Disclaimer: Don't own anything except original characters. All material (c) to respective owners. I write these for fun and make no profit. They're just random plot bunnies that live within my strange mind.

A/N: A Holiday take on my character's from 'The Garden Whispers' a short because I was running low and I wanted to give my readers of that story a bit of Fluffy humor. There isn't a need to read that story if you stumbled on this before hand. It doesn't really tie into the original story line much, if you want a better insight to the characters personalities though please by my guest. :)

A Real Halloween

Carving pumpkins this year seemed a bit of a hassle to her this year. Not because of Nakeesha being in the house acting like a lovesick teenager but because she found it daunting. Avalon set herself up for the carving night of her life but had forgotten that Nakeesha wasn't a kid anymore and it proved to backfire. In her defense she knew it was most likely too late to play trick or treat with her little sister or to make it a good one. Those years with her mother and step-father seemed to put a major chink in any activity involving those familiar Halloween traditions she had grown up around.

"Avalon…what are you doing?" Looking up from the ten different sized pumpkins she had chosen for Nakeesha she found obsidian eyes watching her with uncertainty.

Edward clicked his hands wary of the strange activity as of recent. Nakeesha had explained the holiday to him quite well but he hadn't expected the whirlwind of makeup, costumes and decorations to interrupt the calm he had grown used to with the sisters.

"Carving Jack-o-lanterns for Halloween," She answered uncertain of why she bothered still. "Alone, it would seem Nakeesha decided to avoid this activity this year. Too messy and my mother did not make it fun for her." She looked at the various idea books before becoming aware of him moving to the counter and eyeing the brightly orange colored squash used for the festivity. "It would seem I am a bit late."

Edward studied the round objects before finding her smiling at his inquisitiveness. "Carve them to these shapes?" she looked at the complicated designs and shrugged. "It reminds me of the garden, it seems simple enough."

Avalon chuckled softly finishing her task of cutting off the top of the first pumpkin and showed him the 'mess' part. He made a face squishing up his expression and touching the very top of the gooey innards of the pumpkin with a single blade. Clearly he understood her lack of enthusiasm at doing the work alone.

"It is simple after they are cleaned out," Avalon smiled reaching a hand inside the shell and lifted the assortment of slimy orange seeded strings onto the newspaper surrounding her. "I'll clear them out and you can carve them?" slowly he found her brightening up at the idea of spending time with him and felt that strange closeness they had developed.

"Ok, I would like that." Edward puzzling over the slimy guts coming out of the pumpkin looked sour compared to what she was used to. "It looks like one of your horror movies at work." The look turned slightly green at the memory of those things he would sit and watch with her.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they weren't part of the makeup used in the horror movies." Both look to the source of the voice and find Nakeesha looking like a hurricane had hit her.

She wore several different pieces of the costumes she had been working on; ones they could identify were a zombie, vampire and devil. The others they didn't even dare and her hair had several different colors in it at the moment with samples of different shades of makeup on her face. Avalon studied her sister resting her hands on the counter and raised a brow at the assortment that served as her sister in search of her Halloween costume. Edward glanced her over used to her being odd in fashion but this was a bit more extreme than he had gotten accustom to. Avalon shook her head seeing Nakeesha scowl looking very gloomy at what she had accomplished before coming into the kitchen.

Sitting down at the counter she poked at the pumpkin mess on the table before seeing Edward's eyes moving over her assortment of looks with uncertainty and a certain curiosity. She smiled softly at her friend before once again poking the pumpkin sludge beside her and noting Avalon seemed entertained by her current look.

"Let me guess, chaos?" Nakeesha stuck out her tongue at Avalon's cheek before twisting some of the pumpkin around a finger and watching it slop back to the pile. "Why on earth are you trying so hard? You're friends love you so you don't have to dream up something that will impress them. Maybe you're overthinking this Halloween dance?" she knew Avalon was right, Owen and the others were her other life, the one where school ruled and she actually interacted with them.

Her life here was just as good, she loved staying with Avalon and having Edward there to talk too was helpful. However it seemed she was more often trying to get them to fall in love than to be a young sibling lurking in the shadows. She grinned looking down at the pumpkin goo in thought before Avalon slapped her hand with the scooping spoon she was using.

"Ow!"

"Nakeesha don't even think about flinging that in here, it will make this far harder than it has to be. I don't think Edward wishes to wear this stuff either." Edward looked terrified at the context behind the remark and his hands clacked nervously as a result. "She won't," Avalon tried to sooth her friend before watching Nakeesha reach over to the pumpkin and put her hand inside ripping out a huge chunk of the insides.

"I give up, let's make a mess." She laughed pulling another pumpkin over and began working on cleaning the thing out. "Show me how Halloween should be?" Avalon smiled handing her sister a spoon and knife to help with the other eight left of the ten.

Ten shells later the two sisters eyed each other before laughing at the mess they had managed. Each one had goop in their hair, clothes and even on their face. Edward hadn't missed the chaos either and had tried to help by moving the stuff onto the table. He had strings of pumpkin in his hair, seeds on his face and some of the goop on his scissor hands.

