Sometime later, they found themselves standing in front of Field's Gym, staring into the panoramic window. Red was blowing into her hands and rubbing them together, and Joey didn't feel too much warmer himself. At least when he was dead, he didn't have to feel the cold. That list of his was starting to get rather long.

"Why are we here if we can't go inside?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You're the one who wanted to come."

"I didn't think we'd be stuck outdoors."

He shrugged. "The thing is, darling, there aren't actually too many places we can actually get into legally."

She didn't look especially convinced. "How'd we get in last time, then?"

"We stole a keycard from the spook's apartment."

"Of course," Red sighed, unamused. "Should I really be surprised anymore?"

"With your track record?"

"Fair point."

Joey peered in through the window, scoping the area. The gym was mostly empty. To be expected, given the weather. A man was lifting weights in the corner. He could see the sweat dripping down his forehead from here. Of course, only the truly dedicated probably still bothered going out to the gym in this kind of cold. Aside from that, Joey couldn't see anyone, living or dead. If Peter was here, he was probably where he'd been when they'd found him the first time- behind the men's locker room door. The shut men's locker room door.

"I wish we could see the spook from here," Joey muttered. "I've got no idea whether he's still intact or not."

Red raised an eyebrow. "Have you considered not being alive? You could go right in, then."

"Oh, very funny, Red." To be fair, considering how many times he'd teased her about not being able to phase through doors, he probably deserved it. He sighed, breath fogging up the glass. Maybe if they waited long enough, Peter would just float out into the open. He looked back at the door in thought. Or maybe he could convince someone to-

Red grabbed his arm suddenly, pulling him around the corner to the other side of the building.

When he managed to regain his bearings, he glared at her. "What the hell was that -"

"Shh!" She put a finger up to her lips, shaking her head before gesturing her head back the way they'd come from. As if hiding would negate the fact that she'd just left skid marks in the snow dragging him here. But as he peeked around the corner, he realized it wasn't going to be an issue. The man approaching the front door was completely out of it.

He had a cap pulled low over his face, his mouth obscured by a cloth mask. Not terribly unusual for the weather they'd been having, but something about the man seemed off. Despite the hat, Joey could see his eyes clearly from where he stood. Bloodshot, glazed over. Like he wasn't really looking at anything. His head was bowed, posture bent as he shuffled up to the keycard reader. Beside him was a glowing blue orb, slowly bobbing up and down. Joey's eyes narrowed.

"It's her."

Red nodded. She'd probably realized it before she'd dragged him over.

"Poor guy," he muttered, watching the man he now knew to be Father Michael struggle to swipe a keycard. "He's in way over his head. I don't even think he's all there anymore. But that's our spook, huh? Ruining lives one at a time."

Eventually, the reader accepted the card and Michael pulled the door open, entering the gym.

"Joey, go get the door," Red whispered, nudging him.

"Are you crazy?" he shot back. "Do you know-" He winced as he heard the door close.

She didn't look too terribly amused. "Well, I guess it's not important now."

"Don't sweat it. We'll find a way in later. It's too risky for them to see us now."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Since when do you care about risks?"

Since you died. "I don't have the right to care?"

"It's just not like you."

Maybe not. But he had a bad feeling about all of this. And it wasn't like they had any way to counter whatever Madeline was here to do anyway. Red still didn't look too happy about it. Eh, whatever. She could sulk all she wanted. As long as she was doing it from someplace safe.

"Joey."

"...Uh huh?"

"It's freezing."

He looked back to see her shivering, face a little paler than he would've liked. Oh. Wordlessly, he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her. "Sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you out here."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault. Like you said, I was the one who wanted to come."

He wanted to say something else, but before the words could form in his head, he heard the sound of the door opening and closing again. A quick glance around the corner confirmed that Michael and Madeline were leaving the premises. It was time to make a move.

"Watch and learn, Red," he said, walking backward to the entrance. His confidence did absolutely nothing to wipe the skeptical look off her face.

"From you?"

Regardless, he flashed her a grin as he stopped in front of the door. "Just sit tight, darling. I'll be right back." He knocked on the glass a few times, gesturing to the man lifting weights. Eventually, with a sigh, the man stood up and over.

