Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This is getting disgusting, Taylor thought as she watched her mom and Ray talk about something only parents talked about. Ray was giving her mom lovey-dovey eyes. The only problem is her mom was completely oblivious to it. Ray was trying so hard to get Michelle to notice, it was getting to the point it was pathetic.

First it was letting them stay in the house. Then it was making sure Louie and Miles didn’t try to scare them away, although Miles didn’t want to anyway. Then all of a sudden, he was giving her flowers, or helping her with the dishes. If she pointed out something she like, which really wasn’t very often, it would be there the next day.

Today, Taylor’s had enough. She walked over to Ray, who was trying not to embarrass himself in front of Michelle, and said, “Ray, I need to talk to you. In private.”

He looked grateful and said, “I’ll meet you upstairs.” He smiled at Michelle yet again before poofing out.

Taylor promptly walked out of the living room, calling Miles, Louie, and Frankie. The brothers appeared before her and Frankie came out of her room. Before any of them could speak, Taylor said, “Follow me.”

She continued upstairs, with the two ghosts and her sister following her. When they got up there, Ray was sitting on the arm of the couch waiting for Taylor.

Miles immediately knew what was going on. He grinned and said, “Finally! Did he do it?!”

Taylor shook her head and said, “No. That’s why we’re all here; to talk about it.” She turned to Ray and said, “Ray… It’s kinda obvious that you like my mom. So, we are going to try and set you guys up.” Miles nodded and Louie and Frankie looked amused.

“Really, Dad, it’s getting painful watching you talk to Michelle.” Louie put in.

Frankie added, “Seriously, I almost feel embarrassed for you!”

“So, me and Frankie will talk our mom into letting us cook dinner, which shouldn’t be too hard, then I’ll pretend that I’m going to a friend’s house, and Frankie will ask to be dropped off at the movies with one of her friends,” Taylor stated.

Miles then said, “Me and Louie will just say that we aren’t hungry. We’ll have a pizza ordered and us and the girls will stay up here while you two hit it off. It’s fool-proof!”

Ray was dumbfounded. “You knew I liked Michelle? And you didn’t think to tell me that I was being obvious?! What if she knows? God, I’m so embarrassing!” He plopped down onto the actual couch and put his face in his hands.

Taylor sat down next to him and said, “Ray, my mom is the densest person you will ever meet.”

Ray looked up and said, “Michelle isn’t dense. She’s smart and pretty and perfect and what have I gotten myself into?!”

Louie pat his back and said, “Love, dad. Love.” Everyone nodded, agreeing for once with the youngest ghost.

Ray took a deep breath and said, “You guys are okay with this? Even if this does work, it wouldn’t bother you that your mom would be dating a ghost?”

Taylor shook her head and Frankie said, “Having a ghost for a dad would be totally awesome!”

Ray then looked at the boys. Louie shrugged and said, “If she makes you happy.” Then he walked over and sat down in the arm chair.

Miles smiled at his dad and said, “I love Michelle! She’d make a great mom! And I agree with Louie. If she makes you happy, Dad, then I’m happy.

Taylor added, “Also, it would relieve some of the sexual tension that surrounds you.” Ray looked shocked. She merely shrugged and said, “It’s true.”

Ray thought for a few minutes. He then nodded and said, “Okay. Let’s do this.”

Chapter Text

The next day, their plan was put in action.

In the early afternoon, Frankie goes to her mom and asked, “Mom, Nina asked me if I wanted to go to the movies later. Can I?”

“Sure, sweetie. What time?” Her mom was busy stocking the shelves behind the cash register.

“Around 6. Thanks!” Frankie turned around and ran back upstairs. When she got to the living room, she announced, “Phase One of Get Mom and Ray Together achieved.”

Taylor stood up from the couch, and Miles and Louie popped in. “Good. Now in about an hour, I’ll ask mom if I can make dinner. When it’s about finished, I’ll have Miles call my phone and pretend to be Lily. I’ll ask mom if I can go over there for a while. I’ll say I can give Frankie a ride to the movies. So, now, we need to prep Ray on how to talk to mom without stuttering or say something stupid.”

Right on cue, Ray came in the room and said, “I never say anything stupid.” Everyone gave him a look that said, you have got to be kidding me. “Okay, so maybe I do say some stupid things. Or a lot.”

