Point of View Series
by Kristen

Part 19 -- Halloweenies

It's Halloween. That night when ghosts and goblins roam the earth, striking fear into the hearts of others. Ellie does that 365 days of the year. Welcome to our world.

Mom and dad were downstairs awaiting our appearance. Ellie had been insistent that they not help with the choosing of our costumes, saying that she wanted to surprise them, so you just know they were nervous wrecks. Who can blame them? This time, I have to say, their fears were justified.

Finally she and Wynonna were satisfied with every last detail, and we all trudged down the stairs, following Ellie. Mom and dad sat with curious and fearful looks on their faces, like lambs just waiting for the slaughterer. The pintsized slaughterer bounded down the stairs, dragging Dammit behind her, with Annie, Chloe, Wynonna, and I bringing up the rear.

Cate and Julie were each cradled in one of our parents' arms, sleeping peacefully. I'm still not sure which is which, because they look exactly alike. And mom couldn't make it easy this one night and get them different costumes. No, she had to dress both of them as little ghosts. I think she knew they were the only traditional costumes that were going to be worn by a Corinthos child this night. She was right.

"Mommy, daddy! Do you like our costumes," she asked excitedly, jumping up and down.

Mom and dad looked us all over and then looked at each other, confusion clear on both of their faces. Make that confusion and fear. I swear I saw mom clutch the twin she was holding even closer to her, as though to say, "you will never get your hands on this one." Must be a sad thing to fear your own child.

"Aren't they neat daddy? Me and 'Nona worked really hard on them. I think we did really good huh mommy?"

"You did wonderfully sweetie. You all look so cute."

That might have been more believable if her voice hadn't cracked on the word "cute." Katherine Hepburn my mom isn't.

"Thank you mommy. But mommy, I still don't get it. Why is there a holiday to celebrate hollow weenies? Why would anyone want to eat a hollow weenie? Do YOU like hollow weenies? I just don't understand. Is that why we do tricks for meat? To get stuff to put in the hollow weenies? And why do they call it tricks for meat, when all we get is candy? Huh?"

Her voice was full of confusion and derision at the ridiculousness of such an outlandish idea. As she prattled on, she didn't see the look pass between our parents, and even if she had, it wouldn't have mattered. When Ellie gets on a roll, it's best to just let her get it out of her system, preferably in the privacy of our own home.

"So honey," dad interrupted finally, "you going to tell mommy and me who everyone is supposed to be?"

It was clear he was trying to distract her. He wanted distraction? He had just traded in one bad situation for another.

"Okay daddy. Can you guess who I am?"

She preened and turned around to let them both get the full effect.

"You're a cat," he asked cautiously. The writing was on the wall, but I could see he was hoping she would just say yes and leave it at that. Right, like that'll happen.

"Yup," she said, nodding her head vigorously, curls flying every which way. "But not just any cat. I'm mommy's kitty!" As mom closed her eyes and shook her head, Ellie went on. "But I wasn't real sure what mommy's kitty looked like, so I kinda had to guess. I looked for it in your room lots last week, but it was still hiding, so I just decided to be a orange kitty with stripes."

She turned to mom, a concerned look on her face.

"Mommy, did your kitty run away? And isn't it ever gonna come back?"

"Sadly Ellie, mommy's kitty is gone right now and I honestly don't know when or if we are ever going to see mommy's kitty again." She was talking to Ellie, but she was looking at dad, her eyes full of determination and utter seriousness. Dad just rolled his eyes and grinned at her. Then he turned and addressed Ellie.

"Don't you worry about that kitty baby, I have a feeling it will be back before you and your mom know it."

"It'll take voodoo and black magic for you to ever see that particular kitty again buddy," she informed him haughtily.

"Good thing it's Halloween then. Lots of witches roaming the earth tonight," he shot back.

"Watch it bucko, I may have to get some concoctions of my own then."

Ellie grew bored with their conversation, and the fact that she was being left out wasn't helping either. That seems to happen a lot when mom and dad get going.

