Disclaimer: Xena, Gabrielle etc belong to MCA/Universal and Ren Pics, and anyone else who has an interest in Xena Warrior Princess, not me.

Copyright © 2001: The characters in here belong to me. All rights reserved. No part or whole of this work may be copied or used in any shape, form, or manner whatsoever without the author's express written consent. If you want to use them, all you have to do is ask … nicely.

Violence disclaimer: Yes, there is violence, so if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, perhaps you’d like to move on.

Love/Sex warning: This story depicts a love/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live - move along, move along, nothing for you here ...

Major vote of thanks to my ever patient beta reader ForevaXena for taking valuable time out to read this. Without her, I am eternally grammatically and spelling stuffed :-) An equally large vote of thanks goes to the Bard’s Village – if it weren’t for them this wouldn’t have been finished.

I’ve Seen the Light and It’s Dark

By

J. Falconer  (jfishmael@hotmail.com)

PROLOGUE

“HOLYMOTHEROFCHRISTTHATBLOODYHURT!”

A small blonde woman lay sprawled at my feet, half lying on a crushed cardboard box, alternating between rubbing her ribs, clutching a wrist, inspecting ankles and trying to pull down her skirt, which had ridden quite a delectable distance up her creamy thighs.

I smothered a laugh, and tried to hold out a hand to help her up.

To no avail, I thought sourly for the millionth time in four hundred years, watching my hand pass clean through her body. I pretended to sigh, looking at it with fond exasperation.

Being a ghost was sort of cool, but had definite drawbacks.

Finally, between curses and mutters, the blonde decided she’d not been seriously hurt, and turned her attentions to the box that had so recently borne her weight. As she leaned over, I leaned with her and she shivered as she pulled up the loose flaps.

“Gotta do something about that damned heating.” Her voice, silky and sweet, was absent minded as she began to rifle through the contents, making sure each item I could barely see was undamaged. With a soft sigh, she found the object of her search, an onyx rearing horse, set on an age darkened piece of wood.

I whistled softly. “That must have cost you or your ancestors a pretty penny. Been with you a long time, then? Well, since you’re so fond of it I’ll try not to break it.”

I looked around at the destruction of cobwebs in the foyer of my house. I had haunted this house for hundreds of years, happy to see the dust, cobwebs, aged wood and silence, and every now and again my supernatural peace was interrupted by the living.

Like now.

All around me were boxes, brought in by my new, foul mouthed room mate, placed near items of furniture that had been brought in by those nice, large men yesterday. The ones I had been able to scare into incontinence with almost contemptuous ease after only a few delicately thought out hours.

I smiled gently, and blew moribund air across the back of her neck. It was a challenge – let the games begin!

“FUCK ME!” The blonde jumped to her feet, which promptly became tangled in the box, and she crashed back onto her shapely behind, arms windmilling wildly, failing to save her delicate balance.

I burst out laughing and followed her as she levered herself to her feet, muttering and swearing, and stormed off into my parlour.

Struck, I followed her and watched as she came to a screeching halt in front of the portrait that had hung over the long disused fireplace for hundreds of years.

She began gesticulating wildly, stabbing her finger in the air to drive the point home to the painting of me.

“Now see here – I’ve heard all about your supposed supernatural activities in this place, and they’re going to stop. Right now. Right now I say! I bought this house fair and square and if you don’t like me living here, then you can bloody well leave yourself, ‘cause I ain’t bloody well going any where else!”

Green eyes flashing, she gave my representation a thorough glare to drive home her point.

Unimpressed, smiling slightly, knowing she would never hear or see me, I crossed my arms and rested back comfortably on a heel and spoke as softly as I had done in life. “You now own my house, do you? Well, we’ll see about that. Sweetling, I give you perhaps a month before you follow all the others and throw yourself out of my house, cursing the day you ever laid eyes on it.” During this speech, she’d turned on her heel and left, to continue her business of unpacking.

I had done many things during my life, I reflected as I looked at the painting of me. I’d murdered, stolen, and had seen and done so many things a decent woman should never have even known of. This alone would have been enough to condemn me to an afterlife of torment, but it was my one, last, final act that had been my complete ruination, that led me here to an eternity in the place where it was done.

An act that I’d bitterly regretted for almost all of my time here.

I’d been here for so long, staring at the same rooms, looking out at the same ocean, watching the wind whip it into the frenzy I had so loved in life.

I did that now, standing near the telescope I’d bought centuries ago, when I was alive, giving it a gentle push so it spun once on its axis.

“So long, Sweetling.” My voice was a whisper. “I’ve been here so long. You will be as transient as the others, and when I get rid of you I can finally return to my suffering.”

I could hear her whistling in the distance as she went and arranged her possessions around mine, melding herself into my home.

Ah, what games to play with this youngster? I would watch, listen and learn, then use that which she feared most to cast her from this place.

PART ONE

Her name was Jacqueline, Jackie she preferred to be called. I lay stretched out on her bed next to her, watching her sleep.

Darkness was no barrier to my keen eyesight, and with my head propped comfortably on my hand I watched the soft rise and fall of her chest.

The curtains stirred gently in the soft, night wind, and she snorted and rolled over as I reached out and ran my finger down her straight nose.

She’d been living in my house for six months now, and it had been nothing but a game of cat and mouse for us both.

I’d done the usual poltergeist type things of moving her personal possessions around, rearranged her wardrobe and generally made her life miserable. She screamed at me, using language that would have left a sailor cringing, often leaving me honestly wondering if half her suggestions were physically possible. I had only ever heard the equivalent when my young teenage friend Matthew had been living here almost twenty years ago.

