Hi all! I'm back with something a little different! I'm a huge fan of the paranormal so I decided to play with a little with our favorite duo. Major and eternal thanks to Eunice339, the bestest beta. Also, in response to an inquiry, Random Musings still lives but only on Archive of our Own and Tumblr. Part 2 will be up in a few days!

xXx

"You're kidding!" Tris turned to her husband, her eyes wide with excitement. "This is the place you rented for us?"

Tobias grinned at her; thrilled she seemed to like it. He had to admit the late 1800s farmhouse, nestled in the hills of Western Maryland, exceeded even his expectations. If it weren't for the cream-colored wood trim and large covered porch painted in the same warm hue, the bluish-gray stone of the house would have made it seem cold. The neatly trimmed dark green hedges and colorful yellow and red flowers planted under the windows and alongside the porch added to the warmth of the home.

"So, you like it?" Tobias asked as he pulled their SUV next to the small Honda Civic already parked in the wide, gravel driveway.

Tris turned to him, nodding and smiling. "It's so beautiful!"

Tobias shrugged. "I figured you deserve a little side getaway after putting up with Evelyn for the last ten days before we head back out to Chicago," he teased. Evelyn, Tobias' mother, wasn't one of Tris' biggest fans and during the year they were dating had made her dislike of Tris well known. She'd cooled down for a while after they married, but now that Tris and Tobias were moving back to Chicago so Tobias could become associate general counsel at Prior Telecommunications, Tris' father's corporation, Evelyn's enmity had returned.

Tris laughed as Bruno, their four-year-old Italian mastiff, stuck his head between them and licked Tris' cheek. "See, Bruno likes it too," she said.

Tobias gave the dog's massive head a scratch and looked up just as a dark-haired woman, dressed in jeans and a red sweater, stepped out of the house and onto the porch. "That must be Johanna, the owner." They both got out of the car while Tobias sprang Bruno from the backseat. He held on tightly to the dog's yellow, reflective leash with one hand before he could dash off too quickly to explore his new surroundings, then reached out his other hand for Tris to grab onto as they all approached the house together.

"Hi! I'm Johanna Reyes. Are you Tobias and Tris Eaton?" Johanna asked as she came down the porch stairs. She was a curvy woman in her mid-forties with light brown skin and warm brown eyes. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a bouncy ponytail, underscoring a long-ago faded scar that ran the length of her face and ended at her cheek where her broad smile began.

"Hi! Yes, we are," Tris replied as she reached out to shake Johanna's hand.

"So nice to meet you both," Johanna greeted, turning to shake Tobias' hand as well. "And who is this handsome fellow?" she asked, holding out her hand for Bruno to sniff.

"This is Bruno," Tobias said. "Say 'Hi!' Bruno." The big, dark, brindle-colored dog plopped his butt on the ground and raised one paw.

Johanna laughed and leaned over to shake Bruno's large paw. "Well hello, Bruno!" She smiled up at Tris and Tobias. "Come on in. Let me show you around."

"Why don't you go ahead with Johanna," Tobias said to Tris. "This guy needs the men's room first."

Johanna turned to open the door for Tris and led her into the renovated farmhouse. The foyer was painted a cheerful golden yellow, accentuating the gleaming hardwood floors. Directly in front of Tris were a set of wooden stairs presumably to the bedrooms upstairs. A large living room was to her left while a smaller family room was on her right with a short hallway that Tris could see opened up to a huge chef's kitchen at the back of the house. "Oh, Johanna, it's just as beautiful on the inside as on the outside!"

Johanna grinned broadly – obviously proud of the house, too. "We did a lot of work in here. It's hard restoring a house that's over 100 years old, but it was our goal to make it an inviting place for people to rent." She ran a hand lovingly along the creamy white trim around the doorway. "We wanted to keep the integrity of the original frame, but still make something comfortably modern for our guests."

Tris turned around in the foyer. "Well you certainly accomplished it!" she said, impressed. "But why turn it into a B&B? Why not keep it for yourself? This place is gorgeous!"

Johanna laughed. "When my husband, Manuel, and I moved back here, we built our house closer to Hagerstown so Manny could be close to his restaurant. This place has been in my family for a long time, but had been empty for a while. I didn't want to sell it, so I thought I'd turn it into a B&B since tourism is popular in this area."

