Snow

Author: UTsSQ



1

Mark stared out his bedroom window, watching as white flakes swirled from the sky, blanketing the grass and trees. Night had fallen, the lack of light adding a sad and lonely touch to the weather. He sighed and rapped a knuckle against the cold glass, the window seat seeming to hold the air from outside.

If he focused on the reflection in the window, instead of falling snow he would see an empty bed, the comforter thrown across it haphazardly. He was tired but restless, and knew sleep would be a long time coming that night.

He stared out across the back yard, toward the trees that lined the back of his property. Without knowing why, he rose and padded barefoot from the bedroom. He went silently down the stairs, not wanting to wake his brother, who slept in a room at the other end of the hall. He stopped to tug on a pair of boots, ignoring the fact that he was wearing pajama bottoms and nothing else. He unlocked the back door and stepped out onto the deck, shivering as the icy December air wrapped around his bare chest and arms. The wind picked up momentarily, blowing his long dark hair back from his face. He squinted against the flying snow, peering across the snow covered yard. The swimming pool had been covered several months before, most of the water drained from it. It was nothing but a sunken square of white in the middle of more white.

Snow shifting underfoot, Mark stepped from the deck and onto the grass, the cold air making his eyes water. In moments he was past the pool, nearing the tree-lined edge of the back yard. He had no clue what was drawing him there, to the woods. He'd explored them many times, and could have probably found his way out no matter where he was.

His steps faltered before he could duck between the low branches that marked the beginning of the treeline. Mark halted, peering through the darkness, wondering what he could possibly be looking for.

A hand fell on his shoulder, pulling him from the trance like state he'd been in. Mark turned his head, not surprised to see his brother. Glen had taken the time to put on a flannel shirt, but he was dressed in a similar fashion to Mark.

"What is it?" Glen didn't have to raise his voice over the wind to be heard. Mark was no lip reader, but he knew it was what he would have asked if their roles were reversed.

"Trouble." Mark replied slowly, not knowing how he knew, but knowing that it was true.

Glen nodded helplessly. "Tonight?"

"Soon." Mark sighed and forced himself to turn his back to the trees.

Glen shivered and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes went to the woods, taking in the way the leafless branches seemed to reach to the sky, a thin layer of snow coating them. There was nothing in the woods that could harm them.

"Not yet anyway." Glen muttered to himself, smirking at the thought. He turned and followed his brother toward the dark house, ignoring the snowflakes that landed on bare skin and melted.

Glen headed back to bed, but Mark was still restless. Even more so that usual. Things like this had happened before, and they'd dealt with the problems that arose. This time it felt as though something were different. He wished he knew what the difference was.

Mark went to the kitchen and rummaged in a cabinet under the sink. Usually he drank beer. Tonight he had a feeling something stronger was in order. He finally found an unopened bottle of Maker's Mark. Grabbing a glass, he headed for the living room couch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Shit, shit, shit."

The Jeep sputtered uselessly, refusing to start no matter how many times Jamie cursed at it. She'd just had the damned thing serviced a week before, and already it was giving her issues.

Jamie knew she should have just bought a new car. It wasn't like she couldn't afford it. But the Jeep was the only thing she had left of her brother, and she could not bring herself to part with it.

John had bought the Jeep the year they'd graduated high school. It took him all summer working two jobs to save up enough money to just pay for it outright. He'd driven it everywhere, logging more miles than the vehicle could keep up with. Eight years after he'd bought it, John had been killed in an accident. He had worked in construction. Although he was smart, and could have done anything he put his mind to, he loved to build things. His idea of the perfect day had been twelve hours straight working high above the ground with power tools.

Unfortunately, his passion for building had been his undoing. He'd gotten complacent, had lost his concentration, and fell to his death from the tenth floor of a new skyscraper.

His death had hit Jamie hard. Their mother had put both of them up for adoption just weeks after they were born. Unfortunately, the home they'd been placed in was not equipped to deal with a set of twins. They'd learned over the years to rely only on each other. At eighteen, still with six months of their senior year to go, they'd both gotten jobs and an apartment near the school. It had been rough, but better than going 'home' to screaming adults, crying children, and fear of having any of it aimed at them.

Shaking her head, Jamie tried the key again. The engine clicked, coughed, and died. She sighed heavily and leaned her forehead against the steering wheel, feeling near tears. It had been a rotten day, and this was just the cherry on top. She was a waitress at a bar. The job was totally her own choice. She had gone to college, had earned her nursing degree, had worked in the ER of an extremely busy hospital. And when John had died she'd lost her passion for it. Just like that. As if a light switch had been flipped. He'd been the one to talk her into pursuing her degree, to cheer her on when she got discouraged.

The bar wasn't bad. Normally. Most of the time she enjoyed the patrons, and there was never a dull moment. The money was decent as well, although she could have made much more using her degree. She was lucky that she was generally a witty, personable waitress. And all-right looking. Some men had called her beautiful but she'd laughed them off. It was easy to see beauty after drinking four or five beers. The tips rolled in anyway.

At any rate, the day had started off like any other. She got up at ten, ate breakfast, did her shopping for the week. It wasn't until she got to work that trouble started. It was a Tuesday...not necessarily the day for dealing with trouble makers in the bar. A group of men were sitting in a booth at the very back corner. Jamie wasn't their waitress but for some reason she got the feeling they were trying to get her attention. Any time they tried to flag her down, she told Angela, the other waitress, to deal with them.

It had worked for a while. As the bar started to fill up, the men got rowdier. There were five of them. They all gave Jamie the creeps. At one point one of them, a hulking brunette, had cornered her on the dance floor. Jamie tried to move around him but he refused to let her pass. His friends had gotten a laugh out of it. Jamie grit her teeth and stood still, waiting until he proved what a 'man' he was. It was just Angela, herself, and two other girls working that night, so any problems like this they had to deal with themselves. It didn't mean Jamie had to like it. She wished fleetingly that she worked at the kind of place that had six or seven well built bouncers on payroll, but hers was a fairly peaceful place.

Soon their regulars were leaving in disgust. The five guys were hitting on every woman who dared venture too close. They got so bold as to practically strip the shirt off of one young lady. She had gotten mad, and slapped one of the men, leaving a red hand print on his face.

Finally Jamie had called the police. They'd shown up just as the five men were surrounding another customer, ready to gang up on him and beat him up for defending his girlfriend. The cops dealt with the trouble makers. Everything after they'd left was subdued. Tips were horrible. Several small arguments erupted. It was a relief to finally close down for the night. Jamie was off until Friday. She just wanted to go home and soak in the tub and forget that this Tuesday had ever happened.

Of course the Jeep was acting up, ruining that plan.

Jamie raised her head from the steering wheel and looked around the deserted parking lot. Everyone else was gone. She had been the last one out, depositing the night's money into the safe, setting the alarm, locking the door. There wasn't even a car moving on the main road, thirty yards to her right. At some point during the evening it had started to snow. Huge flakes swirled from the sky, piling on the roads, blanketing everything in pristine white. Normally Jamie would enjoy the wintry weather, but not tonight. She was facing a two mile walk home in sub freezing weather. It definitely was not conducive to a good mood.

She reached out and tried one last time to make the Jeep start. The engine practically groaned before coughing and shutting off once more. "Damn it..." She muttered, wondering if maybe she had flooded the damned thing.

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone pounding on the window beside her head. Jamie let out a startled shriek, nearly jumping out of her skin.

It was the hulking dark-haired guy from earlier.

He stared in the window, face a careful blank. "Car trouble, darlin'?"He said it loud enough to be heard. Jamie nodded slowly, scared out of her mind. What the hell was he doing here? She looked past him and saw that his friends were gathered together near another vehicle. It hadn't been there just a few minutes ago, she would have seen it.

Thank god she had locked her doors when she'd gotten in the Jeep.

He was looking at her critically. "Pop the hood."

Jamie pressed the button before she realized what she was doing. The guy nodded and opened the hood to her Jeep, his upper body disappeared into the space so he could see what he was doing.

She nervously tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, wondering if she should run for it while the guy was occupied. They had been trouble in the bar earlier, they had been kicked out hours before, yet here they were again.

"Try it..." His voice was barely audible. Jamie obediently reached for the key, and turned it. The engine sputtered and caught, roaring to life. The heater blew cool against her face for a moment before the air warmed up. She rubbed her hands together as the warmth washed over her.

The guy slammed her hood shut. He returned to the window. "Loose spark plug cable. You might want to get those checked."

Jamie smiled at him for the first time, grateful she actually had some heat now. "I will. Thank you."

"Anytime. Careful goin' home, the road is slick."

Jamie nodded, almost afraid to hope that the guy was going to just let her go. She put the Jeep in gear and he stepped away, all but disappearing in the whirl of falling snow. She carefully guided the car out of the parking lot and onto the road.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're crazy. How the hell did I let you talk me into wanderin' out here in the middle of the fuckin' night anyway?"

Kayla turned to peer at Jeff, shining her flashlight at him. "Because you love me, that's why. Or the thought of me wanderin' along in the woods was too much for your maleness to handle. You decide." She smiled sweetly.

"Do you know where we are?" He asked, stopping beside her. Even though he had put on a heavy coat and gloves, the cold still bit at him through his clothes. He rubbed his gloved hands together, wishing he knew why the hell his cousin had wanted to go for a walk. At two in the morning. Through the woods.

"Sure...your house is back that way..." She pointed north. "The river is there." Another point, this time west. Kayla wasn't wearing gloves. Or a coat. She had on a warm-up jacket. It was her only concession to the weather.

"You're going to die of exposure." Jeff said with a smirk, pointing out what he thought was the obvious.

"Don't you wish. Let's go this way." She turned and headed east. Jeff shook his head and followed her. "You know, you could go home any time."

"Yeah, like I could find my way out of here." Jeff said shaking his head. The woods were thick, and with the falling snow he'd lost all sense of direction.

"You've lived here how long and you don't know where you are?" Kayla laughed.

"I don't come out here. It's kinda creepy." Jeff laughed at himself.

"If it wasn't for Justine, I'd think you were a hermit."

Jeff smiled. Justine was his girlfriend of four years. She was the reason he'd bought the house. At the moment, she was on a business trip. Ten days in New York. Jeff missed her, but having his cousin visit helped keep his mind off his loneliness. It had been a few years since he'd seen Kayla. And he wasn't surprised to find she hadn't changed a bit. Everyone thought that Jeff was a risk-taker. That was only because they'd never come up against Kayla when she was in the right mood.

"I'm freezin' my balls off." He said conversationally.

"Gross." Kayla giggled. "It's not really cold out here. Your mind is just equating snow and the arctic circle."

"Yeah, sure." Jeff rubbed his hands again and put his gloved palms to his face. He couldn't really feel anything. "Ok, this is ridiculous. Let's go back. I'll make some hot chocolate."

Kayla stopped. Jeff thought he'd finally found the right bribe. But she didn't turn around. Instead she held herself still and seemed to become fascinated with snow falling in front of her.

"What is that? A house?"

Jeff looked where she was looking. He could see nothing. Trees and snow. And darkness. "I dunno. Can't see a damned thing." He stomped his feet, knocking snow off his boots.

"I didn't know anybody else lived out here."

"I didn't either. It's a big place though." Jeff said with a shrug. "Come on, let's get outta here."

"You go."

"You come with." He shot back. Kayla finally looked at him.

"You're started to get an icicle on your nose."

"I'm surprised my whole face isn't frozen." As if to punctuate the remark, Jeff's teeth started to chatter. Kayla smiled and turned, and Jeff sighed in relief when she began leading the way back in the direction they'd come from.

"Are there coyotes out here?"

Jeff snorted. "Coyotes? Does this look like the wild west?"

"Ok, how about wolves?"

"Not that I've ever heard of. A couple of years ago there was a family of bears, but the wildlife people moved them farther north." Jeff said with a shrug.

"Oh."

"What? Why?" Belatedly he thought to ask.

"No reason." Kayla said with a smirk. Jeff sighed again from behind her, and she guessed he was wondering why her brain wandered in the directions that it did. She didn't want to tell him the real reason, it was better not to freak him out too much. Jeff wasn't a coward by any stretch of the word, but sometimes the strangest things set him off.

Kayla didn't let Jeff see her looking, but with every sweep of the flashlight, the light picked out strange tracks in the snow. Paw tracks. Too small to be a bear. They looked like dog tracks, but if there was a wild dog wandering the woods, she hadn't heard a peep out of it. Jeff would not have freaked out over that. Animals wandered forests throughout the world. It was the fact that the tracks followed along beside their footprints in the snow that would get him. As if something were stalking them.

Kayla wasn't scared. She had the big flashlight after all, it made a better weapon than a baseball bat. Plus...there was really no reason for a dog to attack them. The woods were full of rabbits and skunks and squirrels, plenty of smaller prey for it to have for dinner. She felt fairly secure.

She planned to get back to Jeff's house, indulge in a huge steaming mug of hot chocolate, and come back outside as soon as Jeff passed out for the night. He'd freak out if he knew, but oh well. She was a grown up. She would do what she wanted. The woods called to her like nothing else she'd ever felt before. She had to see what it was that kept pulling her toward the dark trees.

2

Her apartment felt like an ice box.

Jamie cursed under her breath and went to the thermostat. It was set to seventy-two, just as she'd left it. She flipped the switch a few times, and nothing happened. "Great. What else tonight?" She muttered, heading down the hall to the small closet that held the water heater. She had no clue how to tell if the pilot light had gone out. She went back to the small living room and grabbed the cordless phone, dialing the maintenance number from memory.

It wasn't that she called them so much, but it was an old house. The four floors were divided into two apartments each. The landlord was always checking something, fixing something.

"Yeah?" The grumbling voice startled Jamie out of her thoughts.

"Hey, Frank?"

"Yeah? Oh...is this Jamie?" His tone lost the edge.

"Yup. Got a problem."

"No heat?"

"How'd you know?"

"You're the only one who hasn't called yet. The gas company is supposed to be sending somebody out tonight. I couldn't figure out what happened."

"Oh...well, ok I guess. Should I stay up and wait on them?" She shivered and sank down on the couch.

"Nah...if you can sleep there you should. I'd hate to send you out on a night like this, but you might want to get a motel room for the night. No telling how long it will take those jerks to get their asses in gear." He said goodnight and hung up. Jamie heaved a sigh and got up, heading for her bedroom to pack an overnight bag. She'd much rather pay a few dollars than have to freeze her butt off waiting for the heat to be fixed. Although the thought of going back out and driving on the slippery roads was less than appealing.

Finished packing, she grabbed her phone book and looked up the number for the motel up the road. Apparently the heat loss was effecting more than just her building. The motel was booked solid with people needing somewhere warm to sleep.

She lucked out on her fourth call. A small lodge on the outside of town had one room left. Jamie took it, giving her credit card number to make sure no one else got it first. The Jeep started on the second try. Breathing a sigh of relief she headed back out into the snow storm.

It took more than an hour to drive the eight miles to the motel. Jamie's nerves were on edge. She'd almost slid off the road twice, and that was with the Jeep's four-wheel drive activated. The radio weather was calling for at least a foot of snow dropping on them that night, maybe more in some areas, and another system heading their wait the next day. She might not leave the motel until spring at the rate the weather was going.

Depressed at the thought of spending time in the motel, Jamie parked in the first open spot she came to and shut off the engine. She listened to it ticking as it cooled, and watched snowflakes splatter again the windshield and melt. Christmas was a little over a week away. It was nice it would be a white one, but the thought of spending yet another holiday alone was too depressing to contemplate. Heaving another put-upon sigh, she grabbed her bag and keys and exited the Jeep, heading for the motel's office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emma took a drag from her cigarette, blew smoke from her mouth, and tugged her robe a bit tighter around her body. In deference to her husband's wishes, she only smoked outside. Actually, Eric thought she had quit smoking a year ago. It wasn't the worst secret she had kept from him over the years.

Her biggest secret was upstairs, taking a shower. Even though she'd tried to turn Chris away, he knew that she could not in the end say no to him. Their affair had been going on for more than five years. They started as co-workers, became friends, and soon Emma found herself falling into bed with him on a night when her husband was out of town.

There was no rhyme or reason to their sex. Sometimes Emma and Chris had seen each other once a week. Months would go by with no contact. It would start up again before Emma could stop herself.

This time she had been determined to stand her ground. He'd shown up the week before, and had found out that Eric would be out of town. He knocked on the door a little past eleven. Emma had smoked a cigarette with him, had joked around with him, but when he asked to come inside she'd told him that she could no longer carry on their affair.

Chris had come inside.

He kissed her as soon as she closed the front door to the blowing snow outside. Breathing heavily, moaning at the feel of his hands as he slid them under her shirt, Emma could do nothing else but hold onto his shoulders and let him have his way with her.

Two hours and three orgasms for her later, she stood on the front porch smoking. Her robe was hardly appropriate attire for the weather, but she didn't care. Chris made her feel so good when they were making love, so wanted, but the aftermath left Emma swathed in guilt. Her body felt flushed, which meant she didn't feel nearly as cold as she should.

Chris opened the door behind her. He'd gotten dressed. Sometimes he spent the night, other times he was ready to leave as soon as they were done. His hair was still damp from his shower. He smiled at her as he closed the door.

"I meant what I said." Emma spoke softly. She knew he heard her though.

"You always do." Chris stood next to her and draped an arm over her shoulder. She offered him a drag of her cigarette. He took it and finished it off, flicking the butt into the yard.

"I can't keep doing this. To myself or to Eric."

"If you really cared for him, Em, you wouldn't be doing this at all." Chris pointed out.

"I know." Tears pricked her eyes but she blamed it on the cold air.

"I love you, you know that right?"Chris turned and forced Emma to meet his eyes. She sighed and shook her head. "Believe what you want. I told you before, if you ever get enough guts up to leave the bastard you're married to, I'll be waiting."

"Chris..." Emma hated it when he put Eric down. It was true, she didn't care for her husband as much as she should. After ten years of marriage, it was hard to con herself into believing that they would last. And it was also true, Eric had a temper. He'd never laid a hand on Emma in anger, but she sensed the potential in him, just under the surface. He held it back though. He got to her in other ways. Long stretches of aloofness, followed by sex so rough she could barely move the next day. If he ever found out about Chris...

She couldn't complete the thought. There was no telling what Eric would do. It terrified her to think of what could happen. Emma reached up and touched Chris on the cheek with her cold fingertips. He sighed and pressed closer to her hand. "You say the word Em. Say it and I'll have you out of here so fast your head will spin."

"I know." Emma whispered. "Thank you." She kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you too."

Chris smiled. "About time you admitted it." He brushed his lips across hers. "I have to go. Want me to come back tomorrow night?"

"I don't know. Call me." Emma wasn't sure if Eric was going to be home tomorrow night. The weather would play a role in that. Chris nodded at her and let her go, whistling as he headed for his car parked on the street.

Emma waited until even the glow from his tail lights was gone before turning to go into the house. She wanted a shower herself, and some sleep. She had a feeling it would not be so easy to drop off tonight, even if Chris had left her feeling weak with release. Smiling at her own helplessness, she locked the door behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was something about the snow.

Kayla turned her face toward the sky, feeling the wet flakes drop onto her skin, smiling at the sensation. Jeff had gone to bed, looking quite bedraggled. She had waited half an hour before escaping back outside, once more with her trusty flashlight. She used it sparingly, preferring instead to wander in the dark, listening to the complete silence of the woods. The snow was a great sound baffle.

She wandered aimlessly. Every now and then she checked her tracks. They were quickly filling with snow, but she wasn't worried about getting lost. The compass in her head was better than following her own footprints.

Of course, the idea of being Gretel in her own version of the old fairy tale had crossed her mind. If only because she was wandering the woods with no breadcrumbs. And possibly seeking out the gingerbread house.

The house she thought of was the one she had seen earlier in the night. It was well over half a mile from Jeff's, so deep into the woods that neither of them had known it was there. Kayla didn't even know of a road or driveway that went to the house, and she thought she had been very thorough in her explorations the year Jeff had bought his house.

The weird thing was...she was having trouble finding the house. She'd come on a direct route to the place where she'd spotted it earlier, but it was just...not there. So she'd wandered a little, back and forth through the woods, crossing her own tracks from time to time. Still no house. She'd taken a break to let the snow fall on her, wondering how a person could miss seeing something as big as a house.

Kayla laughed at herself and turned, freezing in her tracks when her eyes fell on a wolf.

It stood there, staring at her, breath coming from its mouth in a white plume. The animal was solid white. Its eyes were black as coal. They stood there for several long minutes, as if measuring each other. The wolf moved, sidestepping.

Kayla held her ground. From what she'd read, wolves usually traveled in packs, and they weren't particularly keen on attacking humans. Of course, she'd also read that wolves were not necessarily fond of the area where Jeff lived. There hadn't been a wolf sighting in these woods in over eighty years.

The wolf stopped moving, its nose going up as it sniffed the air. A high pitched whine issued from its throat. Kayla winced at the sound but did not flinch.

A branch snapped behind her. That did make Kayla jump a little. She looked behind her, saw nothing, and turned her attention back to the wolf, expecting it to be jumping at her since she was distracted. There was nothing there. The wolf had vanished just as quickly and silently as it had appeared.

"What the hell are you doing out here?"

The deep voice from behind her had Kayla jumping again. She spun around and came face to face with the biggest man she'd ever seen in her life. He was nearing on seven feet tall. His dark hair feel past his shoulders in loose waves. He wore jeans and a flannel shirt under a heavy coat. She turned her flashlight on and pointed it at his legs so as not to blind him. The light let her see he had dark eyes, either brown or hazel.

"Just taking a walk." She finally answered him, still eying him warily. A wolf was one thing. A gigantic hulk of a man was another entirely.

"This late at night through the woods?" There was no challenge in his tone. If anything, he sounded amused.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I live here." He shrugged.

"So does my cousin."

"I'm Glen."

"Kayla."

"Nice to meet you." He smiled at her. His attractiveness went up about ten points at the expression. Kayla didn't believe in love at first sight, but she was a firm supporter of lust at first sight. She was afraid she was starting to suffer from the effects of that very thing.

"So what are you doing out here?" Kayla asked him.

"Walking. Couldn't sleep." He ducked his head and shrugged again.

"You aren't like a crazy person are you? Wandering the woods, looking for victims?"

"If I was, I wouldn't tell you. I figured if I left my hockey mask at home I wouldn't be nearly as intimidating."

Kayla smirked. So he had a sense of humor. "Well thank goodness for that. I was worried."

"Do you need an escort out of here? I know my way around." Glen asked.

"Nope. I'm good. Uh...I didn't stumble onto your property did I?" It was the only reason she could figure that the guy would really be outside.

"Almost. Don't worry. I won't tell if you won't." He winked at her. Kayla found herself grinning in response. She almost forgot about the wolf, talking to the handsome guy who had appeared.

"Oh...did you see it?" She asked suddenly.

"See what?"

"The wolf. A white one. Scared the hell out of me. I guess when you came along, you scared it away."

"I didn't see it." Glen said after a hesitation. Kayla got the distinct feeling he was lying. Although she could not fathom why he would lie about such a thing. "No wolves around here. I guess if you were afraid of big animals a deer might chase you off, but that's about as big as it gets."

Kayla studied him thoughtfully. She looked once more at the ground, at Glen's boots. Her footprints were overlapped where she had been turning circles. His tracks were clearer, deeper than hers. And near his footprints were the distinct tracks of an animal. The wolf. It had apparently stopped and circled around Kayla before deciding to make its presence known.

So if he had been following the animal, why wouldn't Glen admit it?

Kayla bit her lip and met his eyes again. She had to hand it to him, if he were lying, if he were maybe illegally hunting the wolf for sport, he hid it well. His eyes were utterly guileless. And she didn't see a rifle or any other weapon on him. As a matter of fact, he wasn't even carrying a flashlight as she was. She did not know what to make of that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie lay on the too soft motel room bed, staring up at the ceiling, listening as the couple in the room next to hers tried to break the sound barrier with their moaning. She should have asked for a sound proof room. The thought made her smirk. The noise next door rose to an even higher pitch and suddenly all was silent.

"Hallelujah." She muttered dryly. God help her if they decided to try for a marathon. She'd never get any sleep.

It wasn't looking like sleep was coming for her anytime soon. She'd gotten her bath in a cramped tub, had ordered room service-which consisted of an overcooked cheeseburger and some undercooked fries-and had tried to go to bed.

She couldn't do it. Jamie would never be able to sleep in a strange room. Her first month at college, when freshmen had been forced to live in dorms, had been hell. She eventually got over it. Luckily for her, she wouldn't be staying in the motel for more than a night.

With a groan she sat up and pushed her hair back from her face, aggravated. Without thinking about why she was doing it, she dug through her bag and pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweater. She dressed and sat on the edge of her bed to tie her shoes. Jamie had no clue where she was going to go, but she had a feeling she'd go crazy if she stayed in the room.

She tugged her coat on, pocketed her keys, and tucked the small wallet she carried into her jeans. The couple next door started moaning again. Apparently they had only needed a small intermission. Jamie was surprised the pictures didn't fall of the walls. Smirking to herself, she opened the door and stepped outside.

Cold air and snow pelted her face. Jamie shoved her hands into her coat pockets, gave the Jeep a disappointed glare, and ducked her head against the wind. She started walking. At first just along the building. She angled across the parking lot eventually, not realizing she was doing it. She let her feet go where they would. The snow had drifted a bit while she'd been inside. In some places there was bare asphalt. In others the snow was well above her ankles. She winced every time snow fell down the sides of her shoes, but didn't want to go back to her room yet.

Jamie realized how ridiculous she was being. If she wanted to be cold, she could have saved herself fifty dollars and stayed at her apartment.

There was absolutely no traffic on the road. Jamie stopped at the edge of the blacktop, peering through the whirling snow at the ground. Apparently the snow plows and salt trucks couldn't keep up. There was no sign of tire tracks. She gingerly picked her way across the road and nearly fell through a deceptive looking snow bank on the other side. The road dropped off two feet before the ground leveled, but the snow had blown to make it look like a gentle slope. She twisted her ankle a bit and yelped at she sank into snow above her knees.

"Damn it..." Struggling, she kept her forward momentum, once more nearly falling when she cleared the slope and the snow went back down to a paltry six inches. Jamie bent down and ran her hands over her legs, trying to knock the snow off her jeans. Sighing she gave up. The more she knocked away the more stuck to her now damp pants. She looked around, realizing for the first time that her wandering had led her near a line of trees. She'd lived in town long enough to know the woods were not somewhere she wanted to hang out on a snowy night. Or a clear night for that matter. Maybe even in the day time.

She blamed it on John. He had told such stories when they were kids that Jamie couldn't even harbor the notion of camping. Even if she stayed in an eighty-thousand dollar camper. She knew it was childish, but she could not seem to help herself.

Instead of going into the trees, she turned and walked parallel to the road. The streetlights were few and far between on this side of town. Her ears got cold. Jamie alternated taking her hands out of her pockets to cover them from time to time.

Eventually she pulled herself out of her thoughts long enough to realize that she could no longer turn and see the motel in the distance. It was one of the last buildings between her small town and the next town, nearly eighty miles away. Jamie turned and began walking back the way she'd come, cursing to herself. She would probably freeze to death before she ever got to her room. Although considering her neighbors, she wasn't sure that was such a bad idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emma had thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but eventually she dozed off.

It didn't last long. She dreamed that a huge animal was stalking her. Not just stalking, but actually in her bedroom with her, on her bed, breathing hot air on her face. Terrified, she'd woken up, clicking on the bedside lamp to assure herself that she was still alone in the room. There was nothing there but the king-sized bed she had tried to sleep on, the matching dressers, and the doors to other rooms.

Emma could not shake the dream. Sure she was alone in her room, that didn't mean that someone or something wasn't lurking elsewhere in the house. Feeling more than ridiculous, she got up and tugged her robe on. She hesitated and went to her dresser. In the top drawer, under her pajamas was a lock box. In it was a gun. It was something else Eric didn't know about, and wouldn't approve of. Just talking about guns made him uneasy. Chris had given it to her as a 'gift'. In reality, she knew he just wanted her to be able to protect herself in any situation.

She pulled the .38 out and carefully loaded it, making sure the safety was on. Emma didn't want to really shoot anybody...she hoped the sight of the gun would be threat enough. With a sigh, steeling herself, she opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. The house was silent. She held her breath a moment, listening. Nothing, not even the hum of the heat blowing.

As she walked along the upstairs hall, she became aware of the distinct feeling of being watched. She checked all three of the spare rooms, the two bathrooms, even the closet. There was nothing there.

Biting her lip nervously, Emma headed downstairs. The living room was to her right. The kitchen and dining room to her left. The floor plan was open, and she could see at a quick glance that no one waited for her at the bottom of the steps, or in the other room. Unless they were hiding behind the butcher block in the kitchen, or in the bathroom under the stairs. She checked every possible spot she thought would hide a full grown man.

Emma finally lowered her gun. She was alone, just as she'd known. The damned dream had left her jumping at shadows. She couldn't remember much beyond the feeling of being breathed on. If it was her subconscious telling her something about Chris's visit earlier, she didn't understand it a bit.

She went back upstairs and stopped in front of her dresser. She looked at the gun in her hand. Resolutely, she shut the dresser draw and took the gun to bed with her. She put it under Eric's pillow, handy just in case. Feeling better but no less ridiculous, Emma forced herself to shut off the light and lay back down. She wasn't going to sleep. Her nerves were on edge. But she knew that she shouldn't waste energy pacing her house all night either. If something were wrong, if someone somehow managed to get into her house, she wanted to be prepared to deal with them.

3

Mark slowly rolled his half-full glass between his fingers, watching as the last of the amber liquid swirled. Glen had gone outside. Mark hadn't stopped him to find out why. The alcohol was not doing what it was supposed to do. He felt more sober and alert than he had before drinking.

That was par for the course though. He should have known better. But the alcohol warmed him better than the empty fireplace in front of him could.

There was a noise at the door. Glen came in, knocking snow off his boots. Mark glanced at him, his eyebrow up.

"Nice walk?"

"Interesting. Met a girl."

"Only you..." Mark shook his head.

"Something was following her." Glen shrugged his coat off and hung it near the door.

"Something?"

"A wolf." With a sigh, Glen sank down onto the couch. He reached for Mark's untouched last shot, and knocked it back, sucking in a breath as the alcohol burned its way down his throat.

"Here?" Mark's eyebrow went up again.

"Close. Too damned close."

"And the girl?"

"I followed her, made sure she got home all right." Glen shook his head. "Had to be sneaky about it too."

"Did she find the house?"

"That was close too. I found her first though." Glen smirked. "I have a feelin' she'll be back. Struck me as bein' stubborn."

Mark sighed. "Should have known. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"We've had three years."

"Seems like three days." Mark rose to his feet. He carried his empty bottle to the kitchen and dropped it in the trash. He stood in front of the sink, staring out the window at the swirling snow.

"Gotta do what we gotta do." Glen said from behind him. He put the glass on the counter with a thump. "We don't even know if any of this is meant for us. Could be we just happened to buy a house near trouble."

"Yeah, and I could be president of my own country." Mark said with a crooked, humorless smile.

"At any rate..." Glen clapped him on the shoulder. "She was nice lookin'."

"I figured as much."

Glen chuckled and headed for the stairs. Mark shook his head, wondering why his brother found it so amusing to fall for any pretty woman that crossed his path. Maybe fall wasn't the right word...it was more like lust until a conquer. That idea made Mark's smile more genuine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie halted under a street lamp, staring down at the snow coated ground. It was coming down so hard her tracks from earlier had been obliterated. She had no clue how much longer she would have to walk. The motel was impossible to see from where she was.

She crossed her arms and put her head down, trudging along. Now she felt like she could sleep. The thought brought a sarcastic smile to her lips. She should have just paced laps around the bed. Maybe that would have been the answer.

Jamie stopped again, put a hand over her eyes so the snow would not blind her, and peered along the roadway. The next streetlight was twenty or so yards away. The motel was still no closer. At least, not that she could tell. Maybe she had walked right past it in the blowing snow and was heading toward the center of town, eight miles away. There was a comforting thought.

She shivered and tucked her hands back into her pockets. Before she could take another step, a low noise stopped her. Jamie stood still, headed cocked to the side, wondering if maybe it was the wind rattling the tree branches in the woods to her right. There was nothing for a long minute. She almost put it down to her imagination.

That was until she saw a shadow move through the trees.

Jamie couldn't make out what it was. A dog maybe...it was low to the ground, and fast. The noise came again, and this time she could not mistake it for anything but what it was. A growl. It didn't sound like any dog she'd ever heard.

"Silliness. Like I could tell the difference between two dogs growling." She muttered to herself, more to hear a noise besides the growling than to make a point to herself.

The growling stopped. The shadow moved again, this time darting from left to right, disappearing behind a tree. Jamie slowly backed up toward the road, keeping her eyes on the line of trees.

She forgot about the drop.

Jamie had no clue that the shoulder of the road was a drop off where she was currently standing, but she should have remembered her lesson from earlier. She fell backward into a snow drift, her feet tangling against each other. A grunt escaped her lips, even though the snow cushioned her fall somewhat. The drift was over three feet deep now. Snow fell on top of her from the sides, nearly burying her in the cold white depths.

She struggled, trying to free herself. With one hand Jamie pushed off the ground. With the other she tried to bat away the snow that covered her. Rolling a little, she managed to get a leg under her, and pushed up onto her knees.

And came face to face with the biggest damned dog she'd ever seen.

Maybe dog was not the right word. It was a wolf. Completely white, nearly blending in the snow. Its lips pulled back, revealing more teeth than Jamie had thought were possible in an animal. A growl came from low in its throat, and she could feel and smell its breath even through the blowing wind.

A noise issued from her lips. Jamie had tried to yell, but her voice seemed to have deserted her. What came instead was a terrified squeak. She pushed herself backward, pumping her legs, almost burying herself in the snow drift again.

The wolf cocked its head and eyed her. If Jamie didn't know better she would have thought it was laughing at her. It took one step toward her, its dark eyes seeming to pin her to the ground.

The wolf suddenly turned and disappeared into the trees. Jamie gasped, letting out a breath she hadn't been aware of holding. She slowly rose to her knees again, her eyes glued to the trees in case the animal decided to come back.

"You all right?"

The voice behind her nearly gave her a heart attack. This time Jamie managed to scream, whirling around, ready to run. A hand caught her arm before she could even begin to get her feet moving.

It was the dark haired guy from earlier. The one who'd cornered her at the bar. The one who'd gotten her Jeep started. Jamie wheezed in fear and shook her arm free.

"Looked like you needed a hand. Sorry..." He muttered, giving her a boyish smile. Jamie wasn't the least bit fooled by it.

"You saw it right? That...that...thing tried to kill me!"

"I don't know what the hell I saw." The man shook his head. "Lots of snow. And then you fell backward and I almost ran you over." He gestured to the road. Apparently when Jamie had been distracted by not becoming a wild animal's late night snack he'd pulled up. She had never heard the truck running.

She shook her head and looked around. So maybe the truck had scared the wolf away. She decided to be grateful, even if she didn't trust the guy in front of her.

"Well...thanks I guess." Jamie bent down and brushed snow from her clothes. Again it was pretty much useless, but she tried anyway.

"You look like you're about frozen. You need a lift?"

Caught off guard by the offer, Jamie stopped beating on her clothing and stared at him, open-mouthed.

"I promise I'll behave." He raised his hand in the air as if swearing an oath. Jamie hesitated for half a second. She was shivering uncontrollably now, whether from the cold or her encounter with the wolf she did not know.

"All right..." She hesitated when he offered his hand. His eyebrow went up. Jamie sighed and reached up, letting him help her onto the snow covered road. He held open the passenger door and gave her a hand into the cab. She muttered in relief as warm air from the vents washed over her.

The stranger got behind the wheel, slamming the door. "My name's David." He turned to her and offered his hand again. Jamie eyed it and decided it couldn't hurt. She shook with him.

"Jamie."

He nodded and let her go. Jamie tucked her hands into her pockets and kept a wary eye on him. He guided the truck expertly through the snow. She looked around the cab, surprised to see it was not a four-wheel drive. He did not loose traction on the road. Not once.

"Sorry I was an ass at the bar."

He spoke so softly Jamie wasn't sure she'd heard. She glanced at him and saw the smirk on his features.

"Comes with the job. Sometimes."

"And sometimes I'm even more of an ass than usual." He smiled at her, and Jamie found herself smiling back. Now that he wasn't being a total jerk, she thought he was rather good looking. He had dark eyes, and tanned skin. Either not from around there, or a manic user of tanning beds, she thought. "Where are we going?" He asked, pulling Jamie from her inspection of him.

"The motel right up the road, believe it or not." Jamie said with a put-upon sigh. David smirked and nodded. He knew exactly where it was.

"We'll be there in a few."He said, peering through the windshield at the nearly invisible road. Jamie was glad they weren't going far. It would be too easy to drive off the road in a storm like this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The phone jarred Emma from sleep, causing her to sit upright with a scream caught in her throat.

Heart racing, she laughed at herself and reached for the cordless on the nightstand. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but she was more tired than she had accounted for.

"Hello?" Yawning, she leaned back against her pillow, wondering who would call her at so ungodly an hour. It was just past four in the morning.

There was no answer. Instead of a voice, she heard breathing. Not prank phone call, pervert breathing either. Heavy wet breathing. It sounded like an animal. Her dream from earlier came back to her suddenly and she sat up straight, holding the phone as if she were afraid it would bite her. "Hello? Who is it?"

Still no answer. The breathing turned into a whine. The line went dead. Emma let the phone drop and put a hand to her chest, trying to ease herself. She could not convince herself it was just a coincidence though. There was no way. What were the odds she'd dream of something breathing on her, and later would hear that very same thing on her phone? Pretty slim. But it had happened.

Emma started to slide from the bed, but hesitated. She reached under Eric's pillow for her gun. So she'd had a dream. A now she'd heard in reality what she'd heard in her dream. She wasn't psychic, and didn't really believe in it anyway, but she had the crazy thought that if she were not prepared, her dream might become her reality.

Shaking her head at her crazy thoughts, Emma went to her dresser and grabbed a pair of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. She dressed quickly, hating to put the gun down but knowing she had to. She felt infinitely better once she held it again. She tucked at her back in the waistband of her jeans and slid her boots on.

She hesitated again, this time looking at the phone. Emma did not want to call Chris. He might think she were losing her mind. And she couldn't call Eric. The hell he would put her through when he got home if she woke him up this early...

Emma had no choice. She grabbed the phone and dialed. "Hey...I need you."

"That's what I like to hear." Chris said, sounding sleepy. He also sounded amused. How he managed to pull both off was beyond Emma.

"Something...happened. I don't want to get into it on the phone. Please Chris...get over here..."

Something in her voice must have gotten through. "Em...baby, are you all right?"

"No. Just...hurry." Emma's voice wavered.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Fifteen..." Chris corrected himself.

"Be careful."

"You be careful." He said right back to her. "Love you, Em. I'll be..."

The line went dead.

"Chris? Hello?"

There was nothing but smooth silence. The lights flickered, glowed brighter briefly, and went out. With the storm blowing outside, there was not even the ambient light of the moon coming in the windows. Emma stood in the silence, tears slipping from her eyes. She had never been so terrified in her life. "Hurry Chris..." She whispered, turning and running for the bathroom. It had a good lock. She was going to shut herself in until Chris got there. At least that way there was only one entrance to defend if the need presented itself.

4

David brought the truck to a stop behind her now completely snowed in Jeep. Jamie sighed in relief. But she didn't move to get out of the truck just yet. The snow was swirling just as rapidly as earlier, but now...she had the strangest feeling that going into her room would be a mistake.

She turned her head and looked at David. He seemed to be mesmerized by the door to her room. A light burned next to the entryway, but it barely penetrated the blowing storm.

"I don't know if you should stay here by yourself." He finally said, pulling his gaze from the door and pinning her with his dark eyes.

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "Was that a line?"

David smirked. "More like...a warning." He shrugged. "Not to freak you out or anything, but something feels weird about this place."

Jamie looked once more past her Jeep to the door. Something in her stomach seemed to ice over. "You don't need to freak me out, I'm doing a pretty good job of that on my own."

"I can take you to another place..."

"They're all booked up. I tried earlier."

"Hmm..." David made a noncommittal noise in his throat and glanced at the room door once more. "You have anything in there you need?"

"My bag. My clothes." Jamie nodded.

"I'll get 'em. You stay put. Lock the doors when I get out. Oh..." He held out a hand. "I'll need your key."

Jamie handed it over willingly enough. As soon as he climbed out of the truck, she hit the door lock button. And felt utterly ridiculous doing it. That was until David went into the room. He left the door open behind him. He had only been gone a minute when the lights flickered and went out.

The only light now came from the glow of the dashboard lights. The doorway was completely in shadows. Jamie tapped her fingers on her legs, her nerves starting to get the best of her.

A large shadow came toward the truck. Jamie waited until she saw it was David before unlocking the doors. He tossed her bag onto the seat beside her and slammed the truck door. "Power went out."

"I noticed."

"Is that everything?" He gestured at the bag. Jamie shrugged.

"I didn't unpack. So it should be." She nearly sighed in relief again when David dropped the truck into gear and guided it from the parking lot. "So...where do I go now?"

"I know a place." Instead of turning toward town, David pointed in the truck the opposite direction. The direction she'd walked when she'd left the motel.

"Um...there's nothing out here for about forty miles or so..."

"It's closer than that. Some friends of mine have a house. They won't mind you bunking with them for a while." David looked at her and smiled.

Jamie found herself smiling back. "If you're sure. I could just go back to my apartment. Although the heat wasn't working earlier."

"Well if the storm knocked the power out, it's not going to get fixed any faster. Trust me...you'll be better off staying with my friends."

Jamie couldn't help but feel that his last statement held several meanings beyond the obvious. She forced herself to relax against the seat as David drove them through the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There's nothing here."

Emma nodded her head. She still held Chris's hand in a death grip though. "You think I'm crazy..."

"No...I would never." Chris turned and kissed her forehead. "Maybe it's the weather on top of being stressed out. I'd freak out too if I was in this big house all by myself and the power went out."

"I freaked out before the power died." Emma pointed out. She sat down on the living room sofa and sighed. "I could have sworn though..."

"You had a bad dream, Em. I'm not going to judge you because some of it spilled over into the real world." Chris sat next to her and pulled her against his side. Emma let him hold her for a few minutes, just trying to figure out why she had reacted the way she had.

"I can't stay here." She said finally. "I'll lose my mind for real."

"Do you want to go to my place?"

"Do you have power?"

Chris chuckled. "No. But we could keep each other warm."

"We could do that here." She pointed out, although reluctantly. She really did not want to stay in her own home.

"Yeah, but I don't know if I like the idea of snoozin' and waking up to see your husband standing over me."

"He could come home anytime." Emma agreed.

"So let's go to my place." He let her go and rose to his feet. "Come on, I'll help you pack a bag."

"Ok..." Emma let him lead her up the stairs. She found a bag and threw in a couple pairs of jeans, a few shirts and underthings. She grabbed her cell phone from where it was charging on her dresser. Her gun was still tucked against her back. She was ready. Emma glanced at the clock, surprised to see it was nearly six in the morning. "I'm going to call Eric's cell. Hopefully he won't answer and I can leave a message."

Chris nodded and waited as she dialed. The phone rang three times before Eric's voice informed her he was away from the phone. Mentally sighing in relief, Emma quickly told him that the power had gone out and she would be spending a few days with a friend to keep warm. Chris was smiling when she hung up the phone.

"What, you didn't want to tell him where you were exactly?"

"Hell no." Emma felt some of her humor returning at the idea she would be leaving. "Let's go. Oh hell...can we even get anywhere in this storm?"

"It's slow going, but yeah." Chris led her outside. Emma locked up the house and hurried to Chris's car. He turned the heat to full blast and carefully backed out onto the snow covered road. "Better buckle up." He reminded. Emma smiled and did so, feeling much more relaxed that she had earlier. She might even be able to get some sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't know about this."Jamie said, peering through the snow at the huge house that was hidden among the trees.

David glanced at her. "What's not to know?"

"It's awfully early. And I don't know you people, so why would I want to stay here?"

He smiled. "They'll be up. And you don't have to worry. Nothing bad will happen to you here."

Jamie sighed. "So says you, a strange guy I met a few hours ago."

"Believe me, there are stranger than me out running in the snow tonight." It was said cryptically. Jamie had listened to him talk enough during their driving that she understood he was making a joke. She laughed weakly and clutched her bag against her side as he brought the truck to a halt near another vehicle. It was a huge black SUV. She wasn't sure the make or model, the snow had almost completely covered it.

"I just...don't want to intrude..."

"You won't be. Trust me."

"What if they're busy?"

"I didn't bring you here to entertain them, so if they are busy, good for them." David chuckled wryly.

"Maybe you should just take me back to my Jeep. And I can drive to..." David was shaking his head before Jamie could even finish her weak protest.

"I've seen how you tense up every time snow hits the windshield. You really want to make me worry about you driving eighty or so miles to find another motel?"

"You would worry?" Jamie laughed, this time more naturally.

"Like a put-upon mother hen. Come on. I promise, it'll be all right." David shut off the engine and opened his door. Cold air blew in, making Jamie shiver. With a sigh she unhooked her seat belt and followed his lead, stepping out into the snow, her bag clutched close to her side.

David took her elbow to help guide her through the snow. The house loomed in front of them. It was two stories, the exterior covered with rough logs. Light poured through all the lower floor windows. It was completely surrounded by the woods. Jamie had not even known there was a house this far out. She knew that a development had been under works, but that was on the other side of town, nearly fifteen miles away.

David knocked on the door, the sound breaking Jamie from her thoughts. He gave her one more smile and turned as the front door opened.

Jamie had thought David was a big guy.

The man who opened the door easily overshadowed David by three or four inches. Long dark hair framed a ruggedly handsome face. He had piercing green eyes. Jamie felt her breath catch when his eyes met hers, and had to remind herself to breath. There was something decidedly intense about his gaze.

"David." He didn't sound surprised. Jamie found her eyes going to the stranger's lips. He possessed the most sensuous mouth she'd ever seen on a man. His lips were perfectly formed, surrounded by a well-kept goatee, the same deep red nearing on black as his hair.

"Hey, didn't wake you up." It was not a question. The man shrugged and looked pointedly from David to Jamie. "Oh...this is Jamie. Jamie, my friend Mark."

"Hi." She was shocked she could talk. Mark eyed her again. At least he didn't look angry.

"Mornin'." He nodded. She picked up a hint of a drawl. "Rough weather." That was aimed at David.

"It's gonna get worse." David said with a smirk. Mark stepped aside and held the door open. David gestured for Jamie to go inside. She did so with more than a little trepidation. "The power got knocked out in town. Jamie needs a place to crash."

"Ok." Mark shrugged. Jamie glanced at him, wondering how on earth he was so accepting at having a stranger all but dumped in his lap.

"You still have power." Jamie said, feeling the need to say something in the silence that had come over the three of them.

"House runs on a generator." Mark said, looking at the overhead light as if to confirm it. "You can stay in the spare room."

"I hope I'm not putting..."

Mark shook his head and held up a hand. "It's not a problem, darlin'. Don't worry about it. Nobody should be out in this mess."He gestured and Jamie followed him through the living room, to a set of stairs. David took a seat on the couch. Jamie spared him a glance. He smiled reassuringly as her.

Jamie turned her attention back to following Mark. At the top of the stairs he turned to the right and opened the first door he came to. "Here you go." He looked around as if taking inventory. There was a massive bed, the head and foot boards made of dark carved wood. A thick deep blue comforter was spread across the top. The floor was carpeted in the same shade of blue, the walls were cream colored. There was a fireplace against one wall, and an open door than led to a small bathroom against the other. "If it gets too cold in here, I can start a fire..."

"It's fine." Jamie said with a smile. It was actually better than her room at home. As a matter of fact...the bedroom she was now standing in was probably bigger than her whole apartment. Snow fell against a huge window behind the bed. The room was cozy and warm in spite of the weather.

"There are towels in the bathroom if you want a shower." Mark spoke from behind her. "My brother is around here somewhere. You'll meet him later. He's probably sleeping."

"Oh. Ok." Jamie turned around to look at him. Mark studied her thoughtfully. She fought against squirming under his gaze.

"If you get hungry..." He finally spoke. "The fridge is stocked. Help yourself."

Jamie smiled up at him. He didn't really return it though. One corner of his well formed mouth lifted. That was it. It still set butterflies fluttering in her stomach though. "Thank you."

"No problem." Mark shrugged again. "If you need anything, I'll be downstairs." With that he turned and left the room. Jamie stared at the empty doorway and sighed. Her eyes went to the bathroom door again. After her fall in the snow drift and driving around damp all night, a hot shower sounded like heaven. She set her bag on the bed and pulled out her pajamas before heading for the open doorway.

5

Mark was surprised to see David still standing in the living room when he returned downstairs. Usually he showed up from nowhere, disappeared into nowhere, and didn't waste his time on visiting.

"We gotta talk." David said as Mark once more dropped onto the couch.

"About?"

"Her." David gestured, obviously meaning the woman who was currently upstairs.

"Picking up strays." Mark muttered to himself. David heard him of course.

"You could say that. Weird thing was...I think maybe she's in trouble. There was a wolf..."

Mark rubbed his eyes and heaved a sigh even before David could finish explaining. "About to attack her."It wasn't a question.

"I don't know. It looked like it was seriously thinking about it." David shoved his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat. "Maybe it hasn't started yet."

Mark cursed under his breath. "But it will. Doesn't it always?" He eyed David thoughtfully. "Will you be sticking around to help?"

This earned a smug grin. "Of course not. Dealing with the dead is more your thing." He shrugged. "Got to go. I'm gonna see if I can find sign of that wolf."

"You won't." Mark warned with another sigh. "I'll deal with it."

David nodded and said nothing else before turning and leaving the room. Mark let his head fall against the back of the couch and rubbed his eyes. It certainly seemed that his feeling from the night before was right, and that trouble had found them. The fact that she came in the form of an attractive woman didn't surprise him in the least.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're insane for wanting to drive anywhere in this. Let alone six hours away."

Jeff smirked and continued shoving clothes into the bag he'd thrown onto the bed. "And you wander the woods in the dark. Clearly, we're both in need of mental help."

"It's the family curse." Kayla muttered, looking at the frosted window. The snow had stopped sometime during the wee hours of the morning, but it was just a small reprieve. More was headed their way by noon. The sun had risen just an hour before, but it was hard to tell. The cloud cover was so thick only weak light penetrated it. The news had said they'd hit eighteen inches of snow. Another ten or so inches of powder was expected before it was all through, and that was their conservative guess.

And here Jeff was, wanting to travel. Justine had left a message, saying her flight had been canceled. There were no rental cars available. He wouldn't want her to drive anyway. Instead, he'd be risking his own neck to get to her. Kayla watched as he eyed his closet thoughtfully. "I guess that's all I'll need."

"Should be." Kayla smiled. "You want me to go with you? I drive in the snow better than you do."

"Ha. Nope. You stay here, enjoy the big empty house. I'll be all right."

"You want to take my car?" Jeff had a brand new pick-up, but Kayla had a more reliable and weather worthy all wheel drive.

"If you don't mind." He grinned and took her offered keys before shouldering his bag. "We'll be back in a few days I guess. When it starts melting off."

"I hope so. Call me so I know you aren't splattered across the highway."

"You're way with words as always is astounding, Kay." Jeff laughed and led the way downstairs. He tugged on his coat, checked for his wallet, and eyed Kayla more seriously. "If you need anything, give me a call."

"Doubt I will. You be careful out there. If it gets too rough, you turn and come back. Justine will have to make do in a hotel by herself." Kayla hugged Jeff and held the door open as he went outside. Cold air blew through the open door, making her shiver. The temperature seemed to have dropped even more with the start of the day.

Jeff waved and disappeared toward the driveway. Kayla watched as her car was guided out onto the road before closing and locking the front door.

And Jeff's house felt too empty suddenly, too lonely.

Kayla frowned and shuffled toward the kitchen, tightening her thick robe around her. By nature she didn't get lonely, she didn't get get bored, she was used to being on her own. Shaking her head, she poured a steaming mug of Jeff's too strong coffee and sipped it as she looked at the sea of white out the kitchen window.

Maybe she was just tired. She'd only gotten a few hours of sleep after all. That made her smile. That was another of her quirks. If she slept more than three or four hours a night, she felt lazy. She was seriously contemplating another walk through the woods. She carried her coffee out of the kitchen and into the living room. The fireplace crackled and popped as she sat down on the couch. Maybe she'd just stay in today. Read a book. Curl up on the couch with a warm blanket and the fire as her backdrop.

Kayla smirked at herself. Of course, as soon as she finished her coffee, she was going to go outside. She wasn't planning on going far though, not all the way to the middle of nowhere as she'd done last night. She wanted to take her camera and get some pictures of the snow. It was, after all, one for the record books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie sat up with a gasp, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest, her eyes wildly trying to take in everything at once. She didn't know where she was, nothing was familiar, not the bed or the room or...

She remembered. David had brought her here. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, she glanced at the window and saw pale light filtering in through the glass. Whatever time it was, the sun was out. Kind of. Jamie pushed back until she was sitting with her back against the headboard, the thick blankets covering her legs. She hadn't slept very well, even though the bed was big and soft. She'd had weird dreams, running the spectrum from nightmare to naughty. The erotic dreams she didn't remember at all, except the general feel of them. The bad one had been the one to finally wake her up. It was fading from her memory too, but she shivered as she thought of what did stand out. A wild animal, breathing on her as she lay in bed.

Whatever else happened in the dream, Jamie was done sleeping. And she was hungry. And thirsty. She hesitated before pushing the covers back and stepping out of bed. She grabbed her bag and pulled on a pair of jeans and a dark shirt. She went to the bathroom, brushed her hair and teeth, used the toilet, washed her hands, put her shoes on, and made the bed. It seemed ridiculous, even to her, but it was a habit she'd developed over her lifetime that she couldn't quite shake.

Jamie opened the door and quietly stepped into the hallway. The house was silent. In fact, she couldn't recall hearing anything at all after she'd gotten into bed. Normally she was a light sleeper and a slight breeze would wake her up. Apparently she'd been more tired than she'd thought.

She wasn't sure what to do next. Her stomach growled, making her smirk. Ok, that answered that. Cautiously, Jamie moved down the hall toward the stairs, not wanting to disturb anybody who might be sleeping.

It turned out to be a pointless worry. Jamie found the kitchen, and also discovered Mark sitting at the table. A huge mug of coffee was in front of him, along with a book. He didn't appear to be reading it though. His fingers rifled the pages and his eyes were apparently glued to something fascinating on the dark wood of the table.

Jamie felt herself blush as he lifted his eyes to hers and studied her thoughtfully for a long minute. "Morning..." She said, her voice unsure.

Mark nodded. "Hungry?"

"Starving." Jamie agreed, smiling a little. One corner of his mouth twitched. He had almost smiled back. She wondered idly why he would bother holding back a thing as simple as a smile. And she wondered why her thoughts were so damned scattered all of a sudden.

"Help yourself. There's plenty." Mark motioned to the refrigerator. Jamie nodded and crossed the kitchen, aware that he was watching her closely as if she were going to do something out of the ordinary. Jamie smirked to herself and opened the fridge, eying the shelves that were almost overflowing with food. She carefully extracted a few things, thought about it, pulled out a few more. She didn't cook often, and was sure that she'd win no awards for whatever she made, but she did enjoy the task. There was something comforting about whipping together a meal.

Jamie didn't ask Mark if he wanted to eat. She just assumed he would. Therefore she made a lot more than she would have just cooking for herself.

"Let me guess. You're a short order cook, right?" A deep voice spoke from behind her. Jamie glanced over her shoulder and did a double take. Another man had joined Mark at the table. She'd been so engrossed in her cooking that she hadn't noticed him entering the room. He was as big as Mark, his hair was long and dark, his eyes a shade of hazel that missed being green only by an inch. That the two men were related was obvious.

"Actually, I'm a waitress. Kind of." Jamie smiled and went back to stirring her eggs.

"Kind of? How does a person become 'kind of' a waitress?" The man asked, sounding amused.

"Well, I used to be a nurse. Now I wait on tables." She shrugged as if it had been the most natural transition in the world. She thought momentarily how odd it was, that she had let some stranger bring her to a house with more strangers, and here she was cooking and being domestic. She didn't feel nearly as awkward as she thought she should. At the very least she should be wary, especially around two guys who were bigger than anybody she'd ever seen in her life.

"Interesting career change. I'm Glen."

"Jamie. And the food is ready if you guys are hungry."She shut off the stove and looked at her handiwork. Eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns. Her stomach rumbled. Without waiting on the two men, she grabbed a plate and loaded it up.

Glen and Mark exchanged a look. Glen was still amused, barely holding back a smile. Mark had a better poker face. Glen got to his feet and fixed himself a plate. Mark followed his lead. Jamie abandoned her plate for a moment to go back to the fridge for orange juice. They all ate in silence for a few minutes.

"So Jamie..." Glen wiped his mouth with a napkin he'd gotten from the counter. "How did you wander into our neck of the woods." His mouth curved into a smile.

Jamie raised an eyebrow and smiled back. She got the distinct feeling that Glen was going to be a flirt. Working at the bar, she'd gotten to know the warning signs. "I didn't actually wander. I was brought here. It's a long story though." She sipped her juice and glanced toward Mark. He was chewing thoughtfully and watching her.

She recapped most of her night between bites. She ended with David dropping her off. "I'm probably going to have to find a way to get back to my Jeep before the motel tows it off."

"I don't think much of anything is gonna get towed away in this mess." Mark spoke for the first time in a while. "If you want, I can try to get it here for when you're ready to go."

Jamie smiled at him. Once again the corner of his mouth twitched, as if he were fighting against returning it. "I don't know why you'd want to drive. I know I don't."

"It's not so bad. Just gotta have a feel for the road." Glen said, finishing his food. He gathered their plates and busied himself washing dishes. Jamie was suitably impressed. And now awkward. She'd cooked, she'd eaten, and she'd planned on cleaning up. Now she sat unsure at the table with Mark, who was still sipping his coffee, watching Glen take care of it.

"Relax, darlin'. You cooked, we'll clean." Mark said softly. Jamie looked at him, met his green eyes, and wondered if it were possible he'd read her mind. "After he's done, Glen can run me into town to get your car. Just need to know where it is and get the keys."

Jamie nodded and told him. She dug into her pocket and handed him her keys. "Maybe I should go and drive it...it's kind of temperamental, and I could go to my apartment and get some clothes, and see if my heat is on..."

"That's all right. I'll take care of it."Mark actually smiled at her when he said it. Jamie was floored at the sight of it. "In the meantime...there's no TV here, the reception is for shit this far out in the woods. But there's a room full of books if you want something to occupy yourself with. Make yourself at home."

"Thank you." Jamie said softly. She watched as the smile faded and Mark took his cup to the sink. She shook her head, wondering what exactly it was about him that had her so fascinated.

6

"You didn't sleep much." Chris's voice was rough from sleep. Emma glanced over her shoulder. She was in the kitchen, standing at the back door, looking at the snow that blanketed the back yard.

"Couldn't. Wish the power was on. I could use some coffee."

"I can run out and get some." Chris chuckled. "Or not. Guess the power is probably out everywhere."

Emma watched his reflection in the window as he opened the fridge and took out a soda. The house was chilly, and she crossed her arms over her stomach against the chill.

"We need to find somewhere else to stay, since there's no telling when the power will be back." Chris set his drink on the counter and walked to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Maybe we could find a kerosene heater or something." Emma said, leaning back against his broad chest.

"We can grill our food. Live off the land." Chris kissed her ear. "I'll get dressed and see if I can't make it to a store that's open. Want to come with me?"

Emma shook her head. "I don't know if I can take another trip in this weather. Snowy roads freak me out."

"Well then I'll have to hurry up." He kissed her again, squeezed her, and left the room humming under his breath to get dressed. Emma shivered and turned to sit at the kitchen table.

To be honest with herself, it wasn't just the driving conditions that gave her the willies. There was something about being outside, about the storm in general, that left her feeling scared.

Chris left. Emma held her cell phone, wondering if she should call Eric again. It was strange that he hadn't called her back. It was unlike him. Sighing she dialed and listened as his voice mail message played.

Emma hung up without talking. It was so unlike him to not answer, to not respond to voice mails. As controlling as he was, she was surprised he hadn't been calling her every hour on the hour.

She shut her phone off and tossed it onto the table. Emma stood and paced the kitchen a few times, hers eyes drawn again and again to the windows. There was nothing to see there she hadn't seen. Snow. Houses. The oak tree in the middle of the yard. But still she was scared. It was low level, just in the pit of her stomach, but she knew what she felt. Chris seemed unaffected. She took hope in that. Maybe it was just the weather bringing her down, not some strange and sudden ability to sense things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We shouldn't have left her there alone."

Mark glanced at Glen as he guided the SUV through the drifted snow. They'd had a reprieve, but apparently it was ending. More snow was beginning to fall. The wind had stopped for the time being, so it wasn't nearly as bad as the night before. Not yet anyway.

"She'll be fine in the house."

"Can't guarantee she won't go outside." Glen mumbled.

"You told her not to."

"Doesn't mean she'll listen. There's the motel..." He pointed. Mark nodded and pulled in behind the snow covered Jeep.

"I'll go to her place, get her things. You head on back." Mark left the engine running and stepped out into the cold. Glen slid over and looked at him with an unreadable glint in his eyes. "What?"

"Nothin'." Glen smirked.

"Spit it out. Haven't got all damn day."Mark shoved his hands in his pockets and waited.

"I said nothin'. Just funny to see you worryin' about a girl."

Mark grunted and slammed the truck door. Glen laughed and put it in gear, cutting a path through the nearly knee deep snow that covered the parking lot. With a sigh Mark turned toward the Jeep. From what he could see, the vehicle was damned near an antique. He spent fifteen minutes knocking snow off the windows and hood before actually getting in.

It took a few tries but the engine groggily turned over. Mark shook his head, wondering if the Jeep would make it even the short distance he was going to push it. He put it in reverse and listened to the engine whine, already picturing in his mind what it would take to fix it. He had an affinity for fixing things, especially engines. It passed the time until he got to Jamie's apartment. He almost passed it up, not really looking for the building to be a house like all the others on the block.

He left the engine running, not wanting to risk restarting it. Jingling her keys, he climbed the stairs and let himself into her apartment.

The place was tiny and freezing cold. The living room was on the right, the kitchen on the left. There was a short hallway with three doors. One was a bathroom, one a closet, the last her bedroom. Mark started there, opening her closet and taking out a bag she'd told him was there. He went to her dresser and made quick work of packing things, trying not to notice that his hands were touching her underthings. He felt like the worst kind of lowlife, pawing through her drawers. The thought made him grin ruefully at the double meaning.

Finished with that, he went to the bathroom and glanced around. She'd already brought most of her toiletries, so he didn't see anything she'd need.

Mark shouldered the bag and headed toward the door. He stopped with his hand on the knob, his attention pulled to a picture hanging near the exit. In it, a younger Jamie stood smiling next to a man who faintly resembled her. Her hair was longer, hanging past her shoulders in dark waves. Her gray eyes were full of happiness. The man was grinning as well, his muscular arm slung over Jamie's shoulder.

He didn't know why, but Mark reached out and touched the picture. His fingertips tingled faintly. Dead. The man was dead. His name had been John, he was Jamie's twin brother. Mark felt his stomach flutter as the distinct sensation of falling came over him. He pulled his hand back and the feeling stopped as soon as it had begun. Careful not to touch the actual picture again, he pulled it from the hook on the wall and put it in his coat pocket. He still didn't know why. He just knew he would end up needing it.

Now that the picture was off the wall, the apartment took on a decidedly abandoned feel that hadn't been there before. Mark couldn't help but think that Jamie would never return there. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. It was another of his gifts. With another sigh he left, locking the door behind him. He still had to get back to the house in one piece. Thoughts of driving in the snow pulled his mind from thoughts of Jamie's dead brother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie sat curled up in a comfortable leather armchair, looking out the window as snow once more began to fall. Someone had started a fire. It crackled cozily to her left. She had looked at the titles of the books lined up against the wall, but hadn't really felt like reading. They practically had a library here. She had to keep reminding herself she was only staying until the power came back on, and not to get too comfortable.

She also couldn't read because of the strange warning Glen had given her about going outside while the brothers were gone. It was strange because although he had made it sound like a joke, something in his demeanor told her that he was deadly serious. Jamie shivered and rubbed her arms, wondering just what in the hell gave her that idea.

0After about an hour, she got up and headed for the kitchen to get something to drink. The house was too quiet, it was freaking her out a little bit. Too bad they didn't have a television, the background news would have soothed her nerves.

Jamie glanced out the window and jumped as something moved outside. She laughed at herself as she realized it was just Glen, returned from town. He came in the door and stomped snow off his shows, grinning at her. "I don't know why I'm bothering. I'm soaked to the elbows."

Jamie smiled and took a seat at the table. "Did it start ok?"

"As far as I know. I didn't see it parked at the motel on the way back from the store."

"Oh...well, do you need help carrying anything in?" Jamie was already rising.

"No, no. It's stuff for Mark anyway." Glen shrugged out of his coat and hung it up before sitting across from her. "Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

"Not unless you count me throwing some wood on the fire." Jamie took a sip of her soda and shrugged. "I'm getting the distinct feeling that something is going on here beyond a couple of brothers living in the woods, though."

"Oh yeah?" Glen got up from the table and went to a cabinet. He pulled out a bag of pretzels and grabbed a soda for himself on the way back. "What gives you that idea?"

"I dunno. Just a feeling."

He munched a pretzel thoughtfully. "Nothing in life is ever what it seems. I think I read that somewhere."

Jamie smirked. "So you're saying there is something strange here?"

"Did I say that?"

"You implied."

"I barely opened my mouth. Implying would imply that I rambled."

"Well then you implied that too." Jamie laughed. "So what is the deal?"

"There is no deal. We moved here because it's quiet." And that, Glen thought to himself, was the absolute truth.

"A little too quiet." Jamie deadpanned. "I'm used to being in town I suppose. Never thought I'd miss the sounds of traffic and the people in the building."

"The quiet grows on you." Glen smiled and held out the bag. Jamie took a pretzel and eyed him.

"Am I in some kind of trouble here?"

His eyebrow went up. Apparently her direct question had momentarily thrown him. "I couldn't say." He finally responded. "Are you?"

"I don't know why I would be, but..." Jamie shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just nervous around strangers."

"You work in a bar. Can't be much stranger than that." Glen said grimly. He really shouldn't freak her out, he knew it, and Mark probably wouldn't like it, but he did not like to lie. And she seemed to be picking up on it no matter how he tried to joke around. "Maybe there is something going on. I don't know what exactly yet."

"Something bad?"

Glen shrugged. "Don't know. It's not always bad..."

"What isn't?"

He smiled sheepishly and sighed. "Look, you should talk to Mark."

"I should?"

"He could explain it better...he's..." Glen struggled to find words, but they weren't forthcoming. It was always so hard to talk about what they were, what they did. Especially for him. But Mark had met Jamie first, and obviously Mark was worried about her. It was possible Mark was attracted to her. It was easy to see why. Jamie was a knockout. But she obviously didn't think so, she wasn't smug in her beauty like other women that Glen had known. It was her eyes especially, they were an unusual shade of gray. He had never seen eyes even close to that color outside of cosmetic lenses.

"I get the feeling that he'll like my asking even less than you do."

Glen smiled. And got the feeling that Mark's attraction might be mutual. It wasn't unheard of. Knowing Mark though, he'd fight it to the death. Glen didn't know why. He thrived on his relationships, no matter how short of long they were. Mark could not seem to grasp the theory himself.

"He'll get over it." Glen finally said. "Do you play cards?"

"What kind of cards?" Jamie let the subject drop. She understood Glen would tell her nothing more than he already had. So that left his brother. It gnawed at her, wondering what was really happening, but she would manage to quell her curiosity. At lease for a little while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click, click, click.

Kayla snapped pictures in rapid succession, aiming her camera into the line of trees where the snow seemed to glisten in the dim light like diamonds. More snow was falling, but she hardly noticed. That happened sometimes when she was, as Jeff put it, in the zone. She loved photography, loved capturing perfect moments on film. Her mother had accused her once of being born with a camera in her hand. She wished. That would have made for some strange pictures.

The only bad thing was she was using her digital camera. She preferred the decidedly old fashioned camera she'd had for fifteen years. She knew every lens and effect with it, knew exactly how far she could shoot, and how crisp the pictures would be even before she developed them. The digital was better for travel though. It was smaller. And she didn't worry so much about it breaking.

Kayla checked her memory card and found she'd snapped well over two-hundred pictures already. She was getting hungry too. She tended to lose track of time when she was working. That thought made her smile. She turned to head back to the house, pressing the buttons on the camera to pull up the pictures she'd just taken to get a preview.

She'd only taken one picture of Jeff's house, from the ground near the deck in the backyard. Two rabbits, both of them as white as the snow around them, had been hopping across the expanse of snow covered yard. Kayla smiled and thumbed the button, scrolling past shots of the trees, the ground, the sky. She'd found a clearing in the woods, small and nearly perfectly round where some deer were grazing. Unfortunately she'd scared them off before taking the pictures, but there had been something about that place...

Kayla had stood at the edge of the clearing snapping pictures, and without realizing it had walked to stand in the center. An overwhelming feeling of absolute peace had overcome her. Her finger had stopped pressing the button for several minutes as she stood in snow to her knees, wondering what it was that made that place so special.

There was no way to capture that feeling on film. She knew it. But she had hoped for something.

The pictures looked like pictures. There were seventeen in all, each from a different spot as she'd walked. One clearly showed the tracks made by the deer. One of them focused on the trees on the other side of the clearing.

There was something there, among the trees.

Kayla stopped walking, bringing the camera closer to her eyes. Yes, there was definitely something there, something next to one of the trees. There appeared to be two legs. Her first thought was a bear, but...there was no hint of color. Not black, not brown, not gray. The camera had picked up something that was as white as the snow, yet outlined in the shape of a person. A man. Even without magnifying it, she could tell.

And it wasn't the guy she'd met the night before. The one in the picture didn't look nearly tall enough.

Kayla finally pressed the button one more time...and nearly dropped her camera in the snow. The figure from the trees had come dramatically closer. He was less than fifteen feet away, every detail clear and precise. He appeared to be wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. His hair was cropped short. He was smiling broadly.

But he was still all white.

It took a moment to realize why.

He was not solid.

She could clearly see the snow covered ground through him, the trees behind him. "Holy shit..." Kayla whispered. She pressed the button again. This time the man was directly in front of her, close enough to reach out and take the camera from her. He was still smiling. There was nothing malevolent about him. He looked as if he were greeting an old friend, that smile as open and welcoming as any she'd ever seen.

Kayla could see a hint of color in this photo. A slight bit of red on his shirt. Dirty blonde hair. Blue eyes. She could still see through him though.

She looked up and glanced over her shoulder. That made her laugh. As if she expected to see the guy behind her. She hadn't 'seen' him in the clearing, why would she spot him now?

She pressed the button again. It was the last shot of the clearing. The man was gone. She thumbed through the pictures again, staring down in wonderment. Kayla finally forced herself to shut the camera off. She wanted to hurry back to the house and print the pictures so she could get a better look. She knew there was no possible way what she had seen was some kind of camera defect. It had only happened on three of the pictures she'd taken. And she'd been using that particular camera for three years. She would have noticed something like that by now, surely.

Kayla pocketed the camera and trudged quickly through the snow. The longer she stayed at Jeff's, the stranger things got. And the stranger things got, the more Kayla loved it. She wasn't one to shy away from a good mystery, and she was not a skeptic in the least. She kept one hand in her pocket with the camera and already in her mind was plotting out exactly what she was going to do when she got back.

7

Jamie looked up at the swirling snow, breathing deeply of the cold midday air. After lunch, Mark had reappeared carrying a duffel bag stuffed with clothes for her and plastic bag bearing the name of a local auto parts store. He'd eaten and headed outside without saying much to either Jamie or Glen. Once again she had cooked, therefore Glen refused to let her wash the dishes.

"Go outside and keep Mark company." He'd shooed her out of the kitchen, amusement making his hazel eyes sparkle. Jamie wondered momentarily if he just wanted to use her to annoy his brother. That didn't feel like the reason, so she grabbed her coat and tugged on her shoes before stepping outside.

Jamie winced as she stepped in snow to her knees. Some of it went down the sides of her shoes and up the legs of her jeans. "Awesome..." She grouched to herself.

"I didn't see any boots at your house."Mark's voice was muffled. He was head and shoulders under the hood of her Jeep.

"I don't own any boots."Jamie went to stand beside him and peered in at the engine. Some women might learn how to fix cars, but to her it was like looking at a foreign and alien landscape. "What are you doing?"

"Mining for gold." Mark huffed out. He looked over his shoulder and did the lip curl that was the start of a smile.

"If you find any I'll give you a good cut." Jamie leaned against the side of the Jeep, looking at the wires, hoses and metal parts. "What the hell is that thing?"

Mark grunted, yanking on something before answering. "You're gonna have to be more specific. Lots of things in this dinosaur."

"Ha, ha. Never mind, I'll just forget five minutes after you tell me. So why are you messing with my Jeep?"

"Somebody needs to. Darlin' this thing is a mess."

"I just had it serviced a few weeks ago. Spent an arm and a leg." Jamie had felt a little tingle when he'd called her 'darling' again. He had a deep, drawling voice when he said it. She'd been called that before, of course, working at the bar. Along with other favorites like 'baby' and 'sweetie'. Coming from Mark it didn't seem condescending.

"You should fire your mechanic. And then shoot him." He pulled back, bringing with him some piece of equipment that was a tangle of wires. "Wanna hand me a wrench?"

"Sure." Jamie noticed a box of tools near his legs, almost completely hidden in the snow. She dug a moment and pulled out a wrench. "Here. And don't look surprised. I know the difference in tools...just not what the hell they have to do with a car."

"I wasn't gonna say a word, darlin'." And it was a good thing Jamie had resumed leaning against the Jeep, because Mark had winked at her as he'd spoken, doing it with the offhanded ease of a professional flirt. She had fully expected that kind of thing from Glen, but Mark had seemed more...normal. That was the wrong word but she could not think of a better one.

Mark busied himself with wires and bolts. Jamie watched his hands. She was fascinated really. She'd once stood alongside surgeons who did not have such steady hands. And their hands weren't nearly as big.

"Somethin' wrong?"

Jamie realized that Mark had been watching her stare at his hands for who knew how long. She felt a blush creeping across her cheeks as she met his eyes a little guiltily. "Sorry, had a flashback of high school hormones there." At his confused frown, Jamie started laughing. "Meaning I was daydreaming."

"No harm in that, darlin'. Here, hold this a minute..." He held out the twisted wires. Jamie took them and forced herself to pay attention to what he was doing.

Fifteen minutes later that job was done. But Mark had already found something else to take from the Jeep to tinker with. Jamie handed over tools when he asked, held things so they didn't drop in the snow, but otherwise stayed out of his way.

"Why don't you just rebuild the whole damn engine, Mark?" Glen said from behind them, making Jamie jump. Mark shrugged and made a sound that was very near a chuckle.

"Where you off to?" Mark asked instead of answering. Glen was wearing his coat and spun the SUV keys around his finger.

"Thought I'd visit our neighbors." Glen smirked.

"That girl again." Mark shook his head and beat on something with the wrench. The clang of metal on metal went on for a moment before he finally got the part he was working on loose.

"If I'm lucky." Glen winked, making Jamie snicker. She'd been right in her earlier thought.

"Get Jamie a pair of boots while your out." Mark said, ducking back under the hood. He glanced back once more, this time eying her thoughtfully.

"You don't have to get me..."

"What size?" Glen asked, as if Jamie wasn't speaking.

"Seven?" Mark raised an eyebrow at her in question. Jamie reluctantly nodded.

"I have some money in my..."

"Don't worry about it. Consider it a gift." Glen held up a hand to stop her from protesting. "I'll do that first, drop 'em off. With any luck I plan on being too busy later to remember boots." With that he went to the SUV and climbed in.

Jamie shook her head as he drove off. "Seriously, I have plenty of money. You guys don't have to buy me anything. Matter of fact...I'm going to pay you guys for letting me stay here."

This statement brought Mark's head around from whatever he'd been doing under the hood. "We don't need your money."

"Needing and being owed are two different things."

"You don't owe us a thing." He set a screwdriver aside and turned to face her fully. "I'm not runnin' a b-and-b here, darlin'. If you wanna help out around the house while you're here, all right, but your money stays in your pocket."

"If you say so."

"I do." Mark raised an eyebrow. "And don't try to sneak and pay Glen either. He won't take it."

Jamie smiled. She had been thinking just that. "Ok, ok. I get it. My money is no good here. But I have a little thing called pride, and it's starting to sting just a little."

"I don't mean to step on your toes, Jamie. But offerin' me money kinda wounds my pride, so let's just leave it at that."

She nodded and watched as he went back to work on her Jeep. "What about paying you to fix my car?"

Mark made a low noise in his throat, a groan. Jamie grinned and tried to hold back a laugh as he shot her a glare over his shoulder.

"I was just asking."She said, imitating his emphasis.

"Keep it to yourself, smart ass." But he was smiling when he said it. Jamie would have sworn it. She stifled her humor to go back to work helping him with her Jeep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kayla whistled as the printer hummed softly behind her. There was no shortage of power at Jeff's house. He lived so far out of town he wasn't on the same grid. She'd caught the news as she'd moved her pictures from the memory card to her laptop, and shook her head at the poor souls who had been forced to find shelter during a raging blizzard.

She sorted the pictures as they came out, throwing away a few that hadn't turned out nearly as perfect as she'd thought they were on the small LCD screen. The pictures from the clearing she'd saved until last. She'd opened her photo editor and had re-sized them to make sure they were large enough to see without having to squint.

Finally the printer stopped. Kayla set aside her coffee mug and spun in the desk chair, carefully picking up the photo paper.

It was the last and best picture of the group, in her opinion. The see-through guy stood within arms reach, smile on his face. Kayla did not kid herself. Unless her camera had throw the bitch of all circuits, she had a photograph of an actual ghost.

She used her finger to lightly trace the man's shoulder. She wondered who he was, where he had come from, and if he had died there in the clearing that she had found so peaceful. The thought sent a shiver down her back. It momentarily made her think that wandering the woods alone was maybe not a good idea after all.

Smiling to herself, Kayla turned to set the picture on the desk with the others when a movement outside the window made her jump and let out a yelp.

Glen stood there, peering through the sliding glass doors, smiling sheepishly. Kayla started laughing as she unlocked the door. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry...I knocked on the front door. I heard the TV. You didn't answer so I got worried."

Kayla held the door open and let him into the house. "I didn't hear you. Lost in my own world I guess. So what brings you here?"

"You do." He smiled and stomped snow off his boots. It was starting to get serious again outside, big flakes swirling from the sky. The weather reports had them getting at least another six inches by nightfall, maybe more in some areas.

"Ah, I must have been using my psychic powers to pull you in. Coffee?" Kayla picked up her mug and headed for the kitchen for a refill. Glen followed her, glancing around the house as he went. There was artwork everywhere. Sculptures, paintings, photographs...it was almost like walking into some kind of strange museum.

"Are you the artist?" He asked as he accepted a steaming mug and took a sip.

"Oh...no. I couldn't draw a straight line with a ruler." Kayla laughed. "Although the pictures are mine."

"Are you a photographer?"

"Sometimes." She smiled. "Mostly I write. Photography is a hobby of mine though."

"And what do you write?" He asked, looking at her with interest on his face.

"Raging romance novels." Kayla said, deadly serious. Glen raised an eyebrow.

"For real?"

"Believe it or not." She smiled. "I have a few other books out, but the mushy stuff is what sells the most. It pays the bills so I can play with my cameras and do my real writing."

"And what is your real writing?"

"Currently, I'm thinking I want to write a story about ghosts."

His eyebrow went up. "I take it you don't usually explore the supernatural."

"Honey, until this morning the only other-than-natural thing I had ever seen was my cousin's hair color."

"So what happened this morning?"

"Are you asking out of curiosity, or are you asking because you already have a pretty good idea and you just want me to say it?" Kayla now looked at him shrewdly, putting him off his guard.

"You saw something." Glen finally said.

"I got pictures of something." Kayla admitted.

"Just...something?"

"Of a person." She shrugged and gestured for him to follow her. Glen set his forgotten coffee on the counter and walked back into the living room. Kayla was at a desk in the corner, shuffling through some pictures. She absently tucked a strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear as she turned to face him. "There wasn't anything there when I was taking the pictures. I'd stake my life on that. But when I looked, and printed them out..." She held out the pages. Glen took them and glanced through them quickly before meeting Kayla's eyes again.

"Only in that one spot?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "And why don't you look the least bit surprised?"

Glen smiled and looked at the pictures again, this time slower. He paused at the last one, the closest one. He did not know the man who stood there smiling, but there was something about him, something vague...

"Mind if I borrow this?"

"Borrow?" Kayla asked surprised. "Why? Do you know who he is?"

Glen hesitated. "No..."He shook his head. "But I might know someone who does." And now that he'd thought about it, he knew it was true. It was Jamie he had thought of. Although the man had light hair and blue eyes, there was a certain resemblance that could not be denied.

8

Jamie sat at the kitchen table and tugged her boots on for the second time that day. Mark had worked on her Jeep for two hours before the snow began falling so hard it was nearing on impossible to see inside the engine compartment. He'd left off until it slowed down again. Currently he was upstairs taking a shower. Jamie had glanced through the sliding doors to the backyard, had seen the deck, and had wanted to go out for just a few minutes to enjoy watching the snow. Unlike the night before, when the wind had whipped the snow into drifts, it fell now in straight white curtains.

She tugged her coat on and slid the door open. After sitting near the fireplace for the past fifteen minutes, it felt even colder out than before. She closed the door behind her and stepped against the rail, knocking snow off as she leaned on it to peer into the yard.

Something cold touched her neck. Jamie rubbed at it absently, a shiver crawling down her spine. She tugged her coat collar tighter around her neck to prevent snow from falling inside. The lights from the house behind her didn't illuminate far into the snow. Night was falling, she was sure of that as trees at the edge of the property darkened from gray to black.

She carefully stepped from the deck to the ground, mindful that she did not know the terrain under the snow. She'd seen the front of the house plenty earlier when she was outside with Mark, now she was curious about the back. Jamie walked through the snow and turned to face the rear of the house. She could see a light on in one of the bedrooms upstairs, and all of the lights downstairs. The flying flakes made it look as if the house were in the center of a snow globe.

Jamie glanced around and vaguely made out a depression in the ground, obviously a pool. She circled around it once, keeping an eye on the woods. All of those damned stories of John's were coming back to her. Most of them started with it being a 'dark and stormy night'. She had to smile at the memory of him, even if thinking about him eventually led her to cry.

Again something cold touched her neck and caused her to shiver. Jamie rubbed at her nape absently, wondering how the snow managed to penetrate her hair to touch her skin. There was a soft noise from behind her and Jamie slowly turned to look at the line of trees.

The noise grew louder. Jamie found herself face to face, once again, with a wolf. From the looks of it, the very same one from the night before. It wasn't actually growling this time, but it was making some strange noise in its throat that sent goosebumps up her arms. Jamie stepped backward and watched as the wolf matched her distance. It snarled silently at her, exposing rows of teeth.

Jamie stepped back again, not taking her eyes off the wolf. Again it matched her. She debated whether to stand her ground or run for the house. The wolf wasn't going to give her time to think it over. It suddenly growled and jumped, leaping through the falling snow straight toward her.

Something pushed her.

Jamie nearly fell on her face as she was shoved forward, closer to the wolf. But apparently it worked. She dropped to one knee and caught herself with her hands as the wolf tried to turn in midair. It landed with a thud at the spot where Jamie had been standing. It whined and snarled, this time growling as it did, already spinning around for another attack. Again she felt hands, pushing at her shoulders. Jamie had time to notice that no one was there, it was just her and the wolf, as she stood up and turned back to the animal.

It hunkered down in the snow, on its haunches, ready to leap at her again. Jamie gasped for breath, surprised at how tired she felt all of a sudden. The wolf stood between her and the house now. Running for it just got a little harder.

The wolf jumped. Once again, hands pushed her, this time to the left. Jamie fell down and slid in the snow, coughing as some went into her mouth. The wolf missed again, but it was quicker this time. It snapped itself sideways and caught her on the leg, its sharp teeth cutting through her jeans and into her skin. Jamie didn't think, she reacted, kicking her foot and catching the wolf on the shoulder. It was knocked aside long enough for her to regain her feet in the snow. Her injury burned but it seemed far away. Jamie began backing toward the house once more, limping without realizing it.

The wolf shook off her kick and growled at her again. Jamie wished she had some kind of weapon. Even a branch would have made her feel better. Her bitten leg throbbed, and she nearly fell down again. The wolf readied itself to jump at her again. Jamie prepared herself to be knocked sideways or backwards or even into the snow filled pool. Instead, Mark was suddenly stepping between her and the growling animal.

Apparently he hadn't been out of the shower long. He wore a pair of jeans and boots that were not laced, as if he'd put them on in a hurry. His long hair was still dripping water. He'd skipped a shirt. Jamie idly thought that he must be freezing. She dropped to her knees again, wondering why her leg refused to hold her up.

Mark kept his eyes on the wolf. It had stopped growling. Instead of attacking, it suddenly whined and lowered its head. In a moment it was as if the wolf had never been there, it had gone so fast back into the woods. Mark debated on chasing it, but he would not leave Jamie alone. He turned to see her sitting in the snow, swaying a little.

"You all right?"He asked, kneeling down beside her and brushing her dark hair back from her face.

"I need a nap. That thing bit me." Jamie's voice sounded faraway and dreamy. Mark, unmindful of the snow melting against his bare skin, gently rolled her onto her side. The wolf had gotten her just below the knee in the rounded upper curve of her calf. Her jeans were soaked with blood. He had no doubt her boot was full as well. It was a deep bite. She was probably getting loopy from blood loss.

"Come on, let's get you inside darlin'." Mark gathered her up against his chest and stood, cradling her against him. Jamie let her head rest against his shoulder. She winced as her leg swung with every step he took, but she wasn't going to complain. At least she wasn't having to walk back through the snow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I didn't know this was even back here." Kayla said as Glen drove through the trees.

"Maybe you're not the explorer you thought you were." He said with a smile. In truth he was kind of nervous about taking her to the house. She'd insisted though. It as the only way she would let him take the pictures.

All of the downstairs lights were on. Glen brought the SUV to a halt and turned off the engine, getting the distinct and undeniable feeling that something was wrong. Kayla could barely keep up as he hurried to the front door.

"Where's the fire?" She asked as he opened the door and let her in. She got a brief glimpse of a huge living room with a fireplace before Glen took her hand and pulled her though the house.

"Mark?" Glen called out instead of answering.

"Kitchen..." A voice replied. Kayla was all but dragged through a doorway. There they both stopped and gaped.

"What the hell happened?" Glen asked, letting go of Kayla to go to the table.

Mark shook his head, grabbing a pair of scissors from the table. He'd carried Jamie into the kitchen and had set her down on the table. She had told him what to get. He'd spent several long minutes gathering bandages, gauze pads, peroxide, scissors, needle and thread, tape and bourbon. Glen had come in just minutes after the wolf had attacked her.

"You all right, Jamie?" Glen asked her, moving around the table so Mark would have more light.

"I'm great. In a lot of fucking pain, other than that it's all roses." She sounded angry. Glen couldn't help but smirk at her tone.

