Every one in the game room froze as the floor seemed to ripple under their feet. Rattles filled the air as the dishes and glasses shook in their cabinets.
"Earthquake!" Crooks jumped up and rushed to the bar, dropping down behind it for shelter.
Josiah and Nathan exchanged a worried look when Mary sprang up from her chair, the normally blue eyes almost black in color. She looked around the room franticly.
As suddenly as it began, everything stilled.
"Where is he?" the furious woman demanded.
"Where is who?" Josiah asked calmly. Possessed or unbalanced one, Josiah thought to himself.
"My Chris," Travis hissed.
"He went to find Vin. The boy went on another walk," Josiah explained.
"What have you done, Tanner? He's mine and you can't have him, not this time. I won't let you interfere. If I didn't need your power, I'd kill you now," Mary's voice calmed into a furious snarl.
"Mary, what do you mean this time?" Josiah coaxed.
"What?" Mary's eyes faded back to their normal pale blue.
"Why are you so mad at Vin?" Nathan asked.
"I'm not mad at Vin," Mary looked around, a puzzled look now replacing the anger of a few moments before. "Where is he? Where'd the others go?"
"Vin went for a walk and they went to find him," Josiah explained once more.
"Oh, they should have woke me. He might find the journals." Mary almost pouted.
"You were sleeping very deeply. Ivy's death must have distressed you more than we realized." Josiah calmed Mary.
"Ivy's dead!" Mary gasped in shock.
Josiah and Nathan shared a stunned look. Ezra's emerald eyes were now open wide as he sat, quietly observing.
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Sydney Crooks crept out from behind the bar. He ran to the now prostrate Maude suffering through an attack of the vapors.
Nathan's move to assist was halted when he saw Ezra shake his head. Standish pantomimed a swoon and smirked.
"Please, Dr. Jackson, Mutha would never forgive you for interrupting while she is working a mark," Ezra explained quietly.
"You sure?" Nathan scowled.
"Positive, Dr. Jackson," Standish answered. "She checked the rug for dirt or lint before fainting most gracefully."
"Alright," Nathan shook his head in disbelief as Crooks ran to the bar for Maude's requested 'restorative libation'.
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"Mary, what's the last thing you remember?" Nathan demanded, returning to his previous concern.
"I was watching the fire . . . ." Mary's voice trailed off as it registered that the day was well advanced. "I've slept all this time? Ivy died?"
"Young Cedric as well," Ezra said gently. His emerald green eyes held pity for the bewildered woman.
"Mary, do you have any health problems or are you on any type of medication?" Nathan asked sharply as he began to examine the reporter.
"No, I'm not under a doctor's care or on medicine," Mary answered shakily. "What's wrong with me?"
"Old house, no telling what kind of chemicals or allergens are lingering around. Could be some kind of an allergic reaction maybe. Have you been getting plenty of sleep?" Nathan muttered as he checked her heart and lungs.
"Dr. Jackson, I'm a single mother with a young son and a demanding job. What's sleep?" Mary laughed nervously.
"Could be the lack of sleep catching up with you. The mind will play tricks on you if you don't get enough sleep to dream properly," Josiah chided gently.
"Alright, I'll work harder at getting some sleep," Mary grumbled.
"Make an appointment to go see your doctor as soon as we get out of here. Your blood pressure is too high," Nathan scowled.
"I don't have time," Mary sighed.
"If you don't want your boy to be an orphan, then get that blood pressure under control," Nathan said flatly.
Mary's eyes widened in shock at the blunt speaking doctor's words. "I'll go to my doctor."
"Good," Nathan huffed.
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"It might be a good idea to downplay all this, to Mary you know," Buck said thoughtfully.
"Might," Chris agreed with a nod.
"Uh-huh. The less Mary knows, the less the house knows," Wilmington reminded.
"Yep," Larabee responded.
"Figure that card trail making itself is something that doesn't need brought up," Buck mused.
"Nope," Chris answered.
"Dammit, Chris! Talk to me," Buck huffed.
"Things are coming to a head, Buck. Whether we tell Mary or not, this damn mausoleum is going to find out one way or another," Larabee grunted.
"Yeah, it will, but better later," Wilmington growled.
"Yep," Chris smiled faintly as he led the docile Tanner back to the game room.
Looks were exchanged among the rest of the searchers, and a silent agreement was made to keep Mary Travis in the dark as much as possible.
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"Where have you been?" Mary demanded harshly as Chris entered the room. "If you're going to go exploring, you should have asked me if I wanted to go. I want to find those journals." Mary fumed.
"We couldn't wake you," Chris said flatly.
"Do you know what made the house shake?" Mary asked in a less strident tone.
"Vin got pissed," Chris answered shortly. "Now let me get him settled before he goes off again."
"Let someone else take care of Tanner, darling," Mary's voice slipped into a sultry purr. A delicate hand ran down Larabee's chest in a suggestive manner.
"What in hell is wrong with you, Mary?" Chris snarled and stepped away from the unwelcome advance.
