It was an odd feeling for Connor to be in the middle of a massive store filled from floor to ceiling with various Halloween decorations, and that feeling became even stranger as Tina appeared before him and threw a few choice costumes into his arms for him to try on. It was the day before Halloween and Connor had been roped into helping Tina plan the precinct sanctioned charity event to provide free candy that was guaranteed safe to pass out to children, and to provide free rides home for the adults who partied a little too hard. Those who took part in the charity event were requested to dress up as part of the fun, and unfortunately for Connor he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Before Connor left the house Hank warned him that Tina was the self proclaimed "Queen of Halloween", and as such she was going to run Connor into the ground with her enthusiasm. Standing in the middle of a costume aisle with his arms loaded up with various costumes, his eyes being bombarded with hundreds of various make-up kits and props, and his ears being overwhelmed with various Halloween themed songs and spooky sound effects, left Connor feeling entirely perplexed by the Halloween season entirely.

Tina appeared before Connor with another costume in her hands. "I think you'd look look great as a werewolf!"

"...A werewolf?" Looking at Tina as she dropped even more costumes into his arms Connor had to peer over the mounting fabric and raise his voice as she hurried back down the aisle to grab a few more things. "Why a werewolf?"

"'Cause you have crazy thick hair!"

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Like a bald werewolf would be any better!"

"The prospect of a werewolf, with or without hair, isn't the issue. I just don't see myself playing such a part."

"But you love dogs!"

"That doesn't mean I wish to dress as one."

"All right, fair point." Sorting through the costumes she had dropped into Connor's arms Tina removed everything that revolved around the werewolf motif, and hung them back on the rack or shelves where they belonged. "You're too innocent looking to be a zombie," she noted keenly as she began sifting through the other costume options in his arms as well. "too cute to wrap up under mummy bandages, not cranky enough to play Frankenstein's monster, and I'm not throwing a sheet over you to be a ghost."

"Why not a ghost?"

"Too boring!"

"Oh." As the costume pile shrunk Connor noticed that all of the costumes she had selected were all for him, and none for herself. "What are you going to dress up as?"

"That's a secret! I never spoil my costume designs."

"Interesting."

"Hmm..." Leaving behind a few bits of various costumes in Connor's grip Tina took a step back and motioned toward the nearby dressing room with a nod of her head. "Want to try on some of these costumes for fun?"

Looking at the top hat, cloak, spandex, wigs and gloves in his arms Connor wasn't exactly enthused to play 'dress-up'. "Not really."

"Pleeeeeease?" Tina gave Connor the playful puppy dog eyes as she picked up a costume for a plague doctor and held it out in front of him. "Just one?"

"Now I understand why Hank warned me that you really get into the 'spirit' of the season. Why me?"

"Gavin used to my costume model, but now that he and Aaron are married he's doing cutesy couples costumes this year. As for Lucas," she already knew who else Connor was thinking about and answered the question before it was asked. "well, Gavin warned him before I could even ask him to go shop with me today. If you don't try on at least one costume it'll ruin my whole day..."

Despite knowing that Tina was just teasing him Connor didn't want to risk being labeled a spoilsport. Relenting for a moment Connor agreed to try on one of the piles of costumes in his arms and entertain Tina's request. "Just one..."

"Yaaaay!" Applauding a little as Connor carried his selected costume with him toward a vacant dressing room Tina took back the rejected costumes and put them all back where they belonged. She once worked in retail and refused to be 'that person' who just crammed items onto shelves or made messes because she was being lazy. "I'll be waiting!"

Locking the door behind himself Connor removed his hoodie but kept on his black t-shirt and jeans out of modesty and necessity as he pulled a dark red and black cloak on around his shoulders. Adjusting the cloak to partially cover his shirt and jeans to let the cloak cover him up Connor stepped out of the dressing room, and let Tina assess his look.

"Well? I put on a costume."

Tina turned to face Connor and her eyes lit up with inspiration. The cloak was perfect on him and she knew what his costume needed to be. "Connor, you have great taste in costumes!"

"...I do?"

"Yup!" Turning back around Tina began rushing down the next aisles to pick and choose what was missing. "You hang onto that cloak and I'll find you the rest of the pieces you need. By the time I'm done you'll be the the second best cop at the charity event!"

