Work Text:
It's the 31st of October and Ariel and Alice are standing outside in the freezing cold as Nicole, Waverly, and Wynonna take picture after picture of them.
“Give Ariel a big hug, Al. No... actually, stand next to her and point the Sonic toward her.” Alice gives her mom a look and adjusts the chin length blonde wig that sits on top of her head, and points the toy at her cousin. She pulls on her yellow suspenders and tucks the light blue shirt into her high waisted pants.
Alice and Ariel know the truth.
It’s a real sonic screwdriver and can do magic.
Ariel rubs the itchy white paint on her face and moves closer to her cousin.
“ Baby,” CoCo says with a tiny frown on her face, “ The makeup.”
The girls are dressed to the nines for the Halloween party at school this morning. Alice is the Doctor, and Ariel her TARDIS.
Nicole and Waverly had worked hard last night to decorate the walker in dark blue streamers. On the back of the walker sits a 3D cardboard TARDIS they’d painstakingly created together. Ariel looks adorable in her blue wig, TARDIS lamp headband, and blue tutu dress.
Their little girl can never be too prepared for her first Halloween.
“This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life .” Nicole can’t stop taking pictures. She thinks it’s physically impossible for her to close her camera app.
“We did good, baby.” Waverly nestles herself into Nicole’s embrace and rests her head on her shoulder.
Nicole puts her phone in her pocket and wraps Waverly in her arms. “She looks so excited , Wav. Her first real Halloween school party.”
“Wait until we go Trick-or-Treating later. She’ll be mind blown.”
Waverly thinks for a moment, and her face changes from a smile to a grimace.
“She’ll have a sugar high. That won’t be good.”
Wynonna chimes in and points a finger at Nicole and Waverly condescendingly. “Sugar high means no sleep and no sugar for CoCo or Wavy .”
Waverly gives her sister a pointed look and adjusts her earmuffs.
“ Gross, Wynonna. You should be thanking us. You should be singing our praises. ”
“Me? Praise Haught? Never. I don’t even like Nicole.”
“Hey! You do too. You eat breakfast with her every day, My Nonna. You can’t dislike someone you eat breakfast with every day.” Alice puts an arm around her cousin as Ariel bops her head up and down.
“Auntie No No’s mad because CoCo’s her boss .”
Wynonna shakes her head and adjusts her niece’s wig before placing a kiss on her cheek and walking over to Nicole. “Your kid delivers one sick burn, Haught-Sauce. And why should I be singing your praises?”
“We shut down the Peppa Pig costume idea before it could happen.”
Wynonna shudders and places a hand on her tiny yet protruding baby bump.
“Like the family costumes for tonight are any better.”
“Hey!” Waverly retorts. “You agreed to be Ursula.” Her sister shakes her head and whispers.
“I hate Halloween. We’ve battled demons and devils and been to Heaven and back, so don’t you think it’s time we deserve a break from all things supernatural?”
Waverly puts a mittened hand into her sister’s.
“We do. But this is supposed to be fun, and it will be. I promise.”
“I’m scared she’ll start asking questions soon.” Wynonna tilts her head in Alice’s direction.
“And I don’t want to be dishonest. But...the other day she asked me how I felt when she was in my tummy...and…. what was I supposed to say? I was petrified? I lied to her, Wav.”
Waverly strokes Wynonna’s cheek.
“You didn’t lie, Wynonna. You wanted her in your heart.”
“What about when I have to tell her about the curse ? She knows that I fought bad guys to keep her safe but….she’s going to ask and I’m going to be clueless.”
“And….when she asks the biggie questions, we’ll all be there to help you with the answers. Me, Nicole, Doc… ”
Wynonna rolls her eyes and presses a kiss to her sister’s head.
“You can’t bring up Doc to make me all mushy like you do when I talk about Nicole. I don’t mush, Waverly.”
Waverly purses her lips. “Sure. Like you aren’t the person who can convince him to dress up tonight.”
“C’mon. He’s doing it for Alice’s sake.” Wynonna says.
“I’ve never seen a cowboy crab before,” Nicole winks and Wynonna uses a certain finger to scratch her chin.
Waverly sighs. “Maybe we should have gone with the Peppa Pig theme.”
Ariel sits next to Alice and squirms in her seat as they paint a tiny pumpkin together with two other girls at their table.
“ Stop shaking the paintbrush, Ariel. You’re gonna mess up the design!” A girl named Katie dressed up as Alice in Wonderland lets out an exasperated sigh.
Ariel glares at Katie and continues to rub her brush against the pumpkin.
“Seriously, Ariel? It doesn’t even look like an angel anymore, thanks to you.”
“Me and Ariel are painting Peppa, Katie.” Alice folds her arms over her chest.
“Ariel ruins everything,” Katie says, with a frown on her face.
“Stop being mean to her, Katie. She’s doing a good job.” Alice raises an eyebrow and puts her hand over Ariel’s to help her paint.
Ariel relaxes at her cousin’s touch.
