Piper explained everything that had happened, everything Nico had told her, everything she had seen. Nico didn't show up and nothing else made a sound except for the candles flickering from the drafts and the wind outside as the clouds came in. A storm was coming, electrifying the air and heightening the tension.

Jason stared at her with an unreadable expression, his arms crossed as he sat back in his chair. The light illuminated his hair and brought out his eyes, but a dark shadow cast over his face in the shape of his glasses. He looked tired, sick, weary, and like he didn't know what to think of Piper's story. Finally, after what felt like forever, he sat forward with a frustrated sigh. "Fine,"

"Fine?" The winds sped up, slamming against the glass windows.

"Fine, if you're telling the truth, we can just look this Nico up." Jason pulled his phone out and typed in their address. "Do you know his last name?"

Piper shook her head. "His family was the one that built the house, he said. I don't know what year that was but hopefully that's helpful..."

Jason glanced up at her. "You really believe this, Piper? You aren't just stressed or something?"

Piper rested her head on her hand. "Jason, please..."

"I'm just asking." he looked back down at the phone as the power went out, his phone screen lighting up the near darkness. "Damn. Will you get the candles while I read this article?"

Piper stood from the couch, getting her own phone out to use as a flashlight. "Did you find something?"

Jason nodded. "Get the candles and let me read."


Nico looked up when the lights went out, frowning at the sudden change of the atmosphere outside. The storm rolled in, vengeful and powerful, with little to no pity for those in its path. The trees in the forest danced together, their leaves flying in all directions. The sun refused to shine, the birds went into hiding. Nothing stirred outside but what the wind blew around.

Maddie was thankfully asleep by then, but Katie looked up with wide eyes. "The lights went out!"

Nico nodded. "It's gonna storm."

She looked around before running to the window, watching the forest with a sort of gleam in her eyes. "That looks so cool."

"I know," he picked her up gently. "But it's not safe to be by the windows, now. Lightning might come and get you."

He carried the girls out of the room, climbing the next staircase. "Let's go to my room, there's no windows."


Piper dumped the candles onto the coffee table before lighting them one by one, the fire lighting her pale face up. The room grew hotter and the air turned musty, but they had no choice. It became as dark as night outside.

"What did you find?" Piper asked, her voice small. "You've been quiet."

Jason looked up from his phone, his face pale in the dim light. "Come here for a second."

Piper looked up at him for a minute before getting up, sitting beside him in the armchair. She cuddled into his side, glancing towards the windows wearily. "What's up?"

"I found the history of the house," Jason began. "That...that the family that built it was the di Angelo's. The son's name was Nico."

Piper's body tingled eerily at the thought that that boy she had talked to was actually in history, that he had lived and died hundreds of years before. "Oh..."

Jason turned the screen of his phone off with the push of a button before looking to face his wife. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

Piper closed her eyes, relaxing against his chest. "You believe me, now?"

Jason nodded. "But I want to...I need to see this for myself. Ghosts...I don't like believing in them."

"I know. I don't, either." Piper agreed. "It's sad to think they're stuck here in a purgatory thing, reliving their lives..."

Jason kissed the top of her head. "Does Nico show up a lot?"

Piper nodded. "But I don't think he's fully comfortable yet. He showed himself to me only twice. But apparently, he talks to the girls a lot."

"The girls..." Jason sighed, getting up. "They're alone in the dark. Let's go see if they're awake." He held a hand out to her, smiling. "Come on, Pipes."

She took his hand and pulled herself to her feet, grabbing a candle off of the coffee table. "Do you think the weather will be too bad?"

He shook his head as he led her upstairs. "Be careful of your steps. You drop that candle and all this wood will go up in an instant."

"Way to calm me down." Piper joked. "I'm not going to drop it."

Jason smiled at her, getting to the girls' room. He frowned when he looked into their beds to find them gone. "Piper..."

"They might be with Nico," she suggested softly. "Don't...don't freak out yet."

"You're the one that looks green," he took the candle from her. "Where would Nico have taken them?"

"His...his room...?"

"Where's that?"

Piper grabbed his hand, pulling him down the hall. "Come on, hurry up. If they're not there..."

"Calm down, calm down. They didn't go outside, we would have heard." Jason assured her. They climbed the steps to the third floor, Piper immediately pulling him again.

She got to Nico's room, hesitating at the closed door before knocking. "N-Nico? Are you and the girls in there?"

"Mommy!" Katie ran to the door and opened it, causing both her parents to let out a breath of relief. "It got dark out!"

"I know, baby." Piper kneeled beside her and hugged her close. "You scared me. I couldn't find you."

"Sorry, Nico took us here cause he said the windows are dangerous," she explained. "Something about lightning."

Piper nodded. "Nico was being smart." She looked past Katie and into the room, frowning when she didn't see the boy in question. "Where is he, Katie?"

Katie turned around, frowning. "He was here... Maybe he's scared of daddy."

Jason sighed heavily, walking into the room to get Maddie. "Let's just go downstairs and check the news. See if-"

As he was speaking the tornado siren went off, cutting through the air as it warned all those in the path of the storm to take shelter. Even as common as tornadoes were, it filled the land with an eerie sound that sent Piper on edge. She hated tornadoes, hated anything to do with them.

Silently, she ushered her kids to the basement, hoping the house would be stable enough to last the storm.