The House

When he drove by after 20 minutes, I went out on my porch and recorded him, but he hit the gas and took off. After that, he went by a lot faster when I was out on the porch.

Simon kept trying to keep me in the house, but I was done with it.

Fuck Dash and his petty bullshit.

I was suddenly inspired and I called the news again. They were eager to take the story AND they got footage of Dash violating his restraining order, as well as me being harrassed by cops at every turn. The code enforcement offers were the first to find the cameras in my house recording everything they were all doing. They tried to tell me it was illegal to film inspections.

"I'm not a business anymore, remember? This is just me in my house with security cameras up," I shrugged. "There's nothing against the law about that. There IS a law about harassment and demanding to inspect a home and not a business. All I have asked was for all of you to leave me alone, to quit bothering me because Dashiel Decklan told you to. He raped me, kidnapped me, tortured me more than once! And you all act like I did something wrong by turning him in. Because I had the nerve to prosecute one of your friends or a boy in blue. Can't you see how wrong that is? What if it was your wife he'd gone after and kidnapped twice and raped multiple times and tortured? Would it still be ok then? All I want is to be left alone. Make this abandoned and derelict corner of town beautiful and livable again. Instead I have to endure more turture from his minions at every single turn. Get out and leave me alone."

I was upset as he left and Simon caught me and hugged me close. I still couldn't see his face, but I could see all the way down to his feet. It was bothering me that it didn't seem to be progressing anymore, no matter how much time we spent together.

The next morning, I woke to pounding on the door.

It was another police officer.

"Ma'am, I need you to step outside with your hands up. We got a report of you brandishing a weapon and threatening people with it."

"What? That's insane, I don't even have a gun!"

"Did you just threaten me?" he asked loudly, shouting into the house. For the cameras I was assuming. "Ma'am, step out of the house with your hands up and get on your fucking knees!" he yelled, pulling his taser out.

I looked back at the camera pointed right at the door, then looked at him. "I am not threatening you or getting belligerent. I want a state policeman here if you insist on arresting me, not one who's friends with Decklan."

"If you don't step out here now, you're resisting arrest! I WILL tase you!"

I sighed and stepped back.

The officer fired the taser and the prongs fell uselessly to the ground when they hit the barrier.

"Please call the state police," I told him again. "I will gladly comply with anything they ask me to do."

He yanked his gun out and pointed it at me. "You will step out here and put your hands on your head or I will shoot you! Do you understand me? I WILL shoot you!"

"If you shoot me, Dash won't get his hands on me and I'm sure he told you not to do that."

The man snarled, then went to lunge into the house and grab me. Immediately, he bounced off the barrier and looked stunned for a moment. "What the fuck is that?" he demanded, slapping a hand to the barrier. "Bitch, I WILL shoot!" he yelled, then pointed the gun at my arm and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

The man looked stunned as I just stood there passively.

He shot again, then again and again. No bullets went through the barrier, they just seemed to dissolve and disappear. "What the FUCK?" the man snarled, then pulled out his radio and called for backup.

I looked at the camera again, then turned back to him. "That camera is livestreaming to the news station. I'm sure they've already called the state police and they're on their way. I'm going to press charges, officer. I have evidence against every single officer who has come to this door to harrass me. Every code officer, everyone. Is Decklan really worth that much to you? To lose your job and go to jail? At least you'll have friends with you considering Dash has been recorded violating his restraining order multiple times. There they are," I smiled as the news van pulled up and the state police right behind them.

"Fucking cunt," the officer hissed, holstering his weapon and going down to meet the state police. They didn't wait for him to speak, they cuffed him on the spot as more cars showed up behind them.

Simon put his arms around me again and kissed my jaw below my ear.

"Think it'll stick this time?" I asked him softly.

He shrugged and hugged me a little more tightly. Leaning back on his shoulder, I sighed, hoping this would be the end of it.

It was less satisfying than I hoped it would be. After the news story ran and all the footage gone through, several people were fired and more were put on leave pending an investigation. Dash barely got a slap on the wrist since he never got out of the truck and he just drove by. There was no proof that he was behind the harassment since Derrick was also fired because of me. I was pissed, but there wasn't much I could do about it.

