Seth woke up at seven. He couldn't wait to get over to Olive Street and start working on the evidence from last nights Wilson case. He just knew it would be some of their best data yet.
"You do know if you wake Adam up, he'll whine, pout and make us miserable. The data isn't going anywhere. Try to get some more sleep." Dean gave a yawn and a stretch of his muscular body.
Seth sighed. "You're right. I love Adam but, when he's bitchy he is miserable. But Dean, I'm too excited to sleep." He pouted and sighed with great drama.
Dean brushed his auburn bangs from his forehead and rolled his eyes. Well, he had to put on good show of being annoyed, didn't he? "Aright Seth. We can fuck if you want to." he gave Seth a sly wink.
Seth growled. "You're so... mean to me. Now do it Dean, please just do it!" And do it they did. So much so, that after, they were totally spent, covered in cum and sweat. They went back to sleep until nearly noon.
When Dean and Seth arrived at the Olive Street house, Bray, Roman, Adam, Chris and Evan were in the basement. They had been working on Evan's training.
"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. Do you want us to come back later?" Seth was being honest. Anxious as he was to analyze the data, he knew Evan's empathic control training was more important.
Bray shook his head. "No, No, Evan could use the break. I've heard about last night. I want to see the data. So go ahead. Evan why don't you take a walk and get some fresh air." He gave Evan a worried glance.
Evan's training had gone well, but he'd gone at it hard and was mentally drained. "I'd like that. I love Seerly Park, but... I'm afraid to go alone. I don't think Brock cares anymore, but... still." He gently fingered the bandage on his forehead.
"You won't be going alone. Come on, I think the ice-cream truck is there. You deserve a double scoop cone!" Chris gave Evan a soft smile as he spoke.
The others grinned at each other as they watched Chris and Evan leave for their walk. Bray rubbed his beard. "Said it before, but those two belong together. They need each other..." He sounded a tad wistful. Chris would always have a bit of his heart, but Luke and Erick owned his heart.
Roman gave his supervisor a pat on the back, he understood. Roman often lent Bray an ear to talk about Chris, Luke and Erick. Bray flashed Roman an appreciative smile.
Seth had started to set up for the data analysis. "I want to do this the normal way. So Roman, you do static cameras, Adam FLIR. Dean and I will do audio and Bray, you get the bear. Remember, just time stamps and hold comments till the switch. Read?" Seth asked as he plugged a head set in for Bray.
"Gee, it's been a long time. I write down the time stamp when I get something right?" Bray asked brow arched. He used to help, when the CHGH had first begun, but that was a while ago.
Seth nodded. "Exactly, and don't comment on anything. Remember, we don't want anyone to matrix anything." He pointed to the clip board in front of Bray.
Wyatt put on his headset and gave a thumbs up. He knew was an honor to have been given this set of data to analyze and he wanted to do it right. It would look foolish if the head of the Department of Paranormal Studies missed a piece of data!
With a few strokes of his fingers over the master computer's keyboard, Seth started the data. Everyone went still and quiet. The concentration level was extreme.
Meanwhile, Chris and Evan had walked the two blocks to the lovely park on Seerly Boulevard. They waved to Shawn who was changing the sign in front of the church.
Every week, Shawn put the topic of the upcoming Sunday's sermon up on the sign. The frame of the sign was set in a large rock. Glass covered the black background, and white plastic letters of various sizes slid into the slats that made up the background. Church and Sunday School times, the sermon title and a Bible verse along with Shawn's name and phone number were on the sign.
Shawn had also planted a beautiful flower garden around the large rock. Tending the garden was his time of meditation. Many sermons had been written while Shawn was among his flowers.
Hunter kept the lawn neat and trimmed. He insisted on doing the work himself. It gave him a chance to relax and forget about the stress of the hospital and his private practice. Their own lawn and the church lawn were considered the most beautiful on College Hill.
Shawn smiled as he slid a "B" into place. He really hoped Chris and Evan would become a couple Yes, there was an age difference, but Evan was very mature for his age and Chris was just an adult "kid". They were perfect for each other. Shawn then concentrated on his task at hand.
"I love this park. A peaceful respite in the middle of the bustle of the Hill and University..." Chris felt stupid, he couldn't think of anything to say. What he really wanted to do was simply kiss Evan.
"Um... yeah.. it is. Looks like we missed the ice cream truck. Well, I didn't need it anyway." Evan laughed and gave his perfectly flat stomach a rub.
