Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from James Cameron's Titanic or Tim Burton's Beetlejuice.

A/N: I'm sure many of you predicted her running into Cal, especially with all the talk of suicide. Anywho, here is the next installment. Hopefully this story isn't a disaster. It was a bizarre idea that's been nagging at me for over a decade, so I thought I'd take a chance on it.

oooooooo

Pazy was looking over the paperwork he'd messed up the first time around.

"UGH. A diligent paper pusher, just my luck. Most of them are barely conscious." He sighed tiredly. And then he started trying to make the corrections expected of him.

After a moment, the Roman smirked, "I do rather like his handwriting."

And then he glanced up at Rose to see if she was smiling.

NO. She looked pale and sickly. Like she was going to cry or vomit.

"UM…" Pazy sat up straight. "Someone exorcising you or something? You look like DEATH and that's saying something around here…"

Rose swallowed and didn't say anything. She looked rattled.

"OK. Were you peeking in Closets of Lost Souls or what?" He sighed.

Rose realized confiding in Pazy about the problem might get her switched to another administrative officer. As anxious as she felt right now, if she just talked about it she might be able to fix things.

"It's the paper pusher…" She managed, her eyes getting wet.

Pazy was completely taken aback. "Did you yell at you coz I suck at paperwork?"

"No, no…" Rose's voice was watery now.

"Oh man. Did he pull something? You are kinda hot."

And then he looked over the papers quickly. "OH. This guy. I know exactly who this guy is. Good looking smart ass. I can see him running a hand down your leg. Sexy thought, actually. HM."

"NO. He was professional. It-"

"Don't tell me you've fallen in love with him… He's anal about forms."

"NO." Rose was exasperated now. "I know him from my life!"

Pazy was surprised. "What are the ODDS? That never happens!"

"It's worse than you could ever imagine!" She sat forward, no longer holding back. "Remember the steel tycoon fiancé I ran away from?"

"They were friends?" Pazy couldn't believe it. "Small world."

"IT'S HIM."

Pazy's jaw dropped. "Get the HELL outta here!"

"It's true!" Rose leaned in, fully animated now. She sounded truly horrified. "It's Cal. The ex-fiancé we've been talking about!"

"The possessive, cutthroat bastard? Woah, woah, woah… This is just too crazy, Rose…" Pazy started flipping through her file. "Are you sure you're not all upset and confused from our last session? We did talk about him…"

But as Pazy flipped quickly through her file and then compared Cal's paperwork a look of acceptance slowly crossed his features. The name was exactly identical – Caledon Hockley.

He looked up, "So the dude who fired the pistol? And tried to frame the artist? And snatched up that little girl to save himself?"

Rose looked very pale and upset. Her eyes were wet.

"The 'not the better half' bastard? Oh man. Messed up." Pazy ran a hand through his blonde hair. "SO extremely messed up."

Rose said nothing. She just watched Pazy miserably.

"What the hell?" Pazy was still astounded. "What the HELL?"

"EXACTLY." Rose leaned forward. "It's insufferable!"

"Oh ya..." Pazy said slowly, reading again. "He totally committed suicide. Uncanny. Dude does NOT strike me as the suicide sort. He's got that cutthroat survivor air about him… HM. Then again, I'm here, right? Wow."

"How did I not recognize him?" Rose blurted out. "It's impossible!"

"People look different in death." Pazy still sounded confused. "I dunno what to tell ya, honey. I'm at a loss here. I've never even heard of anything like this before, let alone dealt with it. I'm at a loss…"

"Why is he working with me?" Rose demanded. "I have to be switched!"

Pazy stared at the file for a full minute and then looked up at her. "I'm sorry, honey. Everything happens for a reason here. There are no switches."

"What?"

"I'm serious. You've got to work with the pistol firing ex-fiancé. It's what's supposed to happen, I guess. This must be part of your process. They don't make mistakes."

"THEY?"

"The powers that be… I dunno. I don't have any answers."

Rose looked sick. "I can't face him again. I just can't."

"Is he being really horrible?"

"No. He doesn't recognize me. He's all business."

"Then what's the problem? Just go back to pretending you don't know him. He's just another paper pusher, Rose. They rarely speak anyway! The souls are sucked outta those guys."

Rose didn't say anything. She was replaying her interactions with Cal over again in her head. What had they said to each other? What had she felt? Everything had been fine until she'd realized who he was…

Pazy snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Hey. Gorgeous. I know you're upset, but stay with me…"

"I drew attention to the fact that we know each other. He's going to figure it out." She sounded distant, worried. She was thinking.

"RELAX. Even if he figures it out, he's admin. His soul is crushed. He's not gonna have any energy to start trouble. Trust me. I've been dealing with paper pushers for 2000 years. They are just barely treading water. Hanging on by a thread. He's not a threat, honey."

Rose didn't look convinced. No matter what she would be so uncomfortable! It was Cal. There were sharp memories connected to him that stabbed her like a blade!

"…sharp memories that stab you like a blade…" Pazy frowned. "That's pretty melodramatic."

Rose frowned. Not even noticing he'd read her mind. "It's painful to think about our relationship now. You just don't understand. I was never supposed to see him again!"

