This is just something that I came up with that I thought would be nice to post on Christmas. I spent all last night writing, and I ended up staying awake until two A.M. I had to get up at six. So I hope y'all all like it!
This is specifically a one-shot, and I won't be turning it in to any kind of story or anything like that.
I hope you all like it, just the same.
I love y'all!
Luella hadn't seen her son in six months. Of course, she heard from him (once a week when he called on Friday's), but other than that she rarely received any memo from her remaining child.
Which is why his sudden e-mail of, 'I'll be returning home soon.' was such a bewilderment to her. And so close to Christmas!
Martin didn't seem to care. The case they were currently trying to crack was grinding everyone's nerves and patience. Her beloved had spent months pouring himself over the files and documents and articles and still, they came up with nothing. Even Luella, with her knack for snooping and wiggling her way in to things, hadn't come up with a single clue as to what was happening.
The case took place in her old home, where her mother had been brutally murdered. Contrary to popular belief, Luella wasn't completely filled with grief at her mother's death. Of course Luella loved her mother (she was her mother, after all), but the woman who had gave birth to her was gone the minute her father (Luella preferred to call him a sperm donor) left for a younger, classier woman.
Her mother, Tabitha, had beaten her and used her as her own personal maid from the time Luella was eleven until Tabitha was murdered.
Needless to say, Luella didn't stay in the house.
However, it seemed the sorry saps who'd purchased the home were having problems with spirits. Luella immediately thought of Tabitha, but there was no proof of her still being there. Well, there was the simple fact that Luella was the one being targeted, but it still wasn't enough.
"Luella, please stay still." Martin said in tight voice to his wife, "Your leg injury is still healing."
That's right. An injury. Luella rued the day she decided to follow that stupid yellow ball of light. Whatever spirit it was had kicked her down the stairs. Thank God she'd been through that millions of times. Luella came out with minor bruises and cuts, mostly, save for the huge gash on her left leg.
The injury was almost healed, but Luella was much too stubborn and much too hyperactive for her let the wound be. She just wished the damn thing would go away already! Then she could get back to the case!
"I can't stay still, Martin," Luella hissed to her impassive husband, "Oliver lives primarily in Japan. He made that fact clear to the both of four months after we buried Gene. He hasn't come to England in six months, much less with a girl. What the hell is going on with our son?" Martin rolled his eyes.
After receiving the e-mail from her son, she'd immediately received another, saying that he'd like her to prepare his room to accommodate two people. Much to Luella's dismay, at the end of the e-mail, it read:
I will be bringing my fiancé, mother.
As if! Her boy would definitely consult her before engaging himself to a woman he probably barely knows!
Right?!
"He's a grown man, Luella." Martin's impatience with his wife was beginning to shine through, "He'll be twenty-four come September. It's perfectly natural for someone his age to get married."
"But not Oliver, Martin. He's—"
"Standing right behind you." The deep, familiar ring of her youngest sons baritone made her gasp.
Luella turned, grinning when she sees every single inch of his white skin, dark hair, and even darker eyes. Running forward, she hugged him in a greeting. She pulled away to pinch is cheeks, "Welcome home, my dear boy."
"Thank you, mother." Oliver peered up to his father, who had found his place behind Luella through their exchange, "Father."
"Son." Martin answered in a gruff tone, unintentionally showing off the weariness he'd gained from the case. Luella knew he hated being away from the team right now, especially after they've reached a dead end. However, it was a silent rule in the house that family came before work.
"Oliver." A dazed voice said with a slight accent to it. Luella peers behind her son to see a a very pretty Japanese girl sauntering inside of the hours with a glazed over look to her large brown eyes. Luella was sure the girl would be a lot prettier if she hadn't been twirling a tendril of hair around her pointer finger or if she'd stop smacking on that gum.
"Mother, father. Allow me to introduce my fiancé, Mai." Oliver gave them a brilliant smile, one that Luella would believe if she hadn't know him his entire life.
The girl, Mai, stepped forward, "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Davis." Her large brown eyes were still glazed over, and Luella flinched as a few speckles of spit landed on her face as the girl attempted to speak around the gum.
Luella then decided that the girl was no good for her son. She'd get to the bottom of this.
The girl looked at Martin, a sultry smile on her otherwise dazed face, "Hello, Mr. Davis."
Luella scowled, moving closer to both of the men as the Mai's dead brown eyes flicker back down to her. Her face smoothed back in to the dazed mask it once was. The girls swept pass Luella with her redish brown hair flowing behind her. She takes one look at the mass of hunting equipment that Martin had brought with him, and turns to Oliver, "You brought your button-pushy things?"
This girl is an idiot!
Over the course of the next week, Luella is forced to spend it with Mai. Oliver had decided that he was going to go with his father to the case sight, which was nearly a four hour drive away. By the time her leg was nearly healed, Luella was ready to pull the girls hair out.
