Halloween Challenge: Nate

The last batch of caramel bubbled sluggishly in the pot and Nate pulled the wooden spoon up, nodding at the coating along its back. The candies were a labor of love, to be sure—he'd argued and bartered and finally ended up signing over what would likely be several weeks of aggravation in order to get the ingredients together. He picked up the pot and poured it carefully into the carefully-greased pan waiting for it, spreading out the rapidly thickening candy just as Bailey poked her head around the corner. "They done yet?"

"Last batch is coolin'." He shot her a brief smile as he scraped the remainder out of the pot and added it to the pan. "Glad I got done with time t' spare, hate t' be wrappin' these still when th' kiddos are runnin' around."

Bailey snatched the wooden spoon out of his hand, blowing on the hot candy before popping it into her mouth. "Holy shit, Nate. These'll be good."

"Glad t' hear it." The pot he put in the sink, already dreading having to clean gummy caramel off of the sides. Boiling water might dissolve it. Maybe.

"All the kids'll be running to the doctor's house to be sure." She skipped into the garage, where a chorus of meows from the black cats she'd rounded up sounded—they couldn't be too careful, not with the ugliness that happened last Halloween. "I've gotta take care of the animals, are you gonna be okay wrapping them?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." His greased knife cut a neat line through the first batch and he chopped the long rope into sections, tearing off chunks of wax paper and wrapping the candies before dropping them into a basket. "Keep ya from eatin' th' lot'a them 'fore th' kids show up anyway, eh?"

Bailey reemerged from the garage long enough to whap him on the back with the spoon handle and throw it into the sink, grabbing a handful of candies. "Gonna bring them to Li. Some asshole showed up with a really nasty sucking chest wound, and then she's got those pill bottles to hide, so we likely won't see her for a while."

"'S fine." He finished the first batch and moved onto the second one, soreness setting into his shoulders as he cut and wrapped the caramels. "I'm just gonna be here takin' care of these for most of th' day."

"Don't work too hard, okay? It's Halloween, you deserve to have a little fun too." Bailey clapped him on the shoulder and Nate nodded, deep in his work. "Besides, you and me are going to take care of that… project at the bachelor's house still, right? Hate for you to get so exhausted you can't make it."

"Like I'd miss that." He grinned—oh, god, he couldn't wait. "Go'on, get outta here. You got stuff t' do too."

The vet snuck a caramel in her mouth and flounced out the door as Nate cut another line into the smooth plane of caramel.

Halloween was a busy time—parents were fussing about the costumes for their children, papier-mâché armor and homespun witches' cloaks being trimmed, painted, sewn, and modeled by children eager to run around the community and find the hidden prizes or knock on doors and demand their share.  The older kids carved the successful crop of pumpkins, watched by old Mr. Carlisle, who had dressed himself up as a scarecrow so convincingly that he accidentally made a five-year-old cry when he sprang forward from his limp, seated position with a roar. Nate found himself among the teens, deftly carving a forest scene from the meaty pumpkin (complete with Slenderman, which made Bailey cackle with glee). It was a welcome break from the monotony of cutting and wrapping candy, though not incredibly exciting, as the older kids were too busy pretending that they weren't just as excited as the smaller kids to dart around in search of whatever confections the adults had produced for the occasion. By the time he finished, the adults who had taken advantage of the childrens' diverted attention had finished hiding their caches of treats and it was time to head home and get ready for the first wave of trick-or-treaters.

That, of course, meant that as soon as he'd stuffed straw into the flannel shirt and placed the wide-brimmed hat upon his head, there was a chorus of frantic knocks and giggling from the other side of the front door.

"Trick or treeeeeeat!" The children shrieked as he pulled open the door, towering over them—a princess and a ghost, neither of them older than maybe six. He dropped the candy in their pillowcases and grinned at their parents, sending them on their way just as he ducked back inside long enough to grab a match and light the candles inside the jack-o-lantern.

Bailey showed up soon after the first few groups passed by, deftly transforming herself into the Cowardly Lion and answering the door cheerfully while Nate poked at the now-solidified candy still coating the inside of the pot and promptly gave up. The little kids were first, flitting by in colorful costumes and ushered along by haggard-looking parents, guns tucked in waistbands and giving Nate a grateful smile when he'd insist they take at least one candy for themselves. Li showed up and begrudgingly changed into her costume (Dorothy) at around the same time the older kids sauntered by, some enthusiastic and eager to receive candy, others shepherding littler kids and casually holding out their bag, too cool to let the magic phrase pass their lips. Nate had to refill the candy bowl from the basket twice before the initial waves subsided, chasing off a handful of ruffians who had already dropped by twice.

As such, he groaned when the moment he'd plopped down on the couch, there was another knock on the door.

"Trick or treat, bitch. Surrender the caramels." Jade thrust a bag at his chest, grinning broadly—Nate could see some of the younger members of the Underground swinging around the houses, ducking into hiding places and emerging with a victorious whoop on occasion. Distantly, he was aware of Li's eyes on him, watching for his reaction.

