Chapter Twenty

Are You Guyz Married Too-Gedder?

(Katrina)

"They're still out there?"

I peered over my shoulder and gave a quick nod. "Still talking, it looks like."

Serge stepped next to me, looking out into the tangled mess of the Montague's back yard. Marie was sitting hunched over the table, talking quickly to Harlow across from her. Lo sat quite still, scribbling incessently on her notepad, nodding and listening intently to Marie. The two women had been out there nearly an hour now, with no signs of breaking anytime soon.

"Seems to be opening up to Harlow," Serge noted, grabbing his mug of coffee off of the counter. "I didn't think she would."

"It's remarkably easy to talk to Lo," I said. "There's something about her ... "

"There's a lot about her," Serge mumbled, taking a sip from his cup.

In the foyer, we heard the front door snap shut and the muffled voices of two males and a high pitched squeak of a young girl float into the kitchen. Seconds later, the curly blonde hair of Tia bounced into the kitchen, followed by the rest of her tiny little figure. Teddy, her tall, lanky father and Ryan padded in after her.

"Look who's home!" I said excitedly, kneeling down to greet Tia with open arms. "Hello, munchkin!"

She squealed in delight and flung herself into my arms - my God she was a cutie! Tightly curled white blonde hair, bright blue eyes and a forever happy smile splattered across her pale face, Tia Montague was - quite potentially - the most adorable little girl I'd ever met in my life. It was hard to look at her and believe the stories we'd heard. Y'know - the night terrors, the incessant crying, the fear of being alone in the night time. When you looked at her now, all you really saw was a bright, happy, cheerful little four year old.

It never ceased to amaze me how dark and deep a haunting could go.

I lifted her up into my arms, laughing as she nuzzled that warm little face into the crook my my neck. I loved kids. Especially cute kids!

"Marie's still outside?" Teddy asked, resting a hand on Tia's back and peering out into the backyard. "Is that the psychologist?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, as far as I know they should be wrapping up the conversation within the next few minutes or so."

Teddy nodded, squinting a bit to make out Harlow's face. It was hidden relatively well in the setting sun, but it was still quite easy to tell - even from this distance and in this light - how remarkable Harlow's face really was.

"Am I supposed to talk to her as well?" Teddy asked, turning to Ryan.

Ryan smiled, but shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure. That's really up to Harlow - the psychologist. I don't know how much information she needs for her evaluations, but I'm sure she'll let you know."

Teddy nodded, and turned bright eyes over to his young daughter. She was humming contently, leaning against my shoulder and smiling brilliantly up at her father.

"Da, what's Mama doo .. doing out day-yur?"

"She's talking to her friend," Teddy explained, giving her tiny little hand a squeeze. "Mama's almost done, she'll come inside in a couple of minutes."

Teddy turned to Ryan again, and motioned with his head out to the backyard. "This Harlow - she's a licensed psychologist, is she?"

"She will be next year," Ryan said calmly. "She's graduating next April."

"So technically she's not really a doctor or anything yet," he asked, rather skeptically.

Serge and I exchanged nervous glances, but Ryan - surprisingly, for him - kept his cool.

"Not a doctor, no," he said, with a small smile. "I don't think she's going for a doctorate, actually. She'll have her Bachelor's by the end of this semester, and next year she'll have her Masters."

"Is it really advised that you bring in a trainee?" Teddy asked, with a slight air of impatience in his voice. "She's just a student. You wouldn't allow a Med student to perform open heart surgery."

"Fortunately psychology and cardiology are two very different things," Ryan said simply, folding his hands casually in his lap. "I trust Harlow's abilities in therapy as much - or perhaps more - than I trust anyone else's. Rest assured, Mr. Montague, she's one of the best."

Teddy opened his mouth to retort, but was cut short by the creaking and snap of the back door. A second later, Harlow and Marie both padded up the back stairs and into the kitchen. Marie's eyes were rather puffy and her face was a bit pink and blotchy, but nonetheless, she looked a sight happier then she had a little over an hour ago. Harlow looked quite calm and relaxed on the surface, but there was a strange, underlying light of stress behind her eyes. Silently, she took in the people of the room with polite interest, but didn't move from her spot at the top of the stairs.