"Here is your tea, Mrs. Davis." Mai said, moving in to the room as dazed as ever with a cup of steaming tea in her hands.
Luella had long admitted that the girls tea was probably the best she'd ever had. It somehow tasted like the angels themselves had made it.
However, considering Luella despised this girl, she'd never say that out loud.
Luella looked up at Mai, and with a flick of her wrist, the cup was tilting itself backwards on to Mai. Mai gasps, her dazed look completely disappearing as the scalding tea splashes on her front. Not many people knew that Luella possessed PK-MP, and because Mai had been walking, the cup had technically been moving.
Luella watched in interest as Mai let out a shriek, the sound pain filled and completely real. It was the first real emotion that Luella had witnessed. However, as the girls eyes filled up with tears, Luella instantly felt bad. It had been a moment of unrational thinking. Even if the girl was completely fake in every way possible, it didn't give Luella the right to pour scalding tea on her.
Luella stood, quickly jerking the girl in to the bathroom and throwing her in the shower. She turned the shower on and watched with a renewed conscious as Mai stopped crying when the pain was gone.
Immediately, the daze expression returned, and Mai looked up at her, "Thank you, Mrs. Davis."
Unable to help herself, Luella sneered down at her, "I don't know why you're acting like a programmed robot barbie doll, but I will find out. And when I do, I'm going to make sure that you don't ruin my son." Luella scowled down at her, "You don't deserve him." Mai's glazed eyes shimmer in an emotion that Luella can't read, but the look is gone as soon as it had appeared.
Luella left the bathroom.
By the time Luella was able to leave the house, she hated the damn girl. Not one emotion had crossed her face other than the time Luella had spilt hot tea on her. The girl was so clueless and helpless. She hated people like that.
Why would her son propose to someone who is in no way his match?
Luella had always hoped when her youngest son got married, it would be to someone kind, loving, and selfless. Not an emotionless idiot with no sense of those around her.
"Hello, Mrs. Davis," Lin said, greeting her and Mai from the front of the house. Luella was forced to bring the girl with her. Oliver had specifically requested that Luella keep Mai near her. He didn't want Mai getting hurt.
"Lin," Luella greeted, "How many times have I told you to call me Luella?" She sent a playful glare at the onmyoji.
Lin graced her with a chuckle, "Yes ma'am." He swept his arm behind him, pulling a young man forward. The guy had to be about the same age as Oliver. Lin looked at the boy briefly, some type of silent conversation going on between them before Lin looked back at her, "This is Osamu Yasuhara. Noll works with him in Japan."
"Hello." Luella greeted in Japanese, "How are you, Osamu-san?"
"I'm well, Davis-san," the man said, his glasses flashing with something mysterious, "But please, call me Yasu."
"Then you must call me Luella." Luella said, a kind smile finding it's way to her face. She really liked this man. He was mysterious but still sweet and mannered.
"Martin and Noll are expecting us soon," Lin said in English. Luella smiled at him, ignoring the girl and moving in the house of her child hood.
For some reason, Oliver felt as if Mai should stay close to Luella. The girl was nothing but a head of air! Why does Luella have to be the one to babysit her?! The girl was annoying!
However, Luella couldn't say that to her son. Oliver rarely asked her for anything, so Luella tried to accommodate him as much as she possibly can. So, begrudgingly, Luella agreed to it.
It's at midnight when Luella decided she wanted tea. The dark haired woman stood, and began to make her way to the kitchen. Oliver and Martin didn't move a single inch from their position by the monitors, not did Lin or Yasu from by the computers. Mai, however, immediately sat up straight and ran after Luella. Luella thought that the girl was asleep, but apparently not.
Luella began to heat a pot of water for the tea while Mai busied herself getting the tea leaves. Luella then noticed a significant drop in temperature. She'd begin to turn around to tell Mai to run, but something grabbed her foot. Luella let out a shriek as something yanked her to the floor and then she was flipped on to her back.
Luella was face to face with her mother.
Luella closed her eyes tight, ready for a beating from the vengeful spirit, but then Luella heard a shout.
Rin!
Pyo!
To!
Sha!
Kai!
Jin!
Luella heard a moan, as if something was in pain, and then the hand on her foot was gone. Her blue eyes snapped open to see the emotionless face of Mai hovering over her. If Luella looked close enough, she'd see the genuine worry in Mai's otherwise dazed eyes.
Luella sat up quickly, "Was that you?" Mai just continued to watch her with that dazed expression.
Ten seconds later, her husband and son both barged in to the room. Oliver stooped to Mai's level as Martin helped Luella up. Luella looked to her son, "Son, you didn't tell me that Mai knew the nine cuts."
Oliver's eyes grew confused, "Mother, Mai has no idea about the paranormal. She didn't even believe in it until we met. Mai doesn't know anything outside of what I taught her, and I haven't taught her anything."
