Part 3 of 3
"See anything?" Bae asked, peering out Emma's bedroom window with his night vision goggles, focused on the dark field of pumpkins behind his house.
"Nope." Emma sighed loudly and dropped her own pair of goggles. "This is so extra."
"What do you mean? Ghost-watching was your idea," he reminded her. "But if you wanna quit…"
"No way." Emma crossed her arms in a stubborn gesture Bae was all too familiar with. "I'll sit here as long as it takes. I'm telling you, she usually floats out your back door and straight through the patch, then disappears into thin air."
"So you keep telling me," Bae said sourly, and popped a gummy worm into his mouth.
An hour later, Ghosbusters: Answer the Call had finished playing in the background, and they'd polished off a bag of Kit-Kat bars and a massive bowl of buttery candy corn popcorn. Still there was no sign of Emma's woman in the white sheet, and Bae was starting to feel both smug and sleepy.
"Maybe we missed her," Bae said, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. He was ready to give up and go to sleep. He lay down on his nest of blankets on the floor of Emma's room and closed his eyes.
Emma kicked him in the shin.
"Ow! What'd ya do that for?" he said, rubbing his leg.
"You can't sleep now! Get up. We need to go to your house and check things out," Emma said.
Bae lurched to a seated position and stared at her in alarm. "Are you crazy?"
"The ghost could be on to us," Emma said. "You know, they can hear our conversations."
Bae remembered reading something along those lines last night at the library. "That's true," he mumbled.
"She probably found out about our plan to smoke her out and decided to hide in the house," Emma said. "Ghosts don't like their routines disturbed."
"So you're saying my dad is alone at home by himself with the ghost?" Bae didn't like that mental image one bit.
"Right." Emma paced up and down the carpet at the foot of her bed. "We'll go over there, take a look around, and if your dad is still awake and sees us, we'll make up some excuse that we needed another flashlight or say you forgot your toothbrush."
As usual, Emma had it all figured out. Although Bae wanted to protest, he couldn't come up with a single reason that didn't make him sound like a 'fraidy-cat. Grudgingly, he followed Emma downstairs to the first floor, hoping Mr. and Mrs. Nolan would see them and put a stop to this ridiculous scheme. No such luck: her parents were snoring on the living room couch, cradling a sleeping baby Neal between them. There was nothing to stop them from going to Bae's house.
Alone. In the dark. To hunt down a ghost.
"Fine." Bae said, willing the end of this night to come, like, now. "Let's go."
Together, they trudged up the hill, a flashlight guiding their path. The wind rushed, calling to the trees, and they answered, swaying against the night sky and rustling their leaves. In the distance, a hound brayed.
"It's the perfect night for haunting," Emma declared with confidence, nodding at the moon. Bae followed her gaze into the black sky. The moon was high and full and yellow, like a giant round of cheese, but the flat black clouds roiling in front of it were as gloomy and ominous as the flap of a vulture's wings.
With shaky fingers, Bae unlocked the front door of his house and pushed it open. The old door whined on its hinges as it always did, but somehow the sound was scarier in the dark night of All Hallows Eve.
Downstairs, all the lights had been extinguished.
"Dad must have gone to bed," Bae whispered, reaching for the light switch.
"Don't turn the lights on," Emma warned, covering his cold hand with hers. Bats took flight in Bae's tummy when Emma touched him.
"Ok," he said, keeping hold of her hand as he scanned the foyer with the flashlight.
Although it was dark, the house felt alive tonight. Floorboards creaked beneath their feet, and the pumpkins he and Dad had carved together grinned ghoulishly in the glow of the flashlight.
"Look!" Emma pointed at the brimming treat bowl. "All the candy is still here."
Braeden's heart began to pound. "Think Dad forgot about trick or treat?"
Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhh…..
Bae's teeth began to chatter as the sound of a woman's moans echoed down the staircase. "Do – do you hear that?"
Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhh…..
"Yeah." Even Emma's voice was wobbling in the pitch-black foyer. "It sounds like it's coming from upstairs. Maybe your dad didn't forget. What if the woman in the white shroud has him captive?"
Braeden thought back on his reading at the library yesterday. "Ghosts can't actually hurt you, Emma, remember?"
"That's right," she said importantly. "All they can do is try to harness our fear."
Bae resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was about to make a comment about know-it-alls when the moaning started again.
Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhh, ooooooooooh….
Ahhhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhhhh, ooooooooooooooooooh, uuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh…..
"Definitely upstairs." Bae gulped, gesturing toward the hulking shadow of the staircase. "And it's getting louder."
Like twin cat burglars, they crept up the stairs in unison, jumping at every creak and whine of the old wood. Together they paused on the dark landing. The noises were definitely coming from his father's room at the end of the hall.
Ahhhhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhh…
The pitch and tone of the moans increased, and it started to sound like the woman was in pain, which made no sense at all. Emma and Bae huddled closer together.
