Things that go bump in the night
Disclaimer: - Don't own them just borrowing!
Episode: - None
Pairing: - Jean/James
Rating: - T
Achieve: - http(:/) . /group/rebeccafrontlewisffarchive/
Summary:- "I think I've got a ghost."
Author's Note: - In answer to Beth's "Haunting" challenge in which on main character has to come to believe they are being haunted! Enjoy and reviews would make my day!
Sitting bolt upright in bed Jean strained her ears trying to hear the sounds again. The logical calm side of her was pointing it that it was probably just the wind outside, or next door's cat or something equally mundane but considering it was the third time that evening that she'd heard the same knocking noise she was having more and more trouble listening to that side of herself.
"Jesus Christ Jean pull yourself together." She muttered grabbing her robe off the end of the bed and pulling it on over her nighty and switching on the bedroom light before making her way through the top floor opening every door switching on lights as she did. Establishing that there was no source for the noise on that floor she crept down the stairs checking the kitchen then moving through to the living room stopping in her tracks as she saw the framed photo of her and her mother moved from its usual resting place on the mantelpiece to the carpet beside the fireplace. Picking it up she placed it back in its usual place looking around the room for any logical reason why it might have fallen before feeling a chill run down her spine.
"Ok now I'm really starting to get freaked out," she whispered glancing at the phone on the table by the side of the sofa and giving it only a second's thought before lifting it and hitting the first speed dial on the handset waiting until a groggy voice answered on the other side.
"Jean what's wrong? You realise it's the middle of the night?" James asked glancing at the digital display on the alarm clock by his bed. She'd been in a strange mood the previous few days a nod insisted when he asked her about it that it was just that she wasn't sleeping well and when he'd said he'd come over that night and cook so she could relax a little she'd told him she'd be terrible company and was better off on her own. He'd not been happy about ignoring the fact there was something obviously wrong with her but in the short time they'd been together he'd realised that when she was in the mood to close off, to insist that she could cope alone it wasn't wise to push it. Now though hearing her breathing so irrational on the other end of the line and sensing her distress he was wishing he'd ignored her and gone round there earlier.
"Nothing's wrong I just wanted to hear your voice." Jean replied knowing that her assurance wasn't convincing him as she heard him start to move around and knew he was getting dressed.
"There is something wrong I'm coming over and this time I'm not taking no for an answer I'll..."
"Seriously James you don't need to I'm fine I just got freaked out a little by something silly you don't need to come all the way over here you said it yourself it's the middle of the night."
"Yeah it is and if you'd just let me come over earlier when I knew there was something wrong you wouldn't and gotten freaked out so stop arguing I'm on my way out the door I'll see you in ten minutes."
Handing up the phone when he did refusing to let he continue her argument against him getting in the car and driving half way across the city in the middle of the night she leaned back on the sofa cushions taking a deep breath. When he'd challenged her on her mood that afternoon she'd told him it was because she wasn't sleeping what she had failed to mention was that the reason she wasn't sleeping was that she was slowly managing to convince herself that she was being haunted. The strange noises over the previous few nights she'd been able to explain away and the fact that when he'd last stayed two nights before he hadn't woken up at any point had made it all seem more likely that it was just her imagination. Last night though, and again tonight the same picture has been moved from it's usual resting place and she'd found it on the floor and that was harder to explain away. The problem was that in the short time their relationship had changed she'd done a good job of hiding the fact she had a slightly more irrational and superstitious side and she wasn't sure when he found out that he wasn't going to run for the hills. At work she refused to let that side of herself make an appearance, she needed to maintain her air of authority and appearing to be an irrational basket case would not do but that meant that he had no experience of this side of her and she was almost positive he wouldn't like it.
"Jean where are you?" He called as she heard his key in the door and couldn't work out if she was more worried now he was here or less.
"I'm in the living room but honestly you didn't need to come all the way here at this time of night I'm just being an idiot."
"I'll be the judge of that and right now you look like you've seen a ghost, what's wrong honey tell me what's going on." James said quietly sitting beside her on the sofa and pulling her into his arms kissing her gently as he felt the tension in her body. "You're worrying me now what's happened? Is it Richard? Something to do with the divorce? Has something happened to Chris? Tell me what's going on."
