Happy Halloween! I know it's a little late, but here is my seasonal offering, just a plotless little short story about a happy Halloween with the happy little Mulder Family : )

Dana Scully sat at the kitchen table, a tray of fresh candy apples hardening next to her, painting her two-and-a-half-year-old son William's face gold around the brown mane of his Simba costume. "Alright William, hold still for just one more minute." She told him, trying to get the paint even. The little boy leaned forward and 'roared' at her enthusiastically in response, and she couldn't help smiling at him. "Yes William, lions go 'RAWWWWRRRR'."

Dana's nearly ten-year-old daughter Emily was rushing around upstairs, hurrying to get ready before her friends got there. It was the first time she was allowed to go trick-or-treating on her own, and not with her parents and baby brother. Needless to say, she was beyond excited. "Mom! Where's the spray for my hair?" she yelled down the stairs for the third time, impatience dripping in her voice.

"Hang on, Em!" Dana called up to her. "I'll help you find it in a minute." She finished smoothing out William's face paint and set the little lion free to run around roaring at their dog. "Be nice to Toby, William." She admonished as she headed upstairs where her daughter was busy tearing out the cabinets and drawers in the bathroom trying to find the colored hair spray. Seeing the mess she sighed to herself and thought "WHERE is Mulder?"

"Emmy! Look at the mess you're making!" Dana cried, looking around at the disaster zone that used to be her bathroom. "It's not even in the bathroom, Honey, it's in the hall closet I think."

Emily jumped up and ran up the hall and began scaling the shelves without a word about the bathroom, and Dana just shook her head and thought to herself "kids". Though her little girl was growing up, she still only came up to about Dana's chin, and Dana still felt tall as she stood on her tip toes to pull the blue and pink sprays down.

"Mommm, hurry up!" Emily whined, dancing from foot to foot. "Annie, Gretchen, and Theresa'll be here in like 20 minutes!"

Dana smiled at her daughter's childish impatience, remembering her own days of trick-or-treating when she was a kid. Her brother Bill had always gone off with his own friends for the most part, but she, Charlie, and Melissa had trick-or-treated together for years. Dana felt a familiar wave of regret that Emily and William weren't closer in age. On the upside, they never fought like siblings closer in age would. Emmy adored her baby brother and loved showing him off to her friends. But at the same time, they wouldn't grow up close in the way Dana, Missy, and Charlie had.

"You'll be ready Emmy, you're already dressed, you just need your hair sprayed and teased up and your make-up." Dana told the anxious little girl, looking her outfit over. They'd spent the last month making it together, buying ordinary clothes and glitzing them up with glitter and bedazzling them with costume jewelry until they turned into the impressive 80's Rock Star costume Emily was wearing now. "Come on Sweetheart, let's go back in the bathroom, I'll have you ready in 10 minutes. "

Dana studied her daughter's reflection in the bathroom mirror as she turned most of her hair purple, blue, and pink and teased it into a classic 80's poof style, not an easy feat with Emily's flat board-straight hair. It amazed Dana how quickly Emily was growing up. She was on the tall side for her age now, and thin, but still with a round face and somewhat plump little-girl cheeks. After a heavy layer of gaudy eye-shadow and lipstick, Dana could almost see the teenager Emily would become in a few years hiding behind the child standing before her. It made her feel sad, and somewhat old.

"All done Emmy, take a look," Dana said, and her daughter eagerly scrutinized her handiwork in the mirror. Watching her, Dana decided there was no greater critic than one's young child. After what seemed like an eternity, Emily nodded in apparent satisfaction. "It looks good, thanks Mom."

"You are very welcome, my Dear," Dana said and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go find your brother, and hopefully your Dad will get home to see you before your friends get here. I'll take care of this mess later." Dana gestured around the bathroom.

Emily smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Mom. I'll help you clean it up when I get home," she promised.

Dana laughed at her. " Don't worry about it Em, but thank you for the offer."

