"If you don't believe, you better get superstitious."
From the movie, Hocus Pocus
"Jesus fucking Christ Rena! You could have stopped her!" Brian barked into the phone.
The nurse at the station looked up from her desk and scowled at Brian.
Brian challenged her with a quirked brow. The nurse huffed indignantly before swiveling her chair around, and away from him.
Satisfied he quelled the nosy bitch's eavesdropping; Brian turned his back to her.
"And how was I supposed to do that? Knock her over the head and lock her in the cellar?" Rena shouted back.
"You didn't have to offer her the jet! I don't want her seeing Jag right now!" Brian retorted.
"Calm the fuck down Bean! If I hadn't she would have found another way to get there. You're not going to keep her from her brother. Those two have been through hell and back together. No one, not even you, is going to stop her from seeing him, especially now that he's in trouble. YOU of all people should understand this! What if it were me? Or Mikey? You would move mountains to get to us if we needed you. Well, guess what big brother, Jagger needs his sister right now!" Rena said.
Brian sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, while his other hand held his cell phone tight against his ear. He hated to admit it, but Rena was right. He should have known once Lizzy found out Jagger was ill, she'd run to his side.
"Bean?"
"Yeah, I'm still here. I just wish you would have called me first," he said, his anger a bit deflated now.
"Yeah well I'm calling you now. You can expect her in about six hours. In the meantime, how are you doing?" Rena asked.
"Me? Fucking fabulous!" Brian bit out caustically.
"My son however is lying in a hospital bed wondering what the fuck is wrong with him! The tests have started coming back, all clean. Which you would think would be good news, but not in this case. We can't fix what we don't know is broken."
"Has he had any more episodes?" Rena asked.
"Thank God no. Not since last night. It's nearly eight p.m., and he's been good all day. He's up, eating and coherent. Still doesn't remember a fucking thing about the attack…" Brian paused to take in a deep calming breath before continuing.
"I don't know Re….. Maybe what happened was just a freak occurrence. Maybe it won't happen again." Brian mused hopefully.
Rena sighed into the phone. This was one of those times she hated being a psychiatrist. One who's had vast experience dealing with psychosis. Jagger exhibited a classic psychotic episode. They were usually not isolated incidences.
"Well the good news is that it's been a while since his last episode. Long periods of lucidity between episodes is a good sign." Rena said, opting not to tell her brother that it was almost a certainty that Jagger would have another episode.
Brian barked a bitter laugh into the phone.
"Nice try. What you're basically saying is it's only a matter of time," he said.
"I'm sorry Bean, but I believe that's the case. Giles is a good doctor, but you need a psychiatrist. One who has experience with this kind of thing. I know all the best in the field. I'll make a few phone calls." Rena said.
"You are the best Rena. You're a world renowned shrink who's had more papers published than I've got notches on my bed post for fuck sakes! You need to come here and treat Jagger." Brian said.
"You actually put notches on your bed post?" Rena asked.
Brian cursed.
"I'm speaking metaphorically! Besides, if I had, Justin would have burned the bed,…but you're evading the point here. I want you to be Jaggers' doc." Brian said.
"No. I told you I can't. It's not medically ethical to have one family member treat another. You'll just have to trust me on this. I'll consult, but I won't treat." Rena stated firmly.
"Great. Fucking bail on the kid over some ethical shit I could give a fuck about! You're his aunt. No one is going to care about him like you do!" Brian argued.
"That's precisely why I can't treat him! My emotions would cloud my medical judgment! Bean you've got to be reasonable about this! You're not thinking clearly, where's Justin?" Rena asked.
Brian made a face and snorted into the phone.
Why was it that everyone in his family thought that between the two of them, Justin was the more 'rational' one in their relationship?
Well, maybe it's because Justin doesn't have out of body experiences in the middle of the night like you do, The small voice in Brian's head taunted.
"He's with Jagger. And stop treating me like an irreverent child. My thinking is just fine. Re…." Brian hesitated; he didn't know how to explain to his sister why he needed her, and not a stranger, to treat Jagger.
"What's going on Bean?" Rena asked sensing there was more to the situation then Brian was admitting to.