Matthew. The memory of him brought a soft smile to my face. His entire family had moved in about twenty five years ago, and I had started off by making their lives a true misery on earth, but that had not lasted long. Matthew had thought I was the finest thing ever to come with a human dwelling, and had proceeded to make friends with me about three months after they’d moved in.

The day they left there were tears on both sides, and Matthew made good on his promise to visit me for as long as he lived. That had only been about ten years after I’d first met him – he’d been the victim of a drunk driver.

I had not seen him at all after his untimely demise, but then I had not really expected to. I had come to think that one truly had to have been a foul being to remain behind on this earth, locked in supernatural misery.

I withdrew from the mists of memory, and the soft smile that had graced my face at my thoughts of Matthew slowly vanished as I again quietly studied my new prey.

Jackie.

I must say it’s amazing how normal mortals love their warm showers on cold winter’s mornings – we had no such coddling in my day!

Jackie was learning to live without the creature comforts.

Next to me she stirred again, and I leant over curiously as her head began to move on the pillow.

“No.” Her voice was soft and pleading, miserable. “Please don’t. I promise I won’t do it again.”

Struck, I leant over and studied her more closely.

Her brow was furrowed as she frowned deeply, her face a mask of dismay. There was no childishness in her voice as there would have been if she were back in her early years. A beautiful woman still held residence in her body, and now she began to twist that body, pleading and moaning for her invisible assailant to leave her in peace.

I had seen that look before.

I did not like it.

To be brutally honest, I’d learned to hate it.

I gently leaned over and willed my hand not to fade into her brow as I smoothed back her hair.

“Quiet now, Sweetling. You are unharmed. You are safe.” My gentle pleas began to have the desired effect and slowly she quietened under my soft touch.

I loathed hearing a woman beg. I did not want to see my young playmate harmed by any hand other than mine, and mine I knew could and would be gentle with her.

Slowly her chest moved back into the rhythms of deep sleep and I stayed with her until dawn lit up the sky in a soft, pink glow. It was time for her to start the day.

I faded into invisibility again as she began to stir. I remained behind watching her.

It had become a morning ritual for me, to see her slowly stir and sit up, stretching and yawning mightily, staring with eyes slightly unfocussed before her, trying to encourage her sluggish mind into action.

She always looked around the room, eyebrow slightly raised, and if she’d had nightmares such as the one that had just graced her, a haunted look soon followed, quickly to be replaced by a grim determination that was almost frightening in it’s depth.

I wondered if I was doing any good at chasing the shadows away from her.

“I know you’re here.” The voice was soft, free of its normal anger.

My eyebrows shot skyward with shock. How could she know that? She could not see or hear me, I’d made certain of it.

“Really, now, Sweetling?” I could not keep the smug superiority from my tone. “Really? You can’t see or hear me, I’ve made sure of that.”

Still her eyes searched the room, seeking me out as I teased her with my lack of solidity. She need not have searched the far corners of the room; I was right by her side, only a hair’s breadth from her luscious form.

“I know you’re here. I can feel it. Why don’t you at least show yourself, ever?” Her eyes lost some of their sharpness as her shoulders sagged. “That was an absolute whopper of a nightmare and you chased it away for me.” A soft inhalation, and her small hands covered her face, then slowly came away as tears glistened in her eyes. “You chased away the shadows just like you always do. I’m not stupid, I know what you’re doing for me. But why? And why are you so fucking obnoxious the rest of the time?”

I grinned. “I’m a ghost and obnoxiousness goes with the territory. As for the other … well, let us just say that we hunt one another and I’ll not take kindly to anyone trying to rob me of that small joy.” I leant over and blew a cold breath across her partially covered cleavage, followed by an extra cold finger dipping between her beautiful breasts.

She had still been searching me out, unable to find a glimmer of me, but when the wind and finger touched her, she yelped and pulled her nightgown shut, scowling fiercely at thin air.

“You’re a fucking rat, you know that, Captain?”

She always called me Captain, lacking any other information on me. I had been such a scourge to these parts that the inhabitants had been careful to erase all traces of me from public record and later generations had not known to question what had become of the monster.

I laughed. How could I have not known of my rodent ancestry?

Suddenly her eyes narrowed to a gleam I didn’t like one bit.

“Captain, I will find you. I’ll make you show yourself.” With a purposeful nod of her head, still clutching her gown closed in front of her, she climbed out of bed with renewed vigour, and strode out of the room with uncharacteristic energy to her kitchen.

I lay back on her bed with my hands clasped behind my head.

Was it to be an excorcism?

Was it to be a séance?

What would she do to flush me from my hiding place?

