A little over a week went by and the skies brightened up again into a nice summer, lots of greens and golden sun. It should have been a pleasant day, should have, but Alison's cousin was late. The Medium should have arrived at noon but it had started to near two-thirty and the living residents of the house had started to grow concerned while the dead ones grew increasingly nervous. In truth they had no reason to be nervous but this girl had been talking to ghosts all her life, what if she knew more of the afterlife than they did?

"I think they're here." Called Mike from downstairs and the ghosts all followed Alison down to the front door.

A knock sounded and Alison turned to glare at them. "Be nice to her! And can you all go stand on the stairs or something rather than crowding her as soon as she gets through the door?"

Only a little reluctantly they obeyed and shuffled up the stairs, the Captain politely waited for everyone to pass before he followed them up a few steps. Alison took a breath and glanced up at Mike for some reassurance; if her cousin couldn't see the spectres in Button House then she really was mad.

"Ready?" Asked Mike with a calming smile.

Alison nodded. "Yeah."

Together they threw open the doors and a young woman with jet black hair and a rather tall man stepped inside with their cases. Alison quickly took her cousin into her arms for a hug, they'd not seen one another since Alison's wedding but were always chatting on Facebook.

"We were starting to get worried about you."

"We're sorry, Ally." Said the taller girl in an American accent. "Our flight got delayed and then this dumbass got us lost." She told her cousin as she gestured to the man beside her. "The signal around here is awful."

"Well, no harm done, you're here now. Mike, would you take the cases up to the room please."

Mike nodded. "Sure."

The black man couldn't see the ghosts so he walked straight through them... again; none of them were particularly happy about it.

Alison beamed at her cousin. "It's so good to see you." She looked up at the tall man. "And em, I take it you're Matthew."

"That's me, Matthew Olsen." There was a Southern twang to his accent but that went ignored. "You're Alison, right?"

Alison shook the offered hand and nodded.

Fanny grumbled as she looked at the young woman, certainly no more than twenty-five, as though she physically offended her.

"I told you, didn't I. Hardly a scrap of clothing on the thing."

The ghosts – particularly Julian – raked their eyes over Alison's American cousin. She had long raven hair that hung in loose waves around her face and porcelain skin; her clothing wasn't exactly conservative but it wasn't overly revealing either. She wore a short a-line faux leather skirt and sleeveless white top that displayed her cleavage without being excessive. If any of the outfit was risqué it was her shoes, platform Oxford style stilettos.

"Be nice, Fanny." Kitty insisted as she continued to grin at the newcomer but Lady Button was having none of it.

"Oh, she probably can't even see us." Fanny scoffed.

Emerald green eyes flicked up to the mass of ghosts assembled on the stairs then and she took a few steps forwards to better see them.

"On the contrary I can see and hear you perfectly." Fanny's face instantly flooded with shock. "I was just saying hi to my cousin first is all."

Kitty, Julian and Pat rushed down the stairs followed slightly more slowly by the Captain, Mary and Robin; Fanny stayed put.

"It's very nice to meet you." Began Pat as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "I'm Pat."

"It's nice to meet you too, Pat."

Alison cut in then. "You can actually see them?"

"Yes, clear as day." Alison let out a huge sigh of relief while Matthew just watched on as if calculating something. "I asked Alison not to tell me anything about you so my interpretation of you wasn't bias. Would you mind telling me all your names? I'm Halston, Halston Renner."

Kitty jumped straight in with a dazzling smile and a need to make friends.

"Hello, I'm Kitty, I do hope we can be friends." Before Halston could open her mouth Kitty was speaking again. "You already know Pat but there's Mary, Robin, Julian, Fanny, Thomas and the Captain." The dark-skinned flamboyant woman pointed at them all in turn. "Humphrey is around here somewhere as well."

"A pleasure." The raven-haired beauty flashed them a stunning smile but it faded to confusion when she noticed the former MP. "Why aren't you wearing pants?"

"There was an... incident before his death." Thomas explained.

"I was hoping to give you the tour."

"That would be lovely, Pat, but maybe later yeah? I'm a bit jet-lagged and I'd really like to catch up with Ally."

The scout master looked a little deflated but he could understand the girl wanting to settle in. Alison looped her arm with her cousin.

"Hals, I was thinking we could get Chinese food for dinner like when we were younger."

Halston nodded. "Sounds good to me. I take it you still can't cook." She chuckled.

"Yeah, not so much."

With that Alison led Halston away while Matthew followed behind. The ghosts all watched them go with Julian paying particular attention to the American's ass. The former MP spun around to his fellow deceased.

"I take back everything I said about Americans, that girl is bloody gorgeous. Damn, I wish I was alive."

"She has a boyfriend, Julian." Informed Pat. "A pretty tall one too."

"Yes, with arms." The Captain muttered to himself so quietly they couldn't quite figure out what he'd said.

"Alison is alive but it doesn't stop Thomas." Julian shot back.

"Hey!"