"Something you need, man?" he asked, through the cracked-open door.

Joey cleared his throat. "Yeah, I think I left my keycard in the locker room earlier. Just wanted to swing by and check."

The man visibly relaxed a little, a smile spreading across his face. "Happens to all of us." He held the door open, and Joey entered the gym.

Ugh. The room stank of rubber, metal, and sweat. Not to mention the obnoxious music that was constantly blasting through the place. Better make this one quick. He walked to the locker room, not bothering to take the time to do any additional snooping. Better not look more suspicious than he probably already did.

He was a little hesitant to look around the locker room, afraid of what he might see. Or rather, what he might not see. "Pete?" he called out, fully aware that the spook wouldn't be able to hear him, as his eyes trailed the rows of metal lockers. "Still fixing that light?" It usually took a few seconds for spooks to show up, anyway. Maybe if he just did a lap around the room... Taking a deep breath, he paced around the lockers, trying to ignore the fact he probably looked like an absolute idiot.

Nothing. It was this spot. It had to be. But there wasn't a spook, no sign anything had ever happened at the location. Peter wasn't here anymore. And Joey could only assume the worst had happened. But even if he had come in here earlier, what had he been supposed to do? Yell at Madeline? God knew how well that had gone last time.

They had nothing. It'd been over a week, and they had absolutely nothing. And time was running out. Time was running out, and sooner or later he'd have to watch everything fall apart again.

He had the feeling it would hurt a little more this time around. Whatever the hell the universe thought it was, it sure was cruel. He sat on one of the benches, holding his face in his hands. Damn it.

He liked being alive. Maybe he didn't always act like it, but these last few days, getting to experience life again... He really couldn't think of anything better.

Was that so wrong? It was like everything was bent in a way so he couldn't keep anything. What was the point of having a life if he was just going to lose it again immediately? What was the point of spending all this time with Red if-

He almost didn't want to try anymore. Wanted to let himself live a lie, just for a little bit. It was so much easier. With a sigh, Joey stood up. He'd better get back. If he sulked here any longer, the guy who'd let him in would start to get suspicious.

The man in question looked up from his weightlifting as Joey went back into the main gym. "You find your card?"

"Er, nah," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I think someone else might've accidentally picked it up."

"That's a bummer. I think a replacement's free, though. You just need to call in or fill out a form online."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." He had absolutely no intention of doing so. Red was waiting just inside the door, near the entrance, her coat dripping water on the hardwood floor. He nodded at her. "Looks like you found a way in after all."

"I've had some practice." But when she saw his face, concern flitted through her gaze. "What's wrong?"

"I really liked that keycard," he muttered, dodging the question. Before she said anything else, he pushed the door open, gesturing his head. "After you."

She hesitated a moment before complying, and he followed her out.

They ended up just wandering the streets in silence aimlessly, passing by countless storefronts and apartment complexes. The streets were pretty empty. Joey couldn't hear much more than their footsteps on the damp pavement, or the occasional passing car. Red still looked over at him occasionally, but his own eyes remained glued to the ground. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he spoke again.

"Peter wasn't there."

She turned her head back to him, curious. "Peter?"

"The spook. The room was empty." He kicked at a small drift of snow. "I don't know how much time we've got left." The last time he'd seen Lia, she'd been alive. He had no idea if that had changed since. Who knew what Madeline was capable of. George was dead. Probably had been taken, too. There was a chance Heather was the only spook still remaining.

"There's got to be something we can do," Red insisted, but he could hear the resolve in her voice waver.

He stopped walking. "I want to think so, sweetheart. I really do."

"But you don't."

He couldn't answer that. As long as he didn't say it out loud, it didn't have to be real. Or maybe he was just telling himself that.

"Please, Joey," she insisted. "Just tell me. What did we do last time?"

His gaze didn't move from the ground. "I can't, Red. I can't . Believe me, if there was something that would help if you knew it, I would've said it by now." He sighed, brow furrowing. "Trust me. I'm doing this for you."

She walked in front of him, grabbing his hands. "I know. But I'm asking for your sake."