After her initial shock had worn off, Jamie had gone into what she thought of as nurse mode. Even if the patient was herself, some habits died hard. She'd practically barked orders at Mark. He had been surprised but he'd done what she'd asked of him.

"Get her boot off, would ya?" Mark said to no one in particular as he began cutting up the side of Jamie's jeans with the scissors. Kayla was on the right side, so she stepped forward and unzipped it before pulling it from Jamie's foot. Blood spilled onto the tile floor.

"What a waste of money." Jamie said, eying the ruined leather. She sighed dramatically. "You got that yet?"

"Hold your horses..." Mark said, splitting the material of her jeans up to the thigh. He cut off the fabric and tossed it to the floor.

"Fuck...what the hell..." Glen said, peering at her leg as Mark slowly turned it to look at her wound.

"She was outside. Wolf jumped her." Mark said, studying her leg. The wolf had taken one hell of a bite. Blood ran in a near steady stream onto the table, "I don't think you're gonna be able to get this stitched. Not with needle and thread anyway."

"Doesn't matter. Got to get a tourniquet on it before we do anything else." Jamie watched as Mark raised an eyebrow and looked to Glen. She rolled her eyes. "I said get something to tourniquet, did you not hear me?"

"I was kind of in a rush." Mark pointed out at her sarcastic tone.

"Hellfire..." Jamie pushed herself up, hissing as her leg moved. She reached out and without a word grabbed the waistband of Mark's jeans. More specifically his belt. She yanked and got it open and off before he realized what she was doing. With a moan of pain, she looped it around her leg above the knee and pulled it tight. In a moment the blood flow had dramatically slowed. "This won't work for long. Got to hurry up and get it packed and bandaged. Gimme the booze."

Glen handed her the bottle. "We have rubbing alcohol upstairs..."

"We've got peroxide for cleaning it." Jamie said, spinning the cap off the bottle. "What you don't have are painkillers. This'll do it for now though." With that she brought the bottle to her lips and tilted her head, taking several deep swallows.

"Isn't alcohol a blood thinner?" Kayla piped up, still holding the boot. She was completely lost, but from the amount of blood on the table she knew it was bad.

"At this point it doesn't matter..." Jamie said, her eyes watering as the bourbon burned her throat. "Shit hurts like a bitch. Here..." She reached down and shoved the bottle of peroxide toward Mark. "Dump it on."

Mark opened the bottle, hesitated, and poured some of the clear liquid onto the wound. Jamie involuntarily jerked her leg back, sucking in sharp breaths as it felt like knives were jabbed into the open skin. Glen reached over and held her still while Mark took a few gauze pads and began to clean out the hole on her leg more thoroughly.

Once Jamie was satisfied, she showed him how to soak the gauze and pack it into the wound. Glen grimaced watching, but apparently the bourbon was working to numb Jamie's senses. She barely flinched as Mark made sure every open bit of her injury was packed and covered. He took the bandages and without needing instruction on that part covered his packing job. He applied a liberal amount of waterproof tape, making sure that the bandages were going to be immobile.

Jamie took another healthy swig of bourbon and let her head fall back. "Still hurts like a mother fucker. I'm probably going to need rabies shots..."She brought her head back to normal and looked at the mess she'd made. "Good thing I'm not squeamish." She said it, but her voice sounded distant again.

"Does somebody want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Kayla asked, looking from Glen to the man next to him. Obviously his brother. He had quite a bit of blood on him, nearly as much as the girl on the table, but he was not injured. He looked at her for the first time before letting his eyes drift to Glen.

"I didn't know you were bringing company. I would have cleaned up."

Glen smiled. "Yeah, well. You doctored her. Guess the least I can do is lend a hand. Mark this is Kayla. Kayla, my brother Mark."

"Hi." Kayla said, waving the boot. "And what is going on?" She wasn't going to let it go.

"Long story." Glen muttered, gathering up what was left of Mark's supplies.

"She's bossy when she's injured." Mark said, getting a clean gauze pad and using it to clean blood from Jamie's leg.

"She's not asleep, so don't talk about her like she is." Jamie said crossly, easing her leg to the side so she could look at Mark's handiwork.

The corner of Mark's mouth lifted in a half-smile. "You need anything else?"

"Yeah, to get my fuckin' leg back from that damn wolf." Jamie took another sip of bourbon.

"A wolf did this?" Kayla asked.

"Yep." Jamie eyed her. "Who are you again?"

"I'm Kayla." She glanced at the boot in her hand. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot." Jamie said instead of staying yes.

"How the hell did you get his belt off him one-handed in two seconds flat?" Kayla pointed to Mark. Jamie raised an eyebrow and watched as Mark's face took on a faint red tint.

"Years of dealing with drunks in the ER." Jamie made her point by taking another drink herself. "Here, take this away from me before I drink the whole thing." She held the bottle out. Mark took it and set it aside. He turned back to her, looking at her with concern. Kayla glanced at Glen and saw his knowing smile. She wondered just what in the hell she'd wandered into here. Pictures of a ghost and now this craziness.

"We'll explain what we can." Glen had come to her side. He took the boot from her finally. "I'll try to get this cleaned up too."

"I'm taking Jamie upstairs. She needs to get some rest." Mark said, leaning down to lift Jamie against his chest.

"You'd better not tell her anything that I don't know. I will be pissed if you do." Jamie warned as she yawned.

"I'll take it under consideration." Mark shook his head and carried her out of the room. Upstairs he hesitated before turning to his own door. He'd started a fire there earlier, so it was warmer than the guest room where he'd put her that morning.

Mark started to lay her on the bed but Jamie shook her head. "I'm gonna get blood everywhere if you put me here. I need to change clothes."

"You think you can with your leg hurting?"Mark asked, looking into her eyes.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Let me down and we'll see."

Mark slowly released her legs and heard her breath hiss in when she tried to put weight on the right one. "Maybe Glen's friend can help you..."

"No, don't bother them. Shit that hurts..." Jamie clutched Mark's shoulder in a death grip. "Do you have more scissors up here?"

"Yeah, in the bathroom." Mark said, ignoring the feel of her fingernails against his bare skin.

"Good. Get 'em, finish cutting my jeans off, and then go and get me some pajamas. Easy. Just get me over to your window seat for now. At least I can take the cushions off in case I bleed all over it."

Mark did as she asked, making sure she was steady before disappearing into his bathroom. When he came back, Jamie had leaned sideways with her eyes closed. He stooped down and slid the scissors under the material of her jeans. With a few cuts he was at the waistband. He reached down and took off her remaining boot, and very carefully tugged her destroyed jeans from her uninjured leg.

"Sit tight..." He said, giving her knee a gentle squeeze. Jamie nodded as he got up and walked off. She could hear him moving, but kept her eyes shut. Her leg was throbbing again, but the alcohol she'd consumed had left her pleasantly buzzed. She knew it was the blood loss that was making her so sleepy. The best thing to do was to rest. She would have Mark or Glen wake her up in a few hours to eat, to help rebuild what she'd lost.

"Here we go." Mark had returned. He carried a small plastic tub, a towel, and a washcloth. He also had a white t-shirt thrown over one shoulder. He dipped the washcloth in the tub and cleaned the rest of the blood from Jamie's leg. He peeled off her socks, and they joined her pants on the floor. He checked and was finally satisfied he'd gotten all the blood off of her. "You can wear this. Then you don't have to wait for me to find something of yours for you to sleep in."

Jamie opened her eyes to see him holding out the white shirt. She nodded and took it from him but didn't move to change. She felt light-headed suddenly. "I could sleep for a week."

"Not until you change." Mark said, taking the shirt back. He hesitated and reached out, touching the bottom edge of her shirt. Jamie looked at him nodded once. Mark lifted her shirt and she managed to get her arms out of it without too much trouble.

It was definitely hard to concentrate on the job at hand. Even if she'd almost gotten mauled to death by a wolf, Jamie was still one of the finest looking women he'd ever seen. And now she was sitting in front of him in nothing but a pair of panties and a lace bra. He swallowed and cleared his throat before taking the t-shirt and pulling it gently over her head. The white cotton shirt was huge on her, hiding her curves from sight. He should have been grateful for that, but he regretted the loss of all that smooth skin she'd exposed.

"Ugh..." Jamie twisted on the window seat, her arms going into the shirt. She finally pushed her hands back through with her bra dangling from her fingers. "I can not sleep wearing one of these things." She tossed it in the general direction of her other clothes. "Help me to bed would you? Before I pass out right here."

Mark smirked and lifted her once more. She wasn't heavy, so he didn't mind carrying her the short distance. He used one hand to throw the bed covers back before gently laying her on his pillows. Jamie rolled onto her side, grimaced, turned a bit more and muttered a thick 'thank you' before she dropped off into a deep sleep. Mark pulled the covers over her and watched her sleep for a few minutes, frowning as he worried. The wolf had almost gotten her, and right under his noise. The thought pissed him off.

9

Emma paced the kitchen, glancing every now and then at her watch. Her stomach rumbled, as if she needed a reminder that she hadn't eaten all day. Chris still wasn't back. Even given the condition of the roads, he should have returned hours before.

She'd gotten a fire started in the living room but could not sit still long enough to warm up. For a while she'd busied herself randomly cleaning things that didn't need to be cleaned. Now she just paced. She'd tried calling Chris on his cell phone, but he didn't answer. She was beginning to feel so isolated, it was ridiculous.

The front door rattled and opened. Emma sighed in relief as Chris came in, carrying several plastic bags. He smiled at her. "Barely made it out with my life. All the stores are like madhouses."

"I was scared to death. Why didn't you answer your phone?" Emma crossed her arms and glared at him. Chris raised his eyebrows, surprised she was angry.

"I didn't take it with me. It died and I couldn't find my car-charger." He put the bags down and stepped forward, pulling Emma against his chest. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No..."Emma's voice was muffled. She clutched at his shirt. "I want to get out of here."

Chris chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Seriously? It's a fuckin' mess out there. And the new snow is only making it worse."

She groaned in frustration. She couldn't make him understand what she was feeling because she didn't understand it. She was glad Chris was all right but could not shake the feeling of dread that had settled over her.

He pulled back and looked down, meeting her eyes. "You're really freaked out aren't you? What is wrong with you?"

"I don't know!" Emma pushed away from him and crossed the kitchen to the back door. "I don't know." She whispered it again as she watched the snow fall through the glass.

"Come on, Em. We'll figure it out. Let's eat, and then we can talk. Maybe we can come up with something, all right? Just...I don't like seeing you like this." Chris put his hands on her shoulders.

"I don't like being like this." She said softly, watching as her breath fogged the window. A cold chill made her squirm. She wished she could find out what was causing this feeling. She hated feeling so damned helpless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hopefully this will do it." Glen set an armload of bags on the couch and shrugged out of his coat. He and Kayla had made yet another run into town. He'd bought a new pair of boots for Jamie, a new pair of jeans to replace the ones Mark had cut to shreds, and a ton of medical supplies. Since Jamie was sleeping, they'd just guessed at things they would need. It was Kayla's idea to grab a light aluminum crutch from one of the pharmacies.

It had been three hours since Mark had taken Jamie upstairs. Mark and Glen had scrubbed the kitchen until every last trace of blood was gone. They had made sandwiches that no one had felt like eating. The rest was just waiting. Mark had moved aimlessly from room to room, window to window, as if hoping to spot the wolf if it decided to return in the falling snow. Glen knew that was kind of pointless considering the visibility outside was less than two feet.

"Should we get her up?" Glen asked, unpacking the bags. He rattled a box of sterile gauze.

Mark shook his head. "She needs to rest. Give her another hour and then we'll have to change her dressing." He gathered up a handful of supplies and carried them into the kitchen to put them up. Glen shared a glance with Kayla.

"Shouldn't you consider maybe taking her to a hospital?" She asked, sorting through one of the bags.

Glen heaved a sigh. "It’s complicated."

"When is it ever not complicated?"

"I dunno. If you figure it out, you'll have to tell me." Glen smiled at her and finally stopped fiddling with the bags. "How about a drink?"

Kayla shrugged. "Sure." She followed him into the kitchen. Mark and Glen took a seat at the table while she stood near the sliding glass doors that led outside. The two men didn't seem to be in a mood to talk, so Kayla didn't bother them. Instead she amused herself by puffing her breath across the glass to fog it, and drawing patterns in the fog before it disappeared.

"You're going to have to clean that off you know." Glen said conversationally, watching with a smirk as Kayla ignored him and did it again.

"You guys need a television. Or a radio at the very..." She trailed off. Mark and Glen both looked at her expectantly. "What is this?"

"What is it?" Glen half rose from his seat, almost expecting to see the wolf charging the door. Instead there was nothing but swirling snow. Until Kayla stepped to the side. She pointed at the window. There was nothing there.

"Wait...watch..." Kayla leaned close long enough to puff out a soft breath. It faded quickly at the heat from the kitchen. But on the outside of the window more fog appeared, puffing across the window from left to right in a wide swathe.

Glen and Mark once more shared a look. They were not nearly as freaked out by it as Kayla was, and maybe freaked was not the word. She'd taken pictures of a ghost earlier after all. She puffed another breath out. This time the fog on the outside of the window covered nearly all of the upper half of glass. There was a soft squeak, the sound of a finger being dragged across wet glass. A line appeared in the fog.

Kayla stepped away as the fog puffed across the window again. Mark and Glen had both risen to their feet as more lines appeared drawn on the window. "How the hell..." Kayla managed to breath out. The lines were joining, forming words. She didn't want to believe it, but there it was. She wished she had her camera with her. It was in her coat pocket in the living room, but she did not want to walk away. Who knew how long this would keep going?

The lines came together. There was one last puff and the fog on the outside once more became stark and white. A gasping noise behind them made all three in the kitchen turn around. Jamie was standing there, her face white, leaning against the wall for support as she stared at the words on the window.

"Hello, Jimmie." Mark said it out loud. That was what had been written on the window in staggered letters. He looked to Jamie with a frown of worry on his face before stepping near her in case she fell down.

She ignored him for the time being, watching as the words on the window began to fade. The fog once more puffed across the glass, making the message easier to read. "How did...what..."

"What is it?" Mark asked softly, taking her elbow and helping her as she stepped closer to the door. She favored her injured leg, and it must have been hell getting down the steps but no sign of pain crossed her features. Instead, tears of sadness welled in her eyes, turning their soft gray stormy.

"Jimmie was...my brother...he used to call me Jimmie..." She had trouble putting together the words, and forgot about her leg. She put her full weight on it and nearly fell to the floor. She looked up at Mark. "What kind of trick is this?"

"It's not a trick, Jamie." He said, shaking his head.

"We all saw it happen. By itself." Kayla put in, watching as the fog once more began to fade. It puffed out again, left to right, renewing the message. "I think he wants you to say hi back."

"Is it..." Jamie turned her attention back to the door. "John?" More fog appeared on the window. There was one soft squeak, and the letter 'y' appeared. Jamie sucked in a breath. "Hi John...oh...what is..." She couldn't finish. She grabbed onto one of the chairs at the table and managed to collapse into it instead of onto the floor. The fog puffed brighter again, highlighting the message. "What the hell is going on?" Jamie finally asked, her voice sounding watery to her own ears. A tear slid down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away.

There were more squeaking sounds from the window. They all watched as more words formed there.

"What does that mean?" Kayla asked, looking to Jamie. "I know the message, why do I get the feeling the tone is sarcastic?"

The words 'you're welcome' had appeared under the original message. Jamie made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, shaking her head.

"Was that you? Outside earlier?" Again the letter 'y' appeared. "I should have known. You were always so damned pushy..." She sniffled and rubbed her temples. "How is this happening?"

"He wanted to talk to you, I guess." Glen said, watching as the fog dimmed and reappeared. As if whatever it was outside was merely waiting for Jamie to continue her conversation.

"We can't let you in. You know that right?" Mark said in a low voice, causing the two women to look at him, identical expressions of surprised confusion on their faces. There was a hesitation, and a line appeared under the second 'y'.

"What do you mean...we can't let him in?" Jamie asked slowly. "And what are you talking about when you say it?"

Mark shared another look with Glen. "If we let him in, we leave the house open for any kind of spirit that wants to get in. You can't open a doorway for just one, it doesn't work like that. At least, at this house it doesn't."

"I don't get it." Jamie looked from Mark to Glen. "Are you saying this kind of thing happens a lot?"

Glen nodded. "More than either of us care for."

"Is John still out there?" She asked, looking to the window. The fog had faded. At her question it reappeared and another line was drawn under the 'y'. She laughed, although it sounded harsh. "This is scaring the absolute hell out of me."

The fog puffed. The window squeaked. The words 'sorry Jimmie' appeared from nowhere. Jamie slowly rose to her feet and ignored Mark's offered helping hand. She limped painfully to the door until her nose was just a few inches away. "Why can't I see you?" She asked softly. There was nothing to see outside but blowing snow.

The window squeaked. The word 'weak' appeared. Jamie let her head rest against the window for a moment, the icy glass cooling her forehead. "Because of what you did earlier?" Another line under the 'y'. Jamie put her hand to the glass and felt tears course down her cheeks.

"I wonder why he hasn't moved on. You said he died in an accident, right?" Glen asked from behind her. Jamie nodded slowly.

"He fell and..." There was a sharp knock on the window in front of her. She jumped and laughed. "He still interrupts me. He's been dead for years and he's still rude as shit." The message that had begun stopped. Fog puffed up right in front of Jamie's nose. The words 'ha ha' appeared as if by magic. That made her laugh even more. Again there was a light knock on the glass and squeaks as yet another message appeared. 'NO ACCIDENT'. In all capitals. As if it were important. There was a moment of silent hesitation, and the word 'pushed' appeared.

Jamie turned her head to look at the at Mark, Glen and Kayla. "But I thought..."

"Why haven't you moved on, John?" Mark asked. This time the hesitation was longer. Jamie worried that John had left until the squeaking started again. 'Protect Jimmie'. A line appeared under it. And another one. As if it were more important than the fact she was for all intents and purposes sharing notes with her long dead brother. Jamie felt more tears threatening. Mark studied the message. "Are you saying you have to protect her? Or are you telling us to?"

'BOTH'. Again with the capitals. The fog started to dissipated. All of the messages began to fade. "John?" Jamie whispered it. There was nothing for several long minutes. She almost turned away when a small patch of it returned. The squeaking started again. 'Weak' and 'tired' appeared followed by 'rest now'. It ended with a scribbled J that Jamie would have recognized anywhere. It was how John signed off on everything, from paychecks to the rare letter he wrote. The feeling of a presence, of John, disappeared along with his last words. Jamie held her hand against the glass until her palm went numb from the cold, waiting to see if he was truly finished.

"He's gone." Mark said softly, taking her hand and leading her back to the table.

"How do you know?" She sank down, suddenly aware of her aching leg and the stares she was getting from the others. She took a napkin that Glen held out to her and wiped her still watery eyes.

Mark sat down next to her and motioned for Kayla to join them. He only wanted to have to go through this once. And even that was too much. When everyone was settled he looked at Glen before reluctantly speaking.

"Ever since we were kids, we had this weird...ability..." He faltered on the word, as if unsure of it. Glen nodded him on. "Our mom was something of a psychic. None of the obvious guessing shit either, she was the real deal. Hell by the time we were in school we'd seen more kids who were dead than living ones. Mom helped them..."

"She called it 'crossing eternity'." Glen supplied. "The spirits were somehow pulled to her, and she figured out what it was they needed to send them to wherever they were supposed to go."

"So is that what the two of you are doing?" Kayla asked, her eyebrow raised, not sure if she was believing what she was hearing.

"Almost." Mark said, looking at Jamie. "Glen and I were different from the beginning. Because some of the ghosts were afraid of us."

"I know some cage fighters that would be afraid of you two." Kayla said with a smirk.

"Not because of our size. We were kids back then, and it's been happening since we were old enough to realize that the people we were seeing in our house weren't actually there at all." Glen said, grinning.

"Which ones were afraid?" Jamie asked softly. Obviously not John, since he'd been right in their faces, scribbling on their window.

"The bad ones." Mark licked his lips and shook his head. "Some...most...of the spirits Mom dealt with were not bad, just confused. Some just needed to be told they were dead. Some of them needed to say goodbye. But there were a few..."

"The bad ones." Glen took over. "There was one, he'd been killed in prison. He was in prison for torturing and killing six women. Some of them, when they are evil in life, they get stuck in a loop and they want to continue doing what they had done before. And why not? There wasn't a cop in the world who could catch them. It takes a lot of energy for a ghost to make a person feel their presence. Even more to hurt a living person. But for the really evil ones, its like their battery is always charged."

"So how did you get rid of him?" Jamie asked, studying him curiously.

The brothers met eyes again. Mark sighed. "You're not going to like this part." He muttered it softly but she still heard. He cleared his throat. "We were like Mom in a way, because we could actually see the ghosts. Most people can't unless they are connected in some way. But we were unlike Mom because we could actually touch the spirits. If you had seen your brother and you tried to hug him you'd fall right through him. Unless he had the energy to make himself solid for you. Like he apparently did earlier in the day." He looked pointedly at Jamie. She smiled.

"There wasn't time to tell the story."

"There is now. Anyway..." Mark's lips curved into a smirk. "We didn't need them to have the energy. If we could see them, we could touch them. And hurt them. And to get rid of the evil ones, sometimes we have to do things that we normally would not do."

"Things such as..." Kayla prodded.

"Killing them again. Most spirits don't realize they're dead, or they're pissed that they are, and the only thing that works is if we destroy the spirit completely." Mark said, meeting her eyes.

Glen was nodding. "You would think since they are a spirit we couldn't hurt them, but if Mark or I put our minds to it...they're gone in a puff of smoke. They don't move on. Mom always called it the otherworld. That's where the worst of them got sent after we dealt with them. She sensed it was a version of Hell that no human being could imagine. If they go willingly, if they cross, even the evil ones, they just wink out. Job done, collect the afterlife reward I guess. If they fight it, they go to otherworld."

"What about guys like John?" Jamie asked. "Is sticking around this long a version of fighting it?"

Mark shook his head. "No...it’s different when a spirit hangs around to do damage. John apparently has unfinished business. Whether that is making sure you are kept safe or finding out what really happened to him, we'll have to ask him when he comes back. He's not one of the bad ones."

"So what is going on here that Jamie needs protection?" Kayla asked. Mark and Glen shrugged at the same time.

"Hard telling." Mark said.

"Don't know." Glen spoke at the same time. "The wolf..."

"Obviously doing work for someone else." Mark nodded.

"Hold up...what?" Jamie rubbed her head again.

"Some spirits have an affinity for animals. Usually with a good spirit, it's a cat or dog. A domestic pet. The bad ones always get the animals with a bit more vicious bite."Glen said with a smile.

"Punny." Jamie rolled her eyes. "So you think that wolf that took a chunk out of my leg was doing it because some evil demon spirit told it to?"

Mark shrugged. "Its possible. Although we haven't ever seen a demon." He pointed out.

"Well that's a comforting thought on a cold night." Jamie couldn't keep the sarcasm from her voice. "What the hell could any kind of evil spirit want from me?"

"That's what we have to figure out." Mark reached over and impulsively took her hand, soothing her a little as his fingers traced circles over her skin. "Generally, when this happens, its because the spirit knew you while it was living, and it had you marked for something. Sort of their own version of unfinished business."

"Wait, wait, hold up." Kayla broke into their conversation. "I saw the wolf too. Last night in the woods. Does that mean I'm a target?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Mark sighed again. "It could be it was stalking you, it could also be that it was looking for Jamie and it ran across you first. It was trying to figure out if you were the one it wanted to begin with."

"What about David?" Jamie asked.

"A friend of ours. We've known him for a long time. He's good at finding the ones who are in trouble and bringing them to where they can get help." Glen answered that one. "Although you must have struck him as something special if he brought you here. Mark and I have been...semi-retired...for a while now."

"How the hell do you almost retire from talking to ghosts?" Jamie asked.

"You find a place away from people and you mark the house so the spirits can't enter unless you invite them. Sometimes it's as simple as asking them to come in. Sometimes you have to use tools. A Ouija board works, or tarot cards." Glen smiled. "This house is protected. And it was a nice vacation. But I gotta admit, I did miss it. Just a little bit."

"I am so confused right now." Jamie said, shaking her head. Kayla smiled at her.

"I'm your vice president in that club." She stretched and yawned. "I need to head back to my house soon. As engrossing as this has been, I'm about done for the day."

"You're not going back there." Glen said.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really. That wolf followed you. We don't know why. So you'll stay here too. Until we figure out what's going on." Glen's tone told them all there would be no argument. Kayla shrugged and smiled at him.

"I need to change my bandage." Jamie had been looking at her injured leg while Glen had lectured Kayla. For the first time Mark noticed that she was still wearing his t-shirt. The white gauze was red in a few places, but it didn't look too bad.

"We got some stuff." Mark helped her to her feet while Kayla went to the living room for the crutch. Jamie got it adjusted and thumped around the kitchen, checking out their supplies.

"All right. Once again, what do you people have against painkillers?" Jamie grouched, noticing there wasn't even a bottle of aspirin on the counter.

"I didn't even think about it." Glen said with a laugh at the look on her face. Mark offered her another shot of bourbon but Jamie shook her head. She kept handing things to him to hold for her. He had an armload already.

"I think the booze has done all it's going to do. Maybe tomorrow someone will drive me to the clinic on the other side of town and I can get some good stuff. Until then I will suffer." She held out a roll of gauze to Mark. "You ready to do this?" He nodded and cast a look toward his brother, who was doing his best not to grin at Jamie's tone of voice. Without a word, Kayla and Glen vacated the kitchen so that Mark could settle Jamie on the table again. He grimly set to work, knowing that she was probably going to be asking for the alcohol before he could get all the tape off her leg.

10

Jamie sat on the leather couch in the living room, her leg elevated by several pillows. Glen and Kayla were on the floor, each taking turns reading out of a book of the most god-awful jokes any of them had ever heard. They were so dumb that they had to be laughed at. After taking care of Jamie's leg, Mark had slipped into a brooding silence that Glen hadn't been able to bring him out of. He'd gone upstairs for reasons unknown to any of them.

"You have a nice voice. Here, read this to me." Kayla had snatched the joke book from Glen's hands and pushed another book into them. He glanced at it with a grimace.

"Charlotte's Web?" Glen scoffed. "I didn't even know this was in there."

"Somebody is denying their inner child." Jamie said with a laugh.

Mark rejoined them just as Glen got to the beginning of the second chapter. He raised an eyebrow as he took a seat on the couch near Jamie's legs. He looked at her bandage, smoothing the tape where a corner had peeled up. Jamie smiled at him and pretended not to notice as he absently rubbed her leg as he listened to Glen reading.

At chapter three Glen took a break to grab a drink. Kayla held his place in the book. "I cry at the end every time. I'm such a freakin' sap." She smiled as Jamie laughed at her.

"I'm a sympathy crier. Fair warning."

"You'd have to be heartless not to..." Kayla trailed off. "Somebody's outside. I saw headlights." She pointed at the windows to her side. Glen had come back carrying a glass of water. He went to the window and peered through the glass.

"Oh. Great." His voice was utterly unreadable. "It's Miranda."

"Who is Miranda?"Kayla asked, picking up the book and waving it in Glen's direction.

"A friend of Mark's." Glen snickered and took the book before Kayla hit him on the leg with it and carried it with him to the door.

Jamie looked at Mark curiously. He had stopped rubbing her leg. He got to his feet as Glen answered a light knock.

"Hey Miranda...why are you out driving in this mess?" Glen greeted, his friendliness sounding forced even to Jamie and Kayla. The woman didn't seem to care. She smiled and stepped inside.

"Thought I would pay a visit to Mark." Miranda glanced around, her dark eyes taking in Jamie and Kayla. "That is if he's not too busy." She said it pointedly, her eyes lingering on Jamie especially.

Mark shared a look with Glen before motioning for Miranda to follow him to the kitchen. She didn't greet anyone. Jamie raised an eyebrow and looked at Kayla, who was obviously biting her cheek to keep from making some sarcastic comment.

"She seems friendly." Jamie said in a whisper, supplying her own sarcasm. Usually she was pretty good about holding back but after the day she'd had, she didn't give a damn.

"Friendly as a polar bear. Excuse me, Glen, you were reading." Kayla reminded him. He smirked and sat down on the floor once more, picking up where he left off. Jamie's attention was torn. She kept wondering who Miranda was and what she wanted with Mark. She knew she had absolutely no right to question it, it wasn't as if she and Mark were an item after all.

Glen got through half a chapter before Kayla made him stop again. She got up to use the bathroom, forcing him to wait until she got back to continue reading. He smiled as she left and turned his eyes to Jamie. She was shifting awkwardly on the couch, trying to sit up against the arm without disturbing her injured leg or hike her shirt up too far.

He helped her without her asking and knelt down next to her. "Don't worry about her."

"About who?" She asked, settling herself on her pillows again.

"Miranda." He kept his voice down to nearly a whisper. "She and Mark had a...a thing. I don't even wanna call it a relationship."

"Does she know about you two?" Jamie asked, voice equally low.

Glen hesitated before nodding. "She's got a bit of the same thing. She can hear them talking. She can't usually see them, and she's clueless when it comes to helping them."

"Oh."

"Don't let her bother you."

"Why would she bother me?"

"I'm just sayin'..."

"You two sharing secrets without me?"Kayla reentered the room.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Glen shared a grin with Jamie as he got on the floor once more. "Now do you want me to read this or are you going to need a glass of water and your jammies?"

"Ha. Smartass." Kayla sat down next to Glen. They were leaning on the couch in front of Jamie instead of sprawled on the floor. Kayla let her head rest against his arm as he continued reading.

He really did have a perfect reading voice, soothing and deep. Jamie forced thoughts of Mark and Miranda to the side and paid attention. At least until she saw the two of them heading up the stairs without a word to anyone in the living room. Fifteen minutes passed. And then half an hour. Glen paused in his reading once more to see if anybody wanted a snack. Jamie agreed without actually hearing him. He went to the kitchen to get some popcorn for them all, and drinks. Jamie asked Kayla if she could scrounge up a blanket. She wasn't cold, but Jamie wanted to cover up anyway. She hadn't felt the least bit uncomfortable before Miranda had shown up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You can't be serious."

Mark stood near the door with his arms crossed over his chest. He watched as Miranda stalked around the room, taking in the pile of clothes in the floor and the rumpled bed.

"It isn't what it looks like." Mark said, keeping his amusement to himself.

"Oh?" Miranda picked up Jamie's lace bra by the strap, looked at it, and dropped it distastefully. "I realize I'm in no position to tell you how to live your life, but honestly Mark, I thought you'd know better than to get starry-eyed over one of your little projects."

"She's not a project." He stated simply. "She needs help. We're helping her."

"It's obvious you want to do more than help her." Miranda moved to stand in front of him. "I see your brother managed to find another lady to keep him warm at night. I'm surprised to see you going that path though."

"I'm not going on any path." Mark sighed heavily. "Is this all you wanted?"

"No, what I wanted was to come down and spend the night. I can see that I'm an unwelcome presence." Miranda's tone grew cold. "You'll call me when she's all sorted and gone out of your life. You always do. If you can sort this one."

"Have you heard something?"

"No. I haven't tried. I just had a feeling that something was going on here, and I'm not surprised that I'm right." Miranda motioned at the door. "I'm leaving. Since you are so preoccupied with that girl, I'm not even going to try this tonight."

"That girl has a name." Mark said, keeping the anger he was feeling out of his voice. He opened the door so Miranda could step out.

"It doesn't matter. I don't think she'll be around long enough for me to learn it." Miranda grinned with absolutely no humor. It turned her beautiful face ugly. Mark sighed as he followed her down the stairs and to the front door.

She didn't bother saying goodnight to anyone. Miranda cast one last look at Mark before she closed the door behind her. Mark heard her car start and turned toward the living room. Glen was still reading, Kayla was cuddled next to him, and Jamie was covered in a blanket on one side of the couch. He would have to make Glen move if he wanted to sit next to her. Mark thought it would be best if he didn't bother. Kayla had given him a questioning smile but Jamie hadn't even looked his way since he'd returned. He sank down and listened as Glen read on, undisturbed by Miranda's departure.

Glen decided to stop when he noticed Kayla yawning. It was getting late, and if that day had been any indication, tomorrow would be quite busy. He was a little tired himself. He marked his page and got up stretching.

"So what are sleeping arrangements?" Kayla asked, following his lead. Glen shrugged as Mark excused himself to go into the kitchen.

"Can you help me up the stairs to the guest room?" Jamie asked, slowly working herself to her feet. Her foot actually. She held most of her weight on her left leg. Glen nodded, wondering why she hadn't asked Mark. Then it struck him. Miranda. He bit back a smirk and wrapped an arm around Jamie's back, helping as she limped to the stairs.

"We only have the one guest room." Glen said in Kayla's direction. She grinned.

"Oh and I suppose you think that means I'll share with you?" She joked as she followed them up the stairs.

"I was hoping." He winked at her. Jamie laughed softly at that.

"We haven't even had a real first date yet, and already he's trying to get me into bed."Kayla muttered.

"You can sleep with me." Jamie spoke up. "I won't require you to put out."

"Hey...it wasn't a requirement." Glen said as the women giggled. He'd sensed Jamie's turn in mood and was glad to hear her laugh. "And I can always take the couch."

"Nope, I don't want to put you out. Or put out." Kayla followed them as Glen led Jamie into the guest room. "As long as Jamie doesn't mind, I'll stay in here for tonight. Somebody should be with her in case she needs to go to the bathroom or something."

Jamie nodded. Although earlier she had hoped that person would be Mark. Now she didn't even want to look at him.

"Suit yourselves. Although if you two decide to do some girl on girl stuff, come get me so I can watch." Glen laughed at their giggles and dropped a brotherly kiss on the top of Jamie's head. He repeated the gesture on Kayla.

"Aw, I feel special." She said, smiling at him. "Oh...can you bring me something to sleep in?" In all the action of the day, she hadn't even considered the fact that she didn't have an overnight bag.

"I have pajamas you can wear..." Jamie said, hobbling to the bed. She pointed to her bags in the corner before collapsing onto her pillows.

"See you two in the morning." Glen smiled and headed out the door as Kayla went to Jamie's bags.

"You sure you don't mind?" Kayla asked.

"Of course not. It's not like you want to borrow underwear."

The comment had Kayla laughing again. "Don't worry, I won't ask. I am going to take a shower though. Do you need anything first?"

Jamie snuggled under the comforter and shook her head. "I'm good for now." She yawned. "Hopefully I'll sleep for ten hours and the world will make sense again."

"I'll cross my fingers for you. And I'll try not to wake you up. Good night." With that Kayla shut herself into the bathroom.

Jamie stared into the empty fireplace for a few minutes, lost in thought. A knock came at the door and she absently said 'come in'. Mark entered the room and looked in the direction she was gazing.

"You want me to start a fire?" He asked, walking toward the bed. Jamie shook her head and shrugged.

"Don't care either way."

"I thought I'd check your bandage one more time..."

"It's fine." Jamie still hadn't looked at him. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

Mark stood uncertainly for a minute before turning to the fireplace and busying himself with getting a fire going. Jamie watched him in silence. She had no clue what to say, and besides that...she had no right to be angry with Mark. She didn't own the man, had barely known him for a day, yet she was acting like a lovesick teenager who had been wronged. She sighed and shifted a little, easing her leg into a new position.

"So was that really John talking to me earlier?"She asked softly.

Mark hesitated before answering. "Do you think it was?"

"I guess...it felt like him." She didn't know how to explain it. "Do you think he'll be back?"

"I know he will." Mark finally got the kindling to catch and built up the flames a bit before brushing his hands off and rising to his feet. "He's got unfinished business. He can't go anywhere until he's done."

"So he can pop up anytime, anywhere? And I'll be able to see him?"

He crossed to the bed and sat down on the edge next to her, careful of her leg. "That depends on how strong he is. He could need to rest for a few days. He could be full power in twenty minutes. There isn't any rhyme or reason to any of it, not that I've ever seen. Maybe he'll just leave you messages like he did tonight, maybe he'll appear and you'll see him. We won't know until it happens."

Jamie nodded. She still couldn't really wrap her mind around what had happened earlier. It was almost as if she'd dreamed it.

"Are you sure you'll be all right in here?" Mark asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. Jamie looked at him and nodded again.

"Kayla will be right here. And I can change my bandage myself. You should get some rest."

"Never had a need for much sleep." He said gruffly. "I was kinda figuring on keeping an eye on you tonight."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "Is that why your friend didn't stay very long?" She hadn't wanted to bring Miranda up, but she couldn't help herself.

Mark rolled his eyes. "She didn't stay because she knew I didn't want her to."

"Oh." Jamie shrugged one shoulder and let her eyes go to the fire.

"Do you want me to explain her?" Mark asked, his voice low. The shower cut off and both of them looked toward the bathroom door.

"You don't have to explain anything to me. I was just curious."

"Ok...I guess...uh...good night. If the snow lets up I'll finish workin' on your Jeep tomorrow."

"I appreciate it." Jamie mumbled and closed her eyes. She'd never felt less sleepy in her life, but she knew Mark was uncomfortable which was making her feel the same. She should have kept her mouth shut.

He hesitated for a few moments before rising and leaving the room. Jamie shook her head, wondering what the hell had gotten into her. There was just too much going on to process anything as she normally would. She promised herself that she'd get a handle on her pointless jealousy. She had too much to deal with to add that to her list.

11

Jamie shifted uncomfortably in bed and opened her eyes. The fire had died down dramatically, and it was so dark in the room she could barely see. Kayla's deep breathing reminded her that she had someone else in the room. Gritting her teeth, she carefully sat up, putting her feet on the floor. Apparently she'd managed to move the wrong way while sleeping. Her injured leg throbbed with pain.

She managed to make it to the bathroom by holding onto furniture. Her leg was stiff and sore. Jamie managed to change out her pack and bandage without making too much noise. Kayla slept on, undisturbed. Jamie envied her that for a moment before slowly pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She grabbed her crutch and hobbled out of the room as silently as she could.

The house was silent. She had no clue what time it was. Jamie paused at the head of the stairs, wondering if she should just go and knock on doors. She shook her head to herself. If no one was up, she'd torture herself with a climb up the steps.

She made her way to the living room. The fire that burned there was burning hot and bright, so obviously someone had kept up with it. Jamie thumped into the kitchen and smiled at Glen, who was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him.

"Mornin'." He sounded wide awake. Jamie sank down gratefully in the chair across from him and glanced around. The clock over the stove gave the time as five-forty.

"It's early."

"Something wrong?" Glen asked, sipping his steaming coffee.

"Besides being gnawed on and talking to a ghost? I'm great." Jamie said with a sigh. "Did you not sleep?"

"A little bit. Enough anyway. How about you?"

"My leg woke me up." Jamie gingerly touched the bandage through the material of her jeans. "I'm glad you're up actually. I wanted to see if you'd run me to the clinic so I could get checked out."

Glen raised an eyebrow. "You sure that's a good idea? There's bound to be a billion questions...not everyone is gonna understand what happened to you..." But Jamie was shaking her head.

"It's all right. I know everybody there. I worked there for a couple of years." She smiled. "I'll need some pain meds at the very least. And probably some shots. I want to get it over with. The clinic opens at eight, but most of them get there by six or so. I might be able to sweet talk my way into an appointment."

"Right." Glen nodded. He looked up at the ceiling. "You want me to get Mark to take you?"

Jamie shook her head. "Let him sleep. If he's sleeping. I just wanna get this over with." She repeated. Like many in her profession, she made a far better nurse than patient.

"All right. Need help with your boots or coat?"Glen asked, rising from the table.

"I think I can handle it. If not, I'll holler." She accepted the boots that Glen held out to her, a pair almost identical to the ones that were ruined by the blood. Jamie managed to tug them on, along with her coat.

While she did that, Glen had gone outside to warm up the SUV. He also knocked off the six inches of snow that had coated it overnight. Snow was still falling, but it was tapering off. She made a mental note to check out the weather forecasts before they headed back.

Glen helped her into the passenger before he slid behind the wheel. It was slow going. Apparently people had been out in the night...they saw several abandoned cars along the way, all of them so far off the road it was impossible to believe they had parked that way on purpose. Glen was careful though. In forty minutes they were pulling into the clinic parking lot.

There were four other cars already there. All were empty except for one. A woman was sitting behind the wheel of an older sedan, talking on a cell phone, waving her hands in agitation. Jamie didn't have to hear to know what she was upset about. She'd worked here long enough. Apparently someone else wanted an earlier appointment and wasn't getting the attention she thought she deserved. She could recall several occasions when people would call and start screaming curses at her just because she refused to unlock the doors until the clinic opened.

Glen gave her a hand down from the truck and waited, watching closely as she got her crutch settled under her. The snow made for slippery footing as they walked toward the building. Jamie led him toward the main entrance. Through the glass double doors he could see a reception and waiting area. A woman was seated at the desk, head bent as she studied some papers.

Jamie knocked on the door. The woman barely glanced up, did a double take, and a bright smile appeared on her face immediately knocking ten years from what Glen estimated was her age. Jamie waved and waited while the woman flipped the locks and opened the door.

"Jamie! I thought that was you!" The woman pulled Jamie in for a hug. Glen watched, amused, as the crutch fell to the floor. "Hurry up and get in here before a crowd follows you." The woman guided them into the waiting room, grinning from ear to ear. "Please tell me you're coming back to work, we could use all the help we can get."

Jamie smiled and shook her head. "No such luck. I'm strictly here as a patient today. Oh...Glen, this is Cora." Glen nodded and handed Jamie her crutch.

"Damn. What happened?" Cora became concerned.

"Dog bit me. Is Phillips here?"

"Ha. No, that blowhard is out on vacation. He couldn't have planned it better." Cora huffed and went behind the desk. "It's just me and Irvine until eight. We both stayed the night here."

"Ah. Is he busy?"

"Not yet. Doing paperwork and chugging coffee most likely. We didn't open yesterday, so everybody had to go to the ER. He showed up last night and got the generator going, and called to see if I'd come in. And I did." Cora smiled. "You go on back. I'll buzz him. He's in his office."

"Thanks." Jamie got her crutch settled and turned to Glen. "You can wait out here. I won't be too long." He looked as if he wanted to argue and thought better of it. It was a good thing. Jamie did not need anybody to hold her hand while she sat on an exam table.

Glen took a seat. Jamie pushed through a swinging door and limped down a brightly lit hallway. She gave the office a knock before opening the door. She was surprised to see there were two people in the room already.

"Jamie." Chris greeted her warmly, grinning at her. Jamie smiled back and let the door close behind her.

"Hey Chris. I didn't know you were already with somebody..." Jamie paused when Chris started shaking his head before she could finish.

"She's not a patient. Oh, you might remember her. This is Emma Jones. She did some temp work here off and on a few years back."

"Oh...right." Now that she had a name, the woman's face was familiar. She had spoken to Emma on several occasions as she helped switch the files from paper to computer. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"Nope. Just trying to wake up." Chris gestured to several coffee cups scattered on his desk. "Our power got knocked out. It was either freeze or come here."

"Good thing you're here. Good for me anyway." Jamie gestured to her leg.

"Come on...we can go next door to the exam room." Chris took her arm and helped lead her back out of the office. He got Jamie settled on the exam table before turning to wash his hands. "So what happened?"

"Well...I was out wandering in the woods and a dog bit me." It was the simplest and least strange sounding explanation.

"Uh oh. Can you get the pants off?" He winked at her as he pulled on a pair of gloves. "So I can examine you, that is."

Jamie laughed and carefully slid from the table. Chris dutifully turned his back as she took her jeans off. She grabbed a towel from the rack next to the exam table to cover her lap, mostly out of habit. Once she had gotten back on the table, Chris turned and bent down to pull the bandage off her leg.

"Yikes. Really nailed you." He muttered more to himself that to her.

"Yeah. Tore my favorite pair of jeans too." Jamie grumbled, wincing as he exposed the wound. He ran his fingers lightly around, checking for obvious signs of infection.

"It looks all right, all things considered. You pack it yourself?"

"The last couple of times. I had some help though."

"Peroxide?"

"It was all they had."

"We can put a few stitches in it. Right here, right here..." He was pointed. Jamie craned her neck to see. "And you don't need to pack it anymore. Regular bandaging until it scabs over. How's the pain?"

"It only hurts when I move it. The rest of the time its sore."

"What do you want to take for it?"

"Wow...are you asking my professional opinion?" Jamie said with a laugh.

Chris raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Surely you haven't forgotten the job."

"Of course not." Jamie smiled. "I'll take something strong so I can sleep at night without waking up every five minutes. And some ibuprofen for swelling."

"Good girl." Chris gave her leg a pat. "You sure you don't want your job back? I'll personally rehire you right now."

"You'll have to ask me again when I'm not dealing with a chewed up leg." Jamie said.

Twenty minutes later, Chris had her stitched, bandaged and taped. They went back into his office after Jamie got dressed so he could write out her prescriptions. Emma was toying with a laptop, looking tired and bored.

"So how did you get suckered into coming back?" Jamie asked as Chris scribbled away on his prescription pad.

"I wasn't suckered. I too am without power." Emma said with a smirk.

"Are they ever going to get it fixed?" Jamie asked. She snapped her fingers. "You live in that big house by the town line, right?"

"Yup." Emma laughed. She was used to people recognizing her house before they recognized her. Eric had it built to be talked about.

"My brother..." Jamie's voice caught for a moment. "Uh...anyway...he helped build it."

Emma smiled and let it pass without comment. She got the feeling it was a sore subject. Chris finished and held Jamie's prescriptions. She took them and put them in her pocket.

"Thanks for seeing me. And if you were serious about the job, I might be back. In a few weeks. Got to get some things straightened out first." Jamie had not wanted to admit it, but she did miss nursing. It had been all she had wanted to do with her life. Maybe after she put the past behind her, dealt with what was going on, and took a break she'd be ready to get back to it. She hoped.

"I'm serious. I'll be pissed if I walk over to the hospital and see you working there instead." Chris informed her. He draped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. Jamie smiled warmly at him. Unlike some of the other doctors she'd worked with, Chris was one of the decent ones who didn't believe he was better than anybody else. It was a welcome change from the egos she'd gotten used to.

She turned down his offer to aid her down the hallway. Jamie had already managed it once, going back would be easy. Sure enough, without her leg stinging from being packed, it was easier to bend her knee. Glen was still sitting in the waiting room, idly flipping through a magazine. Cora was at her desk, talking into her phone. When he spotted her, he rose to his feet and smiled.

"You all right?"

"Better. Got to get these filled." She pulled her prescriptions from her pocket and waved them. Glen took them and shrugged.

"I can run them over to the hospital pharmacy if that'll work."

"Sure." Jamie smiled.

"Sit tight, I'll be back in a few." Glen turned and wandered off. Jamie went toward the television that was in the corner of the room meant to keep waiting patients occupied. It was currently turned off. She pressed the power button and nothing happened.

"The television won't run with the genny going." Cora spoke from behind her. Jamie shook her head and limped back toward the desk.

"That's great. Where can I see the news?"

"Ha. You won't be able to see much in here. There's a radio though." Cora turned around and fiddled with a battery powered portable cd player behind her. She turned the volume up a little as a reporter droned on and one about the many accidents the snow had caused. It only took a few minutes for the weather report. The official snowfall measurement was twenty-two inches. And there was even more coming. This time the meteorologist assured his listeners that the next system to move through the area would only drop another inch or two on top of what they already had. After that they would have clearer weather until Christmas. The news picked up once more.

"I guess I have to unlock our doors now." Cora said, dialing the volume back down and looking at the clock. Jamie nodded, wondering if the news would say anything about the power outage. Cora's voice as she greeted people who were waiting to come inside was soothing, low. Jamie moved around the reception desk and took one of the chairs for herself, wanting to stay out of everyone's way.

Glen had been gone for fifteen minutes. Jamie thought that even though it was early still, he wouldn't be back too soon. The hospital stayed busy. Especially when the weather was bad. She made herself useful, helping Cora pull up files from her computer and checking people in.

Once everyone had been taken care of, Jamie propped her chin in her hand and tapped her foot idly. She hated waiting.

"Jamie."

Jamie turned to look at Cora, who was leaning on the desk and speaking to one of the patients. She glanced around, but there was no one else there that she knew. She frowned and shook her head, just as her name was repeated.

That time she had been looking up. No one had been looking her way. Cora finished up with her instructions and excused herself to lead a patient back to the exam rooms.

"Jamie..."That time, the voice was decidedly male. And coming from behind her. Jamie turned, expecting to see Chris. Instead, her eyes fell on the softly muttering radio. As if that were a cue, whispering voices issued from the speakers, none of them clear enough to understand. She reached out a shaking hand and turned the volume up. It didn't help. The whispers could be heard around the sounds of the reporter, but they didn't get any clearer.

She jumped as a hand fell on her shoulder. Glen was looking at the radio, a frown on his face. He reached out and turned it off with a resolute snap, dropping the waiting room back into silence.

"What was that?" Aware of the people sitting ten feet from them, Jamie whispered it. Glen shook his head and gestured toward the door. Jamie rose to her feet and followed him, waving a goodbye to Cora when she reappeared before they stepped outside.

Glen led the way to the SUV. Jamie climbed in and looked at him expectantly. He sighed and glanced at her before speaking. "Was it just the whispering, or did you actually hear anything clear in that?"

"My name. What the hell was it?"

"Voices of the dead." Glen said, starting the engine. Warm air washed through the enclosed vehicle. "You might have noticed...we don't have TVs or radios in the house. Because for some reason they constitute a doorway to some spirits. I don't know how the hell they figured out where you were, never seen it happen before."

"I was wondering about the TV thing." Jamie said with a slight smirk. "It was a guy's voice, that said my name. But not John's. I didn't recognize him."

"It could have been anybody." Glen said, shifting the SUV into gear. "There are spirits everywhere. They could have heard your name. It could have been someone who died at the clinic eight years ago. It could have been some random floater." He shrugged. "I wish I could explain it better."

"You're doing fine. So I take it I'm supposed to stay away from electronics from now on?"

"It would probably be for the best." Glen said with another sigh. "If some bad spirit is after you, he'll get to you any way he can. We gotta make it as difficult as possible."

"Understood."

"Good. So no more listening to the weather." Glen chided her. Jamie smiled.

"Duly noted. Good thing I don't have a lap top. I'd really freak out if dead people started messaging me."

"They could probably do it." Glen said, unable to keep from smiling at the thought. He was worried though. Something had tried to communicate to Jamie at the clinic, and from what little he'd heard, it wasn't necessarily a doting family member wanting to say goodbye. He was forced to drive slowly due to the road conditions, and fought against the urge to hurry up and get Jamie back to the house as soon as he could.

12

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing."

Kayla's voice broke into Mark's thoughts. He glanced at her and realized he had forgotten that she was even in the room. He'd gotten up when he'd heard a vehicle leave. And he'd been worried ever since without knowing why.

"Obviously your brother can take care of himself. And Jamie." Kayla said, tapping her fingers on the table.

"Of course he can." Mark nodded and ran his fingers through his hair in aggravation. Beyond the worry was an emotion he was much more familiar with. Anger. Mostly at himself. He had thought that if Jamie had needed anything she'd come to him. It annoyed him that she trusted Glen more. At least that was how he was looking at it.

"You think she went with him because of your lady friend last night?" Kayla asked, smirking a little. She didn't have to be a mind reader to know that Mark's worry was solely for Jamie, and his annoyance was at himself. It was sort of obvious, even to her, that he was harboring an attraction. Of course, she wrote romance novels, so it was possible she herself was just harboring a little plot developing fever. What was happening to them would surely make for a great novel. Kayla thought she should be taking notes.

"What does she have to do with anything?" Mark said gruffly as he turned to stare out the window. He figured that Kayla had just hit the proverbial nail on the head though. Jamie had distanced herself from him the minute that Miranda had walked into the house.

"Seriously, does that require an answer?" Kayla laughed. "You men are so oblivious. I swear."

"Humor me." Mark turned to look at her with an eyebrow up. He wasn't finding the situation nearly as amusing as Kayla.

She rolled her eyes. "She likes you, you lummox. It took me all of three seconds to figure that out yesterday, and that was when she was barkin' orders at you and cussin' like a sailor. Your girlfriend came by for a visit and I guess she got struck by the reality stick." At that she shrugged.

"Miranda is not my girlfriend." Mark said tiredly.

"Did you tell Jamie that?"Kayla smiled at the flush that worked its way over Mark's face. "I figured as much."

"She said she didn't want to know."

"I'm sure she did say that. I'm also sure you should have told her anyway. You're not around a lot of women, are you?" Kayla was laughing again. Mark sighed and took a seat at the table, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"Apparently not nearly enough." He finally said. The sound of an engine rose from outside and he visibly relaxed. Kayla smirked and rose to her feet, heading for the fridge and something to drink.

Glen helped Jamie through the door and they both spent a minute knocking snow from their shoes. The first thing Mark noticed was that Jamie's limp was much less noticeable. The second was that something else was definitely wrong. Glen looked at him and cocked his head toward the living room. Mark rose to his feet and followed him.

Jamie took her coat off and hung it by the door. Kayla held out a can of soda and she took with a smile. "It's crazy out there."

"I can imagine. I think when I head home I'll be walking through the woods." Kayla sat down once more.

"Leaving already?"

"Nope. Things around here are way more interesting." Kayla grinned and sipped her soda. Jamie had to laugh.

"The power is still out at my apartment." She sank down carefully onto one of the chairs. "And they don't know when they're going to get around to fixing it. Too many lines down. Of course, it was like pulling teeth getting them to say that much."

"So where else did you go? Besides your place?"

"Visited the clinic, got some drugs." Jamie shook her head. "Got myself patched up too. I won't be running any marathons but I can live with that."

"Good. Mark was worried."

"Was he?" Jamie asked, smirking.

"He was. Pacing the floor all morning. But don't tell him I told you that. That man's got a little crush on you, if you ask my semi-professional opinion."

Jamie snorted a laugh and shook her head. "How does one become a semi-professional crush sensor?"

"Years of training. And reading and writing the trashiest romance novels in the world." Kayla propped her chin on her hand and leaned on the table. They were both quiet as Glen re-entered the kitchen. He gave the women a look of distrust as he went to the fridge.

"I'm starving. And what were you two talking about that apparently I'm not supposed to hear?"He asked with a laugh.

"If you must know, I was just telling Jamie here that I was half-tempted to maybe experience some high level smut with you." Kayla said, leaning back and crossing her legs. Jamie started giggling, putting her hand over her mouth to muffle it. Glen grinned broadly and raised an eyebrow.

"And what exactly would you classify as high level?"He asked, food momentarily forgotten.

"High level. That would be full nudity and actual intercourse. Descriptive intercourse, if you catch my meaning."

"I'd like to." Glen said with a laugh at the look she gave him. "What do we want for lunch?"He ignored the two laughing women and went back to rummaging in the fridge.

"Uh oh. If he's going to cook, that means we'll have to be on cleaning duty." Jamie pointed out.

"I'll clean up. You are excused due to injury." Kayla waved a hand.

"Woo. Lucky me." Jamie got to her feet and winced. Her leg had stiffened up a little bit. That was all right. At least it wasn't throbbing. "I'm going upstairs to change my bandage." She wiggled her fingers at Glen and left before he could offer to help her up the stairs.

It was slow work, but she finally reached the top. She headed for the guest room and the bathroom beyond, gathering up what she would need. She managed to step out of her jeans without falling over, and was proud of herself for that fact. There were a few small red spots on the bandage over her wound. That was nothing to worry about. It would be spotty for a while as it healed. Jamie sat down on the bed and tried to get her leg angled enough so she could put the new bandage on straight.

"You need a hand?" Mark asked from the doorway. Jamie sighed and nodded. He entered the room and stooped down next to the bed, looking at her leg critically. "It doesn't look nearly as bad as it did." He said softly. "Do you need to clean it out?"

"I have the stuff." She pointed at the peroxide and cotton swabs she'd snagged from the bathroom. Mark nodded and turned her a little so her leg was straight. He went to work, gently running a moist swab around her wound.

"Glen told me something tried to talk to you through a radio." He said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to talk about.

"Yeah. Just my name. I didn't catch anything else." Jamie watched as Mark carefully dried her leg off before smoothing a clean bandage over the injury. He used waterproof tape again, this time not as tight so that the air could help dry the seeping areas of the wound.

"Do you want to go outside?" Mark asked, using his thumb to lightly press the tape to her skin.

"Outside?" Jamie looked at him, puzzled. "Why?"

"To see if your brother will come visit again." Mark met her eyes, his hand resting lightly under her injury. "He might not...it depends on how strong he is, how much rest he needs. But we can at least see if he's out there."

Jamie nodded slowly. "What about the bad ones?"

"I'll be with you." Mark held out a hand and helped her sit up again. "I'm not going to let it get to you again. I promise you that."

Jamie looked at him as if weighing the statement before nodding again. "All right. Now?"

"After lunch should be soon enough." Mark said. Silence descended. She got the feeling that he wanted to say more but was holding back. He sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. "I guess it'll be ready soon. You need a hand down the stairs?"

She shrugged. "I guess." She followed him out of the room. To his credit, he didn't coddle her, didn't offer to carry her, or do anything else that would probably set off her temper. Instead Mark walked in front of her, keeping an eye on her in case she lost her footing.

Glen was in the midst of cooking monster-sized cheeseburgers. Kayla was sitting at the table. She smiled at Jamie as she joined her before digging into her pocket. "I need to call my cousin. He'll be freaking out that I haven't been answering my cell phone."

"Cell phone?" Mark asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"You know...one of these things." She finally got it out and waved the small black phone around. "I probably have a couple dozen missed calls..."

"Get rid of it." Mark said, staring at the phone as if it were a snake poised to bite him.

"Why?" Jamie frowned and watched as Mark and Glen exchanged a look.

"Just...take it outside and put it in the car or something..." Glen finally said. Kayla looked from person to person, confused.

"It's just a phone." She said, but she rose to her feet anyway. Perplexed, she headed outside without bothering with her coat to use the phone in the SUV. Ten minutes later she returned, noticing the tension that was in the air. "What?"

"You might have noticed we don't have phones, or radios, or televisions." Glen said, moving the burgers onto a plate. "Because the spirits use them as a gateway. A door."

"Ah." Kayla shook her head. "You could have just said so."

"I just did." Glen had relaxed a little. A smile played at the corners of his lips. "Better not to tempt them by having it in here though. No telling who might decide to call you. Maybe Elvis."

"Impossible. Elvis isn't dead." Jamie said with a smirk.

"Oh no. You're one of those weird people." Kayla let the matter of the phone drop. It was just another interesting but strange thing to file away for use in a future book.

"How am I weird?" Glen had put a couple of bags of chips on the table. Jamie reached for one and tore it open, popping one in her mouth and chewing before continuing. "Just because I think the man's birthday should be a national holiday..."

"Well I won't argue that, but the man is dead. Maybe you two should focus your energy and bring up his ghost or something so Jamie isn't deluded all her life." Kayla pointed it at Glen and Mark. They both chuckled at that.

"If only it worked that way." Mark said, shaking his head.

The women made small talk as they ate their lunch. It was all Glen and Mark could do to keep up. It was Kayla's nature to make friends easily...to her thinking, she had never met a stranger. She steered the topics away from anything supernatural. In fifteen minutes she had learned more of Jamie's history than either Mark or Glen had in two days.

Once they were done eating, Kayla gathered up their plates and busied herself at the sink. Mark caught Jamie's eye and she nodded. To be honest, she really didn't want to see what was outside, and with good reason. Maybe her brother, yes, and if it were only him she would be happy. But she had the wound on her leg to remind her that John wasn't the only creature in the woods.

"Before you go out there..." Glen had seen the look and knew from talking to Mark what they were going to do. "Kayla, were did you put those pictures?"

"My jacket." She said it over her shoulder. Glen retrieved the photos and handed them to Mark.

"What are those?" Jamie asked, trying to see.

"You tell me." Mark held out the picture with the close up of the figure in the snow. He heard Jamie suck in a breath as she took the picture from his hand.

"That's John."

"Are you sure?"

"Am I..." She made a sound of exasperation. "Of course I'm sure. He might be gone, but I think I would recognize my own brother." Her finger traced the outline on the photo. "Where...how?"

"I took the pictures. There wasn't anything there. He showed up on the photos though." Kayla, soapsuds to her elbows, turned to look at them. "You're going to go out there, aren't you?"

"It's the best place to start. You getting pictures of him...it's like he's trying to tell us where he'll be." Mark said.

"Your brother must have been a good guy. There was a real...I don't know, happy peaceful feeling all around that little clearing." Kayla turned back to her dishes, at a loss as to how to describe it.

"We need to get out there. Are you up for walking through the snow?" Mark asked Jamie, gently taking the photograph back.

"I think so." She followed Mark's lead, pulling on her coat and heading for the door. The snow had stopped temporarily. Jamie took a deep breath of cold air. "Do you know where you're going?" She asked, trudging through the snow, trying to stay in the tracks that Mark created.

"Yeah. Been out here a few times." One they reached the treeline, Mark reached back and took her hand. She was surprised but didn't say anything as they followed a path he apparently had memorized.

"So how far out is it?"

"Not too far. I think you can make it." He looked at her and offered a half-smile.

"Yeah, but can I make it back is the question." Although she was trying hard, her injured leg still managed to drag a bit.

"I guess we'll find out." Mark said before turning his attention back to the woods around them. They walked in silence for a while. In twenty minutes, he halted and looked once more at her. "You doing all right?"

"Yup." Jamie gave his hand a squeeze and smiled. The walk was tiring but she knew it would be good for her leg.

"Ok. It's just up ahead now." He led her another twenty yards and suddenly the trees ended in the small clearing.

Kayla had been right.

A feeling of such warmth and...something else, something Jamie couldn't put words to, came over her suddenly.

"There's definitely something here."Mark said softly.

"What should we do?"

"Just wait. Let's see if anybody is going to come out and say hello."

Jamie nodded and stepped closer to him, keeping quiet. Even though the clearing made her feel good, it could not take away the fear that being attacked had caused. She knew that was just her nerves, of course.

Mark laced his fingers through hers and used his thumb to lightly trace the back of her hand. They stood there five minutes, then ten, but nothing happened. Nothing changed. No one appeared. Jamie was disappointed. She had expected something...well...miraculous.

"Maybe we should just..." Jamie decided she'd had enough. She was cold. The words were barely out of her mouth when something hit her on the back, pushing her toward Mark. He caught her easily enough, smirking when she grabbed onto him unsteadily. "What the hell was that?"

"Don't know. I didn't see anything." Mark looked around, his arms still protectively around her. Everything was quiet. It took a moment to realize that even the few winter birds who were brave enough to be out in the weather were now silent.

"I..."

Mark shushed her, head tilted to the side, a slight frown on his features. He nodded slowly, his eyes taking on a far-away cast. Jamie got the distinct feeling that Mark was no longer seeing her, was in fact looking right through her.

"Ok." His voice when he spoke was as distant as the look in his eyes. Jamie raised an eyebrow as he finally seemed to focus on her.

"Ok what?" She managed to ask.

"Just...trust me, all right?" Mark said it softly but didn't give her time to even think about what he said. His head lowered and he pressed his mouth against hers.

She was too stunned to react for what seemed an indefinite amount of time. He gave no indication of noticing. Instead, he angled his head and sucked lightly on her lower lip, until her lips parted. Jamie forced herself to stop questioning why he was kissing her, and just enjoyed the feel of his mouth on hers, the slide of his tongue against hers, the light scratch of his goatee on her skin. She didn't feel cold anymore, that was for sure.

Her leg throbbed, the leg with the bites. A strange tingle seemed to begin at the bandaged skin and radiate up and down, until her whole body shook with an unseen current. Mark muttered something against her lips as Jamie suddenly grabbed his arms and dug her fingers in. It wasn't that the tingling hurt exactly. She suddenly felt dizzy, and her legs were shaking uncontrollably. Mark broke their kiss and pulled her against his body, holding onto her as she shivered.

"What...the hell...was that?" She managed to ask, her voice muffled against his chest.

Mark smiled and shook his head before letting his chin rest lightly on the top of her head. "Something told me to do that. I couldn't fight it...it was like somebody else was controlling me."

"That's not very comforting." Jamie said weakly. She wanted to sit down. She'd never felt so tired in all her life. She wondered idly if she were suffering the beginnings of hypothermia. Mark bent and scooped her up, cradling her against his chest.

"Just relax. I'll get you back to the house." He ducked his head and spoke softly against her ear. He figured that she hadn't heard him. She appeared to have fallen asleep as soon as he'd gotten her feet out from under her. Smiling grimly, Mark began trudging through the snow toward the house. He had felt a little weak himself for a moment, but he knew it had more to do with kissing Jamie than dealing with the supernatural. She would rest for a while and he'd have to try his best to explain what had happened. If she hadn't already figured it out for herself.

13

"Do you even know what you're looking for?"

The voice behind her brought Lucy out of her thoughts. She stopped trudging through knee deep snow and turned to look at Randy. Even from a ten yard distance, he knew she was giving him a patented Lucy look-full of sarcasm and weary patience.

It wasn't as if she were so much smarter than him, or better at tracking. Hell, she was only older than he was by four minutes. She just had an attitude. And he was her favorite target.

"What do we usually look for, Randy?" She finally asked. Randy smirked at the exasperation in her voice.

"You never said what exactly put this particular bee in your bonnet." He ignored her smart mouth and kicked at the thick snow.

"Megan. Remember her? Our cousin?"

Randy sighed. "Yes, Lucy...but I don't see what she has to do with us being out here in the middle of nowhere. You found him. The end. Let's move on."

"Can't move on until he does." Lucy said softly. Randy saw her hand drift to one of the deep pockets of her coat. She had a gun there, a nickel-plated .45 that had belonged to Megan. Their cousin had only used it on practice ranges. Lucy had made it a bit more proactive.

Randy didn't agree entirely with what had happened. Unlike Lucy, he'd been content to let the police stumble their way into finding Meg's killer. Justice didn't mean taking the law into your own hands. Of course, he could find no argument when Lucy had pointed out that the cops had nothing, the courts were slow and more apt to let the guy off with a slap to the wrist. Never mind he'd killed before. Fifteen girls and women, all in different states, all different ages. There was nothing to tie them together except for the word of a spirit. And when it came to spirits, Randy and Lucy were nothing if not experts.

And he had to admit that Lucy was right. Meg's murderer wasn't burning in the afterlife as he should have been. He still wandered, searching for who knew what. If he were evil enough, he might have the energy to keep on his life's work. And then the police would really be shit out of luck. It wasn't possible to put a ghost in jail, at least not to his knowledge. Smiling to himself, Randy shook his head. So his sister had become the hand of vengeance. At least, that's what their grandmother had said yesterday, at Meg's funeral. Of course, ending his life as she had, Lucy had not taken in the fact that the guy maybe hadn't wanted to move on.

"So what makes you think he'll be in the woods? Are you talking to your friend again?" Randy asked. Her 'friend' was another spirit, a tortured soul named Adam. Apparently he and his girlfriend had both been victims of the serial killer. She had moved on. He couldn't seem to until he saw justice served. Randy had never seen or heard him. He'd talked to spirits before, had even helped a few move on, but not in the violent ways that were common with the bad ghosts. He mostly took care of the spirits who were confused, or scared, not knowing what waited for them on the other side.

Lucy was different.

She saw spirits, she talked to them, she sent the ones who needed a gentle hand in Randy's direction, and dealt with the mean ones herself. They had never questioned it. It had been taught to them by their grandmother, someone who shared Randy's particular power.

"He's resting. But yes, he said the bastard was hiding out in the woods. Stalking somebody." Lucy smiled sweetly. "Of course you know who lives around here, right?"

"No...who?" He swatted a low hanging branch, making a pile of snow drop to the ground with a muffled thump.

"Your good friends and mine." She snorted when she said it. Randy grimaced. Obviously, Glen and Mark. There was no love lost between Lucy and the brothers, for reasons even Randy wasn't sure about. The fact that they refused to use their specific powers to help the cause, maybe. Or maybe because Mark had been sleeping with Miranda, another spirit hunter than Lucy absolutely loathed. She was trouble. They both knew it. Randy made a mental note to take away Lucy's gun if they happened to run into the other woman in the woods.

Now there was a funny thought. Randy couldn't hide his smile thinking about it. And Lucy saw it and gave him yet another one of her patented gazes. Annoyance.

"Maybe they'll have coffee. I can't feel my feet anymore."

"Don't be such a wimp." Lucy turned and continued walking. Randy could follow or be left behind. He wouldn't put it past her.

"I haven't seen any tracks. Maybe he's beyond using animals." Randy commented fifteen minutes later.

"Yeah, and maybe I'm really the queen of America." Lucy said it in a distracted way. Her head was tilted to the side, and her pace had slowed.

"What's wrong?" He was next to her in four steps, matching her steps now instead of following.

"Nothing...something..." Lucy blinked and shook her head. "You don't feel that?"

Now that she mentioned it...Randy took a deep breath and shivered. Not from the cold. Something was in the woods, definitely. Whether it was their ghost or something else, he couldn't say for sure. A shiver wasn't much to base recognition on.

"...power drain." Lucy was muttering. Randy glanced at her and shrugged.

"What? Sorry, was tryin' to get a vibe."

Lucy sighed and pushed her hair back from her face. "I said it was almost like one of those power drain things, like Grandma used to talk about. Somebody conjuring up something or...hell, I don't know."

"I remember. She said we pulled our strength from other things, so we can do what we need to do. You think one of the brothers used their power?"

"Perish the thought, Rands." The sarcasm was back. Randy smirked.

"Consider it perished." He waved her on. Lucy walked. Really she was just trying to get a feel for the place they were. Their ghost was dormant at the moment, resting, recharging. If he did anything, they'd feel it.

Fifteen minutes later it was Randy's turn to halt their trek. Lucy had gone four or five more steps before he reached out and snagged her coat, nearly toppling her into the snow.

"What?" She was exasperated again. Randy held up a finger and shushed her.

"I heard somebody talking."

She bit back whatever remark had been dancing on the tip of her tongue and listened. Randy was right. She'd been lost in thought and hadn't noticed the voices. Two of them, one male, one female. They must have nearly walked into them, Lucy thought, considering the sound muffling quality of the snow.

The male spoke again. And she knew the voice. Although she couldn't make out the words, she would know that deep voice anywhere. Mark. Definitely. Glen also had a deep voice, but he didn't have nearly the rumbling drawling quality of his brother's.

"Ugh...you don't think he and Miranda...in the woods?" Lucy whispered. Randy had to bite his cheek to keep from giggling.

"Hell no. Their asses would freeze off. The..." He didn't get to finish. Again there was the strange shivering, the feel of something unseen passing down his spine. His eyes met his sister's. "Maybe he's using his power after all."

"Maybe." Lucy whispered with a frown. "But on what? I'm not feeling anything beyond that...whatever it is. No ghosts. Hell." She gestured for Randy to follow her and took off walking toward where the voices had come from. He didn't want to interrupt if Mark were doing something in the woods that was better meant for the bedroom. Then again, that odd shivery feeling had left him curious. He followed his sister without argument.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark hadn't gone more than twenty feet when a noise brought him to a halt. Jamie muttered softly, and he frowned, trying to figure out what he had heard. The soft thump of snow falling, and maybe the low wet crunch of footsteps. But not Glen. Definitely not. He would have sensed his brother coming a mile away.

He turned in a circle, taking in the shadowy woods, the unbroken snow. Nothing. The wind had even stopped rustling in the trees. He cursed himself for jumping at shadows, something that he had learned early on got old fast. He turned to continue back to the house and jerked in surprise when he found his path blocked.

"Hell...Lucy?" He cocked an eyebrow and managed to sound both embarrassed and angry.

"Hello to you to. What you got there? Find a trophy in the woods?" Her eyes were on Jamie. Mark glanced down.

"Not quite. She found me." Mark sighed. "What are you doing out here?"

"The question is...what are YOU doing out here?"

"I live out here. In case you forgot." He looked around. Lucy usually didn't travel far without her twin, and of Randy there was no sign. Yet. Which meant that these two were getting much better at sneaking around. When he'd first butted heads with Lucy, he had been able to sense her coming much the same way he found Glen.

"I didn't forget. And in case you are actually that dense...who is she and what are you doing to her?"

"If I said mind your own business, would you?"

"Not on your life."

Mark sighed again. "She came looking for help." He stated it simply.

"And managed to find you? Pardon me while I choke back my laughter."

"Look...I could stand out here all day and explain what's going on, or you and Randy can come to the house and find out for yourselves. I need to get her inside before she freezes to death."

Lucy cocked an eyebrow. "An invitation? How could we say no?" She nodded. Mark heard a noise behind him and looked over his shoulder to see that Randy had appeared. He stood five feet away, looking apologetic. "Lead on."

Resigned, Mark stepped around Lucy and followed the trail he and Jamie had walked earlier. Randy caught up to him and peered around his shoulder at Jamie's face. "Is she in trouble?"

"Of course. Why else would she be here?" Mark said in a low voice.

"We definitely need to have a little discussion. A lot of things have happened..."Randy shook his head. "It can wait though. At least until Lucy gets an itchy trigger finger."

"Ha. I can hear you, jerk." Lucy had fallen behind, walking more slowly than the trail warranted. Mark raised an eyebrow, knowing this tactic. He was carrying someone, and Randy didn't sense the bad spirits, so Lucy was distancing herself a little to keep a special kind of watch. It was almost...nice of her. The thought made him smirk. He knew it wasn't for his benefit, but Jamie's. Lucy didn't even know her, and already felt an urge to protect her. On one hand that was good. Great. On the other...it could only mean trouble. More trouble than getting attacked by a wolf.

"I try to get away and this shit keeps falling into my lap." Mark muttered, mostly to himself. Randy heard him though.

"Talking about Lucy?" He said with a grin.

"She's the least of my problems." Mark admitted. Lucy could be abrasive, but he really had nothing against her. She seemed to not like him, which did not bother him a bit. He didn't need her opinionated approval for his actions.

"Good grief, who owns that death trap?"

It was the first time Lucy had spoken since calling Randy a jerk. And she was pointing at Jamie's Jeep.

"It's hers." Mark gestured to Jamie. "I was trying to get the thing working again, but I keep getting sidetracked..."

"Deal with it, Rands." Lucy smiled at him. Randy grimaced. Yes he knew cars. It didn't mean he wanted to spend all day with his head under a hood in the freezing cold.

"Bite me, Lu."

"Kids." Mark muttered and shifted Jamie. She wasn't heavy, but it wasn't easy work carrying a person through two or so feet of snow. He went in the front door, stomping snow off his boots. The house was quiet. He'd barely registered the fact that the SUV was gone. Glen must have taken Kayla to her house for more things. If she planned on coming back.

Mark nodded his two new 'guests' toward the living room while he carried Jamie up the steps. He had no clue how long she would sleep. Nothing like this had ever happened before. He got her into bed with her boots and coat off without disturbing her too much. He tucked the blanket around her shoulders and let his thumb lightly trace the curve of her jaw, her chin.

"First you kidnap her, then you molest her."

Mark looked over his shoulder at Lucy, who stood in the doorway. She'd taken off her coat. He figured she planned on staying a while. His day couldn't possibly get better. Shrugging off the sarcastic thoughts, Mark straightened up and herded her out of the room. He shut the door resolutely behind him. "I wasn't molesting her."

"Checking for a pulse, were you?" Lucy followed him as far as the top of the stairs.

"Drop it."

"Well at least tell me where his highness is hiding a bathroom."

"Second door on the right." Mark didn't stop walking. Lucy smirked and shook her head.

"Well isn't that just the sweetest thing." She said softly to herself. Even she was sensing some connection between Mark and the woman on the bed. And the woman was asleep. She could care less if Mark was happy about it. What really struck her as hilarious was picturing the look on Miranda's face when she found out. Lucy turned and went to the bathroom, nearly feeling like giggling. She only wished she could be here when that woman showed up. It would be worth socializing with the brothers to see it.

14

Jamie winced and blinked her eyes slowly open. She had the distinct after nap feeling of having slept for way too long in the middle of the day. She heaved herself up on one elbow and froze, spotting a woman sitting in a chair next to the bed. Not Kayla, not even that Miranda woman. This one was new. She had dark hair that fell in unruly curls down her back, and ice blue eyes. The woman wasn't looking at her, instead her attention seemed to be entirely focused on a magazine in her hands.

"Who are you?" Jamie expected the woman to jump at her voice. She didn't. Instead she slowly closed the magazine before letting her eyes rest on Jamie's.

"Welcome back to the world of awake people. I'm Lucy. You're Jamie. Now that introductions are out of the way, how are you feeling?"

"I'm...all right. I guess." Jamie finished pushing herself into a sitting position. She eyed Lucy warily. "What the hell happened to me? Last thing I remember was going outside..." She frowned, thinking.

"In the woods. With Mark." Lucy provided. "I couldn't tell you what happened, as I was a late-comer to your party. But now that I'm here, I guess the fun can really start."

Jamie shook her head, trying to clear what felt like cobwebs out of her thoughts. Her brain apparently hadn't figured out that her body was now awake. She gingerly swung her legs over the side of the bed, mindful of not pulling too much on her stitches. To her surprise there was no ache, no tug of sutured skin...nothing. Confused, she leaned down and gently pressed her hand against her leg. Even through her jeans she could feel the bandage. But that was all she could feel.

She forgot about Lucy and reached down to tug the hem of her pants up. She picked at the bandage, hissing a breath as her skin fought the adhesive. And then her hand froze. Where earlier there had been inflamed skin and black stitches, now there was nothing. Not even a tiny scratch. Her leg under the bandage was smooth and unmarked. Unbelieving, Jamie pressed her fingers lightly where the wound should have been. There was not even a sore spot to mark the area of her bites.

"What the hell?" She muttered to herself.

"I take it you had some kind of miraculous recovery or something. Explains a lot, actually." Lucy was looking at her leg with some interest. Mostly because Jamie was showing so much interest in it herself.

"What are you talking about?" Jamie finished tearing the bandage away. She tested her weight on her leg by standing up. Still nothing. No pain. Not even the itch of mending skin.

"Why don't you start by telling me what you were expecting to see, and I will fill in your blanks about what you're not seeing." Lucy said, leaving back in the chair. Jamie rubbed her neck and her frown returned.

"Wait...I still don't know who the hell you are."

"I told you. I'm Lucy. Are you having problems with your memory too?"

"No, my memory is fine, thanks. What I'm having a problem with is some stranger hovering over me when I'm sleeping."

"Ah. I would feel the same, I suppose. Let's just say I'm a friend of Mark and Glen." The way Lucy said 'friend' left no doubt about how she really thought of them. Jamie sat down on the edge of the bed again and tried not to look too confused. Without knowing quite why she was telling her, she found herself repeating her story of coming to the house, of the wolf attack, of her brush with her dead brother.

Lucy listened without interrupting, nodding at some points, raising an eyebrow in others. When Jamie's voice quieted, she cleared her throat and rubbed her hands together. "Ha. I knew that explained it."

"Explained what?"

"When I was in the woods I felt this strange...I don't know what. Apparently healing you took some major juice."

"What are you talking about?"

"Mark. You just said that you faintly recalled going out with him. He must have called on some hidden talent if he managed to fix you up."

"How the hell would Mark be able to heal my leg?" Jamie still didn't understand.

"How the hell are any of us able to see ghosts? Or talk to them, or help them? My grandmother says that our powers are limitless if we can find the right reason to use them. And she's never wrong."

"So you're like them?" Jamie's mind at last seemed to focus.

"In a way. Although we are all different. Everybody has their little talents." Lucy brushed her hair back from her shoulders. "Now, tell me this. Did you actually have contact with your brother, or do you just think you did?"

"What do you mean? I think I would know my own brother." Jamie said, wondering what she was implying.

"I'm saying...are you sure that your 'brother' wasn't just conjured up to make you feel the warm and fuzzies?"

"I'm getting tired of saying this, but what the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that maybe Mark decided he liked you and decided to use your brother to nudge you in his direction."

"What? No...he wouldn't do that." Jamie struggled for words. "I mean, he couldn't do that. Could he?"

"Who knows? He used whatever secret hidden power he's got to heal you. Stranger things have happened."

"No. There's no way."

"You're absolutely, swear on a bible, positive?"

"Yes! How would Mark have known my brother's nickname for me?" Jamie finally seemed to grasp what Lucy was saying.

"Ok. Just a theory I had that is now shot down." Lucy held up a hand to calm her down. "Pardon me for being the group skeptic."

"Why would you even think he would do that?" Jamie asked, shaking her head.

"Because he's done it before. Of course, from what I was told it was with an altruistic purpose. I just thought I would make sure he hadn't gone around a bend."

"Well you can rest your mind."

"Consider it rested." Lucy smiled. It seemed to change her entire attitude. "Although if I were you, I would find myself a better knight in shining armor."

"If a dragon kills him, I guess I'll have to." Jamie reached down and fixed the leg of her jeans.

"So tell me...what are you doing to handle your little supernatural problem?"

"I don't know." Jamie answered, sighing once more. "What can I do? I don't even know what it is that you do."

"Well technically you can just sit back and let the experts work." Lucy smirked. "Would it help if I said I might know who your problem spirit is?"

By the time Jamie headed downstairs, her head swimming from her talk with Lucy, Kayla and Glen had returned. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen. Including another stranger, although this time she had been warned that Lucy's brother was there too.

Kayla spotted her and grinned. "Well. Look who decided to climb down from the ivory tower."

"Ha. Bite me." Jamie wasn't in the mood for joking. She wasn't in the mood to really be sitting in this kitchen discussing things supernatural. For some reason she couldn't fathom, she was angry. It was fairly low level, but it was there.

"Thanks but I already ate." Kayla scooted her chair to make room for Jamie at the table. She dropped into a chair and sighed, letting her eyes rest on Lucy's brother. He appeared totally at ease, slumped in his chair, finger idly tapping the table. He smiled at her. Jamie managed to smile back, but she knew it looked fake even to a stranger.

"So..." Glen spoke when no one else would.

Everyone looked at him expectantly. Except for Mark. Jamie noticed him for the first time, sitting there was a glass of water in front of him. His fingers turned the glass, but he didn't drink. He looked lost in thought.

"I think we should probably..." Randy decided to step in. Jamie rose to her feet.

"I've gotta make a phone call. Can I use your phone?" She asked in Kayla's direction.

"Sure, it's in the..." Kayla didn't get to finish. Jamie was already stepping outside. "Should she be going out by herself?" She asked pointedly, looking at Mark. He sighed and stood up. They all watched as he shut the door behind him. "Who rained on his parade?"

Glen was looking at Lucy. "You already got on his nerves, huh?"

"I would never."

"Right." Glen smirked.

"Lucifer's right. She's barely said ten words to him since we got here." Randy said with a smile.

"Can it, Randall."

"You wish."

"Does somebody want to tell me what's going on?" Kayla asked. "I mean, since I'm sitting here amidst you strange people and all."

"How much does she know?" Lucy asked Glen.

"She's sitting right here, and so far she knows what Jamie knows. Pretty much." Kayla answered before he could. "Don't talk about me like I'm not sitting in front of you."

Lucy cocked her eyebrow. She already liked Kayla. "Consider me spanked for my error." She shared a look with Randy. "And I think maybe Glen should start us off. Maybe catch all of us up."

"What's wrong?"

Jamie had the phone to her ear, but that didn't stop Mark from speaking to her. She was sitting in the passenger seat of the SUV, legs dangling out the door. Kayla had plugged her phone into the car charger. Her boss didn't answer at his house or the bar, so she was attempting his cell phone.

She gave Mark a sour look and held up a hand when she saw him start to speak again. "Hey Tommy. Yeah..." She paused, listening. "So you don't know when? Great." She tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. It almost worked. "Right. You too." She hung up and tapped the phone thoughtfully on her leg.

"Now you wanna spill it?" Mark asked, leaning against the door frame. He crossed his arms, thinking that if he was chilly she must be freezing. She was wearing a t-shirt she'd changed into at some point after they'd come back.

"Spill what? Can't I have a mood swing in peace?" She leaned back and tucked the phone into the center console where she'd found it. She had managed to use it and there had been no phantom voices. Maybe they were all taking naps too. Sighing she turned to look at Mark. "I guess I'm not going back to work anytime soon. The snow managed to collapse part of the roof. Plus there's no power."

"Sorry to hear that." Mark said, studying her. "You're mad. Something I did? Something Lucy said? She was up there an awful long time with you."

"I'm not mad. I'm full. I think I've hit my information limit." Jamie rubbed her arms and shivered.

"I know it's a lot to take in..."

"Did you have anything to do with John contacting me?" Jamie interrupted him. She wasn't looking at him anymore. She stared down at a drift of snow that hadn't been trampled by the vehicle or anyone walking.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you...I guess...make him appear?"

"I wouldn't even know how that would be possible, darlin'."

"That's not what your friend said." Jamie said sullenly.

"Yeah? Well, Lucy's sharp but this time she's wrong. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ok."

"Anything else?" Mark asked, half-expecting a rant about any number of things. He didn't expect that Lucy had many good things to say about him. It wasn't that Mark didn't like her, to him she seemed just a little too eager about her work. And he couldn't see why. Dealing with dead people was depressing. She just hadn't burned out on it yet.

"What else could there be?" Jamie sighed and reached for the phone again. "Could I have a few minutes to myself, please? I need to think." Mark nodded and waited while she swung her legs into the SUV. He closed the door for her and hesitated before turning to the house. He figured he'd give her ten minutes alone and then come back with her coat.

Jamie waited until the door shut behind him before setting the phone back down. She couldn't think of anyone else she would need to call. In reality, she really did want to be alone. The house was getting way too crowded.

Lucy's theory was running through her mind, anyway. Jamie had gotten what she assumed was the short version. Randy and Lucy's cousin had been murdered. He had died. Now it was maybe his ghost that had targeted Jamie. There didn't seem to be a reason, other than the fact that he was insane, and now didn't have to worry about the police catching up to him.

Jamie sighed tiredly and rubbed her eyes. She'd already taken a nap, but she thought she could use another one. For the first time since the snow started, she was homesick for her own bed. Her own uncomplicated life. She had always thought it was boring, being her. Now she realized just how good she'd had it. Minimum fuss, minimum drama.

She shook her head and reached for the door handle. As soon as the power came back on in town, she was leaving. If the killer ghost hadn't been dealt with by then, oh well. Jamie figured the guys would either bodyguard her, or Lucy would. She had a personal stake in the matter.

A movement caught her eye before she could open the door. Jamie looked over her shoulder and saw nothing. It was late afternoon, nearing on evening, and darkness had started to fall. She smiled to herself, and glanced at the rear-view mirror. The angle was bad from the passenger seat, but it was where she had seen the movement. She shifted the mirror and gasped in shock as her brother smiled at her in the reflection.

Jamie spun in her seat, grabbing the back as she did. The rear was empty. Nothing in the back seat, nothing in the cargo hold. She looked once more at the mirror. Now she could see her own reflection. And she was blocking the reflection of her brother.

She turned back to front with a thump, breathing deeply, trying to control her racing heart. "John?"

"Hiya, Jimmie." His reflection spoke to her. She saw his lips move, but his voice didn't come from the mirror. It was as if he was speaking softly right into her ear.

"John...what are you..." She looked over her shoulder once more, confirmed that her dead brother was definitely not in the back seat, and finally relaxed. Obviously he wanted to speak to her in private. She just hoped that Mark wouldn't come back before he was done.

15

"We don't have a lot of time."

