulty containing.

Then rattle-rattle, clang-clang, footsteps were clodding echoes down the halls towards the bath chambers the pair were basking in.

She patted his shoulder. Like now. Now. Get ready Get ready. She was waving her hand in a frantic be still, almost sort of way as Piper and Pierre went sloshing out of the tub to see what was going on. Pierre's name was being called. The voice should be familiar to them both as Delta was hardly an unknown relic to either time jumper here.

They were hidden in an unknown part of Delta Castle.

Why? In that timeline things had gone a little differently and as a timekeeper Delta kept him on board longer than she had in the current timeline. He didn't make the same mistakes he had this timeline. He made a few different ones. Whatever they were caused an uproar because Delta was tired of unknowns she referred to as his scribble faces coming up to the castle looking for him. She told Frank if one more of his scribbles comes to her door looking for Pierre she's going to burn him alive. She was just sick of it. They like low maintenance monsters. The Hunch's family was all they could handle in this world too. Sorry Pierre. It's an acid bath for you.

The footsteps would change dramatically because Delta was transforming and slamming into walls in her dragon hide through awkward corridors. Dragon scales smashed corners like armored dozers and armored trucks and she barreled in.

Even Diablo's voice would be squawking Pierre's name. Piper would be pushing him out, "You better go." She'd be helping him with a towel as she wrapped her own.

The real Piper would be holding low and gripping the real Pierre's arm. "Here we go."

Once Piper and Pierre ran out into the corridor, she pulled him out of the closet. "Come on. Come on." She hurried.

She bent down. "Watch. Right there. Just jump at him. JUMP HARD. With intention with this." She put the mini purple hourglass in his hand. "You don't have to turn it. Just hold it. Just hold it and jump. Slam into him. Slam into him and everything will happen so fast. As long as you're holding this, it'll be a done deal. I'll go right home too. The new body goes home. You got it. Right when you see the dragon's shadow emerge from that hall. That's when you jump."

Just outside in the hall where they were talking the doppleganger Piper and Pierre were arguing hearing the dragon gaining headway. Piper was wondering what Pierre did this time because Delta gave him his last warning. Pierre was feigning shocked innocence while naming a few things as if they shouldn't have counted and wasn't sure if Delta might have counted them.

So as the pair were making up their minds what to do, time would too fast. The dragon would speed forth spew acid all over Pierre and get this pesky problem out of Delta's curly boingy hair.

However, when she'd spring forth that's the pinnacle moment of truth. Piper had her moment of clarity. Those devil horns spun out from the spirals of her spiked puppeted mind.

Maybe she'd just push the dopple-Pierre out of the way to head out with the real hourglass. She'd leave the real Pierre behind, a purple trinket in his hand from her belt. The one she'd carried like a burden of grief and lady of sorrow for his time gone. But this was no Via Dolorosa. No, she was here to save a life. Maybe Pierre would still get the last laugh, but this Pied Piper lured a Pierre away and gained another in return.

Chomp. Drizzle. Acid bitch sizzle.

The current timeline soul - back to the other side. Dead. In the multiverse otherworld killed by Delta's acid out of sheer annoyance not for anything heinous.

Back in the current world with the mother Fates and strings that were now bonded-

"Told you I'd save your life." Piper said to the new Pierre. A Pierre that no one else knew was any different. In many ways he wasn't. It was their plan all along. "Now live it with meaning. Live it deliberately."

Zero and Seven would be clueless at this point. It would be the same Seven. No tricks. He was a last-minute decision brought into this. Piper had been plotting this with the Fates for so long trying to find the perfect Pierre. So many strings.

It was why this Pierre would seem to know her. It was why Seven and Zero wouldn't suspect a thing at this point. Piper came from the future and told him he was going to die but didn't tell him when. With his abilities she didn't want him messing anything up. Everything would go off without a hitch and now they were back with a living and breathing Pierre and Seven. Also, with how Piper knew the other Pierre reacted having to keep himself a secret in a different body she didn't want this one to have to go through that again, so even though she promised this one he was going to get to be open about things with most people they'd have a discussion about all that once they got to this world.

Zero was wide eyed. Seven too. They'd had their moments alone. Now they were taking in Pierre.

"Woah my man, woah. You made it. Is that really you?" It was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but in this case maybe it should have been literal.

"What's with the wardrobe change? Not that I'm complaining. Heh. eh." He looked down at the towel that magically managed to stay on during their time travel back to this timeline. "You drown in the bathtub, right? That's got to be it? Am I right?" Trying to guess how Pierre died in his alternate life felt like a fun thing to do seeing him come back in next to nothing but a skin sweater.

The mothers were already on it bending down in their baskets picking up blankets to carry over to him in case he was cold catering to him.

“I knew it,” Pierre said, a smug expression on his face. He knew that he couldn’t be turned down as long as he had the locks, not by Piper anyway. And it was goddamn beautiful to hear her say it too. To admit, despite all that she waas doing right now proving it too, that she had a weak spot for him. It brought back a lot of that confidence.

Pierre always laid charm with the ladies. Sure, they could look a little old sometimes, these mothers of his friend, but he kept the compliments rolling, saying that grey was a good color on them, they pulled it off better than most, that George Clooney’s silver-fox look didn’t hold a candle to them. Complimenting them was just second nature at this point. Glad to do it. Especially since they were helping right now which was unexpected but fitting.

“And I’ll be happy to be back,” He said, giving Clotho a cheeky bow. “But mostly to be back in the company of such lovely ladies again. I’ve been out of the business of flirting for a while, I need to brush up my skills.”

Pierre felt both relieved and fearful that Seven was going first. If something went wrong, well, at least it wasn’t to him, right? But still, he did genuinely care about Seven, there was nothing shallow about it, Seven and Zero were his ride or die. He didn’t want anything worse than death occurring to Seven. Being in a limbo sounded awful. But nonetheless, he was selfish and aware enough of it to know that there was relief in not going first.

The tension was thick. The air itself felt like he was drinking copious amounts of water, it was so damn heavy. He didn’t even have a corporal body but his stomach was starting to hurt. He caught himself nearly following through Zero a couple of times but held his body rigid so that the arm that was around him wouldn’t drop, only resting it slightly when he knew the weight was there.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa Puppy,” Pierre said, his attention roused by Zero again rather than staring at the spot where Seven had just been standing. “It’s alright. Mostly. I only cried a little bit. But you can’t tell anyone that, alright?” He gave him a little shove with his hip, playfully. “Avoiding people in Hell definitely makes sense, it’s cool dude. We’re here now. The boys are back in fuckin’ town and we’re going to sandwich the fuck outta you.”

It had been a bit frustrating at first, knowing that someone had a connection with the astral plane of Hell and didn’t come visit, sure. But you also learn while you’re down there not to sweat the small stuff because there’s always something bigger going on.

And then, coming through out of what appeared to be nowhere, was Seven and Piper again, and Pierre’s grin grew, totally taking over his handsome face.

“Oh, Piper,” He said, letting go of Zero so that he could go and hug Seven, taking a slower approach towards them. “You are a goddess! Magnificent!” He cheered, and then joined in on the hug as quick as he could, knowing time was running out. This was such a joyous occasion man, he felt like his cheeks were going to break. He even had his arms more around Seven’s mothers than Seven himself.

The hour of truth. Well, second of truth with how fast things were going. Feeling rushed.

“Alright, yes, let’s do this thing,” Pierre said, clapping his hands, bouncing up on his expensive-looking ghost shoes, hyping himself up. “So ready for all of this untouched time to be over.”

Almost immediately, he was exposed to a rather odd sight. Himself. He ran his own fingers through his hair, his mouth turning into a ‘not bad’ expression. “We’re kinda- whoa,” He said, suddenly finding himself being put into a closet. He put his own hand over his mouth, not trusting himself to stay quiet, but he was grinning behind it. Whispering, he finished his earlier sentence. “-kinda really hot. That is good to see.”

Despite being in Hell, he didn’t actually learn that much about the dark arts and all of that, so some of what Piper said went way over his head. He basically read it back in his own terms - “Snatch me, put me in there, and badda bing, badda boom, I’m back baby,” He whispered, looking through the slats towards himself and Piper. Watching the tender way that she was touching his back.

“I’m feeling a little jealous,” He said, leaning in closer to Piper, wrapping both arms around her. “We should definitely try that sometime.”

[cryptid-killjoy]

Slumber Party Real Talk Time

Upon arriving at the Renault house Piper would first say Hi to Dug before anything else. But, she would arrive with an over night bag over her shoulder as she came in. 

Phoebus was on his own. He actually seemed to have his shit handled if it wasn’t for the cop thing. The patriarchal side that seemed over blown had really tamed itself down, but it was more about the loyalty, the ability to not speak, keep secrets, know when to act and when not. It had far more to do with loyalty than ego and whatever else Esmeralda said. The picking on their personalities were one thing, but could they be trusted with their lives? That was where Piper’s mind was. She wouldn’t risk her papas again not even for Pierre after the loss of that leg. She was going to lay all the cards on the table so Pierre had a fighting chance of understanding what he was really dealing with. She thought it was unfair for him to be trying to swim when he couldn’t see what was in the water. 

“Take me to your room, Pierre. I have a lot to tell you and only so much time.” 

But, knowing his power and before he interjected she’d say, “And this is one I can’t stay in the loop for forever.” There was a part of her still back in the bedroom with him at the party in a loop of pleasure. There was a part of her she supposed that would always be there. 

[cryptid-killjoy]

Piper shows up at Pierre’s House

Piper wanted to visit Pierre before any awkwardness set in at school. She’d missed a damn lot of it. But, Merlin had been informed of her father’s condition which went along with a long absence in 2 different new professors. She had a lot of work to make up after dealing with “family matters” as was her excuse. She’d never be able to catch up if she didn’t go back soon. 

Then there was the fact that Pierre’s birthday just passed. It took Piper a moment to realize if Agnes had had a birthday then Pierre did too. It was easy to forget they were twins, plus all her friends birthdays weren’t really on her list of things to remember even if she had known. It wasn’t her kind of thing. But, Pierre became someone different, someone a little more special. 

She wouldn’t show up on the day of. It’d be days later, but she’d show up with a small package in her hand, and would knock on the door able to get through the gate. She felt strange standing there waiting. She wasn’t sure after everything she heard of Phoebus and after all that had gone down how she would be greeted. She tentatively waited to see if anyone was home. If not, she’d leave it on the doorstep or in the mailbox. 

@orleans-jester​

[cryptid-killjoy]

Piper & Pierre Text

Piper: We have to do something about this

Piper: As much I love the idea of being the most popular girl this school is losing its groove fast

Piper: What do we do?

[cryptid-killjoy]

Piper x Pierre aftermath text

Piper: I decided I don't care if you're stupid and hate me and my whole family. I love you anyway

[cryptid-killjoy]

Piper / Pierre Text

Piper: Pierre

Piper: Clear your schedule

Piper: I'm sleeping over

Piper: And we're having a megacollosalsuper talk

[cryptid-killjoy]

In her purple pants suit, Piper would arrive at the Renault house. She didn’t feel right, but was trusting in Agnes this was a good idea. 

On the news there was some fan fair about honoring the loss of a cop. But, in the supernatural layer of the community, and probably the criminal community too, but Piper saw it as the supernatural folk, they were celebrating. The house she lived in was somewhere between celebrating and just not giving a shit. Everyone seemed happy and unattached to the whole thing. Piper didn’t feel any happiness about it, but her own lack of attachment to people growing up in the household that threatened him easily made it so she had no feelings about it at all whatsoever. If it wasn’t for Pierre and Agnes and Esme it wouldn’t even be on her radar, but she seemed more attached to those three than the rest of the family too, even the papas. It gave Piper a sense of caution to the emotions for the three that she already did have. Esmeralda wasn’t texting her back. She felt like she was doing something wrong there and didn’t have the capacity to understand what it was. 

But, she showed up, of all people. “Hello?” She’d say pushing through the gate hoping someone was outside, but would continue on to knock on the door. 

