A/N: I know, I haven't finished the second story in this series yet but it's on my to-do list. I couldn't resist this idea when it came to me, especially when I've been participating in the Halloween Bash for several years now. I hope you'll enjoy this one.

Chapter 1 – Crash Landing

Johanna Beckett closed her laptop and sighed deeply; the quietness of the home office wrapping around her like a vice. She needed a TV in the office she thought to herself as she watched her cat stretch on the rug near her desk. She wondered if she could convince Jim that they needed that addition to the room…after all the soft noise of a TV would help when she was home alone…but mostly what she needed was for the month of January to be over. Another sigh crossed her lips as she folded her arms across her chest, shivering slightly as she did so. January gave her the creeps…and rightfully so, she figured; after all, Bracken had long ago planned her demise for a cold January day. She shivered again, pushing herself out of her chair to check the thermostat on the wall; the heat would be clicking on soon; at least she hoped, she thought as she made her way back to her chair; thoughts of bleak Januarys in the past still marching across her mind, reminding her of how she had been whisked away from everything she had ever known on a cold ugly January day. Every January brought a sense of gloom…of fear…things she couldn't even name but tried to keep to herself.

January was so dull and flat; the world muted and trapped in it's cold, dreary weather. The days felt longer than they were…and even though she had made it through the ninth the day before, a small measure of unease kept hanging over her as it did every time this month came around. She had thought it might be different this time…she had had a good day the day before with her daughter, chatting about baby names and cravings…the two of them and Jim sharing a cozy dinner at home. She had felt good by the end of the day…but those dark clouds seemed desperate to cling to her this time around no matter how hard she tried to bat them away. She thought she was getting better…but January always put a cramp in things and it was still a struggle to shake it.

The room grew colder and Johanna wished the heat would click on as Scarlett meowed and hurried to curl up by her feet. "What's wrong, Scarlett?" she asked her pet.

The cat jumped up on her lap, meowing once more. She ran her hand over Scarlett's fur, her eyes darting toward the door where there was a glimmer of light and then the appearance of familiar spirit in an old fashioned green dress. "Hello, Sarah," Johanna said softly. "It's been awhile."

"Yes, it has been," her grandmother answered as she came closer to the desk.

Johanna studied the spirit; usually Sarah was more chatty but she didn't exactly seem like herself. "What brings you by today?" she asked her.

"The usual reasons," Sarah remarked.

"Have I done something to upset you?" Johanna asked; the spirit's mood somewhat odd and making her ill at ease.

"You're dwelling again."

She sighed, her hand moving over Scarlett's fur. "It's just the time of year, Sarah…I'm better than I was but it's still there…I can't help that."

"You've got things to be happy about," Sarah stated.

Johanna nodded. "Yes, I do…and I am happy."

Sarah's dark brow rose. "Are you?"

"Of course I am!" Johanna exclaimed.

"Really? Because if you were really happy you wouldn't be sitting here dwelling on the past."

"I'm not dwelling on the past, Sarah."

"Oh, really? I beg to differ."

She eyed the spirit warily. "Sarah, you don't seem like yourself today. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, a bit of a bite to her tone. "You're going to be a grandmother in a few months."

Johanna gave her a small smile. "Yes, I am."

"How do you feel about that?" Sarah asked.

She studied her grandmother closely; seeing something in Sarah's eyes she couldn't quite put a finger on. "I'm very happy about it."

"But?" the spirit asked. "I know there's a but."

Johanna shrugged. "I worry of course."

"Why are you worried?"

"Because I'm a mother," she laughed. "I worry about Katie as naturally as I breathe. I know she's fine and that the baby is fine…but you can't help but worry that something could change."

"Is that all?" Sarah asked.

"I take from your tone that you don't think so," Johanna replied.

"That's because I know so."

Johanna sighed a little. "I also worry because things aren't all that great in the family dynamic scheme of things…at least between Rick and I. I'm not his ideal of a mother-in-law…and I always feel like he thinks the worst of me no matter what I do. I worry that despite assurances I'll be kept at a distance from my grandchild…and of course I worry that I won't be good at being a grandmother."

"Why wouldn't you be?"

She shrugged. "I don't know…it's just something you think about, you know?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't," Sarah said, her gaze darting away. "I never had the chance to think about it or worry about it. You don't need to worry…just be happy that you're getting the chance to be a grandmother. Some of us aren't that lucky."

"Sarah, is something wrong?" Johanna asked.