Ah, the games were afoot again!

~~~

After the summary aggravation of a cold shower (thoughtfully begun much earlier than normal by me), and heavily salted black coffee (again, a small courtesy provided by me), she left the house for several hours.

I sat by myself in the silence, looking at my telescope.

I often used it to track her progress down the hill to the village and beyond. Sometimes I could not look out the bay window as the pain of my confinement was too much to bear. I was restless, seeking relief. I had not felt this way since my time with Matthew. When he had died I had been seized by the strongest desire I had ever had to escape my shackles, and that experiment had lead me to try and walk out the front door.

That was not something I had done since I had first learnt the limits of my supernatural existence.

The very first time was an experience in pure agony and such a drain of energy it took me months to recover.

The first step out the door was greeted with a soft, summer wind that gradually and exponentially gained in strength and ferocity so that I could feel the molecules of my new existence tearing apart.

Almost flayed alive, I stumbled backwards and collapsed in the foyer, causing a cold spot that had lasted for almost fifty years until I’d been able to gather the strength to pull myself into the parlour to try and regroup. I’d sat there for a further ten until I was able to walk, then lay down for twenty years in the attic, trying to recover.

I looked out at the calm blue sea for several hours, waiting for her return.

I was not idle during that time – I took extra special care to substitute the contents of her refrigerator with the contents of her wardrobe.

I watched her car make its slow way up the road towards the house, and I could just make out two figures.

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, I watched her pull into the driveway, triumphantly open her door, and a large brown figure leapt out of the car to scent the air with grave intent.

I scowled.

Jackie smirked.

She strode up to the door and flung it open with a quick command for her canine companion to join her.

Madame did so, and immediately zeroed in on me, and began a bout of vicious, ear piercing barking.

I glared and crouched so we were face to face, and growled back as fiercely at her as she snarled at me.

This only appeared to provoke Her Highness into something approaching murderous intent, and she lunged for me. I took an involuntary step back and sighed in defeat. Crossing my arms, I stared at her and wondered what to do with the nice doggy.

Jackie leant in the doorway, arms crossed, smug smile seemingly glued to her features. She followed the direction the dog was barking in and cleared her throat.

“Good girl, Helga!” The Doberman took a step back toward her new mistress. “So.” Jackie smirked and studied her fingernails. “You going to show yourself, or is Helga going to chase your invisible arse all over this house until you’re bloody sick of both of us?”

I laughed. She’d finally caught me – and in a way not one of the other people who’d ever owned this house had been able to. I slowly willed myself into existence, making sure I was several inches shorter than I’d been in real life, so I was only half a head taller than her. I leaned comfortably in the doorway, matching her confident arrogance.

“Sweetling, my name is not Captain, it’s Creed and you may address me as such. Call your hound off.”

Her eyes widened at the sight of me, and her jaw dropped. “You’re the ghost who haunts this house?”

I bowed low, smiling, eyes flashing. “None other.” I took a step towards Helga who resumed her low challenge. “Down girl.” There was no change in tempo. “I said, ‘down girl’.” There was a whimper as I have her a small sample of what I was capable of. “Now, Sweetling, you have met me. Is it enough for you?”

“No, Creed, it’s not enough.”

There was silence for a moment. “And?”

“Why the hell don’t you leave for God’s sake? Go to the hereafter or something will you? Leave me alone.”

“To coin a phrase of yours, ‘not bloody likely’.”

She sighed and shook her head. “I’m not afraid of you. You’re not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” She threw up her hands. “Why not just talk to me and stop being so darned nasty? It won’t kill you you know.”

I laughed. “Why should I be nice to you? Curiosity is killing me my dear.”

“Careful, you’re going to kill yourself if you keep laughing like that.” She stared at me, seemingly unable to draw her eyes from my still form. “Can’t we at least call a truce?”

“No, Sweetling, that we cannot.” With my most theatrical flourish, I waved an arm and vanished, making certain I reappeared in my attic.

Downstairs I heard silence for a time, then a cry of anger as she opened her fridge.

PART TWO

“GRRRR.” Helga’s deep voice rumbled straight behind me as I stood in the parlour, eye glued to the telescope, watching the waves crash against the rocks.

“No, Helga, not today.” I was concentrating on the buoy being cast about by the grey ocean with savage abandon. I had been trapped here so long, would I be able to emerge again?

The dog took another step up behind me, and resumed her low challenge. I sighed and drew my eye away from the eyepiece, turning and dropping to one knee so we were eye to eye. Her cold brown eyes glittered.

Jackie was not around, having gone out for the day, so it was just Helga and myself. Past experience had taught Jackie that leaving Helga behind often resulted in rather a mess made of personal possessions, but at least I no longer exchanged items for other items. Truth be told, Helga and I tended to chase each other all over the house snarling and generally teasing one another; to her credit, Helga had become rather good at ghost hide and seek.

She’d just found me.

Every time she did, I put her into a new and exciting situation to try and escape from – she’d had a cold bath in Jackie’s shower, her kibble had been exchanged for Jackie’s decorative soap, her collar and lead had been exchanged for a bright pink bow and long length of twine. Looking directly at the anger in her eyes, I’m not sure she’d forgiven me for that one.

She had crept up behind me, Jackie in tow, barking furiously just near my ear startling me to within an inch of my death, both smirking furiously when I’d been shocked into visibility. Whenever Jackie found me, she’d always yelled for me to show myself and talk to her properly. Foolish mortal – all she had to do was resume a normal tone of voice and ask and I might have graced her with my presence.

Both Helga and I watched over Jackie when she slept; it had become a ritual for me, and Jackie was clearly not comfortable leaving Helga to roam the countryside during the dark hours.

I knew this was to do with her nightmares, though I did not know what they actually were, so Helga and I called a truce. During the hours of darkness we stood by her, watchful sentinels, soothing her sleep and lightening her dreams.

This time, though, Helga was challenging me when I was in no mood for it.

Fine, she would pay.

“No, hound, not this time.” My voice was soft and dangerous, and Helga took an involuntary step back. “Now then, I’ll not hurt you either, but I will make you leave me alone for the afternoon.”

I stood and pointed my arm at her, while she quickly backed up and appeared to gulp involuntarily.

~~~

It was an ear piercing scream that caused me to stumble back from my telescope, trip over my own feet and land on my derriere.

If my heart had been able to beat, it would have been thumping wildly as I scrambled to my feet and raced to the open front door, wondering what had befallen my Jackie.

Eyes wide open, I watched her fall to her knees and sob at the spectacle of Helga wedged into the fork of a tree I had cast her into only a matter of hours before. She had, to all intents and purposes, stopped grumbling about the act and fallen asleep.

Now she opened her eyes, scanning the outside for the evil being that had caused her mistress such mental distress.

“Helga! Helga!” Jackie was sobbing, heartbroken, and I winced. I truly loathed seeing her in such anguish.

Helga waved her paws around, looking apologetic.

