Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they own me. Special thanks to Toby Whithouse and BBC3 for the playground.
Nothing. Not a damn thing. Mike Nave had been through every departmental website he could think of. He had been to the library. Even made a few calls.
Mr. Jon Castle did not exist. Nor did the office he supposedly worked for.
This left Nave furiously curious. The Millar's girl had gotten herself somehow involved in something a whole lot bigger than anyone had thought. He needed to contact Heddlu. But first he would need something more concrete than just his hunches. He needed evidence.
Which was how he had found himself still at Honolulu Heights, hidden at the back of the house and ready to camp the night. He had made a point to check out of the Tadross, just in case Castle was still watching. He left his car well out of the neighborhood and came in on foot. Ensuring no one was in sight, Mike had cautiously dropped over the wall. He set up his equipment in time to catch what sounded like the end of a conversation between Tom and someone. The second voice was male, but too muffled to make out. Hal perhaps. From what he could gather, Alex was there too. Nave was prepared to wait.
Alex appeared at the bottom of the cellar stairs in front of a snoozing Tom with two mugs of kiwi strawberry tea in her hands. He blinked at her sleepily, owlish.
"Want one? It's herbal."
"How was your walk?" He sat up straight and arched his back, stretching. He reached for the mug and cupped it, sniffing. "Gah. Annie liked this stuff."
"Was good to get out... but it made me want to come back. It's just so... mundane out there. Thanks though," she indicated her mug with a raise. "Thought I'd see if Hal wanted something a little stronger than water tonight."
"Guess you can try." He took a sip from the tea. "Before I turn in could you bring down his watch? Think we left it on the mantle." Tom yawned again. "It might help him in there."
Alex smiled and handed him the second tea cup to hold. In a flash she was back, watch in hand.
"Got a bit of a drive tomorrow," he handed the tea back to her.
"Oh?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow, cupping the hot mug.
"Yeah. He's gon'ta let me take the car."
"Ooo fancy. Look at you. Wish I could come. A road trip would be fun."
"No you don't. Remember where I'm going. Sides – you got to stay and keep guard. I think is'all near over, but we still can't have him getting out."
"Right. Of course," Alex agreed. "It was only yesterday after all that Hal had mistaken me for someone he could kill..." Tom stood up and yawned, covering his mouth.
"Hopefully it won't last much longer. Need anything 'fore I head up?" She eyed the unfinished book on the stair next to him and shrugged.
"We'll be alright. G'nite Tom."
She watched him plod up the stairs and then turned to face the door. Belatedly she realized both her hands were full. With only a moment's hesitation, she rent-a-ghosted inside without knocking.
A perfect white spiral spread outwards from the center of the floor. Hal was on his knees and perched at the edge of it. At her appearance he looked up only briefly before continuing to reach forward, carefully picking up the last domino in the spiral.
"That smells like Annie," he said as he placed the domino in the case at his side.
"Thought you might want a step up from water. But I can switch it out if you don't."
He straightened, sitting back on his feet like a monk and regarded her.
"Smells pleasant."
Taking that as an invitation, she walked around the spiral towards him and handed over the mug. He cupped it, appreciating the warmth.
"You don't let them fall," she said it as a statement. He shook his head and looked at the spiral.
"Not when I can help it." He sighed, "Tom tasked me with ten rounds."
"What are you on now."
"Two," and he sat the cup down next to his side, resting his hands on his knees. Looking back up at her, he seemed to be waiting.
"Oh. Well... here you go," and she handed him the watch. "I'll be just outside."
He took it from her, looked at the face and gave her the slightest of nods before leaning forward again.
On the other side of the terrace wall, Mike Nave tried to puzzle through the strange phone conversation he just heard Tom McNair have. If he was talking to Alex, then where was the girl? And did Tom mean he was heading out of town tomorrow? And who was this Annie he mentioned?
Out of all of it there was one thing Mike did gather however.
Tom McNair was keeping someone hostage.
In the wee hours before dawn, he knocked lightly on the metal door. Alex sat up, not sure if she had heard him. She had been lost in her thoughts, which was as close as ghosts seemed to be able to get to sleeping.
"Alex?"