But Nate wasn't going to be won over that easily. He snorted, then, tucking the bowl under his shoulder—and then holding it out of Jade's reach when her hand darted too close. "I don't think so, ma'am. You aren't twelve."

"I refuse to believe there is a maximum age for trick or treating, thanks. Now fork over the candy, someone told me your caramels are really good."

"If you're trick-or-treatin', where's your costume, hm?" Nate raised an eyebrow as Jade scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I'm dressed as an American, asshole, now give me candy." She held out the bag again and Nate shook his head, laughing.

"I didn't spend all mornin' makin' these t' give 'em t' whatever pretty girl walks by. These're for kids in costumes. Shoo."

"Fine." And with that, startling Nate, Jade turned on her heel and stomped away.

That didn't mean that she'd left him alone for good, though. A new wave of older kids who had finished with the scavenger hunt part of the night started up, and Nate found himself refilling the bowl again, frowning as he dumped the last of the caramels into the bowl—it was honestly a good thing that Bailey had taken some out to Li, since all it would take is another determined wave of trick-or-treaters to empty it. That is, of course, when a very familiar silhouette trotted up, pillowcase over her head, and thrust out her bag. "Trick-or-fucking-treat."

"Jade, oh my god." Nate snorted, laughing, shaking his head. "You're really determined t' get this candy, aren't you?"

She pulled the pillowcase off and smiled mischievously at him. "Fork it over or I show up as a bikini model next."

Nate raised an eyebrow.

Jade grinned. "You know I would."

"…You're serious."

Her grin widened. "Do I need to go change?"

Nate stared at her for a long moment before his hand fisted in the caramels and he held them out. "Fine. Enjoy th' candy I slaved over all mornin' that're supposed t' be goin' t' th' little children." Granted, he was giving her quite a lot—more than he probably should, more than he'd been giving the kids, but—it was Jade, he would've shared the leftovers with her anyway.

"Gotcha, bitch." The candy fell heavily into her bag and she gave him a coy smile, tilting her head just-so. "Thank you Naaaaate."

"Get outta here, ya temptress. Shoo. Ain't gonna give you more." The kids were almost done with, now that the sun had set, but all the same.

"Aww, don't want any company? I see how it is." She fished one of the caramels out of her bag and unwrapped it, pocketing the waxed paper and popping it in her mouth. "…Holy shit, Nate."

"That's what people've been tellin' me." He grinned, shaking his head. "Seem t' be a hit thus far."

"You mean you haven't gotten to sample your own wares?" She looked startled. Offended, even. "You need to be more assertive, clearly."

"It's for th' kids, not for me, Jade." A small, painted face appeared around Jade's hip and the child shuffled forward, mumbling 'trickatree'. Nate smiled, stooping, and dropped a few candies into the sack. "Think I'll survive."

"Well that's bullshit. Save yourself some candy or something." Jade scowled at him, eyes catching the light of the candles from the Jack-o-lantern, and Nate found himself swallowing thickly. And just like that, one of the underground kids called Jade's name and she turned, frowning. "I'm busy, jackass!"

"We'll see. If they're headin' in this direction dunno how long it'll las—" It was like he jinxed it as a wave of Underground members trotted up and Nate forced a smile as he stealthily tried to hide the rest of the candy—with success, at the very least. "All out, gentlemen, th' lovely lady here got th' last few pieces."

"Horseshit!" One of them called, but most of them already had the pretzels or cookies or whatever they'd managed to find in hand and they raced off toward the church with a loud whoop, earning a scowl from both Nate and Jade.

"Heard they're buildin' a bonfire t'night. You gonna take care of that?" He smiled easily as a few lagging trick-or-treaters headed their way and he dropped candy into their bags, including a few for a small toddler that was riding up on her father's shoulder and yawned in thanks.

"You're damn right I am." She grinned, poking him in the ribs. "You coming? Heard we're gonna tell scary stories."

"No, can't. Gotta clean up from earlier t'day anyway." He gave her a sad smile—shit, he would've liked to see her there. "How long're you stayin'?"

"Eh, probably 'til we get bored of it or something. Which means about when all the fuckers start bitching about how bored they are because I sure as hell won't be."

"Ah. You… might want t' keep an eye on th' bachelor house t'night then. There may be somethin' in store for 'em." He grinned, leaning up against the door frame. "Think you might 'preciate th' chaos."

"Well, if you insist, I'll have to—"

"Yo JADE! We need a lighter, get over here!"

She gave him a sad shrug. "…See you later, I guess. Can I come by here later maybe?"

Nate shook his head, grinning. "Never in a million years, 'less you wanna help me divide up th' rest of th' leftovers there."

"Well shit, give 'em to me now." She thrust the bag back at him again and Nate snorted, shaking his head.

"Hey, you got more'n your share. Gotta leave some for Bailey and Li, y'know. 'Sides, more trick-or-treaters might show up, ain't that much left." Indeed there wasn't, if the small handful left in the bowl was any indication.

