A/N – In honor of October and Halloween I have decided to do something I have never done…write a horror story. Or at least attempt to. Horror might be a stretch; I'll be satisfied with creepy. I have watched my fair share of horror movies so I'm hoping I can at least make this interesting. This story follows a movie called The Possession fairly closely with a few variations and additions. It will be posted in its entirety before or on Halloween. I have it mapped out and mostly written, just have to fill a few things in. Thanks!

The Box

AU Chaubrey. Psychiatrist Aubrey Posen has seen it all, every mental illness and psychosis there is. Until her girlfriend Chloe seems to be suffering from some mental affliction. As she and their friends Beca and Jesse search for answers, it becomes apparent something far more sinister is at work.

Chapter One

The leaves on the trees were a beautiful array of golds and reds but Aubrey Posen barely noticed as she squinted against the glaring sunlight. It might have been October and the beginning of the autumn season, but they were suffering through an unseasonably warm spell for that time of year in Virginia. This was not how she had hoped to be spending her Saturday. She was hot, she was tired, and she was ready to go home. But she would never say a word because Chloe Beale was in heaven.

"Just one more yard sale and I swear we'll go home Bree." The redhead said with a smile as she looped her arm with her girlfriend's.

Aubrey sighed and returned Chloe's bright smile. "Uh huh, sure babe. We haven't even hit the big one on Hanover yet. I'm just glad I wore comfortable shoes for walking."

Chloe smiled again and nudged the blonde with her hip. "I'm sorry Bree, I know you're only here for me. This isn't really your thing but I appreciate you keeping me company."

"What are you looking for anyway?" Aubrey asked with a wry grin.

Chloe shrugged as they continued on toward the next address. "Oh you know, just stuff for the house…or some hidden treasure that's actually worth a fortune. I'll know it when I see it."

The redhead winked before tugging Aubrey along behind her. The blonde chuckled but followed as the warm sun continued to bare down on her.

Almost two hours and four stops later, Aubrey finally reached her breaking point and dropped down onto the grass in the shade. "I'll just wait for you here ok?"

Chloe frowned and quickly dropped to her knees in front of the blonde. "I'm sorry Aubrey. Let's just go. I'll even call us a cab!"

"What? Don't be ridiculous." Aubrey insisted. "This is the one you've been looking forward to all morning. Just go look around, I'm totally fine here…I promise. I just need to rest my legs."

The redhead looked doubtful but Aubrey smiled and gently pushed her girlfriend back toward the sprawling sale in front of the old Victorian styled home.

"Well, ok, only if you're sure." Chloe replied softly. "I promise I'll be quick. This place is one of the oldest homes in the neighborhood, maybe they're selling some old amazing, original heirloom!"

Aubrey chuckled as Chloe stood back to her feet. "Just dust the junk off before you bring it into our home please."

"Yes ma'am!"

Chloe cast one final glance over her shoulder at Aubrey before crossing the street and stepping onto the property. The redhead gasped as a chill rippled through her the instant she set foot in the yard. She glanced up at the towering home and swallowed thickly as she took in the dilapidated structure. The siding of the home was faded to almost gray and the shutters were chipped and a few were even tilted, the nails having given way some time ago. The yard was unkempt with what looked like years of dead leaves and brush.

The place reminded Chloe of the large homes that were often featured in those cheesy haunted house movies that she loved to watch but Aubrey hated. Aubrey always claimed they were over the top and tried too hard for cheap thrills. Chloe just liked the feeling of being frightened so she could clutch her girlfriend even tighter and therefore loved them.

The ad in the paper claimed there would be antiques for sale so Chloe was particularly excited about this sale. She quickly shook off her sudden chill and began to peruse the items scattered about.

A set of candlesticks quickly caught Chloe's attention and she began to search for a price on the obviously valuable items. The redhead was still studying the candlesticks intently when she felt a soft breath of air against the back of her neck. She shivered again and quickly spun on her heel.

"Chloe."

The redhead spun again, her eyes narrowed as she tried to pin point who had called to her. No one seemed to be paying her any attention at all. She squinted back across the street to where Aubrey was still settled comfortably underneath the large tree in the shade. The blonde was gazing in the opposite direction, also paying no attention to her girlfriend.