"Well, the path to the afterlife can be very challenging…"

"I don't care how many times you tell me he's soulless, chained to a desk. I'm not comfortable with his gaze falling on me. I'm not comfortable with him speaking to me… and processing my papers… What if he sabotages something? This is a conflict of interest, Pazy!"

"Gaze? Please. They rarely make eye contact."

"PAZY."

"OK, OK… Relax. He won't get away with any sabotage. I've got your back! Besides, they process millions of people day in and out. He's absolutely exhausted, barely conscious and not given a second to pause. You were probably just supposed to get a good look at what he's become – for your healing process. I suspect nothing will come of this."

Rose still looked absolutely miserable.

"Did I mention I strongly suspect nothing will come up this?" Pazy smiled.

Rose frowned, "Foreshadowing…"

"No way. I'm never wrong." Pazy smirked confidently.

They lapsed into silence again. Rose still looked awful.

"Someone's punishing me." Her voice broke, eyes tearing up.

"Oh come on. I've worked with him over the years. He really doesn't seem so bad." Pazy tried to sound optimistic. "And a lot of time has passed, right? He may be a very different person now. Death has a way of changing people for the better. It puts things into perspective."

"Of course. Decades of horrible enslavement will have improved his disposition." Rose was bitterly sarcastic.

Pazy laughed out loud and then quickly silenced himself, clearing his throat loudly. "UM… seriously…" He tried to look serious. "There's the possibility that decades working amongst the 'lowly minions' has given him a reality check. He really might have come to understand workers and changed for the better."

"Cal couldn't change. He was utterly inflexible. Why do you think he shot himself when the status quo was shattered?"

"I think that's an oversimplification from someone who has no idea what the man's personal circumstances were. You read a sentence in a newspaper."

Rose couldn't argue with that.

So he continued: "How do you know he was flawed to his core? He made some horrible mistakes… but was only human. I'm sure there's more depth to him then you're letting on here…"

After a silence, Pazy added – "The whole cheating fiancée while the Titantic's sinking thing would have been hard on the guy, I'm sure…"

"EXCUSE ME?" Rose's eyes widened incredulously.

"Oh come on, it was a very long time ago and he's an eternal desk slave now. It's time to move past this stuff."

Rose gasped. "How can you—"

Pazy shrugged, "I'm sorry! I've dealt with trillions of cheating fiancées. And pistol firing jealous idiots. And scheming mothers. I realize I'm ridiculously blunt about these things. I just can't help myself. It's been 2000 years and I've seen MUCH worse."

Rose was so offended. Being referred to as a cheating fiancée upset her.

Pazy sounded tired suddenly, "You'll never cross over if you don't get over stuff like this. Forgive the selfish mother, forgive the jealous bastard… admit that you weren't a saint yourself… Let's just move on! Hanging onto this crap isn't worth your SOUL…"

"For all your talk of sensitivity…" Rose glared at him.

Pazy frowned. "Don't get pissed off at me for doing my job. I like you and I'm not trying to hurt your feelings."

Rose said nothing. Her face was frozen with anger.

"Ok, ok, ok. I get it." Pazy sighed. "My brash talk is cutting you to the marrow. I'm SORRY. But tough love is needed sometimes in these cases. I'm not walking on eggshells around these issues – you've done that for decades clearly. You need to address what happened point blank, no sugar coating, or you'll never cross over."

There was an awkward silence.

Pazy sighed, "Look. There's an obvious Cal skeleton to work through here. Seeing him is probably just part of that process. Some crazy drama went down and you ran away from that engagement… You need to air that dirty laundry. Close the book on it all permanently."

Rose was still coldly silent.

"I know you're uncomfortable with his presence. And I know you're angry I'm not being more accommodating. I told you this 'skeleton in the closet' crap wasn't going to be pleasant. In fact, it's decidedly unpleasant."

"So I'm supposed to see what's become of him? That's part of my healing process?" Rose spoke impatiently now.

She didn't like how Pazy was suddenly treating her. He was usually so nice and understanding. Yet right now he was being too blunt with her and far too generous to Cal.

He seemed to read her mind again. "The truth hurts. It's my job to say what needs to be said, whether you like it or not. You're facing these issues."

"You're being unnecessarily rude. And you're showing Cal and mother a level of charity they do NOT deserve…"

"Yikes! Do you hear the anger behind those words? You're going to take longer to cross over than I originally thought." Pazy suddenly looked very tired. For the first time she noticed the dark rings under his blue eyes.

Rose noticed the sand in the hour glass slipping away. This was turning out to be an incredibly unproductive session. How would she ever reach the afterlife at this rate?

"I know his actual presence is unorthodox…" Pazy admitted. "I dunno…"

"Am I supposed to have this big touching moment where I forgive him? Seriously?" Rose muttered. "It's too much to bear."

"Maybe you're just supposed to know his fate, incorporate that into your letting go and moving on… I really don't know."

"I felt no remorse when he committed suicide. And after the horrors he pulled he's lucky he isn't burning in Hell right now."

"You're still clinging to all this negativity…" Pazy frowned. "No wonder you can't rest in peace. It was 1912. It was a lifetime ago."

Rose sighed and was silent a moment. Then she spoke calmly – "I wouldn't be carrying on like this if he wasn't right here interacting with me. This is hindering my progress, not helping it. I have every right to be upset."

