Halloween night. Before Derek was a dad, he looked at it as another day. Now, it was the week before Elias' dentist appointment. Also the day he fails miserably to pawn his kid off to the rest of the pack.

That year was no exception.

Derek opened the door quickly; looked down at Caleb, then up at his parents, Scott and Allison, leading their son inside, past a gaping Derek. He grabbed Scott's arm and dragged him aside. "What the hell is your kid dressed as?"

"You don't recognize it?" Scott shook his head. "What was childhood for you?" He left to reapply some of the green makeup that was already coming off their little rugrats' nose.

"You need to put this on."

Derek turned about to face Stiles, who was dressed as a cowboy.

Derek's jaw resisted dropping. The only thing that was missing was ass-less chaps. "I need to do what?" Derek swallowed thickly.

"Put this on." He held up a thin plastic bag that was stuffed full. "Otherwise I look stupid."

"You don't look stupid." Derek said quickly.

"Seriously?! Me, walking around, dressed as Woody with three toddlers, one of which is the fruit of your loins. So you're coming with me."

"Why don't Scott and Allison have to go?!" Derek borderline whined.

"Because they, and Erica, have dates. We don't. Put the damn thing on."

"Erica's coming?" He took the bag.

"Yes, and she's bringing her daughter, Darby, Making kid #3. Sweetie still isn't talking or walking, so you better still have some kind of wagon." Stiles crossed his arms tightly. "Because Darby sits on my lap every story time, and I am not carrying her all night."

"Is this a Buzz Lightyear costume?!" Derek held the bag open for Stiles to see.

"Yes. I'm going to go help Elias with his alien costume, apparently the zipper is stuck." Stiles shoved Derek towards the bathroom. "Now put that on and I'll make sure your little monster doesn't run around in the neighborhood in the nude."

Derek sighed and slammed the door to change. Fine, Have Stiles take care of his naked kid, see if he cared.

When he came out, all of the adults were gone with the wind, the only ones left in the house being the kids.

And Stiles.

Who was sitting on the living room floor, helping the kids pick out which one of Elias' pillowcases they wanted to use. Darby rolled forward and dropped to her stomach, reaching for Stiles.

"Which one do you want?" He held up two of them, Caleb having already chosen his. Darby made grabby-hands at the red and black Mickey Mouse one, and Stiles gave it to her.

"I look stupid." Derek drew their attention.

"Daddy!" Elias screeched at the same time Stiles said "Derek!" harshly.

"What?" He griped.

"Language!" Stiles chided.

Derek Rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

"Daddy! Stiles said no mean words!" Elias stood up and ran to his Daddy, dragging his new white pillowcase along the floor. Great. "Stiles knows best!"

Derek snorted. "Since when?"

"You hush." Stiles gave Caleb the last pillowcase and struggled to pick up a wiggling Darby. "It's time to go anyway."

"Go where? It's barely six."

"Yeah, and these guys have bedtime at eight. Strap in cowboy, you have to waste two whole hours with your kid!" Stiles gave a faux-gasp. "The horror! The horror!"

Derek growled but took the other two by the hands. "Fine. But you're the cowboy. I am a spaceman." He practically dragged Caleb and Elias out to the (Thank God) wagon, and Stiles wondered if the tights on Derek's costume run a size small.

The whole night is, quite frankly, a disaster. Having three critters running from house to house, Caleb trying to eat a Tootsie roll while he ran, Elias screaming for his daddy to 'hurry up, these stairs are too big for me'. Stiles ended up carrying Darby half of the time anyway, because, well, stairs. Two parents tried to short Darby on her candy, insisting (Politely, kind of.) that Derek and Stiles would be eating it anyway. Stiles insisted that he was sure Darby could chew fine on her own, and if anyone was eating her candy, it would be Lydia at two o'clock this morning. The parents, not knowing or caring who Lydia was, gave it to Darby anyway, to which the toddler gifted them with a spittle-dribbled smile.

They got back to the Hale house at around seven fifty, much to the dismay of the boys. Stiles got them cleaned up while Derek made snacks, and the three sat on the den floor, inspecting each piece of candy individually before cramming it in their mouths.

Finally, finally, their parents dragged them home, and it was time to put Elias to bed, who was not going without a fight.

"I wanna kiss." He demanded. Derek obliged, but the child didn't budge. "From Stiles too."

Stiles gave him a 'Moi?' face, before bending down and kissing Elias' fuzzy head.

"Bed." Derek grunted.

"No. Stiles gets one too." Elias huffed.

Stiles flushed.

"Elias, Stiles and Daddy don't kiss."

"Kiss goodnight, or no bedtime." The two men stared at him. "I've had candy. I could stand here all night."

"Told you he was bossy." Stiles snorted.

Derek growled, but leaned over and kissed Stiles' cheek. Stiles flushed even further, then turned as quickly back to Elias as quickly as possible. "Bedtime, buddy."

"Okay!" Elias sprinted up the stairs with renewed vigor.

Stiles tucked him in and when he came back downstairs, Derek was still standing there.

"Derek, you okay?"

Derek just stared at him.

"I'm going to head home now, I'll see you at the next pack meeting." He grabbed his coat from the closet and started to leave, but turned around halfway out the door. "Derek, why don't Stiles and Daddy kiss?"

"Excuse me?" Derek choked.

"Why don't we kiss?"

"Because we're not together, in any form or fashion." Derek turned on his heel and stalked to the kitchen. "Goodnight, Stiles."