AN: I know, it's been ages a while since I updated and here I come with yet another AU Halloween ficlet. Sorry it's a little after the fact :)

Hope you enjoy!

Tricks and Treats

"Mo-o-o-omma?"

Kaoru smothered a smile as her son's jaw-cracking yawn added several extra syllables to the word. "Yes, Kenji?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

"Oh, Kenji, its way past your bedtime. You need some sleep before school tomorrow."

"Please?" he pleaded. In the dim light of the darkened room, large blue eyes blinked up at her from where the five-year-old was buried under his quilt. Kaoru sighed. He always did this, and yet no matter how often he did, she gave in every time.

"Maybe a very short one."

Triumph sparkled in those blue eyes. She knew she would regret it in the morning when they were getting ready for school and Kenji was tired and cranky from being up late, but she just couldn't help herself. Her son had her wrapped about his little finger and he knew it.

"What story would you like to hear?"

"Ummm, how about… No, I want… ummm…" One small finger tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Kenji, you need to choose quickly or it's time for sleep," Kaoru chided gently.

"Can you tell me the one about Jack?" he blurted out quickly.

"Jack? That's too long, Kenji. Pick something shorter."

"But it's Halloween," the little boy whined.

Kaoru scrambled for another excuse not to tell the story. "It's too scary and I don't want to you have nightmares again.'

"I won't! I won't! Pleeease?"

"Alright. If you have bad dreams, though, I don't want you coming to wake me up." Leaning forward, she whispered conspiratorially, "But you can wake up Daddy."

"I heard that!" Kenshin called from the next room.

Mother and son giggled. "The short version then?"

Kenji nodded eagerly, wriggling deeper under the covers and curling up on his side. 'I'm such a sucker,' she thought. Taking a deep breath, Kaoru closed her eyes and began to rubbing Kenji's back as she envisioned the story she was about to tell.

"Once upon a time, there was a man named Jack who wandered the land and liked to take advantage of other people's kindness…"

"Like Uncle Sano?"

Kaoru giggled before she could stop herself. "Yes, like Uncle Sano. But unlike Uncle Sano, Jack was not a good man. He never repaid the generosity given to him and would steal from those who gave him shelter."

"But Uncle Sano is always stealing our food," Kenji countered, remembering his "uncle's" endless appetite.

"That may be true, but doesn't he also bring us treats when he comes to visit?"

"Sometimes," Kenji grudgingly agreed.

"May I continue now?"

Kenji nodded.

"Now where was I?" Kaoru said thoughtfully. "Oh yes…

"Jack's reputation was so horrible that—"

"Momma, what does 'reputation' mean?"

"Kenji, do you want to hear the story or not?"

"Sorry," he mumbled apologetically.

"No more interruptions, m'kay?" Kaoru said, tapping him gently on his small nose. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Now, Jack's reputation was so horrible, that word even reached the Devil. Naturally curious, the Devil wanted to find out if all the stories were true, for surely, no mortal could be as deceitful as he.

"One night, on a Halloween just like this one, as Jack was stumbled drunkenly into a new village where none would know his name, he came across a body lying in the road. And who do you think it was that Jack had found?"

"The Devil!" Kenji cried excitedly.

"That right! It was the Devil!" Kaoru replied, emphasizing the last word with a tickle that sent Kenji into a fit of giggles. "He had come to collect Jack's horrible, black soul and drag it down to Hell.

"At first, Jack didn't know who it was that he'd found. Being the greedy man that he was, Jack went to search through to pockets of the man thinking he might find some change to buy his next drink. However, when he went to roll the body over, he saw two glowing yellow eyes surrounded by bright red hair, and the Devil grinned a wicked grin, filled with sharp teeth and said…"

" 'Hello, Jack,' " Kenji growled impressively.

"Ooo, nice voice, Kenji!"

The boy beamed with pride. "Thanks!"

"Now, Jack might—"

"Momma?"

Kaoru slowly let out her breath, praying for patience. "Yes?"

"Why does the Devil look like Daddy?"

"Just coincidence." Kenshin coughed loudly. "Remember, I didn't write the story!" she said, emphasizing the last part loudly enough to carry clearly into next room. "May I continue, please?"