"So you're not interested in the paranormal?" Martin asked, obviously curious as to how one could not be interested in it.
Mai's expression didn't change, "I'm destined to be a wife." Martin nods, as if he understood.
Luella glared, annoyed with the girl, "But it was you! I know you did the nine cuts! You're spell is what chased my mother away—"
"Wait a moment, mother." Oliver said, holding up his hands as if getting close to a vicious animal, "Let's slow down. You said it was your mother?"
Luella closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and counts backwards from ten while letting it out. When her eyes opened, she was calm again, "Yes. It was definitely my mother." Luella looked to her husband, "She was buried in the backyard by the gazebo."
Martin nodded, rubbing his eyes, "We'll do any exorcism in the morning when the sun is up. At last, we finally cracked this case."
"Shouldn't it have been your mother in the first place?" Mai's voice was still dazed, but there was a new ring to it that Luella just couldn't placed. Oliver sent Mai a look that she also couldn't place.
Something is going on between those two, Luella thought.
Martin answered Mai's question, "There were three deaths in this house. All of them violent and every single one of the back stories for the criteria for the happenings."
Mai's dazed look returned, "Couldn't you just do one exorcism and hoped or the best?"
What an idiot!
"No," Martin chuckled, obviously amused by her little knowledge of the paranormal, "Every exorcism effects every ghost differently." Mai nodded as if she understood, but Luella knew she didn't.
The next morning, Mai was up before Luella. That slightly annoyed Luella, but she decided to let it go. She had more pressing matters to worry about it.
Luella sat at the table as Mai moved around the kitchen to make tea. Unable to stop herself, Luella said, "What's your secret?"
Mai froze. She turned to Luella, "I just let the leaves sit for a shorter time than normal and—"
"No, not that." Luella waved away that, "I meant what's the secret you're keeping from me?"
Mai's head glistened, and Luella realized that she was sweating. The brunette was worried. Luella internally grinned to herself, she had her right where she wanted her. Mai swallowed, "I'm not sure what you mean, ma'am."
Luella narrowed her eyes, "I know it was you who chanted the nine cuts. I've been forced to spend enough days with you lately that I know your voice. You aren't as clueless as you act." Luella stood from the table, keeping her hands flat on it as she leaned across to put her face directly in front of Mai's, "You're conning my son in to marrying you so that you can take the company, aren't you?"
Mai's face switched from slightly worried, to utterly confused in seconds, "Huh?"
Luella smirked at her, ignoring the confusion on the girls face, "Millions of women have tried to do it, you're just the only one that's gotten close to my son at all. And to have him actually propose to you… well, you must have been on cloud nine. But understand this," Luella leaned in closer to her, "I will be a hundred percent positive that you and my son split up. You aren't good for him at all, and you aren't getting any of his money. I don't care what innocent act you try to play." And with that, Luella left the room.
Before long, all of the SPR team were surrounding the gazebo. Equipment is attached to every available part of the small building while every remaining Davis (and Mai) stand in the middle of it. Luella had fiercely denied any involvement of Mai's at all, but Oliver had insisted. So here she is.
Luella was going to hate revealing the girls true nature to her son. He obviously loved her. Opening doors for her subconsciously and always walking next to her. Luella had even caught them kissing once this morning. Mai had been facing away from her, but Oliver had been staring down at the girl with every bit of love and adoration he possessed. Luella had never seen her son act like that towards anyone. Especially a woman.
But the girl was no good for her son. Mai had even flirted with Martin right in front of Oliver. How could he not see it?
"Mother, keep Mai next to you, please." Oliver requested, flipping through some files that Yasu gave him.
Luella sighed, "Yes, son." She took the girl by the arm and dragged her to a side of the gazebo. Out of the way.
It isn't long before the entire thing started. Martin was the one exorcising Tabitha, so there was no need for more than the four people already present. Not long after the ritual began, fog fills the outside of the gazebo in an eerily way. Martin doesn't stop and soon enough, Luella can no longer see the rest of the team.
"You think you can keep her from me?!" A voice snarled. Martin stopped as new events took place. The four of them looked to see a black-eyed Tabitha occupying one of the two escape routes. She snarled at them again, like a vicious dog, "She is mine!"
"No she's not." Oliver said in a calm voice. He signaled for his father to continue the exorcism. Oliver continued to watch the ghost of his legal grandmother.
"Yes she is!" Tabitha shouted, throwing out her arm. A ball of negative energy was shout out of her arm and straight for Luella. Luella shrieked, not having enough time to dive before it hit her. She closed her eyes tight and waited for the pain… but it never came. When Luella opened up her eyes, she's greeted with Mai's back.
Mai had stepped in front of her.
Why was the girl protecting her?
