Sorry about editing. Loved this show forever, just thought of this idea. Sorry if the editing isn't great, I'll do my best. Please let me know what you think.

Chapter One – Ghosts 'N' Stuff

"… I only had a taste but we're out of time

We have sold in the cold

Physical design

Set me free

Set me out on the run…"

– Deadmau5 ft. Rob Swire


'Oh my gosh!' Maddy leaned down to get a better look inside of her gym bag. 'No, no, no, no…'

She wanted to cry "Where is it?" the 23 year old, raked her hands through her long dark brown hair. She shut her light brown eyes trying to remember where she had put her mother's handkerchief. Usually she kept it in a safe place, stored away in a sock drawer or under her pillow, but today was her first day on the job and she had needed it for the exact same reason she had needed to move to Beacon Hills in the first place… she had needed something familiar to hold on to.

"Lose something?"

Maddy almost jumped out of her skin. She turned her head to an olive skinned woman, dressed in her scrubs. They were in the Beacon Hills Hospital change room, shift change had happened about thirty minutes earlier, which that meant all of the other nurses who had been on Maddy's shift had left about twenty-nine minutes ago, while she had been changing.

"Sorry." The woman apologized with sincerity. "We haven't met yet" she smiled kindly, stepping forward and extending her hand "I'm Melissa McCall, I work in the E. R. You're the new prenatal nurse Madelyn Bow, right?"

Maddy could hear her father's voice sound in her head 'You're getting rusty there kid.'

Swallowing thickly as she caught her breath, Maddy stood up straight and faced the woman properly.

Nodding, she shook Melissa's hand, "Yeah, but most people call me Maddy, um… how'd you know it's my first day? I mean it's nice of you and everything but our departments are different."

"It's written on the board." The older woman gestured over her shoulder to a corkscrew notice board that clearly hadn't been cleaned off in a while and was half hidden by the poor lighting in the room.

"I didn't mean to scare you." The kind woman took her hand back and drew Maddy's attention.

"No, it's me… ah… I was a little on edge, 'cause… um, you guessed it right, I did lose something." Maddy resisted the urge to pick at her nails or look away.

'Breathe' she heard her father's voice again.

"Something important…" Maddy added in a soft voice.

"What was it? Maybe we can… " the woman's large brown eyes widened in realization "Oh! Wait! Was it this?" Melissa dug around in her pockets, pulling out the handkerchief that Maddy had been so desperately searching for.

"Yes!" Maddy exclaimed, utter relief filling her as she took the finely embroidered cloth back.

"It's beautiful." The older nurse observed.

With a grateful nod, Maddy asked "Where'd you find it?"

"In the eastside stairwell when I needed a phone break." The woman smiled warmly.

"I was there earlier… I needed, uh, a break too."

'A break to have a mild panic attack…'

"Thank you so much." Maddy crouched down to secure the handkerchief in her purse "It was probably stupid for me to carry it around, but…"

"It reminded you of someone. I get it." Melissa stated with an understanding that Maddy couldn't question.

"Yeah" the young girl breathed, blowing some stray hairs out of her face, as she picked up her gym bag and purse and moved to stand up. "Thanks again" she smiled at Melissa once she was at eye level, her light brown gaze flicked to a clock on the wall of the room before returning to the friendly woman "I'd better get going."

Melissa looked over Maddy's appearance for a moment "You headed for a workout?"

"Um, sort of…" Madelyn bit her bottom lip, looking down at her attire. Her long black winter coat was still open and the grey tights and black leotard she was wearing were visible.

'Certainly not by my dad's standards.'

"I do ballet."

"Oh, I thought ballerinas were…" The older woman cut herself off, realizing that what she had been about to say wasn't very tactful "Sorry" she shook her head at Maddy. "I just meant..."

"Don't worry. It's nothing that I haven't heard before." Maddy smiled as genuinely as she could. But she would have been lying if she said it hadn't stung.