Jamie thought John was stating the obvious. She nodded, unable to stop looking at the mirror. It was as if he were actually sitting in the back seat, solid and real.

"You have questions. Ask 'em." He gestured. It was patented John. Jamie smiled and cleared her throat.

"Why are you here?" She finally asked.

"Short answer? Because you need me to be. Although to tell the truth, I've been with you since I died." John smiled back at her. "Maybe it's my fault, what's happening now."

"How? I don't see what you would have to do with..."

"I have everything to do with it. I wasn't sure at first, but now..." He rubbed a hand through his short hair. "I told you...it wasn't an accident, what happened to me."

"I know, you said you were pushed. But why? Why would anybody want to hurt you?"

"The why is easy. I got a call from my foreman. Remember, I was staying near the construction site?" At Jamie's nod, John went on. "He said that an alarm went off at the site. Usually it's kids. It's like they can't stand not going in an off-limits site and mess with stuff. I couldn't even tell you how many times they ran off with tools and stuff. At any rate...I was closest, so he asked me to check it out. I wasn't doing anything, so I went."

"It wasn't just kids, was it?"

"No." John met her eyes in the mirror. "I walked in and saw a car. Not one I recognized, but nothing like a kid would drive. Too fancy. I looked around and didn't see anything. Then I heard a scream." He rubbed his temple. Jamie knew it was a nervous tic of his, usually he did it when he was thinking of something he'd rather not remember. "It came from above me. The elevator didn't work. Damned thing. I thought maybe some idiot had gone up and gotten stuck. So I grabbed my gear and climbed up the safety ladder."

He paused for a full minute. Jamie waited him out. "Got to the top and guess...I was too shocked to really process what I was seeing at the time. There were two people there. At first I figured some weird couple decided to get a thrill by breaking into the site and...you know." A slight smile tilted Jamie's lips. It died shortly though. "Except when the woman saw me, she screamed again, this time for help. The guy was...raping her. I got myself in gear and ran over, yanked him off her. I didn't see it in his hand...all I could think was it couldn't be happening. He had a knife. He got me in the stomach before I could really get him away from the girl. I didn't feel it though. It seemed far away."

John drifted again, not nearly as long as before. "I tripped." He laughed without humor. "My own damn fault. I got tangled up on my safety line that was attached to my belt. I fell backward. By the time I got my legs under me, the guy was coming. I was bigger than him, but...I don't know. Something about him. It was like he was a wild animal. He cut me, across the chest, on my arms..." Jamie shuddered, watching as John traced the where the wounds had been on his body. "Stabbed me again. This time got me..." He pointed to his chest. His heart. Jamie felt tears welling in her eyes. "He rushed me after that. I couldn't get a breath, it felt like I was drowning. Next thing I know, I'm falling. Then...nothing."

"But if he stabbed you, how did it get ruled an accident?" Jamie asked.

"Because of where I fell. Right into the site garbage pit, basically." John smiled. "Full of broken concrete and glass, and metal rods. A few of them went through me...ah...sorry Jimmie, I know it's gross."

"It's all right, John." Jamie said unevenly. She'd seen pictures, much to the horror of the police officers at the station. And she'd worked in an ER. She'd seen enough gore in her day to desensitize her a bit to the description of it.

"Anyway, the cops thought...or made themselves think, that it was the fall into the trash that killed me." John sighed heavily. "The next thing I remember after falling was standing there by my body. Just watching it. I guess...denying it was me. I looked up and saw the guy. He was still looking down, making sure my body wasn't moving. Then he went back to the woman..." At this he struggled. "I heard him kill her. I felt it happen too...in a way...it was like I suddenly couldn't breath. Ridiculous considering I was already dead. But I felt her go..."

John leaned forward in the backseat. "For a little while there was nothing. Then I heard the elevator. I saw him toss this lifeless body into his car. He walked over to where my body was and kicked it. I guess he was satisfied I was dead. He got down on and dug out my wallet. He looked through all of my stuff, and he wrote my name down. I didn't know why..." He swallowed. "He found a picture I had of you, Jimmie. You know, right after you graduated from college. You were standing in front of the fountain at that amusement park you used to love..."

Jamie nodded. She remember. She had carried a similar picture of John with her until she'd decided to hang it up in her apartment.

"He took the picture. Got this weird kind of...grin...on his face. Tucked it in his shirt pocket." John balled his hands into fists. Obviously it had made him angry. "He put my wallet back in my pocket, and left."

Jamie shivered as John spoke. "So you think this guy is after me?"

John nodded. "I know he is. He couldn't find you before. I died four hours away from my place, and you were unlisted. I think he just looked out for you, just in case. And then...he died."

"Which would be a good thing, normally." Jamie pointed out.

"Normally." John smiled wryly. "But this time what happened was...this guy didn't move on. And he somehow sensed me. Maybe because he killed me. I'm not sure how that part works. But he found you, Jimmie. If I hadn't hung around you, watching out for you, he probably never would have. Now you're in real trouble, and..." He spread his hands apart, frustrated. "There's not much I can do to help you. I'm too weak. The guy...he's stronger than anything I've ever known now. And the stronger he gets, the weaker I get."

"He's using you, right? Drawing something from you to make himself stronger?"

"That's what I figured. I just...hell, I don't know how to stop it." John rubbed his legs. Jamie resisted the urge to reach back and touch his hand. She had to keep reminding herself that she would only be disappointed when her hand encountered nothing but leather seat. "I could leave. I should leave. But I can't. This is my unfinished business. I'm stuck here until it's all over."

"How do I get rid of him, John?"Jamie asked softly.

"I don't know if you can." He relaxed suddenly, the nervous energy that had built up leaving. "Your friends can though. Thank whatever powers there are that I found them out here."

"So are you the one who sent me here?"

"In a way." John managed to smirk. It was weak though. He was tired. Jamie could see it, but she wasn't quite ready to let him go yet. "I kind of smoothed things over in your mind so you wouldn't freak out in a house of strangers. But once you went in, you were on your own. I can't go in there. It's...blocked. Somehow."

"They said they sealed it. I don't know how."

"Doesn't matter. Look..." John leaned forward again. "I can't stay much longer. It's hard as hell to even do this little bit of work. Just, trust them. Especially the ones with the tattoos."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Ask. They need to tell you the rest." John said. He smiled again. "And if you like him, don't shut him out."

"Who?"

"You know."

"Was it you? In the woods? My leg..."

"No. How could I manage to get the energy to do that? I can barely make a draft to blow a curtain two inches." John held her gaze in the mirror. Jamie noted that he was not quite as solid as he had been. She could see the seat through him. He was fading, his energy ebbing. "I have to go, Jamie. Somebody is coming out for you. We've been out here too long."

"Wait...if I find a way to get you in the house, would you be protected from that ghost?" She asked. John was barely visible now, nothing more than a vague outline.

"I don't know. Maybe. And maybe it would just be a way to let him in. Don't do that, Jimmie. Don't take the chance." At that he winked out. One minute a dark shadow, the next nothing. Jamie waited for several minutes, unsure of what to do.

"John?"

There was a weak whisper near her ear. "Tomorrow...meet me here again if you want...I have to rest now Jimmie...but...be careful. I knew him. The guy who killed me. I know who he is." A shiver went down her back. And with that Jamie knew that John was gone.

Just in time too. The door to the house opened and Mark walked through the snow, a concerned look on his features. Jamie opened the door and accepted her coat that he held in his hand.

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah, fine." Jamie struggled into her coat. She hadn't realized how cold she was until she saw her coat. She was crazy for sitting outside so long in just a t-shirt. Mark gave her a hand out of the vehicle and Jamie let him. Her anger was gone. She was still confused. But maybe not nearly as lost as she had been before. She and Mark were definitely going to have a talk.

"Did you get everything taken care of?" He asked, letting her walk ahead of him toward the door.

"Some." Jamie shrugged. She reached the steps and came to a halt, turning to look at him. "Are your friends staying?"

Mark raised an eyebrow. He hadn't really given it much thought. "Don't really know, darlin'. Doubt it. Lucy doesn't like me much. As you probably noticed already."

Jamie smiled. Yes, she had. "Ok. Just curious." She turned and opened the door, stepping into the warm kitchen. Mark was confused by her sudden turn in mood but followed along. He supposed if he was going through what she was, he'd be a little moody too.

No one spoke much the rest of the evening about the events that had happened. Everyone ate dinner, and Kayla kept the talk to lighter things. Jamie thought the woman was a born hostess. Either that or she really didn't like tension.

After eating, Lucy and Randy decided to leave. She wasn't even rude about turning down Glen's offer of a place to sleep. She and Randy had to get their car and move it away from the road. Plus...she said she wanted to learn the lay of the land. Randy looked resigned but followed her out the door.

It wasn't much later when Kayla and Glen decided to head for her cousin's house. Earlier they had gone out shopping. Now Kayla wanted to check on things to make sure the house was still standing. They had been listening to weather reports earlier in the day and the forecast called for snow flurries and a dip in temperatures into single digits.

Jamie cleaned up dinner dishes and wiped down the table before heading upstairs. Mark had gone outside, to do what she had no idea. She climbed into the shower and fifteen minutes later toweled herself dry. She dug in her bag and found a pair of drawstring shorts and a tank top. With the heat on and the fireplace going, the room was plenty warm enough for her usual sleep attire.

But it was too early for bed. She wasn't tired. She thought about going downstairs and finding a book, but that didn't sound appealing either. With a sigh she got up and went into the hallway, listening to the near empty house.

Mark had apparently come back in. She could hear a shower running from the direction of his room. She walked down the hall and peered through his door. He was definitely in the shower. She went in and shut the door behind her. Jamie sat down in the window seat, looking out into the yard. She could barely make out the sunken square of the swimming pool. The snow had nearly brought it up even to the rest.

Snow was falling again. It was fitful, for a few minutes heavy before tapering off to nearly nothing. The wind had picked up. It blew the snow against the window where it melted. Jamie hugged her knees to her chest, her back resting against the wall. The window seat was a lot cooler than the rest of the room. Not cold enough to chase her away from her seat though.

A few minutes later Mark came out of his bathroom. He was wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. He had a towel wrapped around his shoulders, catching water from his wet hair. He didn't seem the least bit surprised to find her sitting in his room.

Jamie studied him shamelessly while he rubbed his hair with the towel. His arms were completely covered with tattoos. There were some on his stomach too. She had seen his arms of course, but it hadn't really registered just how much ink he had on him.

"I thought you went to bed." He finally spoke after tossing his towel back into the bathroom.

"Couldn't sleep. I'm not tired." Jamie rested her chin on her knees and watched as he sat down on the edge of his bed.

"How's your leg?"

"You didn't notice?" Jamie asked. He shook his head. She stretched her leg out, twisting it a little to show unblemished skin. Mark raised an eyebrow. She had expected more of a reaction. "You did this?" She made it a question.

He shook his head. "I don't know how I could have. I'm not a healer." He ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing out some tangles.

"Are there such things?"

"Aren't you one? You were a nurse. Maybe you did it yourself." Mark's lips twitched a little at that.

"If you can do something like that, why would you hide it? Or deny it? It's...amazing." Jamie rubbed her leg idly before bringing it back up to join the other.

"I told you, darlin'. I'm lookin' to retire. And that...doesn't always work. It's not a power that can be trusted."

"Well I'm sorry you had to come out of retirement and do it then." Jamie said. "It would have healed."

"It happened on its own. That's why you can't trust it."

"Ok." Jamie sighed and shivered as a cool puff of air wafted over her skin. Mark rose from his seat and grabbed a soft blanket that was piled on the foot of his bed. He walked over to her,dropped to one knee, and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, bringing it closed in front of her.

Jamie stared at his eyes as he covered her. The blanket was warm. Her shivering stopped. Mark met her gaze and fiddled idly with the material he'd draped her with. "You shouldn't be sittin' there with your hair wet. You'll get sick."

"I'll survive." Jamie said, her voice low. "That's an old wives' tale anyway. Wet hair doesn't cause a cold. Germs do."

"Guess that makes me an old wife then. I believe it."

Jamie smiled. "Why not just say...'I have this power that might heal you'?"

Mark sighed. "Aren't you freaked out enough? How much more do you wanna hear?"

"I'm nosy. So everything." Jamie managed to shift and get a hand free of the blanket. She touched his arm. "Like where these came from." She traced one of his tattoos with her finger.

Mark watched the motion for a moment before raising his eyes to meet hers. "You won't believe it if I tell you I was really drunk, huh?" Jamie rolled her eyes. "Fine. Who told you to look?"

"Does it matter? What do they mean?"

"I have no clue what they mean." Mark looked down at his arms again, taking in the colors and shapes. "I don't even know why they turn into what they do. I just know I got one for every bad spirit I sent to hell where it belonged."

"One for every...but...there are so many of them..."

"I know. I told you, retirement. Doesn't matter what somebody like Lucy thinks. There comes a time when you get too old or too tired or just...too...hell...something. I've seen too many of 'em, Jamie. Been doing this shit since I was a kid. I think I deserve a break."

"Too bad I got dumped in your lap then." Jamie said softly.

"You didn't get dumped. You needed help."

"Yeah, but you didn't want to help. I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"You didn't drag me anywhere, darlin'. I've been willin' the whole time." Mark offered her a crooked smile. "Do me a favor though. Don't tell anybody it was me that fixed your leg. I don't need any more grief than I already get from Lucy. Glen doesn't even know, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

Jamie nodded. "If you want me to keep it quiet, I will." She looked at him solemnly. So she understood what John meant now about the tattoos. Which raised another question. "Does Glen have any? Tattoos, I mean." Mark shook his head.

"No. He only sent the good ones. I always figured it was...kind of a warning to the bad ones. Not any kind of reward or..." He shrugged, unable to finish.

Jamie understood what he was getting at. She used her hand to turn his arm, looking at the artwork on his forearm. For a minute they were quiet, Jamie looking at his tattoos, and Mark looking at her. When she finally raised her eyes, her expression was completely unreadable.

She shrugged the blanket off her shoulders and lowered her feet to the floor. Without saying a word she reached out and put her hands on Mark's shoulders as she leaned forward and kissed him.

16

Lucy whistled the whole way to the car.

"Do you have to do that?" Randy asked, sick of hearing Jingle Bells.

Her answer was to whistle louder. Randy sighed and resigned himself to having to either tune her out or kill her. And she still had the gun. He should have swiped it when he had the chance. The thought made him smile. It took him a full minute to notice that Lucy had stopped whistling and walking just as they neared the end of the woods on a path that led to the road.

"What is it?" He whispered, looking around. Nothing but dark woods. The wind gusted, blowing snow in his face. Not for the first time, he made himself a promise to move to a tropical climate. He didn't like the cold.

"Look..." Lucy pointed. Randy followed her finger, and through the line of trees he could see a glint.

"Is that a car?"

"SUV. I think. There's so much snow on it I can't really tell." Lucy kept her voice low, her eyes moving to take in the outline of the vehicle. "Silver Caddy. Well, well. I wonder who it could belong to."

"You think Miranda parked her car out here and walked?" Randy snorted. "She wouldn't risk her shoes."

"Maybe she bought some boots."

"Maybe she's in trouble?" Randy made it a question. In truth, it didn't feel like it. His instincts might not be as honed as Lucy's but he knew when someone needed help. This...well. The SUV was not on the long winding drive that led to the road. It was parked on a hidden walking trail. Lucy and Randy had started too far north to spot it on the way in.

"What the hell would she be doing out here?" Lucy asked. It was rhetorical. "Oh...do not tell me she's resorting to spying on people." She looked at Randy. She was highly amused. "You think she knows about Jamie?"

"I don't know." Randy shrugged. "What's it matter?"

"You men. So dense." Lucy shook her head. "Maybe she didn't trust her man meat alone in a house with an attractive woman who isn't a total bitch."

Randy snorted again. She did have a point. Miranda did seem the over-dramatic jealous type. "So what do you wanna do?"

"Find her. What else?" At Randy's questioning look, Lucy grimaced. "And believe me, not to the benefit of Mark. I have a bone to pick with that bitch myself."

"Yeah, yeah." Randy gestured. "Lead on, Lu. Before we both freeze to death out here."

Lucy did as he said. She walked in a slow circle around the SUV, peering at the ground, the trees. Finally she shook her head. "She's been parked for a while. No tracks. Damn...has she been snooping around the woods for a day or more?"

"How would I know?" Randy asked, rubbing his hands together. He left Lucy staring at the ground in frustration and walked over to the SUV. He knocked snow off the window and peered inside before trying the door. It was unlocked. He cast a look at his sister before swinging the door wide and leaning in.

The vehicle was strangely clean. No dirt, not even on the floor mats. Lucy kept her car clean but there was always some sign that it had been driven. This one could have just come off the lot. There was nothing in the front seat, and nothing in the rear that he could see. His breath puffed out white as he searched and found the lever that released the cargo door.

He was expecting more nothing, but instead there were three red containers. Randy lifted one, surprised it was empty. "Lu?"

"Yeah?" She was at the front of the SUV. When he didn't speak, she joined him at the back. "What is it?"

"Gas cans. What do you suppose she was doing with these out here?" He twisted open the cap and sniffed. The cold in the car had kept the smell down, but this close it was obvious the can had been used. And recently. There was still a bit of liquid at the bottom. Not enough to add any weight to the plastic though.

"Well I haven't seen any smoke signals. Or bonfires." Lucy sighed. "You don't suppose she's in a fit and burning down Mark's house right this second do you?"

"How would that be possible? We were just there. She couldn't have done it and gone around us. Not Miranda." Randy snickered. "I don't even see her carrying one of these cans. She might break a nail."

"True." Lucy sighed heavily. "All right. So...we can either trek back to Mark's, see if she's hanging around, sniff to see if she magically spilled gas. Or..."

Randy rubbed his forehead. "Jamie."

"Miranda's a jealous bitch."

"Hell. How do we know where she lives?"

"My guess would be we head toward town and see if we can spot some smoke."Lucy said.

Randy nodded. He put the gas can back and slammed the cargo door shut. "How far to the car?"

Lucy smiled. "Wasn't planning on taking ours." She smacked her hand on the side of the SUV, sending snow falling to the ground.

Randy gave her a grin of his own. Although Lucy was a little more vocal about her dislike of Miranda, there was no love lost with him either. And it would be kind of funny, if she were to return and her car was gone. "I'm on it." He said, turning and heading for the driver's seat.

"What was that for?" Mark asked when they finally pulled apart. Jamie leaned back and touched her lips lightly with her fingers.

"I don't know. Just felt like it." She smiled.

Mark nodded as if she'd explained herself. He had a troubled look in his eyes though. Jamie could almost feel him struggling with his thoughts. He was confused. She was too. She'd never been so attracted to a person in her entire life. It was kind of scary.

"You know...we've only known each other a few days." Mark said slowly.

And there he put into words what she'd been thinking. It was a little crazy to be lusting after a guy she knew nothing about. "Of course." Her smile faded. "Sorry."

"Nothin' to be sorry about. I'm just...you know..." He sighed heavily. "You have to be careful who you get involved with."

"I think this is the first time a guy has ever warned me about himself." Jamie said, smirking at the idea.

"Well you see what we go through. Hell, even when we want out we're still doing it." He reached out and let his hand rest on her knee. "This isn't the kind of life I'd wish on somebody who wasn't ready for it."

"I must have missed the part where I proposed marriage." She said wryly. For some reason the situation was striking her funny.

"You want me to scare ya away?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Take your best shot."

"If I wanted somebody to be a convenient lay, I would have asked Miranda to stay." He stated, a look of distaste on his features.

"Ah. And I'm not convenient enough, huh? Or maybe I'm too convenient?"

"That's not what I meant." Mark said, frowning.

"I know. It's not like you insulted me." Jamie rose to her feet. "Ok, well good night. Thanks for the blanket." She handed said blanket to him, ignoring his surprised expression. She didn't wait for him to speak either, instead she headed for her own room.

Jamie paced for a few minutes, wondering why it was she was finding it funny and annoying at the same time. She hadn't been coming on too strong, at least not in her opinion. In fact, he was the one who had been giving her the heated looks and he'd kissed her first. And yes, he had done it for the purpose of healing her, but still...really, had it required a kiss at all?

She went to her bag and grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt. She was definitely not going to get any sleep for a while yet. She was too worked up. Jamie got dressed and headed for the stairs.

The building was a loss.

Lucy had no way of knowing when the fire had been started. Given the snow piled on the car, Miranda had spread the gas and then gone back to Mark's. She'd somehow come back to light the blaze. She had to have someone helping her, otherwise it wasn't possible. The woman couldn't sprout wings and fly after all.

"They're not trying to put it out. Just hosing down the houses on either side." Randy said from beside her. They had climbed onto the roof of an apartment building across the street from the fire. The burning building was barely visible through the billowing smoke. Every now and then orange flames would flicker in one of the busted windows.

"Because nobody was there. Everybody headed for the hills when the power went out. Damn good thing. If Miranda did it, she didn't give a damn if there were people there or not." At Lucy's words something on the rear of the building popped and suddenly the smoke thickened. The ground shook. There were a series of small explosions, each one sending fire shooting into the sky. "Must have been the gas lines going. Well, if our intent was to scavenge any of her stuff, I guess we can forget it now." Lucy said, watching as the roof of the other building fell in with an anti-climactic thump.

"We should get back." Randy said, watching as the firefighters finally began aiming their hoses at the building that was burning. "Better tell her before someone else does. Namely that bitch Miranda." At that, Lucy looked at him with a grin.

"Ha. I knew you would finally turn over to my side."

"Hard not to. What kind of psycho fruitcake burns down an apartment building because she's jealous?"

"The kind we're going to hunt down before she does any more damage. Let's beat it." Lucy glanced at the fire one last time before following Randy to the rear of the roof where they had gotten up. Whatever Miranda was thinking, even somebody as thick-headed as Mark would have to see she'd gone completely over the edge. For some reason the prospect of rubbing it in his face didn't make her as happy as it should have. Lucy figured she was just tired.

Randy got the SUV started and headed back toward where they had found it. They were both quiet on the drive. He figured Lucy was plotting. She'd think of something. She always did. He was thinking of Jamie, feeling sorry for her. From what he had gathered talking to her and the others that afternoon was that she had lost her brother, and was the focus of some other strange things. And she was alone. He dreaded having to break the news to her. If he were lucky, Lucy would actually show some tact and not turn it into a joke, as was her usual attitude. It wasn't that she was callous, she just handled stress and drama in different ways than most people.

He guided the SUV along the trail into the woods and parked it in almost exactly the same spot. He almost wished he'd be there to see Miranda come back and tried to figure out how there were tracks that led out but her car was still there.

"Let's go see if we can find her." Lucy said it so low Randy almost didn't hear her.

"Huh? I thought you wanted to go break the news to Jamie."

"We will. They don't have phones or TV or even a fuckin' radio at that place. But we need to catch the bitch out. She's not here, she's not at the fire, which means she's most likely watchin' Mark's house. Or already in it."

"So guard duty?"

"If we have to." Lucy sighed and climbed out of the SUV.

"Maybe we should go find Glen and Kayla, let them know too. She might be a target if Jamie is."

"She might be. But I highly doubt it. I got the feeling that Mark was into Jamie. And if Miranda sniffed it out, it might have put her off her rocker." Lucy pushed her hair back from her face and winced as the wind gusted and pelted her skin with snow. "You gonna be all right in the cold?"

"I'll survive." Randy said ruefully. In his head he pictured a beach, complete with palm trees. It was mental torture. He wished he were already there.

"Let's get going then. Got to stop her before she gets up to too much more trouble." Lucy had a grim smile on her face. Randy tucked his hands in his pockets and walked with her, back into the woods along the trail they'd created earlier.

17

A noise from the back of the house caught her attention.

Jamie was curled up on the couch, a book in her hand. Instead of reading, she'd mostly been staring into the flames that danced in the fireplace. The noise came again, a soft knocking. She sighed and set the book down before rising to her feet and heading for the kitchen.

She squinted through the glass pane of the back door and smiled a little as she unlocked it to let Randy into the house. His noise and ears were so red they were practically glowing. "Great night to catch a case of frostbite." She commented, shutting the door behind him. Randy grinned and rubbed his hands together briskly.

"Believe me, it's not by my choice. Please tell me they have something hot to drink. I feel like an ice cube."

"I could make some coffee." Jamie went to the counter and got busy. Randy stripped his coat off and tried to stop his chattering teeth. "You know, I wasn't kidding about the frost bite."

"Yeah." He cupped his hands over his ears, trying to warm them up.

"So what are you guys doing out there?" Jamie asked, watching as dark liquid began to trickle into the coffee pot.

"Wandering around like idiots." Randy sank into one of the kitchen chairs. His fingers were so cold they hurt. "Lucy doesn't feel the cold like normal people. I think the government should study her."

"Technically the government would probably love to study her. And you. And everybody else around here." Jamie smirked. "Isn't that what they do?"

Randy raised an eyebrow and flexed his fingers. "Into conspiracy theories?"

Jamie shrugged. "Not really."

"Well, thanks to half-baked psychics, the feds tend to ignore us. People who can truly communicate with the dead do what we do, and do it quietly. We don't like to draw attention to ourselves."Randy watched as she poured him a steaming cup of coffee and set it down in front of him. He sipped it cautiously and sighed. "My tongue is melting finally. Thanks."

"No problem. You might want to consider a warm bath too." Jamie poured herself a cup. She didn't normally like coffee, but it was nice to hold the heat between her hands. And the smell was making her stomach growl. "Not hot, just barely warm. To heat the rest of you up."

"I might do that. As long as Lucy doesn't come hunting for me, calling me names." Randy chuckled and took another drink.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Randy looked at her, waiting.

"Did something happen out there?" She gestured to the window.

"Nothing but me freezing my butt off." He met her eyes and sighed again. "Is my face to frozen to be able to pretend everything's okey-dokie?"

"Pretty much." Jamie eyed him. It wasn't his face, it was something about how he was sitting. Almost like he was expecting her to throw a punch at him. She knew that look, she'd seen it plenty of times in the ER, and again when the police had arrived to tell her that John had been killed. It was the posture of someone carrying bad news.

Randy took a breath and decided not to wait for Lucy. "Well, we found a car in the woods. I don't know if you know who she is, but we think it belongs to a woman named Miranda..." At Jamie's nod, he went on. "We checked and found empty gas cans. And then we drove to town and..." He shook his head. "You're apartment's gone, Jamie."

"What do you mean, gone?"

"Burned. We heard a few small explosions from the back. Figured it was gas that was settled in the pipes. But everything was beyond saving. I'm sorry..."

Jamie set her cup aside and dropped into the chair across from him. She was stunned. "Are you sure? I mean...I should go there, and look for myself..." She started to rise but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"It can wait. It's not pretty." He gave her arm a squeeze with cold fingers. "Did you share it with your brother?"

Jamie shook her head. "No...I've only lived there a year or so. Moved because I didn't need two bedrooms anymore, and working at the bar I couldn't really afford..." She stopped herself. "Well, I could have afforded plenty, I got John's insurance money, and some savings. But I...never mind. Doesn't matter. It's not the place, it's what was in it. Pictures. That was all I had left of my brother, besides my Jeep. I gave all of his stuff to charity when he died, he had a will and that's what he said he wanted."Her voice faded. "All of my pictures."

"I'm so sorry, Jamie." Randy rubbed her arm. "We would have tried to go in and save what we could, but there wasn't any use."

Jamie blinked a few times, trying to process it. If Randy were right, and she had no reason to disbelieve him, the only possessions she had left in the world were upstairs in an overnight bag. Her whole life, subtracted down to a few pairs of jeans, a few shirts, and a Jeep that should have seen a junkyard years before. She pulled her arm away from Randy and put her face in her hands, sure she was going to start crying.

"Look...we can go out. Well, I was going to say in daylight, but with the weather...I guess we'll just say in the morning. I'll drive you out there, you can poke around. Maybe you can salvage something." Randy drank his coffee and studied the top of Jamie's head thoughtfully.

"Why?" Jamie's voice was muffled by her hands but understandable. "Why would that woman want to burn my apartment down?"

"Do you know for sure it was her?" Mark's voice from behind Randy brought the younger man's head around. Jamie didn't even look up.

"Evidence points that way. She's still around somewhere, her SUV is nearby." Randy finished his coffee and rose to set the cup in the sink. "I think I'm going to borrow you're bathroom, and thaw myself out." He left the room. Mark sat down in the chair that Randy vacated.

"You all right?"

"Do I look all right?" She still held her hands over her face.

Mark reached across the table and took her hands, pulling them down. Jamie let him, and even though she had every right to cry about her loss, she wasn't. Instead there was a look of tired anger there.

"This is my fault." He said it so low she almost didn't hear him.

"Sure." Jamie nodded. She knew it wasn't, she didn't know why he'd take the blame.

"No. If I had known that she was going to come here, I wouldn't have let myself..." Mark cleared his throat. "Anyway. She's my problem to deal with. I should have listened to everybody that warned me about her. But I'm hard headed, damn near to a fault." He rubbed her hands.

"That's nice. You'll deal with her. What about my stuff? Everything I had..." Jamie hitched in a breath, got herself under control, and once more met his eyes.

"Not everything." Mark said softly. He ran his thumbs over the backs of her hands. "Wait here. I'll be right back." With that he let her go and left the kitchen, heading out the back door. Jamie raised an eyebrow at that. He was wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else, not even socks. She rose and dumped out her own untasted coffee, unable to even taste it. Her stomach was suddenly in turmoil. The smell of the coffee was making her nauseous.

Mark returned after a few minutes, ignoring the snow that fell from the legs of his jeans. He was holding a small object in his hand. Without a word, he held it out to Jamie. She took it slowly, turning it to face her. "Where did you..."

"When I went to get your things. Something told me to take it." Mark's lips formed a sad smile. "Lucky again."

"It's..." Jamie slid her fingertip across the surface of the picture. "This was after I graduated. We were celebrating. Riding roller coasters." She gripped the frame tighter, her eyes once more meeting Mark's. "Thank you. I don't know why you took it, but thank you."

"Don't mention it." He reached out and brushed her hair back from her face without even thinking about it. Jamie leaned into his palm, feeling the heat from his hand on her cheek.

A door closed upstairs, breaking the mood that had fallen over them. Jamie stepped back, still clutching the picture like a lifeline. Mark turned and busied himself washing the two cups in the sink.

Randy appeared in the doorway. He was no longer glowing red. That was a plus. "Thanks. I feel almost human again."

"Anytime. You can take Glen's room if you wanna catch some rest."

"I'm good for now. A little more coffee, and I'll probably go back out." Randy looked at Jamie and then back to Mark. "Got to find Lucy. Wouldn't want her to get stuck in the snow."

"I'll get you a key. Don't wanna leave the door unlocked for obvious reasons." Mark dried his hands and went to the living room. From a side table he pulled out a ring that held spare keys to the SUV, the house, and the storage shed out back. He tossed them to Randy. "You going out with wet hair?"

"He's an old wife." Jamie said, smiling a little. She looked once more at the picture before looking up at the men. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Again."

"An old wife, huh?" Randy snickered and tugged a hat over his head. He planned only on going out long enough to find Lucy. No freezing himself solid this time.

"She's a smartass." Mark said with a put-upon sigh. "Be careful out there. If you find that bitch, leave her for me to talk to. If you don't mind."

"I don't at all. Lucy, on the other hand, might shoot her."

"Lucy has a gun?"

"Oh yeah. She's packing like Dirty Harry." Randy tugged his coat on, watching as Mark went to a small utility closet. He came back out with a heavy pair of gloves. "Thanks." Randy pulled them on, feeling like a kid again getting ready for school.

"Don't let Lucy get too gung-ho out there." Mark said, opening the door for him.

Randy smirked. "No worries. Her fingers are probably so cold by now she can't bend them to pull the trigger. Take care."

"When you come back, wake me up. I'll spell you outside."

Randy nodded and waved over his shoulder as he headed into the darkness. Mark watched for a moment before resolutely shutting and locking the door. He should sleep, he should get all the rest he could, but he knew it would be useless. Especially since Glen was not there to help keep an eye out. If Miranda would burn down Jamie's apartment, there was no telling what she would do to Mark's house.

He turned and headed for the living room. The fire had died down to embers. Mark considered building it again, but decided against it. He went up the stairs and nearly knocked Jamie down at the top. She was dressed once more for bed.

"I don't know how I'm going to be able to sleep." She said, shrugging. "Arsonists and demon wolves and ghosts. It's all a little too much."

Mark nodded, hesitated, and reached out. He let his hands rest on her shoulders, feeling her bare skin that her tank top left uncovered. Without a word, he leaned down and caught her lips with his, surprising her with a kiss. She swayed a bit under his hands before stepping closer, pressing herself against him. Her lips parted and he felt her tongue flick lightly at his lower lip. Mark let the tip of his tongue brush hers before kissing her deeply.

Out of breath, he pulled back just enough so that he could look into her eyes. "Do you want me?"

His question took her by surprise. Jamie took a deep, shuddering breath and answered. "Yes."

"Then I'm yours." He let his thumbs brush over her shoulders. He shouldn't, he knew it, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Unlike Miranda who he had considered a casual bedmate, he knew Jamie was something different. To be honest, it damn near scared the hell out of him, wanting her so much. He knew he was asking for trouble, complicating his already complicated life.

"Boo." It wasn't often that Randy managed to get the jump on Lucy, and he couldn't resist the opportunity when it arose. His sister was standing next to a tree, peering into the darkness. She didn't jump. Of course. She gave him a disgusted look and pointed.

"Lights."

"A house?" Randy asked, looking in the directin she indicated.

"Not out here." Lucy gestured to her left. "A mile or so...that's the place where Kayla and Glen are. Out here? I think we're seeing a ghost we're not supposed to see."

"Just one?"

"And candles."

Now that she pointed it out, Randy easily picked out the flickering candles. Four or them. And another light that floated a little higher than the others, It did not flicker. "Who would be out here, this late, lighting candles?"

"Three guesses." Lucy said softly. "First two don't count."

"Why? Miranda is completely nuts. I agree with you on that one."

"I think she's talking to a spirit. I can't see it. Just the light. Whoever it is, he's hiding."

"You think it's our ghost?"

"I wish I knew. Adam is still out. And there isn't another spirit within miles. Like they're all hiding." Lucy sounded troubled.

Randy frowned and pulled his coat tighter around his throat. For as long as he could remember, there had always been spirits around them. Some wanted help. Others were hiding, but they could still be sensed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this kind of emptiness.

"Are they all afraid of it?"

"Or her."

"Great." Randy sighed. "Are we crashing the party?"

"Of course." Lucy smiled without humor. Randy was glad to see the gun was still safely tucked away. She motioned and he cautiously followed her through the snow as the crept up on the lights.

They were ten yards away. Neither of them made a sound in the snow. Randy was sure of it. But as soon as they got close enough to see a figure in the hovering light, all of the candles winked out. Lucy and Randy's eyes had adjusted to the meager light. Now the night was pitch black. Lucy cursed under her breath and pulled her flashlight out. With a click, a beam of bright light pierced the darkness. The area where the candles had been was empty. Even the candles were gone. Randy dug his own flashlight out and headed to the right, while Lucy took the left. They met in the middle of the area they had been watching.

"No footprints, no candles, not even a fuckin' twig." Lucy said, looking down. "Only tracks are ours."

"Then what the hell was that?"

"I have no idea, Rands. But I don't think I like it." Lucy sighed and shook her head.

"Maybe it was a sign?" Randy made it a question.

"From who? And meaning what? Don't use candles in the woods?" She didn't hide the sarcasm. This time it was Randy who led the way as they headed back toward Mark's.

"I don't know. This whole thing has gone screwy. Let's get back to the house. I don't like this."

"Scared?"

"Not for myself." Randy said.

"Remember this spot. We'll come back later, and see if it feels the same way."

"Got it, boss." Randy trudged through the snow, no longer looking for signs of Miranda or ghosts. The candles and the light had seriously freaked him out. He'd never heard of anything like it. A ghost couldn't light candles and then blow them out and stick them in his pocket. Something more than strange was going on. "We'll need to make a phone call." He said over his shoulder. Lucy smiled. She was thinking the same thing. Every time they ran into something they did not understand, there was always someone who did. Their grandmother, who had pretty much written the book on ghost hunting.

18

Miranda lit the last white candle, not feeling the cold air against her fingers. Her anger had kept her warm for most of the night. Now it was something else, something sexual. Setting fire to that bitch's apartment had turned her on in a way that could not be compared. It wasn't that she fancied herself in love with Mark...quite the contrary. She didn't even like him, not really. But he was good looking, and he was good in bed, and he was HERS. No doe eyed normal was going to step in and take something that belonged to her. Not in this lifetime.

She smiled coldly to herself and stepped back, waiting. How amazing it was that she'd only driven a hundred yards from Mark's house and had found...him. She didn't even know his name, but that didn't matter. He was also dead...but that too was inconsequential. There were other ways around the spirit world.

It only took a few minutes, but she was impatient. It felt like hours. Finally the snow in the center of the candles began to glow. And he rose up in front of her eyes. He was not nearly as tall as Mark or Glen, but he was solidly built. He had dark hair and dark, nearly black eyes. He was handsome and that was putting it mildly. And there was something dark beyond his looks, something sinister almost, that she found hard to resist.

"You've done it."

His voice was low and sent a shiver down her back. "Yes. You could go see for yourself."

"No need. I trust you." He smiled. It was rather funny, that Miranda sensed some sort of dark sexual energy about him. Unfortunately for her, it was not the energy she was looking for. It was taking all of his concentration not to kill the insipid bitch where she stood, staring at him as if drinking him in. "I take it she is still in the house?"

"Of course. They're being cautious now." Miranda sneered. "Protecting her."

"Well it's just a matter of time, isn't it?" Again the smile. "I have more business for you to take care of. My host is getting rather angry at me. He thinks he can get control. But instead of wasting my energy fighting him, I think I'll humor him this."

"What is it?"

"His wife..." He paused and tilted his head, his eyes taking on a faraway cast. "He wants the whore killed." He met Miranda's eyes once again. "His words. I'm sure his wife is perfectly lovely. But she's been a naughty girl."

"You want me to...kill her?" Miranda let the thought settle. Could she kill someone? For this man, yes.

"And the bastard who is trespassing on his property." He smirked to himself. "Her brother is becoming quite the problem. We'll need to deal with him. If he ever shows his cowardly face."

Miranda frowned, and realized he'd gone from cold-blooded murder to talking about Mark's pet project in the space of a breath. "He will. You'll think of something."

"Of course I will." He reached out and stroked a fingertip over Miranda's cheek. She whimpered softly, not noticing that his touch was colder than the air around them. "Take care of his wife first. Then we'll see about your friends in the house." She nodded as he pulled back. "Her name is Emma. She's staying with the bastard who is fucking her. A doctor." There was another smile. Had she been looking, it might have made Miranda scream. There was nothing human in it. "Do this for me, and you'll be rewarded."

"I don't need a reward." Miranda said softly. She looked him over once more, knowing their time was ending. The spirits were hiding. He didn't have anyone to draw energy from. It was starting to make her angry.

"Noble of you. But this is going a step further than petty arson." He met her eyes. "You may feel free to burn them both. If you choose. But we will need you to bring her wedding ring. Can you do that, Miranda?"

The sound of her name send another shiver down her spine. "Of course I can..."

"Good. We will need it for the binding ceremony, if you and I are to be together."

"Together?"She barely managed to get it past her lips.

"Of course. Your reward. Is that not what you want?" The tone of his voice told her that he already knew it was what she wanted.

"I want it. I'll get it done. All of it." Miranda accepted his hand when he offered it. He stroked his fingers over hers, nearly making her moan.

"Don't disturb me until it's done. I need to rest. Tomorrow night, things are going to start happening. One way or another. Don't fail me in this, Miranda. You wouldn't want to make me angry."

"Of course not..." She didn't get to finish. He disappeared without a sound, the candles going out simultaneously, dropping her into darkness.

Miranda sighed and gathered up her candles. She heard a soft brushing sound and looked down. The snow was moving in her wake, covering her tracks. She smiled to herself. How sweet of him, to want to hide her involvement. It wasn't necessary of course. She really didn't give a damn if anyone found out what she'd done. There wasn't anything they could do after all. She headed for her SUV, plotting how to best go about finding Emma and her doctor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark opened his eyes and glanced blearily around the room. The fire had died down, leaving nothing but smoking embers. Through the window the sky was getting lighter in the east. It was nearly dawn. He rolled to his side, smiling a bit at seeing Jamie's sleeping form next to him. She had turned on her stomach, the blankets slipped to her waist so he had a view of her smooth bare back. Being with her had been mind blowing. He was endlessly fascinated by her, and sleeping with her hadn't changed it a bit. She was just...a paradox. One minute sweet and shy, the next cussing like a sailor. In bed she was no different. At first she'd touched him tentatively, but after a bit she'd been urging him on, telling him what she wanted, driving him crazy with her breathless voice in his ear.

"Did anybody ever tell you how rude it is to stare?" Her voice surprised him from his wayward thoughts. Mark chuckled as Jamie shifted until her back was pressed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and breathed in the scent of her hair.

"Somebody might have. I didn't listen obviously." He said, voice rough with sleep. And hoarse with need. He wanted her again. With a soft groan he pressed his hips forward, rubbing himself against her rear.

Jamie giggled. "I feel like a wrung out sponge, and I'm going to be sore for a week. Are you trying to kill me?"

"Nope." He ducked his head and kissed her on the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. "But I'll rein it in."

"For now." Jamie corrected, snuggling closer. She was tired. She was shocked she had even woken up when she felt the bed move. Mark nuzzled her and smiled as her breath evened out. She'd fallen asleep again.

His smile faded as he thought of her situation though. He'd been thinking it over, and could come up with no way, other than keeping her locked in the house, to solve it. He and Glen could of course go back out hunting, but that didn't mean they would help her. In fact, he had tried. He'd opened himself up and there had been the usual chatter of random spirits. Nothing dark enough to be whatever it was that wanted her. And that scared him. Usually the dark spirits were easiest for him to pick up. Their thoughts were clear because they were generally angry.

Once, earlier, he had gotten a glimmer of her brother. It had been when Jamie was in the car, on the phone. He'd looked out and seen her talking. And had seen a shimmer in the back seat. She hadn't admitted she had spoken to him, but he didn't mind that. She needed time to process it.

He heard the sound of movement from downstairs. Randy or Lucy. Possibly even Glen and Kayla back from her cousin's house. He doubted that though. If Glen had his way, Mark might not see either of them for at least a week.

He sighed, wondering if he should go down and see if they needed something. The thought didn't form fully. He was dozing off again.

Jamie carefully extracted herself from his arms as soon as he was out. Noise from downstairs had woken her up, but she also needed a drink. Her throat was dry. As silently as possible, she gathered up her clothed and pulled them on. Mark didn't stir. She eased the door open and stepped into the hallway.

There was soft voices from downstairs. Jamie smiled and went down, following the noise to the kitchen. Randy and Lucy were sitting at the table. Randy was wearing his coat, his nose and cheeks a bit red from being out in the cold. Lucy was wrapped in a robe that was at least a mile too long. Glen's or Mark's obviously. Her hair was wet from a shower she'd taken.

"We didn't wake you up, did we?" Randy asked, catching sight of her.

"Nope. Need some liquid bubbles." Jamie went to the fridge and pulled out a soda. She popped the can and took three long swallows, sighing in relief as the cold liquid hit her dry throat. "What are you guys up to?"

"Switching shifts." Lucy said, cradling a cup of coffee between her hands.

"Shifts? What...are you guarding the house?"Jamie asked, a bit alarmed.

"Nah. We're looking for someone in the woods. Don't worry." Lucy smiled warmly. Randy glanced at his sister, wondering if it was as obvious to Jamie as it was to him that she was lying.

"I'll worry if I want." Jamie took a seat at the table with him. She hadn't been kidding when she had told Mark she would be sore. She could feel it settling into her legs. That would teach her to go so long without male companionship The thought made her smile to herself.

Lucy raised an eyebrow in Randy's direction. He had to bite his lip to keep from grinning. Obviously Jamie had other, better thoughts on her mind than psycho ghosts. "I'm about ready for twelve hours of sleep." He said, instead of laughing.

"You want some breakfast first? I'm starving." Jamie got up from the table again. Randy and Lucy watched as she gathered up food to cook. She was humming to herself, in her own world, ignoring the two at the table who spoke quietly to each other. Randy got up long enough to shrug his coat off and hang it to dry.

"Did you get in touch with Nan?" He asked Lucy.

She shook her head. "Nope. She's out ghostbusting with her friends again. I swear I'm gonna staple a cell phone to her hand."

"Like she would let you." Randy grinned. Their grandmother refused to use her cell phone. Or her computer. It was a rare day when she turned on the television. It had nothing to do with ghosts using electronics to contact the living. She just did not trust gadgets. "Maybe one of us should head back and help her out."

"Psh. Right. I'm not gonna piss her off." Lucy said with a snort.

"Just a thought." Randy chuckled. He lowered his voice a little, noticing that Jamie was busing mixing pancake batter. "Our friend in the SUV left sometime. Its not there anymore."

"Doesn't that figure. I was asking too much to hope she'd freeze to death in the woods." Lucy rummaged in one of the pockets of her robe and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She offered one to Randy before putting taking one for herself. "You smoke, J?"

Jamie looked over her shoulder at them and shook her head. "I used to. Once upon a time."

"Mind if we do?" Randy asked, accepting a light from Lucy's match. He inhaled deeply and blew smoke out across the table. He didn't smoke much, but one every now and then did wonders for his mood.

"Nope. Knock yourselves out." Jamie smiled and went back to cooking. She was humming under her breath.

Lucy flicked ashes into her mostly empty coffee cup and sighed. "I hate it when there's something weird going on, and I'm not in on it. I hate surprises."

"Well it was your idea to come here. We could have kept to ourselves." Randy said with a laugh.

"Right. And the retirees would have handled everything?" She snorted again. "I'm actually glad we're here in a way. Whatever it is that's out there, its new. Nobody has ever seen anything like this."

"I know. At least, not that we've heard."

"What have you heard?" Jamie asked, coming to the table with a plate of steaming pancakes. "Not to butt into the conversation."

"You're not. It's about you, kinda, anyway." Randy got up and used the sink to put out his cigarette. He tossed the butt in the garbage and washed his hands before going to the cabinets and helping Jamie get plates for them. "We're just trying to get a handle on what's going on around here."

"Yeah. You and me both." Jamie smiled as she sat down with them again. "So what do we do? I mean...do we just need the ghost to come and get sent? Or is it something else?"

"Normally..." Lucy shrugged. "Well, even the bad ones are attracted to us. The ones who can send them. It's like they can't resist. On occasion we've had to go out and actually hunt them down. But some of us can sense them...its like having radar built into your head." She tossed what was left of her cigarette into the dregs of her coffee. "This one though...nothing. Unless we can get him to do something and one of us can pinpoint him. I don't think it's going to be that easy though."

"Nothing ever is." Randy commiserated, taking a huge mouthful of pancake. He chewed and moaned noisily. "That is the best damn food I've ever eaten." He said when he'd finally chewed enough to breath.

"You're welcome." Jamie said with a laugh. "I'm not even going to get freaked out about this ghost stuff today. Does that mean I'm getting used to it?"

"Possibly. Hey jerk." Lucy nodded in the direction of the doorway. Mark was standing there, trying not to look too amused as the three of them ate breakfast.

Jamie met his eyes and smiled at him. He smiled back. Randy gave Lucy a light kick under the table, warning her without words not to run her mouth and ruin whatever it was the two of them had going. Lucy rolled her eyes but said nothing. Sometimes she did heed his advice. Usually when he was violent about it. The thought brought a grin to his face as he ate.

19

"So what's the plan for today?"

Mark and Glen were sitting on the couch. Kayla and Jamie were sharing the oversized chair next to it. Randy was still sleeping and Lucy had gone out. It was Kayla who had broken the silence the four of them shared.

"No clue. I'm stumped." Glen shared a look with Mark.

"I'm starting to get cabin fever." Jamie grouched. It was true. She hated being stuck inside, and even though she had been outside...she missed being able to just up and go wherever she wanted. It had been a long morning. There had been no morning after awkwardness between her and Mark, she was thankful for that. They went on like nothing had happened. She wasn't sure that was such a good thing either. She was confused, and when she was confused she liked to go for walks to clear her head. That couldn't happen here.

"What...need a good workout or something?" Kayla asked with a snicker. She elbowed Jamie playfully. "Why don't you just ask Ma..."

"Bite me." Jamie cut her off. She had to laugh when Kayla bent closer and actually bit her on the shoulder. "Great. Now I'm gong to live forever." That made everyone crack up. It was a good tension breaker. The guys visibly relaxed.

"We do need to find out what the point of all this is." Mark said, sobering and getting them back around to the problem at hand. "This thing is getting bigger by the minute."

"Well, I don't know what else to try." Glen said, running a hand through his hair. "There's nothing out there. Not that I can sense anyway."

"We're not doing any good just sitting around here." Mark said with a sigh. He was back to serious. Glen thought he looked more troubled than usual, and he knew it wasn't because of any ghost. "Maybe we should go out today, stomp the woods. See if we can scare up some help."

Glen raised an eyebrow. He looked at the women, decided to hell with it, and met Mark's eyes. "You want to go back into it? Fully?"

"I don't see any other way."

"Excuse me guys..." Kayla broke in. "But want to clue us in?"

"Not particularly." Glen said with a half-hearted smile. "It's probably something better left to us."Mark was nodding in agreement.

"We're going to go talk for a few minutes." Mark looked at Jamie. "Don't worry. We'll let you know what's going on before we do anything."

"Good." Jamie spoke as he left the room. Neither she nor Kayla moved for a few minutes, both thinking.

"I suppose I could get off your lap. I like you and everything J, but I swear too much more of this cuddling and I'm going to expect you to put out." Kayla grunted and got to her feet, grinning at Jamie's laugh. "Oh...since we womenfolk have been left out of their conversation, I have a proposition for you."

Jamie smiled and watched as Kayla went to a small overnight bag she'd dropped near the door. She pulled out a notebook and a pen, which she clicked repeatedly as she went back to the couch and flopped back against the cushions.

"Do I even want to know?" Jamie asked, unsure.

"Probably not. I told you, I write stories..." At her nod, Kayla grinned. "Well this one is too good not to write down. So...I need to get your stats. For fiction's sake." She laughed at the look on Jamie's face. "Don't worry. I won't use anybody's real names. And other stuff will be changed around too. I just need some...research."

Once she was settled, her notebook open, her pen ready, Kayla began asking questions. Jamie answered reluctantly at first, but soon was giggling at the thought of being a character in some romance novel.

"Favorite color?"

"Purple." She smiled and said it without thinking.

"Favorite sex position?"

"On top...wait...?" That one had caught her by surprise.

"Research I told you." Kayla laughed. "Dream job?" The questions went on and on. It passed the time. Jamie didn't even notice Glen standing in the doorway, watching them with amusement on his features.

"When you ladies are finished, Mark wants a word with you Jamie." He finally broke in when Kayla paused for a breath. Jamie laughed and got up, heading for the kitchen where Mark was waiting. Glen took a seat on the couch next to Kayla and tried to snatch her notebook from her.

Mark was standing at the door, looking through the windows and into the sunless day. Everything outside looked like a postcard. Nothing but unbroken white and shades of gray. Jamie stood next to him and waited to hear what he wanted to say.

"I thought I could do this without getting fully in it." Finally he spoke, so low she could barely hear him. "Guess I can't."

"I'm sorry. You don't have to do it on my account. I just...I wish I knew how to help myself..."She immediately apologized, feeling guilty for dragging him into this.

"Don't say you're sorry, darlin'." Mark slowly wrapped an arm around her waist, giving her a light squeeze. "You need help. We were taught to help. Its simple as that." He sighed again and shifted away, letting her go. "Glen and I are going out into the woods. We'll have to...got to get a handle on this thing before it gets too far away from us. And I'd prefer if you didn't come with us this time." At her sound of protest, Mark raised a hand. "Sometimes when we try to find a spirit, we attract the wrong ones. That's all. I don't think we're going to find the right one today...maybe tonight. Tomorrow most definitely. It's just a feelin' I have. But I want you to stay in here, where you're safe."

"Are you saying that you won't be safe out there?" Jamie asked, feeling smaller than she ever had. She didn't want Mark or Glen risking their lives for her.

"Glen and I will be fine." He reached over and gave her a pat on the shoulder. Jamie almost laughed. It seemed fatherly. And now she felt awkward. "We've dealt with this stuff all our lives." The tired note crept back into his voice. Jamie felt like crying suddenly, at what she was making him do, and she was angry at whatever it was that insisted on him doing something he did not want.

"I'll stay here. No problem." She couldn't keep her voice steady. Mark looked at her for a long moment, wavering, not knowing if he should comfort her and tell her again it would be all right...or just leave and get it over with so they could get on with their lives. In the end he could do nothing. He stood there and resumed staring out the window for lack of knowing how to proceed.

Jamie took in a shaky breath and let it out. She got herself under control, at least. No sense in crying for no good reason in front of the man. But there was something...either in his face or his posture, maybe even in his tone of voice, that made her feel lost. She was heart broken and she had no idea why. It made her think the night before had been a mistake, that she should not have let herself get swept up by him. She wanted to kick herself for thinking that way. It had been without a doubt the best night of her life. He was passionate and warm and she had felt so damned protected in his arms. And now, well now there was nothing there. Just the feeling that he was going to do a job and that was it. She had no idea what had changed between them, and it scared her.

A noise behind them caused both to look around. Glen was in his coat and boots, ready to go outside. He nodded and gave Jamie a smile. She couldn't find it in herself to smile back. Instead she brushed past him without a word to either brother and headed upstairs to the bedroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Glen asked, keeping in step with Mark as they wove between snow laden trees.

"Nothing happened."

"Bull shit. You might think you can hide it, but not from me." Glen kept looking at him. Mark kept expecting him to walk into a tree. Even that thought didn't get a smile out of him.

"It wouldn't work. That's what happened."

"What wouldn't work?"

"Whatever it is between Jamie and me. That's what."

"How the hell do you know that?"

"I just know." Mark sighed and came to a stop, looking around. "It just hit me. Ok? Is that enough information for you?"

Glen raised an eyebrow. "Are you hiding psychic powers now? Because last time I checked, predicting the future wasn't really your strong point."

"Is it yours?" Mark kicked angrily at a pile of snow that had fallen from a nearby tree branch. "We made a mistake last night. I could see it on her face that's what she was thinking." He turned his gaze on his brother, more lonely and unhappy than he'd been in years. "Its because of this shit, Glen. Don't you see it? Every fuckin' time I think I'm in something good, this bullshit rears its head and ruins everything."

"What, Mark? What has it ruined?" Glen shook his head. Sometimes his hard-headed brother frustrated him so much, it was all he could do not to smack him. It was drivel. And that wasn't a word that Glen used. He was making up excuses, as he always did. He'd had Miranda, basically a cold woman shaped shell, and he'd been 'happy'. A night of sex, a year of nothing, no expectations. And then it hit Glen like a hammer to a nail. "You fell for her."

"In three days? Hardly."

"Why is this a bad thing?" Glen grabbed Mark by the sleeve of his coat and shook him. The urge to hit him was still strong. He held it back. "Why can't you admit for once that somebody managed to crack that fucking shell of yours? Its not the end of the damn world Mark."

"Could be for her. Who knows what we're stirrin' up with this shit?" Mark was unfazed by Glen's anger. He gestured around. "We spent how many years hiding ourselves? And now we're going to be bait. I don't know...and you don't know...if we can get rid of this shit again, like we did before. It took a lot of time and energy. What if we can't? What if we're stuck doing what we've done and there's no end to it? You think I wanna bring somebody I care about into that?"

"Hallelujah. You admitted you cared for her." Glen let go of his arm. "Who gives a shit about the rest Mark? We know what we have to do, we know how to do it. If we can't hide anymore, oh fuckin' well. We don't hide."

"You don't get it." Mark said sigh a weary sigh.

"I get plenty. I don't wanna involve her any more than you do, and probably for totally different reasons."

"What are you talking about?" Mark narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"Hell...Mark...have you not noticed? She talked to her brother. SHE TALKED TO HER BROTHER."Glen yelled the repetition. He had to...he wanted to get his point across. Mark had said that Jamie had been speaking to her brother in the SUV the night before, although she had not wanted to discuss it with anyone. "She saw him, talked to him, and HEARD him. Do you even remember what the fuck that means?"

Mark looked stricken for a moment. He did remember of course. How could he forget? "Maybe its just that they are bonded and..."

"Bull shit. She's one of us. She just never got trained. She heard the voices on the radio, she's seen things. Fuck Mark, somebody sent a wolf to take her out because apparently she's got a lot of untapped power and they are afraid of it. Get your head out of your ass for two minutes and see. She needs us. She needs YOU. She needs training. Because without it, she's never going to be safe. Especially not now, when the whole goddamned spirit world knows what she is!" Glen had to stop and catch his breath.

Mark just stared at him, his mouth open. Glen was right. Damn it. He was right. No one who wasn't one of them had ever been able to see a ghost. Or hear one. On occasion there might be a cold spot or a general uneasy feeling for the normal people, but no one without their gift was able to communicate with the spirits. And he was right...again...about Jamie not being safe anymore. Her powers had awakened. She was probably broadcasting like a radio tower without any of them noticing. Had he been so wrapped up in his own issues to not see it? It was so obvious. Mark wanted to hit himself.

"Christ." With that he sat down, unmindful of the snow that all but froze his skin through the material of his jeans.

"We have to do something. We have to train her or at least move her in with us permanently. Because this won't be the end of it. Whatever it is...whoever it is that's after her...its not going to be the only one. You know that Mark." Glen rested a hand on his shoulder. "You want a reason to push her away, I'm not gonna be able to give you one. You care for her...so CARE FOR HER. Its not that fucking difficult."

"It is." Mark rubbed his face. "She won't accept it. Even if she did...I can't train anybody. I wouldn't even know where to fuckin' start."

Glen made a low noise in his throat and threw his hands up in aggravation. Mark would listen...to a point. Then twist it around to suit himself. Typical.

Mark didn't know what to do. Did he care for Jamie? Yes, of course, even to himself he couldn't lie about that. The hell of it was, he did not know why. They barely knew each other, but damned if he didn't feel for her. They could go no further. He thought maybe, just maybe, there might be a way to make her go dormant again. As in...neither he nor Glen mentioning what they knew. If they could keep her safe for just a little while and shield her from the spirits, whatever power in her that had awakened might just atrophy and die. He hoped for her sake it was true. He wouldn't wish their lives on his worst enemies.

20

Kayla had latched onto Randy the moment he came downstairs from his morning sleep. She was throwing everyone into her book, with a passion that Jamie admired. It was also kind of funny. Randy was still mostly asleep but answering her questions with a straight-faced seriousness that tickled her to no end.

"Has anybody ever told you how cute you are?" Kayla asked, grinning impishly at him. Randy cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

"Constantly. Do you know what its like to be referred to as 'cute' when you're on the other side of thirty? Kinda insulting. Cute is for five year olds."

"Oooh. A quote." Kayla scribbled madly.

Sitting with the two of them was doing wonders for Jamie's mood. It wasn't that she was over her earlier depression, it was just stored away for later. And of course she knew it would come up again. She had too much time on her hands, there was nothing to occupy herself with here except for cooking. And reading. And she didn't feel like reading. She didn't see how Mark and Glen could stand it.

"What's this about again?" Randy was riffling the pages at the edge of the notebook, apparently awake enough now to notice that Kayla was taking down just about everything he was saying.

"My magnum opus. Just humor me." Kayla went back to clicking her pen, a nervous habit from childhood. Story ideas when they came were just like fireworks going on in her mind. This one though...it wasn't just a story of course. But the idea of writing it down, getting it on paper, was like a rocket in her brain.

Jamie wandered away from them. She went to the sink and looked through the window at the dreary day. Usually when it snowed she loved it. Now...just looking at it made her feel bad. She realized with a bit of surprise that Christmas was only a few days away. It would be another one alone, of course. Her idea of celebrating meant not working at the bar. Looked like she'd be getting that gift this year anyway. The bar probably wouldn't open for a few weeks.

That left her with the problem of the present. And that was the ghost or spirit or whatever it was that wanted her. And even that seemed small in comparison to what she was dealing with in Mark. She'd never fallen for a guy so fast in her entire life, including those ridiculous crushes she'd gotten as a teenager in high school. She was getting rather aggravated with herself, in fact. This was not like her at all. But looking back...when David had first brought her here, when Mark had first opened the door, there had been something between them. She didn't want to think it was something to trite as a spark, or chemistry, but it was. Like they already knew each other, they just didn't know they knew each other.

"Maybe we had a past life together..." Jamie muttered to herself.

"Huh?" That was Kayla. While Jamie had been lost in thought, Randy had finished his questioning and had left the room. She had not realized she'd spoken aloud until she turned to look at Kayla's questioning eyes.

"Talking to myself. I was thinking that maybe we have past lives, and we keep running into people from them. I know I'm not making sense."

"Actually, I kind of believe in that stuff." Kayla smiled at the look of surprise on Jamie's face. "What? You think we get one turn on this merry-go-round?"

"I have no idea. Maybe they do. How would you explain there being ghosts? Wouldn't they just die and wake up in a new baby body or something?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're too afraid. They don't want to leave this life because of something they did or didn't do. They don't want to know what they'll be getting after this." Kayla shrugged. When it came down to it, what did any of them know? It was all up for guessing. Even the people who sent these ghosts on to wherever it was they needed to go, they didn't know. Maybe they were destroying a soul, or maybe it was just dissipating energy. That was the reason Kayla wanted to write a book about the situation. She wanted to answer her own questions. It was how she worked best.

Jamie went back to her window. Kayla scribbled away on her notes, lost in the process of creating something. Jamie envied her the ability. She wished she had something that would take her mind off of the things that were happening.

Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. There was a noise from the front of the house. "Hey, anybody home?" It was Lucy, finally returned from whatever errand she'd been running.

"In the kitchen!" Kayla answered without looking up. Jamie sighed and turned from the window, and came to a dead stop. Lucy was in the doorway. And standing beside her was a woman, elderly, with snowy shite short cut hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was tiny, dwarfed by Lucy who was no Amazon. Jamie wondered how she managed to walk in the snow without getting lost. And where Lucy had found her.

"Nan...this is Kayla and Jamie. You know...the one I told you about." Lucy introduced them. "And people, this is my grandmother Nanette. Just call her Nan or she might break your arm or something."

"Lucy." Nan spoke in a clear firm voice that belied her age. She certainly had a presence. Her eyes settled on Jamie and she smiled. "She tells me you're the one with all the trouble."

"I guess." Jamie shrugged, knowing it was true. Also knowing that the longer she stayed here, the more trouble there was apt to be.

"Well...we should definitely talk." She beckoned and turned for the living room. Jamie shared a look with Kayla and decided to follow her. It couldn't hurt.

Once they were settled on the couch, Nan reached for Jamie's hand. "Has anyone tried to contact your problem spirit?"

"Not that I know of." Jamie answered, feeling a bit silly at the way the old woman was staring her down. And uncomfortable. "Glen and Mark are outside somewhere. Maybe that's what they went to do."

Nan nodded. "I've never seen anything like this. And I've been doing this for seventy years." She paused at that, as if the number had surprised her. "How could Lucy not notice how strong you are?" Now she seemed to be talking to herself.

"Me?" Jamie asked, frowning.

"Goodness..." Nan's hand tightened on hers for a moment. "You've seen a spirit haven't you?"

"I...uh..." Jamie shrugged. "My brother. I talked to him for a few minutes..."

Nan was shaking her head. Jamie got the feeling she was angry. "How in the world could those boys not see this?" By boys she obviously meant Mark and Glen, which Jamie almost thought was funny. They were a country mile away from being just boys. "You've never trained." It wasn't a question but Nan looked at her expectantly.

"Trained for what?"

This got an eye roll. "For what we do, hon. You've got the gift. I haven't seen it this strong since..." She shook her head again. "It doesn't matter. Didn't your mother or grandmother tell you anything about this? It runs in families. Usually in women, unless there aren't daughters to pass it on to."

"I don't know who my mother is." Jamie said softly. "She gave us up for adoption when I was a baby."

"Do you know her name?" Nan looked as if she were winded.

"No. The adoption records were sealed. By the time we were old enough to open them, neither one of us really cared to know." Jamie cleared her throat. "My brother, John, he probably would have been curious. I wasn't. I was...am...mad at her still." She didn't know why she'd admitted it to a stranger, but there it was. She was angry with her mother for dumping them with strangers when she was a newborn.

The look on Nan's face was incredulous. She was even more shocked than moments before. Jamie looked into her eyes and saw something there, beyond the surprise. Something she did not have a name for.

"You think my mother had this...ability?"Jamie asked, keeping an eye on Nan's reactions.

She gave it several minutes before answering. "She would have to. Its the only way the power gets passed down." Nan let go of Jamie's hand.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Everything." Nan got up and paced slowly back and forth in front of the couch. "I only know that I've been sensing, hearing, seeing and sending spirits since I was five years old. And here I sense nothing. Just a blank. An empty nothing." Nan appeared flustered, and Jamie thought that it was not a feeling that sat well with the other woman. "I've only felt a nothing like this once in my life. And it can't possibly be him."

"Him? Him who?" Jamie rose to her feet and stopped Nan from pacing. "What are you talking about?"

Nan took a deep breath and grabbed both of Jamie's hands in hers. "Your father. I'm talking about your father, Jamie."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Did you hear that?"Glen spoke for the first time in nearly an hour. Mark had tucked his hands into his pockets and trudged along behind his brother, not really bothering to try to contact anything. He was too mixed up in his head at the moment to do more than put one foot in front of the other.

"What?"

"Shhh..." Glen shushed him and cocked his head to the side. Mark did the same. There was nothing. There wasn't even a breeze to rattle the bare tree limbs overhead. "I thought...hell..."

"Maybe we should head ba..." Mark did not get to finish. Something slammed into him with enough force to send him stumbling backward. He grabbed the nearest tree and righted himself before he could fall into the deep snow. Glen huffed and spun in a circle, trying to sense where the hell the attack had come from. "Shit. Look." Mark pointed to the snow to their right. It was smooth and unbroken, except for the message someone...or something had written there. It said 'HELP' in staggered, broken letters. "Help you with what?" Mark asked aloud. There was nothing. And it was starting to unnerve him.

He'd always been able to sense spirits. Maybe not where they were exactly, but their presence. And his radius for sensing them was pretty large for a male with the gift. Even though something had physically touched him to make him see the message in the snow, there was still no sense of anything otherworldly.

"How can we help if you don't talk to us?" Glen asked.

The brothers shared a look. They were not twins, but time had given them their own special bonds, and this was no different. They knew what the other was thinking without having to speak. Something was blocking the spirits from reaching them. Something so strong that it was eating the energy the spirits exuded before either of them had a chance to sense them. That had to be it, but if it was Mark had never heard of such a thing being done. Yes, a stronger spirit could use a weaker to make itself more powerful but there was still the sense of another there. This was nothing like that.

Before either brother could move, a branch dropped out of the tree in front of them. The broken end pointed away from the house like an arrow. Mark knew without a doubt that something wanted them to go in that direction. But he was cautious. He didn't know if he could trust the spirit who was trying to guide them.

"Mark...look..." Glen pointed at the message in the snow. 'HELP' had turned into 'HELP JAMIE'.

"Are you John?" Mark asked, watching the words on the snow. For several minutes there was nothing. Then the snow seemed to fall in on itself to spell out the word 'NO'.

Again Mark and Glen looked at each other. The message changed again, this time 'NO' to 'GO'. "Guess it wants us to go that way." Glen pointed.

"I don't know if I wanna be too far from the house. Something might happen."

"I think its safe. Otherwise whoever this is wouldn't be trying to lead us. Let's see where it takes us."

Mark nodded. There was no sense in arguing. He could feel a pull from the direction the limb was pointing. Maybe they would find answers. Maybe only more questions. And Jamie was safe at the house. Randy and Lucy were there, and she knew not to go outside alone. He led the way this time, taking Glen deeper into the woods.

21

Obviously the old woman had slipped a cog.

Jamie had sat in silence letting it drag out, waiting for Nan to explain herself. She couldn't possibly know who her father was, or her mother. Nan just looked at her though, her expression both sad and angry.

"Hey Nan." Randy's voice came from the stairway. The two women looked as if they were deep into conversation, and for some reason it made him uncomfortable. So he'd decided it was time to butt in. "Lucy didn't scare you with her driving?"

Nan smiled at him. "Of course not. How are you, hon?" She accepted a hug from him and motioned to the chair. "Why don't you sit here and tell me your version of what's going on here?"

Randy shrugged and did as she asked. While they spoke quietly, Jamie got up and walked to the windows, peering out. She saw the SUV, her Jeep and presumably Lucy and Randy's car. It was the only vehicle not covered in snow.

"Jamie?" Her name made her turn to look at Randy. He'd apparently asked her something that she hadn't heard.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He smiled. "Nan thinks we should go outside. Are you up for that?"

Was she? After Mark and Glen had stressed over the last few days that she shouldn't go out, after the wolf had taken a chunk from her leg, after being told that some weird presence outside might possibly be her father? "Yeah. I'm tired of being inside." She spoke while still in mid-thought, surprising herself. She would be with Randy, and Nan. Maybe even Lucy. She would be safe. If Mark wanted to give her hell over it, oh well. It wasn't like he owned her.

She went to get her coat and pull her boots on while Randy helped Nan. Jamie wondered if the old woman would be all right out there in the snow, but shook her head. She probably would be. Any woman responsible for raising Lucy had to be tough. She had that figured out.

Randy and Nan led the way outside. "Lucy not coming?" Jamie asked, zipping her coat and tucking her hands in her pockets.

Nan shook her head. The cold air was already turning her cheeks rosy. "She's got some errands to run in town. You'll be all right, hon." She stepped off the porch into snow that went above her knees. To Jamie's surprise, Nan didn't need help. She plowed through the snow with a lot more ease than either she or Randy could muster.

"So what did you mean?" Jamie asked, after they'd entered the line of trees.

Nan glanced in Randy's direction and sighed. "You don't care if he knows?"

"Of course not. They know everything else."

"Listen, it was a long time ago. If you are who I think you are...I used to work with your mother. She was like a daughter to me. I helped to train her." Nan looked at her once more. "I know I'm old and my memories are not as sharp as they used to be, but you resemble her. Her name was Sophie Reynolds."

"Was?" Jamie asked, feeling sick. Could Nan be right? Could she have known her mother? It seemed farfetched, but she seemed so certain.

"She passed away. Over thirty years ago." Nan sighed. "Its a long story, dear. She was one of the best hunters I'd ever trained. It came so naturally to her that I wondered why she even needed me at all. She was gentle and loving...and the spirits were drawn to her like nothing I'd ever seen. She had a...a...light. That's the only way I can put it that would even remotely describe it. Like a lighthouse, guiding them to her. Her problem was that she tended to get too attached to them. She cried for every soul she sent. Especially children. She had an affinity for them from the start."

"Nan...you need to rest?" Randy asked, taking her elbow as she wiped at her eyes.

"No, no. Its just...she was sad, so everyone else was sad. She had that effect on people." She patted Randy's hand and continued. "She met a man. Jackson. He was such a sweet person himself, and he cared for her deeply. It was obvious. If you can sense spirits, sometimes you can sense the sway of human emotion. Their love was mutual. There was talk of a marriage. Two weeks before the date they had set, something changed."

Nan reached for Jamie's hand. She took it without giving it a second thought. Randy still had her elbow. Jamie worried she was tiring herself out, talking and walking through the snow. "What happened?" She asked softly, unable to keep the question back.

"Something in Jack had changed." Nan spoke with a tremble in her voice. "He was not cold to Sophie, not at all. In fact, he seemed more clingy than loving. She was tired all the time, like he was keeping her up all nights. When I asked about her, she said it was pre-wedding issues, that Jack was afraid she'd change her mind. None of us knew then..." She took a shaky breath. "It was a gradual thing. By the day of the wedding, most of us invited knew that something was wrong. There were no spirits attending the ceremony. There wasn't even a sense of them. There was just...nothing. Spirits love happy occasions like a wedding, or the birth of a baby. They gather. It's something that no one quite understands, but everyone with the gift agrees with. As if they are there to bless the union. To our circle, if you have a wedding or a birth, the more spirits drawn to it, the better the outcome."

"Guests. Instead of spirits. Mom always called them guests." Randy spoke up with a smile.

"Yes. And it was a good thing. But at Sophie and Jack's wedding there were none. That was when I started to get suspicious. What I didn't know was..." She shook her head again. "Sophie came to me a week after the wedding. She was afraid. I'd never seen anyone so scared. She said that Jack wasn't Jack anymore. That there was something inside Jack that was controlling him. To any other person she would have sounded crazy, but you have to remember, I've been dealing with the dead all of my life. I believed her. I asked how she knew, and she said that he had told her. Had said his name was really Odin, and that he had killed Jack and taken over his body. He told her that he would kill her without so much as a blink of his eye. She was terrified. Because she had found out a month before the wedding that she was pregnant. At that point she was three months along. And Jack...or Odin...did not know. Sophie told me she thought that was the point of things anyway...he had kept her in the bedroom as often as he could as if trying to get her pregnant. He wanted children. She said it was his mantra, and the longer she went on pretending not to be pregnant, the angrier he got."

"But...what happened to Jack?" Jamie asked. She realized they had slowed their walk to the point of stopping.

"Died. I'm sorry, dear." Nan squeezed Jamie's hand. "Not long before the wedding. From what I could gather, it was a car accident. Jack couldn't pass. His unfinished business was Sophie. So this Odin got inside him and took him over. He was sucking the energy out of everything and everyone, including Sophie, to keep himself looking solid and real. And the thing was...we never suspected it. He's not a spirit like the rest. He's something else, something we didn't know how to deal with." She cleared her throat. "Sophie decided her only choice was to hide from him. We did the best with her that we could...but we're not experts, Jamie. She was safe for six months, nearly to her due date when he found her again."

"Odin..." Randy muttered. "Isn't that the Norse god?"

Nan smiled. "I'm sure that wasn't his real name either. He lied, of course. He confused himself and gave his name as Claudio to Sophie once when she questioned him about it." She looked to Jamie. "Sophie gave birth. Odin was there, watched as she delivered twins...a boy and a girl. It was the girl that Sophie worried about, because Odin had said if the children belonged to Jack, the girl would belong to him. At that time, there was no way to tell. Except for one thing."

"What was that?" Jamie managed to ask.

"The eyes. Jackson's eyes were beautiful. And unique. I haven't seen another person with gray eyes...until now." She smiled at Jamie. "Sophie waited two weeks after the birth. Odin was torturing her with thoughts of what he was going to do to the girl. The boy he did not even care to mention. It was as if he didn't exist." She coughed again, this time not merely clearing her throat. "The first chance she got, she grabbed the babies and ran. He was gone, presumably resting and gathering strength. She knew he would find her again, but she also knew that he was not linked to the babies. Not yet anyway. She did the only thing she could. She went to a nearby church and left the children there. When Odin found out...he was furious." Nan walked to the nearest tree and leaned on it, catching her breath. "But Sophie was still one step ahead of him. She knew that he would find out from her what had happened to the children, you see. He could pry at her, torture her, and even though she wanted to protect the babies, she knew that under constant torture she might slip and tell him. So she did the only thing she could. She killed herself to keep her secret from him." She pushed a hand through her short hair. "I got a letter from her two days after she had done it. It explained everything. I was told what to do about the children. I sat down and wrote out the letter that day, explaining to the church that had taken them that their mother had passed away, that she had no family, and that the children were to be adopted. Odin rampaged. For two days. Then he disappeared. As if his steam had run out. I myself helped Jack to the afterlife...Odin left his spirit there to suffer. He did not realize the whole time that Sophie had been pregnant, had the children, and died. Odin had somehow kept him from seeing any of it. He did not want to let go, but finally he saw that it was time."

"How?" Jamie asked, trying to process the story. She believed it. Every single word.

"How what, hon?"

"How did Sophie kill herself?"

"Is it important? That's not something that..."

"It might be." Jamie persisted.

"She jumped from a building." Nan finally conceded. "A new construction in town. The police found her body..."

"In the waste ditch pierced by metal poles and glass?" Jamie finished for her. Nan's eyebrows rose.

"How do you know that?"

"Because that's exactly how my brother died. Only in his case...he was pushed." Jamie bit her lip thoughtfully. "And you think Sophie was my mother? And Jack my father?"

"I'm almost positive." Nan nodded.

Jamie felt her eyes water with tears. Randy stepped over and looped an arm around her shoulders, comforting her. "Do you...can you...hell I don't even know what I want to ask."

Nan offered her a concerned smile. "If Lucy remembers what I asked her to do, I'll be able to show you pictures of them both when she gets back. But I already know. You're Sophie's daughter, there's no doubt in my mind."

The thought made Jamie cry harder. Of course she had a mother and father, she wasn't just hatched from an egg. But maybe knowing who they were, seeing their faces...on top of everything else that had happened, she just did not know how to take it.

22

Mark stopped to get his bearings. They'd been walking for the better part of two hours, led only by the unseen spirit that pointed the way.

"You ever been out this far?" Glen asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

Mark shook his head. "We're over the county line. That's about the only thing I do know." He leaned against a tree, catching his breath. His fingers had gone numb. And his ears. Glen was in no better shape. "Hope we don't catch frostbite out here."

"That's the least of my worries right now." Glen stretched, popping his back.

There was a soft thud. Another branch had fallen, the sharp point of one end indicating the direction they'd been heading all day.

"I don't know about this anymore." Mark spoke so softly Glen wasn't sure he heard.

"Worried about Jamie?"

"A little bit." Mark sighed and rubbed his hands together briskly, generating some heat between his palms. He cupped them over his ears, getting a momentary tingling.

"She's in good hands." Glen pointed out, smiling knowingly in his direction. Mark frowned at his brother and pushed away from the tree.

"Let's keep goin'."

Their silence resumed. There was nothing but the sound of the wind and the crunch of their boots in the snow. Another half hour and they found themselves at the edge of the woods, both of them looking at the rear of a huge house. It made their seem small in comparison.

"Hell. We've walked over to rich man land." Glen said with a snort.

"I see that." Mark glanced around, taking in the snow covered grounds. "Is this where we were supposed to go?"

As in in answer there was a creaking sound from the house. The rear door had opened. Even over the wind it was audible. Glen and Mark shared a look and headed in that direction.

"So what is this place?" Glen asked out loud. "Better yet...who does it belong to?"

"Beats me." Mark stomped snow off his feet before entering. The house was obviously a custom job, and the decorator must have been paid a fortune. He walked across the living room, taking in the leather furniture and the fireplace that ran the length of one of the walls. There was a stack of mail by the door. He glanced at it, but the names didn't ring any bells. Eric and Emma.

There was a creaking noise from upstairs. Glen had gone up while Mark searched the downstairs. There was nothing. Whoever lived there wasn't at home. The house had an empty and unused feel to it, as if the owners wouldn't be coming back either.

"Find anything?" Mark called up the stairs after walking the entire first floor.

"Nothing." Glen came back down the stairs, looking morose. "Somebody packed in a hurry. There are clothes all over the bed. And I found these..." He held out a hand. In it was a couple of bullets. "No gun." He shrugged and set the rounds on the table by the door.

"This shit gets weirder and weirder by the minute." Mark said, looking around. His eyes were drawn to a small door near the kitchen. He stepped around Glen and pulled it open. Nothing. Just another closet. This one was small, and only had a couple of suitcases sitting on the floor. He started to close the door when there was a scratching noise on the wall. "What the hell..." Mark leaned in the closet and listened. The scratching came again, fainter this time.

He looked over his shoulder at Glen. Without another word between them, Mark handed him the suitcases and stepped into the closet. Set in the lower corner, hidden by the luggage, was a wall safe. It had been painted the same off white color as the walls, so it was hard to see. There was a small door that swung open to reveal a numerical keypad.

"Is this it?" Mark whispered. He was answered by a soft knocking on the wall in front of him. There were more scratching noises. Even though it was dim in the closet, Mark could still see the numbers that appeared. He punched them into the keypad. The safe beeped softly and the door popped open.

He reached down and pulled the door wide before slipping a hand in. There was an envelope there, legal sized. He pulled it out, checked to see if there was anything else, and slammed the safe door shut.

With the envelope in hand, he exited the closet. Glen was eying it with interest but Mark shook his head. He didn't want to open it here. The house had felt empty at first, but now it felt as if a presence were there, not a spirit, nothing like he'd ever dealt with before. Something was watching them. It was not a nice feeling either.

Glen led them back outside. Once in the line of trees, Mark opened the envelope and took out the contents. Pictures. There were a few dozen of them. He turned them over and felt all the color drain from his face.

Each picture showed a different woman, in different positions, dead. There were a variety of methods used to kill them, it was obvious from the wounds. The only thing the women in the pictures had in common were that they were naked...and there were obvious signs that they'd been sexually abused before their death.

He flipped through them quickly, trying not to be sick. "Fuck."

"What?" Glen had glanced at the pictures but after the first few he'd seen enough.

"This..." Mark's hand was shaking a little. He held out a picture and Glen took it, not wanting to touch it. Instead of a woman it was a man. And the man seemed vaguely familiar.

"Is that John?" From the other pictures, from the stories of his death, Glen knew it was a useless question. Of course it was. The photo seemed to be taken from above. John's broken body lay among a litter of glass and metal.

"It gets worse." Mark had another picture in his hand. It was smaller than the others. Glen looked at it, and sucked in a breath. It was a picture of Jamie. Unlike the others, she was very much alive when it was taken. She was laughing and grinning at someone off camera to her right.

"This is the guy then." Glen said softly.

"Yeah. The one who is after her." Mark tucked Jamie's picture into his coat pocket. The others he slid back into the envelope. "Let's get back there. I'm suddenly thinkin' that this was a horrible idea."

"You and me both." Glen said, following his brother's lead. "Why would there be all those pictures?"

"Trophies." Mark spoke over his shoulder. "He'd want to remember what he did to all of them." Saying it left a bad taste in his mouth. Feeling more worry than he ever had in his life, Mark picked up the pace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie managed to dry her tears and let Randy and Nan lead the way back to the house. Nan claimed she wanted to rest for a while, so she headed upstairs to the guest room. That left Jamie with absolutely nothing to do but worry. And think. And she really did not want to think.

Randy decided to try to get her out of the mood she'd sunk into. He fixed them both some hot chocolate and started telling her stories of his childhood with Lucy. Most of them were funny. None of them involved ghosts. He was trying his hardest to take her mind off what she'd been told, but Jamie could have saved him the effort. There was no distracting her from it.

She made a lunch that she didn't feel like eating, and did the dishes before anyone else could offer. The afternoon stretched out, and seemed to never end. It was nearing on dark when Lucy finally pulled up to the house. She carried a bag with her.

"Where's Nan?" She asked Randy as she stepped inside.

"She's coming. Took you long enough."

"Yeah. Had a hell of a time finding these old things." She put the bag on the couch. "I'm starving. Is there food?"

"Yeah. Jamie cooked.." Randy watched his sister go into the kitchen. Jamie had cooked dinner too. And she hadn't eaten much of it either. He was beyond worried.

"Oh good. She got them." Nan stepped down the stairs, accepting a helping hand from her grandson. "Where is Jamie?"

"Right here." Jamie said from the kitchen doorway. Kayla was lost in whatever she was writing, and that was great. It gave Jamie a chance to sit where it was quiet. But now she knew that Nan was probably going to give her more bad news.

"Come, sit with me." Nan had settled on the couch. She patted the cushion beside her. Randy took the other side. Nan fiddled with the bag and finally got it open. She pulled out a huge and ancient looking photo album. "This was my mother's." She explained, running a hand lovingly over the cracked surface. "She left so few things when she passed, I'm not willing to throw it away." She opened the book and flipped through several pages before apparently finding what she was looking for. "Here...this was Sophie. She was about nineteen when I took this picture." She pointed. Randy made a little noise, mostly of surprise.

If not for the way the woman in the picture was dressed, she could have been Jamie. Her hair was long and dark. Her facial features were the same. Even her size and shape. She was sitting on a bench in front of a fountain, laughing at the camera. Jamie felt her eyes watering, wondering if she really believed she was seeing a picture of her mother for the first time.

"She was beautiful, wasn't she?" Nan touched the picture, then her heart. It was obvious she'd loved the younger woman. "Here's another." This time, Sophie was standing with another woman, a serene smile on her lips. There was picture after picture, some with a younger Nan, some with her friends, and some alone. And then Nan came to the picture that she was most eager to show Jamie. "This is Sophie...and Jackson." She pointed out the picture. Sophie was sitting on a rock wall at a park. A man stood next to her, his hand on her shoulder, looking down on her with adoration on his features. There was a faint resemblance to John, there was no doubting that. Mostly it was in the way he smiled. Jamie felt her heart catch at the sight of these two people, long dead, who might very possibly be her parents.

"I wanted you to see this one especially." Nan flipped the pages until she got near the end. There was a picture of Jack by himself. He'd been caught with a wry smirk on his face. And Jamie saw, even though the picture had faded over the years, that he did indeed have gray eyes. Her eyes.

"I can't..." She sighed, feeling like crying again. She reached out to touch the picture, as if making sure it were real. "I just...how sure are you? That this is my father?"

"One hundred percent, dear." Nan took her hand. "It's not just your eyes. There's something about you, something that calls back to both of them. I can't explain it. But I feel it in my heart." She flipped the book open once more and searched a moment before pulling a picture out. "I want you to have this. If you accept it in time, I'll give you the rest of the pictures. This one is so you can have something to think about."

The picture was a sweet one. Jack and Sophie, sitting together in an oversized chair. A Christmas tree was lit behind them. They were looking into each others eyes, neither one noticing the camera taking their picture. Jamie took the photo and sniffled. "Are you sure? I mean..."

"Of course." Nan patted her hand. "You give it some thought. I know it's hard to swallow, some old woman claiming she knows who your parents are. But I know. I'm not often wrong about these things. Now. Randy, if you don't mind. I'm a little hungry. Escort me to the kitchen if you would. I'd like to have a talk with your sister."

"Sure thing." Randy helped Nan to her feet. Jamie was left alone with the album, and the picture she still clutched in her hand. He returned in a few moments, and gently put the album back in the bag. "Do you want to eat?"

"Not really." Jamie had never felt less like eating in her life.

"I know it's a lot to swallow. But Nan is right. As usual. She knows things sometimes. She wouldn't call it a psychic power, but I would. Sometimes it feels like she's reading our minds." He smiled at Jamie and looked at the picture in her hand. "She does look like you. It's uncanny."

"I see that." Jamie sighed and rose to her feet. "I'm going to go lay down for a little bit. I need to think."

"Ok. You need anything, let me know."

Jamie smiled distractedly at him and headed for the stairs. Instead of going to the guest room, she went to Mark's. He'd made the bed at some point that morning before he'd set out with Glen. Jamie stretched out and looked at the picture one last time before setting it aside. Her head was hurting. She'd had a few stress headaches over the years, and she knew it was a sign she was thinking too damn much. Her eyes closed before she realized she was going to fall asleep.

Jamie opened her eyes an unknown amount of time later. The room was completely dark. Night had fallen once again. She sighed and sat up, stretching her arms over her head.

"You're up."

The deep voice from the corner made her jump. Mark was sitting in the window seat. She could barely discern his outline against the slightly lighter square of glass behind him.

"You scared me."

