Chapter Text
Jocelyn kept her head down as she walked through the town.
Amelia smiled at Marcus and leaned in to kiss him.
I never really believed in love you know? It was never for me. It always happened to other people. But when Grant smield at me…
His dick was the only thing about him that I liked.
There were moments when Quinn wanted to reach out and drag his husband closer, but then Matt would open his mouth and the happy memories faded a little bit more.
Love bites!
“Love bites!” Jake yelled along with the song, laying on the floor, eyes closed and listening to the rumble from the speakers under his back.
Love bleeds!
“Love bleeds!”
It’s bringing me to my knees.
Jake shivered, suddenly feeling cold. He opened his eyes to stare up at Carole, who was watching him unimpressed, arms crossed, and saying something, but he couldn’t hear her over the sound of the song.
“I don't want to touch you too much, baby 'cause making love to you might drive me crazy,” Jake sang, eyes closed again, uncaring of the picture he made. “I know you think that love is the way you make it. So I don't want to be there when you decide to break it.”
It had been two weeks since he and Bradley had had their argument, and he had told the man to get out and not text him. Two weeks and Jake hadn’t written a single word. No matter what, he tried. Nothing worked. He had gone running; he had taken a quick two-day trip up the coast to one of his favorite bed and breakfasts that were haunted by the original owners, who always had a story about some celebrity they had known back when Hollywood was in its Golden Era. He had jerked off so much he wondered if it was possible for a dick to develop blisters. He had screamed into a pillow, underwater, and had let himself get day drunk with his friends, making sure they had his phone so he couldn’t text Bradley.
Nothing. Worked.
A hand wrapped around his ankle, and he could feel the cold beginning to sink into his bones and he opened his eyes, glaring at Carole who just glared back at him as he started to feel the shivers started and he yanked his foot away, reached for his phone and paused the music. The sudden silence dropped around him and it took a moment for his ears to adjust, and he shook his head.
“What?” he asked, petulant and uncaring.
Nothing had worked to help him start writing, so now he was trying this. Lying on the floor and letting himself grieve a relationship that hadn’t even been anything more than sex. Maybe if he mourned it, it would be enough to let himself start to move on from six foot two of brown eyes and wicked smiles who could make him laugh. Jake missed Bradley; he would be the first to admit it. And it pissed him off.
“I don’t know what’s worse. This, or Bradley writing and playing so much that his hand started spazzing, and he couldn’t hold anything for two days,” Carole said, sitting, legs crossed and elbows leaning against her knees.
“Oh, I’m so glad for him,” Jake said, heavy on the sarcasm, but that just made Carole roll her eyes.
“The two of you are pretty similar you know,” she said, resting her chin on her palm and watching him, looking worried and it made Jake close his eyes and settle back onto the floor.
“Whatever. It’s over, we’re fine. We’re moving on; it wasn’t anything,” Jake said, unable to keep the snarl out of his voice. He grabbed the remote and hit play again, flinching when the music started blasting.
When I'm with you, are you somewhere else? Am I getting through, or do you please yourself?
He felt fingers grip his ankle, and he pulled his legs away without sitting up. He couldn’t hear it over the music, but he was sure Carole sighed and was looking at him in disappointment. With a sigh, he grabbed his phone and hit pause again, turning to look at her.
“Why are you here?” he asked, part of him confused by the fact she was there. “With Bradshaw writing and all that jazz, I figured you’d want to watch over him.”
“Can’t help him,” Carole said, looking away with a shrug, looking upset. “As much as I love him, and I wish I could just grab his hand and be his Mom, I can’t. But I might be able to help you.”
It was the same thing Goose had said and it made Jake want to turn the music back on, close his eyes and ignore it because this was one of the things he hated the most. He could help most people move on, but he couldn’t help the ones who chose to stay. Not really.
“Nothing to be done,” Jake said, shrugging his shoulders. “It was fun while it lasted, and now it’s done. No harm, no foul.”
Both of Carole’s eyebrows raised. “Yeah, that’s why you’re lying on the floor singing 80’s power ballads, and Bradley’s been drinking honey because he’s been singing so much. If I have to hear him figure out what else rhymes with green one more—”
Whatever Carole was about to say was cut off as his ringtone began to blare over the speaker, and Jake scrambled for his phone. He winced, managing to disconnect the Bluetooth and answer it before the person hung up.
“Seresin, speaking,” he said, rubbing a hand over his face, willing his heart rate to settle.
“Hey, Jake. It’s Elodie.”
It took Jake’s addled brain a second to register, and he dropped his head down. “Hey, Elodie,” he said, rubbing a hand over his face before he sighed. “Yeah?”
Elodie sighed. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be right there,” Jake said, dropping his head back, knowing his day was about to go from bad to worse.
He hung up and stood, shuffling to his room to change into something more presentable. Carole, thankfully, didn’t follow him but she was standing in the living room when he came back out, arms crossed and watching him.
“Where are you going?” she asked, tilting her head to the side, interested but wary at the same time.
“The hospital,” Jake said, grabbing one of his sweatshirts with a sigh. “That was Elodie. She’s one of the head nurses.” He looked up at Carole and shrugged. “Hospitals are breeding grounds for ghosts. I go when they need some help with one of them.”
“Oh,” Carole said, frowning at Jake. “Is she like you?”
Jake shook his head. “No, she just knows the signs. There are a few of them around who do, and the same goes for the cops, EMTs, firefighters, and so on. It’s an informal network. Most of them just contact Halo through the Facebook group, but uh, a few of them have my number.”
“Oh,” Carole repeated, looking over her shoulder before back at Jake and drawing herself up tall. “Want company?” she asked, looking at him with a determined spark he had seen in Bradley’s eyes before. He looked away before he thought too much about Bradley and got sad all over again.
“I won’t say no. But it’s usually not pleasant,” Jake warned her as he grabbed his keys and pulled out his phone to let his friends know where he would be. He knew they were at the movies, but he didn’t think he’d need their help, so he wasn’t worried about waiting.
“I’ll be fine,” Carole said, shooting him a smile that almost looked right except for the worry in her eyes.
“Oh my god, Jake. Have you been sleeping?”
Jake glanced up, smiling as Maureen walked over. “I’m fine,” he said, knowing she wouldn’t let it go.
“You look like death warmed over,” Maureen said before she sighed. “Well, have you?”
“I’ve slept,” Jake said, knowing it wouldn’t slip past her, but he also knew she wouldn’t do much aside from sighing and telling him he needed to sleep more.
“You need to sleep more,” Maureen said, looking over at Carole. “Boys,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Always thinking they can get away with burning the candle at both ends. My brother was like that. The idiot almost drove himself into an early grave before he figured it out.”
Carole was staring at Maureen with wide eyes, mouth parted as she gaped before she finally managed to get ahold of herself and smiled at Maureen, looking excited to talk to someone else. “Sorry, are you like Jake?” she asked, looking between them.
Maureen’s smile got a little sadder as she reached out and cupped Jake’s face, tilting his head from side to side, shaking her head and tsking. “No, I’m like you,” she said, looking back at Carole as she let go of Jake’s face, leaving cold imprints on his cheeks.
Jake rubbed his hands over his face to get them to warm up as Maureen kept talking. “I passed, oh, thirty years or so ago. Time kinda flies. I was a nurse and had an aneurysm in the middle of a shift. Didn’t feel a goddamn thing, thankfully. Didn’t even realize it for a while. Just stood up and went back to work and got annoyed when people weren’t talking to me. I realized really quickly that something had happened when the hubbub I could see forming was with me in the middle.”
She paused and shook her head with a sigh. “But that was in the past. I stuck around, never really figured out why for a little bit until we lost a young man who had been the victim of a mugging, got stabbed, and died. Kept asking how to get back into his body. I talked to him for a bit, and he just ended up movin’ on. Figured I could help the others.”
Maureen stopped and smiled at Jake. “Ran into this one about ten years back. He keeps telling me I should move on, but I like it here. I like to think I’m helping as much as I can, and I gave him permission a long time ago to help me move on if I go bad,” she said, looking at Carole.
“He’s told me that as well,” Carole said, looking at Jake and rolling her eyes. “But I’m more stubborn than he realizes.”
“Oh, I know you’re stubborn,” Jake said, shaking his head before looking back at Maureen. “Elodie?”
