Abbie huffs back in her seat, a frown on her face before she lights up again a second later. “Okay, if you can’t sleep over, will you come to my school’s Halloween party? My mom is helping bake stuff for it and – and we’re all dressing up in costume! And since you love Halloween, you’ll have fun, too, right? Pretty please?”

Big blue eyes look at her so hopefully, she just can’t say no.

“I’ll be there.”

“Yes!” Abbie’s shout is triumphant as she scoots forward in her chair in a flash, hitting her pumpkin by accident so it rolls onto its side. “You promise?”

“Well, I do love Halloween.” Caroline offers her pinky, covered in pumpkin guts and all. Abbie links hers and then giggles when their fingers slide against one another.

***

Caroline isn’t lying – Halloween is her favorite holiday. It’s the only one she puts decorations up around her condo for, anyway. Abbie had helped this year, delightfully putting up the fake spiderwebbing around her doorway.

She has plans for the day. After spending likely all morning, if not more, in a meeting, she’d head home to change into her Dana Scully costume, attend Abbie’s Halloween party, and then trick or treat with Hannah, Abbie, and her nieces and nephews. Free candy was Caroline’s idea of a good time and ever since she had kids to take trick or treating and swipe that candy from, she’d been an active participant.

She definitely doesn’t expect to spend the majority of her day in the Emergency Room.

It all starts with her running late to the office – which is possibly the worst day it can happen, given that it’s not just any Friday; it’s the final mediation between Chanelle Laurens and her husband before they’re going to have to go to court.

It’s a big day for her, as Chanelle is the firms biggest client to date and Caroline has taken point on everything for the last seven months

As soon as she’d returned home from Hangout Weekend, the Laurens divorce had started to come under fire. It didn’t give her much downtime at all, a lot of late nights and some weekend office hours, needing to ensure that she’s ready to go up against the shark of a lawyer that Chanelle’s husband has been working with.

But Caroline’s a fucking bigger shark and she just has to prove it.

No time to stop for coffee or even to make herself some – she’s running that late – she only manages a glance at her phone as she enters the building.

Hannah – 8:31am
its abbie! Moms dropping me off at school
but I wanted to check that youre coming to
my class Halloween party after school right?

Caroline – 8:33am
I’d be there even if you weren’t going to
let me steal your milky ways after trick or
treat later.