Louie pulled his dad over to the couch and pushed him down.  “First of all, don’t try to be cool. You’re not. You’re a dad, not a rock star.”

Miles added, “Be yourself. Don’t say things you wouldn’t say just to impress her.”

“Act like you’re talking to one of us. Don’t be nervous. It’s just our mom,” Frankie put in.

“And most importantly: please don’t talk about ghosting powers. Mom hates ghosting powers, so don’t bring it up,” Taylor continued.

Ray nodded, “Don’t be cool, be myself, don’t be nervous, and no ghosting powers. I think I got it.”

Taylor smiled wide and said, “Good! Now, I’ll go start making dinner. What do you like? Does spaghetti sound good? It better ‘cause that’s all I know how to make.”

“That’ll be fine, Taylor. Thank you all, so much!”

“It’s fine, Dad! Just don’t blow it!” Louie replied.

Taylor and Frankie walked downstairs to talk to their mom. They found her in the shop kitchen, baking cupcakes.

“Hey mom! Boy, you look exhausted!” Taylor commented.

Michelle looked up at her daughters. “I am! All I want to do is go take a nap!”

“Mom, why don’t we make dinner tonight? I need to practice cooking anyway for Home Ec.”

Michelle looked uneasy. “I don’t know. The last time you cooked, the kitchen nearly blew up.”

Taylor waved her hand and said, “It’ll be fine! Trust me; I know what I’m doing. Frankie can help, too!”

Her little sister nodded. Michelle sighed. “Fine. Go ahead. But you’re cleaning up the mess when you’re done.”

“Okay, we will. C’mon, Frankie, let’s go get started.” The sisters made their way upstairs.

They began cooking and Mile and Louie came in to help. They were finished at around 5:30. They put the heat on low and Taylor turned to Miles. “Okay, so I’m going to go downstairs and ask mom if I can go to Lily’s. I’m gonna offer to drive Frankie to her friend’s too.”

Miles nodded and said, “Sounds good. Me and Louie will be upstairs waiting. Go around back and we’ll see you. Then, I’ll poof you in.”

Taylor smiled and turned to Frankie. “Ready for Phase Two of Get Mom and Ray together?”

The sisters found their mom in the living room watching TV. “Hey, mom, Lily asked me if I could come over for a bit. Not long, just for an hour or so. She needs help on homework.”

“Okay. Will you eat dinner over there?”

“Yeah, and dinner’s on the stove here. I was also gonna ask if I could drive Frankie to her friend’s house.”

Michelle nodded and said, “That’s fine. I’ll see you girls later.”

“That’s fine. I’ll see you girls later.”

“Bye, Mom.”

***

Taylor threw a pebble at the window. “Psst. Miles!”

The window opened, and Miles looked out. “I’ll poof you in.” A few minutes later, the girls found themselves in their attic.

Ray was sitting on the couch, wearing a nice dress shirt, slacks, fancy shoes, and a sports jacket.

“Alright Ray. Go down there and impress our mom. Don’t disappoint us.” Frankie gave a severe warning.

“I will. Don’t wish me luck, cause I won’t need it!” Ray started for the door, looking rather confident. Of course, that would change once he got in front of Michelle.

***

Ray walked into the dining room, where Michelle was setting the table. “H-hey, Michelle.”

She looked up and smiled. “Hey, Ray. When will the boys be down? The girls won’t be eating tonight.”

“The boys won’t either. They aren’t hungry and they have a lot of homework from their ghost tutor.”

Michelle’s eyebrows creased. “Well if it’s just us, then I’ll just eat in the living room. No need to dirty up the table if it’s only two.”

She walked past Ray into the kitchen. When she came back out, Michelle said, “You can eat in the attic, right? I’m sure the boys will need help with their work.” With that, she walked into the other room, leaving Ray by himself.

He sighed and went back upstairs. As soon as he entered, all the kids gathered around him.

“How’d it go?”

“What did she say?”

“So, are you two like, a couple now?”

“This is great! Now I can annoy both of you!”

They kept chattering and Ray finally had enough. “HEY.” Everyone became quiet. “She didn’t want to eat with just me. She said she was just going to eat in the living room and that I should stay up here with you all.”

Everyone frowned and looked at the floor. Taylor’s head popped up. I got another idea. Ray, offer to help her while she’s working. She would love that! She basically runs the store by herself. It would be perfect!”

