"Jimmy! Don't leave her!" Marco cried out exasperatedly as he watched Jimmy do exactly that. He left her. Again. He promised he watch over her and then fell asleep. Now see what happened? He wrapped himself around Ellie, wishing there was something--anything--that he could do. He'd give his life for her. "Ellie, please hang on. You can't die." He closed his eyes and tried to imagine that somehow he could absorb the pills from her system, or pass his strength on to her so that she could fight the poisonous levels in her system. "You have to live, Ellie," he begged her.

Ellie was having trouble remembering where she was for some reason. She opened her eyes and realized that she was lying in a field of flowers. She had the brief thought that there was a bomb somewhere, but she could feel Marco standing above her so she wasn't worried. She looked up at him, but the sun is in her eyes and she had to squint. He smiled down at her and reached out his hand. She sensed danger, but everything was so peaceful there that she just wanted to lay back down and ignore it. But Marco was still waiting for her to take his hand and he was no longer smiling. He looked…serene but impatient. She closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of the sun. She could hear Marco calling her name at first faintly, but it started to sound louder and much closer by the second.

She opened her eyes to find that he was still waiting for her to take his hand. She didn't want to go back. She felt so happy and safe. But she knew that he was trying to lead her back. Away from the bomb and the flowers. If braving the fire meant staying here, with him, she wasn't afraid. She told him that with her thoughts, and miraculously he understood. But he only shook his head and extended his hand farther. He knew that she didn't want to leave him, but tells her with his thoughts this time that the choice was hers, but that she'd be cheating by being here and that if she didn't go back, she would lose. Whatever that meant. He told her that she would understand in time.

She hesitantly reached out and took his hand, allowing hin to lift her from the warm ground. As soon as she stood, she was blinded by a bright white light and was no longer holding Marco's hand. Instead she was lying on a cold bathroom floor and everything hurt. And she remembered. "Jimmy," she called out weakly.

"Please, Ellie, choose to live," Marco had begged her, offering his strength and to take some of her pain. He was relieved as she accepted his offer. He wasn't sure why it worked, but he could feel it as his strength seemed to drain from him. He felt increasingly weak and sick. He collapsed to the floor beside her, feeling colder than ever. But he didn't care because as he lay beside her, her eyes opened and she weakly called for Jimmy. She was going to make it.

Jimmy could hear Ellie calling and rushed back to her, still hanging on the line. The ambulance hadn't answered. He knew that they must be incredibly busy, but he still thought that they would at least answer the emergency line.

Jimmy knelt down next to Ellie, gathering her into his arms. "I'm here, Ellie. Hang on. I'm trying to get a doctor on the phone. How can I help?"

Ellie realized that she was trembling violently and snuggled closer to Jimmy's body for warmth. "He made the sun go away. And the flowers…and the bomb. They're all gone now. It's just so cold again…" She made a realization and looked around the room frantically, becoming more alert. "Where'd he go? He was just here? He led me away from the flowers."

Marco felt so sick. But like he couldn't cry, he also couldn't get sick. He was glad he'd helped somehow, but now he just wanted to curl up and die for real. He closed his eyes and curled up into a little ball on the bathroom floor. He didn't regret saving Ellie, not in the slightest, but it was still the most miserable he'd ever felt in his whole life.

"Who did?" Jimmy tried to make sense of Ellie's words. He could tell she was running a fever and figured that she was probably hallucinating. Oddly, she looked a whole lot better than she did only a few minutes ago. He decided to hold on the line for a doctor, but he felt at least a slight bit better about her condition anyway. "Come on, let's get you to bed, okay? Put your arms around my neck."

Ellie did as instructed, but she didn't let the question go unanswered. "Marco," she stated calmly. "Marco was here. He brought be back." She giggled slightly at Jimmy's confused expression. "Where did he go? I accidentally let go of his hand when we crossed the light. We must have gotten separated. I need to find him."

Jimmy winced as he heard what she was telling him. He slid his arm under her knees and lifted her from the ground, carrying her into her bedroom. He wondered if it was real. What she saw. A near death experience. It made sense that Marco would be the one waiting for her…leading her back. Jimmy wanted to believe her that that's what happened. He smiled as he set her on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Marco brought you back because he loves you. But he needed to go," he told her, tucking her in gently. "But he'll always be here to watch over you."

