For Halloween, Goldie got the girls little costumes. Genie was a pumpkin, Pippa was candy corn, and Jemma was a ghost. The three girls looked absolutely adorable, and even made scary "woo" sounds when they saw Jemma's costume. Goldie surreptitiously took a photograph of them and sent it to the Velasquezes, knowing it would make the old couple happy.

"Ready to go trick or treating!" she sent with the picture.

Goldie was upstairs putting on a sweatshirt in preparation for heading out when she heard Jeff calling her from the living room. He didn't sound upset, merely excited, so she pulled her shirt, which had a haunted house on the front, over her head, and quickly headed downstairs.

"What? What?" she called with a smile as she entered the room.

Jeff was on the floor with the girls, who were all ready to head out.

"Listen, listen," Jeff said. He turned to Genie. "Darling, who's that? Who's that?" He pointed to Goldie. "Is that Goldie?"

Genie, too, pointed. "GO-DIE!" she announced proudly. "Go-die, Go-die."

Jemma, hearing her sister, looked over at Goldie. "Go-die," she repeated, smiling at her nanny.

Goldie gasped and looked at Jeff, who grinned back at her in delight. "I didn't even know Jemma would say it as well!" He looked over at Pippa, who was busy trying to pull Genie's pumpkin stem hat off of her head. "Now we just need Pips to say it, don't we?"

"I'll take two, that's wonderful," Goldie declared, rushing over to kiss the girls where they sat. "Are we ready to go trick or treating?"

They were really just going for a walk in the brisk evening to look at the decorations, and taking the girls to a couple of Jeff's friends' houses more than anything, but it was their first Halloween, and Jeff had wanted to celebrate it somehow.

They got the babies into their stroller and headed out, enjoying the girls' reactions to the lights and Jack-o-lanterns that lit up the streets of lower Manhattan. Their little fingers pointed, and their mouths made round Os of amazement and delight as they looked at the witches and spiderwebs that festooned the various brownstones and businesses that they passed. Jeff and Goldie, too, were having a good time just being with each other and the triplets.

Eventually, they went to Dean and Bobby's. Dean Parker was a photographer who'd done artwork for a couple of Jeff's albums, and they lived a few blocks away. They had no children, but loved Halloween, and went crazy every year decorating their house and dressing up.

"Ready, girls?" Goldie asked as she rang the bell.

"Trick or treat!" she and Jeff chorused when the door opened.

Dean, dressed as Elphaba, smiled widely when he saw who was at the door. Bobby was right behind him, dressed as the most beautiful Glinda Goldie had ever seen.

"Wow, look at you guys," Jeff said admiringly. "You look smashing!"

There was hugging and kissing all around.

"Oh my goodness, look at you little munchkins," Bobby responded, bending down to get a closer look at Jemma, Pippa and Genie. "You are the cutest little things I've seen all night, and that's saying something, because it's pretty much been a never ending parade of cute around here, hasn't it, Dean?"
Dean had grabbed Pippa out of the stroller and was holding her, beaming and nodding.

Pippa, who normally loved being held by Dean, was tonight staring at him in alarm. She leaned away from him, shaking her head, reaching for Goldie. She burst into tears, her triangular white hat shaking as she cried.

"Oh no, does she not like me anymore?" Dean asked, handing the little weeping candy corn baby to Goldie.

"I think it's because your skin is green," Jeff said consolingly. "It's freaking her out."

"She might not even know it's you," Goldie added, comforting Pippa as best she could.

From the stroller, Genie and Jemma were looking at their crying sister, wondering if they should cry, too. Normally, when one cried, the other two quickly joined in, just on general principles, it seemed.

Promising to come back and visit when no one was in costume, they quickly collected candy for the girls and were on their way.

Jeff and Goldie were laughing about the encounter as they walked down the street when Goldie saw the Velasquezes out of the corner of her eye. They were on the other side of the street, walking toward Jeff, Goldie and the girls. Sofia was wearing a bright red sweater, and Hector was wearing a New York Giants cap. They gave no indication that they saw her or the babies, but Goldie knew that it was no coincidence.

Oh. My. God.

Goldie swallowed and turned to the house they were passing, pointing out the decorations to Jeff. As he faced the house, Goldie turned and looked at the older couple, who gave her a little wave and smile. She looked back at Jeff, nodding at something he said.

"You think they might be getting cold?" she asked, leaning down to grab a hand and check.

"You think? Should we head back?" Jeff responded. "I'm having a wonderful time, but I wouldn't want any of them to be uncomfortable. Or you, for that matter." He smiled at her.

"I'm fine," Goldie assured him.

At that moment, Jemma started to fuss a little.

Thank you, Jemma.

They turned and headed for home, and Goldie risked looking over her shoulder once or twice to see if the Velasquezes were still following them. They were. Sofia's sweater made them easy to spot. They were following so close, too. What if Jeff were to turn around? Surely he'd recognize them? He knew what they looked like, didn't he? Plus there was the fact that they were staring at the girls.

Goldie picked up her pace, hoping Jeff would just attribute it to her being chilly.

They finally made it home and inside without incident, and Goldie let her metaphorical breath out.

Jeff was smiling as he took one last picture of the girls. "So what do we do with these costumes now?" he asked. "They won't fit next year."

"Donate them to Goodwill or to a daycare," Goldie said. "They always love to have stuff like that."
Jeff nodded as they started to undress the girls for bed.

"Godie," Genie said, pointing to Goldie. "Dada," she added, pointing to Jeff.

"Godie Dada," Pippa mimicked.

