3I hadn't planned on doing another story for this Gargoyles series, but then umi ryuuzaki pointed out that I never did much with Iris and wanted to see more with her. After going back through the series, I realized that I hadn't done much with her in comparison to Ariana, Morgan, Liz, and Keahi. This does happen after In The End and you may have noticed that I changed the summary so it no longer includes the statement of it being the final entry in the series. I won't say this story is going to be the final in the series because I may do more after this, but we shall see.
It was the beginning of October in New York City and the cooler weather was setting in. In the castle perched on top of the Eyrie Building, Whitney Dawson, one of the two fey in disguise there, was preparing a special breakfast for the gargoyles along with treats for castle's human inhabitants. Loaves of apple bread and pumpkin muffins were cooling on racks and the pumpkin pies would soon be coming out of the oven. Whitney was in the process of cracking eggs for the breakfast casserole she was making. In another oven, she was roasting vegetables and she was browning sausage on the stove.
Whitney cracked an egg and ended up getting it all over her fingers. At the same time, a piece of her chestnut hair escaped her barrette and fell in her face. The ringlet bounced in front of her left eye. Whitney tried to flip it back with a toss of her head, but it stubbornly remained where it was.
"Oh, rats," she said, annoyed.
"Do you need assistance?"
Whitney turned to the door and saw Owen, Xanatos's majordomo and fellow fey in disguise standing in the kitchen.
"A little help, please?" Whitney asked, holding up her messy hands and looking pointedly at the piece of hair.
Owen crossed the massive kitchen and pinned the piece of hair back into her barrette.
"Thank you," she said. She turned back to cracking eggs. "Did you need anything, Owen?"
"I wanted to ask you something," said Owen. "Would Iris wish to accompany Puck on Halloween?"
Even though Owen Burnett and Whitney Dawson were Puck and Iris, they often referred to their other sides as separate people. They were playing human roles for the mortal world and not as themselves.
Whitney whipped around to look at him with wide blue eyes. It had been months since they had gone out in some way. Someone was always busy. Puck had pledged a lifetime of service to Xanatos and when he wasn't acting as his assistant, he was giving magic lessons to Alex. The few times Puck did have time for Iris, she was usually acting as nanny or cook and sometimes maid. It wasn't a big deal to them that they hadn't gone out in months. They were immortal and had all the time in the world. But he was inviting her to spend Halloween with him, the most magical day of the year.
"Yes!" she answered with a wide smile.
The timer Whitney was using to keep track of how long her pies were in the oven went off.
"Oh, dear," she said. "I wanted to have this ready to put in the oven when the pies came out."
"Would you like some help?" Owen offered, turning off the timer.
"No, thank you," said Whitney. "I've got this."
Owen nodded. "Very well. Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos have dinner with the mayor tonight. I will be chauffeuring them this evening."
"The gargoyles and I can easily look after Alex," Whitney said. "Don't worry."
"Then I will leave you to your cooking," said Owen. "Would you save me a piece of pie?"
"Yes, I will," said Whitney distractedly as she hurried to finish cracking the eggs she had left. She heard Owen leave the kitchen.
After she finished cracking the eggs, she washed her hands and took the pies out of the oven. She was relieved to see they were perfect even with the extra minute or two in the oven. She placed them next to the bread and muffins to cool. It was then she noticed one of the muffins was missing.
"Puck!" she scolded loudly, knowing exactly where the missing muffin was. She shook her head and went back to the gargoyles' breakfast.
Whitney had just put casserole in the oven when Morgan Stormwell entered the kitchen. She was dressed in a light brown knit sweater and blue jeans and not her usual black sweatshirt and black jeans. Her long brown hair fell down her back and her brown eyes had a glimmer of yellow, a hint to the unique power she possessed.
"Do you need help?" she asked Whitney.
"No," replied Whitney. "I just need the casserole to bake."
A minute later, Ariana Caelum stumbled into the kitchen in a black bodysuit and carrying a sketchbook. Floating behind the silver-haired sorceress was Manny, her enchanted blue cloak. It settled on her shoulders as she yawned.
"Good morning," Ariana murmured.
