Light flickered from the television as rain poured down outside, thunder booming outside the living room window while lightening threw back some more of the room's darkness. Rochelle felt a slight chill hit her arm, causing her to push herself closer to Nick who gladly put his arm around her, pulling a blanket over her back and sinking further into the couch. A familiar music playing as the hands of man grabbed a child before trailing along the fence of a schoolyard; Rochelle blindly reached for the coffee table, not taking her eyes from the movie as she ate a handful of popcorn.
"Don't forget to chew, Ro."
"Shut up," her voice was muffled and hard to understand as enjoyed her snack, her husband moving so she could get comfortable against his shoulder just as a young voice startled them. Nick stopped the movie and turned to see his daughter standing beside the couch, curiosity painted on her small face. "What're you guys watching?"
"A scary movie, want to watch?" Rochelle lightly smacked his leg, scowling up at him as he looked at her with false innocence. "She's too little."
"Oh c'mon Ro, I watched it when I was her age. Besides, its Halloween day after tomorrow, everyone's entitled to one scare." Nick smiled as his wife thought it over and finally gave in, watching the eight year old snuggle into her father's free side and eat some popcorn as he resumed the movie. It didn't take long for Kaitlin to begin feeling scared as the man appeared in the young woman's yard, she hid her eyes a moment and when she turned back, the man was gone and she felt a little better.
A little ways into the film, the young girl had her face buried in Nick's shoulder and refused to watch, finally running to her parents' bedroom and turning their TV to cartoons. Cuddled up under the covers when her parents checked on her before returning to their movie; Rochelle again smacked her husband's leg. "I told you she was too young."
"Hey, she's fine, just a little spooked. Can we can finish this?" Nick stared at Rochelle for what seemed to be a long while before she relented and allowed him to start the movie again, cuddling close. In the dark of the living room, as the film ended, he heard the voice of his wife as she started to fall asleep against him.
"I'm still mad at you."
"I know, Ro, now go to sleep."
I was watching Halloween for the first time a quite awhile and this came to mind, figured I have not written something for Nick/Rochelle for some time, so I wanted to do this.