A/N: Well, as you can see, I survived my midterms and other hideous papers and whatnot (No one told me you had to work in university?!?). So once I realized that, 'hey! I'm FREE!!', I ran to the computer and started typing! Et, voila. Chapter Nine (hrm, maybe I should start actually naming these chapters…)

Ps. We passed the thirty reviews mark! Thank you so much, everyone!!

STATUS: TBC

RATING: K+

SUMMARY: AU and SLASH McKayxSheppard A Halloween fic! Rodney and his niece Madison buy a new (but old and frankly falling down) house in a small town (cliché enough yet?), which the locals believe to be haunted. Which it most definitely is. Inspired by Rose Red.

SPOILERS: Since it's AU, nothing.

WARNINGS: A bit of swearing. Our boys have quite the potty mouth sometimes.

DISCLAIMER: Everything Stargate Atlantis related is property of MGM. I own nothing.

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**Song for this chapter: Bring Me the Disco King (Lohner Mix) By David Bowie orQue Deviennent les Anges? by Vegastar**

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Last time:

Stepping up onto the porch, Rodney headed for the open door and walked inside, John right behind him.

"Madis—"

Slam.

Both men spun around as the door slammed shut, windows rattling from the force.

Their wide eyes met.

"Oh shit."

x x x

"Oh shit! Shit, shit—we're going to die! Getting eaten by my own house wasn't how I pictured finally kicking the bucket! What are we going to do?"

Rodney spun around mid-rant to grab John by the shoulders.

"What are we going to do?!" he repeated with wide blue eyes, giving the detective a shake hard enough to rattle the man's brain.

"Calm down, for one thing," John replied as he blinked a few times, eyes feeling cross eyed.

Rodney took a breath and let go.

"Right, sorry. Calm. I can do that. Cool as a cucumber…"

Once he was sure the scientist wasn't going to start freaking out again, John headed for the front door and gave it a yank. It didn't budge. Didn't even make a creak.

"Well that sucks," he stated, running a hand through his hair.

Rodney rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, saying moodily, "Yes, yes it does. And thank you for stating that, Detective Obvious. Did they teach you that in cop school?"

John opened his mouth to retort before he shut it with a snap. He could let it go. The man's niece had been stolen by a ghost, after all.

"Gun," Rodney suddenly said, snapping his fingers excitedly. "You're a cop, so you must have a gun, right?"

"Yes…"

"Great! Then you can shoot the window and—"

"—in the car."

"—we can—what?"

A sigh.

"My gun. It's in the car. Outside."

"…oh."

John waited patiently, knowing an outburst was sure to follow. He wasn't disappointed.

"What the hell ever possessed you to leave your gun in the car?! With Jinto! Hello! We're fighting crazy ghost things here! I think we could use it more then the seven year old!"

"I don't think you can shoot ghosts anyways," John interrupted with a shrug as he headed for the parlour.

"What! How can you—where are you going?"

Without hesitation, Rodney quickly followed after John, eyebrows raising when the man grabbed an end table.

"What are you—oh. You don't think that's actually going to work, do you?" As much as Rodney wanted to get the hell out of the house, he really didn't think pitching an end table at a window was going to fly.

"Only one way to find out," John answered with a grunt as he hefted the small table up and headed back out into the foyer.

Rodney stayed hovering in the doorway, well away from the shards of glass and wood that were bound to fall.

With a glance over his shoulder to make sure Rodney was out of range, John hauled up the end table and heaved it at the large bay window beside the door. The result was just as Rodney predicted; lots of flying wood and glass pieces but no broken window.

Straightening up from his crouch, John brushed off splinters and glass bits and walked over to the window.

"You have got to be kidding me…"

Rodney moved over to peer around his shoulder. His lips pressed into a grim line, eyes fixed on the window.

There wasn't even a mark on the dirt-smudged glass, nothing to show that it was just bombarded with a table.

John shook his head and turned to Rodney.

"Look, I know you want to get out of here, but we're wasting time. Madison is--"

"Excuse me?"

The detective stared, watching as Rodney's expression went from scared and grim to angry in a second.

"What? I said that we're wasting time trying to get out when your niece is—"

"I know what's happened to Madison, Detective. And did you really think that I was just going to leave her and escape myself?" Rodney snapped, his arms folding across his chest. "And of course I want to get out, but not without her. I know you think I can be a bit of a coward but—"

"Whoa—I never said that!" John interrupted roughly, eyes narrowing. "I didn't even think it! I know you're worried about Madison and want to help her, which is why I suggested that we get moving."

"While insinuating that I was putting myself before her," insisted Rodney, chin raised stubbornly.

John's jaw clenched.

"You know what? You're right, McKay. You can be a bit of a coward. You've practically used me as a human shield ever since we first met! Not to mention bad with people. Here I am trying to help you and you're all—"

"Oh, please," Rodney interrupted with a sneer. "We both know you're only helping so you don't feel bad about that Sumner person anymore."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, John's hands tightened into fists. Sure, the man annoyed the hell out of him, but never had he wanted to hit him as much as he did now.