Tia wiggled uncomfortably in my arms, and I let her down. She ran over to her Mum, launching herself into her arms. Marie picked her up easily, swinging her back and forth as Tia squealed in delight. Harlow's face shone with adoration, and a little spark of jealousy, behind Marie's back. Lo seemed to notice the rather stiff figure of Teddy next to Ryan, and she moved forward a few paces, shooting a glance at Ryan hesitantly. He gave a curt little nod, and moved back a fraction of an inch.

"Mr. Montague," Harlow said politely, extending a hand to him - he took it, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "It's nice to meet you - my name is Harlow Vincent, I'm the psychologist on the case."

"Oh - hi, yes. Yes. Right, nice to meet you," he stammered, causing Sergey and I to both look away grinning - it was such a natural reaction to meeting Harlow for the first time, we couldn't help ourselves. "Just uh - just Teddy, is fine, Miss Vincent."

"And Harlow will suffice as well," she said, with a friendly albeit unintentionally knee-buckling smile. "I've heard a lot about you - good things, rest assured."

He laughed uncomfortably, fighting against his brain on whether or not to keep staring awestruck at Harlow or turn reluctantly to look back at his wife. "Oh, well - that's, that's funny. Good, as long as they were good, right?"

Harlow nodded, smiling slightly as she turned away from Teddy. Although the majority of the time I was quite positive she didn't really have any concept of how people saw her, it was moments like this when I was sure she intentionally ignored it. She looked slightly awkwardly away from him, focusing her attention more on Tia and Marie across the room.

"Did you need to interview me as well?" he asked Harlow, looking almost hopefully at the side of her head.

She shook her head, smiling politely. "No need, really. I have the majority of information I wanted, I just need to speak to Tia for a little bit and I should be alright."

At the sound of her name, Tia peered up from her mother's legs. She'd wrapped herself lovingly around Marie's knees, and was looking at Harlow with sheer delight and fascination. Even children, in this case not even older then four, were slightly baffled by the simple appearance of Lo. Harlow smiled, taking a few cautious steps over to the two ladies. She knelt down a little, so she was on level with Tia's sparkling blue eyes.

"You must be Tia," she said softly, friendly smile playing at her plush lips.

"Yeah," Tia said, unwrapping an arm from around Marie's leg. "Hi."

"Hello," Lo said, resting her hands delicately on her knees. "I'm Harlow."

"Hair-low," Tia repeated, gazing with sincere intrigue at Lo's calm, welcoming face. "Hi, Hair-low."

Harlow grinned, reaching out an arm, palm up. "I like your house, Tia. Would it be okay if you show me around?"

Tia hesitated a moment, peering up at her Mum. Marie gave a nod, smiling warmly at her young daughter. "Go on, Tee. Harlow's a very nice lady."

Tia grinned and took a hold of Harlow's small hand in her own tiny little white one. Harlow bounced back to her feet, hand holding Tia's loosely in her own, and followed her out of the kitchen and into the dark hallway to the left of it.

"Tia doesn't usually trust people," Marie said, looking quite baffled at the empty spot where her daughter had been just a second ago. "That's ... that's a first, most definitely."

"There's just something about Harlow," I said softly, smiling at the soft chatter coming from the hallway.

"There's a lot about her," Ryan, Teddy and Serge all muttered in unison.

(Harlow)

"This is a very pretty room, Tia."

She smiled up at me, that adorable little face scrunched with sincere thrill.

"Iz pink, my favorite color," she said cheerfully, flopping down on her canopy bed.

I took in the room, my stomach flopping uncomfortably. I couldn't imagine having a room this nice when I was her age - it was epitome little girl. The walls were pink, a bright and cheery tone that clashed with the rest of the dark and gloomy home. Her bed, a light oak canopy, was filled with silky blankets, fat stuffies and poofy, patchworked pillows. There was a toy chest across from the bed, nearly overflowing with different stuffed animals and dolls and a white dresser with tiny little roses painted all along the sides. Various pictures and artwork were taped haphazardly on the walls and there was a large, purple easel set in the far corner.

