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There’s always been a special sort of energy that lingers about Halloween night. It goes beyond the decorations and deeper than the bedsheet ghosts and costume makeup; it’s a little hint of magick that permeates the very air breathed into the lungs, and that paints the evening in shades of excitement. An evolution from the arcane fear traditionally associated with the thirty-first of October, and one that Mary latches onto without hesitation.
Halloween has always been a special night in her family, albeit for different reasons than most, but things have changed since she’s settled down with John. They’ve slowly started to amass their own collection of decorations, little pumpkin lights and candles and window-stickers to celebrate with the rest of the neighbourhood. John brought home a pumpkin-carving kit four years ago and if they keep improving, then maybe eventually they’ll manage to make one that looks like it’s got a proper face. They buy candy for the kids who come knocking on their door, and they’ve even got a few costume piece odds and ends tucked away for when they answer the door.
When Mary has Dean, six years after leaving hunting behind, they settle deeper into the routine and go out trick-or-treating every year. He’s a happy kid, especially when he comes home with a pillowcase full of candy, and Mary’s more than happy to indulge him, getting him all dressed up and ready to go and making sure they have the best Halloweens possible.
Little Sammy comes along soon enough, and when it’s time for his very first Halloween, barely six months old and still newborn-born in Mary’s arms, it feels even more special than before.
Dean’s all but bouncing off the walls by the time Mary manages to get both boys ready, and it’s a battle to get him sitting still with his little brother long enough to take a couple pictures. Dean’s suited up in a full-fledged Batman costume, complete with mask, cape, and utility belt, and Sammy, cuddled up in his lap, is wearing Dean’s first Halloween costume; a puffy little pumpkin outfit and its matching hat, rosy-cheeked and, thought he doesn’t seem to understand what all the commotion is about, he’s apparently decided that cuddling with his big brother is worth all the fuss.
“S’it time to go?” Dean demands once Mary’s snapped a few pictures, and she can’t hide her grin as he bounces a little in place, hugging Sammy through it all. “We gotta go!”
“Alright, kiddo, hold your horses.” John comes down the stairs fully dressed up, hair slicked back and cheesy plastic fangs in place to match the shiny black cape and white dress shirt he’s got on. Far from any vampire Mary’s ever met, but she’s happy for it, and when he comes in close to give her a kiss, she grins into it, laughing at the feeling of the fake teeth nudging her lip. He’s grinning, too, when he pulls back, and gives her a playful wink before turning to the boys, both of whom have decided that they want nothing to do with this display and have started inspecting Dean’s belt, instead. “You guys all ready to hit the streets?”
That’s enough to get Dean’s attention, at least, and he sits up bolt-straight before scrambling up to his feet, still clinging to Sammy who mumbles indignantly and squirms around a little in his arms. “Yeah! Candy time!”
“That’s the spirit.”
Mary busies herself with making sure she’s all in order in the mirror- a tall black witch’s hat and the dress to match- and by the time she returns to her boys, John’s managed to herd them towards the door and he’s getting their shoes on and Dean’s telling his brother all about Halloween while Sammy listens with wide eyes, apparently uncaring of John’s attempts to shoe his little feet.
“An’ we go up to the doors, an’ when they answer, we gotta say ‘trick or treat’!” Dean instructs in all seriousness. “An’ then they give us candy! An’ we say ‘thank you,’ an’ go to the next house! There’s lotsa candy, but Mommy n’ Daddy gotta check it all ‘fore we can eat it, jus’ in case…”
Mary drops a kiss onto the top of Dean’s head between his bat ears and gives everyone a glance to make sure they’re ready to go. “I don’t know about you three, but I’m ready to go get some candy.”
Dean cheers and he’s the first one scrambling to open the door while John scoops Sammy up in his arms to follow. Mary takes the extra moment to grab the wagon from the garage, and Sammy’s barely settled in the seat with their empty pillowcases before his big brother grabs the handle and starts leading the way down the street. “You gotta see all the pretty stuff, Sammy! An’ the pun’kins…”
The night’s still young and the sun hasn’t quite set; it’s prime time for families with young children and Mary realizes, not for the first time, how incredibly normal she feels. She holds John’s hand while they walk just behind the little tour guide Dean’s become, talking quietly while their eldest takes it upon himself to introduce his little brother to the wonders of Halloween. It’s soft and safe, and this is one of the few times during the year when she feels alright about taking her eyes off the two of them long enough to sneak in a couple kisses, feeling young and in love and happy in a way she never used to.
Dean picks out the first house on his own and pulls Sammy’s wagon right along with him, bumping over the sidewalk and the driveway all the way to the front door. Mary follows with John in tow and watches with a bitten-back smile as he stretches up on his tip-toes to press the doorbell. By the time the door opens, he’s managed to gather up his baby brother in his arms while Sammy clings to one of their makeshift bags, and Mary sorely wishes she’d brought the camera along with them. “Trick or treat!”
“Who knew?” John murmurs as the woman at the door coos and starts piling candy into the bag Sammy presents her with. “Kid’s a hell of a strategist.”
They continue much the same way, with Dean plowing his way down the street and picking his favourite houses to approach with Sammy in tow. Mary and John hang back and supervise, talking and laughing and congratulating their boys every time they come back with big smiles and more candy to add to their haul. Dean’s excited about the whole deal, and Sammy’s excited because his big brother is excited, and seeing the two of them so happy together makes everything that’s come before this- all the pain, all the suffering, every loss she had to endure to make it to this point of content- seem more than worth it.
Dean’s feet are starting to drag after they’ve been out for a half hour, and John takes the initiative to load him up in the wagon with his brother and start pulling them along, instead. That helps them through a few more houses, but the boys are getting tired and Sammy’s eyelids are drooping, already starting to doze where he’s settled himself in Dean’s lap, and Mary exchanges an amused smile with her husband before they start making their way back home.
“Maybe we can get ready for bed soon, hm?” she murmurs, walking beside the wagon so she can talk to her babies. Dean’s listening, she thinks, but Sammy’s too far-gone, and that’s alright. “Me and Daddy can check all your candy for you tonight, so by the time you wake up tomorrow, you’ll be able to try some for yourself. Not too much, though. Don’t want you getting a tummy ache.”
She can tell how tired Dean must be because he just nods along, yawning and hugging Sammy to his chest like a rounded, orange teddy bear, and she doesn’t hide her smile. “’Kay.”
Getting the boys out of their costumes is markedly easier than it was to dress them up, and before long, the two of them are both tucked into bed, sent to sleep with gentle kisses and sugar-sweet promises for the morning to come. Mary returns to her husband with a slow sigh and isn’t shy about plopping down right into his lap where he’s settled himself in his favourite chair, closing her eyes while she nestles into the crook of his neck.
“Happy Halloween,” she mumbles, and John laughs all soft as his arms curl around her middle. “You think they’ll notice if we steal some chocolate?”
“I think Dean’s taken a very careful inventory of all their spoils,” John tells her, and- well, he’s probably right. “But I think we’ll be forgiven.”
Halloween has always been special, and Mary has long since learned to be wary of the magick it brings- witchcraft runs rampant on such a special day, and even now, far-removed from hunting as she is, she feels chills over it sometimes as she tries not to read signs into the everyday happenings of the world around her. These days, though, it’s special for a different reason- or rather, it’s special for three.
Two of her reasons are asleep upstairs, and the third catches her in another kiss before they curl up to watch a scary movie together. Halloween, Mary thinks, is special enough just like this, everything else be damned.
She doesn’t need magick to enjoy this with her family.