"I just hate to see someone worry away their happiness when they don't know how lucky they are to have it!" she exclaimed. "You're going to know what it's like to be called Grandma…you're going to get to hold that baby in your arms. You'll get to do all those grandmother things with that child. I never got those things…if I could have those things, I wouldn't sit around worrying about nonsense; I'd just enjoy it."

"I am enjoying it…I've been buying little things for the baby and we got the bassinet Katie wanted; it's in the attic. Katie and I were talking about baby names yesterday."

"And yet you've got all of these worries…there's one you haven't mentioned."

Johanna shifted in her seat. "It's only natural for a woman to feel like she might be getting old when her baby announces that she's having a baby of her own. I mean 'Grandma' isn't exactly a term that screams youth…so yeah, the thought crosses my mind that becoming grandmother means I'm definitely getting older."

"At least you get to get older," Sarah declared. "At least you have the luxury of worrying about it. I've been trapped at thirty-three for longer than I care to mention!"

"That's not my fault," Johanna remarked gently.

"I know it," Sarah snapped; her eyes flashing with fire. "It's my fault! It was my stupidity and I paid for it in every way possible; missing out on my children growing up…missing their weddings…I didn't get to be a grandmother and grow old with the person I love. I didn't get any of it! But you do and all you do is worry! Well stop it! Instead of worrying you should be grateful for the opportunities you've been given especially when you know it could've turned out differently!"

"I am grateful!" Johanna yelled; causing Scarlett to flinch on her lap. "What the hell has gotten into you, Sarah?! I didn't blame you for what happened to you; I just said I was sorry."

"But we all know it was my fault; I shouldn't have been out in the rain when I wasn't fully recovered. It's my fault…I robbed myself!" she exclaimed; "And you and everyone else I love has gotten to do all the things I wish I could…and what makes it worse is that you worry and dwell over all of it instead of just fully embracing it and enjoying it!"

"You're wrong," she replied; "I do embrace it. I do enjoy it. I'm excited to be a grandmother, I can't wait to hold that baby in my arms. Yes, I'm getting older but so far I'm in good health, I'm active and my age is still primarily a number and not a punishment. I'm enjoying this stage of my life…Jim and I still work but not as much as we did thirty years ago…when we want to go somewhere, we get up and go. If there's something we want to do, we do it without worrying about tuition payments and car payments and those sorts of things. Having an empty nest means we have a lot of romantic nights at home and I know they're greatly enjoyed. Having worries and doubts sometimes doesn't mean I don't appreciate what I have…it's just human nature. I'm sure you worried and dwelled in your time…maybe you've forgotten that."

Anger flashed in Sarah's stormy green graze and she flicked her wrist, making the books on the bookcase tumble to the floor. "I haven't forgotten nearly as much as you'd think."

"Sarah," Johanna said gently; "You seem angry today."

"Well maybe I am!" she exclaimed. "How would you like to feel unfulfilled!?"

"Sarah…how can you be unfulfilled; you had a husband, a home, four children, you were a silent partner in a business at a time when that was pretty much unheard of…you were an active person who did a lot of things."

"Not nearly enough," her grandmother lashed back; "And then I get to watch my grandchildren worry over nonsense like getting old or things that are no longer of any consequence."

Johanna's brow rose. "No one likes a bitter ghost, Sarah."

"No one likes an ungrateful worry wart either," the spirit shot back.

"You know, if you're going to be like this, why don't you just find some place else to do your haunting? I rode by your old house the other day, it's empty…maybe you can go hang around there with your bad mood."

"I go where I please," Sarah stated; "And who said that spirits couldn't have bad moods?"

"No one I suppose…but it doesn't make you very nice company and I don't appreciate you saying I'm ungrateful for what I have because I am."

"Then start acting like it," Sarah said tartly.

Johanna scooped Scarlett into her arms and rose from her chair. "Okay, you're in a bitchy mood and I'm not really in a mood to put up with it so Scarlett and I are going to go watch TV and you're free to haunt this room to your hearts delight. I hope you feel better soon, Sarah."

"Don't walk away from me!" she thundered, making the papers on Johanna's desk flutter to the floor.

"Clean up the mess when you're done," Johanna said, making her way to the door.

Angry sounding music spilled from the piano as Johanna left the room, Scarlett cowering in her arms. "It's alright, Scarlett; she'll get tired and go on her way," she told her pet; at least she hoped so. In all the times that Sarah had come to visit her she had never seen this bitter angry side of her…and she hoped not to see it again.