"T-Tina?" Too late to stop her Connor just sighed, removed the cloak and replaced his hoodie over his person. "Gavin must secretly have exceedingly impressive patience reserved just for her."

Halloween arrived with a flourish of glowing jack-o-lanterns and brightly colored leaves blowing over the streets and sidewalks as costumed trick-or-treaters raced around the neighborhood in search of their free candy. Enjoying having Halloween off for the first time in years, Hank had no problem donning an old worn-out jumpsuit and an iconic hockey mask as he passed out candy from the front door. He was also ready to deal with possible vandals looking for mischief through destructive pranks. As he zipped up his jumpsuit and sorted through the large bowl of candy Hank called out to Connor to ask the deviant to finish getting ready for the charity event.

Connor had been very private about his costume as per Tina's instructions, and the end result was Hank getting curious about what Tina had talked Connor into wearing. Popping a Tootsie-Roll into his mouth Hank wadded up the wrapper and tucked it into his pocket as he turned on the front porch light to let the trick-or-treaters know he was ready to pass out candy.

Peering through the front windows Hank watched the kids outside and smirked at the innocent sight.

"Glad to see some things will never change no matter how fucked up this world gets."

Hearing kids laughing as they ran about dressed up as monsters, superheroes, villains and everything in between made Hank grin. The way a group of ten year olds ran by the house reminded Hank of all the times he spent trick-or-treating with his own friends as a kid, and of the Halloweens he spent taking Cole door to door in search of candy until the little boy's legs were too tired to keep walking.

"Wonder how many of those kids are really androids in disguise?"

The sound of Connor's bedroom door opening up pulled Hank's attention toward the hallway just as Connor entered the livingroom in his costume. Surprised at the level of detail that Connor had gone through Hank complimented the deviant's look with sincere approval.

"Holy shit, that's awesome!"

Connor had used some make-up to hide his L.E.D. for night and was wearing the red and black cloak over top of a red four button vest, long sleeved white dress shirt and black dress pants. His shoes were a shiny black, his hair was slicked back and dyed black, and he had black nail polish on his fingernails. The normally soulful brown eyes were now an impossible red color, his complexion was paler than normal and Connor's lips were a very faint red hue.

"You pull of the vampire look perfectly, kid!"

"That's what Tina said."

Pointing at the deviant's face Hank motioned for Connor to walk closer as he kept grinning. "Open your mouth."

Standing before Hank as instructed Connor opened his mouth to reveal the fangs he had over his normal canine teeth for authenticity. "Tina insisted."

"Wait, are those..." Getting uncomfortably close to Connor's teeth Hank started laughing then backed off. "Did you pop in temporary fangs over your natural teeth?"

"No, I was merely able to modify my preexisting teeth to appear fang like."

"Damn, son! Be sure to enter the costume contest."

"Contest?"

"Sure. They always have a contest and the winner gets to walk away with some cheap plastic trophy just for kicks."

"All right, I'll do that."

"Also avoid garlic and the sunlight. Don't want ya' to burst into flames."

Connor gave Hank a somewhat annoyed look but the irritation quickly passed since Hank was in a good mood. "Are you sure you don't want me to stick around so you-"

"Kid, I can handle trick-or-treaters. I was one when I was a kid, remember?"

"Yes, of course."

Lucas's truck pulled into the driveway beside the Oldsmobile so he could drive Connor to the charity event. He too had been roped in, but unlike Connor who had been cornered by Tina in the breakroom, Lucas was able to pick his own costume without Tina's input. The younger of the two deviant brothers jogged up to the front door, sidestepping the glowing jack-o-lantern that Hank had carved at the last minute, and opened the front door.

"Hey, son." Hank greeted the second deviant and smirked at Lucas's own costume. "Sherlock Holmes, huh?"

"Well, it seemed logical." Lucas was wearing the classic tweed coat over a gray three piece suit, complete with matching deerstalker cap over his own slicked back hair, and he too had his L.E.D. hidden under some make-up. Noticing the way Connor was dress Lucas gave his brother an impressed glance. "So that's what it looks like when Tina takes someone out to purchase a costume."

