Root reached out to tug on Sameen's braid. They were taking their Halloween family portrait and Root was trying to make her smile.

Sameen pulled a face just as Mrs. Reese's camera clicked. She turned to glare at Root.

"Can you not?" She growled, pulling her long hair over her shoulder.

Root grinned and shook her head. "If you'd worn the wig, we wouldn't have this problem."

"Root," Sameen gestured to herself, "look at my skin color. There is no world in which I wear a ginger wig."

"No one is going to know we're Mulder and Scully!" Root whined, pouting. "We just look like boxy, 90s lesbians."

Lionel and John chuckled next to them and the girls turned to stare at them. John choked and held his hands up.

"I think you guys look great. Love the shoulder pads."

"Yeah," Lionel snorted, "oversized suit jackets are all the rage."

"Fuck off," Sameen growled.

Mrs. Reese rolled her eyes. "Watch the language." She looked through the pictures on her camera and smiled. "I got some good ones. You are free to go."

Root hopped off the stairs and moved Bear, who was sitting beside Mrs. Reese, holding their pillowcases in his mouth. She took them from him and passed one to Sameen when she appeared. Sameen gave Bear a pat on the head, opened the front door, and they headed outside.

Sameen reached out to hook her arm through Root's. Root let her lead them across the street, weaving through the kids running around. Root looked, but she couldn't see Zoe or Joss anywhere.

"Where are your girlfriends?" Root asked John. "I miss them."

John shrugged. "They said they were on the way. They might have stopped to pick something up."

"Like what?" Sameen asked, starting them down the sidewalk.

Again, John shrugged, walking slightly behind them. He was dressed as James Bond, wearing the suit Mrs. Reese had bought him for his 16th birthday last year. Root thought he looked nice and couldn't wait to see what Zoe and Joss were wearing.

Sameen scoffed. "You need to keep better tabs on your girls, John. I mean, my girl…Oh my god."

Root looked at her, confused, and saw her staring off passed Root's shoulder. She turned around, their arms separating, and gasped. Zoe and Joss were walking towards them. Root swallowed hard, her pulse in her throat.

Joss was dressed as Foxy Cleopatra from Austin Powers. Root had always thought Joss was pretty, in an intimidating sort of way, but now, in her revealing golden costume, Joss was stunning. Root tore her eyes away and looked at Zoe.

Zoe was almost naked. She was dressed as Jill Masterson and painted head-to-toe with glittering gold paint. Root ran her eyes down Zoe's body, stomach fluttering. Zoe spotted her and winked.

"Hey, Root. Like something you see?" Zoe asked with a smirk, swinging her hips. She stopped in front of her. "Wanna feel?"

Root let Zoe take her hand and run it across her stomach. The gold paint felt slightly rough, the glitter scrapping across Root's fingers. A hand wrapped around Root's arm and pulled her away.

"Alright," Sameen growled, "she touched it. You look great. Can we go?"

Root watched her turn on her heel and walk away. Sameen could be really abrupt sometimes, gruff and inscrutable. Maybe she was uncomfortable with nudity, but she'd never had this reaction before.

"Wow," Joss laughed, "Jealous, much?"

"It's not like that," Root rolled her eyes. "She's just being weird. Like always."

Zoe shrugged and opened the plastic bag she had in her hand. "If you say so."

Root smiled at her and headed after Sameen. She didn't want anything to make tonight weird. Root jogged up to her and linked their arms together again. Sameen glanced at her and slowed down a little.

"Where to first?" Root asked her. "Want to go down the street or just start here?"

Sameen opened her mouth to answer, but Zoe appeared next to them and cut her off.

"I got some brownies," Zoe said, holding out her plastic bag. "The pot kind. Want some?"

Root stopped walking and glanced into the Ziploc. She'd never tried pot before, but she wasn't opposed to the idea. Root knew that the effects were similar to alcohol, but pot made you more lethargic and less aware.

Sameen's hand dipped into the bag and Root watched her shove a whole brownie in her mouth. She caught Root's eye and shrugged. Root rolled her eyes and dipped her hand into the bag, pulling a brownie out.

"Don't eat it all at once," Zoe told her, glaring at Sameen. She focused on Root. "You've never been high before, right?"

