AN: Mention of underage drinking.

Chapter 10 - Contact

"...you get to own that person for good, my dear darling."

The words echoed inside Joe's brain as he watched Temperance, mesmerised by the silvery swirling vortex that seemed to have come to life in her eyes. All the sounds around him were drowned out by the strange buzzing in his ears. Instead of the aromatic incense that had a calming effect on his nerves, now there was the musty smell of damp earth and a faint tendril of sulphur clogging his nostrils, making his stomach roil in distress.

Along with the bizarre turn his surroundings had taken, he was frozen to the spot, utterly helpless to move other than to blink and to struggle to breathe. The time felt as if it had stretched beyond its norm, making everything around him freeze in its flow, just as he was.

There was something in Temperance's eyes, he realised as he was forced to stare into her unbreakable gaze. It was another soul - or a part of a soul - Joe was sure. It was decades old and he felt its rage and despair in waves. Its suffering was so strong and overwhelming, he felt his knees grow weak in its presence. Through the all-encompassing agony it unleashed at him from somewhere deep within Temperance, he thought there was a frenzied plea for help mingled in those screams.

"Free me… free me… FREE ME!" it roared in his mind.

Whatever this presence was doing to him, it hurt. He was in excruciating pain, and he couldn't seem to drag in enough air to breathe, let alone scream. He was paralysed, helpless and completely defenceless against the otherworldly force that assaulted his body and mind at a soul-deep level. All he could do was stand there, glued to the spot, and desperately wish for his brother's help.

"Joe!"

Frank's sharp voice cut through the wild chaos in his mind, bringing with it immense relief that his brother had sensed his plea somehow. Then he was there, his hand on Joe's shoulder, warm and reassuring. The force withdrew as fast as it had appeared, freeing him from its clutches abruptly. The painful attack disappeared along with the presence, and he swayed alarmingly in his feet, unbalanced by the sudden change. Frank moved closer instinctively and wrapped an arm around his waist, stabilising him.

"Joe," his brother said softly, his voice filled with worry. "Kiddo, are you okay?"

Joe had no idea just yet. He closed his eyes and leaned fully against Frank, letting him support most of his weight. He was shaking all over, not quite in pain, but feeling weak as if all his energy had been drained. There was a pounding headache behind his eyes, possibly a reaction to whatever just happened. The taste of the fruit juice he felt still lingering in his mouth was now mixed with the coppery taste of blood, making him grimace.

After a few moments of self-assessment, Joe felt he could give his brother an honest answer. Frank's quiet and steady presence was all he needed to draw some strength into his empty reserves.

"I, uh–" coughing to clear the rasp in his voice, he tried again. "I think so, yeah."

"Oh, god, Joseph," he felt Temperance's hand on his free shoulder. Her voice trembled in distress. "I'm so sorry. Was it the Anavíosi?"

"Ah?" He opened his eyes and blinked. His vision was still a bit blurry. It took him a moment to realise that he wasn't seeing doubles. Both the twins were staring at him with identical, worried frowns marring their pretty faces.

"What's that?" Frank asked.

"The fruit punch–"

Joe was mostly sure it was Temperance who answered. Her lips moved and the words reached him intermittently. Her fingers tightened around the flesh on his bicep for a moment before she withdrew from him.

"I swear it doesn't have anything strong, just some fruits, spices and a dash of vodka."

"It probably wasn't the drink, Temperance," Constance said quietly, hugging her sister.

"What happened, Joe?"

"I don't know," he groaned. Frank was angry too, he could tell by his clipped tone. He wasn't sure whether it was directed at the girls or at him. "I just got hit by a bad migraine all of a sudden."

"Joe, have you eaten anything yet?" One of the twins asked.

"Not after lunch."

"The punch does have a tendency to hit you harder on an empty stomach," Temperance explained. "I'm so sorry, darling. I didn't know it would make you feel this bad."

"Frank, there's a room at the back," Constance said. "He can lay down for a bit until he feels a bit better."

He felt Frank stiffen at the suggestion. His brother wanted nothing more than to get away from the girls. Joe wanted to agree with him. But there was another faint voice in his mind, almost an instinct, urging him to stay for a bit longer.

"I don't know," Frank muttered, confirming his guess. "I think I should take him back to our dorm."

"He can hardly stand, dear," Constance pointed out, talking about him as if he wasn't there. Joe couldn't really blame them. He was still very unsettled, in his body and mind. "Just let him rest for a moment. I'll get you some water and painkillers for his headache. There's a small attached bathroom if he wants to throw up or something."