Johanna beamed as she began to recite the history of the house, "The house was built in 1885 by Edgar Simpson, a local businessman. Edgar was married to my great, great aunt, Elizabeth. They didn't have any children so Edgar left it to Elizabeth's nephew, Samuel, my grandfather, and it was eventually passed down to me." She led Tris into the bright living room. It boasted several large windows and a stone fireplace with firewood stacked in a neat pyramid next to the hearth. The windows were covered by sheer, white curtains, allowing Tris to see the trees that lined the perimeter of the property where Tobias was now walking Bruno. Along the wall across the fireplace were bookshelves filled with books, ranging from classic literature to contemporary fiction, while a few deep chairs and a couch surrounded the fireplace along the exterior wall. "We've kept as much of the original wood as possible," Johanna gestured to the floor and the wood paneling along the walls before continuing out of the room to head to the family room, Tris following in her wake.

The family room was small but cozy with light streaming through the open windows. A television was situated on a polished wooden stand along the wall opposite a dark brown loveseat and matching chair nestled against the other wall. "This was originally a rather tiny dining room," Johanna explained. "Since most people here are tourists who don't have much need to entertain, we converted it into a small family room. Our guests seem to prefer it to the larger living room. It's more comfortable and it was the easiest room to wire for cable since we already had to make repairs to the outer wall." Johanna led Tris down the short hallway to the kitchen next, gesturing to the table with four chairs along the wall as they entered. "Here's the new dining room," she chuckled. It was apparent though there was more than enough room for the added eating area at the back of the house due to the open kitchen floor plan.

"As you can see, the kitchen is the highlight of the main level. It has been completely modernized with energy-saver appliances. There are plenty of dishes, glasses, pots and pans – that sort of thing – in the cabinets. There's a drawer dishwasher in here," she said as she ran her hand over the appliance nestled under the cabinet, its faux wood paneling designed to blend in with the cabinets. "And over there's the microwave and this toaster is also a convection oven. No coffeemaker though." She gestured to the gleaming stainless steel teakettle on the range.

Tris sighed wistfully. "That's okay. I'm off caffeine anyway," she said, running a hand over her small swollen belly.

Johanna smiled. "How far along are you?"

"Four months," Tris responded, "and the idea of the next six months without caffeine is going to be daunting."

Johanna chuckled and patted her forearm. "It's temporary and I'm sure will be well worth it in the end. Let's see, there's a half bath right over there and here's the mudroom, complete with washer and dryer; more modern additions to the home, but completely necessary ones."

"That's a convenience I'll happily take," Tris replied with a nod as she spied Tobias and Bruno romping around the backyard now. Tris couldn't help the tug of her lips as she walked to the back door and watched them through the window. Tobias' dark hair had grown just a bit longer recently, letting her see more clearly the natural curl to it. She wondered idly if their child would inherit those soft, dark curls and her hand drifted down lovingly to rest on her stomach again. Tobias' long-sleeved shirt covered his arms, but Tris could imagine the bulge of his muscles as he tugged on Bruno's leash lightly to get the dog to run back to him. He looked up, saw her and smiled as he headed up the few stairs to the back door. He led Bruno into the mudroom. "Wow, this looks great," he exclaimed, wrapping his arm around Tris' waist and hugging her close, as he looked around the kitchen. Bruno was leaning into Tobias' leg, his tongue hanging out with a doggie smile on his face.

Johanna smiled at the picture the three of them made together before turning to continue on with the tour, "Let me show you upstairs." They followed her back into the hallway and up the wooden stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, Tris thought she saw movement in the living room. She paused at the base of the stairs and looked into the room. Seeing nothing, she decided it must've been the trees moving in the breeze outside the window that caught her eye. Shaking her head to herself, she continued up the stairs after Johanna, Tobias and Bruno.

There were three large bedrooms, each roughly the same size, on the second floor. Johanna gestured to the one next to the bathroom. "This is the largest and next to the bathroom, so we call it 'the master bedroom,'" she joked since the room was barely a few square inches larger than the other two. "The bed is a queen-size in this one, full-size in the other two."

