Chapter VII

A/N: Same year as the prior chapter, but in the summer of that year. Hope you all enjoy it, we're getting closer to the movie stuff! Thanks go to cowgirlbookworm! Looking forward to seeing what you all think! SSD

Olivia was sick with a nasty cold. Which meant that she was unavailable for any length of time. Orion was with Brock.

With his favorite person to talk to out of commission, Will had decided to entertain himself by annoying Lewis. It was so easy to do. Moving all of his devices about the room and in certain situations the ship, got to be quite fun. Until he encircled his area with salted pretzels.

After feeling bored, he decided to go check on Olivia. Upon arriving in her room, Will saw Olivia sprawled on her bed, unconscious and snoring. Everyone on board had been treating this like it was no big deal, she looked like death warmed over!

Looking around Will scrambled to find something to wake Olivia up with.

"She's fine. She took this."

Will spun around to see an older gentleman in a suit with silver hair. He barely had time to catch the object tossed to him.

The liquid in the bottle was blue. The lettering said Ny-Quil. Another thing Will noticed whilst reading the ingredients was it was 25% alcohol!

He looked at the other man in the room to ask, "You're not a ghost are you?"

"No."

"Then how are you here?" The man looked familiar despite never having met him before.

Soon it clicked. Gossip at the recent wedding along with several pictures in Olivia's home told Will who this man was.

"You're Charles Lovett. Olivia neglected to mention that you could see ghosts too," he commented.

"That... gift doesn't come from my side of the family. I can see you because we are both dead," Olivia's grandfather replied.

"Will she be able to see you when she wakes up," Will was curious to find out how Olivia's gift worked.

"No she won't. Olivia is too blinded by rage at the circumstances surrounding my death. The same goes for Octavian and Brock," sadness emanated from the elder Lovett.

"If you're not a ghost, what are you then," Will wanted to know.

"I believe I fall under a low level angel," the other man explained as he brushed Olivia's sweaty hair off her face gently.

"All I want is for her to be happy. I hope she can find that soon," Will heard him whisper.

"Where are you, you Scottish bastard!" Olivia prowled through the ship with her salt coated hockey stick hunting for Will.

In the week and a half since her full recovery, she'd been scrambling to catch up on her work.

Olivia had given up sleeping. And bathing. And was only eating when her uncle forced her to.

Upon returning from a meal, she noticed that her notes were missing. With the door being locked, there was only one person capable of such a heinous theft!

Said person who could pull that theft off was Will!

"I assure you my parents were married. Happily as a matter of fact!"

"You know perfectly well I meant it metaphorically!" Olivia swatted at the air.

"That's not going to work," Will drawled invisible.

"Where. Are. My. Notes?" Olivia growled.

"Safe. They'll be returned once you fulfill a few conditions of mine."

"What are these conditions you speak of?"

"Get some sleep. You're hurting yourself and you're no good to anyone like you are now," Will ordered.

As she walked away he added, "And take a long shower too. You smell worse than Lights did after the Fort Denison incident!"

The humans were being stupid. Orion wished he could tell them this himself. Right now the musty hooman was reading to Olivia. Orion was curled up in his bed.

Both were making quite a few comments during the reading. His hooman was in pajamas, smiling all the while.

Soon she was asleep, the ghost put the book down and made to leave.

Orion picked up a rope toy and whined.

"No we can't play now. It'll wake Olivia up," the musty hooman pushed the toy away.

He knew what he had to try. Orion tried to nose the ghost towards the bed.

This being anything but subtle the other hooman spluttered, "Absolutely not, she needs her sleep!"

The ghost looked at a ring on his left hand, guilt in his eyes, before disappearing from view.

Orion dragged his bed next to Olivia's. He'd have to work on her next.

Brock wished that his mother and/or Esperanza were here. Olivia was acting strange. The least of which, his niece was growing her hair out.

She was also taking more care with her wardrobe. She was wearing a slightly dressy crimson blouse and a pair of black jeans with flats. Olivia was even wearing light makeup, which was something she hardly ever did!

Why was she so dressed up for a normal day of work?

Olivia got along with both researchers and crew, having become more comfortable with them.

She had taken to leaving her hair loose. In recent times when there was no wind around, Brock had noticed that her hair seemed to blow around. Almost like someone was playing with it?

Definitely the ghost. Was she dressing up for the ghost?

That was insane.

It wasn't like the ghost could do anything to Olivia and wasn't just a source of blame for the pranks on Lewis.

Though Brock had to admit Lewis's reactions were funny!

I need to stop torturing myself!

Olivia could try to tell herself that she was dressing up for her own amusement... but she knew it was a lie.

Will was the longest male relationship she'd ever had, that wasn't a family member.

Of course emotions were going to get entangled. No matter her intentions.

He knew damn bloody well what Olivia was doing, even if she didn't, which was unlikely.

Will couldn't help but play with her longer loose hair.

And stare at her legs.

Bloody hell, he had to control himself!

He was still married to Ada for God's sake!

Or well... Ada had passed by now. He wasn't exactly alive either. So perhaps he wasn't married, but it still felt awkward to look at other women.

A/N 2: And here we are. The movie stuff begins next chapter. Been looking forward to that. Octavian will be able to see ghosts eventually. Looking forward to seeing what you all think! SSD

Casting of Charles Lovett: An older Cary Grant.