[cryptid-killjoy]

Seven knew Piper was one of the special ones. No matter how many paramours Pierre went through he could tell Piper was different to him, just like he and Zero were different to him. Seven never was about calling anyone the one or putting people in some ranked order. What he knew was what he saw. Piper meant something to Pierre. He and Zero were his best bros for a reason and that was that, just like Brigette had a way of being special to them all too when she was alive. There were just some people that stood out.

Zero was feeling that kind of special right then. When Pierre said he'd be sandwiched soon it was all he could to do hold back from howling as he gave a little yes jump in his stride as they walked. Memories filled his mind of lazy days in bed, the smell of weed in the air mixed with Seven and Pierre's cologne totally spent. The tv would be on and nobody would be paying attention it all hands on him petting him in the afters. The two best friends he ever a guy could ever want. He stood there with a dreamy face for quite a while after that. Those were the days.

Piper laughed out right. "Okay. Yes. I missed the mane." She even reached up to run her hands through both sides. She couldn't quit smiling either.

Clotho, the blonde had a way of being pulled in the most by the beautiful compliment. They were nothing less than the Sanderson Sisters by comparison. There was no black flame candle needed, but they were the sort to do what needed to be done when their age was showing. It was probably noted over the years of knowing Seven that they might look more washed out at times, even grey, and then show up rather revived and youthful again the next time. But it was Clotho who held youth dearest to her heart.

"I'm feeling rather ravishing, thank you. You always were a favorite friend of Seven's to me." Oh yes, she'd return the compliment in the most self-indulgent way. "You were a boy that always noticed, but how could you not?" Oh yeah, she was feeling good tonight. "We'll all be glad to have you back, my boy."

Piper, who did not know the Fate sisters until recently could only marvel at the interaction and think it made sense now why Seven was the way he was surrounded by such personalities. She never once imagined people might look at her and dissect Kuzco and Clopin and think all her mysteries were unlocked.

Everything was explained to Pierre and despite it appearing as if it might have rattled him that Seven was going first, everyone held strong.

This was it.

The moments ticked and the moments tocked after Piper and Seven disappeared into the magic of the string.

Zero continued to shift involuntarily in his nervousness. So, Pierre would keep feeling the change of a full body to the wisp of cold holding onto him. No matter the form Zero didn't let go. Pierre was his grounding stone. It was anxiousness, but it was also excitement. The longer it took the antsier he got and it was harder to hold still. Zero's energy was amped to a wattage he could barely contain making his hips shake. All the things he kept inside that were pent up as he held onto Pierre's side just burst out of his mouth in one big roll like periods were never invented for sentences much less breaths.

"I'm-sorry I never visited you on the other side even though I could I really wanted to sometimes I just couldn't do it again I just couldn't do it not again I've done it before searching and searching for a lost friend and I guess they didn't want to be found because I never found them and I couldn't feel that way again I just couldn't I couldn't feel like I wasn't wanted again I was scared I was just fucking scared not of the other side just of that feeling I feel it so much and I just really want to be sandwiched okay?"

His way of saying he used to feel wanted when Pierre and Seven were alive. Being a loyal as a dog best friend is hard when he's been the dog people left in the woods like they were going for a walk together but ran not realizing he was being ghosted, pun intended.

Then right when he got his final words out and as he was searching Pierre's face for a reaction and finally taking a big breath Seven and Piper reappeared.

Zero's eyes turned first. A smile started to grow. He turned completely tangible.

Seven stood there with that oh so Seven smile.

"Oh that was fun, mates."

He kept moving his hands and his fingers trying to feel the difference than before. Zero ran for him. Everyone was hugging him. His mothers were in the way. It left Zero bouncing on the outside until Seven pulled him.

Piper shook her head at all of it.

"We don't have time for this. Come on Pierre. Your turn. Welcome homes later. We're on a clock." Then she put out her hand.

Seven heard that and went, "Go, go, go!"

Seven's mothers were quick to get on their duty pulling a cut and very dead looking string along with a live string as the crunch for time set in. Piper would grab his hand. The same procedures would run with the twist of the hourglass.

Then the next thing Pierre would know he'd see himself and Piper before them through the view of a cracked door.

In a bath.

Intimate.

Music was coming from another source outside of that room. Violins.

The Piper that was still holding his hand pulled down fast to hide. "Shh." She clued him in quick to be quiet as they stayed hunkered down behind the crack of a closet door. They were in some sort of castle interior. A roaring fire was crackling. She whispered quite soft, "We don't want to be seen." Still, she couldn't help but smile. "Guess we're attracted to one another in every universe."

Turning an hourglass was never an exact science in comparison to a clock. She was close. She'd been here so many times to practice. She knew there was a little time to pass before their big moment. Time to tell Pierre the plan.

"We have to wait for just the right moment. We're going to live body snatch and leave your dead body in this time just seconds before the moment of your death here, so it doesn't disrupt much of the timeline. We steal it while it's still alive. They were about to be dead here anyway. Your job is to possess it when I say. It will leave your tangible earth walking Halloween body here. Then you come home with your own body. For now, we wait."

It was the same instructions she gave to Seven. He'd stolen another body from another timeline and left his tangible Halloween body in its stead. When the night ended there and it decayed faster than normal or disappeared it might seem a mystery to those left behind, but the people themselves were going to be dead anyway. If she pulled a person from their death and switched them out the Fates already knew they were able to step into a new universe and continue to thrive. These were magics that skirted darker ethics Piper had been learning from the Fates in secrecy because secrecy was part of the vow she took to be able to learn them. It was very Geppeto and Willem when it came to respect of their darker arts.

She'd look back at the pair in the water and smirk. Then she'd look at her deceased friend beside her. "Self porn. Who knew you could watch it live?"

“Real sex, real sex, real sex,” Pierre started up a little chant, pumping his hand up in the air like he was some sort of ringmaster in a circus. That’s one of the things that he missed the most, and he wasn’t ashamed to say it.

“Man, I miss that girl,” He said, knowing that he had fucked it up with her forever that day that the Laveaus had stormed upon his house. That’s what it had felt like. An assault. A complete siege, with his mother and sister saying that they were leaving, packing their things, and his father just being an asshole and nodding, letting it happen. Though he did regret how it went down, he didn’t regret being the only one that was fighting for his family to stay together. Big lot of good that did. There was no family anymore.

He’d caught sight of her for a moment at the ball, but hadn’t dared approach, not that he had the time. Piper had been the one to claim all of it, and then gave him strict orders to meet her by the tree, which he was following, though perhaps a little more leisurely than she might have liked.

He moved up behind Zero, and put his hands on his hips, dancing his fingers over the jutting hipbones. He always was a skinny little guy. The picture-perfect definition of a twink. “Of course, pup. You’re going to be sandwiched in no time,” He promised.

He only let go of his boys when Piper took over his attention again. She had a way of doing that, of drawing all eyes to her. Like the rest of the world could be entirely blocked out, he was scoped right in. He wrapped his arms around her, thin waist and all, as she seemed to groom him, making him chuckle. “You missed the mane, didn’t you?” He teased lightly, holding her closer, nuzzling his nose against her cheek and kissing it.

“Wouldn’t miss this for the world,” He said, eagerly, his dark eyes looking into her bright violet. The most beautiful eyes that he had ever seen, he would attest to that. No other ones had ever compared to the shocking color, made all the more bright and beautiful in contrast with her skin tone, and the naturally dark lashes that she had.

He looked over her shoulder at Seven who was getting all of the hugs from his mothers, and he chuckled, pulling back a little from Piper but he kept his arm around her, like he was scared of disappearing again. Which he was. Another year of waiting for this kind of communication, for this kind of chance? It would feel like an eon down there.

“Ahh, you know,” He laughed, keeping it casual with Seven’s moms. “The humidity isn’t great for the hair but I can’t say I ever got bored. Good to see you three ladies, looking as beautiful and youthful as ever.”

The moms huddled and Pierre looked back down towards Piper. “So you really figured out a way to bring us back? You’re … incredible,” He said, breathing heavily. Of course it was Piper. And he was confident enough in himself to believe that he was her first choice to do this with. But it still blew his mind that all of this was happening, and so fast.

He listened to the instructions and he felt a little nervous too that Seven was going to be going first. What if something went wrong? What if they couldn’t do it, and Pierre would have to return to Hell alone because Seven was put into some sort of limbo? He had to breathe again and he nodded towards his friend, his Hell-mate. “You got this, dude. And of course, Piper and Pierre, we can do anything.”

He nodded towards Piper though, understanding. Wait your turn. He wasn’t generally good at that but he could wait in this circumstance. “I’ll be good and patient, don’t worry,” He said, putting on his most charming grin.

He was reluctant to let Piper go too, though it was to help Seven. He’d keep a hand on her, squeezing hers, and then lightly touching her fingertips with his own until she was too far away to do so. Was he braver than before like the women were hinting? In some ways, perhaps. Time would tell. He may still do a Scooby-Doo jump into whoever was closest if there was ever a jumpscare, or seeing one of the fates with their hair in rollers and a green facemask. But he was going through with this, which was much scarier.

“I’ll be here,” He said, again. When Zero came to take Piper’s place, he put his arm around Zero’s shoulders, pulling him in closer. He kept it stiff, for when Zero went into his ghostly form, letting it hang on the air, until he became a little more corporeal again.

Pierre wasn’t changing his mind. No - he was watching intently, with wide eyes, one arm still out and the other going through his hair, like a comforting habit, pushing it up and out of his face.

[cryptid-killjoy]

Seven wild and free. Alive.

The concept wasn't something he even bothered to fathom while on the other side. Seven was one of those people that always made due.

Now here they were on their march back to living.

Seven noticed the changes in Feral from Nola too, but all that was null and void by the time he saw his mothers. The Fate Sisters were a commodity to most in the divination arts and all the mysteries of that entailed. To Seven though, his emotional baggage simply just being the son of Lachesis was what was heaviest in his chest. So many questions were in his head that were left unanswered. It was easy to see why he wasn't told considering the double agency and neutrality the group often maintained. He answered many of his own questions without ever asking. Still, there was something about not having that choice that fractures something inside. He wasn't even sure why it hurt. He wasn't even sure it would mean anything to Boogie family or any extention thereof whether genuine or just to use. Strange feelings it evoked. Quite bizarre actually.

Linen snapped him out of his thought train.

"Oh linen. What I would do for some linen."

Pierre was bringing up some great memories for both Zero and Seven. Doing. What he would do. Orgies. "Mm. Maybe it's who I would do? We get to have real sex again."

The kind they controlled, not Hellians. But, oh did he remember the orgy at the Magisterium? "Oh yeah, my man. First day, great day. Brigette right in there. A queen at the center of the utopia of love. What happened to that? Can't wait to get back to days like that."

Zero hadn't moved back due to Frankenstein chaos at that point so he missed that day, but his eyes widened as the only non-bi boy there, gay as all get out. "That's so you guys. Just as long as I can get back in the middle of you guys." Now they had Zero fantasizing of the old days. The three boys just wanted their lives back to the way it was.

Seven pulled a face when Pierre went on about flirting with his mothers. That was so Pierre. He had to laugh.

He put on his big boy pants and down the hill they went.

Piper would greet Pierre first. "There you are." She'd put her hands right up to his face, a look of adoration on her own. She was so excited. The anticipation for this was such a build up. She was so careful to smooth his hair over his brow, thumb his cheek. Then she'd shimmy her shoulders before she couldn't take it another moment and take him into another big hug, warm, and inviting, more clingy than Piper had ever been known to be. She didn't want to let go this time.

"Fashionably late. Always fashionable. My beautiful Pierre."

She kept looking at him more longingly than she had in the past, but it had been so very long. Perhaps? Plus, he said yes. Maybe somewhere in her there was a little part of her that needed to hear a yes unlike the day he closed her and the rest of the familiy away when he was up in his bedroom. He had Thomas in time loops, the whole bit, such a disasterous day. She tried so hard to convince him that day. It broke her heart. This time he said yes. It was enough. Her heart was settling. Maybe there was more to it, but that layer contributed.

"I'm just so glad you made it in time."