Nearest to me and the doorway, there was a tiny little plastic table, complete with a little tea set and two tiny wooden chairs. I smiled - what I would've done for even one stuffed animal when I was Tia's age, never mind a chest full of them. I motioned to the little table in front of me.

"Can I sit down?" I asked.

Tia nodded, squirming around happily on her bed. "You wann tea?"

I laughed, sitting rather cautiously on the tiny little chair - hoping to God my fat ass wouldn't crumple it. "I would love some."

She hopped off of her bed and skipped across the room, taking a seat across from me. She hummed off tune and loudly, fiddling around with her tea kettle.

"I love your room," I said, looking around again in spite of myself. "Do you like your room?"

She nodded, pouring a cup of air-tea into my cup. "Well, iz oh-tay. Sometimes doe, iz scay-ree."

"Thank you," I said, taking my tea and sipping at it casually. "It's scary? It sure doesn't look scary."

"No cuz iz still the day time," she said, rolling her eyes - how silly us adults could be.

"Ohh, I see. So it's only scary during the night time?"

Tia nodded, slurping noisily at her own empty mug. "All da time at night time. I don't liiike to be hee-yur."

"Oh that's a shame," I said sadly, taking another sip. "Why don't you like to be here?"

"Becuz of the scay-ree man," she said simply, nibbling on a fake cookie. "He iz not vairy nice. Peter iz scay-erred of him, too."

"Really? That must be terrible," I said sympathetically, attempting without much success to ignore the static erupting in my brain. "Who's Peter, is that your friend?"

"Yah," she said. "He'z eight years old and he mizzez his Mama and Dada."

"Why doesn't he go home?" I asked, wincing a bit at the explosion of energy ravaging my head. "If he misses his Mommy and Daddy so much, he should just go home, shouldn't he?"

"He iz home," she said in exasperation. "He lives here all da time."

"May I have another cup of tea?"

"Otay."

We both sat in silence for minute, as I pondered over her words. I'd sensed a spirit the moment I'd stepped in the house. The longer I stayed, the more I picked up on a second one, entirely different then the first one I had connected with. The original force was a negative one - it scared even me. It was overbearing, it followed you - it was what gave this house such gloom. The second one was nearly impossible to focus on. It was skiddish, it did it's best to avoid being noticed. Even now, while I was trying my very best to hone in on that one little spirit that was hiding, I could barely even concentrate. The first one's depression and mope was too overbearing.

I took the little porcelain glass in my hands, feeling the smooth ridges with my thumbs. Tia was looking placidly at her closet doors, no longer humming. I turned a bit too, trying to see what she did. I frowned - she was definitely on to something. Something was inside of that closet - I could feel it.

"What are you looking at?" I asked her calmly, taking another sip from my mug.

"Peter," she replied, looking with legitimate concern at the closed doors. "He lives in my closet."

"That doesn't sound very nice," I said, straining my mind against the misery and trying instead to focus on the energy in the closet. "Why doesn't he come out and have some tea with us?"

"He'z scay-yured of growned ups," she said, matter-of-factly.

I smiled and shrugged. "Do you think he'll want to talk to me?"

"Maybe," she responded.

I stood up, walking slowly to the closet doors. Tia eyed me, not uneasily but with a distinct look of interest. I stopped next to the fold out doors, and looked over at her.

"Do you want to come talk to Peter, too?" I asked.

She shook her head.

I took hold of the handle and gave a gentle tug - the doors wheeled open slowly, revealing a spacious closet packed tight with the brightest pink, purple and white bunch of dresses I'd ever seen. There were little shoes all along the bottom - sandals, runners, sparkly little high heels. But it was the pair of shoes in the back corner that struck as me as odd. Dirty, very old fashioned brown buckled ones.

But what struck me as even more odd were the lanky little legs sprouting from them.

(Ryan)

"So the psychic will be here when, then?"

I took a quick glance at my watch, attempting to hide my smile. Oh, if they only knew. Knew that the girl who'd just interviewed them, the one who was literally judging their sanity, was the psychic. They'd never believe me, that was for sure. But I'd kill to see the look on their faces. Who knew there was such thing as a hot medium?