Root shook her head, sniffing the brownie. It didn't smell any different that a normal brownie. She took a small bite. It didn't taste that different, either. She took a larger bite.

"How long until I feel it?" Sameen asked.

Zoe shrugged. "It depends. Probably within the hour. You guys both seem like you have fast metabolisms."

"Thanks," Sameen said and started down the street again.

Root ate the last bite of her brownie and followed after her. They passed the first couple of houses, avoiding the crowds of screaming children. When Sameen turned into Harold and Grace's yard, Root reached out and pulled her back.

"No," Root whispered, "They'll know."

"Know what?" Sameen asked, frowning.

Root looked around. Lionel had run off with some of his friends from school and John and the girls were sitting on the curb, hanging out. She turned back to Sameen.

"About the brownies," she said. "He'll know we're high."

Sameen rolled her eyes and pulled her arm away. "Root, we're not high. It's been like two minutes."

"Still," Root said, peering up at the house, nervously. "Do you think they'd fail us?"

Sameen shoved her into the yard and they started down the sidewalk. "Just act normal."

Root nodded as the front door opened. Grace smiled at them.

"Hello, girls!" She turned to call into the house. "Harold! Root and Sameen are here!"

Root shoved her hands in her suit pockets, her pillowcase balled up in her fist. "That's alright. You don't have to call him for us."

"Nonsense," Grace smiled at them. "Harold would love to see your costumes. What are you?"

"Mulder and Scully," Sameen said. "From The X-Files."

Harold appeared behind Grace. "You girls look lovely. Come in!"

Root glanced at Sameen, but followed him inside. They'd been to Harold's house before. Sometimes, he hosted BACKS meetings and, sometimes, he invited Root over to talk about birds. Root liked him a lot.

His house was ornate, pale blue walls and beige furniture. It looked almost like a museum to Root, or like someone had Googled 'what does a normal, suburban house look like?' Grace and Harold were always so kind to her.

Now, she was at his house high. They didn't know, of course, but they could probably tell. Harold would fail her and tell Principal McCarthy and she'd never work at NASA.

Sameen elbowed her in the side and gave her a stern look. "Stop freaking out. No one knows."

Root nodded and sighed. It was fine. She was only going to give herself away if she panicked. She saw Harold gesture for her to follow him into the dining room and walked across the living room. He led her towards his birdcage.

The first time Root had come here, she'd noticed this cage. It was large, almost large enough to fit a large dog, but it was delicate. Its bars were gold, less than an inch thick, and it sat on a pedestal of marble. Inside were a number of fancy birds. Looking at Harold, Root didn't think he looked rich, but things like this made her wonder.

"I got a new bird," Harold said, pointing. "Recognize it?"

Root squinted into the cage. "It looks familiar."

He grinned. "It's a Carolina Wren!"

"Like the one I found outside of town?"

"Exactly!" Harold smiled at her, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I saw an ad on Craigslist. A girl in Corpus Christi had caught it and put it up for sale. I bought it immediately."

Root laughed. It was Claire; it had to be. "That's fantastic."

Grace and Sameen walked into the room. Root looked at them and laughed. Sameen had taken an entire bowl of chocolates and was holding it in one hand, the other busy putting chocolate in her mouth. Sameen grinned at her, teeth gross.

"You're going to be sick," Root said, walking over to her and taking some candy. "You should slow down."

"No," Sameen grunted, voice muffled. "Mine."

"Why don't you girls sit for a bit?" Harold asked. He slid into a chair at the table. "I'd like to know what your winter break plans are."

They sat there for a while, talking about school and their plans. When Root told him about their road trip plans for next summer, he was very excited for them. They talked until Root's phone buzzed.

"It's John," Root said, opening the message. "They're wondering where we are."

Harold glanced at his watch. "Oh, it's been almost half an hour. You should be on your way!"

The girls nodded and stood up. Grace led them to the front door and they stepped out onto the walkway. Sameen took a handful of candy from the bowl outside the door as they started out of the yard and dropped it into

"You ate their candy for 30 minutes and you're taking some for the road?" Root laughed.

Sameen shrugged, her feet shuffling on the ground. "We're out here to trick or treat. They tricked us into the house, I'm taking treats."