"Yeah. I'm here," she got up and stepped next to the door.
"I have finished."
She didn't quite know what to say to that. Congratulate him? Or maybe he was bored... she sure was. "You need something else to do then?"
"I realised mid-way through. If I could manage ten rounds… then in turn it may be time to brave proper food."
"Oh… Proper like a four course meal, or proper like tea time?"
He gave a slight laugh, "there should be some broth in the pantry. That's proper enough for now."
"Sure Hal, alright. You want anything else?" She was a little wary of leaving, but knew she would most likely hear him if he tried anything.
"Just water, please. Thank you."
God. He was so damn polite when he wasn't stark raving.
"Coming right up."
She returned laden, rent-a-ghosting in with one plate balanced on her arm and holding three mugs. She was surprised to see Hal stretched out on his back. He sat up fluidly at her entrance and then seeing her armful, stood to take some of it from her.
"Jesus – is Tom joining us?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Naw. Mug o'broth, cuppa hot water and a toast in case you wanted it. Other mug is for me."
"Oh… thanks," he sniffed the mug of broth and winced.
"You don't actually fancy food, do you?"
He gave her a sad smile but shook his head. He sat back down and leaned against the wall. She placed the hot water down and sat opposite with boots crossed.
"I never did tell Pearl. That woman lived to cook," he hazarded a sip of his broth. "At least Leo enjoyed it," he scowled at the broth, but swallowed. "I suspected he knew, but he never said."
"Does it help though? With the cravings?"
He drank a little more of the broth. "Not really."
Alex picked up her tea mug and peered into it. "Well that sucks. Why do you even bother?"
"Because given enough time, the blood would eventually win. Pearl's insistence on family dinner may be one of the reasons I lasted this long."
"Ye Gawds. I hope you don't expect that from me. M'brothers complained constantly over my cooking. Too healthy. Not enough pizza."
Hal gave her a half smile at that but replied softly, "I don't expect anything from you." He wrapped his fingers around the mug. "I'm in your debt, remember?" He looked into his broth before setting it down in exchange for the plate, which he placed neatly on his lap. He eyed the toast dubiously before adding, "Besides. Despite appearances I actually do know how cook." He tore the bread in half and then each piece in half again. He lifted the mug of broth to sit in the precise middle.
"Well that's good. Because I highly doubt my unfinished business would be to hang around cooking for you lot. Did enough of that already." She meant it light-hearted, but he looked up at that.
"Maybe that's it. Maybe you need to go off traveling or something. Find your independence?" He took one of the pieces of bread and soaked it in the broth. Alex just shook her head.
"Been there, done that and got the tee. Despite appearances I am out of University Hal." But then something occurred to her. He had shouted it at her enough, but she hadn't taken him seriously. She had buffered herself thinking, like Tom, that it wasn't really him. But now... she had to ask.
"Do you... want me go?"
He dropped his bread and took a long moment to answer. "No."
There was weight to the word. His hazel eyes were the most open and honest she had seen in weeks. "No, but... I harbour guilt. Over your passing."
"You don't want me to just 'get on with my unfinished business and leave' then?"
He didn't break eye contact as he shook his head. "But if I can help you find your peace, I will. You deserve that much. You don't deserve this."
"But that's my bloody choice!" She tapped her fingers on the mug and fumbled to elaborate, her temper rising. "I died. And that was awful. Truly traumatic. But somehow, after dying I find I'm still here. And a part of something a whole lot bigger than anything I'd ever known. We stopped Tom from killing all of those people. And we helped Annie do what she needed to stop your lot from going on a global bender. And now, I'm helping Tom help you." She had been speaking to the far wall but turned to look at him. "I've been looking at all of that, against what my life had come to before any of this happened, and you know what I've realised? That I've had a helluva lot more purpose dead than I did when I was actually alive. So don't you tell me what I deserve." For the first time since Alex had become a ghost, the overhead lights started to flicker. "Your friend has been out there running himself ragged over you. If you aren't living the picture of what you think we deserve, well that's your problem."
The astonished look he was giving her was just too damn much. It all was just too damn much. Without another word, she disappeared.
Her tea cup dropped, spilling its contents. Hal left it where it lay.