"Tomorrow," I said. "The production crew and everything are meeting with me tomorrow at around noon, we'll be here at one o'clock, if that's alright."

"Will Harlow still be here?" Marie asked, looking rather hopeful.

I smiled. "She'll be here tomorrow for a couple of hours, but then she'll be heading back to school. She can't miss a bunch of classes."

"Oh," Marie sighed, looking slightly crestfallen. "That's a shame ... she's such a lovely girl."

I nodded, attempting to ignore the slightly doe-eyed expression passing over Teddy's face. "She is. Great with kids - trust me, Tia's in good hands."

"I had no doubts," Marie said with a small smile.

The phone rang from the dining room, and Teddy excused himself to get it. Marie turned to Heather and Katrina and began a low conversation with the two of them, while I was left alone at the table to my thoughts.

The house, I'd admit, was giving off a very strange energy. I've never been particularly sensitive to the paranormal, but I could feel something in the home. It wasn't a negative energy, persay. But it was something. You felt like you were being watched at all times. Even in the backyard today with Marie, there was something strange, some odd feeling I had, and it all came back to their home. I'd seen my entire team react the same way as I had - slightly paranoid, confused. It wasn't just me, that was for sure.

And what about Harlow? She'd seen something, or at least heard something. I'd come to trust Harlow's predictions more than just about any medium I'd met before, or even worked with. I'd seen firsthand the things she was able to pick up on, the things she could feel just from the energy in a room. And, as lovely and brilliant as she was, she was a terrible liar. I'd only known her a little over a month, but she was easier to read then a book. When something was bothering her, aggravating her, upsetting her - you could surely tell.

The walk-through tonight would be interesting. It wouldn't be a normal one. We wouldn't have the entire home to ourselves - quite the opposite. It would be packed with different members of my team, along with the whole Montague family. It would have to be discreet. But that was alright - anything to make Harlow more comfortable. And I assumed she'd be picking up on a decent amount of things from her chat with Tia, as well.

There were faint footsteps coming from the hall outside, and the chatter in the kitchen stopped immediately. As the kitchen fell into silence, so did the footsteps. The house was quiet - strangely so. I could no longer hear Tia's high pitched voice, hear the soft murmur of Harlow's. There was the faint glugging of the fish tank somewhere in the distance, but that was it.

A second later, the footsteps started again and Tia and Harlow entered the kitchen, Lo's hand still grasped firmly by Tia's small but strong fingers. Tia looked nervous but cheerful. Harlow's face was a different story. A forced calm illuminated it. There was a stiff smile on her face, but there was a strange flash of terror behind her pupils. Her face was noticeably paler, and she was walking with a slight shiver. What'd I tell you? Her face - and body language, now that I think about it - was an open book.

"Where are you girls headed?" Marie asked, clearly oblivious to the fear masked on Harlow's face.

"Ow-side," Tia responded, marching happily past the group of people.

I wasn't alone, I realized, in sensing the clear distress in Lo's eyes: from behind Marie, Heather and Katrina's faces were identical looks of concern.

"She wants to show me her tulips," Harlow said brightly, that forced smile still plastered on her face.

"Oh, she's so proud of those," Marie cooed, giving a small wave as Harlow and Tia disappeared out the back door.

Teddy returned from the other room, and he and Marie both peered adoringly out the window at the two figures of Harlow and Tia in the setting sunlight. Unbeknownst to them, myself, Katrina and Heather were all exchanging looks of pure panic - something had clearly spooked Harlow.

But what?

(Harlow)

"These are beautiful, Tia!"

She blushed, kicking the dirt in embarrassment. "Thaaanks Hair-low."

I nestled down into the grass next to her garden, urging my heart to slow down. Tia looked at me and plopped down next to me, plucking a piece of grass from the ground and twirling it between her small fingers. I did the same, swearing loudly and verrrrrry angrily in my fuzzy brain.

"Tia, I have a question for you," I said calmly, spinning my own wisp of grass.

"Otay," she said contently, squinting up to the look at the setting sun.

