Author's Note: Longer chapter to follow the short one. Hope you like. Please review!

Chapter 51: Ghostly Encounter

"Psst, Davy!" Micky whispered through the bars of the window on Davy's cell. It had taken them some time to figure out which cell was Davy's that morning, but they finally found it. It was high up in the wall, so Micky unfortunately had to stand on Peter's back just to reach the window, but he still wasn't high enough to see anything. The top of his head reached the bottom of the window.

"What?" Davy said sounding confused. "What's going on?"

"Davy!" Micky whispered again. "The window!"

"Huh?" Davy said. Micky couldn't see what Davy was doing or even if he was looking at the window.

"Peter, is there any way you can get me higher?" Micky asked.

"Not unless you want me to break my back," Peter said painfully. "This already hurts like hell."

"Micky, I can help," Piper said from where she was sitting and leaning against a tree. Mike was keeping watch at the end of the building for anyone who might stumble upon them.

"Too risky," Micky mumbled. He really didn't like the idea that they were going to utilize her powers to save Davy anyway, if she used her powers now in the open to levitate him, their chance of being caught increased.

"No one is around," Piper said even as he felt himself rise higher. "Just relax. Mike and Peter can keep watch if anyone comes." Micky rolled his eyes a little and decided not to argue; it would have been best to just get this over with.

"Micky?" Davy asked as soon as he saw Micky in the window. "I couldn't really make out what you were saying before. How are you up that high?"

"Piper," Micky answered. "Not the point. We have to hurry before we get caught. We have a plan to get you out of this."

"What?" Davy asked looking excited.

"We're going to use Piper's powers in the courtroom," Micky answered. Davy started to argue, but Micky continued before Davy could say anything. "There was a massacre at a neighboring town about 12 years ago by the British soldiers and the Hessians at the height of the Revolutionary War. If we make it seem like there's a ghost here because of it. All you have to do is go along with it and say you know how to end it and save the town. If you do that, they'll see you as a hero and let you go."

"Do you really think that will work?" Davy asked. "That Piper won't get caught? What if they find out it's her? Won't they just put her in here with me?"

"Actually, with how these people are, they'll probably take her straight to the gallows and hang her without a trial," Micky said flatly feeling the sense of dread grow inside his stomach.

"Don't think that way, Micky," Piper said. "I'll be fine."

"Look, I don't really like this plan, but it's all we got to save your butt so just go along with it," Micky said.

"Why can't you just bust me out?" Davy asked.

"Too risky," Micky answered. "It would change history too much and we don't know how long we're going to be stuck in this time. I'd rather not have to worry about running from a bunch of gun-toting, paranoid townsmen."

"Ok," Davy said. "Just tell me what I have to do." Micky told Davy what Piper had told them he would have to do to get rid of the "ghost" that would haunt the town. As soon as Davy told them he understood the plan, Micky said they'd see Davy in couple of hours when the trial started and Piper set Micky back down. He started walking back to the tavern to wait for the start of the trial. He felt bad for making Peter help Piper back to the tavern, but he couldn't really stand to be that close to her right then. He wasn't really sure why he was so angry that she'd used her power in the open after he'd asked her not to. He knew it wasn't because he was trying to be controlling, but rather he was terrified that something would happen to her. When they got back to the tavern, Micky sat on the edge of the bed Mike had slept on the night before and Peter helped Piper sit on her bed.

"We're…uh…we're gonna go see if Anne needs any help," Mike said before he and Peter ducked out rather quickly. It was obvious they sensed tension between Piper and Micky and wanted to leave them alone.

"What's the matter with you?" Piper demanded when Mike closed the door behind him.

"I don't think you should be using your powers in the open," Micky said without looking at her. "I don't think we should be doing this at all."

"I've spent years hiding my powers from the rest of the world, Micky," Piper answered angrily. "I know how to hide."

"Yeah, that's why you run a magic shop," Micky answered back sarcastically.

"People in our time know the religion of wicca exists," she said. "But they don't know that some followers actually have magical powers. They think all I do is light a candle and dance around in a funny black hat. I run that shop to help new witches figure out how to deal with their powers."

"I understand that, but the people here are a lot more paranoid," Micky said.

"I understand that, but we can't just let Davy suffer in jail like this," Piper said. "This really is the best way to save him and you know it."

"I know," Micky sighed. "But I feel like I'm being forced to choose between letting you die and letting Davy die."

"You aren't," Piper said a little more softly. "Micky, everything is going to be ok."

"We don't know that," Micky answered. "Not for sure."

"Why is this bothering you so much?" Piper asked.

