~ Forks, Washington - October 31, 2004 ~

I looked around and shook my head at the wonderful absurdity in front of me. My family and Bella had gathered at the children's wing of the hospital to bring Halloween to the kids that were missing out on the traditional revelry of this autumn holiday. Rose and Esme had orchestrated our visit, and both had insisted that we all be in costume for the children. So Alice worked her magic and elaborately outfitted each of us per our own specifications and desires.

I was originally going to dress as a circa 1917 Chicago White Sox baseball player. However, after hearing about everyone else's choices, I decided to indulge a secret fantasy of mine, which is why I was wearing an exact replica of Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka outfit and humming Pure Imagination to myself.

Bella dipped into her childhood fantasies and was dressed as Snow White. I never had any sexual cosplay fantasies before. However, that all changed once I saw Bella's outfit, which was tasteful, yet also incredibly sexy. I was looking forward to spending some time later with my beautiful princess.

Rose was dressed as her favorite female super hero, Captain Marvel. Although not as well known to the kids, Rose was enjoying embodying Carol Danvers' iconic blue, red, and gold costume. Emmett, who was dressed as a shocking realistic version of General Maximus from the movie Gladiator, also liked Rose's choice of costume. I was pretty sure neither of their outfits would survive their planned post-evening hunt activities.

Alice was channeling her personality with a shimmering pixie costume that included a pair of ornate wings that she could make flutter at will. Whereas, Jasper decided to satisfy his secret desire to be an authentic old-western cowboy, including leather chaps, boots, and spurs.

Esme was a hit with the younger children dressed as Little Bo Peep, which was her favorite nursery rhyme as a child.

However, it was Carlisle's costume that was perhaps the biggest surprise, if for no other reason other than the pure irony of it. He was dressed as a Bela Lugosi inspired version of Count Dracula, complete with flowing cape, ceramic fangs, and fake blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. A brief, yet somewhat disturbing, thought I intercepted while Carlisle was getting dressed, was that he secretly enjoyed Lugosi's interpretation of our kind and always wanted to tell someone "I want to suck your blood!"

Although we were all glad to be here for the children, we also reveled in pretending to be our alter egos. Between handing out candy, reading stories, and playing games, our time passed quickly and enjoyably.

At present, Alice and Esme were coloring pictures with a little girl, while Jasper wowed a little boy with some simple magic tricks. Emmett, sitting on one of the nurse's wheeled desk chairs, was engaged in a low speed chariot race with a wheelchair-bound boy. Rose, and very shy girl, were off to the side building elaborate structures with multi-colored toy building bricks. Bella was reading a not-so-spooky ghost story to an energetic six-year-old, while Carlisle and I were getting soundly beaten at a board game by a precocious eleven-year-old.

Seeing the the joy and excitement both in the children's minds and on their faces warmed my soul. What made this afternoon even more special for me was knowing how much my family was enjoying the experience as well. As much as we were giving to these children, they were giving back to us. So much of a vampire's existence was spent on the periphery of humanity. My family had endeavored to live amongst the humans, but it was rare to truly feel part of their world. However, today, I have never felt more human and I knew that this scene would be repeated often by my family.

All too soon it came time for us to leave the hospital. Most of my family, sans Carlisle and Esme, were going for a hunt. Carlisle changed out of his costume and got ready for the evening shift he volunteered to cover so one his colleagues could spend the evening with her young children. As was becoming typical when Carlisle was working, Esme was going to stay at the hospital's children's wing to help out. At first, it was something she had been doing to stay close to her mate, but now she enjoyed being useful and relished having another nurturing avenue to explore.

Bella and I headed back to her house. Charlie was working the evening and overnight shifts and we had a good hour or so before it would be time to hand out treats to the neighborhood kids. I planned on using our time alone kissing and exploring my beautiful Snow White.

"You are holding me a bit too tight," Bella whispered as she peppered by chin and neck with kisses.

I had one hand exploring the curves of her breasts, while my other hand gripped her shoulder. I instantly jerked away, while my eyes locked onto the slight hand mark just barely visible on her left shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" I gasped, horrified that I was hurting my mate.

Before I could continue, Bella put her finger across my lips and shook her head.

"So help me, Edward Cullen! If you apologize for touching me…I'll…well…I'll get one of your family to slap you silly! I am pretty sure Emmett would be happy to help out!" Bella looked down at her shoulder and smiled. "It's nothing, Edward. You know I bruise like a grape. And this," she said while pointing to her shoulder, "is hardly anything. I doubt it will even last." Bella bit her lip and smirked. "Although, the idea of you marking me as yours is kind of sexy."

