AUTHOR'S NOTE
THIS IS A GAMM STORY TAKING PLACE IN THE FROM THIS DAY ON UNIVERSE CREATED BY AMANDAFAYE, AMANDAWRITES, AND TABITHA12. Consider it EXPANDED UNIVERSE WITH MORE CHARACTERS AND FURTHER DEVOLPEMENTS TO BELOVED CANONICAL ONES.
ALL CANON CHARACTERS SUCH AS CAROLYN, DANIEL, CANDY, JONATHAN, & MARTHA AND ED ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. THE REST ARE MINE, THOUGH THEY ARE NAMED IN HONOR OF MORE FAMOUS CHARACTERS IN SOME CASES.
NO INFRINGEMENT IS MEANT BY EVEN ONE WORD.
ANYONE WHO REALLY WANTS AUNT DOTTY CAN HAVE HER. SOME OF THE EVENTS DESCRIBED IN HER SECTION ARE BASED ON TRUTH. ALTHOUGH IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS STORY, THE NON-CANON CHARACTERS TAKE CENTER STAGE. THIS IS AN EXPANDED UNIVERSE, AND HAS MORE PEOPLE SHARING SPACE WITH THE GAMM CHARACTERS FROM TV. THEIR LIVES IMPACT THOSE OF THE MUIRS AND GREGGS, AND VICE VERSA.
This disclaimer applies to all chapters.
1-You Live With a What?
She'd have to ask Blackwood's forgiveness later, Dr. Lynne Avery decided as she called her antiquated car every name in the book, and invented a few for good measure. It was dead. Beyond help. Normally, that would only be a minor inconvenience. Today, it was not. She was due in Keystone in ninety minutes to get her sister from the airport.
Well, this wasn't getting that done. Disgusted, she gave up and went inside to call her nephew. "Blackwood. My car needs last rites and someone needs to get your Aunt Jess from the airport. So, you are always talking about election — and you are, elected, that is."
"Election does not have a thing to do with cars, my dearest aunt. And Aunt Jess will have to wait. I have a funeral in forty-five minutes. If you'd called five minutes from now, you'd have gotten the answering machine. Call Thom."
"Thom is at work."
"So am I. Try Candy then. She has a very understanding boss."
Sighing, Linden hung up and tried Gull Cottage. It didn't make sense to call someone in Skeldale to pick up someone in Keystone and bring them to Schooner Bay, unless all other resorts were exhausted. No one was home. Dave was likely at work, Jenny was only days away from delivery, so did not need to be driving. The idea of Tristan driving... no... Therefore, calling the Farnon's was out of the question. Martha? No, it was her day at Gull Cottage, so if she was out, then she wasn't available.
The doctor shook her head to clear it. She'd have to call her daughter-in-law.
Candy's boss answered the phone.
"Where's Candy?" Lynne asked, not having time for pleasantry.
"I sent her to the courthouse to file some papers... she should be back in about an hour," Adam replied, holding the phone away from his ear when the doctor blasted a bit loudly. "Can I help?"
"My car is dead, and my sister's plane is landing in a bit over an hour in Keystone... there is no way I can get there in time unless I turn into a ghost."
"So, you hoped Candy could handle the picking up part. Would I suffice?"
"I wasn't hinting..."
"No, you weren't, but I did offer, and really, the boss leaving causes fewer disruptions than the secretary. So, would I do?"
"If you wouldn't mind..."
"Just tell me who to look for."
"She's tall, light brunette, green eyes, about ten years younger than me... I don't know how she wears her hair these days... her name is Jessamyn Thomas."
"Jessamyn?" Adam asked as he fished his keys out of the drawer.
"You know how Tristan's parents were into myths? Mine were into horticulture. Therefore, I'm Linden, she's Jessamyn and our oldest sister, and Blackwood's mother goes by her middle name, Susan, since her first name is intolerable to her. Calantha, after the flower that Dad planted in honor of her birth."
"Let me guess, grandpa named her son?" Adam asked.
"Right."
"Okay. Well, I'll bring Jessamyn to your place? Have you taken care of Sig?"
"Uh — he, and all the ghosts are to either be invisible or appear human around her... he's moved into the stables. I think he wanted to anyway, and this gave him an excuse. I hated kicking him out, but the thought of our oldest sister finding out I'm even WITH a ghost, er — shacking up? No. And I don't think we're planning on telling her — unless — Sig falls for her."
"For her? Not — ah — you?" Adam really should leave, but he was curious.
"Adam, you are going to be late. Jess is not noted for patience. She's supposed to be on Flight 539, Gate H8."
"Right. See you."
As Adam began scrawling a note to Candy to let her know where he was, the phone rang. "Pierce."
"Margaret Sharpe here. I was wondering..."
"Who?" Adam snapped. He really needed to get on the road. He should not have answered the phone, just let the machine get it.
"Margaret Coburn. I wanted to see if..."
"Is this a legal matter?"
"Why, I..."
"Yes or no?"
"Not strictly, no."
"Well, I'm running late. So it will have to wait." On that, he hung up.