"Good evening," Morgan responded.
Ariana blinked, confusion in her sleepy opaque blue eyes. She looked around for a clock. "Is it really that late?"
"Yes," replied Morgan. "What were you doing?"
Ariana put her sketchbook on the counter and leaned against it. "I was working Halloween costume ideas. I want to go big this year."
"Xanatos and Fox are planning to take Alex trick or treating. Are you thinking about making one for him?" asked Whitney.
Ariana perked up. "I can. Maybe we can do theme costumes!"
"Oh, dear, she's getting excited," Morgan said with a smile.
"Hush, you!" Ariana scolded, good-naturedly. "We could go as princesses. We live in a castle, after all."
"What about living in a castle?" Fox walked into the kitchen.
"We're talking about Halloween costumes," Morgan answered. "Ariana suggested we go as princesses."
"You'd would have to go as a queen," said Ariana to Fox.
Fox laughed. "I like that idea. But then David would be a king and we wouldn't want his ego any bigger than it already is."
"Heaven forbid," said Ariana.
"I believe Elisa went as Belle a couple years ago," said Fox. "It was the clan's first Halloween they celebrated."
"We could do Disney princesses!" exclaimed Ariana. "Morgan, you would make a good looking Belle."
"If I wear the yellow ball gown, it has gloves that will hide my scars," Morgan said. While Morgan was becoming more confident in her appearance, she still didn't like to show the scars on her arms. At times she still wore fingerless gloves around the castle, but usually wore long sleeves.
Ariana looked at Fox. "I could dress you up as Ariel."
"I am not wearing a shell bra in autumn," Fox said, crossing her arms.
"I was thinking her pink dress," said Ariana.
Fox huffed with disgust. "Pink is not my color and it reminds me too much of my maternity clothes."
"I can make it work, just watch me," said Ariana, relishing the idea of a challenge.
"And I'm not that great of a singer," added Fox.
"Who said anything about singing?" asked Ariana. "If anything I'll sing for you. You'll just have to lip-sync."
"What about you?" Fox asked. "If we're staying with the Disney princess theme, who would you go as?"
"Personally, I think she should go as Glenn Close's Cruella de Vil," Morgan said with a smirk.
Ariana rolled her eyes. "Sure, pick on the fashion designer. No, I would probably go as Aurora. I'd have to get a wig unless I glamour myself." She turned to Whitney. "And what about you? Who would you go as?"
"Me?" Whitney thought for a minute. "I guess I could go as Snow White."
"As Whitney or as Iris?" asked Ariana as she opened her sketchbook, eager to start planning.
"As Iris. I think it would fit since she has black hair," said Whitney. "I don't know if it'll be worn though. Puck and Iris are planning on going out for Halloween."
"Halloween's a special time of year for the Third Race, isn't it?" asked Morgan. "They say it's the most magical time of the year. I know it's the time when the veil between the living and the dead is the weakest."
"And there are a few rituals in the Argentum that require them to be done on Halloween," Ariana added.
"It is," said Whitney. "But for us, it's a celebration of our magic. Mortals believe it's the only time of year that we can be seen, which isn't true. It's because our no meddling in mortal affairs restriction is loosened and we can have some more fun that otherwise wouldn't be allowed during the rest of the year. Depending on the fey, they might go after a mortal for a bit of fun and that mortal may or may not be traumatized by morning. Every now and then a hunt is organized, but those can happen on Avalon at any time."
"And what would you and Puck be doing?" asked Fox.
"Knowing Puck, putting the trick in trick or treat," said Ariana.
"I'm not sure yet," Whitney admitted.
Ariana twirled her pencil between her fingers while looking at her sketchbook. "Do you think we should get Elisa in on this?"
"We could ask," said Morgan. "Did you have an idea in mind?"
"I was thinking Esmeralda," replied Ariana. "She looks so good in red."
"Esmeralda isn't a Disney princess though," Morgan pointed out.
"Heroine, then," Ariana amended. "She kicked butt and didn't put up with anyone's crap, but still was kind and had a sense of justice."
"That's our Elisa," said Morgan.
"This is going to be so much fun!" Ariana took her sketchbook and ran out of the room, Manny fluttering behind her.