Yes, time. They were on a ticking clock tonight even for this.

Then there was Seven who was face to face with not only the two mother who had no idea he was coming, but the one that did. It was Atropos smiling wicked for managing to keep her secret while Clotho squealed at the sight of their boy. His biological mother stood silent too taken aback with her hand on her chest.

It took his breath away because when he met her eyes it was like he knew she knew. Of course she knew he knew now. They all knew he knew everything.

"Uh." A sound of some sort started to drop out of Seven's mouth but she stopped it.

"Later son."

Then the other piled in for the hugs Zero was expecting and he looked over at Pierrie in that told ya, there it is, kind of way, like they just knew it was going to happen. He followed Pierre's idea and piled on for a group hug whether he was wanted or not. It got the ol' witch laughing at the rememberance of how this friend of his was never far behind.

"I knew." She'd boast one last time and gave Pierre and Zero a too proud of herself look with a twinkle in the eye she had left. "How are you, Pierre? Enjoy your travels?" She'd always liked her son's friend and spoke as if he'd merely been on a vacation.

Then she'd pass the magic eye over to Lachesis, the Fate sister of the past. This was Seven's biological mother.

The Fate sister of the present with her arms around Seven would say, "We should spare no time."

Then the three would glare at each other with some discord on their faces and huddle up like a team to chat among themselves.

Piper got a little nervous because she already promised Pierre that Seven could be alive too. She got the green light from one sister so she assumed it was a green light all around. Now she wasn't so sure. Luckily, they were just discussing which timeline's thread to pull for Seven. It was a delicate matter to match if they were to make such an exception. When they finished their talk they'd come out of the huddle with unanimous.

"We have decided. We are ready. Seven first."

Piper agreed. "Let's get right to it." She wanted to waste no time and was slightly annoyed at Seven being first because this was her thing, but it was their power she was playing off of. She had no room to complain.

Lechesis would take Piper's hand. "We'll get you as close as we can."

"Yes. I know."

"You can do this."

Piper gave a firm a nod. Then she looked at Pierre. "You have to trust me. I can only take one of you at a time. I won't be long. Just a few moments to you here. Then Seven and I will be back and it shall be done. Then it'll be your turn. When it's your turn it'll seem longer." She looked over at Seven so he understood she was also explaining it to him too. But she knew if anyone would understand how strange time manipulation could feel it was Pierre, so she didn't bother going into great detail.

Then there was Seven. He looked to his friend Pierre for the first time after seeing his mothers again. He looked more in awe than the first time Pierre opened his mouth. "I think I'm still stuck on you pulled his off. Here goes nothing. See you on the other side?" He thought he was being clever since they were already dead and now they were coming home.

That one got his mothers' cackling. They always liked a nice pun or joke. Atropos would chime in, "Well, the chicken did cross the road to be there."

"Last time you take tourtist recommendations from a chicken eh son?"

"You're telling me." Seven laughed a bit feeling more at home at least surrounded in their old humor.

The fate of the future quick witted as ever said, "Oh, I don't know. Something tells me he's braver than he used to be," as she glanced so sly and affectionately all the same at Pierre.

"Come on girls, focus." Another would pull a dull and lifeless thread from her pocket, one with two frayed ends.

It dawned on Seven then how his mothers fought and refused to cut his thread to realize the state of his string. Can't fight fate. A reaper always comes. It touched his heart anyway.

Then another Fate would pull out a still shiny colorful thread brimming with light and roll it off a spool inspecting it closely.

"Here. Right here." She'd show Piper the right spot.

This is when Piper would finally stop clinging to Pierre. He'd probably be able to feel her recluctance to leave his side. She'd reach her hand out one last time and squeeze it. "Really. I won't be long." The fear of losing this opportunity was real. Everything had to go just right and also before the clock on the night ran them out of time.

When Piper would leave his side Zero used that opportunity to take it. Something about the veil being extra thin and his own emotions being extra had his body just as thin. It kept flickering from his tangible state, to his skeletal, to his ghostly right at Pierre's side. He didn't let go either even as it continued to fluxuate. Used to being Dr. Frankenstein's Igor type helper he couldn't help but keep his eyes on those strings. He was paying close attention to detail even if he didn't understand it all.

But, this was it. Piper would take Seven's hand and pull out a purple hourglass quite similar to one given to Pierre. As long as there weren't any last words from Pierre to stop anything or change his mind it would all begin. The magic that would have Zero and Pierre in anticipation for just a few minutes. Five at the most. But, for Zero it would be the longest five minutes of his lifetime.

It terrified him when he realized they weren't traveling to the netherworld. Zero thought he was going to ghost dog out and run after them in skeletal form. He thought he'd tag along for the whole thing, whatever was going to be done. Whatever this magic was - was beyond his reach. Something about that was beyond creepy for him and Zero was hard to unnerve when it came to spooky stuff. Yet here they were in anticipation and this time it was Zero pulling a bit of the Scooby clutching, not a full Scoob with a jump, but he had his full body turned in on him while his kept peeking out. It was just beyond his scope of understanding. He was like a nervous dog with separation anxiety waiting for his other owner to return.

“Hell Maketh the Man,” Pierre said, always letting Seven stroke his ego, fill it up higher. It was probably the only reason why he was sane in any sense after being down in the Netherworld. This guy right here, this touch of familiarity, this touch of home, this touch of love.

“Back, back,” Pierre affirmed as they made their way towards the doors, hardly anyone looking at their backs as they left the great hall. “Like living, breathing, witches again, Seven, free and wild.”

He could imagine it now. His own body. Feeling the sunshine on his skin again. Going to Paris, shopping with Piper, sunbathing at Deauville Beach with the boys - Zero always looked like he needed a tan. Of course, he assumed that somehow, he would be rich again. Life without money was just such an out-there concept that he could not imagine it. Even if Piper were his sugar-mommy, he could live with that.

Just to feel the damn sun again. That’s something that his mind kept going back to. It was hot in hell, definitely. The humidity fucked with his hair. Made it all poofy. Almost made him look like Bastien. But it didn’t have the same sort of heat as the sun. It wasn’t warm, and welcoming, and nurturing and playful. It was … just fucking fire.

He was out there in the night air again, looking at the streetlights and the city that was half familiar. Looks like some things have changed around here, but he wasn’t bothered by that. He was a little curious about his house, wondering what had happened to it. Last he had heard was from Seven, when it had been taken over by the homeless and most of his stuff was trashed. If he stuck around in Feral, maybe he’d be able to reclaim it. He liked that elevator thingamajig. That had been fun.

He was bouncing on his feet like a damn school girl, the three of them still close together, huddled, as they made their way down the mountain. “As much as I do love the leather-daddy look in Hell, my body is craving some linen, big time,” He agreed with Seven, thinking about decking the three of them out in diamonds once he got rich again.

Oh yeah, the school had closed down. It felt like it’s been AGES since Pierre had to think about school. The last time was when he was basically doing a bad cosplay as a jock, had quit the Football team, and became the school loser. If he had been in his own skin during that time, Pierre wouldn’t have been able to handle the humiliation. But since it had been Ronno … it was kinda funny.

“Halloweentown was the shit,” Pierre agreed. He’d been there for a short time when the school closed and a lot of them had to transfer over to Halloweentown temporarily. “But the Magisterium was pretty sick too. Hey, remember that orgy we all had right outside? Now that was beautiful.”

Memories at the Magisterium flooded back as they got closer to the Forbidden Forest, and the demolished building, all of it cleaned away by now. Turned into something else. Hanging out with Seven. With Piper. Giving her a piggyback the first day that they met. School dances, Zero. The Valentines Day dance and making out with River Laveau. Now, who would have thought it would have been that duo that had the shortest lives?

“You should,” Pierre said. “Open it up. Shit, if I get my money back, I’ll invest in that, dude.” He said this all sincerely, imagining it with Seven. He’d gotten a lot more comfortable with the idea of being around the dead - even if he was still a bit skittish about some things. You don’t get too used to things in Hell, that’s why it’s Hell.

He was still thinking about those things when he took note of their surroundings, of the voices. “Dude, it’s your moms,” He said, nudging Seven, having no idea that they were going to be there either. Seven, the one who had enough moms for the three of them. He nearly chuckled as that thought came into his mind. He wasn’t nearly as worried as Seven seemed to be, rubbing his hand on his shoulder. “Come on, we’ll all give them a little love if it makes you feel less embarrassed,” He raised his eyebrows. “We’ll do a big group hug.”

Because if Seven knew Pierre, a bit of flirting with his moms was not totally out of the question.

That confident grin stayed as he walked down to Piper, his boys in tow. He gave a friendly nod to Seven’s mothers, and of course he was looking over Piper again - she seemed to glow in the moonlight - and then there was the tree. By instinct, he started to hum the song that he had written for her, played for her down by this tree an age ago. Though some of it had been cut away for Oogie’s tables, many of the limbs still remained, stretching up and strong towards the sky despite the ever-burning fire within.

He was right up against Piper’s side, gently kissing the side of her head. “You know us, fashionably late,” He hummed into her raven-colored hair.

[cryptid-killjoy]

Kuzco shook his head at all the ghost content going on at this ball. He wasn't sure he was a fan. He was a biased fan of course. TSG. Theme Song Guy band members. Kuzco two thumbs up. Anyone else that seemed irrelevant to him? Well, they were irrelevant weren't they? It wasn't like all the ghosts didn't matter, but he was very picky and choosy, also quite non-remembery. He always did say it was best to make a lasting impression.

"Ah." Kuzco didn't get a reminder from Clopin so he filed it under the didn't care file which was quite large in his brain. It often lost pages over time due need of saving space for more important things like how many times he could relive Clopin drawing a dick on Sassy's back when he first looked down and saw them both from his building in the center of Nola. Classic. "Moving on then because your outfit wins Halloween."

"Of course she can tell. I mean check you out. Maturity is practically your middle name now." Seven ego stroked some more. He always had the tendency to do so.

Not even Doc Vic? Zero straightened his back and shook his head. It suddenly felt like serious business to him. He crossed his heart with his finger before letting Pierre go on.

Then the lick of his cheek made him laugh again and he shook his shoulders out and relaxed a little more as Pierre talked.

"You know I'm a iron trap. Go on." Seven assured.

Cheek to cheek secretive. He heard bringing us back? Need to head there now? It felt imperitive to move so his feet began to walk as all three of them walked in this buddy-buddy threesome forward. For the first few steps he processed. For the next few he'd say, "Back-back? As in back?"

But Zero being a dog of dead realm hopping capability and despite never having visited Pierre not wanting to go to the depths of Hell to seek him out, not after all the searching he'd done in the nethers trying to find Lucifer the Tremaine. He decided long ago it was high time to stop that search. Okay, actually Flotsam put a stop to it, but still, once time went on the concept of abandonment continued to flourish in Zero's life, his bio dad, bio fam, Tremaine's, Jack Skeleton, and even Cinderella who seemed so proud of him for searching for Lucifer just up and left too. No. He couldn't search for Pierre after what he'd been through considering his history. Cinderella seemed to ruin things for everyone even people she wasn't related to. Otherwise the story might have been different. But, when Pierre said back Zero had no questions. He answered Seven's question. "Yes, he means back-back."

Zero knew there were very serious quid pro quo for bringing back the dead or even the living going to the place of the dead. Hopscotch was still his safety word even those here had never witnessed him use it. Now Zero was a little nervous not knowing what sort of magic was about to go down. His mind was going through so many scenarios he'd witnessed go not according plan. He was readying his mind to be guard dog here as the only one who could freely move between worlds.

Little did Zero know that wasn't Piper's plan at all. She wasn't going through the netherworld of any kind to bring him back.

Speaking of the Wizard of Oz these three looked like a group headed down a yellow brick road on a mission with the way they all left at the same time all too happy.

Of course Bastien noticed he was gone and that made him all too happy too. Though he thought it was because the ghosts were starting to disappear as it got later. He didn't actually see them leave out. He noticed a lot of the Merry Men watching the clock.