Later that day, the house was largely void of angry ghosts but Johanna knew that Sarah was lingering…after all, her phone had been randomly been blaring music…and the silverware she had laid out on the table for dinner had been sent clattering to the floor. The timer she had set was turned off twice…the lights would flicker and the room would grow cold but Sarah didn't appear. She sighed; she didn't know what to make of Sarah's behavior…she didn't see where she had done anything to displease her.

Before she could ponder it further the back door opened and her husband slipped inside. She smiled, watching as he dropped his briefcase by the door and shrugged out of his coat. "Welcome home, honey," she said warmly.

Jim gave her a smile, making his way toward her for a kiss. "I'm glad to be home; it's pretty damn cold out there."

She slipped her arms around him. "Well dinner is, that will warm you up."

"That's a good start," he teased; "But I might need you to warm me up further later."

Johanna laughed. "We'll see about that."

Before he could answer, his phone began to blare music in his pocket. "Oh no," he muttered as he hurried to silence it. "Don't tell me we're doing this again."

She nodded. "Sarah's back."

"What did we do now?"

"I don't think we did anything…well, you haven't. She accused me of being ungrateful."

Jim gave her an odd look as he washed his hands. "Why?"

"I don't know…I guess because she knows I worry about becoming a grandmother…along with all my usual worries."

"I figure it's only natural to worry about moving on to a new stage of life," Jim replied. "I worry about it a little bit too…I mean, sure, we're used to being parents and this baby isn't ours to raise…but it's different…and we want to do a good job."

"Exactly," Johanna said as she began to get their dinner put onto plates. "I just want to do it right. She also took issue with me saying that the word Grandma makes me feel old."

"Another natural reaction," her husband stated; "But I haven't once heard you say that you didn't want the baby to call you that."

"Of course not; I'm the grandmother, she'll call me Grandma…that's just the way it is. I'm not saying it won't take some getting used to…but I'm not shunning the word…and you help me not feel old," she said with a grin.

Jim chuckled lightly as he got their drinks for them. "I'm always happy to help you with that…and always happy to have you help me with it as well…because Grandfathers aren't immune to that 'Christ does this make me old now' feeling."

Johanna laughed. "I think we're railing against the notions of being old pretty well."

"We're doing our best and will continue to do so," he agreed. "What's Sarah's problem anyway? Doesn't she know human nature when she sees it?"

She shrugged as they settled down at the table. "I suggested that maybe she's forgotten and then she really got mad."

Jim nodded as both phones began to play music. "Apparently she's still mad."

"She showed up in a bad mood…I don't think it's getting better."

"Then she needs to go do her haunting elsewhere," Jim stated. "The last thing we need is an angry ghost hanging around. I've got some work to do this evening and I don't want her messing with things."

The lights flickered wildly for a moment as Johanna caught her husband's eye. "You might want to choose your statements carefully…it's like she's got PMS or something…you know, she never got to the menopause stage…who knows, maybe she's still hormonal."

The lights went out, plunging the kitchen into semi-darkness. "Way to go, Jo," her husband quipped. "You tell me to watch my words and then you piss her off some more."

"My apologies, Sarah," Johanna stated; "Turn the lights back on, Jim has work to do later."

The lights came back on but they could hear the sound of doors being opened and slammed shut upstairs. "She's in a fine mood," Jim remarked. "I hope she settles down. How was your day?"

"I finished my lesson plans and I have the online portion all set up and ready to go for the semester," she replied. "I got it done before Sarah showed up."

"That's probably a good thing."

"Probably so," she agreed; "Now that I have all of that finished I can relax before the semester starts."

Jim gave her a knowing smile. "You're going to be fine…just like last time."

"I know," she said, shifting in her seat a little. "It's just that it's…January," she sighed.

"I know," he replied; "Do you want me to drive you again for a few days like I did last January?"

"Would you?" Johanna asked as the distant sound of another door slamming echoed in the house.

"You know I will if it'll make you feel better," he told her. "You were fine after the first week last year and I'm sure it'll be the same this year. I don't mind doing it."

"I think I'd like for you to take me the first few days…I mean, I think I'm better than I was…but you know, despite progress, this month still has a small hold on me."

"I know; it still has a small hold on all of us…but we push through it together. Don't worry, sweetheart; I'll drive you the first week of the semester."