Chris chuckled. "Not an ounce of fat on you. I'm the one that doesn't need it." He quipped in return.
The reached a bench on the northern end of the park. It was a beautiful late summer nearly fall day. The cloudless sky looked like a blue crystal. The sun was soft and warm. The ancient oak and elm trees had the first signs of their upcoming change of color.
Evan very tentatively reached over and laid his hand on Chris' thigh. Chris gently laid his hand on top of Evan's. The contact was comforting to both men.
"So, the little girl is alright?" Evan asked about last night. He hoped there would be a time when he could join the College Hill Ghost Hunters.
Chris slightly tightened the pressure of his hand over Evan's and stroked the back of Evan's hand with his thumb. "She will be fine. I'm curious to know if the father's voice will be picked up on the audio..." He looked directly into Evan's beautiful eyes as his voice faded. Sadly, Evan's left eye was still swollen shut.
Under Chris' intent gaze, Evan suddenly felt self conscious about his bruised and battered face. He turned his head away and shielded his face with his free hand.
Chris gently lowered Evan's hand. "Don't, baby. You're beautiful. The bruises will go away. I'm only sorry you had to suffer so. You're too precious to be harmed. I would never hurt you, I hope you know that." He leaned over to whisper in Evan's ear.
Chris' breath was warm against his skin. The words and feeling of them made Evan tremble. Evan felt so safe with Chris. He flushed as he turned his head to look at the older man. "I know that, Chris. I trust you. Maybe I shouldn't trust so much after what happened, but I do..." Evan paused. He couldn't stand it any longer.
"Christopher, kiss me... oh please... just kiss me." Evan's words barely found air, but Chris heard him, as if Evan had shouted at the top of his lungs
Without a word, Chris gently took Evan's face in his hands and pressed his lips to Evan's. They were instantly the most wonderful pair of lips his had ever touched. Chris felt Evan melt against him. The couple turned a bit to get even closer. Chris increased the pressure of the kiss. Evan's hands went to Chris' hips and rested there. He submitted to Chris totally and without fear.
Evan moaned slightly as Chris' tongue asked for entrance with a probing lick. Evan complied and let Chris' tongue invade his mouth. Chris let out his own soft moan as his tongue slid into the warm silkiness of Evan's sweet mouth. Evan's taste became the thing Chris knew he would crave for the rest of his life, in this world and the next.
The couple lost all sense of the world around them. Nothing existed for them except each other. Evan's arms slid around Chris' waist as he was pulled in closer. Chris' arms went around Evan's lithe, trim body. Their bodies fit against each other perfectly, like each had been made just for the other.
As their first kiss broke, Chris and Evan both knew they would never forget this moment, as long as they lived. As their lips reluctantly parted, their foreheads gently pressed together. Chris felt the bandage against his skin, he immediately pulled back. He was afraid he'd hurt the stitched skin.
"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't hurt your stitches did I?" Chris asked with a soft stroke of his hand against Evan's cheek.
Evan smiled and nuzzled into Chris' touch. "No, babe, you didn't. I wouldn't have cared. Oh Chris, that was wonderful, thank you." He flushed, unsure of what to say or do next. He didn't care that Chris was older, he just didn't want to be... childish.
Chris gave a soft growl. "You're mine now. You know that, don't you? I still want to go slow, really get to know you, but you're mine. I could easily fall in love with you, baby." He pulled Evan into a deep embrace, careful to be gentle with the bruised body in his arms.
Evan nodded, the unbruised side of his face scrubbed against Chris' shirt. He wanted to bathe in Chris' comforting scent. "And you belong to me... or.. do you? I mean... I know you and Doctor Wyatt... I won't... stand in the way. I won't share though, Chris, not again. I don't mean to push, but can you understand?" His joy had been replaced by uncertainty. He didn't want another relationship like he had with Brock.
Chris pulled Evan back into his embrace. "I told you, Bray isn't part of this anymore. You have me, if you really want a slightly used, pudgy, forty year old Doctor of Philosophy in History for a... a.. boyfriend." His warm breath ruffled the hairs on top of Evan's head.
Evan giggled. "You're not used and you are not pudgy. Boyfriend... sounds... like high school, but until lover comes along, yes, I want you for a boyfriend. Are... are we keeping it a secret?" he pulled away enough to look his new boyfriend in the eyes.
