Written in November 2003.

Title: Halloween
Author: Settiai
Rating: PG
Characters: Blair, Jim
Word Count: ~400 words
Summary: On their first Halloween together, Jim and Blair think about the past.

Jim Ellison had always hated Halloween.

When he was a kid, it had been another competition between two brothers. Whose costume was better? Which pumpkin was carved the best? Who received the most candy? The fun of the holiday was obliterated by sibling rivalry.

When he was in the military, it had just been another day. There wasn't much point in celebrating when you on a mission, trying to save lives and stay alive.

When he was married to Carolyn, he had put up with the holiday for her. He refused to put on a costume, but he would hand out candy to the few kids who made their way to their door. It had been nothing but an obligation though, one of the many sacrifices that marriage required.

When the divorce finalized, he had stopped handing out candy. He would merely stick a bowl of treats outside the door for anyone kids that happened by and then settle down in front of the TV.

And now he was standing in the doorway of the loft, dressed like a vampire and handing out candy to the steady stream of kids, teenagers, and college students making their way to his door.

Life was full of surprises.

Blair Sandburg had always loved Halloween.

When he was a kid, it had been one of the few times a year when he wasn't different. On that night, he wasn't the bastard son of a woman too young to be a mother; instead, he was merely one of hundreds of other children hiding their faces behind a mask.

When he had begun teaching, it had been a day for him to make his students' lives miserable. Most of them considered themselves to be too "cool" for Halloween, but he had always made it a requirement for them to at least wear a costume in his class. They had always complained about it at first, but by the end of class things had changed. For once, they could pretend that the pressures of adulthood weren't pressing on them and still pretend to be children - and, if anyone said anything, they could merely say that their teacher was insane.

And now he was standing in the doorway of the loft, dressed like a zombie and handing out candy to the steady stream of kids, teenagers, and college students making their way to his door.

Life was the same.

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