Happy Halloween everyone! (even though it's technically November first...)

In case anyone needs a quick reference, here are the names for the regions:

Amy= Northeast

Trixie= South

West= West (we are very original and creative)

Wyatt= Midwest

Marcelina= Hawaii

Kaya= Alaska

Pablo= Puerto Rico


October 31, present day

If someone had asked Canada this morning what he would be doing for Halloween, he probably would have said something about making a couple (a lot) of pancakes and staying up watching Trailer Park Boys until the early hours, alone and feeling bad for himself. Yesterday, Quebec had informed that he would be the one to take the [Canadian] regions trick-or-treating under the guise that it would give Matthew more "free time" to get "important things done" (perhaps the granting of independence to a certain province, wink wink, nudge nudge).

Standing on the porch outside his brother's two-story house, Matthew wondered if Alfred was aware of that. Or maybe Alfred just forgot about Matthew's charges and was trying to be inclusive when he invited him to join them for their own halloween experience. Whatever the cause, Matthew was more than grateful. Maybe he would get him something extra nice for Christmas this year.

Alfred threw open the door before Matthew even had time to knock.

"Hey bro! You're here!"

Matthew smiled at Alfred's boundless enthusiasm, but the smile faltered when he caught sight of what, exactly, his brother was wearing.

"Um, Al?" Matthew didn't know how to voice his... Concerns, without sounding rude. Fortunately, Alfred must've taken the hint.

"Oh, my costume?" He spun around in excitement, finger gunning Matthew when he'd come back around. "Like it? I'm the Christmas spirit!" He proceeded to do that obnoxious laugh that no one but he could effectively mimic, and Matthew couldn't help chuckling himself (granted, his was so quiet it could hardly be heard over his brother's cackles, but that was okay).

Matthew reached forward and pulled teasingly at one of the many strands of Christmas lights hanging from Alfred's person. "It's Halloween, Al."

"Never too early to get excited for Christmas!" Alfred protested. "And, dude, what are you supposed to be? You didn't dress up at all!"

Matthew's lips twitched ironically. Of course, Alfred wouldn't have guessed that Matthew's costume was a jab at him, despite the fact that Matthew had never in his life worn a shirt that declared "I 3 NY!" (to wear such a blatant lie made him feel bad, but it was an easy way to passive-aggressively pick at Alfred without the latter bursting into tears, so he made due).

"I'm a tourist."

"Lame! Come on inside- gotta get the kids!" Without waiting for another response, Alfred pulled Matthew inside and leaped upstairs- presumably to gather up said children. Matthew smiled fondly and lingered at the bottom of the staircase.

"Uncle Mattie!"

Matthew had very limited time to react before a giggling child had thrown itself into his arms.

"Whoa, Kaya!" Matthew laughed, spinning the boy around and setting him on the stairs so they were almost eye-level. "It hasn't been that long since I've seen you."

"I know!" the state of Alaska agreed cheerfully. "But I missed you."

Matthew's heart constricted a bit. Sometimes it was funny how these kids seemed to know exactly what Matthew needed to hear.

He leaned forward and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "I missed you too, buddy."

Kaya beamed.

"Hey, why aren't you in your costume yet?" Matthew asked. "Don't tell me you're going as Alaska."

Kaya laughed. "No! Alfred said he'd help me change. It's really cool! Marcy said it was dumb because I can't breathe fire but I told her that she's dumb because she's spending another year as Elvis!"

Matthew was torn between asking what in the world Kaya was planning on dressing up as and scolding him for calling his sister dumb. Before he could make a decision, there was a crash upstairs, followed by much shouting.

"Amy! That's my hairbrush!"

"I'm just using it for a second, calm down!"

"Give it back!"

"West stop-"

"AH!"

"Mattie! Little help here!"

Matthew heaved a sigh and shared an amused glance with Kaya. The small state reached his arms up expectantly. Matthew arched an eyebrow and valiantly tried to stand his ground, but unfortunately was no match for the cuteness, and he gave in rather quickly. He hoised him up and positioned him on his hip before making his way up the stairs.

They had barely reached the top of the steps before a child darted past, shouting incomprehensibly about something that was likely inane. It wasn't long before another one followed suit, chasing after the first kid and screeching furiously.

Matthew had just enough time to shoot a hand out and latch onto the second kid's shoulder, pulling them back and stepping before them to keep them from barrelling past.

"Let me go!" Marcelina spat, straining to get past Matthew and huffing in irritation. "West took my guitar!"

"You can't even play it!" West poked his head back around the corner he'd disappeared down. Well, Matthew assumed it was West, as the boy's face was covered by the stormtrooper mask he was wearing. "Besides, a cowboy stormtrooper with a guitar is much cooler than Elvis anyway!"

Marcelina let out a blood-curdling shriek. "TAKE THAT BACK WEST!"

"Whoa," Matthew interrupted, following Marcy's steps so she couldn't get past him. He shifted Kaya on his hip and frowned sternly down at Hawaii (although her Elvis costume was making it very difficult to take her seriously, Matthew knew better than to let his guard down). "West," he said calmly without turning around, "please give Marcy her guitar back."