After a moment, he lifted his head to look at her, concern written all over her face. No, it wasn't just concern. There was care in those eyes. A lot of it. And maybe that scared him a little. But at the same time... He squeezed her hands. "You've done a lot. Really."

"But it isn't enough."

"At this point, I don't think anything would be."

She paused a moment before pulling him in, wrapping her arms around him. "How's this?"

Huh. She really was persistent, wasn't she? Numbly, he returned the embrace, holding her tight. "It's a start." God, he didn't want to lose her. Not after all this. "Red, I... I just want to tell you. If this goes south, and I don't get the chance..." He sighed, almost glad she couldn't see his face at the moment. "I know we didn't exactly choose to be stuck with one another. But for what it's worth, I'm glad it was you."

She took a moment to absorb the information. "...Joey?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe it wasn't a choice then. But it is one now."

"What, because I'm alive?"

"Yes."

...Was she going to chuck him off a bridge? She'd better not. They still had things to do. He hoped. God, did he hope .

"And maybe it's stupid to say this, considering everything going on at the moment, but, at this point, I don't think I could imagine not having you around."

He paused for a moment, letting her words sink in. "You don't think it's a little early to propose marriage?"

"Shut up."

He chuckled. "It wasn't stupid. Not at all. But, uh, you wanna continue this conversation somewhere warmer?"

Red shivered, stepping back to rub her hands together. "Took you long enough. I'm pretty sure my fingers are about to fall off."

"You know you can just go inside, right? I'm not stopping you."

She rolled her eyes. "Right. I'm not stupid enough to leave you alone."

"Hm." He supposed he'd earned that. "Well, we've got a full evening ahead of us." Maybe the last one they had left. But he tried to force a grin regardless. If it really was their last night on earth, he had better things to do than mope. "Ladies' choice."

"Gotta say," Joey said, resting an arm casually around Rosa's shoulders, "this isn't exactly what I was picturing."

They were huddled under a blanket on the couch with lights turned off. In one hand, she cradled a mug of coffee, the steam emitting from it fogging up her glasses. Her other hand held the TV remote, which finally worked now that Joey wasn't dead (she had nearly been as surprised as he'd been when she'd managed to use it to switch the TV on). Thankfully, the batteries hadn't died. She wasn't exactly sure where she'd put the last package of them she had bought. Not to mention that had probably been years ago.

She was now pointing the remote at the screen, scrolling through their potential watch options. The DVR catalog was meager at best. She hadn't managed to record much recently. For reasons. She snuck a glance back at Joey, who looked a little disgruntled under the faint glow of the television. Whatever. He'd let her pick what they were doing, so he could deal with the consequences.

She flipped through a few more episodes of various shows, stopping on a teen drama. "What about this one?"

He looked over the screen briefly, scowl growing deeper. "Aren't you a little too old for that?"

"Come on, Joey, it'll be fun."

"For you , maybe."

She grinned at him, attempting her best puppy dog face. "Please?" To be honest, she probably just looked like she'd gotten something in her eyes, but his scowl melted away regardless.

"I don't really get a say in this, do I?"

"No," she said, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "You don't."

"Thought as much." He reached over and grabbed the mug, lifting the brim to his lips to take a sip. His face scrunched up nearly immediately. "Ugh. That's awful. How much sugar did you put in that?"

"Well, I didn't make it for you," she said, pulling it back to take a sip of her own. "If you wanted something, you should've asked."

"Alright, point taken."

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the highest quality coffee, but she hadn't exactly had a lot of time for shopping recently. She would've picked a cup up from one of the nearby coffee stands if money wasn't already so tight. At least rent wasn't due for another... She glanced briefly at her phone. ...eight days. Ugh. She hit play on the show, leaning back as the theme song played. She'd have to deal with that later. But at the very least, it didn't have to be at this second.

"Why would she say that?" Joey muttered, shaking his head. "You can't claim a color- How old are these characters supposed to be again?"

"Sixteen."

"You're kidding. Tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not," Rosa insisted.

He squinted at the screen as the scene continued. "That gal has got to be at least twenty-two."

"Twenty-five, actually," she corrected, scrolling over the show's IMDb page.

"Let me guess. You looked that up on your gizmo."

"Surprised?"