"So mommy, do you know what MJ is. Come here MJ, let mommy and daddy see your costume." She grabbed hold of one of my feather- covered arms and dragged me in front of them. "Look at MJ, doesn't he look the cutest? Can you guess what HE is daddy?"

We stood there looking at them expectantly and I could see they were stumped, but still fearful. Finally dad took a shot.

"Are you a chicken MJ?"

I shook my head while Ellie just giggled.

"A goose," mom ventured.

Ellie could stand it no longer. "No mommy! He's daddy's rooster!"

She and dad looked at each, their mouths hanging open in shock.

"He's what," she asked in a choked voice.

"You know, daddy's rooster. 'Nona says that's what we have to call it in, what's that phrase again? Oh yeah, in " 'plite company." I know he's not as big as daddy's rooster, but I still think he looks cute. And mommy, I thought it up all on my own." Her voice was full of pride and it was clear she was waiting for a compliment.

"It's very, um, clever Ellie," dad ground out.

"Thanks daddy. And look at Annie and Chloe. Aren't they just the cutest ever?"

The twins were strapped in the stroller and Ellie yanked on Annie's leg, pulling them over to mom and dad.

"Now come on mommy. I KNOW you know what they are."

"They're owls," mom declared in a relieved voice. Clearly she thought there was absolutely no way they could be anything else.

"Tell them babies. Tell mommy and daddy who you are," Ellie commanded, her voice full of laughter.

Ellie had been coaching them for weeks, and now they answered in a sing song voices, "mommy's hooters. Mommy's hooters!"

It was all too much for mom and she put her head in her hand, muttering "oh God" under breath. Dad was trying desperately not to laugh, and his face was turning red. Wynonna looked like she was truly in fear for her job and quickly defended herself.

"Mr. C, Miss D, I tried to tell her, but you know how she is. She refused to even consider other options and I just didn't know what else to do."

"It's ok Wynonna," dad assured her. "I know exactly how she is, and I doubt Alexis or I would have been able to stop her either. Now, are we ready to get going here? It's getting late, and I'd hate for us to miss out on anything." "Oh yeah, what a tragedy that would be," mom said under her breath.

Dad ignored her and stood up.

"Who's ready to go?"

"Me me!" Ellie was bouncing around uncontrollably, and all I could think of was sugar was the last thing this kid needed.

"Not so fast."

Mom was eyeing Dammit, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"What's wrong mommy?" Ellie looked at Dammit and began to fuss with his costume. Yes, the dog had a costume. Things were about to get ugly.

"Why is that dog dressed up and what is he supposed to be?"

"Mommy, if ANYONE would like hollow weenies, it's Dammit. And I can't believe you don't know what he is. I thought Dammit's costume would be your most favorite."

Mom took in the noose around the dog's neck, the tiny saddle on his back, and the thick yellow tail Ellie had somehow stuck on his bottom.

"Kristin Adella Davis-Corinthos, he isn't" she said in a warning voice.

"Yup mommy, he's daddy's hung horse." She clapped her hands with glee. Clearly Dammit's costume was her pride and joy.

She ignored the chortles coming from dad's direction and fixed her oldest with a piercing glare.

"There is no way in hell that dog is leaving this penthouse dressed up like that, do you hear me?"

"But mommy," Ellie began in her most plaintive voice.

"Don't you "but mommy" me young lady. He's not going and that's final."

Ellie burst into tears and screamed out, "then neither am I!" She grabbed hold of dad's legs and began sobbing uncontrollably. He looked at mom, clearly buying into the tears. "Alexis."

"Sonny, she is not taking that dog out dressed like that."

"Alexis, it's no worse than anything the kids are wearing."

I don't know how they could hear each other over Ellie's caterwauling. Dammit and dogs all over Port Charles were howling their head's off.

"Sonny, what will the neighbors say? Won't you be mortified? I can just imagine the looks we'll get."

"Yeah, I bet the guys will be looking at me with jealousy, while the ladies are looking at you with envy." In case you haven't figured it out, my dad has an ego the size of Carly's mouth when she is screeching.

