Halloween was Willa's favorite holiday. She loved the spooky atmosphere of the whole month of October, and she looked forward to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party every year. Before she'd met the Keepers, her Halloweens had been spent trick-or-treating with her brothers. Once her brothers had deemed themselves too old for trick-or-treating, she hadn't wanted to go alone. She had been relegated to candy dispenser, which had led to an obsession with finding scary movies to watch while she waited for knocks on the door.

As a group, the Keepers loved to celebrate any and all holidays. This year, Charlene was hosting their Halloween party; the seven teens would come in costume, watch spooky movies, and pass out candy, while also gorging themselves on said candy.

Philby had picked Willa up, saying a quick hello to her parents before heading out with Willa in tow. The two spent the car ride jamming to Willa's Halloween playlist. He wasn't quite as into Halloween as she was (he preferred Christmas), but he loved the way her eyes lit up at the sight of anything spooky in the slightest.

Charlene's house was decked out, even by Willa's standards. The outside looked friendly, so trick-or-treaters wouldn't be scared. Smiling jack-o-lanterns and comical skeletons framed the door. The inside was a different story. Charlene had chosen to use candles for lighting, and she'd hung up realistic looking bats across the ceilings. Snacks were served in cauldrons and jack-o-lanterns.

Dell and Willa made their way into the house, hand in hand. Willa gasped with delight as they crossed the threshold and she saw the decorations. Philby smiled at her affectionately. Charlene swooped into the foyer to greet them, dressed as Elle Woods from the movie Legally Blonde. She hugged Willa and Philby. "You guys look amazing!" They were dressed as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

Willa laughed. "You too! Good choice," she gestured to Charlene's costume. "I love that movie."

"Come on in! Terry's already here, we're just waiting on Mandy, Jess, and Finn. I think Mandy said he was picking them up at Nash's."

Willa nodded, confirming. "He texted me and said he was headed over there about twenty minutes ago, so they should be here soon."

The living room had been stocked with scary movies and plenty of blankets, as well as pillows to hide behind, for those more squeamish moviegoers. Willa deposited her purse by the couch, claiming a spot in the corner of the couch for the movie marathon. Philby gave her puppy-dog eyes.

"What?"

"I wanted the corner."

Willa heaved a dramatic sigh. "Fine." She knew he liked to have the corner so he'd have something to lean against while she cuddled up to him, so she wasn't going to complain.

Just then, Amanda and Finn came through the door to the living room. "Hey, you two," Finn grinned. "Nice costumes."

"Same to you," Philby said. Finn had come as Han Solo, and Amanda as Princess Leia. Maybeck had had a similar idea and had come as Finn from the new Star Wars movies. Jess had come as Elsa (it was easy, with her light natural hair color). The seven teens settled into Charlene's living room, grabbing snacks and blankets and debating which movie to begin with.

"Nightmare Before Christmas first?" Willa suggested.

"Seconded," Philby said.

Maybeck snickered. "Fine, the nerds can have first pick. But next movie we're watching something actually scary."

Willa stuck her tongue out at him. "I can hang, Terry."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just go ahead and put the movie in, Charlieā€¦ at least we can make fun of it."

She reached for the DVD and slid it into the player. The familiar music started up, and the dim lighting was perfect for a movie marathon. Charlene and Maybeck curled up in an armchair. He played with her perfectly curled blonde hair, but she didn't mind. She liked this sweet side of Maybeck.

Amanda had never seen the movie before, so she watched in rapt attention, trying to follow the plot through the other Keepers talking and Finn trying to read her trivia about the movie off of his phone.

Jess arranged pillows and blankets on the floor to make a nest, and she lounged luxuriously, snacking on Cheetos.

Philby, unsurprisingly, wedged himself into the corner of the couch, Willa leaning up against him. She curled her legs underneath her. He'd loosened his tie, inadvertently making himself look more like Ron Weasley. He had an arm around her waist, his thumb ghosting over her side as she rested her head on his shoulder. His head rested atop her head, his eyes closed contentedly as she stroked his hair. Willa sang along to the songs under her breath, and he couldn't help realizing all over again how beautiful her voice was. He wished she would sing more often, but she was shy about it, and only really sang when she didn't think anyone was listening.

The movie was short, and Maybeck insisted on something actually frightening next. He put in the movie, shielding the disc from the eyes of the other Keepers. The menu popped up: Insidious. Willa rolled her eyes, snuggling closer to Philby.

"Scared?" Maybeck teased.

"More like unimpressed. I've seen this one already."

"Oh, well," he replied. "Guess you'll have to sit through it again."

Willa, true to her word, wasn't frightened. She loved scary movies, especially with a blanket and good company. Philby, however, did not enjoy spending two hours being scared. Having dealt with plenty of real-life jump scares, he felt he'd had enough for a lifetime without adding horror movies into the mix. Once or twice, he tensed and buried his face in Willa's shoulder. She gently ran a hand up and down his arm, soothing him.

When the offending scene had ended, she gave his hand a squeeze. "It's okay, you can look now."

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

She smiled sweetly. "No problem."

The movie was over before she knew it, and the Keepers agreed to watch one more movie before heading home: Inception. Willa's eyes lit up as the movie got more complex and Philby grinned at the idea of the tech, but Jess rolled her eyes.

"This is so complicated! Who decided this was a good movie for casual viewing?"

Maybeck seconded this, only shutting up when Charlene cut him off. "Well, Willa and Philby are enjoying it, and I think that's sweet."

"But it makes the rest of us feel dumb," Maybeck whined.

"Then pay attention and ask questions when you don't understand something, Maybeck." Willa shot back.

Maybeck took her far too seriously, peppering her with questions for the remainder of the movie, which she answered patiently.

Around midnight everyone was fighting off exhaustion, and people started heading out. Willa and Philby excused themselves the earliest, waving goodbye through yawns.

They were quiet on the car ride home, Willa fighting off sleep. It helped that the feeling of Philby's hand in hers was electric. Once they pulled up to her house, he leaned across the center console and kissed her tenderly.

"Goodnight, Dell," she ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Love you, Isabella," he smiled.

"I love you too. Text me when you get home safe."