Joan was working at her desk, trying to make a dent in the mound of paperwork she had to file in its specific confidentially files. It was dull, busy work, and Joan was quickly getting bored. She wished Arthur would come by and visit her, distract her for an hour maybe, but he was deep in a mission.
A knock at her door made her look up, but only long enough to say "come in"" before turning back to her files. She really didn't have time for her agents' excuses today. Today was a 'just get the job done' day.
Her office door opened and closed and whoever entered walked in quietly. Joan waited for a minute before looking up and suddenly laughing. There before her was a two-year-old princess. No really, a princess, she was wearing a pink sparkly dress and a tiara and pink glitter shoes. And in her hand was a plastic pumpkin with a thin black handle.
"Well Happy Halloween Princess Abigail," Joan smiled. Little brown eyes glowed behind curly bangs.
"Trick-or-Treat," Abbey said with a grin, holding out her bucket. Joan nodded all-knowingly and reached into her desk drawer, where her "emergency chocolate" was hidden. She took a couple Hershey Kisses and placed them in the pumpkin. "Thank you Miss Joan."
"You're Welcome Abbey," Joan said. She looked at her pile of paperwork and then pushed it aside. "Would you like me to walk you back to Daddy's office?" Abbey nodded confidently and Joan got up from her desk and Abbey took her hand as they headed into the office.
They had started off walking in the direction of Auggie's office, but a tug at Joan's arm and they swerved left.
"Trick-or-Treat Uncle Jai," Abbey held out her bucket to a flabbergasted Jai Wilcox. He looked up at Joan in surprise.
"It's Halloween?" He asked. Joan rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Happy Halloween Abbey."
"Trick-or-Treats!" Abbey protested. Obviously to Abbey, Uncle Jai didn't understand the concept of Halloween. "Candy."
"Oh, right candy…" Jai looked at his desk for a minute and then looked back at the two-year-old jabbing a pumpkin in his side. "I don't have any candy," he said, "I have a dollar for the vending machine though." He held a dollar out. "We can go get something."
Abbey looked at the dollar and then back to her bucket. "Okay," she said, taking the dollar from Jai and putting it in her bucket. "Thank you Uncle Jai!" and she was pulling Joan's arm again and they were off, back on track to Auggie's office.
"Daddy Daddy!" Abbey ran in and crawled up on Auggie's lap. Joan leaned against the door frame as Abbey told Auggie in detail about what she got on her trick-or-treat adventure. Joan always loved seeing Auggie's eyes light up when Abbey was with him. She had known him a long time, and for a while, she knew he was in a bad place in his life. But Annie and Abbey coming into his world seemed to change everything for the best, and just the thought of where Auggie would be without them would bring a tear to Joan's eyes.
"…and then Ms. Joan brought me back and we trick-or-treated at Uncle Jai's desk and he didn't have any candy so he gave me a DOLLAR!" Auggie laughed out loud and then turned to face the door way. For being a blind man, his eyes, when focused on a target, were uncannily accurate.
"Well did you tell her thank you?" Abbey did so and then hopped off her father's lap to go in the corner and play with her Barbie doll that was dressed like her.
"Thanks for letting me bring her along Joan," Auggie said. "It was too late to let her go with Annie's sister and…"
"Anytime Auggie," Joan waved him off. "Annie on her way back?"
"Safe and sound and the required documents intact," Auggie grinned. "Mission accomplished."
"Good," Joan said. To her right, Abbey exhaled a huge yawn, and Joan noticed her trying to keep her eyes open. "Why don't you leave the debriefing for tomorrow? Take Abbey home when Annie gets back, okay?"
"Sounds like a plan," Auggie said. "Thanks Joan."
Joan left Auggie's office and headed down the hall, Passing Annie in the hallway to her office. "Hey Joan," Annie said, handing her a manila envelope.
"Thanks Annie," Joan looked through the envelope with a nod of approval. She was about to walk off when she turned back to Annie. "Hey, who's idea was the Princess costume?"
Annie laughed and shook her head. "That was all Auggie. She's his little princess; it's too cute isn't it?" And then Annie turned back to head into Auggie's office.
Auggie was cleaning up paperwork and putting it in a folder in his backpack. Abbey was asleep in the corner of the office, hugging her Halloween bucket to her chest. Annie boldly walked across the room and sat on Auggie's lap, kissing him soundly.
"Trick-or-treat," Annie said.
"Sure is a treat," Auggie agreed. "Did you do good?"
"Do well?" Annie corrected.
"No, do good," Auggie said. Annie understood and nodded, her forehead pressed on his.
"Yes I did. Did Abbey enjoy hanging out with you for the day?"
"She went Trick-or-Treating," Auggie announced. "Jai gave her a dollar."
"Big money," Annie laughed before standing up off of Auggie's lab and walking over to their daughter and lifting her up into her arms. "Come on," Annie hoisted Abbey in one arm, the other hand holding her husband's. Abbey stirred in her mother's arm.
"Happy Halloween Mommy," she mumbled into Annie's neck.
Annie kissed the top of the princess's head. "Happy Halloween Abbey."