The news station took all their cameras back, but I immediately put up outdoor cameras and a security system along with motion sensor indoor cameras. Even so, I didn't feel safe. I knew Simon wouldn't let anyone get in, but what if someone shot at me through the windows? The rocks had gotten in through the windows, they wouldn't stop a bullet.

I was pacing in my office, stressing about it since it was the only room with no window.

I remembered then what Ben had said about the windows being outside the house and the dimensions being wrong. Moving to the back wall, I inspected the floor to see if there were any marks, then the shelves to see if there were any telltale signs.

There was a click and the last shelf swung open without a sound.

I stared a moment, then moved closer and peeked in. "How did you open that?" I asked Simon, then grabbed a flashlight.

The windows were covered and inside the room there was an old desk full of papers and old books. Pulling open the shades on the windows, I looked around a little in awe. There was a gun rack with guns so old I doubted they worked. A huge tapestry on the wall that looked ancient and a large family portrait on the other wall. An older man, a middle aged woman and a son who looked late teens early twenties. He was handsome and looked like his mother, not his father, though the older man was obviously his father. I wondered who they were and how long ago they lived here.

Sitting at the desk, I looked through the papers and the old ledger, as well as a diary that read more like a business rundown than a diary.

'Had a meal with Sir Manfred, he will take the deal.' 'Spoke to widow Allan, she seems amenable to selling her land now.'

Things like that, dry and boring.

A lot of receipts, a few lists, bills of sale, boring things.

Inside the drawers was more interesting. Old keys, a stack of bills that looked like they might be worth something, titles and deeds. A great many titles and deeds. I stared as I filed through all of them. Land, businesses, farms. I was going to have to talk to a lawyer about all of these, I had no real idea what having these meant.

Setting them aside, I opened the next drawer. It was full of photographs, mostly black and white and sepia. They looked like some of the first photos ever taken on some, then a few were less grainy. All of them had writing on the back and they all seemed to be members of the same family.

The bottom drawer on the right side held more documents. Birth certificates, death certificates, wedding licenses, military documents and enlistment papers.

The top left had more pictures, but they were all of buildings and houses, including this house as it was long ago.

The second drawer had four long empty liquor bottles and the bottom drawer was locked. I tried the keys I had found, but none of them opened it. I would have to find a way to pick it if the keys weren't somewhere else in this room.

"Holy shit!"

I turned and looked at Ben in the doorway.

"This is fucking cool as hell!" he grinned, stepping in and looking around. "Look at those GUNS! Do you know how much those are worth?!? Holy shit!!"

I chuckled, looking around and taking it all in again.

"Uhh... I came to talk to ya," he mumbled, looking over. "What's this?"

"Snuff box."

"What about this?"

"Looks like a pill box."

"What the fuck is this?"

"Hair art."

"That's gross. Like, human hair?"

"Yeah, it was a thing."

"What about this?"

"A hollowed out and painted egg. You said you needed to talk to me?" I prompted.

"Oh... yeah. Umm... it's Saturday and I'm done with work, and you know, Halloween and stuff. Umm... I was gonna see if you wanted to see a scary movie or something."

"I'm not comfortable leaving the house yet," I told him, smiling over how badly he was blushing.

"Oh! No problem, yeah, I get that. We can watch a movie on TV? Order in dinner?"

"Are you asking me on a date, Ben?" I asked, amused at how off kilter he was when he was normally so confident.

"Uhhh... depends I guess? On if you say yes or no?"

I chuckled. "Ben, you're adorable. Hot even, but... ever heard the saying about not shitting where you eat or sleep? If things went bad, it would be uncomfortable for both of us. Also... I don't do relationships. At all. I fuck, that's it."

"Oh! Wow, ummm... I'm down for that. I mean, if you want. Friends with benefits... if you want benefits. If not, it's cool. I mean, you know. Wait... are like, you and the ghost uh... dude like... a thing? Like... benefits type things?"

I laughed then, a full belly laugh. "No, he and I are not having sex. He hugs me sometimes and puts a hand on me, on like, my arm or something. He's never done more or tried to."

"Oh. Cool. So... we could just hang out as friends and watch a movie? Halloween is all about scary movies and they're everywhere. You like scary movies?"

