Okay before you start reading this is important, I don't know when I'll be able to post again for a couple days so I apologize in advance I'm not going to be near a computer for a while. On that note I'm going to leave you with this little bit of fluff to enjoy. As always I would love to know what you think, and I still don't own the Mentalist.
Sunday came and so did pumpkin carving, and it was not a clean affair at all. "Hey we're keeping the seeds I'll cook them later tonight." Patrick called stopping Alyssa from throwing pumpkin at her sister.
"Awww fine." She pouted throwing the seeds into the bowl instead of at her sister. Of course that bowl filled up quickly and soon pumpkin seeds were getting thrown anyway.
"Emily you need to make the eyes bigger." I instructed watching her draw her rough draft with a sharpie before Patrick or I helped them start cutting the jack o lantern. In the end we had five very interesting looking Jack o lanterns to sit in front of the house and Patrick was busy at work on his. "What the hell is that?" I frowned looking over his shoulder.
"What does it look like?" He smiled but didn't look up from his pumpkin.
"It looks like a house." I studied it a little more, "Is that a skeleton in the doorway."
"Yes and a cat in the bottom window, and a ghost in the upstairs window." He chuckled, "Give me a minute and there will be a witch in the corner."
"Why do you always have to show everybody up?" I sat down next to him with Cass and let the kids run around the yard.
"Maybe I'm trying to impress you."
"Maybe you don't need to impress me."
"Maybe I want to."
"I think you just like showing off." I leaned into him as he sat back and admired his haunted house pumpkin.
"I think we need to put this one out front with the others, remove the pumpkin seeds from three small children, and then find a movie to watch before dinner."
"I think you just ignored what I said completely because you know it's true."
"I think you should stop thinking so much." He laughed calling the kids into the house and leaving me to move his masterpiece. Inside the kids had made almost as much of a mess with the soap in the bathroom as they had the pumpkin seed in the back yard. But once the kids and the bathroom were clean we went downstairs to the two or three Halloween movies we had picked up at the store earlier in the week. By the time the kids had settled on Its The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Patrick had finished cleaning the seeds to cook later in the week after work.
Monday came and the whole team was willing to help out on Halloween, I didn't really need three people to hand out candy but I wasn't about to say no to the extra help. With Halloween three days away it seemed like everyone had an overflow of cases, but for the most part they were open and shut. I was yet to figure out why people seemed to think it was okay to commit crimes around Halloween.
We were all packing up to leave work Thursday, I was going to pick up the kids and go straight home and the team was going to meet me in an hour. I was almost out of my office when I noticed Bertram walk straight to Jane's couch.
"We agreed on six months Jane I gave you an extra month out of common courtesy but now you need to chose." He announced. "You need to have one picked out by the end of next week."
"I don't know Gale it's a hard decision I need to find one who speaks to me, who I know is going to get the story just right."
"Cut the crap Jane you haven't even opened any of the letters, you and I both know it, one week and if not then I'm picking one." He warned, before turning and storming out.
"What was that all about?" Rigsby frowned staring after the director.
"Jane didn't do something Bertram wanted, that seemed obvious and not a surprise at all." Cho answered.
"Jane you do need to figure something out you made a deal." I stated, "I'll see you all tonight." When I got to the school I couldn't help but smile all of the kids were already in costumes having celebrated their own Halloween party. It only took me a minute to gather my superhero, my princess, my witch, and though it's probably incredibly cliché for a first Halloween but my pumpkin. At home I was confused to find Patrick's car pulled to the side of the driveway instead of it's usual spot in the garage and once inside the house was unusually silent. "Patrick!"
"Upstairs."
"Why is your car out?"
"To keep up appearances of course." He made his way downstairs, God he looked good in a Tux, with the bowtie hanging loosely around his neck to be tied later and his hair gelled back a little more than usual in a poor attempt to cover his curls. "I picked out the perfect dress, it's lying on the bed."
"And you said you didn't like dressing up for Halloween." I smiled, "You seem pretty excited about this."
"It's all for the kids Teresa." He chuckled and kissed my cheek. "Go get changed I'll take care of getting everything else ready before our co-workers get here." I obliged handing over Cass and watching him gather the kids to help him clean up a little. What did I do to deserve this? Patrick Jane in a Tux cleaning my living room with the four cutest kids on the planet. As I made my way to the stairs the girls started telling Patrick all about the Halloween party at school.
"Look at all the candy we got at school." Emily grinned pointing into her backpack.
"That's nothing compared to what you guys are going to get tonight." Patrick smiled, "We're going to get so much candy we'll need a tractor to get it all home." I heard cheers that were blocked out by my closing bedroom door.
I was one hundred percent sure that the dress on my bed had not come from my closet. A black dress coming just above my knees, I hesitated before trying it on because this was surely expensive and it might be easier to wear something from my own closet. When I caved and put it on it was surprisingly comfortable. The neckline went down just far enough to be sexy but not revealing and I had to admit I looked pretty good in it. I usually hate the way I look in dresses, but Patrick had good taste. The only problem it was the end of October and I would be absolutely freezing outside. Then of course I spotted the nude colored pantyhose sticking out of my tennis shoes. I couldn't help but laugh, I had told him I wasn't wearing heels.
