Something Evil's Lurking in the Dark

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

Emily swung her legs back and forth, looking around the restaurant in awe. It was a really nice place, after all. She wondered how she'd ever missed it and felt thankful that Oliver had decided to share in it with her. The waitress was kind enough to leave a glass of water for the two of them while she waited and Emily busied herself drinking it, feeling it was much needed after her time spent dancing, while she waited for Oliver's return. She wondered what was taking him so long, but she supposed in a place like this there could be a line or something. When he came back, she smiled, shaking her head. "No, no, it's okay. I hardly noticed, I was busy thinking about how wonderful this place is. I'm really glad you decided to take me here." She tucked her hair behind her ear, a small pink in her cheeks as she glanced down at her menu. "I'm not sure what I want yet, do you know what you're going to get?"

--

Brayden didn't even move as Callie's hand glided slowly over his sleeping form. Suddenly he woke, although he was still very much disoriented and drowsy from the two pills he'd taken earlier. It caught him off guard, how affected he was, as these pills were never usually this strong. He supposed he must've gotten the wrong dosage this time though and tried to remember to check the label on them later. When he realized Callie's fingers were moving against his side, he managed to murmur, "hey, babe. Did you have another bad dream?" He didn't bother to open his eyes or else he would have noticed the horrible expression on her face.
.

@ Miley Cyrus;

Oliver moved back into his seat, scooting in to see two glasses of water on the table. Although, Emily was almost finished with her own. He had not realized it took him that long to complete the job, and he pushed his glass toward her. "You can have mine since we are not sure when the waitress will come back." He smiled over at her, placing his folded hands onto the table. "I am glad that you like it. When you started to talk about dancing, this was the first place that came into my mind." Oliver explained, hearing the sudden spike in her heart rate. He paused and wondered if he had heard it correctly. Despite believing that Emily was a lovely person, he only wanted a form of friendship. To be anything more than that, would be harmful. "Oh, I'm not hungry. Back at the bar, the bartender made me order something before I could get information. I came here solely for you to have dinner. Please." He gestured for her to continue looking at the menu.

--

"Oh, god, Brayden." Callie murmured, wanting to cover her eyes. Just from the grogginess in his voice, she could tell he was completely out of it. If only he had read the dosage, he would have been able to react, and she reminded herself to yell at him.. if she ever got the chance. She watched herself reach up to run her thumb against his lips, knowing how much it irked Callie. A nauseous feeling started to build inside of her stomach. "Hey, freaky person! Step. Away." She practically challenged the ghost, attempting to stand her ground. As her eyes flickered over to Callie, she could see that the person was actually enjoying how Callie was unable to do anything to protect Brayden. Only getting worse, she saw the person leaned down to place a kiss against his lips. "I'm going to be sick." Callie bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, rushing over to push over the person. There was no way that, that was truly her.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

"It was a nice gesture, I appreciate it. It's nice to be able to relax a little," she mused, her fingers tapping on the tabletop. She had worn herself out in the days since the murder and it was nice to be able to let her guard down for once, even if it was only a little. "Oh, okay, if you're sure." She smiled, although she did think it was a little odd that he wouldn't be joining her in a meal that evening. She supposed, however, that it was a normal thing and if ordering from the bar had gotten him the information he needed, then she wasn't opposed to it. She took the glass, sipping from it as she scanned through the list of items on the menu. When the waitress came to take their order, she ordered a chicken caesar salad before handing her menu over, turning her attention back to the detective.

--

Brayden's eyes were still closed, feeling too heavy still to open them, and he let out a soft sigh when Callie ran her thumb against his lips. She felt cold to him for some reason, despite having been previously wrapped up in the blankets with him, and he slowly moved his arms around her, holding her close. "You're freezing," he started to say, although his voice was still clouded with grogginess, when she pressed her lips against his. He relished in it for a moment before something felt..off. He couldn't explain it, but the kiss didn't feel like it usually did. There was nothing behind it when he kissed her. He immediately pulled away from her, intending to question her, when he realized Callie was laying on the floor, holding her head. "Callie! Are you alright?" He questioned, and suddenly he didn't feel so sleepy anymore.