Before it could ring again, he almost ran outside to the waiting jeep. Blast, he'd meant to clean it out last weekend. Maybe Jessamyn traveled lightly? Frowning, he tossed books into the back, shoved the tape case under the seat, located his tennis shoes that had been missing for three days and carefully stowed the drumstick case under his seat. On a second thought, he fished out a tape and jammed it into the player. A moment later, a shrieking "wang" told him that the thing was jammed, tangled and hopelessly snarled. Blast it. No time to extricate it, so he resigned himself to silence and set off, hoping that traffic was favorable.
Traffic might have been favorable, if it weren't for roadwork. The road had been fine last week, why'd they have to go tearing it up now? A detour put him off his time fifteen minutes, just by existing. Then, another five minutes passed while he re-oriented himself to the route. Thunder rumbled, and it didn't sound like an angry ghost. It sounded like real thunder. He had fixed the canvas roof, he hoped. Yes. He had. For a cloudy day it was glarey. Reaching up, he groped for his shades that were supposed to be behind the visor. They half were. One lens had popped out.
This day was not a good one.
Finally, he was at the airfield. That parking was a nightmare was a given. College students and businessmen made the walking twice as congested as the driving. Adam thanked his ancestors that gave him genes for tallness, allowing him a line of sight that could view the various and sundry signs marking his path, until the same signs told him he'd entered at the wrong end of the airport and now had to travel the entire length to the other end to find Miss Thomas' arrival point. He did manage to locate a large poster-ish blank paper on which he could write JESSAMYN THOMAS. Green eyed, tall light brunettes were not as rare as a rule. He didn't fancy going up to every young woman and saying, "are you Jess Thomas?" She could be not a brunette by now. Women did dye their hair, after all, and if he was remembering correctly, he'd never met her. Why she hadn't been at the wedding, oh, it was about a year ago (note to self, get an anniversary present) was at least one thing he could use to make polite conversation.
By the time he reached the gate Linden had instructed him to be at, twenty minutes ago, now Adam was feeling stupid, hauling around a large sign with bright green letters on it, in search of a stranger. Discovering that the plane had landed not at H8 but at A9, the gate he had been closest to nineteen minutes ago was just delightful.
Trudging back through the madding or was it maddening crowd, Adam wondered if Jenny had had the baby yet. If it had graduated from college yet. If a search party wouldn't be dispatched to find him any time soon. He'd been their a hundred years surely. Maybe he was a ghost now.
He concentrated. No. No thunder, no pop. He was still alive.
Lost in thought, he peered around the crowds, not seeing anyone who even remotely looked like Linden, Thom, or Blackwood. Of course, not all families looked as much like each other as Carolyn did to her two children. Just look at Jenny... she looked nothing like her cousins, and the Matthews brothers didn't look much alike. For that matter, Blackie didn't look much like Thom.
Shaking his head, Adam refocused his straying thoughts. Maybe he should just see about having her paged. It beat wandering around like an idiot. As he turned toward the desk, unfortunately the one with a ten-mile long line, he felt a tug on his jacket sleeve.
"I think you're looking for me?" an uncertain voice said as he changed course. "Jessamyn Thomas — are you a friend of Lynne's?"
Nodding in relief, Adam extended his free hand, the wrong one to shake, but the right one had a sign in it. "Adam Pierce. We'll grab your luggage and — no point trying to talk in this racket."
Half an hour later, hauling five suitcases, a gym bag, and a purse that could hold who only knows what, the two of them trudged toward Adam's jeep. "Think you brought enough?" he asked, hitching one of the bags into a more tenable position.
"Well, I'm kind of moving here, so it seemed logical to bring everything," Jess snapped.
Biting back a comparison of how much easier it had been to move Jenny, since he couldn't mention that they'd had ghostly assistance, Adam merely noted, "Yeah. I guess. No furniture?"
"I rented a furnished apartment in Houston, so no. My books are arriving UPS next week."
Adam stopped. "Where the heck did I park?"
"I should know this how?" Jessamyn asked, setting her cases down to plant her hands on her hips.
Blast, he'd gotten lazy. In recent years, Adam had been accompanied by a ghost or two when on mega parking lots. One of them kept track of this garbage.
"Let's see, I came in by the opposite gate to where I found — no the opposite of where I was supposed to be but you weren't, and wound up going back to where I came in so it should be..." The attorney mused aloud, turning in a circle. Finally, he spotted his battered canvas top two rows over. "There."
When they reached the jeep, Jess looked at it leerily. "Uh, great."
"What?"
"I hate jeeps. And I don't think all this will fit."
"Of course it will. We'll just strap you to the top or the back tire," Adam sighed.
"Funny."
Despite the misgivings, everything managed to squeeze inside the back seat, once things were shifted a bit and Jess agreed to hold the smallest bag on her lap and put the gym bag under her feet.
"This day just gets better and better," she groused, trying to find a comfortable position. "I'm squished on the plane, and now here. A jerk hits on me for five hundred miles, at least. The in-flight movie was some comedy that wasn't funny, Used Cars. Just gross. The lunch was something I wouldn't serve to a fifth grade class of starving boys who'll eat anything... I waited in the airport for..."
"Hold on!" Adam snapped. "You think YOU have had a bad day? Let me tell you about bad days. One, your sister calls me out of the blue to pick you up from Keystone while I live in Skeldale, and take you to Schooner Bay. Two, my tape deck ate my favorite tape. Three, it looks stormy and I think there might be a hole in my ceiling. Four, your plane landed at the wrong gate. Five, five was actually four, the land shark tried to bite me. Six..."
