AN: Okay so this is another bit of a time jump—about 2 months (Tony started at the fun Center in September. We are now at Halloween). We need to get to February so Edward can have his year to give Bella his answer. Anyways, thanks for your continued support. Enjoy!

CHAPTER 108:

BELLA's POV:

"I can't believe they've already started decorating for Christmas," I mused as we made our way inside the mall.

"It used to be the day after Thanksgiving everything would switch over. But now we start celebrating earlier and earlier," Alice replied. "While I don't mind getting into the season early, some holidays shouldn't have their thunder stolen just because commercialism wants us to think about spending more money now."

"You're really going to talk about commercialism while we're going to spend money at the mall?" I teased.

"I just don't like when the attention gets taken away from Halloween. While I love Christmas and Thanksgiving, October is my month for creepy and scares. Let me fully enjoy myself with those things before throwing Turkeys and fat Santas down my throat," Alice grumbled.

"Are you okay, Alice?" I asked. Alice tended to get worked up when she was really passionate about something. While Halloween was her all-time favorite holiday, I don't think it deserved this much angst.

"I'm just feeling a little old. Soph's birthday next weekend is both a high and low for me," she explained.

"It's hard to watch them get older," I said, understanding her plight.

"She's turning six, going on sixteen."

Chuckling at her dramatics, I told her, "I think you have some time before her teen years."

"I'm not so sure. The way she's changed her mind about Halloween costumes this year leads me to believe I'm in for bumpy ride," Alice supplied.

"But she didn't really change her mind, Alice. She just didn't want to reuse the same costume for the day center, the Halloween party, and for Trick or Treating. It's actually a very Alice thing to do," I told her.

Alice sent a glare my way, but I could see the smile she was trying to hide. "Well, couldn't she come to this decision earlier than the night before? Costume shopping on Halloween Eve is disastrous. I doubt there will be much choice left, and I don't want to be lumped in with all these other slackers," she complained.

"Hey! I am one of those slackers, so keep your complaining to yourself," I pretended to be affronted.

"I knew you agreed to come to the mall with me too easily. I thought you had everything Tony needed to be Iron Man?"

"I do. I ordered his costume ages ago because I was worried it would sell out. Today is more for me. I didn't realize we were supposed to be dressed up too when we go to the Halloween parade at the Nook."

"Nothing too crazy—a t-shirt would have sufficed," Alice supplied.

"Seriously? Never mind then. Let's go home," I said, ready to turn around.

"Not happening Swan. Now that I've got you here, I'm not letting you go," Alice decreed.

"Then let's just buy a black dress so I can go as a witch or something," I offered.

"Your lack of creativity wounds me," she bellyached, clutching dramatically at her chest.

"We all can't have the perfect idea pop into our heads like you do Alice."

"Leave it to me. I'll have you looking fine for the parade, and your man," she said.

"I'm not dressing slutty for a preschool parade, Alice," I stipulated.

"Have a little more faith in me, Bella. You won't look like a street walker. I am just going to pick the right costume that will make the kids happy, but that Edward can appreciate as well. Its not always about how much skin is on display. Enticing the mind can be just as fun."

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

"Is Edward dressing up?" Alice asked, as we made our way to Spirit Halloween.

Smiling at the mention of one of my boys, I told her, "He got a Captain America costume so he and Tony can match."

"That's cute. Maybe you should play with the Avengers theme and go as Black Widow."

"A black jumpsuit would leave little to the imagination Alice," I said, while blushing. Alice didn't need to know that Edward had suggested a similar idea the night before.

"What's that blush for? Are you thinking naughty thoughts about a certain someone?" Alice questioned.

"Like you'd want to know anyways," I sassed back.

"I can compartmentalize. I just need to focus on the fact that this is your boyfriend, and not my brother."

"I doubt it is that easy, Alice."

"It's not—but I've had years of practice with Rose. And you know she loves to overshare. I just need to focus and not let my mind think too hard on who we are discussing. Now, quit stalling. What's with the blush?"