"I'd like to lie down, Frank," he mumbled, drawing a frown from his brother. "It's our party. I'm sure we can join again after a half hour or so. I don't wanna go back just yet."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Fine," Frank sighed. He wasn't happy, Joe knew that. He would just have to wait until they were away from the twins so that Joe could explain exactly what happened. "Lead the way, please, Constance."

-oOo-

Frank thanked the girls for the bottles of water and the painkillers and reassured a teary Temperance that Joe would feel better after a bit of rest. You better not make a liar outta me, brother, he thought as he closed the door behind them.

Joe looked pale and drawn as he lay there on the bed, unnaturally still. He opened his eyes as Frank moved closer and shuffled to his right to make space for him. Joe's eyes were bright and clear, and Frank saw that he had no issues tracking, which told him that Joe's sudden migraine was fading fast.

"Here, finish it," he said, handing him over a bottle. He held back the pills, not wanting to drug his brother without really knowing the cause.

Joe obediently finished the entire bottle in a few gulps. "I don't need that," he said, nodding at the pills. "It's almost gone."

"Yeah, I figured," Frank muttered, settling cross-legged on the bed next to Joe. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper. "What happened? The truth this time."

"Temperance," Joe murmured just as softly. "Frank, there's something inside her."

"What!?"

"It's old, and I'm not even sure if she knows," Joe whispered, the look in his eyes going glassy as he recalled his strange experience. "But it's there, and it felt me. That's when it reached out, Frank, it felt like that thing was trying to suck my brain out through my nose," Joe shuddered, intensifying Frank's concern over the entire investigation. "It was screaming at me to free it."

"Free it?" Frank repeated. Staring at the familiar apprehension clouding Joe's expression, a dreadful realisation dawned. "Joe, is this…Crap. This is like what happened at Chet's, isn't it?"

"I think so."

"Temperance, is she, um, possessed or something?"

"No," Joe shook his head, and let out a weary sigh. "I don't know. I don't think so."

"Then?"

"It's not a spirit. At least, not a full one…" Joe frowned, trying to explain. "But, it's connected to her somehow," then he took his phone out of his jeans pocket and started to type a text. "Let me just–"

"What are you doing?"

"Asking Gray if the Saunders family lost a close member recently," Joe said distractedly. Frank supposed that made sense. Their earlier supernatural case had involved two very recently deceased people after all.

"Worth a shot," he agreed. "So, this thing in her, is it as bad as the other one?" he was referring to the spirit of the dead terrorist, and he knew Joe would get his meaning.

"I think so," Joe said, putting his phone away after sending the message to the agent. "Probably worse."

Frank felt a cold shiver run down his spine when Joe pinned him with a look of pure terror. "I was cut off from the rest of the word in those few seconds, Frank, I was completely immobilised… helpless–" his words came out in a tremble. "That was damned scary. When you called out my name, it broke the spell. The thing withdrew back into her, just as fast. I think you showed up just in time to save me from something really nasty."

"I almost got into trouble myself," Frank admitted, ducking his head. He was relieved to hear that he had managed to get to Joe in time. And the warning had arrived just in time for him to save himself from some guilt and embarrassment as well.

"How?"

"Constance almost kissed me," he mumbled. Joe let out a surprised laugh. Frank kept his gaze on his own hands, not really wanting to see the teasing grin he knew Joe was aiming at him. "I think I kind of had feedback from the attack on you. A flash of headache hit me out of nowhere… it kinda threw us both off that, uh… moment."

"So that's how you knew I was in trouble?"

Frank looked up and saw that Joe was serious now, the moment of mirth forgotten as the strangeness of the situation became clear.

"The funny thing was she knew something was wrong with you at the exact time I did," Frank said, frowning. "That's why she kinda dragged me to where you were with Temperance. You didn't look good, like you were lost or something. Our arrival kind of shook the two of you back to normal."

"What the hell have we gotten ourselves into, Frank?" Joe's question came out in a whisper.

Frank had no more answers than Joe did. And it worried him. They were investigators, and they were damned good at what they did. This new trend of having supernatural phenomena attached to their cases was a concern. Neither of them had a clue how to deal with ghostly creatures, other than their own instincts.

But he knew one thing for certain. That neither Joe nor he was prepared to walk away from a case without solving it to the best of their ability. Despite the fear, it was apparent in his stubborn gaze that Joe was determined to stick around to the end.

"I don't know brother," he sighed. "Do you wanna go back to our room?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Joe said, flashing a grin, just as Frank knew he would. He looked tired, but Frank could see that he wasn't in pain anymore. "Let's hang around and make nice. We still have to meet the rest of the freaks in this gang anyway."