A small part of her nervousness about the new semester settled and she hoped that seeing that she had done something to ease her nerves that Sarah would relax and be her usual fun loving, easy going ghost…or go do her haunting somewhere else if she wanted to insist on being angry and bitter. It was one thing to have a ghost popping in every so often when she was in a good mood…but no one wanted an angry ghost.

A glass in the sink fell over making Johanna sigh; apparently her grandmother was still reading minds…and apparently she hadn't liked what she read. Well then they were even, she figured; because she didn't like the chaos Sarah seemed determined to create that night.

In the middle of the night two days later, Johanna was startled awake by a loud crash. "Jim?" she murmured sleepily as she turned toward her husband, shaking his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked tiredly.

"I heard a loud noise, didn't you hear it?"

"I didn't hear anything; you were probably dreaming, sweetheart," he said quietly. "Go back to sleep."

"I heard something," she insisted. "It sounded like a crash."

"I'm sure it was nothing," he said, shifting around to make himself comfortable so he could go back to sleep.

"Jim."

"Jo," he sighed; knowing what she wanted.

"You know I'm not going to be able to go back to sleep unless you go look."

He looked at the clock. "It's three in the morning…you go look."

"Me!" she exclaimed. "You're the man of the house…this is one of the reasons why I got married…so I'd have a husband who could investigate noises in the middle of the night; this is part of your job…go do it."

"What if I don't?"

"You'll be eating cereal for breakfast."

"I can live with that," Jim replied, pressing his cheek further into the pillow. "It was either something outside or Scarlett knocked something over…something that I'm sure can wait until daylight."

Johanna sighed deeply as she threw back the covers. "I guess I'll go look for myself," she said as she got out of the bed and opened the nightstand drawer to get her gun. "Since my husband won't do his duty to his wife…which means I won't be doing my duty anytime soon."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jim asked.

"It means no sex," she stated as she made her way across the room to the door.

He sighed deeply. "I'll go," he said as he tossed the covers back and got up. "I know it's nothing but I'll go."

She smiled at him. "You know I'll feel so much better if I know that for sure."

"Uh huh," he said, favoring her with a hint of a glare.

"You can take my gun," she offered, holding it out to him.

"I don't need the damn gun because there isn't anything to be found. You were dreaming."

"Well go make sure anyway," Johanna replied. " and I'll make you a very nice breakfast in the morning…pancakes, eggs and bacon."

"Don't forget the sausage," Jim said as he jerked the door open; "And tomorrow night be prepared to do your duty."

"No problem," she smiled. "Be careful…are you sure you don't want the gun?"

"I'm positive."

She sighed a little and then followed after him; she'd feel better if the gun was nearby in case that nothing was something…she didn't want to risk her husband's safety just because he was too stubborn to take her gun.

"What are you doing?" Jim whispered as she hurried after him.

"I'm going with you."

"Why? You told me to check."

"I'm coming with you in case something needs shot," Johanna exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "I'm not going to lose you because you're mad and don't want to take my gun."

"There's nothing here," he said as they made their way down the stairs. "I'm telling you, you were dreaming."

"I know what I heard," she remarked sharply. "It was a loud crash."

Jim sighed once more as they reached the bottom of the stairs. He clicked on the lights for the living room and searched the room thoroughly, finding nothing as he had predicted. He checked the front door, making sure it was still locked and secure before he pulled the curtain back and peered out into the darkness. Everything looked as it should as far as he could tell so he allowed the curtain to fall back in place.

He headed for the hallway, checking the office and the dining room before heading to the kitchen. He clicked on the lights and surveyed the kitchen, Johanna hovering behind him with a tight grip on her gun. Nothing was out of place as far as he could tell; a check of the backdoor showed that it was still locked as well. He looked out the window into the darkness but saw nothing in the yard or on the back porch as far as he could see. He retreated from the door; going to the basement door they left slightly ajar for Scarlett so she could get to her litter box downstairs with ease. He turned on the lights and went down the steps but found nothing as he had suspected all along…the alleged crash was a product of his wife's overactive imagination when she dreamed but he figured it was best not to put it in those terms.

"Nothing's out of place, Jo," he said tiredly. "Everything's fine; you were just dreaming."

"You didn't check the guest room or Katie's room," she reminded him.

"Seriously?"

"You know I won't sleep unless we check everything."

"Johanna," he muttered.

"It'll only take a few minutes; we have to go upstairs anyway."