“Room 343,” Maureen said with a sad smile. “Good luck.”
Jake let Maureen hug him quickly before he walked back, glancing behind him in time to see Carole ask Maureen a question, and the two of them started talking. Maybe Maureen would be able to do what he hadn’t done and convince the two of them to move on.
Elodie wasn’t much older than Jake, but she looked decades older when he found her outside of a room, hands in her pockets and her head dropped back. There was the normal hustle and bustle of hospital around them, and he could see a few nurses and doctors he knew, and he nodded to them, unsurprised when they nodded back but didn’t say anything. They might be believers, reluctantly, but they were never excited to see him.
“Hey,” he said, bracing a shoulder against the wall next to her.
“Hey,” Elodie said, opening her eyes and looking at him. “You look like ass.”
“Caught feelings for a friend with benefits,” Jake explained.
Elodie grimaced. “Well, if you looked like that, I understand why he didn’t return them.”
Chuckling, Jake flipped her off before a scream from inside had him grimacing, but Elodie didn’t react. “What happened?” he asked, glancing at the door as another scream sounded.
Elodie sighed. “Couple was rear-ended by a drunk driver after they left their wedding. It was up in the hills, so they went over the edge. Woman died on impact, the male was awake with some major injuries but we were expecting a full recovery. But he went into a coma two days ago, about an hour after he was finally told that his wife didn’t make it. Kinda felt like he just gave up, you know? We knew she was lingering; we could see the signs, but we were hoping it would settle out by itself. Those of us who knew would talk let her know we knew she was there even though she couldn’t talk back to us. Tried to help, you know? Never know if it works, but it’s something.” Elodie paused and looked at the room, shaking her head.
Jake looked at the room as the scream came again, and now he could make out the anguish in her voice. “He died?” he surmised.
Elodie nodded. “Coded a little bit ago. We were hoping she would move on by herself, assuming it is her, of course, but…” she trailed off, and Jake could make out a thud before something clattering.
“But she’s getting mad,” Jake surmised, pushing away from the wall.
“Yeah, it’s beyond us. I’m guessing Maureen can’t help either,” Elodie said, looking at Jake with a regretful smile. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I hope I can help,” he said honestly, glad for something to do other than think about Bradley. “We clear?”
Elodie nodded. “Moved stuff around so only people in the know for the next hour. The camera we had to monitor him is turned off, and I’ve got Will watching just to make sure.”
“Thank you,” Jake said before he sighed, shot her a smile that he didn’t feel, and walked into the room.
The woman was standing next to the bed. She was in a wedding dress, her hair done up, and she was twisting the ring on her finger around and around. Jake looked away from her and toward the bed, taking a moment to check and see that there wasn’t another ghost hanging around. But the bed was empty, sheets pristine as if the man had never been there, and it was just the two of them in the room. The only sign that someone was there was a clipboard on the ground. He walked over and picked it up, setting it on the end of the bed before he turned towards the woman and met her eyes, watching as she took a step back in surprise before surging forward, grabbing for him.
Jake let her, knowing that she needed the comfort. “Hey,” he said, patting her arm, ignoring the cold beginning to grow.
“You can see me,” she whispered, voice choked with the tears she’d never be able to cry again.
“I can,” Jake said, patting her hand. “I’m Jake.”
“Nora,” Nora said, sniffling. “I’m…dead?”
Jake nodded. “You are,” he said, knowing that beating around the bush never worked out well. “I’m sorry.”
Nora looked over at the bed before she let out a sob. “He was supposed to be here!” she said, shaking Jake slightly, her head dropping forward until it rested on his chest.
Jake could feel the chill settling deeper into his bones, and he fought the urge to shiver. “I heard what happened,” Jake said, looking around, wondering if he would show up. “I’m sorry,” he said, clenching his teeth to keep them from starting to chatter.
Thankfully, Nora let go and stepped back, aiming a kick at the stool. Jake watched as it made contact and shifted ever so slightly. “Till death do us part!” she yelled, turning back to Jake, eyes wide with anger and sadness. “Why isn’t he here? I’m here! I waited for him!” she demanded, throwing a handout to the bed. “The nurse! She talked! She knew I was here; she said she was sorry she couldn’t hear me, but she knew! I’m here! Why isn’t he?”
Nora bent over, hands pressed against her face as she let out a low moan of pain, and the shakes had stopped enough. Jake felt comfortable stepping forward and pressing a hand against her shoulder. “Hey,” he said, getting her attention as he caught sight of the cross hanging around her neck. “Do you and your husband believe in the afterlife?” he asked.
Nora nodded, lifting one hand to fiddle with it. “Yes, both of us do.”
Jake smiled at her, keeping it as gentle as possible, hoping that it would be simple. “Ghosts aren’t common, no matter your experience. And I’ve found most people don’t believe. Right?”
Nora nodded. “I never thought they were real, but?” she paused and looked down at herself, huffing. “At least the two thousand I paid for this dress will be put to good use?”
“It’s a stunning dress,” Jake agreed before he stepped closer and rested a hand on her arm. “You died before your husband did. He doesn’t know about ghosts. So, while you were waiting for him, he probably expected you to already have moved on, right?”
Nora nodded. “He always said he loved me so much that he’d find me in this life and the next. Some people found it creepy, but he never felt creepy to me, you know?”
Jake thought of the text Bradley had first sent him, and he nodded. “Yeah, I know something about that,” he said, patting her arm before letting go to shove his ice-cold hands into his pockets. “So, you never believed, he doesn’t believe,” Jake summarized before shooting her a look he had seen a teacher use once. The one that said he was being particularly slow on the uptake. “So why do you think he’s waiting for you here? And not there?”
Nora looked at her, eyes wide before she glanced at the bed, and then she was gone, taking the cold and the pressure with her and leaving Jake alone. He dropped his head back with a sigh, taking a few deep breaths before he moved to the door, catching Elodie’s eye as soon as she looked at him. “All good,” he said, thankful it had gone better.
Elodie slumped against the wall, looking relieved. “Good,” she said before she pushed off the wall. “Come on.”
“I’m fine,” Jake said before she had taken a step.
“Let’s go,” Elodie said.
Jake had known Elodie long enough that he knew she would call security on him. “You don’t need to do this,” he said, following her to the next exam room and sitting down on the bed.
“Shockingly, I know. And even more shockingly, I think that getting the heat leeched out of you every time you interact with one of them isn’t good for you. So, sue me for wanting to do a checkup every now and again,” Elodie said, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders and handing him a cup of tea.
He glared at her but took it, taking a sip and feeling the warmth slide down his throat.
“Arm,” Elodie said, holding up the blood pressure cuff.
Jake sighed and took another sip of the drink before shoving his arm out, knowing that it would be easier in the long run. And, sometimes, it was nice to get a clean bill of health from someone who knew what he could do. It meant he didn’t have to explain why his body temperature was low.
“A clean bill of health,” Elodie said, handing him a second cup of tea.
“Told you,” Jake said, but he took it gratefully. He might not be cold anymore, but it still helped as he looked back at Maureen as she finished talking. “Someone named Jessica keeps getting harassed by one of the patients, but she’s too afraid to speak up.”
Elodie pursed her lips. “She’s been dealing with old Mr. White. That asshole could drop dead, and I’d do a happy dance,” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’ll deal with it. Anything else?” Elodie asked, glancing over in Maureen’s direction even though she couldn’t see the woman.
Carole was standing on the other side of the bed, looking at Jake, worried but keeping quiet for now.
“Not so far, ever since Angus changed hospitals, everything’s been so much better,” Maureen said, waiting for Jake to relay the message.
“Thank f*ck for that, he’s someone else’s problem,” Elodie muttered. “But, I do know one of the Doctors at his new job, so I gave her a heads up. She’ll keep him in line.”
“Amen to that,” Maureen said, shaking her head. “Nothing else unless you and Ayumi wanna stop dancin’ around each other and ask her out.”
Jake stared at her, eyes wide even as Carole began to giggle. Elodie looked at him. “What did she say?”
“Um,” Jake said, before shoving his hand out a Maureen who took his hand, smiled over at Elodie who didn’t look surprised before repeating what she had said.