"I suspect this isn't as straightforward as you're making it sound. And there's a good chance the monster you've built up in your imagination isn't as scary as you think. He's just a man. A flawed and difficult man, yes… but a man."

Rose looked away. And then she muttered quietly, "Perhaps if he hadn't chased us back down into the bowels of a sinking ship firing a pistol like a maniac, Jack Dawson would have survived."

Pazy sounded tired, "I get that he wronged you. Some lines were absolutely crossed and there's no going back from that. I hear ya. BUT we live in shades of gray… and eventually baggage needs to be ditched."

Rose cringed, "The idea of him knowing me again is like claws in my stomach. Interacting with him actually frightens me. He's not a good person, Pazy. These flaws were totally unbearable. I wanted to KILL myself rather than stay trapped under his thumb. The idea of him looking at me with recognition is alarming!"

When Pazy said nothing, she continued: "I don't want him knowing a thing about me… judging my path… hating me… You have no idea."

"Facing your demons. That's what this process is all about. Conquering your fears and facing your past are the only way outta here."

Rose looked back at hour glass… the seconds ticked away in sand…

oooooooo

Rose and Pazy sat on a park bench silently watching a memory of a very young Rose taking a stroll with her mother.

She didn't remember this day. Apparently she was seven. The memory seemed incredibly uneventful. Rose was growing distracted, sensing their appointment must be nearing an end. Which, of course, meant facing Cal again…

"Let's get a bit closer." Pazy noticed her losing focus.

"But-"

"Just be careful." That wasn't much reassurance.

"Mind him. He's careless." Cal's offhanded warning now came back to her.

This memory process was actually quite stressful. Carelessness could result in being observed, something that was greatly frowned upon as it could influence events. This was likely where the ghost concept came from – seeing souls with unfinished business poking around. It was a chilling thought. What the living failed to realize was that spirits were often from the future, not the past.

Pazy silently motioned for Rose to get closer.

"Look how tightly she's squeezing my hand." Rose whispered, frowning. "Heaven forbid I run off or do something embarrassing."

"Well, it benefited you not to embarrass yourself as well." Pazy pointed out quietly. "She didn't create the system you lived in. She was just trying to operate within it and she expected you to do the same. It's easier to go with the flow than to swim against the current."

"She didn't need to be such a cold, unkind witch to those she felt were inferior." Rose muttered.

"Ya. I'm not a fan of her gaze. I hate the way she looks at people she doesn't like." Pazy confided, as though he wasn't supposed to comment.

"It's like those beneath her are insects!" Rose agreed, raising her voice.

"SHHH…" Pazy put his fingers over her lips, trying not to smirk.

Rose looked apologetic.

After a moment Pazy sighed, "But hey – after all we've seen it's safe to say she loved you. As witch-like as she could be… she loved you in her own way…"

Rose still looked unimpressed.

Pazy frowned, "I'm sure in her mind families are supposed to stick together and work as a team to move forward successfully. It was mutually beneficial for you to make all the right impressions in society. It was mutually beneficial for you to marry the 'proper' man and lead the 'proper' life. I realize you have trouble understanding her perspective, but it wasn't 100 percent selfish. There was selfishness in the mix, for sure, but there was some concern for you in there as well."

"Mutually beneficial? I was absolutely miserable and she didn't care."

"Who is denying that? She was absolutely trying to control you and mold you. There was selfishness in some of these actions, for sure. But there was also concern for your well being sometimes too, you know. She's not the first stubborn, controlling parent to think they know what's best."

Rose said nothing. Pazy had made all these points before.

"Think of how her parents would have raised her. I liken it to brainwashing. Anyway – I suspect her parents instilled a sense of duty in her, duty to the family. Parents raise the child and then the child turns around and ensures its parents are provided for in their old age. So in her mind, she probably felt it was your duty to marry well to protect the two of you from poverty."

And then he added sympathetically, "I'm sure the idea of poverty would have been very frightening to an older woman who'd never known any kind of hardship ever before."

"I'm sure it had more to do with pride and humiliation than anything…" Rose sighed. "She didn't NEED to live in such luxury. Or care what others thought so much. I could have married a man of lower stature whom I actually LIKED and we would have survived, damn it."

Pazy just listened here, not needing a comeback just yet...

Rose snorted quietly, "Understanding what the average person goes through on a daily basis might have been good for her! She needed a reality check. To this day the sound of her cold voice complaining about the lower class makes my flesh crawl. It's hard to sympathize."

Pazy smirked, "Oh, I hear ya. Class division played a huge part in Roman life. It was extremely complex, though – there were six types of property owning classes alone. Ugh, but I digress."

"It's like these people have a disdain for humanity or something." Rose made a face. "It was unbearable to be a part of. I desperately needed to get away."

Pazy frowned, "The patricians drove me up the wall, honey. Their world view was so impossibly different from my own. They could never relate to what I was going through. Or what a slave went through… But everyone's got their own perspective. They perceive things in a way others don't always understand or agree with. Everyone is the way they are for a reason."

"You make it sound like an excuse." Rose muttered.

"No. I'm not trying to excuse anything… I'm trying to explain…"

Rose studied him a moment, "Did you want to join the army?"