Chris gave a sigh. "From the group, no. We will have to keep it secret on campus till next semester, that I can't change. I have my tenure, but I don't want to risk either of us being accused of immoral conduct between student and faculty. Heyman is so... pompous... most Universities don't have student-faculty dating rules. Most realize that by college, people are consenting adults. However, there are some that would accuse someone of sleeping with a Professor for grades. Anyway, we'll have the semester to get to know each other, like we talked about. And Evan, I won't push for sex. We aren't anywhere near ready for that. Kissing is fine though, so right now, I'm going to kiss you...again and again." He stopped talking and pulled Evan in for a long, deep kiss.
In the basement of the Olive Street house, the analysis of the Wilson investigation was still on going. Bray was nearly beside himself with excitement. He'd filled two pages with time stamps and was only half way done with the data set.
Adam too, was excited. The FLIR footage, while not the most exciting, was very interesting. He too had made several notes.
No one heard when Heath came down the stairs. He finally managed to call for a break in the session. "Hey guys, I knew you'd be hard at it, so I put a crock pot of soup on this morning. It's ready, if you want to come up and eat. Jason will be home shortly. I'm done working, but he has to go back on duty." Heath went back toward the stairs.
Seth paused the master computer. "Let's go eat. I'm starving." he took off his headset and stood with a huge stretch of his body.
Roman, Adam, Bray, Dean and Seth were half way up the stairs when Chris and Evan came in the back door of the basement.
"Heath has lunch ready, come on up." Adam said over his shoulder. He yelped when Roman smacked his ass to move him on up the stairs, the Islander was hungry and not for Adam, at least not now.
Chris led Evan by the hand upstairs to the Reso's kitchen. The smell of homemade vegetable soup filled the air. Heath was taking a pan of cornbread out of the oven as the group settled around the table. Jason came in and kissed Heath, then exchanged greetings with his friends.
It felt strange without the Helmsleys, Mark and Wade, but they still had to work. They didn't have a weeks vacation after tests. Shawn and Hunter had their regular work, and the week's break of classes gave the guys like Mark and Wade a chance to work without students and faculty under foot.
Wade worked on the maintenance staff as well, but in a different department from Mark. Wade was one of four supervisors in the University motor pool. He helped with keeping all the vehicles used by NIU running safely. Wade's twenty man crew were in charge of any vehicle used by the Athletic Department. Wade worked on everything from the fleet of coaches the teams used, to the machine that laid the white lines on the football and baseball fields.
Jason took off his weapon belt and hung it on the back of his chair, along with his cap. When he was settled in, he said grace. A chorus of "amen" ended the prayer.
Heath dished up bowls of soup and Adam started the plate of cornbread as he took a piece then handed the plate to Roman. Jason was bursting to speak and when he couldn't hold it in any longer, he blurted out his news. He just couldn't help it.
"I had an interesting morning. I was doing my usual patrol, when I saw something very interesting. Um... Chris, Evan so... that was you I saw in the park, kissing like newlyweds wasn't it?" his voice was full of mirth and his eyes sparkled with a laughing gleam.
Heath reached over and smacked Jason up side the head; hard. "William Jason Reso! That was just rude. Honestly, what you consider humorous sometimes. ARGH!" Heath was truly upset and embarrassed by his husband's words.
Jason hung his head. "I'm sorry. I forget, Evan isn't used to my sense of humor. Evan, I didn't mean to embarrass you, or you either, Chris. Forgive me?" He was contrite and kept his head down in shame.
Chris took Evan's hand and kissed it. "Nothing wrong with kissing your boyfriend on a park bench is there? The only thing, until the end of the semester, this has to stay between us. Guess that does mean no more kisses on a park bench." He leaned over and gave Evan a gentle kiss on the lips.
Everyone broke out in congratulations at once. "I'm happy for you both. Chris, you deserve this; to be happy. Evan, you deserve to be safe and appreciated. To the new couple!" Bray raised his glass of iced tea in a toast. The others followed suit. Jason was forgiven.
Lunch was happy as each man privately congratulated Chris and Evan. They managed to avoid discussing the data on purpose. It was so important not to cross contaminate their findings.
The nine men ate the whole crock pot of soup. It made Heath happy to know everyone liked it. They should, his mother Carol, was the Home Economics teacher at Cedar Falls High School, or she was. She had taken a year's sabbatical in order to go on the cruise with Judy.
