The familiar instrumental fills the otherwise quiet space of their living room as the opening scene begins to play on the TV. He's not even sure how many times he's seen this movie over the last few years but it's become a staple for their household to watch at some point between the first and last day of October every year. Even though both of them know every scene and can recite every line, they still enjoy watching it. He's not sure if it's the same for her but for him it's the memories of the first time they watched it and the events that followed that have him agreeing to play it time and again each spooky season. His eyes travel down to the woman sleeping against him, wondering if he should wake her before quickly deciding against it - knowing that she needs the rest whenever she can get it. So he leaves her be as his mind goes back to that Halloween five years ago.

It's so cliché - the entire thing right down to the lousy eerie music meant to build up the suspense of what's to happen. The predictability of it all makes the two hour movie boring and he actually finds himself nodding off here and there. But he pushes past the urge to take a nap just so he can continue to see her reactions to the horror movie she chose to watch. According to her it's a way for her to prepare for tonight and since he can't deny her anything, he agreed. And he's thankful he did because seeing her this way is entertaining - more than the movie they're currently watching or any other that he's ever seen. He was a little taken aback when she first nuzzled her head between the back of the couch and his shoulder as the first person was killed by the masked villain in the movie. It was an act that he wasn't expecting from his girl - especially since they first met at mutual friend's Halloween party.

Kim and Adam have hosted what is now an annual party at their house for the last five years. The first one they held is when Jay and Erin met. She had worked with Kim at the same high school for a year and he was and still is partners with Adam. Apparently their friends had decided that Jay and Erin would be good together and secretly planned to introduce the two of them at the party. But they ended up finding each other on their own. Some drama with Kim's sister pulled the hosts' focus away from them playing matchmakers.

Jay smiles fondly as he thinks of when he first set his sights on the woman who is now his wife of almost a year. She was dressed as a nurse and he borrowed an old set of his brother's scrubs. The two of them shared a few interested glances, neither of them seeming too thrilled to be at the party. He sat there at one of the tall tables debating on when he should go talk to her but she beat him to it and made her way over to him. The way she carried herself was confident but somehow, also self-conscious, and it's what intrigued him the most as he wondered what this gorgeous woman moving towards him had any qualms about. And it turns out she thought the same thing about him as she took him in. They made small talk for few minutes and flirted quite a bit after before he asked to take her out sometime. And they've been almost inseparable ever since. Yet, somehow he didn't know that she was scared of gory, horror films. Then again, as he thinks about it he reminds himself that they don't really watch a lot of movies - both of them preferring to indulge in TV shows or live sports when they get the chance.

He shakes out of his daze when he hears her gasp just as the movie's instrumental begins to play again. His eyes roll on their own seeing the small group of main characters still left literally run in a circle. He almost feels compelled to talk to them and inform them that they're going right back to where the killer is but he refrains from doing so, obviously knowing that it wouldn't change the outcome of the fictional film. So once again, he disengages from the movie to look at his wife. This time he feels her bury her face into his side - between his peck and arm. He thinks about turning off the TV in a small way to protect her. But he also chuckles as she squeezes his bicep with both of her petite hands. And a small smile comes to his face as he remembers that he's the only one privy to this part of her - he's the one who gets to see her be this vulnerable and open. He's still thankful when the killer is caught and the end credits roll over the screen.

"So do you think you're prepared now babe?" He jokes as he leans forward just enough to swipe up the remote in order to turn the volume down and go back to the game they were watching when they first got home from work. She lightly smacks his chest - keeping her head snuggled close to the left side of his body.

"Do you think there'll be people dressed like that killer at the haunted house?" She mumbles against his arm and he chuckles again.

"Have you been to a haunted house before?" He tries to guage her reaction but she's hard to read from their current position. She does move her head but he can't tell if she was nodding or shaking her head so he just continues - deciding to mess with her a little. "I don't think they can actually sell tickets if there's not at least one masked guy with a chainsaw on the premises." He jokes and that gets her to move back and give him a displeased pout.

"I'm being serious Jay." She admits and he nods.

"Me too." He places a kiss to her forehead as she furrows her eyebrows and frown becomes more prominent, getting him to stop joking around.

"You know this kind of thing isn't really my idea of fun. I see enough horror on the streets. So if you don't want to go, I'd be ok with it." He reasons with her - not wanting her to feel bad if she isn't up to going.

"I'm sure everyone will understand." He adds as she looks up in.

"I've never been to a haunted house plus we already said we'd go and bought the tickets." She refutes and he nods, as he leans over to press a kiss to her temple.

"Besides I know you'll be your usual overprotective self." She looks up at him through her lashes.

His eyebrows furrow while he also gives her one of his signature, crooked, melt your heart grins as he whispers of course to her.

"And I wouldn't say I'm overprotective. It's just me having your back." He adds and she gives him a loving smile back and pushes herself up just enough to meet his lips.

"Now you should go get ready, otherwise, we won't make it there at the time that we booked it." He suggests against her lips and she rolls her eyes at him but nods her head.


She's wearing a beanie, a hoodie under a flannel of his with a pair of jeans and her usual leather boots. He's seen her like this many times before - especially since she's always cold but for some reason it's even more becoming than usual. It's one of his favorite looks on her but he should have pushed harder for her to wear a jacket because now she's shivering - teeth chattering and her hand leaving his to join her free hand already nestled within the pouch of her sweatshirt. But they keep their arms loop around each other's even after they join the group of their friends.