Tanner pulled away, wandering over to his dragon, he sat down. Reaching under a front foot, Vin pulled out the seven of hearts. Laying it down next to the other three sevens, he lifted his hand in front of his face. Turning to Josiah, he peered through his fingers, holding the other man's gaze without wavering. Vin's lips moved, but no words came out. A frustrated scowl marred boy's face.
"Take your time, son," Josiah coaxed. "I'm listening."
"Yer's . . . Preacher," Tanner struggled to form the words.
"What is mine, Vin?" Josiah leaned forward, intently.
Panic seemed to grow in the sapphire eyes as the words refused to come. Reaching into his shirt, Tanner pulled out the bible and pushed it into Josiah's hands. Vin's eyes lost focus and he refused to meet Josiah's gaze. The slender fingers stroked the bible a moment, and then Tanner pressed Josiah's hands tight to the old book, making certain it was held firmly, his other hand dropped from in front of his face before he turned away.
"All right, son. I'll hang onto it," Josiah sighed. Looking thoughtful, Sanchez slipped the bible into his own shirt. Yet another puzzle piece.
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Nettie inconspicuously watched the by-play closely as she bustled around the coolers, Stopping simply long enough to wipe the solitary tear from her cheek, unwilling to examine her feelings. Shortly, a selection of crackers, cheese, and fresh fruit made an appearance along with a pile of chocolate candy bars.
"I'm sorry Miss Nettie, but I don't think I can eat," Angel gulped, turning away.
"Nibble a cracker then," Nettie suggested. "No need to aid an ulcer to everything else going on."
"Yeah, I guess so," Angel took a couple of crackers and wandered over to the fireplace.
"I'll see that she eats a little more than that," Tony lightly filled a plate.
"Don't force her, son," Nettie warned.
"I wouldn't do that." Tony smirked. "Figure I'll sit down over there and bore her to death with one on one plays from last season.Most people eat and don't even know their doing it at times like that." Tony's grin grew wide. "I've worked as a waiter at lots of banquets. People will actually eat the food when they're trapped like that."
Nettie chuckled before sending Tony off to take care of Angel. Of course, the girl will make certain you eat as well. That's two taken care of.
Casey and JD began gathering up paper plates full of finger foods and setting them close to the others huddled around the fire. Next, the pair returned for drinks and the pot of fresh coffee.
"Did you want something, Bruce?" Nettie asked sharply as the young man hovered nearby.
"Yes, ma'am, I want you to join us. We all need to rest. No telling what's going to happen next" Bruce smiled weakly.
"Bring some more of that bottled water for me, please," Nettie huffed as she gathered up the last of the plates. Good kids, they've got a bit of growing to do, but they're good kids. Now, how am I going to get everyone out of this nightmare?
Nettie was surprisingly graceful as she sat down beside Vin on the floor. "Son, time to eat," she coaxed.
Vin's fingers stopped moving over his wooden pony and his head turned slightly toward Nettie.
"There's some sliced peaches," Nettie coaxed. "I brought you some chocolate for after you finish."
Slowly the cheese, crackers, and assorted fruits disappeared as Nettie and Vin shared a plate, leaving the peaches for last.
Chris smiled as Tanner carefully sorted the peach slices into two equal piles leaving one slice too many. Larabee blinked in disbelief when Vin offered the extra slice to him.
"Thank you, but . . . ." Chris' voice trailed off as Nettie shook her head at him and pantomimed eating. "Thank you," Chris took the stray slice and ate, it licking his fingers afterwards.
Angel walked over and offered Nettie a damp towel to wash up with. Vin wriggled and batted at the old woman's hands playfully, before finally submitting to the indignity of having his face and hands washed.
"Reminds me of that scene in Lion King where Simba's mom messes up his mane," JD grinned.
"Vin should be glad Nettie isn't using Mommy slobbers," Tony shuddered.
"Your mom would do that too?" JD groaned.
"All momma's do," Buck Wilmington laughed. "Momma spit can clean anything."
Vin curled up against Nettie and fell asleep in an amazingly short time.
"I wish I could sleep that easy," Angel sighed in envy as she picked up empty plates to dispose of.
"Vin will go days without sleeping sometimes. Then there are times he has horrible nightmares. The only way we know is when he starts guarding the house." Casey sighed. "He'll sleep in the hall floor between Aunt Nettie's and my bedroom doors."
Ezra watched his mother charm Crooks. Ezra caught her gaze with his own as Maude speculatively studied Tanner. A faint change of body language warned the woman off of any attempts to use Vin for her own benefit.
A few plans were considered and discarded by the group as they considered their situation. Mary began reporting more of the house's history. Growing irritated when Jock added commentary, she cut him off and continued her lecture. Jock looked puzzled and began to write rapidly in his notebook when Mary described assorted nefarious acts, disturbing disappearances, and deaths connected with the house.
"Steele, what's got you buffaloed?" Buck Wilmington leaned over Jock's chair and demanded with a hiss.
"Buck, I pride myself on doing thorough research on my stories. I never found anything about what she's talking about now. How did she discover this stuff?" Jock asked. For once, bright intelligence showed clearly in his eyes.
"Could she be making it up?" Buck asked hopefully.
