Chapter Text
Late at night, after long days and longer cases, the small group would relax together in the office. Niko and Crystal would sit together on the couch with Edwin in his chair and Charles perched on the edge of the desk. It was different than their weekly movie nights as well as game nights. This was just a chance for them to discuss the case while it was still fresh in everyone's mind so that Edwin could write down all the facts. Afterward, the discussion always changed to what was happening in their lives or just general questions. It was always Niko who asked the ones that really made them think, and that night, there was no exception.
"If you could relive one day of your life, would you do it?" Niko asked late one night. No one had answered her as they all thought about the question. At first, it seemed like an easy question, especially for Charles, because he wanted to be alive more than anything besides Edwin. But then the question came of what day you would choose, as there weren't too many days he could think of in his life where he wasn't in some sort of pain. Still, he yearned to be alive again, even if it was for just a day so that he could taste food again and feel the sun on his skin. He wanted to be able to touch someone besides Edwin and feel the softness as well as the warmth of their skin.
"There is a spell," Edwin commented later that night after the girls had both returned to the flat they were sharing.
"A spell for what?" Charles asked from the couch where he sat drawing in one of the sketch books that Crystal had gotten him.
"A spell that would allow you to become alive again for a day," Edwin clarified sounding annoyed that Charles hadn't immediately understood.
"That's brills," Charles responded, a large grin breaking out briefly on his face. It quickly faded as he stared at Edwin noticing that he wasn't smiling back. Edwin knew how much he missed being alive, and if there was a spell that would allow it, Charles was sure that Edwin wouldn't keep it from him, unless there was a catch. That was the case with a lot of the more difficult spells that Edwin cast. The easy ones didn't require a lot beyond concentration and saying the right words correctly. The more difficult spells usually required something of the user. Charles hated the ones that caused Edwin any kind of pain, and it took him a long time to forgive Edwin for casting a spell that allowed him to take down a banshee with ease but left him screaming in pain for hours afterward. "If you knew about a spell that would let us be alive, why haven't you mentioned it before now?"
"Because the spell is extremely difficult to cast, and I wasn't confident in my ability to cast it before now. Then there is the fact that it only lasts for one day at a time. Then at the end of the day, the person must reendure the manner of their death, and I have to admit, I did not wish to watch you suffer again," Edwin stated.
"I didn't suffer that night," Charles stated, causing Edwin to roll his eyes. "Believe it or not, I don't have bad memories regarding my death. I met my best friend that night, and my death was peaceful because you were there, Edwin. Sure, I was in pain, but it wasn't that bad. Not any worse than anything I had endured before that, at least," Charles admitted softly. It had taken him a long time to open up to Edwin about some of the pain he had endured in life, but he was slowly getting better. Edwin still didn't know everything, as Charles still had trouble talking about his parents, but he knew about the belt. Charles would have liked him to never know about the belt, but the scars had followed him to the afterlife, and Edwin could feel them through his singlet when they hugged and had seen them when they attempted to make love for the first time. It hadn't worked out as Edwin had been horrified by Charles's back when he removed his singlet and spent hours gently tracing the scars with his fingers as if he could erase the pain that Charles had suffered in life.
"If you are sure, I shall gather the items needed for the spell. In order to have the best results, I should cast it at midnight so that you can spend the entire day alive," Edwin stated calmly, turning away from Charles.
"You're not going to join me," Charles asked him.
"I have no desire to relieve my death," Edwin answered. It wasn't actually his death that he was worried about. While he had no desire to relive the fear and pain of being sacrificed for a third time, he was more afraid of what would happen once he died. With Charles, he knew that if Death came they could easily hide from her again, just like they had been doing for the last almost forty years. With his death, it could cause a demon to rise out of Hell to collect his soul, and he feared having to see the Doll spider again and feel himself being torn to pieces by it.
"Then I'm not doing it," Charles stated firmly, causing Edwin to turn back around and stare at Charles, the question clear in his eyes. "I don't want to be alive without you."
"It is only for one day, and I shall remain by your side the entire time. Then at the end, I will read you to sleep one more time," Edwin told him softly.
"You won't leave me?" Charles questioned.
"I will never leave you," Edwin promised.
