Why am I still writing this. Lol

"Think it'll be weird having me around as a human?" Vera asked after the two of them had sat down on the couch again in comfortable silence.

"It'll take some getting used to, maybe. But you'll still be you. At least, I assume so."

"I actually asked my dad about that. If maybe it would have some sort of side effect on my memory or something. Maybe I'd come back not remembering myself as a ghost, kinda like how I came back as a ghost and didn't remember myself as a human. I guess we'll find out once he goes through first."

"I hope not," Dean murmured, his face falling. "That would be terrible."

"Huh?"

"I mean, I'd still be your friend and look after you to help you get used to this world, but... you losing your memories of me? Losing the person I've become so close to? That'd be awful." Vera was shocked to see his eyes watering a little as he quickly brushed them aside. "But don't let that get in the way of your decision," he said quickly. "If you'd be happier alive, then that's that. And besides..." A blush colored his cheeks. "I'll be able to get to know you all over again."

Vera let out a small breath of pure held emotion. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Well, I mean it. You're my best friend."

Vera smiled. "I'm so happy you came to this house."

"I'm glad I decided to stay, even after the sisters messed with us."

Vera laughed and covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh."

"Nah, don't worry about it. It's been a while. A lot has happened since. I'm ready to admit it was actually kinda funny." He smirked at her and the two broke into giggles. "Don't ever tell them that, though."

"I won't," she said, smiling at him. "You never held it against me as a ghost, you know? I always appreciated that. You had every reason to dislike me."

"I mean, you did save me. And protect me after that. Honestly, I'd have to be a pretty big dick to make it personal with you."

Vera chuckled, flexing her thin arms for him. "Yeeeah, I guess that's true. I am a pretty badass heroine, aren't I?"

Dean rolled his eyes playfully, giving her shoulder a push. "Okay, okay, don't let it go to your head."

"Hey!" Vera said, playfully pushing him back.

In seconds, the two started pushing back and giggling as they grasped hands and pushed against each other until Vera had Dean pinned down to the couch, his wrists held down as she straddled his waist. "Pathetic," she teased, with a victorious smile. "Victory is mine!"

He rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, yeah... just wait until you're not a ghost anymore."

"Didn't my sisters teach you not to underestimate girls?" She winked at him.

"They're also ghosts!" He shot back, laughing.

"And girls!"

"Alright, that's it!" Dean pushed back and Vera let out a surprised gasp as he overturned their position. She fell back to the couch as Dean pinned her wrists down with a grin. "Aha! gotcha!"

Vera let out some timid, shaky breaths, butterflies going nuts in her stomach. Wow... I never thought Dean pinning me down would be so hot...

Dean seemed to realize their position and his cheeks turned hot, but he maintained his hold. "Say I win."

"Never!"

"Say it!"

Vera pushed back against him as Dean tried to keep her wrists down, as she planned. Vera then turned incorporeal, and Dean yelped as he fell through her and landed face first into the couch cushion. She laughed at him and floated up into the air. "Gotcha!"

Dean sat up from his funny positon, spitting a few times to amuse her. "Cheater."

"You love it," Vera said, sitting down next to him, and resting her head on his shoulder again. "Seriously, though. I know my sisters didn't make a lot of good impressions with their little escapades back then. I would watch news reports here at home of places being wrecked by them, and people telling the newscasters about their ghostly encounter. They were always made fun of, of course, or implied to have been drunk. But the way they talked... it kinda got to me. People tended to judge all ghosts by their actions. Just assumed we were all malevolent spirits out to hurt people. That was around the time when I thought I was just never going to have a friend who liked my company. You could have been rude or distrustful to me. You never did. I don't know... just wanted to say thank you."

"Anytime, Vera," Dean replied, smiling. "I could just tell you were kind and sweet and cute, and they were the jerks. But... you've probably noticed... we've all been pretty good lately. Me, your sisters... they haven't been causing... much trouble for us lately. They've even been helpful to my mom and I in their own weird ways."

Vera grinned and nodded. "I have noticed. I've never been this close to my sisters before either. And now my dad is here with us and him and Lena are patching things up." Her face fell a bit. "My mom may not be here with us, but I'm sure she's happy and watching over us. And if I had to pick someone to stand in for her... I don't think I could pick someone better than Katherine. We're all standing together now. Ready to take on whatever's out there. I'm so happy. Happier than I've ever been."

"Good. You deserve it."

A moment's silence passed.

"Did you call me cute just now?"

"I'm thirsty," Dean said, standing up from the couch and walking towards the kitchen area. "I can get you something too if you want."

She giggled, her eyes on his butt as he walked. "We've been through this before, Dean."

"No, no, we pour it into your mouth while you float above the sink! That way it's disposed properly and you get to have a drink!"

"This is seriously the worst distraction ever." Vera couldn't stop laughing. "Thank you for calling me cute. I think you're incredibly handsome."

Dean blushed and stumbled over his words. "I... y-you, uh..."

Vera rolled her eyes with a giggle. "Come on, let's go get you your drink." She floated off into the kitchen, Dean following her.