"Sorry." Mark sighed and got to his feet. He'd gotten back with Glen a bit over an hour ago and he'd immediately gone looking for Jamie, more to calm his sudden nerves than to reassure her. And she'd been sleeping. Randy had filled him in on everything that had happened that day. And he realized she was probably exhausted. Emotionally, physically, the whole works. The sleep would do her good.

If there was one thing he would have changed, it would have been the fact that Nan had told Jamie that she was one of the gifted. Once a person knew that, they couldn't un-know it.

"Is everything all right?" She asked, seeming to sense his thoughts were straying.

"Everything is fine. Well, all things considered." He stood uncertainly at the window. Part of him wanted to crawl into bed with her and cuddle her and not let her out. Another part wanted him to stop thinking about her so damn much and go back to the way he was before she'd shown up on his doorstep. "Hungry?" It was the first thing to pop into his head to distract himself from his thoughts.

"Not really." Jamie's eyes adjusted a bit. She could tell by his posture that he was uncomfortable, uncertain. She took it to mean the wrong thing. "Sorry I crashed on your bed. There wasn't anywhere else to go to get some peace."

"You can crash in my bed anytime." Mark spoke seriously, then seemed to backtrack and replay what he'd said. He chuckled softly. Jamie smirked.

"Another open invitation. I may never leave." With a sigh she stretched out again and crossed her hands behind her head. "You can come lay down with me though. I could use the company."

"I thought you wanted some peace and quiet." Mark spoke but he moved to the bed anyway. He lay down next to her and reached out, taking her hand in his and entangling their fingers.

"You don't talk much." Jamie pointed out. She heard him chuckle again. She felt better having him there beside her. For whatever the reason, she'd come to draw strength from Mark. It was scary but also kind of nice. She hadn't had a rock in her life since John had died.

She mentally shook her head. It wasn't like Mark was 'in her life'. It was just temporary. Even though they'd slept together, and even though she felt things for him that she'd never felt before, she could not put her heart into it. There was too much going on, and things were moving way too fast.

Jamie tried to repeat that same thought a few minutes later when Mark rolled onto his side and pulled her into his arms. His mouth was against hers before she could protest it, his tongue probing her parted lips to delve in her depths. What had happened to her earlier thought that what they'd done was wrong? Jamie didn't care. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissing him back, meeting his thrusting tongue with her own.

Mark slipped one hand under her shirt, up her ribs, feeling her jerk beneath his fingers as he tickled her. Her skin was soft, sleep-warmed, irresistible. He touched the smooth satin of her bra, and sighed into her mouth as he settled his palm against the side of her breast. His thumb lightly brushed her material covered nipple in time with the sweeping motion of his tongue.

Jamie pushed closer to him, running her fingers through his silky hair. She cupped his face in her hands and angled her head to deepen their kiss even more. When she finally pulled back, she was panting, unable to catch her breath.

Mark was having the same problem. He lightly tweaked her hardened nipple between his thumb and forefinger, drawing a soft moan of pleasure from Jamie's parted lips. He hadn't meant to do this, but as soon as he'd gotten into bed the need to be with her had overwhelmed him. He heard her murmur softly and pulled back long enough for her to shed her top and bra. He followed her led, dropped his clothes to the side of the bed. She wiggled and moved and her jeans went the way of her shirt. Soon Mark was holding her full against him, skin to skin. It was all he could do to hold himself in check as she drew a knee up between his thighs and pressed upward against his swollen cock.

Mark tangled his hand in her long hair and pulled her head back, exposing her neck. Her sighs and moans fueling his lust, he kissed and licked his way down the column of her neck, across her collar bone, down her chest. His hands caressed her everywhere he could reach, from her thighs up to her neck and back again.

He opened his mouth and ran the edge of his tongue across the surface of her nipple, drawing a gasp from her. He repeated the process on the other nipple, his time adding a little flicking motion. Her breath sucked in as he gently sucked the hard peak between his lips, his teeth nipping her. Jamie held onto his shoulders and shut her eyes, reveling in the feel of his hot mouth surrounding her. His hand dipped low, and came up on her inner thigh, sending tingles up her spine. With one long finger he dipped into her folds, finding her clit. He timed the slow stroke of his finger with the soft pull of his mouth, letting her wordless mutters and moaning guide his speed.

He moved down her body, planting soft kisses along her stomach, his tongue dipping into her naval. Jamie watched through passion clouded eyes as he spread her legs and settled himself between them. Mark used his fingers to spread her open and tongued her clit. Her hips jerked involuntarily from the bed at each touch of his tongue on her slick wet flesh. He put a hand against her lower belly and held her still as he sucked her into his mouth, his tongue playing havoc on her most sensitive parts.

Jamie held herself back, feeling the tension coiling in her stomach. Her thighs twitched spasmodically as he moved his head, his mouth going down, his tongue sliding inside her, only to come out and circle up around her clit. The hand that was holding her down moved, and he used the ball of his thumb against her clit, making her buck wildly against his mouth as her orgasm played out. He stopped touching her clit but kept his mouth firmly against her opening, sucking and licking and drawing out her climax as long as he could.

Jamie collapsed back against the pillows, trying to catch her breath. He'd made her see stars, and that was a literal expression in this case. Feeling pleasantly sated, she watched as he slowly moved back up her body, letting his mouth drop a moist trail along her skin. His cock slid against her inner thigh, and she wrapped her legs around his waist without realizing she had done it. Mark held himself above her, watching as she moved his cock against her slit, her wetness making it slide easily against her skin. The sensation was almost too much. When she finally reached down between their bodies to guide the head of his cock into her heated opening, he groaned in relief. And immediately tensed himself against the feel of her inner walls pulling him in, squeezing him as he began to thrust gently into her.

Mark pressed in as far as he could, his hips jerking a little. He ground against her, hearing her whimper in response. Jamie let her hands slide down his muscled back, onto his ass. She felt him flexing and relaxing against her palms, and dug her nails into him, urging him faster. Mark responded, groaning in pleasure as he buried himself in her body over and over, driving himself harder as she moaned beneath him.

Jamie once more worked a hand between their bodies and began stroking her clit in time with his pumping hips. Mark looked down and watched for a moment, his eyes riveted by the movement of her fingers against her slick little bud. He knew that the end was coming and way too soon, but he felt her inner walls constricting and knew that she was only waiting for him. He let himself go, releasing a long drawn out moan as he came inside deep inside her, her hot center convulsing around him as she followed his lead into another climax.

Mark collapsed, mindful not to crush her and tried to make himself breath without gasping. It was hard. Jamie gently stroked his back, still making low noises in her throat as she rode out the aftershocks. With regret, he eased out of her body and rolled onto his side, pulling her against him. He dropped a kiss on her forehead, making her laugh. He knew the moment she fell asleep. Her breathing evened out and she relaxed against him. And now he was in the same position he'd been in the night before, wanting this woman and knowing he shouldn't have had her, but unable to stop from sleeping with her.

He blinked sleepily and reached down, pulling the blanket up to cover them both. Maybe they could enjoy each other while she was here, and be able to part with no regrets. Ignoring how that particular thought made him feel, Mark snuggled Jamie closer and shut his eyes. He should be doing something productive, solving her problems, but after the long day and the release she'd given him, all he wanted now was sleep.

23

Mark rolled onto his side, frowning as he reached across the empty bed. All night he'd been aware of the heat of Jamie's body next to him. Hell, the lady was practically a furnace. Better than any fireplace he'd ever slept next to. The thought made him smirk as he opened his eyes. The other half of the bed was empty. The bathroom door stood open, but the room was dark. “Jamie?” Unsure of what time it was, Mark whispered her name. There was no answer. Not even the creak of a floorboard.

He pushed the blankets away and sat up, groping on the floor for the jeans he'd shed earlier. He yanked them up and padded barefoot to the door to the hallway. It stood ajar as well. Mark made his way silently downstairs, stopping to glance in on the guest room. Lucy was sharing the bed with Nan, both of them sleeping in the same position. He debated looking into Glen's room, but he had a feeling that Kayla was in there with him, and he was not about to disturb them if they were doing something clothes optional. He smirked again, trying to hold his worry at bay.

It wasn't like Jamie wasn't able to get up and wander the house if she wanted. But there was something wrong. The worry was low at the moment, but still there. Eating at him.

In the living room, Randy was sleeping on the couch. Apparently they'd decided that a guard on the house wasn't necessary. Mark agreed with that. It was nice to feel proactive, but the woods were huge, and it was a lot of ground for one person to cover. The house was safe enough.

Feeling a bit more panicked, Mark checked every room downstairs. He ended up in the empty kitchen, nothing but the sound of the wind and the soft tick of the clock on the wall to break the silence. The wind was awfully loud though. His stomach sank as he noticed the reason why. The back door was open. Just a crack. But enough for the wind to catch it and whistle.

“Shit...” He muttered under his breath and stepped to the door, throwing it open. There were footprints in the snow on the porch. Bare footprints. She hadn't stopped for shoes apparently. Mark fought the urge to follow the footprints and turned to go back inside. Before he could, something else caught his eye. The footprints went down the steps and into the yard. Ten feet from the porch they disappeared. As if Jamie had vanished in the middle of the yard. “Shit...” He said it again. Mark hurried back into the house, leaving the door wide open behind him. He thundered up the stairs, not caring if he woke the house up. He didn't hesitate to pound on Glen's door this time. His brother answered sleepily from the other side, and Mark took that as his cue to enter.

“What's going on?” Even in the dark, Glen could see that something was not right. He sat up in bed, careful to keep Kayla covered up as he moved.

“Jamie's gone. In the woods...fuck!” Mark managed to spit that much out before he was rushing to his own room for his shirt and boots. He didn't know how long Jamie had been gone, and every second might count. Especially when she was outside barefoot in sub-freezing weather. Hell, even the weather was the least of his worries. It was that damn...thing...that was after her.

By the time he'd gotten dressed, Lucy was in the hallway. “Where's the fire?” She asked as Mark moved past her.

“Jamie's gone.” He repeated it for her benefit as he stomped down the stairs. Randy was sitting up on the couch, rubbing his face blearily. Mark didn't pay him any mind as he snatched up his coat and pulled it on. He grabbed a thermal blanket from the closet too, just in case Jamie really was out there with nothing on. She sure as hell wasn't wearing her coat. It was still hanging on the hook by the door.

“Mark...wait...” Glen moved down the stairs, trying to get his brother to calm down. “Give me a minute to get my shit together, and I'll...”

“We might not have a fucking minute.” Mark threw Glen's coat to him and went outside. His brother could catch up or stay behind, he didn't give a damn. He started the process of beating himself up. He should have...should have sensed something. Anything. Even when she'd gotten out of bed. He'd gotten too damn comfortable, too damn fast, and now she was gone. Outside alone.

Mark plowed through the snow, following the direction the footprints had been leading when they'd disappeared. It could be that the wind had blown snow over her tracks. He tried to be reasonable about it. But he could still see his own tracks from earlier, and the tracks of the others who had spent the damn tromping through the snow. It was not rocket science.

Five feet into the woods, Mark cupped his hands around his mouth. “Jamie!” His voice echoed as he shouted it. He waited nearly a full minute before moving forward again. To his shout there had been nothing. Not even the chirp of a bird nesting in the trees. The snow possibly made the yelling inadequate. And there was the possibility that Jamie couldn't answer because...

No. He would not let his mind wander in that particular direction. At least not until he saw for his own eyes that she was in serious trouble.

“Mark...shit...wait...” Glen was stumbling in his wake, finally catching up to him inside the line of trees. “Calm down. We'll find her.”

“We'd better.” Mark looked around. There was nothing to see but trees and snow, snow and trees. “You helped out earlier. Where the fuck are you now when we could really use you?”

Glen knew his brother wasn't referring to him. Their helpful little spirit from earlier, obviously. The one who'd guided them to the house. There was still no sense of spirits near them, but he had seen earlier that didn't mean much.

Mark turned around and started to move forward. He came to a stop before he'd gone more than a few steps. Glen bumped into him, fully intent on keeping up with him this time. “What?” Even as he spoke the word, Glen saw what Mark had seen. A woman stood in the snow. It wasn't Jamie, but the woman looked so much like her it came as a shock.

She had the same hair. Long and dark and wavy. The wind did not move her hair, neither did it move the long blue dress she wore. She had a look in her eyes, equal parts loneliness and despair that hurt Glen to look at. Her booted feet rested on top of the snow, of course. She was a ghost. The first they'd seen in quite a while. To them she was solid, real looking in every way.

Without a word she lifted her arm and pointed. North. Away from the house and deeper into the woods. “Is she out here?” Mark asked, his voice hoarse. Whether it was worry or relief Glen couldn't guess. He would have laughed. Mark relieved to see a ghost? Not in this lifetime.

The ghost merely kept pointing.

“Are you Jamie's mother?” Glen asked, peering at her closer. The similarity was remarkable really. The eyes were different. And there were subtle differences in the shape of her face. But they could have passed for twin sisters.

A tear slipped from her eye. Just one. It fell and disappeared into this air. She suddenly glanced behind her and turned, the sadness replaced by a look of panic. She pointed them urgently northward again and faded out. In moments it was as if she hadn't been there at all.

Mark shook his head and moved. Apparently the spirits were in hiding from whatever it was that wanted Jamie. And maybe it was in the area. Either that or the ghost hadn't wanted to take the chance of being caught out. He wasn't going to question it. He glanced at Glen and at his nod led the way deeper into the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bitch was hiding.

Miranda fumed to herself as she cruised the empty streets in town, trying to figure out her next move. It did not help that she was not given any more to go on than the names of the two she was to kill. Odin was being quiet. Resting. Gathering energy. She wished that she could see him, but she knew it would not win her any points asking him to help. It was her job to do after all. Her way of impressing him.

She drove past the burned remains of that whore Jamie's apartment building. Nothing was left but a pile of dark rubble. The sight made her tingle in a way she'd never experienced before. It was damn near a sexual feeling.

Miranda reached across the seat and picked up the small gun she'd taken from the glove box. It had seemed for the best, to kill both Emma and her lover, but now...it seemed too impersonal. Too easy. Fire...that was much more personal. The thought of them two of them, burning alive, sent another delicious tingle through her. She would take the gun just in case. But what she needed was to keep her book of matches handy.

She tried her luck at the clinic again. All night she'd driven in circles, going from one place to another. Emma's house, to Chris's, to the clinic. They were nowhere to be found. The clinic had one ancient old bat working at the reception desk and an even older doctor shuffling around the hallways. She had not asked the whereabouts of Irvine. She knew from peering into doorways that the man was not currently at work.

It made Miranda angrier than she'd ever been in her life. It was all she could do not to set fire to the place anyway, to burn it and all the simpering weak people who were inside. It was a battle she'd won, but just barely. She'd gotten into her car. As soon as she was on the road, the urge faded, leaving nothing but the dull spark of anger.

The parking lot was completely empty. “Damn it!” She slammed her hand on the steering wheel and cursed. Where the hell could they have gone? It was past midnight, and there was no traffic on the road. Surely she would have seen them tooling around if that was what they were doing.

Muttering in her frustration, she turned and spun her tires in the snow, getting back onto the road. She'd go to his house once more. She would burn it whether they were there or not. At least it would narrow their options about where they would be staying. The thought made her smile coldly. She pressed the gas pedal and sped along the dark street to the other side of town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie stood barefoot in a clearing in the woods, the snow to her knees. She wore only a white t-shirt. The wind whipped her hair back from her face and made her eyes water. The cold was sinking into her, especially her bare legs and feet. But she couldn't move.

She didn't know how she'd gotten outside. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in Mark's bed, wrapped in his arms and the warm blankets. The thought made her shiver harder than ever.

She forced her legs to work. Slowly Jamie turned in a circle. There were no tracks in the snow. If this was a dream, it got stranger the longer she was in it. Surely she hadn't floated out to the woods, but there seemed to be no other explanation.

Jamie crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself as she gingerly tested her legs. Her feet were numb from the cold, her legs were throbbing, and she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to trudge. Just the thought of walking back made her feel tired in a way she'd never experienced before.

And to top it off...she had no clue where she was.

She vaguely recalled the path she and Mark had taken previously. But she couldn't be sure this was the same place. The woods looked the same in any direction. And over the tops of the trees and smoke from the fireplace at the house was masked by the dark and the gray clouds that still hung overhead.

Shivering uncontrollably now, Jamie took one step, then another. Her breath caught in her throat when a dark figure emerged from the line of trees in front of her.

Jamie almost immediately relaxed. It was John. She'd recognize that lumbering walk anywhere. “W...what are you doing out here?” She stuttered through her chattering teeth. John smiled at her, put his fingers against his mouth and shook his head. He couldn't talk. That was obvious. “Why not?” Jamie rubbed her arms.

Again he shook his head. He then lifted an arm and pointed.

“What? Is that where I'm supposed to go?”

John nodded.

“What the hell am I even doing out here?” Jamie asked, refusing to move yet.

John looked sad. He raised and lowered his feet, mimicking walking.

“I'm not leaving until you tell...wait. Was I sleep walking?”

He nodded. An amused smile played at the corners of his mouth. The sadness was still there, but he was trying to hide in. The familiar mannerisms from her brother brought tears to Jamie's eyes. She regretted it because her nose also started running. Her face was freezing cold, and she'd be surprised more than anyone if she got out of this with no frost bite.

“Why? Why damn it?” She reached up and shoved her hands through her hair. The wind had blown tangles into it, and the tugs of pain in various spots seemed to bring her more into herself. She was waking herself up. That's what this was. It had to be.

John mouthed something. Jamie could not for the life of her make it out. He motioned, clearly wanting her to move. She slowly did so, trudging with her head down, coming within inches of her dead brother.

She didn't get far. Fifty feet at the most. Her left leg had stopped tingling. In fact, it had stopped sending information to her brain. Jamie fell sidelong into the snow, cursing herself mentally. If she never saw another flake again in her life, it would be too soon. Now she had snow up the bottom of the the t-shirt, down the neck, in her hair, in her mouth. It brought her attention to the fact that besides the shirt she wasn't wearing anything else. She should be grateful her sleepwalking self had stopped to put on the damn shirt.

Jamie got her hands under her and struggled, pushing for what seemed like an hour to get her head up out of the snow. She got her legs under her but could not get to her feet. Apparently her right leg was taking orders from her left. Both refused to support her weight.

She crawled forward a few feet. To the closest tree. Huffing and grunting, Jamie rolled so her back was propped against the trunk. The wind was making the snow drift, so this side of the tree was relatively clear with only a couple of inches between her and the ground. She still reached down and yanked the shirt lower, trying to keep it between her and her bare skin.

Jamie blinked sleepily. This was definitely not good. If she didn't get up now and get moving, she probably never would. Hypothermia would set in. She'd fall asleep and freeze to death, and probably be happy doing so.

Something touched her face. Touched was maybe not the right word. It felt like a slap. Jamie moaned and opened her eyes, looking up into the piercing eyes of her brother.

“What? Fuck you John. You hit me.” She tried to push him away but her hands slid through nothing but air. She gave up on that rather quickly. “Help me. Just fucking help me.” John nodded and hesitated a moment. She saw him sigh but didn't hear a sound. He reached out and touched her. First her face, then her shoulders. Jamie stared at him in confusion as she felt warmth bloom in the spots he touched.

John was fading. There was no other way to explain it. Jamie figured he was trying to use his energy to warm her up enough to get moving. The thought made her feel horrible. That he would drain himself to save her...

“Go, get up and go Jamie. He's coming. He's coming and if he catches you he'll kill you...” John's voice seemed to come from inside Jamie's own head. She snapped her eyes open, not realizing that she'd been drifting to sleep again.

Her legs still hurt. But they were no longer numb. She used the tree for leverage and stood up unsteadily. John was pointing again, but his form was hard to make out. She got the picture though. Half stumbling, half running, Jamie headed south as fast as her cold legs would take her. She tried to keep herself pointed in a straight line but it was difficult. She fell twice. The second time another wave of absolute exhaustion washed over over.

John didn't reappear. Jamie had an idea of why. He'd refused to speak until it had been urgent. Maybe by talking, or expending energy, he had been leading the thing that wanted her right to her. It made a certain kind of sense. The spirits were in hiding. That was what she'd been hearing for the past few days. So maybe they were hiding to protect the people with the gift. Lucy had a spirit with her until they'd arrived, and he hadn't appeared since. Not even when she'd gone back to town.

Jamie fell for the third time. Even with John's energy, she could not find her footing again. Groaning under her breath, she crawled. She didn't hear anything but the sound of her own breathing and the pounding of her heart. She knew she was in deep trouble here. How far was she from the house? She had no way of knowing.

Jamie felt something grab her. She managed to let out a weak scream as she was lifted roughly into the air. He'd caught her. John had done his best but he'd found her after all and now he was going to kill her. Jamie didn't have the strength to fight. Although it was still cloudy, she was suddenly surrounded by stars. She managed one more low moan and passed out, her body going limp as it finally gave in to the cold.

24

Jamie opened her eyes, feeling the blankets yanked off her body. The room wasn't particularly cold, but she shivered anyway and reached for the covers. And that was when Mark's low groan reached her ears.

She yawned and sat up slowly, looking across the bed. He'd turned away from her, and was nearly on the verge of tumbling to the floor. Apparently he was having the mother of all nightmares from the way he kept jerking his body. He said something, low and toneless. She couldn't make it out but the sound sent a tingle of fear up her spine. Jamie reached out and touched his shoulder, shaking him lightly.

“Mark?” She felt his arm twitch and managed to stop his elbow from hitting her as it swung back. He came awake and sat up, tangled in the blankets, breathing as if he'd run a race. “Are you all right?”

“Jamie?” He was looking at her as if he were seeing a ghost. Jamie found that to be rather funny given their current situation.

“You scared the hell out of me. Again.” Jamie smoothed her hand over his shoulder, onto his neck.

“Fuck...” He spit the word out and rubbed his hands over his face. It had been so damn real. He'd dreamed that something had taken Jamie, something in the woods, while he'd searched for her without luck. He'd found her...too late. He shuddered as his mind kept calling up that last image before she'd awakened him, of Jamie laying naked in the snow, her skin pale and dead, the area around her covered in red.

“Hey.” Jamie pressed closer to him, felt the tremor run through his body, and wrapped her arms around him. Mark repaid the embrace, holding her tight, nearly cutting off her ability to breath. It must have been something horrible to scare someone like him. That was her thought anyway. She had a feeling there wasn't much in this world that would freak him out.

“I'm ok.” Mark said softly. He did sound better. His breath was back. “Just a dream.” He rubbed her back lightly before releasing her to straighten the blankets again. Once he was satisfied, he pulled Jamie back into his arms and laid back against his pillow, that hollow feeling of being too late still clinging to him. He felt Jamie relax against him as she fell to sleep once more. He knew that the night was going to be a long one for him. He'd gotten the message all right. He could not let his guard down again. Not if he wanted to protect this woman who had given him her trust.

Mark did his best not to disturb Jamie as she slept and the clock ticked slowly toward dawn. He couldn't take it anymore. After an hour he carefully extracted himself from her arms without waking her again. He tucked the blanket around her, and felt some unnameable tug of emotion as she muttered and turned to her side. He hesitated before going to his closet for a pair of jeans and a shirt. He dressed quietly and eased from the room without disturbing her sleep.

The house was completely silent. Mark padded barefoot down the stairs, mindful of Randy sleeping on the couch. He checked the lock on the front doors, and the windows. Everything was as it should be. So why could he not shake the nagging feeling that Jamie was in danger? Immediate danger. Not something that was going to happen in a month or a year but now. It ate at him as he went into the kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee.

“What is up with you damn early birds?” Fifteen minutes later, Mark was seated at the table with his coffee in front of him. He'd been staring out the window and drifting with his thoughts. Lucy's voice pulled him back to the present with a start.

“I didn't know I was being loud. Sorry.”

Lucy made a low noise and went to the counter to pour herself a steaming cup of coffee. It was just past four in the morning. “Wasn't the noise. It was the smell. Coffee. Makes my stomach growl.”

Mark sipped from his cup and shook his head. Lucy was still in her pajamas, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that was about two sizes too small. It showed off the colorful tattoos that decorated her legs and arms. And a scar, that started at her knee and ran up her outer thigh to disappear under the hem of her shorts. It reappeared at the waistband only to once more be hidden by her shirt. He knew that it went up her stomach and chest, and faded as it reached her shoulder and neck. It was a souvenir from an encounter when she'd been a teenager. That was all he knew for sure. She was close-mouthed about it, as was Randy.

Lucy took a seat across from him, frowned in his general direction and took a slow sip of her coffee. “What? It's too early to be stared at.”

“So go back to bed.” If she could be grouchy, so could he. Actually Lucy grouching was a good distraction. It kept him from picturing Jamie dead in a snowbank, after all.

“As if. Once I'm up, I'm up.” She set her cup down and rubbed her arms. “Why are you up?” Her eyes met his. And just like that Mark knew that she knew. The girl had something, a gift that no one else possessed that he'd ever known. It wasn't mind-reading, necessarily, just a perception of things that never seemed to fail her. “Ah. Ok. Yeah.” She said that more to himself than to Mark, and it was as if he'd told her the whole dream. “Pretty bad huh? Night sweats?” That was directed at him. Before he could speak she went on. “Just a dream though. It doesn't have to mean anything. But it must have been bad if he sent you down here all by your lonesome when you could be sharin' your bed with a willing woman.” She snickered at that. As if the very thought tickled her. Mark glared at her without malice and drained the last of his coffee.

“I wish you'd stop doing that.”

“What? You've practically got a neon sign over your head flashing on and off that says 'bad dream'.” Lucy looked amused. “Here's some advice for you. Shit or get off the pot.”

“That's random.”

“Not really.” Lucy peered at him. Her eyes still sparkled with amusement. “It applies to so many areas of your life.”

Mark grunted, not wanting to be pulled into another discussion about why he chose to ignore the gift he'd been given. Or what exactly it was he felt for Jamie. He rose from the table to pour another cup of coffee when Glen sauntered in. His hair was wet, a sign that he'd been up for a bit and had taken a shower. Old habits were hard to break then. Neither brother was used to sleeping an entire night through.

“What's going on in here?” He asked, heading for the coffee pot. Glen took his cup and sat next to Lucy, yawning widely.

“Nobody can sleep.” Lucy grumbled. She was looking into her cup as if she were fascinated by the dark liquid.

“Ah. Yeah.” Glen sipped his coffee. “We need to figure this thing out. And soon.”

No one needed to say aloud what it was they needed to figure out.

“Its like the air pressure in here is too much.” Lucy said softly. “Especially around Jamie. Whatever it is that wants her, its not going to stop until it gets her.”

Mark closed his eyes and sighed. It was true. He had that feeling as well. “At this point I'm open to any suggestions. Even yours.” He couldn't help but goad Lucy a bit. She'd done it enough to him. “I'm at a loss here. No clue where to go next.”

Lucy sighed. “If I tell you something you have to promise not to tell Randy. Or Nan. Or Jamie or Kayla either.”

Glen looked at her, his eyebrow raised. Mark nodded slowly. “We won't tell.”

“Ok.” She sighed again. “The scar.” She absently touched her stomach. “Look, when I was seventeen I was staying with some friends, kind of a last hoorah for high school friends. We thought we were hot shit, getting our families to chip in and rent us a cabin. It was the weekend before graduation. There were eight of us. One night I just got it in my head that I had to go down to the beach. There was a river, right behind the house, and whoever owned the land had leveled it off and put in some sand. Some beach.” She scoffed. “Anyway...I went out. I got in the water. Swam for a while, felt like the queen of the universe. And when I got out of the water...there was a guy.”

Mark glanced at Glen. His brother shook his head and looked quizzically back at Lucy.

“See, I already knew what I was. Or what I had. The gift, or curse or whatever the hell you want to call it.” She rolled her eyes. Even though she was still looking into her coffee cup, Mark saw it. “I figured hey, a ghost. Maybe that's why I got the urge to go out in the middle of the night like an idiot. So I walk toward him. He was good looking, for a guy I assumed to be old. I was a teenager remember, hell, thirty seemed ancient. It wasn't until I got closer that I noticed...I didn't feel anything. Most of the time that empathy shit is for the birds, but sometimes it helps weed out the bad from the good, you know? It was like I was walking into a blank wall when I tried to read him. I was confused.” She took a deep breath. “So needless to say, it surprised the holy fuck out of me when he pulled a knife out of his pocket and jumped at me. That's when I thought...hey, he must just be some asshole human thinking I was easy pickings.” At this she laughed. “He disappeared.”

“What do you mean?” Mark asked.

“I mean poof. Gone. One second he's swinging a blade at my throat, the next he's just...gone.” She shrugged. “I stood there like an idiot for a full five minutes trying to figure out what the hell happened. He didn't come back. So I went back to the cabin. And went to bed.” Lucy cleared her throat. “It was a couple hours later that I woke up. No real reason to. It was still dark, the house was quiet. The infamous 'too quiet'. And that is when this happened.” She traced her finger along her stomach. “There wasn't anything there. It just appeared. Started at my knee and went up...”

Lucy pushed her coffee mug aside. “When it got to my shoulder I finally moved. I was freaking out. Literally. I mean, I'd dealt with ghosts and spirits my whole life, you'd think nothing would have fazed me. This did. And it wasn't just the cut, and the blood. It was that feeling that...there was nothing there. Not even my friends...” She pushed her hair back from her face and finally looked up. She met Mark's eyes. “Usually I could sense people, especially people who were a room away. It was like I was all alone with this thing.”

“So...” Glen thought out his question. “Why would it go after you and not them? If they were normal, with no gift, they'd be easier targets.”

“I don't know.” Lucy hesitated a moment. That alone was enough to convince Mark how truly horrifying it had been. She was not the type of person to ever think about her actions, let alone her emotions and thoughts. Usually she said what was on her mind without worrying about consequences. “Ok...look.” With that she rolled her arm over, laying her hand palm up on the table. There was a twisted pucker of scar that went from her wrist to her elbow.

“A burn?”

“Oh yeah. Pretty bad one. I was lucky it didn't get infected, and even luckier that fuck didn't roast the rest of me.”

“It set you on fire?” Glen asked.

“Ha. Yeah it wished. No it just managed to throw me toward the fireplace. And then it jumped on me and held my arm down over the hot ashes.” She said it in an offhanded way. “Ok. And here is the part that nobody else can know. Ever. I haven't even told Nan, and you know her. She's been prying at me for years trying to figure out what else happened.”

She let her gaze shift from Mark to Glen. They both nodded. “Ok. All right. It...whatever it was...raped me.”

Her revelation was met with stunned silence. Lucy cleared her throat again and looked down, staring at her scarred arm. She touched one of the tattoos that was closest to it, needing something to do with her hands. “I know it sounds nuts, that I couldn't see the damn thing. But I could feel it. Believe me, I could.” She shuddered. “I remember very little about that part of things. Just...pain and cold and...” When Glen reached over and touched her hand, Lucy pulled back. It was reflexive, and both men knew better to take it personally. It certainly explained her distance with people.

“Well...I told you all that because this...this feels something like that.” Lucy finished and folded her hands into her lap. “Obviously the thing didn't kill me. And I couldn't figure out what the hell it was. Nobody else in the house heard anything. It wasn't like I was screaming for help. I thought nobody was there. When I woke up again, I was laying on the floor by the fireplace. I was hurt, but more than that...I was pissed. No. I was fucking infuriated. Because my friends were there. And they'd slept through that. And that...thing had done what it did to me and...”

Her voice got softer as she spoke. Mark abruptly rose to his feet and picked up their empty cups to carry to the sink. Now he was the one that needed something to do. He listened as Lucy took a deep breath and resumed speaking. Her voice returned to normal as well. Whatever emotion she'd felt, she was manhandling it back to the darker parts of her soul he supposed.

“I called Randy. And he called Nan. They both got there in record time. A soon as they appeared, the party was over for my friends. Nan sent them all home. They were mad too, I guess. I didn't care at that point, because it was Nan who confirmed what I'd felt. There was nothing there. She believed me that I'd seen something, but I refused to tell her exactly what it had done other than cut me and burn me. We never did figure out what it was.”

“Its got to be a spirit. Something new. Or rare. What the hell else could it be? Do you think it's the same thing that wants Jamie?” Glen asked, stopping himself from reaching out to Lucy again.

“I don't know. But if it is, the thing wants Jamie.”

“It would have to go through us to touch either of you.” Mark spoke finally from the sink. His voice was as low as Glen's had been when questioning Lucy but it was tinged with anger.

“Yeah. That's probably the plan.” Lucy shook her head and rose to her feet. “I just thought I should tell you guys because...well...I don't know. Something struck me earlier, a similarity I guess...”

“You did right.” Glen couldn't help himself. He reached out again and touched Lucy's arm. She looked at him and smiled, not pulling back this time. Instead she gave his hand a sisterly pat and left the kitchen without another word. Glen watched as Mark scrubbed their coffee cups a little harder than the use of them had warranted. “What are we gonna do about this?”

Mark could only shake his head. He did not know. And the longer he went, the worse the confusion would get. If he could get his hands on the thing that had raped Lucy...and if it or something like it were after Jamie now...

The coffee cup in his hands cracked under the pressure he'd applied. He barely noticed the shards of glass that pierced his palm. He kept seeing her, kept seeing Jamie, in a pool of blood in the snow. And he knew if he didn't figure this thing out soon his nightmare was going to become a reality. Mark looked down finally, seeing but not really understanding the blood on his hands. All he could see was Jamie.

25

Chris was way past being ready for bed.

Although house calls were a thing of the past, when the weather was bad sometimes they made exceptions. Like tonight. A woman had gone into labor. After calling 911 and the hospital and finding out there were no available ambulances, she'd called the clinic. Chris had taken the phone and had figured out in four seconds that he was going to have to make the trip himself. The husband was beyond freaked out, as was the expectant mother. Neither of them were fit to drive. They were young and it was their first.

He'd done all he could do at their house, with Emma's help. After examining the woman, finding that she still had plenty of time, and calming down the man, they'd all gotten into the car and headed for the hospital. Chris stuck around for hours, lending them a hand since the clinic was closed. Now all he wanted was home and bed. He didn't care if his electric was back on or not. He and Emma could huddle under a stack of blankets and quilts and sleep for twelve straight hours.

Of course Em had a head start. She was in the passenger seat next to him, eyes closed, dead to the world. And that was in the space of time it took to pull the car from the hospital lot to the clinic. He locked the doors and left the engine and the heat running while he dashed to the clinic doors to tell Cora to go on home.

She smiled at him as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. “It's four in the morning, Cora. Why are you still here?” Chris asked as he knocked snow from his shoes.

“The same reason you are most likely. No heat at my house. The hospital director has shut us down until further notice. He called right after you left.”

Chris's eyebrow went up. “Why would he do that?”

“He wants you to help at the hospital since they're overcrowded and short-handed.” Cora said with a smirk. She finished gathering her things, and pulled her coat on. “Of course he expects you to work the night shift too. So he asked me to tell you to report to his office at eight tomorrow evening.”

“Lucky me.” Chris shook his head and walked up the hall to his office. He made sure he'd shut down his computer before turning to escort Cora out the door. Before he could step into the reception area there was a loud bang from the parking lot.

“What the hell?” Cora didn't normally curse, so just hearing that got Chris moving a little faster. He ran toward the doors with her at his heels, stepping outside in time to see a large black SUV fishtailing at high speed down the road.

“Emma!” Chris managed her name when his eyes fell on the cause of the noise. His car...it had been hit on the passenger side. The doors were crumpled inward, the mirror was snapped off. He took off at a run, ignoring the way his feet slipped on the icy parking lot.

Emma had to climb over the passenger seat to get out of the car on the driver's side. She ignored Chris's attempts to get her to sit still so he could check her over. She'd been sleeping deeply one minute, and the next had been throw sideways by the impact of the vehicle being hit. It had scared her. Terrified may have been a better way to describe it, but she didn't feel hurt. Chris was looking in concern at a trickle of blood that ran down her forehead. A piece of glass from the broken window had winged her. She was lucky she wasn't killed. Shaking, she let Chris wrap an arm around her to steady her.

“What happened?”

“Somebody just rammed the car...” Chris was still studying her closely. Looking for signs of shock? Most likely. Emma surprised him. Actually she didn't feel shocked, she felt angry.

“And ran off? Nice...asshole.” She swiped at her forehead and the blood smeared. “Great.”

“I've seen that car before.” Cora spoke softly, drawing their attention away from Chris's wrecked car.

“What? Is it a patient or something?”

“No.” Cora shook her head and turned to them. She'd watched the SUV until it disappeared around a corner. “Earlier tonight. Several times. It pulled in the lot, it pulled out of the lot...I don't know, maybe three times?”

“So not just an idiot that can't drive one the ice.” Chris muttered. “Did you see who was driving?”

“No. The windows were too dark for that.” Cora reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue, which she used to wipe the blood from Emma's head. “Just a scratch. You got off lucky. From the sound of it whoever it was didn't slow down before they whacked the car.”

“Let's get inside.” Chris said uneasily, trying to lead the women back to the door.

Emma resisted. “Wait a minute. Why? Why would some dumbass ram into a parked car on purpose.” She looked at Chris. The first thing to jump into her mind was Eric. But they didn't own an SUV. Not that he couldn't go out and rent of buy one, but that was not his style. If he knew about her relationship with Chris, he'd want to get right up and personal with her. In spite of that...or maybe because of it...Emma hadn't broken it off.

“I have no idea, but I really don't want the dumbass to come back and run over a couple of people in the parking lot. We'll call the cops.” With that he finally got her moving. Once they were inside Cora locked the doors and headed for the phone. Chris sat with Emma, holding her close, the strange feeling of danger not leaving him even though they were safe inside. If anything it got stronger. He kissed the top of her head and hugged her, trying not to let his emotions cause him to imagine things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Jamie thought that Mark had been acting distant the day before, today she was being smothered with attention. She was pretty sure he'd go in the bathroom with her if she hadn't shut the door on him. It was unnerving. He wasn't being talkative, and she'd been sensing an angry vibe about him all morning. She had finally asked if she'd done something and he had looked genuinely surprised.

After a huge breakfast, Jamie had joined Randy and Lucy in the living room near the fireplace. They had cards. They were passing their time playing blackjack. Jamie declined their offer to deal her in, and instead reached for Lucy's pack of cigarettes. It wasn't a habit that had hooked her, and she knew what the consequences of smoking were, but sometimes she just wanted one.

Randy lit it for her and watched as she drew in a lungful of smoke. “Any word yet on what we're going to do exactly?”

Jamie shook her head and blew the smoke out. It made her lightheaded, but it sure felt nice.

“We caught the weather. It's going to get near freezing today. So stuff is going to melt. Then back down in the teens and more snow on the way.” Lucy shuffled the cards as she spoke. “You'd think it was the first time in history anyone had ever seen snow.”

“Hey, it'll be a white Christmas.” Randy said with a snicker as he looked at the cards his sister had dealt.

“Hell, I totally forgot about Christmas.” Jamie muttered. From the corner of her eye she saw Mark enter the room. He stood in the doorway for a moment as if trying to decide whether to join her on the couch. Finally he turned and stepped back into the kitchen. “Not that I celebrate it anyway. No family.”

“Don't tell him that.” Lucy said with an exasperated sigh. “Rands will adopt you. He brings home strays all the time.”

“I do not.” Randy laughed and showed his cards.

“Its debatable. Remember that Olivia chick from right after graduation?” Lucy smiled. “You invited her to stay and Nan had to practically drag her out kicking and screaming. Poor kid.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Randy rolled his eyes.

Jamie finished her own cigarette and flicked the filter into the fireplace. There were no ashtrays, so it seemed like the thing to do. Hearing Randy and Lucy going back and forth was soothing. It made things seem normal when she knew they were anything but.

~

“I don't like the idea, using Jamie for bait.”

A silence had fallen over everyone in the kitchen when Mark spoke. It had been Nan's idea. Since there were four, five including herself, who dealt with spirits, she thought that Jamie would be safe near them. Even outside of the protected house. She could see the idea disturbed Mark and Glen. Kayla just raised an eyebrow and didn't chip in. She was a writer, not a strategist.

“Unless you can think of another way to draw it out, I see no more options.” Nan spoke softly. “It will wait you out. I don't sense that, it's just something that I know. It has patience. To a point. If we do it now, tonight, perhaps we can stop it.”

“You won't be doing anything, Nan.” Glen said, keeping his voice low too. “We'll take care of it.”

Nan reached up and gave Glen a pat on the cheek. “That's sweet, dear. I may be old but I still know a thing or two about this business we're in. Plus, that girl's going to need all the support she can get.”

“So tonight? Because I don't want to rush into anything...” Glen was speaking again when Mark interrupted.

“We're not going to do it. I won't put her at risk like that.” His tone was final.

Nan looked at him, her lips twitching upward in a smile. “She'll be in more risk if we do nothing. The thing is being cautious right now, but that won't last forever. We should surprise it.”

Mark huffed a sigh but he knew they were right. It didn't mean he had to like it. “Tonight but after midnight. Christmas day. Maybe it will weaken it.”

“It's possible. Although it's a little close to the turn of seasons...it is the only really powerful day we'll have for a while.” Nan eased up from the table, accepting a hand from Glen. She paced slowly to the sink where she peered outside through the window. “I only hope that once we find it, its simple enough to deal with. Obviously it will have to be you, Mark. Or possibly Lucy. There is absolutely no good coming from this thing.”

Mark nodded. He had already figured that part out for himself. “We'll take care of it.” He only hoped they would. Because up to this point he'd never dealt with anything like this.

~

“I need some air.” Lucy stood up and stretched. Jamie stood with her.

“Me too, actually. I'll take another cigarette too, if you don't mind.”

Lucy smirked and handed over the pack. There were only a few left. “Gonna have to go to the store at some point today too. Damn errands.” She pulled her coat from a chair near the front door. Jamie looked toward the kitchen where her coat was hanging, shrugged, and reached for Mark's. It was on the same chair. She wasn't going to disturb the talking in there if she could help it. They were trying to figure out what to do. She'd leave that to the experts.

Mark's leather coat was comically big on her as she pulled it on. But it was warm and smelled good. She took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of the leather, and of Mark's cologne as she followed Lucy onto the front porch.

“Inhale any harder you're likely to suck the lining out of it.” Lucy remarked. Jamie laughed and accepted the lighter the other woman held out to her. Lucy leaned closer and sniffed. “What is that? Brut?”

Jamie laughed again. “Maybe its Stetson. Could just be that Axe stuff they advertise day and night.”

“Fancy britches in there probably wears some hundred buck a bottle shit.” Lucy mumbled. “Better not let him hear you accuse him of using anything cheap.”

“I'll try to keep it to myself.” Jamie inhaled again, this time the cigarette smoke. Maybe she would have to peek in the bathroom cabinets to see what exactly it was that Mark wore. Just to prove Lucy right on the expensive stuff. It was nice...acting silly with someone. It took her mind off of everything else that was happening.

They smoked in silence for a few minutes, listening to the snow as it melted and dripped from the roof. The door behind Lucy opened, making both of them turn to see who it was.

“We're probably going to go to town in a few minutes.” Glen said, looking from one to the other with an unreadable expression on his face. “Last chance. Stores are going to be closed tomorrow.”

“I could use some smokes.” Lucy said, digging in her pocket for money. Glen waved her off.

“I'm good.” Jamie flipped the rest of her cigarette off the side of the porch and tucked her hands in the coat pockets for warmth. Glen hesitated another moment before heading back inside. Something in the pocket of the coat poked her in the hand. Curious, Jamie pulled it out. It was a small picture. Of her. “What is this?” She looked at it, turned it over to look at the back, and then back around to study the front. She recognized the place. She had gone with a friend about a year after John's funeral to a concert in the park. Neither of them had taken a camera, so just where the hell had the picture come from?

Lucy was peering over her shoulder at it. “Ah. Summer time. How I miss it.” She smirked. “So are you carrying a picture of Mark around with you? Kinda like back in the high school days. When you wrote stuff like 'don't ever change' and shit?”

That made Jamie laugh. Because she remembered doing that very thing. “Nope. They're probably both camera shy. I haven't seen a picture of either of them.” She slid the photo back into the pocket and made a mental note to ask Mark about it later. “I'm about frozen out here. I'm heading in.”

“All right.” Lucy followed along. Mark, Glen and Kayla were in the living room, the latter two with their coats already on. Mark smiled at Jamie and held his hand out. She took it off and handed it over, ignoring the amused twinkle in his eyes. Everyone drifted off to do other things, leaving them alone for the moment.

“I want you to stay in the house while we're gone.” Mark said, tugging his coat on. It was still warm with Jamie's body heat. “And I mean in. No going out even on the porch. We're going to do something later on...something that might end this. But it has to be on our terms. All right?”

“Sure.” Jamie had the feeling of being lectured. Mark must have sensed it because he relaxed a little bit and pulled her forward, giving her a hug and a quick kiss against her lips. She smiled as he pulled back as if afraid someone might see him being affectionate.

“We shouldn't be too long.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb before heading in the direction that Glen and Kayla had gone. Jamie sighed and sank down on the couch to stare into the flames of the fireplace. He had said they were going to do something. She only hoped that whatever it was, no one got hurt. Not on her account. Again the day dragged out in front of her. There was nothing left to do but wait.

26

Mark, Kayla and Glen returned carrying enough groceries, in Jamie's opinion, to feed an army. Mark and Glen went back outside after leaving the bags in the kitchen for the others to put away. Jamie had wanted to ask Mark exactly what it was they were planning to do to help her, and about the picture, but Nan put her to work peeling potatoes. When the men returned a few hours later, everything was ready. They had a traditional Christmas dinner. Turkey and all the fixings, four different desserts, and everything in between. Everyone ate too much, and they kept their conversations limited to nonsense. Randy and Lucy's picking on each other was the main entertainment. Nan looked on, not putting a stop to it. It had the feel of a long-standing family tradition.

After dinner, Lucy and Glen started to clean up. Randy was sitting in the living room with Nan and Kayla, talking quietly. Kayla was asking more questions no doubt. She had her ever-present notebook with her. Every now and then she would stop to write something down.

Jamie started to clear dishes from the table when Mark walked up to her, carrying her coat. She raised an eyebrow at him when he held it for her to put on. “Where are we going?” She asked, even as she slid her arms into the sleeves.

“Giving you a present.” He kept his voice low. But he did sound amused. Jamie looked at him over her shoulder as he guided her toward the door.

Outside the wind had picked up a bit. It was below freezing again. The melting snow had formed icicles on just about every overhang and tree branch in sight. Jamie took in a deep breath of the cold air and sighed it out. She really had eaten way too much. Now she just needed a nap. And maybe some football. Since there was no television, she guessed that was out of the question.

Mark took her hand and led Jamie to her Jeep. “Where are we going?” She asked, letting herself be led. He didn't talk, instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out her keys. Jamie raised an eyebrow. “You fixed it?”

“Guess you'll have to find out for yourself.” He smiled and passed the keys to her. She waited until he had opened the door before sliding into the driver's seat. The Jeep started at the first turn of the key, with absolutely no swearing on her part.

“Its a miracle.” Jamie said with a grin. “Wow. I'm blown away. You can hardly even hear it running.” The engine was a soft rumble in the wind. Jamie cut the engine and got out, smiling up at Mark. “Well, I'm not capable of repairing your car, so how in hell am I supposed to repay you for this?”

Mark smirked. “You'll think of somethin'.” He brushed a strand of hair back from her face where the wind blew it. Jamie grinned and reached up, taking his shoulders in her hands. She pulled him down so she could press her lips to his. She'd only meant a little peck, but she felt so good at the moment that it deepened into something that left the both of them breathless. “And that's a good start.” Mark said with a grin when she finally pulled back. “I have something else for you too.”

“What? You did my laundry or...uhm. Hell what else do I have here for you to fix?” Jamie smiled. Right up until he pulled a small wrapped box from his pocket. “Oh. An actual present? But I didn't get you anything. I can't...”

“You don't have to get me anything. I just saw this and I thought maybe you'd like it.” He held it out. Jamie took the present and slowly tore the paper from it. Under the wrapping paper was a velvet box. Jamie opened in and smiled. It was a necklace, silver, with a silver pendant shaped like a snowflake as its centerpiece. “Its beautiful.” Jamie said softly, picking it up. Mark took it from her and put it around her neck, reached around her shoulders to do it. After he got the clasp hooked, he rubbed her neck lightly with his fingertips.

“Just thought it would be nice...something to remember all this.” Mark said, looking down at her. Jamie had no idea what 'all this' really meant. Him? The situation? Everything that had happened over the last week? Whatever it meant, she loved it already.

“I guess you'll expect more than a kiss for this then, huh?” Jamie said with an impish smile. “I wish I'd gotten you something, I mean...thank you. Its beautiful.” She repeated her sentiment. Mark smiled, glad that something so small had made her so happy.

“Ready to head back inside?” He said when he noticed she'd started to shiver, in spite of her coat. Jamie nodded.

“Yeah. Ready to go to bed.” She winked at him, taking his hand again as they walked. Once inside the warmth of the kitchen, Jamie shrugged out of her coat and hung it up, and resumed helping the others clean up. Mark went into the living room briefly before deciding he didn't want to be interrogated by Kayla. He went upstairs, disappearing into his bedroom.

“I guess since there's no TV Mark is going to be playing the part of the Grinch.” Lucy said from Jamie's side as she washed dishes. It made Jamie laugh. Glen chuckled too as he stowed leftovers in the fridge.

“I'd better go rescue them from Kayla.” Glen said, still grinning as he left the room. Lucy and Jamie shared a few minutes of silence as they washed, rinsed and dried.

“What's on your mind?” Lucy finally asked, keeping her voice low so the others wouldn't hear.

“What makes you think anything is?”

“I can tell. Its my secret power. So what is it? Worried?”

“Not for myself.” Jamie sighed heavily. It was true. Whatever happened, she knew that Mark and the others would protect her. Even if it meant endangering their lives. It wasn't something she enjoyed hanging over her head.

“Well stop it. Some of us actually enjoy this kinda challenge.” Lucy smirked and handed Jamie the last pan before draining the water. “Nan thinks we should go out at midnight or close to it. She feels that its when things are likely to happen. So it will be over soon.”

Jamie nodded. She didn't get a chance to answer, there were voices from the living room that while not raised in anger, they were heading that way. She shared a look with Lucy and dried her hands, heading for the doorway.

Mark had returned from upstairs. He was standing near the fireplace, a deep frown on his features as he stared at Nan and Glen. The two of them were looking back, and it was clear there was some kind of disagreement. They didn't have to wait long to find out what it was.

“Its the best way. She has to go out, otherwise whatever or whoever the hell it is won't show up. Why the hell would it?” Glen kept his voice low.

“What would be the use of even taking Jamie out? I mean, if anything happens to her, won't this all have been for nothing?” That came from Kayla, who had apparently decided to switch over to Mark's way of thinking. Jamie and Lucy shared another look. Lucy read exasperation on the other woman's face as clearly as she'd read her worry.

“It doesn't matter what any of you say.” Jamie spoke up, making them all notice the two of them standing there. “I'm going. Whatever it is you're going to do, I'm in it too. I'm not staying and expecting everybody to put their necks on the line while I hide.”

Nan was nodding approvingly. Mark's frown darkened. “Bait. They wanna use you as bait.” Mark gestured at his brother and Nan. “We don't even know what the fuck we're up against here, and they wanna trot you out like a prize pony.”

“Well...good.” Jamie shrugged. The thought of going outside and trying to attract that thing scared her, no doubt. But she was tired of the waiting. It was definitely time to make something happen. “Just so long as you guys are ready to do whatever the hell it is you do, and this shit ends I'll be happy to do it.”

Nan was still nodding. “Then its settled.” She ignored the look on Mark's face that said it was nowhere near such a thing. “Jamie goes with us.”

“There's no 'us' Nan. You definitely stay here.” Randy spoke for the first time.

“I most certainly will not.”

“You most certainly will.” It was odd, seeing Randy standing up to his grandmother. It was something they expected of Lucy, not him. “Its too cold out for you. And you're still tired from earlier. Someone has to stay back. Just in case. And one of us is going to stay here with you.”

Nan sighed. She glared at Randy, then shifted her gaze to Lucy. “And what do you think of this, Lucinda?”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “I hate when she uses my full name.” She muttered to Jamie. “I think Rands is right. You stay here. I think Rands should stay here too. Apparently we're not dealing with a troubled mother of two who can't let her kids go. He's not used to this heavy stuff.”

“Thanks a pantload, sis.” Randy said with a frown.

“Ok, look. Just...can we stop arguing for two minutes? Jamie's going out, Nan and Randy are staying here, and we should all get some rest before midnight. Because we have to do it tonight. Whatever it is exactly. I gotta bad feeling if it doesn't end tonight, something worse is gonna come out of it than a ghost wanting Jamie.” Glen warned from his seat. There were nods all around, except for Mark, who was staring at the fire and refusing to rejoin the conversation.

Jamie shook her head and headed for the stairs. She glanced at the clock as she went up. Eight. She was going to lay down for a few hours, not to sleep. It was going to be a long time before she'd be able to fall asleep. She just wanted some quiet.

Of course she fully expected Mark to come in, and she wasn't disappointed. She kicked her shoes off and lay on the bed, hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling for about ten minutes when the door opened and he came inside. He stretched out next to her on the bed and mimicked her position, neither of them speaking for the moment.

It was Mark who broke their silence. “I don't like it.”

Well that was obvious. Jamie shifted a little. “I don't want to talk about it anymore. Talk about anything but that.”

“Ok.” She was surprised he wasn't going to argue with her. Instead he came at her from left field. “How about after?”

“After what?”

“After this is over. What will you do then?”

Jamie rolled onto her side to face him before answering. “I don't know. Haven't really thought about it yet. I guess I'll have to work on that next.”

“You could...stay here.” Mark still refused to look at her. Instead he acted like the ceiling was far more interesting.

“Here? You mean move in or something?”

“Yeah. You could. I wouldn't mind and neither would Glen.”

Jamie was quiet for so long Mark finally had to look at her. She gave him a half smile. “I'll have to think about it.”

“Ok.” He sounded a little disappointed. Jamie's semi-formed smile disappeared.

“Its not something I can really decide on right now. Not with everything else going on.” She said it softly, reached out to smooth a hand down his chest. Mark caught her fingers and brought her hand up to kiss her lightly on the palm, sending a shiver up her arm.

“Well, think about it. The offer is out there.” He pulled her until she was snuggled against his side, her head pillowed on his arm.

“I will. Definitely think about it that is.” Jamie traced his well shaped lower lip with her finger. “In the meantime, we have a few hours to kill, and I'm not sleepy. Any suggestions?”

Mark smiled and looked down at her. He didn't need to speak. His answer was most definitely in his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What about that woman?”

It was a few minutes past midnight. Everyone who was going was gathered in the woods, near the clearing where so much had happened recently. Lucy had been the one to voice the question, breaking the silence that had fallen on them as soon as they'd left the house.

“What woman?” Kayla asked, turning in a circle to look around. None of them had brought flashlights, and there wasn't really a need for them. Although clouds were building up, the moon was full overhead and the snow on the ground reflected back the light. It was enough for them to see.

“Miranda.” Glen answered for her. Mark made a low noise of disgust. “We'll deal with her if she shows. She probably won't though. Confrontation is not her style.”

“Yeah, we saw her style.” Lucy huffed out. “Its so freakin' empty out here. Where is everybody?”

None of them had to ask what she meant. The woods were eerily silent, and not even a winter bird broke the quiet.

“They'll be here.” Mark said softly. He had Jamie's hand, as if afraid she'd be snatched from his side. “When it comes, I'll take care of it.”

“And if you can't?” Lucy, ever the devil's advocate, asked.

“Then you do it.” Mark looked at her. “If something happens to me and I can't finish it, its all yours. Just protect Jamie.”

Lucy nodded, backing down for a change. It wouldn't do any good to rile Mark up too much. He didn't need the extra distraction.

“So what do I do? Want me to go stand in the middle of the clearing there and start hollerin' for something to happen?” Jamie had been a bundle of nerves up to the point of actually walking through the woods. She was oddly calm now though, ready to get this over with and get on with her life.

“That won't be necessary. Look. I'm not the only one who sees that right?” Kayla spoke softly. She was looking across the clearing, eyes resting on a spot in the trees over a hundred yards away. “Lights? It looks like candles or something...”

“Randy and I saw candles out here the other night...” Lucy stage-whispered. “Or something. We didn't get too close a look.” She peered through the darkness. “Looks like the same thing...maybe we should circle around, see if we can sneak in behind it.”

“We'll split up.” Glen spoke, his voice also low. Jamie wanted to tell them that it was stupid to keep it down, as the thing...whatever it was...surely knew they were here. Why else would it appear? “Kayla...stay back with Jamie and Mark. Lucy and I will get behind it.”

They didn't wait for an answer. So quiet it was a little freaky, Glen and Lucy moved through the trees to their left and right, and disappeared from sight. The only giveaway was their footprints in the still deep snow.

Mark's grip on her hand had tightened. Jamie glanced at him, saw the way his jaw was clenched and pulled her hand away from him. “Go.”

He looked down at her. “I'm not leaving you.”

“I wasn't talking to you.” Jamie looked at Kayla. “Follow Glen. Get away from me. Because that's where the most trouble is going to be.”

Kayla raised an eyebrow. “But...”

“Just go.” Jamie gave her a light push, getting her started in the right direction. Kayla went reluctantly, looking back over her shoulder at the two of them. “We have to go out there.”

“In the clearing?” Mark didn't doubt her words. Something was obviously guiding her. He had no idea what it could be, as he still sensed nothing other than his brother moving through the woods to their right.

“Yeah. I think the lights are a trick. Like...a misdirection. Hell, I don't know. A distraction. Whatever it is wants to separate everybody from me, and get you guys as far away from me as it can.”

“Not gonna happen.” Mark muttered.

“I know.” Jamie took his hand again. “Come on. We have to. Maybe Glen and Lucy will see us and figure out what's up.”

Mark nodded and allowed Jamie to pull him along. They left the false shelter of the woods, stepping into smooth moonlight. She didn't stop, she kept on until she stood in the middle of the clearing. “I never asked you how exactly it is that you deal with this stuff. What you do...”

“I'd rather not go into it right this second. But you'll see soon enough.” Mark kept an eye on the lights. Jamie tried to spot Glen or Lucy in the trees. From where they stood, there was nothing but shadows and snow, icicles and dark limbs. She felt Mark's hand tighten on hers again and start to return the squeeze when his hand was jerked from hers.

Jamie spun on her heel, registered the fact that Mark had been knocked back several yards, and came face to face with a man she had never seen before in her life.

“And finally, here you are.” He smiled. While he might have been handsome when he was alive, now he was a corpse. His lips were blue. His eyes were milked over with white. His flesh was rotting. The man seemed to not notice these things as he smiled, showing off far too many teeth. Jamie realized with a lurch in her stomach that part of his cheek was missing.

“Jamie...get back...” That was Mark. He sounded out of breath. Jamie couldn't move though, she could not seem to remember how to make her legs listen to what she told them. She cut her eyes to the side to see Mark running forward. He was holding his stomach. Even in the dim light she could see the blood pouring between his fingers. She was also aware of Glen, coming from her left now, Kayla at his heels as they ran across the clearing to reach them.

The thing that had spoken was reaching for her. Jamie flinched back as its fingers hooked her coat, leaving behind some sort of goo that she didn't even want to consider. The smell...she gagged and took one shaky step backward, then another. The thing followed her, ignoring the others who were running to intercept it.

“Let's not make this hard, Jamie.” The thing spoke again. Its voice was gravelly. Jamie's eyes went to its throat. There was a hole there, a bullet wound. No doubt made when Lucy had fired a shot into its formerly living body. It was almost on top of her, and she could smell its fetid breath as it chuckled. Her only thought was about the others. Why was it taking them so long to get to her? Mark had been damn near in spitting distance...

The thought no more than started when Mark was there, diving at the thing in front of her. There was a flash of light, like a camera going off. Jamie watched through wide disbelieving eyes as Mark and the thing seemed to disappear in midair, Mark dragging it through an opening that only he could see.

“Jamie...” Glen said her name and it sounded as if it came from a distance. Jamie stumbled and turned, taking her eyes from the spot where Mark had disappeared to look at his brother. She did not see the arms coming from nowhere, and she screamed as she was suddenly pulled backward into the air.

Glen halted at the spot where Jamie had been standing. “Fuck. Damn it...” He bent over and rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

“What...the fuck...was that?” Kayla asked, puffing hard.

“Mark opened a door. Jamie got pulled in.” Glen reached out with a hand and felt the air. “I don't know who it was. Not the thing that was standing here, that's for damn sure. It was a woman.”

“That pulled her in?” Kayla hadn't seen a woman. She had seen Jamie fly backward off her feet and disappear like a puff of smoke.

Glen was nodding. “Fuck. Five minutes. Mark's usually only gone for five, gotta keep track otherwise Lucy is gonna have to go in and get him.”

“How?” Kayla asked, walking in a slow circle around Jamie's footprints.

“By opening a door.” Lucy said. She had appeared behind them, frowning down at the ground. “That thing was real. It wasn't just a fucking ghost either.”

“Why can't you go get him?” Kayla asked Glen, ignoring Lucy's presence for now. She had to ask her questions while they waited, while the questions were still there. She had a feeling that in an hour she would forget most of what had happened out here. Not because she wanted to, but just because she already felt the memories getting fuzzy.

“I can't go where he goes. I'm not meant to.” Glen kicked at the snow and checked his watch.

“What do you mean?” She saw Lucy and Glen exchange a look. “Come on. Spill it all. Why can't you follow him? Why can she? Where did Jamie go?”

“To hell.” Lucy spit the word out as if it tasted bad. “Basically.”

“Wait...what?” Kayla's eyes widened. “You mean to tell me that you and your friends here can open a gate to hell at your whim?”

“No. More like a gate to the gates of hell. We don't actually go in.” Lucy seemed in good spirits considering what had just happened. “They brand us for trespassing. What do you think all that tattoos are for?”

“But...and...you can't go?” She directed that at Glen.

“Never could. Never wanted to.”

“But you send spirits.”

“To the other side. Yeah.” He ducked his head and once more checked his watch. “Not hell though. I never developed the stomach for that place.” He shifted his gaze to Lucy. “Almost time.”

“I know.” Lucy shrugged out of her coat. “The fun never fuckin' ends around you guys.” The coat was dropped to the ground. She stepped forward, left foot, right foot, and disappeared into thin air leaving a gaping Kayla staring at Glen.

“What...Jamie, what about her? What the fuck is going on here?”

“I can go look for her. Maybe she didn't go with Mark.”

“But didn't he open...”

“Yeah but that doesn't mean you would go to the same place. If you could even go in.” Glen shook his head. “You, I'm pretty sure couldn't do it. But Jamie's got some of what we got.”

“So she could be anywhere.”

“Pretty much.”

“You don't sound worried.”

“I'm not. Well, maybe a little bit.” Glen smiled. It felt almost natural. It had been easy, for Mark to take the thing with him through the door. Too easy. Which meant he was probably having a hell of a time with it on the other side. He pardoned himself the pun. “If she's with Mark, he'd die to protect her. And he'd send her back first. I have a feeling she's not though. Are you ok to stay here by yourself for a minute?”

“I...wh...yeah, I guess, I don't know...”

“Good.” As if she'd answered. “I'll just look. Be back in a minute.” With that he stepped through yet another portal, one that Kayla could not see but knew was there. She had to know it was there, since the big man she'd spent so much time with the last few days had disappeared like the others. Kayla was left alone in the middle of the clearing, nothing to keep her company but Lucy's discarded coat. She found herself wishing she'd brought her notebook.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie fell on her backside when she landed, getting the air knocked out of her. The first thing she noticed was that the light had changed. The second was that she was no longer alone.

She was in a room the size of a football stadium. It felt huge. The lights were coming from everywhere, the ground, the ceiling, the walls. After the dark woods it dazzled her a little, making it hard to see until she got used to it.

What she saw, little by little, was people.

Dozens. All of them standing and looking at her. Each one of them was wearing something different. In a few cases, they were wearing nothing at all. There was a few children, but most of them were elderly.

Two of the people detached from the group and approached her. Jamie instinctively moved back, not seeing the woman's smile. She just did not want to be touched, especially not after that...thing...had laid hands on her. Still backpedaling, she shrugged her coat off and tossed it aside as the woman drew closer.

Jamie opened her mouth to tell her to stop when her back came up against something with give. She looked up and behind her, twisting her head around. And her mouth fell open in surprise.

“John?” She managed to get his name out. Suddenly she could breath again. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until then. Her brother looked down at her and smiled.

“Hey Jimmie. How's it goin'?” He reached down a hand. Jamie took it in disbelief and let him pull her to her feet. She stood there looking at her brother for a solid minute, unable to form words.

“What is...who...” Jamie made a noise caught between a sob and a laugh. Tears poured from her eyes. John opened his arms up and Jamie fell against him, hugging her brother, still unable to believe he was standing in front of her.

“Welcome home, baby.” The woman who had approached now appeared beside them. Jamie eyed her from the protective circle of her brother's arms. “We've been waiting for you a long time.”

“Who are you?” Jamie asked, unable to do more than whisper. She was crying too hard for that. The other person, a man, stood to the woman's side with a hand wrapped around her waist.

“I'm Sophie. This is Jack. We're your parents, Jamie. We've been here waiting for you to come to us. To seek help.”

Jamie let her eyes drift from the woman to the man. And yes, they were the people from Nan's photo album. “Is this some kind of dream or...”

“No, not at all.” The man, Jack smiled down at his daughter. And Jamie realized that Nan had been right. She had definitely gotten her gray eyes from her father. “You're here. We had to gather every spirit in the whole town to make it possible, but we did it. Your mother did it.” He smiled down at Sophie. Jamie felt fresh tears at the very obvious love in their eyes.

“But...why?”

“Because the only way for your man to fight this thing, and take it to hell where it belongs was if we could take away the spirits it uses to draw its power from.” Sophie said softly. She touched John's arm. He reluctantly let go of Jamie, but did reach down to take her hand. “We brought you here to teach you. Everything you're going to need to know. Especially now that you're going to be a mother.”

“Teach me wh...wait, what?” Jamie raised her eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

“Our grandchild.” Jack said, smiling with pride. “He's going to need you to teach him as well. The information, the gift itself always passes down through the mother's side.”

“She.” Sophie corrected. She had tears in her eyes too. She reached for Jamie and Jamie surprised herself by stepping into her mother's welcoming arms. She felt Jack loop an arm over her left shoulder, and John on the right. And then she really broke down. For the first time in her entire life she finally felt whole, complete and safe from everything. It was her family. She didn't know how or why it had happened but here they were.

“We have so much to do.” Sophie whispered into Jamie's ear.

“But I don't even know where we are or what...”

Sophie shushed her. “You'll figure it out. You'll go back exactly five minutes after you left, but here time is different. We'll have time to get to know each other, and I can teach you what you need to know.”

“How...”

“We don't get a lot of powers up here.” Jack said in her ear. “But we do know that you're going to be a mother, Jamie. And you have to be ready.”

“Yeah, no doubt you'll be a great mom.” John finally spoke again. He sounded as shell-shocked as Jamie felt. “But its this other stuff with it, the spirits and...”

“And I know. And I won't be able to hide the baby from it. Not like we were hidden.” Jamie thought it was entirely possible that she was pregnant. Hell, she and Mark hadn't used any kind of protection.

“We should get started.” Sophie pulled back, breaking up the family hug. The other spirits gathered around. Sophie gestured. “This my dear is what is known to some people as Limbo. A hiding spot for us. And all of these people have volunteered to help you learn.”

“Learn what?” Jamie asked, wiping her eyes and looking around. There was so many of them, hundreds. Most looked sad. A few tried gamely to smile.

“How to send them on to the gates of heaven. Or what we call heaven. Some just call it another plane. Some call it the beyond.” Sophie smiled and took her hand. “Getting here was your first lesson. I need to teach you how to open a portal.”

27

When Lucy opened her eyes it took a moment to get used to the change in light. Here, on the other side of her gate, it was damn near pitch black. There was light in the distance though, red light, as if a fire were crackling. That wasn't too far from the truth. The fires of hell maybe. Or maybe it was just her mind, providing the light. All these years and she still wasn't completely clear on why this worked. Some things just defied explanation.

There was snow on this side too, although it looks dirty and melted. Of course. It was hot on this side of the portal. She didn't even want to imagine what it was like on the other side of the gate.

There was no sign of Mark. She had expected that. It wasn't a small place they were in, and there were trees although all of them looked dead. Lucy began walking, trying to sense anyone in the dark space. Her foot got hooked on something and she damn near went sprawling on the nasty looking ground. She managed to hold her balance and turned to peer down at the body laying at her feet.

It was the thing that had been after Jamie. Or rather, the shell it had been wearing. Half-rotted, missing an arm, the guy it belonged to had seen better days. And he was definitely familiar looking. He should have been. She wasn't surprised to see it was the same asshole she'd shot and killed, the one who had murdered her cousin.

“Hope you're rotting for you, you fuck.” Lucy muttered and kicked the corpse. It shifted. She sighed and for a moment wished she hadn't left her coat behind. Her gloves were in the pockets. Making a face full of disgust, she reached out for the corpse's remaining arm and had to bit her tongue to keep from gagging at the feell of its decaying flesh. She began to drag it. If left here, the spirit could eventually jump back into it. So she was going to throw it where it belonged.

At least she wouldn't have to hold it for long. Lucy closed her eyes and pictured the gate. The real gate. It was tall, the top of it lost to darkness. And made of some black metal that wouldn't be found in the daylight world. Her eyes opened and the gate was in front of her. And there was Mark. He seemed to be holding onto a whirlwind, fighting it to keep it moving toward the open doorway to hell.

Lucy had her hands full with her own body, so she took care of that first. With a grunt of effort she tossed the thing through the open doorway. It landed with a thud on the other side. Then she turned back to Mark. He had seen her, and she could tell from the look on his face the thing in his arms was more than he could handle.

“Outta the way...” He managed through clenched teeth as the thing tried to escape. The way it was fighting, it definitely had no intention of going back inside. It must have underestimated Mark's need to protect Jamie though, because he finally manhandled it to the door and with a low noise in his throat he threw it with all his might.

The door slammed shut. Mark was damn lucky he was clear of it. He bent over, hands on his thighs, and tried to catch his breath. Lucy grabbed hold of his arm and looked at him. “Damn dude. You're scratched all to hell.” That struck them both as funny and they laughed. Lucy had to give the man a grudging respect. Regular spirits might fight a little bit but they were fairly easy to control. Mark looked like he'd been through a war. There was scratches and what looked like claw marks on his face and neck. His coat was shredded. His jeans were torn too, and he was fairly well covered with his own blood. And he looked tired. More tired than a scuffle with a ghost would have warranted.

“So you have returned Samael.”

The voice came from behind them. Lucy whirled around, damn near tripping again. Mark was a little slower. He once more had a hand on his stomach, holding the place where the thing had originally clawed him. It appeared to be the worst of his wounds.

The person standing there where non had been before was one Lucy had seen many times. It was impossible to tell through voice or appearance if it was a man or a woman. This was their gate guardian. Supposedly posted to keep spirits from wandering out.

“Was that its name?” Mark asked, wincing a little.

“It has had many names.” The guardian circled them thoughtfully. “It would have taken a willful human to send it back through the gates. You have done well. Would you like me to heal you?”

Mark held up a hand and shook his head. “I don't want any kinda medicine from this place. I can wait til I get home.”

“As you wish. Step forward for your mark.”

Mark did as he was told that time. When it came to the markings, he had no choice. And he could accept it and have a little pain now, or tell them no and have it hurt worse once back in the real world.

As the guardian ran its hands up and down Mark's arms, Lucy eyed the dark gate speculatively. “Maybe this time you can keep that thing where it belongs.”

She said it low, more to herself than them, but the guardian heard her. Mark saw the dark look cross its face. “The one who released it has been punished. And you should watch your tone. One day you may end up here, for crimes you have committed.”

“Just the one, right?” Lucy looked over her shoulder at them. “And it was righteous. So try to burn me over that one.”

The guardian grumbled because even it had to admit that Lucy was right. Killing one in cold blood was not the same thing as putting a stop to a lunatic. It finally let go of Mark's arm.

“Well done. Again. The legion thanks you.”

Mark winced again, this time not in pain but at the reminder that thanks to his birth rite, he'd been born no more and no less than a servant of hell. And that was why he wanted to stop. He could not take this anymore, this feeling that he was nothing more than a soldier in the devil's army. Lucy might not have reached the same conclusion but she would with time.

“Fuck your legion.” Was what Mark said, bitterness evident in every syllable. “Lucy lets go.”

Lucy nodded and took his hand. And in the blink of an eye they were back in the moonlit field they had left, a concerned Kayla jumping a little at their sudden reappearance.

“Holy fuck, you guys scared...shit!” Kayla was ready to lecture them when Glen appeared to her right, surprising her yet again.

“Nothing. Didn't see...hey, Mark. Wow. What the fuck happened?” Glen interrupted himself by seeing his brother's bloody face.

“Long story.” Mark tried to suck in a deep breath and couldn't. He'd be lucky if that thing hadn't broken a rib with the first swipe it had taken. The blood was finally slowing thought, now that he had held the wound for a while. “Where is...”

As if in answer to his question, Jamie appeared. She did not step into the clearing like they had, it looked more like she had dropped a few inches. Snow puffed up around her feet. Although she was still wearing the same outfit she'd worn earlier, now she was missing her coat. And she looked different. Most people would not have noticed. But had all been with each other for days now, and it was plain to see the change in her. It started with her hair. It was the same color but instead of stopping just below her shoulders it went down to her waist. As if she'd been gone not for five minutes but for five years.

“What the hell happened to you?” Lucy asked. Jamie just shook her head.

“I'm still not even remotely sure.” Jamie wrapped her arms around herself and shivered in the cold air. Her eyes fell on Mark. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine.” He was too busy studying her in the pale moonlight that he hardly noticed that he was bleeding again. She was all right. Changed but all right. They had done it.

And as always after it was over it crashed in on him. That it had been a little too easy. That all the buildup had led to nothing more than an anti-climactic end to a weaker person then he was. And that too was why he had to stop doing it. Glen didn't suffer the same thing, he didn't feel the need for the adrenaline and the rush of completing a job. He just helped people. Mark could definitely not say the same thing.

Jamie stepped toward him and Mark took a step back, keeping his distance. The way he felt, with his blood still drying on his skin and the after-effect of the adrenaline wearing off, he didn't trust himself to touch her. He saw the hurt look in her eyes and felt sorry for it. He'd make her understand if he could, but he doubted that she would. Someday Lucy might. Until then Mark was on his own to deal with it.

“We should go back to the house.” Mark said it gruffly, hating himself for the tone but not caring a bit.

“Sure. Here Jamie, you can wear my coat...”

“That's all right.” Jamie was still eying Mark carefully. He wished she would find something else to look at. “The cold air might do me some good. Although I don't fancy having frostbite.”

It was Glen who led the way, with Kayla's hand firmly in his. Jamie followed behind them, fighting the urge to look over her shoulder at Mark, who brought up the rear behind Lucy. She didn't understand, it was as if he hated her now that it was over, if it truly was over. No one seemed to be in a hurry to talk about it either.

For her, time on the other side seemed to fly. Though it was not the same as time here. It had felt like years. She got to know her parents, and spent time with her brother. And she had learned. She'd been taught how to find a gate, how to make a portal, how to best seek out a spirit in need. When she'd asked about the bad spirits, Sophie and Jack had shared a look. Jamie was told that she wouldn't be dealing with them, that someone with that power would find her and they would be a pair. John would have been the dark side to her light had he not been tragically killed.

And Jamie realized it was true. Lucy and Randy. Mark and Glen. The light and the dark, they traveled in pairs. She was sure there were exceptions, but it didn't mean anything really...like the Dave guy who had brought her in the first place. Maybe his other half was at home or at a hotel waiting for him. She did not know. Jamie just assumed that Mark would end up being the other half that she needed, but now...

Back at the house finally, leaving Glen, Kayla and Lucy to fill in Nan and Randy about what had happened, Mark headed for the stairs. Jamie was left in the middle, not knowing which way to go. Nan touched her arm, drawing her attention to her. “Go on. He needs you. Even if he says he doesn't.” She said it softly so the others wouldn't hear. Jamie nodded and took her advice.

She opened the bedroom door and heard the shower running. With a sigh, Jamie sank down on the bed to wait, watching through the half-opened doorway. She had time to reflect on what her mother had told her. Specifically that Jamie shouldn't talk about what had happened while she'd been gone. She didn't find that too odd, considering where it came from, but she wasn't supposed to say anything even to these people, who might understand what had happened to her.

The shower abruptly shut off and Jamie watched as Mark appeared a minute later, a towel wrapped around his waist. He was studying his wounds in the mirror and hadn't even noticed her sitting there watching. He was covered with scratches. At least his arms, chest and face. The gash on his stomach was still oozing a little blood. It hurt Jamie to look at it. But Mark wasn't even paying attention. He was staring at his arm.

“We need to dress that wound.” Jamie finally spoke. Mark didn't jump. He met her eyes in the mirror and Jamie damn near flinched back at the nothing she saw in him. No recognition. No warmth. Hell not even curiosity.

“I can deal with it.” Even his voice was devoid of emotion. She'd never heard him sound so flat. “Go downstairs with the others.”

“Nope.” Jamie got up from the bed and ignored his tone. And the suggestion. “Surely you're not going to be a whiny baby about a little peroxide and some band-aids.” She went past him to the cabinet under the sink and pulled out what she would need, including a couple of towels. That stomach wound was a messy one. When she tried to take his hand, he jerked backward as if she'd burned him.

“Go. Away.” He pronounced his words slowly and carefully, but his voice still didn't carry a hint of anything. Not even anger, which she kind of expected. Jamie studied his face up close, frowning at the shallow scratches and the cut on his lower lip.

“Not. Likely.” She mocked his inflictions and grabbed his hand, yanking him into the bedroom before he realized what she was doing. He sputtered a protest finally, and tried to pull away. Why couldn't this damn woman get it through her head he just wanted to be left alone? “Sit. Down. Now.” She was still doing it. It was starting to irk him. He frowned at her but let her push him onto the bed. “Is this what it does? Whatever you do when you go through the gate?”

Mark did not answer her. He heaved a sigh as she began cleaning his wounds. Some of them stung, the one on his stomach practically screamed, but he didn't even twitch. Jamie made sure she got the biggest of the scratches too, covering them with bandages. She was almost finished, and all that she had left was what was on his face. There wasn't much she could do for his lip except clean it up. Maybe if she could find some lip balm or...

She was lost in thought, studying on the wound, when Mark reached up and grabbed her by the arms. The blank nothing in his eyes was gone, replaced by a look of such intensity it made Jamie squirm.

“Thanks.” And now he also sounded more like himself.

“You're lip...”

“It's all right. It'll heal.” It was as if he hadn't spent the last hour being a surly bastard. She wondered if he even realized it. “All over isn't it?” He sounded beyond tired. Jamie looked at him worriedly and used a cotton ball to clean the last of the scratches on his face.

“I guess so. You're my hero.” That brought a weary smile “You should sleep a little.” Jamie brushed his hair back from his head. Apparently he hadn't needed her to tell him. He was already out.

With a sigh Jamie cleaned up her mess and tugged a blanket over Mark's sleeping form. Now that it was over, she could not quite come to grips with it. So that was it? All of this worry and planning and it panned out to one very tired man. It was kind of a let down. And from what she'd been told that was part of the problem of having this ability. It was hard coming down from the power of opening that doorway to another world apparently. Jamie was scared to death to do it herself.

She smoothed the blanket over Mark's chest, making him mutter in his sleep. She had a decision to make obviously. Did she want to stay here? Locked away from this power and whatever she had to deal with? If she was pregnant with Mark's baby, could she really keep it locked up too? Maybe to suffer through the same things that she had? The last thing Jamie had discussed with her mother ran through her mind.

It was quiet where they were. Jamie had been practicing sending people over, and the pickings were now slim. It could have been minutes or years. But her mother had decided that it was time for Jamie to go back, that she was ready.

“You'll have a choice to make when you get back.”

For a minute Jamie had no clue what she was talking about, then she remembered what Mark had asked. If she would move into the house permanently. She was tempted maybe because she felt so safe there, like she was home already. And there was the problem.

“You could stay. And you would be right back in the situation where you started. Would you like some advice? Partially as your mother, but also as an outsider?”

Jamie had nodded. “Please.”

“Do you love him?”

“I hardly know him.”

“That doesn't matter. Its not about what you know, its about what you feel.” Sophie smiled. “And in the end really it just matters what he feels. So here is my meddling advice to you. Don't stay.”

“Don't stay? But what if I am pregnant or...”

“If you stay, you'll regret it. You'll hate it and eventually you'll come to hate him. He'll never come out of that fortress they've built unless you force him to. So force him. You are worth fighting for, my Jamie.” Sophie had brushed Jamie's hair back behind her ear at this point. “Make him see that.”

Jamie had nodded, not sure she understood the point but now she did. Her mother was right. As long as Jamie stuck around there was no point in Mark rejoining the human race. Whether he liked it or not he couldn't close himself off from the world. And although she had seen him take trips to town, they had been short trips. That wasn't any way to live. And it wasn't any way she wanted to live.

Mark stirred under her hand. Jamie looked at him and realized his eyes were open and he was staring at her intently once more. Without a word passed between them he pulled her down and kissed her. It must have hurt like hell with his sore lip but he didn't complain. Jamie ended up in bed with him, letting him make love to her one last time. If she was going to leave him behind, she at least wanted her last memory to be a sweet one. She only hoped her mother was right and that he would come after her. If he cared about her more than this stupid need to close himself away, then maybe they would have a chance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark woke up to an empty bed and a deep itch at too many places to count. It was still dark in the room, which meant it wasn't yet dawn. He had no clue why he was up, but since he was he went to the bathroom. On his return it really registered that the other side of the bed was empty.

Not completely though. There was a piece of paper, folded in half and sitting on the pillow that Jamie had fallen asleep on not long before. He snatched it up and padded to the window, looking out into the coming dawn of Christmas morning. It was snowing again, big snowflakes that swirled to the ground. With a sigh he flipped on the light and blinked at the note a few times to clear his eyes. He had to read it three times before it really sank in. Mark strode to the door, managed to stop himself before charging into the hallway naked, and returned to his closet to yank a pair of jeans out. Suitably covered, he went down the stairs to open the door and peer outside. Jamie's Jeep was gone.

“Mornin'...” A sleepy voice said from behind him. Randy. He'd been on the couch again and Mark hadn't even noticed him.

“Yeah.” Mark's voice was gruff.

“What's wrong?” Mark shook his head and didn't argue when Randy took the paper from his hand. “Huh. 'If you want me, you come find me'. I'm guessing this is from Jamie.”

“Yeah.” That was all he could say. She was gone. Without a goodbye or a reason why she was gone. Mark took the note back and balled it in his fist, tossing it toward the garbage can. Find her. How the hell was he supposed to find her? And what made him think she even wanted to be found? She could have stayed where she was and Mark would have been perfectly happy. Maybe the aftermath had freaked her out too much, but even as he thought that he knew it wasn't true. Something had happened to her too, something she hadn't even spoken of to any of them.

Randy gave Mark a brotherly pat on the shoulder. “Safe enough for her now. Kind of sneaky too.”

“What is?”

“Her leaving. Her note.” Randy chuckled blearily. He was already mostly asleep again. “Trying to drag you out into the real world by the balls if she has to. She's been hanging around Lucy.”

Mark could only shake his head. Jamie was crazy. It wasn't that he was afraid to join the real world, away from the house. He could not handle this job anymore, each time a bit more of him seemed to be left behind. It had gotten to the point where Glen hadn't been able to reach him for a week after Mark had sent one over. And here he'd had to do it again. And not just a spirit but something stronger. Did he want to risk running into more of that? How the hell was he even supposed to find her? She hadn't left a clue. Rubbing his eyes wearily, Mark closed the door and headed for the stairs. He's start in town. Check hotels and motels. She had to be somewhere close. She hadn't really had time to get far.

28

Of course Mark had been wrong before.

When none of the local motels paid out, he drove around for a couple of hours. Their town was small, if she was somewhere he would spot her Jeep. And he did spot it. At a car lot. It was parked near the entrance. Although it was Christmas day there was someone inside, talking on a telephone. He seemed as shell-shocked as Mark felt.

“Sorry, sir. We're closed.” The man said when he respond to Mark's knock on the glass doors.

“I know. Sorry to bug you, seein' as its a holiday but I'm looking for someone. Thought maybe you could help me, since that's her Jeep parked right there.” Mark pointed. The man half-smiled.

“Funny thing, that Jeep. I was at home, getting ready to head to my parents' house for the day when I get a phone call. This woman says she needs a car today, already had one picked out. I tried to tell her that I wouldn't be able to get any financing done today, since everything is closed but she said she had cash money.” The man shrugged. “I had to come check it out. That's the craziest thing that's happened to me since I bought this place a couple of years ago. I got here, she was parked right where you see that Jeep now. I went to her window, introduced myself, and she got and walked to another Jeep, a Grand Cherokee we had on the lot. Said that was the one she wanted. She signed the title of her Jeep over to me, and handed me a check for the balance. I had to call it in to verify. Good thing customer service didn't take the day off. She made my whole damn year with that sell.”

“Did she say anything else? Anything at all?” Mark finally asked.

“Not much. Oh, yeah she did say she was heading south. I asked her if she was from around here and she said yes, but that she was tired of snow.” The man smiled. “Name's Bill by the way. She seemed like a sweet one. A little troubled maybe, but sweet. She's not in some kinda trouble is she?”

“No.” Mark shook the man's hand and managed to smile. “It's a long story, just put it down to we had unfinished business and well...she decided to take off before we could even talk.”

“Sorry I couldn't help you more.”

“Oh you've been very helpful.” Mark accepted Bill's business card and tucked it into his coat pocket. “Have a good Christmas.”

“I definitely will.” Bill waved and went to the doors to lock up. Mark got back into his SUV but did not leave just yet. Jamie somehow had enough money to up and buy a car full price with cash and not credit. It didn't surprise him really. Her brother had been killed at a job site, surely there had been insurance. And she was headed south. That did not help a bit. There were only a few dozen states in the south he could check. He rubbed his temples lightly before turning the SUV and heading for home. He needed to think, not just take off driving 'south'. There was a lot of 'south' to cover.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emma stood near the doorway to the clinic, holding a cup of hot coffee between her hands. Two police officers were talking to Chris near his car, where it had been hit. It was during that conversation that a woman had shown up. She didn't look like a cop, or a spectator. But she did pull one of the police officers aside to speak to him earnestly. The cop looked over his shoulder at Emma from time to time. She had no clue why he would do that, she did not know him, or the woman for that matter.

“They said they're just about finished up here.” Chris was at her elbow without her noticing. He took her coffee and sipped it, making a face. “This is cold.”

“Yeah, its cold out here.” Emma smiled up at him. She turned point out the woman but she was gone. The two cops were once more conferring, their heads together and their voices low. Finally the older of the two approached.

“Ma'am. I think that my partner and I are going to have to search your house, if that's all right with you.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “My house? Why?”

“We've received some information about your husband...” At this his eyes went to Chris, then away. “And, it would just be easiest if we could take a look around.”

“Well...all right. But why don't you tell me what its all about?”

“We will ma'am.”

“Emma.” She corrected automatically. She and Chris climbed into the police car and rode with them to her house. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on. What could possibly be at her house the cops would want?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Done deal?” Randy asked as Lucy climbed into the passenger seat. It had been his idea to talk to a cop, and luckily for them Lucy's pal Michael was on duty that morning. It made things easier. He knew what they were and why they knew the things they knew.

