Chapter Text
Admittedly, Charles had not been paying full attention back in the office, when he, Crystal and Edwin had laid out the next steps for the case. He was almost positive, though, that it was not going to plan. Or if it was, their plan was shit.
“Charles! I need the Compendium of–” Edwin’s shout was cut off by the wall behind them exploding. The ghost they were trying to help , mind you, had decided she didn’t want to move on after all. So he and Edwin found themselves running from a pissed off ghost again. Typical case, really.
Charles swung his bag around so he could reach one hand in. “ Problematic Poltergeists?”
“Yes, exactly!” Edwin accepted the book from Charles and began flipping to the proper page. “I believe that the mollification spell might help–” Edwin began, before Charles had to shove him back, away from the “problematic poltergeist” in question. The book went flying out his hands, landing at the foot of their client. Former client, probably, at this point.
“ Shit.” Charles began to reach for his cricket bat, but was thrown back before he had it all the way out. His back slammed into the alley wall, and would've knocked his breath away, if, you know, he had to breathe.
Their client was supposed to be a young woman, Samantha, who’d hired them to figure out why she couldn’t move on. Turned out, she was proper evil. Ok, maybe not as proper evil, as, like, Esther Finch had been, but still, she’d been using and betraying her friends her entire life. Wasn’t hard to piece together the rest. One of her friends had had enough and posted on the Internet about all the shit she’d pulled. Samantha was too busy fuming at her phone to notice when she walked into traffic.
And it was that phone that was keeping her tethered here. Charles could see the top of it, peeking out from the pocket of Samantha’s coat, as she turned back to face Edwin. Which was not acceptable.
“Hey, Sammie!” Charles wheezed as he pulled himself up. The girl had quite an arm, for a dead 22 year old. “You call that a punch? Edwin punches harder than that and he…Well, he doesn’t like punching, does he?”
His poor attempt at distraction was apparently good enough, as it gave Edwin the opportunity to grab the Compendium off the ground and begin searching for the spell again. Samantha came towards Charles again, muttering something about horrible friends and overreactions. Charles was ready this time though, and a well placed hit with his new cricket bat landed Edwin just enough time to crack on with the spell.
Charles watched as Edwin’s word washed over the ghost, and the bright light in her eyes began to dim. Charles remembered when Edwin had first found that spell. He’d accidentally aimed it at Charles instead of its target, and it was the closest Charles had come to falling asleep since he’d died. It was clearly having the same effect on Samantha now, too, as the young woman collapsed against what remained of the wall, a hand on her head as her eyes began to flutter.
“Cheers, mate.” Charles said, tucking his cricket bat back into his jacket. He walked over and clapped a hand on Edwin’s shoulder. “Just in time, yeah?”
Edwin shot him a small smile, before his eyes focused on something behind Charles. Charles turned as Crystal came around the corner, stomping towards them.
“What the hell, guys? You were supposed to lead her towards me!”
Edwin bent down and carefully retrieved the phone from Samantha’s pocket. “We would have, but we were a bit delayed.”
“Yeah, Edwin thought it’d be a good idea to tell our client where we think she’ll end up.” Charles added on, shooting a look at Edwin as he stood. He only shrugged. Samantha had not taken the idea of being sent to Hell very well. Rightfully so.
“I don’t deserve Hell, do I?” Samantha finally found her voice. She spoke so quietly Charles could barely hear her over the traffic outside the alleyway. “I mean, I know I wasn’t a Saint, but I didn’t like, kill anybody.”
Edwin and Charles both just looked down at her. They both knew how unfair the system could be, and they’d seen others go to Hell for less.
“Hey, of course not.” Crystal began, squatting down so she could look Samantha in the eye. She ignored Edwin’s whispered criticism of empty promises and took the young ghost’s hand in hers. “I’m no Saint either. We’ve all made mistakes.”
Samantha sniffled. “I didn’t mean to hurt Trissa so much, it’s just…it just happened. Maybe I am a bad person.”
As Samantha began to cry full-on, Edwin stepped slightly away and quietly began muttering the spell to break the tether tying Samantha to her phone.
“Well, I mean…” Crystal paused, clearly searching for words. She glanced up at the boys and her eyes flickered with an idea. “They can change their minds, too. If you feel bad enough, or, Edwin, what was it that happened with that boy from your school?”
Edwin paused his spell and shot Crystal a look. “Simon was a very unique case.” He bristled. “And we don’t even know what happened with him. Only that the Night Nurse said he was reassigned. Kindly stop giving her false hope.”