"Edward may have had a similar thought for costume," I offered.

"Black Widow?" she pressed, when I didn't continue my thought.

"No, he was thinking cat woman," I said.

"And from that blush, I can only imagine what part of your body he was giving attention to have kitties on the brain," Alice chuckled, only to laugh harder when my blush got more pronounced.

"Anyways, I don't know what it is with you Cullens and wanting to get me in a body suit. That doesn't exactly leave much to the imagination," I said, neither confirming or denying her assumption, though she was on to me.

"Exactly."

"I thought we were enticing the mind!" I whined.

"We are. I'm sorry—I just like riling you up. What if you went as Scarlet Witch? She is more covered—you could always go that route if you want to blend in with the boys."

"No, I think I'll let the boys be their superheroes. I like when they bond over stuff like that—I don't want to intrude."

"Yeah, I can understand that. I'm actually surprised Edawrd agreed to dress up."

"He doesn't want to go Trick-or-Treating. I think he plans to wear the costume at home to hand out candy."

"And Tony's okay with that?" Alice asked.

"I'm sure Tony will push and try to get him to come along. He's big on pointing out 'This is the first time I'm doing this with Daddy.' It could go either way depending on the type of day Edward has at the hospital if he caves or not."

"Halloween tends to not be a great day at the hospital. Lots of upset stomachs and vomiting kids. I would venture a guess that Tony is going to be one Avenger short."

"We'll see," I said, not wanting my son to be disappointed, but also not wanting to upset my boyfriend.

Once we arrived at the store, Alice was quick to set up our gameplan. "Okay—let's get Sophia's costume handled first, then we'll figure out what we're going to do with you. I'll go find the Cindy Lou Woo costume. Can you see if you can find a pair of wings for her Bumblebee costume? The ones I bought were too small."

"I can do that. Size medium?" I asked.

"Yes please," she said before heading off to accomplish her task.

The store was a madhouse. Most of the walls were barren, leaving those who left this to the last minute with slim pickings. Thankfully, I was able to find the bumble bee wings. They were out of smalls and mediums; however, only large remained. I grabbed it quickly before another person could get their hands on it. I'm sure Alice could work her magic and make them fit Sophia.

As I walked towards the front of the store to meet back up with Alice, I looked at the remaining adult costumes at my disposal. My choices were severely limited—and they all screamed slut. I'm glad Alice said I could just wear a t-shirt because it looked like that was going to be my only option. Maybe I could wear an orange one and stick a jack-o-lantern face on it. Not the most creative but would definitely suffice.

I found Alice squabbling with another mother over who grabbed the costume first. The way these two were acting, you would think they were fighting over Black Friday sales and not Halloween. Thankfully, an employee intervened and promised the other mother that they had another costume in the back. She sent a final scathing look at Alice before following the employee to get her prize.

"Seems like we were both successful," I said, holding up the wings.

"Very successful! Look," Alice said, producing another bagged costume from behind her back.

"What's this?" I asked, reaching towards the package to get a better view.

"How about being a nurse to your fair doctor?" Alice offered, showing me the picture on the front of the cover. When my mind heard Alice's suggestion, I immediately pictured the stereotypical short white dress with gaping buttons and paper hat. I was all set to turn Alice's idea down, however, when I saw the picture, it actually wasn't too bad. This was a formfitting scrub ensemble. Still probably tighter than the average nurse worse, but I could make that work.

"I have to say, it's way more comfortable than I was expecting from you. It covers all my bits, and I can wear sneakers with it. Sound like a win-win to me."

"And you guys could always role-play later on," Alice teased.

"Alice, he sees enough nurses every day that something like this," I raised the package up for emphasis, "isn't going to do anything for him."

"That is where you are wrong. Yes, he sees plenty of nurses every day. But he hates those women. But you dressed up as one is going to blow his mind. I told you, you don't need skin to drive a man crazy. You just need to get their minds working. He's going to visualize you in that ensemble when he's at work and think about all the places he'd love to take you, Grey's Anatomy style."