"Did you get scared by Sesame Street as a child?" Jess asked matter-of-factly.
"What?" Adam blinked.
"The counting."
"I was an adult when Sesame Street debuted," he said mildly.
"Okay, you OD'd on Tolkien."
He considered asking her to clarify, then decided to ask Jenny or Dave. "I like order."
"Really?" Jess glanced at the backseat, which had been cluttered before her things landed in it.
"My version of it."
"Which the rest of us call chaos."
"Jessamyn…" he began.
"Jess. I hate my name."
He considered calling her Jessamyn on that principle alone, then amended his statement. "Well, it could be worse. I understand Tristan's dad named his youngest sibling Ultan."
"I hope that wasn't a girl. Who is Tristan? Other than the ill-fated knight who had the hots for his uncle's wife after taking a love potion?"
Since saying the "ill-fated ghost who has the hots for your niece-in-law without a potion" seemed an unwise answer, Adam shrugged. "A friend. You'll meet him if you stay long." He smiled. That could be fun. Tristan had such a creative bent. Yes. This might be just the thing to cheer up the poor kid.
"What?" she asked, seeing the tiny smile playing dangerously at the edge of his mouth.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing."
"Riiight. So, are you another doctor?" Jess asked, fidgeting to try and get her knees farther from her ear lobes. At least it felt like her knees and ears were smashed together.
"Lawyer. And yes, I know what the Bard said about lawyers and heard the one about a group of useless men being a law firm."
"1776," she promptly returned.
"Yeah," he grudgingly allowed. "Where were you about a year ago when Candy married Thom?"
"Making goose and seal noises against my will."
"That's a unique form of torture. Was tequila involved?"
"No. Benadryl and Sudafed. I had a sinus infection with fever, coughing, and congestion. Somehow, I didn't think showing up was a good plan."
Adam shrugged, not having anything witty to say in response. For the remainder of the trip, he answered a few questions about Jess' sister and nephews. When Linden's office came into view, both mentally breathed sighs of relief.
The doctor was out the door almost before the jeep stopped. After hugging her sister, she very deliberately said, "Let me give you a hand, Adam," and moved over to help him grab a bag or two. Under her breath, Lynne said, "I was about to send Sig out looking for you."
"Usual traffic, airport, etcetera nightmares," he returned in the same tone. "But hold that thought."
"Sorry," Lynne whispered. "Too perky?"
"Ha."
They had to shut up then as Jessamyn joined them to hoist some of her luggage. "I don't expect you to wait on me, Sis."
"We just wanted to talk about you behind your back," Adam smiled thinly. "Need anything else, Lynne? I could look at your car?"
"No need. I got Ed to tow it to the garage. Battery needs replacing. It'll be back by morning. If you want to stay, Blackwood's coming over to take us to Norrie's."
"I'll pass. Long drive back, and I should go over the research Candy was going to do this afternoon." He started to get back in the jeep, the paused. "Any word on the new person?"
"I'm sure you'll be an honorary uncle again before the week's out."
"Huh?" Jess asked.
"Candy's — cousin who's sort of her sister by unofficial adoption is about to give birth," Adam explained.
"And you're related to Candy?" Jess asked, wondering why she hadn't clarified when trying to make conversation on the trip to town.
"I'm her honorary step-cousin or uncle on her step-father's side, by virtue of being the virtual descendant of her step-father's honorary brother."
"Once removed," Lynne grinned.
Jess shook her head. "Okay. Didn't know I'd moved to Pine Valley."
The doctor and lawyer just shrugged.
"Right. Well, I'm off before the land shark hears that fresh bait is near. See you, Sunday," Adam nodded.
"Come on in, Sis," Linden said.
XXX
Dinner with Reverend Blackie was a casual affair at Norrie's lobster house. They ran into Claymore on the way out, but he didn't say anything that could be held against him. Blackie did step on his foot once to keep him from saying the word ghost.
Around one a.m. Jess couldn't sleep; she was too tired and too keyed up. Deciding to see if there might be a bottle of red wine in the fridge, since she drank so seldom one sip should zonk her, she crept downstairs as quietly as possible. As she entered the living room, a soft glow out of the corner of her eye drew her attention. In a rapt mixture of fascination and horror, she watched what could only be a ghost glide across the floor then shoot up into what she was sure was her sister's room. Choking down a scream, she scrambled back up the stairs into her own room. Jess knew she had to do something, but what? She just wasn't equipped to handle this.
Her eyes fell on the phone. Blackwood was a pastor. They knew about this stuff, right? They did in the movies.
Under her nightlight's dim glow, she could see that his number was on auto-dial three. Pushing the button, five rings later, his sleepy tone answered.
"Blackie!" she hissed.
"Candy? Carolyn?" he yawned.
"No. Jess."
"Wut's wrong?" he yawned again.
"Get over here, now!"
"Why?"
"It's an emergency."
"Someone hurt?"
"No... there's a — a — aghostinyouraunt'sroom," she blurted.
"Which one is it?" he asked absently. "Siegfried?"
"I didn't get its name... just get over here with your beads and holy water so we can exorcize it before it does something to her — wh — you know a ghost? On a name basis?"
By now, Blackwood was awake and had realized what he said and what she said. "Uh... you know about ghosts?"