@ Miley Cyrus;

"Good, I thought we both deserved a little time to relax." He agreed, knowing the emotional toll it was taking. Losing many friends over the years, Oliver was immune to the tragedies that life brought. "Yes, I am completely sure." He reassured her with a smile just as the waitress came back to take their order. Oliver shook his head when the waitress looked over towards him. "Another glass of water is good enough for me." Oliver told her while handing over the menu. The animal blood that he had just ingested would keep him filled for the next week or so. "Do you have any questions for me, Emily?" He asked her, wondering what had been going on inside of her head. Oliver knew that he was the one doing the questioning more of the time and wanted to give her a chance.

--

Callie was not about to let someone kiss her boyfriend right in front of her, feeling the sudden rush of energy. Sending her body off of the edge of the bed, she was determined to get her body back from whoever possessed it. She held herself down while attempting to push the person out of her system and was not going to move until she did. Her body was not taking the push too kindly though, groaning out in pain on the ground. "You're going to give me my body back, ghost-person!" She yelled, shaking her body. Callie continued to push on forward until she finally merged back into her body. Waking up on the floor, she gasped and sat up quickly. There was a pounding inside of her hand, holding her head automatically. "Oh, my head feels like a brick was shoved inside." She moaned while leaning against the side of the bed.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

Emily quickly nodded in agreement; she had lost important people in her life but it never seemed to get easier for her. She did, however, believe that they were in a better place, somewhere far away, and that comforted her enough to get through it. A little down time would do them both good, she decided. Emily nodded in acceptance when he insisted he was fine, waiting a moment for the waitress to leave before her attention was back on him. "I wanna know more about you," she said honestly, toying with the straw around her fingers before she explained, "I feel like you know more about me than I know about you. I know there's more to you than just saving the people of New Shire."

--

Brayden watched in horror as Callie twitched around on the ground, her body slightly thrashing back and forth violently. She was mumbling to herself but he couldn't hear what it was that she was saying. She looked like a caged animal. He watched as she grew still for a moment before springing back up, making him jump. He hadn't the slightest clue of what to make of it. "Callie?" He said tentatively, slowly slipping off the bed and sitting down against the side of the bed beside her. "What's wrong? Are you..." Brayden hesitated, unsure of what exactly to say. "..Okay now?" He gently rubbed her back, not even certain of what he could expect from her.

@ Miley Cyrus;

It was no doubt that Oliver knew more about Emily than she did about him. All of her files were saved inside of the system in the precinct down to her birth certificates. Luckily, Oliver knew a fellow vampires who was quite known for forging similar things, and his were quite convincing as well. "If that is what you believe, then I don't think that is true. I am your common human being. I wake up every morning and go to work. Then, from work I go back home to repeat the cycle once more." He countered, leaning forward slightly out of curiosity. There was something that Emily was seeing in him that he never knew of himself. "You may ask away though. I will try to answer your questions as best as possible."

--

Callie gripped the side of the bed while the ringing in her ears began to cease. Taking a moment, she slowly blinked her eyes open to find Brayden beside her and let out a sigh. "I always told you to check your dosage on the side of the bottle, Idiot." She mumbled, just relieved to be back inside of her body. If it had not been for that, it chilled her to even wonder what could have happened. Slowly, she turned to place her back against the bed and was completely exhausted. The possession had taken a lot of out of her emotionally as well as physically. "There was something or, rather, someone inside of me. It was like the delivery boy dream all over again. Except this time, I knew that I was not dreaming."

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

Emily looked at Oliver quizzically as he spoke. He was so secretive all the time, and that made her suspicious of him. Sure, most policemen were pretty private people, but for some reason she got a strange feeling about him. Nevertheless, he made her laugh, so she didn't comment on it. "Oh come on, everybody has hopes, dreams, things they like to do. Your office can't be your whole life," she said incredulously, taking a sip of her water before setting it down, thinking for a moment, "Fine, let's start small. Where were you born? Have you lived here your whole life?"

--

He blinked twice, surprised at what Callie had to say before he shook his head. "I know, but I really thought I took the right amount..." He trailed off, letting his hand fall to his lap as she moved so her back was against the bed. He hesitated for a moment, toying with his fingers as he listened to her before he spoke carefully, "Callie? You know how my dad's a doctor? Well, he could recommend someone for you to talk to.." Not wanting her to think poorly of him, he added hastily, "I mean, I'm not saying you're crazy, or you're making it up or anything but maybe it'd be good for you to see someone. I mean you could have a personality disorder or something. You're at the right age where if you did it might occur.."