Seven was ecstatic. He was trying so hard to hold it in until they left the castle and were out in the free world. "Oh my man, I don't know what you just pulled off, but if you pull this off, I will kiss Piper's heels and your shoes damn it. Then we're going out shopping. Stores. Oh my hot damn. Imagine stores again." Seven did love to accessorize.

The tree.

That brought back memories. It wasn't as symbolic to Seven as it was to Pierre, but all three of them knew the spot. "I kinda loved how chaotic that school was." He admitted though he absolutely thrived in Halloween Town and had no problems there either. He seemed to manage anywhere he went. "Halloween Town was better but there was still something charming about how it tried to be normal when it obviously wasn't ever meant to be." The thought made him laugh. Memories were fun. Just thinking of going back to life was bringing it all back. "I'd open up my own Mortuary." Plans were already in his head. Hope building before they arrived.

At the Tree

Piper was already there. She left out as soon she ended Pierre's dance. There were three witches there waiting for her. Seven would know them well. None of them would be expecting him except for one who had been keeping it a secret from the others. She was the witch who was wearing the eye.

The Fates. Seven's mothers. All three stood there, one-eyed as always, a part of their sacrifice. But, it was Atropos that wore the magic eye. The Fate of the Future. She saw him coming. She was grinning like Cheshire. It drove the other two nuts when she did that. Lechesis and Clotho were groaning. Clotho finally said, "You might as well hand it over. You don't need that eye tonight. Stop grinning like that. If you're not going to tell, just put some duct tape over it already."

Lechesis chimed in too, "Yeah, I'm the one who needs it tonight. Pass it over. Just give it to me already."

Piper just watched amused at their antics thinking it must have been fun to grow up with the three of them.

So, before Pierre's crew made it all the way there Seven heard his mothers' voices in the distance and his feet stopped. He looked over at Pierre. For as long as they'd known one another surely he knew those voices too. It was an unexpected event for Seven to see them. It would be the first time since finding out who his father was on the other side. It had been kept from him his whole life and yet once he found out it felt so obvious. Pierre asking for Seven to come too became an emotional pause for him unready for that confrontation.

He put his arms out stopping the others from walking and he stood there just staring at their images from a safe distance.

"Okay hold on. Give me a second. My mums are down there. I'll be fine, just need a moment."

His mind started racing. This was where he knew more than Zero. He had to quickly try to process his own emotional baggage all while reality was dawning on him what Piper was up to if his mothers were involved. It was very rare they made exceptions like this. It took a huge payment usually and even then whatever was offered his mothers were rarely convinced. Part of that fact frightened him. What had Piper done for them? It wasn't the part of being alive again that worried him. He also knew what tampering with this in this manner might possibly affect. Chain reactions of all sorts. So if his parents were convinced for Pierre there must be something to it, right? That's how he tried to process it. His parents knew best. Yes. This wasn't just some Piper-cockamamy scheme. His parents always knew best.

"Okay. Okay. I'm fine. I mean it's just my mums. I'm fine. Everything's good. They're going to get all gushy. Ya know?"

Zero watched Seven process and let it go at that. "Don't worry. We won't make fun of you much if they kissy face all over you. They miss you too."

Seven rolled his eyes and laughed. "Thanks Zero."

Piper must have heard them chatting because she called out, "There they are! Come on guys."

"Down here." She kept waving them in as if Pierre might have lost his way to the special tree. There was a smile on her face so affectionate too once she'd come into view. She felt like she'd been working for this day for so long. Her fingers would tap for security the little hourglasses she had strapped to her belt she always wore even with her dress under her cloak. That constant pang of Pierre was ever there at her side, just like River's. River found his own way back. Pierre kept waiting. She'd wait every Day of the Dead or thin veil time in hopes of his appearance. Year after year she intended. But, here he was.

It was just a one night thing. That’s what Clopin kept telling himself. Maybe it would happen again next year but what was one night a year, right? What’s the worst that could happen? And as per usual, Clopin wasn’t sure what the future held - he wasn’t anticipating what was going to happen. His little girl was keeping secrets again, and that was always concerning.

“Hmm - some ghostie by the looks of it,” Clopin said, which wasn’t a lie but it also wasn’t the entire truth. Perhaps that was his fatal flaw - trying to protect Kuzco from the truth? It would probably come back to bite him in the ass. Things always did. “Has to be from the look of that outfit. Only a ghost, to that outfit, would commit.”

Pierre had his arms around both of the boys and was subtly walking away from the rest of the crowd, taking Piper’s words to heart. Hey, he could listen … sometimes. When he wanted to. He was grinning big, feeling his ego expand from how his two best guys were treating him like he was some kind of rockstar.

He moved his head, tossing his hair over his shoulder in that dramatic way that Pierre could. “Well, first of all, it’s Piper, she’s got a heart of purple and gold in there,” He grinned, because everyone knew the Trouillefous’ and their fixation with that color scheme. “And she can see that I’ve changed. I’m more mature now -” He puffed out his chest. “Took going to Hell to make a man outta me.”

And then he chuckled, knowing exactly how he sounded, his grin turning into a more serious expression once they were out of the way of many of the guests. “Now what I’m going to tell you, you can’t tell to anyone,” He said, raising his eyebrows, mostly looking over at Zero. “Not even your Doc, Zero.”

And then to further incentivize him, he lolled out his tongue and licked Zero’s cheek with a smirk, knowing what his Pup had liked.

Once he got their reassurances, he would continue. “You and me, man,” He said to Seven, pulling him in closer so that they were basically cheek to cheek at this point. “Piper’s bringing us back. We’re meeting at the lightning tree in the old Forbidden Forest. We should actually be headed out now, don’t want to keep her waiting.”

[cryptid-killjoy]

Piper wasn't trying to cut it down. She could only hope in the end everyone would see it. Delta wanted a time keeper. She was going to test her theory.

It seemed like Piper and Pierre were very much alike in many ways. When he complimented her as they danced she returned it. "I've kept you in mine too." She couldn't say the same about it being what kept her going, but half the thoughts were good and half were bad. They were exactly the same as Pierre's. She considered what he did abandoning her long before her refusal to visit. They suffered the same sorts of thoughts.

Kuzco noticed his daughter dancing with Pierre. He went up to Clopin and said, "Oh. Who is that?"

Oh yes, it was true. Kuzco looked directly at Pierre and it was the ultimate burn. He did not even remember his hair. "Get TSG to find out his name in case she sees him again." Then he tilted his head to examine him. "Doubtful, but just in case." Then he kept walking like the whole thing was irrelevant brushing the boy's existence off.

Kuzco knew Clopin once had grandkids. Esme had two kids. But nope. It didn't register as that boy at all and this was why Kuzco always needed a TSG or a Clopin.

Piper ran off to get ready for the witching hour and Pierre gathered up the boys. The numbers looked at him with a new wild amazement, both Zero and Seven.

"That just happened."

"Woah."

"My man." Seven began. "Oh my man. I thought I was going to have to step in for a second there and then I remembered she destroyed buildings in a single aggrivated sigh."

"But then you were dancing-" Zero spun. "-and kissing." He swooned.

"Yeah, how did you go from this to THAT? From Hell and back you still got it, baby." Seven had to hand it to the man. "I already don't believe that. But please go on."

It wasn’t just Maddy’s sistership that she was risking, this was with Bastien too, the one who had put Pierre on Frank’s radar, the one who had known when he was planning something, the one who had killed him the first time, bashed him into bits. And there was Bastien’s relationship with the Reaper too - everyone and everything was connected, almost like a large family tree. And Piper was tending to it - it was up to her now whether it would be cut down or not.

Of course he was going to be there, though. Other than the crazy couple that own this house, who would ever choose Hell over living up here? Music, and dancing, and so many amazing foods, and being able to actually feel touch without it being torture. Pierre could be described as a LOT of things. Crazy … was lower on the list.

Pierre had a grin on his face as he escorted the prettiest girl in the ball to the dance floor, holding her hand up like he was a gentleman and she was a princess, and then wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close, taking in the smell of her perfume. Cheek to cheek. Dancing and swaying with one another.

And though he was dancing with Piper, giving her attention because oh, she was going to bring him back to life and he was very grateful for that, he still had a wandering eye. He saw Brigitte, and his smile grew a little wider. They might not have ended up on the best terms but she was still so - Brigitte, that he couldn’t help himself. So regal. A Queen. And Valerie - that was new, a quick glance over there.

And of course his boys, the Number boys. He had to shoot a confident wink over there because yes - he was that bitch. Then he let his eyes close and enjoy the dance, enjoy the closeness, enjoy all that was Piper. “I thought of you a lot down there,” He whispered into her ear. “Sometimes it was one of the only things that got me through.”

Not a lie. Not a sweet little nothing. He had thought of her. But only about half of it was good. The other half was self-pity because she had never come to visit him. He had a heart inside of that body. One that was hurting because of all the abandonment.

Fuck, even Chip had come to see him, and other than Bastien, there was probably no one else who hated him more than that guy.

There was a lot going on inside of the castle, and outside of it now, and attentions were torn every which way. But for some, there was peace in their little circles. Thomas and Valerie, of course, their perfect bubble. Black Arts and Nebby. Bastien and his daughter.

But there were a few people looking. Clopin had been searching out Piper so that he could show her off to Kuzco’s father figure. This was basically his goddamn grandchild. And yet - there she was, the arms of - Pierre.

“Ayy caramba,” He said with a heavy sigh, and shook his head. “Here we go again.”

And as much as he wished to go ahead and take his daughter’s arm and pull her away from the stupid boy, he did not, he turned his gaze back towards his husband and the band that TSG was making, the groove that was starting to overpower the room, and tried to enjoy himself. It was just one night - right?

One song, two song, three song - almost four and Pierre showed no signs of trying to stop the dancing, or moving away, until she was the one that had broken it off. Even during the more upbeat, he was keeping up with her, grabbing onto that thigh when it raised and feeling the warmth of real living skin beneath his dead hand.

“See you soon,” He agreed after the dance was complete, standing still for a moment and watching her go, his tongue slipping out of his mouth to lick his bottom lip, hand going through the infamous mane of his. He watched her manoeuvre, before taking a quick glance around - eyes settling for a second on his sister's back - before turning and going towards Seven.

He came up behind Seven and Zero and put his arms around their shoulders, hanging in between them. His shirt was feeling a bit loose, the buttons in the front becoming undone from his little tussle with Piper, which made him feel almost like a damn rockstar. And how couldn’t he feel that way? One of the hottest, most powerful chicks wanted HIM back on earth.

“You’re not going to believe this, gentlemen.”

[cryptid-killjoy]

Yes, Maddy had signed his death warrant. That wasn't lost on Piper either. She was still making this choice and hoping it wouldn't come back and bite her too hard in the butt. If it did she'd deal with the consequences when they came. There was enough devil in her not to care and enough faith in her to believe maybe things could actually work out. She knew damn well she could be risking relationships on this, but she understood things her own way. She had her reasons to make this choice.

She watched him rub his neck where she'd held him so tight. She felt no guilt. Still, when he nuzzled against her cheek there was an affection she couldn't deny she remembered. It wasn't just a memory. It was current feeling. She was taking note of this. She knew she never let go.

His answer? He'd be there.

The moment she heard it she knew it was on. Everything was about to change. This wasn't just about Pierre or even Seven. She was going to be changing time. They were. They were changing lives.

First, a dance. They were at a ball after all.

"Sure. I'd love to."

There was brightness to her face that came over her whole being as she was escorted to the floor. All the darkness from her grief was letting go. He said yes. That was the first step, whatever the outcome. The ideas of plans bearing fruit gave her a radiant glow and filled her with a light she hadn't worn in so long.

Maddy and Pierre were purposely avoiding looking at each other, but for Piper it felt like all eyes were on them when they stepped out to dance. Her papas would probably tell her it was because she was prettiest girl at the party, but she was fairly certain there was more to it. It had more to do with her partner and it had nothing to do with his appearance.

