"Are you sure you're up to doing a tour right now?" Danny asked tentatively as they waited under the covered trolley stop. They sat side-by-side on the metal bench while a number of tourists waited around them, just under the covering. "You had a pretty eventful afternoon at the bar. Maybe we should be taking it easy."

"I really can't think of anything easier than sitting on a trolley while some weird guy tells me a bunch of weird ghost stories that probably aren't true," Mindy responded nonchalantly. "I'll be fine. This should be fun!"

Danny gave a slight grimace. "I don't know, Min, a ghost tour? At night? Won't that be a little too creepy?"

Mindy smiled and nudged Danny's shoulders with her own. "That's the fun part, Danny! Nobody wants to do a ghost tour in broad daylight. That's a waste of a ghost tour."

"Alright, alright," Danny conceded. "I get it."

"Don't worry, Danny," Mindy shifted so that she was facing him a little more, "You can always grab my hand if it gets too scary for you."

Despite the teasing grin on her face, Danny immediately jumped on the defensive. "Too scary for me? Now way, sweetheart, I'll be fine. I'll be around, though, when you start to freak out."

"I'm not going to freak out!"

"You were freaked out by a baby once because you claimed his sneeze sounded demonic!" Danny pointed out with a laugh. "You were paranoid the entire day! It was nuts!"

Mindy gave him a hard pinch on his forearm, though there was a hint of a smile on her lips. "I'll be fine, jackass," she said, mumbling the last word.

A black trolley with neon green trim and piping slowly pulled up to the curb where Danny, Mindy, and the other guests were waiting. Once it came to a full stop, they spotted a tall, thin man standing at the front of the car in an all black suit. His face was painted in order to look like a skeleton, just like the gloves on his hands had a skeletal design on them. He was holding a black top hat with a neon green bow in one hand and a microphone in the other.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," the man greeted in a hauntingly deep voice. "Please line up and have your vouchers ready…if you daaaaare."

"Christ, this is already too much," Danny groaned under his breath. Mindy hissed at him to be quiet as they queued up to board the vehicle. Mindy handed the guide both her and Danny's tickets, which were exchanged for pamphlets, and led them to two seats closer to the back.

"So how long is this tour supposed to be?" Danny asked, waiting for her to settle in her seat by the window. He then took his place next to her.

"The voucher said it was a ninety-minute tour," Mindy informed him. She looked through the pamphlet, then pointed to the map printed on the second panel. "It looks like it's going to take us all over the place."

Danny leaned forward to get a better view of the map. "Look at all the stars on this thing! Exactly how many ghosts are on this island?"

Mindy looked at him with confusion. "Was that actual concern that I detected in that tone of yours, Danny?"

Danny waved her off dismissively and mumbled "shut up" under his breath, which amused Mindy greatly. Once the rest of the passengers settled in, the suited man took his place at the head of the aisle.

"Well, it looks like we're ready to go," he said in his low tone. "Time to hit the road, Jack!"

Mindy saw the driver's eyes roll in the large rear view mirror as he pulled away from the curb.

"It's funny because his name is actually Jack," he clarified. A proud smirk could still be detected through his elaborate face paint as he placed his top hat on the top of his head. "And I'm Ziek, your spirited guide for the evening. Tonight's tour will not only inform you, but chill you…to the boooooone."

He wiggled his gloved fingers for emphasis, a gesture that only amused one elderly couple sitting at the front of the trolley.

"Oh, brother," Mindy mumbled just loud enough for Danny to hear. He gave a slight unenthusiastic nod of agreement as they slowly turned onto Whitehead Street.

"We begin our tour with Whiskey Nipsy's," Ziek began, adopting a more informative tone. "A bar that is said to be haunted after it was rebuilt in 1902. The original watering hole that was in its place burned down after a disgruntled customer, already very intoxicated, was denied his drink. In a rage, he set the establishment on fire. Unfortunately, the exit, a large door that was famously tricky, chose that very moment to jam shut. Everyone inside, including the Blazing Drunkard, as he was later coined, perished in the fire."

Mindy found it difficult to get into the story when she could clearly see a portly man dancing on top of the bar, his shirt lifted and his protruding belly proudly on display as he was cheered on by a group of young female onlookers. If the place was haunted, they weren't aware of it.

