"Trick or treat!"
A giggling group of young children stand in a huddle in front of Red and Lizzie's apartment door, smiling brightly in their costumes, candy buckets extended.
"Well, hi there, guys! Wow, you all look great!" Lizzie showers the happy children with praise, straightening the princess's tiara and adjusting the ghost's sheet, while Red tries not to stare adoringly at her and instead offers the big bowl, decorated with ghosts and filled to the brim with candy, to the children.
This is Red and Lizzie's first Halloween living together as a couple in their adorable, new apartment which is appropriately adorned with flickering, battery-powered candles, plastic pumpkins, and fake cobwebs. (But Lizzie had firmly ousted any form of spider, fake or alive.) They had also spent yesterday afternoon baking orange and green cupcakes and cookies for no other reason than to enjoy some sweet treats and each other's company.
(Lizzie had gotten particular enjoyment out of repeatedly dotting his face and neck with bright orange buttercream frosting – "It's a lovely color on you, Ray, really." – and then licking it off. He couldn't find it in himself to protest. And he made sure to pay her back in kind later.)
So, they've spent the last few days in wonderful companionship, Lizzie taking off work and Red cancelling his appointments, celebrating the holiday with food and scary movies. And Red simply couldn't be happier. Certainly, every day with Lizzie is a gift that he doesn't feel he deserves but the holidays are truly something special. Especially since these are their first ones together.
Red now glances at Lizzie out of the corner of his eye, watching as she makes sure that every child's candy bucket is filled at least half way, and tries not to look obviously love-struck. But he can't help but find her absolutely adorable in her costume.
Lizzie had decided to keep it simple this year and opted for the wildly popular, yet somehow not overdone, 'kitty cat'. She is dressed in all black in thick leggings, a mini skirt, and a soft sweater and her feline look is completed with black cat ears. She also took great pains in front of the mirror earlier in applying cat eye makeup and whiskers. (Red loves how the extra black makeup accentuates her baby blue irises.)
Red manages to break his gaze away from her, not without difficultly, and turns to look out the window at the black night sky, his thoughts turning to past Halloweens. He has never made a big deal out of the holiday and he certainly never put much effort into costumes. The only joy he has ever gotten from this day was taking Jennifer trick-or-treating. He always took much more care with her costume then he ever did with his own. He would spend hours trying to get her hair just right and go to every store to find all the components for an authentic costume. He himself would only dress up if she needed a costume partner. (One year, they went as salt and pepper and it is one of Red's most cherished memories.)
However, those times are long gone and Red has long since accepted that. But Lizzie and her boundless enthusiasm have done much to renew his vigor for the holiday in a different but still wonderful way and he is grateful for that. So, in a moment of tenderness – or perhaps foolishness, he thinks ruefully – he had told her that she could pick his costume this year.
The resulting squeal of delight had been deafening and he had smiled good naturedly, happy to have pleased her. And anything that made Lizzie that happy, he was sure he would enjoy too.
She had taken several days to mull over his costume, putting a lot more serious thought into it than he expected, going through several different ideas and hours of internet searches, before finally settling next to him on the couch one evening last week and announcing her decision: Superman.
He had simply blinked at her. "But why, Lizzie?" he had asked, quite perplexed because no costume, as far as he was aware, could be more unsuitable for him.
"Because I couldn't find any suits of armor." She had answered simply, smiling at him in a way he didn't understand.
So, Red had continued to stare at her, starting to worry a little for her sanity, before she sighed and moved to perch herself on his lap, looking deeply into his eyes.
"You're my knight in shining armor, Ray, even if you don't see yourself that way." She had whispered to him, eyes full of warmth and sincerity. "And, in the absence of a welder to make a suit of armor, I think Superman is a pretty good alternative." She had smiled in that way again and he found himself smiling back, overwhelmed with love for her. "And it's a chance to see that fine ass in some tights." She had added, pecking him on the lips.
"Lizzie," he had stated firmly, letting her slip off his lap. "I refuse to wear tights. No one can want to see that, even you."
"I beg to differ!" she had gasped, turning back to him and pressing a hand to her heart. "And, besides, you said I get to pick your costume and that means all of it!"
"Evidently I should have laid down some ground rules." He had said. "I'm drawing the line at tights, Lizzie. No ifs, ands, or buts."
She had struggled for a long moment, mouth twitching, before losing the battle and bursting out in giggles at his unintentional pun. He had chuckled along with her and, with some effort, managed to ignore her wide, pleading eyes, which she knows are usually his undoing. Eventually she had given up, sighing dramatically but accepting that she was essentially fighting a losing battle. She had consented to Red's 'no tights' rule but made sure to ensure full jurisdiction over every other aspect of his costume.
(And she had 'ensured' such privileges by distracting him with kisses and touches until he didn't have the presence of mind to say any word other than 'yes'. An effective method, he must admit.)