"Yes. Now I know why Hank warned me when she 'recruited me' to help her out."

"By getting dressed up?"

"That, and I had to help her hang up the decorations and set up the haunted house section of the community center."

"Glad she managed to corner you and not me. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. It's better that I go now so Tina doesn't try to come after me directly."

"Agreed."

Hank chuckled again and handed Connor an unopened bag of candy to take with him. "Here's my donation to the event. It's even the name brand candy and none of the cheap shit you get at the bottom of a dollar store bin."

"Thanks."

"And don't let Ben see it!" Hank warned as the two deviants passed through the front door. "He loves anything with caramel inside of it..."

"Noted."

Arriving at the community center right in time to help with getting everything organized Connor and Lucas could feel all eyes on them as they entered the space in their unique costumes. A few familiar faces were there to help out, some people were dressed up while others were still uniform. Those who needed to go on patrol for the night needed to remain in uniform, while those who either had morning shifts or the entire day off were dressed up and ready to have some fun. It didn't take long for Connor and Lucas to be complimented on their costumes, and the deviants were relieved to see that they weren't overdressed or under dressed for the celebration.

The interior of the community center was adorned with dozens of pumpkins, fake cobwebs with spiders, fake chains, a few skeletons propped up in humorous ways, some fake bats hanging from the ceiling, black cats in the corners, fake tombstones, paper ghosts on the walls and there was a massive table set up at the side of the room with candy and punch for the kids. In the back of the room was a haunted house that the had been constructed to create a small maze, and a few costumed officers were hiding inside the haunted house to get ready to jump our and surprise the kids who passed through.

"This is... interesting." Lucas noted as he took notice of the decorations and costumes. "I wonder why humans enjoy dressing up so much?"

"I don't understand it either."

From across the room Chris saw the brothers and met them as Connor added their candy contribution to the table at the far wall of the room. "Hey, you guys look great. Sherlock Holmes and Dracula!"

While Connor wasn't going for 'Dracula' specifically he wasn't going to correct Chris on the trivial detail. "Thank you. You are apparently Jimi Hendrix."

"Damn right!" Chris was wearing the iconic dreadlocks, jumpsuit and had a guitar strapped around his back for good measure. "Gotta' represent the legends."

"Where is Tina?"

"She's back-" Stopping for a moment as he saw Connor's red eyes Chris pointed his friend in the right direction. "She's in the back of the of center getting changed. Apparently her costume was too elaborate to wear while driving."

".Do you know what she's wearing?"

"Nope. She wants to make a grand entrance."

"Not surprised."

Lucas glanced about in time to see Noreen heading his way with her own costume already on. Her costume wasn't a traditional monster attire or anything like what the others were wearing. "Noreen? You look... different."

"I better." Wearing a skin tight black dress with her long black hair flowing freely behind her instead of pulled up in a ponytail, Noreen applied a fresh layer of blood red lipstick and gave Lucas a smug grin. "It's not every day Morticia Addams graces Detroit."

"I'll take your word for it."

"You do make a pretty convincing Sherlock." She complimented then turned to Connor. "But he makes a great vampire."

Connor appreciated the comment and readjusted his cloak. "Thank you."

"I'm sure Tina will be pleased to see you both dressed up and having fun." Grabbing onto the large bowl of candy in the middle of the table Noreen made her way back toward the center of the room. "I'm going to start passing out candy and you two can lead the kids toward the haunted house once Ben finishes with the fog machines and the strobe lights."

Before either deviant could walk away Tina made her grand entrance from the back of the center and stood before the duo in her rather extravagant costume. "So glad you both got in the spirit of the season!" Spinning around in her elegantly designed costume Tina showed off her unique costume and smiled brightly. "What do you think?"

Connor quickly recognized the costume through his cybernetic search and approved of Tina's attention to detail. "I believe your desire to portray Ursula is quite accurate."

Tina was painted in purple body paint, vibrant red lipstick, wearing a black dress that was adorned with eight tentacles, and had her hair dyed in gray and pulled up in a beehive style atop her head. She even had seashells for her earrings and necklace to keep the look as accurate as possible. "Took me three months to complete, but I think it turned out great!"