It was fascinating to watch Elodie blush and duck her head as Maureen dropped her hand and Jake wrapped both of them back around the now-drinkable tea. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, looking away from the three of them as she started to tidy up.
“Who’s Ayumi?” Jake asked, taking another sip of the tea.
“One of the Doctors here. She works over in peds,” Maureen said before Elodie could reply.
Humming, Jake took another sip of tea, even though he kept the blanket around his shoulders. With two ghosts in the room, he was cold, no matter how warm the tea was. “At least you know she’s good with kids,” he said, grinning when Elodie whirled around and glared at him.
“Don’t you start,” she said, pointing a finger at Jake. “Or maybe we can talk about the feelings you caught with your f*ck buddy.”
“Ohh, I like this question,” Carole said, looking between Jake and Maureen. “Considering it’s my son that he was with.”
Maureen looked over at Carole. “Really?”
Carole nodded. “I love that boy, but both him and Jake are dumber than a bag of bricks.”
“Hey!” Jake said, glaring over at Carole, who crossed his arms and dared him to disagree. “We just saw things differently.”
“Wanna fill in the blanks for those of us only hearing one half of the conversation?” Elodie asked, looking intrigued but not put out at the fact that she was being left out of half the conversation.
Before Jake could reply, his phone rang, and he dug it out and answered it without looking at it. He was glad that he didn’t have to answer. It was one thing to ignore questions from two ghosts, but it was always harder when it was a living person.
“Seresin,” Jake said, putting the phone to his ear.
“Jake?”
It took Jake a second to recognize the voice, as filled with fear as it was. “What the f*ck do you want, Bradshaw?” Jake demanded, the anger beginning to build, wondering what the f*ck Bradley was doing calling him. He was aware of the other three staring at him, but he ignored them in favor of waiting for Bradley to say something.
Bradley didn’t reply, but Jake could make out snippets of conversation in the background.
“—why the f*ck do you have Jake’s number?—"
“—oh my god, what was that?—”
“—I don’t think that’s—”
“—holy sh*t did you—”
“What part of don’t call didn’t you get? I’m hanging up,” Jake said, moving to do that.
“Wait!” Bradley said, voice cracking with emotion. “f*ck, look. f*ck. We’re…what the f*ck? Oh, holy f*ck, what the f*ck is that?”
Any anger Jake had dried up as he slid off the table and handed the tea to Elodie, who took it with a frown. “Bradley? What’s wrong?”
“f*ck, you can yell at me all you want, but we need help,” Bradley said, sounding breathless. “I don’t care. You were right. I was wrong. I don’t f*cking care, just…holy f*ck, Bob!”
There was a crash and a couple of screams over the phone, and Jake gripped it even tighter, wanting to run to his car and drive, but he didn’t know where he was going. “Bradley, Bradley, talk to me. What’s happening? Where are you?”
“f*ck, is he okay?” someone said over the phone before Bradley came back on the line.
“Jake. Jake. We need help. We’re at the New Peace Ranch—”
“Run,” Jake interrupted, fear settling in like a lead weight as his vision began to blur. “Bradley. Get out of there. Run. Break any door, any window, but run.”
“We’re trying!” Bradley said, breathless and labored. “But something…something keeps stopping us!”
Jake started running, ignoring Elodie’s questioning shout as he left, ignoring the wide-eyed looks as he sped through the hospital. “Stop moving wherever you are. Stop moving. Are you all together?”
“Yeah, yeah. Bob’s…something shoved Bob? He was just standing there, and then he was flying, and he hit his head, and it’s bleeding,” Bradley said, sounding panicked.
“He’s fine, he’s fine,” Jake said, thankful that he ran on the regular so he could talk and run at the same time. “What’s on the walls? What’s written on the walls in the room you’re in?”
“What?” Bradley asked.
“Read the walls, Bradley,” Jake snapped, as he skidded into the parking lot and ignored the elevator, hating that it was the middle of the day and it had been filled with employees and he had ended up parking on the top floor. “What’s on the walls?”
“The walls?” Bradley repeated before there was a burst of chatter, and Bradley swore. “As we come to the…center? Is that center? Of the journey? And we find—”
“—and we find peace in the end please know that we are free of the shackles that bind us to the ground,” Jake finished, fear making him want to scream. “I know where you are. Bradley, Bradley, listen to me. Don’t leave that room. Get everyone close. Now!”
He kept climbing the stairs, taking them two by two, lungs burning with fear as he listened to the scramble over the phone as people cried out as something happened. Jake wanted to know, but he also didn’t want to know because it felt like he could barely think as it was. He skidded onto the floor and saw his car sitting, a beacon of hope as he ran toward it.
“We’re here. We’re all here,” Bradley said, babbling now.
“Put me on speaker,” Jake said as he unlocked the car and slid in.
“What’s happening?”
“What is going on?”
“Oh my god.”
The voices were tinny and overlapping in Jake’s ear as he grabbed the seatbelt and fought with it locking before he paused, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down enough to put the seatbelt on. “Listen to me, listen,” Jake snapped, waiting for the voices to pause.
He swallowed and rested his forehead on the steering wheel as he fought against the fear. “Stay together. Do not leave that room. I’m coming, okay? I’m coming. But you need to stay there, don’t leave. You’re going to see things, you’re going to hear things. But you don’t leave. You don’t let anyone else leave. You hold hands and sing f*cking kumbaya if you need to. But you don’t move. Do you understand me?”
“Jake. What’s happening?” Bradley asked, voice sounding small and distorted over the speaker.
“I’ll explain later. But do you understand?”
“Oh my god, do you see…? There’s a body! sh*t, someone needs help in the next room,” someone, maybe Fanboy, shouted suddenly.
“No!” Jake yelled into the phone. “Don’t! f*ck don’t go into that room. No matter what. Do not go!”
“There’s someone!”
“And they’re already dead. They’re making you see things. They’ve been dead a long time. Don’t go into that room,” Jake said, begging over the phone.
“Jake?”
Bradley sounded like he was turning and talking to someone else, and Jake had a sinking feeling in his gut. “Bradley. Bradley. Honey. That’s not me. I’m not there. It’s going to take me thirty minutes to get there. No matter what you hear, that’s not me.”
The silence over the phone was loud, and Jake could make out the heavy breathing on the other side. “What the f*ck is going on, Jake?” Bradley demanded, voice shaky with anger and fear even as tinny as it was, and Jake just wanted to hold him. Kiss his forehead and tell him everything was going to be okay.
“I’ll explain it all later, I promise,” Jake said, turning his car on. “Don’t say anything, but you remember the ice cream you got?” he asked as he began to back out. “The flavor of it?”
“Yeah?” Bradley said, sounding confused even as someone else whispered.
“When I get there. I’ll tell you what you got, so you know it’s me, okay?” Jake said, beginning to drive, eyes on the parking lot, anxiety beginning to crawl up his throat. “I need to hang up because I need to make some calls. But I’m coming, okay? I’m coming. I promise. You’ll be fine. You’ll all be fine, just stay there and don’t leave? Okay?”
“Jake, f*ck. Okay, okay. We’ll see you soon,” Bradley said, fear making his voice thick and anxious, and Jake tore out of the parking lot and onto the road, aiming for the freeway.
“Okay,” Jake said before he hung up and pulled up his contacts, knowing Javy and Halo were in a movie, but he hoped they got it as he called Javy, unsurprised when it went to voice mail. “f*ck. Someone let Bradley and the others in the New Peace Ranch. I’m going there; please get there as soon as you can. I’m going to need help after.”
With that, he hung up and then dialed the next person as he connected the phone to his car as he got onto the freeway, blowing past the cars who were driving too f*cking slow.
“Jake?” Jason asked, sounding wary and confused.
“Someone let Bradley and his f*cking friends into the goddamn New Peace Ranch!” Jake snapped. “I’m heading there now to help them, but I need you to make sure I don’t get a f*cking cop on my f*cking tail trying to take me out!”
The silence over the phone was loud for a second before Jason started yelling at someone. Jake ignored it in favor of cutting around a car that was in his way. “How the f*ck did they get in?” Jason demanded, coming back.
“I don’t f*cking know! Bradley works for Phoenix, she’s some f*cking YouTuber, and she follows the rules as far as I know, and there’s no way for them to get in because only the f*cking Chief has the goddamn key!” Jake yelled as he swerved around another car.