"I think you're living in fantasy land," I told her.

"Just you wait. I bet you'll be thanking me after this holiday."

"I've learned not to bet against you Alice, I just don't understand why you're always right. Are we done here?"

"I got you to enter the mall of your own free will. We are not done here. You're mine for the next few hours, missy," she demanded, grabbing my arm to head towards the registers to pay for our costumes.

"Oh joy," I mumbled under my breath, but followed her anyways. The damn pixie was hard to say no to.

Going to the mall with Alice is never a smart idea. Despite only needing Halloween costumes, she still managed to rope me in to exploring a few other shops so she could reach her quota. Who the hell has a shopping quota? I'll tell you, someone who is addicted to shopping. Jasper needs to take that girl's credit cards away and cut her off. Or set some hard boundaries. Despite visiting more stores than I planned, I did have a fun time with my friend catching up. However, by the time I got home I was exhausted. While my leg is getting stronger every day, a lot of walking still aggravates it. After my trying day, all I really wanted to do was get dinner started, eat said dinner, get Tony to bed, and then relax in a nice soothing bath. I knew those plans were out the window when I heard the raised voices in the living room upon my arrival.

"What is going on in here," I asked from the doorway.

"Mommy, Daddy's being mean," Tony whined. Edward scoffed behind him. I hate when I'm put in the middle like this.

"That is not what I asked, Tony," I said, hoping someone would give me more to work with.

"Daddy said that we already bought all the stuff for Halloween, and we're not buying anymore. But Ms. Reneta said that we have to bring in snacks for the Halloween Party after the parade. I wanna make brownies, but Daddy said no."

One of the first lessons we had to learn when the three of us moved in together was that Tony had no qualms about pitting Edward and myself against each other. We had to set the ground rule that if he was told no by one of us, he couldn't go and ask the other one to get the answer he wanted. So, I was surprised Tony was trying to do that here.

"Well, if Daddy says no, then it's a no," I told Tony, though I wasn't sure why it was a no.

"But I'm going to be the only kid who doesn't bring in a snack," Tony wailed. "Everyone is going to hate me."

I spared a look at Edward to see what he was thinking here.

"When did Halloween get to be so out of hand? We already were tasked to bring in 2 bags of candy so the kids can Trick or Treat during the parade. Now they want more from us? I don't understand why they need more sugar on top of the sugar they're already going to get that day."

I nodded to show that I understood his point. Thinking I was agreeing with him, he continued, "Then there's the costumes. Children are constantly growing—so why do we have to spend so much money on a costume that he'll wear once, and never fit into again? I'm starting to see why Halloween is the most expensive holiday, second only to Christmas."

I rose my eyebrow at that one. While I agree that Halloween tends to be an expensive holiday, that just is how it is in America. Of course, I could save money and make his costume, but I'm not the most do-it-yourself person. I'd rather save time and get him what he wants then to have everyone second guessing what he really was. This financial point didn't really resonate with me, but it might be because I've had four more years of Halloween experience that I no longer freak over the money spent this time of year. I was ready to share that with him, but instead of waiting for my contribution, Edward continued.

"And do you know how messed up it is that all year long you tell kids that strangers are bad and to stay away. Yet on this one day a year, we ask them to forget every safety measure we've tried to instill in them to ask strangers to give them candy. Talk about mixed messages. And of course, there are some real crazy sickos out there, so every candy we get from a stranger will have to be checked for razor blades or poison. Here's a thought, how about we skip the whole Trick-or-Treating thing, and just let him enjoy the safe bags of candy we picked up in the store?" Edward ranted.

Seeing that we were starting to get off track here, I decided to talk to Edward alone. Turning to Tony, I asked, "Is your costume all ready for tomorrow?" When I saw him shake his head now, I added, "Why don't you lay everything out on your dresser so we're all set for the parade? I would hate to be late because you can't find your mask or your gloves." I figured the task would excite Tony, but instead, I got a subdued 'okay' as he sulked off.