"It did."

"And I knew you'd be the best vampire in the entire city." Tina complimented Connor and patted his face. "You're the best for going with me to the store and for helping decorate the community center, too."

"Thank you."

"Why don't you go find a spot in the haunted house and scare kids? I mean, your eyes are literally glowing red! It'd be great!"

Haunting kids for fun didn't sound entirely pleasant to the kindhearted deviant. "...I don't feel comfortable with the idea of intentionally scaring children."

"Aww... You're too sweet sometimes!" Dropping her hands Tina looked over at Lucas and gave him a smug grin. "Lucas, do you want to help Ben, Gavin and Aaron scare the kids in the haunted house? They're already inside."

"I will help them, but if I make a child cry then I'm leaving."

Cooing at Lucas too Tina giggled a little. "You're BOTH too sweet!" Backing off Tina focused on Chris and gave him a simple nod. "You two have some fun while I go help Chris with getting the costume contest set up. There's twelve trophies. Three for best boy costume, three for best girl costume, three for best adult male costume and three for adult female costume. Be sure to enter the contest and help yourself to the Thirium candy kept in the back. We don't want the human kids to accidentally eat it and get sick."

"That was a wise precaution."

As the small party began to unfold Connor found himself feeling a little out of place as he wasn't quite comfortable in large social gatherings. Hanging back a little Connor watched as Lucas went off to join in at the haunted house and then watched the smiling kids show in search of their treats for the night. It was refreshing to see people in a good mood rather than a foul mood, and in turn Connor felt more optimistic.

"Hey, Connor?" Ben located the deviant and smirked at the detailed costume. The seasoned detective himself was dressed as Han Solo and carrying a second costume under his arm to change into when he needed to go inside the haunted house to play his part. "Great look! Want to join in on the scares?"

"No, thank you. I don't want to upset the kids."

"I get that. Why don't you work with Noreen to pass out candy to the kids who don't want to come inside?"

"What if I frighten someone?"

"It's Halloween, son. Don't take it personally if you do scare a kid or two."

Looking uncomfortable with the idea of potentially upsetting children Connor wanted to decline the offer again, but couldn't bring himself to possibly disappoint his colleagues by saying no.

"Just hold the bowl and let the kids take their share. You don't have to say anything to them."

"...Okay. I'll do that."

Heading toward the front door Connor located Noreen and saw her passing out candy to kids all dressed up and smiling enthusiastically. Joining her by the door Connor picked up a second bowl and started passing out candy as well. A few kids gave him wary glances but fortunately none of them seemed truly scared by his costume.

After passing out candy to the first dozen kids Connor began to feel less tense, and was finally understanding that the holiday was about being creative, being generous and stepping out of your comfort zone for a few hours. It was an oddly engaging holiday that seemed to break down barricades so that everyone could be a little more comfortable around their neighbors and colleagues.

A little girl dressed as a pirate looked up at Connor and grinned as she pointed to his eyes. "Your eyes are pretty! Red's my favorite color!"

"...Th-Thank you." Passing her a generous handful of candy Connor was surprised to get such a warm reaction from any child. "...Have a happy Halloween."

"Thanks!"

Noreen lightly nudged Connor's side as she caught sight of the interaction. "Kids are a lot tougher than we give them credit for. Don't worry about them being afraid of you just for wearing a costume."

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

"And don't worry about them being afraid of you for being a deviant. You're a good guy and kids can pick up on that."

"I'll remember that, too. Thanks for saying so, Noreen."

"You're welcome. Now, help with this candy and then go win the costume contest! Gavin and Aaron may have dressed up as Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein, but that can't compare to how much detail you put into your costume."

Looking down at himself Connor shrugged his shoulders a little and resumed passing out the treats. "Tina deserves most of the credit."

"Then you'll know who to thank when you accept your award." Winking at Connor as she passed out more candy Noreen made sure the deviant knew he had good friends and that he was trusted. "She'd be thrilled!"