Emily bounded downstairs ahead of her Mother. "Willy! Willy, come look at my costume!" she called, looking for her little brother. Emily was the only one who could get away with calling William 'Willy'.

William rushed out from the living room roaring in his best lion voice, shaking his head from side to side to make his mane wave, tail dragging the floor behind him. His costume was a bit big on him, he was still on the tinier side for his age, but he seemed to be getting around in it just fine. Felt claws poked out from his gloved hands and his sneaker covers. "Rawr, Emmy-Sissy, RAWR!" he cried, than giggled. 'Emmy-Sissy' was what William tended to call Emily, along with plain old Emmy, plain old Sissy, and 'Sisser', William's toddling attempt at saying 'sister'.

Emily feigned fear. "Woah Willy, what a scary lion you are!" she said, hiding her face behind her hands, pleasing her brother and making him giggle more. "That's a great costume, Little Brother."

A knock on the door sent Emily scurrying. "I want to get it!" she yelled to her mother, grabbing the bowl of candy, William fast on her trail. Emily threw the door open. "Happy Hallo-! Daddy!" she squealed in delight.

"Hey Princess, Happy Halloween!" Mulder said stooping down to give his daughter a kiss and pick his son up. "Hey Champ, ready to go get some candy?"

"Cany Cany!" William shrieked in delight. Dana leaned around him and gave her husband a kiss. "I was hoping you'd get home in time to see Emmy before she went out."

"Of course! I wouldn't miss seeing Em off on her first big unchaperoned trick-or-treating event," Mulder answered. "And this little guy here doesn't seem like he could wait much longer to go out either!" Mulder tickled William and the baby responded with hearty laughter. "What are you for Halloween, William?" he asked his son.

"I'm a YION, Da-Dee!" William declared, and promptly roared as loud as he could in his Father's ear.

"You're a LION?" Mulder answered. "Wow, that's a pretty cool costume, huh Buddy? What about your sister, what's she being for Halloween?" Mulder asked, shifting William around and pointing at Emily. "Is Emmy a rock star?"

William nodded enthusiastically. "Emmy WOCK SAR!" he yelled, pumping one tiny chubby fist in the air in unison with his sister. Mulder felt a burst of nostalgia sweep through him as he remembered trick-or-treating with his sister Samantha many years before.

"How does my costume look, Daddy?" Emily asked her Father, giving him a 360 twirl. "It looks awesome Honey, you and Mommy did a great job with it. You're the most beautiful rock star I've ever seen." Mulder told his daughter. "Why don't you and William let Mommy get a picture before you head out?"

Emily and William took the annual Halloween Picture in Front of the Fire Place, and then Emily's best friends were there and they were off for a fun night of trick-or-treating without adult supervision. Mulder, Scully, and William watched them head off down the street. "Be safe girls!" Mulder called after them.

"Be home no later than nine, Emmy!" Scully added.

Mulder and Scully got off easy for probably the last year. William ran out of steam in less than an hour, covering a scarce few blocks. He was asleep before they got home. Mulder and Scully watched the clock anxiously as the time ticked closer and closer to nine. Scully found herself pacing between the front window, the kitchen, and the livingroom. Emily showed up with five minutes to spare.

"Did you have fun with your friends, Sweetie?" Dana asked her daughter as Emily spread her bounty out over the floor.

"Yeah, it was fun." Emily answered, offering her Mother a marshmallow pumpkin. "I missed going around with Willy though. Here Daddy, have a Reese's."

Emmy ate a couple pieces of candy and sat in the living room watching TV with her parents for a bit before they sent her to wash up. Then there were hugs and kisses, I love yous and goodnights.

With both kids tucked into bed, Mulder and Scully snuggled together on the couch, fireplace blazing, counting down until October was done and November begun. Mulder took a big bite out of one of the candied apples. "You know, these have always been the essence of Halloween to me. Candy apples."

Dana just laughed and kissed him.

The End

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