Morgan looked at Whitney and Fox. "You do realize Brooklyn's going to have his work cut out for him getting her out of her workroom, right?"
Brooklyn did indeed have to carry Ariana to the dining room so she would join them for their breakfast. Even though she wasn't in her workroom, she didn't stop drawing in her sketchbook.
"What are you working on anyway?" Brooklyn asked her.
"Halloween costumes," Ariana replied.
Brooklyn looked over at her sketchbook. "Disney themed?"
"Mm-hmm."
"She has decided we're going as Disney princesses this year," said Morgan. "Or female heroes if she can get Elisa to dress up as Esmeralda."
"So who's going as Sleeping Beauty?" asked Brooklyn as Ariana worked on the sketch.
"Me," answered Ariana.
"I would have picked Cinderella for you or for Morgan," commented Broadway. "You two went from rags to riches."
"Been there, done that, got the T-shirt," said Ariana.
"And the gargoyles," Morgan added softly, leaning over to give Lexington a kiss on the cheek.
"I have always been partial to Pocahontas," Angela commented absently.
Ariana's head snapped up and looked at the female gargoyle. "Wanna come?"
Angela turned to Goliath. "Could I, Father?"
Goliath thought for a moment. "The Quarrymen have not been active and the Illuminators have almost all been apprehended."
"It's not like she's going alone," said Ariana. "Morgan and I would definitely go with her."
"I would go with her, too," said Broadway.
"We can do what we've done in the past," suggested Lexington. "Dress up and be gargoyle versions of whatever we're to be."
"Or Ariana here can glamour us to look like humans for the night," Brooklyn added.
"Very well," conceded Goliath.
Ariana let out a cheer, more excited than Angela that she was allowed to come. "What about you guys?" she asked the gargoyle trio. "Need me to do your costumes?"
"No, thanks," said Broadway.
"We'll make our own costumes," said Lexington.
"No," was Brooklyn's blunt answer.
Ariana shrugged. "You know where to find me if you change your minds."
"Yeah, I do," Brooklyn said flatly.
Ariana turned to him. "Don't be like that," she said sweetly. She leaned over and turned his head to face her. She planted a kiss on his beak.
Iris sat out on the parapets with a mug of hot apple cider in her hands. She and Lexington had put Alex to bed before the gargoyles left for patrol.
She looked up at the moon, watching the clouds move about the sky. The wind tried to dislodge her long black hair from behind her pointed ears, but the tips kept it from fluttering in her face. The chill in the air didn't bother her even though she was wearing a simple green sheath dress and shoes. She swirled a cinnamon stick slowly around her mug, her eyes a content dark blue. She took a sip from her mug.
"How now, spirit. Wither wander you?" a soft voice said in her ear.
Iris choked on her drink. "Puck!" she coughed.
The white-haired fey stood behind her grinning impishly with his hands behind his back. "Sorry, darling," he said. "I wasn't trying to do that. Whatcha doing out here?"
"Listening to nature," Iris replied.
Puck pulled his legs up, effortlessly sitting on air. "Oh? What is it saying?"
"The plants are tired," said Iris. "They want to sleep."
"Really? I thought they would be lamenting that they are dying!" Puck said dramatically.
Iris shook her head. "Winter's a time for sleep, not death."
Puck thought for a moment and shrugged. "So, Halloween."
"What about it?" asked Iris.
"I was thinking of a few things to do," he answered.
"Planning so early?"
"You have to with a kid around," said Puck.
"So we're not asking for the night off?" Iris inquired.
"Not in the sense that we won't be doing our duties," said Puck. "I was thinking about us going with Alex and the family as we are for trick or treat and then having our own fun afterwards."
"That sounds nice," said Iris. She took a sip from her mug.
Puck smiled. He then looked at the mug in Iris's hands. "What are you drinking?"
"Hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick," replied Iris. "Would you like a taste?"
"Sure." Instead of taking a sip from Iris's mug, Puck caught Iris's chin and kissed her. "Delicious."
Iris's eyes turned indigo. "Puck!" she cried with a blush.
Puck laughed and vanished.