He grimaced. "No. Hell, if you told me that thing could cure every disease known to man, I might believe you."

Rosa couldn't help but laugh. "Not yet."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Not yet ," he muttered.

As she went to put the phone back down, her eyes caught the time. Yikes. It was getting late already. How much of this show had they watched?

"Hey, Red," Joey said, standing up as the credits rolled. "I'll be right back."

"Yeah," she replied as she paused it, getting up to switch the lights on. She blinked a few times in the sudden light, noticing something by the door. A package. She must've missed it that morning. She picked it up, frowning at the label. The sender's address was from the Dragon Tree. Kevin's family? Opening the top of the package revealed several neatly tied bundles of dark purple petals along with a note. She had no idea whether the tea would do anything on its own, but it might be worth a shot. The note didn't say much. It was written by Kevin's dad, wishing them well. For whatever they thought they were doing. She wasn't even so sure herself, anymore. At that moment, her phone went off, and she pulled it out, opening up the new email she'd received. Her eyes narrowed as soon as she saw the sender. Was this from... She had to read over it another few times to confirm. ...Father Michael? The contents of the email itself made her stomach drop, eyes going wide. This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. She looked back up at the sound of the door opening again. "Joey, we need to talk."

He walked over, head tilted. "What's going on?"

"I got an email from Father Michael. He says that Madeline's making a move tonight."

"A move," he stated, brow furrowing.

"He says she'll be at the cemetery. He's asking us for help.

His expression darkened nearly instantly. "No."

"Joey-"

"We're not-" He gritted his teeth, hands balling up. "Come on, you know this is ridiculous! We don't have a clue what to do, going now is practically suicidal!"

Rosa shook her head incredulously. "What else are we supposed to do? Stay here and keep pretending that nothing's wrong?"

Joey's shoulders fell slightly as he averted his gaze. "If that's what it takes." He put a hand up to his brow, squeezing his eyes shut. "I was supposed to know, Red. I was supposed to know what to do because I've been through it all already, but I don't know a damn thing."

"We never do. We just try to do the best we can."

There was raw pain shining in his eyes when he opened them again. "The difference is I can see how it's going to end. And I don't want to- I can't do that again."

"There's a man asking for our help, Joey."

He shook his head. "If he's even the one who sent it.

"Even so," she insisted. "I can't in good conscience ignore that."

"I know. I know , believe me. I know I can't stop you. I just wish..." He let out a shaky breath. "Do what you have to. I'll be right behind you. Even if I have to die again, at least I can be there for you."

"It doesn't have to end that way," she insisted, grabbing his shoulder. "At the end of the day, Madeline's still human. We can talk to her."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm a little past believing that, darling."

Did he really have to be so thick-headed? "Here," she said, going to pick up the package of tea. "Maybe this would change your mind."

He took it from her hands, looking it over. "What is it?"

"It's from Kevin's dad. He sent us some tea."

"The one we drank to summon the dragon?" he asked, peering into the box.

"Yeah. Hibiscus rue, I think." According to the note, anyway.

"And how is this supposed to change my mind, exactly?"

"It could give us a chance. We might be able to see Madeline, at least. Properly, I mean. The dragon said we were in a realm between the physical and spiritual, which I think is why you were... glowing."

"Uh huh."

"We need every chance we can get, Joey."

"And what if it doesn't take us to this 'realm' without the ritual? It's a sleep aid, isn't it? What if we just get knocked out for the next eight hours or so?"

"Then you get what you wanted. We die along with the rest of Manhattan, and you don't have to see it happen."

His fingers squeezed the packaging, knuckles white with effort. "This is a trap, Red, you've got to realize that."

"I know. But it's our only option."

He didn't respond immediately, sighing as some of the tension left his shoulders. Looking up, he met her gaze. "You really want to do this?"

"No," she answered truthfully. "But I have to."

He nodded, holding the package out to her. "Get the kettle on, then."

A/N: Well, we are gradually closing in on a final act. I think. I don't really know what an act consists of.

Uhhh, fun fact: I recruited a friend of mine for the not-so-subtle show reference.

To the 1/4 of a person reading this, if you leave a comment, it'll make my day ;) (But by no means feel obligated to)