"Godie Dada," Jemma chimed in.

Jeff and Goldie looked at each other and high fived.

"Three for three!" Jeff exulted. "Well done, darlings, well done!"

He and Goldie clapped, which made the girls clap as well, and laugh, too.

"God, aren't they lovely," Jeff said.

Goldie could only nod.

That night, after the girls were sleeping, Jeff turned to Goldie in the hall and kissed her before taking her hand to walk downstairs. He rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb as they walked.

"You know, ten months is pretty early for babies to be talking," Goldie said as they descended the stairs.

"Is it?" Jeff responded. "I've never done any research."

Goldie nodded. "Well, I have, and it is."

"Well, it's hardly talking, is it? Jeff sat on the couch and pulled Goldie down on his lap. "It's just naming us, which is pretty basic." He looked at her, lifting a sheaf of her hair over her shoulder. "Are you trying to tell me my daughters are geniuses?"

Goldie nodded, resting her forehead on his. "I can already tell," she murmured, just before she kissed him.

In her pocket, her phone pinged with an incoming text.

She reached and shut it off without looking and set it on the table. She would deal with the Velasquezes tomorrow.

She put her arms around Jeff and kissed him again, harder, lifting one leg so she straddled him, leaning in so her breasts were pressing against his chest. There were too many layers between them, so she grasped her sweatshirt at the hem and pulled it over her head, tossing it on the floor before leaning in to connect with Jeff once more, Jeff who was looking at her with smoky eyes, hands firmly on her hips. Now she was wearing only a thin T-shirt, like him, better.

He slid his hands under her shirt to feel her smooth skin as he gently bit her lip, moving his mouth down to nip at her jawline and neck, tasting her soft flesh.

Goldie tipped her head back to give him more room, arching her body toward him, flexing her thighs as she did so. She grasped his hands and moved them up her front to her breasts, pressing them on her body, undulating slightly, leaning into his touch.

"Oh god," he groaned, squeezing her through her bra. His pants, which had been comfortable enough when they sat down, were suddenly way too tight, and he shifted, causing her to sway in his lap in a most alluring way.

Jeff leaned back, and Goldie saw his eyes flick down to where his hands were.

"Do you want to see me?" she asked.

He could only nod.

She pulled the T-shirt off and threw it on top off the sweatshirt, so now she was in his lap in only her bra and jeans. She shook her hair out so some of it hung down in front, framing her round breasts in their pink lace.

"God, you're gorgeous," Jeff breathed. He slid a hand up over her collar bone to grasp her by the side of her face so he could pull her down and kiss her, hard, her hair hanging down in a curtain that covered them. His other arm went around her back, pulling her close, crushing her breasts against him.

Goldie plucked at his shirt, wanting it off him, wanting to feel his skin against her.

Jeff sat up and took it off, adding it to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. He was taut and toned, and Goldie knew that this was because he had an exercise machine in his room that he used while the girls were napping.

He turned and lay down, keeping Goldie on top of him as they continued to kiss, and he slid his hands down to grasp her bottom through her jeans and squeezed, pressing her into his erection as he ground into her.

"Shit this feels good," he managed. He ran his hand along the smooth band of her bra a couple of times, looking for the hook but finding none.

"It's in the front," Goldie murmured, sitting up. She smiled at him and unhooked her bra, pulling it apart as she watched him look at her, loving the pleasure she saw in his eyes.

"Wow," he breathed. He sat up, devouring one with his mouth as he palmed the other one, crushing it so hard with his hand Goldie nearly cried out.

Their jeans quickly joined their shirts, as did their underwear, and within minutes they were gloriously naked together on the couch.

"Goldie?"

"Yes?"

"I didn't know we were going to do this tonight, and I haven't got any condoms in the house," Jeff said apologetically. "So I'm afraid we can't, um, you know, conclude our business in the regular way, not tonight, anyway."
Goldie suppressed a laugh.

"Well, Mr. Ormonde, if you trust me like I trust you, we'll be okay, because I'm on the pill, and I'm clean." She sat back and waited for the meaning of her words to sink in.

"Thank the baby Jesus," Jeff said in a shaky voice. He reached for her, pulling her on top of himself and already probing between her thighs.

Sliding into Goldie was like sliding into warm honey, and Jeff was barely hanging on from the first thrust.

"In future, I'll be able to go longer, but tonight's going to go so fucking fast," Jeff told Goldie through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry, but it's been so fucking long, and you feel so fucking good—"

"That's fine," Goldie assured him, kissing him, undulating her hips on him as he kiss her breasts and sucked on them.

He put a hand between them and rubbed on her, wanting to make sure she came, no matter how fast he was.

Goldie grasped his wrist, pressing his hand on herself as she dropped her head, looking sexy as fuck as she climaxed, and seeing her like that ended it for Jeff.

"Here I come, love, here I come," he told her as he felt his own orgasm rocketing through him. He pushed into her, over and over, hugging her body to him as he emptied into her for what felt like and incredibly long time.

He lay back, finally finished, pulling her with him so they lay together, arms around each other.

"Thank you for that," Jeff murmured, kissing her salty temple.

"Same here," Goldie responded with a chuckle.

"You know, you look amazing with your clothes off," Jeff said.

"Really? You don't think I'm too round?"

"I think you're just the right amount round."

"Wow, thanks." Goldie kissed his neck. "So now, do I get dressed to go upstairs and go to bed, or do I just walk up there starkers?"

"Hm. Good question, that." Jeff considered. "How about if you just put on your knickers? That would be fun for me, too."

So that's what she did.