Heero eyed the bowl Duo held.

"Ok, I understand the treat, but where's the trick. We play tricks on the children?"

Duo laughed. "No, the tricks used to come when someone had no treats. Usually just a knock and run or something like that."

Heero nodded. "I see. So, they knock on the door, yell, 'Trick or treat!' and I hand each one a piece of candy." Heero frowned in puzzlement. "Why not just let them pick something?"

Duo had to laugh again. "Because the greedy little suckers'll grab a handful and we'll run out in no time."

Heero frowned for a moment then looked Duo in the eye. "No, they won't."

Duo just raised an eyebrow. "Sure, they won't."

Heero just glared at him.

"Ok, ok, they won't. I swear." Duo just about fell over he laughed so hard. "That look could scare the makeup off a zombie."

Heero just snorted and answered the door buzzer. The trick or treaters all yelled the obligatory phrase and Heero held the bowl out.

Of course, one smartie had to grab a hand full.

Heero glowered, "No! Just one." The culprit dropped the candy and whimpered. "Take only one and pass the word around." Heero watched in satisfaction as the child took one candy, nodded vigorously and scurried away.

It didn't take long for word to get around their section that Suite 29 was a tough sell.

Heero got everything from fairy princesses with quivering lips to pirates who tried to 'scare' him with foil covered cardboard swords. Nothing worked.

Until, a little soldier buzzed.

Heero opened the door and a small boy in a gundam pilots skin suit looked at him. He smiled and saluted, then opened his bag of candy.

"Take anything you like. I've got plenty."

Heero shook his head. "Aren't you supposed to be trying to get me to give you two candies?"

The little boy just shrugged. "I have plenty and there's other places to go yet. But your bowl is almost empty. You made a lot of sacrifices for all the solar system. My teacher told us all about it in class. So, take all you want, it's a small sacrifice compared to yours. Thank you."

Heero shook his head. "That's alright. Duo and I can make do."

Duo, who had been standing behind the door, whispered in Heero's ear. "Look at his face, he's really disappointed. Let him have a 'feel good', take half."

Just as Duo finished talking, the boy tugged on Heero's arm.

Heero squatted down and watched in awe as the boy pulled the bowl nearer to him and dumped half his candy into it. "There. We'll go halfzies. That's fair." He stepped back and snapped off a boy scout salute.

Heero stood and solemnly returned the salute. The boy turned and hurried after his friends, waving cheerfully over his shoulder.

Duo caught sight of Heero's stunned expression and sighed. "Sometimes it's the little things that get you, right?"

Heero gathered Duo into a hug. "That handful of candy means more to me than a lot of my other awards. He gave half of all he had. Just candy, I know, but still...."

They cuddled for a moment, until they were distracted by another buzz.

"Trick or treat!"

.

Happy Halloween to all.