"Now Jack might argue with you about being a common thief and a drunk, but there could be no doubt about one thing – Jack was clever. He knew his time had come and so he asked the Devil for one last thing – a mug of ale. Seeing no harm in granting this one seemingly simple request, the Devil foolishly agreed and the two of them walked toward the closest village, chatting away like the thickest of thieves. The Devil was duly impressed with Jack's stories of trickery and Jack was only too happy to tell them.

"In no time at all, they reached a pub, and honoring their agreement, the Devil bought Jack his drink. The Devil almost regretted having to take Jack's soul down to Hell, for who better to carry out the Devil's own work than a mortal as deceitful as Jack? But it had to be done and so to soothe his own momentary regret, the Devil ordered a drink for himself. He raised his glass to Jack, toasting a life well-lived."

Kaoru looked down at Kenji. He'd grown unusually quiet and she was sure Kenji had passed out from pure exhaustion. Instead, she found him staring up at her, forehead scrunched in confusion.

"What's the matter, Kenji?"

"I don't get it. Why does the Devil say Jack lived a good life? I thought Jack was bad."

"Well, is the Devil bad?"

Kenji nodded his head.

"And is Jack bad?" Another nod. "So since the Devil is bad and Jack is bad, the Devil thinks that it's good that Jack does bad things. Understand?"

Kenji nodded, but it was hesitant and Kaoru was sure that he fully understood.

'Best to keep going before he asks any more questions or we'll never finish,' she thought. 'Let's see if he'll let me skip to the end.'

"So after the Devil and Jack had drunk their fill, it was time to go. Jack left the bar with the Devil ready to—"

"You skipped it."

Damn. He'd caught her. "Skipped what?" she asked innocently.

"Where he turns into the coin."

"Kenji, I told you, the short version. It's already been ten minutes. We need to finish so you can sleep."

"But it's the best part," Kenji argued around another yawn.

Kaoru sighed.

"When the Devil and Jack had drunk their fill, it was time to go. However, Jack had no money… or so he claimed. After all, he wasn't called 'Stingy Jack' for nothing. Looking at the Devil, Jack said, 'What shall we do?'

"The Devil thought for a moment. 'I'll transform myself into a copper so you can pay for the ale, but mind that you use those thieving hands of yours to steal me back and carry me out of here.'

"Jack immediately agreed to the clever plan. He watched as the Devil disappeared from the chair, a bright, shiny coin appearing on the table that same instant. Jack quickly snatched up the copper, stuffing it into his right pocket where he kept a silver cross. He might not be a man of God, but he certainly new how to use God's powers when is best suited him.

"The coin grew warm in his pocket as the Devil raged, realizing he'd been tricked by Jack. Now he was trapped as a coin for as long as Jack kept him next to the cross."

Kenji smiled sleepily. "Jack should have just left him in there."

"Probably," Kaoru replied. "But then we wouldn't have the rest of the story, would we?"

"Nope."

"Do you remember what happens next?"

"Jack gets to live for ten more years."

"That's right." Kaoru brushed russet bangs away from Kenji's sleepy face. "Jack agreed to let the Devil go if the Devil agreed not to come for Jack's soul for ten more years.

"And so, ten years passed. Jack continued to wander throughout the country, going from town to town, his soul growing more evil with each passing year. Finally, the night of All Hallow's Eve came again. It was ten years to the day since Jack had first met the Devil.

"The Devil returned once more and found Jack sleeping beneath an apple tree, its wide-spread branches laden with bright red fruit. Before the Devil could wake him, Jack opened his eyes and said, 'I will go with you, as I promised, but first could get me…" Kaoru paused, leaving an opening for Kenji.

" 'An apple,' " the five-year-old murmured.

" 'I am hungry, but they are too high. I cannot reach them.'

"Now the Devil had not forgotten that night when he was tricked by the mortal Jack. Having no wish to be deceived again, the Devil looked carefully at the tree and then back at the man lying beneath it. Seeing nothing that could be used against him, the Devil quickly climbed the tree.