"Fuck that, you stuff those in your mouth and enjoy yourself. Be selfish for once, jeez." Someone called her name again and she scowled, flipping a shadowy figure the bird. "Guess I'd better go."

"Enjoy yourself, Jade. When's th' next time you're gonna get t' light a fire that big?" Her face split into a grin and she waved, jogging away.

Nate watched her go with more than a little sadness coloring his face, but the streets were dark and he shut the door behind him, abandoning the nearly-empty candy bowl on the table.

He boiled some water and dumped it into the caramel pot, aiming to dissolve the leftover candy, right about when Bailey sidled up to him with a wide-eyed grin. "You reeeeeady?"

"Need t' get changed, woman. Ain't gonna convince 'em of shit if I still have a face." But he grinned, sticking the spoon from earlier into the pot and trotting down to the basement to retrieve his special costume.

Li gave an exaggerated sigh, slumping back into the chair. "Well if you two insist on doing this, I'm just going to let you know now that you're digging the bullets out of your own damn body."

"You want t' see those fuckers scramble, Li, don't you dare lie." The suit was clean, pressed, coal-black and accented with an inky silk tie over the crisp white shirt. It was a marvel that they'd found it.

"Oh, of course I do. Do you have any idea how many broken noses I've had to set in the past four months?" She leaned forward as Nate reemerged, Attila panting on her lap while she played with the Pomeranian's ears. "I'm going to watch, but don't think that just because they're not supposed to have guns doesn't mean they won't."

Nate shuffled into the bathroom, pulled the straw away from his itching skin, and went to work.

The white t-shirt mask obscured most of his vision but with Bailey's voice leading him, he wasn't in any danger of losing his way. Nate brushed some dirt off his shoulder idly, the clumsy prosthetic tentacles attached to his wrists waving, and Bailey put him in position outside the window. "You hear the signal, and its five seconds before you run, 'kay?"

"Five seconds." He grinned, though Bailey couldn't see it, and waited patiently. Distantly he could hear her inside, asking whose bright idea it was to slaughter a rabbit and leave it out, the assorted bachelors inside making a few bawdy jokes before the chorus of denial began. Idly Nate wondered if someone would look outside, see him—he could see the people inside, Bailey's hand on her hip while she lectured them, and then—

She shrieked, loud, her face contorting into a mask of horror at the window—and Nate. The subsequent  screams of terror from the bachelors echoed loud in the surrounding buildings. "SLENDERMAN! "

Nate took the long route back to the doctors' house, avoiding the beams of flashlights as best he could—thankfully with the mask off and the dark suit hiding him, he avoided the worst of it (a narrow escape from a corner was the only thing he hadn't accounted for) and let himself in through the back door of the house, stepping into the sound of howling laughter.

"Oh my god. I did not see that coming." Jade's eyes were sparkling and she accepted a celebratory glass of brandy from Bailey, laughing as Nate bowed gracefully. "I don't think I've ever seen grown men that ready to piss themselves—"

Alexi (the Tin Man to the rest of the Oz characters seated around the table) clapped Nate on the shoulder hard enough to stagger the slender man, a hearty laugh erupting from his chest. "I have never seen men run so fast! This Slenderman, very scary. Good!"

"'No bullet holes' is what's good." Li handed Nate a glass of brandy and he took a sip, shielding his grimace at the burn by reaching up to loosen his tie.

"More clever'n that, thank ya." He set the glass down and ducked his hand into the candy bowl—only to come up empty. Gone.

"…Did you not get any?" Bailey was giving him a look, and Nate shrugged sheepishly.

Jade kicked at him viciously and he danced away, picking the brandy back up in an attempt to disguise his disappointment. "Dumbshit, I told you to be selfish!"

"Always next year." He just smiled, shrugged, and quickly let the conversation turn back to the antics of the night.

Bailey was the first to go to bed, the long day of dealing with the animals catching up to her faster than she realized. Li and Alexi followed not long after, and Jade ran her finger around the rim of her glass for a long moment before she gave him an apologetic smile. "…Probably need to run myself."

"Yeah, you've gotta drive back t' Berlin." Nate smiled, finished the rest of his brandy (it really wasn't that bad once the burning stopped), and gave Jade a hug. "Lock th' door behind you, if you please. Gonna get changed myself."

"What, don't wanna sleep in the suit?" She snickered, finishing her glass as he grabbed his pajamas and tromped up to the bathroom to change.

The house was empty when he reemerged, a candle left lit on the side table by his couch and Nate smiled—as if Jade would miss an opportunity to light something. Ever. But as he slumped backward onto the couch, the light caught something else—a folded piece of paper resting on his pillow.

Puzzled, Nate opened it—and a neatly-wrapped caramel fell into his lap.

Don't share it.

"G'dammit Jade." Nate shook his head, smiling, unwrapping the caramel and popping it in his mouth—holy shit, these were good. A faint pang of jealousy for all the kids who had received his candy shot through him, but Nate just grinned and blew out the candle, falling asleep to the sound of the wind snaking through the tree branches outside.