“I thought he was a musician?” Jason said, sounding confused.
“Not the time!” Jake replied. “Who the f*ck let them in?”
“I don’t know. The Chief said no one contacted him about anything.” There was a pause and a scuffle. “sh*t, the keys are missing. f*ck. Okay, I’ve got the Chief to put out an alert, so you’ll be left alone,” Jason said, sounding anxious. “Are the others with you?”
“They went to a f*cking movie! I didn’t f*cking think this would happen!” Jake replied, pressing down on the gas with the knowledge he wouldn’t get pulled over. “f*ck! They’re close to the center, Jason.”
Jason was silent before he muttered a string of curses that spanned multiple languages. “f*ck. f*ck. Okay, I’ll meet you there. Okay?”
Jake nodded his head. “Okay. Okay. f*ck.”
“The Chief is gonna figure out what happened on this end. Drive safe,” Jason said, his tone telling Jake how unlikely he thought that was.
“Okay, okay. Thank you,” Jake said before he hit the end button and focused on getting out of the city as quickly as he could because he knew the last part of the drive wasn’t ever safe.
Jake could feel his heart in this throat as he parked next to a Bronco he knew well and got out, staring up at the dilapidated façade of the building. It looked worse up close, the cracks and peeling paint a testament to time and the plants shoving their way through rotted floorboards telling Jake that nature was slowly taking the house back even in the inhabitants didn’t agree.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a moment to center himself. Jason was coming. Javy, Omaha and Halo would be there soon. He wasn’t his Mom; he wasn’t going to die in the building, alone and cold as she fought to send on the people who lingered, trying to make it safe, but there had been too many. He just needed to get to the center of the house, forever thankful that, despite never stepping foot inside, he had studied the floor plans and photographs from the case file enough that he knew where to go.
“Please,” Jake whispered as he opened his eyes and drew his shoulders back, not sure who he was asking. “Please give me the strength.”
Jake Seresin could see ghosts. And he could help them move on. And Marie Seresin had taught him everything she had known. She had taught him how to help them move on, to talk to them. And with her death, she taught him that sometimes, there’s no helping a ghost.
“Alright,” Jake said, reaching for the warm part of himself as he started stalking up the stairs and into the door that swung open before he had even reached it and a face he had watched get closer and closer to the real world stared back at him.
“Look! Baby Jake has finally made it home,” said Lexie Jarvis, face twisted and morphed from what had once been a pretty woman into something dark, rage and anger in her eyes despite the smile twisting her face into something made of nightmares. “You're such a meanie, but Nate says it’s so good that you are coming home. He’s been waiting for you.”
Without saying anything, Jake slammed his hand against her chest and pushed watching as her face changed to shock, to understanding before she disappeared, and Jake kept moving, following the maze that the policemen had mapped once upon a time toward the center of the house. And to Bradley.
Jake might take after his Mom, but he was also his Dad. And sometimes, sh*t just needed to get done.
The cold was sinking into his bones, and he had started shivering a while back, his hands feeling like they didn’t work. He wished he had grabbed his jacket, but he hadn’t been thinking as he kept walking, the lingering traces of the people who had once been alive more wary of him now. But there was still a lot, and they would get brave and surge forward in groups of one, and then two, and then three, and Jake had to fight, slamming his hands against them and pushing, sending them to wherever they would go next, uncaring of the looks of shock and dismay that would cross their faces right before they disappeared.
They had made their choices, and Jake was making his.
“I hear something,” someone said, the voice barely audible, but it was something.
“Again?” someone else said.
Someone else. “What was that?”
“Ah, f*ck, f*ck!”
Jake looked at the walls, at the words written there and he turned left, spotting a shut door with two men in front of it, both of them grinning at him. Jake paused, taking in the way they towered, both of them dwarfing him. He could feel the shakes under his skin, and he shook his head as he forced it down, gritting his teeth as he stalked forward.
“You’re not gonna get through,” one of the men said.
“You’re shaking. So cold, aren’t you? You wouldn’t be cold if you joined us,” the second said.
“We need to go! There’s! f*ck, something keeps grabbing me!”
“We could be family,” the first said, blue eyes staring at him, wide and pleading as if that was all he wanted in the world.
"We stay!"
Jake ignored them, even though some part of him wanted to reason with them. To ask them to just move on, but there were too many, and he could make out voices all around him, and he knew more and more of the ghosts would be coming soon. They never actually knew how many people had gone with Nate, but Jake had a feeling there were a lot more than any of them thought, and he could feel them pressing around him. He was exhausted; his eyes were fighting to stay open, and all he wanted to do was curl into a ball until he felt warm again.
“We’re waiting for Jake. Nothing else matters. I know what he’s going to say. He's going to be here.”
Bradley’s voice was strong, even if there was an undercurrent of fear, and Jake was so close. He was so close, and they could get out, and he could leave, and never come back. Leave these people to the shell of the house they inhabited, stuck in-between in their own purgatory with no one but each other for company. Shaking his head as if that would dispel the exhaustion, he strode forward, intent on getting through these men no matter what.
The first man stepped forward and grabbed his arm, yanking him back away from the door, and he turned, pushing at the man, but he was tired and cold. He could feel exhaustion licking up his spine like fire, but it didn’t keep him warm; nothing was going to, but he kept pushing until the man was gone. Jake stumbled, hitting the wall with his shoulder before the second man grabbed him, and he pushed again, fear and anger pushing away the exhaustion, adrenaline helping him until the man was gone. He leaned against the wall for a second, trying to get the energy to move. Someone shouted, the words garbled as people started talking over each other, and Jake pushed off the wall.
Jake was panting as he stumbled to the door, turning the handle and thankful when it opened, and he could see them. He could see the group huddled together in the middle.Jake could make out more ghosts grabbing for the group, now and again, one of them snatching a shirt just enough that whoever it was jerked back only for the rest of Bradley's friends to drag whoever it was back. He could see Carole and Nick fighting against men who were holding them back from helping, but Jake ignored them as he felt hope fill him. Hope that they would get out of this.
He was across the room, grabbing a woman who was reaching for Fanboy and yanking her back, pushing and watching as she disappeared before he turned back to the group, his eyes finding Bradley’s and seeing the hope, fear and confusion in them.
“Jake?” Bradley asked, taking a half step forward before stopping as if he didn't quite trust his eyes anymore.
“Lavender and dill pickle,” Jake said in answer, reaching out to grab his arm. “Let’s go, let's f*cking go. Get out of here.”
Jake felt another set of hands grab his own, and he dropped Bradley’s, turning and grabbing the man who was trying to drag him away and pushing until he disappeared as well.
“f*ck,” someone yelled.
Jake turned back to the group. “We need to go,” he repeated, grabbing Bradley’s arm again and yanking. “Let’s go!”
Something hit his side, and Jake was sent flying, crashing across the floor. He groaned, rolling to his back as someone landed on top of him and hands grabbed him. He didn’t think it was possible to feel any colder than he was, and he shoved up, staring at a snarling face, and he pushed, the man’s face blinking out before Jake could even register the look of surprise on his face. But someone else took his place, and Jake struggled, kicking and fighting, pushing until he finally got away enough that he could scramble up to see the group standing there, fear making them still even as more hands grabbed him.
“f*cking MOVE,” Jake roared, fighting against the hands, but it felt like every time he pushed one of the ghosts away, another one took its place. “f*cking go, you idiots.”
Phoenix was the first to respond, grabbing Bob, who had blood running down his face. “Come on, let’s go,” she said, throwing a punch at Payback, who danced back, but it was enough, the shock wearing off in a ripple as they started to scramble toward the door. Jake watched them go, watched as the men holding Carole and Goose let go of them to come and join the dog pile Jake was barely keeping on top of as he kept shoving, fear and anxiety and something else he didn’t want to look into keeping him moving, keeping him standing even as his limbs felt heavier and he felt like he could sleep for months.
He shoved someone away kicking at someone else, fighting to keep his feet as he kept getting shoved back and he kept pushing them away. Suddenly, the hands were gone, and Jake felt like he could breathe as he looked around him and saw the ghosts had formed a circle, leaving him alone. He was panting, teeth chattering so hard he was sure he was cracking them, and he felt like his joints would crack and break if he bent them.