Clearly Pat's version of calming the situation wasn't working so the Captain hopped in.

"Alright, leave the poor girl alone. Halston is certainly not what we were expecting but here she is and will be for a few weeks. I don't know why we need to make such a fuss over a pretty girl."

"Did you see her chest?"

"Not appropriate, Julian." The army Captain sighed. "Now, let's not harass her, she'll be leaving soon enough. Off you all go, find something to do while Alison and Halston reacquaint themselves."

Fanny grumbled. "What sort of a name is Halston for a girl anyway? Did her parents want a boy?"

"Oh, I rather like it." Smiled Kitty.

"It's different. Everyones was calleds Mary whens I was alives."

Thomas rested his head in his hand. "You do know that none of those words were plurals, right?"

"Disband, troops. Off with you." The Captain ordered and everyone hopped to it.

~X~

Later that day the Captain found himself walking down the halls only to round a corner and walk right through the young American. Both gasped which caused the Captain to spin around thinking she was hurt.

"Are you alright?" He asked and Halston nodded.

"Yeah, flyboy, I'm okay. It's just I don't like passing through ghosts because I get a sort of jolt from your energy. I can feel and channel spirit energy."

He squinted. "That's sort of how it feels for me as well, and I'm army not RAF. What are you doing here?"

"Hmm? Oh, I had to dodge your short friend in the glasses. Pat?" The ghost nodded. "His tour was becoming a little OTT."

"OTT?" The Captain enquired.

"Over the top." She explained with a soft smile that showed off her bright green eyes.

The Captain straightened his uniform as understanding washed over him. He'd not seen much of this Halston Renner since she'd arrived about two or three hours previous, hadn't really tried in all honesty but he could already see that she wasn't anything like Fanny had assumed. This girl was polite and friendly enough, yes she liked to show off her legs but that wasn't really any cause to dislike her.

"Yes, Pat can get that way now and again."

Halston's head tilted to the side ever so slightly. "What are you doing up here all alone? The others were all together downstairs."

"Well, I do live here and I like to walk the halls every now and again. Keep an eye on things."

The raven-haired beauty smiled pleasantly; no one's eyes had any right to be that bold a green.

"I should have expected you to be a man of action, Cap."

"It's what I do." The ghost answered as though it were simple. "Besides, Alison turned off my tanks."

That got the American to perk up. "Tanks? You're a bit of a documentary buff then. If you want you can use my laptop. I'll hook it up to the wifi and sit it somewhere for you."

The Captain hadn't expected that. This young woman didn't know him, didn't have to exist in the same house as him and yet there she was offering kindness without wanting anything in return; even Alison grumbled when putting shows on for him.

The ghost actually smiled, this girl really wasn't so bad after all.

"Thank you, that would be very kind, Miss Renner."

The girl breathed out a laugh. "Halston is fine." He nodded in understanding. "I'm guessing you have a room or something. Somewhere that is just yours, that living people don't go into."

"Well, the builders arrived and privacy went down the pan. They're gone now though." He cleared his throat, something that was entirely unnecessary. "Em, my room is at the end of the hall."

He pointed down the hall back the way he'd come from and Halston glanced over her shoulder a moment before flashing him a smile once more.

"So we're right next to each other. Great. I'll go get my laptop and bring it through to you."

With that the American turned and clicked her heels down the hallway and into her room while the Captain just watched. A series of documentaries to watch without Julian or someone else interrupting him did sound wonderful.

The Captain passed through the wall into his bedroom and went to look out the large windows while he waited for Halston to gather her things. It was nice to have someone living that could see him and didn't automatically freak out. This American girl had actually just had a conversation with him, as though he were a perfectly normal and alive man, and the Captain hadn't known how much that would mean to him.

His dark brown eyes glanced out the window, the sun had started to set leaving the grounds looking almost sleepy and the birds had hushed as they prepared for the night. Suddenly movement caught his attention and he looked down to see Mike and the tall, strapping yank as they chatted and wandered through the garden. The pair each held a bottle – undoubtedly beer – and seemed to be getting on well.

"Would make a perfect soldier." The ghost muttered to himself completely unaware he'd spoken.

A knock sounded then and jolted the military man out of his thoughts and he spun around just in time to see Halston push the door open and poke her head in. She'd put an oversized, off-white cardigan on since she'd left his sight and had her laptop cuddled to her impressive chest.

"Hi, can I come in?" She asked in that lyrical American accent of hers.

"Of course." He nodded and gestured to the bed.

Halston beamed as she fully entered the out of time room and set her laptop down on the covers. He watched her as she typed, times really had changed; had he ever been in a room with a woman – who was not his wife – in such a short skirt, it would have been completely improper.

"Why do you wear those shoes? Surely they're uncomfortable and totally impractical." There wasn't any hostility in his tone just a curious question.

Halston glanced up at him a moment. "Why do you wear that uniform?"

The Captain's brow furrowed. "It's who I am. I'm a British Captain. That and I died in this."

