Chapter Text
It was a pleasant autumn afternoon, the soft crackling of the fire in the fireplace filled the room with a cozy warmth, and outside, the October wind blew the dry leaves down the streets.
Kate was sitting in the living room of her home, surrounded by a variety of baby costumes she had spent days searching for. It would be her son's first Halloween, and she wanted it to be special.
In her hands was one particularly adorable costume, a little pumpkin outfit in a vibrant orange that contrasted with the delicacy of its design. A smile filled with tenderness crept across her lips as she imagined her son, Edmund, her little Neddy who was almost three months old, dressed in it.
"It will fit him perfectly," Kate thought, unable to contain her joy. It would be their first Halloween as parents, and although Neddy was too young to remember any of these celebrations, Kate wanted it to be special, not just for him, but for them as a family.
As she held the adorable pumpkin costume, Kate recalled how she had dreamed of this moment ever since she found out she was pregnant. Her mind filled with images of her own childhood, when Mary and her father would always do something special for her and Edwina on Halloween. Every year, they would dress up together and go around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. These were moments she treasured, and now, as a mother, the thought of creating those same memories with Neddy filled her with excitement.
The sound of footsteps pulled her from her thoughts, and when she looked up, she saw her beloved husband Anthony entering the room, glancing over the scattered costumes on the sofa. There were little vampire, ghost, monster costumes, and of course, the pumpkin outfit Kate was holding so fondly.
"What’s all this?" Anthony asked, crossing his arms, his tone slightly playful as he raised an eyebrow and looked directly at the pumpkin costume.
"They're costumes for Neddy!" she replied enthusiastically, lifting the pumpkin outfit with pride. "Look at this, Anthony. Don’t you think it’s adorable? It's going to be his first Halloween; I want us to remember it with beautiful photos."
Anthony, always more practical and realistic, flopped onto the sofa beside her. He raised a hand to take the costume and looked at it in confusion.
"Kate, he’s only three months old," he said, his tone showing a mix of tenderness and skepticism. "He’s not going to remember any of this. Do you really want to dress our son as... a pumpkin?" He leaned forward a bit, inspecting the shiny costume more closely.
Kate gave him a gentle elbow, laughing softly.
"Yes!" she responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It’s his first Halloween, and maybe he won’t remember it, but we will. It’s for us too, to have memories. Just imagine the photos; he’ll look so cute you won’t be able to resist taking a thousand pictures."
As Anthony held the pumpkin costume, a flash of nostalgia crossed his face.
“I remember when my mom first dressed me up as a superhero,” he said, laughing softly. “I had a cape that dragged along the ground, and I felt invincible. But I also spent the night crying because I couldn’t fly.”
Kate looked at him curiously.
“Did you cry because you couldn’t fly?”
He shrugged, with a playful smile. “I’ve always been a little… controlling, you know,” Anthony replied in justification with a half-smile that betrayed his self-awareness.
Kate laughed softly, imagining Anthony as a child, with his cape dragging and his small face scrunched up.
“That’s adorable! I can’t believe they let you go like that.”
Anthony nodded, his gaze lost in memory.
“The truth is, my mom has always been a big fan of costumes. She always made every Halloween special, even if my superhero adventures were a little less exciting than I had imagined,” she muttered with mock resignation.
“Okay, I understand that it can be a traumatic memory,” Kate joked. “But you know Neddy would look so cute in costume too, and it would be a beautiful memory for us.” Kate added, returning to the original conversation, still trying to convince Anthony.
"He’s already cute," Anthony smiled sideways, a grin Kate knew well. He knew her wife was excited, but he had always been more reserved about these things. "For us or to show off as the coolest parents in the neighborhood?" he joked, leaning closer to Kate to look at the rest of the costumes she had chosen.
"We already are," Kate made a playful grimace and shot him a conspiratorial look. "But seriously, it’s not just for that, Anthony. It’s a tradition. Don’t you want pictures of our baby looking adorable on his first Halloween? Besides, I know that even if you pretend to be tough, you can’t wait to see Neddy in this pumpkin outfit."
Anthony let out a sigh, taking the little pumpkin costume in his hands again.
"I’m not saying it isn’t adorable," he admitted, finally setting aside his resistance. "But I don’t think he needs a costume to be that way." He ran his fingers over the soft fabric of the costume. "Plus, it looks uncomfortable."
"It’s soft and comfy, I assure you," Kate insisted, her voice filled with determination and conviction. "And if you don’t like the pumpkin, we also have this," she pulled out a tiny black and red vampire outfit with a cape. "He would be a perfect little vampire!"
Anthony couldn’t help but smile at his wife’s enthusiasm. He loved that energy she brought to every little moment, even when he didn’t fully understand why. Seeing her so excited was contagious.
"A vampire, huh?" he said, lifting the outfit and moving it back and forth. "Well, I can’t deny that would be adorable. But couldn’t we just put him in a Halloween-themed pajamas? Something simpler, without all the fuss."
Kate looked at him with narrowed eyes, pretending to be serious while unable to hide the laughter bubbling up.
"Anthony Bridgerton," Kate said, looking into his eyes with determination, "you’re acting like a party pooper. It’s his first Halloween. I promise it won’t be uncomfortable; I just want some cute pictures, and then he can go back to his little pajamas."
Anthony sighed again, but this time his smile was broader, more sincere. He knew he had already lost the battle, and the truth was he didn’t care. All he wanted was to see Kate happy and enjoy that moment together, even if it meant their baby was dressed up as a ridiculous pumpkin.
"Okay, okay," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "If it makes you happy, we’ll dress him as... a pumpkin. But under one condition."
Kate looked at him curiously.
"What condition?"
Anthony wore a mischievous smile, as if he was about to deliver one of his most important demands.
"That I get to choose the costume for next Halloween," Kate looked at him amused. "And I assure you that next year’s won’t be as ridiculous; the pumpkin is fine... for now, but nothing more extravagant than that."
Kate let out a laugh so loud that even Neddy, who was sleeping in his nearby crib, stirred slightly. She leaned toward Anthony and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
"Deal," she said, extending her hand to seal the agreement.
Anthony took her hand, pretending to be serious for a moment before pulling her closer and kissing her on the forehead.
"You’re impossible," he whispered tenderly, stroking her hair.
"And you’re an overprotective dad," Kate joked while glancing at the costume again with a smile. "But together we’ll give Neddy his first unforgettable Halloween; we’re the perfect team for that... and for everything else."
Anthony couldn’t agree more.