@ Miley Cyrus;

"You would be surprised, Emily." He pointed out, knowing a few people who did. Working was practically his life though, and one of the only things he could keep. He was curious as to what she would be asking him. "I was born and raised in New York City, New York." Oliver started off, remembering that is what the certificate had said. In his original life, he was born in a suburb just outside of New York City, but that would be going against his current life. "I moved here when I finished the police academy. New Shire's police department was hiring, and I was looking for a job."

--

"You clearly thought wrong, Brayden. What would have done if you ODed?" She asked while calming her nerves down. Callie could still clearly picture that person looming over his almost-dead body. It was too horrid to even think about. Hearing his suggestion, her eyes automatically shot over to his own, completely offended by the suggestion. "Personality disorder? Are you kidding me?" She was outraged, and the only thing that kept her from screaming was the fatigue that wore her down. Callie moved to her feet as bruises started to form all over her legs from the fall. "Let me just go back home. Maybe I can just be crazy over there by myself." She concluded while she moved over out the room down the hall toward the coat rack. Out in the corner of the room, the ghost stood with the same smirk of her face from before. Her deed had been accomplished.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

Emily just gave him a look as he insisted upon his 'all work' life. Somehow, it only further convinced her that there was something he really didn't want her to know. Everybody has their secrets, she decided, and I won't press him for his unless he presses me for mine. As he spoke she nodded, satisfied with his answer. "It makes sense," she said simply, toying with her straw while she thought. She grew quiet for a moment when the waitress delivered her food to her before adding, "and you just decided to stay here ever since?"

--

Brayden simply huffed, but he knew she was ultimately right. He'd have to get his dosage checked out later. He sighed when she stormed off, having already expected that reaction from her. He followed her, knowing she wasn't in the right state to be alone. She could hurt someone, or herself. "You're not crazy, and I don't think you are either," he insisted, following her to the coat rack. "I'm worried about you. I want you to get the help that you need. Regardless of whether or not you have a personality disorder or...or a ghost is 'haunting' you or whatever, you can't just do nothing about it. Look at yourself, you're all bruised up. You can't just sit here and do nothing about it, Callie, be rational."

@ Miley Cyrus;

Oliver gave a small nod, thanking the waitress when she served the food. Letting her know everything was alright, the waitress turned to leave them once more. "Yes, that was basically the plan. I worked my way up to the detective position and found no need to move elsewhere anyway." He explained to her, watching her play with the straw. The way that she kept digging made him feel as though she sensed something was off. If she had, she was not coming out and saying it quite yet.

--

Rolling her eyes at him, Callie knew that he was telling her that so she would not be offended. That train had left a long time ago. "Right, and pigs are flying." She reached out to grab her coat, shrugging it on. "Be rational? What, you mean like letting your father think that I'm crazy, too? If the one person I trust to believe me doesn't believe me, then I am obviously not going to have anyone else believe me." Pulling her hair through from the back, Callie started to button the coat. She would have to catch the bus back to her place since her car was out for repairs. "So, in the interest of being rational, I am going to go home, Brayden." She stated while shoving her hands into her pockets, finding the rocks still there. "You can take the stupid rocks, too. Obviously I can't be trusted with them." Callie shoved them into his chest, clearly adamant on sticking to her own plan.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

"Interesting." She took the moment to take a bite of her salad, chewing thoughtfully as she thought about what he said. Well he did take the job because he felt, morally, that he needed to. So clearly his background was not very clean cut at all. She wished she had her laptop, she'd have a search done on him in minutes. "I'm from Seattle," she added, although she was sure he already knew that. It was, after all, kind of his job to know these things. "I moved cause I liked the change in scenery. I used to work in a bakery, cause like I said baking is fun, but after everything happened, I needed to take a break from decorating cakes and baking bread."

--

"He wouldn't think you're crazy. He's a doctor, it's his job to help people," Brayden objected, moving quickly to stand in front of her, blocking her way to the door as she put her coat on. "I do believe you, Callie, but what do you expect me to do? Sit back and let you hurt yourself? You need help. You don't even know what's happening to yourself, how do you expect to figure it out by yourself?" He scoffed, shaking his head. It was a bad idea, her going off on her own. She could hurt herself and no one would be around to do anything. He took the rocks from her, surprised she still had them on her person, before he dropped them to the floor. "Callie, you're being ridiculous. I just want to help you, why are you being so defensive about this?"

