pirates shrieked.

The small ballerinas giggled mischievously as they lobbed candy at their targets.

“Let’s get outta here!”

The pirates pounded down the dock. A few splashed into the harbor and swam towards the Iron Vulture disguised as a ocean liner docked by the cannery.

Don Karnage heard the clamoring of his pirate crew. He stuck his head out the door. “What is all the racket out here? Ow!”

Kit had beaned him squarely on the forehead with a cinnamon disc. “Have some candy, Karnage!” the boy snickered. “Don’t say that I never gave you anything.”

Karnage took in the situation at a glance - children in Halloween costumes throwing candy and his dim-witted crew running away from them. It was ludicrous that the children were winning.

“What? We are being attack-ed by puny little kids? Where do you think you are going, eediots? I order you to stop! Attack, men! Attack!” Karnage commanded, but the pirates were so busy dodging the stinging little candy bullets and running for their lives that they didn’t obey his order. In the distance, police sirens wailed. It was the police sirens that really scared Karnage. “Ah, well...he who steals and runs away lives to steal another day. So long, pilots!” He struck a match and put it to a fuse. “I’m sorry I can’t stay for the fireworks. I hear they’re going to be a blast!” With an evil laugh, he leapt into the night.

Baloo tried to pinch and blow out the flame as it traveled along the fuse, but it wouldn’t stop. It continued on its relentless path towards the dynamite glued right above the door. Rebecca grabbed a glass of lemonade from the table next to her and dashed it on the fire. With a sizzle, the flame sputtered and died.

“Whew!” Baloo sighed in relief. “Another coupla seconds an’ that would have been a real explosive situation.”

Nodding, Rebecca smiled wanly.

Outside, the Jungle Aces gave each other high fives.

“Yeah, we beat the pirates!” Felix said, grinning.

“Did you see them run?” Sam laughed.

“What babies! Scared of kids in costumes!” Ernie scoffed.

“Man, what a swell adventure!” Burt said. “Let’s hear it for the Jungle Aces Secret Midnight Club!”

“Three cheers for Kit!” Oscar suggested.

Kit grinned, blushing slightly as his friends patted him on the back.

Quickly, the children dispersed to continue their Halloween fun. Molly raced into the Spruce Moose.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Molly threw herself in her mother’s outstretched arms.

“Molly? What are you doing here?” Frantically, Rebecca continued, “What was going on out there? Are you okay, Pumpkin? Where’s Kit? I told you two to stay together.” She hugged her daughter and kissed her on the cheek.

“We chased the air pirates away. I saw the pirates and followed them here, but it was Kit’s idea to get a whole bunch of kids to throw candy at them.”

“The air pirates were scared of children?” Rebecca murmured, astonished.

“Yep,” Molly giggled.

“Now I’ve seen everything.” Baloo grinned, shaking his head in amazement.

“Kit, there you are!” Rebecca wrapped an arm around her son and pulled him close, kissing his forehead. “Molly says you came up with the idea to scare the air pirates away, and why am I not surprised?”

“That’s my boy!” Baloo grinned and tousled Kit’s hair. “Lookee there. Ya had a fun time trick-or-treatin’ with your sister after all.”

“I guess so.” Kit smiled sheepishly.

“Scared away the pirates all by themselves.” If there had been buttons on Baloo’s shirt, they would have been popping off with pride. “We got good kids, Becky.”

Rebecca put a gentle hand on her stomach. “If this little one is anything like them, we’ll be in for a treat.”

Kit and Molly looked confused.

Baloo shared a smile with Rebecca over the cubs’ heads. “Should we tell ‘em our good news, Becky?”

Rebecca laughed. “Why not? Everyone here knows about might as well, too.”

“What good news?” the cubs said in unison.

Placing Molly on the floor beside her brother, Rebecca knelt down and put a paw on each of her children’s shoulders. Softly, she stated, “You’re going to have a little brother or sister.” She studied their faces for their reactions.

“They’re not getting my candy!” Molly blurted out, hugging the remnants of her collected goodies. “I worked extra specially hard to get this much!”

Baloo and Rebecca laughed.

“Nothin’ ta worry ‘bout there, Button-nose. The baby won’t be able to eat candy for a long time, but Ican.” He teased her by pretending to reach into her sack, grab a handful of sweets, and shove them in his mouth, chewing noisily.

