Joey woke up to his head screaming at him, the constant throbbing pain the only thing he could register aside from the persistent taste of sandpaper in his mouth. Nope. The bullet wound still stung too. All combined in a symphony of awful sensations. Urgh. Just before he thought he couldn't take any more of it, the door flew open, an anthropomorphic blob of red hair sticking her head in.

"Joey, I've got an idea."

The sound of her voice sent the cacophony of pain rattling around his head again.

"Jesus, Red," he groaned, ducking under the covers. "Not so loud."

"Sorry," she whispered, sticking out a glass of water for him. He drank from it eagerly as he slowly sat up, downing the entire thing before setting the glass aside.

"So, what is it?"

"You still remember everything we did the first time around."

"Yeah..?" Just where was she going with this?

"Maybe we could go to some of the same locations."

His brow furrowed. "What good would that do?" They'd just see a bunch of spooks. Unidentifiable ones, at that. Did she want a tour? 'Ah yeah, that one used to be Peter Fielding. He hit his head when he fell off a ladder.'

"I don't know, I was thinking we might be able to find some clues."

"Forget it, sweetheart."

She crossed her arms, refusing to give in. "You do realize we still don't know how to beat Madeline, right?"

He didn't know what to say to that. She was right, after all. They didn't have a darn clue how to win. The thing was, he was starting to think there wasn't a way at all. It had taken the combined power of the universe to send Madeline away the last time, and there wasn't any way he knew of to replicate that now. Maybe he'd known that it'd been hopeless since they'd left Chinatown. Maybe he'd just been blindsided by his own emotions.

Or maybe all he wanted was to spend these last few days just living , for once, with someone he cared-

His eyes widened as he looked up at her, the realization cutting through his thoughts.

"I kissed you." He was surprised he could still remember the moment, considering how things had ended up the night before.

Red looked a little off-put by the sudden change in topic. "Yes, you did."

He had honestly thought that he would be more upset about it. And sure, maybe the waves of guilt were barely held at bay, but the fact stood that...

She'd kissed him back. Maybe it had just been an elaborate hallucination, but he really wanted to believe it. Either that, or he'd have to spend the rest of the day apologizing. Or the rest of his life. His head throbbed in protest.

"Was there something you were going to say?" she asked, brow furrowing.

"Nah." He got out of bed somewhat gingerly, stretching a bit. So, this was the part that wasn't so fun about living. "We can go on your little tour. It's better than nothing."

"Is everything okay?"

He turned away from her, sighing. Besides the fact that they were probably going to be vaporized along with the rest of Manhattan? "Nothing important."

She knew he was lying. He could see it in those damned eyes of hers. But what was he supposed to say? 'Everything's okay'? He couldn't do that to her. But there had to be something they could do. Even if they couldn't solve this, they had to at least try.

They were the only ones who knew, after all.

"If you wanted another kiss, you could've just asked," she said, cracking a sympathetic smile.

Oh, good. She felt bad for him. "Look, whatever I did last night, whatever I said-"

She shook her head. "You don't need to take it back, Joey. It's okay." She took a deep breath, scratching the back of her neck. "I... like you too."

Oh. "Did I tell you I..?" He must've had. Otherwise, she wouldn't have just said that.

"You... did. You were pretty out of it, though."

"Ah." It took a second before the grin spread across his face. "So you do like me."

She sighed. "And I regret it already."

He chuckled appreciatively. "Come on, darling. We've got things to take care of." Well, at least he hoped they did. To be fair, anything that would take his mind off of their impending existential doom would be a welcome change.

"Right." She almost looked a little disappointed at his response. "Go ahead and get ready, then. I'll wait."

Getting ready. Just another thing to add to the rapidly growing laundry list of things that weren't fun about living. Dead guys didn't need to get dressed in the morning, or brush their teeth, or comb their hair, or shave- ah, damn it.

He wiped away the drop of blood that oozed from the fresh cut on his chin, frowning. At least the docs were gracious enough to give him a bottle of narcotics to drown everything out. He shook a few pills out of the bottle without counting, swallowing them dry. Once that was sorted, he walked back out to the living room. Red was sitting on the couch, frowning at a picture frame.

"Joey, come look at this."

"Hm?" He walked over, poking his head over her shoulder. She was holding the only family photograph she'd had before the day they'd met. The one with her Aunt Lauren on the Brooklyn Bridge. But there was something a little different about it this time around.

The last time he'd looked at this photo, he'd been entirely absent from it. But now a glowing orb of light took his spot beside Lauren, the edges of it tinted blue. "Is that me?"

"I... think so," Red said. "But it's odd. You don't look like the ghost we saw yesterday."

"Huh. I wonder why that is."

She shook her head, getting up to hang the photo back on its peg. "I don't know. You'd think by now we'd have a better idea of how these things work. We're supposed to be experts."

"Expertise is relative, dear."

"I guess so." She pulled her coat on, fastening a few buttons. "So, where are we going first?"

"Heh. Let me just compile the places that wouldn't get you arrested on the spot."

Her eyes widened. "I got arrested?"

"Not what I said, but yes." Hm. Where could they go? "I could probably show you half of the split spook."

"Joey. I got arrested ?"

"You were in a house we broke into standing next to a rapidly cooling body." He picked his hat off its hook, sticking it on his head. "Come on. I think I still remember how to get there."

She shook her head in disbelief. "I. Got. Arrested."

"Relax, they didn't even lock you up. And it's not like the cops didn't already have a file on you with the way you pick up restraining orders."

"Great."

"Well, I promise it won't happen again." He looked back at her as he put on his coat. "At least, not immediately."