@ Miley Cyrus;

Indeed, Oliver had known that she was from the Seattle area but not the circumstances that surrounded it. "It is always rainy in Seattle. I had a vacation there once." He chuckled, reminiscing on his time that he spent there. "That's unfortunate. Maybe you could bake me something one day, if you are feeling up to it." He offered, hoping to reach out to her. It was clear that Emily's past was clearly troubled. Oliver knew that she was currently working part-time as a waitress at a local restaurant to make ends meet. Although, he hoped that she would follow her passions soon.

--

"Well, why do you think that those mental hospitals exist? For people apparently like me." Callie countered, placing her hands onto her hips. There was nothing that was going to go to make her visit his father. It would only confirm that she was delusional to Brayden, giving the incentive to lock her up. "I-I don't know. What makes you think that your father knows? Evil ghost people isn't something you learn in medical school." She frowned at him, not thoroughly convinced of his plan. If there was nothing that she could do, at least she would not be able to hurt him. "I am not being ridiculous. I may have just saved your life by something by literally attacking whatever it was, and all you are thinking is that I may have a personality disorder because of a trauma."

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

"There's no place quite like Seattle," Emily mused, thinking about her past life before she sat up a little, nodding. "I'd love to. When's your birthday? Maybe I'll leave a birthday cake for you at your desk, since it seems to be your favorite place to be." She couldn't help but laugh, since she knew good and well his birthday would most likely be spent in his office, with his desk and computer for company. "I'll even let you have it free of charge. What's your favorite flavor?"

--

"I'm not saying they need to confine you to a mental institution," Brayden protested, rolling his eyes. She could be so thick sometimes. He wanted what was best for her and ultimately, he'd try to get her the help she needed. With or without her approval. "Maybe, but I'm sure he could recommend a good therapist for you to see. Maybe if you talk to someone with these kinds of experiences, you might be able to put these visions to rest once and for all. You aren't crazy, Callie, I'd never think that about you. But you can't deny that you need help. This is not normal." He rested his hand on her shoulder, gently, trying to get her to understand where he was coming from. "I can get you an appointment to see someone soon. As soon as you want. But you can't just walk away from this and do nothing."

@ Miley Cyrus;

"I suppose you could say that, but I do plan on working during my birthday." He chuckled since she already knew him to be a workaholic. Oliver thought back to the birth certificate, not quite remembering what it had said. Pausing for a moment, he cleared his throat and did his best to remember. "It's November 11th, which should be in a few weeks. You have some time to practice before then." Oliver grinned over at her, wondering how it would taste. "Surprise me. I don't really have a favorite flavor."

--

Callie's eyes dropped to the ground, knowing that this was not normal. Nothing was normal ever since they came back from that retched place. With his hand on her shoulder, she let out a small sigh conflicted as to what to do. She was absolutely terrified that they would diagnose her as crazy. Everything that she had worked for in life would have been erase by that one word. "But what if they say that? I-I am not crazy, and I know it. Or what if they can't help me?" She asked him while feeling tears well up in her eyes. It was not often that Callie cried, but, when she did, anyone knew that it was a serious issue. "I don't want to live like this." She quietly sobbed and used her hands to wipe away the tears, smearing her make-up.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

"Oh trust me, I believe you. But it's a special day, Oliver, you should do something fun for your birthday!" Emily insisted, before she thought the date over in her mind. November 11th, she'd have to remember that. "Oh, I will. It'll be a super special cake, with tiers and everything. Well, maybe not tiers, but it'll still be special!" She laughed, pushing her mostly done plate away from her. She took another sip of her water before she set that, too, aside. "Mine isn't until June."

--

"Oh, Callie," he whispered, pulling her into his arms. He held her tightly as she sobbed, rubbing her back gently before he kissed the top of her head. "We'll get through this together," he promised, brushing her hair away from her face. "Well, we'll never know unless we try, right? I'll call my dad in the morning and see when he can set up an appointment for you. They'll probably just get you some medication to balance you out. I really doubt they're going to call you crazy. And even if they do, I won't let them take you anywhere that you don't want to go. I promise."

@ Miley Cyrus;

Oliver gave a small shrug of the shoulders since there was nothing he considered to be more fun than working. "I don't know, Emily. I have not had a day off in years." He told her with a sigh. If something happened while he was off-duty, Oliver would not be able to forgive himself. The city was running, because of the officers that were there every single day. "Yes, no tiers, please." He chuckled since that would be too much cake for both of them to finish. "What day? I will be sure to remember it and greet you a 'happy birthday' then."

