Chapter Text
“Pat!” Alison yelled, looking around her as she walked into the drawing room, “Pat I need some help!”
The ghosts had been sitting around the room, each doing their own thing. Pat stood up excitedly.
“I’d be glad to help you out,” his voice was upbeat, a smile from ear to ear, “What do you need?”
“Julian told me Kitty’s death day was coming up,” Alison continued, walking around in an awkward circle, “I wanted your help planning something.”
Pat looked over at Kitty awkwardly, who now had a grin even wider than usual.
“Well you’ve spoiled the surprise now,” he said, leaning forward with a slightly uncomfortable laugh in his voice.
He looked at her hopefully but she was just looking around the room as if pretending none of them were there.
“Well, if you’re just gonna ignore me I suppose there’s no point,” said Alison.
“I’m not ignoring you, Alison,” Pat’s unease was now obvious and his fellow ghosts were beginning to share it.
“I’ll just go find someone else then.”
She walked out and Pat turned back towards the others.
“What was that about?” he asked, worry creeping into his voice.
“Maybe it’s one of those practical jokes,” The Captain said, sneering at the concept.
“Well now that wouldn’t be very nice, would it?” Pat said, all the calm and kindness having left his voice.
“Does that mean she doesn’t want to do something for my death day?” Kitty asked, eyes wide and pleading.
“I’m sure she’ll prepare something for it, Kitty,” Julian piped up, quite unlike him. Something was bothering him about this. If Alison was indeed playing a prank on them, her acting was impeccable and he very much doubted she had that skill.
It was then that they heard the pounding of feet from the hall and Alison’s voice, raised and filled with panic.
“Seriously guys where are you all?” she shouted, “Guys you’re scaring me a-and I know you’re ghosts but I’m really freaking out now.”
She ran back into the drawing room, the ghosts surrounding her as she looked around.
“Julian,” the Captain ordered, all joking or excitement having dissipated, “Go write something on that damned device Alison used.”
“Where-“ Julian started.
“Behind the sofa, dammit!” he yelled.
Julian ran over to the laptop and, with a great deal of effort, began typing a message.
Alison had put a hand to her mouth in shock, trying to hold back tears. After a minute she noticed the irregular tapping of Julian at the laptop. She followed the sound until she was standing in front of the laptop, opened on a coffee table. She stared at it in disbelief.
Julian pressed a key down and she fell to her knees, tears welling in her eyes and breathing becoming uneven.
She didn’t even try to avoid Julian, falling to the ground in the same spot where he stood.
“No,” she whispered, hardly audible, “No no no no no no no no oh god please no…”
She dropped her head into her hands and fell to the floor.
“Mike!” she screeched, loud enough to make the ghosts flinch, “Mike!”
Mike ran into the room, panic painted on his face, only to hear Alison’s heaving sobs from behind a chair. He ran around it to see Alison curled up on the ground,
“They’re gone,” she murmured, hardly comprehensible, “They’re all gone.”
The ghosts could only stand idly by as the scene unfolded. Their expressions ranged from emotion-less to distraught in varying degrees.
Kitty stood there, crying quietly into Pat’s shoulder as he held back his own tears, comforting her. Robin’s mouth was pulled down at each side as if by a ten-ton weight. Mary seemed to be praying to herself as Fanny stood next to her, head hung in mourning. For the first time in years, Julian seemed to have tears rolling down his face but tried to put on a facade of apathy. Thomas, of course, had run off to cry in the lake but nobody noticed, all too preoccupied with their thoughts.
The Captain simply stood there, face entirely blank. He had dealt with loss before and he wouldn’t dare lose his authority by doing such a thing as crying in front of the group. People came and went; it wasn’t like he could expect Alison to be there forever and they had been just fine before having a link to the mortal plane. That’s what he told himself but, of course, it didn’t matter. Alison had been a strong ally and, dare he say it, friend.
Once the sounds of Alison’s crying finally ended, the ghosts slowly filed out of the room, one by one, leaving behind their goodbye.
‘We’re here’