Gabriel - Trick or Treat (Patreon)

“He’s not coming.”

I looked at my daughter out of the corner of my eye, the blond wisp of her hair curling across her grey eyes as she stared into the dark alley.

“He’ll be here,” I assured.

“He probably had to go stab someone,” my son said. “Daddy’s good at stabbing people.”

I sighed. “Your father is not stabbing someone. This is just one of his busiest nights of the year. He probably had to stop and talk to someone.” And most likely stab someone. Halloween wasn’t exactly a calm night. But Gabriel had promised the kids that he would come trick or treating with them.  And to make sure that he was actually going to do that, we were waiting for him on his patrol route, ready to ambush him.

“Should have had the grandads take us,” my son muttered bitterly. “At least they would have stolen most of the candy by now.”

“Brother,” our little girl said. “Don’t speak such blasphemy. The Knowing is always listening.”

“Okay,” I said a little louder than necessary. “Let’s not get into the discussion about the grandads, the Knowing, or stabbings right now. We are supposed to be having fun.”

Both kids looked at me with equal pouts on their lips, arms crossed in front of them sullenly.  I silently prayed for Gabriel to hurry the fuck up and get here.

Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long. I could hear the clang of his sword against his hip before I even saw him and both children’s faces lit up as they hid in the shadows. I kept to the darker portion, waiting for Gabriel to walk fully down the street. He came around the corner in full Warden regalia, a stern look on his face as he kept a vigilant watch on the alley at hand. He caught my eye almost immediately and I put a finger to my lips.  Giving me a barely there nod, he made sure not to falter in his patrol.

The shrieks that pierced the alley were ear-splitting as the children jumped from the shadows and on to him. He made a good show of grabbing for his sword but in the end, fell dramatically backwards onto the wall as the kids climbed all over him.

“Daddy!” they shrieked. “We got you! We got you!”

I had been with Gabriel long enough to see the barely there twitch of his lips. “You did,” he said solemnly, holding the twin, one in each arm and settling them on their feet.

“You promised to take us trick or treating,” our daughter said.

“It’s Halloween,” our son added. “Did you forget?”

“I did not. I was on my way to you,” he told them. I could see the strain on his face. It was clear that the night had already been a taxing one. But when it came to the children, Gabriel caved each and every time.

“Our house is that way,” they both said, pointing in several different directions.

I took this as my cue to step out of the shadows. “Are you done with your patrol?” I silently willed him to say yes. Mainly because the kids had been jumping up and down all day in anticipation to go trick or treating and I was pretty sure we were going to have a full scale mutiny on our hands if we didn’t take them now.

“I can patrol while we are out,” he told me. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear but I would take what I would get. Given the dull shade of his blade, I knew he had already had to use it a few times tonight.

“You have to wear a costume, daddy,” our daughter said.

“Yes, we brought one for you,” our son chimed in.

I smiled, feeling a bit of payback for him being late coming home. Stepping forward, I pulled a pirate hat from my bag, along with a plastic hook hand and a stuffed animal parrot. He stared at me, waiting for the punchline of the joke.

“The kids picked it out,” I said sweetly.  I could see the way his teeth ground together. We both knew there was no way he was going to be able to refuse it if that was the case.

“It’s what I always wanted to be,” he said smoothly. The kids cheered in triumph, dancing in a circle. Meanwhile, I stepped forward, reaching out to place the hat on his head.

“Is this really necessary,” he whispered.

“It is,” I said. “Because you were supposed to be here two hours ago. So payback is a bitch.” Linking my arms within his, I kept my laughter at bay. Gabriel looked miserable. A miserable pirate with his happy colorful little parrot.

“Let’s go!” the kids shouted. They began running down the street and I could feel Gabriel tense beside me.

“Slow down,” he yelled. “Don’t you get too far ahead. And remember we do not take candy from strangers!”

I looked at him curiously. “It’s Halloween. That’s the entire point.”

“It’s a dangerous holiday for so many reasons. I do not see why we find this acceptable.”

“You’re one of those people who believe there are razors in the apples, huh? Or drugs in the chocolate.”

“You should never be too vigilant,” he told me, his footsteps picking up as he tried to catch up to our kids. Bursting into the main square of the market, we were surrounded by pumpkin lights, decorative bats, and witches that had decided to really lean into the stereotype.

“They’re happy,” I told him, leaning my head against his shoulder.

“They are going to have entirely too much sugar. One piece tonight and no more. We will be giving the rest away. There is no need for this much chocolate in the house.”

“Gabriel,” I laughed, “breathe. They are having fun. They are not going to be hurt. Just enjoy them. They’re only this young once.”

It took him a moment, but he sagged his shoulders a bit. As we watched the kids run around the square, collecting candy and hollering just for the hell of it, even he couldn’t help but smile.

“Why a pirate?” he asked, after a long moment.

I snorted in laughter. “Because you are the pillager of the market.”

He looked at me in shock. “The children did not say that.”

“No,” I grinned. “I did.”  I kissed him, wiping the incredulous look from his face. I felt him lean into it, the entire time, his eyes still on the children. “Happy Halloween, Gabriel,” I whispered.

He sighed against me.  “I do not condone this holiday,” he said seriously. “But, perhaps later tonight, after the kids are in bed and I am home from patrol, we could partake in an evening of pillaging?”

I laughed long and loud, the words sounded almost nervous from his lips. “I’d like that,” I told him. “Very much so.”

Together, we watched our kids race around the market, switching their costumes so they could get double the candy, and only once did Gabriel arrest anyone.