Chapter Text
The journey home had been filled with static, crackling from the radio and hanging in the air between Vivi and Arthur. Vivi, naturally, had been the first to speak.
“The mansion disappeared.”
Arthur's knuckles tightened on the steering wheel, lips pressed together until they barely seemed to exist.
“I know.”
Vivi gave a shaky smile. “OK, so that was weird, but-”
“But nothing. That was a fucking nightmare.”
“Well, no shit, it's a haunted mansion that disappeared.” She grabbed Arthur's shoulder, causing the van to nearly swerve off the road.
“Watch it!”
“Sorry, jeez. Come on, let's go back.”
The van screeched to a halt.
“Easy with that, it broke down before-”
“Because the ghost wanted it to, Vivi.” Arthur put his face in his hands.
“Yeah, but why? I mean, I've dealt with spirits like those humming ones before, they've just been trapped here for so long that they don't even remember why, but that other one came out of nowhere. What even happened after we fell through the floor? I wound up in the kitchen with Mystery, where did you get to?”
No answer. Mystery frowned and nudged Arthur with his nose, trying to get him to start the engine again, to get home and fall apart there instead, not here, in his gaudy van on a deserted road with an oblivious passenger.
“Arthur?”
Nothing. Mystery gave up the pretence.
“Vivi. We should go home now.”
“But that house-”
“It's gone.”
“But we can still search the ground it was on, look for something-”
“Not now.” Mystery nodded towards Arthur, white as a sheet and puffing out little gasps of air, sweat beading at his temples.
Vivi sighed and reached across to squeeze his remaining flesh and bone hand.
“It's OK. We'll come back another time.”
Still nothing.
“Arthur?”
He stirred, pushed a limp strand of hair off his forehead, gulped slightly.
“Hey. It's OK. Let's swap, I'll drive back.”
*
The next day, Mystery observed as Arthur left for work, Vivi (and, in his mind, Mystery) unaware that he had called in sick. Mystery said nothing, assuming that he'd need some time alone without questions or noise or expectations. Vivi was poring over a series of scrawled notes she'd written out upon getting home. She still hadn't been to sleep. Once the door clicked shut, she glanced over at her not-dog.
“Arthur knows you can talk.”
“Yes.”
“I thought so. He didn't react to it last night. Seems like the kind of thing he'd freak out at.”
“In all fairness, he was already... distressed.”
“Yeah.” Vivi stared at the notes. “I feel like such a dick for pushing this, but I need to go back there.”
Mystery cocked his head to one side. “Unfinished business? Who precisely is the ghost here?”
She smiled sadly. “I just... have a feeling. About the ghost that was chasing us. Or Arthur, anyway. Did you notice that? He only stopped when I was between him and Arthur. And the suit is so... anyway.”
“He?”
“What, ghosts can't have genders now? It was a men's suit, and...”
“And you thought it might be him.”
Vivi glanced in his direction, dislodging some of the tears balancing in her right eye in the process.
“Do you think it might be? I mean, well, look.”
She showed him a map. The same one she had used on that night, to find the cave. She had marked the previous nights detour on it, the one they had taken thanks to a pile-up on the main road. The two lines intersected at a point near the site that had torn them all apart. Mystery could not find it in his heart to lie to her, but couldn't quite tell her the truth either.
“It is possible.”
“The only thing is... why did he want to hurt Arthur? I've dealt with vengeful spirits before, remember that girl in Maine, the one who drowned?”
Mystery did remember. That poor child. She had drowned over a century ago, after her brother continued to keep ducking her long after she could still scream that she couldn't breathe. Her brother, apparently, presumably panicking and weighed down with guilt, ran to shore, claiming to have lost her.
She never got her revenge. The family had moved to Colorado shortly after her death, wishing to avoid the sea that took her.
Vivi was still talking, mostly to herself.
“I guess it's possible he could be resentful that Arthur got to live and he didn't, but then, why wouldn't he feel that way towards me? I lived. I didn't even lose an arm. And that's not Lewis, he's not that kind of...” her voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat. “He wasn't that kind of guy.”
Mystery chose his words carefully.
“Vivi, I appreciate that my advice on this matter may not be needed-”
“Nonono, it's absolutely needed.”
“Well, then. I think that this is something you may wish to discuss with Arthur. Just remember that things may not be as black and white as you think.”
“What the hell's that supposed- wait, you know something.”
“I know nothing. I am a dog.”