I stared at them both, shock dissipating, yet still unable to move a muscle. I wanted to go outside and pull my young mortal into my arms, but I couldn’t do so. I settled for visibility instead.

“Jackie! Jackie!” For all intents and purposes, she was deaf to my cries.

“JACKIE!” Finally she appeared to come out of her distress, and glared at me, rage shining bright in her normally gentle green eyes. If I had been able to flush in embarrassment I would have.

“CREED! YOU ARSEHOLE! YOU KILLED MY DOG!” The scream echoed all over the countryside.

“She is unharmed.” As I spoke, I took a step back, mindful of the open door, and extended an arm. Closing my eyes to concentrate, I gently pulled Helga from the fork of the tree and set her on her paws near Jackie. The dog immediately began licking her mistress, trying to ease her distress and assure her of her continued life and well being.

Jackie sobbed in relief, throwing her arms around the neck of the Doberman, tears raging into the silky hair of her neck. Helga looked at me clearly surprised and I shrugged back.

I had some inkling of what it was that troubled my mortal, but needed more time to think things through.

Satisfied that Helga was safe, Jackie turned on me, storming up the stairs, causing me to take in involuntary step back. She raised her forefinger to jab the thin air of my chest, then abruptly her shoulders sagged and she shook her head.

“I give up.”

I watched her walk away from me toward the parlour.

Given up? What had she given up from?

I trailed her into the room, Helga at my heels, and saw her collapsed into the large, overstuffed chair facing the bay windows.

“Jackie.”

I knelt by her feet, and she refused to look at me. Helga took up her position on the other side of Jackie.

“Jackie.”

She still refused to look at me.

I reached out a hand, and willed a fingertip into solidity so I could turn her face to me.

Her green eyes showed her uncertainty and no small amount of betrayal. My heart was saddened to see it. It was a look I’d not seen for so long and one I thought I could erase from my memory forever.

“I am sorry, Sweetling.”

No more words would come as I looked at her, her face now carefully neutral.

When she finally spoke, her words were no more than a whisper. “I thought you were my friend.” She shifted in her seat and finally met my eyes square on. What I saw there astounded me. It was a mixture of grief, pain, longing and hurt, the same kind that is present when and adult kicks a small child’s puppy out of the way.

“Helga is unharmed.” I reached out and stroked the dog’s head gently, and she laid her head on her mistress’s knee, sighing. “I would not hurt her.”

Again, there was silence for a time as she studied me gravely. “Creed, I think you’re lying. I think you would. I think that if you knew I wasn’t coming home, then it would be only a matter of minutes before you did something really, really mean to her. I think you look at me as a new toy, and if I didn’t please you in some way, then you would do something equally mean to me.

“You’re a complete bastard, Creed.”

I opened my mouth to speak, then promptly shut it again. What more was there to say? Unable to do anything else, feeling the hurt shine bright in me, I slowly closed my eyes and faded into non existence.

Helga did not spare me a glance.

I could not move from Jackie’s feet.

The questions began to ask themselves. Was she right? Had I learnt nothing? Was I truly still evil?

I had not taken one life since I’d died. Not one. I had not seriously hurt one mortal that had moved into my house.

Struck, I walked around that thought a little more. ‘Not seriously hurt’? What did that mean, exactly?

So many families had come and gone since I’d started my supernatural existence here. I had grown quite fond of some of them, but I had been able to watch children die in the dangerous beauty of my home with nary a flicker of feeling. What did that mean? Did I still have a complete disregard for life and limb?

What had I really done for the people living in my house? Had I performed one single act that could be viewed as redeeming?

Actually, nothing and no I hadn’t.

I had always attributed it to my desire to be freed of the curse of the living in my home. I had always thought that it was because I didn’t like sharing my quarters with any living person. I assumed it was because I was sulking about being stuck in a house with nowhere to go for the rest of eternity. Was it truly that simple?

Was I supposed to do something for them?

It seemed as though the answers were clear, but I could sense something else just out of my reach. I could not capture and examine the fleeting thoughts that graced my consciousness.

Heart heavy, I got to my feet and slowly traveled to my most favourite other place in the house – the attic.