“Jake!”
Jake turned, seeing Bradley at the door, eyes wide even as Fritz kept trying to grab him and drag him away. Bradley took a step closer, fighting off Fritz, even as Carole and Nick kept trying to shove at Bradley, but it was no use, their hands kept moving through him. Payback appeared, grabbing Bradley’s other arm.
“Go! I’ll be right there,” he said, hoping he wasn’t lying. “I just need to finish this,” he said, forcing himself to smile as Bradley as one of the ghosts circling him took a step closer. “Promise.”
Another pair of hands grabbed Bradley and he was being pulled back and Jake ignored them, focusing on the ghosts that were still circling around him, looking wary. Jake was panting, the faces familiar from photographs but the names were escaping him. Cold and exhaustion making him want to lay down and sleep.
“Gonna just let me go?” Jake asked instead, shooting a co*cky smile around the group. “There were a lot of you, but now there’s a lot less. Willing to take your chances?” he asked, taking a step towards the door, unsurprised when the group moved with him, not letting him get any closer. “Aww, scared?”
The group shifted and Jake watched as they seemed to relax as something moved closer and there was a pressure Jake hadn’t ever felt before at his back and he could feel fear licking up his spine again, and he fought to keep it from showing on his face but he had a feeling he was failing at that. He swallowed and turned, meeting familiar green eyes and a smile he hadn’t seen since his Mom had been alive.
“Hello, Jake.”
Nathan Ellis had grown up playing with his sister, the two of them learning from their Mother and talking to the ghost of their Father. They had grown up and learned together. Helped each other out. Nathan had even been the first person to hold Jake after his parents when he was born. They all had the gift. But the problem was, they were all just people. And some people were just not good.
“Uncle Nathan,” Jake said, taking a step back, hands up and wide. “How about I just head on out.”
“You killed my friends,” Nathan said, stepping closer and making a tsking noise. “I need friends Jake. We all need friends, don’t we? You came for your friends.”
Jake took another step back. “I did, and now I’m going,” he said, moving another step towards the door.
Instead of replying, Nathan lunged forward and grabbed Jake before he could get away, slamming him back against the wall. Jake grunted and grabbed the hands holding him, beginning to push, only for Nathan to grin and lean in even closer.
“I’m not them, Jacob. I’m special like you are,” Nathan said, pushing him harder against the wall even as the cold began to seep into his bones. “You don’t even know what you’re capable of. But I’m going to show you.”
“No thanks,” Jake grunted as he kept pushing, fear washing away any familial feelings towards the man who had probably killed his Ma in his insanity. He could feel something fighting against him, and he could see the strain on Nathan's face as Jake kept pushing.
He was exhausted, he was tired, he was hurt and lonely, and he wanted to work things out with Bradley and tell him all his sh*tty family history. He wanted to see Javy Halo and Omaha find happiness in whatever form it was. He wanted to write his next book and see his book turned into a movie and know that those were his words and his characters because, as a kid, all he wanted to do was write stories of heroes who could come in and save the day, but as an adult, all Jake wanted was to find love. He wanted all of this, and he needed to live.
“No,” Jake repeated, reaching deeper into his family's heart and pushing even harder, some of the cold fading, but Jake’s vision began to blur as he kept fighting. “No!”
Nathan’s eyes widened as Jake started to win, the force holding him against the wall lessening with each passing breath.
“Marie didn’t fight this much, she gave up so easily,” Nathan goaded. “It was kinda sad.”
“I ain’t my Mama,” Jake said, knowing the lie for what it was, but also, he knew there was some truth to it. His Mom was tired and worn down from a life of trying to help people, but Jake could let go, unlike his Mama. He could let go and do what needed to be done so he didn’t let ghosts of people he never knew drag him toward the grave before he was ready.
He could feel sweat pouring down his face even as he shivered and he pushed harder, ignoring the cries around them and focused on the look of confusion on Nathan’s face a split second before his face twisted into a snarl.
“Fine, come with me then,” Nathan said, the snarl changing into a smile, and before Jake had a chance to react, Nathan was gone, and so were the others, but then Jake felt something sink into the part of him that let him do this and then he was falling and falling and falling until he wasn’t.
He was standing, feet planted on something solid, but it was black. Jake could make out his hands and his feet, but when he lifted his head, all he could see was black, stretching in every direction, as far as the eye could see. He turned slowly, trying to see if he could make out something, but it all looked the same. He took a step in one direction, but nothing changed. He turned, looking behind him, but it was the same. Endless darkness stretching into infinity all around him. He turned again before he stopped, planning hands on his hips and sighing.
“Well. sh*t.”
Bradley had never been more excited to see the sun in his life as they burst out of the house and they all stumbled away from the door, backing up until they hit cars. They were all panting, and Bradley couldn’t stop moving away from the house until he felt like he had run a mile. He felt like could breathe for the first time since hands had grabbed his shirt and pulled him. Hands that didn’t exist and didn’t belong to anything.
“What the f*ck,” Bradley gasped, turning and looking at the building that looked normal, if run down and old but he knew what lay inside now. “What the f*ck.”
He slumped against the car and stared up at it, wide-eyed as he tried to make sense of the day. They had been going to get some footage from the New Peace Ranch, the sight of a mass suicide twenty years ago where only one person had survived, according to the police Chief Bob had talked to. Fanboy had gotten the permits needed to visit from the Chief and the keys, and they had gone. The house was creepy, and all it had done was make Bradley think of Jake and how much he missed him. He wanted to talk to him, but the familiar anger was still sitting there, and he knew it was for the best. Jake was hot, he was fun to talk to and hang out with, and the sex was so good it still made Bradley’s eyes cross when he thought about it as he jerked off, but that was it. Their lives were incompatible, and Bradley needed to remember that.
The house was creepy, but Bradley was getting good footage as they kept moving into the house, the rooms a maze but Bob had figured out the route using the city floor plans and whatever other meager information he had found online and from the Chief. The more Bradley learned about it, the more he was surprised how few people knew about it. It was ripe for a podcaster to come and make a name from everything associated with it, but there was almost nothing about it.
It had been going fine until he felt something tug at his shirt, but when he turned, no one had been there, and he hadn’t thought anything of it. The house was old, and things were broken, and he figured he had just caught it on something. He had seen how the others were reacting, worried and moving slower and slower, which just pissed Bradley off with the constant reminder of Jake he couldn’t get away from.
It wasn’t until he had been staring at Bob and had seen the man sent flying that the anger started to crack and start to let belief in.
“What the f*ck, what the f*ck was that?” Fanboy demanded, panicked and angry as he paced in front of Bradley.
“Did you see? f*ck? How many were there?” Yale asked, arms wrapped around himself, standing next to Harvard, who had crouched and covered his head with his arms.
Bradley had seen. He had seen the door fly open and Jake step in, his face white and lips blue, his eyes bright, and still the best thing Bradley had ever seen. He had seen Jake race across the room, reaching out to grab something, only for a woman to appear right before his eyes. She had been angry, pissed off, and her face twisted into a snarl, and then she was gone, and Jake was talking, and all Bradley wanted to do was kiss him.
“Ghosts are real,” Bradley said, letting it out into the world for the first time before he bent over, curling his hands around the back of his neck. “Oh, holy f*ck.”
“Guess Rooster’s finally caught up,” Harvard said, a little breathless and a lot maniacal. “What the f*ck. I’m a lawyer, so why am I here?”
He sounded like he was talking to himself, and Bradley didn’t take any offense to it. Not when he was rearranging his worldview, fitting it into his life, and realizing he owned Jake one hell of an apology. The thought of Jake had him lifting his head and pushing away from the car, taking a step toward the house, half expecting Jake to come out, looking as stunning as he always did, the blue tint gone from his lips and glaring at Bradley, green eyes flashing like a storm.
“Where’s Jake,” Bradley said, voice breaking as he took another step toward the house before fear made him come to a stop, and he looked around the group. “Where’s Jake?”
The shrill note in his voice wasn’t hard to miss, and he was more and more aware of the group looking at him.
“Why the f*ck do you have his number?” Fanboy asked, looking paler than Bradley had ever seen him.
“Is that important right now, Mick?” Payback asked.