Samantha started to cry again and held tighter to Crystal’s hand. Charles always hated this part. Still, he couldn’t let Crystal do it all alone, could he? He knelt down until he was level with Crystal.
“Edwin had a, well, a friend?” He shot a glance at his partner. Charles could see the tension in the way Edwin was standing, his back even more ramrod straight than usual, and his hands gripped tight around Samantha’s phone. Charles sighed. He’d have to apologize later, but for now, what could it hurt to give Samantha a little bit of hope? “He was sent to Hell for, well–” Charles paused, unsure how to go on without diving into Edwin’s business.
Edwin apparently had no qualms about it, though. “For sacrificing me to a Demon. But yes, his situation is so very applicable to yours. Sacrificing a classmate and having relations with your friend’s partner are–”
“Oi, mate, that’s not the point.” Charles shot Edwin a glare. “The point is that he was in Hell, but once he, like, forgave himself, Death came for him again, and took him somewhere else.”
Samantha’s eyes were locked on Charles and Crystal nodded at him in encouragement. “So, maybe, if you like, try to be better, your afterlife will be better, too?” Charles could hear the question in his words, but it was apparently enough for Samantha who threw herself in his arms. Charles froze, his hands pinned to his sides. “Um, yeah, there, there.” Crystal smirked at him, as she ran a soothing hand down Samantha’s arm.
“Wh-where?” Samantha hiccuped, pulling back to look Charles in the face. “Where did he go?”
Charles looked at Edwin, who didn’t look up from the phone. “We don’t know.” He answered curtly, before stepping forward and dropping the phone in Samantha’s lap. “The tether is broken. Excuse us, but Charles and I must be going, if we don’t want to go with Death, too. Come along, Charles.” Edwin turned on his heel and made his way toward the mouth of the alleyway.
Charles quickly shrugged free of Samantha’s grip, giving her an apologetic smile. “Sorry ‘bout him. Best of luck though!” He waved at both of the girls. Crystal had started staying with their clients, when Death came. She never told him about her, about Death, even when Charles asked. She was never afraid, though, when she’d come back to the office, so Charles wasn’t too worried. He trusted Crystal to take care of herself.
Charles had to run to catch up to Edwin, who was already nearly a block away. Charles could just see the top of his head, phasing through pedestrians as he sped away. So he was proper, stressed then. Usually, they avoided phasing through the living. It left them feeling sticky, or something close to it.
“Oi, mate, wait up!” Charles yelled. Fortunately, Edwin wasn’t pissed enough to ignore him. He stepped off to the edge of the sidewalk and watched as Charles jogged after him. “Maybe a little warning next time?”
“I was unaware you’d need a warning. You saw that I was breaking the tether, so I don’t know why you wouldn’t be prepared to leave.” Edwin paused and tilted his head. Charles braced himself. “Oh, unless you were distracted by sharing my personal history with a random client.”
Charles sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. You’re right, it wasn’t our story to tell.” Charles leaned forward, until he could catch Edwin’s eye. “But isn’t it nice that your story helped someone else, even if only for a tick?”
Edwin gave him a small smile, just enough for Charles to know he was forgiven. “It doesn’t hurt, I suppose. Though, like I said, I really don’t think that their situations were very similar.”
Charles shrugged as the two started down the street again. The sky was darkening, probably with another rainstorm. They were only a few blocks from the office, not far enough to bother with finding a mirror. “Worked well enough, though.”
The two walked in silence for a bit. It was only when they turned the corner and the office came into sight that Edwin spoke again.
“It wasn’t that you told her about me.” Edwin began, then paused as he thought. “It’s just, well. I wasn’t completely honest with you, when I told you and Crystal about Simon.”
“About what?” Charles tried to keep his voice even. They’d been doing loads better about the whole communication thing, in part thanks to Crystal. Okay, mainly thanks to Crystal. Surely, Edwin had a good reason for not telling them the truth.
Edwin stopped on the stoop outside of the office and turned to look at Charles, his fists coming up and betraying his stress. Charles reached forward and gently pulled Edwin’s hands apart, guiding his partner to sit on the stairs of their building. Edwin followed quietly, obviously thinking through his words.
“I, well.” Edwin breathed in. “I wasn’t honest about what we spoke about, Simon and I. I did forgive him. He didn’t know what he was doing, he didn’t know the spell book was real.”