“Yeah. They'll find those pictures that Mark and Glen found.”

“And then what?” Nan spoke from the back seat.

“And then they'll link that bastard to those murders. And assume that he's in hiding.” Randy said softly.

Lucy nodded. “I told Mike. Everything.”

“What? I thought we agreed...”

“Yeah but if he wanted to arrest me he would have. I told him I'd call him with the details later on, but I think I got the gist of what happened to him.” Lucy sighed and leaned back in her seat. “Let's get outta here.”

Nan gave her granddaughter a pat on the shoulder. “It'll work out fine, Lucinda. With you things often do.”

Lucy smiled at that. When Nan had a point, she had a point. Randy drove them across town. “So where are we going? Back to Glen and Mark's?”

“No, hon. I think we've done about all the damage we could do there.” Nan laughed from the back. “Home please.”

“Sure thing...” Randy poked his sister in her side. She frowned, her eyes still closed. It looked like their excitement was over. At least for now.

Of course Lucy couldn't resist. “I might have had a talk with Kayla before we left.” She said, completely out of the blue.

“Oh no. Turning her against Glen? I thought he was the one you actually liked.”

“I wasn't turning her into anything.” Lucy said with a smirk. “I just told her a few things about us that she maybe didn't know.”

Randy groaned. “Us as in me, Nan, you, whoever? Or 'us' as in everybody with our power?”

“Either. Both amounts to the same thing.” She seemed so damn pleased with herself. “Nan, Adam wants you to stop poking him with your elbow.”

“Smart ass ghosts.” Nan said with a laugh. Lucy grinned and took her turn at poking Randy in the ribs. She did so without looking.

“Everything back to normal. Or as normal as it ever gets.” Randy said with a smile. And it was true. He would be glad to get home, to sleep in his own bed and ignore the outside world for a day or two. He felt like they all deserved it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kayla was sitting at the kitchen table, scribbling in her notebook yet again. Glen sat across from her, spinning his coffee cup around, bored damn near to tears. He stopped when she shot him a withering look.

“Go outside and play.” She told him, laughing at his mock frown.

“Woman, don't you have a home to go to?”

“I do. But I prefer the view from over here.” Kayla gave him an exaggerated wink. She sobered though when she thought of Mark, upstairs moping because he was at a loss as to what to do next. Even to Kayla it was obvious. And she wasn't the one with the gift of seeing spirits. “Your brother.”

“What about him?” Glen sensed her change in mood and leaned forward to hold her hand.

“That's just it. Your. Brother. Why don't you go talk some sense into him?”

“Because I am the only person who actually knows better?”

“You really want me to do it?” Kayla asked him, setting her pen aside.

“I don't even know what the hell it is you want me to tell him. Just spit it out.”

“For pete's sake. MARK!” Kayla yelled it. Surely her voice would carry up the stairs. The way Glen winced it probably carried about a half mile into the woods. There were footsteps, of course. Kayla had an excellent 'mom' yell when the mood struck her.

“What?” Mark sounded aggravated and tired. It had been a couple of days since Christmas. The house was nearly empty again. If not for Kayla, things would have probably gone back to how they were two weeks before. He hadn't decided yet if that was good or bad.

“Have you given up yet?” Kayla did not have to say what it was she referred to. Mark's only answer was a shrug. It made her roll her eyes. “I had a nice little talk with Lucy before they left. You know what she told me?”

Mark sighed and leaned against the doorway. “Let me guess. Something sarcastic and pointed in my direction.”

“Well you're half right. She said I should ask you why you don't just ask a spirit for help.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because they know things.”

“Yeah, but I don't deal with the kinds of spirits who are into lendin' a hand.”

At that Kayla rolled her eyes again. “Nobody said you were stuck dealing with just the one kind. Who says you can't send some over to the good side on occasion? Or ask for help, for that matter.”

“Yeah, well.” As if the discussion were over, Mark pushed away from the wall and disappeared up the stairs once more. Kayla shared a look with Glen, and she smiled at his head shake.

“He won't do it.”

“Well its out there.” Kayla picked up her pen again. “If it was me, I'd do it.”

“You haven't seen what its like. After. Not really.” Glen said with a frown, drawing her eyes back to him.

“I heard enough. And I'm done butting in. And maybe I should go home. I have a lot of writing to do.”

“Maybe I don't want you to go.”

“Ha. You changed your tune awfully quick.”

“I'm pretty flexible that way.” He sighed as she went back to jotting down her notes. He was going to have to be creative when it came to Kayla and her notebook. He smirked to himself. He figured there were worse ways to pass the time.

None of them spoke of what happened, except for Kayla. And that was only to ask general questions about their lives. After a month of Mark's moping, she took it upon herself to get in touch with Lucy. When Kayla explained what she wanted, Lucy had a good laugh. “Of course. It figures. I expected no less.” But she agreed to help her out.

And three days later, Kayla was dialing a phone number. Even though Glen had tried to talk her out of it, she had ventured to her apartment. Mostly to be sure the place was still standing. Secondary to that, she would be packing. Her cousin was going to Europe for six months, on a tour. And Kayla had agreed to house sit as long as he needed her to. She didn't stop to wonder if she was doing the right thing. At that moment, it felt like the only thing.

“Hello?” Jamie's voice was cautious and slightly breathless as if she'd run for the phone.

“Jamie? Hey, it's...uh...Kayla.” There was a solid minute of silence.

“OK. Which one of them helped you? Not Mark, obviously.” She sounded as if she were smiling.

“Lucy. And she got a good giggle out of it too.” Kayla smiled herself. Lucy had found a friendly spirit, and in an exchange of services, the ghost had located Jamie. And Lucy sent it to the other side, where it truly belonged. It hadn't taken much more detective work than that to find a phone number.

“I can imagine.” Jamie sighed. “I don't mind that you have my number. And you probably know where I live. But you have to swear to me right now that you won't tell anybody else. And you can tell Lucy the same thing. I'm trying to prove a point here.”

“I know. This is why I waited this long to call. I'm at home. Away from the guys, anyway. So how the hell are you?”

“I'm...good. I guess.” Jamie had to pause to think about it. “Not doing much of anything though. Getting used to the weather.”

“A dramatic change.” Kayla said with a laugh. “You went from winter to summer in a day. Must be nice.”

“It is actually.”

“Well look. I just wanted you to know that I kinda miss our girly time together, and just because you need to teach Mark a lesson doesn't mean we still can't talk.”

“I know. I just needed some time. To process things.”

“I understand that. And I need your address too. I know the town and road but not the house number.”

“Oh yeah? Why?” Jamie sounded guarded. Kayla huffed a sigh.

“So I can send you a present. You'll love it. Of course it will probably take a couple of months, but still...”

“Fine.” Jamie rattled off her address. She once more swore Kayla to secrecy. “And tell Lucy she can call me too. Maybe I'll invite you two down to check out my neighbor.”

“Really? Is he hot?”

“Dreamy.” Jamie laughed at that. Kayla smiled. That sounded more like the Jamie she had gotten to know. “I gotta go. We've got a storm coming in and my chair just went flying off my porch.”

“Ok Jamie. Just call me if you want to, all right?” With that they said their goodbyes. Kayla was left staring at her phone for several minutes before coming back out of her thoughts to look around her mess of a home. “One mess at a time from now on, Kayla.” She said to herself as she set out to finish packing her boxes.

29

And so there she was.

Jamie had traded in John's Jeep with hardly a twinge of guilt for new one, a vehicle that was all hers and no one else. That was a step in the right direction. The second step had been to drive. She logged nearly a thousand miles before she decided she was far enough, and she'd no more than stopped for dinner when she'd fallen in love. With a town. It was small, with one main street. There were no chain restaurants, no chain hotels, just a couple of bed-and-breakfasts and a diner. There was one lone traffic light and it was set to a blinking yellow caution when school was letting out.

She thought maybe she was trading in one brand of loneliness for another. After making a bunch of friends, she was on her own again. Maybe she was just not meant to be close to anyone at all. It made a certain kind of sense. At least this town was only a thirty minute drive to a larger town, and that one was another thirty to a city. So civilization was within easy reach.

She checked into one of the bed-and-breakfasts for a week. By the third day she had found a house. The minute she'd spotted it Jamie had that sense of falling in love yet again. It was not huge by any means, but it was on a beach. There was a reservoir not twenty yards from the back deck. The land sloped gently down to a strip of beach. And the water seemed to go on forever across the horizon. It was damn near ocean like to Jamie, who had never come close to visiting the sea.

The realtor had been surprised when Jamie made an offer on the house, and told him to tell the seller that she was prepared to pay cash in full. She could afford it. She had lived frugally through most of her nursing career, and had been saving half of just about every paycheck. And there was John's life insurance. She wasn't independently wealthy by any means, but she could be comfortable. And she could take her time deciding what exactly she was going to do with the rest of her life.

Jamie's offer was accepted the day it was made. She found, in the city, a branch of her bank. There she drew up a cashiers check for the amount of the house. She got some odd looks, but didn't care. She was as inwardly focused as she'd ever been. It was the shock of leaving her home of so many years. She already figured that part out. Everything about her past was gone except for the picture of John that Mark had taken before her apartment had burned. That was the first thing that Jamie hung on the wall when she moved in. Of course, besides her overnight bag it was the only thing she brought with her.

The first weeks were spent shopping for furniture. While she waited on the deliveries, she painted. Most rooms were a basic off white. She added a bit of color here and there, nothing too loud, just enough to warm the place up. The house was basically one big room. The bedroom and bath were tucked into the back corner, with window views of the glass smooth lake. There was a deck out back too, with steps leading down onto a lawn of nearly perfect green.

Jamie met her neighbor's daughter first. Jamie had spent the morning putting together an entertainment center and her side tables. She was going to take a break when she heard a voice from the back door. All of the windows had screens, so when open the house could catch a breeze from the lake without being overrun by pests.

“Hi.” The voice was shy and barely louder than a whisper. Jamie looked toward the door, trying not to freak out. She hadn't seen a ghost since leaving Mark's and she figured she was just about due.

What she got was a little girl, no more than six years old. She had golden blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and big blue eyes. She smiled uncertainly at Jamie.

“Hi there, hon.” Jamie went to the door and pushed it open. The girl looked up at her, half squinting in the sun. It was still winter here too but the temperature was moderate. The girl was dressed in a pair of faded jeans, boots and a sweatshirt that was comically large on her.

“What happened to Mrs. Kendall?” The girl asked, peering past Jamie into the room and then back up at her.

“I bought the house from her. She went to live with her sick mother.” Jamie smiled down at her. “What's your name hon?”

“I'm Abby. I'm staying with my dad for a couple of weeks.” She pointed to the house next door. There wasn't total isolation here on the lake, it was ringed with houses of different shapes and sizes. Some were empty, waiting for the weather to really warm up before people flocked in to rent them and use the lake as a playground. The realtor had told her that the tourist season for the area was only about two months long, one in the spring, the other the fall, and that it was a family place. No dewy eyed honeymooners would be wandering onto her beach and getting frisky within her sight in other words.

“Well hi Abby. I'm Jamie.” The little girl had a dazzling smile. It lit up her whole face and set her blue eyes sparkling like jewels. She was going to be a knockout someday. Jamie could see it in her face already. “And does your dad know you're visiting a stranger?”

The little girl pulled a face. “No. I'm not supposed to leave the yard, because of the water. Daddy says the water will try to pull me in if I'm by myself.” She spoke as if it were something that was often repeated in her presence. Jamie hid a frown and nodded.

“Well, I guess I'll walk you back home and protect you then, if that's all right.”

“Sure. You can meet Daddy. Do you swim?”

“Yeah, sure do.” Jamie pulled her screen door shut and smiled as Abby took her hand.

“Good. We'll have to try the water one day while I'm here. I love to swim.”

She didn't sound like someone who only moments before had expressed what was fear toward the water. “I do too. And you have a nice house.”

The house was one of the big ones. It stood two stories and the back wall was almost completely covered with windows. Ivy vines grew to the roof. Jamie had already seen that her neighbors had a privacy fence around their house. There was a gate that opened to the beach, but a padlock and chain hung from it. She had spotted it while taking a walk several days earlier. They were obviously serious about keeping the little one away from the lake itself.

Jamie tried to turn for the front door but Abby pulled on her hand, dragging her toward the garage. The big doors were rolled open and a man was leaning into the engine of a truck. For a moment, Jamie couldn't breath. She tried as hard as she could not to think about Mark, but it seemed every time she turned around there were reminders.

Leaning into the engine compartment was about the only thing this man had in common with Mark though. He heard Abby calling him excitedly, so he turned to see what all the fuss was about. Jamie's first thought was that the man was built like a tank. He was muscular, but not too over-developed. His head was shaved. He had a well-kept goatee. And his eyes were a piercing shade of blue that Jamie hadn't seen outside of a movie theater.

“Abby, where the hell have you been? I thought you were going to play in the yard.” The man asked, looking from his daughter to her new friend with interest. He didn't sound irritated about Abby leaving either. Jamie would have worried for the little girl if he had.

“I was playin'. And I heard music so I went and peaked. Daddy, this is Jamie.”

“Hi.” Jamie lifted her hand in a wave. The man pulled a towel from his hip pocket and wiped his hands before stepping closer to shake with Jamie.

“Steve. And this little one is my traveler.” Steve tweaked his daughter's nose. She grinned up at him, such obvious love in her eyes that it almost brought tears to Jamie's. She could see the resemblance between father and daughter, especially the eyes. They shared the same electric blue color.

“I don't mind being bothered. I needed a break.” Jamie smiled.

“Heard someone bought the place. I'm kinda glad about that. If it hadn't sold it would have been turned into a rental, and there's no telling what they would do to it.” Steve said, tucking his towel back into his pocket.

“I'm glad I found it then. I love it.” Jamie spoke as Abby released her hand. The little girl skipped around her father to peer into the box of tools that had been sitting at his feet while he worked on the truck. “Have you lived here long?”

“About ten years. Takes some getting used to after livin' in Dallas, but I managed.” Steve said with a smirk. “Welcome to town anyway. If Abby doesn't manage to scare you off within a week.”

“It would take more than a kid to scare me.” Jamie laughed.

Abby bounced back toward them. “Daddy, I'm starving. Are we going to eat at all today?”

“Girl you ate more breakfast than I did.” And with that said, Steve scooped her up and swung her over his shoulder. Abby squealed with laughter when he did it. “But I guess I can fire up the grill. Want to stay for lunch Jamie? I don't cook much, but I can manage a couple of burgers without burning 'em.”

“Yeah...stay!” Abby said, still giggling as her dad tickled her ribs.

“I guess. Since I'm outnumbered. Thanks. I was just planning on running to town and grabbing a sandwich. I have to do my grocery shopping anyway.”

“Well, how about this. I'll take care of lunch, you can ride to town with us because this little one has a few bucks burnin' a hole in her pocket, and you can do us dinner.”

“Sounds fair.” Jamie said with a laugh. Steve was definitely a take-charge guy. She didn't see a way to argue with him over it. And that was how their friendship started. Abby got so attached she cried when her mother came to pick her up. Steve was divorced, and his wife Donna, while a nice enough woman, cast suspicious glances in Jamie's direction. She would have told the other woman that she had nothing to worry about when it came to her ex and their child. Jamie had her own heartbreak to deal with, she really had no time to cause anyone else the same thing.

It was the night before Kayla's phone call that Steve and Jamie were sitting on her deck, drinking beer together and watching the sun go down. And Steve managed to come out of the blue with his statement after they'd shared nearly a half hour of silence.

“Abby's been seein' 'em since she was two or so.” He said it so softly that Jamie wasn't sure she'd hear him right. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Seeing who?”

Steve looked at her. She could tell by the lines in his forehead that he was definitely stressing over something. “The ghosts. The wavy people, as Abby used to call them. She don't see 'em as clear as her mom, but Donna thinks that's because she's too young. And I can't see 'em myself.” He said it all in a rush as if afraid she was going to interrupt and call him crazy. “So when she's around me she's weaker. Donna's theory not mine.”

Jamie smiled. “How did you know that I could see them? I didn't find that out for myself until recently.”

“I can tell. I was married to that look for a long time. Like you're always waitin' for something to happen.” Steve sipped his beer morosely and looked back toward the water.

“Is that why it didn't work out?” Jamie asked.

“That and about a million other reasons. Donna said I couldn't understand her.” Steve smirked. “She said 'if you had a million years you still wouldn't scratch the surface'. And she took Abby and left me.” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “And I moved out here and Donna thinks I'm pushing Abby to doing this too early. She conveniently forgets that I don't see 'em.”

“I haven't seen any ghosts here.” Jamie spoke slowly.

“Donna hasn't either. But Abby has.” Steve nodded toward the lake. “In the water. The wavy people...and she just recently stopped callin' 'em that...want her to go in the water and play with 'em.”

“So that's why you told her to stay away from the water.”

“Yeah. Unless she's with me. She says she thinks they're afraid of me. Maybe they're right to be.” Steve shrugged and finished his beer. He looked at the bottle. “I'm bad company tonight. I get to missin' her I guess. She fills the house up.”

“I can imagine.” Jamie eyed her beer. She hadn't even sipped from her bottle yet. She had not yet taken a pregnancy test, and she was not going to take any chances. It had been a little over a month and it was true that she had not had a period, for which she was both grateful and worried. But she put off taking the test. She had bought one on her trip south, but it sat on her bathroom sink for now. It would be Kayla's phone call that really got her to take the test. It was as if for the past month at the lake she'd been living in a sort of limbo, and Kayla's call, with Lucy's help, had shown her that out there things were still happening. It woke her up.

Jamie mulled Steve's admission all the next day as she did busy work around the house. When Kayla called she had been in a very odd mood. And as soon as she hung up she went to the bathroom to take the test. It was as if she had waited just for that to tell her to go ahead.

She waited the required five minutes and looked at the result window. There was nothing. A single blue line ran across the first window, meaning she'd done the test correctly. Other than that, it was blank. She gave it another few minutes and checked again with the same result.

Not knowing what else to do, Jamie waited until the next morning and then made a trip to the small clinic in town. The doctor who saw her drew blood and called her later with the same answer the pregnancy test had given.

“Negative.” The doctor said. “Have you been under any stress recently? It could cause the absence of a period.”

Jamie bit back a laugh. She had been through a rather stressful time, but the doctor did not need to know that. She just accepted it as fact. After hanging up the phone she went once more into the bathroom, this time to toss the stick into the garbage. She paused to look in the mirror and saw her mother's face looking back.

“You were so wrong about that one.”

“I'm not psychic.” Sophie said with a reassuring smile. “I said it would happen, not when.”

“So it doesn't necessarily mean it would be Mark's baby then. Right? Since he refuses to come out of his house long enough to find me?” Jamie was beyond frustrated.

“If I told you everything, what fun would that be? Besides, we shouldn't have said anything to begin with. There are things that you do not need to know until they happen.” Sophie's expression softened. “Don't do anything too hasty, Jamie. Things have a way of working out.”

“I hope so.” Jamie spoke in a whisper. She rubbed her hand across the mirror and her mother disappeared. This was how she had spoken to her since Christmas, or to her father. Even John showed up on occasion. In mirrors. Never in the 'flesh'. They were caught in between worlds, and while Jamie found the thought horrifying her mother had assured her that they were merely waiting until Jamie could stand on her own before leaving her to deal with things herself. The mirrors acted less like a doorway than a window into that world. She only wished they would consider the bathroom mirror off limits.

**

A week passed, then a month. Things settled into a routine. Jamie would drink some juice and eat toast before heading outside to walk along the beach. She knew that going all the way around the lake would take her a very long time, it was so large, but a half mile hike over sand and back was perfect. Afterward she would read the paper and eat a real breakfast of fruit and cereal. Sometimes she went to town for lunch, more often than not Steve went with her. He ran a local garage, which did not shock her in the slightest. He was very good with his hands, and loved machines with a passion Jamie herself had never felt.

And more often that not they would have dinner together. Steve offered her a job at the shop, as a receptionist. Jamie had found that beyond hilarious. She did not have the patience to answer the phones all day. Plus she did not really need the money.

So she was again surprised when Steve offered her another job. This time working at the local veterinary clinic with his sister Lexi and her husband Phil. Lexi called him Punk as a pet name for reasons that were beyond Jamie's knowledge. Lexi was a vet. Phil was mostly there to do the manual labor. What they needed, Steve had informed her, was someone with a medical background to help Lexi with the animals. Their last vet-tech had moved away when she'd gotten married and finding a replacement was next to impossible. It did not pay much because Lexi and Phil did most of their work free of charge. They were big-hearted people even though Phil often looked as if he was on the verge of a psychotic episode.

Jamie couldn't turn them down. Steve had taken her in to look around and she had been impressed with the place, but more she had been impressed with the people. And she met Phil first, by virtue of him storming into the waiting room as if his ass were on fire. Jamie soon saw him relaxed but her first impression was that the man was very high strung. He had short dark hair, a great build, and damn near as many tattoos as she'd seen on Mark. That was the only point the couple lost, for reminding her of the reason she'd left. Phil had come by his the hard way though, sitting for hours in various tattoo chairs to get them completed. And he had a story for every one even if most began with 'well, my friend said I wouldn't'.

Lexi was Phil's opposite. And she looked nothing like her brother. Steve explained that Lexi was the product of his father's second marriage after he had divorced his mother. She had dark hair and deep brown eyes. Unlike the all-together too hyper Phil, Lexi was extremely laid back. Animals loved her. Jamie would soon see her calming down the wildest of dogs with her voice alone, and it never failed to amaze her. Steve tolerated Phil, but Jamie could see that he loved Lexi more than anything and was what sold her on accepting the job.

On her first day at work, Jamie learned two things.

One...Phil was not nearly as hyper as he seemed. He could be loud, and he could put out the vibe that he was on the edge of a nervous breakdown, but in reality he was very level, and very touchy-feely. He was constantly kissing Lexi, on the mouth, on the cheek, on the neck, on the ear, or patting Jamie on the back, or the shoulder. He liked to play fight. And during lulls in their packed full days, he was a regular demon when it came to playing his video games.

Lexi viewed this the same way a mother would look at a spoiled child, at least to Jamie's eye. Lexi was always the calm one. It was rare to see her get worked up over anything. She loved her animals but at the same times maintained a clinical detachment that was necessary to do her job without losing her mind if she lost a patient.

At the end of her first week, Jamie had turned her paycheck back over the clinic. For the first time ever, she saw Lexi get emotional. She had tears in her eyes. “You don't know what this means to us.” She said and hugged her.

Jamie did though. She saw the good these two were doing but more than that...she saw how much they loved it. She was lucky enough to witness it firsthand, and for so little effort. Her job required little more than feeding the animals and keeping up with their charts. Both things she had done as a nurse, and both things she could do in her sleep. She knew it was the start of a new life. The night of the paycheck, she had stood at the mirror over the fireplace for ten minutes talking to her father. She wanted to share with someone, and he was proud of her. It was as if she were getting a second chance at a beginning. And even though she missed Mark more than she would have said was possible, there was nothing else she could do. He obviously valued his loneliness more than she valued her. Two plus months was plenty enough time to move on.

At least that was what she told herself.

Snow (Fireworks) PART 2

1

It was Memorial Day.

The temperature outside had nearly reached ninety on a clear day. Jamie stretched her arms over her head and walked down the stairs of the deck, wincing at the heat coming up from the wood. She heard the laughter coming from the water, which was the direction she was heading.

Abby was splashing Steve as she kicked. He was attempting to teach her how to swim. She was resisting the process. She would stay with Steve until the end of the month before returning to her mother for a round of visits to other relatives. She would be back in August, to spend two weeks with her father before school started again. Jamie settled her sunglasses firmly on her nose and walked into the water, making a face at how cold it was. She ducked under quickly to get used to it, making Abby laugh. She always thought it was funny when Jamie wore her sunglasses swimming.

Jamie swam out deep enough where she could tread water without bumping the bottom. And there she thought about all that had happened over the last few months. She had a job, strictly volunteer at this point. She loved it. She had new friends. She had her house. Everything should have been perfect. But it wasn't.

Lucy and Kayla had come to visit, two months before. They had called ahead to ask if it was all right, and Jamie had said yes because there really was no reason to tell them no. They spent a week. It was the most fun Jamie could remember having since she was in high school. They ate too much and stayed up too late and just generally acted like teenagers on a sleepover. Jamie had been close to the bulls-eye about Steve as well. Lucy and Kayla both had spent hours practically swooning over his eyes. Jamie would have found it funnier if things were not heading the direction they were currently.

Steve liked her. She knew that. She could not be that dense. And he was happy enough being her friend for now. Over time he had gotten the whole story out of her, exactly what had happened at Christmas, and that included everything that happened with Mark. So he had backed off. Oh they still had lunch together almost daily, and more dinners during the week than not. They still hung out, like now, with Abby when she visited and without her when she was with her mother. But Jamie sensed something between them...a wall maybe. Something he had put up to remind himself she had been through something that he could not understand. She was grateful he was giving her time. She was not nearly ready for a relationship, if that was what he wanted. And she sure as hell was not ready for a one night stand.

Jamie let the water support her as she floated on her back. They had entered what Lexi had called their slow time. Phil was restless so they had sent the two animals they had been keeping an eye on – a cat who had lost an eye but was recovering, and a puppy that was found abandoned in a parking lot – to the local shelter for care and they had left on vacation. They would be gone until the first of August, as they were driving to California and back on a road trip that would take them to relatives and roadside attractions galore. So Jamie had a long uneventful summer ahead of her.

She shook her head and ducked under again, this time letting her feet touch bottom. She swam slowly to where Steve and Abby were talking in the shallows.

“I thought I was gonna have to go rescue you.” Steve said with a smirk. He was absently snapping a life-vest over Abby's shoulders and adjusting it so it was comfortable. She just wanted to play, so he was going to let her.

“I can swim. Unlike some people.” Jamie tweaked Abby's nose, making her laugh. “I can't stay out long today anyway. I'm almost burned to a crisp.”

“There's sunscreen on the porch.” Steve pointed in the general direction of his house. “I told you to use it.”

“Yes, Dad.” Jamie laughed and waded to the beach. Her shoulders were rather tingly. She knew better than to get so much sun but it was easy to forget. She grabbed her towel and wrapped up in it before going back up the steps to her door. She was going to get a shirt to cover up, then grab a book to read while she sat on the porch drinking lemonade and watching Abby play.

She got as far as the shirt anyway. She was buttoning her coverup and walking through the house when the postman rang her doorbell. Jamie eyed the package in his hand for a moment before signing her name to his ledger. He handed her the rest of her mail and was off. Jamie looked and saw junk, so she tossed it. The package had Kayla's name in the return address so she put it under her arm. She grabbed the paperback she'd been reading and her glass, and stepped back outside.

Steve had found a small football. He and Abby were lobbing it back and forth in the water. Jamie smiled and sat down, setting her mail aside. She sipped her lemonade a moment before pulling the box toward her and letting her curiosity get the best of her. She pulled open the side and carefully slid the items it contained out. There was a book and two envelopes.

Jamie picked up the book. The dust jacket was solid black broken only by the title and author's name in white. She smiled again at Kayla's name then traced the title with a finger. It was called, simply, Snow. She took a shaky breath and set it aside unopened. To be honest she wasn't sure she should open it. Instead she grabbed the first envelope.

Jamie,

Hope this finds you well. I had a great time visiting you! Glen has tortured me for details but not to worry, I can take it. Although I still think that telling a certain someone about a certain someone else's hunky neighbor would light fires under asses, I am keeping my promise to you and keeping my mouth shut.

Enjoy the book! Make sure you read the dedication because it is totally true! My editor is convinced this will be my first big best seller. He also forced the ending but since I'm an optimistic person I can say that it could still happen. I'm gonna profit share with you if it is!

And please SAY YES!

Hugs, lady. And please take care of yourself down there!

Kayla

Jamie raised an eyebrow. Say yes? To what? She smirked and picked up the second envelope. And knew before opening it what it was. She opened it anyway and slid a wedding invitation out into her palm. Kayla and Glen were getting married on the 4^th of July. Jamie sat for a moment, completely stunned. How nice for them both, to find someone who could figure out exactly what they wanted and when. There was another note in tucked in with the invitation. 'You're going to be a bridesmaid!' was all it said. Jamie shook her head and set the invitation down to once more pick up the book. She opened it and flipped forward a few pages to the dedication. She had to smile.

To all my friends from the blizzard.

But mostly for Jimmie. Because this would not have been possible without her.

And under that, in black marker, was Kayla's signature, the date, and one last thing written to Jamie personally. She felt like crying, reading it. It was three simple words and she wanted to just bawl like a baby. 'He misses you'. That was it. Of course Kayla really did not have to say who exactly 'he' was because Jamie knew.

She sniffed and shook her head. He obviously did not miss her enough since she was here. And he was not. She idly flipped through the book, noting with amusement that Kayla had changed her name, for novel purposes, to Christine. Mark was Mike. It might very well have been a non-fiction because Kayla had included everything that happened through that week. And she must have talked to Mark or Glen because she had more of it right, even about the first day or so before Kayla had showed up.

“Hey, you all right?” Steve had come up the steps without her noticing and was looking at her with a mix of concern and discomfort. Obviously he wasn't too keen on comforting a crying woman. Jamie saved him the trouble and sucked it up.

“I'm fine. Just...got a package from my friends.” Jamie motioned to the book. Steve sat down and raised an eyebrow in the book's direction. Abby was sitting at the water's edge, playing in the sand. “Its making me think of things I would probably be better off forgetting.” She finished with a shrug.

“Huh. Must not be a good book if its got you all upset.” Steve said with a slight curl of his lip that indicated he was trying not to smile.

“I'm sure it is a good book. Just not sure I wanna see how it ends.” Jamie picked it up along with her letters and other mail. “I am going to take a shower and get changed. Feel free to keep on using the deck.”

“Hey.” Steve watched her as she went in the door. He got up to follow but remembered Abby was still by the water. He heaved a sigh and wavered. “Abby!”

“Yeah, Daddy?” She looked over her shoulder at him. Steve smiled.

“Come on up on the porch for a bit and get the sand off you. We gotta go get ready for lunch in a minute.” Steve watched as his daughter climbed the stairs. “And stay on the porch. I'm gonna go talk to Jamie for a minute, all right?”

“Ok, Daddy.” Abby grinned and sat on the steps. Jamie had gotten her some sidewalk chalk and she now grabbed a piece and went to work drawing on the wood of the steps. Steve watched her for a moment before turning to go inside the house.

Jamie had set her mail on the kitchen counter. Steve spared the pile a look as he went glanced around. “Jamie?”

“Yeah?” She poked her head out the bedroom door. She no longer looked upset but even Steve wasn't fooled. He could be dense, he was the first to admit it, but when it came to Jamie he seemed to have developed a sixth sense.

“You all right? For real I mean.” He leaned against the counter and watched as she padded across the room. She was still in her swimsuit but was carrying a fresh towel, and a change of clothes.

“I'm fine. I just needed a minute. Thanks.” She smiled dutifully.

“Maybe you should toss the book out.” Steve advised. “I mean, if it upset you just by readin' the first page no tellin' what the rest would do.” He reached out and cupped her bare shoulder. “Or I can keep it for ya, and you wouldn't have to look at it.”

“No, its all right. It is just a book.” Jamie smiled more naturally. “I gotta get changed if we're going to lunch. And you do too.” She pointed out, looking at his bare chest.

“Yeah.” Steve looked at her closely, saw she had a firm handle on herself, and excused himself to get Abby and go home to do as Jamie had suggested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't until late that night, after Jamie was ready for bed, that she thought of the book again. She was restless, until she went to the kitchen and got it. She carried it with her to bed and stretched out, getting comfortable.

Steve was right, she really should not let a simple book get to her. Especially a fictional account with made up details. It wasn't like she was going to relive what had happened. She was just going to read a book that a friend had written.

It was just before midnight when she began reading. It was just after dawn when she finished. Jamie wiped her cheeks and realized that she was crying, and not for the first time while reading. Kayla had them all down, even with the names changed Jamie knew exactly who was who. She was eerily close to what Jamie had been thinking the whole time she was there. It was the ending though that really got to her. The character of Christine had left, just as Jamie had, and Mike – code for Mark – had let her go to give her time to think over all that had happened. But unlike Mark, his fictional counterpart could not wait to get his leading lady back to his side so he had gone after her only a month later. His mother's ghost had helped him find her. It was implied that they lived together happily ever after.

Jamie hugged the book to her chest and sighed. She as no sucker for a happy ending but she thought that just this once she deserved it. She had lost her parents. Her brother. Her job, her apartment, her whole damn life. And fate or whatever it was running the show could not give her this one thing she wanted more than anything.

She wanted to call him.

Which was rather dumb of her. Jamie just wanted to hear Mark's voice, that deep rumbling all together too sexy voice. She smiled sadly though. Unlike most people, he was way more than a phone call away. Especially since he refused to have a phone.

Screw calling. She wanted to be with him. Even if it meant living in the woods cut off from the rest of the world. At least she would be with him...and that couldn't be a bad thing.

She sighed again and set the book on her bedside table. Jamie knew that it would never work, no matter how much she wanted it to at the moment. She could not lock herself away in the woods, only venturing out for supplies. Afraid of what she might have to do.

And she had time to think about that as well. Mark was afraid. He was burned out on using his gift, and he did not know how to say no. Jamie smiled as she snuggled between her blankets. She had figured it out with relative quickness. She had not yet sent any ghosts over, but she had seen a couple. And once a spirit had tried to talk to her through the television. But she talked to them. And told them that she could not help them yet, she had her own problems, and that she would ignore them if they bugged her too much. It had worked from the beginning. They didn't even bother with the electronics. So she had figured out something else that apparently Mark and Glen did not know. The ghosts could only bother them if they let them.

Jamie's eyes drifted shut. It seems like a minute passed and she dragged them open to the sound of someone pounding on the front door. She glanced at her clock as she dragged herself out of bed. Three in the afternoon! Jamie laughed as she went to the door. It had been way back in high school when she'd last slept so late.

Steve was the one knocking. He had a concerned look on his face again. “Hellfire woman. Are you all right?” His eyes took in her messy hair and heavy eyes.

“I'm fine. Couldn't sleep last night, so I made up for it today.” Jamie said with a grin. She looked over Steve's shoulder to see Abby waiting patiently in his truck. She waved and Jamie waved back with a grin. “What's up?”

“We're gonna go see a movie. Thought we'd see if you wanted to come out too. And maybe supper after?”

Jamie gave it all of three seconds of thought. “Do I have time to jump in the shower so I don't look like so much hell?”

“Yeah, sure.” Steve grinned. He pushed his sunglasses on and looked at her one more time before heading for his truck. Jamie hurried to get ready. She truly was not going to spend her life locked away in her house. And she had obviously been crazy to think that she wanted to be that way. She got ready in record time and joined them in Steve's truck. She accepted Abby's enthusiastic hug and good-natured grumbling about losing the window seat with the same smile on her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was just past ten when Steve walked Jamie back to her house via the beach. The movie had been all right, dinner had been better, and the evening spent playing board games with Abby while it rained was the best one Jamie had experienced so far. Now a breeze was blowing the clouds away and the stars were out, reflected in the calming surface of the lake.

Jamie was so lost in thought that she did not realize Steve had asked her a question. She looked over to see him eying her quizzically. She had to laugh at herself. “Sorry I was woolgathering. What is it?”

“I said that a friend of mine wants to let Abby have a sleepover with his daughter tomorrow night. So I was wonderin' if you might wanna do somethin'. With me.” He added it as if he wanted to make sure that Jamie would not confuse his invitation. She smiled.

“Are you asking me out on a date?” She asked, her eyebrow raised.

Steve shrugged. “Call it what you wanna. So do you wanna?” He said it with a smirk.

“Sure. I haven't been on an actual date in so long though you might have to remind me how it goes.” Jamie grinned. And she saw in his blue eyes what he intended even before he made a move toward her.

One minute they were smiling at each other the next Steve was kissing her. Jamie hesitated before placing her hands on his shoulders. She wasn't sure if she was going to hold him closer or push him away. The decision got taken out of her hands when Steve pulled himself back and looked at her.

“Sorry. I have been wantin' to do that for months now.” His eyes were practically sparkling. It was almost too dark to see, but the light from her windows was bright enough. Jamie realized she was still holding on to him. He seemed to realize it at the same time. The humor went out of him and he was leaning forward to kiss her again. This time Jamie had the presence of mind to kiss him back, opening her mouth to his probing tongue and whimpering at the feel of his hands on her back, pulling her closer.

Jamie pulled away from him, breathless. Steve smiled sheepishly and let her go willingly enough. He took a step back from her and looked up at the sky. “I better get back to Abby before she thinks I ran off.” He said, his accent a little thicker. Jamie could only nod and watch as he turned and retraced their steps back to his house. She touched her lips with her fingers and tried to analyze exactly what she was feeling. Steve was a great kisser, she would give him that but it did not change the fact that it felt wrong.

It didn't take a genius to figure out why either.

Jamie let herself in the house and went to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for bed. She was brushing her teeth when John appeared, and he had a sad look on his face.

“Go away, John.” Jamie said after she spit a mouthful of toothpaste into the sink.

“Jamie...”

“No. I don't wanna hear it. He's not coming. I can't wait forever. I don't want to wait forever. I deserve having somebody care for me who isn't emotionally crippled. Or dead. So go away and leave me alone.”

She heard John sigh but he went. Jamie was looking at her own reflection again. She would be damned if she sat around any longer waiting for something that was not ever going to happen. Mark wanted to be alone, lonely, cut off, that was fine. Jamie was not going to do that to herself. She crawled into bed and ignored her own voice of doubt as well. She could deny her feelings for Mark all day long but her heart knew better.

2

“We aren't supposed to interfere.”

Mark was working on his motorcycle, retrieved from storage after the long winter. Normally tinkering with the engine helped him mull things over in his head. Now he could only think about Jamie. For the first time in his life someone had managed to get under his skin. And it pissed him off like nothing else had. Because she had known, she had to have realized, otherwise why the hell would she have left?

It was driving him crazy. So he'd come outside to work on his bike and hell, even that reminded him of Jamie. He kept thinking about her, standing in knee deep snow and handing him tools, watching him as he worked.

Completely frustrated, he had tossed the wrench in his hand down on the ground and walked away, moving along the by now well known path in the woods to the clearing. He came here more and more often as the days grew warmer. He would sit and stare across the field as if the answer would come to him from the other side.

It took less time to walk there with no snow. Soon Mark was sitting down on a fallen tree, his hands clasped together between his knees. If someone did not know him, they would have mistaken his pose for praying. Instead of he was thinking. And hard.

Even now he could barely remember what had happened. Sending the thing that had wanted Jamie to hell was the last thing he could really recall. The more he tried to force it, the less likely it was to come. He did had flashes though. Of being in his room. And of making love to Jamie. That one may or may not have been his imagination because he could not tell for sure either way. Glen had told him before that sometimes when Mark came back, it could take hours or even days for him to come back all the way. Others did not have the same problem, such as Lucy. She could pop in and out at will. Mark had been taught differently, and he could only do what he knew.

Time passed. He slowly focused on the fact that the wildflowers in the field were blooming. There were bright splashes of purple, blue, pink, yellow and white against the lush green of the ground. And there were butterflies everywhere. He did not know why or how he knew it, but Jamie would love this. Hell she would have loved just the walk out here and sitting down and being quiet. Or maybe he just missed her so much that he was imprinting his own thoughts on her memory. He did not think that was right though.

Mark was lost in those thoughts when the voice spoke from behind him.

“We aren't supposed to interfere.” The voice repeated, as if trying to get it straight in its own mind. Mark slowly turned and saw a man standing there.

Of course it was not a man in the true sense of the word. Mark could see through him. And he realized that this was a spirit he already knew. It was Jamie's brother, John.

“My parents keep saying that to me. Because they promised. But I never promised a damn thing, so here I am. Sort of.” John looked down at himself. Then he looked at Mark with an unreadable expression on his face. “Why are you just sitting out here? Why aren't you doing what you wanna do and go get her?”

Mark rolled his eyes. “I don't even know where she is.” He said, looking back across the field.

“You could ask.”

“I have asked.” Mark grouched. It was true. He had asked Glen who asked Kayla who refused to talk about it. That she and Lucy went on a trip to see Jamie was common knowledge. The exact location of the trip was a secret. He would give it to his soon to be sister-in-law. She stuck to her word when she made a promise.

“Are you seriously going to lie to yourself even now? Ask me where she is. Ask any of the ghosts who are hangin' around waiting for help. One of us would have gladly given you a hand in exchange.” There were noises from behind Mark. He started to turn but changed his mind. It sounded as if John were breaking a branch.

“In exchange for what? I can only do one thing.”

“Bullshit. But you go on thinking that. I am going to help you out. One time. Because I am tired of seeing my sister so miserable.” The noises stopped. “Use it if you want. If not...well. Just so you know there's a guy interested in Jamie.”

“What?” Mark frowned.

“Oh yeah. Nice guy. Has a kid Jamie already loves. Won't be very long before he joins the club.” John sat down next to Mark. “Matter of fact, I think they're gonna go out tonight. And again in fact, I'm pretty sure he's gonna offer her a little more than a shoulder to cry on this evening. Because he was her first friend since she left, and she likes him. But not like she likes you. And he's been holding back but that could change though.”

Mark sucked in a deep breath. “Does she still...”

“What? Have feelings for you? Do you really have to ask that? She can't turn them on and off, and she's not used to doing what you do. Isolation isn't her. So you need to choose. And choose now. Like I said, use it if you want to. If not better be prepared to really let her go.” And with those words John disappeared. Mark shoved his hands through his hair and sighed.

He rose to his feet and turned, and saw what John had been doing with the broken branch. The ground had been stirred up, then smoothed. A number was written in the dirt. It was a phone number. Mark half-smiled and committed it to memory. He would have to go to town, since Glen and Kayla were gone wedding shopping. He would need to get to a phone. Because he knew that he could not wait. He wanted to hear her voice again, even if she was telling him to get lost before hanging up on him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie tried to move her heavy grocery bag to her other arm so she could get her front door unlocked. She could hear her phone ringing from inside. She finally got it, managed to set her bag down without dropping it and grabbed the phone before it could ring again. “Hello?” She tried to catch her breath, thinking it was probably Steve calling about that night. He was at work, and Abby was with him today, helping him around the shop.

So she could not have been more shocked when it was Mark's voice she heard.

“Jamie?” He sounded unsure. But she would know that voice anywhere, and from just speaking her name. She had dreamed about it too much to not recognize it.

“Mark?” She sat down on the arm of the couch with a huff of air as the strength seemed to run out of her legs.

There was a minute of total silence. Jamie was about to break it, but Mark beat her to the punch.

“Jamie...I guess...I...” He could not seem to form a sentence. “How are you?” He finally asked, unsure of exactly what to say or how to say it.

“I'm...all right. Good actually.” Jamie thought her voice probably sounded strange but if it did Mark did not mention it. “And you?”

Mark snorted softly. “Oh I'm great. Same as always. What did I do?”

The question surprised her. “What do you mean?”

“I did something. Obviously. To chase you off. What was it? I don't remember much after going to the clearing, and even that is kind of fuzzy.”

“You...” Jamie paused a moment. What had he done? And then it hit her. He blamed himself for her leaving. In a way it was true but this had nothing to do with those few minutes when he had seemed to be not himself. “Nothing. You didn't do anything wrong. I just...I had to go.”

“Just tell me the truth, because it is all pretty blurry to me, darlin'. What happened? After?” Mark's voice in her ear made Jamie feel tingly all over.

“Uh...well. We went back to the house.” Jamie forced herself to remember. That night was not something she often liked to revisit. Not because of the first part. It was the second part that had the power to hurt. “You took a shower. I dressed your wounds. You were acting a bit strange but it passed...I thought you were just tired. And we slept together. Had sex. You know.” Now she stumbled on her words.

There was another silence. Jamie waited him out. Surely he did not call to get a recap of their last night together. It took almost two minutes but he finally spoke again.

“Come back. Please.” He said it so low that Jamie had to strain to hear it. And it brought tears to her eyes.

“I can't.” She said, taking a shaky breath.

Mark closed his eyes and hated himself for making her cry. “Why can't you? I want you here. With me.”

“I want to be with you. I really do.” Jamie was trying hard to hold her emotions in at least until she got off the phone. “But I can't just lock myself away from the rest of the world. I can't live like a hermit. And whether you have this power, or gift, or whatever the hell you want to call it or not, you can't either. There are ways around it. I've already found some.”

“Don't you think I've tried everything?” Mark asked, sounding more hurt with every word Jamie spoke.

“I think you and your brother settled into your backwoods hideout and let the world go by because it was the first thing that worked. Not the only thing though. And now look at Glen! He's going to move in with Kayla after the wedding...”

“I know. You think I don't know that?” Mark had been witness to his brother's drifting away. They were still close, but he could sense the eagerness in Glen to get on with his life. Mark didn't blame him. Glen had his woman, his whole life ahead of them, and unless he was misreading his brother's hints, a baby that would be born around Christmas.

“I think you choose to ignore it.” Jamie said sadly. “Do you have a pen handy?”

“What? Why?” There were rustling noises and Jamie waited him out again. “Yeah. I got one. For what?”

“Take down this address.” Jamie said, and told him. She even spelled the name of the street and town.

“I can't talk you into coming back, can I?” Mark sounded so tired, it twisted Jamie's stomach.

“No. Not for this. For this you have to come to me. There is a flight that leaves in an hour. Its the same one Kayla and Lucy took when they visited.” Jamie looked at the clock to confirm it. “If you make it you can be here by eight or so tonight. And then we can talk.”

“Jamie...”

“I'll go to the airport. If you don't get off the plane, then I don't want to hear from you again. Because I am not going to wait forever for you to make up your mind.” With that Jamie gently hung up the phone. And belatedly remembered her date with Steve. “Shit.” She muttered under her breath. She picked up her phone again, wiping her eyes with her free hand before dialing his work number.

“Yeah?” He sounded busy, so Jamie did not want to keep him. But as soon as she said hello he told her to hold on and went into his office where it was quiet. “What's the matter? You all right?”

Jamie took a deep breath and tried to get a grip on her voice. It had given away the fact she'd been crying. “I have a problem. Tonight.”

“Ok. What's up?” Steve sat on the edge of his desk with the phone tucked between his shoulder and chin. He wiped his hands with a towel to get some of the grease off.

Jamie, in as few words as possible told him what had happened. There was quiet as Steve processed the information. When he spoke, she was surprised yet again.

“Every time you talk about him, you get a kind of tone to your voice. You care about him. I know that.” Steve said it softly. “You think he'll come?”

“I don't know.” Jamie said honestly. That was the hell of it. Any other man and she could have said with conviction. Mark was not like other men though.

“Well hon, I like you. And I think you know that. But if this guy is gonna stand you up tonight I'm not gonna lie and say I'm upset. And if he does show up then I'll be the first to shake his damn hand cuz he has got himself a hell of a woman.”

Jamie scoffed. “So...”

“So if you want I will take you to the airport. If he doesn't come, we can go to dinner like we planned. If he does...I'll eat by myself. You can catch a rental back.” There was humor in his voice. Steve had backed off for a reason, and this was it. He did not want to get attached to her now just to have this other man waltz in and snatch her away. Maybe if this Mark guy didn't show, Jamie could finally let go. He didn't know which side he wavered on to be honest.

“Ok. Thank you Steve. I am...I'm sorry. I know we had plans and...”

“Don't apologize to me. Get your closure one way or the other. I think I'll be happy when I see you happy finally. So I'll pick you up at seven?”

“That would be fine.” Jamie said, once more wiping her eyes. She was turning into a regular basket case. “Thank you Steve.”

“Don't mention it. I gotta go finish up and get this place closed. I'll see you in a bit.”

Jamie said her goodbye and hung up but did not immediately move. She thought of calling the airport, to check the flight, or even to see if he had booked the flight. But she stopped herself from going that far. She did call and check the flight times, and found that she had been right. The airplane would get in at eight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie looked at her watch for what felt like the millionth time. She was pacing back and forth at the small airport, but she had a view of the gate where the plane would let off any minute. It had landed on time but it felt like she waited a lifetime before the flight was announced as arrived and disembarking.

She finally stopped and leaned against the security rail to watch people trickle through the open doors. Steve was sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs behind her, reading a magazine, acting for all the world like he was waiting on someone he knew to get off a plane as well. Jamie knew he was just waiting to see the outcome.

A larger crowd of people were walking up the ramp and through security. Jamie did not see Mark. He would have been easy to spot, as he would have stood at least a head and maybe more over the rest of the passengers. The rush trickled to a few, then to none. Jamie tried to hide her disappointment. She really did. It lasted all of three seconds. She pushed her hair back from her temples, then covered her face with her hands and tried not to cry. Someone put an arm around her, and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“Didn't show?” Steve asked softly in her ear. Jamie shook her head, took a deep breath and straightened up, removing her hands from her face. She blinked a few times to clear the tears away. “Hon, I'm so sorry.” She looked at him and saw that yes, he meant it. It was not just a line to make her think he gave a damn. He actually seemed to care.

“It is all right. I knew...I guess somehow I knew he wouldn't show up. He can't leave his lair you know. Not even for me. He won't take a chance even for this.”

“Well, he's a fuckin' nutcase then.” Steve kissed her on the head, right above the ear as he turned her and led the way outside to where he had parked. “You wanna go home? We can always go out and eat tomorrow night with Abby. Or any other night you want. You might wanna be alone for a bit though. I can understand that.”

Steve opened her door for her, but Jamie paused and turned before climbing in. She looked up at him with a frown. “Thank you but I would like to go out tonight. I think I deserve to be catered to just a little bit. I might not be great company but...”

“Hell woman. You're the most interesting friend I've ever had.” Steve grinned at her. “Hop in. I'm starvin'.” He helped Jamie inside.

And Jamie realized the next day that what happened was her fault. She drank a little too much wine. She was not a drinker by nature, so when she had ordered her first glass it had been with the intention of just that – one glass. That turned into two. And then three. Steve had been concerned but didn't cut her off. He drank water since he was driving, waving off her idea of getting a taxi home. He could drink at home, he told her. For now he just wanted to enjoy her company.

It was a lot of fun. Jamie forget at times to be angry with Mark. And by the time Steve drove them home her head was swimming pleasantly. Steve had escorted her to the door, taken her key and unlocked it. And that was when Jamie had pressed close to him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

Steve enjoyed it for a minute, using his tongue against hers and drawing a happy little moan full of heat from her throat. But as she pulled him impatiently toward her bedroom, he regretfully took her hands to stop her from grabbing him.

“Jamie...I wanna go in there with you like you wouldn't believe.” He said, his voice so husky it was a wonder he could talk at all. “I'm gonna fuckin' hate myself for doin' this but I can't. Not now. You've been drinkin' and...well...you're mad at him. It is kind of a blow to the old ego knowin' you probably wouldn't be doin' this with me unless you were pissed off at him.” He kissed her on the forehead.

“Ugh. He has nothing to do with this.” Jamie said heatedly. She pulled away from Steve and hugged her arms around herself. “I thought you wanted me. I told you its been a long time. I can't even read signals anymore.”

“You're crazy. I want you. But I want you sober and not thinkin' about some other guy that wronged you when I get you.” Steve caught her and pulled her close, hugging her tightly. She relented and wrapped around him, her whole body going limp. “Its gonna kill me to walk way Jamie, but I have to. Don't be mad at me. You'd end up hating me more if I stayed.” He kissed her forehead again and with real regret let her go. He walked away and closed the door behind him.

Jamie knew he was right. It didn't make the rejection hurt any less. She went to her room and kicked her shoes off before collapsing on her bed. Tears she had held in since the airport came out now, pouring from her as if her heart were breaking. In truth it was. She threw her pillows across the room and covered her head with her hands and cried herself to sleep, wanting it to just be over already. She didn't want to miss Mark, in fact she wanted to hate him for this. But she couldn't. No matter how she tried she couldn't.

3

The phone ringing woke Jamie up the next morning.

Groaning she sat up and looked down at her clothes. She barely remembered getting into bed. Her head was pounding, her nose was stuffy, and her sinuses were killing her. That was what she got for crying herself to sleep. She stumbled blearily to the living room and grabbed the phone in mid-ring, managing to croak out a 'hello'.

“Jeez. Rough night?” Kayla said with a laugh. Jamie huffed and held her head, trying to breath in through her nose.

“I have a cold.” She explained it away. “What's up? It's freakin' early.” Jamie spotted the clock on the microwave. It was just a few minutes past eight o'clock.

“i know. But I figured you would be up. I didn't know you were sick.”

“I'll be fine. A gallon juice and a hot shower and I'll be almost human again.”

“Good! I just realized that I never got an answer from you.”

“An answer about what?” Jamie winced at Kayla's chirpy, happy voice. She wanted to kill her. Instead she went to the cabinet over the stove and dug out a bottle of aspirin.

“If you would be my maid of honor, goofball. You never called, so I figured I'd give you a day or three to think it over.” Kayla said with a laugh.

“Maid of honor? I thought it was just a bridesmaid.”

“Yeah, well you got upgraded. I don't know how we're going to get you fitted for a dress since you're way the hell and gone down there and there is only a month to go technically.”

“Well I haven't said I would do it yet.” Jamie said wryly. She swallowed three aspirin with a drink of water.

“You have to! I haven't asked anybody else and I just really want you to be there for me since you were there at the beginning. Lucy is going to be a bridesmaid as well.” Kayla went on in that same tone until she noticed that Jamie hadn't made a peep. “What? What's wrong?”

“I don't think I'm going to make it to this wedding.” Jamie said, unable to not sound disappointed.

“Oh come on. Why not?”

“Do I really need to get into the why not of it?” Jamie asked. “You're staying with one very big reason.”

“Mark? Psh, woman please. If you don't wanna deal with him, we ladies will be staying at my cousin's place. We're getting married in the woods. In that clearing. Weird huh? But it seems so right. You can avoid him all day, not like he can drag you off in mid-ceremony. Plus I'll make Glen make him behave. So please? Please, pleasepleaseplease.”

Jamie had to laugh. She sobered quickly enough. “I don't know Kay. Listen, he called me yesterday...”

“WHAT!” Kayla squealed it in her ear so loud that Jamie nearly dropped the phone.

“I don't know how he got my number, and I don't want to know how he got it. But I told him to come down here. I told him if he didn't show up on the plane then he could forget it. Well...”

“He's upstairs. He...that asshole didn't go!” Kayla was pissed for her. Jamie closed her eyes and tried not to think about Mark sleeping just above her friend's head. “We got back from the store and he wasn't here, then he showed up and stomped upstairs to his room. Didn't come down for anything. He didn't even want to talk to Glen when he checked on him last night.”

Jamie sighed. Of course. Of course he couldn't leave the protection of everything he knew. Not for anything. She saw a movement in the mirror across the room and ignored it. Her mother could wait. Jamie was definitely not in the mood for advice from her family that was for sure. “And that is the real reason why I can't go. Because I want to go back to him, you know? It is so hard to stay here when he said he wanted me to come back...but I can't lock myself away in the woods. I'm not afraid of...whatever the hell this power is that we have. He is for some reason.”

“Jams...I'm so sorry.” Kayla sniffled a bit. Jamie paused in her ranting.

“What's wrong?” She asked, immediately concerned.

“Nothing is wrong. I'm just sad that he's doing this. You guys belong together. He's just a man. They never see it until way too late. You'll be married with three kids and he'd suddenly be like...oh damn, I shoulda done something.” Even though she was still obviously crying, Kayla was laughing as well. “I'm pregnant. Ignore my mood swings. I'm all over the place right now.”

“What?” Jamie grinned. “Congratulations!”

“Indeed. It took so little effort on my part. I practically just laid there.” Kayla snickered and Jamie heard her clap a hand over her mouth to stifle it. “I think I woke the natives.” Kayla whispered. “Wait a sec...”

Jamie tapped her fingers on the counter and listened to the sound of muffled voices. Kayla was obviously conversating. Every now and then it was punctuated with a deeper sound. Jamie closed her eyes. She told herself it was just Glen but even though they were brothers, and Kayla was covering the mouthpiece, she still new Mark's voice when she heard it. The phone rattled and Kayla came back on the line.

“Sheesh. Overprotective in-laws already. Do people always think preggos are crazy?”

“Most of the time.”

“Don't worry I didn't tell him who I was talking to.” Kayla said, keeping her voice down.

“Good. Because I told him if he didn't show up last night I was done. And I mean it.”

“I know, Jamie. It still makes me sad though. So please will you at least think about the wedding? I want you there, and I promise not to let him corner you or drag you away like a caveman or any of that other stuff.”

“I will have to let you know, Kay.”

“All right. I'm sending the dress. You can get it fitted and...”

“I said I would let you know!” Jamie laughed and interrupted her.

“I took that as an 'I can't wait to see you guys!'.” Kayla said with a laugh.

“So is the invite a plus one?” Jamie asked, going toward her mail that was still on the counter. The invitation was still there.

“It's plus however many you want to bring.” Kayla sounded happy again. “Oh tell me you're thinking of that hot neighbor of yours.”

“Maybe. I gotta run but I'll let you now. Take care now.” Jamie laughed and hung up the phone on Kayla's sputter. It was a rare day when she got the last word over her friend. And Jamie thought it was sort of strange that Kayla hadn't asked how she had liked the book. Pregnancy and a wedding. She already had too much on her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“A wedding?” Steve scratched his goatee thoughtfully.

Jamie had taken a shower after Kayla's call, changed her clothes and put down enough caffeine to wake her up the rest of the way. Steve had already left for work, and Abby was still at her friend's house, so since Jamie had to go to town anyway she stopped at the garage on the pretense of getting her oil changed.

Steve did it himself, and talked to her the whole time. He avoided talking about their 'date', which she appreciated, but it was not necessary. Even though she had been drinking, she was responsible for her actions. She had known what she was doing. There was no shame in that.

She had told him about Kayla's wedding and had almost chickened out, but the amused expression on his face made her ask if he would like to be her date for the wedding. Abby would be permitted as well if her mother did not mind the trip.

“I normally reserve the fourth for drinking beer, grillin' steaks, and watching fireworks go off over the lake.” Steve finally said, tightening the last bolt under her Jeep. Jamie looked so disappointed he laughed. “But I reckon I can do those things with you after this wedding.” Jamie looked so happy he hated to bring up his next point, but he did it anyway. “Just gotta know...how much of your askin' has to do with that guy that stood you up last night?”

She tried to hang on to her smile but it was a losing battle. “A lot.” She admitted. Steve smiled.

“As long as you're not kiddin' yourself that you asked me cuz I was gonna be alone or some other shit like that.” He stepped back and lowered her Jeep to the ground. “All done. This one's on me, hon.”

“You don't have to do that.”

“Sure I do. I made ya sad for a minute there and I'm sorry about it. Plus I own the place. Not like the boss is gonna jump on my ass for it.” He rubbed his hands on a cloth he pulled out of his back pocket. “How about lunch?”

“How about it?”

“Ha. Smart ass. Wanna go eat with me? I was just gonna run across the street for a sandwich but since I hope to have a hot woman with me, I might fancy it up with a burger.”

Jamie laughed at him. He could be silly when he wanted to be. Most of the time he chose not to be. She liked him all the more for his weird sense of humor. “I suppose I can be seen with you in public. If you buy the food.”

“What?” Steve asked as Jamie followed him to the sinks in the corner. He scrubbed the last of the oil off his hands and dried them on a clean towel. “I change your oil for free and you wanna meal out of it? I feel like I'm getting taken advantage of.” He slung an arm over her shoulder. Jamie grinned up at him. And figured her life would have been a lot less complicated if it was Steve she had fallen for six months ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie was not shocked a bit when she answered the door the next afternoon to the postman yet again. He was carrying a much bigger box. She signed and took it, stuck between being eager to see it and dreading it at the same time.

She pulled off the tape holding the box closed but got interrupted when the front door opened. Steve poked his head in. Abby was close at his heels. “You wanna come for a walk with us?” He asked, not seeing the gigantic box. Jamie smirked.

“As soon as I check out this dress. Come on in, it'll only take a minute.” Jamie went back to the box. Abby came to stand beside her, always eager to see what was in a package. Steve leaned against the wall by the door, arms crossed over his chest, enigmatic smile on his lips.

“Oooh wow.” Abby breathed out as Jamie finally got the box open. The dress was wrapped in plastic but it was a beautiful pale purple. She unzipped the clear garment bag and extracted the dress, holding it up by the hanger. It would be ankle length, and was made of some soft, flowing material that Jamie couldn't name. There were purple sparkling stones that followed a diagonal line down the torso. It was strapless. Abby touched it gingerly and smiled. “So pretty. You'll look like a princess!”

“Actaully, hon, the BRIDE is supposed to look like a princess. I just hope it fits halfway decent.” Jamie held it up to her chest and looked down at it.

“So go try it on.” Steve spoke finally from the door. Jamie smiled at him.

“I thought you wanted to go for a walk.”

“I do. But walkin' ain't goin' anywhere. You can try on your pretty dress.” Steve said, in his thickest accent. Jamie laughed and took the dress into the bedroom. Five minutes later she came out and Steve was unable to talk to compliment her. She was stunning. The dress almost fit her, it was a little too long, and a little too loose around the waist. The material hugged her body and the color brought out her eyes and made her skin pop. She had a nice tan she had cultivated since she had moved here.

“So...” Jamie asked, waiting for his reaction. Abby skipped around her, taking it in.

“So pretty!” She repeated again. “Daddy, can I have a dress?”

At her question Steve shook himself out of his scrutiny of Jamie. Abby had not once in her short life asked for a dress. She had protested dresses as soon as she started talking.

“I think we can find ya somethin', babydoll.” He finally managed to say. His eyes went back to Jamie. She was adjusting the neckline and smoothing the material over her waist, shifting it so it fit closer to her skin in the front. “Hon, you look beyond amazin'. I can't even come up with a word for it.” He finally said, wishing that he was more articulate. Saying someone looked good had been his idea of a compliment. He thought Jamie deserved better than that though.

And so he pushed away from the wall and walked around her, looking at the dress. It had a short train, and if it was an outside wedding then it would look fantastic against the grass. The back was simple, but if she put her hair up it would expose about eight miles of tanned skin. He finally ended up in front of her looking down. “Gorgeous.” He finally admitted. Jamie grinned up at him.

“Thanks.” She smoothed her hands down her hips. And noticed he was still standing close in front of her. “What is it?”

“Nothin'.” He smiled. “Better get changed though, because you look awfully temptin'.”

“If you say so.” Jamie said with a laugh. She turned and went back to her bedroom in a swirl of fabric. Steve glanced at his daughter and smiled.

“You ready for that walk now?” He asked to pull her attention back to him.

“Sure Daddy.” Abby skipped over to his and took his hand. Jamie entered the room wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She sat down and tugged on her shoes.

“So where are we walking?” She asked, pocketing her keys as they walked out the door. Steve shrugged.

“Little bit here wanted to wander. So we're gonna wander til we get hungry for lunch. Am I right?” He smiled as Abby took Jamie's hand, linking the three of them together.

“Right, Daddy.” She smiled up at him, showing her dimples. Jamie made sure her door was locked and squeezed Abby's hand in her own.

They stuck to the road. Abby kept them occupied with her chatter. She had something to say about everything. Every now and then Steve would look at Jamie and they would smile. And it was strange, how comfortable Jamie felt around the two of them. It was like having an even bigger family.

They made it back an hour later. Jamie wanted to call Kayla about the dress so Steve took Abby to his house to start lunch. She watched them go and waved when Abby looked back. The little girl waved happily and skipped with her dad onto the front yard.

Smiling, Jamie turned the key in the lock and stepped into the air conditioning, sighing in relief as she shut the door. She tossed her keys onto the counter and turned to the couch where she had left the cordless phone.

And ran nose first into a hard chest.

Jamie yelped and almost fell backward but strong hands grabbed her shoulders. She found herself unable to even breath as she looked up...into Mark's piercing green eyes.

4

Jamie did not know what to do. A part of her wanted to dance for joy that he had finally appeared, wanted to grab onto him and hold him and kiss him and...hell. The other part was so mad at him it was scary.

“What...” She had to stop and clear her throat. His hands were still on her shoulders and she was well aware of them. “What are you doing here?” It came out a whisper. She was holding her anger back but having trouble doing so.

“I couldn't stay away.”

Jamie stepped away. He let her go and watched as she backed up against the counter out of his reach. “I told you...I said if you didn't show up the other night then I wasn't...I didn't...I do not want to see you.” She finally managed to spit it out.

“I had to think about it.” Mark admitted. He was fighting the urge to touch her again, just because he sensed if he tried it she might take his arm off.

“You had to think about it? You think that's what I want to hear?” Jamie asked. She still could not believe he was here.

“No. I think that's what happened.” Mark sighed and dragged a hand through is hair. “I don't do anything on impulse and I do even less with an ultimatum. Or maybe you hadn't figure that out about me.”

“You keep on talking, eventually you might say something right.” Jamie said softly.

“I didn't come all the way down here to fight with you...”

“Well what the hell did you come for? I told you...that was it. I gave you months. Months! And nothing. And when you called I thought wow...finally. But what do you really want? Not me because you had to 'think' about it.” She even did air quotes with her fingers for that one, because it really was ridiculous. “How did you find my number?” She asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Mark shrugged. “Had some help.”

“Really. Living breathing human help?”

“No. Actually. Your brother...” Mark did not get to finish.

“Son of a bitch.” Jamie said it under her breath. She spun on her heel and looked at the mirror that hung on the wall. Mark followed her gaze and was not surprised in the

least to see John reflected back, as if Jamie's anger had conjured him up. He had the forethought to look sheepish as Jamie stared at him, unable to speak yet again. Finally it all came out. “I told you to stay out of it! Fuck! Even dead you people won't leave me the hell alone.” She turned back to Mark. “Get out. Just get out. I can not deal with this right now.”

She did not wait for a reaction or an argument. Jamie went to her bedroom and slammed the door so hard the pictures rattled on the walls. Mark eyed John in the mirror. The ghostly image shrugged.

“Figured she would get mad. You should have come when she told you to. Jamie can be bossy when she wants to be. I spoiled her a little bit.” He smiled. “Better take care of it.” With that he faded away. Mark shook his head. Great that was just what he needed. More advice from someone he could not beat up when it blew up in his face.

He went to the bedroom door and tried the knob. It was locked. It would be easy enough to push it in, the door was flimsy as hell, but Mark did the decent thing and knocked softly. “Jamie...” She did not answer him. He waited a moment and knocked softly again. “Please Jamie...let me...hell. You think it was easy for me to come down here? You got thrown into my lap when I thought I was done with this shit. You want me to make snap decisions and I...just...can't. Not even for this. I never have, don't think I ever will.” He rested his forehead against the door. “But I'm here now. Doesn't that count for anything?”

“Not hardly.” Her voice came from inches away, muffled by the wood. Mark smiled. She was leaning against the door, at least listening to him.

“Jamie...please. Let me in.” Mark said it so low, he wasn't sure she could hear him.

“Give me one good reason why I should.” She spoke, answering his thought. Her voice was watery sounding. She was crying again. It killed him to think that he was causing her even more pain.

“Just one?” Mark asked. He sighed heavily. “I love you. That's one.”

There was silence from beyond the door. It stretched on for so long that Mark was worried she had fallen asleep. Or climbed out a window. But then he heard her move and could picture her, leaning against the door with her hands pressed against the wood.

“I don't think I can believe that.” She finally said.

“Well whether you wanna believe it or not, it is the truth. I do. I love you.”

“Please leave.” Jamie said. “Please. Now I need time to think.”

“I can give you all the time you want, Jamie. I'm staying in town. I'll get a room at a bed and breakfast or something...I will stay out of your way and you won't even know I'm here. But I hope you do know...that I am not leaving town until you tell me I have to. I came all the way here against everything I wanted and here I am. And you're not getting rid of me so easy.” Mark paused and sucked in a deep breath. “I'm sorry. Jamie I really am. I should have come sooner, I was just...” He sighed. “I'm leaving. I'll...call or...you can come find me in town.” He didn't wait for an answer. He left the way he had come in. Jamie waited for ten minutes, listening. She faintly heard the sound of a car engine starting up.

She risked opening the door. He was gone. Jamie felt relief and disappointment. She had been so happy to see him, and she had been a bitch but that was what he deserved. She sat down on the couch and swiped at her eyes. He loved her. He loved her and she had told him to leave.

The phone rang, making her jump. Jamie grabbed it and hit the button, bringing it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hon, you comin' over or what? Burgers are gonna be burnt to a crisp by the time you show up.” It was Steve. Jamie realized she should have been over there at least half an hour ago.

“I'm coming. I just...got to talking. You know.” She tried to sound as happy as she'd been when he had left her at the door.

“Of course. Well come on. Abby is wantin' some extra time since she's leaving in a couple of days with her mom.”

“I'll be right there.” Jamie said with a laugh that sounded real. She hung up and stood to look in the mirror. Her eyes were a little red. She brushed her cheeks one last time with her palms, making sure she hadn't left any wetness behind, and put her sunglasses on. She would pass, but Steve was awfully sharp. She was going to have to really put on her game face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was tough, but Jamie pulled it off. After eating she had settled in for some real Abby time, pushing her on the swing in the backyard, helping her practice her cartwheels and flips, and avoiding Steve's curious glances. He knew something was off but he didn't discuss it in front of Abby. The one time he had gotten Jamie alone was in his kitchen as he put together a salad for dinner that night. She had left Abby in the back, coloring with her crayons, to go in to refill her ice water. She had turned from the fridge and Steve had been there with his hands full of lettuce and tomatoes.

Jamie opened the fridge door for him and after he had put things away he turned to her, that curious look on his face. She figured he was going to ask her what was wrong, and the temptation was there to spill it all. And she did not want to hurt Steve. She knew he liked her, and if she told him about Mark showing up after her giving up on him...

But Steve didn't talk. Instead he smiled at her and shooed her out of the kitchen so he could finish dinner. The day had passed so fast. It was nearing on seven when he put the steaks on the grill. They ate forty minutes later at the patio table. Mark's visit earlier had taken on a dreamlike quality. As if it had never happened at all. And maybe she had just dreamed him up. It sure would not be the first time.

Jamie turned down Steve's offer of a beer after dinner. In fact, she hugged father and daughter and told them she was tired and wanted to head home to get ready for bed. A cool breeze had come up as they ate, and clouds were building to the west. Jamie breathed in the smell of the approaching storm and hoped she would sleep well that night. Too much had happened too quickly. She needed time to process it all.

At her own house, she was restless. And was it any wonder? Mark had shown up after she had given up hope that he would. And as much as she liked Steve...she loved Mark. She wanted to be with Mark. She was sick and tired of thinking about Mark.

She picked up her phone. She dialed Steve's number. He answered on the first ring. Apparently he had been waiting for her to call and tell him why she had been acting so strange. So she did. She spilled the whole thing. He was quiet throughout, occasionally saying an uh-huh or hmm. Jamie finished talking and waited a few moments, wondering if he was going to get angry at her.

But it didn't happen. “Hon, I understand what you're sayin'. I'm just rollin' it around in my mind.” Steve paused for a moment. “What do you wanna do then?”

“I don't know.” Jamie said with a sigh. “I'm sorry for dumping this in your lap. But I don't know what I want, and its driving me crazy, and it is definitely not fair to you.”

“Fair to me?” There was amusement in his voice. “Hon why in the world would you feel like you had to be fair to me? Or fair to him for that matter? You gotta do what's right for yourself.”

Jamie sighed and pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the sliding door. She was looking out over the lake. “When do I figure out what's right for me then?”

Steve chuckled. “You'll know when you know.” There was a moment of silence, broken only by a low rumble of thunder. “Come back over and hang out with me. Have a beer. We can watch the storm come in. I don't wanna be by myself tonight.” He admitted, but he still sounded amused.

“You have Abby.” Jamie pointed out, smiling.

“She's getting ready for bed. And I hate drinkin' alone, hon.”

Jamie sighed. “All right. But I'm gonna be even worse company that I was earlier.”

“I doubt that, hon.” Steve said with a laugh. Jamie huffed at him, not sure if that was an insult or not but he hung up before she could ask.

She grabbed a sweater from her room before stepping outside. With the storm coming, the breeze had gotten rather cool. She wrapped it around her shoulders and went out the back door to head to Steve's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was just past three in the morning when the storm hit their side of the lake.

Jamie was still up. She was in Steve's living room, watching out the windows as the wind blew waves on the lake. They hit the shore rhythmically, almost hypnotically. Lightning flashed non-stop and the thunder was so loud Jamie was surprised it didn't tear the roof off the house with the vibrations.

She and Steve had sat outside on the porch until about an hour before. He drank steadily on his beer, and talked quietly when it was required, but for the most part they sat in silence and watched the storm come.

When he finally called it a night, it was sprinkling. He had gotten Jamie a blanket and pillow for the couch, where she said she would crash if she didn't just run home. She had to smile when he kissed her...on the cheek. He knew not to push her and for that she was grateful. But it did not help her come to a decision. About anything. She had given Mark an ultimatum and a cut off time, and he had missed it. But he was here now. He was here. She had given him months, what was a couple of extra days?

It was thinking about the men in her life that made Jamie say up. The storm was an added bonus. It went on for what seemed like an age, spilling three inches of rain, blowing down trees, knocking out the power. Jamie heard a soft noise behind her and turned to see Abby standing on the stairs. The little girl was rubbing her eyes and yawning.

“Hey. Storm wake you up?” Jamie asked, going to her and picking her up. She was so little it often surprised her. Abby would be six in just a couple of weeks, she was younger than Jamie had first thought, but she was a regular pixie compared to her beefy father.

“Yeah. And I couldn't wake daddy up. He's snoring away.” Abby hugging Jamie as a bolt of lightning struck outside and thunder cracked overhead. She felt the little one jump and held her tight, smoothing her hair.

“Well it's all right. I'm up and I'll sit with you until this goes away.” Jamie carried Abby to the wooden rocking chair in the corner. She could still see out the windows as she held the little girl and rocked her, soothing her by humming softly under her breath. She thought Abby was asleep. So she was surprised when she spoke and sounded wide awake.

“It wasn't the storm.” she said softly. “I had a bad dream that Daddy wouldn't wake up.” Jamie felt Abby shudder. She held her tighter.

“Well he's fine. I bet we can both wake him up, if you really need to.” She smoothed Abby's hair back from her face. Abby nodded. Jamie understood. She wouldn't feel better or be able to go back to sleep unless she saw for herself that her father was all right.

She took Abby's hand and they went upstairs. Steve's room was to the right. She let Abby lead the way as they entered the dark room. Jamie could hear Steve's steady breathing. She smiled in the dark and she and Abby both got on the bed to poke him and wake him up.

He did so reluctantly. Steve huffed and managed to crack an eye open but it was too dark to see much. When lightning flashed he got a quick look at his daughter and Jamie. “What's wrong?” He asked, stretching, trying to wake up enough to hear the answer.

“Abby had a bad dream.” Jamie said. “She wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“I'm fine, baby.” Steve groped a hand out and found Abby's wrist. “See? We're all good. You wanna lay down with me for a while?”

“Yes, please.” Abby wiggled her way next to Steve and got under the blankets, snuggling close to her dad. Jamie smiled and started to move from the bed but Abby grabbed her hand. “Don't go. Can Jamie stay too Daddy?”

“If she wants to.” Steve reached over and touched Jamie's other hand. “You can stay too. I guess I'll protect my ladies from the weather.”

Jamie laughed. Even Abby giggled at that. She hesitated but ended up sliding under the blanket anyway. Steve's arm was across his daughter, his hand on Jamie's hip. And Abby's forehead was against her shoulder. Jamie was on her back looking up at the skylight over Steve's bed. It was amazing, watching the storm happen right above her.

It seemed that Jamie blinked and it was morning. She had fallen asleep without realizing it. Gray light came in through the skylight. She opened one eye and looked around. She hated waking up in strange places...but before she could panic, she remembered. Steve's room. And apparently Abby was up already because she was no longer in the bed. Jame looked down and saw Steve's arm looped over her waist. He was pressed up against her back, holding her close to him.

“Mornin'.” His voice was rough with sleep.

“Yup.” Jamie smiled as he hugged her closer. “Abby must be up already.”

“Yeah. She can't stand sleepin' when the sun's up. I can't wait til she's a teenager and she sleeps all day.” Steve snuggled closer and blew out a breath when Jamie's hair tickled his nose. “Guess I better get up and start breakfast.”

“All right.” Jamie missed his warmth as soon as he pulled away and left the bed. He went into the bathroom and she stretched. She needed to go to her house and change clothes and get her own breakfast. And she had to figure out what to do about Mark. She was no closer to a solution for that problem either.

She sat up and ran her fingers through her messy hair, and straightened her shirt. She felt yucky, sleeping in her clothes, but she hadn't thought to grab some pajamas before coming over. She stretched again as she stood up and padded toward the door. Downstairs, Abby was watching cartoons, under the blanket that Steve had brought down for Jamie. The little girl grinned at her.

“I'll be back in a little bit. Tell your Dad all right?”

“Ok. Come eat breakfast with us!” Abby bounded out of the blanket and hugged her. Jamie laughed and hugged back before gathering her shoes and keys. She kissed the top of Abby's head and stepped outside, shivering as cool rain hit her. She shut the door behind her and jogged through the drizzle to her front door. It thundered in the distance, either the fading tail end of their storm or the coming of another.

Back in her house, she looked out the windows surveying the storm damage. There was a tree out front that the wind had almost uprooted. Jamie would have to get that taken care of. But it was a small one, and it was still on her property so it was not pressing. And it was not like she could get anyone out during the rain to take care of it. She shed her clothes and got in the shower, feeling ten times better as she stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself.

Breakfast was a bowl of cereal for her after she had pulled on a tank top and shorts. She knew Steve was probably making pancakes and bacon and eggs for Abby, and even though she would have loved to be cooked for yet again, she decided to let the two of them have some time together. Abby was leaving soon, and it did not matter that Steve would say he didn't mind her company, Jamie knew that Abby wanted her dad's attention all on her for a while. She didn't blame her a bit.

As she washed her bowl and the few dishes from the day before, she wondered, not for the first time, exactly what she was doing. The guy she had been thinking about, dreaming about, was in some B&B in town and she was here washing her dishes like it was just another day. She was still mad at him, there was no denying that, but she wanted him with her anyway.

And she had to face it. She could not really punish him for going against everything he knew or wanted for himself. Yes he was late, but he was here. And that was really what mattered.

She grabbed her keys and headed for town. There were three bed and breakfasts houses in town, and she struck the closest one off her list. It had a cutesy name like The Love Nest, and was mostly a place for newlyweds to spend their first night together before heading off to their real honeymoon. Further up the road was another, and she struck lucky on her first guess.

A woman in her sixties came into the living room/lobby when Jamie walked in. She smiled at her curiously. “Hi, can I help you?”

Jamie smiled back. “Yes. I am looking for a friend of mine. Really, really tall guy, long hair, lots of tattoos?”

The woman smiled. “Of course. Mark. He was such a nice man. Oh, I'm Eve Franklin. My manners. Been a busy morning with check outs.”

Jamie shook her hand a bit confused. “What do you mean, he 'was' nice?”

“Oh. He left about...” Eve glanced at her watch. “Two hours ago. Said he had some business to take care of.” The woman studied Jamie closely and pulled an envelope out of her pocket. “Are you Jamie?”

“I am.”

“He left this for you. He said you might eventually come looking for him.” Eve held out the envelope. Jamie took it with numb fingers.

“Did he say...where he was going?” Jamie asked, unable to believe he had left. He had gone home. She knew he had gone home. Where else would he go?

“Well it was the strangest thing...” Eve smiled, a bit unsure. “A man was here to see him this morning. Young, light hair. And very muscular! I heard them talking as I came down to start the early breakfast. Ten minutes later Mark came with that letter, and said he had to go. I asked him where his friend was and he looked so surprised I had to laugh. He said the man's name but I can't remember it. And said he was out waiting in the car. I didn't see him go but I was busy. He seemed as if if were rather urgent.”

“The man that was talking to him...” Jamie paused, thinking. It couldn't be but it had to be. “Was his name John?”

Eve clapped her hands together. “That was it! So simple a name but he was in such a hurry to go that I barely caught it.” She looked at Jamie. “Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

Jamie laughed shakily. “You have no idea. I have to go. Thank you for this.” She motioned to the envelope. “Did he say he was coming back?”

“Oh. Mark? Yes actually. He said as soon as he got this other business taken care of he would, but he didn't know how long he would be.” Eve walked with Jamie to the door. “I hope everything is all right.”

Jamie mustered up a smile. “I'm sure it is. Thanks so much for the help.” Jamie waved and headed to her Jeep. Once inside with the AC on to keep her windows from fogging over she gingerly tore the side of the envelope open and slid out a folded piece of paper. Jamie hesitated then smoothed the paper over the steering wheel.

Jamie

Some things have come up.

I wish I had time to explain but I have to go.

Stay away from the lake. Stay out of the

water. At least until things calm down.

Most of all stay away from the spirits. The storm...

they are all bad right now. And the lake is full

of them. It is a bad place for people like us

right now. John said you were coming, and I

hope he was right because you should stay in town.

Wait for me here at the B&B if you want, just...

stay away from the lake.

I love you.

Mark

Jamie sat there for five minutes, rereading the note. Eve seemed like a nice enough woman but she understood why Mark had felt the need to seal the note up like a letter. Eve would think Mark was crazy.

Jamie caught herself in a half-smile. Mark was helping. John had managed to come all the way over...

That was when she frowned. John wasn't supposed to be able to get over to this side. She wondered if that was what Mark meant, about the storm stirring things up. Would it make it possible for the spirits who were stuck to move between the worlds?

It almost made sense. Jamie traced his last words with her finger, the 'I love you' that he had actually put in writing.

And was hit with a wave of anxiety so strong she could barely breath. Steve and Abby were still at the lake. In fact, they would probably be swimming in it as soon as the sun peeked out from the clouds. The day was hot even with clouds and rain. And while Steve might be safe, being completely human with no power, Abby could see the spirits. If it was bad for people 'like us' as Mark had said, it would be worse for the little girl who was still too young to understand what she was.

She turned on the radio and found a weather forecast. Another storm was building up and would be in the area in a few hours. They expected tornadoes out of this one because the system was being pushed by a cold front from the east. She snapped the radio off in mid-explanation and shivered a little.

Jamie refolded the note and tucked it into her pocket even as she threw the Jeep into gear. She had to get to the lake and get Steve and Abby out of there. It was hard to believe how scary this was. It was day time. Yet it had all the earmarks of a midnight ghost story, not something that could happen at the start of summer in a quiet place like this.

5

Jamie pulled to a stop in front of Steve's house, wincing as thunder cracked overhead. During the short drive the sky had opened up again. And according to the weather reports worse was yet to come.

Steve's truck was in the drive, as was a car Jamie didn't recognize. She shut off the engine, prepared herself for a dash through the pouring rain, and left her Jeep. She ran to the shelter of the covered porch and knocked on the door. She waited impatiently for a moment before using the side of her fist and banging. Lightning flashed followed by another deep rumble of thunder. Jamie huddled close to the door and tried to knob. It was locked. Which was odd because Steve had not locked his front door in the daytime as long as she had known him.

She was about to bang on the door again, thinking maybe they were upstairs, when she thought she heard a noise. The only sound was the rain falling heavily and the grumbling sky. But it repeated. Jamie sucked in a breath as someone screamed. It was at a distance, and faint, but she heard it anyway. She stumbled off the porch, unmindful of the rain soaking her. She ran toward her side of the house, turning the corner so fast she slid on the wet grass and fell to her knees, skinning one of them bloody.

Jamie ignored the pain and got up, moving fast again even though she was limping a little. The scream came again, louder this time, followed by a voice that wailed 'Daddy'. Abby. It had to be.

Jamie rounded the house almost fell again but she caught her balance. And could only stand there in shock as she looked at the scene in front of her.

The lake was whipped up into a frenzy by the storm again, but it was the people standing on top of the water that drew her eye. It took another moment to realize that they were not moving with the waves. Spirits. There were hundreds of them. Some of them Jamie could not see clearly because they were so transparent. There were many though that looked as real to her as any human, and they scared her. They were all focused on something happening near the water's edge.

And then she saw what they were all looking at.

There was a woman in the water. She was waist deep, waring a dark shirt. She looked familiar. But it was what she was doing that really got Jamie moving again.

The woman had Abby by the arm. Abby was trying to fight her off, even going so far as to bite her. But she was just too small to do much damage. The woman grabbed her by the hair and dunked her under the water.

And Jamie suddenly realized who it was.

She had only seen her once, for a few brief moments, soon after a wolf had tried to take her leg off. Miranda. They had all forgotten about her in the aftermath and Jamie had erased the woman completely from her mind for very personal reasons.

She spotted Jamie and smiled coldly, bringing Abby up for air. The little girl sputtered weakly and gasped for breath. “Is this something that belongs to you?” Miranda called to her in an innocent voice. Like she wasn't trying to drown the little girl. Jamie walked to the water's edge, holding Miranda's eyes with her own. “You stop right there unless you really want me to get rid of this fucking brat.”

Jamie stopped. Did she believe that the woman would let Abby live? No. But she needed to buy some time. Abby was getting her breath back but she was crying. The sound of her sobs sent such rage through Jamie that she could barely see straight.

“You let her go.” Jamie said it softly, but even over the storm and the waves, Miranda heard her. Her eyes narrowed as she pulled Abby tighter to her.

“Or you'll what? She'll be dead before you get to us, and then what are you going to do?”

“Why the fuck are you doing this to her? She didn't do anything to you.” Jamie still kept her voice low. She took a step forward and almost tripped over something in the water. She looked down and sucked in a breath. Steve lay at her feet, face down in the water. She had not seen him because of the waves. Jamie fell to her knees, forgetting the other woman for a moment. She grabbed Steve by the arm and tried to drag him out of the water. She managed to get his head onto the sand. And that was when she got pushed.

Jamie staggered sideways, nearly falling face first into the water herself. It was John. He moved to stand in front of her even as he knocked her over. “Jamie...you have to leave...”

“Not without Abby, I don't.” Jamie righted herself. Miranda was looking at them, amusement in her eyes, Abby under her arm. The bitch was obviously past crazy. Jamie lowered her voice to a whisper. “If you can shove me you can get the kid. I'll deal with psycho.”

John smiled at her over his shoulder. Unlike Jamie, who would have to slog through fifteen feet of water to reach Abby in time, he cut through it as if it were not there. One second he was beside Jamie, the next he was in front of Miranda. It happened in the blink of an eye. Jamie did see movement...from the sides. The other spirits in – or on – the water were moving forward, maybe to stop John, maybe to help him. At this point Jamie did not know.

She ran forward four big steps until the water was above knee level then she dived in.

Miranda lost sight of Jamie as her meddling brother appeared before her. She should have dropped the brat and grabbed him, after all she could open doors as well. She chose not to because helping others was not her mission in life. Neither was getting rid of the bad ones. She hated the whole business and cursed her mother every time one of these ghosts came near her. She took a step back and would have been all right, but something grabbed at her legs and pulled her under the surface of the lake.

John mentally crossed his fingers as the woman dragged Abby under with her. He reached down to the little girl and felt her fingers close over his. He pulled with all his strength and she came up, kicking out of Miranda's grip. Abby gasped for breath and scrambled into John's arms, sobbing her heart out. John felt himself tear up as he turned to carry her back to the safety of the beach.

