The Bertie Mansion

XIX

Caleb shut his mouth and tried to swallow his panic. Alexandra was threatening him with the fireplace poker, waving it back and forth in front of his face. He wasn't courageous like Jeremy always was, and the sudden movement had startled him. Convincing the middle-aged Downys to leave their house for a while hadn't been off to a great start, and now he was looking down the length of a sharp object.

"We aren't leaving," Alexandra said in explanation. "In fact, I believe this is a ruse. Tell us why you're doing this and I might let you leave without harm."

Thomas closed his gaping mouth. "What's gotten into you? Are you possessed?"

"Don't be silly! I'm tired of your childish ways! I wish you had grown up!" she said as she moved the poker in her husband's direction and pushed it through his chest. He fell to the floor, dead. Caleb could only stare in shock before the poker returned to his throat, along with his heart.

"I'll leave!" he said. He backed away from the crazy lady as fast as he could. "It was just a prank."

"Like hell it was," Alexandra snarled, reminding him of a wild animal.

Caleb raised his hands and tried to think of what Jeremy would do if he were put in a similar situation. His friend would attack, he decided. Get the weapon away from his attacker, as if it was that easy. Jeremy wasn't extremely clumsy and had bravery to go around. There didn't seem to be a choice, though, since he was being backed into a corner.

He dropped, lunging at her legs and knocking them both over. The poker hitting the ground with a decided clang. Alexandra tried to reach for it but Caleb got there first. He rolled onto his side and aimed it at her.

"Stay back," he said, attempting to sound scary. He remembered when Anna tried to act threatening the day they met and hoped he wasn't failing as badly. "Or I'll stab you just as dead as your husband!"

"Ha, as if," Alexandra said, laughing. She truly seemed possessed, or so angry it was overriding her morals, which should be strong from being taught them in school from childhood, like they were Caleb. A ghost that wasn't Rob appeared behind her although he didn't look mad. It was like the madness had transferred to her.

Caleb cursed and scrambled backwards as he realized it was Jeremy. He wondered if his friend could really be dead, sacrificing his life for someone he barely knew. It was just like him to do something like that, and then come back to save Caleb just because he could.

He couldn't remember the foolish thing he had fought over with Jeremy that night. But he knew the root of the problem. Instead of moving on in life and using his talents for the true good Jeremy's heart was made for, he kept getting hung up on the military. The armies had been demolished since soon after the Great War.

Yet, Jeremy insisted on having this annoying, full of himself attitude like he had joined the ranks of fellow soldiers and was superior because of it. It made him stick out, and not in a good way. His friend could use his enthusiasm somewhere else and if Caleb was the violent type he'd hit Jeremy upside the head for not understanding his potential. There was still room in this world for action men. Jeremy simply had to find that place.

Caleb was weak compared to his friend. Of all the spineless humans the government had successfully developed, he was one of the worst. He was always flitting from job to job, always fired for being too timid. Jeremy had taught him how to stand up for himself, how to lie. He had lied to Jade when she called to check up on them, then worried the night away, wondering where Jeremy had gone to, hoping it wasn't a mistake to leave his friend to his own devices.

But once morning came, if his Jeremy, strong and brave, and who talked about almost anything even if he wasn't as good as most at words, couldn't stand to say what happened to him overnight?

Caleb sighed. And that's when he came to a second realization. This wasn't his Jeremy. This was a younger version, one that would have been the same age as the journal Jeremy wrote in when Roberta died. It had to be the vengeful ghost, just less vengeful, and also getting closer to fading out of existence, he realized.

Alexandra had no clue what was behind her and tried to grab the poker back. He fought her off, the best he could, and channeled his inner Jeremy. He was determined to see his friend again, alive. His moves were mostly thrashing around, but they worked.

On the other side of the room, Rob was speaking to Jeremy the First.

"What did you do?" he hissed at his old friend. "I felt a blast of energy."

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "Just saving my grandson. I sent him outside. I have to make things right."

"You're a little too late for that," Rob replied, gesturing to the body that once belonged to Thomas.

"Oh, come on, Bertie. I'm trying here."

Rob grimaced. "It's Rob now. And seriously, get Caleb out. Then we can try to find what went wrong and fix that lady!"

Jeremy crept up behind Alexandra and took the poker from Caleb. When she turned around to face him, he stabbed her through the chest, causing her to go limp. "There. Problem solved. What should I do with the bodies?"

Rob reached forward and dragged Caleb to his feet by the shirt. The human glanced at them and then ran out of the room, presumably to meet with his friends.

"Make it clearly an accident. Otherwise someone will get blamed," Rob suggested. He was tempted to comment on the cold killing, though Caleb had been struggling near the end of the fight and needed the help. "There's going to be an investigation and your grandsons can't be involved."

"I'm on it. But before you go, be brave for me? I want to see you again soon." Jeremy gave Rob a brief hug. "Leave. I've got this."

"Yeah, see you," Rob muttered as he left the building, placing his trust in a man he hadn't trusted in years. He would forgive, eventually.

Outside he saw the youngest Jeremy pass off the sleeping girl to his brother as he stared at Caleb. The rain was letting up. Caleb stared back at him from a distance, but then rushed forward.

"You're alive!" he said in relief, cupping his friend's jaw. Then he couldn't help himself and raised himself on his toes to land a kiss that was far from chaste. Jeremy didn't exactly respond to it, but Caleb's happiness clouded his judgment and he kissed Jeremy for a few seconds longer, glad they were both alive.

When he stepped up to kiss him a second time for good measure, Jeremy responded a smidgen and pulled him closer, fisting his hands in Caleb's borrowed shirt. It was a short kiss, and when it was over Caleb was pulled into a tight hug, Jeremy's chin on his head fitting like they were meant to be.

For his part, Jeremy was happy to have his friend back beside him, although he was confused. Yes, he had been worried and was getting ready to pound the door down, impossible to open or not, when he had seen his friend get in that battle. He had been impressed with how Caleb had tried, yes. But that had been a serious kiss just now, not a joking one on the cheek, shorting out his already limited thoughts. He liked his friend, though it seemed impossible that Caleb liked him, like that. They were just friends. The kiss had been okay and he'd tried to feel something, but it was nothing he particularly wanted to repeat.

The ghost stood there with his hands forming two thumbs ups, permission granted, mouthing Jerry over and over again. They had become friends really quickly, bonding over their love for the army. He had known before that they wouldn't be together forever but it was bittersweet letting go, although Rob seemed to think his feelings ran deeper and needed to break them up.

Caleb continued burying himself in Jeremy's chest, enjoying the moment. He would take back the kiss, it was obvious there weren't mutual feelings involved. He was too weak to be considered a mate to that wild man. That was fine. They had lasted a long time as just friends. But he could savor the veal while it lasted.

Inside the house was a horrible sound of something breaking. The light went out in the sitting room and what once was the ceiling became the new floor, crushing everything in its path. They watched for a moment as the night's events were covered in rubble.

Will tried to lighten the situation up. "Well, who wants to have a sleepover at our place? You guys are already in your pajamas."

"Sleepovers are for Slickos," Alexander mumbled. He led the way down the path, the others following.