When lunch was finished, Evan stayed upstairs to help Heath do the dishes. Chris went down to help with the data analysis.
"Evan, I'm sorry about Jason. He is a sweetheart, but sometimes he gets a bit carried away. He really didn't mean to embarrass you, or Chris." Heath expounded as he dried the bowl Evan had just washed.
Evan swished the next bowl in the soapy water and scrubbed it clean. "It's alright, Heath. I know he was just teasing. It's nice to have a close group of friends. I've always wanted brothers. I just hope I am part of the group." He spoke with hesitation and hoped he wasn't being presumptive.
Heath draped an arm over Evan's shoulder. "Of course you're one of us. I'm sorry about the reason you came to us, but I'm glad you're here. How are you? Does it hurt? I can finish up, you should rest." Heath felt Evan's forehead. He thought Evan looked a bit pale.
"I'm alright, it itches more than hurts. Wish I could open my eye. I'll go up and nap when we finish. I'm worn out trying to keep my empathic door locked. It's hard to do constantly." Evan sighed. He was mentally exhausted, all the time he'd been with Chris and then having lunch it has been easier. Now, he could feel the locks trying to break open.
Heath looked at Evan with a firm glare. "Go lay down. I'll tell Chris you're being a bad boy if you don't. Trust me, there will always be dishes to help with. Now, go!" He emphasized the last two words with snaps of the dish towel to Evan's butt.
Evan laughed and gave Heath a big hug. He want up the more narrow stairs that led up from the Reso's kitchen to the second floor. Evan felt like a part of a large family and he loved it. Like Adam, he'd been so lonely growing up because of his "gift".
Evan pulled off his jeans and took off the flannel shirt he wore over his t-shirt. He pulled on his blue cotton pajama bottoms. Bray had gone to Evan's dorm room and packed up his clothes and personal belongings. It was much better and comfortable to have his own clothes.
Evan lowered the blinds to darken the room. As he slipped into the king sized bed, he sighed happily. Everything had happened so fast, but it didn't matter, he had been instantly accepted. Evan tightly secured the locks on his mental, empathic door, and thought back to his first kiss with Chris Jericho; his boyfriend. Evan drifted off into a deep and restful sleep.
Heath quickly finished up the dishes. Before he went downstairs to the basement, he quickly put together a meatloaf he would later bake for supper. Jason loved meat loaf and Heath figured he owed Jason a favorite meal, to make up for being snippy with him at lunch. When he finished, he went down to join the others.
Chris immediately noticed Evan wasn't with Heath. Heath smiled when he saw the worried look on the history professor's face. He leaned over and picked up Chris' pen, and wrote on note.
"He's fine. I sent him up for a nap. He looked tired and a bit pale. He isn't well yet, Chris. He's been through a lot. Let him sleep."
Chris smiled and picked up the pen and wrote a reply. "Thanks, Heath. Don't be too hard on Jay, he didn't mean any harm. Love you guys."
Heath gave a thumbs up and went to tend to some paper work about the trip to Ireland. He was responsible for all their hotel bookings, rental vehicles, passports and getting the proper paperwork done in order to get the carnets they needed for their equipment.
A carnet was required for each piece of their investigation equipment. It all had to do with customs. It proved they owned the goods so they didn't have to pay taxes on it again. It was all stuff Heath was learning about. Putting together an overseas investigation wasn't just getting on a plane.
Heath had also decided he'd better get a ticket for Evan. He was fairly sure the young man would be included on the trip. He also decided not to tell anyone, just in case the flight was full. Heath didn't want to have to disappoint Evan so, until things were set, no one would know.
One lucky thing, they would have the use of a mobile command center, very much like their new one. Seth had been in contact with a friend from college, Sheamus Farrelly. The Irishman was also part of a ghost hunting group.
Sheamus and Seth had worked on the plans for a mobile command center since their college days. Back then, it had all been a dream, now with advances in technology, it was a reality. Sheamus and his group were looking forward to meeting and working with the College Hill Ghost Hunters.
Finally in the late afternoon, the data from the Wilson case had been through its first analysis. Now, Seth worked to play the data again for the group to review, after switching data sets around. Heath had gone back upstairs to fix dinner.
Everyone else took a break. Now they waited for the Helmsley's, along with Mark and Wade to join them. Seth and Dean went to check on The Lunatic Fringe. Bray went home to call his boys. Adam and Roman went up to their apartment and Chris went to check on Evan. They would all meet again downstairs at seven.