"Re, I think something 'unnatural' might be happening to Jagger." Brian admitted.
"Unnatural how?" Rena asked.
"Unnatural as in this shit doesn't happen to normal people. I think what's happening to Jagger is more metaphysical than physical." Brian said.
Rena mulled Brian's words over in her head.
"Bean…are you sure you're not confusing your own past experience, with what's happening to Jagger?" She asked cautiously.
It had been two years since their departed brother Andy had broken through the other side into their world. And though she, Brian and Justin were all witness to it, only Brian had followed suit and broken through to the other side. Twice. The first time he unconsciously left his body and sought his brother's spirit out. The second time his soul was yanked from his body.
Brian told her that Jagger didn't seem like himself when he had the episode. That it was like he was in another reality. Considering Brian's past experience with things outer worldly, she could see why he might jump to that conclusion. It was a much easier pill to swallow then the alternative.
"I don't know, I'm just saying it's possible. I can't explain it, but something is happening, something I don't think any conventional medicine is going to able to fix." Brian said.
"Bean, I know it's more comforting to think that Jagger is caught up in some paranormal phenomena then face the very real possibility that he is suffering from clinical psychosis. But he has all the classic symptoms of psychosis. I doubt very much there's any supernatural entities involved here, only psychological ones." Rena tried to argue her case.
What happened to Brian was a very rare, unique occurrence. And it happened for a reason. There was no reason to believe Jaggers condition could be attributed to anything other then clinical mental illness.
"Bean…the curse is broken, Andy is at peace. What happened to you was an anomaly. Jagger is not you, nor is his situation, what yours was. There's no reason for Jagger to be experiencing what he is that couldn't be explained with a medical diagnosis." Rena added.
Brian snorted derisively into the phone.
"Well then Sis, care to give to me your medical diagnosis on why all of a sudden I'm having outer-body experiences again? Am I also suffering from psychosis? Or am I just plain fucking crazy this time?" Brian bit out caustically into the phone.
Rena gasped on the other end.
"What's happened Brian! Is it Andy?" Rena asked frantically.
Brian cursed under his breath. He had upset her. Rena only used his given name when scared, or extremely worried.
"No, it's not Andy. I had a dream, only I don't think it was a dream. But it wasn't like my experience when I met Andy or Elliot either. I wasn't in 'that place'. I was in another place….and time." Brian tried to explain and soothe his sisters' anxieties at the same time.
"Wait, are you positive it wasn't just a dream? Did you eat anything unusual or take any drugs? You know our minds can…"
"No." Brian broke into Rena's sentence.
"I went to bed fine. No weird foods or drugs. For Christ sakes Re I haven't had anything stronger then the occasionally shot of Beam or hit off of a joint in ages!" Brian affirmed in an exasperated tone.
"Re, listen to me…are you listening?" Brian said, wanting to make sure he had his sisters' full attention.
Rena huffed on the other end. She hated when her brother did that.
"Yes, I'm listening!" She answered petulantly.
Brian ignored her tone.
"I've had outer-body experiences before, you know this. Two to be exact. I KNOW the difference. This was definitely not a dream. At the time I thought it was an isolated random incidence. Like I accidently slipped out of my body for a moment. I'm sure it's easier now that I have experience with the phenomena. I was ready to dismiss the whole incident as a fluke, but then when Jagger slipped from 'his reality', he said some things that sounded way too familiar. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you…I KNOW that look he had in his eyes. It was like his soul was lost, or trapped, between two worlds. I just can't believe it's a coincidence that around the same time I was having an outer body experience Jagger lost his grip on reality. There has to be a connection." Brian said.
There was a long moment of silence on the other end.
"Have you told Justin?" Rena asked.
Brian sighed in relief. At least his sister didn't rebuff his beliefs out of hand; then again, considering the fact that she witnessed first hand the ghost of her brother inhabiting another's body, his hypothesis of what was happening to him and Jagger wasn't that much of a stretch.
"Of course I told Justin," he answered.
"What does he think?" Rena asked.