"Chloe."

"Jesus, what?" Chloe hissed as she once again turned quickly. "Who's calling me?"

A few of the folks also perusing the items gave the redhead odd glances and stepped away at her exclamation.

Chloe felt her cheeks darken and groaned as a young mother steered her young child further away. "Sorry…I just thought I heard…never mind."

As the words left her lips, Chloe's eyes settled on a wooden box resting on a table all by itself. It was dark wood with carvings visible on the front and top. She felt as if the air in her lungs evaporated and her peripheral vision dulled as she stared at the box. The world around her faded away as she stepped closer to the intriguing item.

As she neared, Chloe could see that the markings were not just on the front and top but on all sides. But they were not in a language she recognized. Her hands were shaking as she reached for it. As she picked up the box, she inhaled sharply, feeling a sudden jolt course through her.

Nausea followed and Chloe swallowed thickly to avoid retching right there in the yard. When her stomach finally settled, the redhead released a shaky breath. When she opened her eyes she found herself clutching the box tightly to her chest.

"You sure you want that girl? It will bring trouble."

Chloe startled slightly and turned at the soft voice next to her. An old woman stood eyeing her suspiciously. She held out a hand as if to take the box away from her and Chloe felt a piercing pain deep in her gut. "No! I saw it first. It's mine."

Chloe was started by the ferociousness in her own voice but the old woman didn't even flinch. She simply sighed and nodded before slipping away into the crowd without another word.

Chloe swallowed down a new wave of nausea and quickly moved toward the table set up to collect payment. She paid for the box without arguing about the price, something she would have normally been ashamed of. Rule number one of the art of the yard sale…never pay the listed price. But she couldn't risk not getting the box. For some inexplicable reason she had to have it.

As Chloe rushed back across the street toward Aubrey, the blonde narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend's appearance. "Chloe, are you ok?"

"What?" she asked, seemingly surprised. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

Aubrey quirked a brow and continued to eye Chloe. The redhead was pale and seemed slightly out of breath with a slight tremble to her body. And she had an old wooden box in a death grip in her arms. "Oh, no reason I guess. What do you have there babe?"

The shorter woman seemed to tighten her grip on the box and licked her lips. "I found it. It's cool don't you think?"

"Cool?" Aubrey asked. "Yeah sure, I guess. As far as wooden boxes go. I'm just glad you finally found something and that we can get out of this heat."

"So I can keep it?"

Aubrey once again quirked a brow at the eager tone to Chloe's voice. She finally chuckled and pushed herself to her feet. "Of course you can. It's not exactly my taste in decoration but its ok I guess."

Chloe smiled brightly and Aubrey felt her heart melt. They had been together for years and even still, the sight of her girlfriend's bright smile could make her weak in the knees. Chloe had been there for Aubrey through more than eight years of schooling for the blonde to reach her dream of being a psychiatrist. She had worked odd jobs to make ends meet while Aubrey was too swamped with work on her dissertation to be able to have a job herself. She had even up and moved to a new state from their home in Georgia when Aubrey was offered a job at a psychiatric hospital in a rustic, colonial town in Virginia. And Chloe had not complained once. Aubrey once again felt her heart swell with love for the girl she had fallen in love with in middle school.

Aubrey reached for Chloe's hand and the two began the trek home.

xxxx

By the time they got back to their home, Chloe was back to her usual chatty self. Aubrey simply chuckled as she listened to the redhead's tales and exploits of the morning treasure hunt. Chloe placed the wooden box on the dining room table and wandered off into the kitchen to fix a quick lunch for the two of them.

Aubrey eyed the box curiously. She leaned closer to try to decipher the markings carved into the dark wood. She traced her finger over the numerous etchings.

"Hebrew I think…" the blonde muttered to herself as she continued to study the box.

There didn't appear to be a lock or a latch but there was an apparent lid. However when she tried to pry the box open it didn't budge.

"What are you doing with my box?"