Perhaps there I would find what I was seeking.

~~~

It was the low pleading and moaning I heard on the still night air that drew me to her side again.

She was restless, Helga concerned, yet unable to sooth her mistress without me.

Swallowing the unfamiliar feeling that I’d finally realized was guilt, I lay on the bed beside her, and drew her into my arms. Gently, I stroked her hair.

“Safe, Jackie, you are safe.” Barely audible, I brought my ghostly lips to her forehead, soothing her quietly.

Uncharacteristically, she struggled and I gently pulled back.

“No, you’re hurting her.” The head moved on the pillow, hands clutching the sheets convulsively. I pulled back, ashamed; had I truly caused her that much mental anguish? I felt the size of an ant, so I began to fade away again, forced to leave her battling her own demons.

“Please …” The voice was a low moan, miserable, tearing at me.

Helga stared at me and huffed softly, pleading with me to help. I sighed. “There is nothing beyond wakefulness that will help your mistress.”

I reached out a hand, making sure to warm it first, then shook her gently. Helga took her cue and licked Jackie’s face, as I touched her hair.

Slowly Jackie came to and my hand stopped its forbidden stroking of her soft hair. I sat on the edge of the bed, safe in my invisibility and watched her as she gained confidence in her surroundings.

Tears slowly weaving their salty tracks down her sleepy and fearful face, she leaned forward and put her arms around Helga and began her soft sobbing afresh.

I couldn’t stand it and decided to make an attempt at peace.

Hesitantly I reached out for her, still invisible, and gave myself enough solidity to pull her into my arms.

Almost unwillingly, her arms tightened about my body, and the tears came in full force.

“Shhh.” I stroked her head. “I am here.”

“Like always.” There was a soft, hitching intake of breath. “Show yourself.”

I nodded my head, and slowly my form took shape. “I am here, Sweetling.”

There was silence for a time as she cried herself out, Helga watching us both closely, gently nudging her mistress, as though to assure herself that I was not going to hurt Jackie.

“I don’t understand.” Jackie pulled back to look into my carefully expressionless eyes. “Why?”

That was such a loaded question, one that I could not answer. Not only was I not sure of the answer myself, but I also didn’t want her to know what I did understand of the question. My thoughts of the hours since we had last seen one another had centered around her accusation that I was a bastard. It had been true in the past, but it was not true now.

I would never be able to tell her why.

Disappointed at my continuing silence, her eyes began to skitter away from my face. I backed away from her slightly, and gently forced her to meet my eyes again.

“I … I …” The words would not come and I didn’t know where to begin anyway. “I will not hurt you or your hound. I also won’t allow any harm to come to you.”

It would have to be enough for the moment.

“Who were you, Creed?”

Again, the answer was something I could not tell her. Aside from frightening her beyond good sense, it was something that no longer seemed to matter. The only thing that mattered was what I’d been and done after my death. Even that wasn’t shaping up to be such a good thing.

“I’m frightened of you, Creed.” Her green eyes were pleading. “Please don’t hurt me, just let me live here.” She clutched my solidity, but I could not feel her hands.

I allowed the hurt that I felt show in my eyes. “I don’t want you to be frightened of me. I have never thought of this as any more than a game. I want you to live here. Why? Why are you so frightened of me? I’ve never hurt you.” Instantly I wished I could take those last words back. Obviously my stunt with Helga this afternoon had hurt her badly on some primal level.

Losing her trust had been the most painful thing I had experienced since Matthew’s death.

She closed her eyes, and a fresh tear flowed down her face. “Please don’t hurt my dog.”

I closed my eyes, not wanting her to feel the self loathing that was slowly coming to make itself known to me. “I’ll not hurt Helga. I would never do that.” I pulled her in close again. “Why do you think the worst of me? What has happened to you, Jackie? I don’t know who has hurt you so in your past, but it wasn’t me. Don’t confuse me for them.”

She sucked in breath, then pulled back and looked at me again, anguish and sliver of fear making itself known in her stormy green eyes.

“You’re so similar.”

My brows contracted and there was a flash of anger I could not control. “I am me, Jackie, no one else. I have been here for hundreds of years and believe me I have learnt something.” That was true even if the revelation had only come this afternoon. My eyes softened and I allowed another almost forgotten emotion show in my eyes – gentleness. “Can’t we find some common ground between us?”

She looked at me closely, and reached up a hand to trace a cheekbone, but it passed straight through my face. “You want to be friends with me?”

I shook my head apologetically. “I have not had company for so long so I’ve forgotten how to behave.” That was another lesson Matthew had tried to teach me. “Besides, I’m a ghost – I have to do something to amuse myself.”

“Then talk to me, and stop playing with me.” She had gained in confidence slightly, but she still looked uncertain, clearly wondering what I was going to respond with.

“All right, I will talk to you.” I smiled slightly and pulled her in close again.

The next words were so soft I almost missed them. “Thank you, Creed.”

I held her for another few moments, then gently pushed her back down again and lay close to her, one hand propped up on my head. “Sleep, Sweetling, and rest easy. I will allow no harm to come to you.”

As she smiled at me gently, relief flickering in her eyes, I knew the words for the truth they had always been. I was protecting her and somehow I would help her before her stay with me was done.

Hours later, the crimson glow of sunrise heralded the start of another day. Helga and I both watched as Jackie stirred uncharacteristically early. Still solid, I lay by her side and watched as the awareness slowly came to her defenceless, sleeping form.

She smiled slightly, and opened her eyes. “You’re still here.”

I matched her smile with one of my own, though sadness still tinged my eyes. “Yes, Sweetling, I’m still here.”

She shook her head. “No nightmares.”

“I know.”

There was silence for a time as she lay on her back, blinking, allowing wakefulness to take her fully into its arms.

“I have to start my day.” She didn’t look at me, but her skin coloured. I raised a black eyebrow. What was she talking about?

“And?”

