Erg, I'm already busy this year T_T Sorry to say it guys but I'm going to have to put this fic back to once a week. From now on, updates shall be on Wednesdays, sorry!

Thanks to OffMyTea, Pokegal-Angella, thedarkone78, ninetailsgirl94, Lynx of the Sand, splitheart1120, xPinkSunshinex, Starfire1407 and seany96 for reviewing!

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Painting

"Damn it Rusty, come here!" Paul yelled, "Where are you, you ungrateful mutt! Come out where ever you are!"

"Sush," Dawn scolded him as she walked past him. She had a clearly unimpressed expression on her face like she didn't like the fact Paul was trying to threaten the dog. He had assured her he just wanted to talk to Rusty but she wasn't totally sure about trusting him. Paul found he was quite hurt by this. Dawn didn't trust him… well, he had expected that but the fact she didn't believe him when he promised to not do something was slightly odd. What had Rusty told her?

He had to find Rusty. The dog was holding back valuable information. Paul walked round the house, ignoring the fact that Drew and May were fighting in the kitchen, ignoring that Misty was talking to Ash about digestion and definitely ignoring that Leaf and Vi were in giggles over something to do with school.

"And he came all the way to your funeral, you know," Vi said. Leaf giggled loudly again like a crazy school girl. Her laughter made Paul stop in his tracks just so he could check up on her. With a roll of his eyes and mutter of 'girls', he went back to searching for the dog. Only if there was some way he could catch a ghost dog. Catching a ghost dog was impossible since they could phase through nets and cages. Ghost dogs were incredibly fast too. Oh this was hopeless, Paul decided. He floated into a chair in the living room and sighed.

"I suppose I'll have to wait," Paul muttered.

"If you're looking for Dawn, I think she's in the kitchen."

Paul looked up to see Harold reading his newspaper in a chair not too far away. Paul smirked.

"May and Drew are in the Kitchen," Paul replied, "Beating each other up. I'm looking for Rusty."

"I can't help you there," Harold said. The older man folded up his newspaper and placed it on his lap. Paul blinked a few times as Harold stared right at him. "I was worried, you know."

"Sorry," Paul replied, "We wanted to give you some space."

"You left us without a word," Harold scolded, "We thought that other thing had hurt you or you'd left completely."

Paul remained silent a small smile gracing his lips. Harold sighed loudly and picked up his newspaper. Paul couldn't remember the last time he was scolded like that. Perhaps never by his real parents but more than five times by his governess. It felt nice to be scolded like that simply because it meant that someone cared.

"So you're back?" Harold asked, "As ghosts I presume since I couldn't see May or Drew."

"Yes, we're dead again," Paul replied, "It looks like you've developed some sort of ghost seeing powers because you can see me."

"Perhaps you just want to be seen by me," Harold suggested.

"Perhaps," Paul agreed.

"Why are you looking for the dog?" Harold asked.

"He's hiding something from me and I want to know what," Paul explained, "I think he's not exactly what he appears to be."

Paul looked round the room, looking for some sort of inspiration to hit him when his eyes wondered over a large portrait of a Lord. Paul stood up and walked towards it. There was a boy sat with a rust coloured spaniel on his lap.

"Sir Humphrey Shinji," Paul muttered. Harold shuffled his paper in confusion until he realised what Paul was looking at.

"Oh yes," Harold said, "We decided to put it up in here. For the museum you see."

Paul didn't hear all what Harold said because he was too busy thinking about this picture. Humphrey Shinji was a very influential person back in his time. He was known pretty well throughout the upper class and the gentry but he became a recluse in later years. He became obsessed with the after life and spirits.

"Have you seen all the displays?" Harold asked, snapping Paul out of his thoughts. Paul glided over to Harold who was now stood by a large glass box. Paul looked into the box, his eyes skimming over the few artefacts that lay there. "What do you think?"

Paul looked at the things. There were a few plates, a chest of some kind, a few letters and a collar. Paul put his hand through the glass and fiddled with the collar for a few seconds. Harold watched as Paul flicked a small brass circle round. Engraved on the circle was the name 'Rusty'. Paul pulled back suddenly.

"Is something wrong?" Harold asked. Paul shook his head. "You've gone pale, you know. Even for a ghost you're white."

"I never asked Drew how he knew Rusty was called Rusty," Paul said, "It never crossed my mind before."

"Maybe Rusty showed him this?" Harold suggested.

"Maybe," Paul agreed, "But why does a ghost dog talk?"

"Rusty talks?" Harold asked. Paul nodded. They thought about it for a few seconds until Harold clicked his fingers. "He's a ghost. If he can walk through walls and float in the air then there's no reason why he wouldn't be able to talk."