"Let me guess, its my turn to get yelled at," Edward stated, flopping down on the couch when we were alone.

"I don't want to yell at anyone. I'm just trying to play catch up here. I agree, the center is asking a lot of us considering we already sent candy in. While a snack isn't unreasonable—it is last minute, and not high on my priority list."

"Thank you for seeing it my way," Edward said.

"However, he does make a good point about being the only one not following the teacher's directions. I understand that you don't want more sugar on top of sugar, but we could always send a healthy alterative in. Like clementines to look like pumpkins, or we could carve Franken-kiwis."

"But we would have to go to the store for those things. We have enough on our plates that we shouldn't have to do extra work since the teacher asked for something so last minute," Edward argued back.

"You're right. The last thing I want to do tonight is go back to the store. I saw enough stores today with your sister. That is why I'm leaning towards making something that I have with the ingredients here. Unfortunately, that would probably be something like cookies, which means more sugar. Which from your point, isn't the best idea when they already will be eating a lot of sugar tomorrow."

"So, we're just going to continue to give and give because that is what's expected of us? We have to make something because everyone else is doing it? I thought we were supposed to fight against peer pressure. When is enough enough?" Edward bristled.

I felt like we were having two separate conversations. Sitting next to him on the couch, I asked him, "What is going on Edward?"

"Nothing. I'm just over this holiday. All this build up for one stupid night is ridiculous. I'll be glad when it's over," he grumbled.

"I agree. I personally hate Halloween. But unfortunately, it's a big deal to kids. It allows them to express themselves creatively. It strengthens community involvement and allows you to meet your neighbors. It promotes getting outside and being active—something that is getting harder and harder with kids and their desire to do everything on tablets and tv screens. It encourages both giving and receiving, which is an important lesson to learn. So I bite my tongue and grin and bear it, because the lessons that comes out of it outweighs my hate for it."

"You really think Tony will get all of that out of tomorrow?" Edward skeptically inquired.

"No of course not. He's too little to get all of those things. But those are the lessons that he will come away with as time goes on, so who am I not to encourage him to enjoy it. Don't you remember getting excited for Halloween? About picking a character and getting to be someone new and exciting for a day?" I pressed, trying to bring his inner child out.

"I got a lot of hand me downs—which just proves my point that costumes are expensive."

Seeing that Edward wasn't going to budge, I tried another approach. "Well, just watch Tony tomorrow, and you tell me if the look of pure joy on his face isn't worth shelling out a few bucks to make him happy. Even if he only gets to wear it once."

I figured that the conversation was winding down, however, I noticed Edwards's face fall at my mention of tomorrow. Thinking I might be on to something, I pressed, "Talk to me. I can tell something is up."

"I won't be there tomorrow."

"What?" I asked stupidly. I was hoping I misheard him.

"I drew the short straw and have to work late tomorrow. So I won't be here for Trick-or-Treating. I can make it to the parade since it will be on my lunch break, but that's about all I was able to negotiate for," Edward explained.

"Since when? You said you had this all figured out," I stated, trying to keep my tone calm as to not show how disappointed I was.

"Yeah, well, I didn't realize that Halloween is such a big deal and if I wanted off, I needed to ask for it months in advance. Who knew it was just as important as Thanksgiving and Christmas? My request was denied because I was last to ask for it. I didn't even ask for the whole fucking day off. I just wanted to get home early enough, but I'm shit out of luck. My supervisor just said, "it is what it is.""

"Did you tell Tony this?" I asked, now starting to see that the argument before was most likely about more than party snacks.

"I figured honesty was the best policy. He was talking about us wearing our costumes together, and I didn't want to lie to him. I told him that I couldn't take him. Apparently when he doesn't get what he wants, then I'm nothing more than Mean Edward again."

"He's just disappointed Edward. And as a kid, he doesn't know how to express those types of feelings yet without acting out. He was really looking forward to matching with you and going out together."