“I have to hop into the shower.”

“So?”

“D’you mind?” She gestured towards me and blushed, but to her credit her eyes didn’t leave mine.

“You have nothing I haven’t seen before, though I will admit yours is a lot nicer.” I couldn’t keep the smirk from my face.

“Brat.” She had flushed a dark red, and her finger went to stab my chest. I made sure it was solid so she could complete the gesture, cold heart gladdened that she appeared to trying to put her demons to rest and place herself on a more even footing with me. “Bugger off, gorgeous, so I can take my clothes off. For God’s sake, I’m not a bloody stripper for your amusement you horny old ghost.”

I couldn’t help myself. I burst out laughing. “Yes, Sweetling, you win this round. I will leave you be while you refresh yourself.” I slowly faded into invisibility, but before I left, I ran a cold finger down her cleavage as she muttered in outrage and pulled her gown closed.

Grinning, I quietly left her to go downstairs and prepare a cup of the coffee she enjoyed drinking so much.

PART THREE

“Hmm.” Jackie stared at me mistrustfully, while I lounged back in my chair with my arms crossed, grinning.

“Hmm.” The hesitance seemed to unable to shake itself from her tone. “That smells like coffee.”

“So it should.” I leaned forward, then my grin becoming a dangerous smile, as I rested my elbows comfortably on the table. “Are you going to try it, Sweetling, or nuzzle it for the rest of the morning?”

Jackie did not change expression. “I think I have to try it, even though I want to nuzzle it.” The last words were spoken in a low tone of voice I think she hoped I could not hear. She gave a gentle shake of her head and sucked in a deep breath. Gamely, she clutched the mug and brought it to her lips. She sucked in a mouthful, swirling it around carefully. Abruptly her face contorted, then if I had been solid I would have been showered in the hot liquid as she spat it from her lips.

“Jesus Christ, Creed, this is bloody awful!” The voice was a roar as she dropped the mug on the table, spilling coffee, trying to clean up the dribbles from her chin.

“I apologise, Sweetling. I do not have a stomach to benefit from instruction.” I again crossed my arms and leant back, grinning evilly.

“Fuck, Creed, it’s a shit cup of coffee ‘cause it’s got fucking salt in it you nut!” She grimaced, shuddering.

I laughed softly. “Of course it does. Can’t have you thinking I’ve gone soft, now can I? No, that would not do at all.” I nodded at the benchtop behind her, and another mug drifted over to us, landing square in the table between us. “Try this one.”

“I don’t know whether I trust you or not.” She relaxed slightly, realizing this was to be a game for us.

“Oh, trust me, Sweetling. I guarantee it will be of more benefit to you.” I reached forward and took the mug, bringing it to her lips before she could protest. “Drink.”

She opened her mouth to say something that would no doubt be startlingly coarse, while reaching forward to knock away my arm. Her hand, of course, passed through my seemingly solid form and she was unable to do much more than convulsively gulp as the warm liquid passed her lips.

She snorted as coffee went down the wrong way, spluttered, and miraculously looked pensive and surprised. “Whoa, that’s much better.” The words escaped from her explosively during fits of coughing. “This is just the way I like it.”

“I know.” I smirked and allowed her to take the mug from me. “Remember this as a lesson, Sweetling. I am a ghost and am constrained by my nature to do as I do. However, I am not as cruel as I at first seem.”

There was a pause, and she met my eyes, seemingly ashamed. “I know that, Creed. About yesterday. I didn’t mean to call you a bastard - ”

“Yes, you did, and I cannot blame you for that.”

She tried again, and her voice shrank to barely a whisper. “I know that you wouldn’t hurt me. I know that. It’s just that you took me by surprise.”

“That I know also. No more needs to be said I think. I also think I am beginning to understand.”

“Understand what?” Immediately she became defensive, and I frantically tried to think of something to say that would not send her into a torrent of abuse or worse, frighten her.

Fortunately for me, any words I could have spoken that would no doubt have inflamed the situation further were cut off as the phone rang. I saw her try to relax and force some of the anger from her system.

Face carefully neutral, she got up from the table with her cup and made her way behind me to the phone.

I only heard one side of the conversation. “Hi Mom. Yes, I’m fine … No, I’m not doing anything today … You’ve found a what? … Huh? … You want to do what? … But … I … I … Snowflake? No, I haven’t … but …. Wh-? … Err … Umm … Hello? Hello?”

Shaking her head, she sighed and took another sip of her coffee.

I waited for her to speak, but nothing was forthcoming. I cleared my throat. “And that was - ?”

“Uh.” Jackie did not appear capable of intelligent speech, and gradually her features began to move to consternation as she moved around the table to face me again. “Um.”

I looked at her curiously, smiling slightly. “Yes, Um?”

“That was my mother.”

“As was evidenced by the use of the words ‘Hi Mom.’”

“She’s coming over today.”

“Hence her asking if you were free today. Wonderful – I’ve not met your mother.”

“She’s bringing her ouija board.”

“Excellent! We’ll contact the spirit world!”

“She’s also bringing a medium called Snowflake.”

“Any chance of speaking to my nanny? Nice lady - and I’ve not spoken to her for hundreds of years.”

“Jerk.”

I inclined my head. “Always. And why would this trouble you?”

“What if they want to do something stupid? Like conduct an exorcism or something?”

“Why would they want to conduct an exorcism at all, Sweetling?” I leaned forward to eye her intently. “What have you told them about me?”

She coloured. “I mentioned my house had a ghost who liked to play tricks on me?”

I grinned.

“Um, Creed, can’t you sort of hide or something today?”

What was troubling her so? “Why would I want to do that?”

She looked at me, blushing furiously now, clearly unable to articulate a single sentence. I sighed. “All right, Sweetling, since it appears to matter that much to you, even though you can’t tell me why, I’ll make sure I observe proceedings from a neutral post.” Of course, I had no intention of doing any such thing. I wanted to be right in the center of all the action.

I was the ghost haunting the house, after all.

Jackie’s fears for my safety were quite groundless. Exorcisms had been tried on me more than once and much to everyone’s mutual distress I remained trapped in the house I’d lived in while still alive, unable to shift from its claustrophobic confines.