"Usually I would agree with you but there's something more," Paul said, "It has something to do with dear old Humphrey over there."

"Like what?" Harold asked, "Humphrey was a weirdo. Went totally bonkers after his brother died. He was sure something was out to kill him. You know he used to sleep in an underground room just so that this person wouldn't kill him while he was sleeping. See, totally bonkers."

"Wait," Paul snapped, "Back it up there. Humphrey had a brother."

"Yeah," Harold replied, "He died in an accident which caused Humphrey to go into solitude. He tried to bring him back."

"Do you know of someone called Mortimer Sinclair?" Paul asked. Harold shook his head. "Well, he was the illegitimate son of a Lord Shinji who tried to get the family money by killing off his half brothers. He's the spirit in this house."

"Oh," Harold mumbled, "I've never heard of him."

"But Rusty knows something," Paul said, "And I can't find him."

"Luckily you have me," Dawn said happily as she walked into the room with Rusty in her arms. The dog looked worried but wasn't moving at all. Paul eyed his partner wearily as she came closer to him. Harold looked round at Paul in a confused way.

"Is someone else there, Paul?" Harold asked.

"Dawn's here," Paul replied, "With Rusty."

"Hello Harold," Dawn greeted happily. She turned to Paul as Paul relayed her message to Harold. "I'll get everyone to meet up in the attic, shall I?"

Paul nodded. She handed Rusty to Paul before she zoomed off towards the others. Harold eyed Paul oddly for a few seconds and then started laughing.

"This is too odd," Harold said, "I see you but not who you're holding. You look so daft, you know."

"Thanks," Paul remarked, "I'm sorry but I need to go and talk to the others now."

"Have fun," Harold chuckled as Paul rose up towards the ceiling. When Paul was gone, Harold let out a long sigh. He smiled after that. "Well, at least they're alright, Gran. I was worried but it looks like they're better than ever."

Of course, Paul didn't hear what Harold had said because he was already up in the attic with Rusty in his arms. Paul was a little confused at the fact Rusty was not struggling one bit in his arms. What had Dawn done to him? That woman could be pretty scary when she wanted to be and was definitely his equal in every way. Paul smirked at this thought.

"What's going on?" May asked as she dragged Drew through the floorboards. Drew looked slightly dazed as if he'd been hit over the head by something. May dropped him on the floor gently where he sprawled on the dusty wood with his mouth wide open and his eyes unfocused.

"I'll explain in a moment," Paul replied calmly, trying not to smirk at the condition Drew was in.

"What did you do to my partner?" Misty snapped the moment she phased through the door, followed shortly by Ash who opened the attic door and walked in calmly. Misty put her hands on her hips, scowling at May.

"Erm…" May said slowly, "It wasn't me. He kind of made Dawn jump when she told us to come up here and she… um… blasted him into the wall."

"Oh," Misty spluttered, "OK, then."

Dawn appeared a few seconds later with Leaf and Vi following her. The blunette paused in the door way, smiling nervously as Misty sent her a glare.

"Sorry," Dawn said quickly, rubbing her head, "But he did make me jump."

"No loss," Paul replied before Misty could say anything, "We'll probably get more intelligent stuff from him in the state he is in now."

"That's true," Misty moaned. She let out a long sigh as she sank to the floor and sat down. Ash walked over to Misty and sat down beside her. The two teens smiled at each other briefly until Vi sat beside Ash. Leaf, not really that used to her powers, floated in the air for the duration of the meeting. Dawn floated beside her to keep her company, offering the new ghost a warm smile when she looked a little nervous.

"So what's going on?" May asked, "Why are you man handling Rusty?"

"You'll see in a moment," Paul replied. He turned to Dawn. With a flick of her hand, Rusty seemed to become animated suddenly. He yipped and wriggled in Paul's grasp. "Calm down, Rusty."

"Hey," Misty snapped, "Don't do that to him! Let him go!"

"If I let him go then I'll spend the next three days trying to find him again," Paul replied calmly. Rusty was now clawing at the air as if he was going to fly off any second. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you, Rust. I just want to ask you some questions."

"He doesn't look like he wants to listen, Paul," Drew said as he pushed himself into a seating position. The green headed ghost rubbed his head in a pained way. Paul's eyes snapped onto the second oldest ghost in the room.

"You start then," Paul ordered, "How did you know his name?"

"Excuse me?" Drew asked, genuinely confused.

"When you turned into a ghost, Rusty was already here, right?" Paul prompted. Drew nodded.

"Well, yeah," Drew replied slowly, "He ran up to me and barked at me. When I was still getting over the fact I was dead, Rusty used to curl up to me and let me stroke him."