Seven and Zero were still staring, blinking actually, gossiping about how only Pierre can go from being strangled with a death stare like hers, to being kissed, to dancing with a girl like that. They were agreeing with themselves, like yup, only Pierre. Only fucking Pierre. Then they'd bow and start dancing together themselves. The unknown side conversation would also mean they actually saw the whole thing. That's why they were jaw dropped. They weren't seeing kissing the whole time like she claimed. Pierre was never in a time loop. Piper just told him so trying to keep his attention on her face so he wouldn't look out to seek help from others. All Seven and Zero knew was Pierre still had it even after the grave if he could calm the anger of a woman riled like that. They were not close enough to hear the conversation, but from what they saw, it was enough to make him a legend in their eyes.

This was a time people had utilized the floor like Thomas and Valerie or River and Elsa among them. Nutmeg and Willem were attempting to salvage a distracting night. It started off strong and kept going off in weird directions for him inside. Merry Men were all over the place taking their chances, many of which were Chip's wives, and if they couldn't get a girl to say yes, they'd be dancing with each other. Little John let no Merry Man go unpartnered.

Everyone would get a dance. Bastien whirled Frankie around off to the side, but stayed near his wife where the conversation was happening. Even Frankie and Bastien got a Little John hip swivel. Bastien only strayed off a little to the tune of the song to swing back her way again. Not to mention other random ghosts bopping around to the tunes. There was Black Arts and Nebby too casting out this Valerie/Thomas annoyingly happy all the time vibe whenever they were together.

So there was a lot of activity out there despite those who ran out of the castle. Which was also why most people would miss the oddity of a public moment far too busy with themselves to notice quiet body language of strangers-

-before everything went right back to normal.

As Piper and Pierre would start to dance she'd feel like every face that spun near or around them gave them a glance. Maybe not Thomas, he seemed to have tunnel vision all the time anyway. But, between all that and being pretty sure she heard her name drop from Seven and Zero's direction it definitely felt like the world was watching. This feeling wasn't an intimidating one though, not for Piper. She had too much Kuzco and Clopin in her for that.

When she felt the heat of the spotlight imagined or not she felt like she was on a grand stage. She wasn't a showman like her father. She hadn't lived life on stages, but the more she stood on podiums since their takeback she'd been gaining experience. Her groove sang in her heart, "Welcome to my show." She grabbed the side of her skirt to show a little more leg on that split dress as she hiked it against her dance partner and leaned into him harder before pulling back with flair.

Piper would dance with Pierre in a way that eventually blocked out the world. Her stage was his eyes. She'd waited all this time for this chance to see if he'd agree to this, to even get all the stars to align, sands to drop. She knew even if he'd have said no she'd have given her all to this dance because she needed her time with Pierre. He earned the hourglass on her hip. Kuzco had a forget me not tattoo and after all the people her father had lost over time she wasn't going to waste these moments because even now anything could happen. Minds could change. This was their time.

One song would turn into two, three. Time woud tick. She knew she had to get ready. She'd pull back.

"Thank you. I must prepare for you. Talk to Seven. Don't forget. No one from the other side. Just no one. I'll see you soon."

There were lots of dead people around tonight. The last thing she needed was an ambush of ghosts wanting life restored while working delicate magic with some highly elite friends. Emotions ran high when it came to life and death.

Clopin had written off the boy from the first, honestly. Seemed like a little preening Phoebus the second that they met one another in his classroom back at the Magisterium. And that was before he had even known that it was Phoebus’s son. There was some slight resemblance, but it was very slight, in the shape of the jaw and the nose perhaps. The sharpness that his gaze could have sometimes. And Maddy - well, she had signed his death warrant.

And yet, Pierre hadn’t really ‘given’ up on any of them. He still thought the stories about Papa Clopin that he had grown up with really cool, inspired him to pick up a guitar on his own and start playing. Kuzco too, they had a love of music and might actually have gotten along if the two of them ever had an occasion to be around one another. He even still loved Bastien as a brother, even after everything that he had put Bas through. He was a weird dude, yeah, but after being in Hell for what felt like an eternity… everyone was a weird dude in some way. He didn’t even blame his twin for doing what she did, for tapping on the paper that would get him killed. He knew it was his own stupid yapping that did that. It was a lesson that was hard to learn but he learned it.

And Piper? He’d never given up on her either. Even when she shunned him when he had come back as Ronno which was fuckin’ fair, who wanted to see that receding hairline? He winced everytime he looked in the mirror. It was actually better being a ghost than it was being in that body.

He still had some love for her in his heart. Same as with Zero. Same as with Seven. He wore that heart on his sleeve but he didn’t actually let very many people in it. Only look at it and let it entertain them for a mere time.

He was being absolutely sure not to mention his sister’s name or look back over in their direction. His focus right now was on Piper, and the glance over to Seven with the asked question. He could be loyal - sometimes.

He breathed out slowly once she had loosened her grip, his hand rubbing where she had squeezed, but he wasn’t complaining exactly. He could accept that it was deserved. He moved in closer to her, not to kiss her, but to brush his nose against her cheek, take in the smell of her, her hair, her skin, all of it all together. There weren’t many nice smells in hell.

“I’ll be there,” He promised. He could keep that one. “No one else will know,” He said with a growing excitement. He was coming back. He was going to feel flesh again. He was going to be able to … just be. Death didn’t suit him well, even if he was doing alright for himself. And Seven - Seven was going to freak out at this. He was grinning just anticipating his reaction.

He didn’t even need that second kiss to convince him of anything, he was already on board, but oh, he relished in it, her lips as soft as flower petals. He kissed her back, inhaling through his nose, his hand becoming sneaky and going down her side to rest at her hip, but was definitely threatening to go lower, to go behind, and he didn’t give two fucks who saw. He didn’t even know the broken-hearted white haired guy that looked like one of those weird ones that had tried to take over the Magisterium at one time. He would have just been more smug if he did know that was another one of the many men who Piper left her in wake.

To be fair, not many people here cared much for Claudius. They were nice enough, save for Clopin who was always messing with him simply because he was Piper’s Papa, but if he disappeared from their lives, no one would blink an eye.

“Just one dance before we go,” Pierre murmured softly into Piper’s ear. “I’ve been waiting an eternity.”

[cryptid-killjoy]

Piper had every reason to hate Pierre. No one in her family would even care if she did. Heck, most would not even bat an eye about it. Everyone seemed quite okay with letting Pierre go like he was more trouble than he was worth, but that was the theme of their family. That was the problem and reason why she couldn't let go. Tough love was something their family gave and many didn't respond to well, but that was usually because they refused to learn the lessons they needed to learn. Everyone believed in Maddy, that she could rise above it all. Piper wanted have faith in Pierre.

A big part of her knew that by blood they were nothing. Her daddy adopted Esmeralda. But, it was hard for her to admit that anything her daddy ever touched could betray them like this no matter how self absorbed a person is. He supposed to be family. The end. But, not only that for her. It was hard to let go of the memory of her first friend when coming out of hiding off the island, off the Laveau estate. Pierre was such a turning point in her life.

It was a good kiss. Even Piper missed it. It gave her a panging for more inside, but business first. Her own little smirk came up sly on when she felt the results of her touch. They knew what they were doing to each other.

Pierre had questions. Of course he did. Piper saw him glance over to Seven and Zero who were staring at them rather jaw dropped. She did say they were seeing them kissing so that would seem on the up and up. Piper however saw Pierre wasn't going to squirm away or try to anything funny on her like a time loop for being threatening with him about the Belleroses, but she really wanted him to know how serious she was. She saw there was about to be some quid pro quo on this deal though. She let the grip of her vader-like strangulation release slowly to converse.

She almost thought to be offended as if she wasn't enough to be there until she realized she wouldn't want him to be all clingy and with nothing to focus on other than her. Piper is so not that girl. The very thought left the answer easy to answer. It was going to be more magical work on her part, but way better than the bored Pierre image that just came to her. Not only that but considering how she was going to make this happen, something told her maybe Seven being involved wouldn't be the biggest ask to add on to this miracle.

After releasing her strangle hold she cupped his face instead and it would keep them intimately close. She was also keeping their conversation covered with her hands and arms up in front of their faces. It kept his face directly at hers.

"I'll make it work. Seven too. Tell no one beyond the veil. Not one person in the netherworld. Meet me in an hour at our old spot. It has to be there. Deal? Both of you?"

She was waiting for that yes. That's all she wanted. Leave the Belleroses be. Maybe she'd gained too much power over the past year? Maybe she was tampering with too much and would live to regret it? Flotsam had warned all too often of the consequences of tampering and yet still River, Flotsam, Jetsam all tampered anyhow, and Pierre himself had a power that tampered. No. Piper was going to tamper. She had the brain power to figure this out.

"Say yes. Come back to me, Pierre. Come back to us all."

Then she kissed him again. She kissed him good, and hard, and deep like she was scared it was goodbye. She wasn't convinced he would say yes. There was an extra flair of passion leaking into that kiss, the passion behind all her grief, that spent endless amounts of time on her hourglasses, memorials, and fire weilding with his face in her head. For as intense as it started it would end just as softly.

Whether he said yes or no, no matter what came out of his mouth next, there was another set of eyes on them by this point. It was a set of eyes that looked completely shattered. It was a set of eyes that only recently confessed his love to this woman. He stood there not too far away from Zero and Seven.

It was a set of eyes Dale would love to see shattered out of everyone. It was a set of eyes Willem tried to warn and still would love to see shattered anyway. He was just sort of a pirate like that.

Go-Go didn’t know who hip coins was but hey, it sounded like a fun demolition derby type of thing. That was the American dream right there. That was something she wanted to try while she was in this country, and it looked like there might be the possibility of that tonight. Feral was the land of opportunity, it seemed.

“Fuck calendars,” She agreed with a nod of her head, the long hair extensions creating a more dramatic effect with this. She’d almost forgotten for a minute that she was dressed up, and not in comfortable speed gear. That made it all the more thrilling.

Goddamn that was a roar. She could have never met Jetsam, never seen him, and would know that he was a Laveau just from that call alone. She exchanged an excited look with Scout. Oh hell yeah, this was going to be a night to remember.

More and more people were joining them, which was completely fine, the more the merrier. And was she a little excited that the twins were coming? Yeah. She hadn’t seen much of the chaos that she heard that Chip and Dale could cause, not with Chip running his family and creating his own little village. Dale - she knew from first meeting him that he could cause a ruckus, ever since she had seen Anton move.

She was out of the castle with Scout, Halloween party be damned.

--

Bingo! Score! Win 100 tickets!

Ellie suddenly found herself trapped in a box, and without really thinking, she breathed her fire onto it, setting it in flame and stepped out the burning cardboard wreckage, looking around at the culprit, though Babyface had already pinpointed exactly who it was. Goddamn Dale.

“Yeah, let’s go,” She agreed, putting her hand on Babyface’s back to give him a little extra push as they gave chase to find out what excitement they were up to beyond the castle, red hair blending with the blue sparkles of her costume, creating a brightly-colored blur outta there.

They were out and she was ready to go and chase down the Laveaus some more, already pouting, feeling again like a little sister that was left out of something cool with the older kids. But Babyface’s sudden stop and looking out at the water had her slowing her roll, her feet coming to a slow stop, and then she trailed back up to him curiously.

They couldn’t see the island from where they were right then. But then again - with the island not getting in fresh shipments of boys, would it even still be running? Would it still have it’s magic? She tilted her head and looked out at how the moon reflected off of the water, hiding so much both above and below it’s depths.

And then she looked at Babyface, the way that he was looking out and she nodded, determination setting in her face. “Should we see if we can steal a boat, or should we skate it?”

--

Seems like Thomas and Valerie were the only ones. Everyone else was greeting the dead, or dealing with an intruder, or running off to do something crazy. Jetsam had barely looked at them, they were were homefree, they could do as they liked, and what Thomas wanted to do, more than anything in the world right now, was to hold his wife and have a good ol’ dance with her while Ches was still playing the music.

A full on waltz, one hand in hers, the other around that thin waist that made it hard to believe that she had birthed triplets. She looked damn good. Her body had bounced back incredibly, and oh, he missed that stomach of her sometimes but then there were times like this when they could be close because it wasn’t in the way anymore…

No matter what happened with this body, he adored it, plain and simple.