~~~

“Mum!” I could hear that Jackie’s voice was false and slightly strained. “It’s lovely to see you.” She stood aside from the front door, while I stood at the base of the stairs, safe in my invisibility, observing the proceedings closely.

A middle aged woman entered the room, clad in bright, rag like garments, head encased in an equally bright turban. She looked all around the foyer closely, as though inspecting for rats, clearly trying to get some sense of the ghost. I smirked.

Jackie was about to close the door, when a massive foot inserted itself into rapidly closing gap between the frame and the door. Smiling apologetically, Jackie eased the door back open. Helga backed away from the door, watching them as closely as I did, then came to sit beside me, clearly deciding that it was the safest position in the house. Watching the figure tramping through the now fully open door, I was forced to agree with her.

Snowflake the medium was tall and monstrous of dimension. Heroic curves covered in a swath of brightly coloured cloth more frightening to behold than Jackie’s mother’s attire, she clanked softly with dim metallic sounds from her ornamentation as her earth shattering footsteps seemingly bent and splintered the floorboards of the foyer. When she opened her mouth to speak, I expected the Gods themselves to fall silent, but was shocked to find a dainty, lady like thin person’s voice emerge from the rolls of her throat.

“Hello, you must be Jacqueline. I’m Snowflake, your mother’s friend.” She held out her hand.

Jackie looked as shocked as I did. “Um, yes, I’m Jackie.”

“Vonda’s told me all about your little problem.”

“Excuse me?” Jackie raised an eyebrow, valiantly trying to cover her continuing embarrassment over the fact that she’d confided in her mother that her present dwelling came with an invisible friend.

“Softly, Sweetling.” My words were for Jackie alone. “It’s all right.”

“C’mon now kid.” Vonda, Jackie’s mother, almost interrupted me. “Spill the beans. You told me you had a ghost. Well, we’re here to help.”

“Yes, we are.” Snowflake rushed in to support Vonda. She leaned forward to take Jackie’s hand in a meaty paw, looking properly sympathetic and concerned.

“Um.” Jackie was clearly not going to be able to make intelligent conversation. She glued a polite smile to her face and nodded.

“Rest assured, darling, we’re here to help you.” Vonda quickly took Jackie’s other hand. I could see my young friend struggling not to retrieve her trapped limbs before decency allowed.

Jackie sucked in breath to say something, but again she was interrupted by the medium. Snowflake closed her eyes, released Jackie’s hand and put a pudgy finger to a temple. Eyes fluttering closed, she inhaled and exhaled twice, then pointed decisively to the library.

“Yes. Yes. In there. We must set up in there. Vonda, fetch the gear.”

Vonda rushed off to obey, while Jackie found herself dragged into the library, Helga and I trailing close behind.

Without any word of warning, Jackie found herself thrust into a chair, looking for all the world like a trapped animal as Snowflake seated herself on the footstool in front of her, effectively creating a flesh trap for Jackie.

“I know this is hard for you, Jackie.” Snowflake leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered at her prey. I moved in closer so I could hear. “Ghosts are nothing to be afraid of. They are just souls that are confused, frightened and have not crossed over to the other side. You have to help them sometimes, tell them to go towards the light. That’s why your mother and I are here. We want to help you do that.”

Jackie finally found her voice. “Why do I have to do it?”

“The ghost has clearly centered itself on you. It has to be you.”

I was unable to hold my silence any more. “Dolt! Of course I’m talking to Jackie. She’s the only one that lives here! And I’m neither confused nor frightened!”

In my outrage, I had accidentally allowed Jackie to hear me. I’d given away my presence, and decided to make a clean getaway before Jackie could be upset by my being there. To my amazement, anger forgotten, I watched as Jackie bit her lip and struggled to contain a snort of laughter.

Snowflake eyed her curiously and drew in breath to speak, but was interrupted by the arrival of Vonda. She waved a bag and a backpack around, grinning wildly. “I have it! Here it is Snowflake!”

Snowflake frowned delicately at her, and before Jackie and I could quite figure out what was going on, they found themselves sitting cross legged around the coffee table. I took my place to one side of Jackie, and I nudged Helga so she took the other.

Leaning forward curiously, I looked at what the medium had placed on the table. A large crystal ball and an ouija board sat squarely in the centre of the table, and now the large woman was leaning forward, fingering the wood that would allow me to spell out answers.

“This is very delicate.” Snowflake shook her head and looked gravely at Jackie. “Your mother tells me you have a vicious trickster living in your home. I don’t expect it to have anything by way of intelligence – poltergeists are, after all, simply stray energies put out by the use of magic – but if it’s masking something much more sinister, you do need to know about it.”

There was a snort from the medium as she prepared herself.

“Ridiculous. I am not random energy.” I stood upright, arms folded and glared. “Where did your mother get this woman from?”

Jackie bit her lip, trying desperately not to laugh or answer me.

Vonda zeroed in on this immediately. “It’s here with you, isn’t it?”

Jackie hid her dismay quite nicely. “No, whatever gave you that idea?”

Vonda shook her head and continued to study her daughter closely. “You shouldn’t protect it you know. It isn’t evil, Snowflake is correct, but it may not know what the limits of your existence are.”

I was getting tired of this. “I’m not evil and I most certainly do know the limits of Jackie’s existence.” I sighed. I didn’t know whether to laugh or levitate them from my home.

Jackie cleared her throat. “Perhaps the ghost has more awareness than that?”

Snowflake frowned at her. “Of course not. Why would you think otherwise?”

Jackie’s mouth opened and closed several times as her gaze travelled back and forth between her mother and the medium. Then her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. Should we get started?”

Snowflake was already breathing deeply, putting herself into the trance state. “Spirit world … spirit world … we wish to speak today to the entity that inhabits this house.”

Vonda and Jackie both stared at her, one with admiration, the other worry, then both snapped their eyes shut and concentrated on speaking to me.

Snowflake hummed and reverberated several sounds for several minutes, clearly putting the vibrations of the house in tune with the vibrations of the ouija board.

“Is there anyone there?” Snowflake vibrated the words, making me wince and Jackie screw up her nose.

Suddenly the ouija board came to life. Yes, it spelt out.

Jackie had opened one eye and was regarding proceedings with no small amount of trepidation. When the board began to answer, her eyebrows shot up with shock, swiftly to be replaced with a look of resignation. Both Vonda and Snowflake, captured fully by the goings on in the spirit world, did not notice.

“Who is there?” Snowflake’s pudgy fingers were firmly glued to the wood, Vonda’s on top. Jackie had removed her hands.

The captain.

“Why are you troubling our Jackie?”

Ask yourself why I am troubling you.

