Chapter 24

How to Make A Ghost Jealous

This Chapter was written mostly by my co-writer, Kohana aka Uchiha no Kaori Go check out more of her work!

After calming herself down from her mild scare, Liz went back inside and lingered in the family room with her hands folded in front of her and gripping her fan. She was looking at all the photos around the room. They would tell her an entire store. Like for instance, a family of four lived in this house. A young woman, a handsome man, a strapping young man, and a rather pretty young lady. This told her that a mother and father with their daughter and son lived here. As she heard the familiar voice of the finely dressed man coming towards the family room, Liz quickly left. Not wishing to make an uncomfortable scene for him since none of his men seemed to be able to see her. As she left the family room, Liz jumped as she nearly ran into Clockwork. "Any luck?"

"Yes. There will be enough for us to take a little for ourselves." he said nodding. "Have you seen Dan?"

Liz shook her head. "No. But he can't be far. He's got to be around here somewhere, terrorizing someone…." She said with a small sigh because she knew it was true.

Indeed Dan had a officer stuck in the basement causing knocks, and footfalls, whispering voices and strange shadows that contorted and turned to hideous monsters.

It only took the two of them following the loud ruckus of knocks and yells, demands to the poor widow, who was insisting the door had no lock, to get the basement door unlocked. Liz folded her arms over her chest as she just shook her head and moved up behind Dan. "Clockwork found the kitchen. Let's get some food while they're distracted." She whispered against his ear before lightly nipping his neck and retreating back towards the kitchen.

The nip to his neck had him shivering and grinning before he cast a few things about to haunt a few more minutes and keep the people distracted before following Liz back to the kitchen. "Good. Let's grab what we need and go."

"And here I thought you were enjoying yourself." Clockwork said with a chuckle.

"We can't go yet. There's...something I need to look into while we're here." Liz said, shaking her head a bit. Setting her fan on the counter, she would get herself something to eat.

"Oh?" both male ghosts asked looking at her.

"Yes." Liz said firmly, turning to face them with a bit of corn bread in her hand. "It might be nothing but I at least would like to look into it." She said, taking a bite of the bread. "One of the men saw me….and another could smell the perfume I found in the hall." She would blush as she recalled the rather handsome older gentleman she had run into moments ago.

Dan rolled his eyes. He didn't know if he liked this too much. Clockwork just blinked a bit. Was she thinking about this on a scientific level? No. She wasn't that kind of person and she was blushing. He made a face, then shrugged. "If it's what you want to do."

"It is. I'm rather curious as to figure how such things were possible. I mean the perfume thing is easy. I sprayed some in the air to get a whiff of it. It's roses. So it makes sense why he was able to smell it soon as I passed him. But the other one…" Liz would tilt her head a bit and look down at the bread in her hands. Breaking it in half, she would finish off her half and smile as she picked up her fan. "I need to know why he could see me…" She would smile and head out of the kitchen to the family room.

Dan let out a growl as he watched her go. Clockwork shook his head and leaned against the cupboard they had been taking food from.

Out in the family room, Liz stood quietly off to the side. Watching the gentlemen from earlier as he left the side of the soldier he had gotten patched up. Following him out into the hall, Liz smiled and lightly tapped his shoulder. "Thought you might be hungry." She said, handing him the bread. He smiled at her and took the bread with a smile.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Elizabeth…."

"Excuse me?"

"Elizabeth. My name is Elizabeth, but mama calls me Liz." She said, smiling. He chuckled and nodded.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Elizabeth. I'm Captain James Roth." James would take her hand and kiss the back of it, leaving her smiling and blushing behind her fan. "May I just say you have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen."

"Now I know you're being too kind, Captain."

"Please, just calls me James. I was not aware Miss Redfern had two daughters." Liz guessed he was speaking of the widowed woman, the mother from the pictures she had seen. So she lost her husband. But what of her son? Before she could answer him, one of his men was calling for him. James turned to answer him but when he turned back to face Liz, she was gone. The girl in question had slipped out of the hallway and out of sight for the moment. I'm going to need a backstory at this point...That is Miss Redfern doesn't get word of her 'second' daughter first. Liz thought, tilting her head back against the wall. Oh, Liz...What have we gotten into now?

"Can't just say, 'Hi, I'm a ghost'?" Dan asked as he appeared beside her with Clockwork not too far away.

"Jealous?" Liz asked teasingly, folding her hands behind her as she leaned back against the wall with a small grin. "Besides, where's the fun in that?"

"Hmph…." he grunted. "Of course not. Where's the fun in that? Why the look on his face when he runs screaming of course."

"Oh no….of course you're not jealous. I mean, what do you have to be jealous of against a handsome older gentlemen who is a captain, has gorgeous dark hair, and melt worthy chocolate brown eyes." Liz grumbled as she pushed off the wall and turned to face him. "And for your information, not everyone turns tail and runs screaming because they're scared of ghosts."

"I could make his eyes melt." he said thoughtfully. He then heard the rest of her tirade and gave a snort. "Do what you want." Dan grumbled as he turned and grabbed Clockwork's wrist, half dragging half leading the time ghost back the way they had come.