Ellie tried to sit back up but she was having trouble getting her limbs to obey her brain. "No," she stated. "You don't understand. I have to find him. He needs me. I have to find him." She trailed off, having no clue how to make him understand. She shook her head sadly. "Marco did love me. He was the only one who ever really did…the right way at least." She looked up at Jimmy. "Where is everyone?" She realized it had nothing to do with anything else she'd just said, but she wasn't thinking quite straight. "Are they all dead?"

"No!" Jimmy quickly quashed that idea fast. "No, they're at Craig's. They were going to have an after party there…" It seemed so long ago that they were all celebrating Homecoming. "We thought it'd make a good place to stay until it's safe to go home. Our parents would know where to find us and everything," he smiled sadly. "Um…if you're feeling up to it, we really should go there. Hazel said…well…Dylan's not handling it very well. I think it'd really help if you'd talk to him." Maybe they could help each other. They were the ones who were closest to him, they could maybe find solace in each other's company.

"And what am I supposed to say to him Jimmy? Tell him about my failed attempt at suicide? Somehow I don't think that I am in any position to cheer anyone up."

Jimmy winced at the mention of suicide, knowing that he shouldn't have brought up Dylan, either. "No. I'm sorry. I just thought…maybe you could help each other. I'm sorry. It was a dumb idea. But we should still go there. There's safety in numbers."

"No, it's okay. I just don't think that I can do much for him when I am such a emotional wreck myself. I don't know about going to where the others are. I feel really safe here. Besides, Sean could come home any minute and I don't want him worrying about where I am."

Jimmy nodded, though he wasn't sure how safe he felt there. It was a little creepy how cold it was. And the thing with the bathroom door…

But it was clear now that he couldn't leave Ellie by herself. He'd wait for Sean to come home. "All right. How are you feeling?" he asked, still concerned about the large number of pills she'd swallowed, despite the way she seemed to be pretty much fine now.

"Better then I did ten minutes ago," she replied bluntly. "Especially now that I know seeing Marco earlier wasn't a dream. He is here," she said, convinced. "In this house. Now I just have to figure out a way to help him. It might also help if I could contact him whenever I need to."

"Ellie...I..." Jimmy didn't know what to say. Maybe it was okay that she believed Marco was here. If it made her feel better, for now he'd play along. "Okay. Do you have any idea how?" If only Terri were there. Jimmy remembered she was really into things like that.

Ellie stared off into space pensively. "I don't know exactly," she said hesitantly. "It's not like I know a lot about these sorts of things." She thought for a moment. "But there has to be somebody who does. Like a gypsy. Or a medium." She stood up suddenly and nearly lost her balance. She walked across the room and grabbed Sean's coat. "There is bound to be some kind of metaphysical shop around here somewhere," she said as she pulled out the phonebook and started looking. "3 Faces of the Moon. Gems, incense, books and candles," she read from one of the ads. "311 N McArthur. We need to go there now," she informed Jimmy. "Even if most places have closed, I doubt the impending apocalypse has scared these people away," she said, not really sure what to call them.

Jimmy was doubtful, but Ellie seemed to think it was a good idea, and he wasn't inclined to upset her any more. "All right. That's not far from here. We'll go."

Could this day get any weirder?

"Good, let's go," Ellie smiled, relieved that he wasn't arguing with the idea.

When they got to the shop, Ellie stared intently at the moon shaped sign above the small two story building. She opened the door and the sound of wind chimes echoed around her. The scent of sage filled her senses. She realized why when she walked through the door and a lady in a long flower dress waved a burning stick of it around our bodies, letting the smoke drift over our clothes. I could see all sorts of gems and crystals under glass cases. There was also a lot of star and moon shaped jewelry. And lots of books, Ellie noticed immediately. Everything was kind of unusual, but also pretty and definitely intriguing, she mentally noted. She picked up a book on Eastern mythology and started thumbing through it.

Jimmy felt his question had been answered. It could and had gotten weirder.

"Is there anything I can help you find tonight? A nice protection crystal perhaps?" Madam Annalise asked as she looked over her new customers.

Ellie looked nervously to Jimmy. "Um…we need information. We sort of have this problem with our friend. He…uh…he sorta died and I think that he is trapped somehow. Like maybe a ghost? Or something?" she answered hesitantly, not sure how to explain the situation.