She was 5' 5'' which would not have been bad if she didn't have the curves she had. When she had hit puberty Maddy had prayed to grow in the same way her friends from ballet class were growing, but instead of having a flat line for a waist, hers pinched in then flared out into hips, instead of a flat chest she grew to an average cup size and instead of small, pert bottom she had more rounding to her frame. It had been the worst, still she had tried and worked as hard as she could to really make something out of her dream. But nothing ever came from it.

Even though he hadn't considered it a truly physical enterprise her father had signed her up for class when she was two, he had said that he wanted to do the right 'girly' things for her, especially since her mother had died a few months after Maddy had been born. He had always done odd, guilt ridden things like that. Like he was trying to make up for the fact that Maddy didn't have a mother figure in her life, but he also seemed to be making up for the fact that he was constantly pushing Maddy to be knowledgeable and get stronger by his own unique criteria.

'The world is a dangerous place.' He would grit out whenever she complained, and almost immediately she would back down. Though he never discussed it she could tell that there was more to the way her mother had passed away than he was telling her.

Passed away… passed away made it sound so peaceful. Really her mother had been killed in a hit and run but that was only as far as Maddy could ever figure. Her father would never go any further than that. Even years later, it was so painful for him that eventually Maddy stopped bringing it up at all.

There was always a kind of sadness that hung on him, but he managed to become so happy whenever he saw her dance, so she stuck with it and when he had been ripped out of her life nine years ago, she clung to ballet like nothing else… even if it couldn't lead anywhere.

"It's just something that I like doing by myself." She shrugged at the woman, hoping that her nonchalance was coming across "I found a studio space that's decent."

'Barely decent,' the voice in her head scoffed 'and barely affordable, the fee plus having to lock and sweep up.'

"That's so nice, to have an outlet like that. I always wanted to learn…" Melissa was cut off by a page over the P. A. system

"Ah, I guess we'd both better go." Maddy gave her a friendly smile again. "Thank you again. It was nice meeting you." She stated as they left the locker room together.

"No problem at all. It was good to meet you too" the older woman replied, as she head down the opposite end of the hall "See you later."


'So sweeping up took longer than I thought…' Maddy's teeth chattered as she walked down the moonlit alley to where she had parked her red, beat up Honda behind the studio.

She was definitely glad that she had changed at work, something about being nude in a grimy building, in a not-so nice neighbourhood creeped her out.

Shivering, she pulled the collar of her coat tighter around her neck, while clasping her mother's handkerchief tightly in her free hand. She had taken it out when she had seen that most of the streetlamps were burned out and the roads nearby looked abandoned.

'What was that?' She stopped for a second, a few feet from her car. There had been a sound like stomping, almost like someone was jumping from place to place and getting closer 'except…' Maddy craned her head back to look up at the tall buildings on either side of her 'how could it be coming from…' there was a loud crash that brought her focus back down to the corner of the building to her left. She could see some trash cans rolling from around the corner of the brick building, before she heard a groan.

Paralysed, Maddy stood stalk still trying to think of what she should do. 'Call 911 dumbass.' But for some reason her body wouldn't react.

She nearly shrieked when she saw a hand suddenly grip low on the side of the brick building, in the silvery moon light she could make out something dark that could only be blood dripping from the fingers.

It didn't take long after that for the panic to set in. Without really thinking, Maddy dropped her gym bag and purse on the cracked pavement and raced to the edge of the building.

"Oh god." She gasped.

There was a man with short jet black hair leaning back against the wall, moaning as he tried to brace himself on the building to stand up.

"Stop, stop, stop" Maddy pushed him back down, her mind racing. "You have to sit still…" she instructed, wishing that she had left her hair tied up after her practice as she shoved it out of her face.

Luckily there were a couple of back door lights in this alley so she could see him. Well, parts of him anyway. Maddy bit her lips, she couldn't really focus, she hadn't worked in an E. R. in a couple of years. Her eyes were darting everywhere as she rapidly made note of any physical signals his body might be giving. 'Sweating, but clammy skin, pale, shivering… he's in shock. Ok, Maddy think, what do you do with patients in shock?' She blinked blindly in horror as her frenzied mind drew a blank.