Root just laughed, feeling light. Luckily, it wasn't too hot. She'd been afraid that the heavy coats would be a mistake. She spotted their friends across the street as they walked out of the yard. Sameen linked their arms again and led them across the road.

"Are you going to lead me everywhere tonight?" Root asked her as they stopped in front of their friends.

Sameen rolled her eyes. "Mulder and Scully are a couple, too, right? So, it's not weird."

Root's eyebrows lowered. Was Sameen calling them a couple? No, she was talking about their costumes. It's not weird for them to walk around like this because they're dressed as a couple. Root shrugged.

"We've hit up most of the houses on the block," Lionel told them. "Do you guys want to get more candy?"

Root spoke up before Sameen could. "No, we're ok. Do you guys have a plan?"

Joss nodded. "We were going to go to Martine's party, but we wanted to check in with you first."

For a moment, Root couldn't think of a reason, other than that Martine was a bitch, but she remembered last year. Martine had kissed her and Root had come out to Sameen. Had that really been a year ago? So much had happened since then.

She looked at Sameen. "I'm fine if you are."

"Whatever," Sameen said. "I hate that bitch, but I'm fine with drinking her alcohol."

The friends laughed and started down the road towards Martine's subdivision. Sameen and Root walked arm in arm, their shoulders bumping together.

Root hadn't thought about last Halloween in a while. She'd almost forgotten about it honestly. Last year, when they took their group picture, Root had stepped out, sure that Mrs. Reese didn't consider her family. This year, she'd just found a spot on the stairs and smiled with Sameen and the boys. She felt like part of the family.

Even with all the craziness with the kissing and Tomas, Root felt good. She and Sameen had made up. They had their treehouse and clubhouse. They were together all the time. It was nice.

They got to Martine's house and Sameen pulled them to a stop. She took Root's empty pillowcase and put it into hers, then grabbed John's pillowcase and stuffed their bags inside. She handed it back to him with a smirked.

"Thanks, big brother," she said, hitting his arm with a loud smack. "Keep that safe."

She reached her hand out for Root to take and led them inside. Root laughed as they walked inside and the wall of noise hit them. The house was packed, like it always was during a party, and the blasting music made it even more chaotic. Sameen stopped in the hallway, halfway to the kitchen, and turned to Root.

"I think I'm starting to feel it," Sameen said, running a finger down her face. "My skin feels…weird."

Root chuckled, her laugh echoing in her chest. Her eyes widened. "Oh, I think I am, too."

Someone bumped into Sameen and she stumbled forward into Root's arms. Root looked at the boy who'd bumped her and met Tomas' eyes. Her thoughts were hazy, but Root was still mad at him. She'd probably always dislike him.

Root smiled at him, as sweetly as possible, and waved. He frowned, obviously confused. When Sameen turned to look at him, he rolled his eyes and walked away.

"What's his problem?" Sameen asked, scowling. "You'd think he'd get over it."

Root sighed and looked down at Sameen, still clutching her arms. "You're a hard one to get over, Sameen."

She gasped, surprised at her boldness, but Sameen just laughed and pulled her braid over her shoulder.

"I am…abnormally attractive," she bragged.

Root laughed loudly, ignoring the looks the people around them gave her. Her eyes watered and she couldn't stop laughing. In front of her, Sameen started giggling, the sound foreign to Root. Sameen wasn't exactly the giggling type.

Root opened her eyes, watery from laughter and saw Sameen with a hand clamped over her mouth, giggles escaping from between her fingers. The panicked look on Sameen's face was hilarious and Root launched into another fit of laughter. Sameen was obviously horrified at herself.

Sameen pulled herself together before Root did. She took Root's hand in her own and pushed through the crowd to the kitchen. They stopped in front of the island in the kitchen. Sameen pulled her hand out of Root's and Root marveled at the way Sameen's skin brushing against her own left tingling trails.

Sameen looked through the mess in the kitchen and found a stack of tiny, shot-glass sized red solo cups. She pulled out a handful and spread them around the island. Root moved to stand across from her and pulled two cups towards herself. She'd wanted to drink, but she didn't want to get drunk.

She wasn't worried about turning into an alcoholic like her mother, not really, but Martine's mean comments still lingered with her. Root knew what drinking could do to a person and she was determined to avoid that future. She deserved to have a little fun, sometimes, though.