Johanna opened the door to the bathroom and Tris grinned at seeing the large claw foot tub. "Is that original?" Tris asked, excited. Relaxing in a tub full of bubbles was one of her favorite indulgences.

"Yes. It's cast iron and weighs a ton!" she chuckled. "We added the hand-held shower head to the faucet. You can attach it to the holder on the wall then pull the curtain around if you'd prefer a shower." There was a decorative iron railing mounted to the wall surrounding the tub with a shower curtain tucked against the wall. "There's extra towels and toilet paper in here," Johanna said, gesturing to the tall corner cabinet.

Tobias leaned in behind Tris. "I think we can find a good use for that tub later tonight," he whispered in her ear. Tris gave a low giggle and swatted him lightly on the arm.

Johanna, clearly not having heard Tobias' commentary, continued to speak as she led them back down the stairs, "That's really it. There's an attic, but it's unfinished and there's really nothing up there but supplies. The carriage house outside holds lawn care equipment, but you shouldn't have any need for it. In the winter, we come and take care of any snow removal."

"This place is amazing," Tris said, "thank you so much for showing us around."

"Oh, it's no problem. If you don't mind me asking, how did you find us?"

Tobias gestured for Bruno to sit. "Our friend, Uriah Pedrad, is a travel writer and he mentioned it to me. He's wanted to stay here for a while now, too. We've got a long drive back to Chicago with this guy," he scratched Bruno's head, "and finding places that'll take a 125-pound dog is a bit tough."

"Well, we're happy to have you. And tell your friend anytime he wants to stay and write an article about us, we'll be happy to have him!" Johanna said with a laugh.

Tobias chuckled. "We'll definitely let him know. He's been pretty keen on coming here."

Johanna flapped a hand. "Oh, it's probably because of the house's history."

Tobias raised his eyebrows. "Is it a historical property?"

Johanna nodded. "Yes, but that's not it."

Tris frowned. "Then what?"

Johanna placed the key on the half wall separating the living room from the hallway. "Oh, didn't you know? The house is haunted."

Tris glanced at Tobias then back to Johanna. "What are you talking about?"

Johanna chuckled. "The rumor is that the house is haunted. I've never experienced anything myself, but some of our renters and even a few of our handymen have."

Tobias leaned against the stairway post, his arms folded across his chest. "So, what's the real story?" he asked, his blue eyes dancing with amusement.

Johanna shrugged. "Well, I told your wife this house was built by my great, great aunt's husband, Edgar. Elizabeth was 17 and Edgar was nearly 35 when they married. Elizabeth was his second wife, his first having died from what was probably tuberculosis. By family accounts, Elizabeth was young, charming, vivacious, and everybody loved her. Edgar, on the other hand, was stuffy and strict. A lot of people considered it an odd match, but Edgar had a lot of money and apparently offered a pretty big dowry for Elizabeth's hand. I'm betting he needed her to soften his prickly business image. They were married for about a year when Elizabeth became pregnant. Three months later, Elizabeth disappeared. According to the family story, late one stormy night, Edgar claimed he awoke in the middle of the night to find Elizabeth gone. He said he searched the woods, but it was raining so hard, he wasn't able to see anything. The next morning, he looked around the house and discovered some of Elizabeth's things, including her jewelry, were missing. Edgar hadn't had any children with his first wife so he began to suspect he wasn't the father of Elizabeth's baby. Edgar believed she'd been having an affair, figured the baby was her lover's and ran off with him. Her brother, Thomas, never believed that. He'd always suspected that Edgar was abusive toward his sister, but he could never prove it and Elizabeth wouldn't admit to anything. When she disappeared, Thomas was convinced Edgar had killed her, but there was no evidence, no proof. It was easier for everyone to believe Elizabeth had just taken off with another man. Thomas' parents convinced him to drop it, but he never wavered from his belief that Edgar killed his sister. It was a major family drama when my grandfather went to work for Edgar as the bookkeeper in his store. But, it was a good job and Edgar had always liked Samuel. Edgar had a massive heart attack at his store in town and died when he was 50. He had never remarried so left everything to Samuel."