I looked again at her shoulder, and she was right. I could see that the imprint was already starting to fade. I inwardly sighed in relief, but also filed away that she was not opposed to me marking her. The primal side of me really liked that idea as well.

"I told you I would speak up if you did something that I was uncomfortable with," Bella said before climbing into my lap and snuggling close to me. The feel of her bare chest next to mine was intoxicating and maddening. "I love the feel of your hands on me. They are so wonderfully cool and smooth." Bella sighed as I slowly rubbed my palms up her back. "There will be times when I might get bruised or marked. I am human, after all." I could feel Bella's smirk against my neck. "Don't focus on what didn't happen, focus on what did. I told you and you stopped." Bella looked up at me. Her eyes were happy. "Now, kiss me."

I leaned down and did as she asked. I kissed her.

She was right. So very right. No harm was done and a few bruises would not be the end of her world, although they may drive me occasionally mad. I did trust that she would speak up, just as I trusted I would not knowingly hurt her. After feeling her under my finger tips and seeing her glorious curves, there was no way I would be able to forgo further exploration. We would take it slow as we both learned how to be intimate with one another.

After a few more minutes of kissing, I held her close to me. My libido was raging, but I knew we, or more specifically, I, had enough excitement for the evening. It was just wonderful to have her in my arms. Tonight, we explored and undressed a bit more than we ever had before. My mind jumped to some unknown time into the future when we would go even further and I would make love to her. It was something I wanted to be able to do so very much. The thought of sharing that with Bella, brought to the front of my mind a question I had been meaning to ask.

"Bella, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, you can ask me anything."

"Well, its just…" I struggled with how to word my question. "Women your age, every month they experience…". I paused to find the courage to say the words that felt so intimate to me.

"Edward, are trying to ask me about my period?" Bella asked with a slight smile.

"Yeah, I am," I replied as I awkwardly looked away from her. "If that is a topic that is too personal or taboo, you do not need to answer."

"Edward, look at me," Bella gently commanded, so I did. "It's not a topic that is off limits. Given what you are, I understand why you would be interested. However, it is not something you need to worry about." Bella took a breath before continuing. "Last year, after I went on my first date, my Mom suggested that I think about going on the pill."

A shot of jealous anger bolted through me as I stiffened at the thought of Bella dating anyone else but me.

"Relax, Edward. I told you, I've never done anything other than kiss, which did not happen on that date. However, my Mom felt I should be control of my future, so she urged me to consider some form of birth control. I was not opposed to the idea, and not for the reasons you will likely jump to." She looked at me with a raised brow before continuing. "Those times of the month weren't pleasant for me, so going on a pill that would limit those times to just fours times a year seemed liked a good idea. That is why I haven't had my period since we've been together. I will definitely let you know when I am at the end of each three month cycle." Bella paused in thought. "Can a vampire even get a human pregnant?"

This was a topic Carlisle privately discussed once Bella and I mated. Unfortunately I did not have much information to share.

"Neither Carlisle or I have ever heard of a vampire impregnating a human. Despite our physiologies being drastically different, we were all once human and everything appears to work the same way, including the male reproductive ejaculatory fluid containing a vampire version of spermatozoa."

Bella giggled at my answer. "Oh my god! That was a very clinical and academic answer, Edward. You really have a way talking about the birds and the bees." I didn't mind her teasing, as it was a subject I was not at ease speaking about. "Well, we shouldn't have to worry about that. Actually, that reminds me that I need to find a new gynecologist up here." Bella paused while she thought this over. I prayed she would not ask if Carlisle would consider seeing her, because that was something I would not allow. "I know Dad won't be much help. Maybe I'll talk to Angela about her doctor."

Yes! Ask Angela and not Carlisle!

A little bit later, Bella and I had changed into normal street clothes. Darkness was setting in and the trick-or-treaters were starting to come around. The Swan residence was outside the the main downtown area, so not too many kids were expected. The two that had come to the door so far were Charlie's closest neighbors. Bella allowed each child to grab a handful of candy, which excited the children immensely. Since Charlie was usually working on Halloween, this was the first time the kids had included the house on their Halloween route. Last week, Charlie and Bella let those closest to them know that this year the Swan residence would be welcoming Halloween visitors.

