A/N: Hey everyone! Sooooo, I have decided to write a new multi-chapter fic that is based around all the holidays that occur throughout the year. The fic will start with this Halloween chapter (I know it's waaaaaay past Halloween, but I wrote this one-shot back when it was actually Halloween and forgot to post it, so though I would do so now as I thought you may all enjoy it), and will continue on with a Christmas chapter, New Year's chapter and so on. Each chapter will be posted as each holiday occurs (or near enough) and none of them will be related (unless otherwise stated), so will stand alone, but they all will feature our favorite couple in all their glory :-D
I hope you'll enjoy what has been written so far, and likewise, what is to come. If you have any particular scenes or prompts that you would like to see written, I am open to ideas, so drop me a line. Oh, I already have a very hot New Year's one-shot in the pipeline, so the next holiday after that will be Valentine's Day, I guess...so, ideas on a postcard!
Oh, before I forget, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to my wonderful beta, and very special friend - MaeMay - without whom, I would have given up writing a long time ago. Her continued support and friendship gives me the inspiration I need to find my muse and continue with writing about our favorite couple. I only wish she didn't live an ocean away. :-D
Pumpkins, Candy, and Kisses.
Jacob heard Bella's creaky, old truck pull up on the driveway and practically flew through the house at werewolf speed, swinging open the front door (and almost taking it off it's hinges) before she had even made it up the porch steps. Luckily, Billy and Rachel weren't around to tease him about his cringeworthy exuberance. They already thought he was whipped (and they were totally right, of course).
"Well, that sure is an improvement, Jacob," Bella snickered, totally unaffected by the (not so) scary 'flesh eating clown' mask Jacob was sporting, and his hulking frame that was currently blocking her entrance.
"You're funny, Bells," Jacob mumbled as he pulled the mask off the top of his head. He attempted to ruffle his hair back into place, but it was no use, it was sticking up all over the place.
"Now that's scary," Bella giggled, gesturing to his unruly hair and nearly dropping the three pumpkins she was struggling to contain under two arms in the process. Jacob just rolled his eyes and gave her a small smile, slightly annoyed that his (admittedly, rather lame) plan to scare her, in order to spend the evening comforting her, hadn't succeeded.
"Erm, Bells...why do you have three pumpkins when there's only two of us? Are we expecting company?" Please say no, please say no, Jacob silently prayed as her relieved her of two of the pumpkins before she dropped one (or three) on her foot and broke it.
Jacob had spent an entire week grovelling and persuading Billy and Rachel to make themselves scarce for the evening so that he could spend some quality time with Bella. Alone.
Bella shrugged. "No. No company. I just thought I'd bring a spare so you can start over when you mess yours up," She smiled, patting the pumpkin she was still holding.
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge, honey?"
Bella mirrored Jacob's cocky smirk. "Oh, most definitely."
"Okay...well...let the battle commence!" he chuckled, lifting his arm slightly against the doorframe so Bella could shimmy underneath.
...
Jacob was busy scooping out the smelly innards of his pumpkin; occasionally huffing and whining like a child that it was disgusting. He wished he could plead ignorance so that Bella would do the gross job for him, but after her very in-depth (and rather amusing) half hour prep talk about how to properly gut the damn thing, he figured she wouldn't be impressed if she learned that he was more interested in how her mouth curved and twitched when she talked (or lectured), rather than what was actually being spoken from said mouth.
Jacob glanced over at Bella who was working neatly and calmly away with a broad smile on her face, obviously proud of herself and clearly in her element. Jacob smiled in return - she was incredibly adorable when she was concentrating.
Jacob stopped working and gazed at her intently as she carved a neat arrow shaped eye out of the orange flesh. He watched the way her brow furrowed in concentration and her head tilted to one side when she stepped back to view her handiwork, and the way her little tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth when she concentrated really hard. She was beautiful, and cute, and mesmerizing...even with strands of stringy pumpkin goop laced in her hair.
"Hey! You're cheating!" Bella shrieked when she noticed Jacob staring. "Stop looking!" she scolded as she hunched protectively over her pumpkin as if it was about to take a bullet.
"I'm not cheating! I was just fascinated by your amazing carving techniques! When did this turn into a competition anyway?" Jacob asked, crossing his arms and sulking.