Katie narrows her eyes and whispers in Alice’s ear. “My mom says that Ariel should be in a different class because she’s so slow. ”
Alice gives Katie a toothy grin as she points at Wynonna, who has just walked in the door with Waverly.
“My mom is coming. You don’t want me to have to talk to her, right? She used to fight bad guys. She’s kind of a big deal.”
Katie is shellshocked and shuts up. Alice adjusts Ariel’s glasses and pushes red curls out of her cousin's face.
“There, Ariel, now you can see.”
Ariel smiles at her cousin and signs, “Thanks, Al.”
Alice flies into Wynonna’s arms as she approaches their table.
“Hey kid, whatcha making?”
She touches Wynonna’s tiny bump to say hi to her baby brother or sister.
“Peppa Pig pumpkin, Mommy. I think the baby will love Peppa too!”
Wynonna rolls her eyes and clasps her daughter’s hand over her stomach.
“Don’t listen to your sister or cousin for that matter.” Wynonna looks over her sister who has scooped Ariel up in her arms.
“I think something happened,” Waverly whispers into her sister’s ear as Ariel nuzzles her face into her chest. She carries her over to a corner of the classroom.
“What happened, baby? Did someone say something about your costume?”
Ariel shakes her head and pouts.
“I wanna go home, please.”
“Tell me what happened, does Auntie Wynonna have to punch someone?”
Ariel lets out a tiny smile. “No. But I don’t want to sit by Katie anymore.”
Waverly nods. “Katie said something...what did she say?”
Ariel touches her forehead to her Mama’s.
“Katie says I ruin everything so I might be bad at Trick-or-Treating later, too.”
Waverly feels her heart snap in two.
“Katie doesn’t know what she’s talking about, baby. You won’t be bad at trick-or-treating. You’ve got me, and Mommy, and Auntie Nonna and Uncle Doc. Oh, and Alice. Alice knows you’re awesome.”
“But I don’t know how to trick-or-treat, Mama.”
Waverly presses a kiss to Ariel’s cheek.
“We’ll show you, sweetheart. And I’ll talk to Mrs. Lovejoy about getting your seat moved, okay? I’ll talk to Mommy.”
Ariel nods.
“CoCo always knows what to say.”
It’s not that Wynonna hates the other class Moms but she hates the other class Moms.
She hates that they’re whispering and trashing on Waverly’s Halloween craft for being too simple.
The kids are five, she thinks. What do these Moms want them to paint, the Mona Lisa?
Wynonna sighs as she mans the hot glue gun station. She thinks the craft her sister came up with is excellent.
Waverly scurries around the room in her plastic angel halo and helps the children assemble their recyclable, eco-friendly pumpkins.
Wynonna cocks the hot glue gun at her sister.
“Hey baby girl, how’s Halloween treating you?”
Waverly glares at the group of moms in the corner of the classroom and frees her sister from hot glue duties.
“Totally bats,” she whispers. “Some kid hurt Ariel’s feelings and...those bitches don’t like my craft.” Wynonna can see the hurt in her little sister’s eyes.
“They don’t deserve to make your craft, Waves. Plus...here….make sure to screw up their hot glue.”
Waverly giggles and points the glue gun at her sister.
“Go check on the girls. I’m sure Ariel’s sad that Nicole had to work.”
Wynonna nods and looks down at her feet.
“ Don’t tell Nicole I said this, but that was really nice of her to let me have off so I could come.”
Waverly tilts her head to the side and gives her sister a tiny smile.
“I wouldn’t.”
Wynonna returns the smile.
“You picked a good one, Baby Girl. Who said something to Ariel? I’ll kick their-”
Waverly shakes her head and whispers.
“Katie. I’ll have to talk to Nicole later. I’m livid. ”
“I’ll go screw up her pumpkin on purpose.” Wynonna chuckles and kisses her sister’s forehead. “Remember Waves, only thirty more minutes of this shit . Why do we volunteer?”
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
“Then our real Halloween fun can begin.”
A few hours later, Waverly pulls on her long, red wig as Nicole buttons up her white blouse.
“I’m going to be chilly in this dress. It’s freezing out there.”
Nicole slinks her arms around Waverly’s waist and presses a kiss below her earlobe.
“I’ll keep you warm.”
“Thanks, Prince Eric,” Waverly smirks at Nicole and captures her lips in a kiss.
“Mmm...you’re welcome, Ari- nope. I can’t call you by our daughter’s name while you’re being sexy. That’s weird. You’re gorgeous, Waverly.”
Waverly runs her index finger down Nicole’s cheek.
“You’re beautiful, too. I mean, handsome. You make the real Prince Eric look like Champ .”
Nicole sticks out her tongue and licks her lips. “My girl as a redhead like me. I like that.”
Waverly gives a little twirl, and her blue dress fans out around her.
“C’mon, Prince Eric, we have to dress up our Melody.”
Nicole gently peppers kisses on Waverly’s cheeks and lips.
“Five more minutes? Please.”
Waverly pokes Nicole’s dimple and unbuttons the top of her girlfriend’s blouse.