Just as Bella closed the door, my phone rang. A quick glance at the caller's number, told me it was Forks police station, so I immediately answered.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hello, Edward, its Betty down at the station. Can you hold for Chief Swan?"

"Yes, of course." I heard one of the other phone lines at the office ring. Betty huffed out a breath before placing me hold. A few moments later she picked back up.

"Sorry, about that. Tonight's been crazy with Chief Swan, Mark, and Brad out patrolling the area. I'll connect you to the Chief."

After a few electronic clicks, Charlie was on the call via his radio.

"Edward? Can you hear me?" Charlie asked. His voice sounded stressed and hurried.

"Yes, Charlie. Is anything wrong?" Bella looked over at me with a worried expression.

"Kind of. I have a situation that I was hoping you could help me out with. I am over at the Mallory residence. I believe you know Lauren Mallory. She's in your grade."

"Yes, I am know Lauren," I answered. Bella was now sitting next to me trying to overhear the call.

"Well, she has a little brother, named Andrew. Andy for short. Mr. and Mrs. Mallory were down in Port Angeles for the evening, so Lauren was supposed to take Andy around trick-or-treating. She wasn't too happy about this, so she decided to scare her brother by telling him that a monster was up in his room waiting to eat him. Her friend, Tyler, who I believe you also know, snuck up to Andy's room and pretended to be the monster. Well, Lauren got her wish because Andy got so scared he ran out of the house and now no-one can find him." Next to me Bella gasped. "Lauren and Tyler looked for him, but once she realized she couldn't find him, she called her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Mallory came home and they couldn't find him either, so they called 9-1-1. It's dark out now and everyone is pretty worried, so I stepped outside and radio'ed Betty to get a hold of you. I was hoping you could help us find him."

"Say no more, Charlie. I am at your house with Bella." I paused as I did not know if Betty was listening in, as she had a habit of doing on the radio calls. It was probably best to not openly say I would find Andy by listening for his thoughts. "I'll leave now to search for him."

Charlie let out ragged breath. "Thank you, Edward."

I hung up the phone and before I could even tell Bella what was going on, she was pushing me off the couch. "You go find that little boy, Edward! Go!"

I quickly kissed Bella's cheek before leaving through the back door. I would be able move much quicker through the woods, where no-one would be able to see me.

In less than a minute I was close enough to downtown to pickup the thoughts at the Mallory residence. Charlie was explaining that he radioed for help and the search for Andy was underway. I also picked up the thoughts of Rose, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper approaching from the other side of town.

"We'll meet you by the Mallory house," Jasper said in this thoughts. He and Emmett would be helping me search for Andy, while Alice and Rose were heading to Bella's house to keep her company. A couple of moments later I could see Charlie's police cruiser sitting outside the Mallory residence. At the end of the block, I waited for Emmett and Jasper. I searched for Andy's thoughts, but I could not hear him.

Soon, Emmett and Jasper slowed from their run and walked over to me.

"Yo, Eddie!" Emmett greeted me with a slap on the back. "Find the boy yet?"

"No, not yet," I answered. "He is not close to the house or anywhere between here and Bella's."

"On our run over, we didn't hear anything and I didn't pickup any scared or panicked feelings from the people close by," Jasper added before handing me a flashlight. "I brought this just in case." He was right to bring it. We may be able to see fine in the dark, but Andy would not.

"I guess that leaves the woods then," I said as I listened for his thoughts one more time before we all started walking towards the woods. As soon as we reached the trees we all sped away.

Now that it was dark, the temperature was dropping and it is even cooler in the woods. Given the amount of time since Andy ran away, his adrenaline had to be wearing off, which would make him feel the chilled air even more. After we got about a quarter mile in, I heard little's Andy's panicked thoughts. He was sitting, folded up into in a little ball, sobbing and shivering under a canopy of pine branches a good two and half miles away from his house.

"I found him," I called out to my brothers.

I picked up more of Andy's thoughts. He had run into the woods to find the makeshift tree fort he and his friends play at, but got turned around and disoriented in the darkening forest. The more he searched for something familiar, the more he got lost. He had also fallen several times during his wandering and had several cuts on his cheek and arms.

"Be warned, he has a couple of cuts," I told Emmet and Jasper.

"I'm good," Emmett replied. Except for his one mishap with his singer, Emmett really did have a good control over his bloodlust.

"Don't worry about me," Jasper added. I could see in Jasper's thoughts that his time at the hospital had a profound effect on him. Jasper may have previously respected the need to protect human life, but he never allowed himself to get close to humans. He still saw them as a delicacy he could not indulge in. However, the kids Jasper performed magic tricks for really connected with him. The looks on their faces and the squeals of joy over his slight-of-hand tricks, resonated with Jasper at a level he had previously never allowed.

