Title: Halloween is in the Air
Authors: Kendra and Ellie
Archive: You bet
Rating: PE-Pure evil
Disclaimer: All hail Lucas...ah, hell, I'm just borrowing, bugger off.
Summary: The campus is stirring with pre-Halloween fun.
Note: Sorry El, I couldn't think of a title!! Ok so its lame.
Timeline: After Laure's Afternoon Tea

"You sure this is everything?" Tara asked Judy as she brought out another box from storage and began to set it on the bar top, till a stern look from the barkeep reminded her that nothing touched Judy's pristine bar.

"Yep that's it...all the Halloween decorations we've amassed over time," Judy sighed as she picked up her beloved bat lights and sighed. "There are such good memories associated with these," she grinned as she thought back to last Halloween and her time with the General.

"Need anything, Ken?" Tara asked as she went to grab a drink from Judy and join the other Ho who was sitting by the awaiting ladder, sprained ankle propped up on it as she ate gummy fish.

"No, no thanks...I'm perfectly fine...just thinking though, if we get the General to climb the ladder to help put up the lights, how do we get him to stay up there? I mean, sure he'll do as we ask, but for how long? Kendra mused between munching.

"Well..." Tara frowned before Judy stepped in.

"As long as you go about this the way I've taught you Kendra, this could last all evening and keep us well entertained until I'm finished with inventory." Judy stated as her Padawan Ho just nodded her head in understanding.

"Gotcha...I can do it...yes, I can so make this last," the Ho grinned as she sat and waited.

~~*~~

"You sure about these cookies?" Kymira asked as she held one up for Jen's inspection. "I mean they don't look like Halloween cookies to me..."

"Trust me Ky, they're Halloween and will be well used," JenJen grinned evilly as she brushed the hair from her face managing only to get more flour on her cheek.

"But why do we need a test batch?" Ellie groaned as she waved the smoke from the burning batch of cookies she pulled from the oven.

"Because of that!" Jen sighed as the smoke alarms suddenly began blaring for the third time.

"Great...how hard could it be to make cookies," Kymira griped, once the smoke alarm quieted. "So far all we have are these cookies that I have no idea what they are and all three batches we've baked come out as toast."

"Look, we have to perfect this before the party! This is an important part of my party planning...and besides you're looking at the cookies upside down!" Jen snapped as she grabbed the cookie cutter from Ky's hand and placed it the correct way.

"Ohhh...." Ky and Ellie both grinned in unison as they finally realized what they were making.

"Jen, where did you get these cookie cutters?" Ellie questioned as she and Ky just grinned like idiots.

"Pink Banana clearance catalogue," Jen answered, preoccupied with a bowl of batter.

"Figures," Ellie nodded. "Hey Jen, do we get to decorate these?" She asked with an evil grin.

"Of course...once we get a batch that actually looks like what its suppose to be," Jen sighed as the smoke alarm sounded once more alerting them that batch number four was way past done.

~~*~~

After waiting for Cicero's return for the past two hours, Darry had finally reached her limit and went storming off to find her errant EA.

"Do you realize what time it is?" The nurse snapped as she found Cic ordering the men about, cleaning up the encampment.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time," Cic apologized, "I'll be in to join you as soon as the men are finished lining up their tents in an orderly fashion."

Darry stumbled back momentarily, the shock of the brush off knocking her off center as she watched her Cic command the troops once more. "Well, your choice!" She snapped before turning on her heel and storming back to the clinic. "Oh forgot to tell you...there's an hour special of 'This Old House' I believe its about Norm building a new entertainment center," the Nurse baited as she stopped in her tracks to see Cic's reaction.

"Be right there, love!" Cic smiled before dropping what he was doing and rushing past the nurse in his haste to get to the clinic.

"Well won't he be surprised...." Darry gleamed as she stalked back inside.

~~*~~

"Speaking hypothetically of course," Dorotea began as she and Giles sorted books once more. "If say one wanted to make a 'falling out of love potion,' could one use dried cranberries instead of fresh?"

"Oh...to make a spell work to its full effect one must always use fresh," Giles explained. "Are you sure you read the spell correctly? Cranberries?"

"Sure...right here," Dor stated as she pulled a well-worn piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to her new EA.

"This isn't a spell for falling out of love, this is a recipe for Cranberry Relish," Giles stated in confusion as Dorotea quickly snatched the piece of paper back.

"What...this can't be...where did I put the spell? Though the picture does look rather spell worthy," the Ho remarked. "Who could eat this stuff?"

~~*~~

"Ok...that's it...just a little more...left...that's it...more...ok...right there!" Kendra grinned as the General moved the first strand of bat lights for the fifth time.

"You're sure?" He questioned as he looked down at the Ho as she held the ladder for him.

"Positive!" She replied as she took a wobbly step back to inspect his work...okay, his butt.

"Wonderful, could you hand me another strand, please," the General sighed in relief. "And after I'm done I'll look at your ankle."

"Ankle's fine," the Ho lied as he gave her a raised brow. "Alright...so I had a little accident."

"Rollerblades again?" He quizzed with a frown.

"Yeah...but Darry made sure they were...toast...want to go with me to buy another pair?" Kendra asked with excitement as Tara and Judy both groaned in protest.