"I don't think so. The time lines are right. From my research, the people involved would have behaved that way," Jock frowned thoughtfully.
"I need to talk to Chris," Buck muttered before moving away.
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Dishes began to rattle in the cabinets, pool balls moved across the felt of the table. Nettie stroked Vin's soft curls and crooned to the restless sleeper.
Ezra's eyes widened as Kojae walked out of the wall beside the fireplace. The ghost stood protectively over Tanner and Nettie, chanting softly. A golden glow grew around the pair and spread over the gathering. Standish's breath caught as he looked around the room. Inky tendrils pulled back from the bright glow, writhing and jerking as if in pain, only to be sucked back into the walls. Not all of them, Ezra realized in despair. A thick rope of oily black was firmly attached to Mary Travis. Much weaker ones were attached to Sydney Crooks and God help him, his own mother.
The dishes fell silent and the pool balls ceased moving. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Vin settled. Why have I been cursed this way? Ezra lamented as he settled deeper into his chair. The rest of the group seemed unaware of the visitor in their midst, and of the danger lurking so near. Well, most of them. Mary's eyes darkened to black and her lecture broke off as she glared hatefully towards Kojae. The ghost smiled faintly before fading out, leaving the protective light behind.
"Mary, enough of the spooky stories. You're disturbing Tanner," Larabee growled.
Vin sat up and yawned widely, snuggling against Nettie for a moment before pulling away from her.
"Bathroom, my boy," Nettie urged Vin to his feet. Buck gently lifted Nettie to her feet. "I don't think any of us need to be alone anywhere in this house. That includes the facilities."
"I'll take him for you," Buck offered.
"No," Nettie refused and led Tanner out of the room.
"Aw Hell!" Buck hissed softly. His eyes filled with sorrow and rage.
"They didn't find any signs of sexual abuse, Buck," Casey calmed the big hearted rogue, guessing at his train of thought.
"Thank God, but why didn't Nettie let me take the boy?" Buck asked in confusion.
"Because he was abused," Casey sighed. "Eli Nichols, Vin's foster father liked to hurt him."
"So the boy's scared of me," Buck sighed. "I thought he was getting to like me."
"You're not alone with him," Casey explained. "Aunt Nettie is afraid it would trigger bad memories if one of the men were to take him."
"And right now, we sure as hell don't need a scared Tanner," Buck agreed.
A flustered Nettie squawked, as she was pushed out of the bathroom and the door firmly shut behind her.
"Looks like Junior didn't want any company," Wilmington grinned.
JD walked out of the room and touched Nettie's shoulder, moving her to the side before he entered the bathroom.
JD's soft voice greeted Vin and the sound of running water was heard. When the door reopened a short while later, Vin was leading JD by the hand.
"I won't go in with you again," Nettie sighed. "I know better than that. You're not a child."
Vin left JD with Casey before he retook his place by the fire.
"JD?" Casey asked curiously.
"I acted . . . younger. When I accidentally forgot to wash my hands, Vin decided I need taken care of," JD grinned. "I figure I can go to the bathroom anytime Vin does; that way Ms. Nettie won't fret."
Pony once more made an appearance in Vin's hands. After a period of rocking and petting, Vin stopped abruptly. Raising his head, he looked up. Hesitantly he looked back at Pony with a frown, trembling fingers traced the wooden carving. Standing up, Vin walked over to Larabee holding out his treasure.
"What is it, Vin?" Chris asked softly.
Vin put Pony into Chris' hands.
"I don't understand what you want." Larabee ducked his head, trying to see Tanner's face.
Vin rocked from one foot to the other.
"He's a fine looking Pony," Larabee pointedly turned the carving in his hands and admired it from different angles. Somebody did do a wonderful job on it. Whoever did the carving put in a lot of work. Look at how they carved the mane. What's this? Chris looked closer as a line of marking in Pony's mane caught his eye. Adam 1872? Where did Vin get this, I wonder? I mean who would give an antique like this to a little boy? Here's more letters, CL. Wonder who you were? Adam's daddy? Grandpa, maybe? Larabee gently set Vin's treasure back into his hands. "Thank you for letting me see him."
Vin cradled his Pony close and his rocking took up an agitated rhythm.
"What the hell?" Buck blurted and moved hurriedly out of the way as the metal dragon moved across the room. "Junior, you did do that, right?"
Mary's lips curled into a secretive smile as Vin turned and headed for the door, following his dragon.
"Well hell," Chris said faintly, in disbelief. The damn thing was walking, not being pushed along. Its legs were moving. "Who's coming?"
Everyone, with the exception of Crooks, stood up and headed toward the door. Bruce looked around and hurriedly tied his rope to the end of the mantle piece. Sydney looked around in a panic. Oh God, that rug will eat me. Realizing that he was going to be on his own, he jumped to his feet, tipping over the rocking chair in his haste.
Vin stood at the base of the main staircase looking up. The dragon at his feet seeming to be as solid as ever, also appeared to gaze up the stairs.
"Guess it's time to go up," Chris sighed, scrutinizing the trail of cards leading up the stairs.