Nothing. She tried again 'Ok. Breathe. Breathe. He's just fallen off a building, so… he could have a concussion.'

"Follow my finger" she held his eyes open.

"I don't need your help." He addressed her for the first time in a sort of growl.

Ignoring his comment she watched his pupils as they followed her finger, in spite of his assertion.

'Reactive. Good, no brain damage. I think. Looks like he can move his neck without pain, plus that angry look means he's conscience of the fact there's a girl practically kneeing him in the groin in an attempt to keep him on the ground. Also good.' Maddy felt a bit relieved, before she remembered she'd seen blood on his hand.

Grabbing his left arm and prying away the hand he was using to cover the wound, Maddy gasped at what she saw under his rolled up sleeve.

"You're shot."

"Nice detective work." He scornfully ground out.

The blood was drying and dark on his pale forearm, Maddy knew she was out of her depth "Ok. I'm calling 91.."

"No." He pushed her hands away.

"In case you didn't hear me. I said you've been… been" Maddy had raised her light brown eyes with the intention of berating this stubborn guy, but her tongue went numb when she looked at him properly. He was frightening. His eyes were grey chips of metal, his jaw was a straight line and his scowl was so mean it was virtually cruel.

Words escaped her and something about him made her doubt that they would even have worked on him anyway. Forgetting that she was still holding her mother's handkerchief Maddy pressed the hand that she was holding the fabric in against his wound.

"AHHH!" he shouted. Shoving her whole body away from his this time.

"… shot." She finally finished her sentence, even though she had landed sprawled out on her rear-end in front of this murderous looking guy, a part of her felt had some sense of triumph when he had howled out in pain. "See?" she puffed out a breath, pushing herself onto her knees again she scurried forward, as the man protectively drew back his arm.

She halted for a split second, her expression softening when she saw his fearful reaction to her "I promise I won't call 911. I'm a registered nurse, I just wanna make sure it... you'll be ok. Ok?"

Slowly he held out his arm, "It's not healing." He stated, shaking his head as though he was trying to clear his vision.

Maddy stared at him, confusion clear on her face "That's because it's a gunshot wound."

"Just look" he bit out with a hiss.

"Fine." She grasped his arm, noting that it was considerably warmer than the rest of him. She leaned forward with a frown. 'The dark lines, the heat…' it looked as though it was already "infected…" she mumbled, so low she was sure that she had barely made a sound.

But to her surprise she heard his voice above her head repeat, "Infected?" he was watching her so close his breath made some of her dark brown hair flutter.

Quickly she lifted her head. She could see the sweat beading on his forehead, the ragged breaths that his mouth was taking in, the flecks of green in his eyes. He didn't look scary anymore, just anxious.

'He's so close that's probably how he heard.' Maddy reasoned to herself, as she asked him "When were you shot?"

"About ten minutes ago." He replied distractedly.

"Ten minutes?" her brow furrowed in disbelief, before she looked down at the wound again. 'There's no way it would fester so soo…' her eyes widened though, as her light brown gaze took in the sight of his arm. In a matter of seconds the infection had already crept further up his arm.

"What the…?"

"I've gotta go." He grumbled breathlessly while he forced her away again. Landing on her backside once more, Maddy watched somewhat impressed as the guy dragged himself up.

He struggled to take a step forward, the hand on his uninjured arm curled in a fist against the wall for support, his eyes squeezed shut.

'Snap out of it.' Her father's voice woke her out of her daze.

She jumped into action.

"Hey!" Maddy stood, shakily catching him under the arm when he tried to take another wobbly step. "Where do you thinking you're going? You need a doctor."

"No doctors." He snarled, opening his hard eyes, almost causing Maddy to take back her hand in fear.

'Did they just change colour?' She asked herself, before pushing the silly thought from her head.

"Look, I get that you have a death wish, jumping on roofs and getting shot and whatever, but I don't wanna see anyone die…"

"Then. Leave. Me. Alone."

She released his arm. "I can't just do that either. Listen you can barely walk, how are you gonna get anywhere?" Inhaling deeply through her nose, she could scarcely believe the next words out of her mouth "At least let me give you a ride."