And that's when he realized something was wrong.

Him? Hit Rodney?

He shook his head, forcing his thoughts to sharpen out of its jumbled mess. He could feel a great heaviness on his shoulders, surrounding him like a thick mist. It was messing with him. And his judgement.

"Rodney…"

"Oh, don't Rodney me, Sheppard. You—"

"Rodney, shut up for a second, would you? Think about what you're saying."

"I know exactly what I'm saying! You—"

John rolled his eyes and grabbed the scientist's shoulders, looking at him straight on.

"Rodney," he interrupted firmly. "What were we arguing about?"

"What? I don't know," came the flippant reply. "All I know is that you deserve getting yelled at for—for, uh…whatever it is that you said…"

John nodded, eyes narrowed in thought.

"Don't you get it? It's her."

"Who her? Stop trying to distract me from getting angry!"

When John stared at him pointedly, Rodney forced himself to stop and take a breather.

'Alright, I'm angry at him. But why?' There was a long pause, nearly two minutes of silence before realization dawned in his blue eyes.

"Oh my God. She's messing with us. With our heads."

John nodded again, fingers pressing into Rodney's jacket clad shoulders.

"Exactly. Just…just ignore the anger." Already he could feel it slowly evaporating, probably thanks to his realizing the truth.

Blue eyes stayed locked on hazel as Rodney's shoulders started to relax under John's hands. Eventually Rodney nodded, letting out a quiet breath.

"If she can do that…"

He left the rest unsaid.

John just nodded, his hands reluctantly returning to his sides.

"We should get moving," he said succinctly before turning and walking over to the large staircase.

There was a moment of hesitation before Rodney followed, his gaze darting around.

"Where are we going? There are a ton of rooms in this place…"

With a faint smile, John glanced over his shoulder and said, "If you were a crazy ghost hiding a kid, where would you hide her?"

A pause. Then,

"The attic."

"Bingo."

x x x

She scowled as she watched the two men climb the large staircase, one with grim determination and the other scared but willing.

Her…influence hadn't worked. The dark haired one had worked it out too early, realizing what was happening before he gave into the desire to harm the other one.

She had hoped they would…take care of each other and save her the trouble of having to do it herself, but no matter. She had another plan to initiate.

Clearly they were too strong together, their willpower easily—and probably unknowingly--mingling to strengthen the other's.

Her lips curled into a smile. There was only one thing to do.

She had to separate them.

Permanently.

x x x

"…I'm sorry I called you a coward," John murmured after a good ten minutes of silence. They had been walking down the twisting halls quietly, staying close together but not uttering a word. Rodney was relieved it had been John to break the silence.

"Don't be. It wasn't you. I mean, it was you but not—" Rodney shut his mouth with a snap when he realized that he had started rambling. After sorting out his thoughts, he added awkwardly, "And I'm sorry for saying what I did about Sumner. I know that's not the only reason you're helping me. Us. Madison and I."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of John's mouth as he glanced at the scientist.

"You're right. It's not."

Rodney's lips curved but he didn't reply. Mainly because he never knew what to say after something like that.

"And seriously," John continued, giving the scientist's coat sleeve a bit of a reassuring tug. "You're not a coward. Especially with what's been happening to you. You've been…well, you've been really brave, Rodney."

"Yes, well…" Rodney could feel his cheeks heat up as he managed to get out an awkward reply. "Thanks. I suppose I have been. Genius, here."

John snickered and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. How could I forget?"

With the apologies finally out in the open and the air clear, they lapsed into another silence, albeit a more content one. Well, as content as one could be while 'ghost hunting'.

Rodney shuddered.

And the attic. He didn't even want to think about that.

After a few minutes, he and John stopped at the end of the hall.

"I could have sworn that the stairs were here…" Rodney said with a perplexed expression. "I remembered because they were right beside that room with the funny purple coloured walls."

John's eyebrows rose.

"Funny purple walls, huh?"

Slipping past Rodney, John headed over to the nearest door to stick his head into the room. He let out a sigh and muttered something about there 'never being any lights on in this place' before he walked inside and over to the table beside a discarded desk. His hand found the lamp and switched the light on.

With a slightly scrunched nose, John peered around at the walls.

"Yup, definitely funny and purple," he called, a bit amused with the décor choice. "Rodney?"

When he received no reply, John frowned and switched the light back off, heading for the door.

"Rodney, did you hear m—crap."

He stared up and down the hallway, the scientist no where in sight.

"Well…shit, Rodney."

Where the hell did he go?

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A/N: Dun, dun, duuun. Yeah, you all saw that one coming, haha. Where, oh where did our little Rodney go? Or a better question would be, did he leave under his own steam or not?

Stay tuned, guys. And as always, thanks for reviewing!! I really can't stress my thanks enough =P