"And the hairbrush!" Amy called from the bathroom.

"MY hairbrush!" Trixie agreed vehemently from the same bathroom.

"Aw, but Matthew," West whined. "It completes my costume."

"How?" Matthew asked bewilderedly, blocking Marcy from leaping forward to strangle her brother. "Aren't you a stormtrooper?"

Alfred leaned partially out of the bathroom to address Matthew. He was holding the end of what appeared to be a hair straightener. "He couldn't make a decision this year, so he's a cowboy stormtrooper."

"Ow! Alfred you're pulling my hair!"

"Ah! Sorry Trix!" Alfred disappeared back in the room.

"You can't tell me there's an entire society of stormtroopers in the galaxy and not one of them is a cowboy!" West cried defensively. There was a pause. "Well, you can, but I won't buy it!"

Amy stepped into the hallway and raised a police baton threateningly. "I'll throw ya in jail for stealing ya little twerp!"

"No, Amy!" West wailed in betrayal. "Why would you be a cop? I thought I could trust you!"

"Amy get back in here, Al's gonna burn my hair off!"

"Hey! I'm trying my best!"

Amy ducked back inside the bathroom.

Matthew tried not to portray how ridiculous and entertaining he found this situation and forced his expression to remain calm. "West, you combined two costumes already. Do you really need to steal Marcy's?"

"You can't tell me there's an entire society of stormtroopers in the galaxy and not one of them is a cowboy who happens to play the guitar!" West protested heatedly.

"ELVIS NEEDS A GUITAR!" Marcy screamed.

"Stop yelling," Kaya scolded with an adorable furrow of his eyebrows.

"What am I supposed to do? Not yell?!" Marcy demanded furiously.

Matthew held out a hand placatingly. "Why don't we all just calm down?" he suggested. "West? Amy and Trixie need that hairbrush back- no one can see your hair right now anyway, it's in a helmet."

West grumbled something that Matthew didn't catch and sighed sullenly. "Fine. They can have the stupid brush."

"And Marcy's guitar," Matthew reminded gently.

Since Matthew still wasn't facing West he couldn't tell for sure, but it sounded like he'd dragged his feet a little closer to them before halting abruptly.

"You don't think it'd be cool?" he asked weakly.

"Well, of course it would!" Alfred shouted from the bathroom. "But you don't need to make yourself any cooler West, you're already off the charts."

Marcy looked outraged at this, but she somehow managed to remain quiet, knowing any objections to that statement would have West even less willing to hand the guitar over.

"Really? You think so?" Matthew could hear the giddy smile in West's voice. "Of course you do! Okay, Marcy, here."

Sensing the diffusion of the fight, Matthew tentatively stepped aside to let West and Marcy communicate…

And almost burst out laughing when he'd caught sight of West's whole outfit (thankfully, his attempts to conceal his amusement went unnoticed).

The kid had a cowboy hat atop his stormtrooper helmet, and the strands were tied firmly underneath to keep it from falling off. His stormtrooper costume was adorned with a brown leather vest with a shiny yellow sheriff's badge. Spurred boots and a cowboy revolver completed the look.

Marcy ripped the black guitar out of West's hands. "Thanks for nothing!"

West laughed (oh God, it wasn't perfected yet but Matthew had no doubt that as the child got older he'd have a near perfect imitation of Alfred's laugh). "Anytime, sweetheart!" He scampered off towards the bathroom with Marcy hot on his heels, shouting about calling her "sweetheart".

"Your family is a mess, eh?" Matthew told Kaya conspiratorially.

Kaya nodded. "Yep."

Matthew shook his head with a soft smile before turning and around. "Hey, where's Wyatt? And Pablo?"

"Pablo's downstairs picking a movie for us to watch when we get back." Alfred stepped out of the bathroom, sending an apologetic glance towards it. "They kicked me out to do makeup," he informed sadly.

Matthew patted his shoulder comfortingly. "They are teenagers."

"I know!" Alfred lamented. "They're growing up so fast."

"It's been two centuries, Al."

"But I still see them as the kids that broke into my house."

Coming from anyone else, that line would probably hold no sentimentality. Coming from Alfred, Matthew was concerned by how much it meant.

He was going to speak up and say something comforting when Kaya reached his arms out to Alfred. "Costume?"

Alfred's troubled expression cleared and his grin returned full-force. "Oh yeah! Come on, kiddo!" He winked at Matthew as the latter handed Kaya over. "What am I talking about, eh?" he mocked (Matthew's eye twitched). "I still got the little ones!" he turned his head to address Kaya, who now rested comfortably in his arms. "Let's go get that costume on now."

Kaya clapped in excitement.

Matthew watched them walk down the hallway before turning around in confusion. That still left Wyatt unaccounted for. Where could he be?

Matthew decided to check his room first, and made his way down the stairs and into the corridor leading towards it. There was no light on underneath the door, but Matthew knocked quietly anyway.