"No, no," Drew cried, "This can't be happening. I can't be dead. No. Dad!"

Drew collapsed onto his knees, weeping frantically as he thought about his poor father. His father would be heartbroken. First Drew's mother died, then his brothers and sister, now him. It wasn't fair.

"Woof," something barked a little further down the hall. Drew's head shot up as he saw a rust coloured spaniel sat staring at him not too far away.

"Who are you?" Drew asked. The dog got to its feet and patted down the hall until it was stood in front of Drew. Once stood there it licked his hand in an oddly reassuring way. Drew reached out his hand and stroked the pooch gently. "Nice dog. Good dog."

"Woof," the dog replied.

"But how did you know he was called Rusty, though?" Misty asked her partner, "When I died you said that you were Drew and that the dog was named Rusty."

"Who the heck are you?" Misty screamed as she saw Drew staring at her. Drew jumped a mile at the sound of her shriek. "What happened to me!"

"Sorry to tell you this, but you're dead," Drew told Misty in an oddly calm yet apologetic voice. Misty looked ready to burst into tears. Drew took this opportunity to walk over to the young gypsy girl and put a comforting arm round her shoulder. Misty glanced at him, tears brewing in her eyes. "I'm Drew."

"Misty," was her reply.

"I'm sorry you died," Drew told her, "But I'm dead too. So is Rusty."

"Who is Rusty?" Misty asked, hiccupping slightly. Drew pointed towards the house. Misty's eyes widened as she saw a dog running towards her. It was so comical to see a dog running towards her, barking with its tongue hanging out of its mouth.

"He's the ghost dog," Drew explained, "If Rusty doesn't mind being dead then we shouldn't, OK?"

"OK," Misty agreed.

Drew sat back for a few seconds as he thought about his first few weeks as a ghost. If he had to be honest then he would say that those days were just a blur of confusion and sadness. Rusty had never left Drew's side and had acted so he could help cheer up the boy. In the end Drew merely shrugged.

"I can't remember," Drew replied, "It was a long time ago, you know."

"I can't remember anything, either," Misty added, "I don't think it crossed my mind how Drew knew Rusty's name. I always assumed it was just one of those things he knew or that Drew had named him."

"I didn't name him," Drew said loudly, "I… I don't know where I got the name from."

"There's a collar in the dinning room," Vi added suddenly, "With Rusty's name on it."

"I saw it this morning," Paul agreed.

"So I could have got it from that collar," Drew said, "That's it! I remember it now. Rusty took me into a storeroom one day and showed me the collar so I assumed it was his and bingo, I called him Rusty ever since."

"Nice to know we've got that sorted out," Ash mused, "But what has that got to do with anything?"

"Well…" Paul stated but fell silent as he looked at the dog in his arms. Rusty was staring up at Paul with wide eyes like he was trying to get Paul to stop speaking.

"Rusty can talk," Leaf blurted out, "I've heard him talk before."

"What?" Ash yelped. May and Misty's eyes bulged out of their sockets while Vi gasped.

"I've never heard him talk before," Drew murmured. Dawn giggled slightly.

"He's not very talkative," Dawn explained, "But he does talk. Usually it's just to Paul."

"Why does he talk to Paul?" Ash asked, "And not to the rest of us?"

"What if he can't?" Dawn suggested, "I have been thinking about it. I've been alone with Rusty loads and he's never talked unless Paul is there."

"OK," Drew moaned, "This is getting too Paul orientated suddenly. So let's just say it's a Shinji thing and move on."

"Good idea," Misty agreed.

"Paul is the legal master of this house," Dawn told them, "He controls it and his powers are much stronger than the rest of us. Maybe when Rusty's around him he can voice his thoughts."

"I don't think it's as simple as that," Paul replied pleasantly. Everyone turned to look at him with confused expressions on their faces. Paul was still looking at Rusty. "So explain to me why you were a servant, Rusty."

There was a pause as everyone now looked at the dog. Rusty glanced around at the teens and the ghosts. His eyes lingered on Dawn for a few seconds. She was smiling at him in an encouraging way. She gave him a small nod.

"Fine," Rusty said finally, earning him a few more gasps and a weird noise from Ash, "I admit it. I can talk."

"Obviously," Drew commented. Rusty shot Drew a look but softened when he saw that Drew was smiling at him in an odd sort of way. Rusty licked his nose nervously.

"How can a dog talk?" Ash yelped suddenly.

"Well… I'm not exactly a dog," Rusty said, "I'm actually a human."

Well… Another piece of proof that this story can go anywhere. Hehe, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next update next Wednesday! Yay!

RSx