Ray nodded and said, “Sounds great. I’ll do it tomorrow.”

~oOo~

The next morning, everyone gathered in the attic. Taylor began with, “First things first. Let’s come up with how we do this. It’s mine and Frankie’s day off, so we don’t have to worry about us having to work. What we need to do is make sure mom gets in the kitchen. She tends to stay out in the shop area when we are off.”

“Why don’t you say you need something baked for school? It is Sunday, so just say you need a batch of brownies or something for tomorrow?” Miles said.

Frankie shook her head. “We were raised by a baker. She would tell us we know how to bake and to do it ourselves.”

Louie interrupted with, “Just spill something and tell your mom. She’ll have to clean it eventually.”

“No, she’ll make us clean it up,” Taylor stated.

They all sat there trying to come up with an idea. Miles snapped his fingers. “I got it! We can call and order a cake. She’ll have to go in the kitchen and make it!”

“But why do we need a cake? It’ll just go to waste,” Taylor said.

Everyone stared at her. “We can eat it, duh!” Frankie told her.

“Fine, go ahead.”

Ray grabbed the phone and called down to the bakery. “Hello, thank you for calling Hathaway Bakery. This is Michelle, how may I help you?”

When Ray spoke, his voice was completely different. “Hi, yes, I was wondering if I could order a cake. It’s for my son’s birthday.”

“Of course. How would you like it decorated?”

“Oh, you know, with boy stuff.” He motioned around, silently asking for what to say.

Miles whispered, “Tractors. Ask for tractors on it.”

“I think tractors would be nice. He is big into farming.” Ray continued.

Michelle answered, “Okay, and when would you like it done?”

“Today, please. His party is at four. Would that be enough time?”

“Of course! I’ll have it ready then! What was your name again?” Michelle asked.

“Lisa. Lisa Braeden.”

“Okay, it should be ready by three. I’ll see you then. Good bye.”

Ray hung up and beamed. “Well that’s taken care of! So, if you will excuse me, I’m off to help my fair maiden with her work.”

Once he left, Louie asked, “Did he just say ‘fair maiden’?”

***

Ray entered the kitchen where Michelle was measuring flour. “Hey, Michelle. Do you, um, do— do you need help?” he stuttered.

She smiled and looked up at him. “That would be great. Can you make this while I go watch the shop? Here’s the recipe.” She slid a piece of paper across the table to him.

He looked at her confused and said, “You aren’t going to help?”

Michelle shook her head and said, “I wasn’t planning on it. Unless you don’t know how to make a simple cake. Then I can take over.”

“NO! I mean uh, no, its okay. I can handle it,” Ray muttered.

“Okay, then, I’ll leave to it. Thanks Ray!” She turned around and sashayed out.

He groaned internally and said to himself, “Why did you say that you idiot?!” Ray turned to the recipe and continued, “Might as well try to impress her.” He got busy on the cake thinking he did a good job.

He slid the cake into the oven and turned it on. Ray had dozed off waiting for it to finish. He woke with a start when he heard a loud bang.

His eyes snapped open and he lunged toward the oven. When he opened it, cake flew out, covering him and the counter top. Michelle ran in and saw him standing there coated in the cake.

She burst into laughter and came up to him. She wiped some off his cheek and licked it slowly off, staring in his eyes. He blushed and thickly swallowed. She smirked and said, “Clean this up. I’ve got to keep an eye on the store.”

He nodded. Once she left, he snapped his fingers and the mess was gone. He trudged upstairs. He called down to the shop and cancelled the order.

“Figures. I screwed that up, too.”

***

A few hours later, the kids found him in the attic sulking.

“Dad! What are you doing? You should be baking with Michelle!” Miles exclaimed.

Ray simply glared at him and said, “I blew the cake up.”

Everyone stared at him in shock, then burst into laughter. Taylor wiped at her eyes and asked, “How?”

“I think I set the temperature too high. When I opened up the oven. Poof! It exploded.”

“That’s priceless!” Frankie said. She continued, “So how are you going to impress her now?”

“I’m not,” Ray snapped. Everyone looked at him stunned. “I’m just going to come out and tell her how I feel. It’ll be better than making a fool out of myself even more.”

Before anyone could answer, Ray disappeared from the room. When he found Michelle, she was in the living room watching a movie. He cleared his throat and said, “Michelle, I need to talk to you.”