"Wyatt? You in there?"

There was a several second pause, and Matthew was just about to give up and check somewhere else when the door opened hesitantly.

"Uncle Mattie?" the boy asked with a confused frown. He was already in his costume- the fake sideburns and eyebrows around his face and the faux fur along his hands, coupled with the extra long claws and the red flannel shirt and ripped jeans told Matthew he was going as a werewolf this year.

"What are you doing, hiding in your room?" Matthew asked with a frown of his own. "Aren't you excited?"

"Yes," Wyatt said, but Matthew noticed that the weak smile the child offered was pretty lackluster in comparison to its usual brightness.

Matthew frowned and knelt down so he wasn't stooping so tall over Wyatt. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

Wyatt let out a weary sigh and leaned back against the doorframe. "I guess I'm just a little sad that Trixie's going as Dorothy and no one recognizes that Kansas and The Wizard of Oz are both mine."

Matthew's frown deepened. "Does that mean she's not allow to dress up and enjoy it?"

Wyatt seemed t sink further back in the doorway. "No." His voice was small. "It's just that I don't get noticed very often and when I do it's usually for bad stuff. It's almost like I don't exist sometimes and so I just wanted-"

There was a crash upstairs, followed by the sound of someone's hurried footsteps as they ran down the stairs. Not a moment later, Alfred was sliding down the hallway towards them with a mildly panicked expression.

"Don't say that Wyatt!" he admonished, dropping to his knees beside Matthew. "Where would we be without our little corn farmer?"

Matthew briefly wondered how Alfred had even heard the boy's soft-spoken admission from all the way upstairs. "Um, Al, I don't think that's very thoughtful-"

""Really?" Wyatt interrupted apprehensively, fidgeting with the fur on his hands.

"Of course little dude! You know I wouldn't lie!" Alfred gave Wyatt a thousand-watt smile, and the boy stood up a tad straighter and returned the grin full-force (a much more cheery adaption of the first one he'd given Matthew). Alfred winked and briefly reached a hand out to squeeze Wyatt's shoulder. "Alright kid, why don't you go head out to the entryway? We're almost all set to go."

"Okay!" Wyatt dove back inside his room and returned not a second later with a plastic shopping bag (Matthew assumed that was his trick or treating bag, although why the child was resorting to a Walmart bag was beyond him), tearing off down the hallway to join his siblings.

Matthew blinked in confusion and turned questioningly to Alfred. "You called him a corn farmer and it cheered him up."

Alfred got to his feet and helped pull Matthew up beside him. "Yeah, he likes corn," he said simply as they started walking after Wyatt. After a moment, he added, "he grows it and tries to eat it with every meal, I swear." Alfred shook his head with a fond expression.

"It's about time!" Marcy glowered when the two had appeared in the entrance hall.

"We have plenty of time," Alfred retorted good-naturedly.

Amy tapped her watch. Her police costume was almost too good- no wonder West (in all his cowboy/stormtrooper glory) was keeping as much distance from her as he could. "If we wanna hit the good houses, we should leave soon," she said.

Standing beside her with crossed arms, Trixie rolled her eyes. "You always know everything."

"Where are your glasses young lady?" Alfred asked disapprovingly.

Trixie shrugged, sending a braid falling behind her shoulder. "Dorothy doesn't wear glasses, Al."

"Dorothy wasn't blind as a bat like you!"

"I'm far-sighted, not blind!"

"Hey!" Pablo interrupted (this was the first Matthew had seen of his costume- a very thorough pirate's outfit. He even had an eye patch and a rubber sword from which his pumpkin candy bowl hung). "We should not be arrr-guing when we could be getting candy!"

"He's right!" Marcy and West declared at the same time. West laughed and Marcy scowled.

"Are my teeth right?" Wyatt turned to Matthew expectantly and opened his mouth. His fake teeth very much completed the werewolf look the boy was going for.

"All good," Matthew confirmed.

Alfred leaned down to scoop up Kaya (and Matthew really did almost let out an "Aww" when he saw the kid in his costume- a full dragon suit with a hood and a tail. That must've been what Kaya had been talking about when he'd mentioned firebreathing. Oh gosh, why did he have to be so freaking adorable?) and turned to face the rest of the kids.

"Alright crew! Here it is!" Alfred shifted Kaya and clapped his hands. The Christmas lights that were wrapped around his entire body swished around a bit. "Our mission is to gather as much candy as we possibly can. Whoever gets the most is off of bathroom duty for the next three days. Let's charge!"

And with that, six children and Alfred all simultaneously ran out the door with shockingly fierce battle cries.

Matthew sighed and took a moment to regret not photographing the moment before racing to catch up.


Just a quick note- future chapters will probably not be updated as regularly or as close together as this. We promised that first chapter and then it was Halloween, so we had to do something special for the holiday. Please let me know what you thought!

Also, if anyone has any suggestions for upcoming chapters that we can write, let us know in the comments!