"Wait," she said, following him out the door. "I didn't happen to kill this 'rapidly cooling body', did I?"

"Nah, she shot herself."

"That's... not much better."

"Well, you've gotta take what you can get, darling," he said, as they stepped into the elevator. "Especially if everything else is falling apart." He found himself reaching for her, fingers interlacing. "Gotta take what you can get."

He could see her out of the corner of his eye, looking all coy.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I don't know, I just never thought you would act like this."

He pulled her towards him, raising an eyebrow. "Act like what?"

Before he could react, she leaned up, brushing her lips against his for just a brief moment, pulling away. And just like that, his heart had jumped into his throat, pounding away. He could barely choke out his next sentence. "Come on, Red, you can do better than that."

She smiled defiantly back. "Desperate, Joey?"

"...huh?" She'd just- she'd just played him, hadn't she? "You little..."

Whatever he had to say next slipped away as she pulled him into a deeper kiss, her other arm around his neck. Closing his eyes, he leaned in further, hands gripping her waist as he pulled her closer to him.

It took him a second to realize they'd stopped moving, the ding of the elevator doors opening finally cluing him off as they broke apart. And, on the other side of the doors stood none other than their favorite elderly neighbor. Damn it.

Red's face had gone the shade of a beet, and she was now physically trying to duck behind him, as if that would do anything. Guess that bravery was only a temporary thing.

Not that he was feeling particularly social at the moment either. He tugged awkwardly at his collar, nudging her. "You think it's about time we start looking for another place to live?"

"My apartment's rent-controlled, Joey."

"Well, in that case..." He stepped out of the elevator, dragging Red behind him. "Good morning, Ms. Sharma. Back from playing the flute?"

Nishanti smiled back, albeit with a little more sparkle in her eyes than usual. "Oh, no. Not today. I just dropped Moti off at the groomer's. Our flight to Kerala's tomorrow."

"Lucky for us." They wouldn't have to see her again for a while, at least. Wait. Had he said that out loud? He cleared his throat. "And by that I mean it was lucky for us to get the chance to have dinner with you, then."

Thankfully, the old broad's smile didn't waver as she stepped past them. "Isn't that right. Well, have a nice day, you two."

He was pretty sure they both breathed out in relief when the elevator doors closed again.

"Not used to holding your tongue?" Red asked, still partially clinging to his back.

"Well, usually, people can't hear me." He paused, turning his head to look at her. "You okay back there?"

"Just a little mortified," she managed to get out. "I'll live."

"Uh huh. Let's get going, then."

Heather's place was a decent walk away. Red spent most of the time trying to shrink back in on herself.

"When are you going to realize that no one is paying attention to you?"

She didn't look convinced. "You say that now, but you don't know how many times reports have been called in because people saw me 'talking to myself'."

"Heh. At least that's not a problem now."

"No, now everyone can see how insufferable you are." She sighed, shaking her head. "God, I still can't believe that just happened."

"Well, believe it, sweetheart. If you're lucky, that old broad will go senile before we have to see her again."

"Joey!"

"What?" he whined.

"You can't just- ugh. That's it, I'm never kissing you again."

"Aw, come on, darling, don't be like that."

"Don't 'darling' me," she huffed. "Are we there yet? It feels like we've just been walking around in circles."

"Just about." Okay, maybe he had been stalling a little. To be completely honest, he didn't exactly want to revisit these memories, but it was their best shot, like it or not. And as long as these spooks were still at their haunts, it meant they hadn't yet been consumed for power. Even if they couldn't do anything to help.

Heather's house was a small abode, the patio furniture long iced over, surrounded by an ever-inviting locked gate. One Joey didn't want to bother looking at too closely. He already knew what was on the other side. "Go ahead, Red. Look through the gate."

She walked up to it, peering between the bars. "I don't see anything."

That couldn't be good. "Are you sure?" He walked closer, looking through the gate as the faint shape of something vaguely humanoid slowly came into view, tendrils of fog snaking through the air. He tore his eyes away, stomach turning over.

"Do you know who that is?" Red asked, evidently more intrigued than he was willing to be.

"Yeah." He nodded. "It's Heather. Well, half of her, anyway."

"The ghost you told me about yesterday?"

"That's the one."

She didn't respond for a moment, watching the ghost. "What was she like?"

He snorted. "Does that really matter now?"

"Even so, I'd like to know."

He sighed, bowing his head. Always curious, wasn't she? And terribly idealistic at times, at that. "Heather was different from most spooks. Didn't seem to want anything, really, didn't seem to be lost. She was happy just existing. Asked me to watch the stars with her."

"Did you?"

He looked up at the overcast sky, one not too different from the one that had been there that night. The night that had started so similarly to all the others, yet had ended so differently. "There weren't any stars out."

"...Oh."

"Not jealous, are you?" he teased, turning his attention back to her.

"Of a ghost? Not really." She shook her head. "I kinda just... feel sorry for her."

Hm. He ruminated on that for a second, looking down. "Well, take it this way, then. As long as she's here, as long as she doesn't know she's dead, she's safe." If being cold, lost, confused, and alone could count as safe.

"Safe," Red echoed.

"Yeah. And that's about the best we can hope for at the moment." It was better than the alternative, anyway.

She pressed her lips together. "That's not exactly comforting."

"No," he agreed. "It isn't."

She sighed, her breath visible in the cold air. "I guess we should keep moving, then."

A/N: Oh yay, reciprocation. :)

Yeah, no, I don't have much to say about this one. It's cute? It's cute.

If it was possible for two people to sass each other to death, Rosa and Joey would be pretty high up there.