A/N: I have a headcanon that Halt can climb just as well as Will but, like so many other things, keeps it to himself. Ranger's Apprentice belongs to John Flanagan. Unbeta'd, so any errors are my own. Ignores some canon.

As Will joined Jenny in Redmont's kitchen, he found himself looking out the window he had snuck in so many years ago. It was in this very kitchen that Halt had made his decision about Will. Will smiled at the memory. Knowing the Ranger had been watching him had terrified him at first, but time now allowed him to laugh at the memory. His smile turned to a frown as a nagging thought returned. Halt had been in the kitchen before him, and there was no way he could have known what Will was planning. A younger Will would have believed that Halt could read minds, but years of living with Halt suggested that wasn't the case.

"Everything okay?" Jenny asked, having noticed the change in his expression.

"I was just wondering what Halt was doing here," he said. For a moment, Jenny looked at him blankly; realization then dawned in her eyes.

"Why?" she asked.

"Despite what people might believe, Halt can't read minds," Will said. I don't think he can, anyway... Will thought. "If he was here before me..." He shrugged.

"Maybe he was hungry," Jenny suggested. An innocent enough suggestion, but highly unlikely. Why would Halt bother sneaking around after dark if he was just hungry? And besides, Will couldn't imagine Halt climbing up the same drainpipe he had. Light as Halt was on his feet, Will found the idea of Halt climbing anything he didn't have to a bit farfetched. Will shook his head and turned his focus to the task at hand. As this was Horace's wedding feast the kitchen was preparing, Will had taken to hovering, wanting to make sure everything was done right.

* fifteen years ago *

A fair bit of deliberation had gone into Halt's plan that night. Of course, he could just wait until morning, but a pending assignment from Crowley led Halt to doubt he'd get any of the sweetcakes if he waited until morning.

He thought he had taken every variable into account but, as he knew all too well, something would have escaped his consideration. What he couldn't have known was that this something was a 13 year old ward named Will. Taking advantage of his training as a Ranger, Halt stole toward the kitchen. Tempting as it was to stop at the base of the drainpipe to make sure he hadn't been seen, Halt knew taking the few seconds to do so would probably be his downfall. Upon reaching the drainpipe, Halt pulled himself up it quite easily, carefully avoiding the cooling sweetcakes as he dropped to the floor on the other side of the window. Here he stopped, crouched low and listening for any sign that he had been seen. Satisfied that he hadn't, he moved to the side of the window before standing. It would have been a humiliating mistake to stand in front of the window. A sound, too close for comfort, sent Halt back into his crouch. He retreated deeper into the kitchen, but not so far that he couldn't see who was now climbing up the drainpipe.

Much to his surprise, it was Will. The ward grabbed the cakes Halt himself had been about to steal.

A door on the far side of the room crashed open and Master Chubb stormed in. Apparently Will hadn't been as careful as Halt. Or maybe the chef had just chosen that terribly inopportune moment to check on the sweetcakes.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" the florid chef demanded, one hand on his hip, the other swinging his ever-present ladel threateningly. Will stammered through several attempts at an explanation before sighing and hanging his head. In a small, contrite voice, Will admitted that he had been planning on stealing the cakes. Halt knew the ward could have made up any number of excuses or simply run instead of facing the consequences of his actions. Having seen enough, Halt slunk out of the same door through which Master Chubb had entered. Getting back to his cabin was a simple matter. He knew the superstitions that surrounded him as a Ranger would keep people from stopping him and asking what he was doing slinking away from the castle in the middle of the night.

Back at his cabin, Halt informed Abelard of his failure and confided in the horse that he was now certain he would take Will as his apprentice in a few years. Abelard nodded vigorously. He had seen Will in the village and was quite fond of the young human. He would make an excellent Ranger, the horse firmly believed. Even though he kept this final sentiment to himself, Abelard knew it would be good for Halt to take on another apprentice.

A/N: I'm not sure I'm too happy with this and may make changes to it in the future. If there's anything weird with the formatiing, please let me know.