"But Jack was no simpleton. He knew the Devil would be coming for him and he was ready. Jumping to his feet, Jack revealed a stack of wooden crosses that had been hidden behind his back. Quickly, he laid them in a circle around the tree, trapping the Devil once again.

"The Devil roared from high in the branches to the tree, for he'd been trapped by Jack for the second time. 'What will it cost me for my freedom this time, Stingy Jack?' hissed the Devil from his perch.

" 'My soul,' Jack replied. 'When I die, you must promise not to take my soul to Hell.' The Devil thought about it for several moments. Seeing no other way out of his predicament, the Devil agreed.

"Several years later, Jack, while stealing turnips from his brother's garden, suddenly fell dead. His mortal body having finally passed from this world, Jack's soul stood before the gates of Heaven. He thought himself very clever indeed for having outwitted the Devil himself to gain entrance into Heaven. However, he was not permitted to pass through the gates, for his drunken, deceitful life had been a curse upon his fellow man. Unable to enter Heaven, Jack's soul descended to the depths of Hell, where the Devil himself came out to meet him.

" 'You may not enter here, Jack,' the Devil told him. 'I made a promise to you and I shall honor it.' "

Kenji shifted under his covers. "Jack wasn't smart, was he?"

Kaoru hummed thoughtfully. "He thought he was, but no, he wasn't very smart at all. Do you remember what happened to Jack, Kenji?"

"The Devil gave him a piece of fire."

"That's right," Kaoru said smoothing her hand across Kenji's hair. "And what did Jack do with the fire?"

"He put it in a pumpkin and it became his head," Kenji mumbled, already halfway to dream land.

Kaoru laughed quietly. "Well not exactly, but I think that's close enough for tonight. And now, my little man, it's time for you to sleep."

"Yes, Momma."

Kaoru kissed Kenji's round cheek and tucked the quilt higher around his chin. "Sweet dreams. I love you," she whispered, but Kenji was already fast asleep.

Tiptoeing out of the room, she quietly closed the door behind her and joined Kenshin

"That was the short version?" Kenshin asked laughing. "You spoil him."

Kaoru shrugged, flopping on the couch next to het husband. "I know. But I'm not the only one, Mr. I'm-Just-Going-To-Take-Him-Trick-or-Treating-Around-One-More-Block." She poked him playfully in the ribs for emphasis.

"Hey, I didn't do that for him. I did that for you. Now there's enough in that big, plastic pumpkin that he won't notice right away when things start to go missing."

"Ooo… I knew there was a reason I married you!" she exclaimed, leaping off the couch, fairly skipping into the kitchen. She returned moments later, her arms wrapped around the treasure trove of sugar and resumed her position next to Kenshin, who promptly held his hand out, palm up. "Let's se…" Rifling through the plethora of bite-sized treats, she extracted one wrapped in red. "Skittles?" she asked, dropping the package into his waiting fingers.

"Why thank you, my lady," he said, sneaking in a quick kiss as Kaoru continued to dig.

"Jackpot!" she cried, pulling out a full-size package of Twix.

"I get part of that," Kenshin said ripping open his candy.

"Pfft. You have your Skittles. Leave me and my Twix alone… unless you have something you can offer in trade?"

"I'm sure," he said, leaning over to nuzzle the sensitive spot below her ear, "I can think of something which you will find… satisfying."

Kaoru laughed and held up her package of chocolate. "Here's to another successful Halloween."

"Here, here!" Kenshin raised his Skittles, "clinking" them against Kaoru's Twix. "May we survive Kenji's sugar-induced mania."

"Heaven help us," Kaoru sighed, biting into her candy bar. "Do you think Misao's available to babysit for like… the next month?"

AN: Based on the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, or Jack of the Lantern, from which we get the tradition of jack-o-laterns on Halloween. In the original story, Jack places the Devil's ember in a hallowed out turnip (there were no pumpkins in Ireland) and was forced to wander the earth for eternity with only his lantern to light the way. As with all folk tales, there are many variations to this one, including one where Jack's head is replaced by a carved pumpkin (think Sleepy Hollow). Kenji just gets the stories mixed up.

This ficlet was written for the recently inaugurated LiveJournal Community, RK Fic Exchange, and their Autumn drabble fest. Originally posted November 6, 2011.