Jackie’s lips compressed into a thin line, and I could see the tell tale signs of her rage at me building. I stepped up behind her, invisible, and made myself solid for her and her alone. My arms encircled her, hands reaching down to gently take hers, lips close to her ear. “It is not me, Sweetling. I am not doing anything.” I kept my gentle hold on her.

Jackie exhaled, then leaned back into my embrace.

“May I ask a question?” My Jackie’s voice was timid.

Beads of sweat appearing on her upper lip, the medium gave a quick staccato nod, strained from the effort of keeping her link to the spirit world.

“You’re totally harmless, aren’t you?”

I just reached out my finger to answer her, when again the board began to spell out an answer all of it’s own.

Not harmless.

I felt Jackie stiffen in my arms. “No, Sweetling.” There was urgency in my tone as I felt her muscles prepare for fight. “It was not me again. There is nothing here but you, me and those two old women. They jest but it is certainly in extremely poor taste.”

Jackie hesitated, and I knew she was deciding between casting her lot with me or running with these two charlatans.

“You’re lying.” Jackie’s firm voice shocked both Vonda and Snowflake into full wakefulness. Snowflake leaned forward patronisingly.

“Now then dear.” This was punctuated with a quick rearrangement of her turban, while her lips pursed with disapproval. “I am not doing anything. That was the entity living in your house.”

“Oh bullshit!” Jackie’s green eyes were furious. “That’s the biggest load of fucking crap I’ve ever heard!”

Vonda and Snowflake looked at one another gravely, clearly deciding on the best course of action, ignoring the young woman who was equally clearly drawn into an unhealthy relationship with her house and her ghost.

“As dangerous as it is, I think I’m going to have to try and channel the ghost in the house.” Snowflake met Vonda’s eyes and they both nodded wisely.

Without any further ado, Jackie found herself alone at the table, while Snowflake took up her position in the armchair, Vonda at the footstool at her feet, clearly there to give her any extra energy required.

Wide eyed, Jackie and I both watched Snowflake breath deeply several times, then in a truly alarming gesture, her eyes rolled up into her eyesockets and she slumped bonelessly into the chair.

Suddenly, I felt a mild tug on my supernatural person. “Uh oh.”

“What?” Jackie quickly glanced at the two older women, making sure they hadn’t heard her.

“I think she can do this one for real.” The tugging was no longer teasing, it was definite now.

“Creed!” I don’t know how she managed it, but she hissed, sounded worried and didn’t draw the attention of the others in the room.

“Whoa!” The tugging had become a gale, and now I could feel myself stretching out all the way across the room, feet first, while I frantically tried to keep myself anchored to Jackie. Helga, who had been quite until now, looked up at my toffee like form with consternation.

As I felt my fingers slipping from Jackie’s, and her frantic attempts to find some part of me to hold on to, Helga took matters into her own hands. She casually climbed to her feet, then sauntered over to Snowflake and Vonda.

She backed up a step or two, then bounded forward and began a round of ear splitting barking at the medium. Abruptly Vonda and Snowflake both lost concentration for long enough for the horrible tugging to cease so I collapsed back behind Jackie, exhausted.

Job discharged, Helga continued her barking and in a remarkable feat of canine acting, began chasing her tail and crashed into Vonda and Snowflake several times. Both women winced as they tried to stop the Doberman’s great paws and slobber from reaching them.

“Good show, Helga!” I applauded and the dog slowly came to a halt. Jackie looked on with genuine amazement. Clearly she had not realised the Helga and I were becoming partners in crime.

“What was that all about?” asked Vonda, trying to help the grimacing Snowflake to her feet.

“Quite nasty, dear.” The medium was brushing of her clothes, shaking her head.

“I have no idea.” Jackie looked on, allowing the last vestiges of surprise remain on her features, then leant forward and took both women by the elbows. “Look, why don’t we call today a failure and let it go for another time when the spirit world is more willing to co operate?”

Both Snowflake and Vonda tried to argue with her and retrieve their limbs from Jackie’s grasp, but Jackie didn’t give them a chance to draw more than one startled breath. While she kept them distracted, I quickly packed up their implements and handed them to my mortal who in turn gave them to her mother.

“Look, Mum, it was nice of you to drop by today. But as you can see I’m all right. Look, I had a lovely time, let’s do this again soon.”

The gypsies were decisively led to the front door, handed their implements and sent packing.

Startled, they could not do much else other than glance at each other, slightly dazed at the speed of their departure, exchange knowing looks, then climb back into their car and drive off.

After they had left and Jackie’s watchful eye had followed them down the driveway and out the gate, she turned to me and sighed. “What the hell was all that about, Creed?”

I looked at her, eyebrows contracting. “I had nothing to do with that, Sweetling. You felt my hands on yours.”

She leaned forward, arms crossed, eyeing me balefully. “Yes, but I know you can do stuff with your ectoplasm.”

I could not help myself. I burst out laughing and she looked offended. “C’mon now, Creed, I know what you’re like.” She poked me in the chest with an accusing forefinger.

“Oh, Sweetling, I don’t ‘do stuff with ectoplasm’ as you so eloquently put it. It’s already quite a strain to keep a human shape. It’s so much easier to exist as a cloud of supernatural matter. Besides, I told you that I would behave myself and not give away my presence and I kept my word.”

Jackie’s eyes studied mine closely for a time, then she shook her head, and returned my grin. “That’s nice, Creed. But you do realise what’s happened now, don’t you? They’re going to be back. When, I don’t know, but I do know they’ll return. And when they do, they’re going to conduct an exorcism.”

I laughed again. “You bring the chips, I’ll bring the dip.”

Jackie sighed. “Brat.” She threw up her hands, and, shaking her head, walked back into the house.

Part 2