Chris quietly entered the second floor guest room. Evan was a small lump in the middle of the big bed. Chris sat on the edge of the bed and gently ran his knuckles over Evan's unbruised cheek. "Hey beautiful, you'd better wake up now. We've been invited to have dinner with Adam and Roman." He leaned over and kissed Evan's cheek.
Evan let out an adorable mewl as he stretched and began to awaken. His eyes fluttered open, his blackened eye tried to open but was still too swollen. Evan smiled when he saw it was Chris.
"Hey, new boyfriend. Wow, I slept hard. Guess I was more exhausted than I realized. What's going on?" Evan yawned and stretched his young, lithe body again.
"We've done the first analysis. At seven, we're all meeting to do the group review and discussion. Adam and Roman have invited us to dinner; burgers, baked beans and potato salad. So get up and get dressed. I'll wait for you outside." Chris whispered softly. He leaned in and kissed Evan's lips softly.
Evan grinned. "Okay. Won't be a minute. It was nice of Doctor Wyatt to bring my clothes this morning. See you shortly." He sat up and gave Chris a kiss. It was nice to finally be able to kiss the handsome man almost any time he wanted, especially after having such a long held in crush on the man.
Everyone had their dinner. Hunter, Shawn, Mark and Wade had joined the group. Everyone was seated in the basement, around the big monitor. Clipboard and pens were at the ready. Seth explained the rules to Evan.
When the teddy bear footage came on the screen it was a sense of déjá vu with the pirate ship footage. Pens rapidly scratched across paper, so much so it sounded like a orchestrated concert.
Seth switched off the computer. "No need for the board, let's just go over everything." He was anxious to hear what they all had to say.
"We actually got Peter talking to Mary! That's incredible! Why oh why can it only be heard on a recorder? He was speaking to her like he was sitting there, alive and well. Why can't we hear him in the room?" Bray was excited about the great audio data. As a scientist he was frustrated, how could they ever prove ghosts were real?
Adam rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Why can I talk to them? Why does Evan pick up on the thoughts of others? Seth, the adjustments were great, a lot less static this time. Play it again, please?" He requested, brow raised. He understood Bray's frustration, Roman often felt the same.
Seth cued up the data to where, through the teddy bear, Peter talked to Mary. He pushed play. At first there was no reaction, the the bears eyes lit up. It was a friendly blue shade of light. Seth had thought red would be too frightening. The bears arms began to wave, and a sweet giggle came from its mouth.
In the video, Mary laughed at the bears antics. Then a distant male voice became audible. "Mary... sweet pea... it's daddy... I'm sorry... left... you... I'm... with... you... now..." The voice became more crisp and clear as the recording went on.
On the screen, Mary clutched the teddy bear in her arms. "Daddy... monster... make it go..." It wasn't exactly clear if she was responding to the ghostly voice or the situation in general, hoping somehow her daddy would come help her.
The ghostly voice continued. "I'll make... the monster... go... away... I... promise..." A faint rainbow aura began to form around the bear. It was like the one that surrounded Adam when he was in communication.
"STOP!" Roman suddenly called out. Seth pushed the pause button on the remote control he held. "Now, split the screen and put up the FLIR at the same time stamp." Roman spoke in an excited tone.
It took Seth a few minutes to do as Roman requested. "Now, back them both up two minutes, hit play and watch." Roman sounded like an excited child on Christmas morning.
Again, Seth did as Roman asked. Roman turned to the group. "Let's see if I'm right. Just watch and draw your own conclusions." The Parapsychologist grinned.
Roman nodded to Seth. Seth pushed the play button on the remote control. On one side of the split screen was Adam, on the bed, in Mary's bedroom, holding the picture of Peter and baby Mary. On the other side of the screen was the video of Mary and the device loaded teddy bear.
The thirteen men watched with nearly jaw dropping awe. The rainbow aura around Adam began to grow brighter. It grew until it extended down his arm and enveloped the picture frame.
As soon as the colored aura was around the picture, it began to pulsate. On the other side of the screen, the teddy bear came to "life". The group of ghost hunters watched as the rainbow aura began to form around the bear.
When the aura began to pulsate around Adam, the aura grew in intensity around the bar. The more energy Adam sent mentally, through the picture, the brighter the rainbow grew around the bear. They also noticed that the aura around the bear pulsated at the same heartbeat like tempo that surrounded Adam.