It was a dilapidated, but otherwise inconspicuous old house, out of the way and abandoned. But with a lot of dark memories. Lena felt the equivalent of a chill run through her body as she was dragged towards it and then forced to pass right through its wall.

She was brought to the middle of the living room area, exactly where she had been tied up with her sisters that fateful night. As soon as she was in the right spot, she was overcome with feelings of tremendous sadness and fear. The ghosts released her and she collapsed to the floor, barely able to even think of trying to escape. It was like she was transported back to the final night she was alive. She felt... solid. Heavy. Not airy like a ghost any longer. Like some kind of pressure was weighing her down.

"What... is happening?" One of the male ghosts with dark hair asked.

Bill floated forward, looking down upon the teenage ghost girl as she held her head and sobbed. "When a person dies in a particularly horrific way and manages to escape that place as a ghost, forcing them to return to the same place they perished will cause feelings of absolute despair and tragedy to fill their mind."

"...You see, all ghosts must deal with the inner turmoil of their existence in their own way. And sometimes, some ghosts are too free-spirited to do so, like Miss Eckland here. She managed to escape this place early on and fly about the world. Now that she's been brought back, the shock is a little too much for her to handle."

"How did he know this would happen?" The blond male ghost asked. "In fact, how did he know about any of these... powers we have?"

The other male ghost nodded in agreement, though he seemed more disconnected from the world around him than everyone else in the room. He spoke in a distant whisper. "We never... realized we... had these abilities... all this time."

"Most don't." Bill smirked. "Most don't have a good teacher. I don't know why we have these abilities. Mr. Kress believed that it had something to do with our emotions. That a ghost is nothing more than a representation of our emotional state left behind on Earth. Thus, these powers are the fully realized extent of human emotion. The human soul at its peak. Ordinarily, it's simply a powerful telekinesis. But these powers are a little different..." His eyes flashed red, and Lena let out a cry as a stabbing pain filled her suddenly, making the other ghosts wince as she sobbed. "...this is what Mr. Kress calls... Wrath. The pure, unrestrained desire to harm another ghost."

Lena gasped out as the pain stopped, and a tense silence filled the house before Bill continued speaking.

"Back in the day, Mr. Kress fashioned himself an expert in the field of the afterlife and the existence of the wayward spirit. Of course, at the time, all they had were theories. But they've had a century now to figure things out, albeit within the same half-existence that we all experienced before we found our freedom. The limbo."

The other ghosts all shivered. "The limbo..." They whispered among themselves.

Bill's eyes glowed red for a moment. "A delightful prank by the higher powers that be. Just remain in a single spot for a century. Heh. All the reason we should ever need to follow Mr. Kress in spitting in the face of Death itself."

He paused for a moment, and then continued speaking. "Mr. Kress was the only other person who could rival William Eckland's own fascination with the supernatural and the afterlife. Eckland always managed to surge ahead, despite Mr. Kress' best efforts. A rivalry was practically inevitable."

The female spirit scoffed softly. "Men..." she murmured in a mournful tone. "Can't exist side by side without competing with each other."

Bill turned to her and smirked again. "And that is why men have led the world in all advancements that matter, my dear lady. You ought to be more appreciative of us and our competitions."

Women had to fight tooth and nail to be recognized at all for their contributions to science, you... Lena tensed up, her fists clenching as his sickening voice and sexist attitude gave rise to a deep, dark rage that helped her forget the pressure for a moment. But only for a moment. In seconds, it was back, and her mind was clouded again by absolute despair.

"In their research, they began to piece together how ghosts and the earthly tether that kept them here worked. It would have been a truly revolutionary discovery, and would have made the Kress family even wealthier than they already were for the time. They would have been known the world over. But... things don't always go according to plan. Mr. Kress gave in to rage for the reasons we've explained to you all."

The ghost woman chuckled humorlessly. "And there you have the end result of your male competition. So much potential. Lost. Destroyed by one man's ego."

The servant ghost regarded her for a moment, and then shrugged with a smile. "Well, I can't deny that, ma'am. Mr. Kress never had much love for the man, and it got in the way of his research. From what I remember, I do believe it started with Mildred McFadden."

Lena's eyes widened slowly, the familiar name cutting through the walls of her mental torment surrounding her as a familiar face appeared in her mind's eye. Mother...

"She was pursued by Mr. Kress when they were younger, you see. As far as he was concerned, she belonged to him." Lena felt the rage return again. Her mother didn't belong to anyone. "She was a fierce one. Not expected of women for the time. The last of a wealthy family, educated... wit like a razor. But Mr. Kress was persistent. And she likely would have been his. But then William Eckland caught her eye. The quiet, studious man in the lab coat, struggling to keep himself afloat financially as he delved into his experiments and inventions."

He scoffed. "Ridiculous. The wealth and power of the McFadden and the Kress names combined would have laid the foundations for a powerful family. But in the end, she chose her 'heart'. How lucky for her that Eckland managed to figure out his broken down little science experiments, or all her father's hard-earned wealth would have dried up soon." Bill giggled, a high-pitched scratchy sound as he looked at the ghost woman. "Perhaps our competition is ill-advised, but so too is the female sacrifice of ambition and pursuit of pointless personal indulgences."