She turned around and looked at him. Michelle gave him an open smile and paused the movie. “Sit. Let’s talk.”

Ray sat down next to her. Before he opened his mouth to talk, she interrupted. “I think I know what you’re going to say.”

“You do?”

She took his hand in hers gently. “Ray, I’ve noticed how you’ve been acting around me lately.” He swallowed thickly while she kept on. “You’ve been trying to ask me out.”

His eyes widened and stuttered, “No! I-I mean… Maybe! But… You know. Of course… you don’t have to!”

Michelle put her hand over his mouth. “I knew you were trying to set up a date. You were dressed awfully nice for just supper.”

He flushed as she continued. “I also knew it was you who called the shop asking for a cake.”

Ray pulled her hand away and exclaimed, “You did?! How?!”

She laughed and said, “’Lisa Braeden?’ I know that that’s the girl off the show you watch. Supernatural, right?”

He nodded sullenly. She smiled again and told him, “It confirmed my suspicions when you came down right after that to help.”

The man sighed and said, “I’m such an idiot. I’ll just leave.”

“No! No, don’t go! We still have to talk!”

He paused his finger snapping. “About what…?”

“You’re not an idiot. You’re a nice, sweet man—”

She was interrupted with, “Great, now I’m friendzoned!”

The single mom smacked his arm playfully. “Let me finish! Now, as I was saying. You’re a nice, sweet man that I would love to go out with.”

He waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, Ray said, “And?”

Her eyebrows furrowed and said, “And what? Ray, I would love to go out with you. Honestly.”

To prove her point, she took his face in her hands and brought their faces together.

Chapter Text

Ray and Michelle were lounging on the couch with her head on his chest. He didn’t know why she could feel him at first. He was a ghost, and humans can’t feel ghosts. He got around to investigating it and was happy he did.

It’s said that if a human can solidly feel a ghost, then it’s true love. The ghost is their soul mate that passed away before they could meet and fall in love with them. He tightened his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

The kids found out later that day when they went to see what took Ray so long. He and Michelle were on the couch making out like a couple of teenagers. Frankie and Louie ran off screaming bloody murder about their eyes needing to be bleached. Taylor went over a squeezed her mom’s hand and went to calm down the others. Miles pat his dad on the back and followed Taylor. Ray didn’t miss the eyes he was giving her. They were going to have to have a talk about that.

Overall, it turned out okay. They had been dating for over a year now and Ray had something he wanted to share with Michelle. He nudged her and she looked over her shoulder. She smiled and sat up to look at him. He wiped his hands on his jeans and glanced at her nervously.

Come on, Ray, just get it over with. He took a deep breath and took Michelle’s hands in his own. “Michelle, I love you. I always will, until the end of time. And when you pass away, I’ll be here waiting for you with open arms.”

Her eyes filled with tears. He continued, “I want to make you happy. I want to make sure you have everything you’ve ever wanted. But I know I can’t do that.” She placed a hand on his cheek and was about to interrupt. He held up a hand so that he could finish.

“I understand that I’m a ghost. And as a ghost, I can’t do much for you. But if there’s one thing I can do, it’s love and support you and the girls until the end of time. I want to watch you grow old. I want to be by your side when Taylor and Frankie get married. I want all this. I want to help in the bakery. I want to bring Taylor and Frankie to school events when you can’t make it because I want to be like a father to them.”

He slid off the couch and on to his knee. She knew what was coming. She had to know. It was in nearly every movie on the face of the earth. He swallowed his nerves and finally asked it. “Michelle, will you marry me?”

Tears were running down her face and this was not the reaction Ray was expecting. He pulled out a ring and held it up to her. “I know when people see, they’re going to ask who you’re married to, and I know you won’t be able to tell them. You don’t even have to wear it. I just want to make it official.”

She nodded slowly and pulled him into a hug. “Yes. I will marry you.” He slid the ring on and she stared into his eyes. “Ray. You do make me happy. I want you to be the girls’ father. I want to help mother the boys. I know you try your hardest to go to everything Taylor and Frankie do. I want you to be a partner in the shop. I want… I want you. I know you will be an amazing father to my girls and an even better husband to me.”

It was his turn to cry now. She pulled his face close and whispered, “I want to marry you.”

He grabbed her face and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss that left them both feeling breathless. This was the reaction he was expecting.