"Yes. I — thought I was going nuts until I figured out that I really was seeing ghosts... but I've never dealt with one or tried to exorcise it... but then again, one's never attacked my sister... now will you stop it and get over here?"
"If a ghost is in Aunt Lynne's room, it's either a medical emergency, a certain gentleman figured out what I figured out a while back, or one of them forgot something and is fetching it. Or maybe her place is on the patrol rounds. Unofficially. Aunt Jess... ghosts are… our friends. Our family even." Blackie chuckled weakly.
"Do what?"
"If we'd known you could see them, it would have made things a lot easier. I'll let Siegfried know he can move back home, if he wants to."
"Are you saying that Lynne lives with a ghost named..."
"Siegfried — not in the romantic sense, just so she won't be left out on the being haunted bit. She's the only one who hadn't been, when he arrived. And so he doesn't drive his brother bats. Aunt Jess — are you there? Are you okay?"
"I'll let you know when I wake up."
"You aren't dreaming. Why don't you describe the ghost? Was it a pretty redheaded lady? Or a dark haired man with a strong face, with or without a beard? A — "
"How many are there?" Her tone sounded somewhat like Claymore's had when he'd asked why he had ghosts busting out all over, essentially.
"Hmm." He muttered some unintelligible names, and she caught something about, "oops, forgot Elroy, again..." until he finally said, "seven, total."
"Tristan? I heard you say that name and Adam mentioned a Tristan, with a brother named Ultan... Adam knows about ghosts too?"
"Oh yeah. Ultan's not a ghost, he moved on about a century and a half ago, roughly. Not everyone becomes a ghost, just — well, I don't know why they do, if they do, but some do. Adam's known about ghosts as long as Carolyn has, almost, though he did know a ghost, without knowing he was a ghost before that."
"How can you not know someone's a ghost?"
"They can fake very well... most ordinary folk can't tell unless they want it known, kind of like a super hero with a secret ID... not many people know ghosts exist, though the rumors have been around Gull Cottage for the last century... so don't advertise it... I'll make sure you're introduced to everyone who knows or is a ghost..."
"Uh... that's okay, really."
"Jess, they are perfectly nice and not scary at all, unless angered. Now, describe who you saw, please. So I can know if I need to worry or not."
"But you said they are safe..."
"Jess, two are staying with Jenny, and she's at risk for toxemia, though she's been taking good care of herself so it's very well controlled... I'd like to know if she's having problems or not… if she is, then like as not one of them showed up to get the doctor."
"Blondish guy, not really tall," Jess shrugged.
"Would a lady term him cute?"
"Maybe, he wasn't ugly... but not drop… er… dead gorgeous… dressed sort of formally..."
"Sounds more like Sig... So he must've forgotten something, he moved out today so you wouldn't have to deal with ghosts... or think Aunt Lynne was shacking up or loony. Go on back to bed. Just let Aunt Lynne know you know in the morning, or later this morning."
"I'll be getting up in — three-and-a-half hours anyway, so what's the point? I want to know more about..."
"I won't be getting up in three and a half hours. I'd forgotten, you're a morning person," he said the last as if it was curse. "But, I promise I'll make sure you get the whole, long story... when it's a decent hour..."
"Okay," she sighed a bit petulantly. "Night."
Hanging up, she settled down to read for the next few hours until at five she could stand it no longer. Noting that the word Adam was written on the re-dial button under Blackwood, she hit it.
"Lord Dashire," his bleary voice said upon answering, "unless you're calling with a dire emergency, this is not cute."
"I'm not Lord whatsit. It's me, Jess. What can you tell me about spooks?"
"There is a large, scary one that lurks in cellars waiting for sadistic young women to rouse innocent, good hearted attorneys at FIVE BLOODY A.M. so it can grab them and take them down to where their bones won't be found for a hundred and ten years."
"I waited until dawn," she said, as if that was reasonable. "Look, last night I saw one wandering into Lynne's bedroom and I called Blackie... he said it was okay, Siegfried wouldn't hurt her, and he said you know all about all that..."
"I don't do five a.m. unless there's a stray body, someone dying, direly ill, or other such. Are you dead, dying, or suffering from something other than terminal perkiness?"
"No, but listen, why didn't you tell me my sister lives with a ghost? It would have been something to think about other than my knees being wedged into my ears on the long ride home yesterday."
There was a long pause. Then, in a cool as death voice, Adam asked, "Perhaps you would have preferred to walk from Keystone to Schooner Bay? With your fifteen bags of your life? Or perhaps cab fare for thirty miles would suit you?"
"It was five suitcases, a gym bag, and a purse."
"Whatever. I was doing you a favor... and your sister won't be living with a ghost much longer because I'm going to murder Sig for showing himself to you, inspiring this little early morning tete-a-tete."
"How can you murder a ghost? And I see ghosts, even if they don't want to be, so it's not like it's his fault," Jess pointed out.
"Jessamyn, I do not speak at five a.m. except in dire emergency. By your own admission, you are not in a dire emergency. Therefore, good night."
Glaring at the now buzzing phone, she hung up reluctantly. Okay, maybe it was kind of early, especially for a Saturday morning, but ghosts were a shock to some people's, her's anyway, systems. Sighing, she flopped against the headboard and stared at the ceiling for an aeon.
