Open Case File [COMPLETED]

Halloween

Cause I could, that is usual my excuse.

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When Carter pulled the tray of cookies out of the oven, another wave of sweetness bloomed in the air. Already the apartment had been conquered by the sugary scent. She set the tray on the counter beside dozens of the cookies' cousins. As she put a new tray in, the apartment door opened and Kennedy rushed inside.

"Mommy, they said we had wear costumes for tonight!" she said, her seven-year-old face beaming with excitement.

"Hold up, Cadet," Carter said, nudging the oven door closed with her foot. "Did you thank Link and Maddy for bringing you home."

Kennedy nodded, still slightly bouncing with eagerness.

"Alright," Carter said. "Take a seat and tell me about this costume thing."

Beaming, Kennedy scrambled onto a bar stool while Carter plucked out a glass from the cupboard.

"For the fair tonight, my teacher said we should wear costumes and I decided what I want to be."

Carter poured out milk and slid the glass towards Kennedy, plopping a cookie in front of her.

"Oh yeah," she said. "What do you want to be? A warrior? Ninja? Secret Service agent?"

"I want to be a princess!"

Hand on the fridge door, Carter paused, looking back at her daughter.

"You want to be a princess?" she asked. Kennedy bobbed her head. "Okay, Jasmine is a good choice, strong, independent-"

"I want to be Cinderella."

"Hmm," Carter said, returning the milk carton to the fridge and taking a seat beside Kennedy. "Well, let's see what good merits Cinderella has."

"She's pretty!" Kennedy said, part of a cookie in her mouth.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, Cadet. She is pretty. But she also manages to still have a positive outlook on life despite being beaten down. She's a hard worker. She makes friends with even the lowest of the low. Now, before you can be Cinderella, you have to answer this question why did Cinderella run away from the ball?"

Kennedy giggled like that was the easiest question she'd ever been asked. "Cause if she didn't, the prince would see her look ugly."

"Exactly," Carter said. "She was afraid of being her true self. Look at me, Cadet." Kennedy stared up at her mother, blue eyes wide. "If someone really likes you, then you should never be afraid of them seeing you as you are. Because someone who truly likes you loves your heart." She tapped Kennedy's chest. "And your mind. So if they care about you, they will like you in sweatpants as well as a ballgown. Do you understand?"

Kennedy scrunched up her face in thought.

"Harrison sees me in my pajamas and he's still my friend." She brightened. "Does that mean he likes me?"

Laughing, Carter cupped Kennedy's face and wiggled her nose with her daughters.

"That's exactly what it means. Now you can be Cinderella."

Carter slid off her barstool and moved to the oven.

"What will you be, Mommy?" Kennedy asked.

"I didn't plan on wearing a costume."

"But my teacher said everyone has to!"

Flipping the oven door open, Carter grabbed a hot mitt and retrieved the last tray of cookies.