"Love them. Ok, Ben, I'll watch a movie with you. If you think you can handle sex without a relationship, we can try that too, but I'm serious. I don't do relationships, the second you look like you're getting too invested, I'm gone."

"No, it's cool. I understand. I'm good with friends with benefits! Totally cool with it. I mean, hell, we could skip the movie and go straight to benefits if you want," he grinned, looking me over.

I laughed and set the keys on the desk, then grabbed his hand and pulled him up to my room. As I went in the door, he released my hand and stood at the doorway, confused.

"What's wrong?" I asked, pulling my shirt off.

"I can't come in?" he told me, putting his hand on an invisible barrier.

My eyebrows climbed. "I guess he doesn't want us to have benefits."

"But I thought he didn't care? You guys aren't, like, you know."

"He's old fashioned," I shrugged, pulling my shirt back on.

"Well shit! I was stoked about benefits!"

I giggled again and started to leave the room, but I couldn't. The barrier was up for me too. Looking around, I nodded. "Ok, I get it," I told Simon. "No fooling around with anyone here. Can I go now?"

The door slammed shut hard enough to make me jump, then he lifted me almost roughly and tossed me on the bed.

"Simon?" I asked, a little alarmed.

Pulling me to sit up, he yanked my shirt back off, then my bra before shoving me back down and unbuttoning my jeans. He pulled them off as well as I lay there a little stunned.

"Simon?" I asked again, my heart hammering.

He kissed me then, holding me down, his mouth hungry and passionate. His body pressed to mine, I knew he had no clothes on either.

I was panting and half lost as he moved to kiss my neck and shoulders.

"I'm not sure I can do this," I told him, my voice unsteady as I put my hands on his shoulders, still translucent though I could see them.

He didn't stop, moving down until his lips wrapped around my nipple, his other hand massaging my other breast gently as he sucked and pulled.

"Oh god!" I whispered, my eyes closing. With my eyes closed it was easy to imagine him being there, being corporeal, he FELT real and... so incredibly good.

Moving back up to kiss my lips, he pulled my leg up, holding it under my knee and pushing my other leg wide with his knee. He didn't stop kissing me as he reached down and ran his fingertips over my sensitive pussy lips, then stop and linger on my clit, circling it slowly and making me groan into his mouth.

He hardly waited for me to get wet before taking hold of his cock and pressing it to my wet and swollen pussy lips and parted them as he pushed into me. I sucked in a surprised breath, not expecting him to be so thick and pulled back, blinking.

I stared up at him in surprise, not into nothing, but into his face. His incredibly handsome face with his hair falling down over one eye. He looked solid and real as he held himself deep inside me and looked over my face adoringly.

"I can see you," I whispered, reaching up to hold his face in my hands.

He smirked slightly, then leaned in and kissed me again as he slowly began making love to me.

Holding him, I sighed blissfully as he took me, his movements incredibly gentle for someone who'd been so rough a moment before.

He moved, kissing my jaw, then his lips were on my ear. "You're mine, Sunny," he whispered. "Never give yourself to another! Only me. I love you and you're mine."

"I can hear you!" I choked out, my eyes filling with tears. I realized what he said then, then also realized I was fine with that. "I'm yours," I repeated, still blissful and lost in his arms.

"Forever," he whispered.

"Forever," I agreed, nuzzling into his neck.

A cold chill went through me, a shiver, then he eased into me all the way with a sigh and I felt him throb and come inside me.

"That was beautiful," I told him, tears coming to my eyes as I looked up at him and slid his hair out of his eyes. "YOU are beautiful."

His smile was gentle and almost sad as he got up and pulled me up with him. I'd half thought he'd disappear again when I wasn't touching him, but he hadn't. He always had before.

Leading me to the door, he opened it for me and I laughed. "I need my clothes," I told him, turning. I stood there, uncomprehending as I looked at myself on the bed. I was laying there, looking like I was asleep, but I knew I wasn't. It wasn't a dream. I was dead. I was his, forever, and he'd meant it.

I turned back to him and his hand touched my shoulder. My clothes were back on me and I looked down, still a little in shock.

"I died?" I asked him, confused.

"You gave yourself over to me, my love."

I nodded, looking around. "I need to tell Riley and Ben. They'll know what to do and they know what I wanted done. I trust them to see it through. I need to make a will for them."

