Kate didn't think Rick's chest could puff out with pride more than it was at this minute. They were at the party supply store, letting the kids pick out their costumes. Well, letting four year old Lily pick out her costume, since one year old Jake and Reece were a bit too young to make up their minds. (They weren't even at the store, since shopping with them meant keeping them from touching everything they could reach. They were so like their father!)
So here they were, standing in front of all of the kids' costumes. Lily had already approved the costumes Kate had picked out for Jake and Reece – Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street – and now they were looking at costumes for her. Rick had shown her the catalog so she could get a head start at picking something out. She told them she knew what she liked, but she wanted to look at it in the store to know for sure.
"Sweetheart, which one do you like?" Kate asked her daughter. "Want to be Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz? Or maybe Violet from The Incredibles?" Lily shook her head no, and walked over to the "Boys" costumes. Then she pointed one out.
"That one," she said as she turned to her parents. "I want to be Batman! Not Batgirl, Batman!" Rick looked at Kate, and that's when she watched his chest puff up. Yes, his little girl loved Batman. From the moment she was born, Rick had shown her all sorts of super hero cartoons. He also made up stories for her bedtime featuring Batman and Superman. When Kate came home from work, she often found the two of them acting out those stories. So she wasn't surprised that their little girl wanted to be Batman for Halloween. And what's more, she had no problem with it. The world needed little girls who were confident and strong. If their daughter wanted to be Batman, she would be Batman.
"If you want that one, then that's what you'll get," said the proud father. They gathered up everything and were soon on their way home. Lily told them she wanted to surprise everyone, so she didn't even want to tell Gram what she was going to be that year. They agreed with her plan, and thankfully, Martha didn't press Lily. Gram loved how her granddaughter loved to be dramatic.
When the big day came, Lily was up at the crack of dawn (or so it seemed to Kate and Rick). She could hardly wait to put on her costume and go to school. Her preschool was having a Halloween march – the kids would walk outside strutting their stuff – and then a Halloween party. Everyone in the family was invited to the festivities and Lily was excited to show off her little brothers. Even Rick and Kate were dressing up – Rick was going to be a cop and Kate was going to be a writer – and Rick had made his famous chocolate chip walnut cookies to share. After school was over, they were going to take the kids to the precinct and then to Gram's, Grandpa's and Alexis's so they could trick or treat.
Lily could barely stand still so Kate could dress her in her Batman costume. "I can't wait to show everybody my costume!" she told her mother. Kate laughed as she helped her put on her cape. Rick had dressed the boys as soon as they had their breakfast, and the whole family was ready to go. When they got to the school, Lily ran over to her teacher, and her parents shared a smile. They knew she was explaining to Miss Amy that she was Batman, not Batgirl. Miss Amy smiled and then all the kids lined up so they could march.
Kate laughed out loud as she watched all the children march. Her beautiful daughter stood out, but not because of her beauty. She stood out as the only Batman among the sea of princesses. As she and Rick looked at each other and smiled, she knew he loved that and so did she. She hoped that their girl would always do things her own way. Later, the cops at the precinct loved her costume, and asked her if she would be able to help them fight crime. Gram and Grandpa and big sister Alexis loved it too.
And when she finally wound down from her sugar rush, and was tucked into bed, Kate and Rick watched her sleep. Next year, they wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to be a princess instead of a super hero. After all, wasn't that half the fun of Halloween? And the Castle family knew how to have fun.
A/N: I wanted to write a Halloween story this year – I need the fluff and I know the world does too. But I didn't know what I wanted to write until I saw a tweet with the meme of a girl dressed as Batman sitting in the middle of a lot of princesses, and this idea popped into my head. I just know that someday, Miss Lily Castle will be Batman while her preschool classmates are princesses, and that her mom and dad will have no problem with that. Happy Halloween!