Pazy smiled, "Well, I was naturally athletic… We trained with armour and equipment four times the weight and I could—"

"That's not what I asked."

Pazy gave a very striking frown – "I wouldn't have signed my life away to the army if I'd been born into a more privileged class. No."

After an awkward pause, Pazy cleared his throat. "There you go again with the personal questions, changing the subject. The bottom line is – your mother was indoctrinated into a very specific worldview. She had a perspective. Everyone's the way they are for a reason."

Rose sighed, "That's NOT an excuse. Axe murders have a perspective!"

Pazy fought the urge to laugh aloud. "As an objective third party I'm just trying to talk through this with you so that you understand and accept and let go. You'll never agree… you just need to come to terms with it…"

"You can't pretend to know my mother."

"Fair enough. All the same – people are complex. It's not black and white."

Suddenly, the living Ruth shuddered visibly and looked around. An unexplained quiver had just run through her.

Pazy swatted reflexively at Rose to back up. "Too close!"

oooooooo

They were soon in her father's study. Pazy was leaning against the old desk, looking through her papers. Confusion was etched in his pleasant features.

"You know… I'm thinking something went wrong back there…" He muttered quietly as he was reading. "I guess we shouldn't have talked over that last scene. The conversation was important."

Rose refrained from rolling her eyes. ERR… Pazy…

"I guess we'll have to watch it again next time. Coz we're pretty much out of time now."

As Pazy continued to read, the mirror beside Rose caught her eye. She glanced at it and realized she could see her reflection for the first time since she died. There were no reflective surfaces at all in purgatory.

Yet her reflection didn't look right. Something was wrong with it!

Slowly approaching the mirror Rose realized she was having trouble processing what she was seeing. She could vaguely see her reflection coming forward, but there something strange about the experience.

And then it dawned upon her – how did she even HAVE a reflection?

She motioned to the mirror in dazed confusion. "Pazy, look…" She sounded sleepy… far away…

"DAMN IT." Pazy pulled her away sharply. "Completely forgot about that. Major memory rule – Stay away from any mirrors. You have a reflection and the living will see it."

Rose blinked, slow to snap out of her daze.

Pazy squeezed her arm. "Did you catch that? Do not under any circumstances cast a reflection. The living can see it. It is even worse than touching someone. It gives you away instantly without fail."

"But… I didn't look right." Rose was confused. "What was happening?"

"You were catching a glimpse of your soul. Our appearances right now are just an illusion to aide comprehension. Your reflection, on the other hand, communicates your true self. Naturally it's gonna look strange to you. Your mind can't even properly process what it really looks like. So don't try to. You shouldn't have seen that."

"So that's why there are no reflective surfaces in purgatory?"

"Exactly. You can only find them amongst the living. So stay away."

Annoyed – "Any other fundamentals you've forgotten to tell me?"

"Oh probably. I've clearly brought my A-Game." Pazy snorted sarcastically.

A-Game? Rose didn't understand some of the casual expressions Pazy used. He interacted with trillions of people and had picked up some quirky sayings. Most of the time she got the gist and didn't bother to ask.

They appeared in Pazy's office now and he sat down to fill out her papers.

She scrutinized him now as he quickly went through the pages. She saw exactly what Cal meant now. Pazy obviously didn't have a head for filling out forms!

How frustrating. Vespasian, despite his likeability, was highly unorganized and hardly professional. He'd even forgotten to tell her about the bracelet that signaled her appointments! He kept forgetting important things and he was poor at paperwork. He kept making mistakes. He'd screwed up that last Ruth scene, he'd let her look in a mirror… His sessions weren't always very productive. It was discouraging!

What else was going to go wrong? Would she ever cross over?

But she didn't have the heart to say anything. She liked him a lot. He was extremely pleasant. In fact, he was the only decent company here at all! She knew he was trying his best and that he was enslaved.

And what good would commenting really do? It had been made clear that there were no switches. Pazy was her caseworker no matter what. She was just going to have to tolerate his ways.

Besides, she'd heard in the halls that most caseworkers were much harsher than Pazy ever was. They hurried through cases. Some were downright ruthless in their attempts to speed up the process. That was surely much more painful than Pazy's annoying mistakes. It would take her longer to get out of here… but at least he wasn't intimidating or cruel… He wasn't cold and bitter like all the other workers.

Pazy looked over the papers one more time. "I'll make sure I fill out every freaking SYLLABLE correctly, honey." He promised quietly. "Let's not give your ex an excuse to talk to you."

Her ex. She didn't say anything. She felt nervousness coming on.

He handed her the papers: "Everyone's got flaws. Even your caseworker. That must be the message of this place. We're all extremely flawed, so let's forgive each other, let go and be at peace."

oooooooo

Rose put off going to the administrative area again. She had been nervous and thought a walk might mentally prepare her for the awkwardness that was coming.

The hallways were rarely the same around here. She was always finding new passages. The doors were almost always closed.

Finally she happened upon a door that was open a crack.

It read – FORBIDDEN.

That was intimidating. If it hadn't already been open a crack she'd have likely moved on. However, the door was already open… and she could see into the room…

She didn't see anything unusual at first. It didn't seem dangerous.

So she nudged the door a little further with her foot.