"PAUSE!" Hunter cried out with excitement. He went flying up the stairs. He'd left his medical bag on the Reso's kitchen table. He grabbed the bag and thundered back down the wooden basement stairs.
Everyone was curious as Hunter handed the tablet style computer to Seth. Hunter grinned as Seth realized what the doctor wanted.
Shawn looked curiously at his husband. Hunter sat back down. "Just wait, babe." He nodded toward the monitor. Seth was hooking the tablet to the main computer.
Again, it took a few minutes, but Seth was finally ready. In a third box on the computer screen, under the screens of Adam and the bear was the data read out that showed the medical information Hunter took on Adam. It too was marked with a time stamp. Seth had cued all three videos to the same time stamp.
Seth once more pressed the play button. It didn't take very long to understand why Hunter had been so anxious to add his collected data to the mix. On the screen, the data showed the rainbow aura pulsated at the same rate as Adam's heartbeat.
The longer the spirit of Peter Wilson "spoke" to his daughter, the more intense the rainbow aura grew. The more energy Adam put forth, the more his breathing and heart rate changed. His breath rate increased while his heartbeat seemed to slow.
Adam was being drained, physically as well as mentally; this proved it. It was something Hunter had long suspected, but until now there had been no proof. This was scientific medical proof that Adam was actually communicating with the other side.
The evidence was so astounding they watched it four times, then a fifth as Seth recorded the section on its own data disc. They finally continued with the rest of the data.
They only thing they picked up from the camera in the large closet were the sounds of the scratching and growling. The camera was unable to pick up anything unusal. It was hoped the camera would pick up the trickster as it made the scratch marks on the door, but sadly it didn't. The marks were there but they were very faint.
On the screen, Mary turned to her mother, the teddy bear was now a silent toy in her arms. She smiled with a sniff. "Mommy, daddy loves us. He's going to keep the monsters away. Monster is gone, daddy said so." She dragged the teddy bear across the floor as she went to her mother, who sat on the couch. Mother and daughter embraced. That was the end of the data analysis.
Evan swiped his open eye, a tear ran down his cheek. Chris put his arm around Evan's shoulder and hugged him close. "I want to do what you do. I want to learn how to use my curse... make it a gift. I want to join the College Hill Ghost Hunters. Will you teach me how to help?" Evan looked at each of the other twelve men in the room. His last gaze landed on Adam, their leader.
"You know we're going to help you. To be honest, I don't know, we've never just let someone join the team. Once in a great while, we let someone come with us on an investigation. You don't get paid, you have to give up a lot, and I mean a lot of free time. We can't tell a potential client they have to wait because we have something more fun to do. You have to be ready to be humiliated by skeptics. You will be teased and laughed at. On investigations you have to be willing to do grunt work. Evan I crawl into nasty places to set a camera. We are nothing like those groups on television or see in the movies. You can never, ever show fear; especially around a client. You have to be willing to believe the strangest stories, you never tell a client they are crazy. It's a hard thing, Evan. To be honest, right now, you are not ready. You must have your empathy under control. It could be dangerous, not only to you, but o the rest of us. Especially if we come up against a demon. We like you, and in a way, you already are one of us. Oh hell, most of us already love you like a little brother... but..." Adam finally paused. He knew he'd thrown a lot at the younger man.
Adam had only spoken the truth. It was a hard job. It would be a group decision or not at all. Could Evan do the job?
Evan shrugged Chris' arm from his shoulder and sat up straight in his chair. As he spoke, he looked each member of the group directly in the eye.
"I would not even consider asking to join you if you charged the clients a fee. To take money from scared, desperate people would be criminal. I do know, right now, I'm not ready. I wouldn't do anything to put any of you in danger. I know I'm no where near ready to face a demon, but I will be. When I am ready, I'll do whatever it takes. I'm no prima donna, I would expect to crawl in mud if the job required it. Just because this happened, doesn't mean I'm a delicate little flower. I don't care about having fun, especially if I know someone is in trouble. Trust me, with all I've been through, I've heard it all, besides, with my empathy, I know when someone is lying. That could come in hands, when dealing with a potential client. Someone that is out to bring the group harm. I've already been laughed at, so that's nothing new. It doesn't bother me any more. I am what I am, I know it, you know it, and that's all that matters. I don't want to be on television or in the movies. I'm just Evan Bourne, who wants to help. I do appreciate that you have all taken me under wing, so quickly. Not many have cared about me over the years. I'd also, if I could, like to permanently rent the room upstairs, get out of the lousy dorm room... away from... well, away. To be safe. Look, I know I'm not much, nor do I have much, but I do offer all I have and all that I am with a willing heart." Evan ended his passionate response. He slumped back against his chair.