Lena let out a laugh, making the adult ghosts look in her direction. "Pathetic little toadie," she spat at him. "What do you know about ambition?"

"Girls really shouldn't speak unless spoken to." He looked down at Lena with a leer.

"Up yours, asshole." Bill's face contorted with rage as the ghosts behind him even chuckled a bit at his expense. "You know why... my father's inventions suddenly turned around? Because my mother was there to help him." Tears ran down her face, evaporating on the floor as long-forgotten memories of asking her mother how she and William had met filled her head, strengthening her resolve. "They worked together and figured out how to get them running. My father wanted both their names on the inventions, but she refused. She said they were still his creations, and he should get the credit. And she would put her name on her own inventions someday. They survived... flourished... and eclipsed anything Desmond Kress ever did because they fell in love."

Bill watched with a cold smile as the ghost men looked away from the sight of Lena crying, and the ghost woman watched the ghost girl's struggle with an unreadable expression.

"Talk, talk, talk. That was always the problem with Eckland's little whore daughters, you see. Going around causing trouble, disturbing the peaceful neighborhoods with their pranks, pursuing boys. That's what happens when you don't choose a respectable woman as Mr. Kress did. McFadden and Eckland would often go for walks through the town, McFadden's arms around him the entire time. It was easy to see where the girls got it from. Can't have whorish daughters without a frigid whore of a wife and mother."

Lena felt a pang and her eyes flashed blue suddenly. A frightening wind filled the house and the other ghosts went flying backwards in surprise. Her eyes looked as though burning blue fire was escaping her eyes. In the shadows of the house, Desmond's new servants thought the power looked like two blue angel's wings unfurling.

Bill was shocked as Lena floated up and charged him, her hands around his throat in a blind fury. Blue energy surrounded the two of them as Bill yelped and cried out as a pain filled his being. The pain of her absolute hatred. Her wrath.

"You fucking bastard..." Lena hissed, her voice turning into a roar. "You irrelevant little follower... don't you EVER speak that way again ABOUT MY MOTHER!"

Then Lena cried out as her concentration was broken by a heavy concussive blast. The three ghosts behind her had glowing red eyes, utilizing their power as Desmond had taught them. They did not cause her pain, but blasted her with a telekinetic blast that stunned her. Bill grinned as her power waned, and his eyes flashed red as well, making Lena scream as red light surrounded her body and she floated back to the floor, writhing in pain. The other ghosts stopped, looking down at her.

"You could have just stayed there on the floor... silent like a good little girl..." Bill spat, a symbolic gesture. "But now I think I'm going to make you scream for a long, long time." His eyes flashed blood red again, and Lena screamed louder in agony.

Bertha and Stella looked at each other. "Do you feel that?" Bertha asked.

"I don't know what I feel, but it's something."

"I know what it is," Bertha said. "It's the same kind of power Vera uses on us when she gets pissed."

"But it's..." Stella started, then her eyes widened.

"Lena," the two sisters chorused.

"We shouldn't have let her go alone," Stella whimpered, a tear running down her cheek. "Something's happening to her. It has to be Desmond!"

"It's okay, Stella," Bertha said, giving her youngest sister a quick hug and a kiss. "Come on, we have to go. We're the damn Nightingale Trio. No one messes with us. Mess with one of us, mess with us all, right?"

"But what about...?"

"Dad and Vera will be here in case anything happens. Come on!" With a determined nod from Stella, the two sisters flew out into the night at top speed in search for their sister.

Katherine sniffled as her phone buzzed with a text message, getting her attention. She wiped her tears away and saw Dustin's name on the screen. She snatched it up quickly and read the message.

Katherine, I'm so sorry for what I did. Please come and meet me tomorrow, early in the morning. I promise I can explain everything. I love you.

She felt her heart flutter as she hugged the phone to her chest. She was so confused and a bit angry that he had broken her heart just to take it back, but she didn't care. She wanted to see him. She couldn't wait to see him again.

The phone was tossed aside. "Well, then. You've now outlived your usefulness."

"No!" Kathleen screamed. "G-granddad, please!"

A blast of invisible force sent Kathleen flying back, hitting the wall as she sobbed in pain at the impact. "You wait there," Desmond growled, extending his arm to grab Dustin by the ankle and flying out of the front door.

"Kathleen!" Dustin screamed, being dragged out of the house and into the air.

Kathleen screamed again and buried her face in her hands.

"Help!" Dustin cried out. "Someone! Please!"

"No one can hear you now, fool," Desmond said lazily, floating higher and higher and towards the open ocean that bordered the seafront town of Friendship. "And there's no one to save you. Not anymore, at least."

"Please! Please don't!" Dustin begged, helplessly thrashing around in terror as Desmond casually held him by the ankle over treacherous sea below. "You don't have to do this!"

Desmond chuckled. The ocean was so far below now. "I had high hopes for you, you know. You seemed like the kind of person to follow orders. Oh well. Better luck next life."

"Please!"

"Farewell, Mr. Graves."

"No!"

Desmond let go.