Mindy tuned back into the guide's story in time to hear him say, "Many have claimed to have seen a man with a thick mustache, glasses, and a waistcoat through the windows, sitting at the bar long after it has closed for the night, waiting for his gin."

"All that drama for gin?" Danny asked incredulously at an unabashedly audible volume. Mindy tried to quiet him again, but he refused to silence himself. "What?" he asked with a shrug. "It's just gin! Now if it were bourbon, I'd get it."

Mindy stifled the laugh that threatened to bubble to the surface. The guide looked momentarily thrown off by Danny's outburst, but fell back into his routine. "Just up ahead we have Rosalind Street, home to Sotolongo Gardens and a mansion that houses one of the biggest mysteries of Key West…"

The tour continued for forty-five minutes with stories of many haunted mansions (one of which, Mindy noted, was noticeably close to Amelia Inn), old post offices, and an abandoned school. The stories that came with each landmark varied from gruesome murders to natural disasters. At one point Mindy found herself peering through the darkened windows of each place, seeing if she could spot one of the famed apparitions. She thought that she was being discrete until Danny nudged her side.

"You're looking for one of these ghosts," he whispered loudly. The playful mirth on his face was not to be missed.

"Stop judging me!"

The trolley rounded the corner and they rode along a long road, just by the ocean. The light of the moon reflected off the water's surface and the stars were plentiful. Despite the daunting tales they had heard throughout the ride, the beauty of the night could not be overshadowed. Mindy was temporarily entranced by the scenery until she heard the word "walking" very suddenly.

"Uh," Mindy turned to Danny, "did he say 'walking'?"

"Yeah," Danny confirmed. "We're going to some fort to look at some doll. We're taking a 'brief walking tour' while we're there. How's that thirty-two ounce margarita treating you?"

"Dammit," Mindy cursed. "I would not have come here if I knew there was walking involved."

Minutes later they pulled up to an old brick building. Ziek cleared his throat into the microphone. "We've arrived to East Martello Tower, where we will meet my good friend, Abigail, and she will take you to meet Key West's most famous resident, Robert the Doll. As you exit, you'll each be getting an EMF detector. Very easy to operate: when the red lights spike upward, that means it's picking up a rise in electromagnetic energy…usually a big indicator of some special visitors in our midst…"

The passengers filed out of the trolley one by one, each given a bulky, unimpressive device. Danny rolled the reader around in his hand, while Mindy groaned.

"Great, now I have to walk and I have to carry this stupid thing around? We totally should have stayed in and watched The Avengers."

Smirking, Danny patted Mindy on the back and they followed the small crowd into the courtyard of the fort. Inside they met a squat woman in a dark-colored corset and petticoat. Her hair was in a large, tight bun close to the nape of her neck.

"Good evening," greeted cheerfully. "I'm Abigail, and welcome to the East Martello Tower. I'm going to take you inside to the showroom. On our way, I encourage you to pay special attention to your meters for any special activity. Also, please feel free to take pictures of your surroundings, including what you'll find inside. Pay close attention to the pictures you take. You may find white spots that look a little like dust, but, in some cases, may be orbs, or the manifestation of the many apparitions that roam these parts."

Mindy rolled her eyes and looked to Danny for a mirrored expression of exasperation. Instead, she found that his eyes were glued to his EMF reader. She gently poked her elbow into his side in order to get his attention. He tore his eyes away momentarily, a flash of concern washed over his face before disappearing into an unconvincingly casual expression. "Oh, yeah, just…the lights on my reader thing spiked there for a second. No big deal."

Mindy raised her eyebrows, but said nothing as the crowd followed Abigail inside the fort. There was a continuous flash of lights from the cameras of those trying desperately to capture some sort of paranormal sign. They entered a room that contained an illuminating glass display case. Inside the case sat an old, strange-looking doll in a significantly aged, almost manila-colored sailor's uniform. The doll itself was holding some sort of stuffed animal and had an unsettling serene smile on its face. It appeared to be surrounded by a bunch of letters.