"Because I don't want you to die!" Micky exclaimed as though the answer were obvious.

"I understand that," Piper said. "But I haven't seen you get this emotional or protective when your friends were in trouble. I know better than to think it's because I'm a woman and I'm more fragile than your friends."

"Of course that isn't it," Micky breathed.

"Then what?" Piper said.

"I've seen them die," Micky answered after a few minutes of silence. He buried his face in his hands still trying to erase the images. He didn't see Piper cross the room over to the bed he'd been sitting on but he felt her sit next to him and wrap her arms around him. "I can't have that happen to you. I won't."

"Micky, they didn't die," Piper said.

"I know that," Micky answered. "But I still see them. Their eyes, their faces. As much as I tell myself it wasn't real, it was real to my heart. I saw the fear in Davy's eyes when he died. I saw the sadness in Mike's and I saw the emptiness in Peter's. I can't let that happen again."

"Which is exactly why I need to do this," Piper said.

"I know," Micky said. "And I'm not saying I am more ok with Davy dying than you, but…I don't know."

"You're upset because you feel like you're sacrificing me for your friend," Piper said.

"That's part of it," Micky answered.

"And the other part?" Piper pushed.

"I think I love you," Micky said before thinking about it.

"What?" Piper asked looking at him. He suddenly felt very warm and self-conscious. He almost didn't want to repeat himself, but he suddenly felt like he had to. He realized that he was in love with her and that's why he was being so overprotective. He loved her and he didn't want anything to happen to her at all, let alone before she even knew it.

"I love you," Micky said a little more firmly looking directly at Piper. She seemed a little stunned for a second, but a smile stretched across her face.

"I love you, too," Piper said. Micky smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Somehow this kiss was different than any they'd shared before. It somehow felt more right; more passionate. It felt perfect. Even the warmth of her hand against his chest somehow felt better. He melted into the kiss and something inside him felt amazingly better. He wasn't so scared anymore. He wasn't so angry. He suddenly felt a sense of hope replace the despair and anxiety that had previously engulfed him.


"What was that all about anyway?" Peter asked Mike as they walked out to the bar.

"It's complicated," Mike answered. Peter definitely sensed something between the two of them and really hoped they could work it out, but he also wanted to help them work it out. Instead Mike had pulled them both out of the room.

"Why can't we help?" Peter asked.

"It's complicated," Mike said again.

"I'm not stupid, Mike," Peter said. "I can understand complicated things."

"I never said you were," Mike answered. "It's just…They have to work this out on their own."

"Why?" Peter asked. "Is something wrong with them?"

"No," Mike said. "He…he's in love with her and I don't know if he knows it."

"Then how do you know that?" Peter asked a little stunned.

"I can just tell by looking at them," Mike said. "It's the way he looks at her. It's the way he holds her. And why he's being so overprotective. He's terrified of losing her. He doesn't want to lose any of us, but he's more terrified of losing her right now because he either doesn't realize he loves her or hasn't admitted it."

"Oh," Peter said trying to look back and see the way they interacted with each other. "I guess I can see that."

"That's why they need to work this out alone," Mike said. "I don't think he's ever going to say it with us around."

"Probably not," Peter said. "Are they going to be ok?"

"They'll be fine," Mike assured him. "Just give them a little time." Over the next few hours, Peter and Mike worked on little things around the tavern that Anne needed their help with. When it came time to go to the trial, Anne closed her tavern to join them. Mike told her that wasn't necessary, but she insisted everyone in the town would be at the courtroom anyway. As Mike helped Anne close up, Peter went to get Micky and Piper. Not wanting to interrupt anything, he knocked on the door and waited for Micky to answer. Instead Micky just came to the door with Piper and they left, both looking much happier and more relaxed.

Once they arrived in the courtroom, Peter marveled at how intricate the architecture was. The building was made of red brick with white pillars surrounding the entrance. The top of the building housed a large, ornate steeple. The windows lining the walls were very large and ornate. The interior was all built with dark mahogany wood. At the end of the room was a large grouping of pews where the townspeople were already starting to gather in. At the other end of the courthouse was a rounded alcove with mahogany benches and pulpits lined the wall. The magistrate and several other members of the clerk were already seated along the wall. In the center of the room was a small table and chair with a metal ring sticking up from the floor under the chair. Peter cringed as he realized that was where Davy would be sitting. And he would likely be chained to the floor on that metal ring.

"You ready for this?" Mike whispered to Piper as they sat down, Piper in between Mike and Micky with Peter on the end next to Mike.

"Yep," Piper answered. "You guys?"

