How Green Becomes Wood

"I'm not like... into dinosaurs," Sloan replied, looking down at the stegosaurus on her pocket, "Like I don't know facts about them or anything, except for that I know how to correctly say parasaurolophus and ankylosaurus, but I can't tell you if they're Jurassic or Triassic or anything like that. I just think they look cool. And they glow in the dark." She grinned, stretching one leg out to look at them, "Aren't they? I mean, they're super uncomfortable because I haven't broken them in yet, but once I do, they'll be great!"
 
"They glow in the dark? Where did you get them and how many do you think I can attach to a sweatshirt?" Alec demanded.

"Please, no, I'd like to be able to sleep without the closet glowing like it's haunted," Xander groaned.
 
"I got them at JoAnnes, but only the dinosaurs skeletons glow in the dark," Sloan replied, "I think they're already stocking for Halloween. I'm sure their ghosts and stuff also glow, but I'm not sure you're typically that kind of person."
 
"Glowing ghosts are everyone's thing during a certain time of year," Alec said with a wink.

Peter chuckled. "Not mine. I don't mind them, but my mother absolutely hates ghosts and Halloween in general. I think she got a bad scare or something as a child and never fully recovered."
 
"I like it," Sloan said, "not to the extent some people do, but it's fun to dress up and rewatch Hocus Pocus. Apple cider is also awesome and I like wearing sweaters, but I guess those are both just general fall activities."
 
"We used to despise Halloween - long story - but living with the king and queen of warm, fuzzy darkness has lessened the distaste," Alec said. "It's kind of grown on us."

"Like a wart on a witch," Xander concurred.
 
"Warm, fuzzy darkness sounds a lot like mold," Sloan laughed, having no idea Peter's mom and Daizi were good friends and therefore not clocking that catastrophe in waiting, "If you like it now, are you planning to dress up this year?"
 
"Mama and Ba like to plan their costumes, and last I heard, they were still deciding," Alec said. "I'm not sure, but it has to be something that Ivy will fit with. I'm hoping they do the Addam's Family. It's obvious, but so them!"
 
Sloan nodded, being able to see that quite well, although, "They should wait until your sister is a bit older, so she can have Wednesday's braids. But," a little grin crossed her face as she pointed between the two, "If she's Wednesday, and your parents are Gomez and Morticia. Which one of you is Fester and who is Pugsley?"
 
"I'll be Fester. Fester is usually smiling more than Pugsley," Alec grinned.

Xander rolled his eyes. "So you got a nephew and an uncle who are the same age. Weird even for them."

Peter raised a hand. "Sorry, but... who are you talking about?"
 
"The Addams Family," Sloan replied, realizing she shouldn't be surprised Peter didn't know about them, since he wasn't from the US and she didn't know how international they were, "They're this like... super goth but super loving family. I guess they started as comics, had a black and white show in, like, the 60s, and had a... actually, wait," She took out her phone and pulled up a compilation video from the 90s movies to clue Peter in.
 
"Oh! I have seen them!" Peter said, nodding when he saw the videos. He watched for a bit. "The theme song, that comes on sometimes during Haloween, but I didn't know their names. They are pretty cool looking. And strange, but a good kind of strange."
 
"The parents are Morticia and Gomez, and they have a daughter named Wednesday and a son named Pugsley. The bald guy is Uncle Fester and the one covered in hair is Cousin It. Their bodyguard is Lurch. When I was a kid I thought he was Frankenstein." She shot a dry look to the rest of the table, "I know. Ack-shu-ally, it's Frankenstein's monster, Frankenstein is the doctor, but actually, Victor Frankenstein dropped out, so he wasn't even a doctor, you could argue his creation would've had his last name and also be a Frankenstein, and anyway as a kid I didn't know. So I think we've handled all relevant corrections." She looked back at Peter, "That's basically everyone who matters. I can definitely see why Mr. Dark and Daizi would make a good Gomez and Morticia." She wrinkled her nose, "Although I hope they don't say the things the characters do."
 
Xander and Alec shared a quick sideways glance before Alec said cheerfully, "Nope! Not really."

"Thanks, that helps make a lot of sense," Peter told Sloan. "I can see why you'd be confused with the Frankenstein thing. He does look a lot like Frankenstein, the monster."
 
"Maybe you can be Lurch, Xander," Sloan joked, "that way you don't need to worry about smiling even a little bit. But I am curious how your parents will end up dressing this year. I always got to see their costumes because they're, like, the best house in the neighborhood to trick-or-treat at. I bet every kid in the neighborhood was absolutely crushed last year."
 
"I guess Lurch isn't a bad choice," Xander admitted reluctantly.

"There were a lot of confused and disappointed kids along the street," Alec confirmed with a solemn nod.

Peter finished off his sandwich before saying, "I've never lived in an area where they did trick or treating. There were parties, sometimes Haloween and sometimes 'Harvest Parties.' My mother said they are basically the same thing and would sometimes let me go to one, but only if she didn't have to go anywhere near it."
 
"I'm glad Benny and I had both aged out of it by then... But we would've understood, I think." Sloan said, thinking about it and trying to remember what she noticed that Halloween, but she had gone to her own party so missed most of it. Had she gone to the house, she'd have noticed there was a bowl of candy outside with a sign taped to the door expressing they had a new baby, promising to be back to normal next year, and requesting nobody knock. Being fresh out of the NICU at the time, it hadn't been put up by Dark or Daizi, but Cooger, knowing they weren't in the state to remember but would feel bad for forgetting, took it upon himself to set up something. It wasn't the usual multiple king-sized candybars, because Daizi went into labour before they had purchased the necessary candy and by the time Cooger thought about setting up a trick-or-treat bowl, the good stuff was gone, but it was something.

"They normally do a Halloween party," She said, "I wonder if they will this year. I always wished I could go, growing up. Maybe if they do it again, they'll let us come, since now they have teenagers at home."
 
"Either they'll be doing a multi-ages friendly bash, or we'll be going to one elsewhere," Alec said. "Or possibly going to a friend's house. We could go to Becky's!"

"Sounds awesome, but I'd rather stay in my room and hide," Xander said dryly.
 
"Maybe it'll be multiages," Sloan sighed, wondering dreamily if this was finally her opportunity to go to what always looked like the greatest Halloween party. "I actually don't know where I'm going this year. I've been going to... the party of someone I don't talk to anymore for a long time. But that's months away."
 
Peter glanced at Sloan and raised an eyebrow but didn't ask. "It'll be interesting if they do throw a party and invite my folks. My dad likes parties of all season and flavor, so he'd be fine, but my mom... she will likely find a way to politely decline.
 
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