Five minutes later, she gave up trying to relax and sleep for the day. It was useless. With a resigned look, she kicked off the covers, located her house shoes, and after a bit of consideration to the fact that there might be a male ghost wandering around, a robe, then crept into the hallway. Glancing around, she could see no spooks, but did that mean anything? Couldn't they turn invisible?
Careful to make no noise, Jess crept through the hall to the living room. Looking out the window, there was no paper to be seen. Bummer. She was used to reading the Houston Post and Chronicle both. Well, surely there was coffee.
Fifteen minutes later, she had a cup made and was bored again. Saturday morning TV was useless, unless you were a rug-rat. Only so many times could one watch the coyote chase the roadrunner with gizmos from Acme products. Restless, she peered at her sister's reading material. Nothing appealed to her. Spotting a photo album, she picked it up as she curled onto a Papassan chair.
Thumbing through, she identified Thomas and Blackwood at a couple of weddings. The blonde girl must be Thom's wife, Candy? That must be her mother, they looked so much alike. Who was the hot older guy she was dancing with...? She squinted at the caption in Lynne's chicken scratch. Bride and Father of the Bride dance... Daniel Miles and Candy. Then there was Candy and her mother and a dark haired girl. Candy, Carolyn, Jenny. The sort of sister? Two shaggy-haired blonde guys kept turning up in shots. After some figuring, she deciphered that they were Dave and Jon. Two other men, who wore the typical get me out of here looks men had at weddings appeared often. Sean and Lord Dashire. Where'd she heard those names again? Never mind. She liked their faces. Open, friendly, happy. An older woman and another man who looked like he didn't like being so dressed up were labeled Martha and Ed Peavey. Oh, there was a bald guy that had the name of her new boss, or at least the guy who'd hired her. Claymore. And there was Adam. He sure appeared in a lot of pictures. She flipped some more. Various photos chronicled events that had occurred over the last year. There was Adam in what looked like a St Patrick's Day gala. He looked kind of cool when he wasn't uptight.
Then, there were shots of what looked like a play... My Fair Lady. A review was pasted in, so she read it. Glancing between the pictures and article, she had to agree. Freddy and Liza were really in love. They almost glowed. Then, she looked closer, blinking. There was the ghost she'd seen! Now she recalled where she'd heard some of the names... Blackie had muttered them! Looking, she tried to sort out who was alive and who wasn't... but they all looked so… so normal! Flipping, she saw the pictures of people on horseback. The pregnant girl petting a horse, she couldn't be a ghost, could she? Adam surely wasn't. Whoa! What was that? Sis was on a horse, and a hunk had her sitting in front of him like something out of a fairy tale. Lynne looked a bit ticked, but her knight was grinning. She hoped he was alive. It'd be nice if her sister had someone. It'd be more than nice. Linden hadn't relaxed since Alan was killed. The pictures made it look like that was changing... Were the ghosts part of why she was happy again?
Bemused, she didn't register when Linden entered the living room. "Morning. I'd forgotten how early you get up, Sis," Lynne yawned. "Hope you made enough Java for two."
"Huh? Oh, hi. Yeah. Full pot. Do you get a paper? Who was the ghost in your room? At one a.m.?"
Now the doctor came fully awake. "The Beacon only comes out once a week. Not worth coming out then, really. You — you saw Siegfried? Blast it — I told him to stay invisible if he had to pop in."
"I see ghosts," Jess admitted.
"Like Blackie?" Lynne asked.
"Uh, yeah. I guess. Even the invisible ones. But I guess Siegfried didn't really expect me to be up, so maybe he wasn't invisible... anyhow... I saw him pop through the ceiling... are you and he… involved?"
"Me — and Sig? Good night nurse, no." Raking a hand through her hair, Lynne shook her head. "He needed a place to haunt, so I let him hang out here..."
"Right. Well I guess a ghost couldn't anyway..."
"Oh? I wouldn't say that... I am pretty sure that a couple of three ghosts are very much able to, and do so often..."
"Is Adam a — spook?"
"No. He just works for one."
"This sounds like a really long story," Jess sighed.
"You could say that," Lynne chuckled. "Come on, get dressed. We're invited to Gull Cottage for breakfast. The heart of the story is there."
Leery, Jess scrambled to her feet. "Uh, that's okay… really."
"Ghosts are cool. Trust me," Lynne smirked at some secret joke.
"What'd Siegfried want?" Jess asked in resignation.
"He forgot his journal. I had found it earlier and stashed it in my room for him. Ghosts are really big on keeping logs."
"Uh, okay..."
"When'd you find out you could see them?" Lynne asked as she headed toward the kitchen.
"Well, I would tour historic buildings, to take pictures for classes, and once in a while I'd see a person that I could see through... and thought I was bonkers... or just had too much imagination...then I went on a haunted Houston tour... and one or two other persons, but not all of them, saw what I saw... and I found this – well — she was a medium named Tibaldi — lecturing at — don't tell Blackwood I went there, but when I heard a lecture on ghosts was going on, I wanted to know if what I thought I was seeing, was what I was seeing... so I went to the Unity church downtown... it's not much like a church, I'm not sure they worship the same as we do... but the ghost expert was there... and I stayed after to talk to her, and she told me I really was seeing ghosts... so I knew I wasn't nuts..."