"Ah-Ha!" Sameen cheered, pulling a bottle of Tequila from behind a bag of chips. She turned back to the island and poured Root's two cups and four for herself. "Ok, let's drink!"

Root reached for a cup, but hesitated. "I don't know…"

"What's wrong?" Sameen asked, hips swaying in time to the music. "Drink!"

"Every time I drink, I end up trying to make-out with someone and vomiting," Root sighed.

Sameen leaned forward, her stomach pressing against the island. The buttons on the front of her shirt, strained apart at the pressure. Root's eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of Sameen's skin. She'd watched Sameen get dressed earlier and knew that Sameen was wearing a nude bra that made her tanned skin glow.

"Root," Sameen said, pulling Root's attention to her face, "just don't try to make out with anyone."

Root pouted. "But I like kissing girls."

Sameen laughed and picked up one of Root's shot glasses, forcing it into her hand. "I'm sure we'll figure something out."

They knocked their glasses together and took the shot. Root winced as the alcohol burned her throat. She'd never had hard liquor before and she wondered if the weird sensation was because she was high and she could feel every inch of her skin, or if alcohol always hurt like this.

She took the second shot and bounced on her toes, shaking her head. Maybe she'd stick to beer in the future. Root opened her eyes and watched Sameen take her other two shots. Sameen didn't seem to be having any trouble with the Tequila.

"I think four shots at once is a lot…" Root frowned. "Maybe you should eat something."

"I ate a brownie!" Sameen rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine. I've seen people do this on TV and they're fine."

Root thought that maybe TV wasn't the best way to learn about how to drink liquor, but she didn't say anything. Samee had already had the shots after all. She nodded.

"Ok!" Sameen said, "let's dance!"

She took Root's hand again and they wound their way into the living room. Unlike last year, all the furniture had been moved against the wall and there was plenty of room to dance around. Sameen dragged them to the middle of the dance floor.

Root watched as Sameen jumped in time with the pop song blasting through the speakers. Root didn't think Sameen was someone who liked to dance, but apparently, with a little help, she was. Root laughed and started jumping along, her long arms moving of their own accord.

Sameen reached forward and took Root's hands, shaking her shoulders and forcing Root's to shake, too.

"Loosen up!" Sameen ordered, managing to look tough despite the flush in her cheeks. "Close your eyes!"

Root laughed and closed her eyes, almost immediately losing her balance. Her already unsteady feet tripped over themselves and she stumbled backwards, slamming into someone. Root peeked over her shoulder to apologize and saw that she'd bumped into Lambert.

Root opened her mouth, but lost focus as Sameen's hands ran up her arms and settled on her shoulders. Sameen used Root's shoulders as leverage to push up on her toes and stare at Lambert. Their bodies brushed together, Sameen's warmth heating Root's skin despite the layers of clothing between them. Sameen grinned at Lambert.

"Hey! I work for your dad!"

Lambert rolled his eyes and nodded. "I know. I'm in the shop all the time."

Sameen sighed. "Your dad is really hot. What happened to you?"

Root snorted, dissolving into a fit of laughter, and Sameen dropped her head to giggle into Root's neck. They clung to each other, laughing and gasping for breath.

"That was so mean," Root breathed, wrapping her arms around Sameen's waist. "You're so mean sometimes."

Sameen shrugged against her and pulled away enough to look at Root's face. "I call it like I see it."

Root chuckled as Sameen started moving to the beat again, her hands still on Root's shoulders. Root wanted to kiss Sameen, right here on the dance floor. She wondered if the odd, lingering way Sameen's touches on her skin felt right now would affect the way their kisses felt.

"Wow," Martine said, appearing beside them, "you guys are unusually bold tonight."

"Hey, Martine," Root said, smirking, "your mom is really hot. What happened to you?"

Sameen snorted loudly, the sound catching in her nose. She doubled over, hands clutching her stomach, howling with laughter. Root chuckled, looking down at her, barely aware of Martine walking away. She'd never seen Sameen like this before. It was surreal.

"Oh my god," Sameen gasped, straightening up, "her face! She looked so mad!"

Root put her hands on her hips, proudly jutting out her chest. "You're not the only bitch around here, Sameen Shaw!"

