It wasn't a Halloween party, per se.
Hotch had suggested one, and Jack had turned it down, preferring instead to have two friends spend the night. Even though entertaining three 7-year-olds wasn't Hotch's idea of a good time, he owed Jack. Derek had done trick-or-Treating, because Hotch needed to work late. In short, if this was what Jack wanted, Hotch would make it happen.
While he popped popcorn and made root beer floats, Hotch half-listened to what was happening at the local elementary school. Who had thrown up at the class party. How Jack was convinced that they were only allowed to use the bathroom pass once a day. Hotch turned on some favorite Halloween songs, the conversation shifted to the boys telling scary stories. Hotch half-listened to the common anecdotes - men with hooks for hands, plants that came alive and zombies - until Jack spoke up, his voice soft.
"I've seen a real monster."
Quietly, Hotch moved to the doorway, separating the kitchen and the living room, where Jack and two friends, Nate and Paul, sat.
"No, you haven't. Monsters aren't real," Paul said skeptically.
"Yes, I have," Jack maintained calmly.
"What did he look like then?" Nate pressed.
"He looked…like a normal human being…but he wasn't…" Jack said softly.
"How'd you know he was a monster, then? Did he, like, transform in front of you or something?" Nate insisted.
"His monsterness was on the inside. That's what made him so scary."
"Where'd you see him?" Nate asked, sounding a little nervous now.
"At my house. Not this one. Another one. Where I lived when I was really little. I don't know how he got in, but he was just inside all of a sudden. Then, I don't remember. But the next part was…I just heard him. He laughed."
"Laughing isn't scary," Paul denied.
"It was when he did it. It was when I was hiding and he said he'd find me next, and do the same thing to me that he was doing to another person…"
"What was he doing?" Nate asked, eyes wide.
"Killing them," Jack said, remaining eerily composed.
Hotch's own heart was in his throat. He wanted to interrupt but found he couldn't speak a word. Jack didn't need to add any of the scary sound effects the other boys had - imitations of screaming, or zombies. Jack's honesty was chilling.
"You're full of it," Paul yelled. "That's not even a true story!"
Hotch drew a breath, prepared to say something - anything - to deter the conversation, but Jack beat him to it.
"So? They're not supposed to be true. That's why they're stories. Besides, everyone knows monsters don't really exist." The lie slid off Jack's tongue as easily as if Hotch himself had been speaking.
Silently, Hotch turned on the lights and turned off the music. He brought the boys their snacks, and tried to ignore the goosebumps that rose on his arms.
The End.