Tabitha snarled again, "You! Again?! I couldn't sense you earlier and now I can't sense you either! Even as I gaze upon you!"
"It's because she's blocking her souls signal." Oliver said smugly, "You wouldn't understand. Only the most powerful mediums can do it."
Tabitha snarled again.
Her son was right. Only powerful mediums could do that, but this girl is the definition of an idiot. How would she know—
Martin's exorcism reached a peek and Tabitha begins to thrash around. Her skin began to turn black and it's then Luella realized that her mother was a full fledged demon. Tabitha boomed an evil laugh, "How do you like this, Luella?! Not even that girl can save you from me!" She throws another ball of negative energy. Only this time, it's as big as an SUV.
"Don't be so sure about that." A voice said to Luella's right. Luella turned to see her oldest son standing there. He was slightly see through, and he still appeared sixteen, but it still brought tears to her eyes. Seeing him again was only part of it. The second?
The large white wings attached to his back.
Gene grinned at Tabitha, his angel wings fluttered behind him, "Mai's been taught by the best. She has Madoka research skills; Lin's meditating techniques, and my brother and I taught her everything else." Gene laughed, "Basically, she's badass."
And then Luella watched as the girl she'd grown to hate for her cluelessness and helplessness threw out her hands as if she was going to do a push up, and caught the large ball of black electrical energy. Surprise fills Luella as she realized just how powerful Mai would have to be to catch that and not be absorbed by it.
"What?!" Tabitha screeched. They all watched as positive energy particles began to dance and appear around Mai. They entered the ball (as if on her mental command) and the ball began to shrink until there was nothin left.
Mai stood up straight again, and peered up at Tabitha. Her fist found it's way to her protruding hip, "Bye bye bitch!" They all looked over to Martin to see him finish the chant. Tabitha howled in pain as blue flames exterminate her from the bottom on up.
Everything grew quiet, and Luella turned to Gene, "Eugene…" Her eyes filled with tears.
Gene grinned, appearing in front of his mother and hugging her, "I'm glad you're alright, mum." He pulled away from her and wiped her tears away, "I have to go now. More people to save and stuff." He kissed her cheek, and then he was gone.
Luella turned to her husband, son, and soon to be daughter-in-law, "You have so much explaining to do, young man."
"Okay," Luella said, sitting down in the living room of her home, "Explain it to me slowly."
All four of then had agreed to wait until they arrived home to discuss the topic at hand. Such as why her dead son appeared before her. Or why Mai suddenly became the perkiest and kindest person she'd ever met. Or why the girl suddenly started calling her son by that odd nickname which was a shortened version of 'narcissist' in Japanese.
Martin sat in 'his chair' next to Luella as he waited for an explanation as well. Oliver sat next to Mai the minute they'd walked in. Mai was still wearing the ridiculously large diamond, so Luella could only assume they were actually engaged.
"I'm a latent psychic." Mai said, looking at Luella with a tender expression, "I'm also clairvoyant, I can astral project, and Gene is— was my spirit guide." She giggled cutely, "He was reassigned when I learned everything he could teach me."
Luella absorbed this in a few minutes, "Go on."
"Well, Gene was reassigned to assist the souls who weren't ready to cross over. Basically, the people that aren't ready to die are helped by him." Mai continued, "He's called a 'Protector.' Now, he contacted me and told me that YOU came up on his list."
"Me?" Luella was genuinely surprised. Martin grabbed her hand, and when Luella looked at him, she could see how much the thought of losing her actually hurt him. She was touched. Luella looked back at Mai, giving that as a sign to continue.
"So Naru and I devised a plan. I'd act like a completely different person while he pawned me off on you so that I could protect you. The more you disliked me, the better." Luella watched astonished as Oliver grasped Mai's hand, threading his fingers through the girls. Mai continued as if nothing happened, "He knew you wouldn't accept direct help, so we had to take an alternative route. I'm sorry to deceive you," Mai gave her a smile, "but we really wanted to keep you safe. We also had Yasuhara come from Japan to keep up updated on everything."
Luella's eyes filled with tears, "And to think I said all that hateful stuff to you. I'm so sorry, Mai."
Mai stood, making her way to Luella. She bent down and hugged her, "It's perfectly alright. It was what we wanted." Mai pulled away and looked in to her eyes with kind, warm brown eyes, "Let's just make up for it by getting to know each other, alright?"
Luella nodded, completely for the idea, "Of course. So you and my son are really engaged?"
Mai stood up straight, and Oliver's arms encircled Mai's waist. Mai smiled as Oliver answered, "Yes."
Luella grinned, "Yay!" A chime moves through the house and Luella became confused. She doesn't realize it until she looked at her clock.
It was Christmas!
Mai smiled at both of the Davis', "Merry Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Davis."
Luella smiled at Mai, taking Martin's hand again, "Merry Christmas, Mai."