The room was extremely long and went on as far as the eye could see. Its dimensions were clearly not plausible and yet here it was. There was endless shelving filled with small items.

One side of the room was entirely random with items of every type and description. A teddy bear. A set of keys. A credit card. A watch. Just extremely random items. Each item was relatively small, things that could be held in one's hand.

The other side of the room was all mirrors. Millions of them. They were all relatively small. Many could be tucked away in a purse or pocket.

What was this room? Where had these items come from? What was their significance?

As she went to step forward –

SLAM!

A zombie-like janitor pulled the door shut violently. "Forbidden!" He barked.

"I'm sorry. It was open and I…"

"Forbidden!" He repeated, moving away with his mop and bucket.

"Why are those items in there?" She frowned. "Where did they come from?"

"Confiscated." He muttered, moving away steadily.

"From who? I don't understand." She stepped forward.

He clearly had no intention of answering. She watched him roll away slowly.

oooooooo

Rose sat in a waiting room… She couldn't delay much longer…

She soon recognized the middle aged man from Pazy's caseload. He had spoken freely with her earlier so she decided to try questioning him.

"Do you find Pazy makes a lot of mistakes?" She asked quietly.

The man snorted and shot her a look that said – YES.

"It confuses me. He's a lovely person… but… being a caseworker seems a privileged job and he's fairly careless."

A woman unexpectedly interjected – "Pazy's a soft touch. He's got the people skills necessary for certain cases."

"Certain cases?" The man snorted again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Cases that need a soft touch." Rose said quietly, understanding.

oooooooo

Rose was waiting in line, watching people get their papers processed. It struck her how much Cal would resent having to serve people, working away like some lower class office drone. Did he think he was in Hell? Did he understand why this had happened to him?

Then again, he'd been here a long time now and likely understood how things worked. Perhaps he'd resigned himself to his fate?

She wasn't about to ask him! No, she'd just have to silence her curiosity.

He rarely spoke or made eye contact with anyone. This was a relief. She watched him apprehensively… waiting for her turn…

A teenaged girl was sitting before him, twirling her hair around her finger and chomping loudly on a wad of gum. She was glancing all around the room, observing other people with a critic's eye.

Cal finished with her papers. As he handed them over he said bluntly, "Here you are. Now I'll take whatever you're concealing, please."

The girl froze. "Pardon?"

"The contraband." Cal repeated tiredly, extending a hand.

"I don't know what you mean." Her voice suddenly sounded strained.

Sighing jadedly, hand still extended, Cal said: "I'm not an idiot. Don't make me call security…"

There was a full moment of silence between them. Their eyes were locked. She seemed to be trying to read him and make up her mind.

"I won't report you." He said quietly. "A security guard won't be so kind."

She produced a small mirror from under her denim jacket.

Cal set it on his desk and promptly dialed his phone. The girl took her papers and hurried away awkwardly.

Rose sat down before him, drawing on her skill as a professional actress to feign a calm disinterest. Caledon distractedly signaled her that he would be a moment. And she looked away, praying not to be recognized.

"…Yes, I've confiscated a mirror… Yes… 124… No… No…"

And then he was irritated. "NO. There was no chance to identify her."

So he'd been truthful in his promise not to report the girl.

"Yes, yes. I'll tuck it away until they arrive." He still sounded vexed.

She could hear mumbling on the phone. It sounded like he was getting a lecture – probably for not identifying the culprit. Cal's eyes indicated he was not listening at all. He clearly still had no tolerance for being talked down to. None whatsoever.

His dark eyes wandered to the mirror and rested there a moment, obviously catching his reflection. And then he flinched in discomfort and instantly slammed the mirror away in his bottom drawer.

What had he seen?

"Yes, yes, FINE." He said irritably and hung up whilst the speaker was in mid-sentence. He was already agitated and whatever he saw in the mirror had made it all the worse.

Rose wondered about what he'd seen – something dark and horrible, probably – but she hadn't been foolish enough to lean forward and try to see for herself.

"My apologies." He took Rose's papers, not even looking at her.

He went through her forms quickly and thankfully Pazy hadn't made any more mistakes. There was nothing for him to comment on.

No. She'd spoken too soon…

He looked skeptical – "An extremely uneventful session. I've hardly anything to record."

She said absolutely nothing. Her pulse raced.

"Vespasian. Typical. Absentminded and overly chatty. You'll take three times longer to cross over, mark my words." Cal was tired, but he still with that brisk confidence of his, as though he hadn't changed since 1912.

He handed her new forms for next session and barely looked at her. "Next."

oooooooo

Rose entered Pazy's office and was immediately offered a pop, which she again declined. She was never hungry or thirsty in death. Such options were now just for the experience itself it seemed.

Pazy sniffed the canned drink and made a face. "Gut rot. Not appealing."

Rose remembered Cal's words, "Shall we get down to business?"

"How are you feeling? Steel tycoon give you any trouble?"

"He sincerely doesn't recognize me."

"Told you. Those paper pushers are soulless. He's barely there anymore, I bet."

"He could be playing me." Rose frowned. "He was an amazing liar."

"Frighteningly cunning." Pazy agreed. "But no worries. I've notified my supervisor of the weirdness and an eye is being kept on your file. If he's up to something he's not going to get away with it."