--

When he pulled her into her arms, Callie started to sob even harder and buried her face into his chest. It was one of the few times that she felt so vulnerable in his arms. "I hope so." She mumbled to him, sniffling loudly. Even though the idea of his meeting his father was scary, she would at least try for her sake as well as Brayden's. "Okay, we can try. I hope your dad can help me out here by giving me something or talking to someone. You better not let them take me away from you though." She gave into him, not knowing what else to do. Eventually, she calmed herself down and relaxed in his arms. Callie leaned lightly against him, wanting to just get some rest.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

"I'm sure one day off wouldn't kill you. It's kind of unhealthy to be stuck in your office, day in and day out. There's not one exciting thing you want to do for your birthday?" She asked skeptically. "It's your birthday, you have to have something that you really want to do for it. It's an important day." Emily was a firm believer in celebrating birthdays, even if it was only a small celebration. Every birthday counted. "I was born on June 3rd. I don't know what I'll do for my next birthday, but I'm sure I'll think of something by then."

--

Brayden sighed when he heard her sobs grow louder, hugging her tighter. It pained him to think that she was so trapped inside of her own mind. He just hoped his father would be able to give him something, anything to soothe her worries. "Alright, I'll call first thing in the morning," he promised, before he shook his head firmly. "Never. I wouldn't let anyone do that. You're mine, Callie, all mine," he assured her, tilting her chin up to give her a soft kiss. He led her back to his bedroom, guiding her to the bed and tucking her in. "Get some rest, everything's gonna be okay," he continued to repeat to her, brushing her hair back behind her ear and kissing the top of her head.

@ Miley Cyrus;

"In some cases, I guess you could say that. It keeps me busy, but I do not have too much of a social life." He admitted with a small laugh, realizing how pitiful it was. After living numerous lives, this one had to be the most socially deprived one. Oliver kept his walls up too high for anyone to reach him this time around. "I never thought about it, Emily." Glancing down at the dancers for one moment, his eyes flickered back to her still not having an answer. "Then you have something to look forward to."

--

Climbing back into the bed, Callie looked up at Brayden and sniffled as he placed the kiss on top of her head. "Okay." She agreed but was still afraid to actually close her eyes. The last time she had fallen asleep only confirmed her fears. "You should leave and lock the door. Just in case." She advised since there was no telling what she would do. As long as she could not hurt Brayden, she could relax enough to fall asleep. Her eyelids were heavy and began to droop closed against her will. "I'm so tired of all of this." She mumbled as she began to drift off into a slumber once more.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

"There's nothing wrong with that," she decided, since she couldn't see the serious detective as the type to party his days away anyways. She herself wasn't a socialite by any means. "You should think about it, you still have a few weeks. Every birthday counts," she reminded him, her hands folded on the table. Emily smiled when he looked at her, nodding a little. "I suppose I do. It's a special day after all. One year older, hopefully one year wiser." She laughed, her green eyes flickering about. "You never know, a lot can happen in a year."

--

Brayden frowned as he watched over Callie as she laid to sleep. He could tell just by looking at her that the poor girl was still afraid. She was afraid of her own self. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," he assured her, kissing her head again. He wasn't about to leave her alone, unprotected. He didn't know what exactly was going on with her, but he was afraid she might hurt herself. "I know, babe, I know," he soothed her, continuing to caress her hair until she was asleep. He climbed into bed beside her, his eyes exhausted, but he didn't go to sleep quite yet. He wanted to make sure that she was okay first.

@ Miley Cyrus;

Oliver chuckled since that was true, but every single birthday did not count in his book. "I will think about it, Emily." He promised, wondering if anything could pique his interest. Experiencing anything that he could have wished for, he had outlived the joys of life. He had been there for the ups and the downs of the world. "Yes, a lot can happen in one year." He agreed, especially for a vampire. Years started to whirl by just as if days were seconds. That was one thing of the many things that his immortality had taught him.

--

This time, Callie was able to sleep peacefully without any odd dreams or realities clouding her thoughts. Considering the past two days, it was rest that she deserved to have. She turned to cuddle closer to Brayden, fitting her body perfectly against his own. They both had been through many things together as a couple, and this would soon become one of them. Although, the ghost in the room was not able to let them have their happy ending if she could not have her own.