Mark was there. He didn't have the ability to just pop up anywhere as John did so it had taken him a bit more time to get to where they heard the screams. He got there just in time to see Jamie dive into the water as John distracted Miranda.

He saw Jamie's friend laying to the side and went to him, grabbing him under the arms to pull him further up away from the water. He rolled the man to his back, already afraid of what he would find. He heard the little girl calling for her father as Mark checked him for a pulse. He felt nothing at first, but as he moved his fingers he thought...

He looked at the man's face and waited. Nothing happened. There was no repeat of what he thought he felt. He turned away and saw the little girl squirming her way out of John's arms. Already he was fading, losing the strange strength the storm had given him. He put her down before he could drop her and Abby immediately ran toward Steve's lifeless body screaming for him over and over.

Mark scooped the little girl up before she could get to him though. He had no idea how to go about comforting her, but he held her close and put her head on his shoulder, murmuring softly to her. She was crying out a broken heart and he could not blame her. The girl had probably seen her father get murdered by a woman that Mark himself should have thought to deal with a long time ago.

“Where are they?” Mark was John, who was looking out into the water.

John shook his head. “Gone.”

“What?” Immediately the image of Jamie drowning...

“No. Not dead gone. Just gone. Jamie grabbed her and pulled her through a door.” John scratched head thoughtfully. The gesture was so...living...that Mark almost smiled. “How could Jamie pull her through a door? She wasn't dead.”

“I don't know.” Mark rubbed the sobbing little girl on the back. She had stopped trying to get away from him and weakly cried for her father. Mark almost felt like crying himself, she was definitely getting to him. No wonder Jamie loved the little one so much. She had almost been drowned, but all she cared about was her father.

He turned to scan the water. John was right, there should have been no way that Jamie could pull Miranda through a gate. None of them could take a living human through, even one who shared a power. He saw all of the spirits in the lake were gathering around a certain point, the place where Miranda had been standing. They were waiting, but Mark had no clue what for.

“Come on, Jamie.” He whispered it under his breath. Abby sniffled in his arms and turned her head away from her father to look at the water.

“Is Jamie all right?” She managed to ask between hitching breaths. Mark smoothed her hair back from her face.

“I'm sure she is, darlin'. Just wait and see.” He only hoped he was right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucy had called it a gate to the gate and Jamie had not really understood until now.

She had pulled Miranda under the water, with the sole intention of getting her away from Abby, but as soon as she had touched the other woman she knew she had to do this. Instead of that bright clean warm light of the gates her family had taught her to use, Jamie opened her eyes to deep red light, bone deep cold, and Miranda squirming in her grip.

Jamie was not generally a physically strong person, but she was holding Miranda to her like a bag of snakes, wiggling but lightweight. She fought but Jamie had no trouble keeping her grip. She supposed her absolute anger had something do with that.

She looked around and there was the actual gate. The top was lost with distance as the door rose into the sky. There was someone...or something...standing in front of the gate, looking at her with a dark humor stamped on its features.

“You don't belong here.” The thing spoke and moved, stepping around Jamie as if taking her in from all angles. She heard it sniffing and realized with revulsion that it was smelling her wet hair. Miranda caught sight of it and screamed, doubling her efforts at getting free. “This one is alive!” The thing said gleefully, clapping its hands.

“Yeah. Now what do I do with her?” Jamie sounded a lot gruffer than she felt.

The thing looked at her. Jamie had originally thought it was female. Now she was changing her mind. It looked male in a way she could do put a finger on.

“Take her into the gate. Toss her inside like garbage!” The thing was practically dancing.

“No!” Miranda scratched Jamie's arm, drawing blood. The thing's eyes were drawn to it like steel to a magnet. It licked its lips with a tongue that Jamie saw was forked.

The scratch didn't hurt. What hurt was thinking about Steve, lying there on the beach, needing help. Because of this crazy woman she was now dragging toward the gate.

“You bitch! You fucking bitch!” Miranda spit at her. Jamie dodged it and fought the urge to punch the woman in the face. The thing following them would have loved that no doubt. “He was mine.” Miranda hissed out. Jamie paused, looking at her.

“I didn't know.” Jamie said.

Miranda laughed hollowly. “Why would he want you? You are nothing. Weak. Soft. You took something of mind. I took something of yours. And you'll have to live with that for the rest of your miserable life.”

Jamie smiled grimly, but said nothing. She was tired of holding onto the woman so she dropped her to the ground where she landed with a grunt. Before she could move away, Jamie grabbed her arm and dragged her. The thing ran ahead of them and opened a smaller door set into the gate, anticipation stamped onto its every feature.

“You can't...you don't know what they do to the living in there...”

“I can harbor a guess. Say hi to your boyfriend for me. I'm pretty sure he's rotting in there too.” Jamie grunted and pulled Miranda to her feet before shoving her through the doorway. A red light flashed. Miranda stood there, struggling against an invisible barrier just an inch through the door from Jamie. She looked at her with terrified eyes for a moment before something...Jamie saw it but it defied her ability to describe. It grabbed Miranda with clawed hands and yanked her backward into the gloomy red depths on the other side of the gate.

Jamie shut the door. She thought she should feel remorse, after all hadn't she literally just sent someone to hell? Instead what she felt was relief. Miranda had hurt her, and she was now getting what she deserved.

The gatekeeper was clapping its hands. “Very good. A fine job. Now your mark to prove your deed.”

“My...Mark?” Jamie completely misheard and misunderstood the thing as it stepped forward. It touched her on the wrist and she fought the urge to jerk away from its touch. It felt slimy although she could clearly see its hands were dry. It stroked her arm from elbow to wrist and Jamie had to bite her lip to keep from moaning as red hot pain shot all the way up to her shoulder.

“The legion thanks you.” It said reverently, finally releasing her arm with a stroke of its fingertips. Jamie had a feeling it would be a long time before she felt clean again.

“The legion is welcome I guess. I hope she fucking rots.” Jamie said sourly, rubbing her arm. There was nothing there, not that she could see.

“Do not worry. We shall take care of her.” The things eyes twinkled merrily. Jamie sighed and closed her eyes, needing to get back. Mark was over there somewhere, doing what she had no idea, but Steve...Steve had been in the water, Miranda had done something to him, and he needed help. Too late she remembered she had been in the water.

From the strange light to damn near pitch black she went, trying to get her footing as she seemed to fall. She accidentally sucked in a breath. Or tried to. Her mouth filled with lake water as Jamie's feet touched the bottom. She pushed and came up sputtering, coughing, trying to clear her mouth, nose and eyes at the same time.

She had come back a bit further from the beach. Jamie saw Mark holding Abby, and a hazy looking John was scanning the water. She was so tired she could barely tread and she tried to get going on swimming back.

And that was when she felt hands. Some on her back, some on her stomach. They were pushing her toward the shore. Jamie looked over her shoulder and saw some of the spirits who had been watching Miranda. She looked into the water and there were more. They were trying, but the storm was waning. They were losing their solidity as whatever had lifted the barrier between worlds closed it again. She felt like crying. She also felt a burst of energy like no caffeine high she had ever experienced.

Panting, Jamie finally reached a place where she could walk on the bottom. As she approached the beach, her eyes fell on Steve's unmoving form. She could hear Abby's soft sobs. The little girl was looking at her with eyes haunted by seeing her father...

Jamie wouldn't believe he was gone until she saw it for herself that was all. She ignored John, and dodged Mark's arm as he tried to grab her when she reached the beach. She collapsed to her knees next to Steve and ran her fingers over his still face. She felt for a pulse, much as Mark had done. There was nothing. There were no visible wounds either. Jamie tilted Steve's head back, ignoring Mark and John who both tried to tell her it was futile.

“Call an ambulance.” Jamie spat over her shoulder. She was pissed. Miranda had been wrong, so wrong, because Steve had not been hers. He had wanted to be. And if not for Mark coming back Jamie would have let him. She had snuffed him out because of a fucking temper tantrum.

Jamie started CPR. Training kicked in, the way it always did. Clinically she knew it was hopeless, that Steve had been in the water too long. But something inside her would not let her stop.

It felt like hours but in reality only ten minutes passed before the paramedics arrived. Mark finally succeeded in wrestling her away from Steve's body so that they could take over. He could see how exhausted she was, how her arms were shaking from exertion. He spied something on her arm and there was a minute where he felt like he could not breathe. A tattoo. She had gone through a doorway all right. The wrong one.

He tried to pull her against him. He was still holding onto Abby who was still sobbing pitifully. Jamie pushed him away and reached for the little girl. Abby practically jumped into her arms. Mark watched, sure for a moment that Jamie would drop her or they would fall. But she surprised him. She held Abby in her arms and cried with her as she walked down the beach to sit on the stairs of her own house.

“Don't take it personally.” John said softly. He was getting weaker. He was being pulled back to that strange limbo he had been stuck in.

“I'm not.” Mark said under his breath so the paramedics couldn't hear him. They had resumed CPR but he could tell that they were just going through the motions. And it was true he did not take her current rejection to heart. She was in shock. Mark turned to watch as Jamie rocked back and forth with Abby on her lap, running her hand through the little one's hair over and over. His heart ached for them both as the ambulance crew loaded Steve onto a stretcher and took him away.

6

The official cause of death was drowning.

If the medical examiner had seen any other form of trauma on Steve's body, she would have mentioned it. As it was, the paper reported that Steve had died trying to pull his daughter out of the lake during the storms that swept the area.

Mark had gotten Jamie and Abby into the house. He shut off the air conditioner, cranked up the heat, and got Jamie into the shower. Once she was done, Abby got a warm bath. He coaxed Jamie into some pajamas he found in the bedroom. For Abby he grabbed one of Jamie's shirts. They got into the bed together and fell asleep that way, Jamie holding onto the little girl. Mark watched them for a while, just trying to process everything.

Jamie got up first. He tried to get her to eat, but she refused. She did not even want to talk to him, and he supposed he understood. She was in shock. She did one thing without prompting, and that was to make two phone calls. The first was to Abby's mother, who had hung up to get on a plane as soon as she could. The second was to Steve's sister Lexi. Jamie was sobbing so hard Mark wasn't sure the woman on the other end could understand her, but he kept it to himself. Once that was done, and Lexi had promised she and Phil would be there that night, Jamie went out the back door without a word. It was late afternoon, and still cloudy, but to the west were patches of blue sky.

Mark watched her as she sat down on the steps and rested her chin on her knee, her arms wrapped around her legs. He hurt for her. He wished she would say something to him, anything, even just a 'get out of my house' again like the day before.

He watched her until he heard Abby crying in the bedroom. Mark went in and picked the little girl up, soothing her with soft whispers. He told her that her mom would be there soon.

Abby sniffled. “I want my daddy.” She whispered it in such a sad, small voice that Mark felt his own eyes tear up. He hugged her close and hummed to her under his breath, not sure of what he could say to make anything better.

He could still see Jamie. She was still sitting on the steps. Occasionally she would wipe a hand absently over her cheek, brushing away silent tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The funeral was a special kind of hell.

Mark sat in the back, since he hadn't known Steve. Jamie was in the front row. Lexi had insisted. The two women sat together, and Steve's sister had a protective arm around her. Lexi's husband Phil was next to her, holding her free hand. To Jamie's other side was Donna, Steve's ex wife. Abby sat in her lap, sucking her thumb and looking hollowly at the coffin at the front of the room.

The place was packed. There were people he knew, people he worked with. Just about the entire town had turned out for the funeral. Steve had been a well liked guy in town, a friendly easy-going man who helped everyone else with no thought of his own gain. There were tears, and laughs at some of the stories, but mostly a feeling of grief persisted. Everyone mourned his passing.

After the service, Mark caught up with Jamie outside. She was waiting beside the door for him, her eyes dry. That surprised him more than he could put into words. She needed to mourn, he knew she wasn't nearly done.

Lexi was still standing with her. She eyed Mark with evident curiosity and rubbed Jamie's shoulder. In truth, this was how she took her own comfort...by comforting others. If a person worked with animals, it was as skill they learned early on. Phil was still holding her hand, and he was as red-eyed from crying as his wife. He and his brother-in-law had butted heads on more than one occasion. And Phil had looked forward to many more years of the same. They were friends who fought, and they had both enjoyed the relationship.

“Do you want to ride with us to the burial?” Lexi asked softly. Jamie shook her head and looked at Mark. It was the first time in three days that he felt she was actually seeing him.

“I think I have a ride already.” Jamie spoke, her voice hoarse. Mark reached out for her hand, and she took it, gripping his fingers firmly.

“Jamie!”

Abby cried out her name around her thumb and disengaged from her mom to run at Jamie's legs. Jamie scooped her up in her arms and hugged her tight, feeling tears that she had held in prick her eyes. This was not her first go-round on the grief train, and she would have been a happy person not going through the pain of senseless loss again. Abby was hurting worse though, Abby was too young to really grasp the fact that her father was not going to come back, that she would no longer resist his attempts to teach her to swim, there would be no more tickles from his goatee on her cheek, no more slow drawl as he read her a bedtime story.

“I love you, Jamie.” Abby whispered into her ear. Jamie sniffled and held her tighter.

“I love you, little bit.” She commiserated and kissed her on the ear. Donna gave her a weak smile. Jamie almost managed to return it.

“Come on, baby. You'll see her again in just a minute.” Donna said gently. Abby loosened her grip and Jamie set her on her feet. She took her mom's hand, and accepted her aunt Lexi's hand, giving Jamie a look over her shoulder of such lonely confusion that Jamie felt her heart break.

Mark put an arm around her waist and pulled her close. The tears that threatened fell, wetting the front of his dress jacket. “Are you ready for this? You don't have to go if you don't want to.”

Jamie sighed. “I do have to.” She looked up at him. It still surprised her, that he was here. She forgot, that was all. She got so deep in thought about other things, and she would look up and...there he was. And she was glad he was there because without him she probably would have crawled in bed and stayed there for a couple of weeks. “You can take off if you want to though.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “I'll stick with you as long as you need me to, darlin'.” He kept his hand at her back and guided her toward the Jeep. She sat in the passenger seat and stared out the window, watching as the town rolled by. The burial was short, and there was a reception afterward. As much as Jamie loved Abby, she could not force herself to go. Other than Abby, Donna, Lexi and Phil, Jamie would be amongst strangers and she could not handle that.

Mark drove back to her house, noting how she carefully refused to look in the direction of the house next door. She didn't want to talk, not about the man, or his daughter, or what had happened or her tattoo. She was shutting it all in. If he had pressed, Jamie might have realized it. Instead she just figured she needed time to process it, that was all. And with the funeral and visitations and the police questioning them...

Now time was all she had. Lexi was going to reopen the clinic in a week or so, because neither she nor Phil felt like resuming their travels. She could have her job back. But did she want it? Jamie did not know.

She got showered while Mark cooked them dinner. Mostly she pushed the food around on her plate, refusing to be drawn into talking. So he gave up after the third try and just looked at her with worry on his features. He was no good at this...comfort thing. Kayla needed to be there. Mark realized he had never so much as picked up a phone to get in touch with either her or his brother. He would have to remedy that and soon. If anyone could draw Jamie out, it was his brother's outspoken girlfriend. She was a natural at things like this, either because she wrote about it...or hell, he didn't know. Maybe she was just born with the talent.

Jamie went to bed early. Mark paced in the living room for an hour, from window to window, around in circles, trying to clear his head enough to think. And to ignore the fact that he wanted to go into the bedroom and join her. And make her forget for a few minutes that any of this had happened. He had to smirk at himself for that. He wanted her, of course, he had been wanting her for months now, but he was not going to take advantage of her grieving state.

So he grabbed his pillow and blanket, stripped down to a pair of shorts, and stretched out on the couch. He'd been sleeping there since it had happened, not venturing to invite himself to share her bed. He had just about dozed off the night of Steve's funeral, listening to the hypnotic sound of water washing toward the beach. He blinked and Jamie was standing next to the couch, wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. She was rubbing her hands nervously.

“What's wrong?” Mark felt sluggish, as if he'd fallen into a deep sleep instead of just a doze. He glanced at the clock over the television and smirked. Hell. He'd been out for at least a couple of hours. It felt like seconds.

“I have been thinking.” She said it in a whisper. Mark sat up and reached for her, pulling her to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. She accepted it but he had a feeling she was still very far away. “I want you to take me home.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “But...you are home, darlin'.” Jamie looked at him and even in the dark he could see how annoyingly dense she thought he was. He smiled at that.

“Home. As in with you.”

“But...” Mark pushed his hair back from his face before hugging her close again. “I thought you didn't wanna be there...with me. Hiding.”

“I don't want to hide. I just...can't be here anymore.” Jamie said with a sigh. “I want to say goodbye to Abby and Lexi and Phil, but after that...well. I just want to go.”

“All right, darlin'.” He rubbed a hand down her back, soothing her a bit. She relaxed against him, and he felt her yawn against his shoulder. “Go on back to bed. You wanna leave in the mornin' you're gonna need some sleep.”

Jamie nodded against his shoulder. “Come with me.”

At that Mark raised an eyebrow. “I don't know if that's such a good idea.” He said cautiously. It about killed him to protest. How many times had he wished she was in his bed, not just sexually, but someone he could curl up to and wake up with?

“I didn't say you could do anything. I just want to feel you beside me. I think I can sleep if you're there.” She said it softly. Mark couldn't argue with her. He let himself be led to her bedroom. He crawled under the blanket and felt her get in beside him. She immediately snuggled up against his side, her head on his shoulder. Mark sighed in contentment and rolled to face her, pulling her closer. He felt her breath puff across his chest and repressed a shiver. He was tempted to give in to his body's base urge, but quieted himself and resigned himself to the fact that she would be ready when she was ready. Right now she was not. No matter how badly he wanted her.

He knew the exact moment she fell asleep. Jamie let out one shuddering breath and completely relaxed, holding onto him so tight he thought it was a wonder he could breathe. He lay awake for a while, listening to her breathe, and the waves, and wondered if he really could make her better. Or even if she could make him better. Or if he were the worst possible thing to happen to her in her life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a long trip.

Jamie and Mark took turns driving her Jeep. He had turned in the rental and suggested a flight but she had shaken her head at the thought. She wanted her car.

The goodbye when they left had to have been a special hell for her as well. Lexi and Phil had taken it well because they thought they understood why Jamie wanted to leave. Abby though...

Jamie had hugged her and promised she would call but the little girl would not be appeased. She cried and begged Jamie not to leave. Jamie had looked helplessly at Donna, who wiped her eyes with a tissue.

“Everything is changing for her. She's just not used to it.” Donna said.

“Babydoll...” Jamie got down on her knees and hugged Abby tight. “You can come see me any time you want. I bought this phone see?” She dug into her pocket and pulled out the new cell phone she's purchased that morning. “That ones for you. This one is mine.” She had another phone in the opposite pocket. “My number is in yours and your number is in mine. And you can call me, day or night or whenever you want.”

“It’s not the same.” Abby whispered. Her little face was pulled down in a look of sadness so heavy it was a wonder she could talk. “Please don't leave me too, Jamie.”

Jamie brushed Abby's fine blonde hair back from her forehead. “Your dad didn't leave you, sweetheart. He got taken away. You know as well as I do that he did not want to go away.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked to clear her eyes. “I am not leaving you. But I do have to take care of some things. And I still need a date for a wedding.” Jamie looked up at Donna, who nodded after hesitating. Steve had brought up the visit for the wedding during a phone call and she had agreed reluctantly. But now that she really saw how very attached her daughter was to Jamie, she could not say no.

“How far away is the wedding?” Abby asked, hitching in her breath with some effort.

“Not far at all. Three weeks.” Jamie rubbed the tears away from Abby's cheeks. “And then we'll be together for a whole week after. And you can come visit me, or I can visit you, and we will talk on the phone a hundred times a day if you need to.” Jamie kissed her on the cheek. Abby threw her arms around her neck and hugged her tight.

It had been hard to walk away but finally Jamie had done it. Mark had thought she would break down a bit as they drove away, but she tossed her bags into the storage compartment in the back and got in, her emotions once more locked away.

They took their time getting back. Jamie was not in any hurry, so Mark wasn't either. They stopped often, but during the entire trip he thought there had maybe been a grand total of twenty words spoken to him.

Jamie's continued silence gave him way too much time to think. Mark drove the last leg of the journey, through town, onto the barely discernible trail that led to his house. They had not stopped to rest this time, so it was late when they pulled up, almost three in the morning. Mark just wanted his own bed, so he'd managed to finish the trip.

Jamie sat in the passenger seat looking up at the house for several long minutes. There was a light on in the kitchen, but the rest of the house was dark. Without snow covering everything she could see how very big the house was, and the property, which was neatly mowed, the grass a deep green in the half-moon's light. The familiar black SUV was parked at the end of the drive and behind it was a small car. She assumed it belonged to Kayla. And next to the car was a gleaming black motorcycle. That was also something Jamie had not seen before.

She finally noticed that Mark had not gotten out of the Jeep yet either. She looked over to find him watching her, an unreadable expression on his face. He looked as if...well, like she had hurt him somehow. She met his eyes for a long moment. “What is it?”

“This is because of him right?”

There was absolutely no infliction to his voice. It was totally flat, monotone. Jamie raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“You wanted to leave so bad before, and then you suddenly wanna come back.” Mark shook his head. “You're with me because he's gone. I musta been blind not to see that before.”

“What?” Jamie felt like the slow one.

“You were gonna pick him. That's...” He stopped himself. “You were, weren't you?”

“Mark...I liked Steve. A lot.” And the look on his face damn near gave Jamie the first smile she had worn for a week. “But I love you. And he knew that because I told him that.”

He looked utterly surprised. Jamie wished she had a camera. “You do?”

“I do what? I did...tell him. He was a good guy and...” But Mark was shaking his head.

“Stop bein' hard headed. You know what I meant.”

Jamie shrugged. “If you were questioning the fact that I said I love you, then the answer is yes. I do.”

“Ok.” That seemed to roll a weight off of his shoulders. “I'm sorry.”

“Why? I might have thought the same, had our positions been reversed.” Jamie reached over and laid her hand on top of his. “So stop. All right?”

Mark nodded. He wanted to be happy. He was happy. Hell, he was as close to being giddy as he'd ever been in his life. But there was so much between them that was not right. Love wasn't going to smooth over everything. And until Jamie was ready to hash it all out, he was going to be stuck waiting. With a sigh he got out of the car, happy to finally be home. He stretched before walking to her door to open it for her. He gave her a hand out and restrained the urge to sweep her up and carry her off to his room. It was close, definitely. Temptation again. She wasn't doing anything but taking in the way the house looked in the late spring moonlight and he wanted her. The waiting was going to be a lot tougher than he thought.

7

A week passed, very uneventfully. Kayla was beyond ecstatic at Jamie’s return, but Glen and the wedding plans kept her busy so that she did not annoy anyone too much. Glen was just happy that his brother had gotten that damn mopey look off his face. Jamie was not entirely herself, at least not as they remembered her from Christmas. Mark had taken Glen aside and explained what had happened. So it was understandable when she was quiet, or wanted to be alone.

Mark tried to offer Jamie the use of the guest room again, but halfway through their first full night back, he had awakened at three in the morning to find she had crawled into bed with him. Nothing more physical than Jamie curled against him had happened, and he wasn’t going to push the issue. He was more content than he had been in a very long time. Of course he figured that meant she was unhappy. What he wanted and what everyone else wanted had always been very different things.

Kayla and Glen had left one morning, early, to observe the construction of their new house. Mark had made breakfast, but Jamie had done little but pick at it. She looked so exhausted, but if anything she had been sleeping way too much. He had no idea how to handle this either. Comforting someone was just not something he had ever been good at.

He took a shower after breakfast and when he re-entered the kitchen, she was gone. He glanced out the window and saw her sitting out on one of the lounge chairs by the pool. Mark heaved a sigh. He knew she would eventually wander into the woods, and she would undoubtedly end up in the very clearing he used to visit, where things had happened. She did not talk to anyone there; in fact, he had yet to see a spirit visit that field after John had appeared.

Today he did not follow her. After the second time he figured that she was all right alone. And he did not necessarily feel right, snooping. But after what had happened before, he had not wanted to take chances. He watched from the window as Jamie got up and walked slowly into the woods. He sighed again and glanced at the clock.

Jamie moved through the undergrowth carefully, mindful of twigs that scratched at her when she passed. She didn’t care about a few scratches but she did see how concerned Mark was. Going back to the house bleeding would probably send him to a psych ward.

She brushed her hair back from her face and took a deep breath. It had rained the night before and everything smelled so fresh and clean. The strongest smell was late season honeysuckle. It made her think of spring, and renewal. Even though it was now summer, she figured the thought still applied.

She found the clearing with no issue. The first few times she had just followed her intuition. Now she could see the path, not yet fully worn into the ground. The clearing…or maybe meadow would be a better word…opened up in front of her, the ground a field of different colors, the smell a little overpowering. Wildflowers grew in every available patch of soil. She took her usual seat, on a rock that was off to the north. The warm sun beat down on her bare arms and legs, and she leaned back with a sigh.

And waited.

Jamie knew that Mark had followed her a few times. She did not know exactly how she knew, but she had not needed a ghost to tell her. She just sensed him. It was sort of comforting while also being sort of creepy. It had stopped though. Obviously he had decided she wasn’t trying to escape on foot.

She just wanted to be by herself. Except really she just wanted to be by herself in a place where people she trusted her within shouting distance. She did not know why she felt so unsettled. Mark and the others thought she was mourning, and yes she was, but that was not all. There was something, a feeling, as if something were not right. She felt as if she were forgetting something, but for the life of her, Jamie did not know what that could be.

She sighed and rubbed her arm absently, looking once more at her tattoo. It ran cross her inner forearm in a blaze of color, red and orange, black and yellow. A snake, but not any sort of snake she had ever seen in her life. There were times when she caught a glimpse of her arm and actually through the snake had moved, changed positions, hell…she had even thought the forked tongue was moving on occasion.

Jamie waited an hour. In that time she saw a dozen butterflies of all shapes and colors. A deer wandered far enough into the clearing to notice her, then it was gone with a quick turn of its body back into the woods. A few bees buzzed around the flowers, though not nearly as many as the field should have supported. The warm sun felt good, and it was if nothing else a way to clear her mind.

When nothing supernatural occurred, she sighed again and got up. Her well-meaning family was steering clear of her, because she was angry with them. They knew it. She knew it. It was best if they laid low for a while.

So why did she come here and wait?

Jamie asked herself that again as she headed back toward the house. It could have been for Steve of course, who else had she known that had passed away with unfinished business?

But why the hell would he be in the clearing? He did not know this place. So there was no connection at all. It was driving her crazy, although just a little at a time. Mostly it was a feeling that festered. The way it felt when she forgot something important with no way of going back to get it.

Jamie reached the house and walked across the well kept yard. Real sticklers for the yard work were Mark and Glen. In fact just the other morning, Mark had been outside shirtless moving the grass. Jamie had paused at the window for a long moment, admiring the play of muscles under his smooth skin. Lucky for her, she had found the only man in the universe who could make gardening look sexy. The thought had made her laugh, and if anyone had been in the house with her they would have thought she was crazy.

Besides that one moment when she’d been amused by her own wayward thoughts, Jamie had not found a way to come out of the daze she’d been in. She could not mourn forever. The hell of it was, it would simply be a matter of letting Mark heal her. Not the healing he had done when the wolf had bitten her months ago, this would be more an emotional thing.

And Jamie wanted to let him. She really did. But she did not think she deserved to be happy, at least not yet. Maybe because she missed Abby so much, as well as her father. It was hard to tell.

Jamie let herself into the house and went to the fridge for a bottle of cold water. She could hear a newspaper rattle from the living room. She went to the entrance and saw Mark sitting on the couch, reading.

“If I’m going to stay here, we are getting a TV.”

If her voice surprised him, Mark didn’t show it. He lowered his paper and peered at her over the top of it. “As long as I don’t have to go shopping for it.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. Was it really going to be that easy? Mark had raised his newspaper once more. “And maybe a stereo.”

“Knock yourself out.” He spoke gruffly but Jamie could hear the hint of smile in his voice.

“Since I’m on a roll, how about a computer, and a phone, maybe even an Ouija board and a séance table.”

Mark lowered the paper again, this time his eyebrow up. “Let’s start with a television and go from there.”

“Right. I was just making sure you were paying attention.” Jamie went to the couch and sat down next to him. “I learned some things. That might help.” She appreciated how game he was to try rejoining the universe, but she knew he was still worried. He was just putting on a brave face for her benefit.

“Good.” He gave her leg a pat and smiled down at her. Jamie rested her head against his arm and yawned. “You can’t shop in your sleep.” Mark said, poking her in the side. She smirked and squirmed.

“I thought you were joking. That part where you said you weren’t gonna shop.”

“I can see it now. Me, in an electronics store. The place would explode.” Mark said sarcastically.

“I think you’ll be all right.” Jamie grabbed his hand before he could start poking her side again. “I was thinking I might go back to work.”

“Why?” Mark settled for threading her fingers through his. “You don’t have to. We have plenty of money.”

“It’s not just the money.” Jamie said with a sigh. She felt his thumb trace the back of her hand. “I just feel kind of useless I guess.”

“You are hardly useless.” Mark brought her hand up and kissed the back of it. “I don’t want you going back to that bar. It’s not…the safest place.”

“I wasn’t thinking about waitressing. I was thinking more…nursing. Again.”

“If that’s what you want.” Mark said, once more agreeing easily when she had figured he would put up a fight. It was enough to unsettle her even more. Jamie was starting to feel like she had just stepped into an episode of the twilight zone. “We’d better get going if you want to pick out a new TV.” Mark squeezed her hand. Jamie could only look at him, confused. Mark smiled again. “I’m trying, Jamie. I really am.”

“I know.” She said softly. “Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed him on the lips, brushing her mouth across his. It was quick, and as light as a butterfly’s wing, but it sent a tingle down her back anyway.

“If that’s what I get for a TV, I’m a little curious to see what comes with an Ouija board.” Mark said with a smirk.

“One baby step at a time.” Jamie said. Mark watched her as she got up to run a brush through her hair before they left. He hoped this meant that she was coming back to herself. He was no good at this…playful…stuff. At least he didn’t think so, because he had no occasion to base it from. But it seemed to be working. Now if he could get through the rest of the day, Mark figured he would be all right. A trip to a store where he would be surrounded by electronics though…

Mark suppressed a shudder. Jamie could say whatever she wanted, she had not been one of them long enough to grow weary of it. Over time, even the smallest things could mean trouble, or a trip to dark places better left alone. Mark sighed heavily and shook his head. He was doing this for Jamie. That was all there was to it. If living with a television in the house would make her happy, so be it. Hell, he’d buy one for every room if he thought that was what she needed.

He just could not figure out this sudden sense of unease. Everything was as it should be. Glen and Kayla would be getting married in just a couple of weeks. Jamie seemed to be coming around. So why was he trying to ruin it by worrying over nothing? Mark did not know. He was going to have to hide it from Jamie, at least for a while. She already had enough on her mind.

8

“You don’t have to go inside.”

Jamie’s voice broke into Mark’s thoughts. And made him realize he had been sitting there behind the steering wheel, staring at the entrance to the store, for the better part of five minutes.

He looked at Jamie. She was not smiling. Her expression was completely serious, and he could see in her eyes that she was not going to push him. She would go in by herself. Hell, she would probably call it off if he said so. That was exactly why he could not turn back. Eventually Jamie would be just as isolated as he was if he did.

Mark sighed and opened the door, stepping out. Jamie followed his lead, looking thoughtful. He came to stand next to her and took her hand. “The main thing to remember…” Jamie spoke as they headed for the entrance. “Is to ignore them. If you hear or see them, just ignore them. You can’t talk to them in a store full of people, obviously, so just ignore them.”

“Right.” Mark nodded. Surely it could not be that easy. Jamie did not let him hesitate, she kept on moving, through the doors and into the air conditioned store.

Mark knew as soon as he stepped over the threshold that Jamie’s powers of perception had not fully developed yet. Either that or she was the queen of ignoring ghosts. They were literally everywhere. Some were just voices, coming from the televisions to the right, or the stereo systems to the left. They were quite possibly coming from the computers straight ahead for all he knew. And it wasn’t the voices he had the most issue with. It was the spirits.

Jamie walked through one without so much as blinking, making Mark wonder if she honestly did not see them. She shot him a look and he realized with a start that she did see them. Maybe saw and heard them all. She just did not care. Mark glanced around, not letting his eyes linger too long on any one spirit.

The store was doing good business for a Saturday afternoon, but it was the ghosts standing around that made it seem packed. He never understood why they were drawn to appliances. He personally would have preferred haunting his own house rather than a store, but here they were nevertheless. There were so many he could not even begin to count them. And he realized with a start that he and Jamie were being watched. The spirits did not bother them, in fact they kept their distance for the most part. The voices coming from the televisions had lowered to a soft whisper, and he did not get the feeling that they were being talked to. It was just background noise.

Mark raised a surprised eyebrow at Jamie. She just offered an enigmatic smile and led the way into the heart of television land. He was content to let her do all the talking, and he figured the salesman she had found was wondering why he wasn’t chiming in. It was all he could do to stand there. Even though Jamie did not seem worried, he was. And it was odd, because these were not really his kind of ghost. These were just people who had lost their way. More a job for Glen than himself. So why the hell did he feel so guarded?

Jamie picked over the TV selection until she found one she liked. As the salesman wrote up the sale, she informed him she wanted to look at the stereos to. The guy practically glowed. She toyed with the various models until she decided on a simple small unit. Jamie figured Mark was freaked out enough as it was without her bringing home an entire entertainment center.

She had seen this before. Several times. Especially when she had lived down south. While Jamie was confused about how many ghosts were packed in to a store, she figured they liked all the energy. Not just coming from the various gadgets that were running, but from the people shopping. And again, she had figured out that by ignoring the spirits, it made them less likely to bother her.

The salesman led them toward the front so he could ring up her purchases. He said the total and Mark tried to pay for it. Jamie pushed his hand away and offered her own card. “I don’t think this is gonna break me.” She said as the salesman ran her card.

“Yeah well.” Mark put his wallet back in his pocket, still uncomfortable, but glad this ordeal with almost over. Jamie took her receipt as the salesman told them to pull their car up to the doors, and they would load in the TV.

Mark laced his fingers through hers again and gladly led the way outside. There were more spirits. Not just in the store but standing outside, looking in. Jamie went on ignoring them, and she squeezed Mark’s hand as they stepped out into the sunlight.

He was quiet until they had gotten in the SUV, and he had parked right in front of the doors. “Ok I give up. Why were they leaving us alone?”

“I don’t know.” Jamie shrugged. “Maybe because we didn’t acknowledge them first? I just know it works.” She settled into her seat. “And really, if you want to keep them out of the electronics, you just tell them to go away.”

Mark huffed. “And that works.” It wasn’t a question. He sounded sort of…angry. Jamie glanced at him, saw he was gritting his teeth and squeezing the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white.

“Yes. It works. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” But it was something. Jamie followed Mark’s line of sight and frowned, looking at the man who was standing in the middle of the parking lot. Except for the fact that the guy was staring back at them, he would have passed for another shopper. Jamie felt a chill go down her back. A car coming from the opposite direction drove right through him. Jamie looked at Mark once more. He had taken his eyes off the man, but he was still gritting his teeth. She could hear it.

A loud knock on her window caused them both to jump. Jamie laughed nervously and got out to go to the back and open the storage gate in the back. She watched as two young men grunted and huffed and put the TV and stereo in the back to their satisfaction. In five minutes she was back in her seat. Mark was still looking at the steering wheel but he had relaxed.

Jamie glanced around as she buckled her seat belt. “They thinned out.” There were only a few ghosts and they showed no interest in Jamie or Mark as he dropped the SUV into gear.

“You saw him. He was one of them.”

“Yeah. I know he was a ghost.” Jamie did not have to ask which he Mark referred to.

“Not just a ghost. One of the bad ones.” He glanced at her again. Not one I’ve seen around town before. I know there are a couple. I should have taken care of them a long time ago, but…”

“I know…” Jamie reached out and laid her hand on his leg. Mark gave her a distracted half-smile, but she could tell he was going to worry over it.

As Mark drove toward the parking lot exit, Jamie looked around. Whoever the guy had been, he was gone now. She squeezed Mark’s thigh and relaxed against her seat for the drive back.

They were quiet for the first few minutes, and when they had reached the town limits, Mark finally heaved a sigh. “I said I was trying.”

“And you are doing great.” Jamie informed him.

“I just don’t feel right about it.”

Jamie looked at him for a solid minute before speaking. “You don’t feel right about what? Shopping? Having a TV?”

“We cut ourselves off for a reason.” Mark said, easing up on the gas as they got behind a slow moving tractor. “Did you notice how many there were back there?”

“Yes.” Jamie had been in a few similar places when she had been shopping for her house by the lake. She raised her eyebrows. “There were a lot more here than there were before. Is that it?”

“Maybe. Yeah.” Mark nodded slowly and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “They’re attracted to us. Not to you, specifically, and not to anyone else I 0know. Glen and I. Everywhere we go…especially places like that…” He trailed off.

“Not having these things in your house…is that how you kept them out?” She lifted her hand off his leg and idly rubbed at the tattoo on her arm.

“We thought so. It doesn’t hurt to assume on that point. We haven’t had a problem yet.”

“Ok. So why in hell would you let me bully you into this?” Jamie felt bad. If he had maybe come out and been honest about this in the first place, she would not have been so pushy.

“You bullied me?” Mark snorted. “I told you I was trying. And I am. A couple of people we talked to seemed to think that some kinds of electronics were doorways. We told you that.”

“Yeah. But you caved in pretty easy.” Jamie bit her lip and looked out the window.

“And again. I’m willin’ to try.” Mark reached over and took her hand, pulling it back toward him. “Hell, for all I know you can keep those things outta the house. You said you were doing pretty good on your own.”

“I was. But you guys might be out of my league.” And Jamie could have added that was in so very many ways. There was a lot more about him that she did not know. Or did not understand. And he wasn’t making it easy, being as close-mouthed as he was.

“Worth a shot right?” Mark glance at her again, a hint of a smile on his lips.

“I guess. I just…don’t want to make things harder than they already are.”

“You never could.” He squeezed her fingers, making Jamie smile. It felt forced, it looked forced. The pokey tractor finally turned off. Mark got the SUV’s speed back up. Their turn was a few miles away yet. Mark looked at her again, just a quick flick of his eyes from the roadway.

And it was from the corner of his eye that Mark saw him.

The man from the parking lot. Or rather the thing from the parking lot. He was dressed entirely in black, from his shoes on up. Even his hair was black. And he just appeared, from thin air.

Mark heard Jamie gasp and knew she saw him too. Instinct caused him to use the brakes, but even as he did he knew he was pushing too hard. Tires squealed on hot pavement and found a slick spot from some other vehicle that leaked oil. He felt the steering wheel jerk in his hands and then he saw other hands on top of his. The wheel spun again, hard to the left, and the SUV, top heavy to begin with, flipped. Jamie gave a breathless scream next to him. And that was the last thing he heard before his seatbelt snapped and his head slammed against the windshield.

Jamie, being the lighter of the two, was a bit luckier. At least her seatbelt held her in. Unfortunately she got slammed from side to side like a rag doll before the SUV came to rest on the driver’s side. Jamie dangled there, feeling dizzy and nauseous, smelling gas and scorched rubber. And blood. She saw Mark, lying against his door, his forehead gashed open from meeting the windshield. His face was entirely covered with blood.

She tried to take a deep breath and winced, moaning as the seat belt dug into her side. “Mark?” She managed to ask, but her voice was so low she almost could not hear it herself. He stirred a bit though, moaning a little himself. Jamie felt relief flood her. Until that small shift and noise, she had been almost sure Mark was dead.

Jamie reached out and hit the button to lower her window. Of course, it did not work. The engine wasn’t running now, and she could hear something liquid dripping from the engine. With a low grunt, she twisted, getting her left hand up and gripping the headrest behind her. She pulled and kept twisting, bracing her feet against the dashboard and center console. She got most of the way around and had to stop to shift her footing and catch her breath. Her sides were sore, and her shoulder hurt, but if that was all that came of this she would count her blessings.

Now Jamie reached for her seatbelt release. It snapped open, and she was standing, bent a little, one foot on the side of the driver’s seat, the other on the console. It was not comfortable but hell, she was alive so she would deal with it.

Her cell phone was in her Jeep. She hadn’t bothered much with it, so now she cursed her forgetfulness. Brushing aside the urge to feel too sorry for herself, Jamie had to figure out how the hell to get out of the SUV. She eyed the cracked windshield, and watched as steam occasionally puffed out of the engine. At least she hoped it was steam.

She checked her footing one last time. The last thing she needed was to fall and land feet first on Mark. She gritted her teeth and kicked at the windshield. She could not seem to get enough leverage behind her kicks, but the roll had loosened the safety glass enough. She kicked one last time, uttering a grunt of effort and was rewarded by the glass cracking. A few more kicks, and the glue holding the glass was a series of breaks. Her foot went through and she pulled back, shaking bits of safety glass off her leg. She reached out and pushed on the corner of the windshield, using all of her strength against the cracks of glass. And finally it began to crumple, falling piece by piece. Some of it came in the SUV and landed on Mark, but she figured that would be the least of his worries if he didn’t get out of the car. She finally made a hole big enough, and after finding more places to plant her feet, she crawled through the windshield. Glass rained down around her, and outside of the SUV the smell of gas and coolant was almost enough to make her gag.

Jamie debated once her feet touched the ground. She could run up the small embankment, and try to flag down a car. But this road was not heavily traveled in the best of times, so she might be waiting a while for help. Or she could try to drag Mark out herself. There was a thought. He was too damn big. Even as she thought it, she was turning, and pulling at the remaining glass. She cleared the way and saw that he was still in the same position. That cut was oozing blood still, and his hair was tacky with it. She had no idea how she was going to get him out around the steering wheel, or even if she could. His legs could be trapped, or broken, or…

Jamie made herself stop. She could feel panic trying to settle into her, trying to replace the shock of the wreck. She went backward, away from the SUV, and took huge gulps of the clear air, untainted by the fumes up close. And then she returned, crawling forward into the space above the steering wheel.

There was definitely no way she could move him. She had to wake him up. “Mark!” Jamie was almost screaming in his face, but he did not react this time. She slapped his cheek, not hard enough to sting. “Mark! Hey…wake up!” Still talking, Jamie felt along his neck, closing her eyes and trying to feel if there had been a neck injury. There was no swelling. Relieved she pulled her hands back and saw they were covered with blood. She paused for a moment, looking at them, before resuming talking.

“You are so gonna hate me for this one.” She wiggled a little closer and put her hand against the cut on his head. It slowed the bleeding more, but more importantly it held him still. With her other hand she grabbed his earlobe and twisted it. Unlike the little smack to his face, this time she put some force behind it, twisting hard and pulling at the same time.

Mark jumped and probably would have cracked his head against hers if Jamie had not been pushing him back. His eyes flew open and he uttered a loud curse as he tried to bat her hand away.

Jamie let go and watched him as he rubbed his ear. He looked dazed but he was awake. She had to get him out while he could.

“Mark?” His eyes met hers she saw how very confused he was. He groaned and shifted, muttering another curse.

“What the hell…” Mark muttered and raised his hands, rubbing the blood from his eyes. He looked at the mess blankly, not understanding yet what was going on.

“Come on. You have to move, and get outta there. Now.” Jamie grabbed for his arm and tugged, getting another moan from him.

“I can get myself loose.” Mark said, shaking her off. Jamie wasn’t put off by that, she had seen it and had it happen quite a lot in her career as a nurse. So she moved back, giving him space. She waited and watched though, just in case he needed a hand.

It took a lot of maneuvering but Mark finally managed to crawl out of the SUV’s broken windshield. Once outside Jamie tried to help him stand, but his legs refused to hold him up. Mark grumbled that he was dizzy, so Jamie let him lean on her as much as he could as she guided him up the slope to the side of the road. They were well away from the fumes, and she took big gasps of fresh air, never so grateful in her life to be breathing.

Mark had closed his eyes again. He was gingerly touching his forehead and the bump that had appeared. “Fuck…” He hissed out, wiping more blood from his face. He eyed the blood on his hand and almost fell backward he was so lightheaded. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” He said it in a matter of fact tone and detached voice, as if he were telling her he thought it was going to rain. Jamie brushed his hair back from his face and rubbed his shoulders lightly as he threw up by the road. She figured it was the after-effects of the shock. And of course he was dizzy. If he didn’t have a concussion she would eat one of the SUV’s tires.

Mark complained about being sleepy shortly thereafter. Worriedly, Jamie got him up on his feet and paced him back and forth along the road’s shoulder. He complained but he did as she told him. The wait felt eternal but it had not been more than fifteen minutes after she’d gotten him up to the road before a car spotted them. The woman inside, well into her sixties, with snow white hair and a pair of aviator style sunglasses, pulled out a cell phone and dialed 911 without any prompting from Jamie.

And the sound of the ambulance siren was the sweetest thing Jamie had heard in a long time.

The woman, Francine, stayed with Jamie and gave her a bottle of water. She tried to get Mark to drink but he still looked a bit green. He tried to refuse help from the paramedics, but Jamie got him into the back of the ambulance. After taking a precursory look at her and deeming Mark the more urgent case, they quickly began getting him ready for his trip to the hospital.

A police car pulled up shortly. He took one look at the SUV, on its side in the ditch, and came to find Jamie. His name tag identified him as Frank Wilson. Mark was being put on oxygen, and he was blacking out again, which caused the paramedics to exchange a worried glance. Jamie told them to go. She would find another way to the hospital.

As the ambulance sped away, Jamie stepped aside with Officer Wilson. He had already radioed in for a tow truck. He asked Jamie to walk him through what had happened.

She did. As much as she could anyway. The cop gave her a pointed look when she said that there had been someone in the road. Jamie looked steadily back at him. “And neither of us was drinking. Or doing drugs. We weren’t even going the speed limit yet, because we had been behind a tractor that had just turned about a half mile back. The guy just ran out into the road and Mark tried to avoid him.”

That was as close to the truth as Jamie was going to get for now. Wilson asked a few more questions and then offered Jamie a ride to the hospital. She accepted gratefully. They watched as the tow truck appeared. It took them nearly half an hour to get the SUV back on its tires and on the back of the truck.

9

At the hospital, Jamie found she could not remember Kayla’s cell phone number. That figured. She had only called her a million times. The emergency room was eerily empty. She was the only one pacing. A nurse saw her blood stained clothes, and the scratches she’d gotten and offered her a bed in a back. Jamie declined, at least for the time being. When her adrenaline wore off she’d want a doctor to look her over, for now pacing was keeping her limber.

Thirty slow minutes crawled by. Jamie was exhausted, and the nurse still would not tell her what was happening with Mark. At least not until they got in touch with Glen. Jamie wished them luck with that, since he still refused to carry a phone.

An hour passed. And Jamie spotted a familiar figure entering the waiting room via the doors to the examination ward.

“Chris.” Jamie was relieved. He was on duty, obvious from his white coat and stethoscope.

“Heard you were in a bit of a fender bender. And I came all the way down here just to find out it’s your boyfriend.” Chris beckoned to the chairs. “Good thing I’m the one on call or you’d be waiting forever. They still can’t get in touch with his brother.”

“Glen’s at a construction site.” Jamie said, skirting the truth. “Out in the boonies. So is Mark all right?” She took a seat and Chris did the same, running a hand through his hair.

“Considering that he broke his seatbelt and…according to the scene report…the vehicle flipped over? It’s a miracle he’s still breathing.” Chris looked up from the chart on his lap and gave a tired smirk. “Sorry. I forgot for a second you’re here as a family member kind of thing, not a nurse.”

“It’s fine.”

“So far there’s a concussion. He’s going to have one hell of a set of black eyes. It’s an impact concussion, so we want to keep him overnight, just to be on the safe side of things. He had quite a few bruises, including on his left side. We’re waiting on an x-ray tech to find their way to down here to check for any broken ribs. He’s breathing fine, so I doubt it. He’s probably going to be black and blue for a week or so, but he is damn lucky.” Chris closed the chart and clicked his pen nervously. “It is kind of weird though…”

“What?”

“Well…the medics said he was conscious for most of the ride and he faded out when they pulled in. He woke up shortly after we got him back to his exam room. And it was a damn good thing the medic was still handling him at that point. He freaked out when he saw all the machinery and kept telling us to turn it off. The nurse tried to explain to him that we needed to get his vitals and he sort of…snapped. Backhanded the medic and tried to get up. This is why it has taken us so long. We had to restrain him.”

Jamie thought that over. Of course. Mark tolerated some things but as the trip to town had been on his mind, he was a bit off balance. “So is he all right? Besides that?”

“He’s a damn bull…hardheaded and be grateful he is, otherwise you’d be having a much different conversation right now.” Chris smiled. It did not last long though. “He was having a little memory trouble. Not a blank, at least not that I can see, but he forgot his own name for a few minutes. That was after we had him strapped down and he relaxed a little bit. He was talking about the accident one minute, and then asking where the hell he was the next. This is common, as you know, for this type of head injury. A day or two and the fog will lift. In the meantime, as soon as we get our x-rays we’re going to assign him a room and send him upstairs.”

Jamie rose as Chris did. She took his offered hand and he felt how much she was shaking. It was finally sinking in what had almost happened to both of them.

“I’d like you to come back, and let me take a look.” Chris said, holding onto her hand. Jamie sighed and shook her head.

“I’m fine. I got bumped around a bit, but my seatbelt stayed on. His broke.”

“I know. We’re not busy so you can be in and out fairly quick. I just want to be sure.”

“Mm hm. And draw a little blood for a drug and alcohol test. I know. I am perfectly willing to do that, because nothing was hindering either of us.”

“We already know that from his blood work.” Chris had a hand on her lower back, guiding her toward the exam rooms.

“Can I see him?”

“In his room.” Chris held the door and walked next to her down the hall.

“I mean now. I just want to make sure he’s all right. With my own eyes.” Jamie looked at him, pleading without a word.

Chris sighed. “Fine. He was calm a few minutes ago, so please don’t get him all riled up. I’ll be in 109. He’s currently in 117. Think you can remember where it is?”

“Yeah, yeah. I have been here a million times.” Jamie said with a half-hearted smile. She used to work here after all. She could probably wander the halls blindfolded. “Thanks.”

“Right. I’ll give you 10 minutes, after that I better see your face in the exam room or I’ll have security kick you out.” Chris tried to make it sound like a threat. Jamie shook her head and left him to find Mark’s room.

It didn’t take long. It was right around the corner from the office. She peered through the glass window set in the door and saw Mark laying there. The bed was almost too small for him. He was frowning and squinting, obviously the light in the room was hurting his head. She felt better, seeing him even for a moment. She took a deep, relieved breath and opened the door to step inside.

And immediately knew something was wrong. Mark was looking at her, but in a way he would look at a stranger. His green eyes were flat and unexpressive. He was giving her a look she knew well, because she had seen it enough times working at the hospital. It was the look you give a tech or nurse who entered your room for the millionth time to do something you think is inconsequential.

Jamie smiled at him timidly. His expression didn’t change. Ignoring his strange attitude she went to the bed and touched his hand. “Hey.”

“Jamie?” His voice was hoarse, and probably dry from sucking oxygen from the tanks in the ambulance. Now that she was closer, the flat look disappeared, and was replaced by extreme relief. He gripped her hand with his and squeezed.

“It’s all right.” Jamie smiled and tried not to cry. Relieve tears were much better than mourning tears, but they were still about as useless. She bent down and kissed him gently on the forehead, careful to stay away from the bandage covered bruise and lump. It had scared her, that he had not recognized her. She could tell herself all day long he had just been annoyed at the interruption to the quiet, but she knew better. “I would ask you something completely stupid, like how are you feeling.”

Mark huffed, somewhere between a chuckle and a groan. “My head is killin’ me. It’s too damn bright in here. And if they don’t unhook me soon I am gonna go crazy for real.” He gestured, or tried to. The restraints jingled.

“You shouldn’t have punched that paramedic.” Jamie said with a smile. She fiddled with the restraints for a moment, and got his hands freed. He paused in mid-motion, rubbing his wrists, to look at her.

“I punched a paramedic?”

“That’s what I heard.” Jamie smoothed her fingers over his wrists, checking to make sure the restraints did not leave any marks.

“Shit.” Mark started to shake his head but groaned and leaned back against his pillow instead. His complexion was a pasty pale white.

“Concussed yourself. Next time you’ll get reinforced seat belts.” Jamie rested her hand on top of his head and traced the end of the bandage with her thumb.

“Did I puke in front of you?” He asked, seemingly random.

“A little bit.”

“Ugh. I was hopin’ that was something I dreamed up.” Mark covered his eyes with his hands and rubbed, sighing in relief. “I’m thirsty, I gotta use the bathroom, and the fuckin’ lights are about to blind me.”

“Believe it or not, I have seen people throw up before.” Jamie said, letting go of him long enough to flick the light switch. The room dimmed. She heard him sigh in relief again. “I can’t get you out of bed. I’ll be lucky if I can walk in the morning, thanks to all the crawling and dragging and leaning I went through today. I’ll get an orderly to help you up.” As she spoke she went to the table beside the bed and grabbed the pitcher of ice water that a nurse had provided. Which was sort of funny, considering the fact they had restrained him. “Small sips of this. You might get sick again if you drink too fast.” She poured a cup for him and popped in a straw.

He took the water and sipped, closing his eyes at how good it tasted. His throat was like the Sahara. “Glen will be around in a little while, so we can get the hell out of here.”

Jamie was shaking her head before he could even finish the sentence. “Nope. Don’t think so. Your butt is gonna stay right here. Maybe not in this very bed, but in a similar one upstairs. Overnight.”

“There is no fuckin’ way I am stayin’ all night…here.” The way Mark said the word, Jamie got the feeling it was a distasteful as finding a dead bug in his food.

“Tough.” Jamie took the now empty cup from him and poured a little more water. “Doctor’s orders.”

“We have to talk about…”

“Not right now we don’t.” Jamie shushed him yet again. “Tomorrow is soon enough. And you are going to stay put right here. For me.”

Mark groaned. If it was for her, then she knew he would do it. He felt cornered. “One night.”

“Yup. Rest and observation. Maybe some good drugs. Who knows?” Jamie patted him on the leg. “I have to go get myself examined. Will you be all right for a little bit?”

Mark was nodding. “I am just happy you’re all right, darlin’. I was worried and they didn’t wanna tell me anything.”

“I’m like a cat, I have nine lives.” Jamie kissed him again, this time on the corner of his mouth. “And I’ll send in an orderly for your bathroom needs. They’re gonna be mad if you punch somebody again, and I’ll get in trouble for setting you free.”

“I think I’m over the punchin’ phase of my stay.” He said wryly. It was nice to hear the humor in his voice. Jamie kissed him yet again, smiling when he kissed her back. It was hard to walk away but she knew she had to.

And it was much like Jamie had said. She was a bit bruised but nothing major had happened to her. Chris kept reminding her how lucky she had been. Jamie honestly did not need his input on that point. She already knew.

Chris denied her request to stay with Mark. “We’re about to do the x-rays. Then you can stay all you want.”

All Jamie could do was wait for that. She headed back to the waiting room, where she at least would have some company. Glen was sitting in one of the chairs, long legs stretched out in front of him. He grinned at Jamie but she could see he was as worried as she had been.

“How is he doing?”

“Good. Sort of.” Jamie took the seat next to him and sighed. “So who finally found you? They’ve been trying for a while.” She gestured to the front desk where a receptionist was typing and talking on the phone.

"Mark did.” Glen dropped an arm over her shoulders and hugged her against his side. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Jamie shook her head. “I was just thinking, right before we wrecked, that it was sort of odd how little I know about your brother. And now here is something else. How did he get in touch with you?”

Glen shrugged. “The way he always does. He tells Mom, and she tells me.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “Your mom?”

“Right.” Glen said it as if she understood. He lowered his voice too, because the receptionist was off the phone and looking in their direction. “She’s not like a ghost, and she’s not around a lot. She just pops up, usually when one of us are in trouble.”

“Ok. Well…good.” Jamie was still confused but tired. She had questions but could not think of a single one at the moment. “I could sleep for a week.”

“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?” Glen asked with a chuckle. Jamie leaned her head against his arm and yawned.

“I didn’t hit my head.” She repeated for what felt like the millionth time. “Where’s Kay at?”

“Bathroom. She’s got pregnant lady issues.” Glen said with a smirk.

“Lucky her.” Jamie was already dozing off. Glen shifted a little, getting more comfortable. When Kayla returned she looked at Jamie leaning on her fiancé with a smirk on her face.

“Rough day, huh?” She sank into the chair on the other side of Glen and leaned on him too.

“I’m gonna change my name to Body Pillow.” Glen said with a smile. Kayla nudged him in the ribs, making him let out a ‘oof’ of air. Even Jamie, tired as she was, snickered.

“Hey.” Another voice made all of them look. “I suppose the family has arrived.” It was Chris. He was carrying a stack of charts. It really was a slow day for the emergency room. “We’ve moved him upstairs, he’s on the third floor in room 302. You can head up anytime.” He walked with them as far as the elevators, thumbing through his charts.

“How did the x-rays come out?” Jamie asked, feeling very slow. She was so tired, and it had come on her all at once. Her adrenaline rush was gone. She knew this was the aftereffect.

“Good, all things considered.” Chris led them into the elevator where Glen pushed the button for the third floor. “I don’t think he’s going to get up and dance a tango anytime soon, but he’ll be good to go in the morning. He’s got some bruising over his left side. You might want to keep an eye on that.” He spoke to the whole group, but everyone got the impression it was meant entirely for Jamie. “We’ve given him a dose of Tylenol. That’s about all we can do for the concussion. We’ll wake him up every couple of hours tonight, and you can do the same over the next few days. If you notice any residual swelling you bring him back in. Easy as pie.”

“Yeah, right.” Jamie winced as the elevator halted with a jerk on the third floor. “So that’s it? Just the concussion?”

“Were you hoping for more?” Chris asked with a grin. “You took off his restraints. We’re lucky he didn’t walk out of here. He’s been very vocal about not staying overnight.”

“I don’t think it’s gonna be a problem anymore.” Jamie said. Chris led them to the room and opened the door for them all.

Mark definitely looked, if not happy, at least more accepting. Jamie figured it was because they had gotten rid of all the machines, except for the blood pressure monitor, and that was currently off. They would only use it to check his vital signs every few hours through the night. He did not look nearly as pale either.

“I’ll come by and check on you later.” Chris said to the entire room before turning to head back down to the ER office.

“Damn good thing your head is so hard.” Glen said, patting Mark on the arm.

Mark made a low noise in his throat instead of answering. “Got a marchin’ band playin’ in there right now.”

Kayla took hold of Glen’s hand and they took a seat in the pair of chairs beside the bed. Jamie smiled a little at Mark when he reached out for her hand and pulled her to sit beside him on the bed.

“Gotta talk ‘bout what happened.” Mark said. His southern accent had thickened considerably. He was tired and apparently going through the same adrenaline withdrawal Jamie was experiencing.

“It can wait until tomorrow.” Jamie soothed him, running her hand up and down his arm.

“No, it can’t.” Mark groaned and used the controls at his side to ease the head of the bed up further. “What did you tell the cops?”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “That you swerved because there was somebody in the road and the SUV flipped. Which is what happened."

“Good.”

“What? You thought I was going to babble to some backwoods cop about ghosts and your hate for anything with a power cord?”Jamie grouched.

“I never said any such thing.” Mark squeezed her hand. “You saw him too then. Standing in the road.”

Jamie was nodding even as Glen spoke. “Saw who?”

“Some guy.” Jamie said with a shrug. “We saw him in the parking lot at the store, then he popped up down the road. That’s when we wrecked.” Mark was silent for a minute, frowning as he thought it over. “You don’t remember that part.” She said it softly.

“Sort of. I remember crackin’ my head a good one on the windshield.” Mark looked at her, suddenly grumpy. “And I remember you yankin’ on my ear so hard you were tryin’ to pull it off.”

Glen snickered at that, as did Kayla. Jamie shrugged again. “I had to wake you up.”

“It worked I guess.” He winced and shifted in the bed. “I don’t know who it was. But he was one of the bad ones.” Mark met Glen’s eyes. “So be careful.”

“Yeah. You don’t have to tell me twice.” Glen had a protective arm around Kayla. She looked confused for a moment.

“Is this another one like…” Kayla gestured toward Jamie. “That thing that was after her?”

“I have no idea.” Mark said. He was fading. They could all see what talking was taking from him, energy-wise. “And my head hurts too damn much to give it the thought it deserves.”

“Well, we’re gonna leave ya to get some rest.” Glen said, rising to his feet. Mark was all right, that was what this visit had been about.

“Not just yet. I need a couple of minutes with you.” Mark looked at Jamie, then at Kayla.

“Oh. Private brother talk.” Kayla rolled her eyes. “Come on Jamie.” She ignored Jamie’s sputter of protest when she grabbed her hand and pulled her from the bed. They were out the door before either man could say much of anything. Glen watched in amusement as the door closed behind them.

“You better watch yourself out there.” Mark said when Glen had returned his attention to him.

“I know this.”

“Especially now, with the little one on the way.”

“Yes, Mark.” Glen was still amused. His eyes were more serious though, and Mark figured that had to be good enough.

“Just be careful, please.” Mark said with a tired huff of breath. “And send Jamie back in for a minute, would ya?”

“Sure thing.” Glen shook his head at his brother’s tired voice and headed out of the room. Jamie and Kayla were standing across the hall, whispering to each other. They were thick as thieves, but Glen found it rather funny. “He wants to see you before we go, Jamie.”

She nodded. She wasn’t sure she wanted to leave with the others. Mark would probably prefer being by himself overnight but she did not feel good, leaving. Kayla gave her shoulder a sympathetic rub and Jamie went back into Mark’s room.

He was keeping his eyes open. Barely. “You’re gonna go home with Glen and Kay.”

Jamie sat on the bed once more, this time facing toward him. “I would rather stay here…”

“Yeah. I’d rather you stay here too, but there’s no point to it. I’m gonna be sleepin’ all day and night, except when they wake me up to poke and prod me.” Mark reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand, letting his fingers trace the curve of her ear. “I’d feel better if you were home, anyway.”

“So that guy can’t get in. Like before.” Jamie bit her lip. “I’m sorry I forced you out today. And if we bring that stuff in the house, is this what I can expect?” She gestured, taking in the hospital room. Mark chuckled, but it sounded weak.

“Darlin’ this is a new one on me too. And don’t you apologize to me. This was my fault.”

“What? No…”

“Yeah. I caused it. Should have stopped the slide but…” He trailed off and frowned. That part was still fuzzy. “I’m usually a decent driver.”

“Well…not everybody has some ghost pop up in front of them when they’re out shopping.” Jamie said sarcastically. She leaned against his palm, and looked into his eyes.

“I guess so, darlin’.” He pulled her gently, and Jamie leaned willingly enough. She kissed him, this time no mere little peck but an actually deep kiss. She pulled back breathless and looked at him again.

“I want to stay.”

Mark shook his head. “I’d give ya just about anything darlin’, but I’m puttin’ my foot down about this.”

Jamie smirked. “Fine. I give up. Just…try to get some rest, and just relax. Let them help you.”

“I will.” Mark brushed her hair back behind her ear. “You can come back tomorrow and pick me up. I guess you’ll have to since I wrecked my car.”

“I know this. I’ll check into that too.” Jamie smoothed her fingers across his lips. It was obvious he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. She brushed her lips over his once more, avoiding his attempt to hold her there. If they kept that up she would never leave, no matter what he said. “Get some sleep while you can.” She lingered for another moment and then got up and headed for the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She said it as she opened the door.

Mark nodded slowly. His eyes were already closed. Jamie sighed and closed the door behind herself, then looked down. Her clothes were filthy. She suddenly felt grimy. She wanted a hot shower and a nap. Glen dropped his arm over her shoulder again, and guided the two women toward the elevator.

“Anybody wanna eat dinner out?” He asked as they crossed the parking lot to Kayla’s car. Jamie shook her head and Kayla murmured something she did not catch. “All right then. Home it is. You want me to drive?” That was directed at Kayla.

“I think I should.” She dug into her purse for the keys. “Due to the fact that I can’t see a ghost pop up to scare the hell out of me, I think that’s for the best.”

They could find no argument with that. The drive was made in silence. As they rode past the spot where the SUV had flipped Jamie closed her eyes and tried to push the mental image out of her mind, of Mark lying there, seemingly lifeless, his face a mask of blood. Glen muttered something under his breath, but she did not care to ask him to repeat it. She just wanted to go home.

10

Mark spent a rather sleepless night. Every time he closed his eyes, it seemed a nurse was there to wake him up. He was getting annoyed with it all, and just wanted to go home.

Sometime after three in the morning, he woke up on his own. Mark blinked sleepily up at the ceiling, already anticipating the door opening and the lights coming on. It did not happen. He turned his head and was surprised to see a shadowy figure sitting in one of the chairs next to his bed. He could not make out the features of the visitor, it was too dark for that.

His first thought was that Jamie had come back. For which he would be grateful. But the shadow was much too big. Mark slowly reached for the call button, feeling with his fingers the button that would turn on the light behind him. He pushed it quickly, but the shadow was gone even as his eyes adjusted to the light.

Mark sat up and grimaced at the pain in his head. He gingerly felt around the bandage, not for the first time that day. Either he had been visited by a spirit or the hit to the head was making him see things that weren’t there. Currently, neither explanation sat well with him. Jamie might not mind seeing the occasional ghost. Hell, Jamie might very well be an expert on telling them to get lost, but that kind of thing most likely was not going to work for him.

He gingerly swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood unsteadily, swaying back and forth as he tried to catch his balance. Mark wanted to see if he could make it to the bathroom on his own before he called for someone to help him, something that embarrassed him to no end. He shuffled slowly, grabbing on to the bed, the chair, and then the wall and door to remain steady. There was an IV in his arm so he used the pole holding bag of fluid for more leverage. He did not bother with the light, he just went to the toilet and took care of what he needed to. He leaned against the sick afterward to wash his hands and did a double take at the mirror over the sink.

The light from the room shone in giving him plenty of light to see. But it was not his own reflection. It was an unfamiliar face. He brought his hand up to touch the white bandage, and then his cheek. He felt like himself, but he did not look like himself. He realized that was crazy. Had to be. He leaned closer to the mirror, and his reflection leaned as well, until his nose was practically touching the glass. The really crazy thing was he could not describe the difference. At first he thought the eyes in the mirror were dark brown, nearing on black. But he looked again and they were green. The hair looked deep black as well, but that also changed on second glance to his own brownish-red.

Mark snapped the light on and winced again as it stung his eyes. His reflection was just his reflection. The same as always, except for the bandage over his forehead. He sighed and peeled it off to look at the lump. The whole span of his forehead was an angry red color, and that was going to fade into the mother of all bruises. He pressed the tape gingerly back into place and turned off the light to head back to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once they reached the house, Jamie spent about half an hour in the bathroom, under water that was as hot as she could stand it. It took about three tries to get all the blood washed from her skin. She cried as she scrubbed her hands and arms, shaking a little as it finally sank in. Mark had almost died. Once the thought sank in, there was no way to avoid it.

It wasn’t the blood itself that freaked her out, it was the fact that it was Mark’s blood.

Finally clean, she shut off the water and wrapped a towel around herself. She was shivering and her teeth were chattering like crazy. It was not cold. If anything she should be pouring sweat in the steamy bathroom.

She walked into the bedroom and eyed the bed for a moment, just picturing Mark there for a brief moment. Jamie closed her eyes and sighed. He wasn’t dead, and she had to stop thinking that he was.

Jamie went to the dresser and opened the top drawer. She grabbed one of Mark’s shirts and tugged it on over her head. She dug into her own bag and pulled on a pair of panties and her shorts. Comfy finally, she went to the bed and crawled in, grabbing Mark’s pillow and holding it to her. Now that she was out of the shower, she no longer felt like crying. That was good.

She breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of the cologne Mark wore that clung to the pillow. She sighed again, shakily and shut her eyes. She dozed off. It did not last long.

Less than an hour passed and Jamie woke with a start, still clutching the pillow. She was crying again, and must have been for a while because her pillow was very wet. She looked around the room then down at herself. Everything was fine. She just had to keep repeating it. But the room did not feel the same without Mark in it. Jamie smoothed her hand over his pillow and set it aside so she could get up.

Jamie padded slowly downstairs, barefoot, still wearing Mark’s shirt. She could hear Kayla talking from the front of the house. Jamie figured she was probably out on the porch, talking on her cell phone. That reminded her that she needed to get hers from the Jeep.

Glen was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at a newspaper. He looked up and gave her a smile. Jamie nodded back at him and kept on going. She paused to get her keys from the wall and stepped outside. The gravel driveway bit into her bare feet, but the rocks were not really sharp. She went to the Jeep and made a face at the hot air inside. She always forgot to roll the windows down. She did that before reaching into the glove compartment for her phone.

She glanced at it and tucked it in her pocket before shutting the door and wandering around the house. Kayla had gone back inside apparently, so Jamie took advantage of the quiet to sit by the pool with her feet in the cool water.

And she should have stayed with Mark, no matter what he said.

Jamie felt guilty, mainly because she had walked away unscathed. Their foray into town had been her idea, and their purchase of things he would have sooner done without had been…surprise surprise…her idea. She sighed and kicked her feet, splashing the blue water around and watching the ripples.

She knew she was going to go back up there. Jamie pulled her phone out again and glanced at it. It was late, or early depending on a person’s point of view. Three-thirty. She should be in bed, but she could not sleep. The same as everyone else in the house. She looked up and saw the light on in Glen’s room. And the kitchen light of course. The woods were pitch black, even though there was a tiny slice of moon overhead.

Jamie closed her eyes and listened to the chorus of tree frogs, the faint rustle of foliage as an animal – probably a deer – passed by. There were a few night birds still chirping and tweeting away. She found it all so comforting. Like listening to the ocean or a waterfall.

She jerked upright, realizing she had been dozing off, sitting here and leaning closer and closer toward the pool. Jamie laughed at herself and pulled her feet up. She walked back toward the house, this time letting herself in the back door. The downstairs was deserted, so they must have gone up to bed. Jamie went up and pulled on a pair of jeans and one of her own shirts. After she tugged her shoes on, she checked her pockets for her keys and the small wallet she carried. She did not bother telling Glen where she was going. It was not like he was her keeper, or her babysitter. Hell, he wasn’t even her warden.

Jamie climbed into her Jeep and started the engine, letting it run for a moment before dropping it into gear. She wheeled around and headed down the gravel path toward the main road.

This late…or early….she did not encounter any traffic. As she reached the area where they had wrecked, Jamie found herself slowing down and creeping past at the blistering speed of 10 miles an hour. Her hands were sweating on the steering wheel and she could not entirely blame that on the temperature outside. In fact, now that she was moving, the breeze was cool and refreshing.

She looked to her left and saw the long black tire marks on the pavement, where Mark had braked and spun. Jamie tried to swallow but her mouth was too dry.

“Fuck. Come on.” Jamie said it out loud, but to herself of course. They had wrecked. It was over. They were both all right. She purposefully pressed the accelerator and brought her speed up to the limit as she drove her way into town.

She reached the hospital fifteen minutes later. Jamie parked close to the emergency room entrance, knowing that if Chris were still on call he would let her go up even if it was miles past visiting hours. She stepped inside and shivered as the air conditioning enveloped her. They kept it a degree or two above freezing.

Jamie spotted Chris down the hallway. He had the look of someone who had been woken up, and since he was on call that was a given. He saw Jamie and did a double take. “That was fast…we just tried to call you!” Chris came walking toward her. Jamie looked with curious eyes at the security guard that walked with him.

“You did?” She tugged her phone out and looked. There were two missed calls, both the hospital. Both when she had been creeping past the spot where they had wrecked. She had her phone’s ringer turned off. She switched it back on and looked a Chris. “Why are you calling? What happened?”

“Your friend from earlier…Mark.” Chris shoved a hand through his head. “They went in to wake him up and…he’s gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean…gone?”

“Gone, as in no longer here. We’re searching the hospital now, but I doubt if we’ll find him.” Chris laid a comforting hand on her arm. “Have you heard from him? Did he call?”

Jamie shook her head. “No…I was going to come pick him up in the morning, and I just…I couldn’t sleep so I came up…” She trailed off. Had he called her? Maybe not with the phone but the same way he contacted Glen? She had not planned on a trip to town, no matter how lonely she felt without him. The urge to come had just…happened.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” He gestured to the security guard. He was a very large, muscular guy with short cut hair and a ton of tattoos. “We locked the hospital down…quietly of course. But I think he’s gone. Do you have any idea where he would go? Would he try to walk home or…”

Jamie was shaking her head. She glanced at the security guard again and looked at Chris. “He wasn’t…sociable much. He didn’t go much of anywhere except out to get necessities.”

Chris was nodding. “Maybe he knew a back way home, other than the way you came in. You would have spotted him walking down the road, I’m sure.”

“Yeah, he’s hard to miss.” Jamie chewed on her thumbnail nervously. “I need to go up to his room.” Chris raised an eyebrow. “It’s important. I can’t explain.” She again looked pointedly at the security guard. Chris sighed and nodded.

“Let’s hurry then. For all we know your friend could be laying in a ditch, passed out.”

“That’s comforting.” Jamie said, deadpan. She led the way toward the elevator, aware that the guard was tagging along. Once upstairs, there were a few nurses gathered outside Mark’s door.

“Any word on…” The youngest of the started speaking but the security guard held up a giant hand and she shushed. Jamie went into Mark’s room and looked around. The bedcovers were in a bunch at the foot of the mattress. All of Mark’s bloody clothing was gone. The hospital pajamas they had given him lay on the floor in a tangled mess.

“I need a minute.” Jamie said softly. Chris looked at her for a long minute then nodded. He backed out of the room. The security guard stayed. Jamie eyed him again.

“Go ahead.” The guard said. He had a soft voice, deep. “You think the spirits can help you find him, go for it. Better make it fast. Like the doc says, he might be laid out somewhere.”

Jamie was stunned by the man’s admission that he knew what she was. She looked at his tattoos again. Of course. She cleared her throat as the guard shut the door.

“I need a mirror.” Jamie said. The guard pointed to the bathroom. Jamie went inside and turned on the light. She looked into the mirror and huffed impatiently. “Come on, John. I know you can hear me.” She waited as her brother appeared in the glass.

“I can’t help you.” John said before Jamie could even begin to ask him anything.

“What? Why?” She was flabbergasted.

“It is not because I don’t want to. I can’t. Mark was there…” John angled his head toward the room. “And then he was gone. I haven’t heard a peep from him since.”

“A peep? What does he talk to you or…” Jamie rubbed her temples. John was shaking his head.

“I can sort of hear him. Sometimes. Usually when he’s worried about you.” John smiled. “He was here. Then he was gone.”

“What about mom?”

“She won’t know either. She hasn’t spoken to him, so she doesn’t have a link.”

“Ugh.” Jamie pushed her hair back. “Ok. Ok. I have got to figure this out. He could be hurt or…or…” She would not let herself finish.

“He’s not dead.” John said bluntly. “We would know that much at least.”

“Oh…and gee that’s comforting too.” Jamie sighed. “Fine. I’ll find him myself.”

“I wish I could help…”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jamie blew a puff of breath at the mirror. John disappeared. He hated it when she did that but she did not care. Call it sibling rivalry.

The guard was still standing by the door. “Anything?”

“No.” Jamie put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. There was a monitor with wires dangling from the floor. She winced as she saw the IV pole with the catheter hanging from a bag of fluid. He’d yanked his IV out.

“Looks like there was some kind of trouble.” The guard said softly. It was almost as if he were thinking to himself.

“Trouble? What trouble could there have been?” Jamie asked, looking around again. The only thing really off besides the IV was once again the bedding. All crumpled up at the foot of the bed. She assumed it meant Mark had gotten up in a hurry. But this guy was seeing more to it than that.

“Wait one.” He stepped out and shut the door behind him. She could hear the rumble of his voice as he spoke to the nurses. Five minutes later he was back, a look of bewilderment on his face. “I was checking to see if anyone besides the staff had been in. They say no one was on the floor after midnight.” A frown creased his forehead.

“When was the last time they checked on him?”

“Three, or a little after. Before he was due for a wake up. His monitor went off, but the girl said she looked in the window and saw he was getting up and going to the bathroom. She said he went back to bed. But they turned off his alarm at the desk. We don’t keep them on if the…”

“Patient is mobilizing on his own.” Jamie finished it for him.

He smiled. “You know the drill.”

“Yeah. I worked here once upon a time. I’m Jamie, by the way.”

“Good to meet you. I’m Tai.” He offered her a hand. Jamie shook with him, watching as his hand swallowed hers whole. He really was a big fella. “Is he one of us?”

“By one of us what do you mean?” Jamie asked warily.

“Spirit seeker. That’s what my mother used to call us.”

Jamie smiled. She felt positively relieved. “Yes. He’s one of us. Actually, I’m pretty new at being one of ‘us’. “

“Don’t worry. The new wears off.” Tai said it in a flat voice but she saw the way his dark eyes sparkled. He was someone who enjoyed every aspect of his existence, it was obvious. Jamie wished Mark could be that way. “You wanna start walking? See if we can’t get a lead on where he went?”

Jamie smiled in relief. It sounded like a good idea…better…it would be nice to do something, not just stand around and feel helpless. “What he said…about Mark laying in a ditch…”

“Not likely. I’m no expert. Maybe he knew a back way home, like the doc said?” Tai tilted his head in the direction of the door.

Jamie was shaking her head. “If he wanted a back way, the only real way would be through the woods. If he went straight through, and not on the roads, it’s about three miles or so.” She thought about it. Maybe he would cut through the woods, he had said on more than one occasion that he knew the area like the back of his hand. Maybe he would not have taken the main road. “There’s his SUV too. It’s over at the Chevy dealer’s lot until the insurance people look at it…” Glen had told her all of this. “That’s only about a mile toward downtown. He might very well have gone there.”

“Yeah, but would he know where they took his wheels?” Tai asked.

Jamie snorted. “He would find out if he wanted.”

“Ok. We can check both. I can take the woods and you can go to the dealership. Or I can go to the dealership and…”

“What if…” Jamie interrupted him. She was once more looking at the bed, at the tangle of blankets, and the IV on the floor. “What if he didn’t wander off? What if something happened and…” She had no idea how to finish.

“We’ll find him. Don’t worry.” Tai patted her on the back. “Let’s get started. I don’t want to waste any time.”

11

“Come on, squirt, breakfast!” Lexi called up the stairs. She listened for Abby’s footsteps and shook her head. The poor kid. She’d been up half the night with bad dreams, and either could not, or would not, explain exactly what they were about.

They would have to leave early the next day to catch a plane to head north. The only time Abby really sounded like herself was when she talked about Jamie. Lexi and Phil had tried so hard, and Donna could make no headway either. She had agreed, reluctantly again, to allow Abby this trip. And a business trip of her own had come up. When Jamie had called, and Lexi had mentioned an earlier trip up, she had been very happy.

It was obvious from Jamie’s voice that something had gone bad there, but she did not want to talk about it on the phone. Lexi would pry when they got there. They had planned on a stay at a local motel, but Jamie was not hearing any of it. She would have the house to herself, the soon to be newlyweds were moving into their own place that very weekend.

Lexi set Abby’s plate at the table and took her own seat. Phil looked at her over the top of his newspaper. “Sounds like she’s still the same.”

“Give her time.” Lexi said softly. “Are you packed? I kept telling you to pack, and I know how much you love waiting until the last minute…”

“Yes, I packed last night. Or rather, you forced me to pack against my will.” Phil winked at her and went back to his newspaper. Lexi leaned her elbow on the table, propped her chin up on her fist and took a bite of her scrambled eggs.

Abby came into the kitchen finally. She climbed into her chair and looked at breakfast with a wrinkled nose. She had not been eating much lately. Now Phil looked at Abby over the paper and smiled.

“What’s up, kid?”

Abby just sighed and poked at her eggs with the fork. Phil and Lexi exchanged a look. It was Phil who told Abby the good news.

“If you don’t cheer up, your aunt and I are going to go all by ourselves tomorrow.”

“Go where?” Abby asked, setting aside the fork in favor of her fingers. She picked at a piece of toast and put it in her mouth.

“It’s a surprise.” Phil wiggled his eyebrows at her. Abby managed a ghost of a smile.

“I’ve already been to the zoo. Daddy…” The little girl trailed off.

Lexi reached over and smoothed Abby’s fine blonde hair back from her face. “We’re going to leave in the morning and go visit Jamie.”

Abby’s eyes widened. Lexi and Phil exchanged another look at the grin that appeared on her face. “Really? We are?”

“Yes, really we are.” Phil leaned toward her. “But you are going to have to eat. I won’t have you passing out on the plane from lack of nutrition.”

Abby took a giant bite of eggs and chewed enthusiastically. “We’re really, really going?” This time she looked to Lexi.

“Yup. We have plane tickets, and we’ll need to pack your things.” Lexi tweaked her nose. “I was thinking it might be a good time to go shopping for a few new clothes.” Phil groaned at that. Lexi gave him an imperial glare. “Boys will never understand our love of pretty new things.”

Abby smile at that. “Jamie said I was going to be a flower girl.”

“I know that sweetheart.” Phil absently used a napkin to wipe some jelly from her chin. Lexi watching him with barely concealed amusement. “You’ll be the belle of the ball.”

Abby managed to eat most of her food before heading upstairs to find her suitcase that Lexi kept on hand for the nights her niece would stay over. Lexi looked at Phil. “We are going to have a hard time getting her to come back home. You know that, right?”

Phil smirked and went back to his newspaper without a word. Of course he knew. Abby was attached to Jamie in a way that no one else understood.

The day went by. Abby was in a better mood than Lexi had seen her since before Steve’s funeral. Of course it had not been long enough for her to really get over her father’s death, but the thought of the trip and of seeing her friend just made her so happy, Lexi did not want to spoil it. They shopped, had lunch at a local restaurant, and ignored Phil’s good-natured whining about how much money they were spending.

By the time dinner rolled around, Abby was all but falling asleep in her food. Phil carried her up to her room and helped her get ready for bed while Lexi cleaned up. They would be gone for two weeks, so she wanted to make sure everything was ship-shape before they left.

“What else is there to do?” Phil asked from behind her as Lexi washed their dishes from dinner. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Um…nothing that I can think of. Did you pack your…”

“Razors. Yes. Deodorant, yes, toothbrush no, because I plan to brush my teeth in the morning like civilized people. Speaking of which, I should probably get my deodorant out too.”

Lexi laughed. “Please do. You think this is the right thing?”

“I think it’s the only thing. You couldn’t tell Abby she can’t go now if you wanted to.” Phil nuzzled her neck. “She’s asleep by the way. Still worn out from last night, I guess.”

“Any luck finding out what she was dreaming about?” Lexi had asked, but of course Abby claimed she couldn’t remember. She had worn a troubled expression though. Phil sometimes had more luck, maybe because he did not hover over his niece like Lexi did.

“Nope. She’s pretty close-mouthed about it. I figured its Steve, maybe. She doesn’t want to talk about what she saw that day, not to either of us or her mom. Hell, that shrink said she just sat there and stared at him.” Phil went back to resting his chin on her shoulder.

Lexi smirked and rinsed off the plate in her hand. It was sort of funny. Donna had been worried, so she had set Abby up with a child psychologist. He had given up after three sessions, as Abby would speak to anyone but him. Not just that, but she spoke in great detail about her father, how much she missed him, how much she loved him. She just needed time to grieve.

Phil gave up on distracting Lexi from cleaning, and grabbed a sponge to wipe down the table and counters. He went upstairs to take a shower while she wandered the house, making sure everything was in order. As she climbed up the stairs, she heard a noise. It was very soft, and it took her a moment to realize that it was Abby. She was talking. Lexi went to the doorway and Abby looked at her sleepily.

“Did you need anything, sweetie?” Lexi asked, watching as Abby shook her head and closed her eyes.

With a sigh Lexi went into her own bedroom. She grabbed her pajamas from the top drawer of her dresser and checked to make sure the alarm was turned on. She was tired just thinking about getting up at four in the morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you sure about this?”

It was about the millionth time Kayla had asked. Jamie rolled her eyes. “Would you please just go already! I will be fine…I have company coming in a few hours anyway.”

“It just…” Kayla did not get to finish. Glen had come up behind her and dropped a hand on her shoulder.

“She’s right. I don’t feel so good about leaving you here by yourself either.” He joined in on Kayla’s opinion.

“Ugh. What did I just say? I will not be alone.” Jamie sat down on the couch with a sign. “Besides I have this!” She waved the remote she held in her hand. It went to the television she had gotten the electronics store to install on the wall above the fireplace. Small compensation for their wreck, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

It had been just over a week since Mark had disappeared from the hospital. A week of nothing. They hadn’t found anything, no one had seen him or heard from him. It was like he’d just disappeared off the face of the earth. At first they had all gone out looking, traipsing through the woods. Glen kept on long after Jamie and Kayla had to admit they could no longer help. The woods were too big, and they knew only a small portion of it.

And still there was nothing. Glen was having more trouble than even Jamie at the moment. After a lifetime of constantly feeling his brother’s presence, which he could only equate to having a song stuck in his head, there was nothing there. He would not come out and say what he was thinking. He could see on Jamie’s face that she was trying specifically not to come to that conclusion. That maybe Mark was not just missing. Maybe something far worse had happened.

The house that Glen and Kayla had been talking about was finished. Jamie had been out there once, just the day before, and had walked through the empty rooms while Kayla talked about what they had planned. Mostly having to do with the baby, who would put in an appearance around Thanksgiving. She had every right to be excited, but the attempt at being normal was half-hearted at best. They had been shopping over the month, and the deliveries were starting today. So there was no way Jamie was going to let them sit and babysit her.

Jamie walked with them outside, ignoring Kayla good-natured grumbling. Glen helped her into the car and turned to look at Jamie.

“We won’t stop looking. This is not nearly as important as…”

“Yes it is.” Jamie interrupted him. “This is the start of a new life for both of you. And it was going to happen whether or not he was here. So let it happen.”

Glen hugged her. Jamie squeezed him back, and was surprisingly tear free as they turned and drove down the gravel drive. Glen did not mind her staying here in the house, because Mark would have wanted her to. So here she was. Alone.

Jamie sat down on the porch steps and stared across the yard to the line of trees. Guilt was eating at her. She should have ignored Mark’s request and stayed with him at the hospital. The fact that she was a bit dazed herself did not stand against her leaving him alone there. She had known something was not right, had known and had not done anything about it.

They had finally gotten the police involved, much against Glen’s better judgment. Their lives were lived fairly off the grid, so inviting the cops into their home and trying to explain anything to them left him feeling hostile. Jamie had taken over. She explained to the police about the wreck, and the search they had undertaken after Mark had disappeared from the hospital. They studied a map and Jamie had pointed out the area they had covered, although she could not be sure that they hadn’t wandered further.

And while they had put out a missing person bulletin, there was not much more they could do. They did not have the manpower for a full search of the forest. They did have a few free-lance search and rescue teams, who spent several days in the woods with dogs. But their luck was just as bad as Jamie, Glen and Kayla’s. They found no sign of Mark anywhere. He had just…disappeared.

That left Jamie wondering to herself if maybe he was stuck. Stuck over there, through a doorway. But she could not for the life of her remember how to open a door to his side of things. Taking Miranda over had seemed so simple, but now that she wanted to actually pop in, she found that nothing happened. She had kept her theory to herself, mainly because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. If Mark was not there, then that meant he was just gone. Maybe for good. And she did not want to even think about that.