"I can…" He began as he tried to take a few more steps, before stumbling and falling to the ground. Maddy rushed forward, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, she tried help him up.

'God he's heavy.'

"Home... Sco... home" he mumbled incoherently as she heaved his large arm over her shoulder and helped him up.

"Whatever you say big guy."

After settling him the passenger side seat of her car, she raced back to the place where she had dropped her bags. She had been so preoccupied with working on how to trick the man now sitting in her car, she hardly noticed that her gym bag was open.


"So what do you say about the doctor now buddy?"

"No doctor."

"How about your address?"

"No doctor."

"Fantastic." Maddy exhaled heavily, pushing her head back into her head rest.

'Why don't you just pass out already…' Though she was fairly certain he wasn't concussed, Maddy had to admit a part of her was glad that he was jerking himself awake. Falling asleep with a concussion would not be good… another part was annoyed, if he passed out she could assume consent and take him straight to the E. R.

But as it stood he seemed content with staining blood on her passenger side seat and saying 'No doctor.' If he would say anything else, at least she could try taking him to the hospital, but there was no way anyone would touch him if he carried on saying that phrase. And there was no way she was about to pull a bullet out of a guy, no matter how infected his wound seemed. Outside of a hospital there were too many risks, not only because she wasn't qualified, but he could easily bleed out.

"Dammit" she chewed on her bottom lip, she gave the guy next to her a quick glance. She had been driving around with him for about thirty minutes hoping that he'd either tell her his address or else decide to get some medical attention. But she was so exhausted it wasn't safe for her to behind a wheel anymore and he didn't look to be changing his tune anytime soon.

Finally she had given in and pulled into the parking garage of her apartment complex.

'Don't do this' she had thought on their entire drive to the building, but much to her own annoyance she had made it all the way home despite herself. Something about him was scary for sure but she knew he wasn't gonna hurt her, she didn't know why exactly... it just didn't seem to be in his nature or something...

'Wow, that's nice and cryptic,' the voice in her head chided.

Getting him out of the car, along with all of her stuff was another workout. 'That's more like it' she could practically see her father grinning, as she pressed the elevator button for the nineteenth floor. Though honestly if her father could have seen her bringing a random, possibly dangerous stranger who had people shooting at him, up to her home he would have probably ripped her head off.

She held her breath as they passed the lobby, it was late on a weekday, but still Maddy continued to worry about running into someone until they had finally gotten in and shut the door to her small one bedroom apartment.

He groaned, though she tried to be gentle when she sat him down on the plushy couch in her cramped, unlit living room.

Maddy had worked up her second sweat for the night. Taking off her coat, she dropped it next to her bags on the beige carpeted floor. 'Ok.' She let out a slow breath. Her light brown eyes made their way to the man who was now lying on the couch, having had fallen over onto his side. 'Great, he passes out after I haul his ass up here.'

Maddy's brows knit together when she flicked on the soft lamp light beside sliding door that led out to her tiny balcony, she inched towards him. The infection had not been spreading at the same rate as she had seen in the alley, but it was still spreading nonetheless.

She could see more sweat forming on his brow, his eyes were squeezed shut "Hey…" she whispered, nearing him "you unconscious yet?"

"No… doctor…" he panted.

'So that's clear then.' She felt deflated as she ran her gaze down his scruffy face. His expression looked so pained, as if on impulse her fingers reached to soothe the lines creasing his forehead.

Her expression grew even more severe, when she did "Jeez, you're burning up."

Maddy's heart started to thud, her breathing grew short, only then did she realize that she was still holding her mother's handkerchief. She had practically embedded it into her palm without even noticing it.

It sunk in as she observed the once glinting patterns that were now dulled with blood. 'You have to move' she acted without really thinking.

Finding some of her old ballet leggings, a face cloth and filling a bowl with cool water she returned to the couch. Hefting him up and lugging his legs up so he was laying back against the armrest, she set about shoving the cushions under his left shoulder and bending his elbow so that the infection would have a harder time crawling up his arm. She tied a makeshift tourniquet just under his elbow, "Ok" she blew the hair out of her face. 'Forgot my hair tie again.'