“Well, it’s better than thinking about whatever that was,” Fanboy replied, throwing a hand out to the house where Jake still hadn’t left.
“He was right behind us,” Bradley said, looking over at Payback, who nodded. “Right?”
“Yeah, he said he’d follow,” Fritz said, appearing and wiping a hand over his mouth like he had just finished throwing up. “He said he’d follow, but there…he was looking at something?”
“Ghosts,” Bradley mumbled, feeling like he was going to be sick himself. “f*cking ghosts.”
“Also, what the f*ck is lavender dill pickle Rooster? Since when do the two of you have inside jokes?” Fanboy snapped, pacing, hands thrown up. “You met him once? Twice? The second time was at the grocery store, and you were an asshole.”
“Woah, Mick,” Payback said, getting in Fanboy’s path and wrapping arms around him.
It took Bradley a moment to register that Fanboy’s voice had been cracking. Bradley shook his head and looked over, seeing the wide eyes and frantic look on Fanboy’s face. It was enough to make Bradley aware of his own body and how his hands were shaking, and his eyes hurt like he hadn’t blinked in a few moments. He rubbed a hand over his face and looked around the rest of the group, counting them off. Phoenix was murmuring to Bob, who kept shushing her; Harvard and Yale were sitting, shoulders pressed together, and Fritz had a hand wrapped around the cross he wore around his neck, head bowed and murmuring.
Before Bradley could say anything the sound of a car reached them and Bradley turned in time to see a black sedan round a corner, a blue and red light flashing in the window as it skidded to a halt next to Jake’s and he saw the Detective get out. Jake’s ex, the one he had run into after the dinner had ,felt more like a date than anything else.
“Where’s Jake?” the Detective said, eyes scanning the group before they settled on Bradley, and he took a few steps forward. “Where the f*ck is Jake?”
Before Bradley could reply, he felt something shove him, and he stumbled, eyes wide as he stared around, backing away from whatever it was. “What the f*ck?” he asked as he was shoved again toward the house.
“Oh my god,” Fanboy said, sounding like he was about to have a panic attack and Bradley looked up, only to see him staring at the house and it took a moment for Bradley to make out what he was seeing.
The front door had a half panel of glass, and it was one of the few ones that wasn’t broken and Bradley watched as something dragged through the glass, an A following the J that was already written in the dust and grime. “What?” Bradley asked, taking a step back only to be shoved forward.
He whirled around, wide eyed, looking for the culprit but no one was close. Everyone was staring at him in shock except for the Detective, Jason Walters his brain finally supplied him, who was watching him, mouth grim as he looked between Bradley and the door.
“Jake’s inside, isn’t he?” the Walters asked.
Except, Walters wasn’t watching him, he was looking at something just beyond Bradley and when he turned, there was no one there. He looked back. “Who are you talking to?”
Walters scrubbed a hand over his face and looked up at the house with a look of fear. “Jake’s always got a ghost or two hanging around, they like someone who will talk back.” He paused and scrubbed both hands over his head. “f*ck.”
Bradley looked at the door that now had Jake’s name written on the glass pane and he felt something whisper over his back and he thought about Jake, and how cold he looked. About the few times he had called Bradley up after something like this, where he had helped them move on and how jittery he was, his eyes darting around even with the bags under his eyes, exhausted and tired and it didn’t take a genius to put everything together.
“f*ck,” Bradley said before he started running, ignoring the confused shouts of his friends as he slammed his way into the house. He ignored everything, taking the same path they had taken out, ignoring the broken windows and the moments when it had felt like something had touched him, but there had been nothing there. But there had been something, someone, and Bradley couldn’t think about it. All he could think about was Jake.
It didn’t take long to slide into the room, and it took even less time to spot Jake lying on the floor, eyes closed and white as a ghost. Bradley shuddered at the comparison as he skidded to a stop next to Jake and dropped to his knees, grabbing for his hands only to hiss at how cold Jake was. “Sweetheart, f*ck, honey. I need you to open your eyes,” Bradley said, cupping Jake’s face and patting his cheek before fear struck him and he dug fingers into the side of Jake’s neck until he felt a pulse and he let out a sob.
He didn’t know why Jake wasn't waking up, but his pulse was there, even though he was so cold. His normally golden tan skin was white, and his lips were blue and when Bradley lifted a hand between his own, he could see the tips of his fingers were blue as well. “Jake, come on. I need you to wake up,” Bradley said, rubbing a hand over Jake’s chest, trying to remember anything from the first aid training he had done when he had spent a summer working as a camp counselor.
Jake didn’t wake.
“f*ck!” Bradley snapped, fear beginning to crawl up his throat, and he could feel a burning behind his eyes.
There was a crash and Bradley looked up to see Walters skid into the room, face pale with fear as he came to a stop. “Jake?” he asked, dropping down next to Jake.
“He has a pulse,” Bradley said as he grabbed Jake and hauled him close, wrapping arms around his torso. “Grab his legs. We gotta get him outside.”
Thankfully, Walters didn’t seem inclined to argue as he grabbed Jake’s legs, and the two of them carried him outside carefully, his dead weight making it near impossible, and Bradley couldn’t look at the way his arms swung like a marionette with no master at its string.
“Oh my god,” was the first thing Bradley heard as he backed down the stairs and felt the sun. He ignored whoever it was as he and Walters set Jake down, but Bradley kept his arms wrapped around Jake’s torso, pulling him back against his chest and wrapping his arms tight around him, hands rubbing over his chest again, trying to get him warm again.
“Come on,” Bradley said into Jake’s ear. “Come on, sweetheart, open those pretty eyes for me and tell me all the ways I’m doing this wrong,” he said, shaking Jake, but he was still limp.
“What’s happening?” Fanboy asked.
“He’s…f*ck. When he interacts with ghosts, it drags the heat from him. Something about this plane of existence and whatever the ghosts are on. I don’t know,” Walters said, crouching next to Bradley and grabbing Jake’s hand to rub them.
“Remember at the house?” Bob asked. “He had the boiling jug, and then Mrs. Garcia showed up, and then it was cold.”
“Okay, so he just needs to warm up?” Phoenix asked, voice shaky but determined.
“We can’t warm up hypothermic patients too quickly, or they’ll go into shock,” Yale said, voice raspy.
“Is that the same for this?” Fritz asked. “Like, it’s ninety degrees, man; this isn’t exactly a normal reason to be cold.”
“I don’t know! I just, f*ck. I was a lifeguard for one summer, Fritzy!”
Bradley ignored them in favor of pulling Jake even closer, trying to focus around the panic was that building in the base of his throat. He wanted to go back to weeks ago, before the stupid supermarket where he had shoved his foot in his mouth, and he had seen the anger in Jake’s eyes. He wanted the fun booty calls, coming over to Jake’s place and finding him naked. Sex on the couch because they just couldn’t make it to the room and the moments after when Bradley didn’t want to leave, and Jake didn’t shove him out. It had felt more real than anything Bradley had been expecting, and that, more than anything, had terrified him.
“He always warms himself up quickly, so it should be fine,” Bob said, catching Bradley’s attention, and he looked up at the man. “At the house, and then the second time. His friends just warmed him up as quickly as they could, right?
A thought struck him, and he lifted his head to look at Walters who looked worried and Bradley wondered if the man still cared for Jake, but he shoved it to the side. “You know where Jake lives?” Bradley asked, aware of the sudden silence when he spoke.
Walters looked up with a frown. “Yeah?”
“You can get us there quickly?”
Walters nodded.
Bradley was standing before he thought about it, Walters scrambling to help. “What’s the plan?” he demanded, grabbing Jake’s legs again.
“He’s got the f*cking hot tub out back; we gotta warm him up,” Bradley said, knowing that whatever had happened to Jake wasn’t normal. And maybe Yale was right, and they shouldn’t warm him up too quickly, but Jake was the sort of cold that wasn’t right. “He always warms himself up, right? Quickly? So, there’s got to be a reason for the hot tub we live in f*cking San Diego! I’ve never seen him use it. The pool, yeah, but not the hot tub. He said he only uses it when he’s got to warm up!”
Walter’s eyes lit up, and he nodded. “I’ll get us there,” he said, opening the back door and helping Bradley put Jake inside.
“Rooster!”