"Bae?" Emma stopped, and Bae held his breath, waiting for another sassy remark. "Don't – don't let go of my hand, ok?"
"I won't," he promised, squeezing her fingers even tighter. Emma's sudden fear emboldened him, made him feel brave. "Nothing's going to happen to us," he said with confidence. "We're gonna walk down that hall, open Dad's door, and scare the ghost away. It's probably nothing, anyway. A trick of the wind."
The litany of moans swelled and ricocheted through the hallway, intensifying as they tiptoed closer. A shrill scream pierced the frigid air and they jumped again, then stood trembling outside of his dad's door. Emma was clinging to his arm like a clamp, and Bae's digits were beginning to tingle.
"It's cold up here…that means there's a ghost close by. The temperature always drops when they're…."
"Emma."
"Yeah?" She pressed against his side like a second skin.
"Stop talking."
Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhh, ooooooooooh.
Ahhhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhhhh, ooooooooooooooooooh, uuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh.
"She's really getting loud now," Emma whispered.
Bae flipped the flashlight around and shone it on his face. He stared hard at Emma and put his finger to his mouth. "Shhh."
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Holding his breath, Bae grasped the doorknob and cracked it open, shining the flashlight onto the hardwood, and peered through the crack.
A billowing shroud flowed and rippled over the surface of his father's bed, moving and frothing like a giant white wave. Another cry rang out, and as Bae raised the light, he saw a pale head bent backwards over the bed, a shock of dark hair cascading from her white forehead to the floor. The ghost lady's eyes were closed and her scarlet mouth opened on a silent scream.
He snapped his eyes back to Emma, screamed in terror, and hand-in-hand, they fled back down the hallway and flew down the stairs and out the front door.
xoxo
Belle flailed, kicking Gold hard, and he summersaulted off the bed and onto the hardwood.
"Braeden? Son, wait!" Gold called from the floor, rubbing his tailbone. But the sound of footfalls crashing down the stairs made it clear that his boy hadn't heard.
"Oh no!" Belle cried, covering her face with her hands. "This is my fault! Braeden was at the library last night looking at books about ghosts. Now I-we-you…oh God, we've terrified him!"
"No, sweetheart." Gold shook his head. "You're not responsible for this. It was a misunderstanding, and a clear signal that we should have talked to Bae long before now."
"More like a flashing neon sign," Belle muttered, switching on the bedside light. She yanked one of Gold's white shirts off the hanger and slipped into it, then knelt down beside him and stroked his jaw. "Did I hurt you, baby?"
"It's nothing a bag of frozen peas can't fix." In spite of his pain and humiliation, he forced a smile and drew her fingers to his mouth and kissed them. He had more than one misunderstanding to clear up. "Belle…I'm in love with you."
Her beautiful eyes blinked back tears. "You are? Really?"
"Yes." Tears began to roll down her cheeks and he wiped them away with his thumbs. "I should have told you sooner—planned to earlier tonight—but I was afraid. I wasn't sure you wanted more than a casual affair with a man like me."
"And I wasn't sure you wanted to be seen in public with the black widow," she said, her cheeks mottled. "I know the townspeople say that I murdered my last boyfriend and buried him at the library. He really did move to Paris, honest. The guy was a jerk, but I'm not that vindictive."
"You must know that I never believed those rumors, Belle. You are the kindest, sweetest, most generous woman I've ever known," he said. "I only hope you can someday come to care for me the way I care for you."
"But I already do. Christy, I love you, too. I think I've loved you since the day I saw you at the Halloween shop trying to choose a costume for Braeden. I'd certainly admired you long before that," Belle said, pressing her face into the fall of his hair.
"Belle, you make me happy," he said simply, allowing her to help him to his feet. "It's past time I admitted that truth. To all of us—including my son."
Gold pulled on his trousers and reached for the phone. He would likely be waking the Nolans from a sound sleep to involve them in this circus he'd orchestrated, but it had to be done. He needed to talk to his son right away.
xoxo
Thirty minutes later, Gold, Belle, Braeden, and Emma were sitting at the kitchen table sipping hot cups of spiced apple cider and nibbling warm, cinnamon sugar donuts.
Gold would rather not have Emma here for this delicate conversation, but thanks to his indiscretion she'd become embroiled in this debacle, and he wouldn't tolerate her running around town telling tales and damaging Bae's friendships. He cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension that not even sugary treats could cut. Whisky would help, but drinking around ten-year-olds was frowned upon, and donuts and cider were the best he could come up with.
"Bae, Emma – Miss French and I brought you here because… Belle and I… when two people…"
"We're in love," Belle interrupted, laying a reassuring hand on top of Gold's. "Braeden, your father and I saw each other at the shops about a month ago, struck up a conversation, and our relationship just happened. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner. We both are."