Aubrey startled slightly, not having noticed Chloe return from the kitchen. There was an unusual edge to her voice and the redhead was standing in the doorway with a strange look on her face. Her fists were tightly clenched.

"Hey hun." Aubrey replied. "Just looking at it. I can't get it open. It's definitely got a lid but it won't open. It's weird. And these carvings, they almost look like Hebrew or Arabic or something. I don't know. Did the owners of the home tell you anything about it?"

"Just leave it alone ok?" Chloe said tensely. When Aubrey narrowed her eyes suspiciously, the redhead smiled almost nervously. "Lunch is ready, come eat with me."

Aubrey eyed her girlfriend for a few seconds more before finally placing the box back on the table. Chloe's smile widened as Aubrey stepped closer. The redhead looped her arm through Aubrey's once again and pulled her into the kitchen where lunch was waiting.

xxxx

Later that night Aubrey woke with a start. Thunder rattled the shutters of their home and the air seemed to sizzle with electricity as lightning split the air. The blonde exhaled shakily and glanced to her left to see if Chloe had managed to sleep through the storm. The sight of the empty bed left Aubrey with a chill.

She threw the blankets away from her body and pushed herself to her feet. The blonde didn't bother with her robe or slippers, finding Chloe being the only thing on her mind. The en suite bathroom was dark and obviously empty so Aubrey stepped out into the dark hallway.

The hardwood floor was cold against her bare feet as she inched her way down the hallway. The heat of the day had faded into a chill as night settled and Aubrey found herself wishing she had worn more than thin sleep pants and a tank top to bed as a shiver rippled down her spine.

Lightening once again flashed, illuminating the corridor and the stairway ahead. There was no other sign of light that she could see from anywhere inside the home.

Aubrey quietly made her way down the stairs, stopping short when the fourth step creaked under her weight. She finally forced herself to descend the final steps, mentally kicking herself for not grabbing a flashlight or flicking the light switch at the top of the stairs.

"Chloe?" She called softly.

A loud clap of thunder was the only answer Aubrey received. She wandered further into the darkened first floor of their shared home. She felt her way along the downstairs hallway until she found herself in the dining room.

Aubrey squinted as she thought she could just make out a figure on the other end of the room in front of the large bay window. Suddenly another flash of lightening illuminated the room and Aubrey gasped as Chloe flashed into her vision.

The redhead had her back to the window and was standing perfectly still in the darkness.

"Chloe?" Aubrey hissed. "What the hell are you doing? Are you alright?"

The blonde reached a shaking hand and flicked the switch, bathing the room in almost blinding light. Chloe didn't even blink. She simply stood, staring at the wooden box that was still sitting on the dining room table where they had left it. The only difference was that now the box was open.

"Chloe?"

After a few painfully tense and silent moments, the redhead finally blinked and shook her head slightly, seemingly snapping herself from the trance she was frozen in.

"I just wanted to make sure it was ok." She mumbled.

"Make sure what was ok, Chloe?" Aubrey asked quietly.

Chloe lifted her eyes from the box to meet Aubrey's worried gaze across the room. Lightening flashed again and Aubrey gasped as Chloe's normally bright blue eyes appeared to be completely black in the now brightly lit room. Aubrey stared, speechless as the redhead finally stepped around the dining room table and moved toward her, and stopped mere inches in front of the taller blonde.

"My box." Chloe replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Chloe smiled then and Aubrey couldn't help but relax as she gazed into the warm blue eyes before her. She quickly chalked up the events to her nerves being shaky due to the storm and returned Chloe's smile with a tremulous one of her own. "I woke up and you were gone…"

The redhead's gaze softened and she took Aubrey's hand in her own. "I'm sorry babe, didn't mean to scare you. I just couldn't sleep and didn't want to wake you."

"It's ok." Aubrey quickly replied, still mesmerized by Chloe's shining blue eyes. "Let's just go back to bed ok?"

Chloe nodded, still smiling. She allowed Aubrey to pull her from the room as her girlfriend flicked the switch, once again drowning the room in darkness. Chloe's eyes darkened and she cast a longing glance over her shoulder toward the wooden box, the lid once again closed.