"I'm aware of that Bella. I don't need you to rub it in anymore," he snapped at me.

"Don't take that tone with me Edward. I'm not trying to make you feel worse here. I'm trying to explain that he's upset and frustrated, and not able to get those emotions out properly. I would venture a guess to say you're just as upset and frustrated, but instead of taking it out on your bosses, you're attacking easier targets."

"Of course this is my fault. Well, I'm sorry Bella. Not all of us can be the perfect parent who does everything right. But you'll go make the party treats and save the day. God knows Tony needs the pick me up after I broke his heart."

I was not going to let that last jab fly, but Edward got up and left the room before I could contradict him. So much for my relaxing night in the tub.

Edward didn't join us for dinner. I wasn't sure if he was just upstairs sulking, or if he escaped without me realizing it—but he didn't come when I announced the food was ready. Tony was much more subdued due to Edward's absence. I think he was worried that he drove his father off with his attitude earlier. I tried my best to mediate and pump him up about tomorrow, but Tony no longer seemed excited.

"Do you want to see if Uncle Emmett can come Trick-or-Treating with us," I offered. "He's never been Trick-or-Treating with you either. That would be a fun addition," I offered.

Tony just shrugged, as he continued to push the peas around his plate.

"Baby, I know you are disappointed about tomorrow, but sometimes in life we don't always get what we want. At least Daddy will be at your parade tomorrow. He'll get to see you and all your friends dressed up. That's better than not getting to see Daddy at all, right?"

Again, I got a shrug. I hated that both of my boys were upset, and apparently nothing I said or did was making it better. I was feeling pretty down but was pleased when Tony finally did speak up.

"Is he going to wear his costume to the parade," Tony quietly asked me.

I didn't know the answer. Based on tonight and Edward's anti-Halloween stance, I would venture a guess that he would not. Especially if he was coming on his lunch break. He already would be pressed for him. Dressing up wouldn't be high on his list of priorities.

"I'm not sure buddy. I will take it with me in the car so if there is time, he can put it on." That was the best I could offer him at this point. Figuring I needed to pull out the big guns to turn today around, I offered, "Do you want to call your Uncle Jacob? You haven't talked to him this week. I'm sure he'd love to hear all about your costume, and the fun things you're going to do tomorrow."

That at least got a smile from him. "Can I call him after dinner?"

"Sure buddy. I'll get it all set up on the tablet." I silently prayed that Jacob wasn't busy and would answer. I wasn't sure if Tony could take another let down.

After dinner was over, while Tony ran to get the tablet, I sent Alice a text.

Are you making something for the party tomorrow? Talk about last minute—Bella

In no time, I had a response.

Ridiculous how last minute. I'm making Mummy Cookies. What about you guys? —Alice

Wanted to go the healthier route, but don't have much around the house for that. Will probably end up doing cookies or brownies. –Bella

"Here's the tablet Mommy. Can we call now?" Tony asked.

"Sure baby." I found Jacob's number and hit the facetime icon. I crossed my fingers that it would connect.

"'ello?" I heard come from the speaker, and then there he was on the screen. I could tell from the grease smear on his cheek that he was working in the garage. I hope we hadn't interrupted him.

"Tony wanted to catch up with you and tell you all about his Halloween costume. Do you have some time?" I questioned him. It felt so awkward being formal with Jacob, but I still didn't know how to act around him quite yet.

"I've always got time for the little guy. Where's he at?" he questioned.

"I'm here Uncle Jake!" Tony was quick to plop down on the couch. I handed him the tablet and went into the kitchen to try and see what I could scrounge up for a treat. From here I could overhear the conversation, and make sure Jacob was behaving.

I saw that I had some string cheese. I was trying to see if I could make something from that to try and keep things healthier, but the selection was thin. Maybe if I had some celery, I could turn them into broom sticks? I was startled from my scavenger hunt when a bag was placed on the counter. Seems I was correct earlier—Edward had escaped.