He nodded; humoring her for the most part but also understanding that her fear stemmed from the past and what had happened…his gruffness at being woke in the middle of the night to search for nothing evaporated; it was his job to keep her safe…and he had spent a long time being unable to investigate things that startled her awake…unable to keep her safe. With that sobering thought in mind, he reached for her unoccupied hand as they made their way back to the stairs. "We'll check the upstairs," he said quietly.

She squeezed his hand. "I'm always sorry to wake you," she whispered; "But it was loud…and I get nervous," she admitted.

"I know…it's alright; I don't mind checking for monsters."

Johanna smiled, leaning into him for a moment. "I always feel better when you do."

"I'm glad," he murmured, brushing a kiss against her hair before they moved up the stairs.

Jim checked the bathroom and the hall closet and then they moved on to Katie's old room, finding it void of anything that shouldn't be there. They went to the guest room next, finding only Scarlett asleep on the rug with a few of her favorite toys nearby. The cat raised her head at their intrusion, giving a small meow before settling back down to sleep.

"Well, we know Scarlett's unconcerned," Jim whispered to his wife.

She nodded. "It does seem that way."

"The only place left to look is the attic," Jim stated as he moved to the door and opened it. He flipped on the light switch and they climbed the stairs together, finding nothing out of place when they reached the top.

"It's official," Jim stated. "Nothing's out of place anywhere in the house."

"I heard something," Johanna insisted as they went back downstairs.

"You were dreaming."

She shook her head. "I heard it."

Jim nodded; it wasn't worth arguing over. "Whatever it was must have been outside where it can't hurt us, sweetheart. The house is locked up; we're safe and secure. No need for you to worry."

Johanna breathed deeply. "I worry too much about stupid things, don't I?" she asked as they made their way back to their bedroom.

"No," he replied giving her hand a squeeze; "You heard something and it scared you…that's just human nature…and I know you like to know that things are secure in light of the past. Everything's fine though."

She gave a nod while putting the gun back in the nightstand drawer. "As long as it wasn't in the house I guess it's not worth worrying about further."

Jim gave her a tired smile as they settled back into bed. "That's right, sweetheart," he said, drawing her close. "You can go back to sleep without worry. Everything's okay."

"Okay…thank you for checking anyway."

"No problem; that's my job, remember?"

She gave a soft laugh. "Yeah; I remember…see, you thought you were the only one with a list of reasons why it was best to get married."

He kissed her forehead. "I want to hear the rest of your list tomorrow; but for now, sleep."

Johanna raised her head enough to press a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She settled against him, her head on his chest and her mind eased; there was nothing to worry about. Everything was fine; whatever that crash was, it had nothing to do with them.

Outside, in the dark of night, Sarah McKenzie rubbed her hand against her backside and frowned; being sent crash landing onto her granddaughter's porch hadn't been a pleasant experience. She was used to much gentler landings…much subtler appearances then just being sent tumbling downwards…landing on her backside with a thud. It had hurt but she didn't figure anyone cared much. She shivered a little as she wedged herself between the flower pot and the wall of the house. It was a little cold too…of course a sore backside and being chilly were the least of her worries.

Sarah worried her bottom lip; what a mess she had gotten herself into…and she knew without a doubt that it was indeed a mess of her own making…a very complicated one. Tears pricked her eyes; she always had been good at getting herself into trouble…she supposed some things never changed…although maybe she should consider changing this one facet of her personality. Oh dear, how was she ever going to explain this to Johanna? How was she supposed to tell her that she had broken the rules and had been sent crashing back to earth with the label 'Unfinished Business' hanging over her. How was she going to explain her current more solid human like form? Better yet…how was she going to tell her that she'd be moving in until she could find her way back home?

Sarah sighed. "What a pickle I've gotten myself into."

An icy wind blew and she shrunk back against the wall of the house. "If I was going to be tossed out on my backside, the least you could've done was give me a coat," she muttered.

A low rumble of thunder clapped and rain began to fall. "Oh, dear," she muttered; "I just don't know when to stop, do I?"

The thunder continued but the rain eased into light sprinkles before clearing up. She sighed; grateful for the quick reprieve…she really didn't want to be soaking wet when she made her way into the house in the morning. She didn't think Johanna would appreciate a soggy houseguest…she had to hope she'd be willing to accept a dry one…who was going to have to learn the ways of the modern world that she had been sent crashing into for who knew how long. "Oh, dear," she murmured once more. "How am I ever going to get back home?"