But thankfully, she didn't have anything nearly as humiliating as tights in mind because here is Red, handing out candy to excited young children dressed in his favorite pair of comfy blue jeans, a soft t-shirt with the Superman emblem on it, and a red cape Lizzie had bought and carefully attached to the shoulders of his t-shirt.
(Lizzie learned how to sew in high school. And if it means that Red can learn little facts like this about her, then he will wear any manner of ridiculous costume that she requests.
Except tights.)
He privately thinks that he makes a pretty pathetic Superman but, earlier, when he came out of the bedroom in his costume, Lizzie's eyes had lit up and she'd moved in close, draping her arms about his shoulders, cooing over how handsome he looked and kissing him with enough abandon that he really couldn't complain.
He is shaken out of these pleasant memories by Lizzie calling good bye to the gaggle of trick-or-treaters and he quickly waves after the children, who are skipping happily down the hall with their spoils.
"This is fun, isn't it?" Lizzie closes the apartment door and turns to him, all smiles.
Red can't help but agree. His favorite part of the night so far has been seeing Lizzie interacting with the children. She's so wonderful with them, kind and motherly but firm and strong when she needs to be. He feels an all too familiar pang of remorse.
Lizzie would be such a wonderful mother, the perfect balance to his parenting style of 'spoil like crazy'. She would gladly be the sensible parent but would also take every opportunity to shower their child with praise and love and affection whenever she could.
He sighs. Sometimes he wishes so desperately that they could have children together. And they could, of course, but they both know it would not be wise with their situation and his criminal status. Neither of them could live with the knowledge that they put their child in danger.
He sighs again.
"You all right, Ray?" Lizzie murmurs, rubbing his arm. "Do you wanna call it a night?"
Red pulls himself together. He won't let these morbid thoughts ruin their first Halloween together.
(Besides, if Red's learned one thing in life, it's never say never.)
He turns to Lizzie.
"Call it a night?" he repeats incredulously. "Lizzie, please, it's barely seven. I'm not that old yet, thank you very much." He teases her with a smile on his lips and tickling fingers at her waist.
She laughs and squirms in his arms and he laughs a deep laugh before she smothers it by enthusiastically pressing her lips to his.
(Of all the wonderful aspects of their relationship, working and romantic, this part is the most effortless.)
They kiss until they are interrupted by the doorbell ringing again. They pull away reluctantly, gazing at each other wordlessly for a moment before they come back to themselves. Lizzie giggles and wipes some of her lipstick off his face and Red smirks and adjusts her sweater to cover her midriff again where he pushed it up a little too far.
They smile at one another.
After a final smoothing of her hair, Lizzie opens the door, revealing another group of trick-or-treaters, this time including a vampire and a mad scientist.
"Trick-or-treat!"
The night goes on like this, the influx of trick-or-treaters reaching its peak around eight-thirty and starting to taper off somewhere around ten. Red and Liz share intermittent moments in between trick-or-treaters behind their closed door, kissing or talking or snagging their favorite treats out of the candy bowl.
(Black licorice for her and sweet tarts for him.)
When they hear the doorbell or a knock, Lizzie opens the door and greets the children while Red makes sure everyone gets at least one piece of their favorite candy, though he can't help but sneak an extra piece to any with a particularly creative costume.
(His two favorites were a young girl dressed as a ballerina and an older boy dressed in a suit and fedora. He's not exactly sure who the boy was portraying but if nothing else he should be credited for his outstanding fashion sense.)
"Well, I think that's about it for the night, don't you?" Red sighs as Lizzie closes the door on a Frankenstein and a werewolf hurrying down the hallway with some Milky Ways.
"I think so," Lizzie agrees, stretching her arms above her head. "We sure went through a lot of candy, didn't we?"
"We certainly did," Red glances at the empty bags littering the floor and then peers into the mostly empty bowl. "Still have a few things left though." He plucks out a Three Musketeers.
"Got any milk duds?" Lizzie asks, peeking over his shoulder.
Red shakes the contents of the bowl. "One left," he hands it to her and can't resist lidding his eyes at her. "You're a lucky girl." He murmurs.
She opens the small box and shakes a few milk duds in her mouth. "I'll say." She hums, eyeing him up and down suggestively.
He rolls his tongue.
She stares at his mouth for a moment before tossing the rest of the milk duds back all in one go, chewing and swallowing in record time.
"Right then," she says hastily. "I'm gonna go get into my costume."
Red frowns, glancing up at her head. Her cat ears are still firmly in place. "Costume? Aren't you already in it?"
"My public costume, yes." She says easily. "But I have another for our…private enjoyment. It's decidedly more…adult."
Red's mouth drops open.
Oh my. Well, this is a surprise.
"What is it?" he asks hoarsely.
She smirks and heads back to their bedroom, hips swaying a little more than usual. "Let's just say it rhymes with the word 'purse' and…I had to buy a stethoscope."
Red carelessly tosses the candy bowl on the counter and stalks after Lizzie, growling playfully, sending her sprinting down the hallway, laughing all the way.
Oh, happy Halloween indeed.