"Exactly, it's who you are. And besides, my shoes are cute."

The American Medium went back to typing a moment and then suddenly rose to her full height - which was still a half head shorter than him dispite his heels - and placed her hands on her hips.

"Everything alright?" He enquired.

"Uh-huh. Do you have any favourites or shall I just surprise you, Cap?"

He'd not really paid attention to what any of the names of what Alison had found him were, he'd just watched as though it were Christmas and his Birthday all rolled into one. The moustached man shrugged.

"... Surprise me?"

Halston nodded. "Sure thing."

The typing started up again for a moment and then she pushed her laptop down the bed and patted the covers invitingly.

"You're all set. It's a season so when one finishes the next one will start for you."

That sounded like heaven to the Captain and he found himself smiling. He made his way over to the bed and sat down just as Halston pulled open the bedroom door once again; the door to the room she and Matthew were sharing slammed shut. The Captain's head snapped up towards Halston who had frozen in the doorway and after a moment she looked over to him.

"Could I maybe stay here and watch with you, Cap?"

The ghost nodded. "Of course."

There was something not quite right with this girl and her boyfriend but he didn't want to pry into things that had nothing to do with him. Halston shut the door softly and rounded the somewhat dusty bed so she could lay down beside him, she paused a moment to slip off her shoes and the Captain forced his attention back to the screen as a series of tanks rolled down streets.

Time went by and they got through two of the half-hour episodes before Halston spoke again. Her voice caught the ghost off guard but he certainly didn't jump.

"May I ask what year you died, Cap?"

When he looked up he found Halston already had her dazzling green eyes on him.

"Em, it was nineteen-forty-three."

"That's just cruel, so close to the end of the war."

The Captain raked a hand over his mouth. "A lot of good men died between when I did and the end of the war, and all their deaths were cruel and unfair. It didn't matter where one was stationed whether it be England or France or anywhere else, it didn't even matter what country they came from, war didn't change. It was hell everywhere."

"You're a very brave man, Captain." That actually came as a surprise to the moustached man. "I don't know if I'd have been able to go through what you did. I know Churchill said 'if you find yourself going through hell keep going' but having the strength to actually stand up and do it is rare."

His brow furrowed ever so slightly. "You speak with the dead, that is brave."

Halston breathed out a laugh. "That's just talking, and it's not like you're an angry poltergeist intent on throwing me down the stairs or hurling a rock at me."

Oh, he liked this girl. She was a perfect breath of fresh air in the otherwise stuffy Button House. He'd always been very set in his ways but with Halston – despite having known her for such a short amount of time – he felt as though he could actually relax around her; her aura was very soothing.

Suddenly a deep voice yelled out Halston's name and heavy feet stomped down the hall then back, the name sounded again as a few doors opened and the American Medium sighed. She sat herself up and reached for her shoes so she could slip them back on. Just then the Captain's bedroom door swung open and the tall American stepped inside.

"There you are, Haly." Said Matthew. "I've been calling you. Alison says the Chinese food is here but she couldn't find you."

"I asked her just to let me walk around and get a feel for the place, you know, chat with some of the not so alive residents without an audience."

He glanced at the laptop seemingly having ignored everything Halston has said. "What the fuck are you doing?"

He crashed down onto the bed and went straight through the Captain who gasped his shock and discomfort.

"No! Get up! Get up!" She cried as she attempted to push him off the bed.

"What the hell?"

"You're sitting through the Captain."

Finally Matthew raised to his full height that was beyond six-foot and the moustached man calmed down.

"I'm okay." He told the Medium. "I just really hate when that happens."

"I'm sorry, Cap, he can't see you."

"Are you watching TV with a ghost right now, Haly?" Matthew seemed confused and just a little bit amused.

"I wa-"

Matthew cut her off. "Come on, it's time for dinner."

The living male pulled Halston across the bed – through the Captain – and up onto her feet beside him before she could even speak.

"Are you alright, Halston?" The Captain asked.

Matthew didn't seem to be hurting her or show any violence but he did seem rather... dominant for the ghost's liking, and after how sweet and kind Halston had been to him the Captain wanted to make sure she was safe; in his mind that was no way to treat a lady.

"I'm fine, thanks Cap." She flashed him that stunning smile. "You just keep watching, I'll come and get my laptop tomorrow so I can charge it."

"I can carry on watching?" He'd just automatically assumed she'd take it with her.

"Yeah, go for it."

Halston followed her boyfriend out into the hallway after that the door banged shut behind them leaving the Captain alone. He turned back to the screen. Matthew may have been a perfect poster boy for an American GI but after the little display he wasn't so sure about the man. Maybe he was reading too much into it all, Halston and Matthew had only just arrived a couple of house earlier and, depending on where she'd come from exactly, America to England was a long flight. Perhaps this was one of those consensual rough things Julian had sometimes talked about ad nauseam.

Still, the Americans were off to dinner with Alison and Mike and he had a whole evening of shows to watch and the Captain was determined to enjoy it.