Mme Annalise smiled sympathetically at her. "I suppose I don't need to ask if it was sudden. May I ask why you believe he is trapped?"

"Well, I fell asleep and I saw him. He was scared and confused. He didn't want to believe that he was dead. I know that you probably think that it was just a dream, but I know that it wasn't. I woke up and the phone was in the floor right where I had dropped it when I saw him. And weird things have been happening all night. Doors and mirrors breaking suddenly." Ellie trailed off slightly. "He needs my help, but I don't know what to do for him. He just died a few hours ago, and I don't really have any sort of experience with this kind of thing," she said getting slightly hysterical. "You have to help us," she added a little calmer and glanced toward Jimmy, knowing that he was probably just as confused as she was.

Doors and mirrors breaking? That did not sound particularly good to Mme Annalise. But it did make her believe that this girl was correct about her friend. She also didn't believe that she was making it up--not on a night like tonight.

"There are a few reasons why someone may stay here after they die. Usually it happens when they die suddenly, unexpectedly. They may not realize that they are in fact dead, as you say your friend may not. In many cases, they will still cross over, but in cases like your friend...there is something that is keeping him here. Something he feels strongly enough about that he refuses to leave." She looked Ellie and her friend over carefully. "Was this your...boyfriend?" she asked carefully, hoping that she would not offend the boy with her.

Ellie shook her head. "No. Just my best friend," she replied, biting her lip. Just her best friend? That was like saying that this was just the worst night of her life. That she had just tried to swallow a fist of pills. That Paris Hilton was just the worst thing for kids since the Ebola virus. "He was my everything," she added on, feeling a lot more true to life.

Bless her heart, poor dear. Her pain is obvious. "Did he feel the same?" Mme Annalise asked carefully. "I don't want to pry, but most often when someone will not pass on it is because they do not want to leave someone they love. Especially if they are worried about this person."

That would be Marco all right. Jimmy wasn't sure he bought any of this, though. "You're saying that Marco really could still be here?" he asked, doubtful. "It doesn't seem like him, though. Marco's really not…the sort to break things." Of course the door would probably have been because of Ellie and what she was doing. He was probably trying to get her help. He raised his eyebrows considering. "So if he is here, and he's worried about Ellie…it could be a good thing, right?" It'd be nice to know that he's looking out for her.

"It depends." Mme Annalise suspected that in this case it was not a good thing. She looked at Ellie. She'd described her friend as being confused and scared. Unwilling to believe he was dead. And the broken mirror and door pointed to the spirit being angry. "When you saw him...did you notice the temperature at all?"

"It has been unusually cold in the house tonight," Ellie answered, just now starting to connect the two. "You don't think that could have anything to do with it, do you," she asked, a little worried about where this was going.

Mme Annalise nodded, giving her a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid this is not my area of expertise, but I will tell you what I can. And you may find this book helpful..." She walked to the shelves and looked for the book she was thinking of. Poltergeists by Breanna Ravenwolf. She pulled it from the shelf and handed it to Ellie. "From what I understand, there are different types of spirits that walk the earth. Some, like your friend, are not meant to remain. For this type...it often grows more uncomfortable the longer they remain. Their world is very cold, and often quite dark. They cannot touch or be touched. Even the kindest soul can become quite...unstable under these conditions. Usually if they do find a way to interact with our world, it is through acts of anger or rage."

"Well, there hasn't been any violent activity in the house. I don't sense any anger or rage. Could he be another kind of spirit perhaps? Just tell me how to help him? How can I reach him?"

Jimmy glanced at Ellie, wondering if she noticed the door being ripped off its hinges. Or the broken mirror. Or…I wondered if that's what happened when I fell earlier. She was right that it didn't sound like Marco, though. He really wasn't the angry sort.

"It's possible, but from what you describe..." Mme Annalise decided to let it go at that, not wanting to upset the poor child any further. "It depends on why he has stayed behind how you can help. As I mentioned before, the most common cause for a spirit to remain when they are not intended to, it is because they are very worried about someone that they love. Sometimes they just need to know that those they leave behind will be okay. Once they know, they can move on in peace. As far as reaching him...that can be a very dangerous endeavor. Remember that while the spirit may be a good one, it may be very unstable due to the circumstances and the conditions it is remaining under. There are a few ways in which you can make contact. It is said that while you are in a dream state that often spirits can make contact. Or there are those who are blessed with the gift of being able to contact the deceased. And there are spells that can assist, though it is very powerful majick and not to be toyed with without a lot of consideration of the consequences. And of course there are those who swear by these," she motioned toward the Ouija Boards.