“Daddy!” Molly mock-scolded. “That’s mine and Lucy’s.”

“Aw, Lucy doesn’t look very hungry. I better eat her share.”

“No way!”

“What do you think, sweetie?” Rebecca looked inquisitively at her son.

Kit simply smiled and hugged his mother tightly.

On the Way Home

The von Bruinwalds hailed a taxi and started for home.

“Man, what a great night!” Baloo sighed happily. He ripped off his Robin Hood hat and slung an arm around Rebecca’s shoulders, kissing her on the cheek. “Good grub, good music, good friends, an’ a super-duper surprise at the end.”

“You would have known about it a lot earlier if you had shut up for ten seconds and listened to me!” she snapped.

“I don’t talk that much.”

“Ha! You talk more than a radio, Baloo. In fact, radios are better, because you can turn them down or off when they start to get annoying.”

“I’m annoyin’? You ain’t so perfect yourself, Rebecca.”

“At least I’m not overly loquacious,” Rebecca stated with a maddingly superior air.

“Huh? Locusts? What do bugs gotta do with bein’ annoyin’?”

“Nothing. I said loquacious, not locusts,” she laughed at his confused expression..

Baloo scowled. He didn’t like that she was laughing at him. “Stop showin’ off yer MBA, Becky.”

While her parents sparred, Molly, seated on Rebecca’s lap, inspected the meager contents of her candy sack. “All that candy wasted on air pirates, but it sure was fun! Let’s do it again next year, Kit.”

Kit yawned. “No thank you.” He wearily leaned back against the seat.

“You still owe me a candy bar.”

“What for?”

“For waiting for you outside of the haunted house, remember?” Molly held out her palm. “Pay up.”

Kit, being too tired to argue, turned his sack upside down. “Sorry, Molly, but I’m all out.”

Molly pouted, then brightened. “I know!” She divided her haul and generously dropped half into Kit’s sack. “That’s for a super fun night, big brother. Now you have a candy bar.” She grinned smugly.

Kit forked over a candy bar.

Molly leaned over to whisper in Kit’s ear. “Do you think Mommy and Daddy will stop fighting if we share our candy with them?”

Kit shrugged. He was feeling guilty, because he had treated Molly badly earlier, and she was repaying him with kindness.

Molly snapped a Choco Thriller in two, handing a half each to her parents, who broke off in the middle of their petty squabbling.

“Why, thank you, honey.” Rebecca smiled.

“Thanks, Muffin.” Baloo looked at his chunk of chocolate thoughtfully, then passed it to his wife. “Here, Becky, ya need this more’n me. You hardly ate anything at the party.”

Rebecca nibbled on the sweet chocolate. She hid the smile she felt behind a stern expression. “So you were paying a little attention to me in spite of all of your friends and anecdotes.”

“‘Course I was. How could I ignore the purdiest gal there?”

Rebecca’s countenance softened. She was actually speechless for a moment. “Darling, how can you be such a thoughtless slob, and yet manage to floor me with gallant compliments?”

The big bear shrugged. “I’m a gallant kind o’ guy. Eat yer chocolate like a good girl, Rebecca. Remember: ya gotta take twice as much care of yerself now that you’re carin’ for two. Tell ya what, honey, from now ‘til the baby’s born, I’ll help out with the housework an’ try ta be on time.”

Rebecca snorted. “I’ll believe it when I see it, flyboy.”

Baloo pouted. “Ya never take me seriously.”

“I take you seriously, Baloo,” Rebecca retorted airily, “just not as seriously as you take napping or eating.”

Kit, sensing another argument approaching, piped up with, “I guess it’s been a boo-tiful Halloween, huh?”

Baloo and Rebecca groaned, but shared slight smiles, indicating a temporary truce.

“From one to ten on the lame scale - one bein’ the lowest an’ ten bein’ the highest - that was a three thousand, Li’l Britches.”

“Oh, Kit, leave the bad puns to your father.”

Baloo’s indignant frown turned to a smile when Rebecca kissed his cheek, wrapped her arms around his left arm and nestled against him.

“I thought it was funny, Kit,” said loyal Molly. She giggled. “A boo-tiful Halloween. I like it!” The little girl giggled all the way home.

The End

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