Lynne was frowning deeply.
"Look, I know it's not a church like a real church, like Blackie runs or — but it was pure research..." Jess hastened to say.
"Jess, it's not that... I don't think your mind will get corrupted and you'll turn into a pagan just walking into someplace," her sister scoffed. "I've heard that name, Tibaldi before... oh blast it... now I remember, she tried to dispel one of the ghosts here once upon a time."
"It was way before I even knew I was coming here," the younger woman winced. "I'm sure she doesn't know I'm here or would even care..."
"I know... just ironic," Linden exhaled. "Like I said, get dressed, it's Carolyn's week to host brunch... and I don't want to be late. I hate being late."
"Well, at least some things don't change — but I've noticed you haven't called me 'little sister' once... not that I'm griping, but how'd it finally sink in that I hate that?" Jess asked, rising.
"Hearing Sig's little brother yell 'don't call me little brother' often enough."
Gesturing at the album, Jessamyn asked, "Which pictures are of ghosts? I'm not sure, just looking at photos, except for the guy I did see... and who's the prince charming carrying you off on horseback?"
"Someone slipped that one in behind my back," Linden grimaced. "And no, I won't tell you. That's the point, they're very normal, except for having a few extra gifts. So, figure it out yourself."
"Who is Prince Charming?" Jess repeated.
"I take the fifth," Linden called back. "But he's not all that charming," she tacked on in a mutter.
"Right. Is he a spook?"
"Guess."
XXX
Despite her badgering, Jess couldn't get her sister to tell her who was a ghost and who wasn't. As they pulled up to Gull Cottage, Jess' eyes grew wide. "Cottage? When I think of a cottage, it's not that. That's Gull Mansion."
"It is impressive," Lynne agreed with a shrug. "Come on."
Carolyn was on the porch enjoying the sun. "Martha decided to come and has taken over the kitchen, with Molly," she smiled. "Is this Jessamyn?"
"Jess," the young woman shuddered.
"Jess then."
Lynne grinned. "She saw Siegfried... and knows, but don't tell her who is and who isn't mortal. I want to see if her ghost-dar is as good as Blackie's."
"Okay," Carolyn nodded. "Daniel's on the widow's-walk with Sean."
"So, are there ghosts here, Sis?" Linden asked as they entered.
"Well, she's not," Jess said when Dakota greeted her with a sniff, "are you, girl? Neither's Carolyn, but I do feel a… buzz or prickle..."
Right then, there were footsteps on the stairs announcing Daniel and Sean's very normal entry.
"Good morning, ladies," Daniel beamed.
Sean added his welcome simultaneously to Jess blurting out, "You two, you're ghosts!"
"Well, they do say psychic gifts run in families," Sean noted without being phased in the slightest. "Blackie had to get it from somewhere."
"This should make life simpler," Daniel nodded, relaxing into his normal face, making Jess gasp.
"He has a very famous face around here, so in public, my husband doesn't look so much like Daniel Gregg, Schooner Bay's leading citizen," Carolyn explained.
"I guess that's logical... uh, do you... feel like a real person?" Jess asked.
"Well, I was going to shake your hand, then you realized I was a ghost, so, judge for yourself," Daniel said, extending his hand and clasping hers.
It was very warm and real.
"You don't feel spectral."
"Thank you," he smiled. "Learning how to be so was quite a process... but very worth it."
His eyes slid to Carolyn; for a moment, only she existed in his world. Then, Sean cleared his throat. "Right. Well, I'll go fetch Molly and Martha."
"Is Ed here?" Linden asked.
"He's down fishing on the pier," Sean replied, turning around.
"Uh — ghosts eat?" Jess asked, turning red.
Sean stopped again. Smirking, he glanced at Linden. "Aye — though 'tis not required."
"I'm not going to live that down, am I?" she flushed.
"Not likely. My first mate has a long memory," Daniel allowed. "But he only teases those he likes."
Looking from one to the other, Jess asked, "What?"
"Well, back on St. Pat's Day, I was suffering a wee bit of melancholy, at least, and was not participating in the feast Norrie's provided to your sister's satisfaction. She was a mite concerned for my health, if I continued to skip meals," Sean's eyes twinkled.
"The whole disembodied person aspect of the family was a bit new to me," the doctor defended herself.
"And I do appreciate the concern," Sean nodded.
By this time, his trip to the kitchen was not necessary; having heard the stir of voices, Martha and Molly had come into the front room.
"Hello, I'm Martha," the apparently older woman smiled.
"And I'd be Molly," the pretty redhead nodded amiably.
It didn't take an expert to tell that she belonged with Sean, his face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. Extending a hand to each of them, Jess introduced herself as Daniel informed them. "She knows — about us."
By now, Jess was sure her face was going to remain perpetually red. "I kinda saw Siegfried, when he was probably invisible."
"Well, isn't that fine. I did hate having to pretend around someone who's to be family," Molly grinned.
"Yes, it is easier," Martha agreed dryly. "Captain, would you mind going down to the beach and getting Ed and Jonathan in? Breakfast is almost ready."
"Can I go along?" Jess piped up. "I'd like to see the beach... the only ones I've been to are public ones, and they can be a bit — gnarly."
"Gnarly?" Daniel asked.
"Gross, nasty... ew," she elucidated.