"Absolutely," Micky answered squeezing her hand a little. "Just be careful."

"I will," Piper smiled at him. A door on the side of the courthouse opened and two men shoved Davy inside. He was chained at the arms and feet and stumbling a little as they pushed Davy to the chair and chained him to the floor. Peter's stomach clenched and he wanted to say or do something to help his friend, but Mike put a hand on Peter's shoulder to calm him down.

"Just relax, Peter," Mike whispered. "Stick to the plan and everything will be fine." Peter reluctantly nodded and waited while the proceedings began. Davy pled his case and Anne even got up and stated that Davy had heroically stood up for her. Piper waited for Anne's testimony to end before starting with the "ghost" tricks. She started out small by making a few papers flutter to the ground, which the people attributed to the wind.

"Go bigger," Mike whispered next to her. Piper nodded and wiggled her finger slightly so that no one would see her movements. As the magistrate reached for his gavel, apparently ready to declare Davy guilty, the gavel slid across the pulpit and clattered to the floor. The room fell silent as everyone tried to figure out what had just happened. Piper wiggled her finger again as the magistrate tried to reach down for the gavel and slid it further away from him.

"What is the meaning of this?" the magistrate demanded angrily. "Who is doing this?"

"No one is touching it," answered one of the clerics. The magistrate got down from the bench and tried to walk after his gavel, but Piper flicked her wrist very discreetly and the gavel flew out an open window.

"What is this magic?!" shrieked another member of the clergy.

"What are you doing, Redcoat?!" another demanded staring at Davy.

"I'm chained to the floor," Davy answered calmly. "How could I possibly be doing this?"

"More," Mike whispered to Piper. Piper nodded and flicked her wrist very discreetly again and all the windows in the courthouse slammed opened and closed repeatedly for a minute. Several people screamed and huddled in fright in the center of the courthouse. Mike, Peter and Piper made sure to react the same way to keep up appearances and keep suspicion off them.

"Demon!" someone screamed. Piper wiggled her fingers again and the feathery pen that had been sitting atop the magistrate's desk lifted into the air and scribbled on the paper on the desk. Several men rushed to see what it read.

"Die, Rebels," one of the clerics read.

"What is that?" another asked fearfully.

"Go for it," Micky whispered indicating the climax of the plan; their way to push the frightened people over the edge. Piper flicked her wrist discreetly again and the magistrate flew down the alley toward Davy, stopping just inches from him. As he tried to gather himself, Piper flicked again and a chandelier fell from the ceiling, zooming toward the magistrate. Davy had just enough slack in the chains binding him to knock the magistrate out of the way, just as planned. Everyone else was too terrified to do anything, so it was Davy who'd saved the magistrate. He looked fearfully at Davy and then the chandelier that was almost the death of him.

"What is happening?" the magistrate muttered frightfully.

"I've seen this before," Davy said going with the plan. "This isn't magic, this is a haunting. You have yourselves a very angry ghost."

"What are you talking about?" the magistrate asked.

"A dead person!" Davy exclaimed. "A ghost! Coming back for revenge!"

"That's preposterous!" the magistrate sputtered. A piece of the chandelier zoomed just passed his head and he dropped back down to the ground as the crowd of people gasped again.

"You were saying?" Davy asked.

"What do we do?!" the magistrate demanded. "Don't let it kill me!"

"Relax," Davy told the magistrate and stood up to address the "ghost" boldly amidst gasps of shock from the onlookers. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"The pen!" a cleric exclaimed as the feathered pen once again took to paper. "Hessian. Revenge."

"One of the Hessians we killed?" someone near Peter muttered.

"The massacre I heard about," Davy said looking at the magistrate still cowering on the floor, "did any Hessians die?"

"We only managed to kill a couple of them," someone answered.

"Well, now I'd say he's mad and wants revenge," Davy said pointing at the paper.

"How do we know you aren't doing this, Redcoat?" someone demanded. Every door in the room began to slam open and closed along with all the windows.

"How can I be doing this when I'm still chained to the floor?" Davy demanded over the noise. "But I have seen this before. Someone read a passage from the bible over and over again at the site where the person died and the haunting stopped."

"What passage?" the magistrate asked.

"The 23rd psalm," Davy answered. "In the meantime, you'll be safe in the church. I suggest everyone gather there and the reverend take a group out to the site of the massacre tonight."

"What are you waiting for?" the magistrate asked when everyone just stood still. "Go! Do what he says!"

"What if he's lying?" a cleric asked.

"It's not going to hurt anything to try, now is it!?" the magistrate said running from the room.