“We’ll have all the time in the world once the kids pass out from sugar highs.”
Nicole lets out a defeated sigh and rests her chin on Waverly’s shoulder.
“Ariel’s going to sleep good tonight.”
In the other room, Wynonna can’t stop giggling at Doc, who has dressed appropriately for his role as Sebastian in a red t-shirt, painted on jeans, and to top it off, a red crab hat.
“Now...am I to presume that everyone will know who I am dressed up as, Alice?”
Alice looks up at her father.
“ Sure , Daddy. Just make sure to stay close to me so that everyone knows that you’re Sebastian and I’m Flounder.”
Doc picks up his daughter and twirls her around. Alice is dressed in a yellow leotard with blue stripes on the front. Her blue and yellow tutu and yellow tights complete the outfit.
“You are the mighty cutest guppy I have seen,” he says.
“Flounder’s not a guppy, Daddy.” Ariel crosses her arms and blows a raspberry at her father as he starts to tickle her.
“You guys look awesome. Smile for me, okay?” Wynonna clicks her phone camera dozens of times as she stares down at the ring on her finger.
“My Nonna...you look just like Ursula.” Alice looks up at her mother with adoration, taking in the purple dress that her Aunt Waverly had painstakingly sewn tentacles onto.
Wynonna grins as she looks down at the costume Waverly insisted she wear. It’s fabulous.
“Thanks, Alice. Remember we have to walk slow and wait for Ariel, okay?”
Alice nods and presses her face into Bump. “If she gets tired of walking, I can hold her hand.”
“Wavy, you look… wow.”
Ariel’s mouth makes a small “O” as Waverly enters her bedroom.
“I’m you , well...Ariel...and...CoCo’s Prince Eric, and... are you ready to turn into our baby girl?” Nicole appears behind Waverly and slinks her arms around her waist.
“How can I be Melody?” Ariel asks.
“What do you mean, baby? You can be whoever you want, it’s Halloween.” Waverly strokes her daughter's cheek, and she and Nicole sit on either side of Ariel on the tiny bed.
“You guys look cool. I won’t look like Melody because Melody doesn’t have a stupid walker like me.” Ariel hangs her head.
“Ariel...do I look like a boy to you? Prince Eric is a boy-man and I dressed up like him.” Nicole cradles Ariel’s head in her lap.
“See, Ariel? CoCo dressed up like someone she’s not, and I did too. I’m not a mermaid...but it's just pretending. So who cares if Melody has a walker...or red hair...or anything. As long as you’re having fun, sweetheart.”
“Might be slow.” Ariel sits up and leans against Waverly.
“We can go as slow as you like, Princess. We’re in no rush. I can carry you if you get tired. Your walker isn’t stupid, Ariel. It’s part of who you are for right now, but it doesn’t define you, okay? You can be anything you want to be, I promise. You know why?”
Ariel shakes her head softly.
“Because,” Nicole says, putting an arm around Waverly.
“You’re going to be our little girl for real on paper one day. You’ve got Waverly and me on your team. You can always tell us anything, and we’ll do our best to make you feel better. Is that a deal?”
Ariel nods and a funny look emerges on her face.
“I wear my Peppa dress up costume instead? The Melody dress is itchy.”
Waverly tries not to think of all the hours she spent sewing the tiny pink dress.
Screw it , she thinks.
She’s so in love with the little girl, she’d do anything in the whole wide world just to see her smile.
They go out into the streets of Purgatory that night and acquire more than their fair share of candy.
There’s a crab (who eventually ditches the hat for his typical Stetson).
Ariel and Eric walk into Shorty’s with a tired looking Peppa Pig in their arms.
There’s a not-so-terrifying-but-still badass purple sea witch, and her new recruit, a Flounder fish who is not a guppy, thank you very much.
There’s no punchline to the old bar joke because it’s peaceful as they sit atop the bar, picking through the girls’ candy.
“I want to be your Melody,” Ariel says, chewing an M & M.
“You’ll always be our baby, Ariel. Even when you’re dressed as Peppa.” Waverly strokes Arie’s cheek.
“Even when I’m sixteen ?” Ariel asks.
“You might not love Peppa anymore when you’re sixteen, Ariel.” Nicole tickles her little girl’s stomach.
“When I’m thirty?” Ariel pops an M & M into her Wavy’s mouth.
“Don’t make yourself thirty, you’ll be as old as us. We might have gray hair and wrinkles by then.”
“Thirty’s not old, Wavy.” Ariel smiles up at her Mama.
“I feel old .” Nicole scoops Ariel into her arms.
“I’m the oldest,” Ariel says, holding up five fingers.
“No matter how old you are, your CoCo and I will still think of you as our best little girl.”
“Hey!” Alice exclaims, “I’m right here!”
And then there’s Ariel. She goes as Peppa Pig, but in her heart, she’s dressed up like an Earp. If Waverly really says she can dress up as anything, she wants to pretend she’s their real daughter tonight.
She hopes her Halloween wish comes true.