Charles nodded. Edwin had told him and Crystal about finding Simon in Hell a couple weeks after getting back from Port Townsend. It’d taken Charles a while to calm down, but if Edwin had forgiven the guy, he should follow suit, shouldn’t he?
“Well. I didn’t realize it when I was alive, I mean, how could I? He was always taunting me, stealing my cap, and he didn’t seem the type. Well, I mean, not that there is one type, Niko made sure–”
“Mate, what are you getting at?” Charles cut in. When Edwin started to ramble, there was no easy way to get him to stop, other than just cutting to the point.
“Simon was, or well, he is, like me.” Edwin’s gaze dropped to his gloved hands, tangled in his lap. “He likes boys.”
Charles breathed out. “Oh, that’s nothing, mate. Or, not nothing, but that wouldn’t have changed what we told Samantha, now, would it?”
“You misunderstand me.” Edwin’s eyes finally met his, his shoulders squaring as if preparing for a battle. “Simon was in Hell for a hundred years because he was punishing himself. Partly for sacrificing me but also, well…He thought that being the way that he is, the way that we are , meant that he deserved Hell.” Edwin shrugged and straightened his jacket. “It was what we were raised to believe, so it makes sense.”
Charles reached forward and grabbed one of Edwin’s hands tight in his own. “And you know that’s a load of shit, right?”
Edwin smiled and patted Charles’s hand. “Yes, yes, don’t worry. Niko already beat you to that life lesson.” His smile faded, and he gripped Charles’s hand tighter in his own. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Regardless, you understand now while I do not think that Simon and Samantha have a great amount in common.”
Charles nodded. “That’s fair. But like I said, it at least made her feel a bit better before Death came, right?”
Edwin began to answer, but was interrupted.
“Hey, are you guys ghosts?”
Charles looked up. A young man was standing a few meters away, maybe 18 years old at the most. He was wearing a white button up, untucked from rather tight fitting pants. His shoes shone in the grey afternoon light.
Edwin released Charles’s hand as he stood up. “Yes. Can we help you?”
“I’m looking for the like, ghost detectives? I forget the name, but it’s proper stupid–”
“The Dead Boy Detectives?” Charles pushed himself to his feet and reached out a hand toward the young man. “How can we help?”
–
Despite the rude introduction, the young man, James, had a pretty straight forward case. He believed he was murdered, and wanted them to uncover who did it, so they could be brought to justice. Run of the mill, really. Without any other cases lined up, he and Charles were able to start their investigation immediately.
Edwin knew that technically, the weather should not bother him at all. He didn’t feel the variations in temperature, and he could allow the wind and rain to pass through him, if he wished.
Still, he had to admit it was a pretty miserable day outside, even for London’s standards. The rain had started in full, while James recounted his death in their office, and he’d insisted they see the location of his death immediately.
The new ghost sloshed through a puddle just ahead of him. He was still rather newly dead, having not worked out how to go incorporeal enough to let the rain pass through, but corporeal enough to walk without falling through the sidewalk to the London underground. They’d already had to fetch him once.
“Lovely day.” Charles nudged his shoulder at his side, obviously trying to lighten the mood. Of course, because it was Charles, he succeeded.
“Just gorgeous.” Edwin answered, shooting Charles a quick glance. His partner was allowing some of the rain to hit him, plastering his hair to his forehead. Edwin sighed and shook his head, unsurprised.
“Do you think ghosts can walk on water?” Charles asked. He shook his head so that the rain in his hair splattered against Edwin’s cheek. “Like, hear me out. If you blind-folded me and sent me off the edge of a lake, how would I know that I’m supposed to sink? Why can’t I stand on water the same way I stand on an upper story?”
Edwin hummed. “You raise a valid point. Either way, you’re incorporeal, the only reason we don’t fall through the floor is because we choose not to. We’ve been on boats without sinking into the ocean. I wonder, after this case would you like to go North, perform some experiments? We probably should not start with the ocean, in case your hypothesis is wrong.”
“That sounds brills, we should go South, though, to Italy or something. Crystal can come, it can be like a right vacation!”
Edwin hummed again. “Very well.” He took out his notebook and started a new page. Ghostly Suspension over Non-Solid Objects .
They walked a couple more blocks before James finally came to a stop. They were in Soho, just a few blocks away from the West End.
“I was right there,” James said, pointing across the busy intersection. “I was just leaving the gallery to meet up with this girl I was seeing, Bekka. Next thing I knew, I was being loaded into an ambulance here. When I woke up again, I was a ghost.”