Brian smiled over the phone. He was surprised his sister would even ask that question. She most of all knew that if Brian believed something so strongly, Justin would believe it as well. And just as fervently. His boy never doubted him. Brian's reality was Justin's reality, even if that reality was sometimes crazy.
"He thinks we need to consult a Medium." Brian answered.
He and Justin were up half the night going over Brian's 'dream'. Justin made him recount every detail. He told Justin that he believed he had actually, through some cosmic means, traveled back into time, and into his old (or more accurately, his younger) body. He didn't know how he got there, or why he was there. He was confused and scared and all he could think about was getting back to his 'current reality'. Hence his last thoughts before he work up. The same thoughts Jagger spoke out loud when he was in the midst of his 'episode'.
Justin thought it very plausible. He believed Brian inherited his ancestor Alexander, and his brother Andy's gifts. They were both highly psychic. Alexander was reported to be a great warlock. His skills were strong enough to cast a curse on their family that lasted several generations. Justin believed Brian was intuitively psychic.
There was a time when Brian would have scoffed at such a notion; of course that was before he started consorting with Angels and Demons. If Brian did inherit psychic abilities from his ancestors', he wasn't aware of them. And he sure as hell didn't want them!
"Hmm...I think a Para-physicist is more of what you need." Rena asked.
"A Para what the fuck!" Brian asked.
"Hey, the rest of the tests just came back." Justin's voice came from behind him.
Brian spun around quickly with a start. He hadn't heard him approach.
"Jesus Christ you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Justin rolled his eyes.
"Don't be so dramatic. Who are you on the phone with?" He asked as he took a hold of Brian's arm and led him away from the nurse's station. From the reproachful look on her face, she must have gotten an earful of Brian's conversation.
"Rena. What did they show?" Brian asked.
"All clean." Justin said shaking his head in disappointment.
Brian cursed.
"Giles wants to run more tests, and call in a psychiatrist. He said Rena was the best in the field and wanted to know if she'll be taking Jaggers' case." Justin said.
Brian scowled and handed his cell to him.
"Here, you talk to her. I told her we need her here, but she refuses to treat Jagger. You try to talk some fucking sense into her! I told her everything." Brian said.
Justin took the phone from Brian
"Hey Re. How are the kids?" Justin asked.
They had brought the kids to Rena and Johns before they took off. Their new Nanny, Rosario, was visiting her mother. Fran had gotten married six months ago and was still on her honeymoon. She lucked out and married a very successful plastic surgeon. It was truly a match made in silicone heaven. He and Brian paid for the wedding, Emmett planned it, and the whole family was gifted with free plastic surgery for the rest of their lives. Needless to say Emmett and Brian loved Fran's new husband.
"They're great Justin. AJ loves having them here and James and Emmett showed up the minute you guys left. Apparently they didn't think I could handle my own son, the twins, baby Elliot, and your mother-in without their help. The kids I can handle just fine by the way, it's your mother-in-law who's a handful!" Rena said.
"Yeah, well sorry about that Re. Joan usually is a big help, but she's had a rough winter. She's been doing too much since Fran left. She doesn't trust the new Nanny yet. It's taken a toll on her health and she tires easily these days. She resents that she doesn't have the strength she use to and she's taking it out on everyone. It doesn't help that this is Johnny's first year away at college. He was her last link to Claire now that Peter set up his medical practice in L.A. She misses them a lot. I'm glad Emmett is there. He knows how to handle her." Justin said.
"Justin, it's ok, really. I was just teasing. I know how rough it's been for Joan lately. She's really no trouble at all. Now tell me what's going on with Jagger." Rena changed the subject. She was sorry she made the comment about Joan. She knew how protective Justin was of her.
"They can't find what's causing his attacks. All the tests have come back negative. Giles wants to call in a psychiatrist. He wanted to know if you'd take the case." Justin said.
"I explained to Bean that I don't think that's a good idea. And from the tone of your voice, I think you agree with me. Am I right?" Rena asked.
Justin stole a look at his partner. Brian was listening and staring at him intensely.
"It's not that I don't think it's a good idea, I just don't think it's what Jagger needs. This is a situation that requires a different approach. We need someone who has experience in paranormal phenomena's. Like a Medium or Psychic." Justin said.