"Hmph….not jealous my arse…" Liz huffed, marching off in the opposite direction. While Dan and Clockwork did whatever they were doing, Liz was spending her time shifting through Miss Redferns things. Learning what she could. As it turned out, her daughter, Caroline, was all she left after losing her husband, who had been drafted, and son, a civilian casualty, to the war about two months ago. Sighing, she placed the telegrams back into where Miss Redfern had them before leaving the room. Lingering out in the hall, she'd stand before a window and look outside. Watching as tents were set up a campfire was made for tonight so that those who would take shifts on guard duty would have a way to combat the chill of the night.

"Miss Elizabeth. I had wondered where you had gone off to."

"Forgive me, Captain. I did not wish to intrude on whatever it was your men need to speak to you about. Surely it was important." She said, smiling a little as she turned to face him.

"Trivial matters. I was hoping if you would not mind a walk with me, ma'am."

"A walk? Is it safe for such a thing?" She asked with faked worry. Opening her fan to hide some of her face.

"Not to worry, ma'am. You will be protected on these grounds. There's enough eyes around to spot the enemy before they could so much as load their musket." James said, offering her his arm. Smiling a little to herself, she'd fold her with a snap! and place her hand on the crook of his arm.

"Then I'd be delighted, James." She said. Lifting her skirt a little over the heels of her shoes as she walked so as to not accidently step on the beautiful dress.

Dan sat on the roof of the house grumbling as Clockwork sat near and watched the sky. "It's not like she'd choose to stay here with him. She doesn't have a choice anyway. Why is it bothering you?" Clockwork asked.

"It isn't bothering you!?" Dan exclaimed.

"Well…..she likes you better…...I mean you two seem closer, so….I don't let it bother me." Clockwork reasoned.

Dan rolled his eyes and then closed them as he layed back on the roof with his hands behind his head.

Liz would laugh as she walked alongside of James and talked with him. He received a few odd looks as it appeared he was speaking to himself while appearing to escort someone. Others didn't even look twice. For Liz this was interesting and made her feel guilty. "Tell me about yourself Miss Elizabeth."

"Me? Oh, I'm no one special…I'd much rather hear about you and how such fine gentlemen such as yourself came to be where you are." She said, looking up at him.

"Aah. I lost my son and wife to childbirth a year ago. I figured I had nothing left to lose when I retook my post."

"So you retired when your wife was with child." James nodded. "I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, but I am well over it."

"Are you?" She asked. James turned his head to look at her. "A loss like that is not something a man such as yourself heals from easily. And I am sure that having to watch all these other men, sons and fathers and husbands, die doesn't help." James looked forward in thought.

"Perhaps you are right…" He murmured, getting lost in his thoughts as they continued their walk.

"May I inquire as to how old your wife was?" James gave a soft, reminiscing smile.

"She could not have been any older than you, ma'am. She was a beauty. Pale blonde hair with beautiful green eyes. Such soft and fair skin...Katherine was her name. I sometimes imagine our son would have looked more like his mother."

"She sounds beautiful. I bet your son would have been a handsome combination of you both, James. And I think your lovely wife would have wanted you to move on from such a tragedy." James looked at her and nodded his head.

"Yes, ma'am she would." He said, gently giving her hand a squeeze and a pat as they carried on. Neither of them aware of the eyes that had been watching them from the roof.

Dan watched some after he had finally sat back up. He growled more and looked away. "I didn't know she liked pretty boys."

"You're going to let it eat at you." Clockwork said as he watched. He felt a small twinge of jealousy himself, but like he said before, Dan was closer to her than he was.

Eventually, James escorted Liz back to the home and with a kiss to the back of her hand, went on his way to look over some maps and plan out their next travel route. Liz would blush softly as she watched him go off then looked to the side as two soldiers passed by her. "Have you heard about Widow Redfern's second daughter?"

"Yeah, I hear she's a real looker." They chuckled.

"Heard the captain has taken a liken to her." The young man said with a grin.

"I reckon he might just have that beauty in his bed tonight." She heard them laugh.

"Lucky bastard." His friend grumbled.

"More like poor, sad son of a bitch." The other officer turned to his friend curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I heard Jenkin had the wits scared outta him by them girls granpappy." Liz arched a brow with amusement before shaking her head as she drowned out their now fading conversation in favor on reflecting what she had learned so far.

"Are you done fucking around?" Dan asked as he and Clockwork showed up beside her again.

"You do realize you are more or less asking if I am done spreading my legs for every man here." She hissed, glaring at him slightly. "Nice to know what you seem to think of me." Turning, she'd brush past him as she opened her fan. "But yes, I am finished gathering the knowledge I sought. As it turns out, he sees me cause I am closer in age to his young lady wife whom he lost with his son to child labor. Experiencing a loss like that plus the death of all these men, has opened his psyche."

"Great….can we go now?" Dan asked. He had been going to yell at her that she knew good and damn well he hadn't meant she'd been spreading her legs, but if she wanted to take it that way let her. He couldn't win with her anyway.

"You are as impatient as a child, Dan..." Liz sighed, stopping to look over her shoulder at the boys. Blocking part of her face away behind her fan. "Okay...where would you like to go?" She asked, eyes watching from over the top of her fan and shoulder.

"Anywhere but here," Clockwork spoke up. "Even I tire of this location."

Liz couldn't help but to laugh. "You two are so jealous!" She would tease, walking over to them and grabbing their hands. Soon as their hands connected, golden light would surround the trio. With a flash, they were gone. Off to another time and place.