--

Honestly - Pierre had thought that Piper would hate him too. Shit, seemed like everyone did up top, and they had their reasons. It was valid. It took him over a year in Hell to realize that. Even Zero had hesitated on coming up to him and that was his goddamn pup, so Piper - yeah, he had figured she was pissed.

So Pierre was feeling VERY pleased at his reception right now, a little smug, even.

“And I for yours,” Pierre said, his eyes flickering over her face, and how it had not changed much since he had been gone. Those violet eyes, ever so striking, her rich dark hair, so black it was almost blue, the natural dusky tone of her skin. He had a habit of telling those that he was in love with that they were Gods and Goddesses but - Piper stood above the rest.

And even more cocky as she touched him like that, right here, right out in the open. He wasn’t shy about it, didn’t try pushing her hand away, instead greeted her with a half-chub that started to grow harder. Yes, even the dead can grow, apparently. He closed his eyes into the kiss, his first in what felt like eternity, and the sweetest one he could have imagined. “Missed you too, girl.”

Then things started to get intense. He wasn’t opposed to being choked though he wasn’t super into violence in the bedroom, but this was getting real. He could feel it, even though he knew that he could not die again. His eyes opened with confusion and hurt, not with anger, not with fear, just - almost looking like a kicked puppy himself.

The information was hard to take in, not with the distraction of being choked and how achingly hard he was getting under his touch. Oh, aching indeed, it was causing a sweat droplet on Pierre��s brow and all. The Belleroses though - at the mention of him, he flickered his eyes over to his sister, who had her back turned to him, talking to the ghosts of the Merry Men. Wulf, he recognized, from Hog Fest.

And then, his eyes would look around the room again and not find the second person he was looking for, because Frank was out of the room with their flesh and blood intruder and Delta. Then back into Piper’s eyes. “- one question,” He said, his voice hoarse, choking. “Can you only bring back me or-?”

He motioned his head towards Seven. Because that was his boy right there. They went through Hell together - and a lot of Hell’s influences. Pierre was not the same boy that he had been when he went under. But he still stuck to that loyalty to Seven, despite what else might be going on in his mind. He had to at least ask. If there was any chance…

--

Maddy also did a quick look around for Frank and Delta, and found them gone too. But those that were in the castle, she noticed, were friends. Save for maybe Pierre, but regardless, they were people who were not here to hurt them. Still, they shouldn’t give anyone the chance.

She nodded to Bastien as he wanted to go and get Frankie. That made her feel a lot better too. “Go, I’ll be right here, I’ll keep an eye out,” She promised Bastien, lightly brushing her hand against his lower waist, and then turned her attention to her friends, her face brightening up once more.

“Just Agnes missed me?” She asked Wulf with both eyebrows raised, but she would pet the little ghost pig that had served as flower girl at her wedding, her eyes full of delight. “I missed you too, girl.”

-

Lance caught Figaro’s attention though. “LANCY PANTSY!!!” They yelled loudly and ran over to them. After all, they had been quite friendly when they went to the high school together, as all of their friends seemed to have the main character stuff going on. They snapped their fingers loudly, almost imitating Kuzco, expecting people to come out of nowhere and get shit done. “Someone get this man a Geee-Tar!”

--

Elsa wouldn’t have minded if this was the rest of the night. Not a touchy-feely sort usually, but this was River. This was the son that she had for such a brief time. That she had missed so many years with and tried to get those back, tried to be there for him, tried to be the mother he didn’t need once he was an adult.

She also watched as they all went off together, and she didn’t mind at all if Koda went off with them. He deserved to have some fun out there. She was perfectly content to stay here, with the stragglers and the ghosts. But she did look towards Valerie and Thomas too, and found herself pleased that they weren’t being bothered by what was going on. Those two, always in their own little world. Dancing like they were in a music box.

“Absolutely,” She said with a nod, not acknowledging the way that he had corrected himself. Mother - it suited her much more than Ma, anyway.

So she would take his hand and they would have a dance and even Elsa would have a genuine smile on her face, seeing past all the rot, the dessication, to the boy that was underneath. She’d always see the boy. Even when he was a man.

And when he would break off to ask Valerie to dance, of course Thomas would allow this to happen with a bow of his head and a grin on his face, and would stand back and watch, even try to take some pictures with his phone so that this would seem less dreamlike.

--

Frank bit back a laugh. The nerve of this guy. The fuckin’ BALLS, coming in and just demanding that Delta release his father, as if Chernabog was just a house-guest rather than her prisoner around her pretty neck. Despite wanting to laugh, his face remained in that neutral, almost ghastly expression of his.

He listened, staying silent, staying cool for now, as Delta laughed for the both of them. But he couldn’t help the corner of his mouth going up ever so slightly.

“Oh, he’s being quite serious,” Frank said, holding Delta steady, allowing the leather fabric of his shirt to wear her tears, his mind connected to Silas’s. “He has no idea he’s sniffing around the wrong lamppost.”

He let Delta take the lead on the conversation, as per usual. She was a better talker than he was anyway. He kept himself holding onto Silas, one hand clenched on his, standing just behind. Trapping Silas between himself and Delta as he pled his case.

But when he brought up Uncle issues, he raised up his hand and gave Silas a smack on the back of his head - hard.

‘I’m not judging you. I’m judging him,’ Frank thought back towards Delta. And he was judging this guy hard. Was this foolishness, or was it bravery? Or was it just a desperate act of cowardice, because he couldn’t handle life without his daddy doing things for him. He got cut off from Oogie when he got stuck inside of Feral, so he was trying to find the next big thing, the next big Sugar Mama.

“We’ve got a special place for a thing for you,” Frank said, pulling Silas in closer to him, so that the clown’s back was up against his chest. Might even have seemed romantic, in a ‘Frollo’ type of way. “Where I’m going to cut you up, but I’m going to keep you alive. Yes, I’m going to cut you up, and I’ll see what makes you tick, makes you sick. We’ll find out exactly who you are.”

[cryptid-killjoy]

GoGo didn't pull any sensitive offenses. Jetsam checked that off in his mind. CHECK. He was right about her. CHECK. Then she offered a possible dress swap at some point. DOUBLE CHECK. Then her suggestion was to go on a joyride? TRIPLE DOG CHECK YA. Hello. Jetsam just earthly approved of Scout's friend that fast.

"I haven't been behind the wheel of a car since I smashed up old coin hips' car. Do you know how many years ago that was? Me either. I don't keep track. Fuck calendars."

Then he reared back and roared a gutteral metal scream while beating his chest. It seemed like it shouldn't be able to be done without a mic and some petals but there he was like he had a natural reverb box in his belly.

"Let's go bitches!" He sounded off like he was commanding a chaotic army of anarchy even though he was basically only addressing Scout and GoGo.

That loudness got two more people's attention though. Chip and Dale. Jetsam's actual biological sons. Fire lit behind both their eyes. It was the thrill seekers' flame ingited in the both of them. Dale was loudest when he hollered back. He didn't get to see glimpses of his father like Chip did. Chip had a secret world with him in the middle-worlds with Savvy, but not Dale.

"Regulators!" Dale called out, an ol' thing his dad used to do when they were young to gather everyone up.

So Scout called out, "Mount up!"

It was a Young Guns thing when they got on their horses, but they always said it when they'd scramble for their atv's and go out in the wilds of Laveau Estate back in the day. Today they were being joyriders and finding something out there to ride in the wilds of Feral. Chip heard about all the zombies. It made him start to feel like a little piece of home was in him. He turned and gave his wives a signal he was outtie and went running after his brother and sister... and god damn dad. The dad he killed, yeah, this was going to be a good fucking night.

Dale jumped on a table and threw his Barbie Doll box over his head and tried to ring it around Ellie's whole body like a last party game as the group went running out to cause havoc in the Feral streets.

Babyface would turn in his cop outfit ready to smack a bitch down for fucking with Ellie when he realized it was Dale.

"That fucker." His eyes tried to keep up with the crew weaving around dancers jamming out to the exit.

"We should go see what the Hell they're doing." He suggested before taking off looking more like a cop after someone with his billyclub out than a criminal for once in his life. Halloween wonders.

The young Laveau crowd with GoGo had gotten the drop on him though. He was lagging behind when he got outside. His excitement was banking on a thrill himself with all the hussle he was seeing, but what he didn't expect was for his feet to stop when he saw the beach at the bottom of the castle. He stopped running.

"Ells?" Something about fresh water had a way of taking him back to the island. It became that moment where Babyface Beagle didn't follow the crowd and instead stood in his unhealed feelings. He hadn't meant to be a party downer, but it caught him right in the chest.

"We're in Feral." The reality of where they were started to truly dawn on him for the first time. They'd come for a costume ball, but how often were they really allowed in this place? It had access to Pleasure Island.

"I have to go there. We have to go. I'm going before Delta tries to put us back on that bus out. I have to see it."

It. He didn't say the words, but it ached inside him. Maybe she wasn't the same, but it's all he could think of now. To him she had to know.

---

Valerie said it like Thomas was special and the reason why because he absolutely was. He confirmed. She was fucking with him tonight. "I'm a house. It's my god damn house." She grinned. Not a box. Never in the box again. "I'm with you." She needed all those words tonight. Moreso she needed the expression on her husband's face, the way he paid attention. That's why she was with him. Never ignored. Never brushed off. This was where she felt like she mattered. She mattered.

She felt the rush of her family racing off for different fun. They all became a blur behind the order of her eyes. That was okay. Thomas was still front and center.

"I would love to dance."

She held her hand out to be swept off to the dance floor. It looked like someone was going to have a traditional night at this ball after all.

--

Then there was Pierre. Zero and Seven did step aside. If Zero was a long time coming, Piper was a whole other level. Pierre altered her forever. Paramour yes, but it was more. They were supposed to be family. No one cut this thread.

There was a literal inferno beneath her skin that only existed in her eyes because of him. It burned through doors to open magics inside her she could dream of controlling. But, that was the thing about fire wasn't it? Fire was dangerous and hard to contain. It ignited other worlds within her. Sleeping worlds were now awake in her veins.

"Nope. I should have known better." There was a smile. "I'm glad. I always had a soft spot for your face." She took the hug in and used it to her advantage. She was anything but appropriate. Piper didn't skirt anything after that. She slipped a hand down his front, soothed right over his cock with one hand and kissed him clean on the lips in front of everyone. "I really, really missed you." She'd say ever so sensually. But, she didn't let go of his cock when it was over.

"Shhh. Don't move. Don't try a time loop. You're already in one. You don't want to cross magics like that. They think we're still kissing."

She held not a knife, but her curled hand to his throat, like Vader began to squeeze his throat without even touching him. "That's all they see. But, you listen to me. I don't care if you think you're here for all Hallow's thin veil. I've been pouring the purple sands for a long time waiting for your grain to drop. Wishing. Manifesting. Summoning you. I think I know a way for you to come back here, but you have to vow to leave the Bellerose's in peace. Can you do that? For me? For fucking once, do right by me?"

Contradictory much? A little confusing. Probably. But Piper wasn't fucking around. She never did anymore. She wanted him to know he was wanted here, but it didn't matter, she'd fuck him the fuck up in this world or the next if he fucked with her sister's head again if she gave him this chance and it actually worked. Hell, maybe he didn't want to come back? Maybe he'd disappoint her all over again.

----

When Maddy explained to him Pierre was definitely still dead and reminded him of Frollo Bastien's heart sank. He didn't care about Pierre anymore. It showed deep down to Bastien Pierre wasn't a real threat, more a pest.

"If Pierre and the Merry Men got in the castle then... Frollo." Bastien's hands actually started to tremble along with the side of his jaw when his mouth wasn't closed. This was a true Halloween fright to him and it was only a mere thought. "Let's stay close to Frankie tonight. It's a shields up night, Maddy." Bastien didn't even know if Frollo was really there, but he wasn't taking any chances, not with his little girl.

It was about then the Merry Men started to gather around one of their favorite castle couples.