"It's nothing like that honestly I told you it's silly." Jean replied realising that he was really starting to panic and taking a deep breath before continuing. "I think I've got a ghost."
"I'm sorry you think what?" James asked sure that he had misheard her before watching her face fall and realising he hadn't.
"See I told you it's stupid which is why I didn't want to tell you today and why I didn't want you coming tonight. You can laugh now then walk out on me I know it's ridiculous but…."
"Wow back up, first of all I'm not going anywhere let's just make that clear to begin with and secondly is this why you haven't been sleeping? Why didn't you tell me sooner you realise there has to be a logical explanation don't you? Tell me what's been happening." James interrupted the fact that he could see from the panic in her eyes that she genuinely thought he'd just walk away from her because of one moment of irrationality bringing him to his senses.
"I've been hearing noises down here all week but you've been here four of those nights and it's never woken you so I thought I was just being stupid then last night when I heard it and I was here alone I came down to see if there was someone in the house or….."
"You did what? Jesus Jean what if there had been someone here? Why didn't you call me or better still call the station it could have been anything or anyone if you were hearing noises when I was here you should have woken me and you sure as hell shouldn't have been wandering around the house in the middle of the night to find the source of mystery noises on your own."
"Sorry I didn't think it was anyone I had convinced myself I was imagining it." Jean replied sighing as she felt his arms tighten a little round her and realised he was seeing all the logical and potentially dangerous reasons for unexplained noises that hadn't occurred to her because she'd been so scared. "Anyway when I came down last night the picture of me and my mother was on the floor and the same thing happened tonight when I came down it had fallen of the mantelpiece and was on the floor again. What other explanation could there be?"
"Loads, how do you get from a fallen picture to ghost? Which one is it?" James asked trying to keep the disbelief out of his voice. He knew she was perfectly serious about everything she was saying and much as he was sure that there was not a ghost in her home moving pictures around he had started to realise it was very real to her and he needed to take it seriously.
"The one on the left hand side the one of me and my mother on my wedding day. She never approved of divorce maybe she's trying to remind me of that fact."
"I never knew your Mum honey but I'm quite sure she would want you to be happy and she wouldn't have wanted you to stay with someone who treated you the way Richard did. Besides you've been separated for nearly two years and the divorce is almost final and we've been together for months why would she pick now to show her disapproval?" James smiled hoping that his logic was getting through and she was starting to see that there was no basis for her fears.
"I don't know but what other explanation is there James? Pictures don't move on their own." Jean sighed watching as he got off the sofa moving to the mantelpiece and examining the area around where it was sitting and the frame itself before setting it down again. She knew what he was trying to do, how he was trying to reassure her but it wasn't working yet. With the picture back on the shelf he moved around the room as she focused on the image of her mother trying to work out why she felt the need to come back now just when she was finally happy with her life again.
"Oh my god, you saw it this time didn't you? I mean it was just sitting there and now it's on the floor again!" She cried as apparently from nowhere the picture wobbled on the mantelpiece and hit the floor again with a crash. "James you…."
"Ssssh honey watch." James smiled moving back to the other side of the room where he had been when the picture fell and moving the curtain on the French door that lead to the outside.
"But…..how? I mean why?" Jean gasped as the weights in the curtain hit the bottom of the window frame replicating the soft banging she'd been hearing for days and the breeze caused the picture to wobble again and fall.
"The door is on the ventilation latch, you mustn't have closed it tight when we had Laura and Robbie over at the weekend. There has only been a light breeze at night for the last couple of nights but tonight and last night it's been really blowing a gale, that explains why you only heard bangs for a couple of days and suddenly last night the picture fell." James explained closing the door tightly and clicking in the lock before moving across the room and pulling her into his arms.
"Oh god I'm so sorry." Jean sighed suddenly feeling completely ridiculous as he smiled.
"Nothing to apologise for, you were scared and I want to be here for you no matter how irrational your fears might be." James replied. "Now that we've established that your mother isn't voicing her disapproval from beyond the grave you think we could go to bed though? You are in serious need of some sleep and I think I might just know a way to help you relax?"
"I think that's a very good idea." Jean smiled putting the picture back on the mantelpiece for a final time before turning off the light and leading him upstairs breathing a sigh of relief as she realised that she wasn't so sure she was going to be any less tired the next morning but sure that the reason for her exhaustion would be a lot more fun.