Abigail stood in front tourists next the case. "This is Key West's very own celebrity, Robert the Doll. He was a gift to painter Eugene Robert Otto. Mr. Otto claimed that the doll had come alive more than once and neighbors of the family would talk of seeing the doll move from window to window in the house. When Eugene died in 1974, Robert was left behind and fell under the new ownership of a little girl who moved in years later. She, too, would claim that the doll came to life and attacked her and holds fast to that story until this very day."

When a person in the crowd asked about the letters, Abigail answered almost giddily, "Well, Robert is veeeery territorial. He believes that those who come to visit him in his home," she gestured gallantly to the space around them, "should pay their respects to him. It is well documented that those who fail to thank Robert for his hospitality soon fall under bad luck. These letters are from visitors from all around the world, either paying their respects or telling tales of their misfortune after their skepticism got the best of them. That's why we should all take a moment to say, as a group, 'thank you, Robert!' C'mon, let's try it."

Most of the attendants began to thank the doll enthusiastically. Mindy could barely contain her disbelief.

"Oh, come on," Mindy whispered.

She turned to Danny and could faintly hear him say under his breath, "Thanks, Robert, buddy."

Mindy's mouth dropped. "Danny! Are you seriously falling for all of this?"

Danny looked around, as if to make sure that they weren't being heard. "Look, I'm not saying that I definitely feel like this stuff is real or fake. I just...don't like to underestimate certain phenomenon, that's all."

Mindy narrowed her eyes. "How do I not know this about you? So, you think there can be ghosts?"

Danny shrugged. "Maybe, I don't know."

"Aliens?"

"Probably not."

"Loch Ness Monster?"

"There's a high likelihood that Nessy is real." Something suddenly caught Danny's attention and a he began lifting himself on his toes, as if to be looking over someone's shoulder, then dropped to his feet and looked to Mindy with shocked eyes. "I just saw an orb in that picture the lady took. She caught a fuckin' orb!"

Mindy snickered loudly, then hooked her arm around Danny's and pulled him in step next to her as the group migrated to the next display room. "Like I said, my hand is always available to grab."

"You are having far too much fun with this," Danny accused.

"Oh, I am."

Hours later, while Mindy was trying to fall asleep, there was a scrape at the sliding door leading to the balcony. She lied perfectly still, though her eyes were wide open and darting continuously in opposite directions. There was a tree close to the balcony, right? She hasn't visited the balcony yet, but she could have sworn she remembered seeing a dangling tree branch just over the railing when they first arrived…or maybe she made that up.

The scraping reminded her of the story behind one of the neighboring mansions, which was now some sort of art gallery. The man of the house decided to go on a voyage at sea and came back almost four months later and a metal hook for a hand, which he supposedly used to terrorize everyone in the house until they all were driven insane and, one-by-one suffered very mysterious deaths. Like all of the other ghost stories, many locals claim to hear the sound of the hook scraping against the windows of the mansion, or any of the other neighboring residences. Mindy wondered if they scraping they heard sounded anything like what she was hearing at her balcony door…

"Okay, that's dumb," Mindy assured herself out loud. She flipped over, her back to the balcony, and attempted to go back to sleep. It was then that she heard something crash in bathroom, which caused her to jolt upward and emit a short, strangled yelp. Her heart pumping, she sat utterly still and listened carefully for any other sounds. She heard none and after a while, she carefully got up and padded across the wooden floor to the bathroom. Mindy slowly opened the door (making sure to note the dramatically creaking hinges) and carefully peeked inside to see that her hair products, once perched on the ledge of the shower, had fallen onto the porcelain bottom. She looked around, found nothing else out of place, and let out a calming sigh.

"That ghost tour was an awful idea," Mindy said decidedly to the empty room. She picked her fallen shampoo and conditioner and deposited them back on the ledge. Moments later there was a knock at the door. She opened it immediately to find Danny standing there with his puppy-eyed look of concern, clad in a plain black t-shirt and blue plaid pajama pants. There was a thin sheen of sweat just at his hairline and his breath just slightly heavier than normal.

"Are you alright?" he questioned firmly. "I thought I heard you scream and something fall. Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Danny," Mindy assured him calmly. "My hair stuff fell in the shower and it shocked me, that's all."

"Oh." Danny seemed a little more relaxed, but still on edge at the same time. "Okay, good. So, you're fine?"