Sameen punched her lightly in the arm, her eyes watery from laughter. "Who you calling a bitch?"

"Hmm," Root said thoughtfully, tapping her chin, "you."

Sameen sighed, finally getting herself under control. She ran a hand over her face. "Does your skin feel weird?"

"Yeah," Root nodded, smoothing her hands over her stomach, "Like…static electricity."

Sameen nodded. "Exactly. Mine, too. I feel…nice."

"Nice?" Root chuckled, lazily swaying in time with the music. "What do you mean?"

"I feel…" Sameen frowned, looking adorable as she concentrated. "I feel…empty, but in a good way? Not empty like I normally do, but…"

Root grinned. "Relaxed? Do you feel relaxed?"

"I guess?" Sameen shrugged. The song changed and she bounced on her toes, her head swinging. "Whatever it is, it's great!"

Root watched her dance around. "I like this! I don't think I could do it all the time, but it's fun!"

Sameen nodded, still bouncing. She suddenly gasped and reached out to grab Root's arms, shaking her. "Let's make out!"

Root's head jerked back in surprised. "What?"

"To see what it feels like! Because we're so tingly!" Sameen shouted over the music.

She took Root's hand and led her across the living room. Sameen turned into the hallway and pushed open the bathroom door, pulling Root inside. Sameen moved further into the room as Root closed the door.

Root's rational brain was freaking out, trying to come up with a reason for this, but her inebriated brain, the one currently controlling her body, was thrilled. She leaned back against the doorframe, her eyes fluttering of their own accord. The odd tingle of her skin making her shiver in the air-conditioning.

Sameen looked at her through hooded eyes and shrugged. "I'm drunk, you're drunk. I'm high, you're high. It's not weird."

"Nope," Root said, trying to pop to P, but her mouth failed her. "Kissing is totally normal."

"Right," Sameen said, stepping forward. "Kissing is fun and my skin feels so soft. I'm really tired."

Root blinked, confused at the sudden change of topic. She watched Sameen stifle a yawn, looking around the room, and realized that her window was rapidly closing.

Root lunged forward, wrapping her fingers around the lapel of Sameen's suit jacket, and yanking their bodies together. Sameen's hands slammed into the door on either side of Root's body. Root crushed their mouths together.

Sameen's mouth was as soft as Root remembered. Hot and wet and sweet. Sameen tasted like chocolate. Root opened her mouth, her lips grazing Sameen's and she felt like she was on fire. She sucked Sameen's lower lip between hers, her teeth biting lightly.

Sameen drew a sharp breath in through her nose and pushed herself onto her toes, their bodies flush against each other. Root felt Sameen's hands behind her back, pulling her shirt out of her pants, and then Sameen's hot hands on her slick skin pushed them even closer together.

Root couldn't concentrate. She felt overwhelmed, like she was drowning in Sameen and every inch of her was sweating. Root slipped her hands up Sameen's neck, one cupping her face, the other reaching back to grasp Sameen's braid.

Root tugged, yanking Sameen's head back and latching her mouth onto her neck. She could hear Sameen panting in her ear as she tried to take deep breaths.

Sameen pulled away abruptly and Root felt cold. She pushed her hair from her face, heart beating out of her chest, and tried to focus. Sameen looked worried, her face drawn down.

"What? Are you ok?" Root asked through shaky breaths. "What's wrong?"

Sameen's throat clenched and she turned, dropping to her knees and lifting the lid on the toilet just in time. Root watched her vomit and slid down the door onto the floor. She laughed dryly, still hazy. Part of her was glad that she wasn't the one throwing up this time. The rest of her was upset that kissing was out of the question for the rest of the night.

Root could feel herself panicking slightly as Sameen leaned back against the bathtub, wiping her face. The last time they'd made out, Sameen had run away. Root wasn't really worried about that this time, but she still didn't think she'd bring this up later. Maybe if it happened again, she'd say something.

Root sighed and reached over her head for the doorknob. She hauled herself to her feet and crossed the small bathroom to Sameen.

"Come on," she sighed, reaching down to slid her hands under Sameen's arms and lift her to her feet, stumbling slightly. "Let's go home."

"I don't feel good," Sameen grumbled, letting Root lead her out of the bathroom. "Let's go home."

Root chuckled and pulled her closer.