"Alright," Charles agreed after a long moment. Edwin stepped forward, pressing a soft kiss to Charles's cheek before once more heading to collect the supplies that he needed. Charles followed him, watching as Edwin picked up a few candles and immediately held them out for Charles to take. Charles didn't question as he gathered them in his arms, allowing Edwin to collect chalk as well as a few trinkets. He carried all of them out to the main room and set the trinkets on the desk. Taking out his notebook, he flipped to a seemingly random page.
"I need you to draw this on the floor," Edwin stated, showing Charles the drawing. Charles let the candles fall to the floor with a thump, allowing one to roll under the desk, causing Edwin to sigh. He knew that Charles did things like that on purpose just to annoy him sometimes, but needed the candles in order to cast the spell.
"How large does the circle need to be?" Charles asked as he took the notebook to study the basic drawing that Edwin had made.
"Large enough for you to be able to stand in and not stand on any of the runes. Once you start drawing, you need to remain in the circle until the spell is complete or it won't work properly," Edwin told him. Charles nodded, taking the chalk from Edwin and beginning to draw. He made a large circle on the floor, drawing the runes in the necessary places. Edwin then collected the candles Charles dropped, placing them just outside of the circle at the top, bottom, and one on either side. Edwin added the trinkets, placing them in the correct locations as he made sure not to set foot in the circle. By the time everything was in place, it was just before midnight, and Edwin took his place near the top of the circle.
"This is your last chance to change your mind. Once I start casting the spell, it has to be completed," Edwin informed him. The book warned that failure to complete the spell could cause the ghost to become completely incorporeal and remain in a faded existence or kill the caster. Charles didn't need to know that, though, as Edwin was confident he could cast it correctly, and besides, he was dead anyway.
"I'm ready," Charles stated.
"Very well. Then I shall begin casting exactly at midnight. Whatever happens, don't break the circle until the candles go out," Edwin told him. Charles nodded his understanding, watching the clock in the room along with Edwin. As soon as the hand hit midnight, Edwin began to chant in Latin as he leaned down to light the first candle. Moving anti-clockwise, he lit the candles in order as he continued to repeat the same words. Reaching the top of the circle again, the words changed and became less rhymic as Edwin's voice rose before dropping suddenly to a whisper. The flames seemed to overtake the circle and Charles fliched away from the heat that seemed to radiate from them, closing his eyes against the blinding light. Darkness filled the room just as quickly, leaving Charles standing in the cold. He opened his eyes to find that the flames were out, indicating the spell had been completed. He could smell the smoke rising gently from the wicks that had burned down further than should have been possible in the last few moments, and underneath that, the smell of dust from an old room.
He looked around the room, not seeing any difference in the furniture or the lighting from what he had seen for years. Only there was one thing missing, a person, really, who had promised they would be with him despite the spell.
"Edwin?" Charles panicked as he looked around the office and found that Edwin was gone. "Edwin, where did you go, Mate?"
Everything was overwhelming as it had been over thirty years since he could feel his clothing against his skin, and the fabric felt strange against his skin. The room also had a musty smell to it that caused him to sneeze several times. For the first time in almost forty years, he could truly feel the cold against his skin again, and he quickly found that he didn't like the sensation. He stepped out of the circle, moving quickly over to the settee and picking up the blanket Crystal left there, wrapping it around his bare arms. He held the blanket tightly against himself as he moved quickly around the office, looking for the one person who was supposed to be with him. He called out for Edwin as he bumped into the desk, wall, a chair, and everything else, as he wasn't used to not being able to just phase through an object without having to concentrate on interacting with the object first. He skin felt tender and bruised, causing him to regret his decision to be alive as he also quickly came to the conclusion that Edwin was no longer in the office.
Charles tried not to panic as he realized he was completely alone and had no idea where Edwin had gone. He felt fear fill him as he wondered if the spell had caused Edwin to be sent to Hell again, and now that he was alive, he wouldn't be able to go directly to hell to get him, causing Edwin to remain there due to his selfishness in wanting to be alive for one day. He stopped his frantic searching in order to take a deep breath. Panicking wasn't going to help him. Edwin wasn't here, and he didn't think Edwin would be cruel enough to hide from him. So that meant that Edwin was either gone or missing, and if he was going to find him, he was going to need help. Crystal's flat was just down the street as she wanted to be close enough to help when necessary, but far enough away that she could have privacy. He had walked her home many times and knew it only took a few minutes to get there. His mind made up, he rushed straight into the door.