Mindy narrowed her eyes, watching Danny lean against the door frame. "Uh, yeah, I'm okay…are you okay?"

"Of course, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Danny countered quickly.

"No reason," Mindy said casually, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, you may seem a little edgy, but other than that…"

Danny tried to chuckle, but it sounded strangled and resulted in a slight cough. "Nah, I'm good. I mean, there are a few weird noises coming from outside of one of my windows, but it's no big deal."

"I heard something outside of my window, too!" Mindy replied, though she made it sound like more of a pleasant coincidence than a worrisome phenomenon. "It was like a scraping. It kind of reminded me of the-"

"Hook hand!" Danny interjected swiftly, then tried to scale his reaction back. "Yeah, I mean, it reminded me a little of that, too."

Mindy was having a difficult time not dissolving into a pile of laughter at the sight of Danny Castellano, a man who was prepared at any moment to explain in detail just what makes a man a "real man," genuinely spooked by a collection of very colorful tall tales. It was hilarious and endearing all at the same time.

"I'm just saying that if you were..." Danny waved a hand while searching for the right words, "frightened or whatever, and you needed company…"

Mindy immediately understood what he was offering and as transparent as it was, she found it hard to deny him, especially as the sweat became more present and, despite his best efforts to sound casual, his voice began to crack just a little.

"Danny," she said calmly, making direct eye contact with him. "I am very scared. I would be forever grateful if you stayed with me tonight, or at least until I fell asleep, if you prefer."

Looking visibly comforted by the request, Danny replied, "Yeah, yeah, that's no problem, Min. I can stay here, if you need me to." Without further hesitation, he blew past her and entered the room, looking around. "It looks like you have a lot of room by the bed." He walked over to the side next to the balcony door, surveying the area. "Yeah, I can camp out here."

Mindy looked at him in exasperation. "Danny, you know I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor. Why do you even play this game? This bed is huge; you'd have more than enough room without catching any of my cooties."

Danny looked up at her. "No, I'm not worried about that, I just…didn't want to crowd you or…"

"You're fine," Mindy insisted as she eased back into her bed. "I think it's physically impossible to crowd me on this gigantic bed. C'mon, quit being crazy." She peeled back the covers on the other side and patted the empty space, encouraging him to lie down.

He paused for a moment, then finally took his place on the bed, gingerly situating himself underneath the covers. They both relaxed onto the mattress, Danny on his back and Mindy on her side, facing him.

"Danny?"

"Hmm?"

"Today was a lot of fun."

Danny half-smiled, then turned his head in her direction. "Good! It was fun for me, too."

"I read somewhere that the ghosts that roam the planet haunt the places where they feel they left behind unfinished business," Mindy stated very suddenly. "Do you think that's true? I mean, you don't hear of any ghosts hailing from somewhere else, like New Orleans, and coming to spook the people of Manhattan for, like, a change of scenery or something."

With a short chuckle, Danny replied. "I don't know, Mindy, I haven't talked to any ghosts lately, so I can't be sure of what their motives are."

Mindy plucked his side playfully in retaliation for his sarcasm. "I hope it's not true. If I get to be a ghost then I want to be able to choose where or who I haunt because trust me, if given the choice, I'm gonna haunt the crap out of you."

"Oh, is that so?" Danny perked up, propping his head up with his hand as he shifted on his side.

"Oh, definitely. If I die before you, for some tragic reason, I'm going to make my presence so known in your life. I'd rearrange all of your movies in order of their Rotten Tomatoes ratings, I'd steal all of your French toast, even if I can't eat it –"

"That's mean," Danny interjected.

"And I'd pour all your scotch down the drain."

"Oh, see, now you're going too far."

Mindy giggled. "Ghosts have to be a nuisance, Danny. Sorry to break it to you, but you'd be stuck with me."

Danny looked at her for a moment, not saying a word. He simply smiled, then eventually gave the tiniest of shrugs. "I've heard of worse fates."

Mindy tilted her head with an amused smile. Danny's subtle sweetness was something that she always had difficulty responding to. It was the quickest way to render her speechless. Still smiling, she settled herself on her side, even deeper into the mattress.