Jamie shook herself out of her thoughts and got up. She needed to get her shoes on and collect her keys so she could get to the airport to pick up Lexi, Phil and Abby. She still had a bit over an hour. She stood in the living room for a moment, listening to how utterly silent the house was. Even the air conditioner was silent. Jamie felt tears prick her eyes for no reason. She should be happy, having old friends visit and Abby filling the silence in the place.

She rubbed at her eyes and grabbed her sunglasses from the end table by the couch. “Mark is not dead.” Jamie said it aloud, forcing herself to put conviction in her words. Now that it was out, that she had actually said it, she knew that it would eat at her. Just like her guilt of not staying with him.

Jamie slid behind the wheel of her Jeep after locking up. She sat for a moment, windows down, letting the warm breeze wash over her. She eyed the house thoughtfully. Every time she had left the house the past week, she had done this same thing. A glance at the empty windows, and a silent wish that when she came back, Mark would be there. It was probably a form of self-torture, but Jamie would just have to live with it. She wanted him back damn it.

With a sigh she headed down the drive, following the gravel without really thinking about it. Jamie had a short drive to try to compose herself, if not for her own sake, then for Abby’s. The little girl had lost her father, after all. Jamie could definitely feel her pain. But that did not mean she would add to it.

12

Randy rolled his shoulders, stretching out his neck. He had dozed off in the hard plastic chair, not for the first time. He blinked blearily and looked at Nan. She was lying in the hospital bed, completely still, except for the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

She had been in the hospital for three days. Nan called Randy, and in a weak voice explained to him that she could not breathe. He had rushed to her house, worried beyond description. He knew that Nan was not a young woman, but he was not ready to lose her yet. He did not think he ever would be.

The ambulance was already there. The EMTs fussed over Nan and eventually loaded her onto the waiting vehicle. One of them had taken Randy aside and explained that it looked like Nan was suffering the beginnings of pneumonia.

Nan was in and out while she was at the hospital. She had moments of clarity, but they were further and further apart. The moments when she did not recognize Randy grew closer together.

Randy reached out and picked up Nan’s hand, holding it lightly in his own. It was hard to believe, that this woman who had raised him, who had just a week ago seemed invincible, was now losing her grip on life. She felt and looked so frail.

“And where the hell is Lucy?” Randy muttered aloud. He had been at home, and was used to Lucy’s long silences. Sometimes they saw so much of each other it made them sick, sometimes they didn’t see each other for months. But for this…Lucy should be here.

He’d tried calling her throughout that first day, leaving message after message. The day after that, he had trusted the nurses who cared for Nan and had gone to Lucy’s house, thirty minutes away. It was empty. Randy wandered around, first noting that the front door was unlocked and her car was in the driveway. Inside he found some interesting and worrisome things. First, her keys were sitting on the table by the door, where she usually tossed them when she got home. Her cell phone was there as well. Her bed was the only thing out of whack, it looked as if she had tossed and turned through the last night she had been home.

Randy had checked her cell phone and saw that she had last made a call three nights ago. That was the last day Randy had also heard from her. She had over thirty missed calls and her phone beeped constantly to say she had voicemails waiting. That was it.

So Randy added Lucy to his list of things to worry over and went back to Nan’s side for lack of anything better to do.

One of the many nurses he had seen over the last few days came in and smiled at him brightly. “Why don’t you head out and grab some dinner? I’ll sit with your grandmother for a while.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m fine.” Randy said softly, rubbing Nan’s hand.

“You’re right, I don’t. But I will so you can go home for a bit and relax.” The nurse, whose name had slipped Randy’s mind, checked over the machine that was currently keeping track of Nan’s vital signs. “I’ll call you if anything happens, don’t worry. But I think she’s just going to rest for a while today.”

Randy heaved a sigh. “Is that your nice way of saying that she’s fading?”

“I’m sorry.” She gave Randy’s shoulder a pat. “Go on. Give yourself a break.”

Randy went, reluctantly. He cast a lingering, worried frown in Nan’s direction as she slept on. The hell of it was, it was not out of the realm of possibility that she would never wake up again. Nan was ready, had been for quite some time. The thought was not very comforting.

Randy went out to his car and sat behind the wheel, listening to the phantom echoes of the parking garage. He looked thoughtfully at Lucy’s phone, which he had tossed into the center console when he’d returned to the hospital. He picked it up and powered it on, glancing again at the number of voice mails.

With a sigh he punched in Lucy’s password and began listening. Maybe someone had asked for help…

The first few messages were from random friends. Randy skipped over them after he heard who they were. About halfway through the list was a call from Kayla.

“What is up with people not answering phones?” Kayla spoke with a smile in her voice. “Call me. We have to do your final fitting.” There was a pause of maybe thirty seconds. “We still haven’t heard from Mark. Jamie is starting to worry me. Call me.” She repeated and hung up.

Randy cut off the next message and shut the phone down, tapping it against the steering wheel. He hesitated for a minute before picking up his own phone and dialing Kayla’s number.

“Hello?” She answered before the first full ring finished and sounded half-asleep. Randy smirked.

“Hey. How have you been?” It had been a while since he had spoken to Kayla or Glen. Or Mark or Jamie for that matter.

“Oh…good. Great!” She sounded more awake. “And how are you? Your sister is overdue for her new fitting.”

“Yeah. Uh…” Randy was at a loss for words. “Things aren’t so good here.”

“Oh? Are you all right?” Kayla immediately sounded concerned. It was sort of nice, having someone else worry with him. He’d felt alone for days now.

“No. Actually, I am about eighty miles away from all right.” Randy ran his fingers through his hair. “Nan’s in the hospital. It doesn’t look like she’s going to last.”

“I’m so sorry, Randy.” Kayla commiserated.

“And Lucy’s missing. I tried to get in touch with her over the last few days and nothing. And then I went to her house and found her cell and…well. It looks like she left in a hurry. She didn’t take anything with her.”

Randy could hear Kayla stuttering, as she tried to really comprehend what he had said. “Mark’s been missing for a week. He’s…hold on. Glen wants the phone…”

Kayla’s voice faded. Randy could hear them talking and closed his eyes. “Hey.” Glen’s voice filled his ear. “Tell me what happened.”

Randy went through it all, in detail. Glen listened, not interrupting until he had spilled out the entire events of the last few days. When Randy finished, he waited to see if Glen would have any ideas.

“Something is going on. Was she acting…weird before she disappeared?”

“Weird how?” Randy asked with a snort. “I hadn’t talked to her in a couple of weeks so I don’t know. Nan would…but Nan is almost beyond helping.”

Glen rolled that around in his mind for a moment. “I’m gonna come up there.”

“You don’t have to…”

“It’s not like you can come down here right now.” Glen cleared his throat. “I can be there in a few hours.”

“Ok. But…why did you ask about how she was acting?” On that Randy was confused.

“Because…Mark was acting sort of off right before he disappeared. Jamie said he acted like he didn’t know who she was after their accident.”

“What accident?” Randy asked confused. Glen filled him in, once more running everything through his mind. “Hell. What the fuck is going on?”

“I don’t know.” Glen bit his lip thoughtfully. “I’m going to hit the road. Just…sit tight and I’ll be there as soon as I can. If Nan wakes up, try to get her to talk. I know that sounds…”

“It doesn’t sound like anything. If she wakes up I’ll keep her talking.” Randy opened his eyes. “Hopefully she knows something. I just hope she holds on long enough to…”

“She will.” It was Glen’s turn to interrupt Randy. They said their goodbyes. Randy looked from his phone to Lucy’s and put both of them on the passenger seat. He was going to go eat, quickly, and then come back to continue his watch over Nan. It was all he could think to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie held Abby’s hand as they walked through the woods toward the clearing.

Phil and Lexi were driving around, taking in some of the local sights. Abby had taken a short nap, but for the most part had been glued to Jamie’s hip.

Jamie did not know why she wanted Abby to see the clearing, but here they were. Something told her to bring the little one so here they were. Abby had been the veritable chatterbox since they had arrived, steering the conversation to subjects far away from her family. Far away from her dad, Jamie amended silently as they broke through the tree line into the flower and butterfly filled clearing.

“Wow.” Abby breathed out the word and smiled. Jamie felt her heart twist a bit at the sadness in the little girl’s eyes. Maybe even this place would not help her get past her father’s death.

Jamie went to her usual seat and stretched out, turning her face to the sun as Abby skipped through the flowers, chasing butterflies. Even her giggles sounded sad, but that was all right. At least she was laughing. Jamie sighed and watched as Abby picked a few yellow flowers.

Abby skipped back toward her, smiling gamely. “It’s so pretty here.” She handed Jamie some of the flowers.

“I know. And peaceful.” Jamie smiled as Abby sat down next to her. “Sweetheart…”

“I don’t wanna talk about Dad.” Abby said bluntly, idly picking at the flowers remaining in her hand. “Everybody always wants me to talk. I don’t feel like talking.”

Jamie put her arm around her and hugged her close. “Well that’s fine. You’ll talk when you’re ready.”

Abby nodded and relaxed against her side. Neither spoke for quite a while. Jamie idly toyed with Abby’s blonde hair, watching as the little one continued picking at the flowers, pulling the petals off and blowing them out of her hand.

They both jumped when Jamie’s cell phone started ringing. Smirking, Jamie dug it out of her pocket and glanced at the unfamiliar number in the caller ID window. She shared a look with Abby as Jamie answered it anyway.

“Hello?” There was a thick crackle of static. Jamie winced and pulled the phone away for a moment before saying ‘hello’ again.

“Jamie?” The voice was distorted, interlaced so heavily with the static that Jamie could barely hear it. But she jerked like someone had yanked her hair and gasped. Even through the static, she knew that voice.

“Mark? Mark…where the hell are you?”

There was nothing but that thick static again. Jamie absently patted Abby on the leg and rose to her feet, hoping that she could pick up a better signal by moving.

The static was so heavy that Jamie winced but through it she could hear Mark’s voice. She did not know what he was saying, but he was definitely talking.

“I can’t hear you…I can’t…” Jamie spun in a slow circle and suddenly his voice was crystal clear. It was almost like he was standing next to her.

“…don’t know how the hell I got here but…” The static crackled once more, cutting off whatever he was saying. “…forget me and stay…” At that, the phone did not just emit static. A high pitched squeal sounded. Jamie jumped again as Abby, who she had forgotten for the moment, came to her side and took her hand. “…because I forgot. I can’t believe I forgot, but I did and now I guess they’re gonna have their damn council damned what all any of us say. I’m sorry, darlin’, I really am, I shoulda remembered.” The static disappeared when Abby’s fingers threaded through hers. Jamie looked down at her, smiling a bit and feeling tears prick her eyes.

“Mark? Where are you? Are you all right?”

She heard him sigh. “I’m fine. I only have a minute, and they’re probably gonna freak out if they find out I managed this much.”

“Who? What are you talking about?”

“I can’t get into it, Jamie. There’s no time.” Mark hesitated though. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I should have done something…”

“You’re starting to scare me.” Jamie said softly, squeezing Abby’s fingers gently.

“Don’t be. I love you, Jamie.” His deep voice rumbled it out. Jamie sniffled and blinked, trying to clear her eyes.

“I love you too, Mark.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Come home. Please just come back.”

“I would if I could, darlin’. You know that. It won’t be too much longer…that’s what they keep saying.” Before Jamie could ask once more who he spoke of, Mark cleared his throat. “I have to go.”

“No…”

“I’ll call again if I can. Just…try not to worry, ok? Just a couple more days and…” He stopped so abruptly that Jamie thought her phone had dropped the call.

“Mark?”

“I’m still here.” He sounded distracted though. “I will see you soon, Jamie. I promise.”

“Ok.” Jamie sniffled again.

“Love you.” With that, Mark ended the call. Jamie felt weak suddenly, as if all of the strength had drained out of her legs. If not for Abby holding onto her hand she would probably not have made it back to her seat.

“Are you all right?” Abby asked, watching as Jamie gave up and cried.

Jamie nodded and laughed bitterly. “I don’t know what I am right now.” She said honestly. “You…that…” She let out a shaky breath. “Ready to head back?”

Abby nodded, a frown of worry marking her face. Jamie smiled reassuringly and got her tears under control. Mark was all right. That was the important thing. Hers was just the reaction that came with relief. She had been thinking the worst, she knew it. Thinking that maybe Mark had wandered off into the woods and had died or been hit by a car or...there were a million different possibilities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie did not know what to do. She and Abby spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. Jamie started wondering if she had just imagined the whole damn thing.

She tried calling Kayla and Glen but no one answered. And then Phil and Lexi had returned and it was dinner time. Jamie ate a bit and spent that evening playing board games with Abby. It had clouded over and was raining. By the time nine o’clock rolled around, the little girl could not hide her yawns. Lexi took her up to the guest room and got her into bed, and Phil followed them shortly thereafter. They were still tired from their trip.

Jamie did not mind being alone. She needed time to think anyway. It was about eleven that night when she climbed the stairs to Mark’s room and got ready for bed. She slid between the sheets and burrowed into his pillows. It was still raining outside, and the sound of the water dripping from the gutters and hitting the windows made her feel lonelier than ever.

She slept fitfully, tossing and turning and just generally out of sorts. She kept having odd dreams, some of them nightmares, some strangely erotic. She woke up it seemed every five minutes.

The most realistic dream happened in the darkest hours of the night, close to three in the morning. Jamie had gotten up and stumbled to the bathroom, not bothering with the lights. She got a drink of water and headed back to bed, crawling in and snuggling up against a warm, strong back.

Jamie knew it was dream because of course she knew Mark was not really there. But he felt so real…she ran her palm over the flat muscles of his stomach, up onto his chest. She felt his heart beat against her hand, felt the smooth warm texture of his skin. He shifted, turning to pull her close up against him and Jamie realized belatedly that they were both completely naked. That was rather interesting, and reinforced the dream idea, because she had definitely been wearing her shorts and tank top when she had gotten into bed.

She dismissed the thought. Stranger things happened in dreams after all. Of course it was easy to dismiss when he was suddenly doing things with his hands that made it impossible to think. Jamie tangled her hands in his hair as he brought his mouth down across hers, kissing her deeply. She heard the soft moan that came from low in his chest as their tongues touched. His hands were still moving restlessly over her body, from her shoulder, down to her breasts, over her side to her rear where he paused to press her closer. And then his hand roamed back up, in a reverse path.

Jamie broke their kiss and gasped, trying to get her breath back. Mark’s breathing was ragged as well. And still his hand moved, stopping to tweak her nipple, or squeeze her tighter to him.

Mark lowered his head, until his forehead touched Jamie’s. “Are you a dream?” He asked, his voice hoarse. Jamie smiled and cupped his face in her hands, tracing the curve of his cheeks with her thumbs.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” She whispered back.

She felt the smile that stretched his mouth with her palms. Mark dipped his head and kissed her again.

If it was a dream, Jamie thought it was probably the longest, best one of her life. She could remember all of it, Mark touching her, kissing her, exploring her body first with his hands then with his mouth and tongue.

The craziest thing was, she should have woken up.

Maybe not when he was touching her, but definitely when he brought on her first climax. And again when he entered her for the first time. After so long apart, and then denying herself this closeness, the sensation of having him inside her again was almost enough to put her over the edge again.

It seemed to go on forever. When Mark finally reached his own end, Jamie was pinned beneath him, wiggling up against him to make the most out of their full body contact. It felt so good she had to bite his shoulder to keep from screaming as her final climax overtook her. She felt him trying to catch his breath again as he kissed her lightly on the neck.

“I love you.” His voice was a hoarse, thick whisper. Jamie sighed contentedly and opened her eyes to look up at him.

“I love y…” She did not finish. Mark was not there. It was dawn, or just after. The rain from the night before had moved on, and the sun was coming up into a clear sky.

Jamie had been tensed upward, now she fell back against the pillows and sighed, feeling tears sting her eyes yet again.

“A fucking dream.” She said it under her breath. Jamie sat up, feeling angry for some reason. Cheated. She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, wincing at the tangles she found there. Of course she had spent the better part of the night tossing and turning but…

Belatedly she realized that the sheet had slipped. And her pajamas were gone. She looked at her bare breasts, at the red marks still visible across her skin. It looked suspiciously like beard burn. Jamie swung her legs over the side of the bed and winced. Her thighs were sore. She gingerly got to her feet, feeling a bit unsteady.

Jamie was no type of sex expert, but she knew what it felt like the morning after an all night marathon. And this was that. She started to stand, but as she looked up her eye fell on something on the floor. She felt the strength run out of her legs and sat back down.

There was a shirt lying crumpled on the floor.

Jamie stared at it for a full minute, trying to justify the article of clothing. It had been over a week, and yes on occasion there had been the flinging off of clothing in a hurry, but not since she had been back. Mark had been giving her space, and waiting for her to come to him, and for that she would be grateful.

She gingerly got up and picked the shirt up. It was definitely Mark’s. Not only that, it was the shirt he had been wearing when they had the accident. The one that he apparently had worn when he’d disappeared from the hospital. There was dried blood on the front of it, a surprisingly small amount.

She was too stunned for a moment to even breathe. She did not understand…

Unless Mark was home.

Of course, that would explain everything. Maybe it hadn’t been a dream, maybe he had come home the night before and…well…

Jamie tossed the shirt onto the bed and went to the dresser to grab some clothes. She grimaced as she pulled a pair of shorts and a top on. She paused to wonder what she had done with her other outfit.

It didn’t matter. Jamie ran her fingers through her hair and headed for the hallway, and the stairs. As she went, she looked in every room. This early, Lexi and Phil were still sleeping, as was Abby. Jamie smiled as she checked on her and saw her curled into the blankets so that just her hair showed at the top.

Jamie moved silently down the stairs, listening to the utter silence of the house. She checked the rooms but no one was there. The kitchen and living room were empty, and the doors were all still locked up. Everything was just as she had left it the night before.

Jamie stood in the kitchen for a moment, hands on her hips, wondering just what the hell was going on. The shirt…well. It meant that someone, namely Mark, had been there the night before. Unless it had been a vivid dream. And the last time Jamie checked, dreams didn’t shed their clothes on the bedroom floor. She sighed and turned to the pantry. She was up, she was confused, so she decided she was going to cook breakfast to try to take her mind off things.

13

Nan had one good day.

She slept for most of it, so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open. But as the morning wore on toward afternoon and evening, she remained clear and focused when she was awake.

Randy and Glen sat with her through that day. Nan would wake up and give instructions. She knew it was the end for her, and as much as Randy wanted to deny it, she was the realistic one. Glen took not of the things she asked for, wanting to make sure she got what she wanted. She deserved it at the very least.

It was after dinner. Nan had not wanted to eat, and Randy had only been able to coax two or three bites into her mouth. She was listless, and tired.

“We need your help, Nan.” Randy finally spoke to her, keeping his voice soft. Her eyes shifted to him and she took his hand, gripping it firmly.

“It’s Lucy.” It was not a question. Nan nodded through, as if the men had answered her. “And Mark too. Huh…” She grunted and shifted in the bed.

“Mark’s been gone over a week.” Glen said. “And Lucy, at least a few days.”

“Probably nothing to worry about.” Nan spoke. She started coughing and it took a few minutes for her to catch her breath.

“Well we’re worried.” Randy said with a smile. Nan looked at him and smirked.

“You always were the worrier.” She gave his hand a pat. “I feel bad that I won’t get to tell Lucy goodbye…”

“Don’t talk that way.” Randy said, cutting her off.

“Dear, it is what it is.” Nan sighed and shifted again. “Let me ask. Did anything happen before either of them disappeared?”

“Not that I know of.” Randy said. He looked at Glen.

“Mark and Jamie were in a wreck…” Glen shook his head. “And Jamie said that they both saw someone who was a spirit but not like a spirit. He was the reason they were in the accident.”

Nan was nodding. “I suppose I can tell you boys. I do not have much time left, and I’m only going to tell this once.” She motioned for the cup of water that was on her tray. Randy got it and held it while she took a sip. “If they’re missing, it probably has something to do with Jamie.”

“What? Why?” Glen asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because she wasn’t trained.” Nan leaned back against her pillow. Already she was tired but she knew she would just have one chance. “When you were born, both of you, the people closest to you already knew the sort of power you were going to have. When you get old enough…your mothers were supposed to choose which side you would work for. If you would be a champion of the good spirits of the scourge of the bad.”

“What do you mean, they were supposed to choose? I thought we were just born with whatever power we had.” Glen said thoughtfully.

“You are born with the power of both. Sending spirits is a learned trait, and whatever side you learn the most is the way you lean.” Nan smiled and gave Randy’s hand another squeeze. “Even when you were small, we all could see that you were the more compassionate one. Lucy has got steel in her spine, and she got that from your father.” Her smile faded.

“What does that have to do with…”

“Everything.” Nan sighed. “The council has probably convened. And that’s bad news for her, because getting the council together is a rare occurrence.”

Glen looked as if she had punched him in the stomach. “Hell…how…” He laughed nervously. “I forgot. How the hell could I forget?”

“Because they wanted you to forget. We aren’t supposed to talk about them.” Nan smirked. “Some of us remember, maybe because we’re too old and set in our ways. There aren’t many who have to go in front of them either.”

“So Jamie has to because…what? She didn’t know what she was?” Randy asked.

“No. She has to because she opened doorways to both worlds. You are only supposed to be able to do one.”

“So she’ll have to pick a side.” Glen said it, once more sounding as if he were speaking to himself.

“Among other things. They do not like to make things easy.” Nan lay back, suddenly out of energy. “It should happen soon. They will come for her.”

“All this…” Randy grunted in annoyance. “Why did they have to kidnap people? Why not just tell her to decide and have done with it?”

Nan smiled. “Because they are afraid of her. It is rare, for someone to be able to open both doorways. An anomaly. And they fear it because it is not the norm.” She sighed. “They are not going to make her decision easy either. It is a way of breaking that power, forcing her to choose a side.”

Randy and Glen shared a look. Nan had closed her eyes, and she was breathing as if she’d run a marathon. “Nan, you should get some rest…”

“I’ll be getting plenty of rest soon enough.” She spoke sharply. She opened her eyes and looked from one man to the other. “There isn’t anything you can do to stop it. And there isn’t anything you can do to help Jamie. This is something she has to do on her own.” Nan took a shaky breath. “Give her time. Randy, I am not feeling well. Could you call the nurse in please?”

Nan’s shift in conversation threw him for a moment, but Randy got up and hit the call button on the wall. It only took a few minutes for a nurse to appear and shoo the men out of the room so she could help Nan to the restroom.

Randy and Glen looked at each other. “Well. I feel helpless.” Randy finally broke their silence.

Glen smirked. “I’ve never heard of any kind of council.”

“Me either.” Randy said. But he was frowning, as if trying to recall something. “At least, I don’t think so.”

“I don’t know about you, but I think I need some coffee. Wanna go down to the cafeteria?”

Randy glanced at the door to Nan’s room. “Sure. I could use the walk.” And he tried to push the thought of some sort of council out of his mind. It would not go. For some reason he kept thinking of Lucy. Either Lucy had said something or something had happened involving Lucy and some council. It would drive him crazy until he remembered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey did you get a call from Glen?”

Jamie held her cell phone between her ear and shoulder as she washed their dinner dishes. Phil had gone to town and rented some movies, so they were going to all just veg out in front of the TV. Abby had wanted to spend all day playing in the pool so that’s what they did. Now she was tired from all the sun and exercise.

Jamie was tired too, but mostly she was just…down. After the crazy dream the night before she had been almost happy again. Even if Mark had not been there surely a dream like that had to mean something. But as the day wore on the fact remained that he was just as gone as he had been all week.

“I haven’t heard from anybody, until now.” Jamie answered Kayla. She rinsed the last plate and set it aside before grabbing a towel to dry her hands. “And Abby wants to try on her dress whenever you’re ready.”

“Tomorrow, definitely.” Kayla said with a smirk. “Glen made it sound like it was important. That’s why I ask. I’m sort of worried about him.”

“I’m sure he’ll be all right.” Jamie said.

“I know, I know. Do you have a pen handy?”

“I can. Hold on.” Jamie went to the table where a notepad and pencil were sitting. “All right…”

Kayla rattled off a phone number and Jamie dutifully wrote it down. “Call him. He didn’t want to go into it on the phone but I’m pretty sure he knows something about Mark…”

“Ok.” Jamie tried not to get her hopes up. “I’ll call him just as soon as you let me go.”

“Well then I’ll see you all tomorrow. Around 10 or so would be good.”

“All right.”

“Jams, are you really ok?” Kayla asked, seemingly out of nowhere. It surprised Jamie for a moment.

“As ok as I can be right now.” She said, being honest.

“It’s just…you sound off.”

“Sorry.” Jamie hesitated, and mentally said ‘screw it’. “I had either a very vivid dream last night or Mark snuck in and sexed me. I still haven’t decided which direction I’m going with that.”

Kayla was silent for a moment before a giggle escaped her. “Oh, I don’t wanna laugh because I know he’s not there but damn…”

“I know.” Jamie sat down at the table. She kept an ear on the living room, where she could hear Lexi talking to Abby. “There was evidence supporting the sex.”

“Oh, really?” Kayla snickered.

“So I have been sort of off all day.”

“I can understand why.” Kayla got herself under control. “Call Glen and see if he can help, all right? I hate this shit…I thought this was going to be your happy ending.”

“Yeah, right.” Jamie sighed expansively. “I’ll call. See you tomorrow.” They said their goodbyes and she idly ran her fingers through her hair, just needing a moment to compose herself.

“Lexi wants me to tell you that she’s gonna start this movie without you.” Phil spoke, bringing her out of her thoughts. Jamie smiled.

“Sorry. I have another call to make. But you guys can go on and start, I can always watch it again later.”

Phil stood uncertain for a minute, as if trying to decide whether to press her or just let it go. She’d been acting strange. Even he had noticed. But he got the feeling that she thought he and Lexi would not understand.

“All right.” He decided to let it go. She said she had calls to make, so he would let her. Phil knew he was no good at this kind of thing, sympathy, or empathy or whatever it was that meant he was good at this sort of thing. Without another word he turned back to the living room. A few minutes later, Jamie heard the sound of the movie starting, the swelling orchestral soundtrack.

Jamie quickly dialed the number Glen had given Kayla. It rang twice before it was answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, Glen. It’s Jamie.”

“Hey! Hold on just a second.” Jamie did not know if he was speaking to her or someone else. She heard people talking in the background, and their voices faded as he apparently stepped into a quieter place. “You doing all right?”

“As all right as I can be I guess.” Jamie admitted.

“We’ve had a uh…well…” Glen cleared his throat. “Nan passed away.” He said it suddenly, just spitting it out.

“Oh. I’m sorry…was she sick?” Jamie thought back to Christmas, to the seemingly invincible old woman who walked through the snow with her.

“No. She had a good long life and she was just ready…” Glen heaved a sigh. “She had a few clear hours today, and when she faded it was quick.”

“Are Randy and Lucy all right? Don’t answer that, of course they aren’t.” Jamie hated condolences. She was horrible at it. She’d received enough over the years but it did not make it easier.

“That’s sort of what I wanted to talk to you about.” Glen said. “Lucy’s missing. Randy said that Nan last heard from her about four days ago.”

“No…” Jamie toyed with the notepad on the table. “Is it…like what happened to Mark?”

Glen did not answer for a full minute. Jamie started to think that they had been cut off. “Actually, it is very similar to what happened to Mark. She just disappeared.” He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. “Nan knew some things. About why they were gone.”

“Really? Why? What happened? Where are they?” Jamie was asking the questions too fast to give him a chance to answer.

“I don’t know exactly where they are. But safe…Mark is safe. There’s a reason for it all, that’s what Nan tried to tell us. Listen…I’m gonna help Randy pack some stuff up and then I’ll be home later. Will you be up?”

Jamie had been tired but now she knew sleeping would be impossible. “I’ll be right here.”

“Ok. I’ll come by there as soon as I can, and we can talk.” Glen said goodbye and hung up, leaving Jamie to hold her silent phone.

Eventually she got up and joined the others in the living room. Abby curled up against her, not taking her eyes from the movie. Jamie barely watched it, her thoughts were spinning a mile a minute. When the first movie ended, Phil put in another one and Lexi made some popcorn. Abby kept looking at her, a worried frown on her face, but Jamie did not really notice that either.

Abby being so young, she only made it about halfway through the second movie before she nodded off. Phil carried her up to bed leaving Lexi and Jamie by themselves.

“So. You are about a million miles away.” Lexi stated, not pretending interest in the movie anymore.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Jamie rubbed her eyes and sighed. “There is so much going on right now, and I’m sort of in over my head…”

“You? Please. You are the most got-it-together person I have ever met.” Lexi scoffed.

Jamie snickered. “And here I thought you knew me rather well. I’m a hot mess.”

“Are you going to tell us what’s going on here?” Phil spoke from the stairs. “Abby’s already out. I managed to get her teeth brushed before though.” He stopped behind the couch and dropped a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “And I mean tell us what’s going on beyond the fact that your friend is missing.”

Jamie shrugged. She debated for a moment exactly how much to tell, and then just spilled the whole story, starting with being practically dumped into Mark’s lap. She ended with the phone call she had just received. It took nearly an hour to get it all out, and they did not interrupt her once. She ended by telling them that Steve had told her that Abby had the same sort of power, that she had gotten it from her mother, and that was all he had known.

There was silence as they processed the information. “We always kind of figured there was something…special…about Abby.” Phil finally said. He shared a look with Lexi, and she nodded.

“And that’s not being biased. She…well she knows things that she shouldn’t know. Or shouldn’t have a way of knowing.” Lexi elaborated.

“Like seeing people who aren’t there.” Phil added.

“Or talking to them.” Lexi once more looked to Phil before meeting Jamie’s eyes. “She said once, right after you left, that Steve was watching over her. We thought it was a coping thing at first…but she carries on conversations with someone who isn’t there. And for a week she refused to harbor the notion that we did not know he was there. She doesn’t talk about him anymore. And that is in every aspect. If we mention him she just shuts down and refuses to say anything at all.”

Jamie felt the beginnings of a headache. “I’m not sure what I can do about…”

“Have you seen him? Steve?” Lexi asked, leaning forward.

“No. I thought I might because of the way he…he passed, but no. I haven’t.”

“Maybe there’s…” Lexi started to speak but there was a noise at the front door, and it opened. Glen walked into the house, looking at the people who were sitting with Jamie.

“Hey.” He greeted them all and looked at Jamie a bit expectantly. She nodded at him.

“Give me a few minutes, ok?” She asked, rising to her feet to follow Glen into the kitchen.

It did not take Glen long to run down the things that Nan had shared before she had slipped way. Jamie listened with growing anger. It was irrational but it was there.

“So…what. They got taken because of me?”

“I don’t know for sure.”

“But that’s what you’re thinking.” Jamie pointed out. She paced from the sink to the table and back again. “If those people have a problem with me, why do they not just…take it up with me?”

“I don’t know. And Nan either didn’t know or didn’t have time to tell us.” Glen said with a sigh. “They are going to come for you, and probably sooner rather than later. Nan thinks it is because you opened a gate to both places. It…well. Nobody is supposed to be able to do that.”

“Well I can’t do either now.” Jamie pointed out. Glen cocked an eyebrow. “I’ve been trying all week. But nothing happens.”

Glen shook his head. “I have no doubt that things are going to work out.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Randy did have a theory though.”

“A theory? About what?”

“Well you said that there was a guy there. All in black. And he was the reason you wrecked.”

“Yeah. He popped up out of nowhere and surprised us both.” Jamie remembered him with a shudder.

“Well…Randy’s theory was that he was meant to come and take Mark to wherever he is now. To the council. And when he couldn’t connect with him to take him here at home, he made the accident happen so Mark would be easier to control.”

Jamie snorted. “So they had to give him a concussion to get him there.”

“Pretty much. Because he was fighting it. Maybe without even knowing it.”

“There were a couple of times…” Jamie trailed off, biting at her lower lip. “He looked at me like he didn’t know who I was. Or even who he was. I thought it was the concussion.”

“It may have been. Like I said, this is just theory.”

“But a good one.” Jamie sighed. “So they’re coming for me. And then what?”

“I’m not sure. Make you pick which side of the fence you are going to be on, that was Nan’s opinion.” Glen rose from his seat. “You have that kid here. You should tell her family to keep a close eye on her. Because I don’t think they will take no for an answer if you tried to stay here with her.”

“Yeah. I figured as much.”

“And…I got the impression that there wasn’t much to worry about. It is sort of like…I guess like a hearing in front of a judge.”

“They should have just sent a summons then.” Jamie shook her head. “Overdramatic fucks.”

“Most of us ghost people are.” Glen said with a smirk. He kissed Jamie on the head and excused himself. He had to get home before Kayla worried herself into a fit. Jamie saw him to the front door and watched as he climbed into the new SUV he had bought. Lexi and Phil were watching her, and talking quietly on the couch. Jamie turned to them to fill them in on the latest developments.

14

Jamie spent yet another restless night. Part of her was waiting for…well. To be taken away. The other part was waiting to see if Mark would put in another dream-like appearance.

Mark did not, but just after three in the morning, Abby came into the room and asked if she could sleep in the bed with her. Jamie said yes, of course and scooted to make room for the little girl.

Abby curled up next to her and rested her head on her shoulder. Jamie rubbed her back and looked over her shoulder, out the window. “Is everything all right?”

“Had a bad dream.” Abby said it low. She was still mostly asleep. Jamie smoothed her hair back and kissed her on the forehead.

“Want to tell me about it?”

“S’all right…” Abby half snored. Jamie smiled as she listened to the little one’s breathing in the dark room. She closed her eyes, finally able to drift off.

When she woke it was just past eight in the morning. Jamie blearily rubbed her eyes and yawned, moving to sit up. Abby slept on. Jamie eyed her for a moment before tucking the blanket around the little one. With a sigh she got up and headed for the shower.

They had a rather busy but ghost free day. Jamie and Abby headed to Kayla’s to see if the flower girl dress fit. It needed just a few minor corrections. Abby danced around the living room, looking like a little princess. Her dress was a light blue, the same material that Jamie’s was.

Jamie was very distracted. Kayla kept trying to draw her out but nothing was working. She finally had to admit defeat. Abby had gone to the bathroom to change back into her clothes, leaving the two of them alone.

“They aren’t going to have Nan’s funeral until Lucy comes back.” Kayla said, seemingly at random. “I feel bad for Randy. Having to deal with that alone.”

“Yeah.” Jamie agreed. “They were all close.”

Jamie just could not sustain the small talk. She and Abby said their goodbyes and headed back to the house. Phil wanted to take Abby to one of the parks in the area, and Lexi was going along. They wanted Jamie to come too but Lexi saw how tired she was and did not argue the point as much as she would have.

It came on her rather suddenly too. Jamie dragged herself upstairs to the bed and managed to kick her shoes off. With that she stretched out, sighing in relief.

But she could not sleep. As tired as she felt, her mind would not let her rest. She kept thinking about Mark, about Lucy, Nan, Steve. And Abby of course, the poor kid who had lost her dad right in front of her.

Jamie closed her eyes and thought of Mark alone for a moment, and wondered what it was exactly that she would have to do to get him back. Eventually she dozed.

She woke up, still feeling tired, but knew that trying to sleep more would be pointless. She could not stay out for long, that was the problem. Jamie opened her eyes and frowned. Although she could not have been sleeping long, it was dark in the bedroom. A thundery-gray darkness that made her think of summer storms. She blinked and winced as bright sunlight flooded her eyes.

Jamie sat up and looked around. Weird. For a moment there…

She shook her head. Obviously she was under too much stress, or worrying too much. With a sigh she sat up and tugged her cell phone from her pocket. She had only been laying down for about half an hour.

Giving up, she slid from the bed and headed for the door. She needed to find something to busy herself with, before she completely lost her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you really want to do that?” Jamie asked for what felt like the millionth time.

“Well no, we don’t want to. We have to. I don’t want to get married without Mark here. And Kayla agreed with me.” Glen said. “He’s my best man you know.”

“Yes. I know.” Jamie sat down and ran her hands through her hair. It was Sunday. She had spent another restless night, full of weird dreams. So when Glen arrived to inform her that he and Kayla were going to put off their wedding, it seemed like one thing too much on a long list of things that were wrong.

“It’s no big deal. We’ll just bump to later in the summer or…” At that Glen sighed. “Ok. To be honest here, we don’t know when he’s coming back, or even if he’s coming back. And it doesn’t seem right…going on like nothing is happening.”

Jamie huffed. “If.” She hated that word. Over the past 24 hours she had grown to hate it even more. Nothing was happening. The phone call, and more especially the dream that hadn’t felt like a dream had not both taken on the quality of something that had happened to someone else. “I don’t know what they’re waiting for.” She did not have to say what ‘they’ she referred to.

“I don’t know.” Glen sighed heavily. “Time is different there. So to us it could feel like weeks but to them it is a day. Or the opposite. I just can’t figure out why they would have to take either Mark or Lucy. I mean…if they wanted you to appear, why not just Mark? Lucy doesn’t really have a tie to you.” He shook his head. None of it made sense.

Jamie was even more at a loss. Every time she thought of Mark, somewhere he could not leave, she got knots in her stomach. “Hell for that matter, why didn’t they just take me?”

“None of it makes any sense.” Glen gave her a pat on the shoulder. “You know what strikes me as funny? And don’t take this the wrong way…” He smiled. “It’s just that he was stuck in his rut for so long, and you put the biggest dent in his armor. He probably isn’t too upset being taken off to where ever he is…because he’s doing it for you.”

“So not comforting.”

“I know. But he loves you. The idea sort of tickles me.” Glen’s smile widened. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but he’s like a different person around you. And that is not a bad thing.”

Jamie smiled weakly. “I will have to take your word for it.” She rubbed her temples.

“You can take his word for it when you see him again.” Glen squeezed her shoulder one more time. “I have to get going. Randy is meeting me in town in a couple of hours so we can take care of a few things.”

“Tell him I said hi. And pass on my condolences, if you don’t mind.”

“Will do. We’ll let you know what we decide.” With that Glen turned to leave. Jamie heaved another sigh and went to the door to look out where Phil and Abby were in the pool. Abby would be disappointed if the wedding were delayed. It was all she had talked about.

Speaking of which-Jamie had tried to draw her out the night before as she took Abby for a walk through the woods. She still refused to talk about her father, or even fully listen to a question relating to him. Jamie thought it was a form of denial, or maybe some sort of coping mechanism to help her deal with her loss. But Jamie found herself worrying as much, if not more than, her aunt and uncle. Abby would not even talk about the good things she had shared with her father, or by association her father and Jamie.

And to make things even stranger, Abby had turned the conversation to Mark. She asked questions, wanting to know how old he was, where he had grown up, and if Jamie thought she would marry him. That one threw her for a loop, but she gamely answered the questions she could.

Jamie had another one of those odd gray outs. She had meant to ask Glen if he had ever heard of such a thing but it had slipped her mind. The second time she had been making dinner. She had put a pan on the stove to boil water, turned around, and for a moment felt as if she were falling. Everything had gone gray again, and her stomach flipped nauseatingly.

It was over almost as soon as it began. Jamie was left feeling dizzy and generally out of sorts. The spaghetti she had planned for dinner now sounded like the worst idea in history, but she went ahead and cooked for the others. Twenty minutes later, all was back to normal. She ate just as much as the others.

So yes. Things had been very odd.

She finally stepped outside, leaving the cool air conditioned house in favor of the humid afternoon air. They were calling for storms over the next few days. Jamie meandered to the pool and took a seat next to Lexi, who was reading a paperback.

“You’re looking sort of pale. Are you feeling all right?” Lexi asked. Jamie had not seen her take her eyes from her paperback.

“I’m fine. Tired. I haven’t slept for shit.”

“I wish we could do something.” Lexi said morosely.

“You guys already did too much. It’s fine. I just worry too much, that’s all.”

“I just…I knew from Steve that Donna thought she could see ghosts. I sort of dismissed it and he didn’t bring it up much. The only time he ever talked about it was when Abby was two years old or so. Donna had a miscarriage. It was the beginning of the end for them. Like they couldn’t get past that.”

Jamie was silent. Steve hadn’t said a word about a miscarriage, just that the business with the ghosts had gotten in the way more often than not. Maybe it was just the last straw in a downhill relationship.

“So…yeah. Anyway. I’ve caught Abby talking to herself more times than I can count. And there have been a few times where I thought…well.” Lexi smiled ruefully. “This won’t sound crazy to you, but for a while I thought I was crazy. I heard someone answer her. It was fuzzy, like listening to a radio station that isn’t clear. But I heard it.”

Jamie nodded. “You aren’t crazy.”

“I know. Now.” Lexi smiled. “And I’m worried about Abby. Really worried. This denial she’s in…if that’s what it is…it’s not normal. Not for a kid her age.”

“Not necessarily. Abby’s a lot sharper than most kids her age.” Jamie sighed and stretched her legs out. She watched as Phil tried to teach Abby the joys of floating on her back. She was studying the sky though, smiling thoughtfully.

“What I want to know…” Lexi’s smile faded. “I want to know if you have seen Steve. I guess. I mean, I am pretty sure that Abby has, either that or she truly is talking to an imaginary friend. But it stopped. She stopped talking to him. Or it. Whatever. And that’s when she really shut down if we tried to mention Steve.”

“This is all my fault.”Jamie said it softly. Lexi raised an eyebrow.

“How so?”

“Well…if it hadn’t been for me…if I hadn’t gone down there, and forgotten all about that crazy woman…”

“There are way too many ‘ifs’.” Lexi said with a sad smile. “Besides…it could have been anything. He could have wrecked his truck, or had one fall on him at work. When it is your time, you go. At least that’s what I think. My big brother should have been around for about a hundred more years, but that is just my opinion. Life doesn’t really take that into account.”

Jamie shook her head. She still could not fathom how Miranda, even crazy as she was, could have done what she did. Steve had seemed larger than life, a steady solid presence that she felt would be there for as long as Abby needed him to be. It made her mad at Miranda all over again, and she thought if the bitch reappeared in front of her, Jamie would rip her throat out.

“Oh boy. What was that look for?” Lexi asked with mock fear.

“Sorry. I am just lately realizing that I have a lot of anger issues.” Jamie snickered when she said it. It was true. It seemed that everything here lately just rubbed her the wrong way. She sarcastically thought to herself that she could not imagine why that would be.

“Well if anybody deserves to be angry, it is you.” Lexi smiled again. “Steve talked about you a lot. Even before we ever met you. I got the feeling that he had met…you know…hell.” She snorted, laughing at herself. “And then he said you were like Donna. In a way. I thought, great. He’s got a pattern. And after a while he spilled the beans about you and your…friend?”

“He was a talkative ass, wasn’t he?” Jamie said with no malice.

“Not really. I just know how to pry things out of people.” Lexi shook her head. “And he was sort of happy for you about that too. I was so looking forward to having a sister in law that I actually liked, and then he says you guys are just friends. I have to tell you, I was very disappointed.”

Jamie smirked at that. “Your brother was a great guy.”

“Indeed he was.” Lexi reached for her glass of iced tea that was sitting on the ground by her chair. She took a thoughtful sip. “I was extremely prepared to dislike that Mark guy on sight. And then he shows up and…and I guess it’s just the way he kept looking at you. I understood why my brother maybe backed off from what could have been a great thing.”

“I’m not sure I get you.” Jamie said cautiously.

“Oh I’m rambling.” Lexi took another drink. “It’s just that you and Mark…hell, even Phil could see that you two belong with each other. What I am trying to get at, in my roundabout way, is that you are going to find him. He is going to come back. And you guys are probably going to be together, married with ten kids, twenty grandkids, and an RV parked in the driveway for trips cross country.”

“You’re sweet to say such a thing.” Jamie said with a laugh.

“I know.” Lexi smiled again. “Steve saw it first. He said it was the way you talked about Mark. Even when you were mad at him, or claimed to hate him. And Steve was about the densest man on the planet when it came to shit like that. So it was obvious.”

“Steve was a great guy.” Jamie said it softly. She looked to Abby for a moment. “There was a point when I thought that it would have been easier, if I had met him first.”

“Oh honey. No.” Lexi laughed. “Steve was not an easy man to live with. Donna would tell you, so would his girlfriend before that. He was a great guy, but hard to live with.”

“I’m starting to think they all are.”

“Well sure. That’s what makes some of them fun.” Lexi rose to her feet and stretched. “Are you going to swim with us? Or more pouting in the house?”

“I was never pouting.” Jamie grouched, getting to her feet. “I do have to go put my suit on.”

“Yeah. More pouting.” Lexi laughed and went toward the shallow end where her niece and her husband were splashing each other. Jamie smiled and turned to the house. Maybe swimming and playing with Abby would take her mind off her problems for a little while.

15

That night Jamie was so tired that she did not have time to toss or turn. Or to change into her pajamas. The last thing she remembered was sitting down on the edge of the bed to take her shoes off.

She woke up groggy and completely confused. That happened a lot when she was that tired and slept too deeply.

Jamie blinked a few times and sat up, noticing for the first time that this was not Mark’s bedroom.

She rubbed her eyes and took in the room. It was huge, easily three times the size of Mark’s. The bed was larger than any California king-size she had ever seen. The sheets and blankets were white, as were the walls and the floor. There was no other furniture other than the bed. One window was against the far wall, but it was huge. Jamie slowly stood up and shuffled over to peer outside.

She could see nothing but fog. If she craned her neck she could see the sun, feebly trying to shine through the thick cover. No wonder the lighting was always so gray.

Jamie rested her palm against the glass. It was cold to the touch and fogged up around her hand. Shaking her head she turned back to the room. She spotted three doors in the far wall. Curious she walked across the room and tried the first one.

It led into a bathroom. Everything was white, from the floor to the light fixture above. The second doorway led to a closet. It was filled with clothing, and at least that was different colors. Jamie let her hand riffle through the hangers and paused. These looked suspiciously like her clothes that had been hanging in her apartment when it had burned down.

She pulled out a black shirt and knew it for sure. The shirt had been her favorite until some drunk at the bar had gotten too close with his cigarette. There was a burn on the bottom front. She had always meant to have it fixed but never got around to it.

Jamie put the shirt back and shut the door. She realized that this was yet another in a long line of odd dreams. Nothing else could possibly explain it.

She turned to the final door and took a deep breath. The knob was cool against her hand as she turned it and slowly opened it.

The door opened into a hallway. Jamie glanced left and right, biting her lip anxiously. The hallway was done in light woods and green paint, a welcome change of pace for the unrelieved white of the bedroom. The wood floor was cooler than the bedroom floor. Jamie realized belatedly that she was not wearing her shoes. The shirt and shorts were the same. Shaking her head she walked to the right. She did not know why, it just felt like that was where she was supposed to go.

Jamie tried a few of the other doors on the way. The first two were locked. The third opened up to a stairwell. It was pitch black after the first four steps. She shuddered and closed the door, unsure of why she was freaking out over some stairs.

She stopped testing doors, at any rate. She padded slowly and silently down the hallway, glancing left and right. The hall branched at several places but she continued straight because once again…it felt like the right thing to do. After what felt like years she finally reached the end. There were a set of double doors in front of her.

Jamie let her hands rest on the levers that would open both doors. Taking a deep breath she turned them, and pushed the doors open.

She found herself standing at the entrance to a huge open room, the ceiling at least thirty feet over head. The wall across from her was made of windows from floor to ceiling. It was a waste really, seeing as how there was nothing to view but more fog.

There was a dual staircase that led to a balcony to her left. To the right were another set of double doors. They were huge, the same height as the ceiling. The floor was cool marble under her feet as she stepped into the middle of the room and looked around, turning in a small circle.

Going against everything every horror movie ever taught her, Jamie cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted ‘hello!’. It echoed back to her from the far corners of the enormous room.

“Honestly, it is rude to yell.”

The masculine voice behind her made Jamie jump and whirl around. Standing five feet from her, his hand behind his back, stood the man she and Mark had seen when they had been shopping. The one who had popped up in front of the SUV and caused the wreck.

“What...the hell…” Jamie spoke slowly. This close, she could see that the man’s eyes were so dark they were nearly as black as his shirt.

“We have been waiting for you.” The man ignored her flustered state and gestured toward the stairs.

“Who?” Jamie refused to budge. This was the thing that had caused their trouble. And he expected her to just go along quietly?

“Must you ask such an obvious question?” The man sounded utterly bored, as if he had seen this sort of rebellion a million times and expected to encounter it a million more.

“Oh. I suppose this is the home of the precious council.” Jamie crossed her arms, not moving.

“Very good. Now if you will follow me, we can get this over with as quickly as possible.” The man walked away. Jamie did not move. He paused and looked at her, a hint of impatience in his dark eyes. “What is it now, fledgling?”

Jamie narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you honestly think I’m going to go anywhere with you?”

The man smiled, amused. It transformed his features from cold and aloof to handsome beyond words. “I could force you.”

“You could try.” Jamie corrected him.

There was a flicker of something in his eyes. Jamie thought fear at first but dismissed the idea. Why would this man be afraid of her? He recovered quickly, but she saw that she had rattled him.

And Jamie could tell the very second he mentally changed gears.

“I am sure you will be very happy to see your…friend once again. Standing here, being obstinate, is not going to get him home any faster.”

Jamie thought that was rather unfortunate for her. He had buttons to push when it came to moving her along. She did not have the same luxury when it came to this stranger.

“Fine. Lead on.” Jamie waved her hand dismissively. The man’s eyes flared but he calmly turned on his heel and walked toward the stairs. She bit back a smirk. Anger. That was a button she could push quite easily with some people.

At the top of the stairs, they headed down a corridor that was as long as the one Jamie had walked through alone. He did not offer up any conversation and Jamie was not going to break their silence.

Somewhere along the way, she changed. One minute the cool wood floor was under her feet, the next her favorite pair of boots squeaked softly on the polished wood. Somehow without her noticing, Jamie’s clothes had changed as well. Instead of shorts and a t-shirt she was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a button down blue shirt.

They turned down another long hallway, and went up a second flight of stairs. Jamie could not help but look around in wonder. The place was ridiculously huge. She wondered if it were some kind of castle, but from the sheer size of it knew that was not possible. It was like a small city, all included under the roof. They passed several rooms where Jamie could hear the sound of voices, and once the smell of food made her stomach rumble. So there were other people. But it seemed so empty, once they were out of the range of the noise.

They finally reached another set of double doors, approachable along a short hallway with thick carpeting. The doors were huge, much like the ones she had seen downstairs. The man opened both doors and led Jamie inside.

The room was long, and narrow when compared to what she had seen so far. There was a dark, carved wood table at the end, with three chairs. In front of the table was nothing. The carpeting had not come into the room…the floor was pale blue marble with darker blue veins like lightning shot through it. There were more windows here, but they all showed the same gray landscape of swirling fog.

Each wall of the room had a door set into it. Jamie followed the man until she was about ten feet from the table. Here he halted and waited until she had looked around to her satisfaction.

“One moment, please.” He gave a sort of half bow that seemed mocking in nature. Jamie narrowed her eyes once more as he went around the table to the door there. He knocked sharply and opened the door to allow people inside.

The first man was tall, with coldly handsome features. His eyes were a shade of blue so light that they almost appeared white. His hair was a frosty blonde shade Jamie had never seen outside of a box of dye. He was dressed in a suit, dark blue and very formal. He took the seat to the left.

The second man was of a smaller stature. He also appeared to be nearly fifty years or so older than the blonde man. Her guide, for lack of a better word, reverently helped the old man to the chair in the center.

The last person was a woman. She appeared to be about Jamie’s height, with hair so black it almost looked to have blue highlights through it. Unlike some people with hair so dark, she had skin that looked like she had spent the summer tanning by her pool. Her eyes were not just gray, as Jamie’s eyes were, but silver. Jamie thought it was a trick of the light, but the woman’s eyes held a shine no matter how she moved or what she was looking at. She wore jeans that looked comfortably broken in and a red strapless shirt that exposed about eight miles of skin.

As soon as the three of them sat down, the man who had led her here closed the door. The old man cleared his throat several times before eying Jamie through bleary, dark eyes.

“Be ready.” The old man spoke so softly Jamie could barely hear. The man in black nodded though and came to Jamie’s side of the table to stand behind her. She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What’s the matter, Johnny Cash? Afraid I might run away?”

The man smirked and caught himself. “No. I am just a messenger.”

Jamie rolled her eyes and turned back toward the table. The suited man was looking at her, making her feel uncomfortable at the intensity of his stare. The woman was slouched back in her chair, her booted feet crossed at the ankle and resting on the top of the table.

“My child…” The old man finally spoke, loud enough to be heard. “We have not had to convene a council in almost forty years. I am the head of the council, Eldon Richmond. And beside me are my two highest officers, Sterling and Celia.”

The man, Sterling, nodded but did not change his expression. Celia half-smiled and tipped Jamie a little salute.

“Today we convene in the matter of a portal-maker who is undeclared.” Eldon said, his voice wavering a bit. Jamie looked at him, annoyed that she felt concern for the old man. “Have we a hunter?”

“Yes, sir. She is waiting outside, as you asked.” The man behind her said, reminding Jamie that she was surrounded.

“Very well.” Eldon turned his full attention once more to Jamie. “You have a choice to make today, my dear. An important choice. Too important to ignore for any longer. And that is as to which side it is you will fight for. Are you an empath who wants to ease the journeys of a thousand dead, or are you a warrior who will fight to the end to clean a certain type from the slate?”

He paused. Jamie still had her eyebrow raised. “Overdramatic.” She muttered that under her breath. The man behind her made a noise and she figured she was heard. Oh well. To the council she shook her head. “I didn’t know I had a choice. I thought it was all decided beforehand.”

“In this case, there are circumstances.” Eldon did not appear to want to elaborate. “There is no denying that both types of our people do a great service to the human world. Our kind are much fewer and further between than it would seem at times. So we must keep the balance. For every empath, a hunter.”

Jamie frowned. “But I thought I was already…”

“You managed to open a gate. To both worlds.” Sterling spoke, his voice just as cold as his appearance. “And you managed to pull in a living woman. Your mother passed before she could train you, or assign your sympathies. So now we must all decide on the best path for you.”

“My…sympathies. I don’t understand.”

“Quite simply put, empaths and hunters are born in pair. As twins, or as siblings who are close together in age, two years or less. The mother decides which child will support which talent.” Sterling spoke as if to a small child. Jamie had to bite her tongue to call him out on it.

“So that’s it then. I just pick a side?”

“Basically.” Eldon spoke again.

“So why all of this?” Jamie gestured, taking in the room. “Why not just call and say ‘hey! We just realized you have to pick a team, so pick’?”

“I am afraid that there is another point to all of this. Overdramatics, as you put it.” Eldon said, sounding amused. So he had heard her after all. Jamie did not care. “We cannot risk that you do not choose. So we must break you of the habit of using one power along with the other.”

“What difference does it make?” Jamie asked, exasperated.

“If you had been trained from childhood as is the normal way, you would not have to ask that question.” Eldon said. He nodded to the man behind Jamie. “Please, invite out guests in.”

The man disappeared. Time seemed to drag on. It was only five minutes but Jamie was being stared at by Sterling. It was giving her the creeps.

The doors to either side of her opened. Jamie glanced to her right and did a double take. It was Mark. His bruise that had covered his forehead was gone. Jamie recalled the last time she had seen him, with dried blood in his hair and a dazed look in his eye. Now he looked as fine as when she had first met him.

Mark gave her a half smile. He ignored the man who Jamie had called ‘Johnny Cash’ and walked over until he stood in front of her. Without a word he hugged her against his chest. Jamie closed her eyes and grabbed a double handful of his shirt, holding onto him. After several moments he pulled back and brushed her hair back from her face. Jamie smiled, forgetting for the moment where they were.

Mark looked at something behind her, and Jamie turned her head a bit to see what held his attention. And she felt her jaw practically it the floor.

Steve was standing with Lucy. He looked as real and as solid as everyone else there. Jamie untangled herself from Mark’s embrace to turn and face him, unable to hide her surprise.

“What the hell is going on here?” She finally asked, mostly to break the odd silence.

“Wish I knew.” Steve looked pointedly at ‘Johnny Cash’. So Jamie figured that Steve had been happily going about his business and he’d been taken like the others.

Jamie shared a look with Lucy. “You too?”

“Unfortunately.” Lucy looked to the council table. She smirked. “Sterling. I shoulda known. Still playing at being a general?”

Sterling smiled. It did not touch his eyes and really did not shift his features. “Oh, Lucy. Are we still pretending to be children?”

Lucy shrugged and looked back at Jamie. “Have they driven you insane with their over the top theatrics?”

“It’s pretty close.” Jamie said with the first real smile she’d had all day.

“If you do not mind, I would like to finish our proceedings.” Eldon spoke. He sounded worse than before. Tired. Jamie turned her attention to the front, relaxing when she felt Mark take her hand and squeeze it. “You must choose your affiliation, Jamie.”

Jamie sighed and looked to Mark for a moment before turning her attention back to Eldon. “Why? Why choose either of them? From what I have seen so far, this kind of thing has been nothing but a pain in the ass.”

She saw the corner of Eldon’s mouth twitch. Celia, who sat quietly and almost forgotten, flashed a smile that turned her so beautiful it hurt to look at her. Sterling remained unchanged and unmoved.

“Be that as it may…” Eldon said after a moment.

“Why is it so damn important to pick a side?” Jamie shook her head. “Neither one is really offering up all that much attraction.”

Eldon shared a glance with Celia. Celia sat up, leaning forward against the table with her arms to prop her up. “It is hard enough to balance just one side, and try to live a normal life.” She glanced at her council-mates. “You took a living human through a portal. We cannot have that happen. Even if they deserve it.”

“Well, I wasn’t really thinking about it when that happened.” Jamie said, looking at Steve. He gave her a lazy smile of his own. “Is that what this is about? Seriously?”

“This type of thing is not supposed to happen.” Celia said. She still sounded amused.

Jamie shook her head. “So all off this, just because I didn’t know any better?”

“The thing is, Jamie, the council must make sure you know better in the future.” Celia leaned back in her chair once more. “And unfortunately there is only one way to do that.”

“Oh really? And which way is that?”

This time it was Sterling who spoke. “By having you make a decision that will be a reminder.”

“What do you mean?” Jamie felt her stomach do another one of those slow rolls. She felt nauseous.

“As you have already stated that you would not just pick, now you must decide the fate of others.” Sterling gestured, taking in Steve and Mark. “Which one would you save? The one you love? Or the one murdered because of you? Mark still has some good to do, even if he would deny his powers. Steve on the other hand is not one of us. But his daughter misses him deeply. It would be possible to send him back to her. In the guise of another person, of course. But the child would know it was her father.”

“Wait a minute…”

“Either decision could have good or bad consequences.” Sterling ignored her weak protest. “You could give a child her father back. Of course, no one else would believe it was him. Someone would have to explain why he was there, but even more importantly, some day the girl will find out why he died. It eats at you, doesn’t it?” Sterling did not let her answer. He turned his gaze toward Mark. “You can choose to give this man his life back. Already you had made such progress, from a hunter who refused to hunt. He still has much to do ahead of him. Least of which is being the father of the child you now carry.”

“Wait…” Jamie’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“We are powerful.” Eldon spoke, lightly rubbing his temples. “But as we made preparations for this meeting, Mark did manage to slip away. Unconsciously. As he was sleeping.” He sounded amused. “He is very strong willed when it comes to you, young lady.”

“Ok.” Jamie looked at Mark. He offered her a half smile. “So that wasn’t a dream?”

“No. I was really there. Although, I thought I was the one dreaming it.” Mark said it softly, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand.

“Not to be dense, but did you just tell me that I’m pregnant?” Jamie asked, turning her attention back to the council.

“Of course.” Sterling sounded slightly offended that she would doubt him. “So the decision is now yours. Do you save the father of the child that you have grown to love? Or do you save the father of the child you carry?”

16

“You can’t be serious.” Jamie finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. “Why not just ask me which side I’d prefer to deal with on a daily basis?”

Sterling and Eldon shared a look. Celia just gazed steadily at Jamie. “I am afraid your decision needs to have a certain amount of impact.” Eldon finally said.

“Well…that’s not fair. You can’t honestly expect me to choose between them.” As Jamie spoke, Mark squeezed her fingers again. She refused to look at him. Her attention was focused on Eldon.

“Fair or not, this is how you are to make your decision.” Eldon said softly.

“And if I don’t decide either way?” Jamie asked heatedly, unable to keep a touch of anger out of her voice.

“Then you are stuck here as well as our other guests.” Sterling spoke this time. Jamie bit her tongue and looked finally from Lucy, to Steve, to Mark. “And time where you are from will resume its normal speed. The little one has already lost her father. This would be like losing you as well. Could you put her through that?”

Eldon waved a hand and Sterling subsided. “You have already seen how it has affected people. A postponed wedding. A postponed funeral…already your inability to choose has caused issue among your loved ones.”

“You are not seriously blaming me for that, damn it.” Jamie was trying to get the anger under control. “I’m not the one who caused all of this shit, that was you idiots apparently.”

“Jamie…” Mark spoke her name softly, trying to get her attention off the people she was so mad at.

“No” Jamie looked at him and pulled her hand away, ignoring the look in his eyes.

“I’m afraid that a choice will have to be made.” Eldon said, clearing this throat again.

“I can’t…just pick.”

“You must.” Eldon rose to his feet. “We will give you some time, to think about your decision. But only to a point. We can only slow down time there for so long.”

At that Eldon shuffled through the doorway behind him. Sterling followed his lead, not bothering to speak again. That left Celia, who did not move to get up. In fact, she leaned back and once more propped her feet on the table in a pose of relaxation. She looked at them all with open interest. Jamie was starting to get the feeling they were the fish in a fish tank.

“Shall I lead her back to her room?” Jamie had forgotten about the man behind her.

“You stay out of this, Johnny Cash.” She said it low but Celia heard. She smiled in amusement.

“I believe they will be fine right where they are, thank you Griffin. I’ll call you if you are needed.”

The man gave a half bow and exited the room. Now Celia once more turned her full attention to Jamie. “You honestly do not know what you are, do you?”

“I have no idea.” Jamie said, suddenly feeling more tired than she’d been her whole life.

Celia raised an eyebrow. She gestured with one hand, beckoning Jamie toward the table, out of hearing range of the others. Jamie went, but cautiously. She did not trust these people, it did not matter what they were in charge of.

“It is very clear that you do not know of the power you could possess.” Celia said softly. “To pull a human through a portal? Especially an unwilling human? Such a thing is unheard of. Your balance of power was thrown off when your brother died, and they all fear you now. “

“I still don’t get it…”

“Then listen.” Celia dropped her feet to the ground and came forward, leaning her elbows on the table. “People who are born with our gift are born in twos. Either twins, or so close to being twins the difference is negligible. One of them will become the empath. The other will become a hunter.”

“And? So John would have had this power too?”

“Of course. That is how the power is balanced.”

“Then…what? He would have been a hunter or…”

Celia smiled. “That would have depended entirely on your mother.”

“What do you mean?”

“Around the time the oldest child is five, the mother makes the decision about which child will be trained in what way. Sometimes she realizes, sometimes she does not.” Celia nodded in Lucy’s direction. “Your friend’s mother, for instance. She realized who the more sensitive child was and trained them accordingly. She did not choose so much as go with what she knew was true.” Celia’s eyes fell on Mark and she raised an eyebrow. “Your man, on the other hand…his mother chose him to be the hunter. She knew what she was setting him up to do, and he was trained specifically for that purpose. This is why he has such a problem balancing himself when he returns. His mother’s decision was made before his brother was even born, so sure was she that he would be a hunter.”

Jamie glanced at Mark. Lucy and Steve were talking softly, as if this sort of thing were an everyday occurrence. Mark stood in his same spot, watching Jamie with worry on his face. “That’s not fair either.” Although Jamie could see why Mark’s mother had done what she had done…she could not imagine Glen dealing with crazy spirits who were bad people when they’d been alive. Of course she hadn’t known there would be some sort of choice involved.

“Does this mean I am supposed to decide which side my own kids fall on?” Jamie asked softly.

Celia smiled again. “It is not as if you are choosing whether your child will be good or evil.”

“I realize that…”

“Do you? Because I get the distinct feeling that you believe there has to be some sort of odd connection to whichever talent one of us possesses. There is no good or evil with us, Jamie. We are doing what we were put here to do. Some spirits are harmless of course, in fact the majority of them are. We send them on because it keeps a balance. It is the bad spirits, the ones who can still cause harm to the living, that we truly need to keep in check. You could never understand what it would be like to have a world full of nothing but the hunters, if that was what would help you decide. The bad spirits are not nearly as prevalent as the lost, confused spirits. And to deny his powers…” Now Celia was looking at Mark again. “Well. It has not been good for him. He feels as if he is leaving himself behind when he takes a spirit through a portal, and that’s as apt a description as any, but it does not have to be that way. He took himself out of the power…and so did his brother. There was no balance. It does not work that way.”

“Well maybe it should work that way.” Jamie said, feeling her anger coming back.

“So let me ask a question of you.”

“Could I stop you? Go ahead.” Jamie didn’t hide her sarcasm.

“Are you looking at your decision here in terms of good and evil?”

Jamie thought that over. “I suppose.” She admitted.

Celia smiled again, and Jamie all at once realized that if there was such a thing as a side in this while mess, this woman was on hers. She also realized something else as well. Even though she was baring enough skin in her low cut top, and there were no visible tattoos, Jamie knew she was like Mark. A hunter, to use their word. Because there really was nothing else to call them.

“There is no good or evil here, Jamie.” Celia spoke finally. “Just regular people who get chosen to do a specific job. You may think that the empaths are the good side, because they are doing a good service, but you would be wrong. The real good comes from the hunters, who can stop the bad spirits from hurting the living. There is a very real distinction. While the empaths may be busy, sending over their loved ones or random spirits, the hunters are putting themselves on the line. It takes a certain sort of person to be able to open that gateway to their side, and even though your man’s mother may have jumped the gun – I believe she chose well. He may not agree.”

“I can confirm that.” Jamie spoke in a voice full of sarcasm.

“I would like to remind you of a few things before I go. Sterling is already against me speaking to you personally, but I have not given a shit about his opinion in more years than I can count.”

Jamie smiled at that. For a moment Celia had sounded so much like Lucy it was funny. “Ok, what do you want me to know?”

“Several things. And you may think I am making your decision even harder. There is an innocent child involved in all of this already…” Celia glanced at Steve.

“Abby?” Jamie whispered her name.

“But surely you have realized that she is also alone, with no sibling to balance her power. “

“I…” Jamie could not really say anything to that. It was true.

“If you choose to send your friend back, for his daughter, it is very possible that at some point over the course of the next year or so that he would have another child. Or her mother. I would hope so, but there are no guarantees. The child she would have balanced was lost, and she did not have the heart to try again.”

“And that means…”

“That means if you so chose, Steve could become yours. He could help you raise your baby – and it would be a sibling to the little one you so love already. Of course you would not recognize him as Steve, but there are ways around that…”

“But…I…”

“Yes. Of course. You love Mark. I will not take that away from you. I feel that your emotion for him is pure…and maybe almost as strong as his for you.” At that Celia grinned. “And after you give birth to his son in March of next year, there could very well be a daughter for the both of you two years later. I am not supposed to give away the future…”

“Yeah. Ok.” Jamie felt like her knees were going to unhinge. This was supposed to help her decide?

“It would still leave the question of the little one, all alone with no balance.” Celia continued, her smile fading.

“You really aren’t helping.” Jamie said finally.

“I know. I realize that I have probably made things harder. But…” At that Celia leaned forward and lowered her voice. “The…council…fears you in a way we have not feared another with our gift. There have been instances where someone was all alone nothing like this has ever happened. With you using both sides of the power. I wish I knew if your young friend was going to be the same, so I could tell you the answer now, but I see nothing of her future.”

Jamie felt her stomach roll. “What does that mean?” She was thinking the worst, that if she chose wrong Abby would suffer and something would happen to take her away…

“It does not mean anything. There are some people I cannot read no matter how hard I try.” Celia tilted her head in Lucy’s direction. “Your friend for instance. I look at you, and I see a path, split. It awaits only your decision. There are of course consequences to both choices. But when I look at Lucy I see nothing but a blank space.”

Jamie relaxed a little at that. “So why is she here? I don’t understand…”

Celia sighed. “The old ways, and Sterling’s idea. She was another hunter friendly toward you. When you make your decision, it will be her job to be sure that the one you did not choose goes through a portal.”

“But wait…” Jamie tried to process it. “Mark is still alive, how would Lucy be able…” But she saw the look in Celia’s eyes. “You would kill him?”

“I would not personally raise a hand against him. But he would have to be taken care of. As far we know you are the only person who can pull a living person through a portal. Unless of course you choose to also take care of the man yourself – either way, it will be your choice. She is just standing by in case you cannot make yourself take either of them over.”

“And she agreed to this?” Jamie asked, incredulous.

“She really did not have a choice in the matter. And she does not yet know her role here.” Celia rose to her feet. “I realize that I may have complicated your decision Jamie, and for that I apologize. But I was outvoted on this matter.”

“Oh yeah? And what was your vote for?”

“That we let you go on as you were.” Celia shrugged. “You were harming no one. I have never been a fan of this ‘balance’ bullshit. If there were more hunters in the world, people like Mark would be able to live in peace without constantly worrying about what sort of spirit they are attracting by breathing too heavily or sneezing.” Celia looked directly in Jamie’s eyes, her own glinting a mellow silver. “I would have not let it come to this if I did not have faith in you, that you would somehow make it all work.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you will somehow save them all. From watching you and knowing how you feel about your friends…” Celia trailed off. “Well. It is rather obvious to me that you are resourceful. I would hate to be disappointed about it.” With that Celia gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Your unborn son will grow up to be something special, because of his parents. I can tell you that much. Sterling is worried about that as well.”

“But why?”

Celia tapped her finger against her lips. “I cannot say. He has the ability to see some things, but I see far. And he is scared.” The amusement in her voice made Jamie wonder for her sanity. “And what happens will come to pass no matter your decision today. You are the one who will have to live with what you decide. No one else need suffer.” At that Celia turned and went through the door, leaving Jamie to stare after her.

Jamie raised a hand and rested it against her stomach. The more they talked about her being pregnant, the more she believed it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wondering just what it was her child – her son, she mentally corrected, Celia had been rather sure about that – would do that would put fear into someone like Sterling.

She sighed heavily and turned, for the moment thinking that she was in way over her head. It was Mark she went to first, though. She did not want to talk to him. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and held onto him, breathing him in. She could admit she was drawing on his strength, on the unmasked love for her that she saw every time she looked into his eyes.

17

“So what are you gonna do?”

Jamie had not spoken to anyone. Instead she had begun pacing from one end of the room to the other. Mark was leaning against the table, and Steve was sitting in the chair that Sterling had vacated. It was Lucy who had fallen into step beside her, and had asked the question that brought Jamie back from her thoughts.

“I have no idea.” Jamie admitted as she paused in her pacing. She glanced at the other side of the room, at the two men there. “What would you do?”

Lucy snickered and followed Jamie’s gaze. “Hell if I know. You know how I feel about your boyfriend.” She smirked. “But he’s alive. Steve isn’t. I’ve been told since I was little that you can’t bring the dead back.”

“You have a very ‘black and white’ opinion.” Jamie said softly. “I keep thinking about Abby.”

“You need to start thinking about the one you’re carrying. Not that I approve of that man procreating but growing up without a father sucks. You should know.” Lucy didn’t sugarcoat her opinion. It was one of the reasons Jamie liked her so much.

But that would leave Abby to grow up without a father herself. Jamie ran her hands through her hair and shook her head. “This is hopeless.”

“Yeah, the people around here are assholes.” Lucy smirked. “At least now that I remember them.”

“You had to deal with them before?”

“Oh. Yeah. Me and Sterling butted heads on more than one occasion in the past. I was maybe a little overzealous. I’m surprised…” Lucy stopped and sighed.

“Surprised at what?” Jamie asked, looking at her once more.

“Well…when I killed that guy last year. That Eric what’s his name…I wonder why I didn’t get called up here for a lecture. Or a spanking. And now I’m wondering if I did and I just don’t remember.” Lucy smiled. “They do that you know. You leave and you at first wonder if you dreamed it all up, then it just sort of fades away. Except I guess they will let you remember the choice you were forced to make. Just not the reason you were forced to do it.”

“Can they really do that? Make us forget?”

Lucy nodded. “Sure. They have all kinds of weird powers. You think it’s odd we can open a door to another world, they can do that. They can pull people out. They can read minds to an extent, and they can see the future. Some more than others. You want to hear how fucked up they are? One of them, and this reeks of Sterling, has been watching you. And they saw you felt guilty about Steve. And saw how much you care for Mark. So he put two and two together.”

“How far in advance did they know what was going to happen?” Jamie asked, not expecting an answer.

Lucy shrugged. “Celia can see a lot farther into the future than the others. But I don’t think she was in on this one so much. Sterling probably found himself a psychic friend. Or Eldon. I don’t really remember how strong his powers are.” She looked at Jamie, another wry smile on her face. “I got the feeling earlier, before you got here, that this whole thing was Sterling’s idea. Celia was against it. And Sterling wore Eldon down enough to get you here.”

They began walking slowly back toward the men who were waiting patiently. Jamie looked at them both for a moment before smiling at Steve. He grinned back. Looking for all the world as he had the last time she had seen him. She found she had to keep reminding herself that Steve was dead.

“You know, hon, the answer to this is kinda obvious.” Steve said finally.

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “It is?”

“Sure.” Steve’s grin widened but he didn’t elaborate. Jamie rolled her eyes and glanced at Mark. He was looking at her, one side of his mouth up-tilted in a smirk.

“What?” Jamie poked him in the stomach. “Your bruises are gone.” She pointed out, looking at his forehead. The last time she had actually seen him it had been covered with a bandage and was a bright red.

“Yeah. How long have I been gone over there?” Mark rubbed absently at his head where the lump had been.

“A week.”

“That’s it?” Mark scoffed. “Feels like I’ve been here for a couple of months at least.”

“Yeah. That’s…” Jamie trailed off as the door behind the table opened. Celia stepped back into the room, such a bored look on her face that Jamie thought under other circumstances she would find it funny.

“We have decided to give you one full day, Jamie.” Celia looked at her and smiled briefly. “You may go to your rooms, or eat dinner. Wander the place. Just do not go outside, because you may not be able to come back in.” She spoke most pointedly to Steve.

“I remember.” He said with a nod.

“Very well. Griffin will come around to get you all when it is time to reconvene.” With that Celia turned and left them. They stood there for several minutes, just looking at each other.

“Well…” Lucy broke the silence. “I’m starving. Anybody want to join me for some grub?”

Steve glanced at Jamie and Mark, then cleared his throat. “I’ll go with you. Haven’t wanted to eat in a while, but I’ll keep you company.”

Lucy looked at Jamie with her eyebrow up and took Steve’s arm, walking with him out of the room.

Jamie smiled and shook her head. “You would think she wanted us to have some time together.”

“She’s being awful nice to me.” Mark said, a hint of humor in his voice. “Are you hungry?”

Jamie shook her head again. “Not really.”

“Do you want to talk about…”

“No.” Jamie stopped him. “I just need to think it over first, if that’s all right.”

“Fine.” Mark reached over and brushed the hair off her forehead. Jamie caught his hand and pressed it against her cheek. “So what do you want to do now?”

“Why are you acting like this is…like things are normal? It is starting to creep me out.” Jamie let his hand go and he dropped it to his side. And he looked sort of hurt.

“Jamie, I trust ya. Whatever you decide to do, I will back you up. I’m just so damn happy you’re all right that nothin’ else matters right now.”

“Nothing?” Jamie smirked. “What about what they said…”

“Darlin’, I haven’t even had a chance to process that yet.” Mark sighed. “Hell of a way to find out.”

“I think that’s the equivalent of having an interesting story for you grandkids.” She snickered. And stepped up against him again, sighing happily when he wrapped his arms around her. “Are you hungry?”

“Not really.”

“How about walking around with me then? I’m starting to feel a little claustrophobic.”

“Sure, if you want to.” He kissed her on the top of her head and pulled away, reaching for her hand. Jamie smiled at him, distracted. She had an entire day to make her decision but wasn’t sure she even needed that much time. She had a feeling she already knew what she would choose. And the thought did not make her very happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie and Mark wandered for about an hour. Mark had been there a week, and he’d been restless, so he had explored quite a bit. The place really was like a city – there were people everywhere. Unlike the room Jamie had started in, which was private and in the council’s quarters, the rest of the people lived in places that were much like apartments. There was a school, and even an indoor park. It stood out because the floor was covered with grass, and there were trees and flowers everywhere. Three children, looking to be around four years old, were playing on the swings, having a grand time. Jamie watched this sadly for a moment, glancing at Mark. He offered her a sad smile and led her away.

They eventually ended up in the dining room, where Steve was entertaining Lucy with a drawn out story about the night he had proposed to Donna. Jamie looked around, taking in the windows on the far wall that looked out onto more gray fog, and the tables. There were maybe twenty of them, each one with a place setting for ten. She had no clue what time it was here, but from the look of the food that Steve and Lucy were eating, it must be dinner.

“Hey, guys.” Lucy greeted them first, rolling her eyes at Steve. He smirked and leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. Jamie corrected her thought. Steve wasn’t eating, but there was a plate of untouched food in front of him.

“Howdy.” Jamie. Mark took a seat and a woman appeared, asking if he would like a drink. She watched as he spoke for a few minutes, ordering something to eat.

“What about you, darlin’?” He finally asked, squeezing her hand. Jamie was still standing. She looked at him, then at the food and shook her head.

“I’m not hungry. I’ll eat later.”

“But…”

“There is no but. I am not hungry.” Jamie repeated herself. She also pulled her hand free.

“Well, maybe while they finish here, you and I can have a little talk.” Steve said. Jamie nodded. Mark looked as if he wanted to argue but bit his tongue at the look she was giving him.

They did not speak until they were in the hallway. Steve went to one of the windows and looked outside, heaving a sigh. “It’s pretty damned weird, being…alive again. Kind of.”

Jamie smiled and stood next to him, “I’ll bet. Lexi thinks that Abby has been talking to you…”

“I wish I had been.” Steve said, his voice sounding suspiciously thick. “I’ve been here.”

“Do you remember…”

“Dying? No.” Steve finished for her. “Last thing I’m really clear on was Abby, wakin’ me up so she could go downstairs and watch TV before breakfast. And then you snuggled over and I went back to sleep. That’s it.” He took a deep breath. “I was told what happened though. And I did get to peek in on a couple of things. My funeral. Hell…” He chuckled but there was no humor in it. “Celia told me about what happened though. Asked if I wanted to relive it so I could remember. I said I would rather not. I just wanted to know if Abby was all right. And she was..is.” He corrected himself.

“Yeah. She just came for a visit right before I was brought here.” Jamie said thoughtfully. “So if you aren’t the one talking to her, who is it? Lexi said that she thought Abby thought it was you. And if that sounds confusing it is.” She said with a half-smile.

“It wasn’t me.” Steve looked away from her and cleared his throat. “I miss her like crazy, though, and I’m not gonna lie and say I don’t wanna see her. I do. But…” At this he looked back. He had wrangled his odd burst of emotion and looked at her intently. “That doesn’t mean I wanna see you hurt cuz you picked me over him.”

“I know. That doesn’t make it any easier.” Jamie let her head rest against the glass and closed her eyes. She wanted to tell him to stop talking, as she had told Mark, but she just did not have the energy.

“I’m dead, Jamie. You aren’t. Hell…Abby will be fine without me, cuz I know there are good people watching over her. She might get mad, or blame you, sure. But I doubt it. Because those council assholes might see the future but they do not know fuck-all about my daughter.”

“This is true.” Jamie smiled, picturing Abby’s sweet face in her mind. “She’s not handling your being gone very well.”

“I wouldn’t expect her to.” Steve scratched his goatee. “And sending me back might make it all the worse. There comes a time when you heal. She’s young, and she’s strong. I don’t like the idea of makin’ her lose me again someday.”

Jamie mulled that over for a few long moments, knowing he was right.

“Those asses gave you a shit deal. But you gotta do right by you. Fuck all what anybody else wants.” With that he squeezed her shoulder. Jamie looked at him with a sad smile.

“Can I ask you one more question?”

“Go for it.” Steve smiled but it did not touch his eyes.

“Are you mad at me? For forgetting…”

“Hell no. Do I look mad? I was confused as fuck, and when it was explained I thought ‘oh well that’s that’. It is not your fault some crazy bitch decided she wasn’t done, and it was not your fault for forgetting about her. You had other shit on your mind.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

“You want me to walk you back to your room? You look wiped out.”

“Thanks. And no. I’ll go with Mark when he’s done eating.” Jamie smiled weakly.

“Well, hon. You should eat too.”

“You people are obsessed with food. Are they drugging it? To keep the ones like Mark and Lucy docile?” The thought had occurred to Jamie earlier, when Mark had been placing his order.

Steve shrugged. “Why would they stoop to that when they can use their…whatever they are powers…to keep them here? I mean…yeah. Mark slipped off that one time, and I swear I think Celia was in on it because she thought it was pretty damned funny. That Sterling guy pitched himself a fine fit.”

Jamie smiled, remembering that night. “I imagine he did. I wonder…”

When she didn’t continue, Steve looked at her closely. “Wonder what, Jamie?”

“Oh. Just…” She sighed and shoved her hands through her hair. “Nothing. I’m just tired and confused and drained. I’ll eat later. And I think I will take you up on the escort service to my room. You can tell Mark for me that I’m going to try to take a nap, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing.” Steve led the way down the hall. Jamie peered through the dining room doors and saw Lucy and Mark still eating, talking to each other apparently rather heatedly. And that made her feel better. She didn’t know why but it did.

18

Jamie was sort of surprised that she managed to fall asleep, so much was running through her mind. She dug through the closet until she found a long t-shirt to use as pajamas. After a quick shower, she crawled into the big bad and wrapped the white blanket around herself.

She felt as if no time passed at all. A blink maybe. She opened her eyes and it was pitch black in the room. At some point Mark had gotten into bed with her. He was laying on his side, inches away, his back to her. Jamie snuggled against him and rested her hand on his chest, feeling the slow rise and fall as he breathed.

She dozed off again. It did not last long. In fact, it seemed she could not stay asleep for more than five minutes at a time. She had odd dreams. They started, or felt like they started, as soon as her eyes were closed. In one of them, she was talking to Abby – but she was an older Abby. A teenaged Abby. Jamie kept thinking that she had been right, the little girl had turned into a tall, dark blonde knockout. She did not remember what they talked about upon waking up, but it seemed as if they were having a serious discussion.

The dream that finally woke her up was somehow horrible and wonderful at the same time. Jamie had been in a hospital bed, holding a baby, tears falling from her eyes. She kept looking from the baby’s peacefully sleeping, sweet little face to side of her bed. Sometimes Mark was there, sometimes she was alone. She did not know if she were crying because she was happy about the baby or distraught because the father was not there.

Jamie sat up and blinked a few times, and realized that she had been crying in her sleep. She rubbed the tears off her cheeks and took a shaky breath.

“Hey…” Mark’s voice made her jump. She had forgotten he was in bed with her. He touched her shoulder and felt her shaking. Without another word he pulled her so she was sitting in his lap, her head against his chest. “Everything is gonna work out, darlin’. I promise you that.”

“Is it?” Jamie said, her voice watery sounding. Mark sighed and rubbed her back, soothing her.

“It’s gonna have to be.”

Jamie said nothing to that. Instead she shifted a bit, took his free hand, and laid it on her stomach. “I think they were right.”

Mark rubbed her flat belly thoughtfully. “I don’t doubt it. I mean…I don’t think they would tell you that you’re pregnant just to make the decision harder.”

“I was thinking they did.” Jamie said ruefully. Mark slid his fingers under the shirt she was wearing to lay his hand on the skin of her stomach. It was on the tip of her tongue, to say what she was thinking.

It had been rather convenient, that Mark should manage to slip away, and sleep with her, and impregnate her. All under the eyes of this council. If Steve was right, and Celia had let Mark go, then what else could it have been? Another odd thing – even though Jamie knew a woman could get pregnant pretty much anytime, she was nowhere near close to her time to really worry about it. And the odd thing was, during their week together in December, it had been the worst possible time. And nothing had happened. She wondered a bit, especially considering her mother’s adamant statement about Jamie being pregnant. She knew it could mean nothing at all, but considering the pains these people were taking to force her to make a decision that could change lives.

Of course, if Celia had really helped Mark escape for a bit, and if maybe she had somehow…helped…Jamie to conceive…

Jamie did not know if such a thing was possible. Considering everything else, she was not going to ignore it though. If Celia wanted her to make a certain decision, it made a twisted sort of sense that a pregnant Jamie would favor the father of her baby.

Frustrated, Jamie pushed thoughts away and extricated herself from Mark’s arms.

“Are you all right?” He asked as she slid to the edge of the bed.

“Fine. Need the bathroom and a drink…” Jamie leaned over and kissed him. “I’m all right. Just had some weird dreams all night.” She laid her palm against his cheek for a moment before getting up and heading for the bathroom.

She came out ten minutes later, after brushing her teeth and hair. Mark was lying on his side, sleeping again. Jamie raised an eyebrow but did not disturb him. Instead she went to the closet and got herself something to wear. She dressed in silence and let herself out into the hallway without waking him.

Once there she had no idea where to go or what to do. Her sense of time was seriously out of whack. It could be six in the morning, or six at night and she had no idea how to tell either way. Jamie rubbed her stomach and realized she was hungry. She was almost afraid to eat, not trusting the place or people. My Mark and Lucy seemed all right, it was just odd their acceptance of the circumstances.

She found the dining room again after what felt like an hour. So far it was the only place that showed signs of life. Celia was at a table in the corner, a mug of steaming coffee in front of her, and a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon beside her. She was reading a book.

Celia looked up, feeling the weight of Jamie’s stare, and smiled. She gestured to her table and Jamie nodded, making her way across the room. She took the seat across from the other woman and took in her oddly blue-black hair. It was tied back in a series of elaborate twists and braids.

“Good morning. Coffee?” Celia asked as she got settled. Jamie grimaced.

“No thanks. Um…” Jamie looked to her right and saw a girl standing there.

“May I get you anything to eat or drink?” She asked Jamie in a high, clear voice. She glanced at Celia nervously and looked back several times.

“Some toast. And maybe a soda if you have any?” It was a question. The girl nodded simply nodded and walked away to get Jamie her toast.

“You’ll need to eat more than that for the baby’s sake if not your own.” Celia admonished her when the girl had gone.

“And I will. But that’s all I want right now.”

“Nervous?”

“Sort of.”

“Don’t be.” Celia turned a page in her novel and looked up at Jamie as she did. “Whatever your decision may be…it is yours to make. Nothing we can say should sway it in either direction.”

“I really do not want to talk about that now.” Jamie was still thinking. She already knew what she wanted, but to do what was right might be another story entirely.

“Fine.” Celia turned her attention back to her book. She paused to pick up a piece of bacon and nibble on it. The girl returned with Jamie’s toast and drink.

“Will you need anything else?” She asked. Jamie shook her head and she once more walked away.

Jamie picked up the dry toast and took a small bite. She stared out the window at the fog, watching as it swirled and moved, forming images that were pulled apart by a breeze. It took several moments to realize that Celia was no longer reading, she was looking over Jamie’s shoulder with a small smile on her face.

Jamie glanced back and saw Steve enter the dining room. He didn’t bother waiting for an invitation, he sauntered over and sat down in the chair to Jamie’s left. “Mornin’, ladies.”