Bradley turned at Phoenix’s voice to see the others staring at him in confusion and worry and he shoved a hand into his pocket to grab his phone, throwing it and his keys to her as he jogged to the other side of the car and yanked open the door. “Passwords my birthday, Jake’s under a peach and eggplant emoji. His address should be at the start of the chat. Meet us there,” he said as he slid into the car and pulled Jake in tight, wrapping his arms back around him.
“Come on, baby. I just need you to hold on,” Bradley murmured, rubbing hands over Jake’s arms, feeling the heating in the car kick on, and he could already feel sweat beginning to stick to his shirt to his back, but he didn’t care. He just needed to warm Jake up.
Walters was out of the car before Bradley had even registered they were back. The car was humid, hot, and sticky, and Bradley felt like he would never have enough water in his life. It made it hard to think, but Jake was still cold enough that Bradley's skin felt chilled wherever he touched Jake. Walters grabbed one of Jake’s arms and hissed, eyes going wide in surprise as Bradley nodded and slid out after him, taking one of Jake’s arms and hoping that it just looked like they were helping their drunk friend back into his house. It took a moment to fish out Jake’s keys and open the door without dropping him, but he managed it.
“Come on,” Bradley said, not sure how much of the house Walters knew but the man followed him.
It was quick to get Jake outside, and Bradley grabbed Jake’s waist as Walters stepped away to shove the top of the hot tub cover off, the steam visible even in the warm air. Bradley dropped into a crouch and threw Jake over his shoulder, standing with a grunt, adrenaline making it easier. A flash memory of being outside, the two of them laughing and smiling, of Bradley finding clothing he had thrown across the yard in his haste to touch Jake wound its way through his brain, and he shuddered, hoping he'd get a chance to do that again.
With Walters' help, they got Jake into the tub, Walters holding his head so he wouldn’t sink. Bradley kicked off his shoes before he thought about it and climbed into the tub, sliding behind Jake and pulling the man to rest against his chest, head tipped back so he could breathe. Bradley turned his head and kissed the side of Jake’s head as he wrapped arms tight around him, feeling like he couldn’t breathe, and he didn’t know if it was because of the heat or because of how unresponsive Jake still was.
“What do we do now?” he asked, looking over at Walters.
Walters rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said, before suddenly digging his phone out of his pocket and dialing someone. It didn’t take long for whoever it was to pick up. “Javy…yeah, no. I f*cking know. We’re at his house. Okay. Just get here, okay? f*ck.”
The sound of people arriving got Bradley’s attention and he looked up to see his friends stumble in, eyes wide as they took in the sight of Bradley sitting in the tub with Jake.
“You could’ve warned me about the photos,” Fanboy said, eyes wide and still frantic. “Also, when this is all done, I will be having words about going through my files to stalk someone.”
“Only time I’ve done it,” Bradley said, not even bothering to defend himself. He knew Mickey was freaking out, and this was his way of trying to deal with it.
He had known it was wrong at the time, but he didn’t care. Not when all he could think about was green eyes and a smirk he wanted to kiss. It was easy to forget about the whole ghost thing when Bradley focused on the bolt of attraction he had felt when he had first seen Jake. The attraction that only got stronger and stronger the more time they spent around each other.
“How is he?” Phoenix asked hands braced on the edge of the tub.
“He’s not waking up,” Bradley replied, pressing another kiss to the side of Jake’s head. “I need him to wake up.”
“What can we do?” Bob asked, wrapping an arm around Phoenix’s shoulders, the swelling on his face turning a deep dark black-blue under the cut, the blood a dark red stain down the side of his face.
Bradley looked over at Walters, who shrugged, neither of them having any idea what to do. Before Bradley could say that, he heard a bang and looked over in time to see Jake’s friends slam into the backyard, ignoring everyone.
“What the f*ck happened?” Javy demanded, glaring around the group. “Why the f*ck were you there?”
“We didn’t know,” Phoenix said, voice exhausted enough that it seemed to mollify Javy enough that he stalked past her with a glare.
“We didn’t know what to do. I just know he uses the tub sometimes when he can warm up enough,” Bradley said before Javy could say anything. “He was fine when he got to us. Awake, and he told us he would be right behind, and then he wasn’t.” Bradley was aware his voice was high, reedy with panic and fear. “What can we do?”
Halo and Javy looked at each other before Halo shook her head. “We don’t know. He’s…he’s never done this before,” she said, reaching into the water and grabbing Jake’s limp arm, her eyes wide and filled with tears. “He…f*ck.”
There was something they weren’t saying, and Bradley felt his throat close up, but he had to know. “What?”
Halo and Javy exchanged a look again before Javy sighed, dropping his head into his hands and letting out something that sounded like a sob before he lifted his head and looked at Bradley with wide, tear-filled eyes. “It’s what happened to his Mom,” Javy said into the silence, nodding at Jake. “She…she was like this when the cops finally found her, and she passed soon after. I don’t…if Jake knows anything more, he’s never told us.”
Bradley shook his head. “No,” he said, pulling Jake even closer as if that would protect him from everything going on.
“It might not happen,” Halo said, not letting go of Jake’s arm. “But we…f*ck. We just know we need to help keep him warm, that’s it. He’s never…f*ck he’s never done anything like this before.”
“He’ll be fine,” Bradley said, stubborn and determined, as he kissed the side of Jake’s head again. “He will be.”
“He will be,” Javy said, the same determination on his face and Halo nodded but he could see both of them staring at Jake, wide eyes and terrified.
“He will be,” Bradley repeated, kissing the side of Jake’s head and closing his eyes. “Come on, Jake. Come on, sweetheart. I need you to wake up. Please.”
They had only known each other for a short period of time, but Jake had wormed his way under Bradley’s skin in a way that terrified him, but now the terror seemed…inconsequential compared to what he was feeling, terrified that Jake was going to die in his arms, and he wouldn’t be able to apologize or tell him why he had let Jake pick a fight, why he had said what he said. He wanted to tell Jake about his temper and how he just needed a few minutes before he was able to think rationally and not just dig into whatever soft spots he could find. He wanted to take Jake on a real date, to show him all the songs he had been writing and how he had actually recorded one and let himself make mistakes only to realize on the playback that they weren’t mistakes.
For the first time in his life, he understood what his Mom had said about knowing that his Dad was the one for her, even though they had just met. How even though his Dad had made a fool of himself badly playing a song for her, one she had said she had liked just to see what he would do, only to end up liking it just because his Dad had sung it to her.
It made Bradley think of the kitchen, Jake leaning back against him and swaying, and Bradley wanted a thousand, a million, more moments like that.
“f*cking wake up, asshole,” Bradley murmured, before beginning to hum the stupid song that he had spent more time than he was willing to admit learning just in case he had the chance to sing it to Jake. “Woahhhhh my love, my darling, I’ve hungered for your touch…”
Everything was still black.
Jake had walked in each direction for a few moments just to see if something would change, but nothing had, and so instead, he had sat down, half expecting to fall because he couldn’t actually tell where the floor was even though he was standing on something. It was disconcerting, and Jake didn’t know where he was. Part of him was afraid this was where he had sent all those ghosts, but he couldn’t sense anything, and he could feel warmth seeping into his skin and his bones, making him feel like he was in a hot bath.
“Hello?” Jake called, weirded out by the lack of echo in a space that seemed cavernous and claustrophobic at the same time. “I’m not really in the mood to f*ck around, so if we could get to the find-out portion of this day, that would be great, thanks.”
There was still no reply from anything. Jake laid back, linking his hands on his stomach, and tried to figure out what was happening. He had been at the ranch, and he had gotten the others out. He had gotten Bradley out, which was the important thing. Uncle Nate had shown up, and he was like Jake, but the worst parts of himself. Jake hadn’t realized until he was older, and his Mom had died, but as a kid, he had always loved it when Uncle Nate had showed up to watch over him. Nate was the one who had taught him how to step out of his body and how to realize there were ghosts around when he was lingering in between the planes.
It wasn’t until Jake was older, and his Mom had died trying to help those his Uncle had had under his sway, that all the childish love for his Uncle died. He didn’t regret pushing his Uncle to the other side; wherever he ended up, he would be their problem, and if his Mom was around, Jake had no doubt that she would be reading Nate the riot act.