Brian shot Justin a disapproving look. Though he agreed they needed someone experienced in paranormal activities, he wanted his sister there too. Just in case they were wrong and he and Jagger were both losing their fucking minds.
"Has Bean tried to contact Andy?" Rena asked in an almost whisper.
Justin frowned over the phone. Rena sounded wistful. She never got the 'goodbye' from her brother that Brian was granted. But then again, she didn't need it as badly as Brian did. She wasn't the one who took their brothers life. Still, she missed Andy terribly.
"Yes, we both have, with no success. We're going to have to deal with this one on our own." Justin said.
Once they concluded that the incidents Brian and Jagger were experiencing were of a spiritual nature, they had tried to contact both Andy, and Elliot. But where as they were both spirits before, they were now both Angels. And Angels, according to Elliot, were not allowed contact with humans. Even so, Elliot was notorious for not following the rules and they hoped he would answer their calls. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
Rena sighed disappointedly.
"Barring getting help from the other side, we have no other choice then to go with the next best thing, and as luck would have it, there is a Para-physicist working at the Institute of Metapsychics in Paris. Doctor Gregg Howes. Trust me, if there is anyone on this earth that knows about paranormal activities, it's him. He's a bit odd. But then again I suppose you'd have to be in that field. Anyway, once you get past his idiosyncrasies, you'll find he's a genius." Rena said.
"What exactly is a Para-physicist?" Justin asked.
"A Para-physicist investigates paranormal phenomena's. Dr. Howes specializes in parapsychology. He studies people who are gifted with psychic abilities, or have had paranormal experiences such as poltergeist manifestations, mental and physical mediumship and out of body experiences. He uses scientific methods to conduct his research. He trained for years with Tibetan Monks on how to induce out of body excursions. He's the real thing Jus. He's not some card reader." Rena explained.
Justin shot Brian a wide eyed look.
"What?" Brian asked.
"Rena says there is a guy right here in Paris that has first hand experience with out of body experiences. He's a doctor of paranormal activities. She thinks he can help us." Justin said eagerly, and hopefully.
"Great, will he take Jaggers case?" Brian asked.
Justin relayed the question to Rena.
"Yeah, I think he will. I'll call him. We were….well…acquainted some years ago…"Rena said shyly.
Justin laughed.
"Why Rena, are you trying to tell me you fucked the ghost doctor?" Justin teased.
Brian huffed.
"Why am I not surprised? She always was a bit of a slut in her youth," he said sarcastically.
"Hey I heard that!" Rena screeched over the phone.
"Tell him I'm not the one with notches on my bed post!" Rena added spitefully.
Justin shot Brian a look.
"You actually put notches on your bed post?" He asked.
Brian held his hands up. "I was speaking metaphorically!" Brian tried to explain.
Justin glared at him.
"Hmmm….It wouldn't surprise me if you did. But in either case, you shouldn't be calling your sister a slut. Not only is it mean and rude, it's hypocritical coming from you. The king of sluts!" Justin said.
Brian feigned a hurtful look.
"Oh, so it's ok to call me a slut?" He asked in a totally fabricated wounded voice.
Justin shrugged his shoulders.
"If the condom fits…and Lord knows you've been through enough of them in your time." Justin teased.
"Keep talking like that Sunshine and we'll be taking a trip to the drug store to stock up on condoms. And not just for nostalgic reasons." Brian threatened.
They'd been fucking raw for awhile now. Neither wanted to go back to tricking and using condoms again. Not that either ruled it out totally. They were still young, and open to the possibility of tricking together again in the future, but for now, they were perfectly happy just enjoying each other fully, without the latex barrier. There was nothing like the sensation of Justin's ass squeezing down on his pulsating cock as he pounded inside of him. The mere thought of it was giving him a hard on.
Justin spied his growing 'interest' and smiled wickedly.
"Some how I don't think we'll be making that trip," he said slyly.
Brian made a face at him.
"Brat," he said.
Justin laughed.
"Um…hello, sister-in-law still on the phone here." Rena said.
Justin shifted the cell to his other ear.