Avalon reached over to the counter and found a towel before easing the material gently against each of his blades trying to clean them off one at a time. Edward used to their interaction despite his fears held still watching her delicately take care of each blade. Her hair got in her face forcing her to pause before she finally managed to pick the seeds off his arms and tug at the strings clinging to his wild hair.

"I think I'm going to be myself again, Halloween has me all wacked out." Avalon giggles softly at Nakeesha who smiled before darting around the corner of the kitchen.

Both heard her heavy boots clunking up the stairs before being aware of the silence once again descending around them. A comforting silence and once again familiarity the pair had come to know well. Avalon satisfied that she had cleaned him up went about cleaning the table up from the pumpkin mess and preparing it for the carving part. She washed her hands picking out pumpkin from her hair and brushing it off her clothes. She sorted a good amount of seeds from the mess of newspapers and pumpkin before putting the lot in the garbage.

"Oh…we can bake them." Nakeesha had returned with a flair startling both with her quiet entry.

She wore an old band t-shirt, pajama pants that had Halloween cats all over the orange material and no shoes. Avalon breathed out astounded that her sister dared to move about without something on her feet, although they had made the downstairs fairly livable she still worried of stray nails, glass or something hurting them.

"Nakeesha," Avalon's warning tone reminded her of what she had forgotten, wise to the warning she showed a pair of fuzzy flip flop style slippers before putting them on. "Wise one, now…we can bake these while Edward has at the pumpkins…if he wants?" she looked at their scissor handed friend watching him eye each pumpkin with interest before smiling ever so slightly.

"I'll try," both sisters gave each other looks indicating they had more faith in him than he realized, then they began to prepare the seeds for baking.

Letting the seeds slide off the trays after salting them both sisters looked up to find pumpkin everywhere and Edward shaking pieces of shell out of his hair and off his body, Nakeesha moved quickly for the broom and started to sweep up the mess. Avalon laughed softly walking over and dusting off their mutual friend with care before once again toweling off each blade of his hands carefully and watching him look around at the mess that was disappearing rapidly with the sisters team work.

"I'm sorry,"

"For what Edward, with carving there comes a mess and it was welcome. Despite your opinion Nakeesha and I know you do amazing work with your hands." Avalon finished what she was doing feeling her sister poking her back rapidly. "What?"

"Look," Nakeesha managed softly before her eyes moved over each pumpkin depicting some sort of scene or character from various Halloween movies and horror films.

Avalon in doing so found herself astonished by the precision and detail in each of the jack-o-lanterns. Ten scenes specifically carved to fine detail, she marveled at the scene of the headless horsemen leaping up against the tree of death, the clawed hand from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies and many others. Her favorite by far of them was the character Eeyore dressed in a pumpkin outfit holding a bag that said 'boo'. Nakeesha ran to the one on the far end of the villain ghost face from the 'Scream' movies laughing in delight at the details.

"He is amazing, look at these Avalon!" her sister was in fan girl heaven it seemed, she laughed softly glad to see her sister finally learning some joy for Halloween. "I love this, for once I truly love Halloween." She paused at Edward's side lowering her arms awkwardly knowing she had startled him.

Both sisters heard the clicking of his hands before he moved back worried he may hurt them by accident. Avalon finding this sad walked over seeing him look at her before she gently wrapped her arms around him and her sister followed on his other side. He found himself sandwiched between the two girls that had come into his life by accident and were trying to make him a part of their world. He didn't move a muscle, he barely breathed closing his eyes liking the feeling of being accepted in spite of his hands and what he felt could hurt them despite his best efforts not to do so.

"Thank you for making her day." Avalon whispered aware of his strange stillness, like that of a statue before her sister and she eased away. "You did a marvelous job on each of them."

Edward found himself feeling happy that he could make their day so wonderful for them. He for once didn't see his hands as a burden or threat and was beginning to see them for the creations instead of the danger they could accomplish. Smiling softly dark eyes looked to the girl slowly stealing his heart. Avalon smiled and it reached her eyes, she was happy not the sad girl he had grown to know so well. Slowly she was finding herself and he knew it was because of her sister and him trying to make her happy.

"Happy Halloween Edward," Nakeesha laughed twirling in the middle of the kitchen before her smile faded to a sore pout. "Any ideas on a costume for me?"

Avalon found herself giggling despite her sisters' disgruntled look and held gently onto Edwards arm leaning on his shoulder. "How about a ghoul? Edward can shred up a dress and you can do the makeup and hair number you tried tonight. It scared us."

Nakeesha threw pumpkin seeds at her sister before sticking out her tongue. She did like the idea but she knew she wasn't going to live the teasing down for a while. She said her goodnights leaving her sister and dear friend to the decoration disaster she had made the house, she was going to go to bed and pick out the perfect dress to be shredded for her ghoul costume.

The End