Mom rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I don't even know where she heard that expression. I know I for one have never used it."

"Yes you have," Ellie and dad responded simultaneously. Dad and mom then looked at Ellie in shock. They looked at each other and seemed to make a silent decision. Dad then turned and looked beseechingly at Wynonna.

"Wynonna, would you mind taking the kids. Alexis and I need to have a talk about a few things."

"Sure, no problem Mr.C, I can handle it."

Yeah, I figure anyone who did what Wynonna used to do can handle the four of us easy. She's already proven that, given what happened at Ellie's first day of preschool. But that's another story.

"Ok you little munchkins, here we go. Um, what do you want to do about," she pointed at Dammit. Mom just rolled her eyes. She knew it was pointless to fight.

"Take him," she said in a resigned voice. Ellie's tears vanished and she ran to throw her leg's around mom.

"Thank you mommy! I'll be real careful and not let him bark or anything, I promise."

"I know you will little one. Now have fun and stay close to Wynonna."

"I will mommy. Come on Dammit, we're going tricking for meats. Bye mommy. Bye daddy. Bye Frick and Frack!"

"Ellie, how many times do I have to tell you those are not their names?"

Apparently a lot. This discussion had been going on since they came home from the hospital.

"But mommy,"

"Honey, we've been over this, I don't care what the hospital said. Don't you remember? You even helped name them."

"Oh mommy, that was just cause of the pacifiers."

"The what?"

"Daddy said sometimes we have to give you pacifiers and play along, and I thought since you had just had babies, you might need a pacifier, so I named the baby. Now can we go? Dammit is getting all 'cited."

She flounced out the door, unaware, as usual of the destruction in her wake. The last thing I heard as the door closed was mom saying something about dad taking a picture of Ellie when she got home, cause that was the only kitty he would be seeing for a while. Dad just laughed. One of these days he'll learn to stop doing that.

~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour and a half later, we had left the residents of Harborview Towers stunned, shocked, and appalled. But Ellie, as usual, had been oblivious and was having the time of her life. Wynonna had convinced her though that it was time for just one more stop and then we had to go home. We knocked on one last door and a very pretty lady with brown hair and glasses appeared before us. "Well look at you all! Aren't you just the cutest things?"

"Tricks for meat," Ellie yelled in her loudest voice, dimples blazing.

Either the lady was hard of hearing or simply chose to ignore Ellie's blunder.

She began putting candy in our bags as she asked Ellie who we all were. Ellie ran through the list and the lady never flinched. Instead she simply looked at Ellie for a moment and then asked in an excited voice, "you're the Corinthos children, aren't you?" She then began looking up and down the hallway, as though searching for someone.

"Yeah, so what," Wynonna asked in a defensive tone.

"Oh, it's just that, well, don't you usually have a bodyguard with you? Johnny's his name, right?" Her face kinda fell as she realized we were sans bodyguard for the night.

"Johnny has the night off," Wynonna said in a "back off, he's taken" tone of voice.

"Oh, ok. Well, happy Halloween," she said and went back inside. All I could think of as she shut the door was that her legs were almost as good looking as dad's friend Raven's were.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We arrived home and walked in to see three of the construction guys sitting in the living room talking and eating.

"What are you guys doing here tonight," Wynonna asked as she lifted the twins out of the stroller.

"We got an emergency call from the misses about sound proofing their bedroom," one the guys explained.

"Then what are you doing down here?"

"Waiting for them to finish up there."

Ellie zeroed in like, well, like a cat sniffing out her prey. "Is their door closed? Are they making noises and giggling?"

"Uh yeah," said one of the guys, eyeing her uncomfortably.

Ellie grabbed my hand and began to drag me up the stairs.

"Come on MJ, we'll finally get to see what mommy's kitty looks like I bet."

I'm telling you, no good will come of this. Like I said, 365 days of the year. Ghosts my foot. THIS is scary.

part 20