She thought about grabbing one when he grumbled, pulling her attention back to his face.

"Ok," she swallowed, steadying herself, "If you insist on staying awake, let's just cool you off."

Raising herself to kneel by his head, she dipped the face cloth in the water that she had brought along. Pressing the wringed out cloth against his head, she could immediately feel the tension drain out of him. The lines on his face eased, his breathing calmed, the stiffness in his shoulders slackened.

'Any minute now.' Maddy relaxed a bit, leaning forward against the couch. Any minute he'd fall asleep and once he had given in to his exhaustion she didn't see him waking up to protest treatment. She could call 911 'Any minute now…'


"Ah!" Maddy woke up in pain. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she tried to turn her head and remember what had happened. "Ow!" she hissed, rubbing the back of her neck tenderly. The sound of her phone had woken her up, but the confusion and pain were keeping her still.

Catching her bearings, she realized that her face was smushed into one of the seat cushions of her couch. The way she was leaning forward, made her feel as though there should have been a pillow under her head.

Her eyes widened, she sat up straight, ignoring the pain. She remembered it wasn't a pillow that had been there, but chest belonging to a very sickly stranger.

"Hello?" Maddy called out over the sound of her ringing cellphone, standing up with a grunt to look around her apartment "Guy?" she cringed, unsure of what name to call out.

The place was so small there was nowhere for someone that bulky to hide, 'Where is he?' she wondered, finding her phone in her jacket pocket. Recognizing the number she answered "Hey" she greeted, wincing as she continued rubbing her neck and wandering around her apartment.

"Maddy?"

"Who else would be picking up my phone at…" she checked the time on the phone's screen, as she made her way through the bedroom and into the bathroom "7 a.m.?"

"Right" the feminine voice remarked on the other end of the line. "Sorry, I wanted to catch you before…"

"Oh my god." Maddy hadn't been able to control her mouth one she caught sight of her reflection. Turning on the light, she twisted around to get a better look at her hair in the mirror above the sink. It looked as though she'd been through a tornado, it was all bunched up and tangled near the ends and kinked up closer to the roots, like it had been pulled up in a weird direction.

"What?" the concerned voice asked over the phone.

"Nothing, I just… burned my breakfast…" Maddy lied, momentarily forgetting about the stranger, she put the phone on speaker and began searching for an angle to attack her hair from.

"Oh… I can call back later if…"

Sighing at her reflection Maddy decided to deal with it later, leaving the bathroom she kept looking around "No, it's ok. What's up?" She made her way to the front door, taking note of the fact that her house keys were still on her kitchen counter where had left them the night before.

"My Aunt's in town."

"Kay." She frowned, distracted by the fact that the front door still seemed to be locked.

'How?' Maddy checked the lock a couple of times, before turning back to scan her apartment again.

"So, my dad wanted you to come by for dinner."

"Your Aunt hates me, Allie." Maddy said absently, walking past the kitchenette towards the living room. An idea struck her, 'Maybe he wanted the cold' she made her way to the sliding door, her hand gripping the unlocked handle.

"She doesn't hate you, she just…"

"Hates me." Maddy finished the sentence, as she slid balcony door open. Still in her ballet clothes, she shivered as the chilly morning air struck her.

Stepping out she was not met with what she had expected 'Where is he?' she was left facing nothing but two deck chairs and a dying potted plant.

"Just come tonight. Dad really wants to see you… so do I."

"Ah…" Maddy scratched her head in utter bafflement "Ok. You just tell Uncle Chris not to overdo it."

The girl on the phone chuckled "I'll try, but you know how he is."

"That I do…" Maddy muttered, as her mind raced and her eyes kept searching. After hanging up, she still wasn't sure what insane things to think.

Leaning over to look over her balcony, Maddy's confused light brown eyes skimmed down the other balconies below hers, before shifting out towards the line of trees at the border of the apartment complex and then mountains in the distance.


Hope you like it so far. Be patient with me. Sorry if editing sucks.

Let me know what you think :)