Fictober #14: Delayed Halloween Treats
She couldn’t get away, not in time to take the kids trick-or-treating. After a call to her husband, feeling guilty and even though he’d assured her that it wasn’t her fault there was an incident at the Precinct she couldn’t walk away from, she felt like she was letting her kids down.
He called back thirty minutes later and asked if she could at least come down to the lobby for a few minutes.
And when she made it down her babies were charming the desk sergeant out of candy and charming everyone entering and leaving the 12th.
“Mommy!” Reece shouted when he saw her. “Trick-or-treat.”
Castle looked at her with a smile and she felt a little lighter. “Rough day?” He asked as she came over to kiss him.
“You could say that,” she murmured. “Thanks for bringing them.”
She turned to her kids, dropping to her knees to fuss over them. “Look at you three. You look amazing!”
Jake was dressed as a Ghostbuster, Reece as Stay Puft and Lily was dressed as a ghost. The three of them rarely agreed on much these days, Lily often not wanting to cater to her four year old brothers but the three of them really loved the Ghostbuster movies and had begged their parents to let that be the costume theme this year. She had a suit at home waiting for her and she smiled at Castle in his ghost costume.
“I’m so sorry babies,” she told them. “Listen. I’ve got to stay at work for a little longer. I want nothing more than to go with you and Daddy tonight but I can’t leave work because something important is happening.”
Three heads looked at her, she could see the sadness in them. It tore at her heart.
“Remember what I said,” Castle prompted.
“We know Mommy,” Reece told her. “Daddy says we can play Busters.”
“And we’ll have a second Halloween,” Lily continued. “Alexis is gonna come too. We can watch movies”
“And get more candy,” Jake grinned.
Kate smiled. “I love you,” She told them. “Come on. Let’s get you some candy. You’ve earned it being so understanding and looking so good in your costumes. Stay here and I’ll be right back.”
Kate disappeared off to the vending machines, grabbing what she could find that her kids would enjoy and when she went back to the lobby she found them once again charming the people around them, two of which were their Uncles.
“Mommy, Uncle Kevin and Uncle Javi gave us chocolate,” Reece cheered.
“Did you thank them?” She asked and watched the boys with her kids.
“I’m missing Sarah-Grace and Nick but text Jenny,” Ryan told Castle. “Maybe you can meet up. She’s stopping by with the kids at some point.”
Kate dished out the candy she’d gotten between the bags her kids had and dolled out kisses too. “Be good for your Dad and I will be home as soon as I can, I promise. And we will run around all weekend in our costumes.”
“Be careful,” Castle told her.
“You too,” Kate told him as she kissed him goodbye. “Send me photos and I’ll give you a trick-or-treat when I get home later.”
“I thought Halloween was for kids?” Jake asked, peering up at her and she suddenly felt heat in her face as she saw Ryan and Espo trying desperately to keep their composure.
“Daddy is the biggest kid I know,” Kate covered, sending them on their way so she could get back upstairs and ending this emergency so she could get back home to them.
Sighing, she let herself into the Loft, later than she had hoped. The kids would be long in bed. Castle might even be asleep himself. She can’t believe she had missed the whole of Halloween.
Except when the door swung open, her kids were running around the Loft still dressed in their costumes and playing Ghostbusters and her husband was asleep on the sofa. She could see the empty candy wrappers all around, her kids clearly on a sugar-rush induced tear.
So much for his treat. She was gonna kill him.
Prompt: "i thought halloween was just for kids?"