"He might surprise you." Rose swallowed. "He has a knack for creating opportunities."

"PSSH…" Pazy was dismissive. "If he recognized you he'd probably be just as uncomfortable as you are. He'd probably play dumb to avoid really awkward exchanges with you."

"Whatever the case, things are functional right now." Rose muttered.

"Good. Just keep a low profile with him and it'll stay that way."

"He confiscated a mirror from a girl." Rose had been curious over the episode and hoped Pazy could shed some light on it for her. Though she would likely just get scolded for asking questions again.

"Did he pocket it? Paper pushers are notorious for that kinda crap." Pazy muttered bitterly. "They have all kinds of awesome stuff stashed in their desk drawers. They need to increase the number of inspections."

"No. He called someone and reported it."

"HM." Pazy wrinkled his nose. "Diligent and honest. Unexpected from a pistol firing, artist framing, child snatching, wife smacking jackass."

Rose interrupted, "He didn't even report her. He pretended—"

Pazy covered his ears. "AH. Don't tell me that. La-la-la!"

"What?" Rose was taken aback.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that part." Pazy uncovered his ears. "All smugglers are to be reported. Smuggling is a serious offense and you are not to look the other way under any circumstances. As tempting as it may be."

One of her lovely eyebrows arched skeptically, "You were all ears when you thought he'd pocketed the mirror. You have rather selective hearing."

"Let's just say I sympathize with a guy willing to look the other way. It's quite the risk on his part. The punishment is unpleasant. Not that I know anything about THAT. I mean, coz I would NEVER look the other way. I'm a heartless by-the-book type, you know…" He said sarcastically.

"Where does the contraband come from? And why is it such a big deal?"

"Oh, Rosey…" Pazy frowned. "You and your questions. You know better!"

"When I was walking down the hall I saw this room – the door was open, I did nothing wrong..."

"Here we go." Pazy covered his eyes.

"... Inside were all sorts of confiscated items. Mostly mirrors."

"Remember when I said not to spend time trying to figure this place out? That it was absolutely unnecessary to your progress and would only lead to trouble? Remember that?"

Rose smiled sheepishly. She knew Pazy now.

"Oy-yoy-yoy… Now listen… I'm going to explain this. But only to keep you from seeking out any more trouble. You seem to be a real wildfire, honey, and I suspect a few answers will simmer you down a notch. But you've got to promise me you're not going to peek into any more rooms that are clearly labeled FORBIDDEN. Ok?"

Rose nodded.

"OK. The items come from the memories. Sometimes when a caseworker's not looking… well, souls steal stuff from the scene. Small things they can easily pocket. Sentimental things… or things they crave… Mirrors are the most coveted of all items. Small, handheld mirrors. The reasoning there should be fairly obvious."

Rose wasn't sure. She knew mirrors showed one's soul in true form.

Pazy saw her doubt so he explained, "Being able to see souls is a powerful ability. And highly addictive."

"So that girl stole a small mirror from one of her memories and was trying to conceal it, but Cal caught her."

"She might have a record. If so her file would have been flagged. Most of those half dead drones wouldn't care, but a diligent guy like that would have noticed the warning and been watching her."

"I don't know if her file was flagged or not." Rose admitted. "Maybe she didn't hide the mirror well. Or seemed suspicious."

"Meh. Who cares? I need to stop giving you insider info. Coz if your file is ever flagged now—"

"You have SO much faith in me." She smirked sarcastically.

"Well, seriously – sneaking into forbidden rooms. I've got a feeling you're going to be a real handful!"

oooooooo

The line was longer than usual today. This time around she actually paid attention to all the paperwork being processed, whereas before she'd simply zoned out most of the time. She watched souls interact with Cal, bracing herself for her turn again.

He rarely had to say 'Next'… He rarely spoke at all… He was just working. It was strange to see him looking so disheveled and rundown. Yet somehow he looked much better than he ever had as a stuffy aristocrat.

An extremely beautiful woman was waiting impatiently for him to finish her papers. She had her arms crossed and her loveliness was marred by a particularly sour expression on her face.

Finally, she couldn't hold her tongue any longer.

"Can't you go any faster? You were MUCH faster for the last guy."

"Your file is a mess. I need a moment." Cal was indifferent.

"You look like you're on your last legs." She shot back unkindly.

Cal didn't even bother to look up. "Appearance is irrelevant now. It holds absolutely no power."

She didn't like his tone. "Irrelevant now?"

"An illusion beyond control that is of no consequence. You think you're ravishing, but your body is long gone. Turns out the soul is all that actually matters." He said coldly, still not looking at her.

"I was Miss Rhode Island!" She exclaimed indignantly.

"You could do with a good glance in a mirror." He replied indifferently.

"Are you implying…?"

"Next." He interrupted bluntly, handing over her papers.

A few more people were processed; very few words were spoken all the while. Rose continued to watch.

And then another young woman sat down.

There was silence at first while Cal scribbled through papers…

And then Rose flinched in discomfort as she saw something truly unexpected! The girl placed a hand on Cal's knee!

Cal removed it nonchalantly. "I've told you several times now – I'm not pulling any files for you. I haven't the time or the inclination."