"Yes. Son, please understand, Belle and I wanted to be sure of each other before we involved a third heart—yours," Gold added, finding his voice.
"Oh. Well, that's ok." Bae flashed a little smile. "I'm happy for you, Dad, but," his face scrunched in a frown, "I'm kind of confused."
"What questions do you have?" Gold asked seriously, then rolled his eyes as Emma leaned forward. "Do you need a refresher on sex education? I was going to share more details when you're older, but if you want to discuss it now—"
"Gross. Stop, Dad." Bae interjected, glancing at Emma from the corner of his eye. "My ears are gonna start bleeding."
"Better your ears than your eyes," Gold muttered under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing, son. Is it hot in here?" Gold murmured to Belle, tugging on the collar of his robe.
"Feels fine to me," Emma said loudly.
Gold's expression was bewildered, and Belle shot Emma a pointed look.
"Now we have a question for both of you: what were you doing skulking around in the house in the dark?" Belle asked looking between the two kids.
"How else were we going to find the ghost?" Bae asked.
"Ghost? What ghost? Braeden, this house is not haunted." Gold wagged a stern finger. "Damn neighborhood kids, spreading lies. Isn't your father scary enough on his own?"
"Dad, I'm serious."
"As am I."
"She was there in your room, levitating above the bed. I saw her. Tonight," Bae's tone was urgent and tinged with fear.
"No, sweetie," Belle began. "What you saw…" Searching for words, Belle ran a hand through her curls and the elbow of Gold's too-large white shirt dipped into her cup of hot chocolate. She pulled her arm back, making a small noise of distress. "Oh, no. Chocolate is almost impossible to get out of white shirts!" She looked at Gold with an apologetic frown. "Sorry, baby."
Emma's eyes widened in realization. "White. Woman in white…it was you! All the shouting we heard tonight was coming from you!" Emma exclaimed, pointing at Belle. "It was you every night this month, creeping through the pumpkin patch!"
Belle turned to Gold and bit her lip to keep from laughing. The young lady was right, and Belle respected her honest assessment of the situation, even if said young lady could use some coaching on tact and manners.
"Is my face bright red?" Belle asked, laying her hands on her scalding cheeks.
"Only a little," Bae said helpfully.
"Guilty. When I walk home at night after spending time with your father, I borrow one of his shirts. I don't know why…silly, really," Belle said, blushing even harder.
"I think it's sorta romantic," Emma said with admiration.
"Anyway, I'm really sorry my yelling scared you both," Belle said penitently.
"We are sorry for frightening you," Gold said. "This wasn't all Belle's fault and I won't allow her to accept all the blame."
"I wasn't scared," Emma bluffed.
"Emma, you screamed so hard I could see your tonsils," Bae said baldly. "You were scared. We both were."
Bae turned to Belle, then to his father. "So… does this mean you'll stop hiding and then Belle can come move in with us?" he asked, unable to keep the note of hope out of his voice. He'd never known his mother. Miss French wasn't perfect, but he loved her, too, and he hoped one day she'd want to belong to him as much as she wanted to belong to his father.
"Belle?" Gold asked.
"I would…I would like that," she said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"There's no need to cry," Emma said, producing a tissue and holding it in front of Belle's nose. Belle accepted it gratefully and dabbed at her eyes.
Gold kissed Belle's cheek, then squinted at the horizon, thankful for a reason to send the nosy little girl next door home where she belonged. "The sun is rising, Braeden. Halloween is over. Why don't you walk Emma back to her house?"
xoxo
"So, some night, huh?" Bae said, staring at the ground as he escorted Emma home. The frosty dew from the cold snap overnight seeped into his sneakers, making him shiver.
"I'll say," Emma agreed. She stopped in her tracks and touched his shoulder. "Listen, I'm sorry I said your house was haunted. This isn't your father's fault, or Miss French's, or yours. It was mine. If I hadn't suggested that a ghost was running around…"
"It's ok. Believe it or not, I had fun," Bae said with a broad smile. "Besides, if you hadn't thought you had seen a ghost, I might not have known about my dad and Miss French." In spite of how he'd found out, he couldn't be happier that his father was dating his favorite librarian.
"Well you were super brave," Emma said. "When the, uh, moaning started, I was ready to run. Thought I'd gotten us in too deep with my big mouth. But you stuck it out."
Bae grinned at the compliment. Coming from Emma, this was high praise. His thoughts returned to Miss French's advice at the library the other night, about being honest about his feelings. He laced his fingers with Emma's. She looked up at him in surprise, but she didn't let go. Bae's heart began to thump.
"I like you a lot, Emma. We should stick together," he said. "I, uh, think we make a pretty good team."
"Yeah," Emma said, clutching his hand as they continued walking into the sunshine. "We absolutely do."
-The End-
Thanks for reading and Happy Halloween!