It was Wulf who brought Agnes the piggie up to Maddy. "Someone misses you." To Bastien he'd say, "After all the times I've hooked you up I know you got something for me now."

Bastien would give him the, "Just let me get Frankie first and then I got you covered."

The whole crowd would start to distract them. Lance would ask people thought he could play music too. He wanted to hold a real guitar again in his real hands. All sorts of hub bub was going on.

-

River had needed that hug from Elsa. It went on so long it was like a Disney World character hug where the mascot refuses to let go until the patron did. River nearly didn't let go.

As much as River enjoyed Koda he was happy enough to sit with Elsa. It didn't even dawn on him to go running off with the others of his family yet because he'd been so attached to the house in New Zealand. He followed Flotsam/Valerie nearly everywhere they went watching out for entities that might try and slip into her necro-magnetic field.

He'd meant to spend a little more time with his siblings, but it seemed his other dad got to them first and had them on exit. "I uh... I already climbed that moutain once today. I'm not doing it again. I think I'll stay here." He said as he watched them all fleeing on some kind of excited high.

No. River would stay and dance with his parents. Elsa first. Then he might try to cut in on Thomas if they hadn't finished by then. He looked over at his mother-form Valerie and Thomas dancing. River hadn't gotten to see her in a big gown like that in real life dancing so happily before. Thomas always made her happy, but this was different. He could see she was living her fantasies in real life with him. Now if only Elsa would say yes to a dance with him.

"Ma. Er. I mean... Mother. We should dance. Will you dance with me?"

--

Back in the throne room. "School. Ew." Silas looked annoyed by the thought and blew it off. That was the thing though wasn't it? Silas had so much going on. Halloweentown High. He never wanted to do that. He did it to make his father happy. Oogie happy? He was following a lead that didn't exist for him. His real parent was gone. He was cut off from Oogie when he got trapped in Feral. He'd found out too much along the way. He knew who his biological mother was now. There were a lot of ways to feel, but he wasnt sure he felt any. What Silas did thrive in was his routines. When his way was thrown out of wack meltdowns would happen. He'd been in Feral a long time now and his new routines were in place. He still couldn't help but feel life was easier when he had a Jenner Chernabog to do things for him.

"You should give me my father back, and let us move in the castle, give us a room, each of us of course."

Delta's face couldn't have been further from contorted. Her hunch's whole body might have twisted into every line her face had. "Why would I do that?"

"I can't get out of Feral. I've tried. You have the best castle and it'll make my life a whole lot easier if I just have him back. He does things for me I don't like to do."

Delta looked over at Frank and she couldn't take it. She sort of wanted to do the expressionless thing, but she couldn't. She upchucked some real laughter deep from within. It jostled her so much her curls bounced upward on her sproingy head.

Then the face Silas started making due to her mocking him only made her laugh more. She couldn't breathe.

She had to hold onto the side of Frank's arm to catch her breath before she finally said, "So let me get this straight. You want us to give a shit what makes your life easier?" She even wiped her face on Frank's sleeve. They were actually watering it made her laugh so hard.

"Is this really happening right now?" Delta thought he might be mentally challenged.

Then Silas responded, "So you're saying I need to earn my keep to help you here?" He still tried to explain it to Delta. "That's what my dad is for. He's the one that does things for other people. Me too. He can't do them from in there. Just let him out and we can both get things."

"I've had him this whole time. If I wanted him out don't you think I would have?" Delta wasn't even sure why she was arguing with him. There was something about him that made her want to engage.

"No. He must have made you mad to put him in there. He loves me. If he has me here he'll do what you say because he'll be happy. It's a win-win, Delta, Frank. I can control him. I always do. I'm the joy of his life, his reason for going on without madness. He said so. Besides you, Delta. He always said that. There's Delta and there's me. His boy. We're the only thing that keeps his head above board after Hades. You know it's true."

Ok, now Delta's face was changing. She knew anything could go wrong with a plan like that. She thought of about a dozen ways it could go south in a matter of a minute. Still, she'd been trying to figure out how to safely handle him if she dared eject him from the vessel. Uncle Jenner. Delta was more sentimental about it than Silas was. Silas had attachments, but Delta actually cared in her depths. They weren't the same kind of emotions Delta had which was why this was walking a fence and Frank could probably feel it by all the sudden involuntary imagery in her head of her past.

"You think you can walk in here and get me all stirred up for Uncle Jenner because you have Daddy issues?"

"Uncle issues much? Pot. Black."

Her eyes narrowed in on him. Then without moving her head she told Frank on their private frequency "I want him alive. But he's yours until further notice. Tower. Dungeon. I don't care. I don't care what you do as long as he survives it with enough surgeon's fingers left to surg. I have to think. Don't judge me right now, Lurch. I can't think. I need to think."

She shivered as she dared let her head test the waters of what Jenner once insinuated. That she had a brother. A cousin? Like family? Delta hated this shit. Right when she thought she was out a thread with a grapple hook would pull her back in. This was why she liked Hell. It was silent. Just her and Frank. All that longing for family always disappeared there. She suddenly felt like blaming her father for this.

Then she remembered Oogie. "Get this Oogie lover out of my face."

"Heyyyy, guys. There's no Oogie in Feral." He tried to reason.

Then she held up a hand for Frank to wait.

"You are seriously trying to tell me you don't care about Oogie and expect us to just forgive and forget you were with her before? Yeah, right."

"No. I expect you to understand I'm not what you think I am."

Delta was too fuming to understand it because he was getting under her skin. It was hard to do but he was close enough to know her triggers. But what he meant was he wasn't like others. He didn't feel inside like others. Nothing counted to him because in his mind nothing was real. In his mind all he did was walk up and offer his control services of his father in exchange for accomidations. But, that's because he couldn't feel what Delta did. His attachments always came with a use for him not an actual sentiment. He didn't like staying out where he had to keep figuring out his own food, doing his own cleaning. Life was annoying without a father to delegate tasks.

“Later,” Go-Go said to Nebby, much more distracted by this dead dad. He didn’t look dead, not like River over by the piano did. That made this a lot more interesting. Jetsam had a big grin on his face so Go-Go grinned too at seeing her best friend happy, and this crazy looking guy happy too.

“Yeah, that sounds accurate,” Go-Go nodded at the description of her. Beanpole, check. Computer chip? Check. Ready to go ludicrous speed? Double check. Call her a black 1970 Dodge Charger R/T because she was fast and furious, baby. She looked down at her dress, smoothing it over her small frame. “Yeah? Maybe we could do a swap sometime.”

She started to laugh at Scout’s joke too - she followed Koda on instagram after meeting him, even though they’ve never really spoken. So she knew who the horse was. And knew that there was one man in this room who would very much disagree that a horse would look good, ever. Which made her chuckle a little harder.

Think fast? Yeah, she was.

“I was thinking we could go o a joy ride with some of the cars that I saw down in town, have some fun with no speed limits and no annoying pedestrians?”

She was thinking she wanted to try car surfing too, even if it was extremely dangerous but the wind whipping through her hair? The adrenaline? Fuck, it seemed like it would be a real trip.

--

Thomas found it hard to concentrate on his own vision at times but he did practice a lot, especially while he was working on his projects at home. The little details in carvings from the bed frames to the statuettes he made, he had to have a precise eye. But he was’t looking at Valerie the same way that he looked at a project. He was looking at her like she was the finished product, and he was admiring it. She was more gorgeous and awe-worthy than the Statue of David, had more strength than the terracotta army, and more elegant than the Bust of Nefertiti.

More than her song - Thomas wanted her here for everything.

And he was pretty sure everyone else did too. Delta didn’t invite her here just to perform. She wasn’t here to provide the entertainment, Valerie wanted to do that. And now she could take a step back, relax, and enjoy the party, even with Jetsam here. He seemed preoccupied for now, anyhow. And when he would, invariably, make his way over, Thomas was going to be right there.

A smile widened on his face when she said those fucking powerful words.

“You’re goddamn right,” He said with a stiff nod. She had more right to be here than a lot of these people. Than these ghosts. But man his heart was touched and his cock was growing hard. She said that like he was special too. Like she was special because she was HIS fucking wife, when she had always had the capacity to glow on her own.

“And I’ll remind you every single time. You’re not a box. You’re a whole goddamn house,” He told her. Because there were bits of Valerie all over their home, from her loaded closet in the bedroom to the Nutella always kept in the cupboard in their kitchen. No one puts baby in a corner. No one puts Valerie in a box.

He squeezed her hand once hers had reached his. Her strength was incomparable. “Yeah - you’re here with me tonight, love, and I’m going to make sure that we have the best time.”

Though the main show was over, Valerie’s singing, Black Arts’ playing, the dancers gone to their dates or frieds, Cheshire was still playing music over the speakers. He brought Valerie’s hand up to his mouth with a small smile making the corners turn upwards. “Care to dance with me?”

--

“Thank you,” Elsa said with a small bow of her head. The dress was quite dramatic, but it seemed to fit the theme. Normally she wouldn’t go through such rigamole for a single event but - this felt different. She was REALLY here with Koda, and everyone was seeing it this time around. Everyone, all together. So she allowed her credit card to get a little wear and tear.

And then River told them that he had been working on this, and he had been around and Koda’s amazement. It made her take a step out of herself for a moment and think about what River must have been up to. She had put herself in isolation for a large portion of her life, and it had been uncomfortable. River was a social being, and he had been forced into it, into being this invisible ghost that can only be seen during rare occurrences. Of course he had been practicing for this. It made her tighten that hug up once more.

The two boys - the two most important in her life, finished each other’s sentence in a different way and it even had her laughing a little. Seeing them together was just - good. Just like how she was going to be feeling good to watch this River interact with the rest of his family tonight.

“Yes, of course,” She said, nodding towards Koda. And then a small little smile at his double-meaning. She was always cool, wasn’t she? Though not as cold. “I’ll be alright.”

There was no ‘Tell him I say hello’ because Elsa just didn’t. She had nothing to say to Jetsam.

"You're still a charmer, River."

--

Stiffness - but not resistance. A part of him had expected a tantrum - but that was going off of the young man’s face rather than his mind. He just - very much looked the type. Spoiled soft. Rotten. But he didn’t resist, he walked without causing a scene. Another interesting thing to notice.

“I didn’t ask for a history lesson,” Frank said, lowly. “I’m out of school now, don’t need lectures.”

He wasn’t the only one with imagination. Delta had it in hoardes too. Turning the horse from a metaphorical thing into something real that their uninvited guest could be shoved into, he liked that. His mind went through the old gypsy-torturing technique of cutting open a horse’s stomach, shoving the owner inside, and then putting it over a burning flame to suffocate and heat to death at the same time? He’d like to do something like that. He didn’t have a great love for animals.

Oogie had been too pre-occupied to think about Delta. The Horned King’s spell had taken some of her best and brightest from her school, and she had to reassure many grieving parents that if their kids had any sense in their goddamn heads, they would have just stayed at her school instead of venturing out into NOLA. It was their own faults for leaving Halloweentown in the first place. There was a lot of victim blaming there. And then trying to groom the ones that were leftover. She had given Silas space in her new torture rooms to do as he wished, order what he wished, play with whoever he wished. But didn’t have the proper time to actually spend with him and share her own wicked imagination.

And then his acid girl spit through the shit, getting right to the point and he focused his eyes on Silas, waiting for a lie. He didn’t find one.

Well, it wasnt exactly the most exciting reason. But it wasn’t the stupidest either.

--

Pierre had been looking at Piper over Zero’s shoulder for a full minute now. Did a part of him love her, the way that it loved few other of his paramours? Yes. She lingered. She lingered hard, like lipstick on his skin, like perfume after she left the room.

And Seven and Zero stepped back like this was some kind of a movie and this was the presentation of the hot female actress. Perfectly centered between the two men and heading straight for him, like something out of a dream.

“You think anything could completely get rid of this beautiful face?” Pierre said, closing his eyes as he hugged Piper, taking in the rich smell of her hair, her perfume. Did this girl even sweat? Seemed unlikely.

She smelled of their burning tree.

