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“Fitz, where are you with the candy? The trick or treaters should be here any minute,” Jemma called out.
Fitz bursted out of the kitchen carrying an absurdly oversized cauldron and muttered, “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming-- you try lugging this thing around.”
The pair had gone all out for their for their first Halloween in their new apartment ( Thanks Daisy! ). They had gotten full size candy bars of every variety. Their front door was adorned with fake spider webs and expertly carved pumpkins sat on a bale of hay, illuminated by an energy source of Fitz’s design.
Deciding on what to dress up as had proved to be more difficult than Jemma had anticipated. They had discussed some tried and true costumes-- The Doctor and his companion, James and Lily Potter, Captain America and Peggy Carter, but none had seemed right. Fitz had tossed out a few classic horror suggestions, like vampires and zombies, but Jemma had shot them down, deeming them too scary for the kids-- not the impression that she wanted to make with their new neighbors.
In the end, Fitz had saved the day with a suggestion born out of frustration. He had tossed his hands up in the air and said, “Why don’t we just go as a monkey and his banana?”
Jemma had squealed and clapped her hands, “Oh, that’s actually perfect. The kids will love that and you’ll make an adorable monkey.”
So now, Fitz sat on their couch in a monkey onesie-- looking as adorable as she had pictured, and Jemma was in a bright yellow dress, tights and a banana headband. They were ready.
Jemma sat down next to Fitz. She smiled when she saw Hocus Pocus on the screen-- it had become a tradition for the pair to watch the Halloween classic back in their Academy days and one she was happy to continue now that they were a couple.
She eyed the clock nervously, “The flyer did say that trick or treating started at 5:00 right?”
Fitz rolled his eyes, “Trick or treating doesn’t always happen on a schedule. I’m sure we’ll get plenty of kids coming by. Let’s just enjoy the movie for now.”
Jemma nodded in agreement and leaned into Fitz, laying her head on his shoulder. Every couple of minutes, though, her eyes darted between the door and the clock.
About 30 minutes into the movie, there was a knock at the door.
Jemma popped up immediately, “Finally! I was starting to think we were going to have to eat all of that candy ourselves.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Fitz smirked.
Jemma flung the door open, expecting to find costumed children. Instead, she saw Daisy dressed up like a pinata.
“Trick or treat?” Daisy said.
“Oh, it’s just you,” Jemma muttered dejectedly.
“And a Happy Halloween to you, too, Jem,” Daisy quipped. “Nice to know I’m so wanted.”
Fitz chuckled, “Don’t mind her, Daisy. She’s just disappointed because we haven’t had any trick or treaters, yet.”
“Excuse me for wanting to experience some normalcy, for once,” Jemma huffed. “And don’t act like you haven’t been looking forward to this all week too, Mr. ‘I spent 2 hours carving a pumpkin.’”
Daisy’s eyes lit up when she looked at the couple, “You two are like, totally married. And adorable.” After a beat, she slung her arms around them, “I missed you both, you know.”
“We know,” Fitz and Simmons chorused, sharing a sidelong glance.
The moment was broken by another knock at the door. Jemma looked at Fitz hopefully and he gestured for her to open the door.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she opened it to a chorus of “trick or treats.” Jemma smiled at the large group of children and said, “Happy Halloween! Each of you can pick one candy bar from our special cauldron here.”
The kids started digging through the candy excited, all except for one little girl dressed up like Princess Leia (cinnamon buns and all!) who hung back. She knelt down to be at eye level with the pint-sized princess and complimented, “I like your costume. Princess Leia was always my favorite Star Wars character.”
The little girl hesitated for a second before responding brightly, “Really? Mine too!”
“Yup! See that monkey over there?” Jemma whispered conspiratorially. “Back when we were in school, we dressed up as R2-D2 and C-3PO.”
The little girl giggled. Jemma realized that the other kids had moved on to the next apartment, so she let the little girl pick her candy bar out and sent her to join her friends.
When she turned back around, she saw Daisy smiling at her like the cat who caught the canary.
“What?” Jemma said exasperatedly.
Daisy replied quickly, “Nothing. You were really good with that little girl.”
Jemma arched her eyebrow, “And that surprises you? I’ll have you know, I am excellent with children.”
“Not really. I just I wouldn’t be surprised if there were little Fitzsimmonses running around sooner rather than later,” Daisy teased.
Fitz choked on the tea he had just taken a sip of and turned bright red. For her part, Jemma could feel her cheeks heating up as well.
But before she could respond, there was another knock at the door. Saved by the bell , she thought.
For the rest of the evening, there was a steady stream of trick or treaters-- so many that lost count of how many Pikachus, firemen and princesses she saw and her earlier fears of leftover candy were a distant memory.
Unfortunately, Daisy’s off the cuff remark about kids was anything but. Of course, she had thought about having kids with Fitz-- but it was usually in the abstract. Now the thought of a little girl with Fitz’s blue eyes and curly hair was nagging at the corners of her mind. She could picture them on a future Halloween dressed in coordinating costumes, going around the neighborhood trick or treat.
The thought brought a smile to her face, as Jemma climbed into bed with Fitz and curled up next to him. The last thought she had before she drifted off was,
Someday...