There was no more he could say. Evan knew one thing, even if he never became a member of the CHGH, he had made a group of loyal, loving, life long friends.
Bray Wyatt stood. "This is my cue to exit. Roman, I want you to take this and the Island data to the lab on Monday when classes resume. You caught some fantastic evidence and the Doctorate students need to see it. Evan, you're doing good. Tomorrow I want you to rest. I have some business to take care of. Work on keeping the door locked. I'll be back day after tomorrow, so be ready for a hard day of training. Good night, gentlemen. You've all done a fantastic job. Oh, Seth, can Roman take the bear to the lab? I'm sure they will be interested in seeing it." Bray looked at the groups computer whiz.
"Of course. It needs independent inspection so they know it wasn't tampered with." Seth replied openly.
He knew that's what Bray wanted. He knew he wasn't being accused of faking evidence, but he knew others would. To have a science lab verify that the bear wasn't tampered with would be very important.
With hugs and handshakes, Bray left the group. He'd wanted to leave to give the CHGH a chance to talk about Evan. Bray had been asked to be a member when the CHGH started, but he refused. He simply didn't have the time to devote to it. Adam had been telling Evan the truth, it did take utter devotion and as a University Department Head, he simply didn't have the time. Roman barely did, but he managed.
Adam felt like there was now a huge elephant in the room. It would remain until the group talked about inviting Evan to join them. He didn't quite know how to handle it. Evan then unknowingly solved the problem for him.
Evan flushed a bit and excused himself from the room. He went up to the bathroom off his guest room. Chris smiled and couldn't help but notice how cute Evan's ass was as he went up the basement stairs..
"Well, what do we do? Personally, I think once he has his empathic abilities under control, Evan would be an asset to us." Adam asked the question of the entire group.
Dean perked up first. "I liked what he said. For all he's been through, he's a humble kid. Would come in handy during client interviews if he could tell if someone was lying. I say, once you think he's ready, he joins us."
There was a mummer of agreement and shared thoughts that coursed through the group. Shawn spoke next. "I agree. To be honest, it would be good for him. It would be a tremendous boost to his morale to be included in something positive."
Again, a chorus of agreement circled its way through the group. "Besides, if we don't let him in, Chris will never be able to concentrate. Okay... okay. Chris knows I only tease the people I love. Seriously though, for Adam's sake, it would be good to have someone that could share the psychic load, you know how wiped out he gets. With Evan, Adam would have help." Jason went for jovial to serious. It did worry him how drained Adam was after an investigation.
That statement brought out the loudest agreement. They all worried about Adam. Roman and Hunter agreed the most vehemently.
Adam called for an official vote. It was unanimous as soon as Evan had his empathic abilities under control, he would be the twelfth member of the College Hill Ghost Hunters.
When Evan returned, he sat back down next to Chris. He kept his mind locked, but he knew something had happened. Adam looked at Evan with a smile.
"Well, once you have everything trained and under control, you will be a member of the College Hill Ghost Hunters. Congratulations. Now, as for the room, of course you can move in. We have a microwave and a dorm fridge in the attic you can use. Can you manage a hundred dollars a month for rent? It's just to help with the extra utilities." Adam got up and gave Evan a welcoming hug.
Evan was so happy he nearly cried. He held the tears in, but just. "Thank you. I promise, I will do whatever I'm asked. I'll be glad to be able to help Adam as well. It's too much psychic pressure for one person. I promise, I will work hard on my control training. Thank you. And yeah, I alloted triple that amount for the dorm, that's very kind of you. I'll move tomorrow, only have one trunk and a computer." He was so pleased he almost danced in his chair.
"I'll help you. I'm sure your stuff will fit in my car." Chris said with a kiss to Evan's cheek. Everyone smiled at the new couple.
Heath grinned. "Good thing. I just booked the last first class ticket on our flight to Ireland. Sorry Evan, you'll have to sit next to Chris." He gave the opened mouthed Evan a wink.
When Evan was finally able to sleep that night, he drifted of to happy dreams. The happiest thought of all... acceptance. Evan knew he was finally accepted.