Danny cleared his throat, then turned onto his back. "Alright, let's get some sleep."

"'kay," Mindy agreed. "And thank you again…for staying with me, y'know."

Danny turned his head once again, and after a moment Mindy could tell that he was very aware of her charity in this situation. He hadn't fooled her and he knew it.

"You can't tell a soul," Danny commanded with a point.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'm telling everyone."

Danny sighed. "Yeah, I figured."

The next morning, Mindy slowly came to consciousness as the morning sun crept through the windows. She became acutely aware of two things: the first being the way the bed dipped on the other side, a telltale sign of a bedmate, and the second being the way her ankle was sandwiched between Danny's calves. She then could feel the hot air expelled from his nose graze the back of her hand that rested between them. If they had managed to get any closer in the middle of the night, they would surely be cuddling…and she was surprised at how comforted she felt by all of it. All in all, it was just nice to have him there. It was a very comforting image to wake up to.

She didn't want him to wake up with her foot in between his legs, though. While she didn't mind, she wasn't sure how he'd react. Trying not to wake him up, she gently slid her foot from between him. In the process, however, her knee grazed his pajama-clad thigh. It was enough to nudge him, albeit reluctantly, out of his slumber. He squirmed just a little bit without making any substantial movement, remaining close to Mindy as his eyes alternated between squeezing shut and blinking open.

"Sorry," Mindy apologized softly.

"No, no, it's fine," Danny replied with a groan, his eyes remaining shut. "Good morning, by the way."

"Good morning. Do you want to grab some breakfast?"

Danny let out another groan before responding. "Yeah, we can, but can I confess something?"

Mindy shifted more comfortably on her side, bringing her a fraction of an inch closer. "Sure. What?"

Danny's eyes fluttered, then settled until they were heavily lidded and peeking up at her through his lashes. "If I have to have another pastry for breakfast," he said huskily, "I'm going to flip that breakfast table over, Hulk-style."

Mindy snorted, then gave a lilting laugh.

"I'm serious, Min, I can't do it for one more morning," he insisted, though he was chuckling. "Three days is enough. Can we please get some real breakfast? It'll be on me."

"Sure," she agreed while reigning in her laughter. "I spotted a really cute diner not far from here. We can walk there and get you some sausage or biscuits and gravy or something."

"Bless you," Danny said with relief, then he tilted his head forward just enough to place a light, lingering kiss on the back of Mindy's hand. He remained there for half a second before his eyes seemed to widen in shock by his own bravery. Mindy's breath stilled and her heart raced. It was a gesture that existed outside of the established boundaries of their friendship. He would maybe give her a friendly kiss when she was particularly upset. She might kiss him on the cheek if she was especially proud of him or grateful to him – or after a round of quickly consumed alcohol, apparently – but a tiny kiss just after waking up in bed together, an intimate confirmation of proposed breakfast plans…that was something new.

Mindy liked it. She liked it a lot. And he already looked terrified and she found that she didn't want to react in a way that would discourage him from doing something like that again…because she really, really liked it.

Oh, wow, she thought. Okay, well…there's that.

With a tiny smack of his lips, Danny pulled away from her hand and searched her face for any signs of discomfort.

Mindy gave him a warm smile, then asked, "Can I get, like, a pile of bacon? No fruit, no fiber, just bacon and something covered in powdered sugar? Judgment free?"

Danny laughed as a look of relief washed over him. He nodded against the pillow. "Whatever you want."

A/N: Thank you so much for those that are sticking with this story! I'm really enjoying writing it. All the chapters are getting much longer than I anticipated!

Someone had asked how long I plan for this story to be. The outline has changed so much since it's inception that it's hard to tell, but as it stands now there are thirteen planned chapters with a possible, possible epilogue.

The story of Robert the Doll is a real one. You should look it up! What I included in this story was an abridged version. The ghost tours are interesting. LOL! The other ghost stories included in this chapter are made up, but there are hundreds over stories like these on that island, so I wouldn't be surprised if you found anything similar to what I've included.

You guys...I'm REALLY excited about the next chapter.

As always, a review is always, ALWAYS truly appreciated if you are able to spare it.

Okay, gotta run. Love you all and Hollaatchyagirl,

Phunky