Edwin glanced at Charles who raised an eyebrow. “And you are sure you were not a victim of vehicular manslaughter? That's a quite common and reasonable cause of death.”
“I mean, yeah, I figured that, but I’ve lived in London my whole life. I know how to cross the streets without getting hit, I’m not some tourist. Plus, look at this intersection. There's crowds waiting at all hours. I'd have to push through everyone and purposefully walk into traffic.” James began crossing the street, this time without care of being run over. “Besides, I’m telling you, I never crossed this street. Something came over me. I wouldn’t have even gone this way, Bekka was waiting for me at Tate’s, this was the complete opposite direction.”
Edwin opened his notebook again and jotted that down. “It sounds like it could be a case of demonic possession.”
“It’s weird, though, innit? Why would the demon possess you just to kill you a few minutes later?” Charles asked. He peered over Edwin’s shoulder at his notes. “Unless you did something to piss a demon off?”
James shook his head. “I didn’t even know all this shit existed until I died. I don’t know how I could have pissed off a demon.”
“It will require further research. However, I think,” Edwin paused to glance at Charles for confirmation, “We will take the case.”
“Really? Thank you! I can pay, I’ve got some cash hidden away in my flat. I can bring some by later today?”
“Tomorrow morning would be better. We will likely have follow up questions, and we need time to begin our investigation.”
James nodded. “Ok, tomorrow then. Thank you again!”
James headed toward the theater district, while Charles led the way into a nearby pub. It was a far enough walk and poor enough weather that they’d mirror hop back to the office. Charles stepped aside as Edwin began to focus the bathroom mirror. “Have to say, I’m kind of surprised you wanted to take this case.”
Edwin shrugged. “I’m curious as to why demons are becoming so prone to possessing the London youth. I mean, two demonic possessions in less than six months? It’s not unheard of, but is it not odd? I mean, if I were a demon, I would at least possess an adult.”
“Good point. We should ask Crystal about it. I mean hers was a special case, but maybe she’ll have an idea of what demons like to look for, or how it feels so we can know for sure if that’s what happened to James.”
Edwin nodded as the office came into view. “Good idea.”
Fortunately, Crystal was waiting for them, lounging on the office couch. “Took you guys long enough. Where’d you go?”
Edwin headed toward his bookshelf to retrieve his text on demons as Charles shrugged off his coat and hung it on the back of Edwin’s chair. “New case. We think it might be a demon again.”
Crystal sat up. “Really? What happened?”
“Our client, James, was killed in a traffic accident near the West End, but according to him, he was going in the wrong direction and has no recollection of the accident at all. Does that sound similar to when you were possessed by David?”
Edwin looked up from his text and was surprised to see that Crystal was frozen, “What, um, what did you say his name was?”
“James.” Charles answered. “You know him?”
Crystal shook her head, and stood. “Oh, probably not, right? That’s a pretty common name. What did you say his last name was?”
“We didn’t, he neglected to tell us. He will be by tomorrow morning though, you can ask him then.”
“I can’t.” Crystal said abruptly. “I mean, I’ve got a meeting. I mean, I’m meeting my mom for breakfast. Trying to sort that out still.”
“Ah, maybe next time, then.” Edwin sat at the desk and flipped to the chapter on demonic possessions. Charles and Crystal’s conversation melted into the background as he began to read. He was already far more familiar with demons than he wished to be, but it never hurt to be over prepared.
He only made it through a few pages though, when he was interrupted by the familiar flames of the Night Nurse.
“Charlie! Good to see you!” Charles exclaimed, standing from his spot next to Crystal.
“I’ve told you countless times, you are not to call me ‘Charlie.’ I am a transdimensional being, more powerful than you children know.”
“Sure, but what? Are we just supposed to call you ‘Night Nurse’ to your face?” Crystal asked.
“Ideally, you will not address me at all. Ideally, I would never have been assigned to be your minder, but here we are.” The Night Nurse straightened her jacket. “Regardless, I have come to request a favor.” She turned towards Edwin.
“From me?” Edwin was under the impression that the Night Nurse hated him the most. After all, it was his fault that she’d been reassigned. He’d been in his afterlife and escaped, defying her beloved order.
“Yes, from you. I have a child here that is refusing to move on, and he asked to see you. As an employee of the Lost and Found Department, I am delegating his case to you. Please see that he is ready to move on at your earliest convenience.” The Night Nurse snapped her fingers and disappeared in a flash.
Standing in her place was Simon.