Tris backed into Tobias, convinced she felt a chill. "So what's the ghost story?" he asked, squeezing his wife's shoulder. He was slightly disconcerted himself, however, it was more due to the similarity to his own parents' disastrous marriage than because of any belief in ghosts. Luckily for Tobias, his mother had left his abusive father before anything too horrible had happened, taking Tobias with her.

Johanna leaned against the post. "Not long after Edgar's death, Samuel moved into this house. His wife, my grandmother, Carol, claimed she could hear a woman sobbing sometimes and that the house was abnormally cold, especially in the living room. Sometimes, she said, she could see a strange blue light coming from the living room at night, but she never got up the courage to go see what it was. Grandma Carol was the imaginative one in the family. She told all the bedtime stories and was an amazing quilt artist." Johanna smiled fondly at the memory. "Anyway, after Grandpa had a stroke, Grandma moved out. My parents had never really felt comfortable here since they were an interracial couple and this area wasn't super friendly to that when I was a kid. When I married Manny, we moved here and decided to turn this into a B&B. That's when we began to hear the stories."

"What have people seen?" Tris asked, her voice sounding just a bit nervous.

"Well, in addition to the sound of the woman sobbing, the coldness in the house and the blue light in the living room, people claim to have seen faces in the glass and heard footsteps in the hallway, that sort of thing." Johanna shrugged, a wry smile gracing her lips. "Like I said, I've never heard or seen anything myself, but it makes for good publicity."

Tobias laughed, shaking off the slight nerves at the sight of Johanna's clear disbelief. "I bet!"

Johanna turned to the door. "I'd better get going. You guys have a great weekend!" With a final wave, she exited, letting the front door close behind her.

xXx

Tobias zipped the now empty duffel bag up and dropped it in the corner, nodding in satisfaction. They'd set up Bruno's cushion at the foot of the bed so he wouldn't feel alone in a strange house. While Tris was downstairs unpacking the food they'd brought, Tobias had gotten them settled into the bedroom. He'd even set up the chargers for their phones and laptop. There was no TV in the bedroom, but he figured, if necessary, they could stream a movie from their laptop. Bruno stood in the doorway, staring at him with his big, soulful, dark eyes.

"Not bad, huh, buddy?" Bruno wagged his stubby tail in agreement. Tobias nodded, giving Bruno a good scratch under his collar. "Let's go see what your mom is up to." Tobias jogged downstairs, his faithful canine companion next to him. Tobias had inherited Bruno from a co-worker whose daughter had turned out to be allergic to dogs. Originally, Tobias was only going to watch him for the weekend while his co-worker searched for a new home, but by the time Monday had rolled around, Tobias had decided to keep Bruno.

Tobias stopped in the doorway, watching as Tris moved around the kitchen, a fond smile touching his lips. Bruno went up to her and leaned against her leg. She chuckled and reached over to fondle Bruno's floppy ears. Tobias had refused to have them cropped when he first got Bruno and now he was glad he didn't after seeing the adorable picture he and Tris made together. He loved watching Tris with Bruno; she took such delight in him. In fact, it was thanks to Bruno that they met…

Tobias had only had Bruno for about a month and the four-month-old puppy had been all clumsy paws and enthusiasm. Tobias had just finished law school and was clerking at the US District Court in DC, subletting a one-bedroom carriage house on Capitol Hill. He'd taken Bruno out for their normal Saturday morning walk, intent on grabbing a cup of coffee and a double chocolate chip muffin from his favorite coffee shop. But once they'd rounded the corner to Eastern Market, Bruno suddenly jerked his leash and got away from Tobias, running off and crashing into a petite blonde woman, knocking her down and licking her face enthusiastically. Tobias had run over to them, mortified and ready to take the woman to the hospital when he realized she was laughing. "Shit! Sorry about that," he'd said after wrestling Bruno off of her and holding out a hand to help her up.

"It's okay," she'd replied, laughter still in her voice. "I'm a dog person so it's not a big deal. I had to leave mine back home and I've missed them so much." She'd been looking down while she talked, brushing grass off her jeans and reaching for a tote bag almost as big as she was, but once she'd finally looked up, her clear bluish-grey eyes met Tobias' darker blue ones, and at that moment, Tobias felt a flip to his stomach and his mouth went dry. She was pretty, yes, but there was something else about her that had grabbed him and as corny as it sounded, even in his head, when he looked at her, Tobias felt he'd finally found the person he'd been waiting for his entire life.