“You are NOT a fucking dog, and you DO know something. Tell me. Tell me what happened.”
Silence.
“It wasn't a bear attack, was it?”
“You will need to speak with-”
“No, I will not need to ask Arthur about this, I will need to ask you, because you clearly know what happened, and can express yourself without turning into a complete wreck in the process. What. Happened.”
Vivi was anything when angry, from somewhat overbearing to utterly terrifying. Now, the latter applied more than ever. Mystery had to remind himself that he was, technically, more powerful than her.
“It is not my story to tell.”
Vivi flung her notes on the floor. “Oh, I'm sorry, forget all this time I've spent mourning my dead boyfriend and blaming myself, your fucking integrity is the real issue.” Tears were streaming down her face now, words being forced out through ugly gulps of air. “You knew. You knew what really happened and you lied to me. What don't I remember? What did you do to me?”
“I didn't do anything to your memories, for what it's worth. That was Lewis. He didn't want you to remember him as he was at that moment.”
“Which was?”
*
It had been harder than he expected to watch the two ride the aftershocks of Lewis' death.
Mystery (Gods, he had a name now, how was he used to it? After centuries, he'd been given a ridiculous name, and he responded to it) missed Lewis too. He missed how he frequently smelled of food, how he sneaked him pizza crusts, how he stuck to lower notes on his violin after a higher note had sent Mystery fleeing under the sofa, how he could happily sit there for hours, watching TV and rubbing behind his ears. He even missed that ridiculous young man fussing over him and calling him a “handsome puppy” long after he had reached what he assumed was adult size in this species.
He especially missed the dynamic of the three together. Eventually, after Arthur came home, he and Vivi had entered into a misguided, unspoken agreement; Vivi would drag Arthur off on more cases, desperate to prove that it didn't always have to go so badly, that they just got unlucky. Arthur unwillingly went along with a nervous smile because he hoped that it would ease Vivi's misplaced guilt. Both parties soaked in regret, they continued with the same charade, missing the one component that made it anything other than retribution.
Sometimes, Vivi would talk as though in a trance, repeatedly stroking him while recounting all the cases they'd had where everyone had come out relatively unharmed. Sometimes, late at night, he still found Arthur sat in the back yard, staring vacantly at the stars and mouthing words even Mystery couldn't hear, although he suspected that they were aimed at Lewis and mostly consisted of apologies. And it hurt; he was amazed at how much it could hurt to watch these humans, these sad people, go about their lives with so much to regret.
Humans had such a short life span as it was.
*
Vivi had eventually given up questioning him. By which, he meant that she had screamed, cried, yelled, and, eventually, called Lance. She sweetly asked what time Arthur would be getting off work, apologised for the confusion, hung up, and poured herself a drink. By the time the door clicked open, Mystery couldn't help but wonder if Vivi was a bigger threat to Arthur than Lewis' spirit could ever be.
“How was work?”
“Oh, y'know, usual shit.”
“Well, I'm glad the food poisoning cleared up.”
Arthur froze, clearly caught in a lie. Mystery could see his lips moving slightly, trying to calculate his next move.
“Sit down.” Vivi nodded at the sofa. Arthur obeyed.
“Aren't you going to... sit down too?”
“No.” Vivi set her glass down on the table, and walked over to him. “Tell me what happened.”
Arthur gave a shuddering sigh, fiddling with the index finger of his prosthetic arm.
“OK, I lied. I'm sorry. I just... after last night, I felt kind of freaked out, and just wanted to be alone for a little while.”
“Not your sick day. I want to know what happened at the cave.”
Arthur's eyes darted towards Mystery for help.
“Don't expect help from him, I've spent a good portion of my day arguing with a talking dog. He just kept telling me to ask you.”
Arthur's face had become practically grey, hands twisting in his lap.
“That ghost, last night. That was him, wasn't it? You didn't think I would recognise him?” Vivi's voice was trembling with anger, indignation, her hands balled into fists. “Why was he chasing you?”
“I... d-don't-”
“He wanted you dead. Why?”
All Arthur managed was a small gasping noise.
“Arthur. No. You don't get to do this now. Lewis died, and you AND the fucking dog have been lying to me ever since. I have missed him, and blamed myself, and it's been hell, I want to know what happened. ARTHUR.”
Mystery readied himself for intervention as Arthur's head snapped up and he managed to croak out “I killed him.”
Humans had such a short life span as it was.