When I made my way back downstairs the kids were sitting with Patrick on the couch talking about their plans for the night and the best way to get the most candy. "You look gorgeous." He smiled looking up from the kids to openly stare.
"It must be the dress, I don't think I've ever worn anything this expensive before." I didn't move from the bottom of the stairs.
"It has nothing to do with the dress or how much it did or didn't cost." He moved William from his lap to come wrap his arms around my waist, oh that devilish grin of his. "You know we could leave the kids with the team and find a nice quiet place for the two of us."
"I did not get dressed up like this to have you undress me in a matter of minutes, you'll wait." I leaned forward on my tiptoes to kiss him and the doorbell rang. "They have the worst timing." I sighed and he just laughed and went back to joining the kids on the couch while I got the door for my team.
"Wow Boss you look great, you are taking the kids trick or treating right?" Rigsby frowned letting a squirming Benjamin join the kids and Patrick in the living room. "Sorry Sarah wasn't feeling well so I offered to take him out."
"No that's fine."
"So what's with the dress?" Cho remained his stoic usual self.
"The kids wanted me to dress up, and went behind my back to Jane so he gets to be James Bond and I'm in half a dress."
"You look great boss." Van Pelt assured, "You, Jane, and Rigsby can take the kids around and Cho and I can hold down the fort."
"Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help." I led them into the living room where Patrick was helping the kids into their shoes so we could start the trick or treating immediately. The kids were gathered the candy was in a bowl and then we were out the door. Of course Jane used his costume as an excuse to keep his arm around me with or without our coworkers around. With Cass in a stroller and four kids running ahead if us Rigsby, Patrick, and I made our way through the suburb gathering candy.
By the time darkness fell we were all gathered back at the house and the kids were on an incredible sugar rush. They had been bathed and Cass had been put to bed, but the rest were now sorting and trading candies in the living room while the adults drank cider on the couch, it was a work night after all. But of course the sugar rush ended and we had four kids crashed in our living room. The team took that as their cue to leave, Cho first and then Van Pelt and Rigsby carrying a sleeping Ben.
The next step for us was tucking the kids in and cleaning up their mess of candy in the living room, and setting the dishes from dinner in the sink for later. The last thing that had to be done was moving Jane's car into the garage before we could head to bed ourselves.
"So Mr. Bond do you still have any energy to take this dress off of me?" I held his hand in mine and led him upstairs.
"I would be an embarrassment to the name if I didn't." He chuckled, closing the door behind us.
"Is it true does Bond always get the girl?" I couldn't help but grin unbuttoning his shirt.
"You are going to have to tell me."
I was woken up a couple hours later by the bedroom door opening, and a little girl pulling on my arm. "Teresa." Emily cried as I rolled over to face her.
"What's the matter sweetie?" I frowned and Patrick sat up beside me.
"There's a monster." She whispered hanging onto my hand. "He's in the closet, he's going to hurt me." She cried.
"No one is going to hurt you, I promise, you're safe here." I assured sitting up and pulling her onto my lap.
"He's still in there, he's in there and so is Alyssa and William." She worried, crying into my, well Patrick's T-shirt.
"Well we better go take care of this." I hadn't even noticed Patrick slip out of bed, he lifted Emily off my lap and then handed me a gun. Wait what?
"Patrick why do I need this?" First off I'm pretty sure it was a fictional monster brought on by to much sugar and a bunch of people in scary costumes. Second how did he even know my combination?
"Just go with it Teresa." He chuckled, leading the way down the hall. I double-checked to make sure the safety was still on before following him. I watched as Patrick quietly positioned himself on one side of the closet door, and that's when I realized what he was doing and I positioned myself on the other side of the door. It was just like at work, he looked at me and reached toward the doorknob I nodded and drew my weapon.
"Don't open it." Emily buried her head into Patrick's chest. "He might hurt you."
"This is our job he's not going to hurt us I promise. In fact I bet he's so scared he's already runaway." Patrick reassured. "You ready Teresa." I nodded and he opened the closet door, and backed away while I went in gun first and cleared the closet of all monsters real or imaginary.
"Clear." I confirmed.
"See no monster, and if he was there he ran away and he's not coming back." Patrick lifted her into her bed.
"How do you know he's not coming back?" She whispered.
"Because he would have to be a very foolish monster to try and come back here. Teresa and I are not going to let any monsters anywhere near you and your siblings and now he knows it." Patrick assured, "Can you sleep in your bed or do you want to join us in the big bed?"
"I'll stay here." She whispered glancing at the closet one more time before burrowing into her covers.
"That's my big girl." He kissed her forehead and tucked her in, "You're safe in here." She nodded and then it was my turn to reassure her before leading the way back to the bedroom and locking the gun back up.
"Wasn't that a little over dramatic?" I fell back into bed.
"Not at all." He smiled, "Nothing is to much when it comes to making sure they feel safe."
"And how did you know the combination to my gun safe?"
"Now Teresa that's common knowledge."
"I'm to tired for you're indirect answers it's the middle of the night." I yawned and curled into him.
"I guessed using the dates that I knew where most important to you." He chuckled and kissed the top of my head.
"Of course you guess."
"See it's not as fun when I just tell you how the trick works."
"Go to sleep Patrick."
"Good night Teresa."