They all exchange different, short greetings before they all go get in line.They're directed to stand in a designated lane painted on the concrete floor of the old rundown warehouse. Each couple is standing one in front of the other. Nadia wanted to go first, so Mouse is stood behind her, then Hailey, Kevin, Kim and Adam with Jay and Erin close behind them.

"Are you sure you want to go last Erin?" Adam asks, causing Jay to give him a hard glare before turning to look at Erin.

"I'm just saying, they usually pick off the last person in the group." Adam adds in and Jay can see Erin ponder the words but she shrugs it off and gives Jay a smile to let him know she's fine.

None of them get to say anything else to each other before they're instructed to go into the tunnel that'll lead them into the actual house.

It's hard to hear anything over the noises inside. There's music, another instrumental not much different than the one in the movie they just watched. And playing over that is automated screaming - although it's somewhat muffled as if it's coming from a distance. The lights are set low but in certain scenes or rooms there's strobe lights flashing bright. And the actors are good - popping out when it's least expected and causing each one of them to jump or maybe even yell out in surprise. But Jay remains unfazed and allows him to tell when certain things get to her or when a character scares her - not by jumping or screaming but the way she tightens her hold around his waist. And about halfway through he feels her arms fall from around his waist. There's enough light and space for him to turn his head to check on her but she seems ok - just taking everything in before they continue through the maze within the building. It seems to go by quickly and by the end they're all laughing as they exit the house as Nadia and Kim get chased around by the man with a chainsaw. That's when Jay realizes that Erin's not with the group anymore. He searches their surroundings - figuring that she must have gone to the food stand or maybe the port-a-pottys. But after another minute or two passes with no sign of her, he goes back towards the exit of the haunted house not even realizing that a couple of his friend's snuck back inside. He is just about to reenter when he's being stopped by one of the actors.

He breaks character to tell him why he's not allowed back inside. "Sorry man, you can't go back in, if you lost something, you'll have to file a report at the ticket booth and wait for us to call you after we walk through the house at the end of the night."

"I have to go back in, my wife is in there."

"She's probably out here somewhere." The guy tells him as he pretends to check the area around them and Jay scoffs at that before moving to go back in once again.

"I will call the cops." The actor tells Jay who simply shrugs.

"You'd be calling me essentially." He says showing the guy his ID.

"But go ahead call, tell them an officer's wife is stuck inside." Jay threatens and he can see the confusion even with the makeup covering the other guy's face.

Neither of them say anything else as the actor steps aside, allowing for Jay to go into the exit.

It's still just as loud, the same noises playing through the overhead speakers. But as he looks into every nook and cranny for his girl, it all becomes muffled. His heart pounds in his chest - echoing and ringing loud in his ears. Then he hears something - breaking through the noise in his head. Though faint he can hear a mumbling that he doesn't recall from before. The lights flash just enough for him to see that she's tied to bars of the jail scene - her hands bound behind her and a piece of duct tape covering her mouth. Her thigh is bleeding a little from where a piece of the props ripped through the denim of her pants and scratched her skin.

He says something to her as he advances toward her but he doesn't actually recognize the words that stumble out of his mouth. There's only a few feet remaining between them and he can almost reach out and touch her but another actor steps in front of Jay and stops him in his tracks - this guy a little taller and even more muscular than Jay.

"Keep walking that way." He tells him with a nod of his head.

"Unless you want to be next Officer." He murmurs to Jay, causing him to scoff and continue toward his wife. Only to stop and think about the actor's voice. He knows the person hiding behind the mask and he turns back around.

"You know what never mind. She can figure a way out, can't you babe?" Jay says as he begins to walk back towards the way he came in.

"That was the year your mommy thought she could pull one over on daddy." He whispers to the three month old in his arms.

"But I recognized your Uncle Kev's voice." Jay chuckles with those words - remembering the way Erin came running through the exit doors a few minutes later - a beautiful but defeated smile on her face knowing that he hadn't completely fallen for her prank.

"Your Aunts and Uncles were all apart of it and now they try to do different things every year to prank each other at different haunted houses." He adds in and the baby gasps as if she can understand what her dad is telling her.

"But I think last year was my favorite." He admits, looking down at his little one with a smile on his face.

"Because after that haunted house mommy and daddy came home and made you." He adds in and he hears another gasp but this time it didn't come from the baby.

"You did not just say that to my baby." Erin scolds him as she walks into the nursery.

"First she's our baby and it's not like she gets what I'm saying babe." He chuckles and she gives him a tired, dimpled grin letting him know she wasn't being serious and isn't actually mad as she takes the infant from him before they venture back out to the living room to watch the rest of the movie while their daughter eats.

"I want her to stay little and innocent forever but I also can't wait to take her to haunted houses and watch scary movies with her." He murmurs against the skin of his wife's left shoulder as he watches their baby nurse.

"Me too." Erin whispers back to him and he leans up to press a kiss to her lips before they go back to watching the movie once again. Both of them thinking of future Halloween seasons. The idea of eventually including their daughter in the festivities causes smiles to stretch out on both of their faces.


A/N: I know it's a week late. But like I said I was going to try to publish on time. It's just with work and lack of motivation/energy I wasn't able to follow through with that goal. This little one-shot ended up going in a totally different direction than what I originally planned for but I don't exactly hate it and hopefully you didn't either. As always nice reviews are much appreciated.

I won't make any promises on when I'll be updating Wrangler. But I'm going to try to work on it throughout the week and see where I get.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all had a great weekend!