"Oh come on…" The girl's hand slipped towards his zipper. "I'm sure it's been an eternity…"

"Your advances at NOT appreciated." Cal was losing his temper. He forcefully removed her hand and gave her a very dark glare.

The girl bit her lip and her eyes filled with tears. "Oh please! I just want to know if my brother survived. I was driving! This accident was all my fault! I'll bring you a cigar. I know you like them. I'll bring you anything you want. Name any favor! Just please help me!"

Cal's anger slowly diffused, "Your circumstances are lamentable, but I've made myself perfectly clear. It's entirely against the rules and an abuse of my position – for which there are serious consequences."

And she burst into loud sobs, covering her face.

It was subtle, but Cal was uncomfortable for a moment. Rose was surprised she could still read him so well. He was making that face. The one he made when a woman was crying and he didn't know how to properly comfort her. She knew that face well.

"Get a hold of yourself." He said quietly. He was trying to sound kind, but he was failing miserably. Rose knew he would find such a public outburst to be embarrassing and pathetic.

The girl started bawling loudly now.

Cal was blinking rapidly now… trying to compose himself… Oh wow, it had been decades but his body language hadn't changed a bit.

He whispered in frustration, "For Heavens sake, I haven't even looked up my own family!"

Rose frowned uncomfortably. Cal was definitely still Cal. He had no idea how to treat women! He was only going to make things worse.

Strangely though, no one in the office was paying the scene any attention. Such things were common place. There were so many people talking and crying and doing their own work, the miserable little drama went unnoted.

Cal decided to finish with her papers, allowing her time to cry herself out. This turned out to be the best course of action as she gradually wound herself down again.

He handed new forms over in an emotionless, businesslike manner.

The girl sniffled, looking down. Not leaving right away.

Cal glanced at her with uncertainty. He didn't call the next person.

As she rose to leave, he unexpectedly caught her by the wrist. "Your accident is irrelevant now. There's no blame or guilt here. Things that seemed to really matter… they don't matter anymore…"

The girl nodded tearfully and pulled away. Cal watched for a second and then took the next fellow's papers absently.

Rose blinked. No guilt? No blame? Nothing matters anymore? Did Cal actually believe that? That would suggest he didn't feel the horrendous wrongs he committed in his life were of any consequence!

"It's clear what her unfinished business was, eh?" The man behind Rose nudged her. Rose turned to him and feigned a polite smile. For all the staff blathered on about manners – there were tons of gossipy, bored spirits kicking around these rooms.

Finally, the elderly woman in front of Rose was up.

"Is this the right place?" She asked Cal slowly, clearly confused.

Cal took her papers and checked. "Yes, yes. Take a seat."

"You looked exhausted, young man." She frowned. "You're clearly overworked." And then she politely asked: "Have you been here long?"

Cal glanced up at her. He didn't have the heart to be dismissive or unkind.

"A very long time, madam." He answered truthfully.

"They should promote you. You're clearly burning the candle at both ends. But don't you worry. I'm going to put in a VERY good word for you with the manager."

"Thank you." Cal smiled tiredly at this and didn't bother to correct her.

This surprised Rose. She thought he would have felt patronized by such comments. But then she remembered Cal had repeatedly shown a soft spot for grandmotherly types. Moreover, it must have been nice to be appreciated. Most people were silent or gave him trouble. Such flattering attention must have been rare.

"Here you are, madam." He handed over her papers. "Eighth door on the left. Good day."

"Good day to you." She said graciously. And as she was leaving, she turned back and squeezed his hand, adding quietly – "And you get a good night's sleep tonight. You really need it."

Cal nodded and watched her go.

The paper pusher at the next desk, on the phone, pulled the receiver away from his mouth and whispered over – "They have NO idea. My God, I'd give anything for one minute of sleep. One freaking minute."

Cal blatantly ignored his coworker. He took Rose's papers without comment. She had silently sat down and was hoping to get through quickly and quietly without a word.

The other man continued loudly, "Rest in peace, my ass. I jumped off that bridge to go to a better place. Who knew, eh?"

Rose felt a pang of annoyance suddenly.

The coffee girl poured the man a fresh cup. "If I knew then what I know now…" She muttered, flashing the boys her visibly sliced wrists.

Cal ignored both of them entirely. In elite circles he'd always needed to pretend he was friendly, but here he didn't bother. It didn't matter.

The other man sipped his hot coffee and smirked. "With only the illusion of coffee to keep us going, eh? I'd kill for a nap. And a cigarette."

Rose, one to never hold back her opinion, suddenly piped up. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself and she instantly regretted interjecting. Damn it.

"It could be worse. You could be in Hell." She said simply.

She hadn't intended to be rude. She'd just meant to point out that it could be much worse and they should look on the bright side. The man's comments had been rubbing her the wrong way. His tone was obnoxious.

Unfortunately, the grumbling paper pusher looked absolutely shocked. He nearly chocked on his coffee.

"Excuse me?" He managed to cough out, smacking his chest. Coffee dripped from his mouth down on his paperwork.

"Charming." Cal disdainfully passed over a small box of tissue.

Rose felt her face warming. She didn't know what to say now. This was one of the rare occasions where she wished she didn't always speak her mind so freely.

The other man managed to choke out in angry disbelief: "Where do you come off judging my experience, lady?"