But whatever Nate had done had dragged Jake along with him, and now he didn’t know where he was. It didn’t take a genius for Jake to realize he was out of his body, but he also didn’t feel the same way he usually felt. It felt…similar but not the same. He had never ended up in total blackness, able to see himself and nothing else. Jake had never been afraid of the dark; he knew exactly what went bump in the night, but the lack of anything made his heart beat faster.
“I’m getting bored. I’m getting a little bit over this,” Jake called out again, raising his voice until he was yelling.
It still didn’t echo, and there still wasn’t a response. Jake could feel his shirt sticking to his back and he sat up, gripping the front to try and get some air flow.
“f*ck, if hell is hot, I’m going to be pissed off,” Jake said as he moved to stand, stopping when he thought he heard something. He lingered in an awkward crouch for a moment, straining to make out what he had heard or if it was his mind playing tricks on him. “Hello?”
It took a moment for his ears to pick something, and he was up and moving, heart beating rapidly in his chest. But at this point, heading towards something was better than waiting around for it to find him. Whatever it was. He moved slowly, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from, but as it got louder and louder, he realized it was singing. “What the f*ck?” he asked into the silence as the voice got louder.
“…wait for me, wait for me. I’ll be coming home, wait for me…”
A flash memory of being held from behind, swaying in his kitchen, hit him, and he paused, spinning in a circle, trying to find the source. “Bradley?” he called as silence descended, and Jake felt more alone than ever before. “Hello?”
“…woahh my love, my darling…”
Jake ran, heading toward the noise like it was the only thing that mattered, and he could hear Bradley’s familiar raspy voice right in his ear and he could feel himself heating up, sweat pouring down his body as he kept running.
“…are you still mine. I need your love, I need your love. God speed your love to me..”
The singing faded out as Jake skidded to a halt, turning in circles, listening for the noise. “Please,” he begged, not wanting to stay where he was. Not wanting to die here. Not when he had so much. He wanted to see Javy, Omaha, and Halo. He wanted to figure things out with Bradley and finish his book. He wanted to live.
“Please,” he repeated, voice cracking from fear.
“…lonely rivers flow to the sea to the sea…”
The voice was right in his ear, and Jake turned, looking for some sign, and he kept turning, only to stop when something caught his eye. A flash of something in the otherwise black room, and he stepped toward it, each step suddenly a struggle like he was moving through quicksand, fighting against a current he couldn't see as the singing got louder and louder until he was sure it was in his bones and the flash got bigger and bigger as Jake fought and fought and fought and fought and fought and kept fighting because he wasn't going to stay here in the darkness any longer than he had to.
And then it was gone, his eyes burning in sudden the bright light, struggling to adjust as the sudden silence made his ears ring.
“Jake!”
Arms wrapped around him, and he flinched, prepared to fight, his arm drawn back only to stop when his eyes adjusted and he realized it was Omaha holding him and he wrapped arms back around his friend and dropped his forehead down, beathing in around a sob of relief at something other than the darkness just before he felt two more sets of arms around him.
He blinked open his eyes and saw Carole and Goose hugging him and he turned his head, stilling at the sight. He knew his backyard, but never with that many people. His friends and Bradley’s friends, and he could see Jason pacing, running both hands through his hair, and he swallowed, taking a step away from Omaha, who kept a hand on his arm.
“What’s happening?” Jake asked, trying to get their attention, but no one heard him.
“Jake.”
There was something in Omaha’s tone that made his heart ache,and he looked back at his friend, eyes wide and he could see the red rimmed look but there wouldn’t be tears. Ghosts couldn’t cry and Omaha was no exception.
“What?” Jake asked, looking back at the group.
“Oh, baby,” Carole said, wrapping him in another hug.
Jake shook his head and pulled away from them. “No,” he said, walking toward the group only to pause when he finally caught sight of what they were arrayed around.
It took a moment for his mind to catch up to the sight. To Bradley in his hot tub, fully dressed and rocking…him. Rocking his body, murmuring something in his ears and Jake had a feeling it was the song. Javy had an arm around Halo who was holding his arm, fingers pressed to his wrist and tears streaming down her face.
“No.”
It took him a second to realize he had spoken as he took a step forward, shaking his head as he tried to make sense of everything.
“Jake,” Omaha said, pulling him back, an arm around his shoulders. “I…f*ck.”
“I’m not dead,” Jake snapped, unwilling to believe it as he jerked out of Omaha’s grasp and stumbled over to the edge of the tub, reaching for his arm, only for his hand to pass through it. He yanked his back, fingers curling into a fist as he stared, feeling something tighten in his chest.
“Jake.”
It was Goose this time, a hand resting on his shoulder and Jake shook his head, his eyes darting around, taking in the tears streaming down people’s faces but it was Bradley’s that caught his attention, the frown, the way he was still singing softly in Jake’s ear, the same song over and over again like a sirens call and if Jake listened, if he really focused he could make out the echo.
No!” he yelled, feeling anger course through him as he slapped a hand down on the water.
It made contact, causing more than one person to flinch back and for Halo to drop his hand into the water, only for her to lunge for it and grab it again, scrambling, her sleeve soaking wet as he grabbed his arm and pulled it up, scrambling for a moment before her fingers pressed to the underside of his wrist. Jake watched, head tilted to the side, ignoring the hand on his shoulder as he watched relief cross Halo’s face and her head drop forward.
“Come on, asshole,” she whispered. “Wake the f*ck up.”
“I’m not dead,” Jake said, relief making him drop his head between his hands and take a few deep breaths. “I’m not dead.”
“Jake, you’re out of your body,” Omaha said, appearing next to him. “Once we’re out, we can’t get back in.”
“I can,” he said softly, bracing his hands on the edge of the tub and closing his eyes, doing his best to focus. “As long as I’m alive, I can.”
He opened his eyes and looked over at Omaha, who was watching him, confused. Jake shrugged. “I’m not like the other girls,” he said, trying to make light of the situation, but he knew it had fallen flat.
Reaching out, he wrapped Omaha up into a hug and held him tightly, feeling the long arms hug him back, Omaha sinking into him with a noise that sounded like relief or joy. Here, he didn’t feel the cold and he held Omaha tighter, wishing he could do this more and maybe he’d talk to Carole and Goose about it, see if they wouldn’t mind taking Omaha under their wing. He always forgot how young Omaha was, barely twenty, and maybe the three of them could help each other more.
“I don’t like to push how long I’m out of my body; I never do,” Jake said, pulling back and smiling at Omaha, clapping him on the arm. “I’ll explain everything, okay?”
Omaha rubbed a hand over his dry cheeks, but he nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Get back before Halo and Javy hold a séance just to drag your ass back.”
“They would, wouldn’t they,” Jake said, hugging Omaha again for good measure, just because he could before he walked over and braced hands on the edge of the hot tub next to his body and closed his eyes, letting himself calm down and centered himself before, as he had done a dozen times before, focused on the sensation of stepping back into his body.
He opened his eyes with a gasp, staring straight up into the sun with arms wrapped around him, and he started to shiver, feeling the cold that had settled into his bones even as the hot tub began to chase it away but he had a feeling it would take a long time for his body to feel normal.
“Jake!”
The echo of his name came from around him as he turned his head, meeting Halo’s eyes a split second before she was climbing into the tub, Javy a second behind her, both of them hugging him and pushing him deeper against Bradley, who’s arms had tightened around him and was holding him even closer.
“You f*cking asshole,” Halo snapped, dropping her head onto his shoulder and punching him in the shoulder before she started to cry. Javy wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and knocked their foreheads together.
“I’m fine,” Jake said around chattering teeth.
Javy let out a strangled chuckle and shook his head. “f*cking, asshole,” he said, voice filled with relief.
Jake patted him on the arm and turned his head, taking in the rest of the group, who looked just as relieved, and Jason, who had crouched down, hands curled around the back of his neck and looked like he was in the middle of deep breathing exercises. He looked back, spotting Omaha standing with Carole and Goose. He smiled at them, and they smiled back.
“You’re awake,” Bradley said in his ear, sounding shocked as if he hadn’t expected this to happen. Considering his history, Jake didn’t blame him.
Jake dropped his head back against Bradley’s shoulder and turned his head, pressing his forehead against Bradley’s jawline. “Yeah, darlin’, I’m awake.”