"That thin- er, that man we saw. In the hallway. Who was that?"

She looked at me, and for once I saw the fearfulness Marie had spoken of. Those brilliant blue eyes were wide with terror, her blade of grass no longer twirling.

"That'z the bad man," she said softly. "He'z naw nice. Peter'z scay-yerred of heem."

I nodded, looking down at my knees - my legs were shaking. I put a hand forcefully against my hips, steadying them.

"He doesn't look very nice," I admitted, trying desperately to get rid of that mental image.

"I don't like heem," she said sadly, flopping onto her back - her white blonde hair fanned out on the grass behind her.

"I don't think I do either," I said quietly, tucking my knees up under my chin. "Is he why you're so scared? Is that why you're having such a hard time falling asleep?"

She peered up at me, those globes of ocean blue round and thoughtful. "Yah. Sometimes he comes in my room and I get scay-yurred and I cry."

Unconsciously, I lay my hand over her delicate little one and gave it a soft pat. "It's okay to be scared, Tia. And it's okay to cry."

"Do you still cry sometime'z?"

"Yes. More than I'd like to admit. And, I get scared an awful lot, too."

"Why do you get scay-yurred?"

"A lot of reasons," I said simply, lying down on the grass next to her.

"But you're a growned up."

"Grown ups get scared, too."

"Really?"

"Mmhm. Just as much - maybe even more - then kids do."

"What do growned ups be scay-yurred of?"

"Life."

"That'z not very scay-ree."

I laughed. "No, it's really silly, isn't it?"

"Are growned ups scay-yurred of monsters, too?"

I smiled and nodded. "But different kinds of monsters."

"What kinds?"

"Kinds that kids don't ever have to worry about."

She looked at me, but my answer seemed to suffice. She simply nodded, and looked back up to the sky.

"I don't want to be scay-yurred anymore."

"I know," I said softly, resting my head on her tiny little shoulder. "And you won't be. Ryan's going to help you, okay? He's going to make sure you're not scared anymore. Whatever scary monsters are in your house, he'll make them leave, okay? That's Ryan's job."

"Rye-un," she repeated, a small smile lighting up that face. "I like heem."

I smiled, stretching my arms out above my head. "Me too, Tee."

"Are you and Rye-un married too-gedder, Hair-low?"

I laughed, running a hand through my hair. "No, Tee. We're just friends."

"But why?"

"Because he's very nice, and he's a very good friend."

"But he'z a boy!"

"Girls can be friends with boys."

"No we can't! Boys are yucky."

"Not all boys."

"Yah. ... Hair-low?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you surrrrre you and Rye-un aren't married too-gedder?"

(Ryan)

"She's so good with kids."

I smiled, and took a step forward next to Marie. The two of us were standing quietly in her dim dining room, peering out the large bay window into the backyard. Right near the edge of the yard, back by the large garden, Harlow and Tia were lying next to each other in the grass, figures dark and nearly unrecognizable from the little light available.

Kat, Heather, Serge and Teddy were all seated in the dining room, watching some television and chatting before we left for the evening. Marie and I were alone in the small, slightly crowded dining area. But really, I didn't mind. She reminded me a lot of my Mum. Soft spoken but strong, sweet but hardened. I liked her.

"She is," I agreed, gazing out at the two small shapes. "She loves kids."

"Does she have any siblings?" Marie asked, looking curiously up at me.

I smiled, shifting slightly uncomfortably. "I think she has a couple ... she's the youngest, I know that much."

Marie nodded, smiling slightly. "Her Mom must be so proud. Such impressive accomplishments, and she's so young."

I winced at the thought; the day Harlow's mother was proud of her for anything was the day that hell froze over.

"How did you meet her?" Marie asked, eyeing me curiously.

"Oh, you know," I mumbled. "She's on the Penn State Volleyball team. And I'm ah - well, a bit of a volleyball enthusiast."

"Is that right," Marie said in amusement, looking back out into the yard. "Wouldn't have taken you for a volleyball enthusiast."

"Well, looks can be deceiving."

