Okay, so I have been having a lot of Writer's Block lately, and my low self-esteem makes me believe that everything I write is crap, even if I publish it. So I decided that a little exercise might help me get out of my funk, so I am going to be writing a bunch of random one shots every time I feel I need a little boost. This will not keep me from continuing my stories, but will, in fact, help me to update sooner and more efficiently. Enjoy!

Halloween 2014

"Daddy! Daddy, look! RAWR!" 2 ½ - year-old Christine Angela Booth called out to her father. She was dressed in a little green dragon costume she'd picked out all on her own, to her own pride,that glowed in the dark and had a hood made to look as if it were the dragon's head.

Her father, Special Agent Seeley J. Booth thought she couldn't look any cuter if she tried. Her mother had pulled her long brown hair into two pigtails with matching green bows and had tailored the lizard tail in the back so that it didn't drag but so that their daughter could still swish it around in the air, which she was doing with her best friend, three-year-old Michael Vincent Hodgins, who was dressed as…

"What is he again?" Booth asked his partner, Temperance Brennan, the mother of his child, who was putting the finishing touches on her own costume.

"A toad, I think," she replied, "that's what Angela said." Booth nodded and waved to the toddlers, who were running around the dining room table, eager to go out trick-or-treating for their first real taste of candy. Though they'd been out in previous years (Christine as peas in a pod her first year, then a kitten last year, and Michael a pumpkin, then a puppy), they'd never been considered old enough for their own candy until this year, when both fathers had to beg their wives (or in Booth's case, 'romantic partner') in favor of their children.

Angela and Brennan finally relented and now the toddlers were as excited as their fathers were to get out there for their own candy.

Afterwards, the adults were going to head off to the Jeffersonian Halloween Ball, leaving the toddlers in the care of Booth's eldest, Parker Booth, who'd recently turned fifteen, and was going out with his friends, but would be back in plenty of time to watch the kids for the rest of the night.

Dragon Christine chased froggy Michael around in circles, making rawr-ing noises at him the entire time until Michael ran to hide behind his mother's legs.

"Hey!" Christine whined, "That's cheating!"

Michael popped his head out from behind Angela's legs. "It is not!" he argued.

"Yes, it is!" he argued back, sticking his tongue out at her.

Christine growled and pulled on her hood, making her hands into small claws and running at him again.

Michael yelped and ran from the safety of his mother's legs towards his father.

"Daaaaaddy!" he yelped, jumping into his father's waiting arms. Jack Hodgins picked up his son and raised him above his head, settling him on his shoulders.

"What's up, Toady?" he asked, playfully.

Michael pointed at Christine, who was now jumping and swinging at him with imaginary claws and chomping at the air with imaginary fangs. Hodgins laughed at his little 'niece', thinking about how much she looked like Brennan, but how much she acted like Booth. Though she had Brennan's intelligence, no doubt.

"Hey, Booth!" Hodgins called over to the FBI man, dressed once again as a nerd. He turned immediately at his friend's voice. Jack pointed to the little dragon girl attempting to sprout wings at his feet and Booth chuckled, walking calmly over to his baby girl and picking her up off the floor with ease, laughing as she wiggled in his arms.

"Daddy!" she whined, "Lemme go!" Booth chuckled; she sounded just like her mother. Without letting her go (or dropping her like he feared he would) he place her on his own shoulders and gave Hodgins an evil smile, the same one, Hodgins noticed, that his daughter just seconds later echoed as she herself realized what was about to happen. Hodgins's eyes widened.

"Oh, no…Booth, you wouldn't…" Booth's smile grew and Hodgins took a step back in horror.

"Charge!" Christine giggled, and Booth and Hodgins both took off, Booth giving Hodgins a little leeway as they jogged lightly around the house, holding on to their children's feet, as they giggled and bounced on their fathers' shoulders.

Angela and Brennan watched this from the hallway mirror with barely amused expressions. Angela rolled her eyes.

"Men," she sighed. Brennan nodded in agreement.

"I find Booth can be very childish, sometimes," she said, spritzing on perfume to complete her librarian look (she had put the Wonder Woman costume to rest in favor of a personal request from Booth; she had some inference that his request was purely sexual, but she found it appropriate for trick-or-treating with her toddler daughter, especially since Booth had volunteered to bring Christine to the door so she could have more quality time with Angela), "especially where Christine is concerned."

Angela chuckled. "All men are childish, Sweetie," she said, smiling, "sometimes, it just takes the comparison to actual children to see that."

Brennan chuckled and nodded. "So, what are you again?" she asked, looking at the square box that encased Angela's body.

Angela smiled brightly. "I'm an oven!" she said, spinning around, "You know, 'cause Hodgie and I are having another baby?" At her friend's blank stare, Angela laughed. "'Bun in the oven' is a colloquialism for pregnancy. Hodgins is a baker and we wanted Michael Vincent to be a little loaf of bread, but he wanted to be the toad thingy so we' just gonna let everybody figure it out on their own."

Brennan nodded. "That's very creative, Angela."

Angela smiled. "Yeah, well, what am I, if not creative?"

Both women laughed as they put on their coats (Angela had a shawl since her coat didn't fit over the oven) and called for their husbands/partners. Both men popped their heads in from the kitchen, their respective children on the other's back.

Angela lifted a brow. "How the hell did that happen?"

The men looked at each other, then the toddler on either one's back.

"I don't really know…" Hodgins answered first.

Booth shrugged. "We ready to go yet?"

Brennan smiled at him and nodded as he took Michael off his shoulders and set the little boy down with a pat on his head. Hodgins did the same with a kiss to Christine's cheek, and the little girl chased the boy all the way to their mothers, who each took their kids into their arms as they waited for their partners to gather the pillowcases that would act as candy bags. Both women's eyebrows rose as they each held two.

Hodgins smiled, coyly. "Well, you didn't think I was gonna pass up free candy," Angela's eyes narrowed, "for my beautiful pregnant wife, did you?" He raced to finish the last bit and Angela responded with a roll of her eyes.

"And you, Booth?" Brennan asked, one hand on her hip.

Booth swallowed. "Um…w-well, you know, P-Parker can't go tonight, s-so I thought I'd get h-him a little something. You know? Just to be f-fair…"

Brennan nodded, only half-accepting this, but not wanting to argue as she noticed the sun was beginning to set. She wanted to get the trick-or-treating done as soon as possible. "Whatever you say, Booth," she said, "let's just go."

"Trick-or-treating?" Christine asked, her blue eyes lighting up, brilliantly and the Booth signature charm smile gracing her features.

Brennan smiled back at her; she really couldn't look more like Booth if she tried. Brennan nuzzled her nose. She had to talk to Booth about making another baby. "Yes, Christine. We're going trick-or-treating. Are you excited?"

Christine nodded, vigorously, pulling her hood on and growling at her mother. Brennan growled playfully back, before turning back to the group of friends. "Ready to go?" she asked.

All nodded and Angela put Michael on the floor so he could grab his pillowcase and hold her hand. Brennan followed and soon they were walking out the door, joining the other kids on the block in trick-or-treating on the scariest night of the year.

REVIEWS are much appreciated!