"I, um, I'm sorry about your coffee," he'd stammered, gesturing to the spilled disposable cup on the ground. "Let me buy you another."

She'd responded by smiling up at Tobias then, and this time his heart had nearly stopped. Her smile had lit up her entire face, turning what was a pretty face into sheer beauty. "Okay, I'd like that. I'm Tris by the way," she had replied, sticking her hand out.

He'd taken her hand and looked deep into her eyes, seeing the same spark he knew was in his, and answered back, "I'm Tobias."

Tobias grinned at the memory and as if Tris could read his mind, she looked up at him and smiled the same soft smile she'd given him when he'd offered to buy her a new cup of coffee all those years ago. He still felt that same pang in his heart, even now staring into the eyes of his wife. These last three years with Tris had been the best of his life and now, with a baby on the way, Tobias didn't think life could get any better. He finally had the family he'd dreamed of having when he was a child, when he'd been the rope in his parents' never-ending battle of tug-of-war.

"Hey, we all unpacked upstairs?" Tris asked, taking Tobias out of his thoughts.

"Yeah."

"Good, because I've got us all set up for a movie in the family room. There's cable in there; I'm sure we can find a good movie to watch. Ready to veg out?"

He nodded and held out his hand. She took it and led him into the family room. He chuckled when he saw she'd already laid out a couple of cans of soda, a bag of popcorn on the end table, and a rawhide bone on the floor. Bruno happily curled up next to the couch, chewing enthusiastically on the bone while Tobias sat down and pulled Tris against him. He turned on the TV with the universal remote as she curled up next to him, opening up the bag of popcorn.

"We made good time today," she said, pulling out a handful of popcorn while Tobias surfed around for a movie.

"Yeah, after a restful weekend here, we should be able to do another four to five hours before stopping. There are a couple of places in Ohio I've sketched out that'll let us have Bruno in the room. Then, it shouldn't be more than another five or so to Chicago. Think you can handle that?" He kissed the top of her head, settling on an action movie they both liked.

"Sure, that sounds like a plan." Tris nodded, dipping her hand into the popcorn bag again. As the opening to the movie began, Tris wondered if she'd be able to convince him to go get her some cookies too.

xXx

Tobias had been completely unsurprised when Tris fell asleep against his chest. As the pregnancy progressed and her morning sickness had stopped, her two favorite activities were sleeping and eating. What he hadn't expected was to fall asleep with her. They'd only driven about four and a half hours today, but between that and dealing with Evelyn, he figured they both deserved a break.

He eased out from under her, lowering her gently onto the couch. It was just becoming dark, he noticed, stretching. He turned down the volume on the television so it wouldn't wake Tris. As he entered the hallway, he felt a cool breeze coming from the living room and looked in, trying to see if there was an open window. All the windows were closed, but for some reason, it felt colder in there than in the family room.

Strangely uneasy, Tobias eased back into the hallway. He shook his head, figuring he was just a little out of sorts from the impromptu nap. He heard clicking and looked down to see Bruno behind him, looking up expectantly. He whined a little and Tobias glanced at his watch. It was nearly 7 PM and, right on time, Bruno wanted dinner. But there was something more important Tobias felt they needed to do first. "Come on, boy. Let's go pee first." Bruno's tail wagged in agreement.

In the kitchen, Tobias clipped on Bruno's leash and led him out through the back door. He and Bruno walked towards the line of trees that bordered the yard behind the house. Bruno sniffed and lifted his leg. They walked a little into the trees, Tobias being careful to keep the house in his sights. He didn't want to wander too deeply into the woods with night falling.

Bruno suddenly stopped, staring into the growing darkness, his ears perked. Tobias looked after him. "What's up, boy?" he asked. The wind blew and the gentle sway of the branches threw odd shadows on the ground. Cold fingers seemed to travel up Tobias' spine as he stared into the darkness. There was something there, just beyond that line of trees… Bruno pulled him a few feet deeper then stopped, sniffing the ground intently. He looked up at Tobias and whined a little. Tobias tugged on Bruno's leash, feeling more than a little uncomfortable by the rapidly falling darkness. "Let's get back. You've got to be ready for dinner." Bruno looked up at the mention of dinner and allowed Tobias to lead him back to the house.