And in true Pierre fashion, his hands didn’t just go around her shoulders or back in that hug. They trailed down past her waist, to where back turned into ass, just skirting being inappropriate.

Maddy wasn’t paying attention to Pierre anymore. She had been walking towards their group of friends, Wulf, Arthur, Little John, Lance, having already called the first two’s names but they were looking around the room rather than focusing on individual people, apparently. Then Bastien returned to her and laid out that question.

She put her hand on his arm. “Oh, he’s still dead, Bastien,” She said, slowly. “Some ghosts can gather their strength and come back during the year, the way that Frollo did. But most others have to wait until Halloween to take on any sort of form. He’ll leave. He has to leave. And I’m not wasting another thought on him until I have to.”

It did show her one thing though. It was possible to hug the dead. And there were people here she definitely wanted to hug.

[cryptid-killjoy]

"I'm sure. Um, excuse me for a minute." Nebby said having heard a few things of the Laveaus herself, but never have had experience with them herself. She went gunning off looking for Black Arts. She was the one wishing she'd packed extra panties and not for the same reason GoGo had been teasing Scout about earlier.

Scout sounding so proud he was dead and just announcing it like that with no shame stoked Jetsam up. Then he got the intro of GoGo on top of it.

"I know who you are. You're that friend of Scout's that's basiclly a human beanpole shaped computer chip that seems constantly pumped up on liquid schwartz ready to go ludicrous speed at any moment. I like your dress. I think we're the same size. I'm beanpole size too." Then because he's Jet he'd off-handedly say, "I bet that'd look hot on Floppy." And no he didn't mean Koda's horse. He meant Flotsam. They were all skinny lanky people and all Jetsam saw was how they could share outfits the moment he saw her, not that Jetsam was much of a dress wearer, but two seconds on this plain and there he was trying to dress his twin again.

Scout just laughed. "I think Floppy's good in the stable tonight, Dad. But that horse would look sexy in anything." She knew how to turn it into a joke.

Then Jet said, "Well girls, I have one night on earth in my own body. That's not long. Think fast." He lifted his brow at GoGo like it was a challenge. "What should we do with it?"

--

Valerie looked into Thomas's eyes, trying so hard to focus directly on them and nowhere else. The visual lines of focus could be dizzying of one didn't have their coordination down, completely practiced with the windows. It took a long time to become natural. The triplets added a new vision field to tune into and blink through. There was a lot to shut down and hold closed. She gained it though. She held Thomas's eyes, his face, his safety. It was strange because it was only in a moment like this they realized there was very little they ever feared and one of things they feared the most was one of things they loved the most. Jetsam. It was their lack of control over Jet.

She saw what she felt there. She saw the same joy she felt when she first saw Jet making Scout happy. It was such a relief. Such a finally. It was even nice just to see him again for herself. They had such happy memories all their own. They were brothers. Then that feeling of Valerie's skin started crawl and reason's Chip grew up way too fast all rushed back. That's where Thomas's barricade was needed.

She was wanted for more than her song. Damn. Weirdly, it made her think back to Ariel's voice still stuck in that seashell Delta likes to keep. Valerie definitely didn't want to be reduced to her voice. It made it sound like her song was something that could be put away like the necklace. This made her remember Valerie being hidden under the bed. She liked being able to change when she wanted from Flotsam to Valerie now with the new magic, but the way Thomas worded it, it made her feel reminded she wasn't something that had to hide under the bed anymore. She could wasn't a parlor trick for entertainment. She was his wife and no matter what was going on around them she was wanted here. He said she could change if she wanted, but she was wanted for more than her song.

That was all she needed, that moment of Thomas having her back. His voice being her reminder helped straighten hers. She was wanted. She was Valerie fucking Laveau. "I'm your fucking wife and I deserve to be here."

"Every now and then the box under the bed likes to creep up on me. Thanks for the reminder, my love."

She kept pushing her forehead against his to keep that connection. "Plus, fuck that. I don't want to give anyone the satisfaction of me running. I'm here to stay and I'm yours. I don't want to send the wrong signals if I change." Then she slid her hand down his hand and took his hand in hers. She gave him a kiss, a nod that she'd be alright, then started to back her head up, but she did not let go of his hand.

--

As for River when he and Elsa's embrace finally started to loosen the familiar way she messed with his curl brought a smile to his face.

"And you look amazing." River replied loving her costume. It was up his alley.

But rough?

"Oh. Right." He looked down at himself. "Yeah. That happens. It always starts out so good. By the end of the night I'm rotten again. I should have waited to manifest till right when I got here. I messed it up. I've been practicing. My tangible time's been getting longer and longer. I think I wore myself out doing it too much this week wanting to surprise everyone this week too. Ah well."

Koda was amazed though, "So, you're telling us you've been around more than tonight? AND YOU'VE TOLD NO ONE. Dude. Bruh."

"I know. I know. Surprise. I'm the new-"

Koda yelled out Patrick Swayze right as River finished his sentence with Sparky. He was the new Sparky. Then the two guys laughed thinking they were going to finish each others' sentence, but finishing it so different made them laugh so hard.

Koda was all grins just behind him until he noticed Jetsam. That was his buddy. With all due respect to Elsa and River's relation's his emotions went on overdrive when he caught sight of Jet. He slapped his hand on River's back.

"I'm gonna leave you two to it for a minute. I see your ol' man over there. I'm going to go catch him before he disappears. You cool, Elsa?"

--

Silas felt the pull and didn't didn't resist. He walked like he was being escorted like a gentleman making no fuss to the partygoers. That's what's Delta wanted. Frank would be able to feel a slight stiffness in his body since he wasn't the one in complete control. This was unnerving even to a narcissistic psychopath. A loss of any amount of control is always a red flag in their mind even if regular person can't detect them feeling bothered.

The comment however amused Silas. "How very Ed Gein of you. Quite inspiring. I never did think he went far enough. So much potential there. His creativity was cut short. Your mind is far more innovative."

What he didn't say out loud were thoughts of how he'd like to work with a mind like that. Why didn't his partners ever have ideas like that? Wastes of skin, all of them. Then the random flashes of actual human skinnings would cycle through his head. He made better uses of their skin than their wastes of lives did. There was a superiority and matter of factness to his thoughts that only someone with a certain lack of understanding of true empathy has.

When Silas called Frank innovative Delta said, "Innovative? Oh honey. You have no idea. Whatever high horse you think you rode in on, I won't just knock you off the horse. I'll cut the horse off at the knees, shove those knees down your throat, and shove you up that horse's ass. That's just what I'll do. You don't even want to get in Frank's head. So, why don't we just cut the bullshit right now and you tell us what you want here? Now. Before you find out the hard way."

What a feisty, little, spunky, girl. He was finding her personality so far very acidic and inviting. No wonder his father adored this child. Memories of how many times his father left his own side telling him he had to go "take care of Delta" or he was on "Uncle Jenner duty" and that took priority over him. Memory flashes of Chernabog's face telling him he was a big boy and he had to handle himself while he carried out Maleficent's order's. Coven always came first. Time was strange because this became a simple matter of fact these facets of Silas's hidden childhood despite never having met Delta in person the whole time. Delta always to priority. Jenner was late for dinner. Oh, he was doing something with Delta and Maleficent again. Sure, he'd seen her before now. But, now they were here truly face to face.

Then of course there was the Oogie Boogie layer to his life. This came later. She never truly pushed any agenda in his head to feel one way or another about these two. Jenner tried to give the boy some stability a little too late. Silas has always had his own personal agendas and was thrown in the middle of whatever he was born into. It was difficult to navigate what he felt especially for a person who didn't feel a lot other than the urge to satisfy his own curiosities.

Silas pointed at Delta's necklace.

"I want to see my father. I know he's alive. I can feel him."

---

Then there was Bastien who picked up his hammer as he said he said he was going to. When he got it he didn't go over to Pierre. He got stuck again. He still felt like he was supposed to go rushing up to the situation and to go lay down the law on the guy or even smash smash smash. He still hadn't gotten any orders from Delta. Maybe she really did want all these ghosts here. Maybe she even invited them. So many thoughts raced through his head. He was loyal to Frank and Delta. He didn't want to fuck up, but his emotions were getting the better of him.

But by this point he was starting to reevaluate the whole situation. "Maddy?" His voice was soft. Seeing Zero and Seven with him was one thing, but what he was seeing now caused him to rethink everything.

It was Piper, the Reaper's daughter. She wasn't in her eyeball costume anymore because she'd just done the dance with Maddy and the rest of the girls. She'd caught sight of Pierre.

"Pierre?" She called his name. "The hourglass flipped over for you." She sighed like it was the most relieving news she could ever recieve. "The hourglass flipped." Then she reached out to give him a hug like all their past disagreements were wiped away with that hourglass turn. As far as she was concerned, at least for Halloween if that's what was happening, they were good until the sands ran out again. She wasn't wasting what time she had with him.

Bastien would look back at his wife. "We have to rethink this. I'm confused. Is he dead or alive?"

“You kinda get used to it overtime,” Go-Go said to Nebby, keeping her cool. The Laveaus had been shocking her since Dale had made Anton come to life. She could be shocked - but hardly ever surprised.

It really did look like a young Flotsam, though maybe a bit more wild in the eyes. The resemblance was uncanny. “Hi Dead Dad, I’m Go-Go,” She introduced.

--

Thomas was fine tuned to the word Daddy now coming from Scout’s lips. So of course, for a moment there, he thought that she was calling for him and his head turned as well, only to see the jet black hair of Jet, it couldn’t have been anyone else. He saw Scout’s smile, and he couldn’t help but smile back - he did love to see her happy like that, her cheeks looking like they could become sore at any moment from the smiling. And then he felt his wife hold onto his arm a little heavier, and he looked up at her. The storm behind her eyes. Not a raging storm, no, but a conflicted one. A storm holding castaways on the shoreline rather than being the reason they were being castaways in the first place.

Thomas turned around, turning his back to everything that was going on. Scout hugging Jet. River hugging Elsa. He put all of his attention on his wife just then, standing a touch taller on his toes so that he could rest his forehead against hers, looking one another eye to eye. He wanted to protect her from Jet. He remembered how Jet had wated to fuck Valerie, to take her, but Valerie had always said no. He was going to stand as that barrier, protect her right then.

“You can change if you want to, but you don’t have to,” He said, gently. “I like having you here with me, Valerie. You’re wanted for more than just your song.”

Even while everyone was looking over the newcomers, he was looking at her. His lips brushed against hers in a gentle kiss, giving her every inch of his attention, not even watching through the eyes, just her.

--

Elsa’s heart had leaped into her throat. It was stuck there. Frozen there though her feet kept on moving. The moniker of mom, she had missed it. She hadn’t realized that she had missed it exactly this much. And then touching him, the flesh, even if it was’t the best looking, even if he looked like the corpse that he was while everyone looked like the day that they died, it was a relief, it was a beautiful thing, it meant everything.

Elsa hugged him back, head in his messy dark hair, the curls towards the end, always with the handsome curls. She kissed his cheek affectionately, and then backed up to look at him, her lips pursed, looking over his face. And then the smallest of grins as she said honestly, “You look rough.”

--

Frank wasn’t going to give Silas any satisfaction in saying his name. It wasn’t going to come out of his mouth, no, he came as a clown, and so as a clown, he would be referred. Weak ass creepy clown shit. What did he think this was, a Stephen King novel?

He held Silas in place, his grip strong, his gaze still on Delta as she laid down the law, which made him smirk again. Really, it seemed like everything they did turned each other on. The way they dealt with this situation was no different. That defiant little ‘how dare you’ expression on her cute face, he loved. He even loved it when she turned it towards him.

He wasn’t gentle about pulling the clown towards the special room in which they would find out exactly why he was here. It could have been as simple as looking for his father, or spying for Oogie or some shit like that, but one never knows with people like them. Could be nefarious, could be innocent.

“He’s got nice skin,” Frank said aloud, wanting the clown to hear him. “If we tan his hide, we could make new seat covers for the car.”

He wanted Silas to know exactly who was in charge here, and it wasn’t going to be him.