She laughed, folding her arms across her chest. "Excuse me for asking something so personal, but - are you and Harlow ... you know. Are you two together?"

I laughed, scratching uncomfortably at the back of my head. "Together?"

"An item, dating," she clarified, but I'm sure my stuttering awkwardness was answer enough.

"Oh, that. Well ... I don't know. Sort of, I guess. What makes you think that?"

"Just the way you two act around each other, that's all," Marie said simply, with a small shrug of her shoulders. "I may be old, but I'm not blind."

"You're not old," I muttered.

"You forgot blind."

We both laughed, but stood in silence for another minute. It was nice. Just watching the sunset, listening to the happy chatter in the room opposite. I saw a sense of peace in Marie's face, one that was noticeably absent just a few hours ago.

"Sorry, but ... what do you mean, the way we act around each other?" I asked, as nonchalantly as I could.

"The way you look at her," Marie said softly. "Like there's no one else in the world you'd rather be staring at. The way you stand near her, always to her right, always slightly turned towards her. And the way she looks at you."

"At me?"

Marie nodded. "At you."

"How does she look at me?"

She simply smiled, but said nothing else. The two shadowy figures in the distance both rose, and began walking back towards the house. In the warm glow falling from the windows, I saw the heavy, tired eyes of Tia. Her hand, as if glued, was still intertwined with Harlow's. The fear was gone from Lo's face, but there was a heavy sense of dread plaguing her whole body as the two walked nimbly back to the home.

I had no more time to revel in the thought of Harlow and I as a perfect pair - duty called.

(Harlow)

"You saw it this time?"

I nodded, scooting a little closer near Ryan. The house was still giving me a particularly nasty case of the heeby jeebys. We were seated outside again, the only light coming from the high moon above us. The rickety bench we sat on groaned beneath our weight.

"Both," I said quietly, warming my hands on the hot cup of tea Marie'd steeped. "Both of them."

"Where?" Ryan asked, leaning close to me - even in this terrific moment of fear, I couldn't help but feel that familiar va-goo-goo pang everytime I caught a whiff of that beautiful Old Spice. Oh drool.

"Tia's room, and in the hallway," I said, thinking back. "We were talking about why she doesn't like sleeping in her room. There's a little boy, Peter. He's not what scares Tia, but he seems to be stuck in the house."

"Why is he stuck in the house?"

I frowned, contemplating. "I .. I don't know. I didn't really get to talk to him. I didn't want to in front of Tia, it would've ... well it probably would've scared her. But I think this little Peter boy, I think he's directly linked with the other spirit."

"What's the other spirit like?"

I felt a horrible shudder zig zag through my entire body, the thought of that thing's face erupting in my mind again. Ryan reached an arm around my shoulders, tucking me close to his chest. The usual jubilation I'd have felt at his touch did nothing to ease the fear creeping through my bones.

"It's ... terrible," I said, closing my eyes and trying, without much luck, to erase the image from my mind. "It's a man. Or, what's left of a man. It's like a dead, horrible nightmare."

"What's the matter with him?" Ryan asked.

"He's - well, I don't know what happened to him," I said softly, resting my mug on my still shaking knee - the contents sloshed dangerously close to the sides. "But he's missing the majority of his face."

I felt Ryan's arm stiffen, but his face showed no signs of fear. Pfft. If only he'd seen what I had, I'm pretty fuckin' sure he wouldn't have been this calm.

"What do you mean, he's missing his face?"

"Not all of it. Just .. the bigger part of it. The lower part. He has no mouth, and the left side of his nose and cheek are completely gone."

"Wha - so ... so, what's there, then?"

"Nothing," I said simply, shuddering again at that terrible image. "Just ... mangled flesh. That gurgling noise I kept hearing, and that Marie and Teddy and even Tia keep hearing - it's coming from him. It's his voice. He has no mouth, no tongue, just ... whatever's left of his throat, I guess."

Now - finally - Ryan paled a little. It was even noticeable in the dark.

"Did he see you guys?" he asked, clearly not wanting to know the answer.

"Yes," I said, wincing at the image. "He's still got both of his eyes. He can see just fine. But the rest of his face - it's just a mess."