"You will find my beach is not. Come along then."
XXX
As they walked down the sand, Daniel smiled gently, "Go on, I can see a thousand questions dancing in your head. I can answer why I haunt, I think..."
"Uh, that wasn't what I was going to — but yeah — why?"
"You met her. For about a century I thought I haunted because I kicked the blasted gas heater and died too soon, but now, I know it is because I was born too soon to meet Carolyn. What did you want to ask originally?"
"I got to looking at a picture book at Lynne's...and how well do you know my sister?"
"I knew of her since shortly after she moved here... she performed an autopsy on a body that was found in my cellar. However, until after Candy married her son, I didn't really know her other than seeing her from time to time around town."
"A body? Who — darn it, every question seems to lead to ten more! We'll come back to that, okay? The thing is, Linden really, really loved Alan. He was among the first sent to report on Nam— at the end of the fifties. When he died, a bit of her did too, but she had Thomas, and so she had to keep it together. Between interning and raising him, she had a full plate for years... maybe you didn't notice, but she was not happy for most of those years, I don't think. She didn't really notice that she wasn't — too busy, you know?"
Daniel nodded, not sure where her rambling was leading yet, but letting her run on, slowing his pace so she might be able to make her point before they reached the pier.
"Well, when I looked at the pictures, I saw a sister I haven't seen since I was like twelve, or thirteen. Someone relaxed, happy. One picture stood out. The one of her on a horse, with this debonair guy. I'd like to know who he is..."
"That would have to be Dashire," Daniel replied, pausing to pick up a sand dollar. Blackie had mentioned liking the legend behind them, but it wasn't easy to find a whole one. "He was third in command on my ship."
"So he is a ghost? Lynne wouldn't tell me, and said he wasn't all that charming. I don't think she was being on the up-and-up there."
"Yes, he is, and he is quite the charmer."
"Are they…?"
"Not to my knowledge, and even if they were, I don't violate confidences." To be honest, he hadn't noticed any romance there, but it was an intriguing notion.
"It'd be nice," Jess shrugged. "She deserves to be happy."
"So does he," she thought she heard the ghost murmur. Louder, he called, "Ahoy! Jonathan, Ed. Come on in."
Two figures made their way from the pier. "Catch anything?" Daniel asked.
"Fish ain't biting," the older man groused.
"Ed here is Martha's husband," Daniel informed her. "Jonathan is my step-son. This is Jess, Linden's sister, the new history teacher Claymore hired."
"Don't you mean Clay?" the boy ribbed, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Teachers are prettier these days."
Ed nodded, then noticed Daniel's face. "Wh — "
"It's okay," Jess repeated. "I'm like Blackie."
"Cool!" Jonathan grinned.
Daniel noted with amusement it was a good thing his step-son was headed back to school the next day. He could see a crush building there.
XXX
The morning passed without incident; it was spectacularly ordinary. If Jess hadn't been told that three ghosts were there, she'd not have known it, except for the times that Sean or Daniel would pass something to one of the ladies without the use of their hands.
When it was time to go, Jess was more than slightly reluctant. However, Carolyn invited them back that evening. Since Jonathan was leaving to go back to school the following afternoon after church and in honor of Jess' arrival, they wanted to have a family dinner. With Gull Cottage the largest of all the homes among their family, at least in Schooner Bay, it was going to be there. Then, Jess would get to meet everyone.
"Of course, you have met one of the guests, besides us," Carolyn informed her, a half smile playing on her face. "Lynne said you met Adam already."
"He's family? I thought, hoped he was just kind of popping off." Jess made a face.
"No. Adam is very much family, more so than some legal relations," Daniel said. "Even if he weren't so useful, we'd enjoy having him in the clan."
Shaking her head, Lynne told her sister to be nice, then asked Daniel to track down Sig to let him know he could come back home, if he wanted to.
Suddenly, Sean, who'd popped out, reappeared holding a thick binder. Extending it to Jess, he said modestly, "Carrie and I've sort of recorded some of our family history… it's typed out. Neither of us has much in the way of handwriting, but... we got to talking one day about how incredible our pasts are. Someday, perhaps all of us will — move on to the light... but it'd be a pity if the grandchildren of grandchildren didn't know their marvelous past. Thought maybe it'd help you make sense of — well — us."
"And you can tell us if it makes sense to someone who doesn't have all of us standing there to ask questions to," Carolyn mused. "Just in case we don't all haunt forever."
On that slightly down note, they adjourned. However, the hours between brunch and dinner flew by. In no time at all, they were heading back to Gull Cottage. As Jess stepped across the threshold once more, she abruptly took a step back, right onto a foot.
"YEOWWA!" an offended voice complained.
Half-turning, she saw Adam wearing a pained expression stemming from her spiked heel crashing through his newly re-found, canvas tennis shoe.
"Is there a particular reason you want to cripple me for life?" he asked, a touch snidely.
Face flaming, she coughed. "Uh, well, it's just, there's so many of them... it threw me a little."
"Blackie's never tried to break my foot," Adam muttered back just as Tristan appeared.
"Oh, I thought it was Clay arriving. I wanted to see who'd stolen my thunder," the youngest ghost blinked. Sticking a hand toward Jess, he introduced himself. "Tristan Matthews."