As we ran the final half mile to Andy, I looked over at Jasper in surprise. He caught my expression and returned a small smile.

"I never really allowed myself to see how special human life was before this afternoon," Jasper told me in his thoughts. "But those children had so much hope and joy. Their emotions were so pure and powerful. I don't want to ever take that spark from another human ever again." Jasper looked away to where Andy was and frowned.

"I can now feel him," Jasper said aloud. "He's so scared. I'll do my best to make him feel better." True to his words, Jasper worked to take away as much of the boy's fear as he could.

"Andy!" Emmett called out. "Yo, Andy! Can you hear me?" We were close enough that we had to slow down so he would not see our vampire speed. I turned on the flashlight and shined it towards Andy.

Andy's head jerked upwards at the sound of his name. He jumped to his feet and started waving his arms.

"I'm here! Help! I'm over here!" Andy yelled back.

"Were coming to help you! Stay where you are!" I answered. A few more yards later, Andy came into view.

Andy stood silent as he took the three of us in. For a moment a new spike of fear went through him, but Jasper eased that away and helped him feel comfortable around us.

"Hey there, sport!" Emmett greeted Andy. "I'm Emmett, and this is Edward and Jasper. You are one hard kid to find. You must be killer at hide-n-seek!"

Andy liked Emmett's playful nature, but he was still unsure about Jasper and I. We could smell the blood from Andy's cuts. I wanted to check him out and then get him home.

"Hello, Andy. Do you know who Chief Swan is?" I asked.

Andy nodded. "Yeah, he came to my school last year and talked to my class," he answered in a soft voice.

"Well, Chief Swan sent us to find you," I told him. Andy was still worried about a monster waiting for him at home. "He wants you to know that there isn't any monsters at your house. There never was. Your sister was just playing a joke on you."

Andy looked to Emmett and Jasper for confirmation.

"It's true, little dude," Emmett told him.

"Your sister was just trying to give you a scare," Jasper added. Andy looked over at Jasper and gave him a slight smile. He liked Jasper's southern accent.

"I'm pretty sure Lauren has been grounded by your parents," I said. "How about you let us take you home, and we can see how long she's going to be in trouble for." From the thoughts of Andy's parents and Lauren that I previously picked up, I knew that it was at least two months.

Andy smiled at the thought og Lauren getting in trouble. "Ok," Andy finally replied.

I walked towards him and knelt down to look at his cuts. They weren't too deep and they were already mostly clotted. "Do these hurt?" I asked as I pointed at his arm and cheeks.

Andy shook his head no. They did hurt, but he was too embarrassed to admit it in front of us. Andy shivered as a small gust of wind passed over his skin. Jasper saw this and took off the sweater he had on over his shirt, and handed it to Andy.

"You put that on," Jasper told him. "We have a bit of walk ahead of us."

Andy looked at the sweater for a moment before answering, "Ok." He was too cold to not take it.

I helped Andy into Jasper's sweater. It was of course big on him, but it would help keep him warm. Once I got the sleeves rolled up, Andy's head jerked up suddenly.

"Do you know how to get back?" He asked in a panicked voice.

"Sure, we do," Emmett told him. "In fact, how would you like ride back to the house on my shoulders? That way you can man the flashlight and tell us when you can see your house."

Andy liked the idea of not having to walk through the dark woods and being able to use the flashlight, so he eagerly nodded to Emmett.

As soon as we got into cell phone range, which was about a mile away from Andy's house, I called Betty at the police station to have her radio Charlie that our mission had been successful.

During our walk back, Andy had become more vocal as his comfort level with us increased. For the past few minutes, Andy, Emmett, and Jasper had been debating which superhero was the most powerful. Andy was positive that Superman was the strongest. Emmett thought it was Thor. While, Jasper was quite certain both of them were wrong as he had always been partial to Dr. Manhattan; a character Andy was not familiar with as The Watchmen was not suitable for kids his age. I resisted entering the dispute, but all three of them were wrong. It was obvious that The Silver Surfer was the most powerful.

Once we got into view of Andy's house, he called out, "There's my house!"

