Halloween

It was distracting to try to do math homework while a toddler danced.

"Candy, candy, candy, candy. Will get candy too?" Avery stopped dancing around the room long enough to give William a questioning look.

"Of course." William told him, reaching out to tickle him. "All kids go trick or treating."

"Me too! I's a big boy, get to go with Daddy."

"I dunno, you look pretty little to me..."

"No! Big! Big, big, big!" Avery insisted.

"Oh, you're right. You are a big boy, silly me." William thought being a big brother was sort of fun.

"What you be?"

"Me and Benji are going to be pirates. You know what pirates say?"

"Arrrrr!" Avery growled.

William clapped. "Arrr is right."

"I bes a puppy."

"A cute one, I'll bet."

"No mean. Grrrr..."

Avery made him laugh, but thinking about costumes made him remember that the costume mister Van Dekamp had bought was in a box, at the bottom of his closet. Mulder had taken them costume shopping the weekend before, which is when he and Benji decided they'd like to be pirates. He'd almost forgotten about the other costume, and now that he remembered it, he was glad he wasn't going to wear it. Who wanted to be a little green Martian anyway?

Mulder poked his head into the room. "Mom's looking for a puppy, has anyone seen a puppy around here?"

"It's me!"

"You don't look much like a puppy." Mulder sounded doubtful.

"Grrrrrrrrr!!"

"Well, you sound like a puppy, anyway. Why don't you go see Mom so she can get you looking like a puppy too?" The words were barely out of his mouth before Avery ran past him. "We'll be leaving in about an hour. If you need help with makeup, let me know."

"Thanks, Dad."

Mulder had already left the room before William realized that he'd called him Dad. It felt sort of good.