"Since you challenged me!" She replied as if he had asked the most ridiculous question she had ever heard.
"Did not!"
"Did so!"
"I seem to remember it being you who challenged me! but, if this is a competition, what does the winner get? We need a prize of some sort..."
Bella thought for a moment, then smiled. "Pride," she annunciated.
Jacob rolled his eyes. "Honey, I have enough of that for the both of us," he winked, "Next idea."
"Well, it is Halloween, sooooooo...candy?" Bella questioned in a hopeful tone of voice, although she knew any idea she had would be instantly rejected.
"Boring, but I would accept candy kisses?" Jacob suggested, cheekily.
It was Bella's turn to roll her eyes, but Jacob swore he noticed a smile tug at her lips before she spun round on her heels to turn her attention back to her pumpkin.
"Do you always have to use bargaining tactics and/or blackmail to get me to kiss you?" Bella mumbled.
"I don't know...do I?" He asked, chuckling slightly to alleviate any awkwardness his question provoked.
Bella turned to look at him over her shoulder, "We'll see..." she said, blushing to the roots of her hair "...but you've gotta win first."
Jacob spent the next hour carving his pumpkin like his life depended on it.
...
Jacob cursed himself as Bella paraded around the kitchen in triumph, declaring herself "thee champion."
Bella and Jacob had both realized (only when they had finished carving their works of art) that they had no one to judge their (purely good-humored) competition. Bella (never one to win by default) had suggesting calling Embry and Quil to make up a (non biased?) judging panel; but Jacob quickly thwarted that idea. He didn't want anyone compromising their evening alone, even if it meant sacrificing his pride...and the chance of, what he knew would be, an absolutely amazing kiss with the girl of his dreams.
In the end (after much debating and half-hearted insistence from Bella that she didn't deserve to win), they had lamely agreed to toss a coin - heads Bella wins, tales Jacob wins. Of course, Bella won.
"You know I would have let you win anyway, right?" Jacob (unconvincingly) lied.
"Oh, really? Because it looks to me like you tried your damndest to win..." Bella said, raising her eyebrows as she gestured to the most beautifully carved pumpkin she had ever seen. Her great, (but cliched) scary face didn't hold a candle to the intricate picture of a wolf howling at the moon that had been etched into the run-of-the-mill, seasonal fruit.
Jacob shrugged. "Eh, I didn't put that much effort into it. I guess I'm just naturally talented."
"I'll say!" Bella exclaimed, whilst staring at her chafed, red palms, generated by the friction of the carving knife she had gripped and used with raw determination.
"Well, you get an A for effort, honey," Jacob murmured as he approached Bella and took her hands in his, turning them palm side up to inspect her sore flesh. He winced at the sight and gently wrapped his fingers around her tiny wrists, leading her over to the kitchen sink. "Seriously...that is the scariest pumpkin I have ever seen," he winked as he turned on the faucet, guiding her hands under the soothing warmth of the running water.
Bella giggled softly, "That may be true, but I think I'll leave the carving to you in future. My fragile hands aren't cut out for such exertion."
Jacob chuckled. "Wise idea, honey. How're they feeling?" he asked as he turned off the faucet and patted her hands dry with a towel.
Bella looked up at him and smiled, it made Jacob's breath catch. "Better, thanks."
"No problem, Bells. Now...how about we light these babies?" he gestured to the pumpkins, sitting on the kitchen counter, "then we can sit in the dark, put on a scary movie and stuff our faces with candy."
"Sounds like a plan," Bella said through a yawn. "I'm feeling kinda sleepy."
"Hey, I forgot...you need to claim your prize, seeing as you won oh-so-fairly!" Jacob winked.
"Come snuggle with me on the sofa and stroke my hair. That can be my prize," Bella yawned, wrapping her arms around Jacob's waist and nestling in close against his side.
"Sounds perfect," he said, placing a gentle kiss on her temple and smiling against her soft skin. Jacob loved sleepy, touchy-feely Bella.
...
Later that evening, as Bella was seated firmly in Jacob's lap with the soft orange glow of candlelight-via-pumpkins creating a spooky but beautiful ambience in the room, Bella decided that exploring Jacob's lips and tongue with her own was a million times more interesting than watching Linda Blair puke green vomit. In fact, it was the most interesting thing she had ever done. Ever.