"I'm Jess Thomas," she gulped. This was the first time, besides Siegfried, one of the ghosts had just popped in, in front of her. "Stolen your thunder?"
"Tris considers it his duty to evoke the most astounding noises possible, as often as he can, from hapless victims," Adam informed her. "Treading on me was infringing on his territory."
"No, she wasn't. I only like to scare Claymore," Tristan contradicted. "Never a charming lady, or the fellow who taught me how to drive."
"Well, you're not safe then, Jess," Adam smirked.
Linden came up the walk behind them. It'd taken her a minute or two to park, since other cars were there ahead of her. She'd sent Jess on ahead with her contribution for the evening.
"Would you all clear the traffic jam?" she asked before Jess could snipe back at Adam.
Moving aside, Jess shot him a glare, so didn't see the amused look Tristan sent Lynne's way. It was returned with a querulous one. Lynne knew that ghosts could see things that were not apparent, so wondered what Mr. Matthews was sensing. However, now was not the time, as Dash came to see why there was a congregation at the door.
"Ah, Doctor, so wonderful to see you," he grinned, kissing her hand before she could move it away. "And this would be your lovely sister?"
"You're Lord Dashire?" Jess beamed.
"Great, another one," Tristan sighed. Ever since they'd been alive, he'd watched women melt at Dash's feet.
"Indeed, dear girl. You have heard of me?"
"Who hasn't?" Adam asked rhetorically. "I'll take this," he appropriated the covered dish, thus freeing Jess' hands to be kissed, "to the kitchen for you."
Except for Claymore, who was generally late so he could miss out on any work, the rest of the family was there. Jess finally got to meet her newest niece, Candy, and to get a good look at Siegfried.
When Blackie made a passing comment to his "Aunt Jessamyn," Jenny, Carolyn's pregnant cousin/daughter, looked up, eyes bright. "What a lovely name! It's the same as Ben Kenobi's grand-daughter's."
Sean frowned. "Jenny, lass, you did talk me into seeing both of those movies, and I don't recall seeing that he had any relatives."
Dave coughed. "She reads faster than usual lately." The look he gave his wife, gently amused and long suffering, said that this might not be a good thing. "So, I found a fanzine company, they publish Alternate Universes of popular things — Star Trek and Wars, Doctor Who, Camelot, you name it. Some are strange, but some are good."
"You've read them too?" Carolyn asked.
He shrugged. "In one of them, Jessamyn Kenobi is Ben's descendant, and married to Luke, since the Princess ditched him. I think Jen cares about the new characters more than the canon ones."
"Not more, but as much," she admitted.
"Just don't name your child Jessamyn, please," the woman begged.
"I'll add it to the list," Tristan grinned. "Coming from a family where names were unfortunately given, I've been advising her on the etiquette of inflicting a moniker on one's child."
"Little brother…" Siegfried began.
Daniel cleared his throat. "Siegfried."
"Tristan, I'm sure our father had good reasons for naming us as he did," the ghost amended without missing a beat.
To avoid fight as much as anything else, Linden got everyone's attention. "Hey, Jess, have you thought about a car yet?"
"Not overly," the young woman mentioned, somehow sounding casual and on guard both.
"You'll need one... soon."
By now, Claymore was there, and now spoke up, "Roger down at the car lot gives me a commission for every referral."
"And he sold me two lemons the first two years I was here," Carolyn reminded her landlord. "But then, I didn't know a fig about car buying. I was an easy mark."
"That is one area I could not, and still would find helping you difficult, my dear," Daniel admitted.
"Studies have been done, " Dave contributed, "proving that women usually get taken at car lots and mechanics. Unfair, but a fact."
"Well, I can't do anything about it before Monday," Jess sighed. "Maybe I could borrow a man to keep — what was his name, Roger? — honest?"
"Not me, Auntie, the budget committee meeting is Monday afternoon," Blackie opted out smoothly.
"I can't take off work either," Thom added. Nor could Dave. Claymore and Ed had a Town Council meeting. Jonathan would be back in Philly.
"Iwouldbuthorsesaremyareaofexpertise," Siegfried blurted.
"I'm afraid all of us are more into ships or horses," Daniel agreed. "Unless, Tristan?"
"I can make one go, but knowing what a good one is or is not?" Tristan shook his head.
"Perhaps a mere token male presence would suffice?" Dash opined.
"No, if that's all it is, then I'd rather not," Jess frowned. "I deserve respect — but I could use a expert eye. Male or female."
Suddenly, all eyes were on Adam. "I can cover the office for you," Candy said pointedly.
"Excellent. It's settled. Adam will pick you up after school, and take you to Roger's, or to Skeldale," Dashire declared with so much authority that only Daniel might have overridden him.
Except perhaps, Linden. "Better make that a plan for Tuesday, Charlie. Just remembered, Monday is Labor Day, and I don't think the car lot is open then, either. In fact, I bet the meetings are Tuesday too."
After a moment's thought, they all realized she was correct; they'd just been thinking of the first day of the work-week.
Feeling like he couldn't get out of it without looking petty, Adam shrugged. "Fine. What time does class dismiss, Tuesday?"
With that settled, dinner was much as brunch had been, albeit with more people; calm and normal. To be honest, Jess was more worried about having a crash course in birthing babies than ghostly activity, but even that was not to be. Not during dinner, anyway.