"I figured the clementines didn't sound like too much work. I got some celery too to make the pumpkin stems."

"Thank you, Edward, for going to the store. However, it could have waited until after dinner. You were missed," I told him, as I reached for the bag.

"I doubt it," he grumbled, sitting on the counter stool and pulling some of the oranges towards him. Seems like he was willing to help me prepare the treat he was once so against.

"You were Edward. Are you hungry? I can reheat you a plate?" I offered while I began peeling.

"I'm not very hungry," he said, keeping his hands busy by mimicking my actions.

"Our conversation wasn't over earlier Edward. You left before I could reply to you. And then you disappeared. I appreciate that you went to the store, but did it have to be then?" I asked him. I really didn't want to fight with him—but like Dr. Siohban has told us, communication is key. It's better to talk about this stuff now than to let it fester and get out of hand.

"I know Bella. I'm sorry I bailed. But I was feeling really shitty already, and I didn't want my mood to continue to bring everyone else down with me. I just needed some me time to think."

"Well, why didn't you just tell me that? I looked like an idiot calling you for dinner and thinking your lack of response was because you were ignoring us."

"I figured you would have heard the garage door and knew I left. I wasn't sneaking out. I just didn't want to make my leaving a big production."

"Was the store busy?" I asked him, figuring we weren't getting anywhere debating if he ran away or not.

"Not too crowded. They moved all the Halloween candy up front to make it easier for those who waited until the last minute. I did see a couple parents from the Nook there shopping for ingredients for treats as well. No one seemed happy with the last-minute addition."

"Yet everyone was following directions," I added, proving Tony's point.

"I guess it really would be a sin to come empty handed," Edward mused, though there really wasn't any humor behind it. I appreciated that he was trying to alleviate the situation, but he wasn't succeeding.

"I'm sorry that Trick-or-Treating isn't an option for you tomorrow. I didn't think you wanted to go to that anyways, so I'm not sure why you were so upset earlier," I prompted, hoping to get the conversation back on track.

"I didn't want to go, but the more Tony talked about it, and the more he hyped up the fact this was the first year he got to do this with me, I knew I was going to suffer through it to make him happy. So sure, getting out of Trick-or-Treating should seem like a reward instead of a punishment, but knowing I let him down just about killed me."

"I don't think he understood that you still could come to the parade, which is why his reaction was bigger earlier. Once I confirmed you would be there, he was quick to ask if you were going to dress up. I didn't want to promise him anything, so I told him I would bring your costume with me in the car, and if there is time, you could put it on."

"All the parents are supposed to dress up, right?" Edward asked.

"It's encouraged, but nothing mandates it. That's why I got suckered into going to the mall with Alice. I had to get a costume, because apparently a t-shirt just wasn't going to cut it."

"And what are you going to be tomorrow?" Edward asked. Leaning towards me, he added, "You going to be my Catwoman?" I could feel his eyes travel the length of my body, no doubt picturing me in a tight bodysuit.

"As if, Edward. But I think you will enjoy what I got. I can't wait to see your reaction tomorrow," I teased. I was happy to see his smirk in return. I guess all wasn't lost for this evening. But when I saw the smirk fall, and I was worried we were back to square one. Instead, he surprised me with his next request.

"Please bring my costume too. Though I'm sure I'm going to look like a fool, I feel like I need to earn back some favor with Tony."

"He would appreciate it. He loves that you guys were going as Avengers together."

The tips of Edwards ears turned pink, the only indication that he was embarrassed. Wanting to get a clear understanding of what was going on in his mind, I asked him, "What's up with this?" I flicked his ear to show what I was referring to.

"Here I am trying to get you into a bodysuit, and I only just remembered that mine is a jumpsuit and really isn't any better."

"The jumpsuit had all the details of the uniform printed on it and meant there was less you had to actually wear for the costume. And I'm sure it's not that bad. Men's costumes don't tend to objectify them as much as women's do."