“Good morning. Did you rest well, or at all?” Celia asked, making nice.

“A little bit. I can’t get used to sleeping again…” Steve rubbed a hand over the top of his head thoughtfully.

“All things with time.” Celia said it as if it explained everything. Steve nodded and smirked.

“And how are you this mornin’, Jamie?” He turned to her, watching as she gingerly ate her toast.

“All right I suppose.” She sighed and took a sip of her drink. She went back to looking out the window, not paying attention as Steve and Celia spoke to each other. She tuned them out. She ate and drank, but it was more out of force of habit than any real urge to put something in her stomach.

When she finished her toast, the girl came and got her dishes. Jamie turned her attention back to Steve and Celia who were still talking quietly. She was sort of surprised to hear they were discussing Celia’s book.

Jamie didn’t contribute to the conversation. She just listened to them speaking back and forth. It was so damn normal, it made her homesick. It was strange to feel that way, but true.

Celia excused herself after a few more minutes. She had things to take care of. She gave Steve a lingering look that was impossible to interpret. Steve nodded as if she had spoken. When she had walked away, he turned to Jamie and grinned.

“You got any big plans for the day?” He asked finally.

Jamie shook her head. “I’m not making any either. I just want to get this over with.”

“Why rush? You have a while.”

“I’m impatient.” Jamie rose to her feet. “And I really do not want to talk about this anymore. People keep talking, and I’m starting to think it’s because they want to confuse me even more.”

Steve held up his hands. “Sorry! I wasn’t offerin’ a lecture. Just thought you might wanna kill some time.”

“First you say not to rush, then you want to kill time.” Jamie smiled at him. “Which is it?”

“Either one.” Steve rose to his feet and put a hand on her shoulder. “Just clear your head and try not to think about anything at all today, then.”

“I was planning on that.” Jamie let him pull her into brotherly hug. “I’m gonna go. See you later.”

Steve watched her walk away and shook his head. He would hate to be in her position but it truly was obvious what direction she should go. There should not even be a debate. He was dead. Jamie and Mark were alive. There was truly only one thing to do.

If he had said that aloud to Jamie, it was possible she would have told him what she was really thinking. That there was a way to save both of them, all of them. And after breakfast, she was even more sure of how to do it.

But she did not think about it too much, because Jamie was sure that one of the council was reading her mind. Maybe not her deepest thoughts, but the things that were right on the surface.

She spied Sterling on her trek back to her room. He was walking with a younger man, looking as if he wanted to rip the kid’s head off. He didn’t see her, or rather he did not give any indication that he did. He was worrisome, because for some reason he was not like Celia. He was colder, maybe more power hungry. Jamie did not know. But she did know something that Sterling didn’t realize. She was a lot tougher than he gave her credit for. He was also counting on her to be just another weak human when presented with a threat to the people she loved. He was underestimating her.

It was sort of funny. Jamie had been underestimated her entire life. John was the one who was bigger than life, a football hero, a hard worker, built like a Mac truck. He had the bigger personality, the louder voice, the swagger that came with knowing that he was at the top of his game.

The funny thing was, everyone assumed that Jamie was the opposite. She was quieter, true. And she’d never been the extrovert that John had been. But she was stubborn, and she didn’t take shit from anybody. Never had. Never would. And if these council people had really been watching, like other people they would have seen her past, seen John being the shining star, and not realize that it was Jamie’s backbone that raised him up. She had pushed him when no one else would. They both worked after school and on weekends, plus John had football practice. He couldn’t drop football, as much as he wanted to, because it would be his ticket to college.

Tired as they both were, Jamie had drilled him over and over when it came to school work. There had been nights where neither of them could keep their eyes open but she’d been the one to psych him up. When he got a full ride scholarship, Jamie almost killed him when he turned it down in favor of an apprentice carpenter position. That was until she saw how much he enjoyed the work, making things, using his hands.

So she pushed him there instead.

Being a carpenter, as much as John loved it, was simply not enough for him. So Jamie had gotten him to take some business management classes, drafting classes, and engineering classes at the same school she was attending.

The thing about Jamie that some people did not realize was that when it came to those she loved…she did not like to quit. So if that meant she had to think of some way that they all could come out the better, so be it.

Actually she would prefer it if Sterling underestimated her. Jamie thought it would make swaying the council’s opinion that much easier. So if she had to think weak thoughts, maybe cry a little, and refuse to talk about what she was really plotting.

She finally found her room again and went inside. Mark was up. She could hear the shower running in the bathroom. Jamie sat on the edge of the bed to wait for him to come out.

Five minutes later he opened the door. Mark looked at her and smiled, tilting his head at the room’s exit. “I thought you ran off and left me.”

“I did for a minute. I needed something to settle my stomach.” Jamie smiled and took him in. His hair was dripping, and a towel was slung low around his hips. That was all he was currently sporting to cover himself up.

“Well is it all settled now?” He asked, grabbing a second towel to rub over his hair. Jamie smirked and got up, moving to the doorway where he stood. When she reached out and touched his chest, he jumped, not expecting it.

“Settled enough.” Jamie said it in an offhand way, trailing her finger down the center of his chest, onto his stomach. Mark was peering at her through a gap in the towel, an amused expression on his face. “What?”

“Well…” He paused to stop rubbing his hair and tossed the towel toward the sink. He ran his fingers through his hair to get rid of the tangles. “I guess I just know that particular look.” He finally said, eying her as he finally quit fiddling with his hair. It was still a mess but Jamie didn’t care. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, pulling him down, catching his mouth with hers.

When she pulled back, Jamie felt a little breathless. Mark met her eyes and she grinned impishly. “You know this look, huh?”

“Sometimes I’m not as dumb as I pretend to be.” He deadpanned. Jamie laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing close against him. He held her tight, dipping his head to nuzzle her ear and neck. Jamie smiled and pulled him, leading him backward to the bed. The biggest part of her wanted this, wanted Mark, and did not care where the hell they currently were. A tiny, small, itty-bitty part wished hatefully that whoever was watching or reading her mind got an x-rated eyeful for being nosey.

19

An insistent knocking noise woke Jamie up from a deep sleep.

She was lying on her stomach in the bed, and she stretched and rolled to her back, feeling remarkably good given the situation. Mark was already up and heading to get the door. She had enough time to tuck the blankets around her before he opened the door. She started snickering because he was totally naked.

Griffin did not look at all surprised by the nude man in front of him as he greeted him. “The council is ready for you both.”

“Gonna be a minute.” Mark said, looking pointedly at the smaller man. Griffin lifted one side of his mouth in what Jamie supposed passed for a smile and gave a half bow, backing away from the door. Mark closed it and looked at Jamie with a smirk. “I guess we need to get this over with.”

“I suppose.” Jamie regretfully got up, stretching once more. Mark watched as she ducked into the bathroom, and shook his head. He grabbed his clothes and dressed while he waited.

Jamie came out ten minutes later, hair and teeth brushed. She went to the closet and once more pulled out something to wear, this time jeans and a deep green v-neck shirt. She pulled on a pair of boots and waited for Mark to finish getting ready. It didn’t take long. Jamie took his offered hand and let him lead the way out the door.

Griffin went up the hallway and they ambled along behind all, Jamie acting for all the world like she was just out for a stroll. Mark squeezed her hand and smiled uncertainly at her. She grinned back and he felt himself relax. It was such a strange feeling. She had leaned on him months ago, when she had needed to. Now she was being the strong one. It was odd, giving up control or power or…he could not even describe it. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before.

They finally reached the council chambers. This time a different room. They were near the dining room, Jamie knew that much. This room had windows and was much bigger. There was still a heavy wood table with chairs at the front of the room. Celia and Eldon were already seated. Sterling was standing at the windows and looking outside. Lucy and Steve were also in attendance, standing to the left in front of the table.

“Good afternoon.” Eldon spoke, drawing everyone’s attention to the fact that Jamie and Mark had arrived. Sterling turned and kept his face neutral as he went to his seat. Celia on the other hand was smirking, amusement written on her features.

“If you say so.” Jamie said, tightening her grip on Mark’s fingers.

“Are you ready to make your decision?” Eldon asked, ignoring her sarcasm for the moment.

“Ready enough, I guess.”

“Go ahead. The floor is yours.” Eldon smiled and leaned back in his seat. Jamie looked from him to Sterling, then to Celia. Sterling still held that look of neutrality but she thought he was actually pretty pissed off. Celia, on the other hand, looked to be biting back a smile as she waited expectantly.

“Well. I told you…” Jamie shrugged. “I’m not going to pick either.”

“You have to pick one.” Sterling said.

“Um. No I don’t. I weighed the options and I decided to go with plan C.”

“Oh really? And what exactly would that entail?” Sterling sneered at her. Jamie thought he was all for show. Celia had said that Sterling was afraid of her because she was not like them. He was all bite because they were somehow keeping her from using anything she had learned. What Jamie did not understand was why exactly someone like him would fear opening a doorway or portal. She had thought they were all the same.

And she knew that he was the one who would need the most convincing.

“You send Mark back.” Jamie patted the back of his hand. “You send Steve back, since you claim you can. You send Lucy back, because really she’s not needed here at all. And you do something to take this idiotic power away from me since that’s what the real problem is.”

This was met with silence. Jamie got the feeling that Celia was impressed – it was something in the way she tilted her head. It was nuts to think she could read a person by a slight movement but…these were not normal people. Sterling could do nothing but stutter for a moment, his exterior calm gone for the time being.

“I will not have it, Eldon. She was given a choice, and it was made clear. She must pick.”

“Be quiet, Sterling.” Eldon sighed out as he peered at Jamie. “Exactly how long did it take you to decide that was what you wanted to do?”

“About thirty seconds after you said I had to pick.” Jamie admitted. “You can’t make me decide between them. I love Mark, and Abby needs her dad. But I’ll be damned if you make me pick which one is more important. And if the day comes when I need to explain to Abby exactly why her dad is gone, then I’ll tell her the truth. Yes, I did feel guilty. But I’m not the one who killed him.”

Jamie paused to look at Mark for a moment, then turned her attention back to the council. “Besides all of that…you assholes have been watching me. And you knew that certain things were going to happen. How far back does that go?” She could not help but sound angry. “Did you know John was going to die? How about Steve? I would bet the farm that at least one of you, and more likely all of you, saw that coming and you let it happen anyway. So pardon the fuck out of me if I think your deal sucks balls.”

At that, Celia ducked her head and covered her mouth. She was trying not to laugh. Jamie had no idea why she was on her side, or supporting her, but it did not really matter.

“We need to confer…” Sterling started to speak.

“No. You deal with this now. I am not spending another…night. Day. Whatever the hell time it is here. We have people back home who are expecting us all back, so just get it over with.”

“Fine.” Sterling threw up his hands in frustration. “Eldon?”

“I’m wondering why this young lady would want to give up such a gift.” Eldon spoke, but Jamie knew it was a question.

“To be honest, I don’t think I really have the stomach for this shit anymore.” Jamie brought the hand still holding onto Mark’s hand to her stomach. “And if you aren’t lying to me about being pregnant, well…then I mean that twice as much.”

“Celia is never wrong about children.” Eldon said thoughtfully. Now he was looking at Jamie with renewed interest. “I will warn you, if we do take away your gift, you will no longer be able to communicate with your family.”

“I understand that.” Jamie said softly. Mark released her hand and pressed his palm against her stomach. She held onto him, her hands over his. “I’ve already mourned them enough. And Steve had a point. It sucks to lose them twice. But it has to be done.”

Eldon turned to Celia. She had gotten her snickers under control. She now looked semi-serious. “Would you take care of releasing her gift?”

“Of course.”

“I do have one more thing.” Jamie said, before they could plan anything too involved.

“Oh? And what could you possibly need now?” Sterling said hatefully. For some reason he did not like Jamie. She had thought he would be happy, her giving up some sort of double-power thing that he was afraid of.

“You leave Abby alone. None of this crazy, overdramatic bullshit. She’s suffered enough without you people making it worse for her.” Sterling opened his mouth to protest. Jamie shook her head. “You can be afraid of what she is all you want. Even I know she’s special. Hell…even Mark knows and he’s dense as a lead bar.”

“Thanks for that.” Mark said, sounding amused.

“You’re welcome.” Jamie smirked. “Steve was right. She’s already mourning him. If you send him back she would lose him again someday. I can’t put her through that. So let Steve decide what it is he wants to do. And tell Abby’s mother. There doesn’t have to be any of this secretive shit.”

Eldon once more looked to Celia, who nodded. “Was there anything else?” He asked, turning his attention to Sterling. He shook his head forcefully, angry beyond words. Eldon smiled sweetly. “So let me see if I have this in order. You wish to have your power blocked, if not completely removed. In return we send Mark back with you. Lucy may also go back at her discretion. You wish for Steve to choose his own fate, and for the council to consider his daughter off limits? Have I covered everything?”

Jamie thought it over. “I believe so.”

“All right. Consider it done.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

“You want an argument? You have presented the option you are willing to accept without a fight, and we are willing to let you have what you want to keep the balance. I can find no argument with that.” Eldon looked from Celia to Sterling. “Some council members may want to remember that we are here to offer guidance, not abject anger at what we cannot control.”

“Shall we begin?” Celia asked. There were nods from the others. “The first order of business, I suppose…Lucy, you are free to go.”

“Cool.” Lucy smirked. “Although I bet Randy’s gonna be pissed at me.”

“I think he’s still busy grieving for the loss of your grandmother.” Eldon said with a half-smile. “You should join him and take care of her so she may take her place here with us.”

“What does that mean? That Nan is on your council or something?” Lucy sounded horrified by the idea. Nan would hate it, because she hated having to preside over others.

“No. It would take some time yet for her to earn her place here.” Eldon said with a smile. “I meant here, in our city. She deserves it. Perhaps someday, when you reach her level of dedication you will see her again. She will be here. Young again, waiting to commence the duties that come from being elevated.”

“I would almost be afraid to see Nan young.” Lucy smiled at the thought. She clapped Steve on the shoulder. “Maybe we’ll see you around.” She said with a grin.

“That is our next order of business. Steve…” Celia smiled warmly at him. “Jamie has offered you a chance to choose your fate. Do you go back? Do you go on?”

“Well…” Steve looked at Jamie for a moment, and cleared his throat. “I can’t…can’t cotton the idea of takin’ over some other guy’s body. As much as I love my Abby, and miss her, I can’t just jump into somebody else and…”

“Is that how it would be done?” Jamie asked.

“It is the only way. You saw for yourself last winter, when a human body got taken over by a spirit.” Sterling actually sounded halfway pleasant. Jamie wondered if Eldon had waited until they were distracted to hit him on the head.

“I don’t wanna be walkin’ the earth in some other man’s body. The way I look at it, one way or the other my time was finished. Abby will get along. She’s a lot stronger than she looks. And yeah, she’s hurting now but she understands. I think if I go back now, I’ll be doing her more harm than good.”

“But…” Jamie did not get a chance to speak. Eldon talked right over her.

“Very well.” He looked to Celia once more. “I shall leave it to you, once more.”

“Fine.” Celia smiled again. “Jamie, if you are ready, I would be happy to help you.”

“I am.” She gave Mark’s hand one last rub and gently pushed him away.

“Jamie…wait…” Mark said it softly.

“What?” She turned to look at him and saw that he was worried again.

“This might change things…”

“Not between us.” She smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss him quickly. “We had something between us before anybody figured out I had this…whatever this stupid power is.”

“Right.” Mark held her face for a moment, kissed the tip of her nose, and let her go to stand where Celia was waiting.

“Steve, if you would just wait here for a bit, I will take care of you shortly.” Celia said. She took Jamie’s hand and smiled at her reassuringly. Jamie smiled back, completely sure this was the right thing to do. Everyone was going to get what they wanted.

Once the women had left, Lucy grinned and looked at Sterling. “Better luck next time.”

“There is no hope for you, Lucinda.” Sterling tried to say it with his usual venom but now he just sounded tired.

“People keep saying.” She agreed. She turned to Mark. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Sure.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like you.”

“I know this.” Mark said with a smirk.

“Good. Just so we’re clear.” Lucy gave Steve a sisterly kiss on the cheek and waved her hand, opening up a portal. With one last salute toward Eldon she stepped through and disappeared from the room.

“Well, Mark. You may go whenever you like.” Eldon said with a smile.

“I think I’ll wait on Jamie. Since she’s going to need help getting back.” Mark said.

“Very well. I believe that I am going to go rest.” With that Eldon rose to his feet. Sterling following his lead, leaving Mark and Steve to entertain themselves.

“Huh.” Steve finally broke the silence that fell between them. “Since I am not going to go back, I wanna ask you a favor.”

“All right.” Mark looked at him, feeling a little ripple of jealousy. Because Jamie had shared so much of herself with him. It faded after a moment.

“Jamie spoke rather highly of you, even when she was mad at you.” Steve said, confusing Mark for a moment. Then the other man smiled. “And I wanted to ask you to make sure you take care of them. Jamie…and Abby. They both deserve bein’ taken care of.”

“Yeah.” Mark smiled himself. “Yeah, that will not be a problem.”

“Good. I’d appreciate it.”

Mark just nodded. There wasn’t anything else he could add to that.

20

“Ok. If I am pregnant, like you say I am, this isn’t going to hurt the baby is it?” Jamie eyed the chair that Celia had pointed out with distrust. It was just a regular old chair.

“Oh stop worrying, please and have a seat.” Celia patted the back of the chair and Jamie sat, sitting stiffly. “And relax! I promise you, come the middle of March, you are going to be blessed with a bouncing baby boy who will suck up all your time and energy but repay you by making you fall in love at first and every sight. Now relax.”

Jamie did, smiling a little. “How will I get home? If I get rid of…”

“Let me worry about that.” Celia was running her fingers in small circles over Jamie’s temples. “And the answer to your question is yes.”

“What question?” Jamie asked, closing her eyes as Celia continued rubbing.

“I helped you conceive. It was just a nudge in the right direction.” At Jamie’s noise, Celia grinned. “Are you going to tell me that you are not grateful? The gift of a child is precious.”

“I know. I guess I…”

“And I knew that you would think of a way out.” Celia pressed her palms over Jamie’s forehead. “You are creative and strong. It saddens me to think that you won’t be using your power anymore. You had the potential to someday join us here. Perhaps even on the council itself.”

Jamie snorted a laugh. “Is that by committee? Because I don’t think your friend would be too happy with that.”

“No. No committee.”

“I do have one question.” Jamie said softly.

“What is it?”

“Will the baby…” She could not seem to form the words.

“Will the baby be…gifted?” Celia supplied. Jamie nodded under her fingertips. “Of course. As I said before. There are very important things he will do in the future.”

“But…who chooses and how?”

“Hunter or empathy? No one will choose.”

“But I thought the whole point of this…”

“Jamie you were…are…an anomaly. Your mother killed herself before she could determine your gift, and your brother died before either of you realized you were gifted. I had thought before that you would have been the empathy, but now I wonder if you would not have made one of the greatest hunters I have ever known.”

“I’m glad to be rid of it. I am not prepared to deal with this stuff.”

“This is why we train so very early.” Celia leaned down and whispered softly. “Mark need not hide himself away. Once you are married, his power will fade. He will still be able to open a portal and send a spirit if need be, but I will take away the attraction that the spirits feel toward him. His focus must be on your children, not worrying whether or not a spirit will talk to him through a radio.”

“No argument there.”

“We’re almost through here.” Celia still spoke softly. “With what I have taken away from you, you will be able to make one last portal before your power goes dormant. It will atrophy with time, and you will forget you ever had the ability to open a doorway.”

“All right…” Jamie sounded far away. Celia smiled.

“You have a single path now. Would you like to know what that is?”

“No.” Jamie shook her head. She sounded more there as well. As if she were waking up from a deep sleep. Celia removed her hands from her head and walked around the chair to kneel in front of it.

“You want the future to be a surprise?”

“I think you’ve told me enough.” Jamie opened her eyes and met Celia’s silver gaze. “Maybe too much. I don’t think all of us need to know everything.”

“Good call.” Celia rose to her feet and helped Jamie up. “Remember. One more portal. Although I do have a gift for you before you decide to go home. If you will accept it.”

“Is it a good gift?”

“I believe it is.” Celia smiled and linked her arm through Jamie’s to guide her through the halls. “And don’t worry about your friend. I will take good care of him.”

Jamie nodded. Actually she hadn’t been worried about Steve at all. She was extremely tired, and felt like she’d just run a marathon. Forget opening a portal. If this kept up pretty soon she wouldn’t be able to open her eyes.

Celia took her back to the room where Mark and Steve still waited patiently. Mark was sitting on the table, his arms crossed over his chest while Steve leaned against the wall with a bored expression on his face.

“Here you go, safe and sound.” Celia gave Jamie a little push in Mark’s direction. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. “Are you ready?”

“I suppose.” Jamie watched from the protective circle of Mark’s arms as Celia waved her hand in a slow circle. She thought maybe that was another part of the theatrics until the air itself started to waver, as if it were hot.

Jamie blinked and the odd air was gone. Instead, her mother, father, and John stood there.

“What is this?” She managed to ask.

“A little goodbye gift. I think they have earned the right to move on now, don’t you?” Celia smiled. “And since you will no longer be able to communicate with them, I thought you may want to say your goodbyes.”

Jamie smiled and slipped out of Mark’s arms to hug her brother. He hugged her back, just as real and as solid as he’d been when he was alive. “You take care, Jimmie.” He whispered in her ear. Jamie smirked and pulled back, giving him a mock look of annoyance.

“I’ll miss you.” She admitted, in spite of the expression on her face.

“That’s all right, sis. I’ll miss you too.” He grinned. “But at least you’ll be able to move on with your life this time.”

“I guess.” Jamie dodged when he tried to ruffle her hair, something he knew she loathed. Laughing a little, she accepted a hug from her mother, then her father. Sophie and Jack both held onto her, and Jamie felt like crying for the first time. She held it back though, because this was not a sad thing. She would move on, but so would they. She did not know what waited on the other side, but maybe her parents could be together, and John would be with them there, and they would be a family.

“Griffin?” Celia spoke from behind them, and it brought Jamie back to exactly where they were. She had not seen the man enter the room, she’d been so busy saying goodbye. “Please escort Sophie, Jack, and John to their rooms. And prepare Nannette’s room as well. She will be here very soon.”

“Wait…they’re staying here?” Jamie asked uncertainly.

“They have earned it, have they not?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know what this place is.” She admitted. Celia grinned.

“This is not a bad place, Jamie. In fact, some of our kind work their whole lives to earn a place here. It is an honor to be asked to come to live here.”

“Ok.”

“Don’t worry. They will be well taken care of.” Celia touched her shoulder.

“Yeah?” Jamie glanced around. “What about Steve?”

He was still leaning against the wall. Celia smiled and shook her head. “I will take care of him too, as I promised.”

“Ok.” Jamie squeezed Sophie’s hand one last time then went to Steve, who opened his arms and hugged her so tight Jamie could not breathe.

“Everything is gonna be all right.” Steve said softly, patting her on the back. Jamie nodded against his shoulder. “You go on now. No sense waitin’ around here. I hate long ass goodbyes.”

“Yeah me too.” Jamie pulled away and groped behind her for Mark’s hand. “So that’s it?”

“That’s it.” Celia smiled. “You may leave any time you’re ready.”

Jamie looked at Mark for a moment and squeezed his hand. “You first.”

“If you say so.” Mark leaned down and kissed her once, quickly. And then he stepped forward, his hand leaving hers holding onto nothing but air. Jamie smiled and turned to everyone else.

“I guess this is it then.” Jamie said with a sigh.

“This is what you really wanted.” Sophie said with a smile as Jack wrapped an arm around her waist. She was looking a bit misty-eyed. Jamie smiled, knowing she had to leave or she’d start bawling herself.

“You take care of them.” She said to Celia, who had no chance to answer. Jamie was there one second, gone the next. Celia sighed and turned to her guests to finish making their arrangements.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie winced and opened her eyes, feeling a muscle in her neck twinge. She had fallen asleep with her head at a rather sharp angle apparently. It took a moment to notice it was because she was not actually on the bed – she was laying on the floor next to it.

Snickering at herself, Jamie got slowly to her feet. Mark was in the bed, sleeping away. And then she realized…it was his room. His bed. They were back.

It was dark out. Jamie looked out the window, wondering how long they’d been gone. She ran her fingers through her hair, and looked down. She was wearing her t-shirt and shorts again. The same she had been wearing when she’d gone to wherever the hell it was she had gone.

Jamie rubbed her neck and went to the door and eased it open quietly, so as not to wake up Mark. She could hear the murmur of voices downstairs. She paused to look into the guest room, and saw that Abby was sleeping, one leg out of the blankets, spread across the center of the bed. Jamie smiled and shook her head, turning for the stairs.

Phil and Lexi were watching a movie. Phil spotted her first and grinned. “Damn. That was a quick nap.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You just went upstairs fifteen minutes ago. You said you were going to pass out.” Lexi said without looking away from the movie.

“Oh. Well. Guess I couldn’t sleep.” Jamie hesitated. “And just so nobody freaks out in the morning, Mark is back. So don’t be surprised to see the extremely tall guy sitting at the breakfast table.”

“We didn’t hear anybody come in.” Phil said, smirking.

“Yeah. It’s complicated.” Jamie smiled back and ruffled his hair, the same thing John had tried to do to her. Phil took it with his usual good-natured grumbling. “I’m going back to bed though. See you guys in the morning.”

Jamie detoured through the kitchen for a soda before heading up the stairs, sipping it as she went. Fifteen minutes. She had been over there…wherever there was…for over a day and all that had passed here was fifteen minutes. She wondered exactly how long it was that Mark thought he had been gone. A week here. Months there? She was too tired to worry about the math.

She finished her soda and tossed the can into the garbage in the bathroom. She stripped and took a shower, realizing that she still smelled like chlorine. If it had truly only been fifteen minutes, she had spent a couple of hours in the pool with Abby. She dried off, brushed her teeth, then crawled back into the bed, snuggling up to Mark’s back.

“Time is it?” He muttered thickly, shifting a little bit.

“Almost midnight.” She whispered it back.

“Everything all right?”

“Yup. Go back to sleep.” Jamie rubbed his chest lightly, feeling him relax again. She was longer falling back to sleep. So much was going through her mind. It was well past midnight when she finally closed her eyes and drifted off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie learned that first morning that she was the only person who remembered.

Mark remembered nothing beyond them shopping. Not the wreck, not the hospital, not him disappearing. And nothing of what happened as he’d been gone. Jamie informed him she would be taking him back to the hospital, and ignored his groan of protest. At the very least it would settle Chris’s mind, and he’d know his patient hadn’t wandered off and been run over by a truck or something.

Lucy didn’t remember anything either. Jamie called her as she stood at the kitchen sink, watching as Mark played with Abby in the pool. Abby had been taken with him, for some reason, and Mark appeared to reciprocate the emotion. He definitely had a soft spot for her. Jamie thought it was rather adorable.

And even odder than none of them remembering – Glen, Randy, even Lexi and Phil, were acting as if nothing had happened. As if the entire week had just…not happened. Jamie cautiously called the hospital and got Chris on the phone after a ten minute wait. And discovered that a trip with Mark was unnecessary. Chris just asked if they were all right, and informed her that they had both been treated and released with minor injuries. And then he asked if maybe she had hit her head a bit harder than he had thought.

Every trace of the past week, of Mark missing, was gone. Even Lucy’s disappearance was explained away. It was thin but Jamie did not doubt her when she’d said she had been camping with friends and unreachable.

So Jamie would be the only one who had to live with the consequences of her decision. She thought she had done all right, all things considered. Steve…she wished that she had been able to do something there but he had a point. As she watched Abby splashing water at Mark, she knew that making the little one lose her dad again would be like putting her through a torture chamber.

With a sigh she put the phone aside and went upstairs to gather up some things to wash. Mundane household chores. For the first time since before Steve had died, or even before what had happed last Christmas, Jamie felt a sense of normalcy.

When she came back downstairs, Lexi was in the kitchen, getting things together to make dinner. She eyed Jamie’s laundry basket with a look of distaste. “I will never know why, but I hate doing laundry.” Lexi said, chopping up a thick steak into thin slivers. She was going to do a stir-fry. “Give me a sink full of dishes any day of the week.”

“Yeah. You and me both.” The laundry room was under the stairs. Jamie started tossing her clothes in, checking her pockets as she went. It was out of pure habit. So she was very surprised when she checked the pair of shorts she’d been wearing the day before and found an envelope. It was plain white, with her name written across the front in slightly tilted script letters. She could not remember putting any such thing in her pocket. She looked at it for a long moment before setting it aside.

She did not know how, but she knew it was from Celia. And that if she opened it and read what was written, there would be no un-knowing it. Jamie had said she did not want her future told, but Celia apparently thought it was important.

“Maybe it isn’t even bad. Maybe it’s just a have a nice life kind of letter.” Jamie said out loud.

“What?” Lexi hollered from the kitchen. She had heard Jamie’s voice but not the words. Good thing. Jamie smirked and added detergent to the load of clothes, and started the wash cycle, slamming the lid down with a bang. The envelope she tucked into the back pocket of the shorts she was wearing now.

“I said…I tried to cook stir fry once and I hope you can do it better.” Jamie said as she exited the laundry room. Lexi grinned. Jamie stepped out the door and meandered across the yard to where Mark and Abby were now sitting on lawn chairs, drip drying in the early evening sun.

21

Nan was laid to rest that Wednesday. The graveside service was so well-attended the local police were called in to aid with traffic control.

Jamie had spent the past two days with Mark and Abby. Lexi and Phil had wanted a few days to visit a nearby amusement park and zoo, and while normally Abby would have been ready to go before them, this time she did not want to leave Jamie. Lexi was troubled but Phil talked her into going anyway.

It was odd, how she was currently feeling. They were at the edge of the crowd, the three of them wearing almost matching shades of dark blue and gray. Jamie had been asking questions, and while she did not sense any sort of deception in Mark’s answers, it was still hard to believe that he remembered nothing at all. Not even the fact that they had slept together not once, but twice the past weekend, and that she was pregnant because of it.

Jamie knew it was too early to be thinking about, but she could not help it. She fought the urge to call the hospital to see if Chris could run some blood work. She knew that blood tests could detect pregnancy earlier than an at-home test kit, but less than a week? She had been out of nursing for a while, but knew that it would be at least another few weeks before she could find out for sure.

The service wound down to a close, and Abby reached for her hand. Jamie held on to her as most of the crowd wandered down the small hill toward their parked cars. Slowly but surely the cemetery emptied of mourners, except for Randy and Lucy. There were still sitting in the chairs that bordered Nan’s grave.

“We’re going to head back to the house.” Glen and Kayla were also there, and Glen had spoken, bringing Jamie’s attention back to the fact that she was not alone.

“We’re right behind you.” Mark wrapped an arm around Jamie’s shoulders and they watched as Glen led Kayla down to their car. “Are you ready to go? Or do you want to…” He nodded in Randy and Lucy’s direction. Jamie hesitated and shook her head.

“I don’t want to bother them.” Jamie leaned her head again Mark’s shoulder.

“Well…” Mark kissed the top of her head. “How about some lunch? It’s not often I get to take two pretty ladies out to eat.” Abby smiled weakly. Jamie shrugged. “Or we could just go home.”

“I don’t like this place.” Abby said softly. She wore a distracted frown on her face.

“Hon, it’s a cemetery. Nobody likes…”

“Why aren’t the rest of them leaving?” Abby spoke right over Jamie. “And why are they staring at us?”

Jamie felt a cold knot form in her stomach and she looked up at Mark. He was grinding his teeth, something she had missed completely since she had been so lost in her own thoughts. “Mark?”

“Just ignore them, Abby.” He finally said, shifting his eyes to look at the little girl. He managed a smile. “They’re just sayin’ goodbye too.”

Abby nodded and gripped Jamie’s hand tighter. “Can we just go back to your house?”

“Sure.” Mark scooped her up and held her easily, then reached for Jamie’s hand. He led the two women down the hill to Jamie’s Jeep. They were all quiet on the nearly hour long drive home, with only the low mutter of music from the radio.

Once at the house, Mark lifted a sleeping Abby from the backseat. That explained why she had been so quiet. Jamie smiled and followed them into the house and up the stairs, where Mark tucked Abby into bed after gently pulling her shoes off.

“Kid hasn’t been sleeping so good the last couple of nights.” Mark observed, stepping into the hallway. He kept his voice low.

“I’ve slept like a rock.” Jamie smirked. “Maybe it’s the funeral. Her dad’s wasn’t so long ago. But she wanted to go…”

“I know.” Mark shook his head. “Hungry?”

“Not really.” Jamie watched as his fingers went to work undoing the braid that held his long hair back from his face. Due to the heat, he was not wearing a suit jacket, just a long sleeved button down that hid his tattoos. Smirking, Jamie pulled his shirt free from his waistband and slowly worked her way up, unbuttoning the material along the way.

Mark raised an eyebrow and watched as she traced a finger down the bare skin that she had exposed. Jamie smiled sweetly and hooked her fingers into his belt, tugging it open.

“As nice as you look in your fancy duds…” She finally got the belt unfastened. Now her finger worked the button on his waistband. “I think I’d rather see you without.”

Mark’s slow smile at that was enough to make her knees feel weak. He caught her hand before she could do more than brush the skin exposed by the lowered zipped of his pants. He pulled her into the bedroom and swept the door shut behind them even as he yanked her against his chest and found her mouth with his.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Early the next morning, Mark woke slowly with a stretch. Jamie muttered under her breath and rolled, snuggling deeper into her pillow. They had spent two hours Abby had slept in bed, doing everything but sleep. When Abby had awakened, Jamie and Mark took her swimming in the pool, and then out to eat at a local pizza place.

Jamie did think it was odd that Mark did not object to going out. In fact, she had barely mentioned it when he was helping Abby get ready to go. She had been too stunned to question him. Jamie had imagined prying him out of the house, especially after the store trip, would be one of their bigger challenges.

He was just full of surprises. Mark still did not trust the television. He would rather it be left off, especially if they were all going outside. And when he was alone, Jamie knew that he turned it off and on a few occasions he had gone so far as to unplug it from the wall.

Mark smirked and settled the light blanket over Jamie’s sleeping form, unfortunately hiding her bare, smooth back. If he let himself give in to the temptation of touching her now, it was likely neither one of them would get anything done. He gathered up his clothes and took a quick shower, dressing quietly in the bathroom.

He glanced at his watch on the way down the hall. It was just past six in the morning, and sunlight was already streaming in through the windows. Mark cracked open the guest room door to check on Abby. She was still sleeping, right in the middle of the bed, on her stomach. Her feet were on her pillow, and her head was at the foot of the bed. Mark smiled and debated setting her right, but he did not want to wake her up. He quietly shut the door and went downstairs to make some coffee.

It was hard to believe that just a year ago, a morning like this would have led to a day of depression. The house was quiet but not empty, and Mark figured that was what made the difference. He had never really given much thought to just how lonely he was before Jamie had come into his life. The six months she’d been gone had been miserable.

Mark shook his head and took his cup of coffee outside onto the deck. He figured that Lexi and Phil would be returning a bit later that day, and Jamie and Abby would be going to Glen’s to go over some last minute wedding details with Kayla. Mark figured he would eventually get around to finding out what Glen wanted him to wear as the best man. He only hoped it wasn’t too fancy a monkey-suit.

“Can I have some cereal?”

Mark had been so lost in thought that he did not hear Abby open the door behind him. He smirked and glanced at his empty cup. “Darlin’, I think we might be able to do a little better than cold cereal.” He tousled her already sleep-messy hair, chuckling at her noise of annoyance. But she looked at him with a grin.

Almost an hour later, Jamie wandered down the stairs. She had pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, and she’d put on her shorts and tank top, but that was it. It was too early for anything else.

“Mornin’, Jamie!” Abby greeted exuberantly. She was sitting at the table with a stack of pancakes in front of her.

“Tell me you are not attempting to eat all of that.” Jamie said with a snicker. She stretched her arms over her head, saw the look Mark was giving her, and smirked to herself.

“I’m starving…” Abby drew the word out while using her fork to cut into the stack. She had a huge forkful bound for her mouth as Jamie sat across from her at the table.

“Hungry?” Mark asked, lifting an eyebrow. Jamie felt a warm flush crawl over her cheeks as her eyes met his. Loaded question. And she had not even had her ritual morning caffeine. He did not wait for an answer. He grinned, hid it by turning his back, and set to work making a plateful of pancakes for her.

After breakfast, and showers for the ladies, Jamie and Abby both gave Mark kisses goodbye and left to meet Kayla at her house.

Mark spent a few minutes straightening the kitchen before heading outside to work on his bike for a while. He needed some parts, but more importantly he was going to have to get Jamie to take him into town and soon, so he could buy a new vehicle for himself. As much as he loved the bike, it was not really practical for year-round transportation. Maybe he could salvage his SUV. From what the insurance adjuster had said, it was a lost cause due to the damage but Mark had always been good with machines, especially if they had four tires and an engine.

He found himself to be more restless the past few days, especially when he was alone. There was a time not long ago that he preferred to be by himself. Now it was too damn quiet, not only because of Jamie. Abby had a hand in that too. The little one had sure gotten to him fast. Mark smiled as he ran through his usual maintenance routine on the motorcycle. He had never considered himself a kid-friendly type of person, but he liked having her around.

He had to stop kidding himself though. If he allowed himself an honest minute, he knew what that restlessness meant. The spirits, or more accurately his own power to send them over, wanted to be used. Mark had wanted to be done with it, because even if he did not fully remember, he knew that there was something happening to him. Maybe he took it a bit too much to heart, what he was doing. But the urge to seek out particular spirits…

As much as he covered it up, he had the feeling that Jamie sensed it. Even though she said her own power had withered, she had to see his indecisiveness. Mark did not want to do it anymore. But the power inside him had never been bound by what he wanted. It was like a living thing.

Without aiding the spirits, he felt useless.

When Jamie had mentioned returning to work, Mark had told her it was not necessary. And that was true, from a monetary standpoint. His parents had left Glen and Mark enough to keep them comfortable, and to keep their children comfortable. They had invested wisely and the amount had grown. Neither lived an expensive life. They had the house, the SUV, the motorcycle. A splurge had been the pool. Even that did not put a dent into the cash reserve Mark had in the house safe.

Mark thought he finally understood.

Without using his power, he had no sense of purpose. And he had not bothered to fill that void. Now maybe it was time to really figure out what he wanted to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe this!” Kayla was livid as she paced around the living room. The beautiful white dress was unzipped, unbuttoned, and dragging the floor. “It fit me three days ago!”

“Well. You are pregnant.” Jamie said soothingly. She glanced at Abby and rolled her eyes comically. Abby grinned back. They were both in their dresses, and theirs fit well. Kayla could no longer zip or button the back of her dress. While she had only gained about three pounds so far, all of it went to her stomach. The form fitting dress no longer fit her form.

“No shi…poop. Crap. Whatever.” Kayla huffed and censored herself for Abby’s sake. “What am I going to do?”

“We’re going to find you another dress.” Jamie shushed her when she began protesting. “It’s too late to get it resized. Besides that…as gorgeous as it is, it’s a little too formal for an outdoor, middle of the woods kind of wedding.”

“This was my mom’s dress.” Kayla said, looking down with it and blinking back tears.

“Well, your mom would understand.” Jamie helped her get the dress off and packed back into the tissue paper lined box while Kayla and Abby got dressed.

“I can’t believe it. I had no trouble putting it on the other day.” Kayla sniffled and heaved a sigh. Jamie shook her head and changed from her dress into her jeans and t-shirt. She gathered her purse and began to herd Kayla toward the door. “Now? I have a million things to do today…”

“You are getting married in a few days. Do you really want to wait even more last minute to find a dress?” Jamie asked, giving her a light push out the door. Abby was giggling and skipping toward the Jeep.

They spent nearly three hours at a local bridal store. Kayla’s heart had been set, so getting her to accept a change was a challenge. Abby had a great time, getting compliments from all of the women who were there as she tried on dresses for fun.

Jamie had started off feeling great. But now as she sat and waited for Kayla to change dresses she was beginning to feel a bit sick to her stomach. And she kept seeing things from the corner of her eye. Shadows that disappeared as soon as she turned her head to look.

Kayla came out wearing another dress, and her expression of concentration turned to worry. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Probably need to eat though.” Jamie smiled grimly. The thought of food turned her stomach. “That’s a great dress, by the way.” It was. Kayla was wearing an off-white floor length dress with flowing material and one strap. “Very ‘Greek Goddess’.”

“Is it too Halloween costume?” Kayle glanced at the mirrors. “Because I happen to love this dress.”

“I think it’s perfect.” Jamie’s smile turned into a wince, and she hid it from Kayla. Abby appeared at her side and grinned.

“You look like a princess.” She said happily, taking in the material of the dress. “I’m hungry.”

“You ate forty-three pounds of pancake this morning.” Jamie pointed out.

Abby giggled and walked over, giving Jamie a hug while Kayla returned one final time to the dressing room to change back into her street clothes.

“Jamie…are you all right?”

Jamie had seen another of those shadow things and tried to focus on it. She smiled guiltily at Abby. “I’ve got a little bellyache, sweetheart.”

“Your face is all white.”

“I would imagine I’m a little pale.” Jamie looked toward the mirrors and saw her too white complexion. “Babydoll, I’m going to have to get some air.”

“Ok.” Abby grabbed her hand and walked with her out the front door of the store. Jamie gulped in several breaths of the warm air and her nausea faded. It was still there, but not so urgent as before. Abby looked up at her, worry etched on her features. Jamie understood why it worried the little girl. After losing her dad she feared more loss.

“Much better.” Jamie forced a happier tone. Abby frowned slightly but nodded.

“You look better already.” Abby put her hand in Jamie’s and swung them, letting the subject drop. She was a perceptive little kid. Jamie had to give her that.

Kayla appeared moment later, a box tucked under her arm. She looked more relaxed. “I got that one. Hey, if I look like a goddess on my wedding day, I will not complain at all. Plus I don’t have to get it tailored.”

“Awesome.” Jamie dug her keys out of her purse and saw yet another shadow move to her right. She looked quickly, but not fast enough. There was nothing there.

“Are you all right?” Kayla asked, coming out of soon to be wedded obliviousness to see Jamie’s distraction.

“Fine. But…” Jamie handed her the keys. “You may have to drive. I’m not feeling too great at the moment.”

“Damn. And I was thinking some big sloppy ribs for lunch…”

Jamie’s stomach rolled. She could feel herself turning green. Abby looked alarm until Kayla snickered.

“Come on. I’ll take you home and then I will take Abby and we’ll eat some sloppy ribs. You can get some rest. You better not get sick right before my wedding!”

“I am trying not to.” Jamie muttered, climbing into the passenger seat. She leaned back and closed her eyes, tuning out Kayla and Abby’s chatter on the drive back home.

Jamie did not know what was wrong with her but she was not going to take any chances. Maybe she was just overtired, from everything that had happened over the past few weeks. She told herself that was all it was as Kayla guided the Jeep back to the house.

22

Mark kept checking on her, worry in his eyes. Jamie tried to sleep a bit, but she was not tired. The odd shadows she’d seen all morning were gone. She did not feel a bit nauseous. But she made herself lay there for an hour, then two, just to be sure it was not going to happen again.

Eventually she gave up on napping and headed for the stairs. Mark was outside, talking to Kayla. Abby was carrying what looked like a box of leftovers and a small bag. She was also giggling and dodging a black fur ball that resembled a dog, although it was very small. Jamie smirked and went to the fridge to find something to eat. Hard to believe that just a few hours ago the thought of ribs had made her green at the gills, but now she felt like she could eat a whole pig.

Jamie was just sitting down with a sandwich when Mark and Abby stepped inside. Now Mark was carrying the little ball of fur. Abby was talking a mile a minute and stopped to give Jamie the paper bag before putting her leftovers in the fridge and heading to the living room to watch some television.

Jamie set her sandwich down and peered into the bag. There were a couple of cans of dog food, along with a blue leash. “Odd afternoon snack.” She said sarcastically, eying the dog that Mark held. He smiled and scratched the puppy under its chin.

“Apparently Abby thought you could use a buddy. And Kayla is a sucker.”

“What? This fuzzy rat is for me?” Jamie said, but she did not mind taking the little dog from Mark when he handed it over. “I don’t even like dogs.”

Mark laughed at that. “Like ‘em or not, you got one now. It’s a boy, by the way.”

“Well he’s cute as he can be, but…I am so not a dog person.” Jamie grimaced as the puppy licked her chin. “I like cats. Or hamsters that stay in cages and don’t poop all over the floor.” And the dog started nuzzling her neck. Jamie sighed. “Hell. So I have a dog now, huh?” She scratched the little pup on the neck with one hand, and picked up her sandwich with the other, eating and avoiding losing her food to the animal.

“You must feel better.” Mark observed, leaning against the counter and watching as she took a bit of the huge sandwich.

“I feel great. Now. Don’t know what my problem was earlier.” She said around a mouthful of food. The puppy gave up on trying to get a bite and curled into a ball, practically on her shoulder. “Does he have a name yet?”

Mark smirked. “Abby was leaning toward calling him Bear. He’s about the furthest thing from a bear I’ve ever seen though.”

“Well it’s your house. What do you think about having a dog?” Jamie stroked the puppy’s soft fur thoughtfully.

“If you want it, darlin’, you can keep him. And this is your home now too.”

“If I ask for a pony, would you get me that too?” Jamie asked, the beginning of a smile on her lips.

“I’d have to build a stable first, but sure.” Mark grinned and came forward, bending down to kiss her. “I’ll add it to my list of things to do.”

“I was kidding.” Jamie said with a laugh. “I don’t really want a horse.”

“Yeah. Well.” Mark rose up and shook his head. “I have another project I’m gonna be workin’ on anyway. Might not have time to turn this into a ranch for you.”

“Oh really? What project?” Jamie returned to eating.

“It’s a surprise. First I gotta work out all the logistics.”

“Uh oh. Big words and everything. It must be serious.” She grinned and looked out the window as the noise of a car engine interrupted their conversation. It was Phil and Lexi, returning. Mark opened the door for them and smiled as Abby ran into the room, offering up hugs and kisses as if it had been a year since she had seen her aunt and uncle.

“It’s nice to be missed.” Lexi grinned and lifted her niece up, squeezing her. “And yes, I got you something. And yes, it’s in the bag…” She barely got it out before Abby was wiggling to be let down. Lexi handed her the bag and shook her head as she ran off toward the living room once more. “To be young and full of energy again.”

“You can have it.” Phil said with a yawn. “How are things?”

“Great. She’s been great.” Mark took a seat next to Jamie and swiped a slice of tomato from her sandwich. “Gonna miss having her around here with it comes time for her to go home.”

Lexi grabbed a drink and sat down across the table. “Well, her mom is either torn apart missing her…or out with her friends partying so much she doesn’t remember Abby’s name. There really isn’t a middle ground.”

“Stop being bitter.” Phil shook his head and rubbed Lexi’s shoulder lightly. He looked at Mark and Jamie, and lowered his voice so that Abby would not catch what he was saying. “Now that Steve is gone, Donna’s already talking about moving to California with Abby. She tried that before and Steve wasn’t hearing it. It was part of the reason that their custody arrangement was so out there. But now that he’s gone…”

“Surely she will let Abby visit you guys. You’re her only link to her dad.”

“We aren’t even a consideration.” Lexi said with spite. “She only called eight times yesterday, hinting at her plan. I know that she needs money, but really she can find a job as a secretary anywhere.”

“Maybe she’s got a boyfriend out there.” Jamie said with a shrug. She took another bite of her sandwich. “Or family?”

“Who knows?” Lexi sighed.

Jamie pushed her empty plate away and went back to stroking the now sleeping puppy’s soft fur.

“Oh. Hey. What is that thing?” Phil asked with a laugh. It broke the somber mood as Jamie shot him a withering glare.

“It’s a dog. Only smaller and not nearly as smelly.”

“Oh, he’s precious.” Lexi reached over and scratched the pup gently behind the ear. “I thought you didn’t like dogs?” She made it a question.

“I don’t.” Jamie said with a smile. “Your niece decided I needed a puppy, apparently.”

“Well. Good. I hope he was a rescue and not a pet-shop pup.” Lexi gently looked at Bear’s paws, his stub tail, and his small nose. “He looks like a mix of about eight breeds though, so if I had to guess I would say they weren’t anywhere near a shop.”

“Eight?” Jamie laughed.

“No exaggeration. Sometimes it’s hard to tell with mixes. I wonder if he’s been examined and had his first shots.”

“I have no idea.” Jamie admitted. “Of course, I just got him ten minutes ago so you can’t really blame me.”

“All problems should be as simple to solve.” Phil said, heading for the living room. Lexi excused herself to follow him.

Jamie looked at Mark. He was looking out the window, and it was obvious he was miles away. “Are you all right?”

He looked at her and smirked. “Great. Just thinkin’. I have to get a few things done this afternoon. Are you gonna be all right here with Abby?”

“Well yeah. Lexi and Phil are back.” Jamie snorted and snuggled Bear closer.

“I think I might get Phil to give me a hand. If we can borrow your Jeep.”

“Sure. Keys are on the counter.” Jamie watched as he rose to his feet and took her plate to the sink. In ten minutes he and Phil were leaving without telling anyone exactly what they were up to.

Fifteen minutes later, Bear was awake and being examined by a curious Lexi. She had dug through her bag to the very bottom and found a folder that she usually carried in her purse. It had extra copies of her vet forms, so she pulled out a few and gave the puppy a thorough going-over.

“Free vet care. This dog gets better and better.” Jamie said, watching as Lexi checked Bear’s ears and eyes.

“Ha. You can make a donation, moneybags.” Lexi glanced down at Abby, who was watching closely. “So what did the lady say? The one who gave you the dog?”

Abby frowned. “She said that she couldn’t afford the food and the doggy doctor for six puppies and the momma, so she had the shots done and decided to give them away.”

“Well that’s good.”

“Bear’s two months old.” Abby pointed out.

“Yep. That seems about right. You might want to give him some dry food with the canned, so he can get those little teeth tougher.” Lexi spoke to Jamie that time. “And I do believe little Bear here is a mix of Jack Russell and Pekingese. At least, that’s the closest I’m going to guess without seeing his mama and daddy.”

“Well. Cool.” Jamie scratched the pup’s ear. “I guess.”

“Don’t you love him, Jamie? He’s just so cute…” Abby was in the throes of literal puppy love.

“Baby doll, if you want a dog I’m sure we can…”

“I can’t have a dog. Mom’s allergic.” Abby’s look of scorn was hilarious. “I can have a hamster. Maybe a bird.” The prospect obviously did not thrill her.

“Then I guess Bear can belong to both of us, and we can share him. I’ll just take care of him for you.” Jamie gave her a pat on her shoulder.

Abby smiled up at her, seemed on the verge of saying something, but stopped herself. Instead of speaking to Jamie, she turned her attention back to baby talking the little dog that happily nipped at her fingers.

“It’s so damn cute, it’s almost sickening.” Lexi said, setting Bear down on the floor finally. He chased after Abby’s feet as she jogged off toward the door.

“Don’t let him wander too far out there!” Jamie called as the little girl shut the door behind them. She shared a look with Lexi and they both started laughing.

“I heard you weren’t feeling so well earlier.” Lexi said, going to the sink to wash her hands.

“Word travels fast. And I’m fine. Just needed to eat. Plus…well, there was a lot going on.”

“Right, right.” Lexi dried her hands and once more looked at Jamie, more critically then before. But she chose not to pursue it as Abby went running past the window, giggling. She sighed heavily. “I don’t know where she keeps getting the energy.”

“Sucking it from all of us.” Jamie said with a smirk. She went to the fridge, even though she’d just eaten lunch, to see what she would be doing about dinner. Lexi headed for the door, smiling and shaking her head.

Jamie shut the fridge door, keeping a mental grocery list as she turned to fix the dog a bowl of food. She could see Abby and Bear in the yard from the window, the little puppy trying his hardest to jump on the little girl. She set down the food, added a bowl of water, and turned to head to the living to grab a piece of paper and pen. The dog was definitely going to take some extra thought. Jamie wasn’t used to shopping for an animal. There had been no pets in her childhood at all.

She was lost in thought and picked up the first thing she saw that was paper. It was an envelope. Jamie glanced at it and did a double take. It was the envelope she had pulled out of the pocket of the shorts she’d worn when she had been gone…wherever it was she had been.

That was odd. She would have sworn she put it in the dresser drawer with her other things. Jamie looked at it, feeling a small coil of unease roll through her stomach. She did not know why. Hell, she should just open it and see what was written there.

But she didn’t. Instead, Jamie gripped the middle and ripped it, envelope, and everything inside. Then she ripped it again. In seconds she had small squares of paper. She balled it up and went to the kitchen, tossing them into the garbage.

Feeling a little better she turned and took a step. And saw it. The envelope was now sitting, intact and unripped, on the kitchen counter. Jamie paused mid-step, looked at the garbage can in confusion, and shook her head. “What the hell?”

She picked up the envelope again. And stepped toward the garbage can. The shredded paper she had just tossed in was gone. Jamie sighed and dropped the envelope into the can. Then she resolutely turned and headed back toward the living room, for her paper.

Jamie was not surprised at all to see the envelope sitting on the end table.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Yeah, this could totally work.” Phil said finally, after walking around the area Mark had pointed out.

Usually when it came to getting opinions, Mark went to Glen first. But now that Glen was starting his own life, Mark realized he was going to have to do the same. Starting now. Phil had been willing to listen, and he was an outside opinion – if the idea was a bad one, then he wouldn’t hesitate to say it.

They had gone to town first, with Mark hesitantly telling Phil about his idea. He had listened, and rolled it around in his head before finally asking Mark where it would happen.

Mark made him wait while they poked around a local car dealership. He finally settled on a dark blue truck. After another talk with the insurance people, and looking at the wreck itself, the SUV was definitely a total loss. Mark had looked at the evidence of blood on the seat, the steering wheel, and the broken glass, and felt a shudder work its way down his back. Jamie could have been seriously hurt. Never mind him.

There was nothing in it worth saving either. Mark signed the title over to the junk yard. They would salvage what parts they could and get rid of the rest. He was glad to see it go. He had liked the vehicle enough when they had owned it but now it felt – and he realized it was ridiculous – haunted.

That was behind him now though. He signed all his paperwork and shocked the salesperson by writing a check for the full purchase amount. He could afford it. It wasn’t like they lived out of their means. And now here they were. Phil had followed in Jamie’s Jeep. They pulled over near the turn that led to the house in the woods.

“Bet roadside land is pricy as hell.” Phil spoke again, returning to Mark’s side. He had walked along the shoulder for a minute, really giving it some thought.

“It doesn’t matter. We own it already.” At Phil’s raised eyebrow, Mark smirked. “My father, apparently, was a land junky. At some point our family had own just about all the land in this county. Sold it off in pieces here and there, donated some. We still have the rights to about forty square miles though.”

At that admission, Phil’s other eyebrow lifted and his mouth fell open. “Damn. You’re a land baron.”

“Huh. Not me. Dad.” Mark ran a hand through his hair. “But I figured it was time I did something. I’m not gettin’ any younger.”

“Well. I think it’ll work.” Phil slapped him on the shoulder. “When are you gonna break ground.”

“As soon as I figure out what all I need.” Mark looked around. The overgrown area where they stood was clear of trees for about a full acre and a half. It had good frontage to the road. While Mark tinkered with his motorcycle, it had hit him. A garage. He had always been good with his hands and with motors. So why not open his own shop? He’d be close to home, he had the land, the time, the money. It wasn’t like starting a business would break him, and he thought he would do well for himself, especially considering that he was between towns, in farm country, where he could always find work if the price was right. And he could definitely afford to work inexpensively.

“You’re a car guy?” Phil asked as they picked their way back to the vehicles.

“Kinda. I know enough to get by.”

“What do you know about running a business?” Phil grinned and opened the Jeep door.

“Practically nothing.” Mark admitted, glancing around once more.

“I think it’ll work.” Phil said with a nod. “You have general Jamie. Just tell her to kick you in your ass on occasion to keep you on track.”

Mark laughed at that. “I probably won’t have to tell her to do it. She just will.” He got into his new truck and started the engine. He had a lot of research to do but…he thought it would work out. He could hire a few mechanics, even someone to deal with the business side of things. It could definitely work. He just had to be sure to stay on track.

~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie gave up and just opened the envelope.

The thing followed her around the house, upstairs and down. She could take a hint. “It better be the most important shit ever put on paper.” She muttered as she slid a finger under the flap and tore it to pull out the single sheet of paper.

There was only one line. “He won’t let me take away your power.” Jamie spoke it out loud and frowned. Who? And apparently her power was gone, because she had not seen anything since they had come back.

Jamie stared at the paper, as if will more information to appear. Hell, why not? The letter had floated around the house all day, why not this too? The words remained the same. She set the paper aside and got up, heading for the stairs. And remembered belatedly that Mark had taken her Jeep. That was all right, there was always Lexi and Phil’s rental.

Abby, Bear, and Lexi were at the back of the house, so Jamie didn’t disturb them. Instead she tried to driver’s side door and slipped into the too warm car. She wanted one thing, and when she flipped the rearview mirror to face her she found it. Another one of those shadow things, vaguely human shaped. It appeared to be sitting in the back seat.

So that was what she’d seen all morning. Jamie thought maybe it was the strain of trying to catch whatever it was that made her feel ill. But there had only been a few here and there. And at the funeral there had been none. She had no idea what was going on. And she seriously wondered if she should tell Mark. He seemed to content in new ways and she did not want to ruin it by making him worry over what was happening to her.

“He won’t let me take away your power.” Jamie said softly, without realizing she had spoken the words on the paper from the envelope. “Mark? But…” The shadow in the backseat did not move. It did not even flicker. She heaved a sigh. If her power was coming back it was taking its own sweet time. She could only wonder what it meant, especially when she remembered Celia’s admission – that people like Sterling were afraid of her. But why? She was not the revolutionary, hostile takeover, lead people into a new way of thinking type.

“Will this shit ever end?” She expected no answer to that one either. That was all right. The ‘he’ obviously was not Mark, because Mark would probably pull out his own teeth to be able to give up his own power. He was secretly, or maybe not so secretly, pleased that Jamie no longer had to deal with it. It was one less thing to worry about.

23

The fourth of July dawned hazy and warm. It had rained the night before, but the clouds had cleared leaving a bright morning. The guests began arriving at nine that morning. They were encouraged to park in a clearing and walk the easy quarter-mile to the site of the wedding.

The wedding planner that Glen had reluctantly given up control to had been busy overnight. There were streamers and ribbons adorning the path into the woods. The clearing was now home to several wooden benches that nearly disappeared in the knee high wildflowers. Instead of mowing down an aisle, they had simply laid out a green runner that led to the archway where the nuptials would take place. When it was picked up, the flowers and grass beneath would be bent but would recover after another rain.

There were three tents, one for the groom and his groomsmen, one for the bride and her attendants, and the last was full of food. After debating, and worrying over the weather, they decided that snacks and finger foods, along with the cake, would be eaten on the benches in the sunlight. The butterflies were an added bonus. They were at their busiest, and there was a rainbow brigade of them flitting from flower to flower.

Jamie stood at the entrance to their tent, feeling the breeze lift her hair from her temples. She was as dressed as she was going to get. Abby danced behind her, holding onto her small basket of mixed flower petals, her white-blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders. The seats were filling up, and it looked like everything was going to start right on time. Jamie was glad. Ever since the onset of the shadows, she had been leery of going out of the house, and now was no exception. The shadows were everywhere. They filled the spaces between the trees, a few venturing into the meadow itself. She figured they would move closer and closer as the ceremony happened. From what she had been told it was a blessing, having the spirits attend. In that case, Kayla and Glen were off to a great start.

She spotted Mark, ducking out of the groom’s tent to help one of Kayla’s relatives – a great aunt maybe – navigate the uneven ground and find a bench. He was dressed in a pair of loose fitting pants and a long sleeved button down shirt in a brushed green color. The shirt was untucked. Glen, from what she had seen, was dressed in a similar fashion, wearing a white shirt instead of the color that Mark was sporting. Randy too, as a matter of fact, his shirt was a light blue. Randy was officially an usher but he was currently in a heated debate with…and Jamie had to do a double take…David. The guy who had first brought her here.

“Stop ogling the guests.” Lucy spoke from behind her. Jamie grinned at her, raising an eyebrow.

“Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t look at a menu.”

“You don’t have to diet. It’s all about portion control.” Lucy wiggled her eyebrows and looked around. Her hair was up in a loose twist, with strands falling down onto her shoulders. She did not look like herself at all in a dress. Jamie smirked to herself and thought the same was true of all of them. Lucy was wearing a shade of purple that was a hint lighter than Jamie’s. That was the only difference in their dresses.

“I think my plate is full.” Jamie said, spying Mark again. He glanced over, as if he sensed her looking, and tipped a wink in her direction. She sighed happily, ignoring the gagging noise that came from her friend. “Be jealous. I don’t care.”

“Yes! I’m jealous! Gah!” Lucy dramatically clawed at her cheeks before huffing and brushing her loose hair back off her shoulders.

Abby skipped to Jamie’s side and followed the direction of her gaze. “Uncle Mark is hot for an old guy. Can I get a drink? I want to try one of those little sandwiches too.”

Lucy cracked up at that, putting a hand to her mouth to muffle it. Kayla was nervous enough without hearing them giggling like mad. “You have already tainted the poor kid’s mind. And come on, Abs. Let me escort ya to the food table, and we can both steal some samples.” She had dropped her voice into a lower tone. Abby snickered and took Lucy’s hand and allowed herself to be led over to the food tent. Jamie watched and shook her head.

In half an hour they were all ready. Jamie took one last peek from the curtain and turned to make sure that Abby had no crumbs or smears on her dress or face. Keeping her fingers crossed Jamie sent the little girl through the entrance to walk down the aisle. From the murmur that went through the people gathered, it was apparent the little girl had won the crowd over.

Lucy made a show of adjusting the top of her strapless dress, rolled her eyes and ducked through the doorway four beats behind Abby. Jamie grinned and shared a look with Kayla.

The new dress really did look fantastic. With her dark honey hair swept back from her temples, Kayla looked the part of the Greek Goddess. And when Jamie added in the belly, which seemed to have grown overnight, she amended that to Fertility Goddess. Jamie grinned at her and ducked through the exit, pausing to adjust to the sunlight.

The men were already lined up by the arch. Glen was shifting nervously from foot to foot. Jamie had to bite back a grin when she saw Mark slap him on the shoulder to get him to calm down. Randy had a know-it-all smirk on his face. Mark stopped messing with Glen when he saw Jamie coming, and a slow smile spread over his face.

And Jamie felt butterflies in her stomach that matched the insects currently sucking nectar out of the field flowers. She managed to keep a straight face, raised an eyebrow, and took up her place in front of Lucy and Abby.

Kayla made her entrance on the arm of her cousin. Jamie had met him briefly before the ceremony. Kayla’s father had not been around since she was little, so she did not even bother hunting him down to pass on an invitation. She looked much more serene now that it was actually happening than she had fifteen minutes ago in the tent.

The official smiled and began the ceremony, keeping his voice at a volume that would carry. Jamie had been through the practice four times, so she was on autopilot as she held Kayla’s bouquet, and handed her the ring she would be putting on Glen’s finger.

Every now and then Mark would catch her eye and it was no long jump to think of what was on his mind. Jamie felt a warm flush spread across her cheeks. She had to remind herself that it would be rude for the best man and the maid of honor to run off into the trees for a quickie. She smirked and focused on the ceremony.

Jamie applauded with the others as Kayla and Glen were pronounced man and wife, and shared their first kiss. She smiled and stepped forward as they walked past the guests, taking Mark’s arm.

“How rude would it be…” Mark ducked low and kept his voice soft. It sent a shiver down her back anyway. “If we kinda disappeared for about an hour or so?”

Jamie laughed, wondering if he had read her mind. She squeezed his arm. “Very. Unfortunately. It must be all the fresh air.” They had reached the end of their short walk. Mark let her go reluctantly.

Glen and Kayla were definitely going non-traditional with the after nuptials activities. Since Mark refused to give a speech, there was no toast. The wedding broke up into groups of people talking, laughing, and attempting to dance as soft music was played from speakers hidden in the tents. It was very informal, and very relaxed. Perfect for Kayla and Glen, who spent most of that late morning, early afternoon being goofy with each other.

It was hours later when Lexi found Jamie, who was talking to a friend of Glen’s, a guy named Paul, and his wife Rachel.

“Sorry to interrupt. But I think little bit has worn herself out.” Lexi pointed out Phil, who was holding Abby and dancing with her in slow circles. The little girl had her head on his shoulder and she was looking rather glassy eyed at all the activity.

“Do you need help back to the house?” Jamie asked, excusing herself from the conversation with a bit of relief. Some of these people were a bit intense about their work.

“No, no. It’s right through the trees there, and all we have to do is follow the ribbon. I’ll come back in a bit and help clean up though.” Lexi grinned.

“You don’t have to do that, but thank you.” Jamie laughed and turned to see if she could spot Mark in the crowd. He was standing near the food tent, a cup in his hand. In deference to the warmth of the day he had rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned at least the top three buttons of his shirt. She would have sworn he was trying to kill her. Smirking, she started to pick her way through the crowd to him.

She got sidetracked though. David stepped in front of her and she almost ran into him but managed to catch herself in time. He grinned down at her, his dark eyes warming up as he realized who she was. “Hey!” He laughed, deep in his throat. “Remember when I dropped you off and you didn’t wanna stay? I was right, huh?”

“You definitely were.” Jamie grinned and accepted a hug from the big man.

“I was just about to hit the road and get home.” David gave her a pat on the back and released her, looking at her critically. “I almost didn’t recognize you. Wow.”

“Yeah. I’m a different person when I’m not buried in a snowdrift or wandering around looking like a drowned rat.”

David watched the way she kept an eye on Mark as he walked toward them and grinned impishly. “You have done him a world of good.” He said before Mark was in earshot.

Jamie grinned up at Mark as he wrapped an arm around her. “Don’t listen to a word he says.” Mark warned her, smirking at David. “He’s full of shit on a good day.”

“Ha. Right!” David offered a hand and Mark shook it. “I’m gonna go tell the bride and that lucky bastard brother of yours congratulations, then I have to get going. I expect to be back for a longer visit pretty soon.” He winked and smacked Mark on the shoulder before moving through the party to where Glen and Kayla were sharing a bench and a plate of snacks.

Mark turned his attention to Jamie, a smile on his face. “Tired yet?”

“Nope.” Jamie grinned and turned so that he was holding her close. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. “But we can duck into the woods any time. I’m pretty sure the rude factor is past.”

Mark chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Then I’m gonna tell them we’re ducking out for a few minutes.” He nodded toward the newlyweds.

“Good. I’m getting a head start.” Jamie extracted herself from his arms and turned before he could grab her back. She did not wait to see if he was watching her or telling Glen and Kayla goodbye.

Jamie felt the temperature drop as soon as she stepped into the trees. She sighed in relief and laughed as her foot slipped on some pine needles on the ground. Jamie used a tree for balance and took her low heels off, sighing in relief. She actually liked the dress, but was no fan of the pointy-toed shoes.

She turned to see if Mark was coming when her eyes fell on a group of shadows nearby. Jamie had been seeing them all day, and she knew they were spirits, here to enjoy the good emotion that came from such a joyous occasion. But this time the shadows did not fade, flicker, or move off. Solid shapes began forming, an arm, a shoulder, a hand…

Jamie blinked and in that instant the shadows dissipated. Now there were ghosts. So many people Jamie could not count them. They were everywhere. She looked around slowly, but her eyes came to a halt and her breath caught in her throat as the shadows she had been looking at became some very familiar people.

“Hi, Jamie.” Steve was the first to break the silence, smiling as she struggled to find the words to speak.

Her eyes fell on the woman with Steve. That black-blue hair was even more shockingly vibrant in the tree dimmed sunlight, and her eyes were still that new nickel silver. Celia was smiling, apparently pleased that they had managed to surprise her.

“What…are you…doing here?” Jamie finally asked, smiling in spite of her shock.

“We try to go to all the weddings we can.” Celia said, putting her arm through Steve’s. “There is a great power here, a deep well of happiness. Some of the spirits need it, to move on. We are here to observe.”

“But I don’t understand. I thought…”

Steve looked at Celia, and they both smiled. “A lot has happened.”

“No shit.” Jamie laughed. She stepped forward and reached out, attempting to touch Steve’s arm. It was reflex. But her hand passed through him as if there were nothing there. He looked remorseful at that.

“We’re just here to observe.” Celia said with a grin. “None of the spirits in attendance can be touched right now. Not even by a powerful hunter or empath.”

“I just…what the hell?” Jamie finally laughed. She glanced through the trees to see that Mark had been stopped by one of the guests. He was trying to edge away but they kept talking. “I understand the whole ‘good vibes’ bringing the spirits out but…” She motioned at Steve.

Celia rubbed Steve’s arm. “I have taken Steve as a partner.” She met his eyes again. “And it has been quite interesting.”

“I have heard that he’s hard to live with.” Jamie said with a laugh.

“Hm. That might be true. But they obviously did not know me.” Celia turned a bit more serious, but there was still amusement dancing in her eyes. “He wished to see his little one, for the last time. I’m afraid I won’t be able to bring him back here again until she has a big event in her own life. Her wedding, perhaps.” Steve was nodding, catching Jamie’s eyes with his.

“She’s gonna be all right.” He said softly. “She’s got you guys to keep an eye on her. Just promise me it stays that way.”

“Oh, it definitely will.” Jamie said, smiling. “I love that kid. Mark loves that kid. Hell, we all love her. She’s got quite the extended family here.”

Steve nodded again. Celia squeezed his arm reassuringly. “I’m afraid we can only stay for a minute. It was hard enough getting Sterling off our backs without him realizing that we wanted a word with you.”

“Oh. Him again.”

“It is all right. He steers away from things like this. And according to our…council…you are to be bothered no more.” Celia shifted her eyes for a moment, and Jamie caught it.

“Wait…are you sure? Because…”

“Of course I am sure.” Celia smiled again. “I am sorry. We are the council, but we do answer to our own advisers – our own council. I was merely wondering if I should reference them. Few know that there are levels higher.”

“Ok. You could have just said.”

“My mistake.” Celia laughed. “Tell your friends congratulations from the spirit world. We see that they will have a long and prosperous life, full of children.”

“I’m sure Kayla would be happy to hear that.” Jamie smiled.

“Take care of yourself.” Steve said, interrupting the women. Jamie noticed the he had faded out a bit. Celia smiled and watched as he completely disappeared.

“He is still too weak to hold his form here for long. But he definitely has potential.” Celia spoke softly, almost to herself. Jamie laughed, which brought her back to the present. “Before I go…you have questions?”

“Thousands.” Jamie admitted. “Why can I see you guys? Why can I see all of them?” She gestured to the spirits who watched the festivities.

“I ran headfirst into a power that was greater than mine.” Celia came forward a step and took Jamie’s hands, surprising her into gasping. Jamie thought she could not touch them. Then she remembered – Celia was definitely different. “Do not fear it. Use it.”

“Use what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jamie said, keeping her voice low. Mark was heading their way again, and she realized that from his viewpoint, he could not see Celia.

“Your son. He is the one who won’t let you give up your gift.” Celia rubbed a hand over Jamie’s stomach. “So strong already. Sterling fears you because of him.” She met Jamie’s eyes. “Do you want to know your future now? I asked before. This will be your last chance.”

“I…” It was on the tip of her tongue to say no. But Jamie realized that her future was about more than herself. And she hated being surprised. “Yes. Tell me. Is he going to be all right?” Her hand went to her stomach, where Celia had rubbed.

“Healthy, handsome, and powerful.” Celia was smiling again. “Your marriage to Mark will dim your powers, and his, but only because the little one will draw on them. He needs them. Because someday, our council will be destroyed by him.”

Jamie’s eyes widened. “But…why?”

“Because things have a way of changing. And your son will bring that change.”

“But what about you? What about Eldon?” Jamie did not ask about Sterling, because she honestly did not give a damn about him.

“Eldon’s time is ending. I will willingly step down, when the right leader appears. When the right time occurs.” Celia smiled and touched Jamie’s face. “Sterling will fight, but he will lose. The future can be changed of course, but this is the course I have seen since the day you were born, Jamie.”

“I just…”

“Hey, who are you talking to?” Mark spoke, making her jump. Jamie turned to see him stepping between some trees. She looked back to Celia, not surprised at all that the woman was no longer standing there.

“Just willing you to hurry up.” Jamie looked around, at all the spirits. Celia was nowhere to be seen. When Mark took her hand and started leading her through the woods, Jamie did not protest. She went willingly enough, her shoes dangling from one hand, her head spinning from the information Celia had left with her.

24

The next week went by way too fast for Jamie’s taste.

It seemed as if Abby, Lexi, and Phil had just gotten there. Now it was time for them to leave. Abby obviously was unwilling to go, and she cried herself to sleep at the thought of leaving. It hurt Jamie, to hear her sniffling in her sleep. And she could see that it got to Mark as well. He’d grown attached to her, and Abby reciprocated the feeling.

Now they were at the airport, and Abby was trying very hard to hold herself together. Jamie held onto her, and realized that the next time she saw her, she might not be able to pick her up. Either because she would be too far along, or Abby would be too big. The thought did not sit well with her at all. Phil carried her through security after everyone said their goodbyes, and Jamie watched the plane as it taxied down the runway.

Mark rubbed her shoulder, wondering if now was the time to let his secret out. Jamie was trying not to cry, and it was a pretty valiant effort on her part, but it was killing him, watching her as she missed the little girl’s presence.

That week he had mad calls, more calls, and plans. He had found a contractor, and had gotten Phil to ask Jamie in a roundabout way if her brother had any contacts in construction. She remembered quite a few actually, because the town was small and the mayor liked to boast that things like construction and roadwork all went to local crews. There would be a groundbreaking, and that would happen within the next week or so. More important were the other calls he made, and the strings he had pulled. He had wanted to wait, to give Jamie the big picture all at once. But he was excited, and he wanted her to be excited as well.

Mark helped her climb into the passenger seat of his truck and he got behind the wheel. Jamie sighed and buckled her seat belt.

“If I thought her mother would go for it, I would buy that kid.” Jamie said with a sniffle.

Mark smirked and shook his head. “I would hate to know how much she’d charge. Little bit is one in a million.”

Jamie smiled, knowing she had to agree. Of course, she was biased as all get out but that was all right. She loved the kid.

It was that smile that made him go ahead with his plan. “I have something to show you. And something to tell you.”

“Uh oh.” Jamie uttered ominously. “What is it?”

“Well it’s a few things, actually.” Mark grinned. “And it would be easier to walk you through it. It is sort of a…uh…multi-stage project.”

“Now I’m really worried.” Jamie said, but she laughed. So it was going to be a great distraction.

Mark drove them until he reached the cleared road-front near their turn off. He pulled over and walked around the truck to help Jamie down. She looked around, her expression one of amusement as she took in the scenery. Rope and markers had been laid out in a grid pattern already, so that the contractor could get pictures and file for permits, so Mark had a general idea of where everything would go.

“Ok. I give up. Consider me stumped. What exactly is this?” Jamie smiled at him when he took her head and led her down a small incline to the first of the markers.

“This…” He motioned with his free hand. “Is going to be my new business venture. A garage. You’re standing about where the parking lot starts.” Mark grinned at her wide eyes. “Right over there…” He pointed. “Is gonna be the office and reception where people can wait if they want to. And there…” He pointed again. “The garage itself. We’re gonna make it big so there’s room for motorcycles and bigger farm equipment….” Mark trailed of, waiting for Jamie to say something. Anything.

She was still taking it in, trying to picture the things he was saying. That he was excited was a given, if he tried to hold it back a bit and wait on her reaction. Jamie grinned brightly. “Are you serious? You’re going to open a garage?”

“I’m always serious.” Mark said with a wink. “I’m gonna work here too. Ya know. Get outta the house and get my hands dirty.”

“Who are you, and what did you do with Mark?” Jamie turned around, letting go of his hand for a moment to really take it in. “And this is something you want? I mean, you’ll be out practically in public.” She faced him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Mark bent and kissed her, sliding his lips over hers. “I thought I had enough, but now…” He held her and shrugged. “Now I want more. For both of us.”

“I think it’s a great idea.” Jamie admitted, hugging him. “I’ll give you a ringing endorsement. You fixed that old Jeep of mine.”

Mark chuckled. “I’m a miracle worker when it comes to vehicles. Eventually…” He paused for a moment, considered. “Hell. For expansion reasons, eventually I might try my hand at building custom bikes.”

“Oh yeah?” Jamie was looking at him again, picturing it in her mind.

“Yeah.” He kissed her again. “I’m pretty good at that kinda thing too.”

“All those hidden talents, and easy on the eyes too.” Jamie moved out of his embrace and laughed. “I think you’ll be a hit. Low prices, and women from far and wide could come to ogle you.”

“I don’t know about that.” Mark said with a snort.

“I do. I would.” Jamie cracked up laughing at the look on his face. “What? Remember when you said I should fire my old mechanic? He was popular because he was so darn cute.”

“Oh. Great.” Mark laughed and shook his head. “So you’re sayin’ I’m gonna have to keep a couple of pretty boys on hand.”

“It can’t hurt.” Jamie smirked and squeezed his hand when he reached for her. He was leading her back toward the truck, even though she still wanted to talk about his new venture. “But…”

“There’s more.” Mark said, shooing her into the truck.

“More? What more?”

“You will see!” Mark got behind the wheel and ignored her questions, smiling enigmatically as he drove up the road and turned onto the nearly hidden path leading to their house. He came to a stop about fifty yards into the tree line and turned the engine off.

“There’s nothing here.” Jamie said with a smirk. Mark held up one finger as he got out of the truck and once more went around to open her door and help her out. This time, he wrapped an arm over her shoulders and led her to the right, into the woods. She could see that there was another clearing ahead. This one was small, but it was accentuated by being surrounded by trees with orange ribbons tied around them. “What is this?” She asked, stopping in the center. It was about twenty yards across, and fairly flat.

“Well, we’re gonna cut down the trees that are marked.” Mark indicated the ribbons. “And we’re gonna build a house here.”

“We are?”

“Well, a construction crew is. The plans are getting drawn up, and should be ready in a couple of days.”

“Ok. But why are we building a house? Do you not like your place anymore?”

“Our place.” Mark corrected her again. It would not be the last time. He grinned. “Lexi and Phil’s.”

“Le…wait. What?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna need some help with the garage, and Phil has been running their vet hospital for a while. He said he’d be willing to give it a go here. And Lexi said she’d be willing to relocate her practice.” Mark pointed through the trees, back toward the truck. “We’ll widen the entrance. Just the entrance. And pave it. So Lexi can have her kennels and hospital right here, next to the house. And Phil is gonna be within spittin’ distance if she needs him.”

Jamie just stared at him, shocked. “You have really been a busy, busy man.”

“This was the easy stuff. You wanna see the hard part?” Mark grinned and took her hand, leading her away from the marked trees. Instead of getting back in the truck, Mark walked across the dirt path and cut through the trees on the other side. There was another area, with younger trees. They were all marked as well, except for a few. There were more of those strings and markers here as well.

“Ok. Let me guess. This is gonna be a football stadium or…” Jamie was snickering. Mark squeezed her hand again.

“Actually, this will be the one that you like best. And this is the hardest one because she took so much convincing. This is where we’re gonna build a house for Abby and her mom. Donna’s gonna come work for us, and run the office at the garage. She said she used to help out with Steve’s when he first started, and she was still doing it at another place before they shut down.”

Jamie’s eyes were filled with tears. “You aren’t joking about this are you?”

“I have never been more serious in my whole life.” Mark looked at her and pulled her close, cupping her face in his hands. He used his thumbs to brush her tears away. “I’m gonna do everything I can to keep you happy, darlin’. And I know having that little one here is part of it.”

“This is way too much trouble…” Jamie tried to protest. He was smiling though.

“It’ll be worth it. I waited a damned long time to start my life, Jamie. But now that I have direction, I’m goin’ for it. We’re gonna build this place up and we’re gonna make it work.” Mark cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. “Would now be a good time to ask you to marry me? Because I’m kinda new at this and I figured…”

He did not get to finish. Jamie pulled him down and kissed him, soundly, until they were both breathless. When she pulled away, he looked into her eyes, all serious business. Jamie smiled. “That was a yes, by the way.”

Mark started laughing. He was relieved too. Because he knew that Jamie could be stubborn, and he knew that she would not hesitate to kick his ass if he needed it. He kissed her this time, relieved, happier than he could ever remember being, and wanting her right then, right there. Jamie did not utter one complaint as he pulled her down onto the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The process actually went a lot quicker than Jamie would have thought possible.

Within two weeks, Mark had gotten all the permission and permits he needed for the construction that would commence. They agreed on plans, and a date to begin. He made it clear that the new homes were to be the priority, because he wanted Phil and Donna moved in, settled, and ready to work as soon as the shop was built.

They were keeping it a secret from Abby still, wanting to surprise her. And Mark especially wanted her in her new house before the start of the new school year. He offered the contractor and his crew bonuses for finishing early, guaranteeing they were working as quickly as they could.

Nearly a month after construction started the house for Donna and Abby was finished. They had cleared enough trees so that Abby had a respectable area to run in. They were in the process of installing fences, more to keep curious animals out than to keep Abby locked in. The house had a log façade, making it look rustic. Inside though it leaned toward the modern with silver and white appliances and cool colors.

It was ready well within their time frame, but Donna did not want to move until she had a chance to sell her house. She was in the process, and she still had not told Abby the news. All the little girl knew was that they would be moving, and that Abby would like her new place. Mark paid out the bonus money as promised, and included a bit extra for the men who installed the carpet and tile, and the painters.

Jamie got sick one morning, seemingly at random. She woke up and rose to her feet, and immediately regretted it. A few minutes later she was calling the clinic for an appointment. Chris did his blood work, and he was the first to congratulate her. Jamie was indeed pregnant.

Chris used a chart, and decided her due date would be March fifteenth. “Beware, the Ides of March.” He said cryptically as he marked the date on her chart. Jamie shook her head and tried not to cry as Chris went over her diet and exercise. He also scheduled her a full obstetric appointment, to take place in two weeks. They would listen to the baby’s heart beat. Jamie could not wait.

First she had to tell Mark though.

And it just so happened, he made that easy on her too. They ate dinner one evening, sitting in the kitchen, chatting. Jamie was trying to figure out how to best approach the subject. He had known that she was pregnant but like many things from their time after the wreck, he did not remember. So this was going to come as a surprise.

Jamie had just taken a bite of her steak when Mark pushed a black velvet box across the table. She eyed it as she chewed her food thoughtfully.

“It’s not my birthday.” She said, wiping her hands on a napkin. She picked up the box and turned it in her fingers, looking to him for information.

Mark grinned. “I figured that since you said yes and all, the least I could do was get you’re a ring.”

Jamie opened the box and peered at the ring. It was white gold, so he earned points. She did not care for yellow gold. She pulled the ring out and looked at it. It was a diamond solitaire, square cut, and it caught the light and sparkled and was just gorgeous. She slid it onto her finger, and admired it from different angles. The diamond was not humongous, for which she was grateful. But it was her favorite cut, her favorite metal, and her size. He had done his homework.

“Since we are giving gifts, I suppose I have something for you, too.” She said, getting up and heading for the living room. She had been looking over her test results, which were in a folder, earlier in the day. And she had hidden them under the couch. Now she came back to the kitchen with the folder in her hands.

“Uh oh. We’re not married yet, and you’re already serving me with papers. Is this the pre-nup?” He was smirking as he opened the folder and read over the single paper inside. She knew the second he got to the line that said she was pregnant. He stopped, the smirk disappeared, and he jerked his head up to look at her. “Are you?”

“According to Dr. Chris. Yes.” Jamie let out a breath she had not been aware of holding. Mark tossed the folder aside, got up, and was beside her, grabbing her up into his arms before she could do more than form a protest.

“You’re pregnant.” Mark said it as if he could not believe it.

“We.” Jamie corrected, in the exact same tone he used to correct her about the house. “We are pregnant. And he’s due in the middle of March.”

“He?”

“Just a hunch.” Jamie grinned and accepted his kiss when it came.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Construction of Lexi and Phil’s house, and Lexi’s new base of operations, was completed almost two weeks later. Donna and Abby were scheduled to move in the very same weekend, and that would give the little girl a week before school started. Construction of the garage was going well, and it was expected to be completed ahead of schedule, as long as the weather remained cooperative.

The day of Jamie’s OB appointment was also the day that two moving trucks would show up. He got a hand from Glen, who was actually pretty eager to help Lexi in her veterinary hospital, to supervise the movers and make sure things got taken care of while he was with Jamie.

He held her hand the entire time, and gripped it with worry when the doctor took his sweet time finding the heartbeat. Once he had it, he turned the machine up so that Jamie and Mark could hear the rapid thump of their baby’s heart.

“Healthy, and pretty active in there.” Dr. Jones said, scribbling in Jamie’s chart. “Let’s gain him some weight, and slow him down shall we?”

Besides that one morning of queasiness, Jamie was in good health. She had Mark, she had warm fuzzy baby thoughts, she had a beautiful home and wonderful friends. She did not know what else she could possibly need, or if it were even possible to be any happier.

She let go. They all did. They put the past behind them, and moved on.

They adjusted.

Abby, so happy to be back, to be near to everyone she loved, flourished. She enjoyed school and made friends easily. Donna, Jamie, and Lexi all took turns driving her to school and picking her up, each getting some alone time to hear about all the exciting things in her life.

Donna, Phil, and Mark opened the garage. For the most part, it was smooth going. Mark had hired four mechanics, two of which specialized in farm equipment. They did everything from simple oil changes to full engine replacements, and because Mark did not necessarily need the money, he kept his prices low so that people could actually afford the services. Word got around. His expansion into taking care of motorcycles happened before the end of that year.

Mark preferred the role of mechanic. He left the manager job to Phil, who took to it the way he took to everything. People either liked him or hated him, but everyone respected him because he was a no bullshit type of guy. If he said something would get done, it got done. Donna had her hands full, dealing with customers and the reception staff, of which she was in charge. There were two others who worked with her, hired on when business boomed.

Lexi’s veterinary practice was the same as it had been. People eventually found out about her in their roundabout way and came to her with everything from a pet frog who had eaten too much, to a fawn that had been hit by a car. She was happy to say that Glen had an affinity for animals, much like she did herself. Part of that was due to his nature. He was used to helping the scared, the lonely, the weak. It was part of being an empath. And he translated that to taking care of the animals.

On the first of December, it snowed for the first time.

Valerie Rose was born on December first, in the early hours of the morning. She was a healthy little girl with Glen’s dark hair and Kayla’s eyes. Her parents agreed she was the best Thanksgiving gift either of them had ever gotten.

On the first of December, Mark and Jamie found out that their baby was definitely a boy. The ultrasound went smoothly, and Jackson William – a mixture of family names – looked to be healthy and still active as ever. They decided to marry on Christmas Eve. The date held so many memories for both of them, it felt right.

Mark and Jamie’s wedding was relegated to close friends and family only. At four in the afternoon, they all gathered in the woods, all of them dressed for warmth. The official was game, and did not mind that he was reading wedding vows while standing in a foot of snow the day before Christmas. It only seemed fitting. As Mark kissed her for the first time as her husband, Jamie knew that this was right. She was here with Mark, where he had healed her, where he had saved her, and where she had saved him. They had their friends, they had their family, and every year on Christmas Eve, when they returned to this spot, they would have their snow.

The End