"Love, why don't we discuss that later," the General stated as Tara handed him another string of bat lights and he gave her his best grin, making the Frosh Ho waiver.

"Excuse me...could you move the first set a little more to the left?" Kendra suddenly asked. " I mean from this angle it looks a little off center..."

"Exactly...off center," Judy smiled from behind the bar as she counted stock and watched the General lean over the ladder once again to adjust the lights.

~~*~~

Laure and Shana wandered into the mediator's office to grab her left behind purse before they were to go into town for a relaxing evening and a late dinner.

"What was that?" Shana exclaimed as an awful wailing sound could be heard.

"Don't know...sounds like a cat," Laure suggested as they went to lookout the window.

"Oh hell...it Commo," Shana snapped as they spotted the dethroned EA standing in the shrubs reciting dirty limericks to get the mediators attention.

"Who?"

"Please," Shana sighed as Laura went to her desk and picked up the vase filled with fresh flowers then proceeded to open the window and dumped the cold water on the distraught and smelly RB.

"There, I'm ready, just remind me to pick up some more flowers on the way home," the mediator smiled before grabbing her purse and heading to the door.

"Well he did need a bath," Shana grinned before joining her fellow Ho.

~~*~~

"Come on Lasher, its cold out here," Emmy winced as she shuffled from bare foot to bare foot waiting for her puppy to do his business. "Just pick a tree, any tree!" She groaned as the puppy dragged her farther and farther away from the Admin building.

"Hurry up!" The Diva ordered as the puppy trotted happily about, still refusing to get down to basics. "Please...its too cold to be out here! Alright, that's it...tomorrow Mommy will buy you your own fire hydrant.... is that what you want?" Emmy cooed as the puppy excitedly jumped against her leg.

"Damn!" Emmy bellowed as she felt the warm rush of piddle christen her bare feet.

~~*~~

"Well, this is exciting, but I've got things to do," Ellie said snootily and started brushing the flour from her corduroy slacks.

"Don't you mean EA's?" Ky teased. Ellie just turned and stuck her tongue as she shrugged on her brown suede blazer.

"Well, I guess I better go check on Quintas. Seems Commo is in a state of distress and I want to make sure Quintas doesn't go running back to him." Kymira patted her roomie on the shoulder before walking off with Ellie. Jen didn't even notice as she slumped over the cookie sheet. She was going to get these damn things perfect if it took all night.

~~*~~

Sitting next to a small fire, (seems the weather had turned chilly since the tea party), Dande stitched and sewed hers and Qui-Gon's costumes for Halloween. She hummed the theme from Titanic and tapped her foot in rhythm. She was almost done with the finishing touches, when she heard a knock at the door. Continuing to hum, she padded lightly over to the door.

"Cal? My dear boy, what are you doing here?" Dande asked in surprise.

"Help...hurt..." Cal whispered in short, ragged gasps.

"Oh, dear, now you really should go see the Nurse about those," Dande advised and gestured to the large bloody tears on the Padawannabe's shirt. "Now, run along." Dande shooed him away and closed the door.

She resumed humming her tune as she settled back down into her chair, all thoughts of the bleeding boy gone from her mind.

~~*~~

"Now show me that part again," Ellie said in concentration as Indy flung his whip out to grasp onto a tree truck. She took her black whip and tried emulating what he'd done. As it cascaded out it was suddenly cut short with a 'snikting' sound.

"Damn it, Logan!" Ellie yelled as she pulled back the whip, which was now half it's length.

"Hey, baby, just having some fun," Logan retorted.

Indiana just rolled his eyes. Ellie was cute when she was angry so he'd put up with the hairy guy. But if he ever really pissed her off, he'd be staring down the barrel of his pistol.

Ellie waddled over to cardboard box and pulled out another whip. "Damn these heels. I'm not going to be able to get used to this." She set down the whip and pulled off the spiked heel boot. "How did that Feiffer lady ever strut around in these?" She leaned over and rubbed her foot.

Indy took advantage of the situation and moved in behind her.

"Want me to rub that?" He whispered huskily in her ear, then she melted into his kiss. Neither of them noticed the bloody Cal run screaming across the lawn.

~~*~~ "Perfect! Right there...that's it...no, on second thought...more to the right," Kendra instructed as she and Judy sat at the bar watching the General still string bat lights while Tara held the ladder.

"Are you sure?" Right here? Nowhere else?" The General sighed as Tara nearly dropped to the floor as he stretched to reach the hook. "I mean grrls, we've only put two strands of lights up and we've been at this for hours. At this rate we'll be here till morning."

"You can't rush perfection," Judy smiled as she and Kendra did a high-five.

~~*~~

Much, much later that night, in the dark recesses of the HSU kitchen, a lone party Ho was still huddled over her precious baking. She opened the hot oven and waved away a small puff of smoke with an oven-mittened hand.

She stared at the shapes on the cookie sheet, then let out an evil cackle.

"Perfection!" She screamed into the night. "I've finally done it!" She screamed again.

Lightning crashed, thunder rolled, and JenJen cackled again.

Then Darry's voice could be heard as a shriek from down the hall.

"Hold it down in there or I'll fry your ass, some of us are trying to sleep!"

Jen snorted, then giggled much more quietly. She would see.