"Sorry about that Re. Your brother was just being an Ass, as usual. So you'll call him?" He asked getting back to the business at hand.
"Yes. I'll dig his number up and give him ring." Rena said.
"Thanks Rena, you have no idea how much this means. I have a feeling this guy is going to be a big help." Justin said.
"It's the least I could do. If you want Justin, I'll come there. You know, to smooth the introductions. Like I said, Howes can be a bit shocking to some people." Rena offered.
"I live with your brother Rena. No one is more shocking then him. We'll be fine, but thanks for the offer." Justin said.
"Ok, but if you have any trouble, I got the jet you know. I can take off at a moments notice." Rena said.
"Thanks Re. We'll call you and keep you updated. In the meantime, let us know what the ghost doctor says." Justin said.
Rena laughed.
"I think you'll have more success with Howes if you don't call him the ghost doctor. Well, not to his face anyway." Rena said.
"Noted." Justin said smiling into the phone.
"Give the kids a hug and kiss from us. We'll talk to you soon." Justin said.
"Will do. Love to both you guys. Bye." Rena said.
Justin said goodbye then disconnected the call.
He turned to Brian.
"You think we're doing the right thing in calling this guy in?" Brian asked.
Justin smiled impishly at him. Tried as he might, he couldn't resist.
"In a situation like this, who ya gonna call?" He said a wide grin on his face.
Brian groaned.
"Don't say it…" He warned the same time Justin said in a 'sing song voice.'
"Ghostbuster!"
PART 2
Brian and Justin watched Corrine leave the room to get some coffee with concerned eyes. Giles told them earlier that her test results came back positive. Corrine was pregnant. She made her farther promise not to tell anyone. She didn't want to put any stress on Jagger. They were more concerned however about the stress she was feeling over Jaggers' condition.
"Ok you two, what's up?" Jagger broke through their thoughts.
They both jumped around guilty and looked at him.
"Other than you being in the Looney bin? Not much." Brian said.
Justin slapped his arm.
Jagger laughed. At the moment, he needed his dad making jokes like that. It made what was happening to him seem more 'normal', if that was the right word to use. Though he was sure it wasn't.
Brian walked over and sat on the edge of his sons' bed.
"Jagger, Justin and I want to bring a specialist in to take over your case." Brian said.
Jagger frowned.
"You mean a shrink, don't you?" Jagger asked.
Brian stole a glance at Justin. This was the part that was going to be very hard to explain. Jagger was going to think they'd gone crazy too. And rightly so.
Only Brian, Justin, Rena and Emmett knew about Andy's possession of Jason's body two years ago. Everyone else in the family believed Jason was suffering from a head injury that altered his personality at the time. It was the story Emmett concocted to explain Jason's 'weird' behavior. The truth was beyond their comprehension. Unless you had first hand experience with the supernatural, you couldn't understand, much less believe their existence.
"No. Not a shrink, a Para-physicist" Brian said opting to just jump right into it.
Jagger narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"What the fuck is a Para-physicist?" He asked.
"Jagger, your Dad and I believe what you're experiencing is the result of a paranormal phenomena." Justin said, following Brian's lead and just jumping in.
Jagger tilted his head. It wasn't like Justin to joke about something like that. Especially when he was lying in a hospital bed thinking he's losing his fucking mind! His Dad might, but not DJ.
"You're joking, right?" He asked, just to be sure.
Justin approached the bed.
"No, we're not joking. I know it's hard to believe, but you have to trust us on this. We feel very strongly about this." Justin said.
Jagger sat up in bed.
"Wait a minute. What the fuck are you guys talking about! Paranormal as in what? I'm possessed? You think I'm fucking possessed by some evil spirit or some shit!" Jagger asked, clearly agitated.
Brian cursed.
"If you were possessed, you would know it. Believe me. We would know it. I know this is hard to accept, but just hear us out. There are things that have happened in our family that you don't know about. Things Justin and I withheld from you kids to protect you." Brian said.
This caught Jaggers' interest.
"What things?" He asked.