Emmett let him down from his shoulders. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Andy ran through the wood line, across the back yard and into the waiting arms of his mother and father. Charlie stood next to them looking both relieved and happy at Andy's reunion. Lauren stayed behind and watched. She was glad nothing terrible happened to her brother, as she had been imaging the worst possible outcomes. She was also shocked to see that it was Emmett, Jasper and I that found her brother. She was grateful, but also worried the entire school would learn of what happened. After his parent's smothered him with kisses and hugs, Lauren sucked in a deep breath and stepped towards Andy. She started to apologize, but Andy stopped her.

"Lauren, you're a big jerk and I am mad at you!" He told her. Andy was worried he would get in trouble for calling his sister a jerk, but he didn't care. He would gladly put a dollar in the swear jar for his perceived curse. He then turned and pointed back to where Emmett, Jasper and I had been standing. "They told me you lied about there being a monster in my room. That is so not cool!"

Charlie kneeled down next to Andy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You have every right to be mad, Andy. I agree, what your sister did was not cool." Charlie paused and gave Lauren his best upset cop glare., which made her cower and look away. "But in the future, how about not running into the woods at night, ok? You can always give your parents or me a call. I'll be glad to check on any monsters for you."

"Or us, little dude!" Emmett added. "We're all buds now, so we've got your back." Emmett leaned down and gave Andy a fist bump.

Andy smiled at Emmett. "That's my new friend Emmett, and his brothers, Jasper and Edward." Andy told his parents, before turning back to Charlie. "Emmett calls you magnet pie, why is that?"

"Yo!" Emmett exclaimed with a chuckle as he ruffled Andy's hair. "That was supposed to be our little secret! And, I said, Chief Swan was our version of Magnum P.I., not magnet pie." Andy looked at him in confusion. "It's because of the mustache, dude," Emmett added while giving Charlie and playful nudge. "The best crime solvers always have a great mustache."

Andy looked oddly at a now blushing Charlie. Andy still did not understand, but he was willing to just accept what Emmett had said.

"Your crazy brother has no filter," Charlie thought at me, however, he secretly liked being referred to as Forks' own Thomas Magnum. He was also glad Emmett didn't say he looked like Forks' own Hercule Poirot, the only other mustached crime solver Charlie could think of. I smiled and had to look away at the thought of Charlie dressed as Agatha Christie's fastidious and dandified Belgium detective.

Andy's parents approached and thanked us for finding their son. They had heard stories from both Lauren and the town gossips about the Cullen family. Lauren had often referred to us as "freaks", and now her parent's were deeply embarrassed at their daughter's cruel depiction of our family. While we were talking to his parents, Andy looked sadly at his neighbor's houses.

"Hey, what's got you so sad?" Jasper asked him.

"I missed trick-or-treating," he replied. "I was going as go as Harry Potter this year."

Charlie heard his admission as he thought of the bag of candy he had stashed in his car. Every year he brought candy with him while he patrolled on Halloween. He and the other Forks deputies would stop and give some to the kids they came across during the evening. He started wondering if he could arrange an impromptu trick-or-treating session just for Andy. At that moment, my phone beeped with an incoming message.

"Charlie's idea is a good one, we are already at the station getting it ready." Alice had texted me.

I raised the screen of my phone to Charlie. He read Alice's message and shook his head in disbelief He was not quite use to Alice's gift, as well as her ability to set things into motion at a moment's notice. However, he knew her well enough to suspect that Alice would have something amazing planned for Andy.

"Andy, if it is ok with your parents, I think you should get dressed up and come down to the Police station. I have feeling if you do, you might just be able to get some trick-or-treating in yet." Both Andy and Charlie looked expectantly at Mr. and Mrs. Mallory. Both of them eagerly agreed to the plan.

The Mallory's wanted to get a look at Andy's cuts and then get him ready. It was arranged that we would all meet them at the police station in about a half-hour. Charlie radioed Betty, but Alice, Rose, and Bella already informed her about the current plan, including letting Mark and Brad know to stop by the station.

My brother's and I rode over with Charlie. As soon as we got into the car, Charlie started to say what was on his mind.

"Thank you all for finding Andy tonight. I normally would never ask any of you to use your talents or abilities to circumvent due process, but this was a special case."

"You are very welcome, Charlie," I replied. "You can always ask for our help. I am just glad this ended well."

"What Edward said, Chief," Emmett added. "Rose and I may not have some special vamp-gifts like these two, but consider us part of your team. I only ask that you shoot me, just once."

Charlie rolled his eyes before glancing in the rear-view mirror at Emmett, who smiled cockily at him and winked.