"I will show you how," he told me gently and led me down the stairs to my office.

Ben was at his desk looking glum and a little grumpy as he sat building a new D&D character. Something he did when he needed to think.

Simon went around and closed the tab, bringing up a word document.

"Type what you want to say," Simon told me as Ben threw his hands up in confusion.

'Hi Ben,' I typed quickly.

Ben sat up, reading it. "Are you talking to me now, ghost?" Ben asked grumpily.

'If Sunny died, would you carry on her legacy? Rebuild this neighborhood and house?'

"What the fuck kind of question is that?" Ben demanded.

'If she left you and Riley everything, would you use it for good and rebuild the neighborhood? Hypothetically.'

"I mean, yeah. Of course. That's a dumb question, but it doesn't matter. She isn't going to die. That's not even funny to joke about."

'There are a lot of titles and deeds in the hidden office. I will give you all of my pins and write out my will for you and Riley. My body is on my bed upstairs.'

"Tell him to bury you on the property," Riley told me quickly.

'Please find a way to bury me on the property so I can stay here with Simon.'

"This isn't fucking funny!" Ben snarled, then jumped up and ran upstairs.

I stayed and continued typing for when he came back. 'I trust you to take care of everything, you and Riley. I will leave you and him everything. It's important you bury me on the property so I can stay here. I will be close, always. Have the will drawn up and I will sign it. Do this before you call my death in so no one can contest it. Tell no one but Riley until you have the will drawn up with you and Riley so I can bequeath you both everything. Do it quickly and say you didn't find my body till morning.'

"Fuck fuck fuck! Sunny no!" Ben cried, running back into the room and reading what was on the screen. "Sunny! Please! Just go up there and get back in your body or whatever! Please!"

'I doesn't work like that. Call Riley and get the will done right now. Get it notarized out of town today, call a friend who can do it, pull a favor, whatever. Find out now.'

"Shit, Sunny!" Ben cried out, his hands on his head.

'I'm still here, Ben. I won't be leaving anytime soon. Or ever. Do as I ask, please. I trust you and Riley alone, I can't let this go into some court battle. Call Riley now and get it done, please?'

"Ok. Ok, Sunny, I'm on it. And we will! We'll do everything just like you wanted it! Shit, this is so fucked up!" he breathed, calling Riley.

Simon took my hand and pulled me close, hugging me against him to rub my back. "I love you, Sunny," he whispered.

I hugged him back. "Did I die, or did you kill me somehow?"

"Both. You have cancer, I took you before you suffered. They will find the cancer and assume. None will contest the will."

"I had so much I wanted to do!"

"It will still be done and you will be here to see all of it. It's been so long since I have spoken to anyone."

"I'm sorry," I sighed, hugging him harder. "But you do from now on. We have each other."

He pulled me back up the stairs, then to one of the empty rooms and laid me down again, holding me close. "I will tell you if they call for you. Soon you'll be able to hear everything in the house as well, and manipulate things. Keep people out or in. Are you angry with me?"

"No, Simon," I told him, turning to kiss his shoulder. "No, thank you for saving me all the pain and replacing it with something so beautiful. And I'll get to stay and watch everything. Can I ask you something?"

"Always."

"Who put you in that fridge and why?"

"I told you. It was my would be step father. He killed me and I came here to tell my mom to get away from him. I was getting her messages, learning to touch things and do things. He exhumed my body when she claimed I was here and talking to her. Telling her things. He told everyone she went mad and he had me dug up and locked in the fridge in the basement. Had priests seal it shut with some sort of blessing or something and it trapped me in there. Then a witch. I could see, but not do anything. Just see and hear. It kept me from going mad in there but it was still hard. Then the owner changed after so long, I felt it when the old owner died and you became the new owner. I knew you would come to me, find me, set me free. Then when I saw you... You were like an angel. So incredibly beautiful and so full of plans and such high hopes and expectations and light. You're amazing my love and I... They are calling for you," he told me softly.

Jumping up quickly, I ran downstairs and Ben and Riley were both in the hall.

"Maybe she can't hear us?" Riley asked. "Are you certain, Ben?"

"I saw her, I checked her pulse. You want to go check?"

"NO! Shit, no. I've never seen a dead body before... Do you think we should call an ambulance?"