"All of those sound great, but none of them actually sound doable. I need something that will definitely work and that... wait a second, you said dream state right. Is there any other way that I can reach that? And if I were to make contact with him, how could I find out what to do to help him when he doesn't even know himself?"

"Well, again there are several things you could try, but I'd have to venture that the best way for you would be through hypnosis. As for finding out what to do to help him...You said that he didn't want to accept that he was dead. Find out why he doesn't. If that doesn't help, think about this: Of all the people he could have chosen to follow or try to contact, he has picked you. Find out why, and you'll likely find out the reason he's not crossed over."

"Okay. That sounds good. You said that a spell could help me contact him. Do you know of any books in here that might have a suitable one? I know that it could be dangerous, but I have to help him."

Jimmy couldn't believe Ellie was buying into this spell stuff, but if it kept her from trying to hurt herself again, it was worth it, he decided.

"I think this may have what you're looking for," Mme Annalise returned to the shelves and did a little searching to find it. Pulling it from the shelf she thumbed through the index until she found what she was looking for. "Here. Page 27..." She handed Ellie the book.

Ellie took the book and looked at the spell closer.

TO CONFER WITH ONE WHO HAS PASSED AWAY (while asleep)

Needed:

1 white household candle(Indian Spirit 7-day candle can also be used)

Spirit Oil

A picture of the deceased

Lavender in a small natural cotton or muslin bag

Light the white candle that has been anointed with spirit oil and

stare at the flame for a few minutes. Then put the picture at eye level and

say:

"You are gone forever but your wisdom lives on;

With this spell we shall confer.

For through my dreams,I ask that you come and aid me.'

Concentrate on the problem or concern at hand that you would like to confer with the person about. Place the picture under your pillow. Let the candle burn to a stub, extinguish & place it in the bag of Lavender which has been mixed with a few drops of the oil. Sleep with these items under your pillow for three nights to receive the help requested via your dreams.

Spirit Oil Recipe

1 tablespoon dried orris root

1 tablespoon dried/crushed rosemary

1 tablespoon Solomon's seal

1 pinch of powdered jade or turquoise

3 drops sandalwood oil

3 drops mint oil

1/4 safflower oil

gemstones can be powdered by using a metal file

Mix all ingredients on the night of the new moon, store in a tightly

capped glass jar for until the next new moon (approx. 28 days).

Strain with a cheesecloth and use to anoint candles used during

conjuring, séances, protection, purification, exorcism or evocation

rituals.

"Okay," Ellie said after reading the spell out loud. "We need all of the stuff on this list. Do we really have to wait 28 days, or do you have this spirit oil stuff here?" she asked slightly worried now. Who knew that magick could be so much work? She had assumed that spells were just to make things easier.

"It so happens that we do...I believe we have almost everything you need here..." She began collecting up the items and soon had it all set to go. She also picked up a few extra items. "You will want to cast a protective circle before you attempt this. I believe you will find that on page 3 of that same book. I will even throw in everything you need here. And take my card, just in case you need any further assistance. Is there anything else I can help you with tonight?"

"Um... yeah. Do you guys teach this stuff to people," Ellie asked as she took the items. "How much?"

"I'm afraid we don't here, but take this card," Mme Annalise flipped through the drawer to find the one she was looking for. "Try giving her a call. You'll most likely need to leave a message, she's not often easy to catch at home. But I know that she does teach if she finds a student that is 'up to her standards'." She rung up the items and brought up the total. She looked at the kids and took off a 15 discount. It was the best she could do. "That'll be $51.68."

Ellie looked frantically through Sean's wallet, which was in her pocket since she was wearing his coat. She counted out 13.71 exactly. She looked nervously to Jimmy.

He held up his hand. If it would keep Ellie from trying to kill herself, it would be the least he could do. "I got it." He pulled out the credit card his father had given to him and handed it to the shop keep.

As soon as the purchse was made, they headed back to Ellie's apartment.

As they were climbing the stairs, though, he stopped and grabbed Ellie's arm.

There was something in the apartment.

Author's note: This chapter was by Chaos (as Marco, Jimmy, and Mme Annalise) and Serenity (as Ellie)