"You say that now, but when all the Mommies won't leave me alone, are you going to defend my honor?" he joked.

"Didn't they freeze him in ice to preserve him for 70 years? You could always just remind them that you're too old for them. But I'm sure they'd still consider you a G.I.L.F."

"G.I.L.F.?" Edward questioned.

"Grandpa I'd like to…" I trailed off. I could see when it clicked as Edward's eyes got wider in recognition.

"I don't care what they think. The only thing that matters to me is what you think," Edward declared.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see since I haven't gotten a preview of what to expect with you in that consume."

"I could give you a private showing later," Edward crooned.

"Save it for tomorrow. I want to be surprised."

Edward chuckled but nodded, before continuing to peel. The bag of clementines were almost finished, so I switched to the celery, cutting it into small pieces to poke into the top of each orange.

"Mommy, can I put on my costume to show Uncle Jake now?' Tony asked, bringing the tablet into the kitchen.

"It's late buddy. You need to shower and read before bedtime. Why don't we take lots of pictures tomorrow and send them to the Chief and Uncle Jacob, okay?" I offered, worried we were going to have another melt down.

"Yea buddy. You don't want to dirty the costume up by putting it on now before your bath. Save it for tomorrow," I heard Jacob reiterate.

"Okay, I will save it for tomorrow then. Are you dressing up Uncle Jake?" Tony said, making his way back into the living room.

"I have to work buddy, so I'm just going to go as a car mechanic. I might smear some more grease on my face to make it look real. What do you think?" I heard Jake's response before Tony fully retreated.

"Now I really need to dress up if Black is convincing him he's wearing a costume," Edward muttered.

"Edward, this isn't a competition," I cautioned, worried we were heading down another rabbit hole of contention.

"I know that. But I still don't like to be out done. It's bad enough I can't go Trick-or-Treating with him when his beloved uncle has done it every year that he can remember. I at least can wear a real costume and make my son smile."

"And it's such a wonderful smile," I added.

"I am sorry for my attitude earlier. I was frustrated and taking it out on the wrong people. You and Tony didn't deserve that. I know getting these ingredients and helping prepared things doesn't make it right, but it's a start."

"It is a start. I appreciate it, Edward. Why don't you go get our boy ready for bed and fill him in on the treat he's bringing in, as well as the plans for the parade. I'm sure you'll see that smile grace his face."

"Thanks Bella," he said, raising up from the stool. He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead, before heading out to the living room.

I went back to finishing my task, but was startled when I heard, "Oh, and Bella?" from the doorway.

"Yes?" I questioned, shooting a glance over my shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll look good in your costume tomorrow, but I'm sure you'll look even better out of it."

I scoffed at his corny pick-up line and returned back to my work. I heard him chuckling as he left, showing that his mood had really improved from earlier.

While it's never fun to have a fight or disagreement, I think that thanks to therapy, we are managing to navigate through these things better. Things like today are bound to happen because we are only human. And sometimes, we have bad days where we do not-so-great human things. Edward taking out his frustrations on us instead of his employers was an example of that. But those not-so-great things don't define us. It's about what we do to move past it that reflects on who we are inside. Edward was still upset and frustrated, yet he went to the store and got the ingredients needed to handle the treat for tomorrow. He doesn't want to dress up, but he's going to go all out at the parade tomorrow to make up for missing Trick-or-Treating later. That sweet, thoughtful man is a wonderful father. And while he still encounters a few struggles every now and again, he is thriving in his role of Daddy. And I couldn't love him any more for it.

Putting the pumpkin treats in the refrigerator, I shut off all the lights and made my way upstairs. I could hear the giggles coming from Tony's room as Edward read him a silly bedtime story. I was glad to see that the peace had been restored. I decided to treat myself to that bath after all. I certainly earned it after today. And then it would be off to bed for me. Because the sooner I went to the sleep, the sooner it would be tomorrow. And tomorrow, I wanted to see my man in his bodysuit.