Title: A Light in the Darkness
Rating: PG
Summary: Amidst the darkness that surrounds her, the only thing that can save Melinda is her son. Spoilers for The Children's Parade (the season 5 finale).
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer or any of its characters, though I wouldn't mind staking a claim to Jim Clancy. ;)


All you can see is darkness. It surrounds you, wraps around your heart like a blanket, stifling any good feelings. At first you try to fight it with your own strength of will and, when that doesn't work, you use memories of the blessings in your life. Andrea, Delia, Jim, all the ghosts you've crossed over, all the people who love you.

But gradually those memories twist into something darker, more malevolent. Delia calling you crazy when she first learns of your gift. Jim dying, 'Sam' not remembering you. Romano and all the ghosts he took with him. The man you believed was your father as he tries to kill you. Seeing Andrea's ghost.

It's all too much, there's nothing you can do to fight the growing evil inside you. Whatever small part of innocence you have left is pushed away, too far to reach.

And slowly your awareness fades away. You know that your body is doing something, you can vaguely sense yourself moving, but you watch with a detached interest. Whatever happens now is no longer important.

The thought sends a brief tingling of fear through you and you wonder, not for the first time, if this is what it is like to die. You should know, you've seen the light twice already. But choosing to ignore it and continue living is not the same as leaving this world behind and moving forward, so you don't know what it's like to die. Not really.

But soon whatever you were thinking about disappears behind a wall of solid darkness, impenetrable and very, very real. It crushes down upon you again, as though punishing you for thinking at all.

You keep reliving the terrible moments in your life, again and again on a repeating cycle, and there is no escaping it. The frightening and heartbreaking memories swarm in front of you, taunting you.

The pain is so strong you are certain your soul must have shattered from the agony of it. You have no hope left, are almost too far gone, when something shines bright in front of you.

A light in the darkness. And now all you can see is the figure standing before you.

A name floats into your mind, pushing a few tendrils of darkness away. Aiden. It sounds so familiar, though it takes you a moment to realize why.

It's the name of your son. Your five-year old son who is bravely standing up to the dark, twisted thing controlling your body, pretending to be you. You are amazed at how much he's grown up without you realizing it and your heart swells with pride, sending the darkness farther away.

You watch as your little boy calls upon the spirits of the other children – the Shinies, as he's called them for so long – and you rejoice as they chase away the evil inside you. The absolute joy you feel at finally being free is so strong that you collapse from the weight of it.

And when you look up, you can see him.

Your knight in shining armour. Your hero. Your son.

Aiden.