Finishing off the leftover candy on the couch in the livingroom Hank mindlessly searched for a horror movie and didn't react when Connor opened up the front door to return to his home for the night. Presenting Hank with the tacky little plastic trophy of fake gold and topped with a grinning jack-o-lantern, Connor proceeded to join the senior detective on the couch and slowly remove his cloak from his shoulders. With a small handful of Thirium candy in his left hand Connor told Hank about the night, about the costume contest and of how he and Tina won first, while Gavin and Arin came in at second and the rest of the prizes went to other officers they seldom encountered, and he went into detail about the haunted house and trick-or-treaters.

When Connor mentioned how he had positive interactions with children and hadn't frightened any of them he was rewarded with a soft chuckle from Hank that held his full attention. It was unusual for Hank to be so amused by such small things and Connor knew something bigger was behind the reaction.

"Son, I hate to break it to ya', but you're as menacing as a wet kitten. Kids will never be afraid of you."

The comment was surprisingly comforting for the deviant detective. "You think so?"

"I know so. Children are pretty in tune with adults, and they know who they can trust. You're a good person and they know they can trust you."

"That's a relief. I don't want to scare children or intimidate them."

"Is that why you're so hesitant to do anything that revolves around kids? I mean," popping a piece of candy in his mouth Hank explained his reasoning around the melting chocolate. "it's not like we run a daycare or anything, but you always seemed to shy away to cases or interviews with kids."

"...I just don't have any experience with children and I don't want to make things worse."

"Son, you're not dangerous and you're not a threat to children." Tossing his mask off the couch cushion and onto the recliner Hank leaned back and settled on an older movie from the 80's to watch now that Connor was home with him. "Hell, you were willing to, you know, with Skye... If your first reaction is to not just help out from time to time, but to actually raise a child in need, then you're undoubtedly a good person."

"...So I've been told."

"Well, if you keep hearing it then it must be true. Besides, it's not like you're supposed to have fangs or red eyes. It's just a costume, it's pretend, it's just make-believe. Every other day of the year kids don't have any issues with you, so you shouldn't worry about it on Halloween or under any other circumstances."

"Thank you, Hank."

"So... Did ya' have fun at the party?"

"Not... in the way I imagine everyone else was having fun, but I am glad I joined in on the activities with my colleagues and friends."

"Good answer. You're really coming out of your shell, you know that?"

"Actually, I feel like I'm stagnating a little."

"Nah! You're making great progress. I'm certainly not a party person, so for you to go to a party with Lucas instead of relying on me to guide ya' through the entire night means you're really moving forward and becoming less shy. I'm proud of you."

The words of encouragement were unexpected but welcome all the same. "...Thanks."

Patting Connor's shoulder once Hank cracked his neck a little and let out a sigh. "So, did Ben dress up as Han Solo?"

"Yes, actually." Surprised by the accurate guess Connor proceeded to unbutton his vest and remove his costume piece by piece. "How did you know?"

"He's been wearing that same damn costume for almost twenty-five years now. Back when him and his wife were dating she said he looked like Han Solo and he's been clinging onto that compliment every year since."

"That seems... odd."

"Whatever makes him happy though. He ain't hurting anyone, except maybe himself for squeezing into that same old costume year after year, but whatever." Eating more candy Hank gave the idea a casual shrug. "It's a harmless little tradition he made up."

"Do you have any Halloween traditions?"

"Carve a pumpkin," he began counting on his fingers as he spoke. "pass out candy, then eat a bunch of candy until I pass out during a horror movie. And if I feel like getting off the couch I make some popcorn, too."

"Seems... simple enough."

"And it ain't hurtin' no one but me." Glancing at Connor's face again Hank shook his head and smirked. "Kid, get out of that costume. You look much better with brown eyes and normal teeth."

"Good idea." Pulling at the cloak's fabric Connor decided he much preferred being himself than being a vampire and rose from the couch. Halloween was over and he was ready to change into his normal clothing. "I'll return and join you to watch the movie. What are you watching anyway?"

"It's called 'Poltergeist'. One of the absolute best horror films ever made."

"Should I be wary of it?"

"Only if you're paranoid about trees lurking outside your bedroom window."

That final comment was truly the most bizarre of the entire night. "Huh? Is the movie about a haunted... tree?"

Flashing Connor a devilish smirk as the deviant walked down the hallway Hank pointed at the television and nodded. "Watch and find out!"

-next chapter-