"Chief Swan, I know you are not comfortable with mine or Alice's gifts." It was the first time Jasper really ever spoke to Charlie directly. "However, please know I am willing to be of assistance at any time. Andy was terrified being lost in the woods tonight. I was glad to be able to take away some of those feelings from him. So use us…use me, if you need too. I have a lot to atone for, but my offer of assistance is not to assuage my guilt. I am offering my help because it's just the right thing to do."

Charlie quickly glanced back towards Jasper. Both men nodded at each other, silently confirming their agreement.

"You have a good family, Edward." Charlie said in this thoughts as we pulled up to the police station. The outside had been transformed into a spooky visage complete with fake spider webs, sheets hung like ghosts, and festive orange and purple lights.

"Dude!" Emmett exclaimed as he punched Jasper in the arm. "Ally-cat made Halloween throw up all over the Chief's station!"

Charlie was stunned as he glanced between Jasper and the station. With a shrug of his shoulders, Jasper simply replied. "I've learned to just go with it. I guarantee you Christmas will be much worse."

Charlie looked over at me for confirmation. With a sad smile I just nodded my head, because Jasper was right. Christmas would probably be much worse.

When we exited the car, we were immediately met by Bella, who was back in costume as Snow White.

"Hi, Dad!" Bella greeted. "Let's get inside. Alice has been waiting for you all to arrive. This is going to be so much fun!"

Charlie, Jasper, and Emmett walked into the police station like three men walking to the gallows. Having seen what Bella, Alice, Rose, and Betty had been up to inside, I knew the three of them would be shocked. Well, Charlie would be shocked. Jasper and Emmett were use to Alice over doing things.

Bella pulled me aside and gave me a quick kiss. "That's for finding that little boy. Now let's get you inside. You have a costume to change into, Mr. Wonka."

"Its time!" Alice called out as the Mallory family pulled into the parking lot.

Inside the police station, my family, Bella, Charlie, Mark, Brad, and Betty were all ready for Andy to arrive. My family all wore our costumes from earlier and around the small office we had several stations setup with candy, fruit, and pumpkin seasoned popcorn. In the short amount of time we had to prepare, the station was quickly decorated with fake spiderwebs, colored lights, and a smoke machine. Originally we were going to use these decorations at the hospital, but that wasn't allowed, so Alice and Rose quickly repurposed everything.

Betty had been calling all of her network of Forks friends and family to see if other families wanted to come down and share in the spooky Police station fun. From the miscellaneous thoughts I could pickup around the homes near the station, her efforts would be successful.

Emmett was stationed outside and met the Mallorys at the curb.

"Hey, little dude!" He greeted Andy, who was now dressed as Harry Potter, complete with round spectacles, a school robe, wand, and the infamous forehead scar. "You know how to use that thing?" Emmett asked as he pointed towards the wand.

"Sure do! I've been practicing all week. Watch!" Andy flicked the wand and called out "Lumos!" at the same time he pressed a hidden button, causing the tip of the wand to glow brightly.

"Wow!" Emmett exclaimed in mock shock while he jump backwards. "You are a wizard! That's pretty cool!"

Andy beamed at Emmett.

"Come-on," Emmett continued. "You may need that light. The police station has been taken over by a variety of Halloween baddies! I think I even saw a vampire in there." My family and I all collectively groaned at Emmett's attempt at ironic humor.

Andy looked at the station. He wasn't afraid. He had his wand and Emmett with him. Rose opened the door and Andy nearly squealed when he saw Rose's superhero costume. He didn't know which superhero she was, but to him, she looked pretty cool!

"Welcome to our not so haunted police station," she's said with a smile. She was holding a bowl with some candy in it. Andy went to reach for some, but Rose pulled it away. "Not so fast! You have to say the magic words first."

Andy paused and thought for a moment before he said, "Trick or Treat!"

Rose smiled and let Andy grab some candy, before motioning for him to enter. Once inside, Andy went around to each person yelling "trick-or-treat" and receiving candy and other snacks. Charlie, Mark and Brad also spent time with Andy showing him different aspects of the station, including the holding cell that contained a fake skeleton glowing eerily by the help of a strategically placed black light. Andy's parents followed behind him and thanked each of us for our efforts.

Soon, about a dozen other families with young children showed up, thanks to Betty'e phone calls. Each kid received their treats and a tour of the station. Our costumes were hit and by the time we headed home, the evening was considered a great success by all involved. So much so, that Charlie, Mark, Brad, and Betty wanted to make this an annual Forks ritual.