Summary: Mr. and Mrs. Hardison pilfer Halloween candy after their kids go to bed. "Sticky Little Fingers" 'verse. Extended version of "The Jack O'Lantern Job" from the little blurb in "Twenty-Five Stories."
AN: As stated in previous chapters, the complete list of stories in the "Sticky Little Fingers" 'verse is on my profile.
J is for Jack O'Lantern
A darkened room, lit only by the light of the half-moon outside the window, a pale white hand reaches into an enormous orange plastic bucket. It pulls out one, two, three small packets that rustle slightly at the movement, and deposits them into two cupped hands, black as midnight.
"One more?" Parker mouths at Hardison.
"Let's get some from Ruby's," he replies, "Carrie'll notice. She's getting suspicious."
"Okay."
Again, a slender hand disappears into a jack o'lantern bucket, and comes up with a handful of "fun-size" candy.
"What we got?" Hardison asks, peering over her shoulder.
"Skittles!" Parker says, eyes twinkling with excitement as she tears open the tiny bag.
"Ain't had these in years!" Hardison says, holding out his hand for a couple. "Mmm. Just like I remember 'em."
Suddenly, the lights turn on, momentarily blinding them.
"Gotcha!"
Three kids tumble into the room, pointing accusing fingers with identical glares a la Uncle Eliot at their thieving parents.
Parker and Hardison swallow their mouthfuls of pilfered candy with some difficulty.
"When did they get so good?" Hardison says out of the side of his mouth to his wife.
"Sometime between last year and this year?" she replies through a nervous grin.
"We're telling Uncle Nate!" crows Carrie gleefully.
"We're never gonna live this down," mutters Hardison.
"Trick or treat!" says Parker brightly in an attempt to distract the kids.
"Mom!"
AN: Did my parents do this? No, they just tossed out half my take, "for my own good," and thought that I wouldn't notice. ("For my own good," my butt! I have since grown up into an adult who indulges in gummy bears, Skittles, and peanut M&Ms rather frequently because now I can buy them. With my own money. So there. :P)