Tobias let them back into the house and unclipped Bruno's leash. He flipped on the light, grabbed Bruno's travel bowl and filled it with fresh dog food. He placed it on the floor and Bruno descended on it as though he hadn't eaten in years. Tobias chuckled and figured he'd start their dinner, too. He pulled the lasagna out of the fridge and fiddled with the oven until he got the right temperature. He slid it in and set the timer.

Checking his watch, he decided to grab his laptop from upstairs. As he entered the hallway, he felt the cold air again. Shivering a little, he went back into the family room and pulled an afghan off the chair by the window and gently covered Tris with it. He headed up the stairway, Bruno, who was now licking his lips with a satisfied doggy grin, in tow.

xXx

The sound of a woman sobbing woke Tris up from her nap. She opened her eyes and blearily looked at the television. She reached over to the end table and groped for the remote, turning the TV off. She yawned and pushed the afghan off her shoulders. She looked at it, smiling tenderly. Tobias could be a typical guy at times, but with her, he always had a soft, thoughtful side. She folded the afghan and caught scent of the lasagna. Her smile grew. She turned and noticed the strangely dim blue-white light coming from the living room. She went into the hallway, figuring it was Tobias. He must be on his laptop, she thought, although she couldn't figure out why he hadn't turned on a lamp. She stopped at the base of the stairs, shivering in the cold air, a sudden feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. There was something not right, something that made the hair on her arms stand on end. She could have sworn at that moment she heard the sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh. She started to turn to make sure the television was turned off, when she again heard the sound of a woman sobbing. Tris froze, rooted to the spot. Part of her wanted to take the few steps necessary to bring herself into the room, but the other, more cautious part, was screaming at her to stay out. She stared into the dark living room, the blue-white light still glowing from its unknown source, filling her with both curiosity and fear.

She jumped when she heard Bruno growl and the pitter-pat of his paws as he exited the bedroom and came down the stairs to her. Tris heaved a sigh of relief as his warm, furry body leaning against hers. She looked down, scratching him on the top of the head. When she looked up, the light in the living room had faded. Bruno whined, staring into the dark room with her.

"Hey."

Tris jumped as Tobias flipped on the hallway light and came down the stairs. His smile faded as he took in her pale features. "Hey, you okay?" He cupped her cheek. "You look a little sick. Are you nauseous?"

"Uh, no." Tris shook her head. She glanced back into the room, feeling a little silly when she saw the light was gone. "It's just, um, cold out here."

Tobias nodded. "Yeah, I noticed that too." He walked into the living room, flipping on the lamp. Tris' eyes widened when she saw the room was empty. Tobias held his hand out in front of the fireplace. "Hmm, I wonder if there's a problem with the flue. It's a little chilly right here. We'll have to remember to mention it to Johanna."

Tris let out a shaky breath. "That must explain the noises I heard."

He turned to her, frowning slightly. "What noises?"

"I could have sworn I heard a woman sobbing." She put her hand on Bruno's head, drawing warmth from him. "You don't–," she took a deep breath before continuing, "you don't think there's anything to those ghost stories, do you?"

Tobias laughed. "No, no I don't. I think it's a great story to draw in tourists," he replied, but the look on Tris' face made him think she thought otherwise. "You don't think there is, do you?"

Tris shrugged. Ordinarily she would say no, but the sounds of slapping, of a woman crying, had just seemed so real. Plus, there was that odd light…

"I just don't know," she said, her voice small.

Tobias crossed to her and kissed her forehead. "You probably just heard the wind whistling in the chimney. The wind is picking up; it's going to rain a bit tonight."

Tris nodded, but she wasn't convinced. "Yeah, that must be it."

He ran his hands up and down her arm. "C'mon, that lasagna has got to be close to done."

"Did you make a salad?" she asked absently.

Tobias made a face, hoping he'd be able to joke her out of her nervous mood. "No, why would I?"

Tris rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. She pulled him into the kitchen. "You know better than that," she chided.