Rose caught a subtle expression on Cal's part that indicated this fellow complained regularly and was an annoyance.

The other man continued furiously – "How dare you say a damn thing! You get to cross over!"

Cal closed Rose's folder with a loud snap. He turned to his coworker coldly: "There are worse fates than ours, I assure you. When I pulled the trigger I expected to burn."

And then he dismissively handed Rose fresh forms. "Next."

oooooooo

Rose woke from a long nap. She had been having the most unusual dream.

She turned to the lady beside her and said, "The dreams here are so intense and meaningful. It never occurred to me spirits would dream."

"Sleeping is encouraged." The woman answered. "Dreaming is extremely significant here and helps with one's process."

"I don't like sleeping where workers can see me." Rose admitted quietly. "They must despise us."

The other lady shrugged with indifference. "They made their choice. It's not our fault."

Rose wandered around for a few hours. She eventually entered a room where people were making thousands of photocopies. Paper was flying everywhere like a whirlwind.

She noticed a nice little space behind a large photocopier where she could sleep out of sight. It was so hectic no one even noticed her cross the room and curl up there in darkness. Leaning against the warm machine, she fell asleep almost immediately.

She was wandering down another hallway. They all looked they same, yet her dream mind understood this was a significant hallway she'd walked down before.

She suddenly predicted seeing the open door. The forbidden room.

And she happened upon it, as though she'd willed it to be there.

Glancing around for any witnesses, she quickly stepped inside. She was desperately curious and she wanted to touch things. She hadn't touched real objects since her death.

She decided to stay away from the mirrors. They had a haunted quality to them in this dream. They were creepy. Instead, she focused on the random items – packs of cigarettes, sun glasses… wow, there were tons of books and that made perfect sense! Spirits would crave reading material during their long waits.

Yet she couldn't enjoy the room. She sensed this was going to be a bad dream… it was just a matter of when and how…

And then she felt arms slip around her waist and warm breath on her neck.

Terrified and violated, she tore herself away and spun around panicked.

Sure enough, Cal was in the room glaring at her darkly.

"What's the matter, sweetpea?" He asked venomously. "Aren't you glad to see me? Had you hoped on encountering someone else in the afterlife?"

Rose's eyes immediately shot to the door. Could she make a run for it?

As Cal stepped forward, she saw his reflection growing in the millions of mirrors behind him like a mosaic. Dark and stormy, the smoky black image started small in the bottom corner… it grew slowly and menacingly… larger and larger until it filled all the mirrors.

The monster was like a terrifying DRAGON… eyes burning red…

Panicking, Rose made a mad dash for the door. She told herself she was going to make it and she did. She flew down the hallway at top speed. Yet she knew Cal wasn't gone. Her dream mind knew he was right behind her and that if she slowed an instant he was grab her violently…

There was no doubt in her mind he intended to kill her.

And then she knew she would be caught. And it happened.

She felt sharp claws snatch her and hurt her. She screamed in terror.

"What are you doing in here?" He roared at her.

"What are you doing in here?" A bald man was shaking Rose impatiently.

Rose slammed awake from her dream painfully. She burst away from the stranger with great violence, sending him sprawling backwards. He hit the ground with a loud crash.

She ran from the room at top speed. She couldn't stop. She was terrified.

In her panic she soon struck a wall and was knocked off her feet.

That was enough. She immediately began to cry.

The places the claws had struck still hurt. It had been the most intense nightmare of her entire life. It had seemed absolutely real. She ached from the imaginary claws…

Waking up had actually been painful.

Panting, tears flowing down her face, she tried to calm herself down…

oooooooo

"Pazy!" Rose slammed into his office. Her face was still red from crying.

"There you are!" Pazy grabbed her. "What the hell were you thinking? My supervisor just took my head off! You told some paper pusher he was lucky not to be burning in Hell?"

Rose was taken aback. She'd never seen Pazy upset before.

"And what were you doing in a printing area?" He continued. "You promised you were going to stop this crap!"

Rose was speechless.

"My bosses are losing it all over me today coz you're outta control! Sneaking into all these off-limits areas, causing drama with the administrative staff, asking too many inappropriate questions…"

"Pazy…" Rose trailed off. She needed to talk to him desperately.

His face broke and he revealed himself to be exhausted and extremely sad.

"Rosey… I adore you… but you're getting me in TROUBLE…" He sounded miserably stressed out.

He closed his eyes and loosened his grip on her. Slowly exhaling, he opened his eyes and really looked into her face for the first time since he'd freaked.

"Have you been crying?" He realized.

Rose's face was still red and her voice sounded wet. "I had the most horrific dream. It was a warning. Cal is plotting."

Pazy studied her face and then pulled away. "Oh boy…" He rubbed his eyes.

After a moment, he muttered: "If he didn't recognize you before he certainly must NOW. You're the talk of administration right now. The guy you insulted reported you, Rose. You've pissed off everyone in his office. And then you were found having the nerve to sleep in a printing room amongst workers. Those paper pushers are gossiping about you like mad."

Rose felt fear drop from her mouth to her tummy. She could still feel claws.

oooooooo

A/N: This is all I have for now… please review if you'd like me to bother continuing someday… Thanks!