Brian proceeded to tell Jagger about their family history. He spoke of Alexander, and Andy and their 'gifts'. He told him all about the curse, and its origin and how he and Justin were able to finally break it two years ago, the last time they were in France. He then told Jagger about their communications with his dead brother Andy, and other spirits.
Jagger listened with apt interest. It was so preposterous; it had to be true he thought. Truth is stranger than fiction after all.
"Jesus…I can't fucking believe this! I've always known our family was special, but wow. Warlocks? Visions? I'm surprised you or DJ didn't inherit any psychic powers." Jagger said.
"Actually Jagger, your Dad has." Justin said.
Brian winched. He hated thinking he had, but if having outer body experiences was a psychic ability, then he guess he had.
Jaggers' eyes widened.
"No shit! What can you do Dad? I mean besides talk to the dead. Predict the future? Read people's minds? Cast spells?" Jagger asked a little too enthusiastically.
"No, mostly just talk to the dead. Though, sometimes when I do, I'm not in my body. I've left my body twice. Once to meet my brother on the other side, the second time my soul was yanked from my body by a spirit who wanted to talk to me. Each time I wasn't in 'this' reality. I was in another place." Brian said.
Jagger whistled low in his throat.
"Jesus Dad you're freaking me out! But what does this have to do with my attacks?" Jagger asked.
"The night you had your attack, I believe I had another out of body excursion. I think the two are connected somehow." Brian said.
Jagger made a face.
"Why the fuck would you think that?" Jagger asked.
"Jag, try to think. The last episode you had, do you remember any of it? I mean right before it hit you, what did you feel, what were you thinking?" Brian asked.
Jagger put his tongue in his cheek, a mannerism he inherited from Brian, and pondered his Dads' question.
"I remember feeling like I was…slipping," he said thoughtfully.
"Slipping or leaving?" Brian asked.
"Now that you mention it, yeah, like I was leaving, or more like…I was being pulled away," he said.
Brian cast Justin a concerned look. Who would want to pull Jagger from his body? He wondered.
"Jagger, I think for some reason, your spirit got caught in a space-time continuum. That's why you felt like you were being pulled from you're body, only you didn't quite make it to where ever it was you were being pulled to. Instead, you got trapped between one plain of existence and another." Brian tried to explain.
"Ok, that's just too fucking Twilight Zone for me! What would make you think that!" He asked.
"Because I left my body around the same time you left yours that first time. When you attacked that man. It's possible I was psychically connected to you when I was OOB." Brian said.
"OOB?" Jagger asked.
"Out of body." Brian replied.
"Ok, I'll play along. Maybe there is a connection. But what about the second time I lost it? When you were here? Assuming you were here and that wasn't just a figment of my imagination."
"I was here." Brian said.
"Ok, well that time I 'slipped' with out you. It wasn't a joint venture. If your theory is right, wouldn't you have to be OOB too?" Jagger asked.
"Not necessarily. Once the spirit knows how to leave, it can randomly leave on its' own." Brian tried to explain. When he saw the look of utter confusion on his son's face, he tried another tactic.
"Jag, I know this all sounds crazy, but I saw that look in your eyes when you were in the midst of your 'episode'. I recognized that look, and your words. I know that we're asking you to take a big leap of faith here, but look at it this way, the truth is, we don't have any answers right now. All we do know is that around the same time I started experiencing paranormal activities, you had your episode. The one thing we do know is that it's not physical. Your test confirms that. As far as psychological, well that's still a possibility, but I feel strongly about this Jag. I'm asking you to trust me and agree to see a specialist. At the very least, he can rule out paranormal reasons. Then we'll get you a top notch psychiatrist." Brian said.
Jagger looked back and forth between Brian and Justin with a wary expression.
Several minutes passed in silence when Jagger let out a big sigh and threw his hands up in defeat.
"Ok, let's just say for argument sakes, I believe you. That it's possible that I might be experiencing some hocus pocus, "I'm not in Kansas anymore" type of shit and I agree to see a specialist. Assuming all this, tell me, who the fuck would you call?" Jagger asked.
Brian bent his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I swear to God Justin if you…" he started to warn, but was cut of by Justin's enthusiastic answer.
"Ghostbusters!"