"So what you were smelling," he said slowly, a great flash of fear dancing across his face. "That's - "

"His face," I nodded. "I can smell his face. It wasn't like ... it's not like a clean cut. It's not like it was surgically removed, it's still ... raw. He must've lost it in some sort of accident."

"Like a car accident?"

"A car accident wouldn't have done that. I'm thinking a bomb, land mine or something. Or a shotgun blast, maybe. Mauled by a bear? The entire bottom left side of his face was essentially ripped off, it's not gonna be from a simple fender bender."

"And Tia - she can see him?"

I looked sadly down at my feet, and nodded. "She saw him too. We were walking down the hallway and he was in the doorway of the bathroom. I just .. I froze. I didn't know what to do. Tia saw him, but she turned away. She grabbed my hand and tugged me down the rest of the hall."

"Did she seem bothered by it?"

I nodded. "She saw him, and the second she saw him she looked away. I think .. I think she see's him a lot, to be honest. She's just become accustomed to it. How, I don't know."

The two of us sat in silence for another couple of minutes, the cool Minnesota breeze whipping through our hair. I looked back at the house, and felt a flash of terror rush through my body.

"I don't want to go back in there and do a walk through," I whispered. "I don't want to see that thing again .. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," he said simply, giving my shoulder a light squeeze. "I wouldn't - I can't blame you. If it's even half as terrible as I'm imagining it, I wouldn't want you to go back in there and face that thing."

We fell into silence again, my eyes focusing on a little pink Barbie house lying in the middle of the grass. I felt a pang of sadness swell in my heart at the thought of Tia, huddled under her pink ballerina comforter, wracked with all-consuming fear. I was an adult, for Christ's sake and even I was having a hard time forgetting that image. She was just a little girl ...

"They're perfectly sane, Ryan," I said quietly. "Marie loves Tia more than life itself. She's terrified for her. And Tia - she's not imagining it. She's a healthy, vibrant four year old girl who isn't being plagued with bad dreams. She's living in a nightmare."

Ryan nodded, resting a cheek against my head. His eyes were glassy, lost in his train of thought.

"You've got to help them," I said softly, grasping his big hand in my own. "I know everyone's equally important, don't get me wrong - but Tia's a sweet girl. Kid's can overcome a lot of things, take it from me I know. But they're only a couple months away from this doing real, lasting, permanent damage."

Ryan nodded again, and with a heavy sigh, leaned back against the rickety old bench.

"I will."

Again, we sat huddled close in silence. The faint hooting of an owl and the light tinkle of the Montague's windchimes were all the noises we could hear. I looked up at the house, and saw movement in the kitchen. It looked like Heather - they were packing up to go.

"Let's go back to the hotel," I said quietly, giving Ryan's hand a light squeeze. "Everyone's packing up - you've got a long day ahead of you."

He nodded, running a hand through his hair and standing up. He pulled me up off the bench, and we walked in silence back to the house.

"You tired?" he asked me, looking down from my right.

I shrugged. "Not especially. Don't know if I could sleep even if I tried."

"Same," he sighed. "I think I'm going to go down to the hotel bar when we get back. Just knock a few back, it'll help me calm down."

I nodded. "Sounds like a good idea."

"Care to join me?"

I smiled, sincerely happy at the thought. After such a long day, and after the things I'd seen for the last twenty four hours? I wasn't much of a drinker, but -

"That sounds perfect."

Author's Note:

HOLA BEAUTIFULS! My laptop is at 4 percent battery life, this is gonna be so stupidly short you can't even imagine! I'm sorry it took so long, I'll try and get going asap on the next chapter editing, promise :)

Thanks to; chicajenny, PSUPRS, akahitoha, XDeadlyImperfectionX, kcollins720, xoxoMyRealityIsFiction, WinchesterAngel3389 and nouseforaname89! None of you will ever understand how much your reviews truly truly truly brighten my whole week, I could never thank you enough! 3 more reviews and I hit the 200 mark! Wootwoot me! Longer author's note will follow next time, promise!

Loves and kisses and hugs and innappropriate gropes,

love; ellah!